Barnabas Piper's Blog, page 27
May 13, 2022
A New Study on Ecclesiastes
I remember reading Ecclesiastes in both high school and college and having the same reaction: what is this weird book even doing in here? It was simply twelve chapters of confusion. In my mind it became one of those portions of Scripture reserved for checking boxes on a Bible reading plan.
Years later in the midst of just such a reading plan I found myself staring into the morass of Ecclesiastes again. Only this time, I began to get it.
What had changed? I had.
Ecclesiastes is part of the scriptural genre called wisdom literature. These are the books of the Bible (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) that most clearly speak into common life experiences. They draw on the grist and grind of everyday life to reveal truths about God, and shine those truths about God onto the grist and grind of everyday life. As I returned to Ecclesiastes a decade or more after that first encounter, I’d lived enough life to have the shine knocked off me. I’d had enough life experiences, both good and bad, to begin to learn what I didn’t know.
Which meant that this time around, Ecclesiastes rang true for me. Here was King Solomon (aka “The Preacher”)—one of the wisest and wealthiest men who ever lived—reflecting in his old age on what his life had come to. Here was a man who had many triumphs and glories, but who also made many moral compromises and sinful choices later in life. It was a context that I could understand (despite not being the wisest or wealthiest anything ever) because it was real—real successes, real enjoyment, real loss, real mistakes, real cost; and I’d had my share of those.
In the years since, I have revisited Ecclesiastes often enough that I am no longer a mere guest. I have my own key and am free to let myself in whenever I need a place to stay. It is a home in the midst of scripture’s 66 books. (All the other books are equally as hospitable, I simply find my way back to Ecclesiastes often.) Through life’s devastations and joys it speaks balance and steadiness. When I am tempted to place my hopes in something that cannot hold them it bluntly tells me just how foolish that would be. When I am inclined to pessimism and frustration it points me to the sincere pleasures and happiness that God has given in this life. Ecclesiastes will neither let me get too high nor too low.
The beauty of a book like this, and all the wisdom literature in Scripture, is that it’s for everyone who will listen. You too can find grounded, happy realism in its pages.
I wrote those words in my book Hoping for Happiness, and they explain as well as I know how why I wrote a study on Ecclesiastes for groups or individuals who want to better understand this rich book and dive deeper into the Bible’s wisdom. Here is what you will find in this study.
Session topics:Vanity Under the SunWisdomWorkWealth, Fame, and PowerJusticeNumber Your DaysEnjoy the Life God Has Given YouFear God and Keep His CommandsFeatures8 small group sessions8 teaching videos and session previews featuring author Barnabas Piper—access included with purchase of Bible Study BookBonus videos on challenging verses in EcclesiastesPersonal study opportunities for ongoing spiritual growthReading plan for the book of Ecclesiastes
April 20, 2022
E-Book Sale on My Books
Until the end of April my four trade books are on sale for Kindle. Grab one (or four) and spread the word.
Hoping for Happiness: Turning Life’s Most Elusive Feeling into Lasting Reality
$3.99The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help
$3.99The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonders Enriches Every Part of Life
$5.99
April 19, 2022
Happy Rant Book Preorder Give-Aways
On August 2 of this year Ted Kluck, Ronnie Martin, and I will release The Happy Rant: Wandering To and Fro Through Some Things That Don’t Matter All That Much (and a Few That Really Do). It is a fun book and, I hope, insightful about everything ranging from Christians and money to Christian fiction to manhood. We, along with Harvest House Publishers, want to offer you two awesome giveaways.
This is chapter 12, in which we discuss the cultures of various Christian conferences as well as the merits (and demerits) of them.
Get a Free PosterWe are offering a free Happy Rant poster to the first 200 people to pre-order the book. Here’s how it works.
You pre-order from anywhere you buy books (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, Lifeway, etc.).You visit TheHappyRant.com/book and fill out the form with your info.Harvest House sends you this awesome poster designed by Josh Byers, of Visual Theology fame.You put the poster in a place where everyone who sees it will be jealous.DescriptionTed Kluck, Ronnie Martin and Barnabas Piper, hosts of the Happy Rant podcast, take their faith-based back-and-forth from the recording booth to the book page with this collection of insightful and often hilarious takedowns of pastor trends, personality tests, political engagement, and more.
The Happy Rant crew have a lot of strong opinions, and occasionally they even agree with each other! Always candid and frequently compelling, Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas tackle everything from the divisive, hot-button issues within the church to more lighthearted fare that reminds us never to take ourselves too seriously.
As entertaining as it is engaging, The Happy Rant will help you to think more critically about the world around you and enjoy a laugh or two (or maybe three) along the way.
April 8, 2022
Reintroducing Happy Rant Sports
For the last several years Ted Kluck and I have been recording sports episodes as part of the Happy Rant podcast. We would release them as part of the over all Happy Rant feed, and we would hear from our non-sports-fan listeners (you know, the ones who use terms like “sportsball”) about their exasperation. And we would hear from our more avid sports fan listeners with questions and suggestions for topics. It has been fun.
Well, it is a new day for Happy Rant Sports. It is now its own show with its own feed. Which means we need all those sports fans to go subscribe (and rate and review and leave five stars and tell your friends). All our previous episodes are still available. Here is the first episode in our newly minted independent sports podcast.
Listen to the most recent episode:
Subscribe Here
March 25, 2022
Tolkien E-Book Deals
Here are are more than a dozen books by J.R.R. Tolkien on sale for $2.99 each on Kindle. There is something here for everyone, from those looking to try out Tolkien for the first time or for the biggest of Tolkien nerds. These deals are for today only.
The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again
Unfinished Tales Of Numenor And Middle-Earth
Sir Gawain And The Green Knight
Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary
January 13, 2022
New Happy Rant: Keeping up with the Gainses and Matt Damon’s Fashion
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas wander to and fro through a variety of topics:
Chip and Joanna Gaines are the original influencersPaul Tripp as hipster influencerWriting 4,000 words a dayMatt Damon as youth group mime performerOnly Murders in the Building – thoughts and reflectionsBe sure to visit Our Website where you can:Listen to past episodesOrder Happy Rant MerchandiseSponsors
We’re excited to be partnering with Visual Theology. They offer resources for studying, teaching, and better understanding scripture that are of amazing design and quality while being deeply faithful to the Bible. Ranging from books to curriculum to posters to apparel, Visual Theology’s materials are a wonderful way to see realities of God’s Word in a new way. It’s so easy to miss so much of what the Bible says because we can’t envision it, but they offer resources to help you, your kids, your students, and your congregants to do just that. Visit Visual Theology today and be sure to use the code happyrant at checkout to get a 20% discount.
Be sure to check out Dwell Bible App. Dwell is a Bible listening app that we love! If you are looking for a convenient, fresh way of spending more time in God’s word Dwell is ideal. Go to https://dwellapp.io/happyrant to get 10% off your annual subscription or 33% off your lifetime subscription.
We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
January 7, 2022
Why Churches and Church Leaders Need Curiosity
Humans are unique. God did not make anything else in His image. No other mammal is an image bearer. Even the angels are not even made in God’s image.
As on author put it, “Being made in God’s image is a vocation, something that we are called by God to do and to be.” A vocation, a calling, a work we are to dedicate out lives to. That means it is on purpose and with a purpose, not just a state of being. Our vocation will not be done by accident or with passivity any more than your to-do list at work will complete itself while you take a nap or your infant will feed himself while you watch TV. We must reflect God intentionally each day.
The Curious Vocation of the ChurchWhat this means for the Church, and for churches, is profound. We are a community of image-bearers, each uniquely gifted and tasked to reflect something particular of God. Curiosity is how we do this.
God is an eternal, infinite being with a nature and characteristics we can never emulate, but our reflection of God is not passive. Our echoing is not inactive. We do not echo like a canyon wall, still and static while noise bounces off of us. We echo like town criers, taking up the message and passing it along clearly and loudly. We reflect on purpose, with intention, by taking action.
One of those actions is discovery – about God Himself. In order to represent God to the world we must know Him, and to do that we must learn. We must search for truth about His nature, His character, and His work. We must explore both His Word and His world. We absolutely must be curious if we are Christians. Without it we cease to grow and we become incapable of fulfilling our purpose in life.
If we start by growing in this divine curiosity we will then be prepared to begin exploring and impacting this weird, complicated messy world. Together. As a church.
How Church Leaders Model CuriosityFor most Christians curiosity is either merely a nice concept or a frightening one, either nebulous or questionable. We need someone to teach us and show us what it means to live in godly curiosity. That is the job of church leaders.
It starts with being curious. Are you fascinated with the depths of God and the breadth of His world? Do the people you lead see you exploring big questions and significant relationships? Do they see you trying new things to grow in faith and to strengthen your ministry? Do you step outside the mundanity of your daily life to engage needs or encounter cultures and experiences other than your own? Are you modeling curiosity? After all, behaviors are caught much more than taught.
But this isn’t one of those “strong silent type” situations. You must teach curiosity and explain it. People will see what you model and will catch it, but you must teach them the why and the how. Teach them what you have discovered in your explorations of God and His world. Teach them what you have learned from your failings in relationships and crossing cultures. Teach them what is true and what the standard is for their curiosity – scripture. And give them a vision of where curiosity can take them – deeper into relationship with God and people and further than they ever imagined in knowledge and care for the world.
When church leaders model and teach curiosity, built on the profound truths of scripture, the culture of an entire local church can change. When the culture changes, even subtly, the impact of that church changes too.
A Curious Church and Its WorldLikely the church would be a more caring place, deeply aware of people’s needs and challenges. It would be a safe place for those struggling because people would take the time and ask the questions to understand their difficulties. Tension and infighting would diminish because people would be curious enough to learn what others really said and really meant instead of construing meaning and creating drama or conflict.
It would move toward being more diverse racially, socioeconomically, and educationally because people would be deeply interested in those different than themselves instead of frightened of them or intimidated by them. And more than anything it would be a church full of people in rich relationship with God because they would be searching and asking and looking for what more there is about His character and person and work and word. They would be seeking truth, reality as God intends it to be.
Church members will connect with neighbors and co-workers by being genuinely curious about their lives, so those people will have a chance to see something of Jesus in their lives because of how they ask questions and learn and care. People in that community might begin to see Christianity as a belief system that changes lives and loves deeply – not just old time religion or bigoted conservatism – because it clings to and reflects a God who changes lives and loves deeply.
The fruit of godly curiosity is a bold, bright, clear image of God shown to the world. It is visible in individuals and unmistakable in a body of believers. Curiosity is not a mere trait that some quirky people have but rather the fuel that should drive spiritual disciplines, relationships, mission, and all forms of ministry. It brings vivacity to spiritual life and that makes our lives attractive to the world around us, inviting them to find out more about this infinite, majestic object of our curiosity.
For more on curiosity, ministry, life, and faith check out my latest book, The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life.
December 31, 2021
Deconstruction, Destruction, and Faith
Deconstruction has become one of those terms that is equal parts bogeyman, cliche, badge of honor, and theological shiny object. Some decry it with spite. Some claim it as something akin to their identity. Some observe with attempted neutrality.
But the term “deconstruction” is only as helpful as an agreed-upon definition. Some people use it to mean “apostasy” while others use it to mean “reconsidering.” The former definition means deconstruction is bad, morally and biblically so. The latter definition establishes deconstruction as necessary and often virtuous. Most debates or discussions about deconstruction don’t even get off the ground because they can’t agree on what they’re actually debating about.
The word “deconstruction” implies intentional process, a disassembling of something, in order to examine its parts. It is different than “destruction” or “dissolving.” To deconstruct is to take something apart piece by piece rather than smashing it to bits or passively letting it devolve into a mess. Much of what is called deconstruction today actually falls into the destruction or dissolving categories (which is why many people view it as apostasy). Actual deconstruction allows for something to be examined and reassembled or remodeled (hopefully better and stronger). Destruction or dissolving leave wreckage or mere fragments of what was previously present, a need for total replacement.
Questioning (and even doubting) is not the same thing as deconstructing, though questioning might lead to deconstructing. A question seeks understanding, if it is an honest question. It seeks truth. Just as we cannot call all deconstructing evil, we also cannot accuse all questioners of deconstructing.
Some things need deconstructing, like many man-made traditions, structures, or systems within the Church or society at large that are no longer helpful or are downright harmful. These things ought to be disassembled for the sake of diagnosing the weaknesses and failures and then a fair bot if replacing or remodeling.
What Can’t Be DeconstructedOne thing we must remember is that those traditions and structures that are of God, ordained and commanded by Him, are not at risk from deconstruction. Idols can be deconstructed, but anything imbued with the living Word cannot. They can be rejected and rebelled against, but not disassembled. Of course, we often mistake man-made traditions or structures for God-ordained ones and in so doing seek to sanctify and canonify our preferences. Then we feel threatened by deconstruction.
Genuine faith in Christ is not a system or structure, so it cannot be deconstructed. It is a gift from God through the work of Jesus Christ, secured by the Holy Spirit. It can be destroyed willfully and rebelliously. It can dissolve and decline if it is neglected over time. But it cannot be deconstructed. “Deconstructing” faith would be like deconstructing a human life. A life transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit has been fully, miraculously recreated. It is not constructed but breathed into existence by God. It cannot be pulled apart piece by piece for improvement or diagnosis.
So to talk of “deconstructing faith” is rarely helpful. It either misdefines deconstruction or diminishes faith to something less than a miracle of God. Yes, some people are destroying their faith by rejecting biblical realities. Others are seeking a truer faith by deconstructing the trappings of religiosity-posing-as-faith that have actually hindered the Spirit’s work in their life. And others are wading through the waters of difficult faith related questions seeking firm footing but deconstructing nothing.
It is understandable and defensible when people who have been badly hurt by churches or church leaders deconstruct the systems and traditions that allowed hurt to happen. In fact, we all ought to join them in pulling down the ramparts that have protected sin in our religious institutions and examining the foundations on which these houses of horror have been built. We ought to join them in their raw, pained asking, “If they claimed to believe ____, how could they do ____ to me?” That is no threat to the faith. It is destroying the threat to the faith.
It is heartbreaking when these situations lead someone to abandon their faith. But I don’t think “deconstruction” is the most helpful term to describe these departures. It is more like erosion of one person’s faith by the sins of another. Consider Jesus’s words: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” A victim’s stumbling in faith should break our hearts and move us toward tenderness rather than judgment, while anyone causing someone to stumble should stir up righteous indignation in us.
A Response to DeconstructionDeconstruction isn’t new. People have been reconsidering how organized Christianity should work since its inception. It has gone poorly (various heresies and apostasies) and it has gone well (various church counsels, mostly responding to heresies, and awakenings). The Reformation was a deconstruction of sorts. Pretty much every new denomination or church network stemmed from a deconstruction of sorts. The rise of liberal theology was a deconstruction of sorts. The Emergent church was a deconstruction of sorts. The young, restless, reformed movement was a deconstruction of sorts. The exvangelical movement is a deconstruction of sorts. The move by many Christians toward more liturgical churches is a deconstruction of sorts. The value, or harm, in deconstruction depends on what is being deconstructed, what is being retained, and what is being reconstructed after that.
It seems to me a few questions can help us as we encounter claims (or accusations) of deconstruction so that we are fair, gracious, and don’t lose our minds.
Is this deconstruction or simply questioning/exploring?Is this deconstruction or destruction?What is being deconstructed and what is being retained?If I am threatened by perceived deconstruction, why? What am I seeking to defend, and is that of God?What is being reconstructed after the deconstruction?December 30, 2021
Normal Doubt and the Nature of God
From its very first words scripture sets up a relationship between God and man that shows his infinity and our limitations. He is the creator, we are the created. He existed before time began and we exist within time. He is eternal and we have a life span. He always has been and we came into existence at a specific time and our bodies will pass away at a specific time. He created everything from nothing and we are part of that, spoken into existence with words.
To understand God and to understand our own doubts it is vital that we grasp this relationship. We tend to go through life with the assumption that we can learn, discover, and comprehend anything if we truly want to. We see ourselves as the masters of our domain with the world at our fingertips. We have technology and science and cultural advancements on our side. We build lives of ease and efficiency with the aim of security and comfort. And we rarely, if ever, consider our limitations or God’s lack of them.
Genesis one reminds us of reality. God was, is, and will be forever. God spoke all things into existence that do exist. God created our very ability to learn, create, think, solve, build, and make. Despite all our hustle and efforts and self-trust we are finite and will reach the end of our abilities. We will max out our understanding. In short, we live within a defined time frame and a limited capacity for understanding. We are not infinite; God is.
The Breaking PointGenesis three is where everything breaks. Adam and Eve choose to pursue being gods rather than trusting the infinite creator God. They want God’s knowledge for themselves. They want his deity, his infinity, so they break his explicit command. In doing so they introduce sin to the world and they doom themselves and every person to follow to death. In one bittersweet bite of fruit the world went from paradise to graveyard.
The consequence for their sin is a curse. It is not a spell or a fairy tale curse that can be broken by a kiss or a quest. It isn’t limited to a person or place. It is pervasive, touching every person everywhere for every moment of all time. The curse taints every aspect of life: relational, physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual.
This means that every thought we have, every discovery we make, every advancement in society, every invention – they’re all flawed. They’re all incomplete. And it means that our view of ourselves is broken too.
We too want to be like Adam and Eve. We want knowledge like God. We want to be the god of our own lives, and we often don’t even realize these sinful impulses. One of the major effects of the fall and the curse is blindness. We simply cannot see what is true and real as true and real. We love things we shouldn’t, believe things we shouldn’t, and are skeptical of things that are true and good.
When we consider God’s perfect holiness, the curse becomes that much bleaker. Before we were limited in our understanding of God by being finite. Now we are sinful, blind, self-worshiping, and finite. We are further removed, in our natures, from true understanding of God than ever.
We’ve seen two significant realities that shape how we see and understand God. First, God is infinite and we are finite. Second, God is perfect, and we are sinful. It seems obvious, then, that we would struggle to understand God. With our limitations and weaknesses and His infinity and holiness we are bound to reach the borders of our understanding. We simply do not have the capacity to fully understand an infinite God.
Where Doubt Comes FromNow we are at the core of where doubt comes from. Doubt, in its most basic form, is when we say “I don’t know.” It is simply being unsure. It is when we do not understand so we struggle with confidence. For finite sinful people like us, of course we will experience doubts about God.
He is infinite and holy, and that means he is constantly thinking and doing things at a level beyond our comprehension. At every moment God is sustaining the entire universe, knowing every thought, weaving every life, and working His perfect plan for all creation. He never stops. We cannot possibly comprehend even a minuscule fraction of God’s perfect knowledge and wisdom.
As you reflect on these truths something should begin to stir in your mind: doubt is not necessarily a sin. We are sinners. We think wrong thoughts about God all the time. We rebel against and reject God just like Adam and Eve. But our doubts are not necessarily sinful.
To doubt is human. It is natural. It is a direct result of being who we are – finite creatures seeking to understand things beyond ourselves. It is inevitable that we will doubt. It is inevitable that we will question and wonder and be unsure.
Scripture is full of people with questions and doubts. Gideon asked God for a sign because he was afraid (Judges 6). Hannah pled with God for a son with the kind of pain and emotion that only comes from fear and doubt (1 Samuel 1). Job lost everything and wondered aloud why such a thing would happen. The Psalms overflow with prayers asking where God is, when he will return, has he forgotten his people, and more. The prophets lament and mourn and wonder when God will rescue. Thomas did not know how to believe in Jesus’ resurrection until he saw him in the flesh (John 20).
To doubt is human. It is how we respond when we doubt that determines whether it is a sin. You can doubt in a way that draws you closer to faith in God or you can doubt in a way that undermines and dissolves your faith.
This is an excerpt from my small group study titled Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt is Not the Enemy of Faith. Learn more about the study, additional resources, and how you can use it with your group at lifeway.com/helpmyunbelief.
For more on the subject of faith and doubt check out my book
Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt is Not the Enemy of Faith
.
December 23, 2021
New Happy Rant: Christmas Movies, Carols, and 2022 Predictions”
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas wander to and fro through a variety of topics:
Diehard, the Christmas movie: our takesChristmas carol discussions and disagreementsFinding consensus on good Christmas moviesThings we expect to look back on at the end of 2022Be sure to visit Our Website where you can:Listen to past episodesOrder Happy Rant MerchandiseSponsorsWe’re excited to be partnering with Visual Theology. They offer resources for studying, teaching, and better understanding scripture that are of amazing design and quality while being deeply faithful to the Bible. Ranging from books to curriculum to posters to apparel, Visual Theology’s materials are a wonderful way to see realities of God’s Word in a new way. It’s so easy to miss so much of what the Bible says because we can’t envision it, but they offer resources to help you, your kids, your students, and your congregants to do just that. Visit Visual Theology today and be sure to use the code happyrant at checkout to get a 20% discount.
Be sure to check out Dwell Bible App. Dwell is a Bible listening app that we love! If you are looking for a convenient, fresh way of spending more time in God’s word Dwell is ideal. Go to https://dwellapp.io/happyrant to get 10% off your annual subscription or 33% off your lifetime subscription.
We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
