The Pastor’s Pen By Rev. Joel Cochran The Chapel in Marlboro Avoid Unnecessary Debt I was visiting with my friend Fred yesterday. “The front page of the newspaper said that student loans are the biggest source of debt in America,” he said. “Yes,” I replied, “I was reading about that, too.” Fred, who is a college graduate, mentioned, “It appears to me that kids go off to school and get a high cost education, then graduate to a low paying job.” Fred’s remark has the element of truth. A report from the National Economic Research Associates, Federal Reserve Bank of New York states that student loans were at $870 billion. Compare this figure to car loans ($730 billion) and credit card loans ($693 billion). Low paying jobs make it difficult to repay these loans. It is no secret that the average age for marriage in America has been rising – and debt has a large part in this change. The average age for marriage in America is 28 for men today. For women, it is a little lower, but not much. The first years after graduating from college, most young adults want to have their finances in order before marrying. Handling the student loan burden postpones marriage for these graduates. While in school, few thoughts are given to the ballooning debt being acquired. Even worse, credit card companies push their product onto these young adults, who have usually not been warned against acquiring too much debt from their parents or teachers. Wouldn’t it be nice if schools and churches would teach teens what it means to be responsible with their money? Unfortunately, youth is heady and the notion exists that these student loan debts will not stand in their way for the future. But then, after graduation, reality sets in. The first few years of making student loan payments are tolerable; after about five or six years, a feeling of bondage takes over. And it is bondage. The bondage of debt is ages old, even mentioned in the Bible: “…the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). Acquiring debt is fun – it is so easy to sign on the student loan line, especially when you have dreams of landing a high paying job after graduation. For many, such a job will always be just that: a dream. Borrowing and spending provide a sense of power and control over one’s destiny. This is an illusion. Spending borrowed money is a dangerous road to travel, no matter what the reason. A person actually exercises greater control over his or her destiny by not choosing to spend borrowed money today, especially when it is used to purchase promises that may not materialize tomorrow. Saving, paying as you go, and learning that you can do without are not lessons that should be rejected. “Fred,” I said, “I think the problem is not so much in borrowing itself. We can all learn the importance of borrowing responsibly. I also think acquiring an education is good. I think the problem is out of control borrowing. Maybe students could attend school for a year, and then work a year to pay off any money they might have borrowed. Then go another year, and then work a year to pay it off. That might fix the problem of student loan debt. If the colleges and universities would work with businesses in the community, this could be done.” Frugality and thrift were once considered virtues. These virtues need to be recaptured, especially by 18 year olds who do not realize that borrowing today leads to bondage tomorrow. One day these students will want to purchase a home, marry and start a family. Their student loan debt will stand in the way of these natural desires. And while this little bit of writing has used student loan debt as a seed for thought, the truth extends to all debt. Be careful in borrowing money, and avoid doing so if you can. Just as it was true when Proverbs was written ( 900 B.C.), so it remains true today: the borrower is servant to the lender. Avoid unnecessary debt.

The Ministry of Presence It is now summer and the heart of vacation season. It is time to remind everyone of “the ministry of presence.” One of the interesting studies of the scripture is “the ministry of the Holy Spirit” and His provision of “gifts” to the church. The heart of this teaching is located in the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians, Chapters 12 – 14. In 1 Corinthians 13 we are told “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (verse 13). This word “love” (“agape” in Greek) is translated perceptively as “charity” in older English versions of the Bible. In other words, it does not mean sentiment, it means action. “Agape” is the sentiment of love actively demonstrated in conduct. I think one of the greatest acts of love a believer can demonstrate toward his or her church is to faithfully attend. Especially is this true during the vacation months. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching” - Hebrews 10:24, 25. I wonder, which habit have you acquired – that of meeting with believers or that of not meeting with them? There is now and always has been competition for your time. The early Christians had gardens to tend and business to conduct. Today we have competition from youth sports, amusements, recreation and yes, gardening and business. So let me ask: if you don’t make time for the worship of God now, when will you? Life is busy. People have always been busy and tired. For the early Christians, meeting at church could be dangerous. They could lose social standing, lose a business deal, have their gardens raided, and in some instances (especially later under Nero) become martyrs. Are you expending so much energy on Saturday that you are too tired to attend church on Sunday? The people who first read these words from Hebrews 10 included slaves who were tired at church meeting time. Still, the instruction remains. Do you want to be a strong follower of Christ? Do not forsake the assembly. Do you want to be encouraged? Do not forsake the assembly. Do you want to encourage others? Do not forsake the assembly. Do you want to learn God’s ways for your life? Do not forsake the assembly. The “ministry of presence” means that regardless of the situation, you will make every effort to be in church Sunday. You will be there to encourage and to be encouraged. You will be there to learn from others and to pass on lessons you have learned. The “ministry of presence” is a ministry that recognizes that poor attendance weakens the morale of other believers and diminishes the church’s witness to the world. Yes, I am a pastor. Like other pastors, maybe all of them, I spend several hours preparing a sermon for the benefit of the congregation. And yes, my spirit is lifted by seeing people present to listen and learn. But that is not my motive for writing. My motive is this: let the witness of your church be as strong in the summer as possible. Be a light to the world and become stronger in the faith yourself. Practice the ministry of presence.

The Back Door to Success I have received many graduation announcements in the past week – and am presently looking at one. A young man from our church, he will graduate from a local high school this weekend. I know he will hear speeches on citizenship, goal-setting, following your dreams –that sort of thing. I want to address a topic that is usually avoided at graduation ceremonies: failure. Of course it seems ironic to address this issue at a time of academic success, but it is an inevitable part of life. It happens to us all – and it is important to remember that failure does not have to be fatal. Failure is the back door to success. There is no such thing as success without first experiencing failure. Failure is “paying your dues” so that we learn the value of success. Unfortunately, many people become so obsessed with the fear of failure that they forget to live and they never take a risk. Every successful person paid his dues with failure of some kind. Winston Churchill had a speech impediment. This caused him to be unresponsive in school and a mediocre student. But he found history and politics fascinating and determined as a boy to overcome his speech difficulty so that he might enter politics. He began to write out his thoughts and recite them with deliberation. History regards him as one of the greatest orators of all time. Churchill, and others like him, is what we call a “strong person.” But what is a strong person, after all? Everyone has a handicap of some sort and everyone makes mistakes. Strong people know this. They admit their mistakes, even laugh at them. But most important of all, they learn from their mistakes and do not repeat them. That is what makes them strong. They understand what President Theodore Roosevelt said, “The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.” You don’t really want to be a person who never does anything, do you? I passed the Akron, Ohio home of Thomas A. Edison recently. I recall the episode where someone challenged Edison by reminding him that he failed thousands of times while experimenting with the incandescent light (the light bulb). I think the challenge was “You failed 10,000 times before succeeding.” “No, I didn’t fail,” replied Edison. “I discovered 10,000 ways not to make the incandescent light.” Failure was no stranger to Thomas Edison. But he learned from each failed experiment. He refused to accept each of these experiments as a permanent defeat. Consequently, each failed experiment became the path for success. Doing nothing is the epitome of failure. We were put on this earth to do something. That something was very eloquently put by Jesus: “Love God with all your heart and love others as yourself.” So my advice to graduates is very simple. Live, as best you can, to the standards set by Jesus. Give your best effort at all times, but expect failure in your efforts from time to time, because that is what life will occasionally bring. Learn from your failures. Do not repeat them. And always remember: failure is… the back door to success.

Put Satan on the Run I was with my friend Fred yesterday. Fred is a sixty years old, never married bachelor. He likes to remind his boyhood friends that he is King of his house. His claim is, of course, undisputed – especially since his parents’ death. He had lived with them and cared for them as they aged. Then, within two months, they were both gone. The first to go was Fred’s mom, who died of lung cancer. Seven weeks later, his dad died suddenly while fishing, alone, on the banks of a lake. His dad just died – no pain or lingering at all. “Dad died of a broken heart,” Fred explained to us at the calling hours. I think Fred is right on that one, as his parents had been inseparable for over fifty years. But really, Fred had been the King in that household before his parents’ passing. Fred was an only child, and he ruled the roost from the day he entered this world. From about eighth grade, when we studied world history, Fred had been called by his buddies “Frederick the Great.” Today, Frederick the Great’s kingdom consists of an old, but very nicely kept three story house – the kind with an attic, in an area of older homes. The house sits on a half-acre lot with large oak trees; King Frederick also rules over a stray tiger cat with stripes called “Sergeant”, a parakeet and two dogs rescued from the pound. One dog is a female, half Mastiff. Whatever the other half is, it’s big also. She weighs about, I don’t know, half a ton I suppose. However much a baby elephant weighs, that’s what she weighs. Her name is “Fifi”, and I am not kidding you. The other dog is a male, mostly Beagle. It always has its tongue out and its tail wagging. It wags its tail about ninety miles per hour, non-stop. Its name is “Bobo.” Both dogs are super friendly and vie for your attention whenever you visit. It isn’t too bad until Fifi licks your face – which she always does when you lean down to pet on Bobo. The parakeet has a name, too: “Cracker”. “Cracker and I were talking last night,” began Fred. “I’ll bet you and Cracker have some interesting conversations together,” I replied. “You need to get out some and meet other single adults your age.” Fred’s response was, “There aren’t that many. Anyway, Cracker and I were discussing the news and it hit me.” “What hit you? Was Cracker flying overhead while talking to you?” I joked. It was pathetically lame and got no response. That’s when I realized Frederick the Great was being serious. “No, no – it hit me that I am an anemic Christian.” “Wait, Fred,” I cautioned. “What do you mean by anemic anyway?” Fred said, “I mean here I am, a person who claims to know Jesus as his Lord, and I am doing almost nothing for His Cause. Cracker was on my shoulder and we were watching the news on TV. The report was on the war and it showed a battle scene and a bombed out village where people had been hurt. Some may have even died. And it hit me: war is very, very serious. And we, as Christians, are in a war. Think, Joel, of all the war metaphors used in the New Testament: ‘put on the armor of God’, use ‘the sword of the Spirit’ and ‘the shield of faith’. But the one that really hit me was where Jesus said His followers are to storm the gates of Hell. You know, “the gates of Hell will not stand against us.” That means I am supposed to be doing something that threatens the devil.” “And then it seemed like Cracker asked me a question, but it was probably the Holy Spirit. Anyway, Cracker asked me, “What have you done lately Fred to put Satan on the run?” And I had to say, it has been a couple of years. Going to church is good, but not enough. So I began rattling off a list of things I could be doing to put Satan on the run and by gosh, I intend to do something. Because you know, Joel, we are in spiritual warfare, and war is serious. So what do you think I should do?” “Fred,” I began, “take the initiative. Go speak to your pastor – I know him and he will be thrilled that you want to put Satan on the run. Get involved in a Bible study, or even start one. That way your further decisions will have a strong spiritual foundation. But most of all pray, because prayer invites God into your life and situation.” I left Frederick the Great and his kingdom with a good feeling. The feeling that when Christians begin to stir, the church… puts Satan on the run!

The Movement Must Go On I read in the April 19, 2012 issue of USA Today that Charles Colson was gravely ill and near death. By the time you read this, he may have already passed from this world into eternity. Charles Colson is the famed Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon, who was sent to prison for Watergate crimes. He discovered the Gospel prior to his sentencing, and knowing that he was a sinner in need of a Savior, he became a Christian. Following his release from prison, he began a very effective ministry to those incarcerated, called Prison Fellowship. As a Christian, he has been outspoken on issues of faith and morality in America. He began a movement that has made a major contribution to the cause of Christ in our time. I call it “the worldview movement.” Chuck Colson is the Augustine of our time. Augustine, whose name is commonly preceded by “Saint”, was a notorious person in his younger days. A person you would have warned your family members to avoid. But in his adulthood, the man became a Christian – and a mighty influence for Christ. He is called by most scholars “the greatest of the Latin Fathers of the church.” Chuck Colson has become one of “the greatest of the 20th Century spokesmen of the church”, certainly. His web site, www.colsoncenter.org is a tremendous resource. His lectures and writings on worldview are without parallel; the individuals he invites to contribute to the web site are outstanding in their own fields. The man and the movement he has spawned are unquestioningly loyal to the cause of Christ. While I will never meet Colson in this life, I hope to have that opportunity in the age to come. These thoughts all lead up to a question: who will follow Chuck Colson in providing worldview leadership to the church of Christ? Of course there are those who will pick up his mantle in the immediate future. But what about long-range? And even if none of us are either young enough or skilled enough to take up Colson’s mantle and continue the movement he began, what are we doing to make sure it happens? Right now, for example, our church is recruiting adults to teach Sunday School. We have several very bright and eager-to-learn children who attend Sunday School. Their minds are capable of easily grasping the basic truths of scripture and theology. The church provides sound literature to assist in this task, making the preparation and presentation of a lesson as simple as possible for a teacher and effective as possible for the child. Some of these children are of whiz-kid caliber who, if challenged properly, could be the next Colson or Martin Luther. Colson became a prolific leader when a friend challenged him to read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. The challenge led him to Christ and to a leadership position in the church. Take up the charge to follow Christ. Become a leader in your home, church, community and world. Challenge others: the neighbors through a home Bible study, the children in Sunday School and the teens in youth group. Chuck Colson began a movement. The movement is greater than the man and… the movement must go on.

God’s Way is the Best Way


I read in the newspaper this week that a petition is being circulated to place the legalization of homosexual marriage on the Ohio ballot – an item that was defeated ten years ago. If passed by the electorate, the meaning of the word “marriage”, the covenant union of a man and woman, would change. It would then mean the union of two caring persons.

There is a history lesson here – one that churches need to learn. Sexual permissiveness, including homosexual practice, was prevalent in ancient Greece and in the Roman Empire. And let’s admit it: the desire to redefine marriage is an attempt to make homosexual practice socially acceptable, with no regard for history.

Euthydemus recounts a story of Socrates discussing with a friend what kind of boy the friend finds arousing. Greek adult men took boys, some as young as twelve, for sexual purposes. This was socially acceptable. Now I understand that pederasty is not the objective of the Ohio petition – at least not this one. Not now. Give this movement time and we’ll see what develops. The North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) is an advocacy group that has as its goal to end “the extreme oppression of men and boys in mutually consensual relationships”. The San Diego Union Tribune in February 2005, in a story by Onell R. Soto, reported that NAMBLA is based in New York and San Francisco and holds an annual gathering New York City and monthly meetings around the country.

My concern is that if we discard the traditional definition and understanding of marriage to accommodate the militant homosexual agenda, a pandora’s box will be opened. All sorts of people with “alternative lifestyles” and militant agendas will attempt to justify and legitimize their perversions by claiming it is marriage. And if our only standard is “mutual consent”, then marriage means almost nothing.

In first century Rome there was social approval of homosexual relationships. The Romans even had a deity, Priapus, who was known for raping both males and females. This was the deity’s way of punishing those who violated his territory, and the legend served to legitimize the practice by humans. After all, if a god did it, it must be okay.

Well, no, it was not okay. So what force changed the attitudes and morals of the people? The church! Not through belligerence and outrage – and not through politics either, but through compassionate truth-telling. The Roman Emperor, seeing the wisdom of the church’s stand and seeing compassion (or repudiation if a person refused the truth), finally outlawed homosexuality (this was done under Emperor Justinian, 482-565 A.D.).

The Christians of that time were guided by the epistles of Romans and 1 Corinthians, chapters 1 and 6 respectively, to announce to the world that there is a better way to practice sex. God’s way. Polycarp, Justin Martyr and others spoke and wrote about homosexual practice, presenting it as against nature and destructive of the family and home, God’s design for security, love and propagation of the race. The practice of using boys and girls for sex was so widespread in the Roman Empire that in 305 A.D. leaders of churches in the empire met in Granada, Spain (The Council of Elvira) and passed resolutions against pederasty and the sex trade of children. Then later in the same century a leading church pastor named Basil of Caesarea wrote, “He who is guilty of unseemliness with males will be under discipline for the same time as adulterers.” This was a fifteen years banishment from the communion of the church– yes, you read it correctly, fifteen years – to give the person time to consider his practice in light of nature and revelation, and to change. The church people were there to help – but they could not give approval to the practice of homosexual sex (in particular with children – so they kept these people away from the kids). People did experience change then, as they can and as many do now.

During this time there was, of course, strong opposition to the church’s stance from those who advocated permissive sexual practices. The history lesson is that even though permissive sexual practices were widespread in Greece and Rome, when Christians presented God’s way, people accepted the message. They knew it was right.

They knew that the Christians were telling the truth. They also knew the Christians cared. The churches at this time were taking in children from the streets and discarded babies from the dump – the Roman form of “choice”. Christians opened their homes and adopted these abused and abandoned children, providing a safe environment where they would no longer be molested. They also counseled with adults who had engaged in promiscuity, whose lives were void of meaning – after all, what kind of life is it to live for the purpose of raw sensual satisfaction? And as for the church leaders, they stood against the deviancy of their times because they did genuinely care about family, home, human dignity and God’s design for each. They really did think that the phrase “Jesus is Lord” meant to live godly lives.

These leaders cared about others. They cared enough to share the truth. They cared enough to maintain a high standard for marriage. They knew …

God’s way is the best way.

Freedom of Religion or Freedom from Religion?

Okay, okay. I know it has been a while since I last contributed a fresh column. Some of the papers that carry this have rerun previous pieces; the Christmas season and January busyness made it easier for me to put it aside.

But I have only put it aside temporarily. It is now time to resume. So let’s resume with a controversial bang.

David Zubik is the Roman Catholic Bishop of Pittsburgh. It was he who wrote a pastoral letter entitled, “To hell with you!” It may not surprise you to hear the average person say something like that, but a Bishop in the Catholic Church?

What provoked Bishop Zubik was the recent mandate of President Obama’s administration that church and other privately run institutions must provide abortion-inducing drugs through its insurance plans to employees. This was not a mandate discussed in a congressional committee and then debated and voted on by your representatives in Washington. And now for my opinion (this is an opinion column). It was a direct attack upon the morality of traditional Christianity and specifically an attack upon the sanctity of life. The Roman Catholic Church and a host of other Christian bodies consider the practice of abortion as birth control to be a horrendous and evil practice. It is the taking of a human life because the arrival of an infant is inconvenient (“unwanted” is an empty argument, considering the thousands of couples who would willingly adopt).

And here I am - silly old me – I thought freedom of religion was guaranteed in the Constitution. Wait a minute! It is guaranteed, in the First Amendment. So where is the guardianship of the Constitution by the man who swore “…to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”?
That guardianship and that guarantee were discarded when the guidelines mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) issued by the Department of Health and Human Services stated that all – as in a-l-l, all – health insurance plans must cover any and all FDA-approved contraception, sterilization procedures, and drugs, even those drugs that produce death of a human fetus. This includes plans paid for by church and private institutions that find abortion to be unconscionable.

Of course, appeals were made to the President and Health and Human Services Director Kathleen Sebelius. In reply to these appeals, as Bishop Zubik put it not so eloquently, the President and Sibelius said, “To hell with you.” Here is more of what the Bishop wrote, and this is what I really want you to read, “This is government by fiat that attacks the rights of everyone…At no other time in memory or history has there been such a governmental intrusion on freedom …It undermines the whole concept and hope for healthcare reform by inextricably linking it to the zealotry of pro-abortion bureaucrats. The mandate would require the Catholic Church as an employer to violate its fundamental beliefs concerning human life and human dignity…It is really hard to believe that it happened.”

Just hold on to your seatbelt, Bishop Zubik. Even though the President made a small backstep on this issue, it is apparent that his strategy is to soon require all Americans to pay for the abortifacients now available and eventually to pay for abortion procedures. It is not too difficult to predict that mandates will come requiring euthanizing of seniors who no longer possess “quality of life” (to be defined by the Department of HHS, probably).

It is hard to know from whom the President is receiving his mind numbing advice on this matter, but it is obviously not from people of Biblical values or conscience. “The fool says in his heart, ‘no God” (Psalm 14:1, a literal translation). No God for me – I don’t want anything to do with God. Their ruin is assured and history so attests the ruin of the secular state.

These are not people interested in freedom of religion, as were our Founding Fathers; these are people who are interested in freedom from religion. It is the secular state they desire – and it will be our ruin as “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”