Is the Bible Joking? Evangelists. Monks.
by the Rev. Walter Snyder

Q: I have had a disagreement with someone that I know. He told me the Bible is nothing
more than a joke book, and specifically pointed out Luke 14:26. Can you please tell me how
you would interpret this verse?

A: I don't know how this can be considered a joke. Jesus sounds quite serious as He details the
cost of discipleship. This doesn't mean hatred as in a rage or carrying a grudge. Rather, Jesus is
saying that you must first of all and above all else love Him and follow Him. If you do not "hate"
these things, then they become your gods and you will find excuses to serve them or honor them
above Christ. Yet so often, when His disciples do learn from Him to hate all else, he gives them
back so much to love.

We have this example of "self-hatred" in Jesus' own life. When you read Philippians 2, you see
the One who "hated" his life as the eternal Son of God and thus became one of us, following His
Father's command and faithfully living and dying that we might live forever. Yet this "hatred" did
not end in despair, but in celebration as He was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven,
where He was given all honor and glory forever.

Q: What are some Scriptures that would define what exactly an evangelist is according to
the Word of God?

A: The noun translated as "evangelist" appears only three times in Scripture. In Acts 21:8, Philip
is called "the evangelist." Paul tells Timothy (2 Timothy 4:5) to "do the work of an evangelist."
Ephesians 4:11 mentions it as an office in the Church, placing it after the offices of apostle and
prophet and before that of pastor and teacher.

Its root meaning is "one who announces good news." The verbal form is usually translated as
preaching or proclaiming the Good News. Another related noun is simply translated "Good
News" or "Gospel." The idea of this proclamation is not original to the New Testament---
proclaiming "glad tidings" is part of the message of Isaiah (see 40:9 and 52:7). While a definition
is not given, by context we see than an evangelist is one who brings the Good News of salvation
in Christ Jesus to those who do not know Him. It does not appear that people merely set
themselves up to be evangelists, but that along with others in Church offices, they are called by
the Holy Ghost through the Christian Church and are sent on their way.

This doesn't mean that the Gospel is not a part of the everyday Christian's life, for each believer
takes Christ home, to work or school, and elsewhere. Yet not everyone is specially charged with
the public proclamation of the Gospel as a primary task. Just as not every believer was or is an
apostle, prophet, or pastor and teacher, so not every Christian is an evangelist.

Q: What is a monk? Are they born-again Christians? I have a friend who listens to monk
music. Please let me know, so I can help him find out if monks are okay or not.

Monks are men who take voluntary vows of such things as poverty, celibacy, and obedience to
some religious superior. While Buddhists and some other beliefs have a type of monk, I'll focus
on Christian monasticism. Most monks that I know of belong to Eastern Orthodoxy or Roman
Catholicism, but other churches also have monastic orders. In Anglican or Lutheran monasticism,
the vows are not perpetual, but are for the time one lives in a community or for a set period.
Brothers can then leave and marry. Catholic monks, like nuns, take a series of vows. They remain
as such for life unless released from their vows for extraordinary circumstances.

As for the music, he's probably listening to chant music from the earlier centuries of the Christian
church. Much of this is in Latin or Greek, often quoting and almost always based on Bible texts. It
is the music of worship from earlier years and is still kept in some form in much of Christendom. I
have some of this early music myself and often listen to it when reading Scripture and theology
books.

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Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of
the book "What Do Lutherans Believe."

Ask the Pastor is copyright (c) 2001 by Walter P. Snyder. It may be reproduced  in totality,
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