Notices by The Disreputable Bede (badbede@deacon.social)

@seanbala I imagine the software/firmware part was trickier. ;-)

I regularly attend our church's Saturday morning prayer meetings. There are many of my old friends there, including my parents. But I walk out when the prayer turns to culture and government. I spend my time in the church library enjoying the wealth of knowledge that past generations have left us. I do so because 1) prayer about those things are very irritating, and 2) I think it's largely a waste of my time.

The reason is that I believe Christians in America today need to look to the church of the first century and the Jews in exile as examples. In the Bible, I do not see a *single example or teaching* saying that we should pray to God to change secular culture or against government. The examples we do have are Daniel, who served under Babylonian and Persian administrations, and who was part of the government though trying his best to advise the king according to what was right. For example, Daniel 4:27: "Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue."

Another example is Jeremiah, who wrote to the exiles in Babylon to pray for the prosperity of the city they were in (Jeremiah 29). The final teaching is in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 where Paul urges believers to pray for kings and all those in authority for their good!

Nowhere in scripture are believers taught to pray to God to change culture. I'm sure there were many things that were unbiblical in Babylonian, Persian, and Roman government and the society during those times. But we never see any examples of believers praying to God about those things. It doesn't make those things right, but that's not our focus. Our focus needs to be on witnessing about Christ, sharing the gospel, showing an example by our lives, and making disciples. Any prayer meeting that focuses on these issues I'm totally there for. But I'm not going to waste my time listening to people pray to God about DEI policies, transgender agendas in schools, or for their favored political candidates.

In Pentecostal/Charismatic circles and less so in broader evangelical Christianity, there is a focus on "doing big things" for God: making disciples, having a healing ministry, planting churches, going overseas as a missionary.

But as I've grown as a Christian, I feel that the most impressive accomplishments are those that others won't see: living a holy life, treating your family members well, encouraging the timid, helping the weak, developing the spiritual fruit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.

I guess that's why I am drawn towards Christians who been faithful in obscure ministry (Corrie Ten Boom quietly ministered to mentally handicapped children for decades before WWII) or have suffered well (Watchman Nee spent 20+ years in prison; Corrie spent the last years of her life partially paralyzed by a stroke and unable to talk).

One of my favorite scenes from Brother Sun, Sister Moon—a biographical movie of St Francis (very hippie)—is where Francis is rebuilding a countryside chapel stone by stone. He's not interested in famous deeds, though later in life he reportedly preached the gospel to the Sultan Malek al-Kamil.

In the end, God knows our quiet victories and those will be celebrated in heaven where the first are last and the last first. If He chooses to use us in a public way, then that's beside the point.

What are your favorite Christian biographies?

This is one of my favorite genres. I love reading about where people came from, how God lead them through success and adversity, and how they ended their journey.