Josef Mengele was clearly an intelligent man; he obtained a doctorate of anthropology in 1935 and a doctorate in medicine in 1938. Only a few years later he earned the name the Angel of Death at the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz. As prisoners arrived on the train, without a hint of compassion or remorse he would direct some to the gas chambers and ovens and others to the work camps. However, his major interest lay in the experiments he would do on children. He had a lifelong interests in twins, and as soon as twins were identified coming into the camp the guards would round them up and deliver them to the doctor. I would rather not describe the gruesome details of experiments that he perfomed; you can look them up yourself if you would like. Many of his "specimens" underwent horrific operations, often without anesthesia. Some were killed and dissected. Others were given infections, to see how the diseases would progress.
He claimed to be fond of his "little children," offering them candies and treats, right up until the point he experimented on them or butchered them. After the war, he escaped to Brazil, and later to Paraguay. Despite the post-war search for Nazi war criminals, which successfully gathered up the likes of Adolf Eichmann and Klaus Barbie, Mengele was never found and later died while swimming in the Atlantic, probably of a stroke. Besides Mengele, there were many other Nazi doctors who were involved in cruel medical experiments. Many of you may recall the Nuremberg war crimes trials. There were actually twelve trials, and The Doctor's Trial was the first. Twenty three Nazis were prosecuted for their barbaric research. Eight were acquitted, seven were executed, and eight were given prison terms. There were three basic goals of their research: to improve the survival of German troops, to test medical drugs and procedures, and to confirm the idea of Aryan genetic superiority (1). They thought they were advancing the cause of medicine and science. They all denied that they had done anything wrong.
As a physician, I find it hard to accept that another person who claimed to be a doctor could do such atrocious things and be able to live with himself. Somehow, these people must have been able to convince themselves that they were justified in what they were doing.
Sometimes you read a story and it disturbs you. I read one this week that has done that for several days now. In Berkely, California, there is a lesbian couple who were married in 1990 by a rabbi. Such things have become commonplace in our society, in one state or another. Then they adopted a young boy, Tommy. And when Tommy became age 7, living with his two mothers, he announced that he wanted to be a girl. So his mothers decided to help him.
There are many wise and intelligent physicians in the Berkely area. There must be, for there is actually a Center of Excellence for Transgender Health at the University of California San Francisco. The doctors there decided that a child of 7 should be able to change their gender if that was what they or the parents wanted, so they began injecting him with drugs to block his normal male hormones at age eight. So Tommy with two mommies is now Tammy, age eleven.
And the family has lots of support. "...we belong to a religious community that was incredibly supportive. They make it a point when we are in synagogue to come over and tell Tammy, 'Oh, you look so pretty today.'" (2)
I guess the story speaks for itself . Not every doctor agrees with what is being done. Dr. Paul McHugh, professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, was quoted as saying, "This is child abuse. It's like performing liposuction on an anorexic child." (3) That pretty much sums up my thoughts. But some doctor had to prescribe the hormones for Tommy, and since they are done as an implant which is changed once a year, some doctor is actually doing the surgical implantation. Tommy is seen by educated endocrinologists, psychiatrists, and therapists. And somehow they are convinced they are doing the right thing.
So you have a couple of mothers who think it is fine to begin pumping their eight year-old boy with hormone blockers because he thinks he wants to be a girl. You have doctors who believe this macabre experiment in altering a little boy created in God's image is just fine. You have a synagogue that gives its stamp of religious approval. And the state of California must not have a problem with it, either. In Exodus 20:5 God tells us, "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me." What about the sins of the mothers?
I agree with Dr. McHugh. This is child abuse. A little boy is suffering chemical castration to please the notions of high-minded people who see no moral problem with what they are doing. That they are intellectually able to convince themselves that this is appropriate is a sad demonstration of the lost state of man. There is a long list of the misguided in this twisted tale, but I reserve my highest condemnation for the physicians, who have lost all since of direction. They may be educated in medicine, but not morality, and medicine without morality is a science that hates God.
(1) http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/bibliography/index.php?content=medical_experiments
(2) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2043345/The-California-boy-11-undergoing-hormone-blocking-treatment.html
(3) http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/17/controversial-therapy-for-young-transgender-patients-raises-questions/
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
But for suffering...
It has been suggested to me that my hearing is not all that it should be. The medical term for age-related deafness is presbycusis, just as the term for age-related vision changes is called presbyopia. I do indeed suffer from presbyopia and began wearing bifocals a few years ago. However, in that there is only one person who has challenged my hearing, and I myself have not noticed any change, I believe my auditory faculties are largely intact. I believe the problem may be better described as selective deafness, as I appear to not hear only certain things. In fact, I have had my hearing checked thoroughly and the only thing that can be seen on objective testing is some loss of my high-frequency hearing. I think that explains why I only seem to miss hearing certain things from this one person; nagging is usually done in a higher pitched voice.
God as we know, is perfect in all respects. Not only is He omnipotent but He is omniscient. There is nothing He cannot hear or know. However, I believe God may have selective deafness at times, and this is when we talk to Him and say, "But God, ..." I don't think He hears much of what comes after that, and even begins drumming His fingers on the table until we are finished. First of all, when we go, "But God, ..." it means we are trying to explain to Him something He already knows. We are making an excuse.
If we are suffering, and it is because of sin in our life and we are being chastened, we may try and explain our sin to God. "But God, everyone else is doing it," or "But God, it is just this one time." Or if we are being attacked during spiritual warfare, we may cry to our Lord, "But God, I don't want to suffer." Perhaps we are stricken by illness, and it is an opportunity to demonstrate our faith in Christ, to bring glory to Him, and we are tempted to plead, "But God, I don't deserve this suffering."
We know that sin leads to suffering. But suffering can also lead to sin. Someone suffering in a bitter marriage may begin an adulterous affair. Someone who has suffered misfortune may be envious of the success of another. A person who has had great financial loss may become obsessed with money. And in each of these cases, when that person speaks to God, they are essentially saying, "But God, I was entitled to do those things because..." No, you're not.
And I'm not sure the words "But God, ..." are even allowed in heaven. When we stand before our Creator for judgement, those who did not chose Christ as their savior are not going to avoid the eternal fire by saying "But God, ..." He isn't going to hear what comes after that. There will be no excuse, and that is sad because most of the human race is going to be saying, "But God, I was a good person and I did all these good things."
If you are a believing Christian, you will spend eternity in heaven. But we, too, will be judged on the works we have done and the life we have lived, when we face Christ who sits on His bema seat of judgement (Romans 14:10 and II Corinthians 5:9). This is where we will receive our heavenly rewards based on how we have served the Lord. How magnificent those rewards must be for those who have spent their lives earnestly seeking His kingdom in humble service to Christ. I don't know about you, but I think I will really be too embarassed to say, "But God, I deserve more than this baseball cap."
God as we know, is perfect in all respects. Not only is He omnipotent but He is omniscient. There is nothing He cannot hear or know. However, I believe God may have selective deafness at times, and this is when we talk to Him and say, "But God, ..." I don't think He hears much of what comes after that, and even begins drumming His fingers on the table until we are finished. First of all, when we go, "But God, ..." it means we are trying to explain to Him something He already knows. We are making an excuse.
If we are suffering, and it is because of sin in our life and we are being chastened, we may try and explain our sin to God. "But God, everyone else is doing it," or "But God, it is just this one time." Or if we are being attacked during spiritual warfare, we may cry to our Lord, "But God, I don't want to suffer." Perhaps we are stricken by illness, and it is an opportunity to demonstrate our faith in Christ, to bring glory to Him, and we are tempted to plead, "But God, I don't deserve this suffering."
We know that sin leads to suffering. But suffering can also lead to sin. Someone suffering in a bitter marriage may begin an adulterous affair. Someone who has suffered misfortune may be envious of the success of another. A person who has had great financial loss may become obsessed with money. And in each of these cases, when that person speaks to God, they are essentially saying, "But God, I was entitled to do those things because..." No, you're not.
And I'm not sure the words "But God, ..." are even allowed in heaven. When we stand before our Creator for judgement, those who did not chose Christ as their savior are not going to avoid the eternal fire by saying "But God, ..." He isn't going to hear what comes after that. There will be no excuse, and that is sad because most of the human race is going to be saying, "But God, I was a good person and I did all these good things."
If you are a believing Christian, you will spend eternity in heaven. But we, too, will be judged on the works we have done and the life we have lived, when we face Christ who sits on His bema seat of judgement (Romans 14:10 and II Corinthians 5:9). This is where we will receive our heavenly rewards based on how we have served the Lord. How magnificent those rewards must be for those who have spent their lives earnestly seeking His kingdom in humble service to Christ. I don't know about you, but I think I will really be too embarassed to say, "But God, I deserve more than this baseball cap."
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The Suffering Mandate
The word "gospel", as many of you know, means "good news." (It comes from the Old English "God" or "good," and "spel," or "story.") As Christians, we are commanded in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Well, that certainly is good news, and the forgiveness of our sins and acceptance into heaven for all eternity is the best news anyone could ever hear.
We want people to know the good news in order that they may be led to saving faith. Many times we approach evangelism as salesmen with a product that is even better than a ShamWow: "Accept Christ now, and not only will you receive eternal life but forgiveness of sins and you'll also get the Holy Spirit! All free! Get your New Life now! Hurry, because this offer is limited!" No one wants to sell a product talking about its bad features.
But there is some bad news, a badspel, if you will, that comes with being a Christian. Suffering is mandatory. Let's look at Romans 8:17, "...and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together." In the NIV translation, it says, "...if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." And Christ's suffering was mandatory.
I have often wondered exactly when the Christ-child on earth first became aware of His status as God's son. We do not know much of His early life, other than details like His circumcision, presentation in the temple, and flight to Egypt; all of these were as an infant and a young child. We do not hear again of Jesus until age twelve, when he clearly stated in Luke 2:49, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business." He may have been self-aware from birth, even as a non-speaking infant. However, along with that awareness of his deity must have come knowledge of his future on the cross. He knew of his suffering mandate, that he must die for us to live eternally with Him. I presume he also knew of the scourging and beatings he would endure.
Patients who await surgery know of the pain that is to come, and dread it, even knowing that there will be medication to relieve the hurt. I myself have had several operations, and two major surgeries in the last four years. The night before surgery you realize that the next night will be filled with discomfort, yet although the mind cognitively recognizes that there will be pain and anticipates it, that is not the same as the actual experience. Christ must have known in the days leading up to His death the pain that would be involved, and there would be no nurse with morphine at His call.
So we cherish the pain Christ endured because it frees us from eternal damnation. Yet we must also know of the badspel, the bad news, that suffering is on the morrow for us, it is mandatory, that we must not be surprised or shocked when it happens. For us to share in Christ's glory, we must share in His sufferings.
When I meet with a patient who is about to have heart surgery, I get informed consent. I must explain to them the nature of their problem, the planned procedure, its risks and complications, the risk of not having surgery, and the chance of success. They must understand all of these before accepting my offer of surgery. I have to make sure that they are informed but not so terrified that they are scared away from life-saving surgery.
Should we share the bad news with potential Christians? Should we get informed consent before explaing salvation? How would that affect our sales? "The good news is that you get eternal life in heaven, forgiveness of sins, freedom from the enslavement of sin, and even a new body. There are no alternative procedures. The bad news is you have to suffer. The risk of sufferering is 100%" I do not believe it is necessary to withhold this from our evangelical approach, but it need not be a dominant theme, either. God will, through irresistible grace, bring those to salvation that he has chosen, no matter the obstacles to be overcome.
And it may be that how you handle the mandatory suffering in your life, as a Christian, that actually influences those watching you to seek the same grace you have received.
We want people to know the good news in order that they may be led to saving faith. Many times we approach evangelism as salesmen with a product that is even better than a ShamWow: "Accept Christ now, and not only will you receive eternal life but forgiveness of sins and you'll also get the Holy Spirit! All free! Get your New Life now! Hurry, because this offer is limited!" No one wants to sell a product talking about its bad features.
But there is some bad news, a badspel, if you will, that comes with being a Christian. Suffering is mandatory. Let's look at Romans 8:17, "...and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together." In the NIV translation, it says, "...if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." And Christ's suffering was mandatory.
I have often wondered exactly when the Christ-child on earth first became aware of His status as God's son. We do not know much of His early life, other than details like His circumcision, presentation in the temple, and flight to Egypt; all of these were as an infant and a young child. We do not hear again of Jesus until age twelve, when he clearly stated in Luke 2:49, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business." He may have been self-aware from birth, even as a non-speaking infant. However, along with that awareness of his deity must have come knowledge of his future on the cross. He knew of his suffering mandate, that he must die for us to live eternally with Him. I presume he also knew of the scourging and beatings he would endure.
Patients who await surgery know of the pain that is to come, and dread it, even knowing that there will be medication to relieve the hurt. I myself have had several operations, and two major surgeries in the last four years. The night before surgery you realize that the next night will be filled with discomfort, yet although the mind cognitively recognizes that there will be pain and anticipates it, that is not the same as the actual experience. Christ must have known in the days leading up to His death the pain that would be involved, and there would be no nurse with morphine at His call.
So we cherish the pain Christ endured because it frees us from eternal damnation. Yet we must also know of the badspel, the bad news, that suffering is on the morrow for us, it is mandatory, that we must not be surprised or shocked when it happens. For us to share in Christ's glory, we must share in His sufferings.
When I meet with a patient who is about to have heart surgery, I get informed consent. I must explain to them the nature of their problem, the planned procedure, its risks and complications, the risk of not having surgery, and the chance of success. They must understand all of these before accepting my offer of surgery. I have to make sure that they are informed but not so terrified that they are scared away from life-saving surgery.
Should we share the bad news with potential Christians? Should we get informed consent before explaing salvation? How would that affect our sales? "The good news is that you get eternal life in heaven, forgiveness of sins, freedom from the enslavement of sin, and even a new body. There are no alternative procedures. The bad news is you have to suffer. The risk of sufferering is 100%" I do not believe it is necessary to withhold this from our evangelical approach, but it need not be a dominant theme, either. God will, through irresistible grace, bring those to salvation that he has chosen, no matter the obstacles to be overcome.
And it may be that how you handle the mandatory suffering in your life, as a Christian, that actually influences those watching you to seek the same grace you have received.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Surving the Suffering Begins Production
I am pleased to let everyone know that Surviving the Suffering, my new book, has begun the production process. Currently it is in the copy-editing phase, which will take about a month. If all goes well, the book will be on the shelves this summer. I will also post updates here as they happen, but expect January to be a quiet month as the publisher checks my punctuation.
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Massacre of the Innocents-- Suffering at Christ's Birth
I am hopeful that everyone has had a blessed Christmas and that the New Year brings hope anew to all. I am sure that most of us have not experienced a tragedy in the holiday season, but unfortunately the Season of Joy does not have immunity from loss. In the medical profession, we see the passing of family members at this time of year as at all times of the year, and are acutely aware of the future association of such a painful loss with a time of celebration. In the past several weeks alone a nearby pastor lost his wife and my cousin lost her husband, each to cancer. And of course, the news provides us with even more sensational accounts.
The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed an event worth celebrating each year as we are reminded of the salvation that is ours because of God's gift. Yet the birth of Christ was also associated with tragedy soon after, as we see in Matthew Chapter Two. We do not know of the exact time the wise men visited Him, but it was after Mary, Joseph, and Jesus had moved into a house, probably when Jesus was around two. Before they visited Jesus though, they visited Herod, and by inquiring of the location of the King of the Jews, alerted him to His birth. He had to call his priests and scribes to explain to him what had happened, and then he tried to deceive the wise men into locating Christ for him, "...that I may come and worship Him also."
Herod the Great was a truly wicked man. It is thought that he murdered forty-five members of the Sanhedrin. He married Mariamne, but killed first her brother Aristobulus, then Hyrcanus her grandfather, followed by her mother Alexandra. He had both of his sons by her strangled in prison when they became popular with the people, and had another of his sons, Antipater (his son by Doris), executed as well. So when the wise men were warned in a dream and left without disclosing the location of Jesus, the evil Herod knew just what to do next. For our sake, and for that of the Messiah and His family, an angel warned them to flee to Egypt.
In verse 16, the horror of Herod is realized. He orders the slaughter of all the male children less than two years of age in Bethlehem and its surroundings, "according to the time which he had determined from the wise men." Imagine the terror as Herod's men marched into town, breaking down doors, and ruthlessly ripping the young boys from their mother's arms, only to butcher them. Herod's act is truly an act of depravity, knowing that he was to kill the one chosen by God to be our Messiah. In fact, Herod was near the end of his life; he would be long gone before a two year-old would be grown enough to be a threat to him.
This event, the Massacre of the Innocents, yielded the first martyrs, young boys whose only misfortune was to be alive at the time when Herod became aware of the birth of Christ. (A moving painting by Paul Rubens in the early 1600's depicts the desperation of the families trying to save their sons, as seen below.) Surely these families did not know that their children were dying as the result of the birth of the Messiah, and it is doubtful that they could even relate it to the birth of Jesus, whom they likely knew in the small town of Bethlehem. It may have been only years later, when Jesus was revealed as the Christ, that they would associate their loss with His birth.
All of us have suffered at some point, and if any of you experience grief during this season of celebration and joy, I pray that you will know that you are not alone. Those who believe in Him are welcomed into His arms at this time of year, as at any time, and some Christmases from now we will be joyfully reunited with them.
The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed an event worth celebrating each year as we are reminded of the salvation that is ours because of God's gift. Yet the birth of Christ was also associated with tragedy soon after, as we see in Matthew Chapter Two. We do not know of the exact time the wise men visited Him, but it was after Mary, Joseph, and Jesus had moved into a house, probably when Jesus was around two. Before they visited Jesus though, they visited Herod, and by inquiring of the location of the King of the Jews, alerted him to His birth. He had to call his priests and scribes to explain to him what had happened, and then he tried to deceive the wise men into locating Christ for him, "...that I may come and worship Him also."
Herod the Great was a truly wicked man. It is thought that he murdered forty-five members of the Sanhedrin. He married Mariamne, but killed first her brother Aristobulus, then Hyrcanus her grandfather, followed by her mother Alexandra. He had both of his sons by her strangled in prison when they became popular with the people, and had another of his sons, Antipater (his son by Doris), executed as well. So when the wise men were warned in a dream and left without disclosing the location of Jesus, the evil Herod knew just what to do next. For our sake, and for that of the Messiah and His family, an angel warned them to flee to Egypt.
In verse 16, the horror of Herod is realized. He orders the slaughter of all the male children less than two years of age in Bethlehem and its surroundings, "according to the time which he had determined from the wise men." Imagine the terror as Herod's men marched into town, breaking down doors, and ruthlessly ripping the young boys from their mother's arms, only to butcher them. Herod's act is truly an act of depravity, knowing that he was to kill the one chosen by God to be our Messiah. In fact, Herod was near the end of his life; he would be long gone before a two year-old would be grown enough to be a threat to him.
This event, the Massacre of the Innocents, yielded the first martyrs, young boys whose only misfortune was to be alive at the time when Herod became aware of the birth of Christ. (A moving painting by Paul Rubens in the early 1600's depicts the desperation of the families trying to save their sons, as seen below.) Surely these families did not know that their children were dying as the result of the birth of the Messiah, and it is doubtful that they could even relate it to the birth of Jesus, whom they likely knew in the small town of Bethlehem. It may have been only years later, when Jesus was revealed as the Christ, that they would associate their loss with His birth.
All of us have suffered at some point, and if any of you experience grief during this season of celebration and joy, I pray that you will know that you are not alone. Those who believe in Him are welcomed into His arms at this time of year, as at any time, and some Christmases from now we will be joyfully reunited with them.
Massacre of the Innocents, Rubens 1611-12
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