Peter Witkowski Apologetics, Pain & Suffering

Erika Kirk’s Message: A Return to the Clear Gospel

My soul resonated with much of the Charlie Kirk Memorial. Erika Kirk not only joined others in proclaiming the gospel, but she also lived it out, extending love and forgiveness to her enemies. That moment proved to be a welcome correction to the evangelical gospel that had begun to be blurred by the ethic of vengeance.

A Vengeful Gospel

As world become preoccupied with COVID, some of the more political voices within evangelicalism encouraged their fellow evangelicals to make allowances for those driven by hatred and vengeance. These political voices told evangelicals not to focus on the “what” of their actions but on the “why.” These evangelicals viewed the social unrest of the pandemic to be a legitimate currency of the marginalized who lacked all other means to enact just social change. These evangelicals condemned the throwing of bricks as a sin. But they also believed those who had failed to listen to the prior just complaints of the brick throwers were complicit in their crime. The brick was the last option and not the first. In other words, hurt people hurt people and those who committed the last hurt could not be expected to peacefully cohabitate with their communities or even their churches until those who committed the first hurt confessed their sin and made restitution. Until such time, those evangelicals who had been sinned against would continue to burn with anger as the personal ethic of love and forgiveness faded ever into the background of their thought.

Such discussions swirled around the Black Lives Matter’s protest as pastors called evangelicals to reflect on why those minority communities in Minnesota, Georgia, and elsewhere had been driven to violence. Evangelicals on the other side of the political aisle encouraged then church to reflect on the circumstances that had driven the men and women of January 6 to march on the U.S. Capital. Instead of encouraging those who had been wronged to embrace the personal ethic of forgiveness, both sets of political voices encouraged the church to understand the merits of the various protestors’ vengeance. Jesus’ words in Luke 6:27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” had begun to recede from the evangelical imagination. Though he is not an evangelical, I suspect President Trump’s words at Charlie’s memorial stilled reflected the feelings of many within the evangelicalism when he said: “I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry…But I can’t stand my opponent.”

Erika’s Pure Gospel

In her speech, Erika Kirk directed the evangelical imagination back towards the gospel of peace. She did not ask those in attendance to empathize with her hatred for Charlie’s shooter who caused her soul to ache and her two precious children to be fatherless. She did not speak of vengeance at all. She did not hate her husband’s murderer.  

She spoke of loving and forgiving her enemies. Reflecting upon Charlie’s life she said, “Charlie passionately wanted to reach and save the Lost Boys of the West, the young men who feel like they have no direction, no purpose, no faith, and no reason to live…wasting their lives on distractions…men consumed with resentment, anger and hate. Charlie wanted to help them.” Charlie disavowed personal vengeance. Erika continued: “My husband, Charlie. He wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life.”  

Then clinging to Charlie’s legacy and the gospel, she proclaimed, “That man. That young man. I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did…What Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love.  Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”

She forgave not because Charlie’s shooter had made restitution, admitted to his evil, or sought reconciliation. She extended forgiveness to him because she had been forgiven.  As the apostle John notes, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 Jn 4:10-11).”  Erika championed the love and forgiveness of Jesus which is forever and always the individual Christian’s solution to sin – even to the greatest of sins such as murder which causes the soul ache until heaven. I am thankful that Erika clearly and resolutely shared and model a gospel uncluttered by vengeance at this crucial hour.

God Centered Political Action

 This is not to say that there is not a place for justice and for conversations about political change. God ordained governments to hold sinners to account so that all might live in peace and safety. When governments fail to rule justly and when tragedies occur, righteous anger should drive Christians to engage the political process.

But righteous passion must never be divorced from the personal ethic of love and forgiveness. Evangelicals engaging in political discussions and activities should recognize that any person or group that is truly Christian or aligned with Christian principles will ultimately not lead its followers to demonize their opponents, to riot, or to make death threats but to share the gospel, to forgive sins, and to make peace both inside and outside the walls of evangelicalism. As President Trump noted of Charlie Kirk, “He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them.”  In other words, holy anger produces not vengeance but men and women passionate to see the gospel of peace advance in their families, their churches, and their communities so that others may know Christ and experience the joy of following Jesus’ ethic. As the Reformer Martin Luther said, “anyone who claims to be a Christian and a child of God, not only does not start war or unrest; but he also gives help and counsel on the side of peace wherever he can.” Evangelical political action should be driven by and reflect Scriptural convictions. To quote Erika: “Pray again. Read the Bible again. Go to church next Sunday and the Sunday after that. And break free from the temptations and shackles of this world.” To put it simply, the love and forgiveness of Jesus always produce a personal ethic of love and forgiveness. James the brother of Jesus concurs writing, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace (Ja 3:17-18).”

Final Thoughts

Charlie’s memorial beautifully reminded evangelicalism and the world that the gospel of love and forgiveness still works. The passion for change can and must cohabitate with the ethic of love and forgiveness. For that I am thankful. May love and forgiveness ever drive and shape the evangelical church and its political engagement.

Peter Witkowski Apologetics, Pain & Suffering

Why Prayer Works & is Enough…Almost

As the horrors of the recent Minneapolis school shooting came into the nation’s consciousness, the city’s Mayor, Jacob Frey, used the moment to address the validity of prayer. After offering support for the victims, Frey declared “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying.” The implication of the mayor’s comments proves straightforward: Prayers do not work. As later noted on CNN, “The meaning there is, prayers are good, but they are not enough.” Is he correct?

A Brief History of Failed Prayers

Though the backdrop of this current discussion over the effectiveness of prayer is grievous, the discussion itself is not new. During the end of the twentieth century, the Russian communist party ran prayer experiments in their elementary schools. Children were told to pray to God for candy. After nothing happened, they were told to pray to the Soviet communist party and its leaders for candy. As the readers can anticipate, the candy (with the help of some grown-up Soviets on the roof) floated down from the vents. Again, the conclusion to be reached: “Prayers do not work.”

Moreover, this is not the first time that Christians have been murdered while worshiping Jesus. Stephen was stoned to death in Acts 7:60 as he prayed. During the reigns of emperors Nero and Diocletian, countless Christians were eaten by lions, burned as candles, and executed as they sang and prayed. John Bunyan of Pilgrim Progress fame was arrested by the British authorities (which also caused his wife to miscarry) while in the middle of a sermon. And in 2022, 35 parishioners worshiping at St. Francis Catholic Church in Nigeria were murdered by terrorists armed with automatic weapons and bombs. All of these events as well as those in Minneapolis once again raise the question, “do prayers work?”

A Short Answer

The short answer is, “yes!” Prayers work but they work in accordance with God’s intent. In other words, prayers that align with God’s revealed will (Scripture), his justice, and his ultimate purpose will always reach the throne room of heaven.

When believers ask God for the grace needed to forgive those who sinned against them or to put their greed to death, the Lord promises to grant such requests. Operating in this paradigm, the apostle John writes “if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (1 Jn 5:14-15).” God promises to bless those who ask him for the grace needed to obey the gospel ethic the ability to obey the Scriptures. To quote, Paul “For this is the will of God, your sanctification (1 Thess 4:3).”

God also works through prayers to bless his saints with good gifts that will further their pursuit of God’s ethic and that will enable them to rejoice in God’s goodness. Countless men and women have graduated from college, gotten married, had children, survived attacks, and experienced healing from cancer because God granted their requests and those of their friends and family. James the brother of Jesus who credits God as being the source of “Every good gift and every perfect gift” also reports that “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (Ja 1:7; 5:16).” In other words, God works through the prayers of his children to accomplish good in this broken world. Christians should regularly ask God to grant them wisdom, health, and safety. “Give us this day our daily bread (Lk 11:3).” The world would benefit from more prayer and not less. Prayer works.

Why Doesn’t God Protect His People?

But then why did the Mayor of Minneapolis have an opportunity to criticize prayer? What of in those old Soviet era classrooms and Nigeria? If God is all powerful, all good, and all loving, why does he still allow his people to suffer and die?

To make sense of this question, Christians must realize that prayer is guided by the rails of God’s justice and God’s eternal purpose for his people. In other words, God answers prayers in accordance with his character.

God’s Justice

God promises to cast “the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable… murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars” into the lake of fire and to create a new heavens and a new earth where “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore(Rev 21:8,3).” But he will do so at the end of time when he returns to judge the living and the dead. Justice will be delayed. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones aptly notes, “So the Christian is left with the profound pessimism with regard to the present, but with a glorious optimism with regard to the ultimate and eternal future.”

As humanity waits for that day, it will go from bad to worse. Paul says people will increasingly be among other things “abusive…heartless…brutal…[and] treacherous (1 Tim 3:2-4).” Or to quote Jesus “lawlessness will be increased (Matt 24:7-14).”

And with increased wickedness comes increased focus on harming God’s children. Jesus declares in Mark 13:12-13: “And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Or as Paul bluntly notes, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (1 Tim 3:12).  God never promises to save his people from suffering and persecution. Rather, he promises that he will go with them as they suffer and await justice.

To make sense of God’s delayed justice and why he does not grant every prayer for safety and health, we must reflect upon God’s ultimate purpose for his people.

God’s Ultimate Purpose

God’s ultimate purpose for his people is for them to dwell with him. In other words, God’s ultimate purpose is for his people to reach heaven and to live with him forever in the new heavens and the new earth.

Many times, God ordains suffering so that Christians may more fully experience the truth that God is all they need. As Paul notes in 2 Corinthians 12:10. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Or as James notes, suffering results in Christians becoming “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (Ja 1:4).” God’s goal is not for us to all be millionaires or to live to 150. It is not our best life now. God’s goal for us to reach is heaven for “There is no joy like the joy of heaven.” Often the best preparation for heaven – the putting to death of sin and communing with God – comes through suffering and not from candy raining down from the rafters. “Oft-times spiritual comforts are at their highest when physical well-being is at its lowest.”

What proves true of Christian suffering also proves true of a Christian’s death. Though Christians diligently strive to put off sin throughout their lives, final victory over sin can only be achieved at death when the believer trades his mortal body for his eternal body. “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality (1 Cor 15:53).” As R.C. Sproul notes, “Ultimate healing comes through death and after death (51).” Even those whom Jesus healed during his earthly ministry still died because their bodies where still infected by sin. To reach Jesus and perfection, Christians must surrender their mortal bodies.

When Jesus allows the wicked to murder one of his saints such as Charlie Kirk, he has not failed that precious soul. Rather, God has granted him the greatest blessing of all, life with God. To quote Paul, “to die is gain (Phil 1:21).

Moreover, death proves not to be the end of the Christian’s prayers but their ultimate fulfillment. At death, Jesus heals not for a moment but forever. At death, Jesus gives safety not for an hour but without end. At death, Jesus gives peace not for a moment but for an eternity.  To quote Thomas Watson, “Death may take a few worldly comforts, but it gives that which is better; it takes away a flower and gives a jewel; it takes away a short lease and gives a land of inheritance.” Or to quote the Psalmist, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (Ps 116:15).”

God answers prayer.

It’s Not Enough

Though prayers work, I also believe there is still some indirect merit to Mayor Frey’s claim and to the claims of pundits such as Jen Psaki who wrote, ‘Prayer is not freaking enough.”

In one sense, prayer is not enough. It is not some secret formula that can force an otherwise good, loving, and just God to go against his nature. Prayers must arise out of and align with obedience to God’s reveal will (Bible) to be effective. Jesus is not impressed with the flowery request of those who defraud their neighbor nor with the liturgies of those that teach against God’s sexual ethic. When Israelites tossed some prayers towards Yahweh for salvation while simultaneously offering child sacrifices to pagan deities, the Lord says, “no (Ez 20:27-30).” The prophet said on God’s behalf “And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them (Ez 8:18).” The one thing lacking in our cities, communities, and religiosity is not prayers to the God of the universe but rather obedience to that God’s revealed will. Sadly, few politicians and pundits have waded into the waters of repentance and revival.

Conclusion

Prayer will not always produce earthly safety or candy from the rafters. Justice will come when Christ returns, and ultimate joy, peace, and safety will be found in heaven. But prayers tied to faith infused obedience and set upon the rails of God’s justice and ultimate purpose will prove effective. They will usher us into the throne room of heaven. Prayer works.

Peter Witkowski Book Reviews, Parenting

Bad Therapy: A Review

Parents and those passionate about equipping the next generation for adulthood should read “Bad Therapy.” The book challenges many popular parenting assumptions, arguing that most children do not need more therapy but more of their parents parenting. As the book’s author, Abigail Shrier notes, children, “aren’t weak – unless you make them that way. They’re remarkably sturdy and naturally very strong (217).” In other words, today’s children need loving and yet strong parents.

Admittedly, I do not agree with the totality of Shrier’s argument. She does not reason from a Christian worldview. She encourages her readers to reconnect with their cultural heritage and the natural order, neglecting the importance of biblical instruction. For example, she reduces successful parenting to the following maximum: “That’s all a happy childhood is: experiencing all of the pains of adulthood, in smaller doses, so that they build up immunity to the poison of heartache and loss.”

She also somewhat ironically puts forward a few logical fallacies in chapter 2 as she seeks to show the nonsensical nature of our therapeutic culture.  

Despite those concerns, the main thrust of her argument should be headed. Her diagnosis and even many of her solutions reflect the realities of nature and parallel biblical principles. Shrier argues that this generation’s excessive self-focus, willingness to allow teachers to playing therapist, endless talk of trauma, and embrace of gentle parenting, and other unproven therapeutic principles has produced a generation of confused, miserable, and angry children. The therapeutic culture has also left the “nice” and empathetic parents miserable and anxious because their kids “are frequently contemptuous of them (170).” Instead of listening to parenting experts (many of whom failed to recognize the danger of smartphones), Shrier encourages parents to lean into the parenting traditions of their communities and to firmly and lovingly…well parent. To quote Shrier, 

“How do you know whether to put your thirteen-year-old in therapy? Simple: don’t take your kid to a shrink unless you’ve exhausted all other options…In all but the most serious cases, your child is much better off without them. In all but the direst of circumstances, your child will benefit immeasurably from knowing you are in charge – and that you don’t think there is something wrong with her (247).“ 

But don’t take my word for it, I encourage you to read her argument for yourself.