Who’s Who In This Story? You Decide.
There is an interesting story found in Luke 18. Jesus is teaching about prayer. He tells us we need to be like a persistent widow, who stands no chance of getting justice from a judge but finally gets it because she “annoys” the judge into doing it. But that’s not the story I’m referencing. I want to talk about the story about the pharisee and the tax collector. I am about to forage into some potentially dangerous territory and I realize it but I can no longer sit back and watch certain people attack Godly men who are actually doing something for God and just say, “well some of what he’s saying may have validity.” In the past I’ve gone on record and called one such man a heretic. Today I am about to compare him to a pharisee and the accusation will be out in plain sight so…do with that what you will.
First the story:
” 9He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10″Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed[a] thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
–Jesus as quoted by Luke in chapter 18
I first started mulling this passage over in contemplation for a post on my own journal discussing what it truly means to be a Christ follower. Some day I will no doubt get to that post but then I ran over to another webpage where I found this article. I’m going to quote just a little of it for you.
“O God, please save us from men who have such poor discernment and are leading so many people into the Emergent Church the new cult of liberal theology. But know this: Current leaders within the SBC sleep on at their peril because our Lord will not be mocked by these Emergent vipers and their rebellion against the Word of God.” Ken Silva (Online Source) (Emphasis Mine)
Notice the “save us from them.” If Jesus came today in human form and was teaching on prayer might he have changed the prayer to say, “Dear God, thank you that I am not like the ‘Emergent Strawmen’ who have fallen so far away from You, unlike me, your faithful servant who has served faithfully and hard pointing out their errors.”
In truth, I have no problem if men like Ken Silva want to pray this prayer. Who am I to question what someone says in a conversation between them and God? The problem is Mr. Silva brought all of us into the conversation with his incessant linking to his articles. He put his prayer into the public arena and as such it needs to be addressed.
One does have not have to do much reading to see the pride with which Mr. Silva claims to be proclaiming his ministry, and to an extent I can understand that. I wonder what it would look like if Ken and Ingrid and the crew were to simply stop attacking other men and simply beat their chest and say “God have mercy on us.” Where would that take us?
Perhaps, a man that Rob Bell likes to quote would be a good source for us to consider. He says this,
“6But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” —Jesus as quoted by a simple Tax Collector called Matthew
