"Objection, your honor!"

First of all, let me introduce myself to all those who don't know who "Psalmfox" is. My name is Jim Wilken. I am a pastor, although I haven't served a congregation for nearly two years. I am a Christian Educator, although I no longer serve at a Christian school. I am a Boy Scout, although I am no longer a boy. Actually, watching "A Clear and Present Danger" with Harrison Ford the other day, Jack Ryan (Ford's character, and Clancy's creation) was derogatorily referred to as a "Boy Scout" by one of the bad guys, meaning Ryan lived by honor and a high set of ideals which he would not compromise for any reason. And so, with me, it is not a love of tramping about in the woods that makes me a Scout, though I do the Boy Scouts' camping thing, as much as it is my love for Scouting's ideals, things like duty to God and country, service to others, obeying the Scout Law (You know, "A Scout is... trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.").

And speaking of reverence, as I shared with my camp staff colleagues and the Scouts I worked with for six weeks at Camp Bud Schiele this summer, my seeking to live up to Scouting's ideals is not foremost to be a "good Scout," but rather, as in all things, to glorify God with my life. This is not to say that I haven't failed to glorify God many times. The truth is, the mess and muck of my life has far more often dishonored Him. But, because He is loving and merciful, and has extended unimaginable grace to me through His Son, Jesus Christ the Lord, I'm still here, and get another shot at glorifying Him today.

Enough with the rambling introduction, check out my profile on this blog and find out more about me if you must. Let's get on to my objection.

I have a confession to make. Confession is always good up front. Less loss of face than a belated confession, don't you think? My confession is this, somewhere in my dresser I have a $3.00 "WWJD" ring. Although it's lost, I used to have a green plastic "WWJD" bracelet. I used to think it was pretty cool to ask that question, "What would Jesus do?" But lately, I have had growing objection to the whole WWJD approach. and so, like Perry Mason, the first TV lawyer I ever knew, or like Harmon Rabb, my favorite JAG attorney, I would jump to my feet and cry "Objection, your honor! Calls for speculation," if opposing counsel asked a witness, "What would Jesus do?"

Well intentioned as I am sure the WWJD thing is, i have had a growing concern that it encourages what I would call speculative theology. Speculative theology is man centered, or, if you prefer non-gender suggestive language, human centered, theology. Speculative theology is built upon what we imagine or think about God from our experience, rather than what we know about God through His self-revelation. Speculative theology leaves the door wide open for us to come up with pretty much any answer we can justify to ourselves when responding to the question, "What would Jesus do?" Thus, we could speculate, for example that Jesus would not condemn abortion, or bless same-sex unions. We might justify euthanasia by suggesting that the Jesus we know would extend mercy to someone suffering by killing them, or helping them to kill themselves, the total lack of any actual biblical evidence that He would ever do such a thing notwithstanding.

So, here's the thing--wouldn't we do better to ask "What did Jesus do?' Might we not find more solid answers for life's tough questions, and our moral dilemmas, in the scriptural record of Jesus' life? Anyway, I think so. that's why, even though I cannot imagine what might eventually appear on this blog, more often than not I may reflect upon some news of the day by challenging myself, and you, to react and respond, not at Jesus might, but as He did.