1) Individual Rights – all members pursue hopes and happiness;
2) Universal Suffrage/Participation – All can participate; consent of the governed;
3) Separation of Powers – No branch is all-powerful;
4) Peaceful Conflict Resolution – Forced to deliberate, cornerstone of democracy;
5) Economic Opportunity and Equality – Benefits of one’s own labors;
6) Government Transparency and Accountability -Responsive to the people;
7) Rule of Law/Judicial Independence – All accountable for their actions; and,
8) Self-Critique – Capacity for self-denunciation and self-correction. Below are:
Points dealing with liberal democracy (LD)
A) Beware democracies masquerading under false flags, ex., social democracies.
B) Complicating factors: geography, history, colonialism, corruption, tribalism, sectarianism, and religion. All may impact political infrastructure.
C) [Rom. 13] Submit to authority, God’s creation, is not universally self-evident.
D) LD is one of the most noble achievements of human civilization. It was totally built on the Christian heritage of the West.
“Do not count against us the sins of the fathers;
May your mercy come quickly to meet us,
For we are in desperate need.” [Ps. 79:8]
[1 Timothy 5:17-25] – Elders – Compensation for all church workers is a challenge. It would be easy to get into the weeds attempting to delve into a comprehensive discussion of compensation, budgets and administration. That is too wide for our study purposes. Paul is saying (also Jesus) workers cannot expect to be uncompensated or volunteers. Paul goes further, ‘if they are good, they should be paid double’. This is visible via increases in attendance and financial support. What happens in poor parishes where the need may be the greatest? [v. 17-18] Paul goes into detail in [1Cor. 9:3-11]. We talk this to death in committees. Most pastors have rigorous graduate degrees and teachers must comply with the professional dictates of the state. [v. 19-20] deals with the treatment of elders. They should be elected and everyone should avoid slander and backbiting. Those must be dealt with clearly and quickly in the face of transgressions. Public shaming works. Paul tells Timothy not to play favorites: [v. 21-23], promote good people, certify they are qualified, ready and of noble character. Look at the challenges facing churches with problems of abuse, failure to act, public denial (stonewalling), unrevealed transfers and resorting to protracted legal battles. [v. 24-25] A toddy now and then is good [v. 20] We are being exposed to: soaring theology, fits of common sense and avoidance of subjective truths.
[1 Timothy 6:1-5] – Slaves, Master and Sound Teaching – How will Christians, 1,000 years from now look at the current collection of Believers? It is easy to draw a list of failings and faults based on our own likes and dislikes. We are appalled at past oppress-sions; yet make irrational business loans, resulting in massive debt (uncollectable) in the Third World; and indulge scandalous sexual behavior. As we look back, we question how we could tolerate slavery. Does anyone equate energy with slavery? Does anyone take the time to question all the various forms of slavery in the world today? How do we evaluate ‘freedom’? We ponder - these are the hard questions requiring our answers. In Paul’s day 35% of the population were slaves. Theologians of the day dealt with this, claiming slave and master to be equal in the eyes of God. [Gal. 3:28] NB Both had responsibilities before God. Paul was forced to think his way forward and think of the problems they faced. He wanted to avoid a very salient fact: the new, little Christian communities should not be-come provocative or disruptive. Christian slaves and Christian masters should work at their relationship in a wise and respectful manner. Looking back, we wish that we had acted more quickly to abolish slavery; nor have invented newer ways to recreate new forms. [Rom. 13] [v. 3-5] were written by one skilled in dealing with awkward issues. Our Founding Fathers, 1776 – 1783 faced similar challenges. The basic gospel teaching and guidelines for Christian communities must not be viewed as club-like, There are real: issues, concerns, principles and squabbles. The key is retaining trust and preventing splintering. Often an ugly picture evolves, - all too familiar. Then folks, to avoid conflict, walk away. Paul saw the answer clearly, firmly, - Christian leadership with solid teaching and executed with solid exhortation. Paul faced another concern: money! Then AND now some folks look at Christianity as a means of making money. Folks envision themselves as teachers and in keeping with custom – local philosophers would travel about giving lectures, and/or becoming advisors to the elite. Today when this happens all the careful work of building communities of love, trust and witness may be undone in a moment.
[1 Timothy 6:6-10] - Godliness and Contentment – Never before has there been such a restless pursuit of riches. Never before has the love of money been elevated to the highest and greatest good. Most people give lip-service to the maxim, money cannot buy happi-ness. However, many wonder, “It just might.” Look at all the basic human rights and high on the list is, ‘the pursuit of happiness.’ We also know that the unfettered pursuit of money is usually the basic human wrong. Nelson D. Rockefeller was asked how much money he needed to live. His response was, a little more than what I have. Life is odd – we think we need more money, so we work hard to acquire a few more toys; and the upward spiral begins - more – more. Then our spouse files for divorce, and living in a no fault state the spouse gets 50%; then we need a lot more Hello All,
1) Individual Rights – all members pursue hopes and happiness;
2) Universal Suffrage/Participation – All can participate; consent of the governed;
3) Separation of Powers – No branch is all-powerful;
4) Peaceful Conflict Resolution – Forced to deliberate, cornerstone of democracy;
5) Economic Opportunity and Equality – Benefits of one’s own labors;
6) Government Transparency and Accountability -Responsive to the people;
7) Rule of Law/Judicial Independence – All accountable for their actions; and,
8) Self-Critique – Capacity for self-denunciation and self-correction. Below are:
Points dealing with liberal democracy (LD)
A) Beware democracies masquerading under false flags, ex., social democracies.
B) Complicating factors: geography, history, colonialism, corruption, tribalism, sectarianism, and religion. All may impact political infrastructure.
C) [Rom. 13] Submit to authority, God’s creation, is not universally self-evident.
D) LD is one of the most noble achievements of human civilization. It was totally built on the Christian heritage of the West.
“Do not count against us the sins of the fathers;
May your mercy come quickly to meet us,
For we are in desperate need.” [Ps. 79:8]
[1 Timothy 5:17-25] – Elders – Compensation for all church workers is a challenge. It would be easy to get into the weeds attempting to delve into a comprehensive discussion of compensation, budgets and administration. That is too wide for our study purposes. Paul is saying (also Jesus) workers cannot expect to be uncompensated or volunteers. Paul goes further, ‘if they are good, they should be paid double’. This is visible via increases in attendance and financial support. What happens in poor parishes where the need may be the greatest? [v. 17-18] Paul goes into detail in [1Cor. 9:3-11]. We talk this to death in committees. Most pastors have rigorous graduate degrees and teachers must comply with the professional dictates of the state. [v. 19-20] deals with the treatment of elders. They should be elected and everyone should avoid slander and backbiting. Those must be dealt with clearly and quickly in the face of transgressions. Public shaming works. Paul tells Timothy not to play favorites: [v. 21-23], promote good people, certify they are qualified, ready and of noble character. Look at the challenges facing churches with problems of abuse, failure to act, public denial (stonewalling), unrevealed transfers and resorting to protracted legal battles. [v. 24-25] A toddy now and then is good [v. 20] We are being exposed to: soaring theology, fits of common sense and avoidance of subjective truths.
[1 Timothy 6:1-5] – Slaves, Master and Sound Teaching – How will Christians, 1,000 years from now look at the current collection of Believers? It is easy to draw a list of failings and faults based on our own likes and dislikes. We are appalled at past oppress-sions; yet make irrational business loans, resulting in massive debt (uncollectable) in the Third World; and indulge scandalous sexual behavior. As we look back, we question how we could tolerate slavery. Does anyone equate energy with slavery? Does anyone take the time to question all the various forms of slavery in the world today? How do we evaluate ‘freedom’? We ponder - these are the hard questions requiring our answers. In Paul’s day 35% of the population were slaves. Theologians of the day dealt with this, claiming slave and master to be equal in the eyes of God. [Gal. 3:28] NB Both had responsibilities before God. Paul was forced to think his way forward and think of the problems they faced. He wanted to avoid a very salient fact: the new, little Christian communities should not be-come provocative or disruptive. Christian slaves and Christian masters should work at their relationship in a wise and respectful manner. Looking back, we wish that we had acted more quickly to abolish slavery; nor have invented newer ways to recreate new forms. [Rom. 13] [v. 3-5] were written by one skilled in dealing with awkward issues. Our Founding Fathers, 1776 – 1783 faced similar challenges. The basic gospel teaching and guidelines for Christian communities must not be viewed as club-like, There are real: issues, concerns, principles and squabbles. The key is retaining trust and preventing splintering. Often an ugly picture evolves, - all too familiar. Then folks, to avoid conflict, walk away. Paul saw the answer clearly, firmly, - Christian leadership with solid teaching and executed with solid exhortation. Paul faced another concern: money! Then AND now some folks look at Christianity as a means of making money. Folks envision themselves as teachers and in keeping with custom – local philosophers would travel about giving lectures, and/or becoming advisors to the elite. Today when this happens all the careful work of building communities of love, trust and witness may be undone in a moment.
[1 Timothy 6:6-10] - Godliness and Contentment – Never before has there been such a restless pursuit of riches. Never before has the love of money been elevated to the highest and greatest good. Most people give lip-service to the maxim, money cannot buy happi-ness. However, many wonder, “It just might.” Look at all the basic human rights and high on the list is, ‘the pursuit of happiness.’ We also know that the unfettered pursuit of money is usually the basic human wrong. Nelson D. Rockefeller was asked how much money he needed to live. His response was, a little more than what I have. Life is odd – we think we need more money, so we work hard to acquire a few more toys; and the upward spiral begins - more – more. Then our spouse files for divorce, and living in a no fault state the spouse gets 50%; then we need a lot more money. The secret - be content with what you have. That act leads to the real things in life: food, family, house, clothes. This teaching goes well with [Chap 4] food and sex. We must try to balance our world – neither wor-shipping the created world nor imagining it is evil. Money makes all things look different. NB Money is not God’s creation. It is man’s, created to facilitate the exchange of goods and services. If it is too far removed from that exchange it becomes a ‘good’ in itself, lead-ing to idolatry. The West has (for decades) made money a value in itself. This has caused us to forget something about being human. Money is not evil, loving money is evil, AND is the root of all evils. [v. 10]
We will not attempt to list and/or evaluate the negative consequences of money, especially within the political realm. Or within large corporations with their wealthy owners who attempt to secure government contracts and in turn support re-election campaigns. It is a sorry picture. However, Paul is saying, “There is a different way.” We do not have to live this way. The church is called to model the different way. How courageous are we? Do we even want to try or do we succumb to apathy? Does Paul clarify this in the next lesson? Amin!
Love, hank
Cell: 541-973-5442
hankhohenstein@gmail.com. The secret - be content with what you have. That act leads to the real things in life: food, family, house, clothes. This teaching goes well with [Chap 4] food and sex. We must try to balance our world – neither wor-shipping the created world nor imagining it is evil. Money makes all things look different. NB Money is not God’s creation. It is man’s, created to facilitate the exchange of goods and services. If it is too far removed from that exchange it becomes a ‘good’ in itself, lead-ing to idolatry. The West has (for decades) made money a value in itself. This has caused us to forget something about being human. Money is not evil, loving money is evil, AND is the root of all evils. [v. 10]
We will not attempt to list and/or evaluate the negative consequences of money, especially within the political realm. Or within large corporations with their wealthy owners who attempt to secure government contracts and in turn support re-election campaigns. It is a sorry picture. However, Paul is saying, “There is a different way.” We do not have to live this way. The church is called to model the different way. How courageous are we? Do we even want to try or do we succumb to apathy? Does Paul clarify this in the next lesson? Amin!
Love, hank
Cell: 541-973-5442
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