The only thing more Australian than a meat pie is paying an extra 50cents for some measly little bit of tomato sauce to put on top of it. As a Tradesmen I know my pies, I have had too many to count already in my 13 years as a painter.
I know where to get the good ones and I know where you will find the bad ones. I have a love hate relationship with pies, some days at work there is just nothing better, some days there is nothing worse. To be honest most meat pies are just average or plain bad, which is why tomato sauce is so important.
With its shiny red hue, it looks a bit like blood and on your average pie will cover a multitude of sins. A powerful ingredient wouldn't you say? Almost sacred, just one drop and a bad pie will be transformed into a good pie. I don't know whether to be ashamed or excited for just using meat pies and tomato sauce as metaphors for the gospel, but one thing I know, the only place fit for a dropped meat pie is the deepest depths of hell. That's why the worms don't die there by the way.
Either way I know some foreigners and paying for sauce sachets for their pies or fish and chips is something foreign to them, as in their countries, just like it used to be in ours, condiments are free! And so they should be, because the fact that we want or need them means the food we are buying has inadequate flavour!
I have heard of Michelin starred chefs throwing customers out of restaurants for asking for extra pepper? Why? Because when you are paying top dollar for food prepared by the worlds very best all the flavour should be on your plate already, and to ask for more, well that's just an insult.
So we have our modern dilemma, a lot of your average food like pies and chips needs something a little extra, like sauce, because without it we just don't get enough flavour, but it should be free! It's a cheap add on that used to sit on the counter at the local bakery which we could squeeze on for no extra cost. But now we get a few drops in a small plastic packet full of advertising and as a result it is way overpriced. It's a pretty package with little content of no nutritional value whatsoever, which brings me to my main point, modern Christian books. Bang.
Well packaged sauce
Of course not all of them, but they don't write 'em like they used to. A lot of the books sold these days are just some well-packaged sauce. Condiments to go with the meat of God's word (not that it needs it!)
You know what I'm talking about, compilations taken from well-known preachers sermons, with giant photos of themselves on the front, sold for the masses to devour. Devotionals to read while you sit on the toilet so you can be sure to never lose your deep piety even in the most inglorious of human tasks. Motivational sayings strung together with bible verses to back them up, (Most of it is just common sense). Things like that. And we are paying for it. First of all we grab a few scriptures which someone else wrote inspired by the Holy Spirit, words full of meaning and life, Plagiarise them (Thank God we can!) and then add a few interpretations, package it up all shiny and nice, get some other recommendations from other well selling names. And presto, we get some nicely packaged sauce to squeeze over our bible reading. What are we paying for? Packaging, marketing, the modern Christian book.
Funny how we pay so much for a bit of add ons when the actual meat of the scripture on which they are based is freely available. In fact there is more revelation in some of the apostles personal and original letters sent to the churches than there is in thousands of dollars worth of the books using those letters for their inspiration and information. The apostles and martyrs paid for the availability of the scriptures and revelation therein with their own blood so we could freely read it. Now we compile those same scriptures put some catchy saying next to it and then sell it.
Now to be sure, I'm not talking about the many wonderful books, which are full of gems mined in hours of deep study and prayer, truths that cost something for the author to give to others. Some things are definitely worth paying for. I know there are some great authors and teachers writing today, who deserve to be rewarded. My favourite works though are by men who have gone on like Arthur W Pink, whose depth and clarity when revealing the scriptures is something to behold. You can see hours of study in every sentence.
Check your library
The Old preachers were like that. They didn't just sprinkle a bit of salt or squeeze a bit of sauce over the scriptures; they arranged and prepared a nutritious meal. Like the Levites they were skilled with the knife and knew how to cut the meat correctly before God and his people. One of Spurgeon's sermons has more hours of scripture study in it than a lot of church conferences entire bookstalls. I was amazed to find that most of the chapters written in AW Pinks exposition on the book of Hebrews, a book as thick as my big head, were taken from his newsletters. I have old books at home which have personal letters written by men of God which have more meat in it than some of the best sellers on the shelves today.
Does this mean I have a problem with sauce, or a bit of light Christian reading? Not at all, I just don't like the fact that its overpriced and over-packaged. I'm happy to pay for a skilfully prepared, full flavoured meal or even a good meat pie, but hey when did we all start paying so much for a bit of sauce?
My belief is that if your library of Christian books at home has more living authors than dead ones then your library needs updating. Get on the Internet, look up some good publishers like Banner of Truth and start filling your shelves with those who are now part of the great cloud of witnesses. Men who gave themselves to the word, and left behind treasures of truth for the generations to come.
As for this little article? Well it's just a bit of sauce, but hey, at least it's free.
Joshua Robbie is from the Gold Coast Australia where he runs a painting and decorating business. He recently started a church fellowship with his wife Rene' in Currumbin Queensland. Though he has many interests, including basketball and surfing, he with Rene' have determined to give themselves in service to the kingdom of God in all aspects of life. ........
Josh Robbie's previous articles may be viewed
http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/josh-robbie.html