Conservative Black Forum, 1/23/2012. Hosted by Allen West, Moderated by Star Parker.

At 1:43:22 Parker opened the floor to Q&A. The first person was a woman who directly questioned and challenged Cleaver on the Hyde Amendment and his support of funding Planned Parenthood/etc. He dodged the question and very condescendingly instructed her on how politics work. She stood up again and restated her question and demanded that he specifically answer. He said that he would vote against abortion but he would not defund clinics (Planned Parenthood, specifically) that provide other services for the poor. He was forceful and clear. The next audience member was a man who challenged Cleaver to, “as a man of God”, do his due research on the origins of Planned Parenthood as a eugenics program. Other members of the panel pressed Cleaver further. Cleaver left during the Q&A at 1:54:20.

Jacob Turk announced that he is running for Congress against the incumbent Emanuel Cleaver for Missouri’s fifth district. Turk, a former U.S. Marine, engineer, and small business owner, has spent the past few election cycles getting to know the critical needs and strengths of the fifth district of Missouri while transition from the private sector into the political arena.

Turk is focusing his campaign on issues of on fiscal responsibility and congressional integrity. He is a staunch supporter of Second Amendment rights, he opposes regulation of business and healthcare, and he has stated that he supports an audit of the Fed.

The political establishment in Missouri are sufficiently afraid of Jacob Turk that, after he came very close to defeating Cleaver in 2010, the State redistricting was designed so that Turk’s personal residence was specifically placed out of 5th district… the newly drawn district line sits just a few blocks from Turk’s home.

After his death in 2007, the president of my undergraduate university published a reminder that no students, staff, or faculty were permitted to carry firearms on the campus of Missouri State University – as if murderers heed such rules. I wrote a letter of protest to the policy which was published in the Springfield News-Leader. Several people challenged my position by suggesting that we become like Japan. I argued that gun control has failed in Japan, and that no charade of safety is worth the critical human rights that are violated in Japan on a daily basis.

College campuses need concealed carry.

Gun control is a failure.

I originally wanted to leave it at just the email address with the @LorienJohnson in blue, but I decided at the end that since my website is the most important feature on the card I needed to sacrifice minimalism in order to make the URL explicit.

I placed the order with Overnight Prints.

Review: Overnight Prints offers a nice selection of options, including rounded corners and free “Spot UV” (a glossy highlight in select locations). The cost to expedite the printing and shipping was ridiculous but typical. The cards are pretty and on good, thick stock, but several errors exist: a .5″x.25″ reverse-emboss impression on the front of the card, rounded corners are too sharp, pixel-sized splatters of gloss in unintended locations on the back, a strange shadow of the damask print in one corner only visible at some angles, and the shade of blue on the front is much darker than requested. I called their customer service and explained my situation – several problems existed but I had to use up to half of the cards on the trip for which I leave on Sunday – and after review with the supervisor they refunded my shipping/handling. I will not use them again, but they made me happy in the end!

Here are the designs:

Here is the finished product:

[ESV] Colossians 3:14. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Following the external application, a supreme exhortation was presented with, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. “ Above the applied five qualities, one is to ‘put on love’. The phrase “above all” indicates that love is the “crowning grace” of the new self in Christ, a grace to be put on “in addition to” (as indicated by the dative preposition ejpiv). The love used in the Greek is the noun form of the verb used to describe God’s love for His ‘recipients of special privileges’ in verse twelve. The love that Christians are to “put on” above all other qualities is a form of generous “devotedness” and “kindly concern”. The result of obedience to this exhortation is that this love binds together the individual parts into a cohesive whole. What has been translated to English as the verb ‘binds’ is in the Greek a noun referring to a “band of union”. The English Standard Version of the Bible translates that cohesive whole that is bound together by love as a state of “perfect harmony”. The source for this translation is the noun teleiotētos, defined as “completeness, perfectness”.

[ESV] Colossians 3:13. bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Paul followed the exhortation by an external application of the five internal qualities to one’s life in relation to others: “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” In putting on the five qualities of verse twelve, the Christian is to “endure patiently”, and even “suffer”, other Christians. When one individual has grounds for complaint against another, then he must forgive the other in the same way that God has forgiven, echarisato, each Christian. The one who has cause for complaint is expected to take the initiative in private endurance and forgiveness, as these traits are natural to the new self in Christ and are not dependent upon others’ apologies. Christians are imperfect and can occasionally be difficult with which to live and fellowship, and the example of Christ is to love others even when they make it difficult. ‘Complaint’ deserves a closer look: the Greek has a rounder meaning than the English word, for momphēn carries with it the idea of a ‘debt’ that requires remission. The verb ‘to forgive’ is commonly understood in English, yet the depths of the meaning are frequently lost or ignored. Paul states in verse thirteen that the form of forgiveness between Christians is to match the form given by God; the debt of sin is utterly forgiven by God, and complaints are not to remain within the body of believers.

[ESV] Colossians 3:12. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

The passage begins in verse twelve with an exhortation to “[p]ut on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience”. The verb Endysasthe, or ‘to put on’, contains two additional significant meanings: “to clothe” and “to be invested (with qualities)”. The English equivalent, ‘to put on’, is strictly external, but the Greek verb is more nuanced. Endysasthe can imply both the external and the internal. This exhortation is made possible by the agency of God.

As His ‘chosen’ ones, or eklektoi, Christians are the “recipients of special privileges”. The term ‘chosen’, or sometimes ‘elect’, frequently refers to the church membership when used in the epistles. They are described as being hagioi, “separate from common condition and use”, and ēgapēmenoi, considered valuable and worthwhile. Through dedicated divine enablement Christians are to invest themselves with five key qualities. These five qualities are parallel to the five sinful qualities warned against in Colossians 3:5.

The very core of a Christian is to be dedicated to the relief of “sorrow and want”, as indicated by the phrase oiktirmou splanchna. One is to operate with “beneficence”, or chrēstotēta, and to be humble and meek. The Christian is to adopt a “slowness of avenging injuries”, as implied by the Greek equivalent to ‘patience’, makrothymian. The starting focus for mature Christian relationships is on the individual who is commanded to be patient rather than the one who may be causing others to need patience.

Pauline Epistles

Paul communicated with Christian churches throughout his near world. He travelled extensively to spread the gospel of Christ. The epistle to the Colossians was probably written during Paul’s Roman imprisonment as he awaited trial. He was granted particular mercies by the Roman Prefect to ease his situation, but the imprisonment was nevertheless extremely difficult. Paul was confined to the house he had rented, and he was in direct “military custody”. His arm was at all times chained to that of an imperial bodyguard.  He was, however, allowed to receive visitors and to preach the Gospel. He wrote to the church in Colossae after he was visited by Epaphras.

Colossians

Colossians is Paul’s letter to a young Christian church in Colossae that appears to have been threatened by false teachings. Paul greeted the church in 1:1-14 with his prayers for them and his thankful joy for their conversions to the Gospel. He reminded them of the supreme identity and Lordship of Christ in verses 1:15-20, and in verses 1:21-23 observed Christ’s reconciliatory work that defines a truth upon which Christians must stand. Paul established in 1:24-2:5 that he had a justified responsibility to not only share the Gospel but to continue teaching the subsequent lessons of developing maturity in Christ, particularly when false teachers might attempt to delude Christians away from the truth. Salvation brings with it a new birth in which Christians are made alive in Christ, and this new life in Him is one of mature liberty, as described in 2:6-15.

Critical observers and false teachers, Paul taught in verses 2:16-23, cannot demand that Christians follow the physical strictures of the old law, nor the ascetic spiritualism of human sensation and earthly elements. The earthly things in oneself, addressed in 3:1-10, are to be put to death so that Christians may live in the liberty of Christ that Paul referenced in verse 3:11.  He iterated the elements and behaviors of the new self in verses 3:12-17, and emphasized the community-oriented nature of the development. Healthy community was further encouraged by Paul’s application of Christian behavior to household life in verses 3:18-4:1. Paul concluded in verses 4:2-18 with the summary advice prayer and thanksgiving, as well as endorsing and communicating on behalf of and with his fellow ministers, messengers, and prisoners.

Colossians 3:12-17

The third chapter of Colossians is focused on the removal of the old self, that which was lived by the individual prior to salvation in Christ, and the putting on of the new that is found in God. Verses 12-17 clarify a definition of what the new life in Christ consists and implies in terms of internal and external behavior. These two sides of the individual, the internal and the external, are not considered independent; rather, they fluidly generate and edify the qualities that define a mature Christian identity. Similarly, the individuals in a body of believers are not considered independent, because the same fluidity that applies to the individual also binds together believers into a complete church in Christ.

Authorship and Dating

Colossians was written by Paul. The authorship of Colossians has been the subject of debate due to its apparent shift in theological focus and introduction of terminology and phrasing not present in Paul’s other texts. Some scholars theorize that Colossians was written by one of Paul’s disciples after Paul’s death who continued to write in Paul’s name. This theory, however, is without historical evidence and stems from circumstantial assumptions. Others, like Robert Bultmann, believe that Colossians is a product of Christian Gnosticism rather than a pure rebuttal of the heresy. Yet Pauline authorship is not disproven by its differences with the other epistles so much as it is affirmed.

The Epistle of Colossians was a “splendid development” of the teachings found in the other epistles, and did not conflict with the rest of Pauline theology. Paul had previously written on similar subjects in his epistle to the Galatians, and thus his phrasing would have had time to develop. Colossians is not tainted by heresy, but it utilizes imagery and language familiar to the intended audience. The difference in style between Colossians and other Pauline texts may well be related to the difference in his audience; unlike other audiences, Paul had not met the majority of the church in Colossae and did not have the personal friendships and firsthand knowledge that he had of his other audiences.

Colossians was probably written in 61/62 A.D. during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment (of either 60/62 or 61/63) and prior to the earthquake of 61/62 A.D., at approximately the same point in which Ephesians and Philemon were also written.

Colossae and Region

The city of Colossae was established by the kingdom of Phrygia prior to the Persian invasion. As a part of the Phrygian kingdom, Colossae was probably a very successful city, but its importance diminished following the Persian and Greek invasive conquests The town remained a commercial site located in the provincial center Ephesus. Colossae was keenly located ten miles from the cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis, a pair separated by six miles. Laodicea was an extremely affluent center of industry, banking, and administrative activities, and Hierapolis was a famous health resort. Eighty miles away from Colossae stood Apamea, a massive trading city the nickname of which translates to ‘treasure chest’. Although Colossae itself was not competitive with the metropolitan cities by which it was surrounded, Colossae benefited reasonably from its placement to them by the Roman road system. Little historical detail is known about Colossae, due in part to its diminished importance to the Greco-Roman civilizations and also to it sharing in the intensely damaging earthquake that destroyed Laodicea and Hierapolis in either 61 or 62 A.D.

The church in Colossae was founded during or after Paul’s ministry in the Ephesus region in 53-56 A.D.. Epaphras was probably converted as a result of Paul’s work in Ephesus, and he began the church in Colossae shortly thereafter, as well as probably being the founder of the churches in Laodicea and Hierapolis. The Christians of Colossae may have been a very diverse group. The names listed in 4:7-17 indicate seven Greek individuals, one Roman, and three Jews, and, of these eleven, four probably were or had previously been slaves. Epaphras was referred to as being one of the Colossians and a “servant of Jesus Christ” in verse 4:12. The specific acknowledgements of Epaphras indicate that he was readily able to relate to the church of Colossae as a fellow Colossian and that he had Paul’s personal recommendation and approval. Epaphras was described as “struggling” on behalf of the Colossians in his prayers in a similar sense to that which Paul claims to have been struggling, or agōnizomenos, in 1:28-29, with Christ’s energy for the sake of the maturation of the churches. Prior to the writing of the epistle to Colossians, Epaphras left his home area and visited Paul in prison. He shared with Paul an update regarding the church, and presumably discussion was had regarding the influx of false teachings that affected the congregation.

The geographical positioning of Colossae that granted the city such excellent access to Roman roads also caused the cultural phenomena of the larger cities to have influence in Colossae. Although the biblical text does not specifically name which heretical movements threatened the church, the false philosophies described connect to two significant ideological elements in the local society: Phrygian paganism and moderate Hellenistic Judaism. Modern historians frequently attempt to compare the Colossian heresies to equivalent ideas of other times, but direct parallels paint incomplete pictures. The doctrinal troubles appear to have had similarities to second century Gnosticism that grew out of a similar environment of blended paganism, Judaism, and Christianity. By the end of the twentieth century a new scholastic consensus was forming that believed that the Colossian heresy was a form of Jewish mysticism, but alone such mysticism does not reflect the pagan cultural context.

The most convincing historical interpretation is that the church in Colossae struggled with a local blend of folk religions involving philosophies and ascetic practices of the pagan rites of Phrygian cults and Greco-Roman philosophy in addition to Jewish mysticism. Phrygian religious culture, known as the “Phrygian Mysteries”, survived the Greco-Roman conquests by syncretistic assimilation. Worship included self-mutilating activities and intense emotional experiences. Common pagan practice was to incorporate multiple deities into the worship performed in each household. The veneration of angels, ascetic rituals, and extensive practices of witchcraft appear to have been significant problems in the community. Simultaneously, an approximate minimum of five hundred tax-paying Jews lived in Colossae ca. 60 B.C., and other cities in Ephesus were known to have a heavy Judaic influence resulting from the significant Jewish population.

Why study this passage? Christians struggle with the process of maturing in Christ while facing problems within the church and the local community. Individuals experience a variety of internal and external pressures. Fellow Christians grate on one another and cause offense, and false teachers pursue with complicated alternative philosophies. Paul exhorted the church in Colossae to hold doctrine accountable to the true identity and superiority of Christ and to cast off the sinful qualities of their former selves. Thus corrected, Paul desired to guide them in the healthy qualities of a mature Christian life. Those qualities addressed the interplay of personal and relational issues that affect the unity of the church. The fluidity of the internal and external Christ-centered existence expressed in Colossians 3:12-17 is Paul’s articulation of how Christians are to knit themselves together in defense against false teaching.