Author: Tim Ehrhardt

I'm just a common ordinary pastor, chaplain, father, grandfather, and dog owner who loves the smell of a genuine leather Bible and the aroma of its message. I'm on a quest to track down the best Bibles, how to best read and use them, and to discover the encouragement inside.

Anti-Intellectualism

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

Everyone with good sense
    wants to learn. (Proverbs 18:15, CEV)

Anti-intellectualism:

  1. opposition to or hostility toward intellectuals and the modern academic, artistic, social, religious, and other theories associated with them
  2. the belief or doctrine that intellect and reason are less important than actions and emotions in solving practical problems and understanding reality

Holy Scripture encourages knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. In order to be a truly wise and understanding person, there must be a combination of knowledge and experience. When these two elements come together, and are practiced over a long period of time, then spiritual maturity is realized.

In every church I’ve ever served across the decades there have been individuals and groups of people in my congregations who are anti-intellectual. They were not big fans of seminaries. They often mistrusted highly educated persons with multiple degrees. And they had a hard time submitting to any authority structure that smacked to them of being elitist.

Unfortunately, the majority of those persons, in my experience, refused to learn in any other way other than their own personal experience. I don’t think I need to tell you the many pitfalls such a stance creates: constant misinterpretation of situations; prejudice toward others whom they don’t understand; and chronic disobedience to every authority in their life.

It likely wouldn’t surprise you to know that these sorts of parishioners rarely, if ever, read their Bibles, or even seek to learn other than hearing Sunday sermons. They reek of spiritual immaturity and pride, being puffed-up with themselves that they aren’t like the elites in power.

Now imagine what a group of people like this would be like if they were in the highest levels of government… But we need not imagine; the reality is in front of us every day.

To understand the current political climate in the United States, it seems to me we need to see that the present governmental administration, at its heart, is an anti-intellectual movement.

Now please know that I am not saying that everyone in the administration is stupid. What I am saying is that many if not most Republicans have a deep seated problem with educational elites – hence the sustained attention on American universities, especially Harvard.

They believe themselves to be practical, no nonsense people who can get things done without umpteen committees and eggheaded reports. The problem, however, is that in their belief of experiential superiority, they’ve refused to listen. They end up making snap judgments of situations and other people. In other words, they can quickly make a disaster of things whenever they’re in charge.

Furthermore, what the anti-intellectuals end up doing most is grasping for as much worldly power as they can gain.

For Protestant Evangelicals, their desire for power stems from their perceived loss of a golden age of Christendom. Back then they were in power – prayer in schools, no abortion, the Ten Commandments in every court house, riding your bike in the neighborhood with safety, etc.

Yet, because there is such a paucity of listening and seeking to understand, the anti-intellectuals fail to understand that their own golden age was a bronze age of Jim Crow laws, failed reservation promises, and the need to operate in the shadows for all sorts of other persons.

Holy Scripture’s Book of Proverbs – which is a combination of accumulated knowledge and lived experience – has something to say about those who refuse to listen and learn from others:

With wisdom you will learn
what is right
    and honest and fair.
    with knowledge. (Proverbs 2:9-10, CEV)

Fools think they know
    what is best,
but a sensible person
    listens to advice. (Proverbs 12:15-16, CEV)


Stupidity leads to foolishness;
    be smart and learn. (Proverbs 14:18, CEV)

Fools have no desire to learn,
instead they would rather
    give their own opinion. (Proverbs 18:2, CEV)

Pride leads to destruction;
    humility leads to honor.
It’s stupid and embarrassing
to give an answer
    before you listen. (Proverbs 18:12-14, CEV)

An ignorant fool learns
    by seeing others punished;
a sensible person learns
    by being instructed. (Proverbs 21:11, CEV)

If we apply our hearts to wisdom, we will learn:

  • the pursuit of power at all costs creates stupidity
  • the disdain and/or ignorance of others has adverse consequences for all
  • there has always been an anti-intellectual strain throughout the history of the world (including U.S. history)
  • the act of placing blame on others (such as the so-called “elites”) will come back to bite us

It does no good to reason with an anti-intellectual, namely because they will not avail themselves of logic nor learning.

Instead, it is wise to treat an anti-intellectual like we ourselves would want to be treated: to have another listen to us and be curious about why we hold to what we hold, without judgment; and to have another respect our ability to choose for ourselves.

Can you imagine a world where we would all commit ourselves to listening and learning, acquiring knowledge, understanding, and wisdom? We would likely live in a very different world than the one we are in today.

May the course of this world be peaceably governed by divine providence. And may the church everywhere joyfully serve God in confidence and serenity. Amen.

Spiritually and Emotionally Overwhelmed

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment
Gethsemane – His Will, by Lucy Dickens

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
    from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2, NRSV)

“You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.” – Timber Hawkeye

Even Jesus got overwhelmed.

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:37-39, New International Version)

Jesus was so spiritually and emotionally overwhelmed, he felt so bad, that depression and grief were a powerful part of his experience in the garden as he anticipated facing his horrendous death.

Yes, Jesus became grieved and depressed. Not only did he express such emotions in prayer, but he also told his feelings to his disciples. I personally don’t know of any leader – either in the world or in the church – that would ever admit such a thing to his/her parishioners, employees, or constituents.

Christ confessed that his very soul was encircled with grief-stricken depression. The weight of the emotion was so heavy that Jesus felt as though he was being crushed to death.

“It is one thing for Jesus to feel this way; but should a leader tell his followers he feels this way? Isn’t a part of effective leadership keeping fears from followers? But if Jesus having depression has already taught us it is acceptable, at times, to be depressed, then Jesus talking about his depression teaches that it is acceptable, at times, for leaders to tell followers the bad state of their souls.” – Frederick Dale Bruner, The Church Book: Matthew 13-28

If Jesus needed human companionship and the ability to bear his soul, then how much more do his followers need to do so? And especially the clerics who are ordained to his ministry?

Becoming overwhelmed is a universal human experience:

May my prayer come before you;
    turn your ear to my cry.

I am overwhelmed with troubles
    and my life draws near to death.
I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
    I am like one without strength. (Psalm 88:2-4, New International Version)

We may become overwhelmed by being devastated or feeling overpowered by a confluence of circumstances all at once. To be overwhelmed is to experience several big emotions all at once – including an awful feeling of estrangement from God and/or others.

Whenever complicated grief, relational distance, traumatic experiences, and too many responsibilities come together, they create a perfect storm which can leave us stuck, lonely, and chronically tired.

There are times when it seems as if every time we turn around, there’s another big shoe that drops. We might end up dealing with so many large circumstances and important situations happening at the same time, that we become spiritually and emotionally overwhelmed with it all.

Although it’s easy to become overwhelmed, it’s hard to get over those big, troubled feelings. Yet, we can do it. We can initially calm ourselves enough to function.

Yet, we also need to understand that the emotional array surrounding our difficult circumstances will take more than a few minutes and a few breathing exercises to overcome; it could take weeks, months, even longer.

What’s more, going forward, there will always be a need to listen to our bodies, be attentive to our feelings, and remain in touch with our gut instincts.

We could use some helpful habits to serve us well, whenever we sense the tug toward that sinking feeling of becoming spiritually and emotionally overwhelmed:

  • Sit with your emotions, especially the grief. That is, acknowledge your feelings, and actually let yourself feel them, and express them in positive ways that don’t damage others or their property.
  • Identify and list your current stressors. Then, prioritize them as to which you will work on first. Avoid multi-tasking. Breaking down your life into manageable pieces, done over time with patience, is a healthy way of approaching the behemoth in front of you.
  • Write out your experiences. Keep a daily journal. Focus on expressing both your emotions and your gratitude. The act of writing in and of itself is a powerful means of bringing health, wholeness, and some sort of sense to your situations.
  • Create art. Learn a musical instrument, write your own poetry, sculpt, or paint. Let any anger and frustration come out through your art, rather than coming out sideways onto others through verbal violence.
  • Discover new or alternative spiritual practices, i.e. mindfulness, meditation, Reiki, aromatherapy, breath prayers, etc. Crazy new circumstances you’ve never experienced before may require some seemingly new or strange practices you’ve never tried before.
  • Change the story you are telling yourself. Look for parts of your experience within your control. Learn from the past. Consider what you might do differently in the future in similar situations. In other words, let your story not be one big nasty carbuncle on your soul; allow it to be a companion that teaches you.
  • Consider having a comfort animal. Caring for a pet fosters emotional healing. This one addition to your life could change it immeasurably for good.
  • Engage your inner critic. Face the judgment you may be giving yourself and replace it with grace. Work on dropping the ego and becoming your true self. And there is perhaps no better way of this happening than facing your inner critic.
  • Exercise. Pay attention to where you carry stress in your body. Find an enjoyable way of moving your body.
  • Connect with others. Join a group of like-minded people, such as a faith community or a volunteer organization. Tell your story to another trusted person, such as a friend, therapist, or pastor.
  • Find your identity. Most spiritual traditions take a high view of humanity as having intrinsic worth. As for me, I know to whom I belong: God. Having my identity firmly in Christ – and not in my abilities, or the lack of them – makes all the difference.

Our limitations, screw-ups, diseases, disorders, and disasters need not define our lives. There is no shame in admitting when we are full of sorrow, in the throes of grief, experiencing depression, or living in an awful situation.

Taking Jesus as an example, we have the courage to face stressful adversity and become the people we were always meant to become.

May the places of darkness within you be turned towards the light. And may you know divine shelter and healing blessing when you are called to stand in the place of pain. Amen.

How Do You Want To Be Remembered?

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment

Someday when I am dead and buried, I would be fine with my gravestone stating, “He was humble and wise.” For I have always sought (however imperfectly) to embrace and live a life characterized by poverty of spirit, largeness of heart, and a sage mind.

Yet, most of all, I’d like to be remembered by the phrase, “He loved God.” The Great Command of Jesus to love God and each other is something I pray and seek in my daily life. And I hope that at the end of my earthly life, the love of God within me has made the world a better place.

In saying this, it means I forsake a lot of other ambitions to be remembered by. I don’t really care if I am remembered for any other virtues or abilities other than love, humility, and wisdom.

For the times that I have unknowingly pursued other things above what is of concern to my Lord Jesus, I admit and renounce those things. Because that is what humility and love does. And it’s the wisest thing a person could do.

That is in direct contrast and opposition to worldly ambitions for wealth and financial resources, power and authority, attention and greatness. Such desires arise from pride, not humility. With arrogance, ignorance and hate are not far behind.

Things like love, humility, wisdom, mercy, gentleness, righteousness, justice, goodness, and a largesse which comes from the heart, not the bank account, are what characterize the kingdom of God, and not the political realms and economic powers of this world.

Such virtue is itself the good life. And it is not out of touch for any of us. For Christ himself repeatedly told and reminded his disciples that the kingdom of God is near, so near as to be within us.

“The time has come, and God’s kingdom is near. Change the way you think and act, and believe the Good News.” (Mark 1:15, God’s Word Translation)

“The Kingdom of God is near you now.” (Luke 10:9, New Living Translation)

And we are told to make God’s kingdom a priority. We are to humble ourselves before God and seek the reign of God and the values of how God operates, rather than putting all our equity into material possessions.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things (material resources) will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33, New International Version)

The super-rich of this world have a super difficult time ever humbling themselves to anyone, including God, because they can so easily rely upon their vast earthly resources.

“Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24, New Revised Standard Version)

God’s kingdom is not something that is so far out of touch for us, or way out there somewhere, as if we could not, and therefore need not, pay much attention to it. No, it is much closer than any of us realize.

“People can’t observe the coming of God’s kingdom. They can’t say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ You see, God’s kingdom is within  you.” (Luke 17:20-21, God’s Word Translation)

You and I have the light within us. For some people (maybe most people) this light has diminished to a tiny little flame or spark. They themselves either cannot or will not perceive there is something right and good that exists down deep in this soul created in the image and likeness of God.

Phrases such as “Let us rely upon our better angels,” and “Get in touch with our nobler instincts,” are more modern ways of expressing that there is inherent worth within us that we can tap into. It doesn’t even take a Christian or a religious person to recognize this reality.

We really do have a higher self, a conscience containing a moral compass, a given benevolent nature, altruistic impulses, and a compassionate side to us. Will we seek this part of ourselves? Will we tap into it? Will we allow it to come out into the world in order to bless it, not curse it?

Yet, as we know all too well, we also a have within us a depraved part which wants to rule over others and acquire as much wealth and power as possible. As with most things, we ourselves are a paradoxical conundrum of competing desires.

How do you want to be remembered? We can pursue the kingdom of God within us, or we can seek the kingdoms of this world outside of us. It’s your choice. But you will need help, if going after such things as humility, wisdom, and love as your way of life – not only help from God, but also help from others.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for bread, would give a stone? Or if the child asked for a fish, would give a snake? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:7-12, New Revised Standard Version)

What is true of you, that you would like engraved on your gravestone? How do you want to be remembered? That’s what we need in this world, for this time and for this place.

Blessings or Woes?

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality BlogLeave a comment
The Sermon on the Mount, by Miki de Goodaboom

There are many persons who currently feel angry and powerless in the face of recent and contemporary political events. All of this has large implications, especially for workers.

I admit to being one who is frustrated and saddened by the U.S. government’s unwillingness and inability to simply care about all of its citizens (as well as the citizens of the world). Along with their spirit of the age, they are failing to ensure the common good of everyone.

What’s more, there are large swaths of American Christianity who are either complicit or actively involved in establishing and perpetuating a system of governance which is fundamentally out of sync with biblical norms.

The Church and the Christian have a responsibility and a call, based in the words and ways of Jesus, of whom we purport to follow. In some of the first words uttered to his disciples, establishing what is of upmost importance for us to know, Jesus said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now,
    for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh…

“But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have received your consolation.
“Woe to you who are full now,
    for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
    for you will mourn and weep.” (Luke 6:20-21, 24-25, NRSV)

Jesus was building and upholding an alternative kingdom to the political systems of the time. Christ came to this earth to set things right amidst a corrupt world whose authority was held in the hands of evil.

But change would not come through the typical means of worldly power such as coups, revolutions, or economic exploitation of some persons over others.

For those who feel helpless and without power, Christ brings a liberation which transcends all other powers and authorities. He brings blessing.

What this means for those who are enamored with worldly aspects of power (money, wealth, resources, political authority, etc.) the words and actions of Jesus brings woe.

An evil grip of the world cannot be loosened with practices and responses of hate, class warfare, verbal and physical violence, and economic takeovers. For those with spiritual eyes to see, and ears to hear, the sandy and shifting foundations of this present government administration are being, and will be, washed away. (Luke 6:49)

It’s important that people of faith participate with what is good, right, and just – that they are concerned with the public good of everyone; and are attuned to a social and economic vision for humanity that is concerned for all citizens, and not just some or a few of them.

For the past few hundred years, much of the church has made spiritual deliverance and socio-economic freedom a matter of only the individual. As long as one embraces a personal salvation in Christ, well then, all is well, right!?

Wrong. Holy Scripture is filled with concerns for the whole of humanity because of the exploitive powers of this world. We have stories in the Bible replete with such powers as the Pharaoh who enslaved and exploited workers for his and Egypt’s own wealth, power, and benefit.

Jesus came not to the religious leaders and the kings of the earth, but instead made it his purpose to spend time amongst the least in society, those for whom the rich and powerful had no inclination to pay attention to and help.

“We have for much too long settled for a gospel of private other-worldly possibility.”

Walter Brueggemann

Even amongst God’s own ancient people, King Solomon built an empire on the driving force of both slavery and cheap labor, exploiting a large class of persons in order to feed the behemoth of structural wealth.

Economic systems which exploit workers do it so that they can maintain cheap labor. They seek to keep those persons invisible and outside of any safety net of security which might cost the system money.

Unfortunately, there are extremely rich persons who rely upon workers remaining on the underbelly of their companies and of society. Embracing unrestrained individualism and unbridled capitalistic practices make for a permanent class of exploited workers who remain poor on purpose by those wishing them to remain there.

Such extremely rich individuals become political players only because of their wealth. They know little about statecraft and how a politics concerned for the common good really works. And, frankly, they don’t seem to care.

I bring up these things because many Christians have been complicit in the injustice and exploitation; and because many churches and church leaders try to operate like the super-rich, instead of trying to follow the words and ways of the Lord Jesus, whom they purport to follow.

The Apostle James minced no words in addressing the rich within the church:

Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure during the last days. Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you. (James 5:1-6, NRSV)

Meanwhile, the poor and exploited are suffering. Christians are not to kiss-up to those in power, nor try to be like them. And, for God’s sake, we are never to get into the game of systemic evil, like those who mistreat us.

Instead, we learn to practice patience and endurance in the face of suffering, while we work toward a better society. We strengthen one another’s hearts through faith. We do not grumble and turn against each other, like a pack of wild dogs, but pray continually and practice forgiveness, so that we can be compassionate and merciful.

Since we are all connected on this planet, any time an individual shows unmitigated kindness toward another, chooses to love the enemy, expresses gratitude, or offers sincere forgiveness to someone who doesn’t deserve it, we shift the balance of the world back toward the axis of grace.

Unless we all work together to embrace our collective poverty of spirit and acknowledge our grinding emotions (and sit with them), we will eventually go the way of the already condemned who spend, eat, and laugh with sinister abandon.

Life is not a 100 meter sprint; life is a marathon. We are in the long haul of life, and do not live for the pleasures of the moment. So then, let us live up to who we are in Christ, created in the image and likeness of God, and possessing divine light and living water which will nourish us through our time of need.

For humanity does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. I, for one, want to be blessed by Jesus, and not experience a woe from him. That means paying attention to the people and the matters of importance to Christ.