Canyons and Crannies in the Bible

This is (sort of) the third post in a series. 

The First Post: Geometry and How to Think

The Second Post: Canyons vs. Crannies Theology

I am sure that there are a few people who've had their toes stepped on from my posts. If not these two, then any number of previous posts I've done, may have stepped on toes. I can admit that from time to time I've posted some things with the express purpose of toe-stepping. I can admit that. Though it was never meant to be overtly mean, I can admit that there have been a few times where I phrased things knowing that whether or not it stepped on any toes, it would still be received about the same way that a stray Lego piece is when encountered on the floor in the middle of the night... when barefoot. I could argue that some people just need to put shoes on (i.e. not be so sensitive), but that wasn't my main concern when typing these things out. Even though I can admit this with some previous posts, I want to stand by my claim that these last two posts, specifically the previous one, was not meant at all for an insult to anyone. The topic that I began to cover, I believe, is one of the most important topics that needs to be addressed in our American Church.  I believe this for two reasons. 

Reason number 1: False Teachers

The first reason why I believe that this topic, which I have titled, Canyons and Crannies in the Bible, is one of the most important topics of our modern American Church, is the existence of False Teachers. False teachers come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them are overtly false, like the ones who have started cultish followings like Mormonism or the Jehovah's Witnesses. Others aren't nearly as overt as that, even leaving some aspects of the gospel in-tact, but their overall impact results in their followers, their students, their listeners and adherants to their teachings, to be led ... just astray enough to miss the point. In this category of false teacher, there could potentially be many who are genuinely, before the eyes of God, regenerated people. 

I believe that a great example of this, from the pages of the Bible, are the Pharisees. Consider Matthew 16:11–12  (ESV), where Jesus warns his disciples about the "leaven of the Pharisees". 

[11] How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” [12] Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees was like a leaven (a yeast) in a recipe. Though it is simply sprinkled in, in small amounts, it invades the whole lump of dough. It is a small thing that multiplies. At other times, Jesus likens the Kingdom of God to leaven that leavens a whole lump of dough (Luke 13:20-21).  Yeast is alive and multiplies itself. In the case of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees, it might seem like a small discrepancy, but it invades everything. Much of what the Pharisees and Sadducees taught and believed was rooted directly in scripture. When they would challenge Jesus, for example on how they believed he was breaking the Sabbath when he would heal someone (Mark 3:1-6) or when his disciples picked grains of wheat to snack on (Matthew 12:1-8), the Pharisees weren't ignoring the scriptures, they were simply missing the point of those scriptures. This is one of Satan's most insidious attacks, not to initially de-rail you, but to simply tweak your perspective. He even tried it with Jesus (Luke 4:9-12). 

I see this with many. They get so caught up in the little intricacies of the Bible, that they miss the point entirely. In the previous post I referenced the 7 letters to the 7 churches in the book of Revelation. You can read those letters in Revelation 2-3. As evidence of the"Cranny" focus as opposed to the "Canyon" focus, consider this: How many would identify the 7th church (the Church of Laodicea) as the church of a "final age" of the church, with it's lukewarmness, but have no idea... not only what all of the other warnings to all of the other churches are, but not really understand the meaning of a lukewarm church. 

(Seriously. Have you ever considered that? How could a "lukewarm" Christian be worse than a "cold" Christian? Do you really think that it means that you simply aren't "on-fire" for Jesus? How could someone who is "just average" in their fervor for Jesus be worse than someone who is totally closed off to Jesus? ... And ... aren't we all like that from time to time? That doesn't even make sense.  But if someone were to take in the consideration that this was written to an actual Church in the actual city of Laodicea, the meaning could be found. Consider D.A. Carson's teaching on Revelation: in this part he points out the actual water situation in this real city. 

What does this place have? Good-for-nothing water. The point is not that they’re spiritually lukewarm but, in fact, they’re useless. They’re neither hot useful nor cold useful. They’re neither hot appetizing pleasing, nor cold appetizing pleasing. They’re just like their water: revolting, disgusting. That’s what is meant. (Listen or read the whole thing here.)

But so many would simply say that the letters are helping them define the times, not actually address warnings given to actual churches, and thus ignoring potential warnings for their own church and their own spiritual walk. How many that would reference this portion of scripture as a "sign of the times" but cannot state what the actual warnings are about?  This is why I would describe some as false teachers. NOT because they are aiming to steer people away from Jesus, but because that is the end result. The Pharisees wouldn't have thought that they were steering people away from God, but the teachings they purported accomplished this exact thing, whether they meant it to or not. 

Reason number 2: Interpreting the News

I have already alluded to this second reason, but I think that it can be even more distracting than simply determining that we are in the end times because so many of our churches are "lukewarm".   Consider a recent example: Former president Trump was shot in the ear. There was an assassination attempt on him, and it missed his head and hit his ear. This would be an extremely significant event in anyone's life. Seriously: think about it happening to you for a moment... Think about someone shooting a gun at you, and at the last moment, you turn your head in such a way that it only grazes your ear. Astoundingly lucky? NO. That was the providence of God. The Heidelberg Catechism, question 27, answers what the providence of God is: 

27. What do you understand by the providence of God?

The almighty, everywhere present power of God, whereby, as it were by His hand, He upholds heaven and earth with all creatures, and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come not by chance, but by His Fatherly hand.

So, nothing is by chance. Even seemingly random things, like rolling dice or casting lots (Proverbs 16:33). It was not by chance that Donald Trump's life was spared. He ought to take that into consideration. But this does not mean that he is now evidenced as "God's man" for the job.  The scriptures help us recognize the hand of God in all things. They are not to be treated the way Dan Brown treats them: as a puzzle to be solved. There are too many professing Christians who are reading their Bibles with their handy-dandy notebooks, taking down clues and piecing them together with current events to make predictions. Some have even gone so far as to proclaim a significance with the fact that Donald Trump ended up with blood on his right ear! ... as if this means that God has consecrated him for service like a priest!  (Yeah. People are doing this.  I like this pastor's comments: that is a gross misinterpretation of scripture.)

But... Do you see how the Cranny Theology works? Instead of praying that someone in Trump's life might point him to Christ, because his life was spared by the providence of God, they ignore this man's glaring discrepancies with a true believer and start claiming that God has ordained this man to save us all from the evil liberals and left-wing extremists. There is only one savior, and that is Jesus Christ. Donald Trump is a man who needs Jesus. To start using scriptures to elevate him to some significance, places him more in line with a potential Antichrist... Maybe not the Antichrist, but an Antichrist (1 John 2:18).

A right-leaning politician, who claims to be a Christian but still accepts the claims of the LGBTQ+ community could do a lot more damage to the church than a left-wing crack pot who denies everything to do with Jesus.

Conclusion (for now): 

I'll conclude my thoughts, for now, by asking again, can you see the difference between a Cranny and a Canyon?   If not, that is OK. In the next post I am going to attempt to discuss a few canyons. I've been taking aim at the Cranny Theology that is out there, but I haven't really offered an alternative, though I have alluded to it. I hope that if this is stepping on your toes, that you won't give up listening and interacting with me. If you have questions, contact me through the podcast or through this blog. I would be more than happy to address any questions or to clarify anything that I have left too obscure.