How to love God by loving others

On Wednesday, the Department of Justice (DoJ) issued an indictment against the Russian state news broadcaster RT, claiming that it paid nearly $10 million to several conservative pundits in the hopes of promoting a pro-Russian agenda. Since launching last fall, the company in question—since identified as Tennessee-based Tenet Media—has published almost 2,000 videos through social media outlets like YouTube and X (formerly Twitter). Yet, the content creators in question insist—and the DoJ affirms—that they were unaware of the company’s link to Russia.

To help hide the origins of their financing, Tenet claimed that the company was founded by a fictitious individual named Eduard Grigoriann. Yet, despite lucrative contracts that paid the creators upwards of $400 thousand a month, the Russian agents in charge of Tenet eventually grew frustrated that the commentators were not sharing more of the company’s videos. Ultimately, it appears that encouraging them to do so was the extent of the influence they wielded over many of the pundits, with each stating that they maintained both editorial and content control over what they produced.

Still, the indictment claims that “While the views expressed in the videos are not uniform, the subject matter and content of the videos are often consistent with the Government of Russia’s interest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition to core Government of Russia interests, such as its ongoing war in Ukraine.”

Moreover, FBI Director Chris Wray warns that China and Iran have also attempted to do the same.

And while the notion of foreign interference in our elections is far from new, “amplifying U.S. domestic divisions” is, sadly, not an effort limited to those outside the country.

Our bargain with the media

The notion that a media company would be incentivized to purposely convey the news in a way that fosters division and distrust should not come as a surprise. Increasingly, we see the same effort from domestic outlets, regardless of their political persuasions. Even Amazon’s Alexa appears to be in on the game, giving drastically different answers for why people should vote for Vice President Kamala Harris than with former president Donald Trump.

Still, the idea of a foreign government funding such efforts rather than the general greed of media moguls feels like a different order of threat. But why is that the case? After all, in both cases, individuals’ beliefs are manipulated for the benefit of those creating the agendas.

The key distinction is that we understand greed and the dangers it poses in a way that is not necessarily true for threats from foreign powers.

While domestic news companies may want us living in echo chambers—a concept discussed in greater depth on the latest Denison Forum podcast—by and large, they do so because that’s how they can make the most money from advertisements and partnerships. By contrast, Russia’s efforts to undermine support for the war in Ukraine, influence who will occupy the White House in January, and sway Americans on a host of other issues represent an entirely different type of threat.

To put it another way, most of us understand that we need to approach the media we consume with a rather large grain of salt, but we begrudgingly accept that they’re trying to manipulate us—so long as we understand that that’s what’s going on. In many ways, it’s a necessary bargain for us to make in order to stay connected to the events of the day, and there are some basic steps we can take to protect ourselves from the worst of the effects.

However, when it comes to how we relate to those we encounter in other walks of life,  many take the same approach of viewing people as a means to our end—and that’s a far greater issue facing our culture today.

A dog’s last lesson on love

While Scripture is clear that a person only becomes the child of God when they are adopted into his family through faith in Jesus (Romans 8:14–17), God’s word is equally clear that he loves and cherishes every person that he has created (John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9). As such, how we see and treat those that God brings across our path will have a direct influence on how closely we can walk with the Lord.

And this basic truth is something God impressed upon me in an unexpected way a few days ago.

Earlier this week, my family and I had to put down the dog we’ve had for more than fourteen years. We knew the time was coming for a while, but things took a turn in a way that reinforced the necessity of that decision. I’d been dreading that moment for a while now, but more because of the grief I knew it would bring to my wife and kids than for myself.

I’m not really an animal person, and, while I loved the dog, my role was primarily to take care of him so that the rest of the family could enjoy him. As a result, the degree to which his death got to me caught me by surprise. And it wasn’t until reflecting and praying about it that I began to understand why.

You see, what God showed me was that my love for our dog stemmed from the fact that he was amazing at loving the people that I loved. He brought a level of joy and comfort into their lives that can only be described as a gift from the Lord. And I will be forever grateful to him for that.

And when we do the same with the people around us—when we love them as God loves them—I believe our heavenly Father feels the same kind of gratitude toward us.

His love is not conditional upon our love for others, but when we treat people well and see them as individuals made in his image rather than as a potential means to our end, it opens new levels to how deep our relationship with God can go. And, fortunately, that’s something each of us can do by simply paying attention to the opportunities he brings us and then making the choice to love people as he does.

Who can you love like that today?

Friday news to know:

• Hunter Biden pleads guilty to federal tax charges
• Chiefs win season-opening matchup with the Ravens on last-second review
• Purported painting by Rembrandt found in Maine attic; sells for $1.4 million
• Trump promises to establish a government efficiency commission if elected; taps Elon Musk to lead it
• On this day in 1997: 2.5 billion people tune in to watch the funeral of Princess Diana

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote of the day:

“The world does not understand theology or dogma, but it understands love and sympathy.” —D. L. Moody

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The power of ideology to change the world

“I think the fact that they were alive and murdered right before they could have been saved—that broke it. That’s a breaking point for a lot of people—[they] are on the edge of their seat, and they realize that sitting at home is not going to do anything.” This is how one protester explained the mass demonstrations that have filled streets in Israel this week.

The crowds have been the largest since October 7 and included a general strike on Monday that brought much of the country to a halt. Many blame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for refusing to make a cease-fire deal that would bring the hostages home.

For his part, Mr. Netanyahu continues to insist on a long-term military presence along Gaza’s border with Egypt, even as this reportedly is holding up a hostage deal that many analysts consider vital to Israel’s interests. When asked whether the prime minister is doing enough to secure a deal, President Joe Biden responded, “No.”

Whatever our views regarding Mr. Netanyahu, we must not forget that Hamas created this crisis when it invaded Israel on October 7 and massacred some twelve hundred people, committing war crimes too horrific for description here. Hamas also abducted 251 children, women, men, and elderly people.

Then they recently murdered six hostages, shooting them multiple times at close range before Israeli troops could rescue them. They threaten to kill more hostages if Israel attempts further rescues. The group’s political leader, Yahya Sinwar, was charged yesterday by federal prosecutors with planning and carrying out years of terrorist attacks in Israel, including the atrocities of October 7.

If the terrorists could travel back in time, they say they would do it all again. They vow to repeat the horrors of October 7 “again and again” until Israel is completely destroyed. The group’s founding document clearly calls for the genocide of the Jews and the destruction of Israel to “liberate” Palestine.

This ongoing tragedy illustrates the deep and pervasive power of ideology to change the world, for evil or for good.

“Progress, infinite progress!”

I spent a year in my PhD seminars studying the thoughts of the philosophical theologian Paul Tillich. I find his sermon “The Shaking of the Foundations” to be among the most powerful of all his works.

Published three years after the atomic bomb brought an end to World War II, Tillich noted that there was a time when science persuaded us “to believe in our earth as the place for the establishment of the kingdom of God” and “to believe in ourselves as those through whom this was to be achieved.” These false prophets cried, “Progress, infinite progress! Peace, universal peace! Happiness, happiness for everyone!”

But then science gave man the power “to annihilate himself and his world.” Now, according to Tillich, we know that we are not achieving “infinite progress” and “universal peace.”

He was right: Israel is facing the greatest existential crisis in its modern history. Iran is closer than ever to a nuclear weapon. Nuclear powers China, Russia, and North Korea are aligned with Iran in opposition to the West.

The COVID-19 pandemic is unlikely to be the last. Genomics could lead to genetic manipulation that alters the essence of what it means to be human. Artificial intelligence could threaten our very existence.

Tillich’s warning is still valid and urgent:

Man is not God; and whenever he has claimed to be like God, he has been rebuked and brought to self-destruction and despair. When he has rested complacently on his cultural creativity or on his technical progress, on his political institutions or on his religious systems, he has been thrown into disintegration and chaos; all the foundations of his personal, natural, and cultural life have been shaken.

As long as there has been human history, this is what has happened; in our period it has happened on a larger scale than ever before. Man’s claim to be like God has been rejected once more; not one foundation of the life of our civilization has remained unshaken.

Fishing with a shoe or a hammer

In response, let’s exchange the secularist ideology of our day for the foundational ideology espoused by our Savior. Jesus taught us that the greatest commandments in Scripture are to love our Lord and to love our neighbor (Matthew 22:37–39), explaining that “on these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (v. 40).

Why are they so foundational?

Other laws seek to prevent sin by regulating behavior, but we cannot sin against God when we are in love with him. Nor can we sin against our neighbors when we are in love with them. Instead, when you “delight yourself in the Lᴏʀᴅ,” then we all position ourselves to experience his best such that “he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

What, then, are we to do?

One: Since “love” is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), we need to submit every day to the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), then pray through the day for him to empower us to love our Lord and those we meet.

Two: Make love the heart of our service to others. We are commanded, “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14, my emphasis).

I recently saw two people fishing at a pond and thought of Jesus’ assurance that he would make us “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). I couldn’t see the bait they were using, but I assume it wasn’t a shoe or a hammer. It would have been something that would attract the fish they sought to catch.

What do humans want more than to be loved? Thus, when we love our neighbors as unconditionally and sacrificially as we love ourselves, we draw them to the One who is love (1 John 4:8). They respond to our love by turning to its Source.

“The salvation which has no end”

Tillich closed his famous sermon:

“In these days the foundations of the earth do shake. May we not turn our eyes away; may we not close our ears and our mouths! But may we rather see, through the crumbling of a world, the rock of eternity and the salvation which has no end!”

And may others be drawn to such salvation through us, to the glory of God.

Wednesday news to know:

• Russian missile strike kills more than 50 people and wounds over 200 in  Ukrainian city of Poltava, officials say
• Ukraine’s foreign minister resigns in largest shake-up since war began
• Attempted jailbreak at a Congo prison kills 129 people as chaos erupts with a stampede and gunshots
• Suspected Boko Haram militants kill at least 37 in Nigeria attack
• On this day in 1951: President Truman makes first transcontinental television broadcast

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the day:

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” —Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Why “character is destiny” for those we influence

Whether you follow golf or not, you probably know of Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1 who just finished one of the greatest seasons in history. I have long admired his steadfast commitment to Christ and to his family as values transcending the game he plays so magnificently. However, you may not know the name Sahith Theegala. He was born in California to Indian immigrants and has become a dominant player on the PGA Tour. However, he made headlines last Saturday not for his talent but for his character.

He was playing a shot from a sand trap when he noticed a small amount of sand move on his backswing. (Touching the sand in this way is a violation of the rules.) No one else saw the sand move, but Theegala immediately notified his playing partner and a rules official. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty, which ended up costing him $2.5 million in prize money.

Now I am a Sahith Theegala fan as well.

Five centuries before Christ, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus observed that “character is destiny.”

If it were easy for us to have greater character, we would do so. Our next steps will therefore come at a cost. The higher the mountain, the harder the climb, but the more worthy the destination.

How, then, can we live with sacrificial integrity today?

See sin as endangering everyone we influence

Paul spoke of “the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). In a day when thatched roofs were common, such a dart lodged in your house could easily ignite a fire that would spread to surrounding homes. What started with just you then endangered everyone around you.

I spoke recently with a Christianity Today reporter who is writing an article on the consequences of ministerial moral failure for members of their churches. She is right to be concerned: sin affects the innocent as well as the guilty.

1. S. Lewis warned in Mere Christianity:

When we Christians behave badly, or fail to behave well, we are making Christianity unbelievable to the outside world. The war-time posters told us that Careless Talk Costs Lives. It is equally true that Careless Lives Cost Talk. Our careless lives set the outer world talking; and we give them grounds for talking in a way that throws doubt on the truth of Christianity itself.

I am convinced the clergy abuse scandal and other integrity issues are at the heart of the ongoing cultural shift away from Christianity. When Christians fail to live what we proclaim, why would non-Christians believe what we preach?

See integrity as blessing everyone we influence

I was drawn to Christ through the character of the Christians I met. I sensed in them a peace, purpose, and joy I lacked and came to faith because I was so impressed with the difference their faith made in their lives.

John Donne famously observed:

No man is an island,
Entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were:
As well as if a manor of thy friend’s
Or of thine own were.

Any man’s death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

Lord Byron was therefore right:

“Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life.”

As was Oswald Chambers:

The main thing about Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the atmosphere produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to look after, and it is the one thing that is being continually assailed (my emphasis).

“Give us a love for what you command”

To manifest the character of Christ to the world, spend time with Christ. Experience his presence in worship; hear his voice in Scripture; make time to be still and know that he is God (Psalm 46:10).

As you do, pray for his Spirit to empower you to choose sacrificial character today. Remember that your integrity shapes for good everyone you influence.

The Anglican Book of Common Prayer includes this supplication I invite you to pray with me:

Give us a love for what you command
and a loving for what you promise,
so that, amid this world’s changes,
our hearts may be set on the world of lasting joy.

Will you choose “the world of lasting joy” today?

Tuesday news to know:

• Rare strike disrupts Israel while Biden says Netanyahu isn’t doing enough to reach Gaza deal
• Russian missile attack rocks Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine
• Brazil’s Supreme Court upholds X ban
• He spent the summer coaching little league. Now he’s baseball’s oldest player
• On this day in 1783: Treaty of Paris signed

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the day:

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” —Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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