Considering the Holocaust

Last week, I had the opportunity to chaperone a senior field trip to Washington D.C. I gladly accepted the opportunity because most of my students from my first-year teaching were attending. Washington D.C. was not unfamiliar to me, as my parents used to take me occasionally when I was a child. But I was excited to go again. I spent most of my afternoon in the Holocaust Memorial Museum. This post is a collection of my thoughts.

I sincerely regret my lack of effort in history class during my secondary education years. I sometimes wish I could go back and re-take some history classes. History can often feel unreal. When I think about the stories of American wars, revolutions, world wars, they can often feel too distant. But those were real stories. They really did happen, and people’s lives were affected. We can become de-sensitized to the tragedy, trauma, and suffering of human beings. We can study the stories and facts without a human heart and we can forget to empathize with our fellow human beings. The Holocaust is a well-known and well-taught event in history, but perhaps the frequency of which we discuss the Holocaust has caused us to become de-sensitized to its atrocities. My interest in the Holocaust is rooted in my belief that the Jewish people have an irrevocable calling from God and are central to the Gospel. How do we biblically interpret the events of the Holocaust? How should we respond? These are the very difficult questions that I was asking myself and that I am still asking myself.

As I walked through the Holocaust Museum, I asked the Lord to give me His heart concerning Israel. I asked Him to help me understand because my heart does not. I can’t say that I received any more clarity, but I was quite emotional through the exhibits. The museum guides visitors through a chronological sequence of the Holocaust and puts everything in context very well. The images and graphic become harder and harder to stomach as you walk through the museum. I have posted some pictures that I took (photograph is allowed at the museum). At the end of the museum, there is a memorial hall with Biblical verses on the walls. I walked in and my heart dropped when I saw the verse in front of me. It was Deuteronomy 30:19, “I call heaven and earth to witness this day; I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse, choose life – that you and your offspring shall live.” In this passage, the Lord is about to teach Moses a song that will bear witness against the sons of Israel. It is a song that declares that the people of Israel will indeed break the covenant, many evils and troubles will come upon them, and the Lord will have compassion and mercy on them. This is a song that was meant to testify against them when those things happened. Interestingly, the theme of the museum is “for the dead and the living we must bear witness.” If we are to take the Song of Moses seriously, then it is proper to say that the Holocaust is actually an outplaying of covenantal unfaithfulness? I cannot even imagine saying that statement to a Jewish person, being a Gentile myself. Did God hand over His people? Did God deliver His people to death? Did He allow His people to suffer and die?

During these past few weeks, I have also been reading a book, titled “Holocaust: A History”, written by Deborah Dwork and Robert Jan van Pelt. It is a secular book that I checked out from the library in hopes of understanding more about the Holocaust. One of the heavy focuses of the book is to explain this idea of pure and undefiled Aryan blood and to explore the progression of racism to genocide. Hitler writes in Mein Kampf, “It is a half-measure to let incurably sick people steadily contaminate the remaining health ones. This is in keeping with the humanitarianism which, to avoid hurting one individual, lets a hundred others perish. The demand that defective people by prevented from propagating equally defective offspring is a demand of the clearest reason and if systematically executed represents the most humane act of mankind.” These incurably sick people were the Jews and if he could find a way to stop their “propagation”, he would actually be performing an act of service for mankind. Are these ideas tied to Darwinism and natural selection? If natural selection is the means by which evolution progresses and species advance, then should we not let the weaker among us die? Better yet, should be “help“ the process of natural selection by exterminating the week? These are some very thought-provoking and challenging questions.

Lastly, this quote stood out to me the most after I finished reading the book I mentioned earlier. Many Jews were proponents of Zionism and persecution and genocide in Europe only strengthened the movement. Where else could Jews be safe? They looked towards their homeland. Speaking about the hope of Jewish state, the Viennese Jewish journalist, Theodor Herzl, wrote: “…in brief, like all civilized peoples; so that we may be able to form our state to educate our people for the tasks which at present still lie beyond our vision. For surely God would not have kept us alive if there were not assigned to us a specific role in the history of mankind.” I am astonished by this last sentence because even Herzl is able to recognize that His people have a specific calling from God. The Israelis that I have encountered have consistently told me about their resiliency as a people, that they are a people that simply know how to survive. They claim that it is their strength that allows them to survive, but I say that it is the will and power of God that destines this people.

My Hope (Album)

We recently completed our first full-length album and we want to share it with you. You can download it for free here. We hope that you will be encouraged by these personal songs that have been written from the place of prayer and devotion to Jesus.

https://husoever.bandcamp.com/releases

God's Faithfulness and the Issue of Israel

“From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the father; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Rom. 11:28-29).

Joel Richardson writes in When a Jew Rules the World, “Paul could not have been more clear. He specifically stated that Israel’s calling is ‘irrevocable.’ Make no mistake: in brazen and direct conflict with the words of Paul, supersessionists argue that God has indeed revoked His calling and electron of corporate ethnic Israel.”

“Let us honestly ask ourselves which view better represents the God who refers to Himself as the God of Israel more than two hundred times throughout the Scriptures and which position portrays a God who is faithful and reliable?”

“I appeal to you with all sincerity to truly consider just what is being conveyed about God’s character when you espouse the view that God didn’t really mean what He said and that His words must be fundamentally reinterpreted or read figuratively to be understood properly. I urge you to consider the simple and straightforward position of restorationism, with its message concerning a faithful God who says what He means and can be absolutely trusted to accomplish all that He has promised.”

Over the past few years, the Lord has humbled me. My self-centered desires and ambitions have been gradually torn away; my worldview has dramatically shifted. Many wonder and question why I have become so adamant on the issue of Israel. To me, this is an issue of God’s faithfulness. It is a matter of whether I can believe in what the Scriptures say. Can I believe that if I repent and confess of my sins, God will be faithful to forgive? Can I believe in His blood as my atonement?

The Secret Prosperity Gospel

Most Christians that I have encountered strongly condemn the “prosperity Gospel”, the idea that Jesus promises health, wealth, and blessing to believers in this age…right now. Yet many people are deceived by the prospect of receiving a lot of money “supernaturally”, or getting a new house, or being healed of any and every sickness. This type of theology is quite detrimental to the Christian faith. Paul says:

“For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us – and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! … We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the off-scouring of all things until now.” (1 Cor. 4:7-13).

On the other hand, the Scriptures consistently and repeatedly exhort us to rejoice when we suffer for Christ’s sake. There is actually a high value in suffering. Biblical suffering is the primary characteristic for believers in this age.

“Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:13).

But most people that I know do not fall into this category. Most people that I know attend “normal” churches, whether non-denominational, Pentecostal, Reformed, etc. Regardless of denomination, I feel that churches today are so similar (maybe a 10:00 am Sunday service starting with three worship songs and a sermon). The secret prosperity gospel is common to all denominations.  

Though we condemn the outright prosperity gospel, we preach a subtle, secret prosperity gospel. What I mean by secret is that churches and pastors would never tell you that they preach the prosperity gospel, but in everything that they say, there are hints and threads of the prosperity gospel. The main issue is that a subtle, prosperity gospel shifts our focus away from God and His story towards ourselves, our own lives, our own dreams. It becomes self-centered, rather than God-centered. I see this on both sides of the theological spectrum and I see this type of gospel is extremely dangerous. My goal is not to condemn any person or any ministry, but my intention is to first provide concrete examples of this secret prosperity gospel and then to warn us to be careful with our language and our theology.

First, I have heard Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”) used many times to show that God wants to give us a “good future.” It is impossible for me to accept that interpretation of this passage.  The context of this verse is God speaking to Israel and verse 10 concerns the 70 years of Babylonian captivity that Israel will have to experience. Verses 12 and 13 concern the latter days (rf. Deut. 30). In addition, chapter 30 of Jeremiah is about the restoration of Israel and Judah and the time of Jacob’s trouble beforehand. Below is a “daily prayer” from a typical Christian radio station (Baptist). 

Lord, help us to confidently expect good things from You today! Please, eliminate the legalistic thinking that You will give us only what we deserve. No way! Your word says,

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (MSG)

Father, please remind us that Your love is unconditional for us, and so are Your plans. You haven’t erased good plans for us because we’ve messed up! They are still there waiting for us. God, give us patience, and teach us to trust You completely while we wait. -In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Another classic example is Phil. 4:13 (“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”). It is often used in a very selfish and self-centered way. Essentially, we believe that “God will help me do whatever I want.” I can play in the NBA because God will help me. I can become a billionaire because God will help me. It becomes “I” focused. But in verse 12, Paul is talking about knowing how to be abased, knowing how to be both full and hungry, and knowing how to both abound and suffer.

The story of David and Goliath is also commonly re-interpreted. David, against all odds, slays Goliath with stones. The preacher often compares us to David and says that we need to “slay the giants in our lives.” The stones are what God has already given us and then the “giant” is anything we want it to be. It could be a mortgage. It could be a new career that you want to pursue. The “giants” could also be internal things like bitterness, addiction, unforgiveness, etc. But more often than not, when I ask people about what their giants are, it is something external.

Here’s another example:

What do you want?  It’s Big Prayer Tuesday.  Imagine Jesus is sitting across from you sipping on a cup of coffee calmly and asks you directly, “What do you want me to do for you.” You then respond with…

“I want to _____ !”

Maybe you want to get married, start a business, get out of debt, start a ministry, or get healthy.  Don’t play it safe!  Go for immediate change.  Ask for him to restore, or ask him to make you new!

This is the typical positive, encouraging message we hear. The message is framed in a way that we are the ones asking God to do something for us. We are encouraged to pray for “big things”, but they are big things in our own lives. Do you see the pattern here?

Finances are also subject to this secret prosperity gospel message. I have often heard it taught that if you are faithful in your tithes and offerings that those blessings will “bounce back” and you will be blessed in return. I have no problem with being “blessed”, but I also have no problem giving my money to the Lord and not receiving anything in return. Is that not the definition of an offering? Here is an example from my Facebook feed from a Pentecostal church.

#FinancialBreakthroughtestimony 
Here is a testimony on how ones obedience in giving turned into a major blessing. 
A few weeks ago *PERSON X* encouraged the church to give a sacrificial offering. My wife and I were led to give. A few weeks later, I was promoted and my wife received a substantial increase in her pay. #Milkandhoneybook#milkandhoneyturntup

I have no problem with this couple receiving a promotion or a pay raise. That’s actually fantastic. But what bothers me about this post is the hashtag, “milk and honey turntup”. The implication of this hashtag is that just like God promised the Israelites the promised Land, which was flowing with milk and honey, God is promising us financial breakthrough and blessing.

Healing is another prime example. A common passage is the Isaiah 53 “by His stripes, we are healed”, used to support the idea that the blood of Jesus and the authority in His name heals every single sickness and disease. Most people are well-intentioned, but when healing does not happen, there are several possibilities: either it is not “God’s timing”, the people involved do not have enough faith, or we just refuse to talk about the incident. Sometimes, it almost feels as if some refuse to believe that we live in a sinful world, where sin and death still reign. I certainly believe in healing and we are commanded to heal and to perform signs and wonders. The Holy Spirit acts in power to confirm the Gospel of Christ, but when healing is taken to the extreme, we begin to have a twisted view of God, almost as if we deserve something from God or that we can somehow demand it from Him. 

Another phrase that circulates quite frequently is that we must “break the poverty mindset.” The implication is that God doesn’t want us to be poor (either spiritually or literally), He wants us to be rich. But the problem is Jesus says on the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit!” How can we break the poverty mindset/spirit, something that Jesus said was blessed? It does not seem to make sense to me.

Another example I hear is the idea of vocational ministry, that our jobs in the marketplace are to glorify God. This is definitely true, but often, it is framed in a way that amplifies our own dreams. I have heard things like, “Go make a ton of money because then you can glorify God with all that money.” “Go become a really famous person so that you can be a testimony.” We claim that we will be a faithful witness when given position, glory, and riches, but is this actually true? Did Jesus not warn us that it is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God?

My final example is a quote from a recent evangelist that I heard speak: “People say the Bible says we're supposed to give up everything, but my bible says we're supposed to possess everything.”

I could continue on with more examples, but I hope I made my point. The end of the age will be incredibly tumultuous and there will be a time when we will have to stand for the truth. There will be a time when you may have to suffer for righteousness’ sake. There will be a time when you may have to be willing to lay down your life. How will you interpret these events when they come upon you? We must be prepared for what lies ahead of us in this age and be prepared to be a faithful witness. I strongly urge and plead with you to consider the Scriptures. This secret prosperity gospel is toxic and misleading, and most importantly is not preparing us for His return.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Rev. 12:11).

Finding My Taiwanese Identity

I am the son of first-generation Taiwanese immigrants. My parents immigrated to the United States for graduate school; I was born and raised in a primarily white suburban town near a big city. Like many others, I have wrestled with the clash of culture. On one hand, my parents are very “Asian” (you know what I mean) and that’s the type of home environment I grew up in. But on the other hand, most of my friends and my school environments were predominantly white and American. We, members of the minority, often struggle to find our place in society with these two cultures pulling at us in opposite directions.

During our travels to Nepal this past summer, I realized how much I inwardly pushed away my Taiwanese identity and attempted to embrace Western culture. In a way, I wanted to be “white”, just like everyone else. I realized that when I was young, I saw myself as different than everyone else and I felt that I needed to prove myself as a worthy human being by excelling in athletics, academics, etc. Maybe I was trying to escape my Asian-ness and become more “white”.

But God has been teaching me that He truly does love my ethnicity and He truly does love me for who I am. He did create me to be Taiwanese; it was not an accident. When ministering to Israelis this summer, I found myself trying to reach them by embracing my Taiwanese identity. I would always mention that I was Taiwanese and that I have decided to believe and to worship their God, the God of Israel, in hopes that they would see me differently and that they would perhaps trust my testimony more. I don’t know if my methods worked but I found myself constantly reverting to my ethnicity. In Genesis 12, God calls Abram and declares that He will make Abram a great nation and that in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. This great nation from Abram is the nation of Israel and the nations of the earth that would be blessed are the Gentile nations. That’s me! I humbly embrace myself as a Gentile who believes in the God of Israel and who provokes His people to jealousy. It is quite the testimony to have many from Gentile nations forsaking all of their gods to worship the God of Israel!

It was in this time that I began to realize my own contempt towards my Taiwanese identity and I set it in my heart to embrace my ethnicity the way that God intended me to. In light of this recent presidential election in the United States, I have found myself all the more embracing my Taiwanese identity. There is no doubt in my mind that racial identity has been a major factor in the outcome. Whether we want to admit it or not, we still have a major issue with others who are different than we are. We find it difficult to love others who are different and those who disagree with us. We find it difficult to love our enemies, but what good is it if you only love those who love you?

I live in a county that is 93.4% white. My county is a typical white, rural community. I am the only Asian teacher in the entire county. The question that I ask is, do I have a place in your society? Do I have a place in your America? But now, let’s not only consider Asians, but consider all of those who are different than you. I hope that I do have a place in your society, though I am different. But even if I do not, my true hope is in the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. In that day, we will have a righteous king and all the nations shall be blessed. All nations, all races, all people, all tongues.