When Shalom was eight years old, everything changed. Reverend Smith, the powerful and authoritative pastor of the First Congregational Church, decided that because of Naomi’s great gift, it would be a spiritual crime for her to sing anywhere but at church. In fact, her voice would only be used to offer authorized and Church-endorsed songs of praise to God at authorized and official times. Furthermore, Reverend Smith informed Naomi and her family that because Naomi’s gift was to be used exclusively in the authorized worship of God, it would be a sin if she were to sing at home during family worship or on any occasion that was not specifically approved by Reverend Smith.

Now, the house was quiet. No more did one hear joyous praises coming from the kitchen while the dishes were being washed. No more did one hear the glorious sounds of “Alleluia” rise while the family met for prayer in the evening. Instead of the sounds of praise, you just heard… silence.

Reverend Smith eventually made the pronouncement that no one in the congregation could do any singing at home. Furthermore, the only way the congregants could offer their songs of thanksgiving to God at church were if they paid for the privilege of doing so. God really WANTED to hear their praises – but ONLY in the place that God chose and if they paid God’s vicar for the privilege.

Because they knew God spoke to Reverend Smith and Reverend Smith spoke for God, the congregation did their best to obey God’s commandments as relayed by Reverend Smith. They stopped singing even at church, unless they first paid the Blessed Reverend for the privilege.

As time went on, Reverend Smith started to get more and more selective with whom he allowed to sing at church. If your voice wasn’t good enough to praise God yourself, then your only option was to pay someone with a church-approved voice to sing a praise song on your behalf.

If you were willing to offer a higher fee, you could choose to have a really stellar musician offer your praises to God. You needed to keep in mind that God would be more likely to hear you if someone like Naomi was singing, because her voice was so beautiful. If, on the other hand, you only had a couple of bucks to give, you would only receive the services of a bottom-tier musician. God would hear your praise, but you could be sure He would keep in mind that you were being tight with your wallet and cheap with your praises.

One day a new pastor came to town. Pastor Joshua was young, dynamic, and charismatic. He preached in the park by the river, he preached in the parking lot of the grocery store. There weren’t any Church-approved musicians at his gatherings, just an abundance of uplifting stories and joyous laughter.

Pastor Joshua preached that you didn’t have to go to the church and pay for church-approved songs to be sung on your behalf. He taught that God loves you and hears you no matter who or where you are. He taught that the only thing you really had to do in order to honor God was to love and edify God and treat your fellow man the way you wanted to be treated.

Pastor Joshua’s message was captivating, his eyes were kind, and he was very approachable. More importantly, the God he spoke of and really seemed to know was a God of love, justice, and compassion.

Because Pastor Joshua’s message was so compelling, attendance at the First Congregational Church started to drop. Parishioners started leaving the Church in droves in order to follow Pastor Joshua.  This, in turn, made Reverend Smith very angry. He darkly and ominously warned his members that they should stay away from Pastor Joshua.

Things finally came to a head one day at First Congregational during the most significant Week of Spiritual Praise. During this extremely Holy and Blessed Week, it cost an extremely inflated rate to offer praise to God. Because their leaders told them they had no other choice, congregants saved up all year and traveled long distances to the Church just to pay for the privilege of offering praise to God Almighty.

During the first portion of Holy Week a commotion arose at the door. The sound of raised voices was heard in the foyer, and suddenly the sanctuary doors were flung open. Pastor Joshua, fed up with seeing people being told that they could only worship God by paying for top-tier musicians to offer authorized praises, stormed into the church. He knocked over the microphone stands, up-ended the table of instruments, and smashed the credit card reader on the floor. Everyone froze as his clear, compelling voice rang across the sanctuary.

“It is written”, he cried out, “My Father’s house should be called a house of prayer. But you are making it a den of robbers!”

Reverend Smith seethed as he watched Pastor Joshua stride out of the church. He became even more furious as most of his church members stood up, picked up their wallets, and left First Congregational, never to return.

Something had to be done, and fast. If Pastor Joshua were allowed to keep preaching his message of direct accessibility to God, First Congregational would lose constituents to the point that they could no longer afford to even operate. This could not happen! The people must not be allowed to believe that they could reach out to God without the intercession and instruction of the Church. The Church must maintain final control of their pocketbooks. In order to do this, the Church MUST BE the final arbiters of God’s Word!

Reverend Smith plotted in secret with the mayor of the town. He pointed out that the people must be kept compliant and obedient or they might revolt not just against the church, but also against the government. All it would take to keep them in control, he reasoned, was for Pastor Joshua to come to an unfortunate end. Surely, a charge of treason would take care of this situation once and for all!

And so it was. As Pastor Joshua sat in the death chamber, an IV of deadly potassium chloride infusing into his veins, he offered his beloved followers one last message. “Beloved friends, listen to the good news of the Gospel. God hears you. God loves you. He longs to forgive you if you only repent. You can approach your Father directly, without the intercession of a Reverend, Pastor, or Priest. YOU can communicate directly with God!”

The Moral of the Story

You might have gathered by now that this little story is an allegory. If you substitute “sacrifice” for “singing” or “praise” you can see a clear reflection of what the early Israelite belief system was like in Bible times.

It is hard for us in 21st century America to imagine how much the practice of sacrifice pervaded the very fabric of the lives of the early Israelites.  Coming out of Egypt, sacrifice is all the Israelites knew. They literally could not imagine worshipping God without the killing of animals, blood, and death. THAT is what all of their neighbors were doing and THAT is what they firmly believed God wanted! Entire cultures were defined as “sacrificial cults”, including the early Judaic culture.

Did God really want this practice of sacrifice? Not if you consider the multitude of Biblical texts that speak against it.

‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice; an understanding of my instruction more than a sacrificial offering.’[1]

And in Isaiah 1,

“Even a multitude of sacrifices—what are they to me?  I have no pleasure in sacrifice; nor do I take pleasure in the spilled blood of bulls and lambs and goats.”

And in First Samuel 15 verse 22,

“To obey is better than sacrifice.”

If we continue searching the Scriptures, we find that,

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves! When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them. This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’’[2]

God said through the prophet Isaiah,

‘The one I esteem is he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. But the one who slaughters a bull is like one who kills a man, and the one who sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; the one who makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig’s blood, and the one who burns memorial incense, like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations!’”[3]

Why did God allow the institution of sacrifice to occur in the first place?

One of Judaism’s most esteemed Jewish scholars was Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, who lived in the middle ages. He was also known as Maimonides but is more commonly referred to as ‘Rambam’. JewFAQ.org discussed the issue this way:

“Some would say that the original institution of sacrifice had more to do with the Judaism’s past than with its future. Rambam suggested that the entire sacrificial cult in Judaism was ordained as an accommodation of man’s primitive desires.

“Sacrifice is an ancient and universal human expression of religion. Sacrifice existed among the Hebrews long before the giving of the Torah. When the laws of sacrifice were laid down in the Torah, the pre-existence of a system of sacrificial offering was understood, and sacrificial terminology was used without any explanation. The Torah, rather than creating the institution of sacrifice, carefully circumscribes and limits the practice, permitting it only in certain places, at certain times, in certain manners, by certain people, and for certain purposes. Rambam suggests that these limitations are designed to wean a primitive people away from the debased rites of their idolatrous neighbors.”[4]

In other words, Rambam concedes that Judaism inherited blood sacrifice from its idolatrous (pagan) neighbors and that the God of the Jews, Yahweh, never intended for such rites to be included as part of His worship. This is wholly in agreement with the latter prophets.

The second century Christian writer, Clement, brings up a similar point very early in Christian history and adds to that understanding by intimating that Jesus himself was the one ordained to correct the people’s understanding regarding sacrifice:

“When meantime Moses, that faithful and wise steward, perceived that the vice of sacrificing to idols had been deeply ingrained into the people from their association with the Egyptians, and that the root of this evil could not be extracted from them, he allowed them indeed to sacrifice, but permitted it to be done only to God, that by any means he might cut off one half of the deeply ingrained evil, leaving the other half to be corrected by another, and at a future time; by Him, namely, concerning whom he said himself, ‘A prophet shall the Lord your God raise unto you, whom ye shall hear even as myself, according to all things which he shall say to you. Whosoever shall not hear that prophet, his soul shall be cut off from his people.”[5]

Ultimately, Jesus’ message endorses this understanding. He taught,

“Go and learn what this means, ‘[Yahweh] desire[s] mercy and not sacrifice.’”[6]

Jesus’ message was one of love, compassion, and honor. His teachings pointed then and they continue to point now to a Father who is kind, loving, long-suffering, and eager to forgive; NOT to a bloodthirsty tyrant who refuses to offer the gift of forgiveness without an accompanying sacrifice of blood and death.

[2] Jeremiah 7:21-23 NLT

[3] Isaiah 66:2-3

[4] JewFAQ.org/qorbanot.htm on 8-31-06

[5] Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19; Acts 3:22-23. Recognitions of Clement, Book 1, Chapter XXXVI, Allowance of Sacrifice for a Time

[6] Matthew 9:3; 12:7 quoting Hosea 6:6 which reads: “For I delight in mercy / loyalty / loving kindness / grace rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” NIV, NASB, Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures by Wilhelm Gesenius

[7] ©Donna Cunningham, 2010

This description is impersonal and feels downright disrespectful to many women. It makes us feel invisible and taken for granted. As a result, most of our husbands wouldn’t dream of calling us by this description, except possibly in jest.

Keeping this point in mind, I find it curious and a bit disturbing that we as Christians think nothing of using this same type of description when talking about our loving heavenly Father. We rationalize,

Jesus referred to God as “the Father” over and over in the gospels. So did the authors of the New Testament. You would have to throw out a whole lot of the Bible in order to get rid of that description.”

It is true. We see the phrase “the Father” written a lot in certain parts of the New Testament. However, this is rarely the case when we are listening to the words of Jesus, especially as he is written in the first three gospels.

When Jesus talks about Father in Matthew, Mark, or Luke, he frequently refers to God as “our Father” which is notated in the Greek as hēmōn patēr. Consider as an example the “Lord’s Prayer” where Jesus teaches us how to pray. He begins, “hēmōn patēr” or “Our Father…”

Alternatively, Jesus will sometimes sound possessive and use the phrase “my Father” which is moi patēr in the Greek.

Things start to evolve a bit when we get to the gospel of John. In this writing we see a distancing mechanism introduced into the equation, generally by the Bible translators who are seeking to remain as grammatically close to the meaning of the Greek as possible

To understand how translation idiosyncrasies have shaped our thinking, we need to look more closely at how things are done in the Greek language. Rather than having different articles in speech like we do in English, Greek has 24 forms of one article. All of these forms are generally translated into English as the word “the”, so clearly, we are losing something in the translation.  Our thoughts and perceptions are being shaped by the translators as they attempt to depict the nuances of one language in a second, very different language. [1]

However, we can be sure that if the original author of the writing had added in the words “hēmōn” or “moi” it would have been reflected in the translation.  Since those words that make us feel more intimately connected to God were not in the Greek manuscripts, we have inherited a collection of passages that refer to God our Father as God THE Father.

We should note that the phrase “God THE Father” is not written or translated as such a single time in the Old Testament Scriptures. The first place that particular phrase appears is in the gospel of John. In addition, it is used eight times in Paul’s writings.  For a quick example, let’s look at Galatians 1:3.

“Grace [be] to you and peace from God the Father” is translated from the Greek: charis (grace) hymin (be to you) kai (and) eirēnē (peace) apo (from) theos (God) patēr (Father)...

If we consider the balance of Paul’s writings, we will note that Paul went both ways on this issue. On certain occasions he wrote “our Father” and other times he did not add in the possessive, which resulted in an eventual English translation of “the Father”.

Do you know what this means? This emotional distance between man and God is not found in the teachings of Jesus, and it is not found in Judaism either. Somehow, though, it has become an integral part of the fabric of Christianity which ultimately results in Christians keeping God at more of a distance.

I know some will feel that being critical of this issue is being nit-picky; makingmuch ado about nothing. But is it nothing, really? Little rudders turn big ships. Little words shape big beliefs. That little English word “the“ removes the intimacy of the personal connection between ourselves and our heavenly Father.

In reality, this distance we feel to “the Father” isn’t supposed to be there. Man is responsible for it.

What can you take away from this study? Consider making small changes.

Next time you read the words “the Father” in your Bible, take your cue from Jesus himself and read the passage instead as “MY Father” or “our Father.”

Next time you sing a song about “the Father”, change the phrase to “MY Father”.

Next time you preach a sermon that refers to “the Father”, smile and instead say, “OUR Father.”

There is no place for “the” in the life of the believer who is truly seeking to draw closer to God.

Come closer to YOUR Father.

After all, He is not an impersonal authority figure who wants to condemn you; He LOVES you!

You are his precious child in whom He takes great delight.

YOU make Him smile because the traits that make you the fascinating individual that you are were given to you by the One who knows you best.

Your Father.

My Father.

Our Father.

FATHER.

[1] Here is a helpful article on the use of articles in Biblical Greek. http://www.ibiblio.org/koine/greek/lessons/noun2dcl.html

Let’s look at what Jesus DIDN’T say.

Jesus didn’t say, “The meek PROTESTANTS shall inherit the earth.”

He didn’t say, “Blessed are the CATHOLICS who are pure in heart: for they shall see God.”

He didn’t say, “Blessed are the EVANGELICAL poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

And he didn’t say, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is the reward for CHRISTIANS in heaven.”

Indeed, Jesus was speaking to a JEWISH audience. Yet I cannot tell you how many devout Christians I know feel that the Jewish children of our Heavenly Father will be lost “because they aren’t covered by the blood of Jesus!”

In actuality, Jesus’ definition of those who are eligible to enjoy the age to come seems to be much broader than what we generally seeing displayed in Evangelical circles. In other words, Jesus’ “gospel” seems to be much better news!

My heart breaks when I see all the hate; even though this hatred is generally cloaked in ”we hate the false beliefs but love the believers” rhetoric.

Seeing this anger and intolerance day in and day out brings to mind the following questions for specific groups of Christian believers.

Former Adventists: If Ellen G. White or your former SDA pastor ends up having a bigger mansion than you in heaven, will you be angry?

Adventists: If a Catholic priest or a “Pentecostal holy roller” has more ”stars in their crown” than you, will you feel dismayed?

Christians: If a Jew (other than Jesus) or God forbid, a MUSLIM has an exalted place of honor at the front table of heaven’s opening banquet, will you wonder how God could get it so wrong?

What if you find out that those you most condemn as being “lost” actually had a clearer picture of God’s character than you yourself did?

There’s not a single “believer” who will admit that they really don’t WANT to live on a heavenly cul-de-sac with someone who doesn’t “believe” as they do.

Regardless, the actions of many in the now would belie an opposite opinion.

Why can’t we all coexist in peace? Where is the love?

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

Perhaps he said this because he knew that the peacemakers generally get pelted with condemnation from all sides.

As a middle child, I have generally been a peace-seeker and a peacemaker. Yet while trying to stand up for God’s character as well as for the rights of others to have and practice their own religious beliefs, I’ve been derisively called:

an Adventist apologist

a Muslim apologist

a Judaizer

an enemy of God

an evil presence

lost.

I’ve been condemned roundly for sticking up for religious organizations that would never actually include me in their ranks, as I believe differently than they do. Yet the fact that I stick up for them earns me continuous scorn from those who hate these organizations.

I’ve been condemned for asking hard questions; condemned for asking “the wrong” questions; and condemned for daring to question the answers I receive from the religious establishment.

I’d like to say I don’t mind being condemned, but that would be a lie.

I don’t like to be condemned, but my need to find the truth no matter where it leads, as well as my mission to stand up for the rights of others will, I’m afraid, always lead to condemnation coming from somewhere.

So be it.

As long as there are peace-seeking, kind, loving, godly people who are being criticized, I will stand up for them, even if I do not agree with their beliefs.

As long a seeker is reaching out and up to God in the best way they know how to do, I will call them my brother or sister in heaven’s family.

God is big enough, strong enough, unbigoted enough, inclusive enough, and unracist enough to reach out to anyone.

God calls me to stand up for His character, His nature, His heart of love. God also calls me to love others.

THAT is my cause.

“God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” —Psalm 53:2

Have you ever wondered how it is that so many people with so many different beliefs about God have “felt” God’s Spirit in their lives?

We think to ourselves something like:

“I thought this way about God, I praised God in this manner, I read this Bible text, and God’s Spirit drew near! That is how I know that what I believe about God is true!”

Generally this experiential feeling is what we use to validate that what we believe about God is 100% “The Truth”. However, This experiential viewpoint becomes more problematic when you have held more than one set of religious beliefs at different seasons in your life, yet have felt that same unmistakable ”Presence” during both seasons. How do you make sense of it? Did you really NOT feel God’s Presence earlier, when you believed differently? How can it be “God’s Spirit” both times?

What if … we have it all wrong?

What if …  the Presence of God drawing near to us is not actually validation and verification that what we believe about God is completely true?

What if … God’s Spirit is really not tied to the “rightness” of our beliefs, but the purity of our hearts?

Sometimes, understanding God’s relationship with us is best understood by looking at our relationships with our children. How many times will we tell our eager, trusting child, ”Yes sweetie, that picture you have drawn of me is beautiful!” when it is merely a few crayoned scribbles that don’t resemble us at all?

At the time, we reward our children with pats and accolades because of their heartfelt efforts. We kindly realize that “they can’t handle the truth!”; that is, that their depiction of us is no more accurate than if they drew a three-headed horse and called it Mommy. However, their hearts are pure and they are offering us the best that they have, so we reward their efforts with hugs, attaboys, and affirmations.

In like manner, our best efforts at reaching out to God and portraying God to others will fall far short of what God is actually like. We might even be way off base in our depiction of what God really desires from His children!

What if … what we think about God doesn’t matter when it comes to how God responds to us?

What if … God instead judges us on the purity of our hearts and not the correctness of our doctrines?

What if … our loving Father, in His great mercy and kindness, rewards us with the gift of His Spirit because He loves us, not because we are 100% ”right”?

“YAHWEH  detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness.” —Proverbs 15:9