MARRIAGE, Instincts On the sixth
day of creation God said "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of
every kind: cattle (cows, sheep, deer) and creeping things (mice, squirrels,
cats) and wild animals (lions, tigers, grizzly bears) of very kind" (Genesis
1:24-25). These did not need a church service. There was no problem
picking a mate. And they knew exactly how to have sex without ever having
health classes at school. Ten days before our cat Nika delivered her babies
she prepared a nest for them. She did not call a midwife for the delivery.
Milk has 900 chemical ingredients for the formula, and our cat got it right
every time. Her kittens knew about self-protection and curiosity. In our
day many couples manage marriage with those same basic animal instincts.
But God had another kind of marriage in mind. "Then God created humankind
in his image, male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:26-27).
God is love, and God's kind of love was revealed to us by his Son. That
is the image of God's love that Christian marriage is designed to explore
and celebrate.
MARRIAGE, Mutuality Jesus introduced
into our world a completely new model of marriage which is at the root
of the longings of many women all over the world (see his teaching on
ADULTERY
and DIVORCE).
As a result of this radical change from PATRIARCHY,
Paul taught a model of marriage based on total mutuality. "The husband
should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her
husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the
husband does; likewise the husband does not have authority over his own
body but the wife does" (1 Corinthians 7:3-4). This means a mutual
submission (as set out in
Ephesians 5:21, 22, 25-33). Obviously
a total mutuality is not compatible with other models of marriage such
as OPEN
MARRIAGE, POLYGAMYor
the keeping of CONCUBINES.Mutuality
allows for big differences of function as in a football team. It is not
an equality of counting how many chores each does, but a mutual respect
to free the other to be the best they can be for a common purpose.
MARTIN LUTHER KING (1929-68) see
KING, Martin Luther
MARTYN, Henry (1781-1812) was a
mathematician and fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge. Influenced by
Charles Simeon (1759-1836), Martyn was ordained (1803), and went out to
India as a chaplain of the East India Company. He was a friend of William
CAREY
(1761-1834) who encouraged him to translate the New Testament into Hindustani.
He traveled to IRAN
and did a very beautiful translation of the New Testament into Persian,
which had a great influence in the country.
MARX Born in Germany, Karl Marx
(1818-83) went to Paris (1843) and together with Friedrich Engels (1820-95)
wrote The Communist Manifesto (1848) which became the root document
of the world-wide Communist parties. Having taken part in revolutionary
movements in Germany, Marx was expelled, and lived in England from 1849.
He founded the First Communist International (1864), but spent most of
his time in the British Museum (London) where he wrote Das Kapital (1867,
second volume published after his death 1885, third volume 1894). His theory
of history, economics, and social change was too unpalatable for general
use, but it was set out and implemented in a simple ideology of MARXISM
after the RUSSIAN
REVOLUTION(1917) by LENIN
(1870-1924). And this became the standard model for revolutionary movements
in China and many other parts of the world.
MARXISM On this website we use
the same method to analyze both the explanatory models of religion and
those of ideologies who look for the attainment of some ideal situation
in this life. Marxists (named after Karl Marx, 1818-83) have a vision of
a world where people will be freed to give according to their abilities
and receive according to their need. What prevents this is the class system
which results in greed and exploitation. The only way to change this is
by a combination of force and propaganda to effect a revolution. The resultant
dictatorship of the proletariat must root out capitalistic thinking and
educate a new generation in which the state can wither away and permit
the desired utopia. This was tried under the dictatorship of Lenin and
Stalin for seventy years till the Communist system collapsed in 1989. A
contrasting Christian vision looks to the Holy Spirit to change human hearts,
and a form of voluntary communism appeared briefly after the Day of Pentecost
(Acts 2:44-45). But the fulfilment of this kind of perfect love
seems unattainable on earth and awaits "a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation
21:1, as fulfilled in 21:22-27).
MARY, Mother of Jesus Jesus had
four brothers and several sisters, who were well known in Nazareth. "Is
not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses
and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us.?" (Mark 6:3,
reproduced exactly in Matthew 13:55). On the assumption that sexual
intercourse would have defiled her, the traditional view among Roman Catholics
is that Mary remained perpetually a virgin. That means she cannot have
had other children, and the brothers and sisters of Jesus must have been
the children of Joseph by a previous marriage. In that case James, not
Jesus, would have been Joseph's eldest son, and the legal heir to the throne
of David. Jesus' undisputed legal right to the throne of David is given
at the beginning of Matthew's Gospel (see the genealogy in Matthew 1:1,
16). Jesus began his ministry at about the age of thirty (Luke 3:23)
by which time Mary would have been about 48 years old. . Since Jesus' brothers
and sisters would have been born after the return from Egypt when Mary
was say 22 she would have been raising children continuously from about
the age of 18 till she was at least 34.
MASHIAKH In the Greek tragedies christos
was an adjective, as in neochristos for a newly plastered wall. The LXX
(Septuagint Greek Version) translated the Hebrew mashiakh as christos
(as in Psalm 2:2). The term referred to all prophets, priests, and kings
who were anointed with oil to begin their function. In the New Testament the
Greek word Christos can be a title (as in Matthew 1:17, Luke 2:11).
But in all other cases it is a noun in apposition (John, the Smith, as opposed
to John SMITH). Jesus, the carpenter, is also the reigning King of the Kingdom
of Heaven. Peter, who had already been a disciple of Jesus for two or three
years, finally realized that Jesus, the man he knew so well, was actually the
Son of God, the anointed King of the Old Testament (Matthew 16:16). And
Matthew carefully recorded the Mission Statement of his continuing reign (Matthew
4:23; 5:3, 10, 19; 7:21, see 4:17, 23, 8:11-12). In the 400 years
after prophecy had ceased with Malachi the Jewish people lost faith in the fact
that the sovereign Lord of the universe was reigning, and they began looking for
an anointed Messiah who would come in the future (Matthew 2:4).
Christians also forgot that the Son of God did not become Messiah when he was
born the first Christmas. He had always been the King of kings and Lord of lords
among the nations. Our dialogue with our Jewish friends must begin with the
anointed sovereign Lord King of their Old Testament (e.g. Psalms 5:2; 8:1, 9;
9:7; Isaiah 51:57, Jeremiah 7:3, 9:23). Only then can we discuss whether
Jesus is their mashiakh.
MATERIALISM As opposed to an explanatory
model in which God is the Creator (Artist) of our world, Materialism offers
a model in which there is nothing but matter/energy. This leaves no room
for the dignity of humans in the image of God, the life of the Spirit,
or life after death. The model appeared during the Sixth Century Revolt
(c.550 BC) among the Charvakas of India (see
Religion:
Origins and Ideas,
chapters 3 and 12),
and Democritus (460-370 BC) among the Greeks. Dialectical Materialism is
a foundation of MARXISM.
MATTHEW A person named Alphaeus
had a son named James (Greek Iakobos, Hebrew yakob), and
he was listed among the twelve apostles (Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke
6:15, Acts 1:13). He is clearly distinguished in these lists from James
the son of Zebedee, and from James the brother or half-brother of Jesus
(Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3, Galatians 1:19, Acts 15:13, 21:18). Another
Alphaeus (Mark 2:14) might have been the same person as the father
of James. He had a son named Levi (he was later given the name Mattityah,
Greek Mathaios, which means "Gift of Yahweh"). As a young man Levi
decided to get work as a tax collector under the hated Roman government,
which would have upset his family and friends. He was appointed to collect
taxes for Jesus' city of Capernaum (Matthew 4:13), and so he must
have seen people healed and heard Jesus speaking. When Jesus came by his
tax office and said "follow me" he did so (Matthew 9:1-9). He announced
his CONVERSION
by giving a great feast for all his tax collector friends, and others viewed
as sinners in the community (Matthew 9:10-13, Mark 2:14-17, Luke 5:27-32).
Later he wrote
MATTHEW'S GOSPEL (see
Matthew
Commentary). As a tax collector he probably had access to the genealogy
of Joseph who accepted Jesus as his legal heir (Matthew 1:1-16, 24)
in the records of the tax office in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4).
MATTHEW'S GOSPEL To be a senior
tax collector MATTHEW would have been educated
in Hebrew and in Greek. Papias (c.60-130 AD) recorded that Matthew wrote
down the sayings of Jesus verbatim (Eusebius Ecclesiastical History
3:39.16.
Scholars suggest these logia might have become the document called
Q). It seems that Matthew translated these sayings into Greek and combined
them with the Gospel of Mark to produce our present Gospel of Matthew.
Scholars who assume that Jesus could not have predicted the fall of Jerusalem,
usually date the Gospel about AD 90. It is however obvious that Jesus warned
the Pharisees that they would be decimated in that generation (Matthew
23:36). And in the next chapter Jesus said of the temple that "not
one stone will be left here upon another," and he used exactly the language
used of the fall of Babylon (Isaiah 13:1, 9-10, 13) to predict the
destruction of Jerusalem in the lifetime of the apostles (Matthew 24:34).
And we know that took place in AD 70 (see Advent
Comings of the Lord). Matthew's Gospel must therefore have been
written about 50-60 AD. I cannot imagine it was invented by some unknown
writer twenty years later.
MAYA see UPANISHADS
MECCA This trading center was a
holy place for ARABSfrom
the surrounding tribes who worshiped 360 heathen deities in a temple called
the KA'BA
(Arabic for cube). The structure was built with a black
METEORITEstone
in its east wall. MUHAMMAD (c.570-632) was
born in Mecca. He began receiving messages (c.610 AD) which later became
the QUR'AN,
and among these was a denunciation of idolatry. The merchants of Mecca
did not like this threat to the huge income that came in from those who
came to worship the idols in the Ka'ba. So Muhammad had to move with 70
followers to Medina. From there he came back to conquer Mecca (630 AD),
and he succeeded in having all the idols and images of the Ka'ba destroyed.
The Ka'ba (Al-Kaaba)
in Mecca (Arabic makkah) is the focus
of prayer for MUSLIMS from all over the world,
and they are required to make a pilgrimage there once in a lifetime, if
possible.
MEDICAL MODELS When the Black Death
was wiping out one third of the population of Europe (1348), Philippe VI
(King of France, 1328-50) demanded a scientific explanation of this plague.
The Medical Faculty of the University of Paris "proved" that the plague
was due to the triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars in the 40th.
degree of Aquarius on March 20, 1345. This astrological explanation was
accepted by scholars all over Europe and in the great Arab universities
of Cordova and Granada (Barbara Tuchman, A Distant Mirror, 1979,
p.107). It took many years before it was proved that Bubonic plague (bubos
were
swellings of the lymph glands) was spread by rats and the bacterium
Pasteurella
prestis. There are now immunizing vaccines for most serious diseases.
The World Health Organization claimed they had eradicated smallpox (1976).
AIDS was identified and named (1981-82). But in our day people explore
a variety of models that might offer a cure for various conditions (Acupuncture,
Homeopathy, Herbal, Chiropractic, Shiatsu, etc.). How do these relate to
God.? The Bible teaches that God cares about diseases and their cure. "The
Lord will turn away from you every illness; all the dread diseases of Egypt
that you experienced" (Deuteronomy7:15, see HEALING).
It now seems certain that faith in the doctor or the medication is an important
factor in healing. Licensed medical treatment combined with faith in the
Son of God as the ultimate source of all healing is the best course in
all cases.
MEDITATION People of all religions
practice meditation. They sit quietly and think, listen, picture, repeat
a mantra, free themselves from their usual concerns. But it is not
the practice that counts but the ultimate object in mind. A Buddhist monk
meditates to eradicate his desires in the hope of attaining nirvana.
Zen Buddhists practice zazen
by reflecting on a koan to free
their minds from the world's logic. A Hindu Monist wants union with the
Absolute to escape the miserable round of transmigration (samsara).
Taoists want to reject external rules and experience the tao of
living naturally. Business people under pressure use TM (Transcendental
Meditation) to relax by repeating a mantra for half an hour. Muslims
read the Koran (Qur'an). Christian meditation is totally different.
It is a conversation. Eradicating desires, losing oneself in the Absolute,
endlessly repeating a word, or even constant Bible reading, are all likely
to prevent a conversation with God. Our meditation may begin with a verse
of the Psalms or the metaphors for God revealed in the Bible. But the aim
is to be like a little child with the Father, to share every thought and
concern of one's heart with the Messiah, and invite the Holy Spirit to
inspire and empower us. That brings us right into the conversation of the
family of God, which is a foretaste of heaven.
MELANOMA When our doctor sent Mollie
to a plastic surgeon to have a spot on her forehead removed we imagined
it was like one of the skin cancers I had removed from my face. Two weeks
ago the biopsy revealed it was melanoma. I remembered the days when melanoma
used to be a death sentence, and I felt as if I had been hit by a truck.
But then we let our family and friends know, and we were astonished to
hear of friends praying for Mollie all over the world. Some of them we
never imagined praying at all. My cousin said her daughter had a melanoma
on her arm four years ago, and it was healed. Several others told similar
stories. With rapid progress in diagnosis and treatment many people now
expect to be restored to perfect health. Yesterday (Jan. 29, 2003) we spent
the morning in the Toronto General Radiology Department. A radio-active
dye was injected and they watched on computer screens where it went. All
Mollie's lymph nodes were clear except one by her ear. In the afternoon
in the Day Surgery Department of the Hotel Dieu Hospital the "hot" node
was excised, and there was a deeper incision at the original melanoma site.
I brought Mollie home with a huge bandage round her head, and I went and
bought the prescription for Tylenol 3. It upset her stomach till we discovered
that diluted warm Cranberry juice settled her, and she slept on and off
during the night. I learned to cook Chicken Noodle Soup from a packet,
and it proved to be an astonishing success. I know melanoma is still dangerous,
but I now know it is not the end.
MELCHIZEDEK When Abraham came back
from the battle to deliver his nephew Lot "King Melchizedek brought out
bread and wine" and blessed him (Genesis 14:18-20, Hebrews 7:1-2).
The New Testament explains that this man was the priest-king of the Jebusite
city of Jerusalem and a "priest of the most high God." At the last supper
Jesus could have appointed other elements, say bread and milk, for his
communion services, but he chose the bread and wine of Melchizedek's royal
priesthood. This made clear that the Messiah's priesthood is not a continuation
or replacement of the Jewish priesthood line of Aaron which began four
centuries after Abraham and was terminated with the fall of Jerusalem in
AD 70. Our royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:5,9) serves under our Messiah
Priest-King who is "high priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek"
(Hebrews 6:19).
MEMBERS see BODY,
Church Members
MEMBERSHIP Membership is
nothing to do with having your name on a list. It is having a function.
"As in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the
same function, so we, who are many, are one body in the Messiah, and individually
we are members of one another" (Romans 12:5). Creative people enjoy
having a function in life. And one of the many other causes of depression
is the feeling that one has no function in life. The supremely creative
people are those who help others discover the joy of making their special
contribution. And such people heal a lot of depression. It is the best
Christmas gift we can give to anyone.
MENNONITES Menno Simons (1496-1561)
was a Roman Catholic parish priest who joined the ANABAPTISTS
(1536) after the defeat and death in battle of Thomas Munzer (1535). For
twenty-five years he gave himself to shepherding and gently reorganizing
the persecuted brethren scattered all over Europe. They later took the
name of Mennonites to honor his name, and by the end of the next century
they established congregations in Europe and North America. They are all
committed to believers's baptism, and total
PACIFISM,
but they vary in their willingness to cooperate with the government and
adapt to the modern world. The Amish Mennonites who settled in North America
(1683) practice modern farming, but they still insist on wearing traditional
dress and driving a horse and buggy instead of an automobile. Most Mennonites
have a form of service similar to Baptists, but they differ in refusing
military service, and many refuse to call the police to protect them.
MERIT In a bull of 1343 Pope Clement
VI declared "The sacrifice of Christ's blood, together with the merit added
by the Virgin and saints had established an inexhaustible treasury for
the use of pardons. By contributing sums to the Church, anyone could buy
a share in the Treasury of Merit." Within five years the BLACK
DEATH (1348-49) killed off one third of Europe. The result was
a huge wave of guilt and fear of the WRATH
of God that made people conscious of their own sinfulness. By the next
year (1350) Rome was swamped with pilgrims seeking pardons from the treasury
of merit. As a result the church became very rich. Soon indulgences were
sold to get one's family and friends out of purgatory. In 1516 Leo X (Pope
1513-1521) sent Johann Tetzel , a friar from the DOMINICANS,
to preach and offer indulgences to pay for rebuilding St. Peter's in Rome.
A year later (1517), to object against this, LUTHER(1483-1546)
posted his 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg (1517 ) and
the REFORMATION
began. There is no trace of a treasury of merit, pardon based on money
payment, or ofINDULGENCES
in Jesus teaching or anywhere in the New Testament. One could argue from
the Old Testament that even a few righteous people would have saved the
city of Sodom from destruction (Genesis 18:26-32), but that is nothing
to do with personal forgiveness or paying to lessen the time of one's friends
in purgatory.
MESOPOTAMIA In its narrower sense
Mesopotamia (Greek mesos
meaning middle and
potamos meaning
river) was the area between the rivers
TIGRISand
EUPHRATES
which join just above BASRA.
The ancient city of
UR,
about a hundred miles (170 km) up the river Euphrates, was the gateway
to Sumer (see the
SUMERIANS).
But in its wider sense Mesopotamia also included the whole basin of the
TIGRIS
including what was known as
ASSYRIA.
MESSIAH The word means "anointed
king." And both Jews and Christians think of the Messiah reigning, though
we differ with each other ( and perhaps even more among one another) as
to when and how the Messiah does this. In the Old Testament psalms and
prophets God is pictured as the Sovereign King. He is enthroned and judges
the nations. Similarly in the New Testament: "Now have come the salvation
and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of the Messiah"
(Revelation 12:10). . The prophets knew that he reigns by assigning
"wrath" (bad consequences) for inhuman greed, pride, militarism, oppression,
denial of justice, and lack of concern for the poor and needy. That is
also the theme of Mary's Magnificat. "He has scattered the proud
in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from
their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good
things, and sent the rich away empty" (Luke 1:51-53). She was called
blessed, and we too are blessed when we share in the Messiah's agenda.
MESSIAH, Strategy The basic units
of our Messiah's forces are the CHURCHES
in just about every city of the world. These begin with two or three persons,
but as they grow they are organized under regiments (DENOMINATIONS).
Each has a different contribution to make like flowers in a GARDEN.
There are also teams that plant and nurture churches like a moving
CHURCH,
bloodstream (see The
Church: An Organic Picture, chapter 13) all over the world. Behind
the scenes are special forces that undertake covert operations under the
direct control of the Messiah. Most of the work is done by unpaid volunteers,
though for some tasks money is given freely by others. Instead of using
bullets and bombs, spiritual warfare is the presentation of the TRUTHthat
frees people by destroying the lies of SATAN.
Prayer corresponds to military air power. At any time the servants of the
Messiah have the right to call in precise air support for themselves or
for others. The war the Messiah is engaged in may never be reported in
the media, but this is the ultimate reality beyond all the confusions of
our world.
MESSIANIC JEWS The first Christians
were all Jews, and they formed themselves into Messiah believing synagogues.
Soon a Greek speaking Jewish Christian synagogue was formed in Jerusalem
(Acts 6:1-6). Peter was told he could baptize and welcome people
of other nations to Christian baptism (Acts 10:11-15, 34-35). As
Greeks, Romans, and others were baptized, they were welcomed into a church
of many congregations in each city (Acts 11:25-26). The first Christian
Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) found a way for circumcised Jews
who kept kosher to have table fellowship with their new brothers
and sisters from other nations. But Paul and the other Jewish apostles
still looked to the mother church in Jerusalem for guidance (as in Acts
15:2, 18:22, 21:17-26). You could be a Jew as Paul was, and a Christian.
But after the fall of Jerusalem (AD 70) the focus changed (compare Matthew
24:14, 31). Soon Jews were forced to stop being Jewish to become Christians.
The resultant prejudice and terrible persecution continued for 18 centuries
till the HOLOCAUST.
A change began with the missionary movement which established the fact
that you did not stop being Bengali, Burmese, or Chinese when you became
a Christian. Why should Jews who believe Jesus is the MESSIAHcease
to be Jews? Messianic Jews seek to retain their Jewish culture including
CIRCUMCISION,
keeping
PASSOVER
and other Jewish celebrations with their families (see KOSHER).
METAPHOR Middle eastern language
is full of vivid metaphors. "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear
it out . . . if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off (Matthew
5:29-30, both metaphors from ARCHERY)
John's gospel pictures the work of the Messiah as Bread, Light, Gate, Shepherd,
Way, Vine John the Baptist called him the Lamb. Such metaphors are not
new. In the Psalms David called him Lord, King, Sovereign, Ruler, Judge,
but also the Servant, Lamb, Guide, Healer, Shepherd, Rock, Fortress, Teacher,
Strength, Stronghold, Refuge, Shield, Redeemer (Liberator), Deliverer.
One of the most common names in the Psalms is Vindicator, which speaks
to those who have no recourse in the face of overwhelming injustice. Each
one of these paradoxical metaphors helps us grasp another facet of what
faith is. The art is to be careful about taking metaphors literally, but
can use each one to enrich our conversation with the Son of God.
METEORITE Several great pilgrimage
sites of the ancient world (e.g EPHESUS,
PAPHOS,
MECCA)
were built around a black stone that had fallen from the sky. In Ephesus
this was carved into a huge statue of Artemis (Diana, Acts 19:27).
METHODIST The term was first applied
to John and Charles WESLEY
and their friends as they gathered in the "Holy Club" at Oxford (1729).
After his conversion (May 24, 1738), Wesley began preaching in the open
air (1739), and organizing class meetings. His followers became known as
Methodists. A yearly conference of people called Methodists (1784) appointed
Methodist preachers and chapels. The same year a conference of Methodists
in the United States was organized under Francis Asbury (1745-1816) and
Thomas Coke as the first bishops. But Methodism as a denomination in Britain
only emerged after the death of John Wesley (1791). The conference of 1795
recognized Methodist preachers as having the right to administer the sacraments
of baptism and holy communion. The two main strengths of the early Methodist
movement were the weekly class meetings organized by John Wesley and the
hymns written by his brother Charles Wesley..
METHODISTS The name originated
as a description of the severe discipline of John and Charles WESLEY
and other friends in the Holy Club at Oxford University. John Wesley never
left the Church of England, but seven years before he died (1784) the 'Yearly
Conference of the People called Methodists' was officially constituted.
The same year Wesley himself ordained Dr. Thomas Coke (1747-1814) who ordained
Francis Asbury (1745-1816) to be joint superintendents of the Methodists
in North America. Against Wesley's advice, Asbury was named the first Bishop
of the Methodist Episcopal denomination. But in Britain it was not till
1795 that the preachers were authorized to baptize and conduct communion
services. The first division took place in 1797, and throughout the nineteenth
century other groupings were formed and united with one another to recapture
the original doctrine and spirit of John Wesley. One of the biggest and
most vigorous of these "Holiness" denominations is the Church of the Nazarene.
A union of Methodists, Congregationalists, and some Presbyterians formed
the United Church of Canada in1925.
MICHAEL The archangel or chief
angel is Michael, the prince of angels (Daniel 10:21, Jude 9, see
ANGEL).
He is particularly involved in warring against opposing forces (Daniel
10:13, 12:1). His work can be awesome. "The angel of the Lord set out
and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians" (2 Kings 19:35).
There is also a spiritual battle in heaven: "Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were
defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great
dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and
Satan" (Revelation 12:7-9). Jesus could have called in legions of
angels (perhaps led by the archangel Michael) to save him from crucifixion
(Matthew 26:53). The early Christians knew that Peter had a guardian
angel who delivered him from prison (Acts 12:7-9, see 12:15).
And one of the angels is appointed to care for every one of "these little
ones" (Matthew 18:10). Whether the archangel Michael was responsible for
all these angelic interventions is not stated. But no angel, however great,
is to be worshiped as God (Colossians 2:18, Hebrews 1:4-5, Revelation
19:9-10).
MIDDLE AGES From the
fall of the Roman Empire (476 AD) to the
RENAISSANCE
and the beginning of the REFORMATION
(1517) the ordinary people of Europe were mainly living in the dark ages
of religious superstition and ignorance. There were some centers of light
in the monasteries such as the Venerable Bede (c.673-735) in Jarrow (see
ANSELM,
ABELARD,
BENEDICTINES)
and the first European universities (Bologna c.1100, Paris 1150, Oxford
1167, Cambridge 1209). But the main concerns were the Arab attacks to the
gates of Paris (732), the mounting of futile CRUSADES,
the FRIARS
begging, the bubonic plague (1348-52) which killed off one third of the
population, and the struggles between church and state authorities. That
left little time or energy for creative ideas.
MILETUS On his way back from his
third overseas missionary journey Paul decided it would not be wise to
go back into Ephesus. He had been imprisoned in the city after the severe
riot (between Acts 19:41 and 20:1). And he had to face a
lion in the arena (2 Timothy 4:16-17. This depends on reading en
tropy (in the nick of time) instead of en romy (in Rome) in
2
Timothy 1:17). The only way he could meet the ELDERS
of the church in Ephesus was to call them for a conference in Miletus 25
miles (40 km) to the south. Luke, who was with Paul recorded the message
he gave to them (Acts 20:17-35). Then he added "When he had finished
speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed. There was much weeping
among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him (see hug of peace under
KISS),
grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see
him again. Then they brought him to the ship" (Acts 20:36-38). Miletus
used to be an important port with four harbors on the estuary of the Meander
river, but by the time of Paul's conference these had silted up, and the
city had moved inland. The Church of Miletus was in existence about 150
AD. But now it is not even listed in the guide books.
MILITARISM The Bible pictures the
right of a nation to defend itself (e.g. Genesis 14:14-16), and
to free itself from slavery and oppression (see EXODUS,
JUDGES).
What is not acceptable to the Son of God as he reigns among the NATIONS
is militarism to subjugate other nations. This is usually promoted by Army
generals who want to increase their power and gain glory in battle. As
examples of this the Old Testament describes the invasions of the
ASSYRIANS
from their city of NINEVEH,
and how they were defeated by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar. BABYLON
was in turn suddenly toppled in a DAY
OF THE LORD (as prophesied in Isaiah 13:1-19) by the Persians
(see IRAN).
When the Persians attacked the Greeks they were defeated in sea battles,
and Alexander then came across the Middle East to topple the Persian empire.
In each case the ultimate control is in the hands of the MESSIAH.
In the previous century we saw the overthrow of Nazi and Communist militarism,
and more recently in this century the fall of SADDAM
HUSSEIN. We can deduce that the massive power of the
AMERICAN
EMPIRE should beware of militarism by caring about the freedom
of others. The safe course is for each nation "to do justice, and to love
kindness, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8)
MILLENIUM The millenial vision
of the return of Christ has kept reappearing among Christians. This is
based on a literal understanding of "He seized the dragon, that ancient
serpent, who is the DEVIL
and SATAN,
and bound him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:2, and a peaceful
kingdom such as in Isaiah 11:6-10). The idea of a literal millenium
appeared among the GNOSTICS,
MONTANISTS,
and some of the Greek church Fathers. Among the
HUSSITES
in and around the city of PRAGUE
some revolutionary preachers said that Christ was about to return and he
would reign on this earth with his saints. In the REFORMATION
a hundred years later the vision was adopted as one model of the SECOND
COMING (see ANABAPTISM,
MORMONS).
In our day a literal millenium on earth is taught in many denominations
committed to PREMILLENIANISM.
The model commended on this site is set out in Advent Comings of the
Lord in History.
MINDING A cat lives by minding
its instincts (food, comfort, self-protection, curiosity, territory, sex,
nesting, raising kittens). We too can live our life by what Paul called
the flesh. There is nothing wrong with our instincts. In fact it was the
Son of God who invented them for us in the first place. But our instincts
cannot free us to love God, pray, love enemies or even our neighbor. The
art is not to beat down our instincts, but to turn our mind as Jesus did
to the Creative Spirit of God. Having explained that his flesh (instinctive
nature) did not help him (Romans 7:14-24), Paul explained that "Those
who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,
but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things
of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind
on the spirit is life and peace" (Romans 8:5-6)
MINISTER, Authority As in politics,
ministers of church congregations are appointed to be servants of the people
whose interests they serve (see
SERVANT
LEADERSHIP). Some of them claim a respect and ministerial authority.
"They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in
the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the market places, and
to have people call them rabbi" (Matthew 23:6). But there is another
kind of AUTHORITY
which does not depend on the institution that authorizes them. Jesus was
not viewed as a qualified rabbi (teacher), but "he taught them as one having
authority, and not as the scribes" (Mark 1:22). We might call this
the authority of spiritual leadership. Paul calls it "the ministry of the
new covenant" and "the ministry of the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 3:6, 8).
As opposed to being impressed by credentials or abilities, people recognize
that "This person is leading us by God's power and wisdom." Where DENOMINATIONS
can appoint those who will serve in this way there can be new wine skins
for the new wine of the Spirit (Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22, Luke 5:37-38).
Only then can there be constant renewal. Forcing submission by rules results
in deadness and disintegration.
MINISTER, Day Off "Many eat too
much, some drink too much, many sleep too much, almost all talk too much.
And I am bound to say, some work too much, not taking the day off which
keeps them fresh and in good trim" (Samuel Shoemaker, The Church Alive,
1950, pp. 50-51).
MINISTER, Money A guru said to
a guest at a conference "There are several meanings of life - a $50 meaning,
a $100 meaning and one for $500" (Readers Digest, December 1977).
In Crete there were those who "are upsetting whole families by teaching
for sordid gain what it is not right to teach" (Titus 1:11). Which
is why in his qualifications for church ELDERS(Bishops)
Paul included "not a lover of money" and "not greedy for gain" (1 Timothy
3:3, Titus 1:7). Paul was grateful for financial support for his mission
(Philippians 4:15-18), but he preferred to earn his own living when
necessary (see TENTMAKERS)
than to demand payment for preaching (Acts 18:1-4, 1 Corinthians 4:11-12,
2 Corinthians 11:7-9)
MINOANS According to the Table
of Nations the Caphtorim (people of CRETE)
were descended from MIZRAIM (the people of
Egypt,
Genesis 10:13-14). They became known as the Early Minoans
2600-2000 BC. The Middle Minoans (2000-1600 BC) probably used the undeciphered
pictographic script called Linear A. In our day tourists can visit the
ruins of the great palaces of Knossos ( Homer mentions "the city of Cnosus
where king Minos reigns"
Odyssee book 19), Phaistos, Mallia, and
Zakros.. These were destroyed about 1450 BC, probably by ash from the huge
volcanic eruption on the island of Thera (Santorin). It is possible that
as a result of this, the PHILISTINES
were Minoans who sailed from Caphtor (Crete) to colonize the area to the
north of Gaza (Genesis 10:14, Deuteronomy 2:23, 1 Chronicles 1:11, Amos
9:7). Soon Mycenaeans (the kingdom of Agamemnon who attacked Troy,
c.1200 BC)) arrived (their script named Linear B has been deciphered) and
they established Greek control of the island of Crete.
MIRACLES A miracle is often defined
as a violation of natural law. But the laws of nature are based on statistical
observations. The earth revolves to make a 24 hour day, it makes an annual
orbit around the sun, and gravity can be measured by an acceleration of
32 feet per second per second. But what if these certainties suddenly changed?
Scientists would make laws based on the new observations Similarly if they
observed that whenever six or more people prayed in a certain way the person
was healed, healing would become part of natural law. That is why the term
miracle only has a meaning in the context of THEISM which assumes
that God is the Creator of our world, and he has the right to intervene
in it. Many of his interventions are not noticed. Geoff Richard remarked
that "a coincidence is an act of God for which he chooses to remain anonymous"
(Interserve bulletin, October 1996). But at least we know that the creation
of our world was a miracle, as was the creation of humans in the image
of God (Genesis 1). It is fashionable to explain away other miracles
of Jesus and his disciples. But Christian Theism includes as miracle the
birth of the Son of God, his resurrection from the dead, and our own resurrection
body when we die. C. S. Lewis remarked that "All the essentials of Hinduism
would, I think, remain unimpaired if you subtracted the miraculous, but
you cannot do that with Christianity. It is precisely the story of a great
Miracle" (Miracles, New York: Macmillan, 1947, p.83).
MIRACLES, Old Testament In the
first chapter of Genesis we have the miracle of our world coming into being
as an artistic creation. In the same first chapter there is the miracle
of humans being made in the IMAGE OF GOD (imago dei). There
are also miracles in connection with the
EXODUS of a nation of slaves
moving out to freedom in the direction of the promised land. Another group
of miracles occurred in the ministry of Elijah and Elisha. But the prophets
were mainly interested in recording the HISTORY of their nation
with a view to seeing how God intervened again and again in what they called
a DAY OF THE LORD. These interventions were not chance happenings
since God had predicted their occurrence (see Isaiah 45:21; 46:10; 48:3,
5, 6, 14). The greatest example of this was when Isaiah prophesied
the day of the Lord in the miraculous events of the fall of Babylon (Isaiah
13:4-10). Joel used the same imagery of the sun and moon being darkened
in the day of the Lord on Jerusalem (Joel 2:1, 10-11). In his prophecy
of the fall of Jerusalem (Matthew 24, Mark 13) Jesus applied the
same portents to his own miraculous coming in the generation of his hearers
(see PAROUSIA).
MIRACLES and Science In an old
fashioned Swiss watch some tiny men lived among the cogs. They survived
by being great scientists. They observed the movement of every wheel, the
usual time when the watch was wound, and when the alarm went off five days
a week. All this was recorded in their books as natural law. So they could
predict several months ahead what would happen. Some said you did not need
a creator to explain the watch. Others said somebody or something must
have made their watch in the first place, but natural law made any kind
of variation from the norm impossible. A third group pointed out that inexplicable
things happened from time to time, and that proved the watch maker was
interested in his creation. Their discussions ended abruptly when the watch
was sent back to the watch maker to be cleaned. For these model alternatives
see ATHEISM, DEISM, THEISM. But even a theistic explanation fails
to picture the love of God for humans, and the destiny he has in mind for
us. The supreme miracle of love is revealed for us in the PARABLES
of Jesus and the explanations given in the Epistles of Paul, Peter, and
John (see Creative Love).
MISSION Every day thousands of
people are fanning out all over the world on military, trade, agricultural,
cultural, scientific, and aid missions. Aid programs began as hand-outs
to feed the hungry. Then there was the idea of development (wells, roads,
education, malaria eradication). The current buzz word is EMPOWERMENT.
By far the best we can do for people is to give them the power to solve
their own problems in their own way. How does this relate to our Christian
mission? In the past two centuries there has been a shift from direct evangelism
to expressing the love of God by meeting medical, educational, and development
needs. But in doing this we need to remember Paul's strategy of planting
and nurturing churches of the Spirit in every place. It was not feeding
the hungry but the growth of churches which made European civilization
possible. In our day huge social change has taken place wherever churches
have given faith, hope, courage, and all the other fruit of the Spirit
to oppressed and marginalized people. This has been documented wherever
churches have taken root among savage tribes, low caste people of India,
or the barrios of South America. As opposed to being controlled by foreigners,
effective churches must be run by the people themselves in their own way
and according to their culture.
MISSIONS see ALLEN,
Roland
MISTRESS The difference between
a wife and CONCUBINE
was clearly defined in the Old Testament. The children of a concubine had
no right to the man's lineage. At the age of 15 Louis XV (king of France
1715-74) was married to Maria Leczinska, a Polish princess, and had royal
children by her. In 1745 he met Madame d'Etioles at a ball. She quickly
left her husband and was made the Marquise de Pompadour. She had immense
influence, commissioned painters, makers of superb porcelain and furniture,
writers like Voltaire, and a military academy to produce officers for the
disastrous seven years' war (1756-63). Following the example of their kings
many French husbands, who can afford it, have ma petite maitresse
on the side. English kings (e.g. George IV, William IV, Edward VII, Edward
VIII) also had mistresses. After the death of Princess Diana, Charles's
mistress Camilla was divorced from her husband and according to the model
we use on this site (see Adultery:
An Exploration of Love and Marriage) is now unofficially married
by common law. But she could only become royalty if an official marriage
took place.
MIZRAIM In the Table of Nations
Mizraim (Misr is still the Arabic name for Egypt) is listed as descended
from the Hamitic group of nations (see HAMITES).
Then we are told "Egypt became the father (ancestor) of the Ludim, Anamim,
Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim, from which the
Philistines come" (Genesis 10:6, 13-14). The Ludim are grouped with
the people of Ethiopia and Put (Libya?), which suggests they were North
Africans (Ezekiel 30:5). The Anamim have been possibly connected
with the Kenemites of an oasis to the west of Egypt. The Lehabim (Lubim)
were Libyans, and some of them came to Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost
(Acts 2:10). The Naphtuhim may have from the west of the Nile Delta
(Egyptian na-patoh). Nothing is known of the Pathrusim (from Pathros?).
Caphtor was the Hebrew name for CRETE(Deuteronomy
2:23) and the Caphtorim may have been the people we now know as the
MINOANS.
A wave of them settled north of Gaza, where they were known as PHILISTINES(Hebrew
pelistim
from which Palestine derived its name). There are many questions about
these groupings, but it seems certain that they are all connected with
the Mediterranean coast of Africa.
MOCKING One of the most hurtful
ways in which SCOFFERS
seek to humiliate others is by mockery. In a school yard a handicapped
child is laughed at. "Mary is retarded, Mary is retarded." Jesus listed
three way of murdering another without actually killing the body. By far
the worst is mocking someone as a brainless fool (Matthew 5:22).
The movie
Jesus Christ Superstar captured the scene when "Herod
with his soldiers treated Jesus with contempt and mocked him" (Luke
23:11). When Jesus was handed over to Pilate's soldiers to be crucified,
they dressed him in a royal robe, put a crown of thorns on his head, put
a reed in his right hand, knelt before him, and mocked him saying "Hail,
King of the Jews" (Matthew 27:28-29). Then the chief priests, theologians,
and members of the Sanhedrin came to mock Jesus on the cross, saying "He
saved others; he cannot save himself" (Matthew 27:41-42). One of
the criminals crucified next to him kept deriding him, "Are you not the
Messiah? Save yourself and us!" (Luke 23:39). These all had plausible
reasons to think Jesus was a fool who deserved to be mocked. But as we
look back through history, who turned out to be the fools? We may have
to disagree respectfully with another's opinions, but mockery is very hurtful,
never right, and very dangerous.
MODALISM One form of this model
was called PATRIPASSIANISM.
It retained the absolute oneness of God (see MONARCHIANISM)
by arguing that God the Father was born, suffered and died on the cross.
It seems that the model proposed by Sabellius (SABELLIANISM)
avoided this unpalatable form of the model by saying that the one eternal
God is only one Person but he is experienced by humans in a succession
of modes or operations.
MODEL THEOLOGY Model Theology is
a method of questioning a person's explanation of a personal religion or
ideology, and setting out its inner logic. It can be used by people of
any religion or no religion. But it should be done with respect and sympathy.
If the analysis is successful the other person will accept the resulting
explanation and be able to say "Yes, you have expressed exactly the vision
which I have in mind." When we construct or offer
a model by way of explanation we do not assume we have arrived at a final
conclusion. And a model is never a proof that such and such a person's
faith, way of life, morality, or goal is exactly like that. What we say
is "Let's try looking at it this way." Which leaves our tentative model
open to dialogue, correction, or replacement by a better model. In
addition to clarifying with sympathy the faith commitment of another person,
Model Theology is used to set out variants of our own model, which in our
case is Trinitarian Theism. The method is set out in God
of Many Names. In Go
Make Learners we use Model Theology to set out an alternative explanation
of the meaning and purpose of Christian Baptism. Advent
Comings of the Lord among the Nations gives an alternative to other
models of the SECOND
COMING. The book on Creative
Love sets out an explanatory model of God's creative activity.
In the Word Thoughts we are interested in the history and explanations
of many different kinds of religion and ideology, and in each case try
to see how they relate to our own Christian vision.
MODELS Models are used to picture
how cars, and factories, and political institutions work and could be designed
to work.. We have economic models, the models of various schools of medicine,
and models for psychiatric treatment. Each major religion or ideology can
be set out as an explanatory model of what is the purpose of life (see
God
of Many Names). On this web site we also explore the models that
may explain different emphases in Christian theology For example, within
the overarching model of God as
TRINITY,
we offer models for PURGATORY,
WRATH,
HELL,INDULGENCES,
the
CHURCH,
DENOMINATIONS,
etc. A model is never a proof, but only a way of setting out an alternative
way of looking at things. Having looked at the various models in the light
of what Jesus said, we have to decide how we are going to order our lives.
And we can be assured that the Holy Spirit "will guide you into all the
truth" (John 16:16). As Paul said, "Be continually transformed by
the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of
God - what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2).
MODELS, Medical see MEDICAL
MODELS
MONARCHIANISM All the early Christian
churches agreed that Baptism must be in the name of the TRINITY
(based on Matthew 28:19). By the Council of Constantinople (381)
the Trinity was defined as a oneness of three eternal Persons in relationship
to one another (see
ATHANASIUS).
But various alternatives to avoid this model were offered to defend the
absolute eternal oneness of God. Monarchianism (Greek mono meaning
only, alone and archy
meaning beginning, origin, first cause, ruler,
authority) was either a form of ADOPTIONISM
(Jesus was adopted into the Godhead) or a form of MODALISM.
(God appeared in different forms as Father, Son, or Holy Spirit)
MONARCHY The United States (1776),
France (1789), China (1911), Russia (1917), Germany (1919) and many other
nations threw out monarchy because human kings had failed them. Admittedly
their presidents, dictators, prime ministers, chairmen, never turned out
to be perfect. But monarchies, dictatorships, and republics all serve to
remind us of the contrast with the Messiah's kind of kingship (see KINGDOM).
"You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers
lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is
not so among you; for whoever wishes to become great among you must be
your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of
all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give
his life as ransom for many" (Mark 10:42-45). And the purpose of
ransoming is to give us freedom (John 8:36, see LIBERATION).
So when we sing "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns"
(Revelation 19:6) we are freely serving a very different kind of
monarchy. (See
ANTICHRIST).
MONASTICISM Buddha (563-483 BC)
taught that NIRVANAcame
by losing all desire (see
BUDDHISM).
For this purpose monasteries were established where monks could learn to
eradicate their desires (especially the sexual ones). Christian monasticism
originated in Egypt with Saint Antony (c. 251-c.356) when he retired (285)
to the desert to beat down his FLESHby
a life of total austerity. Twenty years later he organized a community
of hermits who lived under a rule of celibacy. This impressed many with
the idea that celibacy was a higher form of Christian commitment. The first
Christian convents were ruthlessly austere, but the more practical and
humane rule of St. Benedict (480-543) enabled monasticism to thrive in
Europe. It offered a disciplined community of manual work, prayer, seven
daily offices (services), hospitality (from which we derived hospitals),
care for the needy, copying and studying the Scriptures. As a result the
monasteries provided the intellectual centers of Mediaeval Europe. As they
became rich and powerful their missionary work was edged out by the Franciscans
(1209), Dominicans (1221), and other Roman Catholic orders. The
academic work of monasteries was taken over by the universities
(Bologna 1100, Paris 1150, Oxford 1167, Cambridge 1209). And that eventually
spawned the
REFORMATIONand
the dissolution of many monasteries.
MONEY Jesus and his disciples needed
money for food. Paul had to pay for ship journeys, and in Rome lived "at
his own expense" (Acts 28:30). So we can't do without money. But
Paul warned Timothy that "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,
and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves with many pains" (1 Timothy 6:10). Instead
of "a root" the KJV wrongly translated "the root" of all
evil, as if it was the only noxious weed that takes root in our garden.
Pride, self-pity, guilt, a bitter spirit, sexual promiscuity, also ruin
our lives. But in our use of money it is an "eagerness to be rich" that
Paul says is the root of a very noxious weed. That means money is not to
be hoarded for its own sake, or gloated over like Scrooge, but used for
our family, our church, our community, and to make the good news known
throughout the world (see TITHING).
Knowing why God has given us money is a very effective weed killer.
MONGOLS The Mongol Empire was founded
by Genghis Khan (1162-1227). His name meant "Ruler of All." Ordinary armies
were no match for his Mongolian horsemen and archers. He captured Beijing
(1215). When he died his empire stretched from the Pacific to the Black
Sea. Batu, a grandson of Genghis Khan burned Moscow (1238) and then took
Kiev and massacred the inhabitants (1240). The Mongols demanded tribute,
but did not interfere in the day to day administration of the Russian princes.
Hulagu, Genghis Khan's grandson sacked BAGHDAD(1258)
but he was defeated at Ain Jalut (1260). The conquest of China was completed
by Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai Khan (1216-94).
MONISM Theistic models of God all
explain the world as a creation. We distinguish between the world of the
Artist and his masterpiece (as in Genesis 1). And humans are created
for a limited life on earth followed by another quality of life with the
Creator after death. But Monism makes no qualitative distinction between
God and our world. Absolute Pantheism says that everything that there is
is God. That means that tables and chairs, animals and minerals are as
divine as we are. Having accepted this definition, it would be impossible
to be an atheist or to distinguish right from wrong.. In Modified Pantheism
God is the reality or principle behind nature. And we can ally ourselves
with the life principle (evolution) as opposed to going against it. Absolute
Monism hold that only God is reality, and all else is imagination (maya).
That gives no significance to human love and personality which are only
a dream from which we must escape. A fourth more popular model is Modified
Monism in which God is to the nature around us as soul is to body. That
allows God to be personal, and in some Hindu forms of this model incarnations
of God can be worshiped. Apart from Absolute Pantheism, most Monists view
salvation as escaping from the round of recurring lives in this world to
merge with the Absolute (see TRANSMIGRATION).
MONOTHEISM Theism is the term used
for having faith in God as the Artist or Creator of our world. The prefix
"Mono" refers to his oneness. But there are two very different meanings
of oneness. There is the oneness of an individual or a mathematical unity.
That is the model of indivisible oneness in the UNITARIAN
God (ALLAH)
of ISLAM.
There is also the complex organic oneness of all living things, and one
would not expect the Creator of our universe to be less complex than a
plum. In India to the objection that Christian faith in the TRINITY
is believing in three gods (POLYTHEISM),
I used to hold up a mango, and ask "Is the skin mango? Is the juice mango?
Is the stone mango?" but that does not add up to three mangos. But this
answer still does not capture the model of the oneness of God in Christian
faith. We need the much more personal image of an eternal family oneness
of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three Persons eternally united
by the perfect love of heaven.
MONTANISM From the beginning churches
were brought into being and empowered by the the Holy Spirit (e.g. 1
Corinthians 12:4-31). We know very little about Montanus except that
he was known as a prophet (172 AD). "As Montanus, and Alcibiades,
and Theodotus, in Phrygia, then first began to be esteemed by many for
their gifts (as there were many other wonderful powers of divine grace,
yet exhibited even at that time in different churches) they created the
belief with many, they that were also endued with prophecy" (Eusebius,
Ecclesiastical
History V.3). He was not faulted for prophecy in the sense of "upbuilding
and encouragement and consolation" (1 Corinthians 14:3) or his powerful
charismatic gifts. What upset other churches was his prophecy about the
imminent descent of the heavenly Jerusalem in
PHRYGIA.
So IRENAEUS
(c.130-c.266) was sent (177) from Gaul to Bishop Eleutherus of Rome to
discuss this matter. But he later wrote "We know that, in the Church, many
of our brothers have prophetic charisms and, by virtue of the Spirit, speak
all the languages, reveal, for the good of all men, all secrets and expose
the mysteries of God" (Adversus omnes Haereses V.6.1, as quoted
by Yves. M.J.Congar
I Believe in the Holy Spirit, Volume 1, in French
1979, New York: Seabury Press, 1983, p.66).
MORALITY The ten categories of
moral judgment under which people all over the world make moral judgments
is set out in the TEN
COMMANDMENTS (Exodus 20:1-17). But the content of how each
commandment is to be interpreted varies in each religion and cultural group.
That is why we are often puzzled by an otherwise upright person who disagrees
with us on a particular point of moral behavior. Sidney Callaghan explained
that our own moral world, and our understanding of that of others, is "formed
by thousands of conversations. Bit by bit, moral worlds are constituted
as we talk, overhear others talk, retell family tales and recall religious
words of the parables, stories and liturgies of the faith" (Gulf Weekly,
11-17 March, 1993, p.18). The result is that the children of believers
often retain their parents' moral values even though they might not profess
faith in God. But by the next generation, without being rooted in our Scriptures,
moral values can quickly become confused.
MORAL JUDGMENTS One of the freedoms
of IMAGE
OF GOD man is the ability to evaluate and make moral judgments.
The ten categories of moral judgment are set out in the
TEN
COMMANDMENTS. These are discussed, and judgments based upon them,
among all people everywhere (see
Adultery:
An Exploration chapter 1). Some of these commandments are made
into civil, criminal, and religious laws. And consequences are assigned
for disobeying them. As Paul pointed out, they can show us what is wrong,
but they cannot empower our heart to love the way God does. It is only
by the Holy Spirit (not by LEGALISM)
that we can overcome the natural desires of our FLESH(see
Romans
Commentary 7:16-8:8 to produce the beautiful fruits (John 15:4-5)
of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
MORAVIANS When the Bohemian Brethren
fled from constant persecution in Austria they were welcomed (1722) by
Count von ZINZENDORF
to form the Herrnhut community As opposed to the later deadness of Lutheran
orthodoxy, the Moravians lived a religion of the heart in deep fellowship
with Jesus as Creator and Redeemer of the world. This resulted in a powerful
missionary movement into Europe, Britain, America, the West Indies, Greenland,
and other countries. John WESLEY
was very moved by a visit to the Herrnhut colony (1738) and later the same
year came to a deep heart faith in the Moravian chapel in London.
MORMONS Joseph Smith (1805-44)
of Manchester, NewYork state, announced the finding of the Book of Mormon
(1830) which describes the migration of Israelite tribes to America before
the time of Jesus. Alongside the Bible, this became the sacred text of
the Mormons. Joseph Smith had another revelation (1843) which sanctioned
POLYGAMY.
This resulted in him being killed by a mob (1844). He was succeeded as
leader by Brigham Young (1801-77) who moved the headquarters of the denomination
to Salt Lake City, Utah (1847). The Mormons decided to conform to federal
laws against polygamy (1890). The main distinctive of the denomination
is the practice of BAPTISM
FOR THE DEAD (1 Corinthians 15:29) which allows a member
to search out the names of his family who died unbaptized and take baptism
in their place. But the main appeal is strong interest in family life and
values which binds the members in each place to one another as they meet
several times a week for this purpose. The denomination is spreading rapidly
by the volunteering of young people to give two years of their life to
take the message all over the world. The church is officially known as
The
Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints, or Latter Day Saints as
an abbreviation.
MORTAL SIN Churches have often
tried to make a list of the most deadly sins. But we know that the worst
of sins can be forgiven by a totally loving God. Jesus did however say
"people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against
the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven" (Matthew 11:31). What could
this mean? The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth, and Satan is not only
the accuser but "the father of lies" (John 8:44). So the sin against
the Holy Spirit, could be calling good evil, darkness light, preferring
the pain of others to joy, and the final choosing of death instead of life.
Evidently such a person could never be happy in God's heaven. In his epistle
John explains that God hears us, whatever we ask, but "there is a sin that
is mortal; I do not say that you should pray about that" (1 John 1:15-16).
Which seems to suggest that when a person has finally chosen the darkness
away from God, even prayer cannot help. But we should not be hasty in making
that judgment.
MOSES was born in Egypt among slaves
(Exodus 1:8-2:20), saved from being eaten by crocodiles in the river
Nile, and raised in the royal palace. At the age of 40 he had to flee to
live with the priest of Midian (see ARABS)
and he married his daughter. While he was minding sheep near Mount
HOREB,
God called him to bring the Jewish people out slavery into the promised
land (Exodus 2:11-4:20). After the EXODUS
he received the TEN
COMMANDMENTS on Mount Horeb, then moved the people to Mount SINAI
(in Arabia, Galatians 4:25). It was there that, in addition to repeating
the ten commandments, he gave laws for the people, which they accepted
as their constitution (the book of the Covenant which was sealed in blood
, Exodus 24:7). Paul made clear that the New Testament covenant
is new in relation to this superceded document (the law) which came 430
years after the covenant made with Abraham (Galatians 3:17). Throughout
the wilderness wanderings Moses was known as the "friend of God" (Exodus
33:9-11, Numbers 12:8).
MOSQUES Muslims are expected to
pray five times a day in the direction of Mecca, and that can be done anywhere.
A mosque (French mosquee, Arabic masjid) is where Muslims
gather to pray, especially on Friday. A mosque can be as simple as an open
air enclosure, but it can be a huge dome shaped building. Mosques in Iran
have flower and bird decorations, but this is considered idolatrous among
Sunni Muslims, whose mosques are restricted to elaborate geometrical designs
and Arabic texts from the Qur'an. A mosque will usually have one to four
minarets with a small balcony from which the muezzin gives the call
to prayer five times a day. Modern mosques have a sound system which amplifies
this call all over a city. When Muslims asked permission for this in England,
Margaret Thatcher answered "When you allow church bells to ring in Riyadh,
your call to prayer will be heard in Britain." She was referring to the
fact that not a single church building is allowed in Saudi Arabia for the
half million Christians who work for the Arabs there.
MOSUL see IRAQ,
Mosul
MOTHER OF GOD Since the time of
ORIGEN
(c.185-c.254) it had become common to call the Virgin Mary
theotokos
(Greek
for God-bearer). As devotion to Mary became more and more the focus of
prayer for monks and nuns NESTORIUS
(c.380-c.451) did not think this was a helpful term. He preferred to call
Mary christotokos
(Greek for the Messiah bearer). He was condemned
at a council in Rome (430) for teaching that Jesus was two persons as both
Son of God and son of Mary. So he was deposed from being Patriarch of Constantinople
(431). The term God-bearer (theotokos) was adopted in the
definition of Chalcedon (451), and Nestorius' term Messiah-bearer (christotokos)
was condemned. This would not have been a problem if the proper Latin translation
(deipara meaning God bearer) of the Greek theotokos had been
used, but unfortunately the Church of Rome began using the term Mother
of God (dei genitrix). This could give the impression that Mary
was more influential than God, and it certainly contributed to the cult
of devotion to the Virgin Mary as people preferred to pray to Mary rather
than to the Father in Jesus' name.
MOTHERS Some look back with sweet
memories to a wonderful mother. Others remember harshness, fussiness, perfectionism,
or a mother who was unfaithful and abandoned them. But whether our mother
was perfect or imperfect, it was from her we received our life, our country,
our language, and formative education. She gave us half our genes, which
continue throughout our life to structure ever cell in our mind and body.
That is why we are told to "Honor your father and mother, that your days
may be long" (Exodus 20:12). People who cannot honor their roots
are severely handicapped for life. In the Bible, in addition to the names
of the fathers of the kings of Israel and Judah, their mothers are often
mentioned carefully by name (1 Kings 11:26, 14:21, 31, 22:42, 2 Kings
8:26, 9:22, 12:1, 14:2, 15:2, 33, 18:2, 21:1, 22:1, 23:31, 36, 24:8, 18).
In three cases the evil king's grandmother is also mentioned (1 King
15:2, 2 Kings 8:26, 21:19, compare 2 Timothy 1:5). The prophets, who
wrote the historical books, were interested in the good and bad consequences,
and they evidently noticed the great influence of mothers on their children.
(see Sermons:
Mothers' Day). The good news is that, however bad our upbringing,
the Holy Spirit can break the power of evil in our lives, and perfect us.
MOTHER'S PRAYER In the parable
of the Prodigal Son the Father was looking along the road, and as soon
as he saw his son coming back in the far distance he ran to welcome him
back. We are not told about the prayers of his mother. Yesterday I talked
to a woman who for many years had been concerned about the lifestyle of
her son. She had tried every which way to make him turn to God, come to
church, and behave according to her standards. But that estranged him even
more. Then through a friend God revealed to her a quite different approach.
"Don't speak to your son about me. Speak to me about your son." That is
the very heart of a mother's prayer. Slowly as she shared her concerns
and feelings in a very personal conversation with God, things began to
change. Her son is now married, the devoted father of two children, in
a responsible job, and best of all the family estrangement has ended.
MOUNT ATHOS Located on a peninsula
extending east from Macedonia into the Aegean Sea, Mount Athos (6349 feet,
over one mile high) has been occupied by monks since 962 AD. There are
about 20 Greek Orthodox monasteries, which together control the area as
a republic (under Greek supervision). The church buildings are magnificently
decorated, and the libraries contain a vast number of ancient volumes.
The practice of meditation and the theology that underlies it is calledHESYCHASM.
And one of its most famous exponents was GREGORY
PALAMAS(c.1296-1359), Bishop of THESSALONICA.
MOUNTAIN People love to climb a
mountain, and we talk about mountain top experiences. In the Old Testament
Mount Moriah was where Abraham was ready to offer his son as a sacrifice
(Genesis 22:2). That was where he had shared bread and wine with
Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18). And there the temple of SOLOMONwas
built (2 Chronicles 3:1). The second temple was destroyed by the
Romans in AD 70. On the same site the Muslim Dome of the Rock was built
(about 700 AD) and still stands to divide Jews and Arabs. HOREB
was the mountain where Moses was called to lead his people out of slavery
(Exodus 3:1). And he received the TEN
COMMANDMENTS there (Deuteronomy 4:10, 5:2). The people arrived
at Mount SINAI three months later (Exodus 19:1- 2, which
I locate across the Gulf of Aquaba in Arabia, Galatians 4:25), and
there Moses gave the detailed ordinances of the Mosaic law (Exodus 21:1-23:23)
which was sealed in blood (Exodus 24:7-8), and which some Orthodox
Jews still try to obey. Moses saw the promised land from Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy
34:1). On Mount Carmel Elijah challenged and decimated the prophets
of Baal (1 Kings 18:19, 40). In the New Testament Jesus gave us
the SERMON
ON THE MOUNT and was transfigured probably on Mount Hermon (see
Matthew
4:8, 5:1, 15:29, 17:1, 28:16).
MUHAMMAD (c.570-632) was born in
Mecca, and traveled as a merchant to Syria and Lebanon where he may have
come into contact with the UNITARIAN
view of God that was taught by Paul of Samosata (who in 260 AD became Bishop
of Antioch). He was certainly influenced by Jewish and Christian
teaching. He commended the books of Moses, the Psalms, the Prophets, and
the New Testament Gospels (injil), but later said they were changed
and corrupted.. He also believed in Jesus's virginal conception as son
of Mary, and his future return as Judge, but denied Jesus' crucifixion.
He thought that Christians believed in three gods, the Father, the Son,
and Mary. He married a Christian widow named Khadijah, by whom he had a
daughter Fatima. It was after the death of Khadijah that he began to receive
the revelations (610 AD) which became the QUR'AN.
He was able to weld the many Arab warring tribes into a nation (as children
of ISHMAEL)
which became a formidable fighting force that took Jerusalem (637), and
moved across North Africa and into Spain (712) to the gates of Paris where
they were defeated at the Battle of Tours (732).
MULLER, George (1805-98) trained
for Christian ministry at Halle, Germany but lived a wild life till his
conversion in 1825. He came to London in 1829, and the next year joined
the
PLYMOUTH
BRETHREN. Believing that God could provide all that was needed
to care for orphans, he moved to Ashley Down near Bristol, and eventually
had 2000 children under his care (see ORPHANS).
He relied on voluntary contributions, but he never asked for money, and
there are astonishing accounts of how the children never missed a meal.
After the death of his wife, he handed over the work to his daughter and
her husband James Wright, and set out at the age of 70 with his second
wife on a seventeen year preaching tour establishing brethren assemblies
in Europe, the United States, Australia, India and China. He came back
to die in Bristol
MULTICULTURALISM For fear of being
called racist, people in Canada and many parts of Europe have welcomed
immigrants from other religious backgrounds. There is no problem if Hindus
want to celebrate diwali and Jews put up lights for hanukka.
But
we should object if anyone says we cannot celebrate Christmas in our schools
or mention Jesus' name in a national ceremony. Even more ominous is our
welcoming of those who intend to bring our nation under their religion.
An essential part of ISLAM
is the idea of Dar al-Islam (House of Islam) which implies to a
Muslim the extension of Islam to the whole world. And in thousands of mosques
fundamentalist
mullahs preach that this must be done by JIHAD
(holy war) including the use of any means to achieve that (see Reviews
STEIN). If any mullah or writer promotes that idea in Canada,
a one way ticket to a country where that is the official religion would
be a priority use of my tax dollars. When I voted for Pierre Trudeau I
thought multiculturalism meant people in Quebec should speak French, Scottish
Canadians would be allowed to wear kilts and eat haggis, and our Caribbean
friends could celebrate Caribana down Yonge Street in Toronto. I
still think those are good ideas. But if multiculturalism is going to result
in Shari'a law for my great-grandchildren in Canada, I was horribly
and very dangerously wrong.
MURDER Jesus gave us three ways
of murdering people without actually killing them. Murderous anger is written
all over a person's face, and it is very destructive. The word raca
means "That's it, I will never bother with you again. You are a non-person.
You might as well be dead." The most hurtful is to be treated as an idiot,
whose opinions are not worth bothering with (Matthew 5:21-22). All
three ways of murdering can be seen in any school playground. "I hate you
. . . I will never talk to you again . . . Mary is retarded, Mary is retarded."
And we are all tempted in those directions throughout life. Jesus' prescription
is "first be reconciled to your brother or sister . . . come to terms quickly
with your adversary" (Matthew 5:23-26). That prevents murder from
taking root in our heart. The alternatives are very dangerous.
MUSES The ancient Greeks
all agreed that no one could produce great art, music, literature or poetry
without the inspiration given by one of the Muses. In Greek mythology the Muses
were described as the daughters of Zeus and Mnymosyne. There was a Muse for
astronomy (Urania) or writing history (Clio), others for music (Euterpe), sacred
song (Polyhymnia) and dance (Terpsichore) , comedy (Thalia) and tragedy (Melpomene),
even Love poetry (Erato). Both HOMER and
MILTON called upon the Muse for creating epic poetry (Calliope). In the
New Testament the HOLY SPIRIT is the
giver of all creativity and inspiration (Ephesians 3:16-19, 2 Peter 1:20-21).
Evidently the Holy Spirit was not concerned that the Greeks gave the names of
beautiful ladies for the different kinds of inspiration that he is willing to
give for the asking. People of any race or language can do this in their own
words, and the Spirit does not say "You have got the wrong number" if we use the
wrong name. Anybody genuinely conscious of his or her human limitations has a
right to ask for wisdom from on high (James 3:15-17 ). On the other hand
much of what is said, and written, and done by self-confident people who think
they are inspired, turns out to be vicious and harmful. And because humans are
fallible, a writer can be truly inspired with great creativity but make mistakes
in the way the ideas are worked out.
MUSIC Birds and whales sing for
joy, and call their mates. Humans sing in the shower. And when they fall
in love. But we also make music at weddings, coronations, festivals, and
to encourage soldiers into battle. There is also the music of worship.
"Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him
with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him
with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything
that breathes praise the Lord!" (Psalms 150:3-6). Evidently the
psalm writer views a person without the music of worship as missing out
on the greatest of human joys. Which is why the apostle said "with gratitude
in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God" (Colossians
3:16).
MUSLIM Those who recite the Creed
"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Apostle
of God" (and therefore accept the QUR'ANas
the revelation of God) are Muslims (followers of ISLAM).
Their heart and center is in Mecca, where MUHAMMADbegan
to receive the revelations which became the
QUR'AN.
Most Muslims are ARABS,
but there are millions who come from other racial backgrounds in Turkey,
countries to the south of Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Indonesia, and North America. As in Christendom, there are two main groupings
of Muslims (SHIA
and SUNNI),
and there is a long tradition of SUFIS(mystics).
The
BAHAIhave
islamic origins but they proclaim a peaceful toleration of all religions.
MUSLIM PRAYER Muslims are required
to pray (salat) five times a day facing Mecca. The invitation to
prayer is given by a muezzin
from the minaret of a MOSQUE.
The call which is given in Arabic has seven parts of which the English
translation is::
1 God is the greatest (4 x)
2 I bear witness that there is no God but Allah (2x)
3 I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah (2x)
4 Come to prayer (2x)
5 Come to success (2x
6 God is the greatest (2x)
7 There is no God but Allah (once)
The worshipers, wherever they are, follow a sequence of seven postures, including standing, bowing, kneeling, and sitting-kneeling, each of which has prescribed words to be said in Arabic.
Except in some groups such as the SUFIS,
there is no conversational prayer, as in the typically Christian prayer
of a child of God and his or her heavenly Father.
MUTUALITY The Oxford Dictionary
of Current English defines the word "mutual" as referring to feelings,
actions, etc. experienced or done by each of two or more parties to or
toward the other. In the context of Paul's vision of MARRIAGE,
Mutuality we prefer to define mutuality as a total respect for
the needs and longings of the other. This includes sexual intercourse (1
Corinthians 7:3). There was authority over each other's bodily health
and happiness (7:4). Prayer together was important (7:5).
A decision to separate for a time should be by mutual agreement (7:10-13).
There was a concern for each other's holiness (wholeness) and the happiness
of the children (7:14). But both had the right to remarry if a divorce
had taken place (7:15). And concern for each other's spiritual good
was essential (7:16). But mutuality does not mean EQUALITY.
You can have equal pay for equal work, but there is no way a couple can
have an exact equality in childbirth, the raising of children, or the various
household chores. Mutuality requires celebration of differences in a family
oneness. We might compare the mutuality of love between the three Persons
of the TRINITY.
MYANMAR In 1962 a military junta
took over what used to be called BURMA.
The next year (1963) English was replaced by Burmese as the language of
government. BUDDHISM
was made the official religion, and it became an arm of the government
(see CHURCH
AND STATE). General Saw Maung imposed martial law (1988) and changed
the name of the country to Myanmar. A democratic movement led by Aung Sa
Suu Kyi (born 1945), and her National League for Democracy (NLD), won a
two thirds majority the 1990 elections. But Suu Kyi was was not allowed
to govern, She was given the Nobel Peace Prize (1991), but she was kept
under house arrest by the military. After much opposition, she was released
in 1995, but not allowed to take over leadership of the NLD. On May 4,
2003 the military government freed 18 political prisoners including 12
members of Suu Kyi's democratic party (kept out of office for 13 years).
Meanwhile the Karen, Kachin, and other hill tribes (forming about 10% of
the population of Myanmar) had opposed the military who tried to control
them. Many of these tribal people are Christians, and they would welcome
FREEDOM
OF RELIGION in a secular state. Particularly irksome was the government's
emergency order # 288 which prohibited meetings of more than five people
in a public place.
MYSIA Among the Jews present on
the Day of Pentecost were some from "CAPPADOCIA,PONTUS,
ASIA
MINOR, PHRYGIA,
and PAMPHYLIA
(Acts 2:9). Some of these must have taken the good news of Jesus
the Messiah back to Mysia, the province west of Pontus in north-west Turkey.
During his second overseas missionary journey Paul, accompanied by Silas,
and joined by Timothy traveled across present-day Turkey. They intended
to go straight west on the main road to Ephesus. But they were "forbidden
by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia" so they turned north to the
east of Mysia, and "attempted to go into BITHYNIA,
but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so passing by Mysia they went
down to Troas" (Acts 16:6-8). We do not know if Paul and his team
planted a church in Mysia, but there were flourishing churches there by
185 AD.