How You Can Be Certain That Certainity Is A Sin: Reflections on the Movie Conclave

It is a dramatic scene and central to the story of the film Conclave.  The story begins with the recent passing of the Pope, and in this scene Cardinal Lawrence (played by Ralph Fiennes) prepares the College of Cardinals - gathered from around the world - to enter into sequestered "conclave" and choose the next Pope.  He addresses them saying:

There is one sin I have come to fear above all others: certainity.  Certainity is the great enemy of unity.  Certainity is the deadly enemy of tolerance.  Even Christ was not certain at the end - My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?  He cried out in His agony at the ninth hour on the cross.  

Our faith is a living thing precisly because it walks hand in hand with doubt.  If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery and therefore no need for faith.  Let us pray that God will grant us a Pope who doubts.

CLICK HERE to see the entire speech.  The portion I quote begins around :45.

As I listened, I wanted to leap through our TV into the scene, rise and ask the Cardinal: How can you be certain that certainity is the sin to fear above all others?  I doubt your certainity on this, sir!  Here I stand!

Even in the moment it struck me that this was a great statement of the creed of expressive individualism: Nothing can be certain except your self!  A real moment of modern of chatechism right there in theaters and living rooms around the country.

But is this really a statement of faith - for it is indeed a step of faith to say with certainity that certainty is the greatest of sins! - that makes sense of the world, leading to human flourishing?  This is an important question for both myself and my unbelieving neighbors.

I graduated from an outstanding, nationally-ranked, church-related college.  The institution did a phenomenal job helping students deconstruct their "Sunday-school beliefs."  Many professors were outspokenly direct about that goal, and all were very capable and effective in their teaching.  Sadly, once our faith was deconstructed, they were rarely concerned with grounding us in a more mature Christian faith and were instead more subtle and effective in catechizing us in various expressions of what I have come to identify as "expressive individualism."  As I write elsewhere - CLICK HERE - I do not think expressive individualism is faithful either to the Gospel of God's Grace or to human flourishing even for unbelievers.

NUANCE ALERT - I do think that orthodox Christian faith gives us a reason to see the sin that often presents itself as certainity.  If I thought the Cardinal were pointing to this in his speech, I'd be all in with him.

Here is the problem that the Scriptures and our experience point out to us: When broken people - "sinners" is the classic term - are "certain" in themselves, their sin infects their certainity.  A statement can be "true" in terms of "facts," but be pursued self-righteously.  Or self-defensively.  Or self-servingly.  THAT is sin.  Make note: when anything is centered on or from the "self" it can be infected by the sin of our "self."  There is the problem that the Cardinal is close to, but pursued more deeply and in light of the Gospel.  It is one of the insights into the humman condition presented in the Scriptures.

Let me suggest that the better posture for life is to have confidence - trust, faith, belief - in someone or something greater than ourselves and even our own certainity.  It seems that this is exactly how Paul writes in Philippians 1:6:

(I am) being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Live with confidence - trust, faith, belief - in who the LORD is, what He has shown of us Himself and what He can do.

Experience - and the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scriptures and my church - has shown me that I can sometimes be wrong or unloving or confused or MANY other things like that - even when I am well-intentioned and carefully researched!  I am certain that I make mistakes, but confident that the One who is faithful, loving and true will complete His good purposes in His world and even in me.

I would suggest that the life-giving world-view comes when faith in God as He has revealed Himself in the Gospel is walking hand-in-hand with humility, rather than faith in self navigating life with doubt.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you CLICK HERE to read Value Confidence over Certainty by Randy Newman on TheGospelCoalition.org site.  You will see that the best of what I might say here originated with him and was simply applied to the movie.  His post includes several other and important steps illuminating the distinction between certainity and gospel confidence.

And Finally: I watched the movie and know it may well win an Oscar or two, but I'm not sure I would recommend it.  Save the money.  Invest time in your marriage, or with a friend or reading Scripture or just taking a walk.  I watch, listen and read things like this to better understand the world that I present the gospel to and what my neighbors are encountering, so it is helpful for me - and I hope you - in that way.  I'm not certain - pun intended - that you learn anything not alread known about the Roman Catholic church.  The surprise ending was gratituitous.  And the catechesis in "expressive individualism" was as subtle as it was thick throughout.

"Walk-Up Choir" - Think Of It Like A Trade Union

Take a look at this photo from Harderwyk's Christmas Day Service.

We call that our "Walk-Up Hallelujah Chorus."  Each year, as we get mid-way through the final Christmas Carol, everyone who would like to sing the Halleluijah Chorus makes their way into the chancel, grabs some sheet music and gets ready to sing.  It is MAGNIFICENT.  CLICK HERE to see the whole thing in a 41/2 minute YouTube clip.

At first, you might only see a spontaneous choir.  I though, see it through the lens of the Plumbers' Union.

What's that?  Yep, any sort of trade union actually, but I'm big on plumbers for this one.  So you see a choir, but  I see "apprentices," journeymen" and "craftsmen" doing what they do together.

Look inside the box in the photo and you see five faces.  Two "journeyman" singers we'll call them.  They know the trade and have done it well and with joy for years.  But you also see three young "apprentice" singers.  Those three are just learning their way, but learning in the midst of a collection of people who love what they do.  The apprentices can learn and get carried along and truly experience the "joy of the craft" before they are even able to really do it on their own.

Best of all, do you see in the box? There is a "journeyman" singer bending over to help an "apprentice" singer.  That is how the craft stays alive across generations while also improving in quality.

How do you learn to love the craft - any craft really?  By sharing it - both receiving AND giving - with a community that is supportive, accountable, learning together and focused on something bigger than themselves.

CLICK HERE for the next opportunity to be a part of our next "Walk-Up Choir" - typically the 4th Sunday of the month in Harderwyk's Celebration Service at 9 am.

And a special thanks to the several "craftsman" undergirding the whole event - especially our director Justin Rito and organist Jane Bosko.

Understanding "the LORD Who Gets Angry Slowly" A Little Bit Better

Honestly, I do not recall ever preaching a sermon focused on the "anger" of the LORD, even if it was focused on "slow to anger."  So as we began to organize our What's In A Name sermon series based on the LORD's revelation of Himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7 for Winter of 2025, I knew I would get the chance to learn and share more on something I had managed to avoid for a good while.

Wow!  Has it ever been enlightening for me.  I've learned more than I will be able to speak to on Sunday, but at the heart of my preparation has been several wonderful resources produced by the BibleProject.com.  They are linked below, but let me get to a marvelous 3 paragraph summary that I have been pondering all week.  It is from page 21 of their Character of God: Slow to Anger Study Notes. (Link Below)

Conclusions from the Portrait of God’s Anger and Judgment in the Torah (Old Testament)

• God’s anger is his just and measured response to the covenant betrayal of his own people. It is not a volatile or unpredictable explosion of abusive violence.
• The most consistent response of God’s anger is to give people what they have chosen, even if it leads to self-destruction. This anger is expressed either as exile from God’s presence or in the hiding of God’s face and the removal of his protective and order-creating power.
• God is slow to anger, which means:
• God will put up with people’s betrayal for much longer than is reasonable.
• God will always accept people who turn to him with soft hearts and genuine humility no matter what they’ve done.

*     *     *     *     *

There is a lot in those paragraphs to consider and probably on a topic that most - like me - often want to NOT consider and avoid.  Below are some additional resources from my week.

CLICK HERE to download the entire 33-page document.  Sure it will take some time and reflection, but I'm glad I took the time.  I'm hoping you will as well.

CLICK HERE for a 5-minute YouTube summary of key texts on this topic in a visual format.

CLICK HERE for an Amazon.com link to the book God Has A Name: What You Believe About God Will Shape Who You Will Become by John Mark Comer.  It is another VERY helpful parallel resource for our sermon series.

A Memorial Memoir - Siegfried Michaelis

I had the opportunity to get to know Sieg and Arlene Michaelis when I moved to Holland to lead the Celebration Community of Harderwyk Ministries in 2018.  After Arllene passed away in October of 2023, I would see Sieg on Sundays at worship, and occasionally visit and share conversation with him.

He was quiet, gentle and over time let me piece together the amazing story of his early life and personal faith.  He had written out that story several decades ago as he made public profession of his faith while joining a new church.  It was read by his son Eric at Sieg's memorial this month.  I'm thanful for their permission to share it with the body of Christ at Celebration-Harderwyk in this way.

A Memorial Memoir by Siegfried Michaelis

The time is World War II and the place is Berlin, Germany, and I was born. My father, a Jew, and mother, the gentile both of my parents became Christians early on in their marriage, through my father's brother, who was a believer.

My father, a tailor, was forced to close his shop and was used as a forced laborer in a factory and later on tearing down buildings that were bombed out. My father lost all his civil rights. He was arrested for several days and then released, while others were not released. We could not own a radio. His ID card read Herbert Israel Michaelis, adding the name Israel because he was a jew.

As a child I took a lot of abuse from other children and adults.

The last two years of the war, Berlin was bombed day and night, allowing for little sleep, and spending many hours in a bomb shelter.

We experienced many close calls that today I recognize as God's grace and protection. One time a bomb hit right next to the bunker and we were not harmed.

Another time the air raid warning was late and in the panic that followed, 27 people were trampled to death. We were already safe inside the shelter. Our building was bombed and my father repaired what he could for our living.

By the end of the war, my father lost three brothers, one sister, a mother, and many cousins in concentration camps.

The end of the war brought many hardships. No food, no water, no utilities. My father raised rabbits in the basement for food, traded cloth for food. Many times I went to bed hungry. Yet God provided even the few things that we had.

In 1947, I spent three months in Norway with a family. The churches had provided families for children from Berlin, with the new with the same background that I had. It was quite an experience. These families opening their homes to us. They fed us and clothed us.

I remember in 1948 the Soviet Union imposed a land blockade on Berlin. Allied forces had to airlift food and coal for almost a year. All food and coal was rationed. God provided again in that my aunt sent us care packages from America.

In 1949, my parents and I were able to emigrate to America, and came to Chicago. One thing that I remember when we were in camp, awaiting to be set on a ship - some men were having a discussion, which included my father, how they wanted revenge of what they did to them. I remember my father saying we need to forgive them.

During my high school days, I realized I had to accept Christ as Lord and savior. On my own, I had to make it my faith, and not my parents' faith.

I was involved in a youth group at the church I was attending. There I met a wonderful girl. We've been married for 30 years.

We had four wonderful sons. Kevin, our first child, had Down syndrome. He went home to be with the Lord at the age of 6. The others are all married and have wonderful wives.

There are many things I don't understand.

-- Why did my relatives die in concentration camps?

-- Why did I have to go hungry to bed?

-- Why did Kevin have Down syndrome and die?

All that I know is that God is a loving God, and his plans are not always our plans. But, he is the Master Planner.

I want to leave you with two verses.

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

The other verse has meant a lot to me over many years:

Psalm 37:5 - Commit yourself to the LORD, trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass.

A New View of Humanity - From Bullies & Saints by John Dickson

In his book Bullies & Saints, Professor John Dickson provides insightful historical information for comparing conflicting views regarding the value of a person.  I hope this extensive quotation will stimulate your interest in the book.

A New View of Humanity

From: Bullies & Saints by John Dickson - pp. 33-35

There is value in comparing this Judeo-Christian view of the human being with the “pagan” or Greco-Roman view at the time of Christianity’s birth. The comparison highlights something that is often difficult to see today. In the contemporary world there is no practical difference between the Christian estimation of humanity and the secular humanist estimation—the two ideas are historically related. It is easy for us to assume that such a high view of the person, regardless of their talents or contributions, is the default view through every age. That simply is not the case. 

Consider the following letter, dated 17 June 1 BC. A Roman soldier named Hilarion is stationed in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria. He writes home to his wife Alis, promising to send her some of his pay soon, asking her to look after their child, and, poignantly, reassuring her that he has not forgotten her. Some aspects of family life have not changed. In passing, though, Hilarion tells Alis that, if she happens to be pregnant, she should discard the baby when it comes: 

Hilarion to his sister Alis, many greetings, also to my lady Berous and Apollonarion. Know that I am still in Alexandria; and do not worry if they [the army] wholly set out, I am staying in Alexandria. I ask you and entreat you, take care of the child, and if I receive my pay soon, I will send it up to you. Above all, if you bear a child and it is male, let it be; if it is female, cast it out. You have told Aphrodisias, “Do not forget me.” But how can I forget you? Thus I’m asking you not to worry. The 29th year of Caesar, Pauni 23 [17 June 1 BC].

Talk of casting out a child at birth—in a throw-away line in an otherwise normal family letter—is shocking to modern readers. I have read this letter to many audiences over the years, and the feeling in the room is palpable. But in ancient times, this was neither shocking nor illegal. It was not even immoral. Disposing of newborns was regarded as a method of family planning. Throughout the Greek and Roman world, excess children were frequently discarded, especially if the parents felt they could not afford another mouth, or if the child was deformed or disabled, or as in the above case, if it was a girl.

Sometimes removing a child involved direct “infanticide,” killing and disposing of the newborn. More commonly, it involved a practice known euphemistically as expositio or “exposure.” The greatest of ancient Greek philosophers, Aristotle (384–322 BC), had advised, “As to exposing or rearing the children born, let there be a law that no deformed child shall be reared.” The child was simply left outside, whether on a street corner, in the marketplace, or even at the rubbish dump. The child might, of course, be picked up by other parents who would raise it as their own. Sadly, it could also be taken by professional traffickers, killed by an animal, or simply fall victim to the elements. 

Hilarion would be arrested on the spot today. But in his context he was not a moral “monster.” He held the widespread rational view that a child’s value depended not on some intrinsic, ineffable worth but on its capacities or usefulness to the family. The outrage we feel toward the practice of exposing infants just illustrates the very different assumptions we work with today. In the ancient Greek and Roman world there was little ethical reflection on this practice. Jews of the time spoke out against it, of course. In fact, we know of one high-profile Jewish critic of expositio, a teacher named Philo, who happened to be living in Alexandria at exactly the time Hilarion was stationed there. Christians were likewise vocal about it, preaching and writing against the practice, and even collecting abandoned infants and caring for them as their own. (Hundreds of thousands of people are alive today—descendants of rescued foundlings—as a result of this ancient Christian practice. More about all this in chapters 7 and 10.)

In public lectures on these themes I have occasionally asked audiences to imagine being the friend of Hilarion in 1 BC and trying to convince him why it is wrong to “cast out” a newborn simply because the parents do not want it. We might instinctively start talking about equality and inalienable rights. But Hilarion would probably look at us, bemused. In cool-headed fashion, assuming he had read some Greek philosophy, he might turn it back on us: On what basis can you claim that a barely self-aware newborn is equal to other humans? Isn’t that just an arbitrary doctrine? Would you say that all animals are equal? Does all art have the same worth? Are all tools equally valuable? Hilarion might press us further: For what other dimension of life would we argue that items with obviously different capacities and utility all share the same worth? Nature herself has made some people smarter, stronger, better, and, therefore, more useful. The more usefulness, the greater the value. The logic is inescapable. We should prefer the strong and beneficial, and let Nature take care of the rest.

Ancient Jews and Christians had no difficulty explaining why every man, woman, and child was inherently and equally valuable. Human beings, they said, bear the image of God. The Creator regards them as his offspring. The church did not consistently live out this conviction, as we will see, but the doctrine did lead to some remarkable historical developments, including—after three hundred years of trying to persuade Rome—a complete ban on killing infants in a law of AD 374.

Taken from:

Dickson, John. Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History (p. 33-35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.  Please note: footnotes and references have been removed in my quotation of John Dickson.

See Also: The Christian Compassion Revolution (Part 1) by Greg Soderberg - I found this to be an interesting post related to God's compassion applied to a very contemporary issue.  CLICK HERE for entire post.

The Great Isaiah Scroll: A Visual Introduction

I don't often point people to information on YouTube because when you let anyone say anything about everything you end up with a lot of .  .  .  .  YouTube.

But while preparing an Advent sermon series focused on Isaiah 61, I wanted to spend about 5-10 minutes on the Great Isaiah Scroll unearthed from Qumran.  It is an amazing story with tremendous impact on our understanding and confidence in the texts of the Bible.  Along the way I found two very worthwhile YouTube videos that I am happy to pass along.

Book Minute: The Great Isaiah Scroll

Under lock and key for over 40 years, the Great Isaiah Scroll was stored underground in Jerusalem until being displayed in 2008 for just a few months. 

In 1947, seven scrolls were found in caves at Qumran, the “original” Dead Sea Scrolls. They’re considered one of the greatest “finds” of the modern era, and the 2,000-year-old Great Isaiah Scroll is the most famous. It contains over 25 percent of all the biblical text among the scrolls. Nearly every part of the 66 chapters of Isaiah are intact. Its fragile condition requires it be kept in a temperature-controlled underground fault. 

Produced by the Museum of the Bible, this one minute video is a great introduction to the discovery of the Great Isaiah Scroll.  CLICK HERE or on image.

Is This the Most Complete Version of the Isaiah Scroll in Existence? The Shrine of the Book Museum

This 16-minute video is a tour of the Shrine of the Book Museum in Jerusalem with interview and explanation by Dr Randall Price.  More detail of course, but very understandable and can serve as a first encounter with the fields of archaelogy and biblical studies.  CLICK HERE or on image.

My Previous Blog Post On This: The Isaiah Scroll of Qumran: The Message Is Reliable

CLICK HERE for that post.

Picking a Daily Devotional for 2025

This is the time of year to start thinking about Spiritual Formation resources for the coming New Year.  Something that can help you take some time every day to dive into the Bible and connect to Jesus in prayer helps cultivate a deep, intentional life with Jesus.  This goal is at the center of our focus on the PracticingTheWay.org material by John Mark Comer here at Harderwyk.  CLICK HERE for the book or on the previous weblink to learn more about that.

I'll have to admit, my reflexes move away from the typical daily devotional format: one page per day with a Bible verse and some commentary.  I am more inclined to look for a straight Bible-reading plan that connects me directly to the Bible itself.  I can read and then meditate using the SOAPS format (CLICK HERE), or the classic Lectio Devina (CLICK HERE) or a simple study Bible with notes.  

But for many people the daily devotional is a regular habit.  There are also a good number of new, very well done resources in this format that I've used and benefitted from.  Let me give you a quick rundown of great ones that I have used and recommend.

God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs – Tim & Kathy Keller - CLICK HERE for Amazon link

• I first used this devotional by Tim & Kathy Keller in my own practice in 2019.  It was so transformative that I did in 2020 as well.  And guess what I used again in 2020?  Yes friends, it was that good.  The Kellers helped me see the Proverbs in light of the Gospel of God Grace that pursues wisdom for living through relationship with God.  Before, Proverbs had been more like a collection of moralistic aphorisms that I read like laws to obey.  If you only ever have one daily devotional, this is the one.

New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional – Paul David Tripp CLICK HERE for Amazon link.

• I've appreciated Paul David Tripp as a conference speaker for years.  Solid Reformed theology, pastoral counseling depth and great communicator.  After you are done with the Kellers, or if you only read one book by Tripp, make this the one.

Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life – Paul David Tripp  CLICK HERE for Amazon link or HERE for ChristianBook.com and compare prices

• This new devotional by Paul David Tripp - see above - is a daily Bible reading schedule that gets you through the entire Bible in the year.  With that are daily reflections by Tripp that seem brimming with Gospel insight.  I'm using this and regularly meeting with a group of men throughout 2025 to talk, pray and "what did you underline" together.  I'll update next December.

Mockingbird Devotional: Good New for Today (and Every Day)  CLICK HERE for Amazon link.

• MockingBird is a website/podcast/magazine/ministry of Gospel-centered, mostly-Anglican, artsy-millenials from Charlottesville associate with David Zahl.  CLICK HERE for their website and give them a look.  

This devotional was great for me: gospel-centered, lots of movie and music illustrations, younger perspective and very well written.  Broaden your gospel vocabulary and give the devotional or website a try.

One Story that Leads to Jesus by the Bible Project

This is primarily a Bible-reading program - entire Bible in 365 days - that I am using on my ipad through the YouVersion Bible app.  Basically systematic Bible reading - see above for how I dig into the text - interspersed with teaching videos by the Bible Project that give great visual overviews to Bible books, keywords, practices and history.  For a change-up, I listen to the psalm for each day audible by a tap in the app.  Nice experience.