The Problem with Puritanism (and why sin matters, but not how they thought it did)

The problem with legalism and puritanism is not that it takes sin too seriously, but that it takes sin too lightly. (I mean by sin, behaviours and attitudes that destroy lives when they come to full fruition, or as my great friend Jess describes it, simply dysfunction).

Legalism spreads out broad, gets greedy, condemns more and more activities as sinful - first premarital sex, then all sex (it has to be done, but it's much better if you don't if you can help it), then dancing because it leads to sex, too much facial hair, too much jewellery, listening to the wrong music...
The problem is that, though it is so broad and all encompassing, it never goes deeper than surface level.

As a recovering self-righteous prig, I know all too well the dangers of only thinking about the surface level. It's a focus on the symptoms, not the cause.

We need to think about sin more seriously. To do that, we need to stop focussing on the outside. Not that many things are really sinful in and of themselves. You don't need to regulate everything you do, or force yourself to give up everything fun.

No, to take sin more seriously, we have to go deeper. We have to go right to the deepest part of our hearts, our minds. When we are selfish, when we are afraid, when we hate, when we get angry and don't resolve it, but let it fester there, when have desires and try to bury them, where they grow in the dark and secret places. Those are the real sins. Those are the attitudes that become the actions, like murder, lying, cheating on our partner, stealing, gossiping...

Jesus said it in his sermon on the mount. He said things like 

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

The secret attitudes of our hearts can destroy us, even if we never act on them. Hatred, bitterness and resentment can eat you up inside, stopping you enjoying life. Fear (as I know too well) can hamstring you, prevent you from doing the things that really matter and forcing you to focus on yourself instead of reaching out in love to other people. That's the tragedy of sin. That is hell on earth.

Can any of us really get rid of those things, deep in our heart? I don't think we can, totally. I can't, and people much older and wiser than me say the same. But I think once we have become aware of this and admitted that we are helpless, that's when we can begin to heal. That's when Jesus can enter in and start His work in our broken lives and souls. And that's when we can begin to experience true freedom. Not just freedom from the legalistic system of outer rules and regulations, but freedom from the tyranny of our own darkness.

Light drives out darkness.
Love drives out fear.
Truth drives out deception.
Those with ears, let us hear.

(Image by Daina Kahu at http://www.dainakahu.com)

Grace, rules and the bible.

Is the bible a rule book divinely dictated down by God? I used to think so, but now I think I'm starting to change my mind. I'm starting to think of it as something flexible; something that is "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness" precisely because it is so flexible. It is an inspired response to God's intrusions into our reality; to those times that in some way God meets us where we are. It was inspired by God at the time of writing - but just as importantly, it is inspired by God at the time of reading. God changes us through our reading by His Spirit. He breathes into and through the text, into us the readers.

Now why am I thinking about this. Well the other day I was reading a passage by Paul and it was about dealing with sin in the church. It was very graceful. "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness."
That got me thinking about another famous passage of Paul's about dealing with sin in the church - the one in Corinthians, where it says "hand him over to satan."

Talk about polar opposites! And as I thought about that, I realised that this happens all the time in the bible; sometimes in two passages that are right next to each other.

Something I do sometimes with the bible (that I've recently been trying to avoid), is I try and find out what decision I am meant to make by looking in there for similar situations, and just copying whatever it is they did in the bible. If the bible is inspired and infallible, then clearly, that would be the best way to go right? Well, actually, no. Because the bible isn't a rule book. It's a grace book. Ever since Jesus came, the rules have been out the window. Not because we aren't meant to try and be good people, make good decisions and do good works. But because we are supposed to do this through grace, discernment and wisdom, as fully matured children of God. We aren't supposed to blindly follow a rule book in order to make all our decisions.

It is far, far easier to treat the bible as just a rule book - but that diminishes what the bible is and what Jesus came to do. Far harder, but more glorious, is to become the people that Jesus calls us to be - sons, and not just slaves.

Lemon, lime and bitters pie

This is the recipe for lemon, lime and bitters pie, I made it yesterday and it is great, but very rich. There are two different ways to do the topping, I will write both. The first one would be better I think because it uses less cream so it is probably a bit less stodgy.

For the crust: You need to either buy a pie shell or make a basic pie shortcrust such as this one (in my recipe book at home the replace one tablespoon of water with white vinegar. Not sure if it makes any difference.). Prebake the pie shell completely as it will not go back into the oven with the filling.

For the filling:
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 tbsp orange bitters
• zest from 1 lemon
• zest from one lime
• 75 grams butter, cubed
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

Method:

1. Place eggs and sugar in a double boiler and whisk until the sugar dissolves
2. Add butter, juices and zest and whisk until the mixture is thick enough for you to leave a trail with a whisk that closes over only very slowly. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
3. Add the bitters and whisk in for around five more minutes. Put in fridge until completely cool.
4. Add to the prebaked pie crust and put on topping.
5. If you are short on eggs or don't want to use so many, you can substitute in some cornflour for the eggs. This is basically just a modified lemon curd so you can look up how much you will need to substitute. You will have to cook it a bit different if you do it that way because cornflour in cooking needs a bit of care.

For the topping (version 1 - this one must be put onto the pie immediately after making):
Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp bitters
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• double cream or similar
• a bit of lime zest (a teaspoon or so)

Method:

1. Sprinkle lime zest onto the filling in the tart shell.
2. Combine sugar, juices and bitters in a small saucepan over low heat and bring to the boil, stirring continuously.
3. Cook until the mixture reaches the hard crack stage ( approx. 143 C, or when it forms brittle threads when drizzled into icy water).
4. Take off heat and allow to cool a little before drizzling over the curd filling in a lattice shape.
5. Serve with a dollop of cream on the side.

Topping version 2 (this one should not be put onto the pie until just before you serve it):
Ingredients:

• Whipped cream
• a little zest from a lemon and a lime (1tsp or so)
• 2tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp bitters
• 1/4 cup caster sugar

Method:

1. Put whipped cream over the curd filling and sprinkle zest over the top.
2. Make the syrup in the same way as in version one, but cook only until the liquid reaches the thread stage (it forms soft, loose, thin threads when dropped into icy water, approx. 106-112 C)
3. Allow the syrup to cool until it is safe to eat at least, then pour over the top of the whipped cream and zest before serving.
4. If you want to store the syrup in the fridge you can but you might need to warm it up a bit before you serve the pie so it pours more easily. You could also make a bit more syrup so that you could pour it over each slice on its own plate. Just don't go overboard - this sauce is very flavoursome :)

If you try this recipe, don't be afraid to modify it you think it needs it, because I am still trialling things. If you do try it, please let me know how it goes!

Saskia

Spiced Mushroom and Capsicum Pie

Well today I cooked two pies. One is for lunch with my family-in-law (specifically dessert) and is a lemon lime and bitters pie. Hopefully it will be tasty.
The other one was a mushroom and capsicum pie with Indian spices that we had for dinner. It was good. I thought I would put the recipe up for the savory one today, then maybe I will put the recipe up for the sweet one after we eat it and I know if it is nice or not.

Spiced Mushroom and Capsicum Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe pie crust (either buy, or make with one of these recipes). If making your own, pie crust should be refrigerated for at least 30 minutes before making the recipe.
• olive oil for frying
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp dried ground cardamom
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 or 5 small mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 a large red capsicum, chopped into small squares
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup water
• salt and pepper 
• 1.5 tbsp tapioca or cornflour

Method:

1. Line pie dish with one half of the pie crust and blind bake for about 15 minutes on 200 C. When done leave out to cool.
2. Put a small amount of  olive oil in a pan and heat. Fry the coriander and cumin seeds lightly for 1 or 2 minutes.
3. Add the other spices, garlic and onion and fry until fragrant.
4. Add the mushroom, capsicum, tomato and paste and water and stir till it is all mixed through.
5. Add the salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle in the tapioca. Stir it through and cook for another few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
6. Put the sauce into the prepared pie crust and put the second portion of crust over the top. Join the top to the bottom crust and cut a slit in the top of the pie so steam can escape.
7. Cook for 20 minutes at 200 C or until pie is golden brown on the top.
8. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes before eating.

Disclaimer: The amounts, times and temperatures in this recipe are approximate. If something seems too much or too little to you, change it. My only warning would be that putting too much turmeric will make it taste funny. Same with the tapioca/cornflour. :)

Cinnamon and pear essence pancakes

To make these pancakes I use:

• 1 cup self raising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• tiny sprinkle nutmeg
• 1 large splash pear essence
• approx. 1/2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste.
•  you can also put in a bit of baking powder extra if you want them super fluffy.
• Butter, for cooking

Just mix them all together until all the ingredients are well mixed and there are no lumps. A whisk is useful, I've also had success with a blender (brute force method!) My mum tells me leaving the mixture in the fridge overnight makes for great pancakes, but I have never tried this.

To cook the pancakes:

• Heat up butter in the pan on a medium-high heat,
• Put a ladle full of the batter into the hot pan and wait until bubbles form on the surface. 
• Flip and cook until browned on the other side. 
• I like to keep the cooked pancakes in the oven (on the lowest setting) so they are all warm when you eat them.

For the topping, you need:

• Maple syrup (the real stuff, not imitation), 
• Greek natural yoghurt (I like Black Swan brand), and 
• Fresh or frozen seasonal berries. If you use frozen berries make sure you get them out to thaw before you start cooking the pancakes so they aren't too cold when you eat them.

I think the best way to do the topping is to:

•  Stack the pancakes with maple syrup in between each layer. 
• Sprinkle the berries over the top and put a blob of the yoghurt on top. 
• Then drizzle some more maple syrup over the top.

Nom nom nom!