Dare to Be Dogmatic: And Other Essays to Help You Think and Live Like a Christian

By Larry L. Long

Today's modern Christian often struggles with overwhelming issues and questions at home, at work, in the marketplace, and within the depths of his or her own soul. Often these issues come in the form of attacks against positions we take when we speak God's truth into the lives of our loved one or our places of work. Many Christians have been trained to dialog with unbelievers on the big issues of apologetics, but few have been equipped with the less weighty but no less troublesome issues of everyday life.

Dare to Be Dogmatic was written in the format of short essays to equip the reader in thinking through many of these issues. Many topics are covered that will prepare the reader to give an answer and a reason for the hope that is our in Christ Jesus (1 Peter 3:15). Some essays are fun, some a bit frivolous, but all have a point rooted in a Judeo-Christian and biblical worldview.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973682240

Larry L. Long

Larry Long served as a full-time, licensed and ordained senior pastor with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) for 30 years in Oklahoma, South Louisiana, and West Texas. Born and raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Larry graduated with a BA in History from Crown College in Minnesota and an M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. Having retired from full-time ministry, Larry now works at McCoy’s Building Supply in Midland, Texas, where he assists customers and contractors in making purchases needed to complete their building, remodeling, and repair work. Fulfilling his passion for writing, Larry has published three books. The first, Dare to Be Dogmatic, and Other Essays to Help You Think and Live Like a Christian (2020), is a collection of essays that speak from a biblical perspective to many of the issues we wrestle with in day-to-day dialogue and living. Forty-nine essays cover a wide range of topics that touch on social issues, politics, ecumenism, and some of the nonsense that goes on in our churches today. Larry’s second book, Jesus Still Speaks: The Seven Last Words of Jesus From the Cross (2021), is an examination of Jesus’s seven last words spoken from the cross when he died for our sins. In this second book, Larry reflects not only on the meaning of each of these sayings when first spoken, but how they still speak to us today. Jesus Still Speaks is the basis for this Lenten devotional that shares a similar title. Larry and Don hope it will serve as something of a companion volume. Larry has been married to his wife, Melissa, for 36 years. They have two adult daughters, Jozlyn and Morgan Long, and one big dog named Penelope. When he was a young man, Larry enjoyed hunting and backpacking in the Snow Range Mountains of Wyoming. Hunting and fishing are still Larry’s favorite pastimes. Larry remains active in ministry by serving as a part-time teaching pastor at The Gathering Church of the Nazarene (myGathering.church) in Midland, Texas. Sermons and teachings by Larry can be accessed on the church’s website.

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Copyright © 2020 Larry L. Long.

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Scripture quotations marked ESV taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-8223-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-8225-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-8224-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020900610

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/25/2020

CONTENTS

Introduction

Acknowledgments

CONFRONTING NONSENSE

Dare To Be Dogmatic

Creed Greed

Oxygen Deprivation Does Not a Prophet Make

Am I Being Too Preachy?

Saying the Name

In Defense of Being Religious

Hypocrite!

You’re Judging Me!

MY CITY, MY PARISH

I Got Spanked for Not Knowing My Bible!

Stand Up for Life!

Is Gambling a Sin?

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

When I Die

On Loving and Hating Poetry

Proofreaders Needed

Marriage Is Hard

God Fasted

Gestures

HOLIDAYS

In Defense of Christmas

Advent Attitudes and Actions

In Defense of the Hated Christmas Letter

Fat Tuesday

Easter’s Remediation of Christmas

Whom Does an Atheist Thank at Thanksgiving?

UnHalloween: Innocent Fun, Or a Spiritual Nightmare?

Some of the Soldiers We Honor with Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day Belong to Me

CHRIST AND CULTURE: POLITICS

Withhold Your Vote, Or Hold Your Nose and Vote?

How You Must Vote If You Are a Christian

I’m Proud to be an American

Liberals Seek to Control the Penises of Newborn Males

Is God a Republican?

CHRIST AND CULTURE: SOCIAL ISSUES

Peace is Worth Fighting For

Self-Defense?

A White Man’s Racist Perspective on Racism

Mass Shootings: How Could This Have Happened?

Why Johnny Can’t Learn

A Textbook Case

UNITY AND DIVISION

Is the Church Too Divided?

I Woke Up to Find My Church Catholic

I’m Not Roman Catholic, But I Liked Pope Benedict

Greet One Another With a Holy…Handshake

HOLLYWOOD

The Passion of the Christ

Disappointed with Disney

SALT AND LIGHT IN A DARK AND PUTREFYING WORLD

100 Angry Christian Men, Inc.

Diagnostic Questions

Dear Abby and the Preacher’s Prodigal Daughter

A Course In Miracles A 2011 Facebook Dialog with An Old Classmate

Does God Still Work Miracles?

Will the Real Atheist Please Stand?

POSTSCRIPT

Prayer Isn’t Powerful and God Doesn’t Want to Make You Happy

About the Author

INTRODUCTION

A t least two different kinds of people read books.

My wife loves to read. She probably reads as much as I do. But because she prefers books that speak with a common voice, she is often frustrated with big words when regular words would have worked. Not long ago, she paused from a book to ask what a certain word meant. When I defined it, she asked why the author didn’t just say that? Why is it necessary to use big words?

And she has a point. Big words can become a hindrance to good reading. Too often an author will use big words because he wants to sound smarter than he is. Such books become wearisome to read. A good author will know when big words are helpful, because they both clarify and economize. A good author will know her audience well enough to know when such a word is apt and when it is not.

I, on the other hand, enjoy books that stretch my vocabulary. Just recently, for example, I encountered the word pace, which I honestly had never encountered in the way it was used. Of course, p-a-c-e isn’t a big word in the sense of size, number of syllables, or even frequency of use as it is normally understood—but its meaning wasn’t what I expected. The context suggested something different from how I normally understood it, so I looked it up.

We typically define this word as a noun to describe the speed at which something or someone moves. Other definitions, according to context, speak of a rate of movement or progress, a manner of walking, and various units of distance in a person’s stride. When used as a verb, it speaks of a kind of nervous walking back and forth. In racing, it refers to controlling or matching the speed of something or someone. I was already familiar with these meanings.

But the use of the word that was new to me was in the form of a preposition meaning contrary to the opinion of—as in, "Pace Rev. Bill Smith, his sermons aren’t nearly as good as he thinks." (Disclaimer: No particular. Rev. Bill Smith was in mind in the writing of this last sentence.)

Usually written in italics, "pace" is also pronounced differently. If the Merriam-Webster phone app is to be trusted, pā-(,)sē is how it is spoken. Or, if you’re like me and are never quite sure how to read pronunciation diacritics, say pay-see.

I love it! A new word! And I mention it here because I almost used it as the title of this book: "Pace."

It works for me because, contrary to the opinion of many, including many Christians, I wrote this book to correct what I find is poor, lazy, and often unbiblical thinking about sundry issues that confront the modern Christian. Too many, even within the church, do not understand the place of dogma, the value of judging when properly engaged, the misplaced charge of hypocrisy, and why holidays like Christmas are important for Christians to celebrate. Contrary to the opinion of many, I believe spanking children as a form of discipline is not only effective but biblical, that gambling can be destructive to more than just the pocketbook, and that Halloween and Mardi Gras are often dangerous to the Christian soul. And these are but a few of my contrary opinions.

Naming a book well goes a long way toward encouraging someone to pull it off the shelf. "Dare to Be Dogmatic" is a title I struggled with because dogmatic is not a friendly word for many. But Pace is so obscure that most people would pass it over with hardly a notice. So Dare to Be Dogmatic it is.

That’s the title of my first essay. Read it. It sets something of a tone for the rest. I know what I believe is true. I think I have sound reasons and strong biblical support for my positions, so I dare to express them with enough force to warrant the complaint of being dogmatic (or its compliment—depending on where you stand). But I express my dogmatism gently with the use of wit, humor, and brevity. I think you’ll enjoy most of these essays, agree with at least a few, throw the rest to the wind.

I began full-time ministry with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) in July of 1990. I had actively engaged in ministry prior to that, but I did not begin drawing a pastor’s salary until I was hired to be the senior pastor at Calvary Bible Church (CBC) in Centerville, Louisiana. Writing has been a significant part of my ministry all these years. Naturally, if not also unfortunately (you’ll have to be the judge), as is common with pastors, I’ve decided to share my thoughts and teachings more widely in the form of a published book. Like most pastors, I enjoy the sound of my own voice, whether spoken or written. I imagine myself quite clever.

Prior to beginning ministry, most of my writing focused on degree assignments, so it was of an academic nature. When I began ministry at CBC, my initial writing focused on sermon or lesson preparation, so I didn’t start writing the kind of essays found here until sometime around the mid-nineties. Some of my earliest essays were written for the church newsletter. Others were in my capacity as the President of the West St. Mary Parish Ministerial Association. The piece on gambling, for example, was one of my earliest. It was written in opposition to the push toward a state-wide lottery (which eventually passed), followed by the installation of a casino on the nearby Chitimacha Indian Reservation.

After pastoring in South Louisiana for 10 years, I moved to ministry at Fellowship Community Church (FCC) in Midland, Texas, where I continued writing to clarify issues and help my people live well. Though at first my primary outlet was the church newsletter, a number of these articles found ink in local newspapers. A few even found their way into my denomination’s magazine called aLife. My avenues expanded with a blog I was invited to write on the mywesttexas.com website, and, more recently, on my Facebook page. To more widely disseminate my musings, I even turned several into pamphlets that I occasionally tucked into church bulletins, handed to friends, or just set out in public locations to be picked up.

My first purpose in writing is to bring clarity and correction to misguided notions that many entertain (especially Christians) regarding the ideas or issues they encounter or espouse. And because thinking directs living, my hope is to help readers live with a stronger witness. My general approach is to reveal errors or false ways of thinking by defending what I believe is a better, more biblical, way of thinking. I am willing to state my positions with confidence, clarity, and force—hence the use of the word dogmatic in the title. I admit I may be wrong from time-to-time, and I’m always open to dialogue and correction, but my hope is that the essays might, if not change minds, at least get people thinking and talking about the issues from a different, hopefully more biblical perspective. Thinking right and living righteous are two sides of the same coin, though it is nearly impossible to determine which is heads and which is tails.

I am publishing this compilation of essays not because I imagine a wide audience breathlessly awaits reading them, but because I wish to compile some of my best work for family and close friends and anyone else who enjoys wit, wisdom, and wonk mixed together. If I can leave this to my spiritual and actual children (and their children) so they can know a little something of what captured my heart and mind during my short years on this earth, I will be satisfied. If someone else benefits, that is, as they say in South Louisiana, lagniappe (a little bit extra).

May God alone be glorified.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am writing this note of appreciation on the 33 rd anniversary of my marriage to my dear Melissa. None of this would have been possible without her love and support. For this I thank her. I am also grateful for the many good years I enjoyed as a pastor to so many fine Christian people. The people of Calvary Bible Church and Fellowship Community Church are the fire from which these words were forged.

I also appreciate the help given to me by Shane Spear. He proofread these essays and shared valuable corrections of a biblical, theological, grammatical, and syntactical nature that greatly improved them. I sometimes ignored his good input and advice, but any errors that remain are still his fault.

Larry L. Long

Midland, Texas

2019

CONFRONTING

NONSENSE

Nonsense remains nonsense, even when

talked by world-famous scientists.

— John C. Lennox

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DARE TO BE DOGMATIC

D ogmatism is a negative term today. It is often employed pejoratively to describe anyone who is unbending in his or her personal beliefs. When thrown as an accusation, the term is so negative its use dismisses strongly held beliefs like the swipe of the hand chases away a pesky fly. You’re being too dogmatic! we say—end of discussion.

Of course, there is a grain of good reason behind our aversion to dogmatism. Dogmatisms run amok can be cited by the hundreds and multiplied a thousand times over. When motivated by prejudice more than knowledge, dogmatism is an onerous attitude indeed.

Examples abound.

Back in the late 1970s, my church subscribed to a publication designed to be inserted into a church bulletin to supplement its disciple-making ministries. The weekly publication included a featured article or several shorter pieces such as a devotional or a poem. It was published to inspire readers in their Christian walk. It was a great resource.

One Sunday they published only letters to the editor. Most, with good reason, praised its contents. But nestled among these encouraging words were two letters from individuals identified only with their first and last initials and the state from which they hailed. Because they shared the same last initial and lived in the same state (and one set of initials was preceded with the title pastor), it was easy to assume they were probably married—a ministerial couple. Let me say it more strongly: because both letters addressed the same issue and used similar language to rebuke the publication, it was difficult to avoid the conclusion that they were of the same local congregation if not the same household.

This pastoral couple was unhappy that the publication pictured on one of its front covers two men with facial hair. One man was wearing (gasp!) a beard; the other sported a mustache. I know this because the disgust was so strongly stated in these two letters that I just had to see what the men looked like. I contacted the publication to request a back issue of the date indicated. I still have both editions in my files.

Their dogmatism was scathing. The wife called these men creatures rather than Christians. The pastor quoted Romans 12:2—Be not conformed to this world (KJV)—to support his angst. He said beards and mustaches make men look like hippies, beatniks, homosexuals, and the Beatles. Not only did he call them worldly, the pastor went so far as to say they made the men look like they belonged to the devil himself.

The actual article about the two hairy-faced men was nothing but positive. The man with the mustache had developmental difficulties. The bearded man had befriended him out of Christian love. The story was both heartwarming and inspiring—the kind of Christian love we need to be reminded of from time-to-time—facial hair notwithstanding.

I’m embarrassed such silliness can be found throughout Christendom. Little wonder we have grown shy of dogmatism when no-brainers like these threaten to make us guilty by association. It would be laughable were it not so disheartening.

But having admitted that, let me also say that we are now in danger of going too far in the other direction. The pressures of living in a pluralistic society have encouraged a mind-set that says, I’d rather die than be dogmatic! This attitude is the rallying cry for many whose minds have been turned to mush by the politically correct pied pipers of popular culture. Turn on the TV and you will hear this slogan in varying forms on nearly every popular talk show that airs. If anyone dares to be dogmatic—especially about matters of religion or morality—audience boos are quick and loud.

The problem of course is that truth, by nature, demands conviction. The apostle Paul wrote of this in 1 Thessalonians 1:5 when he reminded the believers in Thessalonica that our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (ESV). Truth and conviction together breed dogmatism. When we refuse to live with conviction, Truth, the Good, and the Right become the most noteworthy casualties. If we refuse to be dogmatic about what we believe to be true, Truth is meaningless. Ironically, when followed to its logical conclusion, anti-dogmatism (aka tolerance) becomes the new dogmatism—the only one permissible.

Speaking in favor of dogmatism, I like the way A.W. Tozer put the matter into perspective: We begin with gentle dogmatism. Now I use the word ‘dogmatism’ because I want to be dogmatic about what I’m saying. But I use the word ‘gentle’ because I don’t want to become offensively dogmatic. I want to be gently dogmatic. I believe what I’m saying. I believe it completely. I believe it with sufficient emphasis that I control my life by it. It has been the reason I’ve lived and it’s the reason, if the Lord tarry, I can die boldly.

Gently dogmatic—I like that. I too want to be dogmatic enough to live well and die boldly. Let the rest of the world die with a whimper. Dare to be dogmatic!

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Questions for Discussion:

1. Can you think of a time you were embarrassed by dogmatism, whether your own or someone else’s?

2. Have you ever had an argument dismissed out-of-hand simply by someone accusing you of being too dogmatic?

3. Describe a time when you should have been willing to stand more firmly for the truth than you did and later felt bad for having missed the opportunity to do so. Why did you hold back? What preparations can you make in both heart and mind to be gently dogmatic when such a future firmness of faith is warranted?

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CREED GREED

T here is a form of greed that has nothing to do with money. Though similar in many ways to material greed, this greed is subtle, making it more seductive and therefore more serious.

Most already know how destructive material greed is. God’s word repeatedly warns against allowing its evil influence into our lives.

Jesus, for example, says that we cannot serve both God and money, because we will hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other (Luke 16:13). He tells us it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18:25). He tells us that where our treasure is there our heart will be also (Luke 12:34).

The apostle Paul likewise warns that loving money is a root of all kinds of evil, that some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:10 NIV). We know this is true not just because God’s Word says so—which is enough—but because we’ve seen it with our own eyes in the broken and empty lives of those we know and love. Truth be known, we’ve seen it in our own lives. The cancerous tendrils of greed have reached their deadly fingers into our own souls more often than we care to admit, threatening to bury us in our abundance, or drown us in our insatiable desire for more, better, faster, and newer stuff.

Material greed is serious; it strikes at the very core of our spiritual lives. It is serious because it displaces our love for and dependence upon God alone with mere things—what the Bible calls exchanging the truth of God for a lie and worshiping and serving created things rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). It’s why the Bible, as translated in The New International Version, twice calls this kind of greed idolatry (Colossians 3:5; Ephesians 5:3). It’s why Jesus said that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15). He wanted to remind us that our drive for more stuff only serves to fill our lives with a metastasizing emptiness—the very thing we wish to avoid.

But a different kind of greed is more destructive than material greed precisely because it is immaterial. It almost always appears to be good. It is the greed to know—to know more and more about God, his Word, his world, and his will—and to know it better and even faster than everyone else. This is greed not because knowing—or wanting to know more—is bad, but because too often our desire to know grows out of a wrong motivation, which is power and control. I call this kind of greed the idolatry of ideas.

Henri J.M. Nouwen, in his book A Cry for Mercy, gives a glimpse into this spiritual error in a prayer worth repeating:

O Lord, thinking about you, being fascinated with theological ideas and discussions, being excited about histories of Christian spirituality and stimulated by thoughts and ideas about prayer and meditation, all of this can be as much an expression of greed as the unruly desire for food, possessions, or power.

Every day I see again that only you can teach me to pray, only you can set my heart at rest, only you can let me dwell in your presence. No book, no idea, no concept or theory will ever bring me close to you unless you yourself are the one who lets these instruments become the way to you.

Too often we carelessly use words and ideas to carve our perception of God out of thin air, thereby re-creating him in our own mental image. By mixing this thin air with the rarified airs of our imagination, we produce an image of God that plunders his inscrutable mystery in order to tame him. We fall prey