{"id":10296,"date":"2016-12-31T07:26:50","date_gmt":"2016-12-31T11:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/eidos\/?p=10296"},"modified":"2016-12-30T21:16:41","modified_gmt":"2016-12-31T01:16:41","slug":"find-place-rest-day-seven-dont-vicar-bray-sir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/eidos\/2016\/12\/find-place-rest-day-seven-dont-vicar-bray-sir\/","title":{"rendered":"Find a Place of Rest on Day Seven (or Don’t be the Vicar of Bray, Sir)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Vicarbray1_opt\"<\/a>We are in the Seventh Day of Christmas and approaching the very best part of the Holiday. Soon our secular friends will have \u201cmoved on\u201d and left for us the jollification. Advent was arduous, but Christmas is glorious.<\/p>\n

This is the most peaceful part of the Holidays, because the consumers and changelings have gone on to the next chance to buy and sell their souls.<\/p>\n

Seven is, of course, a number that represents completion. God took six days to make the Earth and then rested on day seven. We reach rest by finding God, because God reveals to us eternal wisdom, justice, and joy.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the main distraction from rest is the quest for peace in this life as opposed to peace with God. The great temptation of our time in America is to compromise our ideals for what the Victorians would have called \u201cpreferment.\u201d Many a religious person will lose peace in his heart, because he is constantly shifting his views to match the spirit of our age. When Freud said \u201chomosexuality\u201d was a disorder, these changelings condoned the tortures that \u201cmodern\u201d psychology practiced on people. When psychology changed, these weak minded men changed their theology to favor \u201cgay rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why no peace? We have no peace when we waffle, waiver, and change to keep power. There is a wonderful song,\u00a0The Vicar of Bray<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>that mocks the wobbling clergy of the Church of England. In the song the \u201cgood\u201d Vicar will keep his job, his main religion, no matter the views of the Head of the Church (the Monarch) by changing his theology with the times. Sadly, this spirit does not require a formal state church and exists even in America.<\/p>\n

Today we have modern vicars of Bray, leaders of some of our Evangelicals colleges and ministries, who will do, say, or justify nearly anything to keep the treats, preferment, of our political culture. They exist on both the right and the left. Ideas are less important than remaining as self-appointed leaders . . . the support who get gigs on Christian television, publishing, radio, and ministries.<\/p>\n

If we were to sing Vicar of Bray <\/em>today, it might sound like this:<\/p>\n

An Evangelical Leader<\/strong><\/p>\n

In good Jimmy Carter\u2019s\u00a0golden days,
\nWhen Democracy no harm meant;
\nA born again Democrat\u00a0I was,
\nAnd so I gain\u2019d Preferment.
\nUnto my Flock I daily Preach\u2019d,
\nKings are by God anointed<\/a>,
\nAnd Damn\u2019d are those who dare resist<\/a>,
\nOr touch the Lord\u2019s Anointed.
\nAnd this is law,\u00a0I will maintain<\/span>
\nUnto my Dying Day, Sir.<\/span>
\nThat whatsoever Party may reign,<\/span>
\nI am an Evangelical leader,\u00a0Sir!<\/span><\/p>\n

When Ronald Reagan\u00a0possest the crown,
\nAnd free trade\u00a0grew in fashion;
\nThe high tariff\u00a0I shouted down,
\nAnd the National Review became my passion:
\nThe Republican Party\u00a0I found would fit
\nFull well our Constitution,
\nAnd I had been a Bircher still,
\nBut for Buckley\u2019s revolution.
\nAnd this is Law, &c.<\/span><\/p>\n

When HW Bush\u00a0our Deliverer came,
\nTo heal the Nation\u2019s Grievance,
\nI turn\u2019d mainstream GOP\u00a0again,
\nAnd swore to him Allegiance:
\nOld Principles I did revoke,
\nSet conscience at a distance,
\nSmall Government is but a Joke,
\nA Jest is national building.
\nAnd this is Law, &c.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Roguish Bill\u00a0became our King,
\nThe Yellow Dogs in Glory,
\nAnother face of things was seen,
\nAnd I became quite Moral:
\nPrivate misconduct base
\nI Damn\u2019d, and also Moderation,
\nAnd thought the Church in danger was,
\nFrom such Prevarication.
\nAnd this is Law, &c.<\/span><\/p>\n

When George the Second time\u00a0came o\u2019er,<\/span>
\nAnd Compassionate GOP\u00a0looked big, Sir,
\nMy Principles I chang\u2019d once more,
\nAnd so became his man, Sir.
\nAnd FOX appearances procur\u2019d,
\nFrom our Faith\u2019s Great Defender
\nAnd almost every day abjured
\nThose whom our wars abhorred, sir.
\nAnd this is Law, &c.<\/span><\/p>\n

When John McCain, Obama faced,<\/span>
\nAnd rogues were all in fashion,
\nMy principles evolved once more,
\nAnd I became his man, Sir.
\nAnd then a Mormon I could back,
\nTo be our Faith\u2019s Defender
\nAnd almost every day abjured
\nThose whom the President defended, sir.
\nAnd this is Law, &c.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then Trump thrice married did become
\nProtectionist and yellow,
\nHis caddishness I overlooked,
\nTo stop that Garland fellow:
\nFor in my Faith, and Loyalty,
\nI never once will falter,
\nAnd Donald, my anointed king shall be,
\nExcept the Times shou\u2019d alter.
\nAnd this is Law, &c.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There is no peace for the man or woman whose politics is shaped by the times or success. There is even less peace for the person whose theology is shaped by politics of the moment. There is no rest for the leader who governs by fear, wobbling from one idea to another as times change. Instead, we must spend this year looking to Jesus: a leader who never changes.<\/p>\n

We may not become Vicar of Bray, but we might find peace. To find peace, we must find our ideals and stick to them this side of paradise against all temptation at accommodation.Better to lose preferment, even a spot on FOX, than to gain a cabinet slot and lose our souls.<\/p>\n

God give us rest this Seventh Day!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are in the Seventh Day of Christmas and approaching the very best part of the Holiday. Soon our secular friends will have \u201cmoved on\u201d and left for us the jollification. Advent was arduous, but Christmas is glorious. This is the most peaceful part of the Holidays, because the consumers and changelings have gone on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1007,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spiritual-reflections"],"yoast_head":"\nFind a Place of Rest on Day Seven (or Don't be the Vicar of Bray, Sir)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We are in the Seventh Day of Christmas and approaching the very best part of the Holiday. 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