THEE FAULTED BLOG

Reading list for 2010

2010-01-12T18:22:00.002-06:00

A year ago I posted a reading list that I wanted to tackle in 2009. The list contained 20 books that I wanted to read.

As far as my goals are concerned, I failed miserably. I only finished 6 of the books on my list. Those six are as follows:
Timothy Keller - Prodigal God
Timothy Keller - Reason for God
Calvin Miller - Life is Mostly Edges
Dave Peterson - Engaging With God: A Biblical Theology of Worship
Robert B. Selph - Southern Baptists and the Doctrine of Election
Mark Dever - What is a Healthy Church

I also read parts of Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology, but did not finish the book.

I do not find the years reading a failure though, as I read many books that I had not anticipated. Other books included:
C.S. Lewis - The Screwtape Letters
C.S. Lewis - The Pilgrims Regress
Bill Bryson - A Walk in the Woods
J.I. Packer - Keeping In Step With The Spirit
Mark Twain - The Adventures on Tom Sawyer
J.R.R Tolkien - The Hobbit
Mark Riddle - Inside the Minds of Youth Pastors
Doug Fields - Your First Two Years of Youth Ministry
Andy Stanley & Stuart Hall - The Seven Checkpoints
Les Christie - When Church Kids Go Bad
Dan Kimball - Sacred Space
Dan Kimball - They Like Jesus but Not The Church

....So my reading list for 2010 includes those books I did not get to last year, as well as a few tomes I want to explore this year as well.

Reading List 2010:
DA Carson - Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Phillipians
DA Carson - Exegetical Fallacies
Charles Colson - The Body
Ed Dobson - The Year of Living Like Jesus
John Glynn - Commentary and Reference Survey
Wayne Grudem - Systematic Theology
Martyn Loyd-Jones - Life in God
John MacArthur - Our Sufficiency in Christ
John MacArthur - The Gospel of Jesus
Stephen Mansfield - The Search for God and Guinness
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
John Piper - Spectacular Sins
John Piper - This Momentary Marriage
RC Sproul - Holiness of God
Rodney Stark - God's Battalions: The Case for the Crusades
Alexander Strauch - Biblical Eldership
AW Tozer - That Incredible Christian
Mark Twain - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Cornel West - Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud
Roy B. Zuch - Vital Christology Issues

Dads During Christmas

2009-12-08T13:35:00.003-06:00

Mark Driscoll offers a list to help fathers not fall in the holiday rut. Below is the list taken from the Resurgence Blog.

Dad needs...
1. a plan for the holidays to ensure his family is loved and memories are made. Dad, what’s your plan?
2. to check the local guides for what’s going on to make fun holiday plans for the family. In Seattle it’s here.
3. to carve out time for sacred events and experiences to build family traditions that are fun and point to Jesus. Dad, is your calendar ready for December?
4. to not let the stress of the holidays, including money, cause him to be grumpy with Mom or the kids. Dad, how’s your joy?
5. to give experiences and not just gifts. Dad, what special memories can you make this holiday season?
6. to manage the extended family and friends during the holidays. Dad, who or what do you need to say “no” to?
7. to ensure his family is giving generously during the holidays. Dad, who in need is your family going to adopt and bless?
8. to schedule a big Christmas daddy date with his daughter. Dad, what’s your big plan for the fancy daddy date?
9. to schedule guy time with his son. Dad, what are you and your son going to do that is active, outdoors, and fun?
10. to help Mom get the house decorated. Dad, are you really a big help to Mom with getting things ready?
11. to ensure some holiday smells and sounds. Dad, is Christmas music on the iPod, is the tree up, and can you smell cookies and cider in your house?
12. to snuggle up and watch some fun shows with the kids, especially the little ones. Dad, is the DVR set?
12. to take the family on a drive to see Christmas lights while listening to music and sipping cider. Dad, is it mapped out?
14. to help Mom get the kids’ rooms decorated. Dad, do the little kids get lights or a small tree in their room?
15. to read about Jesus and pray over his kids. Dad, how’s your pastoral work going with each of your kids?
16. to repent of being lazy, selfish, grumpy, or just dumping the holidays on Mom. Dad, are you a servant like Jesus to your family?

Baby Do's and Dont's

2009-12-04T14:18:00.003-06:00

My wife and I are expecting our first child, and I have been reading some of those first parent type books. Heres an excerpt from the best one I found so far.

Silent Night

2009-11-29T13:06:00.002-06:00

Mars Hill Church in Seattle has released a new Christmas album entitled Silent Night. The album is recorded by in-house musicians Ex Nihilo. The album covers several classic Christmas hymns, and has a bonus track "What Child is This?" as a free download, as well as free chord charts for all the songs on the album.

Traffic Etiquette

2009-11-18T17:36:00.004-06:00

Tim Challies had an interesting blog this morning concerning the late merger. He explains the situation like this:

You know these people. Most of you, when you are crawling along the highway in heavy traffic and see a sign telling you that the lane will end in one mile (or one kilometer if you’re up here in Canada), quickly bump over into the lane that will not end, glad that you’ve immediately sorted out that problem. Now you can be assured that you won’t find yourself squeezed onto the shoulder or parked endlessly with your light blinking, trying to squeeze your way out of that dying lane while everyone else tries to block your progress. Yet, as you sit there, content that you’ve done the right thing, you can’t help but notice all those people speeding by to your right, driving their cars to the edge, to the brink, to the very last car-length of the lane that is about to end. You grouch, your grumble, you remark on their complete lack of care for the other people on the road. And yet you have to admit that they will get where they are going before you will. They seem unaffected by your plight, content to further their own goals even at your expense.

Tim uses an example from Traffic, by Tom Vanderbilt, to explain why he has switched from the conservative, early merger to the late merger. It is evident from the responses that this is an emotional issue for many people. I personally can not stand the late merger. It is as if he cannot be forced to wait in line like everyone else, and thinks it is his right to be in front of everyone else. I applaud the semi-trucks that drive side by side in these situations to prevent the late merger. Essentially I think the late merger is using the right lane to pass, and therefore illegal lane usage. I found one example of a driver ticketed for late-merging, and successfully had it overturned. I liken the situation to the person who uses the center turn lane as their personal merger lane in heavy traffic. The law on this issue may vary in different states. The one I found is for Michigan and it states:

It is unlawful to use the center left turn lane for a right turn or as a merge lane when entering the roadway.

Selling Jesus

2009-11-12T15:31:00.003-06:00

I've often been irate when I've found examples of what appears to be a use of Christianity to make money. If you're like me you may get these feelings when you step inside a Christian bookstore. While these bookstores are usually filled with some good commentaries, bibles, and teaching resources, they are often flooded with what has been branded as "Jesus Junk." Jesus Junk may include anything from tacky t-shirts to Christian candy. I've even heard it said that if you have a mediocre product with no way to sell it, just slap a Bible verse on it, and sell it it Christian book stores.

This spring in my Philosophy and Theology of Outdoor Ministry class at Wheaton, we discussed the dichotomy of the ministry/business model. In the example we probed the idea of how a Christian institution should exist. Can it make profit? Should it charge for services? The paradigm is a beast of its own, but I think for the most part Christian institutions are seeking to serve Christ and his Kingdom, in a society that is consumer and money driven. Jesus Junk on the other hand is a completely different category for me. These items are often defended as a way for believers to share their faith, or give them a subtle reminder of it. I think we need neither, and these items do not serve this purpose anyway. I've yet to meet anyone who realized their sin, repented, and became a believer because they saw an Icthus fish on someone's bumper.

Relevant Magazine recently posted an article concerning the issue, containing an interview with Mark Bontempo, the founder of Testamints, a company that produces mints with scripture verses on the package. Check out the article to get his take on the issue.

Update

2009-11-10T10:36:00.002-06:00

The last few months I have taken a break from blogging. My summer season was filled with busyness working as the Worship Coordinator at HoneyRock Camp, and left little time for blogging. At the end of summer, Courtney and I moved back to Missouri with the plan to open an all-ages music venue, while looking for a paying youth ministry job. Several interviews and a few months later, I'm still without a paying job. We have been in the interview process with one church, and feel very good about this particular church. Sunday we met with the youth and parents for a question answer session, and are awaiting to hear the next step. Soundtrax, our vision for an all-ages music venue, has not had the great start we envisioned. We are still seeking funding and a building, and are unsure what our next step should be. But the biggest news of all is that Courtney is 12 weeks pregnant. We are extremely excited about this news, and are seeking how this affects all the other aforementioned news. Please pray for us as we seek guidance for our choices in employment, church, and home.

Christians in Extreme Sports

2009-08-05T09:11:00.005-05:00

I remember a few years ago hearing that Christian Hosoi, an infamous bad boy skateboarder from the 1980s had become a Christian while incarcerated for methamphetamines. I've been out of the skateboarding scene for a while, and had not heard much more about it. But the first of this month it finally got picked up by the New York Times. The Times ran an article about Hosoi, and Brian Deegan, a freestyle motocross rider, who are Christians who just recently competed in the X-games. The story of Deegan is equally stunning. Deegan is the owner of team Metal Mulisha, a freestyle motocross team known for wild antics and and highly tatted members. Metal Mulisha has often been called "the most bad-ass Freestyle Motocross team in the world" and is probably the most influential motocross team in the world as well.

After a near-fatal crash in 2005 while attempting a back flip during filming for a television show, he lost a kidney and four pints of blood, and found religion. When a surgeon told him he might not survive, Deegan, 34, who has won more freestyle motocross medals at the X Games than any other rider, made a pact with God. If he lived, he would mend his ways. When he finally pulled through, he sought a pastor, began reading the Bible and “gave his life to Christ,” he said.

Soon his fellow freestyle riders Jeremy Lusk, Ronnie Faisst and Jeremy Stenberg, who is known as Twitch, began attending Bible study with Deegan.

“All the heavy hitters of the Mulisha are born-again Christians,” Deegan said.

Deegan also mentions concern about how fans would react to the guys conversion. You see Christianity is not highly looked upon in the motocross world, especially for a team known for being badboys.
The story about Metal Mulisha is amazing because while in the mainstream, these guys may be anti-establishment, but in the world of freestyle motocross these guys are the establishment. Several of the guys mentioned in the article won medals at the X-Games this past year.

Kevin DeYoung on the Emergent Church

2009-07-27T15:54:00.005-05:00

Kevin DeYoung, co-author of Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be) and Why We Love The Churchh, has some words below, presenting how one may find if they're emergent. I found the quote on Challies.com, and am unsure where he pulled the quote.

I feel that the quoted paints emergents with too broad a brush, and essentially presents a "were better than you" feel good atmosphere for those who aren't emergent (even if they should be.) I hope that the quote is old, and DeYoung has left such generalizations, and hopefully is not finding his identity in being the nonemergent-guy.

After reading nearly five thousand pages of emerging-church literature, I have no doubt that the emerging church, while loosely defined and far from uniform, can be described and critiqued as a diverse, but recognizable, movement. You might be an emergent Christian: if you listen to U2, Moby, and Johnny Cash’s Hurt (sometimes in church), use sermon illustrations from The Sopranos, drink lattes in the afternoon and Guinness in the evenings, and always use a Mac; if your reading list consists primarily of Stanley Hauerwas, Henri Nouwen, N. T. Wright, Stan Grenz, Dallas Willard, Brennan Manning, Jim Wallis, Frederick Buechner, David Bosch, John Howard Yoder, Wendell Berry, Nancy Murphy, John Franke, Walter Winks and Lesslie Newbigin (not to mention McLaren, Pagitt, Bell, etc.) and your sparring partners include D. A. Carson, John Calvin, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and Wayne Grudem; if your idea of quintessential Christian discipleship is Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, or Desmond Tutu; if you don’t like George W. Bush or institutions or big business or capitalism or Left Behind Christianity; if your political concerns are poverty, AIDS, imperialism, war-mongering, CEO salaries, consumerism, global warming, racism, and oppression and not so much abortion and gay marriage; if you are into bohemian, goth, rave, or indie; if you talk about the myth of redemptive violence and the myth of certainty; if you lie awake at night having nightmares about all the ways modernism has ruined your life; if you love the Bible as a beautiful, inspiring collection of works that lead us into the mystery of God but is not inerrant; if you search for truth but aren’t sure it can be found; if you’ve ever been to a church with prayer labyrinths, candles, Play-Doh, chalk-drawings, couches, or beanbags (your youth group doesn’t count); if you loathe words like linear, propositional, rational, machine, and hierarchy and use words like ancient-future, jazz, mosaic, matrix, missional, vintage, and dance; if you grew up in a very conservative Christian home that in retrospect seems legalistic, naive, and rigid; if you support women in all levels of ministry, prioritize urban over suburban, and like your theology narrative instead of systematic; if you disbelieve in any sacred-secular divide; if you want to be the church and not just go to church; if you long for a community that is relational, tribal, and primal like a river or a garden; if you believe doctrine gets in the way of an interactive relationship with Jesus; if you believe who goes to hell is no one’s business and no one may be there anyway; if you believe salvation has a little to do with atoning for guilt and a lot to do with bringing the whole creation back into shalom with its Maker; if you believe following Jesus is not believing the right things but living the right way; if it really bugs you when people talk about going to heaven instead of heaven coming to us; if you disdain monological, didactic preaching; if you use the word “story” in all your propositions about postmodernism—if all or most of this tortuously long sentence describes you, then you might be an emergent Christian.

Developing a Prayer Room III: Faux Stained Glass Windows

2009-06-17T09:00:00.002-05:00

Today's post focuses on the construction of the windows for the prayer room. I wanted to create a feeling of sacredness in the room, while eliminating the outside distractions, and so I turned to the idea of stained glass windows. Real stained glass was obviously out of the question, so I began looking for a way to create a stained glass appearance on the windows in the room. My initial plan was to use cellophane behind cutouts in posterboard. I talked to one art major student from Wheaton who suggested the use of tissue paper or vellum paper over the cellophane for cost effectiveness. She informed me that the JPUSA use windows like these ate their worship space. So I headed down to the craft shop and found a massive stack of tissue paper. I designed and made the first two windows by myself, and then turned to two other people at camp for help, when I became afraid that all my designs would be too similar. Krista Pancone, a fellow GPA at HoneyRock, designed the Cross/sunrise window. Kimmy Tolbert, a recent graduate of Wheaton's Art program, designed most of the three piece window, that seeks to illustrate Christ at work in the scenery of HoneyRock.

Step 1: Designing the Windows
I needed a piece of posterboard at least 28x40 to fill the space of the window, and larger to be able to fasten them to the window frame. The largest posterboard I could find was 22x28 so I had to resort to gluing to pieces together. This meant I had to have a 2-3" section in the middle of each window that could not be cut out. This meant that some of my designs had to be altered to fit the new panes. I sketched a few designs in a sketchbook, and settled on two final designs to begin work on. Later Krista designed hers, and Kimmy and I put a few hours into designing the three piece window. All designs were then transferred to the posterboard. It is important in the design process to look at how Stained Glass widows are constructed, and how your piece will work structurally. Large sections of tissue paper will have little structural integrity, and may rip before even hung. If in doubt, add more lines.

Step 2: Cutting the Design Out
For this step I would suggest using an X-acto knife for cutting out the pieces. I did not have one, and used a utility knife. Be very careful, and approach this task slowly, as more can always be cut away, but you can never add more material back once its been cut. During this process I often added more lines in areas where there were large pieces of tissue paper. Its also wise to either have a reversible design, or draw a mirrored design on the back of the posterboard, so you can just flip it over after your done. Both designs I made with letters, were made on the front of the posterboard and later the lines had to be erased.

Step 3: Attaching the Tissue Paper
The method I found to work the best was to put the paper in the hole it was to fill, and lightly trace the outline. I would then cut around this leaving a quarter to half inch to glue. Then I would use Mod Podge to glue the paper to the posterboard. Designs with straight lines made this step much easier. Keep this in consideration when designing.

Developing a Prayer Room II: Building a Prayer Kneeler

2009-06-16T08:51:00.006-05:00

So one of the first ideas to be implemented in the prayer room was to build the prayer kneeler. I decided on a simple shaker or early American style for the design. The kneeler is a simple construction, and was based on a few pictures I found online. It is simply a large box for the base, two sides, a top, and a shelf. If one were to attempt this project I would suggest the use of 1x8s. The lumber we used was milled here on site, and added much time to the project. I would plan three days to tackle this project, but it may take more or less depending on skill level, amount of detail, and wood selected. Ours took three days, but the majority of the first day was spent preparing the rough cut lumber.

Step 1. Create a Design
Our kneeler design was simple to not be a distraction. It was also crafted from wood from the camp, pine, to fit with the aesthetic of a Northwoods cabin. We looked online and found a few designs, and decided on a basic design. We then went to our back to our prayer room, and measured the area so the kneeler would both fit and fill the space. We fist designed the kneeler to be longer, so it would fill the entire space from the wall to the fireplace. This was later cut down as the kneeler looked to fit about three people, and I thought that would fight against the intimate feeling we were trying to create. Depth was based on what felt comfortable for an average height college student. (We brought in a few to get feedback.) Height was based on the window directly above the kneeler where the stained glass would be installed.

Step 2. Material Selection and Preparation
We decided to use on site materials both for aesthetics and price. I had no budget for the room, and tried to use as many recycled or on-site items as possible. One resource I did have was a large amount of lumber we had milled in the winter, and some lefter over half logs from some cabins I had built. These milled pieces we used were actually the pieces we had thrown away when milling, because they were barked or too short. This added much more time to the project than I had anticipated, but there's no satisfaction like building a project from a tree you cut down and milled.

Step 3. Construction
The base was built first, and dry assembled. Then we cut the sides, and checked the height. It was at this time that we decided to cut down the width of the project. After feeling satisfactory about the dimensions of the kneeler, we began sanding and assembling. The we began on the two half logs which compose the top, and the art on which one rests their knees. The logs were planed to an agreeable thickness, and we ripped the bottom log. The the bottom box was notched with a band saw to accommodate the log. The top log was attached with screws toe-nailed through attached 2x4 scraps. I would suggest an L-bracket for this job, but gain we decided to use what we had on sight. Lastly a shelf was cut and screwed on, and the back fitted with 1/8" plywood. We disassembled the piece and finished sanding, and the stained it with a penetrating natural stain.

Developing a Prayer Room

2009-06-15T20:13:00.002-05:00

So my job position is worship coordinator at HoneyRock camp. HoneyRock is a Christian camp owned by Wheaton College, and the sumer staff is almost exclusively Wheaton College students. So the last two weeks I have been developing a prayer room for the camp. This room is to be a place where camp counselors and other staff can escape to a sacred space to pray and study scripture. I first began by talking to others around camp to find out what their spiritual needs were, and if we even needed the room. I then began to tailor the room around the responses. One thing I found was that while HoneyRock is designed to be "A Place Apart" it is often a place with busy hectic schedules. I also found since most people live in cabins with many other people, the have to place of privacy, and often find themselves surrounded by distractions.

I decided to try and make the room as free as distractions as possible, while giving it a sense of sacredness, without other wordliness, all the while trying to make it a slow, relaxing atmosphere. I began by cleaning the room and rearranging the furniture, to make it less of a makeout spot, as I had heard the room had been lately. After cleaning out one corner with a solitary window, my friend Richard (who was visiting for the week)and I decided to build a prayer kneeler facing the window, and faux stain glass the windows. For the bench we decided to make a simple, but meaningful construction. The kneeler was constructed mainly of timber that I had milled here at he camp this past weekend, along with two logs that were left over from a newly constructed cabin at the camp. I will write a separate blog about the construction of the kneeler, for anyone interested in building their own.

The stain glass window idea, was to help minimize distractions outside the window, while adding to the overall aesthetic of the room, and helping to create a sense of sacredness to the windows. For three of the windows I created a more protestant use of Christian symbols, and the other three windows were a representation of Christ in the environment we are in at camp. I will also have a seprate post of the windows and pictures, and give details on how to create your own.

Finally the room was given a couple of candles, bible verses and historic prayers were hung on the walls, and some other visual elements were added.

More to Come

2009-06-14T20:41:00.001-05:00

After quite a hiatus, I'll be returning, starting tomorrow. I will start posting about creative worship ideas, and a few other things I've been working on.

Yarn Bombing

2009-04-21T08:41:00.004-05:00

Yeah, you read the title correctly. Tired of seeing the same graffiti covering lampposts, trains, and buildings, then check out the newest form of graffiti I know, yarn bombing. Yarn bombing, also known as "knit graffiti", or "guerrilla knitting", began appearing online a few years ago and is now going global. Sound to strange too be true? Well check out the follwoing blogs which chronicle the work of yarn bombers:
outdoorknit
yarnbombing
knitta please
covered in knit

Knitta Please has the following on their "about" page

Knitta began in August 2005, when the soon-to-be-Knittas were discussing their frustration over unfinished knitting projects: half-knitted sweaters and balls of yarn gathering dust. That afternoon, they knit their first door handle. Then it dawned on them… a tag crew of knitters, bombing the inner city with vibrant, stitched works of art, wrapped around everything from beer bottles on easy nights to public monuments and utility poles on more ambitious outings. With a mix of clandestine moves and gangsta rap — Knitta was born! Today, Knitta is a group of ladies of all ages, nationalities, and… gender.

While Knitta does tag car antennas and light poles, they, like the Johnny Cash song, have been everywhere. Tags from MOntreal to Paris, Seattle to the Great Wall of China, these ladies are leaving a unique mark in the society the touch.

Same may see this as just another form of vandalism, but theres something much less hurtful about finding your car wrapped in a knitted yarn than covered in spray paint, after all all you need to do is take a pair of scissors to it if you want to get rid of it. What I'm mystified about is how they knit so quickly! Seriously, can you imagine a few female hipsters frantically spinning their web of yarn around a light pole?

The Man In Black

2009-02-27T10:30:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Johnny Cash's Birthday. He would have been 77 years old. Johnny Cash was a man whom I never met, but shaped my life deeply. His autobiography Cash was definitely in the top three books I've ever read. I can't imagine any autobiography meaning more. I still remember the day he died, my freshman year of college. Yes, I wept that day. Even though I had never met John, I felt as I had lost a dear friend.

Cash's story has always touched me. He retells so much of his past in his book. He is not ashamed to say who he was and what he's been through, yet he would be the last to glorify his sin. Like Johnny, I came from a rural background with not much money, we may not have been cotton farmers, but I always felt connected to his stories. My father was a hard working blue collar man as well as Cash's father. And mine had no time for music, and always told me I would just grow out of wanting to play guitar. Much like Cash, I've always felt more at home with those who feel like outlaws and the downcast.

Mars Hill offers a video on the life of Johnny Cash

Cash's description of the Nickajack cave story is one that moves me to tears. Hear is a man the world saw as having everything, but he climbs into a whole to die because he feels so far from God. Yet God is not done with him, and loves him. He safefully brings Cash out of the cave, and begins to bring him back to him.

I hear so many stories of people who say they are saved and immediately change, giving up alcohol, drugs, sexual addictions, etc. These stories never do much for me. They seem so fake. My change has never been so easy, its been a long struggle of fighting against God, and Him bringing me back and showing me grace. Perhaps thats why I connect with Cash so much. He never says it was easy or instant. He fought God for a long time, and even when he surrendered it was a messy, bumpy road.

Russel Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote a moving article about the life of Johnny Cash, and the infatuation of young people with cash's life and music. I encourage you to read the whole article, its quite short.

Johnny Cash is dead, and there will never be another. But all around us there are empires of dirt, and billions of self-styled emperors marching toward judgment.

Perhaps if Christian churches modeled themselves more after Johnny Cash, and less after perky Christian celebrities such as Kathy Lee Gifford, we might find ourselves resonating more with the MTV generation. Maybe if we stopped trying to be “cool,” and stopped hiring youth ministers who are little more than goateed game-show hosts, we might find a way to connect with a generation that understands pain and death more than we think.

Perhaps if we paid more attention to the dark side of life, a dark side addressed in divine revelation, we might find ourselves appealing to men and women in black. We might connect with men and women who know what it’s like to feel like fugitives from justice, even if they’ve never been to jail. We might offer them an authentic warning about what will happen when the Man comes around.

And, as we do this, we just might hear somewhere up in the cloud of witnesses a voice that once cried in the wilderness: “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”

Special thanks to Justin Taylor for pointing me toward the Moore article and Mars Hill video.

Win a Calfskin ESV Study Bible?

2009-02-24T18:36:00.003-06:00

You heard me right. You know you've been thinking about getting an ESV study Bible, and even if you've already sprung for one, you probably didn't get the genuine calfskin version. A Boomer in the Pew wants to give you a free Calfskin Study Bible. Make sure you check out his blog to see how you can win it.

By the way, speaking of free, I received my free copy of Tabletalk today that I won through Challies.com. So it is possible to win something cool through these blog giveaways. Check out Challies site as he often has free giveaways on Fridays.

Is Mark Driscoll Pornifying the Church?

2009-02-22T13:12:00.002-06:00

After the Baptist Press Article and the commentary that insued it seemed to me the opponents of Mark Driscoll say he uses crude language, is trying to be like the world, and is pornifying the church. I feel that many of Mark's critics still have not actually listened to his sermons, and do not present his answers to his members questions on sexuality in context. So you may see Mark answer one of his members questions on sexuality, I've provided the link to a video of Mark answering on young congregants question on if she should be mad at her boyfriend that went to a strip club in Vegas for a bachelor party. Take a look here for yourself, and see how Driscoll and his wife respond.

Opportunity of a Lifetime

2009-02-19T16:43:00.004-06:00

From the Desiring God Blog

This is the opportunity of a lifetime. I mean that. Don Carson, one of the most respected, faithful, competent, compelling, and understandable biblical scholars in the world will do what he has never done before and will probably never do again.

At the north campus of Bethlehem Baptist Church, over the next two weekends, starting at 6:30 P. M. Friday, February 20, Dr. Carson will lead a free 12 hour seminar that takes you through the whole Bible and puts the whole great story together.

If you are in or near the Twin Cities I encourage you to come. I promise you, you will never read the Bible the same after seeing how it all fits together with Dr. Carson’s help.

Ask your non-Christian friends if they would like to hear one of the world’s most renowned biblical scholars give them an overview of the bible and what Christianity really is. They are really welcome to come. Dr. Carson will speak at a level they can understand.

What an amazing gift this is to the Twin Cities and to any who would come. Pray for Dr. Carson. This is a huge undertaking. And we reap the work of decades. You can read more details.

Driscoll on CNN with DL Hughley

2009-02-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

Mark Driscoll, while being hammered by Baptists Press for his use of "Vulgarity" was shown on CNN with DL Hughley. The segment is short, and Mark doesn't get to share as much about Christ as I'm sure he would have liked. but he is able to
1. Share the importance of sex within marriage
2. Tell DL that pornography is not God honoring
3. Explain how and why he discusses sex with his congregants
4. Use scripture to answer Hughley's question
5. Get the chance to respond to Ingrid's comment on Driscoll
6. Begin to explain the Gopsel to DL

While Mark's response to DL's last question could have been expounded more than "Dig Jesus" I think that is because of time constraints. I do wonder how much CNN edited the video for time, and what else Mark shared with DL. I cant help but think at the end of the day DL walked away with a new respect for Driscoll and his church.

More on BP and Driscoll

2009-02-17T10:16:00.002-06:00

Ed Setzer responds to the Article on his blog.
Some of what Ed says:

Southeastern has commented because Mark spoke at Southeastern last week. The usual folks have complained about his presence, but I agree with Johnny Hunt, our SBC President on the issue. Johnny and I discussed this on Tuesday-- and he was a bit surprised (and concerned) of the complaints leveled at Southeastern. To quote Johnny, "It's a seminary! We often bring in people even when we disagree with some things."

And, yes, some people won't like frank talk about sexuality (or they will think it is too frank). And for them, that in itself is sinful. And that is a fair conversation.

However, I think frank talk on sexuality is essential. I am not going to defend everything Mark says about it, or how he says it, but I definitely believe most of our churches need to teach more on the subject.

Mark Driscoll is a friend who labors for the glory of God, the health of the church, and the redemption of the world. I am grateful for my brother, and am praying for his continued usefulness for the Kingdom of God today.

One post script:

A LifeWay employee is mentioned in one of the articles. I work at LifeWay, I think it is important to note that Bret Robbe (quoted in the one article) was commenting on handling delicate subjects. He was not commenting on Mark Driscoll. And, his comments are right on. Thanks, Bret.

SouthEastern have written about there view on the article here.

Alvin Reid weighs in on the matter.

And Baptist 21 gives thoughts on the generational gap within the SBC.

The Baptist Press Reveals More Shoddy Journalism

2009-02-15T09:00:00.001-06:00

Baptist Press, have furthered the riff between the SBC and Acts 29. Rather than focusing on reaching people for Christ the SBC continues to cause discord with one of the fastest growing, theologically sound Church planting groups, Acts 29 which was co-founded by Mark Driscoll. Driscoll, his church in Seattle, and Acts 29 have often been the target of insults from different branches of Southern Baptist, but this article is just plain shoddy journalism. BP does not offer any quotes from Driscoll himself, nor does it mention the Acts 29 bootcamp in Raleigh, NC this last week where Driscoll partnered with the likes of Wayne Grudem and Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Seminary. The article quotes MBC Executive Director, David Tolliver, who previously acted to defund all Acts 29 affiliated church plants in Missouri, as a shot to kill them in their infancy. That decision was largely caused by rash decision making influenced mostly by ignorance of the group, confusing Acts 29 with the emerging church movement, and the direction of Roger Moran.
Acts 29 has responded, and have shown maturity and humility by trying to move past the article. Pastor Scott Thomas, Director of Acts 29 Network, responded on the Acts 29 blog with this comment.

"But, I am calling for all of us to ignore the innocuous criticisms and get back on the front lines of presenting the gospel faithfully to those who are desperately in need of redemption. The sniping of one publication has hindered our focus on the real enemy: Sin, Satan and the effects of a fallen humanity.

A movement does not stop to address every critic. It moves on in spite of critics and in expectation of critics. I'm bored with it all and my neighbor needs Jesus."

Timmy Brister also responds to the article and offers this viewpoint.

"There are two competing visions for the SBC going on right now: the Great Commission Resurgence under the direction of Danny Akin and David Dockery headquartered at SEBTS, and the Baptist Identity Movement under the direction of Paige Patterson and Malcolm Yarnell headquartered at Southwestern Seminary. Prior to the Annual Meeting in Indy last year, the Baptist Identity boys were blazing the Internet with series of blogposts talking about Baptist distinctives and in particular “ecumenical compromise.” From the Annual Meeting forward, however, the Great Commission Resurgence has won the day, leaving the Baptist Identity crowd in the wake full of a separatistic, landmarkist agenda. Having Driscoll (and Mahaney) who do not share the same ecclesiology and distinctives lead Patterson and his camp to consider the actions of Akin and SEBTS as Baptist compromisers. The BP article on Driscoll is an indication, in my mind, of an attempt to discredit the leadership of Akin and undermine the Great Commission Resurgence movement in the SBC. Fortunately, most Southern Baptists are not buying it."

A response from SEBTS can be found here.

An Exposistion of Matthew 5: 13-16

2009-02-14T09:00:00.002-06:00

¹³"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

In the last few days we've covered the Beatitudes. Here Jesus moves to his next point built off what he said in the previous twelve verses. In the beatitudes, or the norms of the kingdom as D.A. carson refers to them, Jesus explains the marks of a godly life. Here he moves a step forward. You see it is impossible to live the norms in a purely private way. The righteousness of the Christian life will attract attention, which will largely take the form of opposition. Jesus addresses this issue in the last beatitude and expounds upon with the illustration of salt and light.

Verse 13:"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet."

In the ancient world salt was used as a preservative. Jesus is saying apart from the presence of his disciples the world turns ever more rotten. So as the followers of Jesus become more like him and gain the attributes described in the beatitudes, they will become the salt which stops the deterioration of the world they live in.

As for losing saltiness, the purpose of salt is to stop deterioration, therefore it must not itself deteriorate. If it does so, it no longer has a purpose, and it good only to be trampled on under foot.

Verses 14-16: ¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Heres Jesus reiterates his point with another illustration. Because we live in a world constantly connected to electricity, it is hard for most Americans to imagine true darkness. Unless you live in a secluded rural setting or have been camping far from civilization, you may never have experienced total darkness before. If you've ever been camping out hundreds of miles from civilization you will understand complete darkness. A city even a hundred miles away can alleviate the darkness. Its light bounces off clouds and water, and can bring at least some light to the area. This is how light works. A good light does not have to make everything like day, but it can shed enough light that darkness does not completely take over.

The listeners to Jesus sermon would have instantly known the sheer terror that can accompany complete darkness, and the value of light. Light was so important, they could not have imagined someone wanting to extinguish even a small flickering oil lamp.

Many have used these verses to justify wearing Christian T-shirts and putting "Are you following Jesus this close?" bumper stickers on their car. I think they miss the point of this passage by not reading it in context. Jesus is not saying, "If you do not go out and hand out tracts then your light has been hidden." No, rather he is expounding on the beatitudes. The Christian whose life shows the fruit described in the previous twelve verses is salt and light to a dark and decaying world. Look at what Jesus says in verse 16; In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven.

In a world filled with tracts and street evangelism, it is interesting that Jesus says our righteousness, meekness, pureness, etc are what will be our witness to God. Again I think Jesus is putting emphasis on righteousness. To hunger and thirst for righteousness, is to hunger and thirst for God himself. To hunger for God is to be blessed by him, and to be blessed by him is to be a blessing to this world. When we no longer are hungering for God, and turn our attention to the world, we no longer point to God and his glory and grace; that is when we lose our saltiness and hide our light. We then are no longer a blessing to this world.

An Exposition of Matthew 5: 7-12

2009-02-12T10:00:00.000-06:00

7"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Verse Seven: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Some try to use this verse legalistically, to say that the only way to receive mercy from God, is to show mercy to others. Of course, showing mercy to others, in order to receive it yourself, is not showing mercy at all. Rather this verse explains the relationship between the two backwards to that interpretation. The one who receives mercy from God, will show mercy to others. The one who is not merciful, is so unaware of his own sin problem, that he does not realize that he himself needs mercy. The man who thinks he has conquered sin, and no longer sees his own need for the mercy of God, fails to show mercy to other sinners.

Verse Eight: Blessed are the pure in heart

One could never exhaust the magnitude of this verse. We are told elsewhere in Matthew that out of the natural heart “come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.” Matt. 15:19

Our heart naturally wants to do evil, and only through regenerative faith in Jesus Christ may the very core of our being be changed. He slowly changes to no longer want the evil desires of the world, but to be transformed into his heart-state.

Pureness of heart must never be confused with outward conformity to rules, for that can be done by anyone. A true heart change can only be done through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. We cannot ignore the reward of this blessing either, for it is seeing God himself.

Verse 9:Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

The Christians role as peacemaker extends not only spreading the gospel, but to lessening tensions, seeking solutions, and ensuring that communication is understood. The world will easily recognize as the man who holds his temper and tries to get parties to agree as a spiritual man. It is no different for the Christian. He should have control over his life, and be the one to offer peace, since we are imitators of the "Prince of Peace."

The Blessing is magnificent - to be considered a son of God. Not only would the Jews have been amazed that Jesus, who claimed to be the messiah, is calling his followers to be peaceful rather than picking up arms against Rome, but to say they could become "Sons of God" would have utterly flabbergasted them. In Jewish thought, to be a son, wold be to gain the attributes of the father or "partaker in the character of" So essentially Jesus is saying that those who are peacemakers shall gain the attributes of God himself.

Verses 10-12: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I love what DA Carson says about these verses:

"The final beatitude does not say "Blessed are those who are persecuted because they are objectionable, or because they rave like wild-eyed fanatics, or because they pursue some religio-polical cause.' The blessing is restricted to those who suffer persecution because of righteousness."

The reward for be persecuted because of righteousness is the kingdom of heaven. The beatitudes have continued to build up, and with this last one we se that the Christian must also endure persecution because of his righteousness. Righteousness has already been mentioned, but this is a step further than hungering and thirsting for it, this is a righteousness that has changed the Christian's behavior so much that those around him persecute him for it.

An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-6

2009-02-10T11:56:00.005-06:00

1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying: 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

The Kingdom of Heaven…
Matthew, like many Jews of his day, would have refrained from using the word “God” because of the holiness associated with that word. It was not uncommon to adopt euphemisms such as “The Kingdom of Heaven” in place of “The Kingdom of God” in order to not break the third commandment. This Kingdom of Heaven is therefore referring to the Kingdom of God is it is called in the other Gospels.

We know that the Kingdom of Heaven is not only the body of Christian believers, but it also encompasses all things in time and space, as nothing is outside of the control of God, yet that is not the Kingdom Christ refers to here. Mark 9:45-47 gives us a glimpse of what must be the Kingdom of God/ Heaven.

And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown intohell.

The Kingdom of Heaven is life itself. To enter the Kingdom is to begin life: eternal life.

“Beatitude” is a transliteration of the Greek word beatus, it is best translated blessed. So in essence we should call these "The Blessings" rather than "The Beatitudes." We see two beatitudes offer the same reward, this is a stylistic device known as “inclusion’ which means everything bracketed in between the two are all under one central theme: the kingdom of God. This is why D.A. Carson refers to the beatitudes as “The Norms of the Kingdom.”

Verse 3: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This idea of being poor in spirit develops from the OT when God’s people were known as “The poor of the Lord.” Some of the various Hebrew words translated as poor can also mean “lowly” or “humble”. This gives us a glimpse into what “poor in spirit” is actually referring to. Poverty of Spirit is the personal acknowledgment of spiritual bankruptcy. It is the conscious confession of unworth before God.

Verse 4: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

This idea of being blessed for mourning seems strange. This however does not mean those who are always upset are blessed, nor does it mean to enter the Kingdom of Heaven one must always be solemn and down in spirit. Rather this mourning is at the personal level of personal sin. The more one is exposed to the holiness of God, the more he is aware of the utter blackness of his own sin.

But the Christian will be comforted. We mourn over sin, but we rejoice in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ which offers the complete and final forgives for our sins.

Verse Five: Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Poverty of spirit has to do with ones personal assessment of himself, where meekness has to do with a relationship with God and men.

Martyn Lloyd Jones says meekness does not mean indolence, flabbiness, niceness or easy to get along with. Those are natural qualities; a dog can be nicer than another dog. Meekness is not something that is naturally attainable; it is only available through the spirit. We may think someone is meek because they are nice to others, but there inner desire may be for selfish gain. Meekness is not weakness. A meek man will die for the truth if necessary. The martyrs were meek, but they were by no means weak. A weak pushover cannot be meek, for meekness involves control over ones self.

Meekness is a controlled desire to see the others interest advance ahead of one’s own. “It is a true view of oneself, expressing itself in attitude and conduct with respect to others. It is my attitude toward myself; and it is an expression of that in my relationship toward others.” – Lloyd-Jones

Verse Six: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Many in our current Christian world do not hunger and thirst for righteousness. They may want to know how to live a purpose driven life or how to live their best life now. Many want to know the most effective way to evangelize or what worship style is best. And many more jump from church to church, conference to conference wanting to experience some kind of spiritual high, but few thirst for righteousness. The man who is marked by poverty of spirit, who grieves over personal sin, and who lives in meekness, must also hunger and thirst for righteousness. It is not that the man, is looking for the next step for becoming a better Christian, but the change in his life from living like Christ has produced a hunger for righteousness, that he cannot imagine living without. This is the man who is not just sorry he got caught sinning, but whose sin utterly breaks his heart, and is begging God to help him conquer his sin.

Martyn Lloyd Jones states: "I do not know a better test that anyone can apply to himself or herself in this whole matter of the Christian profession than a verse like this. If this verse is to you one of the most blessed statements of the whole of scripture, you can be quite certain you are a Christian; if it is not, than you had better examine the foundations again.”

Can Communion be observed outside the local church setting?

2009-01-26T16:32:00.006-06:00

I've accepted the position of Worship Coordinator at Honeyrock camp this summer. My job will entail the organization of all worship services, and maintaining a focus on the spiritual aspect of camp. Honeyrock is an adventure based camp, with not a lot of formal curriculum, so it will be my responsibility to keep the summer staff and campers focused on prayer, worship, and God himself.

As part of that unique position, I've been looking into how to have meaningful worship services for the 100 plus staff for the summer. Most of the staff will be here 4 months with no chance to go to church. So for many the weekly worship service will be the only worship service they attend all summer. So I'm pondering how to I create authentic and Biblical worship services for this group of young Christians in this unique situation? I've talked with the camp director about some of the ways they've previously addressed this problem, and am stuck. Should a temporary community of Believer's, worship in the same way as an established church? In particular, can the share in communion?

I've read arguments on both sides, and have been convinced by neither. I've heard that Acts 27:35 is Paul having communion outside the confines of the local church. I've also heard arguments from those who think only a priest can offer the Eucharist.

Obviously if we were to have communion it would be in the Open Communion ideology. Anyone with an opinion based in scripture is welcome to respond.

President Obama and the use of Media

2009-01-21T13:16:00.004-06:00

Now that Barack Obama has sworn in as president we will get our first glance as to whether his use of alternative media outlets was a ploy for voters or a true attempt to connect to a younger audience and offer transparency. President Obama, more than any other politician I know of made use of sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. One of the most apparent changes in his first 24 hours as president, is the change of whitehouse.gov. A dramatic change from the previous design of the web page took place yesterday which shows the clean design of Obama's campaign sites.

Only time will tell if this trend will continue. Will Obama continue his internet presence, or will the time requirements of the Oval Office slowly strangle them out? Lets hope it will continue, and change will really take place. Now if we could get churches to follow his lead, and get into the 21st century. Wake up and pay attention pastors; younger congregants want transparency and new ways to connect with their leaders.

John Cade has more on this subject at threeparts.com

Surburban Church?

2009-01-08T14:30:00.004-06:00

The following is from Al Mohler's blog.

America is a nation transformed by demographics. Flash back just over a century and a majority of Americans live on farms and in rural settings. Today, a clear majority of Americans live in metropolitan settings. Cities are now surrounded by vast rings of settlements and clusters known as suburbs -- and Hollywood doesn't like it.
Something significant is represented in Hollywood's depiction of the suburbs as soul-killing enclaves of those unwilling to brave the "authentic" culture of the city itself. A current example of Hollywood's antipathy to the suburbs is "Revolutionary Road," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. As Lee Siegel commented in The Wall Street Journal, the film "is the latest entry in a long stream of art that portrays the American suburbs as the physical correlative to spiritual and mental death."

Siegel is right to point to Hollywood's hatred of the suburbs and wonder why it came to become so predictable. In one key paragraph he gets to the heart of the ideological factors in play:

The cultural chasm between liberals and conservatives that first appeared in the '60s was largely one between the city and the suburbs. The liberal "idealism" that had created the catastrophe in Vietnam now got blamed, unfairly or not, for failing economic and social policies. For marginalized conservatives, the suburbs were living refutation of the crumbling ethos that had guided the crime-ridden, decaying urban centers. For embattled liberals, people leaving the cities for safer and cleaner outlying towns were racists and cowards who had no respect for shared public space.

The stereotypical liberal view of the suburbs, formed by intellectuals who saw the city as the engine of social progress, is that the suburbs were artificial enclaves for those who sought refuge from the reality of "authentic" life in the city. The political reality is that the suburbs came to represent a conservative belt around the city, where home ownership and middle-class values served as a check on the more liberal energies of the cities.

But the stereotypes were not always matched by reality. Inner city crime and chaos did push many families into the suburbs, but not all of these were white or wealthy. Increasingly, the suburbs and the cities have come to resemble each other. Many established suburbs have now changed ethnic and racial profiles two or three times since the 1960s.

According to the concentric zone theory of urban development, suburbs will keep pushing outward from the city centers. In the nation's major metropolises, freeways snake for hundreds of cumulative miles. Against the utopian fantasies of many mid-century urban planners, the cities grew out, rather than up. It turned out that most Americans prefer to raise their families in houses rather than in skyscrapers.

The suburbs' rise to dominance also led to big changes in church life. During the last half of the twentieth century, vast inner city church buildings grew empty. The tabernacles of inner city church life became sparsely populated oases in the midst of increasing secularization. Meanwhile, the new phenomenon of the suburban mega-church arose in rings around the city. Massive congregations with expansive facilities came to dot the suburban landscape, along with giant high schools, shopping malls, and other institutions of suburban life.

Now, many of these mega-churches are located in areas experiencing change every bit as radical as what previously characterized the city centers. The shape of suburban America is changing -- and so is the challenge of reaching the millions and millions of Americans who live there.

Interestingly, the cities and the suburbs may be growing more alike in terms of challenges faced by both. The Christian church is responsible for ministry to both the city and the suburbs. For most of the last half-century, evangelicals have been far more successful in reaching suburbanites and less successful in the cities. But the suburbs now face urban issues, and urban areas are dotted with stores and restaurants that once thrived only in suburbia.

Hollywood has to reach back to a 1961 novel to find inspiration for "Revolutionary Road." Evangelical Christians cannot afford to ignore either cities or suburbs -- nor to enter into ideological debates about the virtues of either social setting.

Our task is to bring an authentic Gospel and faithful church life to both suburbs and cities. Our view of both city and suburb may change -- indeed must change -- if we are to be faithful to the call of the Gospel.

My question is what do you think about how churches and cities have changed. I think most of what Mohler said is a clear analysis of how many churches have responded to the suburbanization of America. But is it best? Should churches continually be moving outward with their middle-class white congregations. Calvary Baptist Church in Hannibal, MO comes to mind for me. This church in which I interned while a student at Hannibal LaGrange College, made its start on Hope Street in Hannibal, MO. Then the booming river town was expanding outward, and the new building was built as the congregation poured new blocks after work and on weekends. In the 70's the church moved outward to the new expansion of Hannibal, leaving Hope street which had become known as a rough, black neighborhood. The church has continued to thrive in its new location, but at what cost. What was the understatement to the people of Hope Street?

We could just as easily look at churches like Willow Creek, which have set the standard for suburban, mega-churches. I believe just this past year, Willow Creek themselves released information revealing their anonymous, seeker-sensitive model was not resulting in strong, growing Christians. There are obvious differences in city and suburban church strategies, and which create the strongest, biblical congregations. Later this month I am planning a retreat for a church located in downtown Chicago, which draws its congestion from a multitude of suburban areas. The church said the struggle mainly with their congregation only seeing each other on Sunday mornings.

Honestly, I am not a suburban person. I don't want to live at the end of a culdesac, and I hate how all houses in subdivisions work. While I'm not a city person either, I think I'd rather live in a city than in a subdivision. The suburban life to me is the epitome of the sterilization of our culture. We want a house and land, but we don't want the responsibilities of living in the country. Who wants an acre of land when you have to have a septic tank? Of course I work at a camp which sole purpose is to get suburban kids out into nature, sometimes for the first time in their life, so I may be a bit biased, but I just don't buy into the suburban lifestyle. I will continue to support churches that plant into the cities, where other churches have uprooted and made the great, white flight.

Reading List for 2009

2009-01-03T10:46:00.004-06:00

With my winter camp role in full swing, I'm now putting in 60-70 hour weeks, so little time has been left to devote to this blog. I do however have an update for today. I don't do New Year's resolutions, but I have come up with a list of books I would like to read in 2009. I have all the books except the ones hyperlinked to their respective Amazon pages. (Just in case someone is feeling generous.) If you have anything you would like to share about the listed books, or have any other must reads, feel free to comment.

DA Carson - Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Phillipians
DA Carson - Exegetical Fallacies
Charles Colson - The Body
Mark Dever - What is a Healthy Church
John Glynn - Commentary and Reference Survey
Wayne Grudem - Systematic Theology
Timothy Keller - Prodigal God
Timothy Keller - Reason for God
Martyn Loyd-Jones - Life in God
John MacArthur - Our Sufficiency in Christ
John MacArthur - The Gospel of Jesus
Calvin Miller - Life is Mostly Edges
Dave Peterson - Engaging With God: A Biblical Theology of Worship
John Piper - Spectacular Sins
John Piper - This Momentary Marriage
Robert B. Selph - Southern Baptists and the Doctrine of Election
RC Sproul - Holiness of God
Alexander Strauch - Biblical Eldership
AW Tozer - That Incredible Christian
Roy B. Zuch - Vital Christology Issues

Jesus is not your Girlfriend

2008-12-14T21:46:00.002-06:00

Jonathan Dodson at Resurgence offers a great post about why many songs about God's love miss the mark.

So many of the songs about God’s love currently being written and sung are cheap. They are mushy with no substance. Like milk-bloated cereal, they drip with emotion but fall flat on substance. Such cheap love songs act like God is our cosmic girlfriend.

God is not a girlfriend; God is God.

Cheap love songs typically talk about how great God’s love is for us. They fail to consider how God’s great love becomes great for us. Biblically, we know no great Godly love apart from an angry God. If God was not angry, he would be a bad lover. If he didn’t grow wrathful over idolatry, murder, lying, jealousy, gossip, and sleeping around, then his love would be cheap.

But God stands up for himself, for his infinite glory and beauty, and says, “I will not be abused. Those who treat me poorly must suffer the consequences of failing to honor the God who is infinitely honorable.” And so he pours out his righteous wrath and anger by putting to death his enemies or by putting to death his own Son.

Because God is angry and just, his love is deeper than we will ever fully comprehend.

In order to understand God’s love, we must understand his anger. God’s anger inevitably leads us to the cross, where justice and mercy meet in perfect, soul-wrenching, Christ-crushing, sin-forgiving, life-giving, love-flowing harmony. For those that hope in Jesus, the anger of God against our unrighteousness is mercifully diverted from us onto His beloved Son. As a result, God preserves and promotes his justice and humanity’s joy where anger and love converge—at the cross.

The purpose of God’s anger is to display the depth and character of his eternal justice and his love for us. When we understand that God’s love is God’s because of his justice and anger, only then can we begin to comprehend how great a love he has for us.

So how do we write worship songs that speak of God’s great love, not cheap love? Three suggestions:

Contrast God’s great love with his great wrath. The more we see God’s just wrath, the more we see how great his love is to save us (“a wretch like me”).
Show how God’s love is ours in the death of his Son. Text after biblical text ties God’s unfailing love to the sacrifice of his Son.
Articulate the greatness of God’s love alongside the magnitude of his glory. Reveal that God’s love is just one aspect of God’s many-splendored glory.

Quick Update

2008-12-12T10:55:00.002-06:00

I know I haven't posted much this week. I'm currently in full swing of training for my role as Graduate Program Assistantship at HoneyRock camp. The program starts students in the Wheaton grad program while working at HoneyRock for 9 months. This winter I will be leading broomball and hosting church groups that use Honeyrock's facilities for winter retreats. Today I'm traveling down to the Wheaton campus, and will be there this weekend for "Roundup." Hopefully by Sunday I can get a new post up.

Bush Shares His True Religious Views

2008-12-09T15:04:00.008-06:00

President George Bush, since he no longer has to worry about those troublesome voters, has no qualms about showing his true colors concerning religion. Below are some quotes from an article from an interview with ABC. The article either makes me feel that Bush is not a Christian, but a dirty politician who used Christianity to get elected, or a man who has a very poor understanding of what Christianity is.

When asked if the Bible can be taken literal.

"You know. Probably not. ... No, I'm not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it, but I do think that the New Testament for example is ... has got ... You know, the important lesson is 'God sent a son,"' Bush said.

"It is hard for me to justify or prove the mystery of the Almighty in my life," he said. "All I can just tell you is that I got back into religion and I quit drinking shortly thereafter and I asked for help. ... I was a one-step program guy."

So he doesn't take the Bible literally, not a big deal right. I've already covered how not all the Bible is to be taken literally. But, surely he understands what Jesus meant when He said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

When asked if he thinks that he prays to the same God as those with different beliefs, Bush said, "I do."
"I do believe there is an Almighty that is broad and big enough and loving enough that can encompass a lot of people," Bush said, but he drew a distinction when it comes to those who perpetrate terror."
"I think anyone who murders to achieve their religious objective is not a religious person," he said. "They may think they're religious, and they play like they're religious, but I don't think they're religious. They are not praying to the God I pray to ... the god of peace and love."

On the War In Iraq

"You can't look at the decision to go into Iraq apart from, you know, what happened on Sept. 11. It was not a religious decision," he said. "I don't view this as a war of religion. I view this as a war of good, decent people of all faiths against people who murder innocent people to achieve a political objective."

Am I the only one flabbergasted that in the same breath one man can say ""I think anyone who murders to achieve their religious objective is not a religious person," and then say that He is a religious person? So he says that the Iraq war was not a religious decision. Is that what lets him sleep at night, thinking that his decision was based on false information and a personal vendetta to fix his daddies mistake rather than religion? The fact that he is still defending this war shows how completely out of touch he is with the American people.

More commentary on this subject available here:
Contend Earnestly: "Jesus" Isn't Enough

Theology According To Newsweek

2008-12-08T17:01:00.005-06:00

If you haven't already heard Newsweek has decided to let America know what the Bible Really has to say about marriage. I mean they are professional journalists so they should know more about Biblical interpretation and application than seminary trained pastors right. Those who are in support of gay marriage are in shock that the same people who showed up in great numbers to vote for Barack Obama could have voted for heterosexual marriage only. You see the problem with getting all those black and latino voters to the polls was they are religious people. So Newsweek feels it is their responsibility to correct these ignorant religious people on what the Bible really has to say about homosexuality and marriage. So what do they have to say?

Let’s try for a minute to take the religious conservatives at their word and define marriage as the Bible does. Shall we look to Abraham, the great patriarch, who slept with his servant when he discovered his beloved wife Sarah was infertile? Or to Jacob, who fathered children with four different women (two sisters and their servants)? Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon and the kings of Judah and Israel—all these fathers and heroes were polygamists. The New Testament model of marriage is hardly better. Jesus himself was single and preached an indifference to earthly attachments—especially family. The apostle Paul (also single) regarded marriage as an act of last resort for those unable to contain their animal lust. “It is better to marry than to burn with passion,” says the apostle, in one of the most lukewarm endorsements of a treasured institution ever uttered. Would any contemporary heterosexual married couple—who likely woke up on their wedding day harboring some optimistic and newfangled ideas about gender equality and romantic love—turn to the Bible as a how-to script?

Had Lisa Miller, the writer of the article, any real understanding of scripture (or any plan to actually explain it) she would have known the stories of Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon's love lives were there to explain how they were sinners who missed the mark; they are not an instruction manual for marriage. Miller also says "Jesus himself was single and preached an indifference to earthly attachments—especially family." So lets look at Jesus' words on marriage found in the Gospel of Matthew.
And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Seems hardly indifferent to me, but what do I know. Perhaps she confused Jesus stance with Paul's "lukewarm endorsement" of marriage. Paul says

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

Wait, I thought Paul only wanted marriage as a last resort for hornballs who couldn't keep it in their pants. Why then would he associate these people with the relationship between Christ and the Church? Does that mean Paul thinks Christ is like those lesser married people? Or is it perhaps Miller missed, or purposefully excluded, the true feelings of the Biblical authors toward marriage. I suggest if Miller really wants to be religious journalist then she actually get a basic understanding of what she chooses to write about.Perhaps she could start with some lessons in Greek or a Church history class.

Get Religion covered this article much more extensively.

The Importance of Expositional Preaching

2008-12-07T11:19:00.004-06:00

Three months ago I started working at HoneyRock camp in the Northwoods of WI. Working at a Para-church organization is a change for me since I have worked in some capacity in a local church ministry for the last four years. While I love the ministry opportunities, one change I'm having difficulty with is finding a local church. Our search has taken us to many churches in a two hour radius and we still feel very disappointed in what we have found. This has lead to discussion between my wife and I about what in a church can we sacrifice to find a suitable match. We have talked about the importance of expositional preaching, Biblical theology, Biblical worship, evangelism strategy, ministry, and other aspects of the local church. So this week I returned to Mark Dever's Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. After reviewing the nine marks I think these are the core of what we are looking for in a local church body. Today I would like to focus on the importance of expositional preaching.

Expositional Preaching
For those who have never had a pastor who preaches expositionally it may be difficult to understand the importance of a preaching style. I mean after all its enough if the word is being preached, right? So perhaps we should start with the definition of expositional preaching. Expositional preaching is preaching whose object is to expound what is said in a particular passage of scripture, carefully explaining its meaning and applying it to the congregation. Unlike topical or Biographical preaching, expositional preaching offers an explanation and application of a particular portion of God's word.

Expositional preaching starts with a belief in the authority of scripture. Expositional preaching is not so much a style of preaching, but rather a commitment to focus on the very word of God. Many preachers will gladly state that they believe in the authority of scripture, and have a commitment to the words of God, but without preaching expositionally the pastor will never preach more than he already knows. A pastor preaching topically can use passages to support the point of his sermon, and yet never explain the point of the passage. Preaching expositionally means preaching it in context, trying to distinguish the original author's intent. A pastor who does not show this discernment may be trying to insert his own agenda into the sermon, rather than the message of God alone.

Expositional preaching has a long history in the church, and has often been the spring from which new growth has come. Martin Luther's attention to the words of God found in scripture gave birth to the reformation. The scripture being preached is central to worship. When I've found myself in a church service that did not preach the word of God, as I have twice in the last month, I become infuriated at the neglect of forgetting the very word of God when we meet. Preaching is the fundamental component of pastoring, not counseling or worship. The preaching of the word of God will result in worship, we do not need music for that purpose. I encourage all pastors who do not preach expositionally to do so, and encourage all congregants to pray for their pastor to have a healthy view on the authority of scripture.

Two Views on the Theology of Santa Claus

2008-12-06T15:15:00.003-06:00

Why to Believe In Santa Claus

Reformed pastor W.H. Chellis offers an explanation of why he believes in Santa Claus, and how it helps the Christian faith. Basicially Chellis has four main points which are listed below, you can view the whole article here.

I believe in Santa Claus because I affirm the deep truths of Faerie.
I believe in Santa Claus because I affirm the mystical body of Christ.
I believe in Santa Claus because of what he teaches about God.
I believe in Santa Claus because the death of magic is the beginning of unbelief.

Santa Christ?

Sinclair Ferguson offers another idea on the theological implications of Santa Claus and how those get passed along to our view of Jesus Christ. Ferguson's main point seems not to abolish Santa Claus, but for the Christian to not confuse Santa Claus and Jesus Christ. The whole article can be viewed here.

we may denigrate our Lord with a Santa Claus Christology. How sadly common it is for the church to manufacture a Jesus who is a mirror refection of Santa Claus. He becomes Santa Christ.
Santa Christ is sometimes a Pelagian Jesus. Like Santa, he simply asks us whether we have been good. More exactly, since the assumption is that we are all naturally good, Santa Christ asks us whether we have been "good enough." So just as Christmas dinner is simply the better dinner we really deserve, Jesus becomes a kind of added bonus who makes a good life even better. He is not seen as the Savior of helpless sinners.

Or Santa Christ may be a Semi-Pelagian Jesus -- a slightly more sophisticated Jesus who, Santa-like, gives gifts to those who have already done the best they could! Thus, Jesus' hand, like Santa's sack, opens only when we can give an upper-percentile answer to the none-too-weighty probe, "Have you done your best this year?" The only difference from medieval theology here is that we do not use its Latin phraseology: facere quod in se est (to do what one is capable of doing on one's own, or, in common parlance, "Heaven helps those who help themselves").

Then again, Santa Christ may be a mystical Jesus, who, like Santa Claus, is important because of the good experiences we have when we think about him, irrespective of his historical reality. It doesn't really matter whether the story is true or not; the important thing is the spirit of Santa Christ. For that matter, while it would spoil things to tell the children this, everyone can make up his or her own Santa Christ. As long as we have the right spirit of Santa Christ, all is well.

But Jesus is not to be identified with Santa Claus; worldly thinking -- however much it employs Jesus-language--is not to be confused with biblical truth.

Why I Wished I Lived In Seattle

2008-12-05T21:31:00.000-06:00

I wish I could go to this. Its D.A. Carson speaking at Mars Hill, Seattle. How great to sit and listen to such a great theologian. Man I wish I lived in Seattle. Those of you in going, have a great day tomorrow.

Church Sign Theology Thursday

2008-12-04T21:27:00.000-06:00

How do you even begin to deal with the ignorance of this sign? Seriously, talk about a verse taken out of context. Exodus 20 is the ten commandments, with verse three being "You shall have no other gods before me" Obviously another problem is the fact that Obama is not even a Muslim. Sure they could argue, on the authenticity of his faith, but to argue that he is a Muslim just shows ignorance. The biggest problem is the blatant disregard for the scripture used. Ex. 20:3 is not telling a secular nation that if they democratically elect a Muslim, then they have sinned against the Lord. No, rather the text is delivered to the people of Israel as they are in the desert. The ten commandments are instructions for the individual Jew's life on how to honor YHWH. They most definitely were not instructions on how to run a secular nation.

Advent Calenders by Graphic Designers

2008-12-02T09:01:00.004-06:00

Here are a few Advent calenders designed by graphic artists I've found. None are from a Christian perspective, but have 25 days of great graphic designs.

The first is by Rod Barrett

The next is from 383 project.

The last calender is not an online calender, but rather a picture of a real calender. I find this one to be a great design: clean lines, different but complimentary fonts, and a nice warm color scheme. Original found here.

Hows Your Advent Going?

2008-12-01T08:50:00.000-06:00

Kim Riddlebarger offers an interesting take on Advent calenders. You can find more here

Don't forget to wash it all down with a Ten Commandments stein from Cafepress.

6 Literal Day Creation

2008-11-29T19:30:00.004-06:00

picked this up from the blog of Glenn Hendrickson

Like Glenn, I'm not trying to make too much of a statement, but it is a healthy way to step back and look at the situation. Because really when God was creating the universe, what was a "day"?

Man Arrested For Stealing Communion Wafers

2008-11-26T20:23:00.000-06:00

What have we become? This news article retells the story of a man who was arrested for stealing comminion wafers because he was hungry.

JENSEN BEACH, Fla. – Police in said they arrested a Connecticut man after he
tried to steal communion wafers during a church service. The Martin County
Sheriff's Office said 33-year-old John Samuel Ricci, of Canton, was cornered by
fellow churchgoers when he grabbed a handful of wafers from the priest during
communion services Saturday.
The Stuart News reported that Ricci was being
held down by six or seven offended parishioners when deputies arrived at St.
Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Jensen Beach. Police say two parishioners,
ages 82 and 61, received minor injuries in the scuffle.
Ricci was charged
with two counts of simple battery, theft and disruption of a religious assembly.
He was being held Tuesday on $2,000 bond at the Martin County Jail.

I understand the man did not go about getting some food in the proper manner, but is holding down a hungry man, and jailing him on battery, theft and disruption of a religious assembly the best way to share the love of Christ with him? Seriously, what example in scripture could they have used to justify their actions? While Jesus was holding a religious service some men cut a hole in the roof of the building, and dropped a man down the whole, disrupting the service. What was Jesus reaction?

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are
forgiven."

He didn't get angry and start yelling at them for ruining the building. He didn't get mad they they had interrupted his sermon. No, the first thing out of his mouth is "Son your sins are forgiven." Jesus not only doesn't get upset, but he forgives the man of his sins. He then heals the man and sends him on his way. Why then do we think we can live our life so differently than that of Christ, and continue to say we are following his example. What would Christ's response been, had he been present at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church when this happened? I imagine he would have met the mans physical needs with the wafers, told him of bread in which he would never go hungry again, and forgiven the man of his sins. I only hope that these congregants will read the gospels and be convicted of their behavior.

The Importance of Serving Your Wife

2008-11-21T12:04:00.003-06:00

Todays blog is from the Desiring God Blog, It was written by David Mathis

The apostle Peter writes,

Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)

This is strange at first glance. How does caring for your wife connect to having unhindered prayers?

Here’s Wayne Grudem’s challenging commentary:

So concerned is God that Christian husbands live in an understanding and loving way with their wives, that he “interrupts” his relationship with them when they are not doing so. No Christian husband should presume to think that any spiritual good will be accomplished by his life without an effective ministry of prayer. And no husband may expect an effective prayer life unless he lives with his wife “in an understanding way, bestowing honour” on her. To take the time to develop and maintain a good marriage is God’s will; it is serving God; it is a spiritual activity pleasing in his sight.” (1 Peter, 146)

Christian husbands shouldn’t feel that time given to their wives is “time away from the real ministry.” Time invested with our wives is time well spent. It’s God’s will—“a spiritual activity pleasing in his sight.”

So I encourage all who read this blog to spend some extra time with your wife. I know exactly what he means by saying that husbands may "feel that time given to their wives is 'time away from the real ministry.'” Soon after getting married, I started a new ministry and occasionally felt like this. When I became overwhelmed and realized I wasn't accomplishing much actual ministry without her by my side I realized how important this issue was. Remember that your family is your FIRST ministry, that why not having a good family life excludes one from eldership.

Church Sign Theology Thursday #4

2008-11-20T20:54:00.000-06:00

I guess the theology you could pick up from this particular church sign all depends on if you listen to popular radio. If you had never heard of Katy Perry's song you may think kissing a girl will send you to Hell. The sign is obviously making reference to one of 2008 biggest pop songs "I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It." by Katy Perry.

The interesting thing is that Katy claims to be a Christian. She actually got her start in her music career as a Christian musician. Both Perry's parents, Keith and Mary Hudson, work as ministers. Keith is a self proclaimed "prophet/evangelist" and "End Times Messenger." Katy's own mother stated "I can't even listen to that song. The first time I heard it I was in total shock. It promotes homosexuality and its message is shameful and disgusting. When it comes on the radio I bow my head and pray."

What does Katy have to say? From Blender
A total unknown working with the biggest names, Perry must have talent to burn. “No, I’ve just got really big boobs,” she says. “And my sweater gets tighter every week…”

This post isn't about the problems of the pastor who posted the sign, or even of a young girl who seems to have issues with identity and sexual experimentation, but rather on the problems associated with CCM. I honestly think there is an utter breakdown in the Christian music industry. Its like I discussed before, you just can't use Christian as adjective. The hypocrisy and theological error in the Christian music world was so apparent to me as I ran a music venue that regularly had "Christian" artists. Many are young and inexperienced, and they are out on the road with no spiritual leadership. Others get into labeling themselves as a Christian band, just to get easy gigs at Churches and Christian music festivals. Even those that seem very grounded need help. Those kind are often very zealous and harsh in their speaking to non-Christians. I actually had the hardest time with this group. This was the reason we had a no preaching rule, because you had no idea what kind of crazy things these kids would start saying.

Cast The Vision

2008-11-19T19:37:00.004-06:00

So you have a sneaking suspicion that you can see better than your Armenian friends. You may be on to something, you should at least be able to see better than your nonreligious friends. For some reason I don't think this is what my Christian Leadership professor was talking about when He said "Cast the vision." The following is from newscientist.com courtesy of the Riddleblog.

It might be clichéd to say that religious people see the world differently, but new research finds that Dutch Calvinists notice embedded visual patterns quicker than their atheist compatriots.

Culture has long been known to distort visual perception, says Bernhard Hommel, a psychologist at Leiden University in the Netherlands who led the new study.

For example, one previous experiment found that Asians tend to dart their eyes around a photograph, while North Americans fix on specific people.

To see if religious differences might skew perception, Hommel's team tested 40 Dutch atheist and Calvinist university students, who, religion aside, had similar cultural backgrounds.

Looking inwards

On a computer screen, Hommel's team showed participants a large triangle or square made of either smaller triangles or squares. The volunteers had to focus on either the big object or its component shapes, and indicate whether they were square or triangular.

Both groups recognised the large shapes more quickly than small, embedded ones, but the Calvinists picked out the smaller shapes 30 milliseconds faster than atheists, on average - a small, but significant, difference.

This could reflect a greater focus on self than external distractions for Calvinists, says Hommel.

He suggests it may even be a cognitive consequence of their religion and speculates that Calvinists might be more inward looking than atheists because they have lived their whole lives with an emphasis on minding their own business.

In the future, Hommel plans to give the same test to Catholics, as well as Muslims and Jews, but he must first figure out how to eliminate other cultural differences that could mask any insights. "It doesn't make any sense to compare Iranian Muslims with Dutch atheists," he says.

"This is a thought-provoking study," says Ara Norenzayan, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia. "Their finding is consistent with the literature on cross-cultural cognition - that cultural traditions involving independent view of the self, such as Calvinism, encourage a more feature-based processing style."

A Visual Guide to the Financial Crisis

2008-11-17T18:59:00.002-06:00

from blog.mint.com

A great illustration for anyone wondering "What happed to our economy, and why are we paying for it?"

The Question of Biblical Inerrancy

2008-11-16T17:41:00.003-06:00

One of the biggest mistakes I see evangelicals make concerning the Bible is over the issue of inerrancy. Most who make this mistake seem to have no real understanding of what inerrancy means, and the error falls on both sides of the fence. Christian Liberals often make the mistake of assuming the Bible is inerrant on issues like historical facts and other details. Christian Conservatives often make the mistake of assuming every letter of the current English translation they have is the inerrant word or God.

Problems associated with the Conservative Christian's stance.
Most of the conservatives problem centers around a misunderstanding of what inerrancy means. One of the most common misunderstandings is which scripture is inerrant. The conservative will usually interject "All scripture is God-breathed, and free from error!" But what is he really implying. Does he really think that his NIV translation is free from error. If it is, then why is it different from other translations? This is where the only-KJV argument comes in. This die-hard will say that only the "Authorised" King James Bible is the inerrant word of God, and all other English translations are bastardized. Can this really be true? Was the King James Bible really free of error. Study into the King James Bible history will reveal this to be a falsehood. I've already talked about how the KJV translators inserted the idea of the mythical cockatrice into scripture, but there are many other examples. For instance, the regular fundamental Christian will say only the 66 books of the Holy Bible are the inerrant word of God, but the 1611 translation of the KJV included the Apocrypha, and was only taken out more than a century later because of pressure from protestants and the tightening cost of printing Bibles. The fact is only the original autographs, the original letter penned by the Biblical author, is guaranteed to be free from error. There is no Biblical promise that later manuscripts, translations or copies would equally be inerrant or free from error. In fact we know of many copy errors and variant manuscript readings that exist.

Problems associated with the Liberal Christian's stance.
The Liberal Christians belief the Bible is not free from error, usually stems from the previous finding. They are perplexed that if the Bible has variant readings, then how could we possibly consider it inerrant? Again I must remind them that it is the original autographs that were free from error. Yet we can study and apply textual criticism to try to remain as close to the original autographs as possible. I implore those Christians who believe the Bible to includede error to contemplate this quote:

"If Jesus taught biblical inerrancy, either He knew it to be true, or He knew it to be false but catered to the ignorance of his hearers, or He was limited and held to something that was not true but He did not know it." - Harold Lindsell

So, should we view Jesus as all-knowing God, guilty of deception, or having a limited understanding of truth? The only alternative that leaves us with our Christology intact is that Jesus knew the scripture to be inerrant and that His knowledge was correct.

What Does It All Mean?

2008-11-11T18:43:00.006-06:00

I've been made a major focus change in the blog to cover more theology, and to try and weave that with how it fits into our culture and life. I regularly read and submit articles to Digg and Reddit, and have noticed, as anyone else who uses those sites, the number of anti-Christian posts. Of course it comes with the territory, and doesn't bother me much, as I feel most attacks are about stupid things Christian have done. I agree Christians do very stupid things, but I want to focus on how that does not reflect the doctrine of Christianity, but rather problems within the Christian subculture. For instance their are many ignorant Americans, who do stupid things everyday. There are even many political leaders in the United States who seem to lack even a basic understanding of the United States Constitution. I do not feel however, that those people should be a poor reflection on the ideas laid out in the Constitution. Much like I feel ignorant "Christians" should not be used as an example to claim error in Christianity. So I have decided to focus on some basic Hermeneutics, the principles and process of Biblical Interpretation, for the next few days. I feel most peoples problem with Christianity stems from an incomplete understanding of the Bible, so I want to share the correct way to study and interpret scripture.

To start I want to focus on one of the biggest problems I have with many Evangelicals. Many evangelicals say "I take the Bible Literally." To that I say "As apposed to what?" By saying one takes the Bible literally, they are actually saying "Others don't take the Bible literally, and they are wrong." So what do they mean by not taking it literally?

There are three ways scripture can be interpreted

Literal
Figurative
Symbolic

These three ways are not an all or nothing way of interpreting scripture, but rather all three must be used for different parts of scripture. For instance When Jesus said "Take and Eat; this is my body." did he mean for his disciples to be cannibals? Of course not, and this even has to be explained later, because some people did take it literally. It should be taken figuratively. What about Revelation 12:1 "And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." Should we then take this passage to mean there will be a women literally clothed with the sun, standing on the moon, and flaming balls of gas on her head? NO! This is an example of symbolic language.

Many of the examples that I come into contact of scripture that must prove the Bible is irrelevant to today fits into this example. It is figurative of symbolic literature, that someone took literal. There are more complex issues on which type of literature certain passages are, such as the creation account in Genesis. There are so many Christians who are afraid of science because it seems to conflict this creation account. I'm not going to say one way or the other, but Christianity does not rest upon if the creation account was a literal six day period.

(BTW, If you are propagating things like this Coloring book,
please READ A BIBLE.")

Is it impossible to live like the Bible says?

2008-11-08T15:46:00.003-06:00

A.J. Jacobs spent an entire year trying to follow the 600 laws found in the Old Testament, and has concluded that it is impossible. Thats the whole point of this article and Jacobs book "The Year of Living Biblically", though it should be called "The Year of Living Torashly." You see agnostic writer for Esquire, A.J. Jacobs, decided to live by the Old Testament laws for a year. This is not living "Biblically" since it only includes half of the Bible. That would be like saying you are a Supreme Court Judge, but only follow the Bill of Rights, and throw away the Constitution. It can also not be said that he was trying to live as a Jew, because he did not follow the interpretion of the Law as found in the Talmud and Midrash. The book is written as comedy and seems light-hearted. Jacobs comes to the following conclusion:

Well, shouldn't we just act that way spontaneously, anyway? "It's a lot easier to do good if you put your faith in a book that requires you to do good," muses Jacobs, intriguingly linking that faith to the book rather than to its alleged author.
"How can these ethically advanced rules and these bizarre decrees be found in the same book?" he wonders. "And not just the same book. Sometimes the same page. The prohibition against mixing wool and linen comes right after the command to love your neighbor. It's not like the Bible has a section called 'And Now for Some Crazy Laws.' They're all jumbled up like a chopped salad."

I can't help bu think that if Jacobs had focused on both the Old and New Testament, he may have had a different revelation. A year of following the OT Law can make one a better person, it can keep you from lying, killing, and stealing, but it will likely leave you feeling like an utter failure and disillusioned. You see the whole point of the Old Testament is to show God's standard, and how humans cannot achieve that standard. If Jacobs had included the New Testament he likely would have noticed Jesus departure from these traditions, even though he makes many of them harder to follow. The Bible shows us the unreachable standard of God, but shows us the grace shown to humankind through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The justification of the sacrifice of Jesus pays for the sins of man. The very definition of the Hebrew word we call "sin" shows the point of the OT, it means "to miss the mark."

Jacobs also seems to not make up his mind as to how he want to go about his social experiment. At first he sticks to following the 600+ laws of the OT, but later he begins to add some Christian influence minus Christian scripture. He attends Jerry Falwell's church, visits a creationist museum, and a gay/Christian group among other various organizations. I'm confused on why he would add these fundamentalist Christian group into his seemingly Jewish experiment, save for their humor aspect. Obviously this is his point, and he's really not striving to live out the scripture as laid out in its original context, but to produce a humorous book which he can sell great quantities. I say had he been more consistent in his experiment, it would make a better read.

Pro-life, What does it really mean?

2008-11-07T16:52:00.007-06:00

The pro-life argument is one that drives many elections. This previous election was obviously not immune to that argument. Many politicians use the pro-life stance to get the conservative, Christian vote, and many churches push pro-life as the defining issue in elections. But what is pro-life really? Does that stance really mean one is for all life, or just for the life of unborn babies. Does that then mean that our fight for the life of people should end at birth. This seems to be a big difference between conservatives and liberals. Conservatives say life begins at conception and ends at birth, liberals say life doesn't begin until birth, but continues through ones entire life.

We need to embrace both parts of this.
I agree that life begins at conception, but we need to fight for the lives of all people, even after they are born. So what does this look like? I think it means supporting groups like Charity Water that build clean water wells, and groups like Compassion International and Samaritans Purse. I think it also means not supporting war or terrorism. The killing and suppresion of people is always just that. If we are pro-life, then how can we be pro-war?

So should we support pro-life candidates?
My friend Sam said

How does one hold fast their convictions? Well, for me as an individual with a “pro-life” conviction, I held to my convictions by 1) not having an abortion, which is not hard for a guy, and 2) voting for “pro-life” candidates. I never picketed an abortion clinic or handed out pro-life literature or went to any kind of “pro-life” rally. So basically, I voted.

I too have voted pro-life, not in this election because I abstained from voting, but thats a different story. I have become frustrated with pro-life candidates though. While I know that there has been legislation passed to limit abortions, I feel ripped off by these candidates. It seems every time they promise, if elected, that abortion will become illegal. So we elect these people for this sole reason, while all the time our government is turning to pot. Instead of focusing on issues that may actually be changed in our government, the republicans side track us with this issue.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

Sam also said

But after further reflection I came to two conclusions: 1) while President-elect Obama wouldn’t be doing anything to decrease the number of abortions in our country, he isn’t exactly forcing ladies into having abortions and 2) the best way to serve the unborn is by putting my money where my mouth is (and my time) and serving moms with unplanned pregnancies rather than simply trying to legislate against their “choices”.

And this is where I encourage you to support your pro-life stance. Like he said, put you money where you mouth is, get in the trenches, and instead of picketing abortion clinics show love and support to scared pregnant women. This is what I feel Christ would do. He would show love to the weak and struggling; help them carry their burdens. I posted this after the election because I didn't want to get too political, but focus on how we should live our values. If your are pro-life, think about how that affects your whole life, not just election day.

Churches turned into inter-faith centers in UK

2008-11-04T18:31:00.005-06:00

As churches in England continue to dwindle in their numbers, many churches are abandoned or listed on the market. Many are seeking to use these buildings now for secular purposes. I must say its a sad turn of events. I'm not against turning unused churches into community buildings or business, but it is disturbing to see a building once used to glorify God be changed into a "space for inter-faith learning" I do think they would be great libraries or concert halls, and if used to help build communities, we can hardly protest them being used rather than sit vacant. Still we can always hope for something better, right?

Here is the original article.

Mr Burnham said while it was important to preserve the architectural beauty of some of the churches, many of which have listed status, they may serve the community better by becoming secular.

His comments follow his suggestion earlier this month that libraries could benefit from being modernised with coffee bars and abolishing the silence rule.

Mr Burnham said if the UK could not preserve its churches: "We need to find new purposes with the support of the local community and we need to increase secular interest in our church heritage."

He used the example of the recent multi-million pound renovation of All Souls Church in Bolton, an Anglican church which has "found a new multi-faith, multi-racial community to serve."

He added: "My department worked with The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) to save All Souls.

"The CCT came up with a brilliant solution. The community did not need a museum piece but they did need somewhere to meet. They needed a gym, a health centre, space for community education and space for inter-faith learning."

He also used an example of a former church, St Peter's in Liverpool, which had been turned into a themed restaurant and bar called Alma De Cuba in 2005.

"My mum said the last time she set foot in the building was 40 years ago for confession," he said, adding "Not everyone will be happy with that transformation. Part of me was uneasy but to her credit, my mum, a good Scouse Catholic, shrugged and raised a glass."

A Church of England spokesman said Mr Burnham's suggestion would only apply to a minority of its 10,000 churches now deemed redundant - about 30 a year.

Jesus Wants His Name Off Your Car

2008-11-02T20:46:00.006-06:00

Man, this car astounds me. I can not begin to explain how much I loathe "Christian" bumper stickers. Seriously, whats the purpose? Do the drivers of these cars really think people are going to pull up next to them at a stop light and ask them how to receive eternal life? Certainly people aren't going to be swayed to the gospel by being cutoff by someone in a car covered with Christian and Republican stickers. Perhaps they'll see you pulled over on the side of the road and think you are witnessing to a police officer. I think its funny that the person has a sticker that says "Obama does not support our flag" and another that says "America bless God" superimposed over an upside down flag. Doesn't seem like they're supporting the flag either, but I guess they're exempt since their middle name isn't Hussein. By the way, I would tell this person, while the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, it is not the summation of knowledge. Perhaps its time to put away the Zionist literature and Chic tracks and pick up some works by Luther, Calvin or Spurgeon.

Mythological Creature in Scripture

2008-11-01T10:45:00.005-05:00

The Cockatrice
In yesterday's post I mentioned the cockatrice. I made reference that it was only found in the King James Version and left it at that. The Cockatrice is a mythological creature with the body of a rooster, and the tail of a serpent. The cockatrice was first described late in the twelfth century, based on an entry in Pliny's natural history. It was a duplicate of the basilisk, but with wings, and a bit reversed in the process of how it was formed.

Origin
The question is if the cockatrice wasn't imagined until the 12 century AD, how did it find itself in the stories of Isaiah and Jeremiah written thousands of years before. It is most likely that the writers of the King James Bible got the idea from the LXX, which translates the Hebrew word צפﬠוני as basiliskos. The Hebrew word צפﬠוני, according to Holladay's Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon refers to a poisonous snake or an Aegean viper. The Greek word basiliskos likely also refers to a poisonous snake rather than the basilisk of the middle ages. This is where it is easy to see how the writes of the King James Bible made their mistake in the 17th century. They followed the trend set by John Wyclif, who had translated from the LXX and called the created a basilisk.

Translation
It is interesting to note the word צפﬠ, most commonly used in its form צפﬠוני, is used five times in the Hebrew text Isaiah 14:29, 11:8, 59:5, Jeremiah 8:17, and Psalm 23:32. The word is translated "cockatrice" 4 times in the KJV, but in Psalm 23:32 it is translated as "adder." So even the KJV translators were not consistent in their translation of the term.

The ESV translates the term as adder in all cases, and the NIV translates it as viper. The original term therefor meant a poisonous snake, the KJV writers were confused by a similar term in their day which referred to a mythological creature, and newer translations such as the ESV and NASB have corrected such error.

The Theology of Monsters

2008-10-31T12:51:00.005-05:00

I was asked to lead a devotional at work for today. Since I work for a Christian camp, and since today is Halloween I decided to base the devotional on a lecture I once heard Dave Petersen of Blaster the Rocketman give. The original lecture was given at Cornerstone 2008, and focused on the theology of monsters as it pertains to the Christian faith. The following is the adaptation I prepared for this morning devotional.

The Theology of Monsters

In Christian literature (The Bible) we see reference to many monsters, as well as implied monsters. How are we supposed to interpret passages which mention strange creatures with the faces of many animals, bodies covered in eyes, or multiple heads and horns?

I. Monster as Something Overwhelming That Man Cannot Control
Many of the references in the Old Testament of physical monsters are used in refence of something that man cannot control. Two of the most often cited are the Leviathan and the Behemoth of Job. God uses both of these animals to show Job how insignificant he is.
some examples:
Leviathan
job41:1
Psalm74:14
104:26
Isaiah 27:1
Sea Monsters
Lam 4:3(KJV)
Malachi 1:3
Behemoth
Job40:15
Satyr
Isaiah 13:2
Cockatrice(KJV)
Jer 8:17
Isaiah
11:8, 14:29, 59:5

II. Monster as a way God Represents Himself
Rev 4:6 starts a description of strange creatures in the heavenly realm. These creatures should be linked with Isaiah's seraphim (Is. 6:3) and Ezekiel's cherubim (Ez 1:5-25,10:1-22) Some of the characteristics of these beasts are:
in the midst of fire
protruding lightning
many wings
look like humans, but with animal faces
hoofed feet
human hands under wings
covered in eyes, front and back

Why would God choose to have such horrifying creatures be the ones to share his presence?

The creatures suggest the qualities of God
Eyes suggest exceeding knowledge
Lion-royal power
ox-strength
Man-spirituality
Flying Eagle-swiftness of action

III. Monstrous Diabolic
Man in his natural state may also be seen as a monster. He is like a werewolf who has no control over himself. His wicked, monstrous qualities always win. Man, by himself, always succumbs to his innermost evil desires, rejecting his creator, and perverting his creation. In this way we could see man like Frankenstein's monster. He is not the great philanthropist we would expect him to be, rather he hates his master, and even plots to kill him.

IV. Monstrous Sublime or Monstrous Exemplar
Jesus Christ, God himself, is our monstrous exemplar. He has some of the classic monstrous qualities, yet not in the diabolic, evil way we usually characterize them. He is all powerful, and rose from the dead. He command his followers to eat his flesh, and drink his blood. By his blood he redeems his people, his undead bride. The word aweful can be used of God, the one demanding awe. In scripture like Isaiah 6 when man sees God himself, he is always in fear, and aware of his imperfection. God is more terrifying than we could ever imagine. This is why Lewis makes Jesus a Lion in his Narnia chronicles, continually stating "Aslan is not a tame lion."

At last I leave you with the lyrics of a Blaster The Rocketman song

Baby Unvamp (Is Making a Comeback)
She's comin' back
She's runnin' back

But somewhere along the way
She decided to play the whore
In the mud once more
Forgotten what He shed His blood for
For her

She was burnin' with a passion fire
That soon became a mire of sin
That locked her in
Inside her self
"Thou art become (O worst imprisonment!)
The Dungeon of Thyslef."
The chains chaffed
She bled until she said
Oh God, what have I become?

"Myself my sepulchre. A moving grave."
I am a slave once more
A whore cryin' at your feet
So incomplete...

Baby unvamp is making a comeback
She's starting to run back
To the Father and the Son
The only One who loves her unconditionally
With Grace and Mercy

She clings to the Cross of Death
The Cross of Life
Her only hope
The Cross of Christ

She remembers when she first met Him
She was kickin' in a pool of her own blood
Coughin' it up
When He picked her up
She gave self up
And He raised her up

Presented her to the Father without blame
Made her His bride
Gave her His name
Erased the shame
She's not the same!

All we little unvamps
Once were sluts, were whores, were tramps
But now we are the Bride
Of Jesus Christ

She's growing
She's teething
And one day she'll bite you till you're dead!
Dead!
Dead!
Alive!
In Christ!
Forgiven

King of Jews, King of Beers

2008-10-29T19:32:00.005-05:00

Apparently some vandals in downtown Houston put some work into making a sign which depicts Jesus holding a can of Budweiser beer. (Original article here.) The Company which owns the sign does not know who pasted the new sign on their billboard. Whoever it was put some time into this thing.

Before I get and e-flogging for posting this sign, let me divulge. I absolutely believe that Jesus is fully God, and that God is holy and should be revered. I do not think even the vandals are trying to mock the historical Jesus of Nazareth. I think they are poking fun at Americans queer obsession with a over-white, hippy Jesus, but are terrified of religion. Then again they may have just been drinking a few beers when someone read a Budweiser can and realized the similarity of "King of Beers" to "King of Jews."

Honestly I see nothing wrong with the theological implications of the sign, other than the aforementioned flippant use of Jesus Christ as a pop culture figure. Jesus holding a beer can does not bother me, there's no more alcohol content in beer than in wine, and most are not bothered by this picture which has Jesus at a table with wine.
Not to get too seeker-sensitive on you, but from a marketing perspective maybe its not too bad to see Jesus as a guy with which you could have a cold one. Though I'd like to believe Jesus would have had better taste in beer, perhaps Killians or Guiness. Of course then the joke would be lost.

Christian Yellow Pages?

2008-10-27T19:45:00.003-05:00

Todays blog is from post I read at contendearnestly.blogspot.com and concerns the use of using only "Christian" resources. This is a trend that has taken a foothold in Evangelical circles in America, and is very pervasive. The defenders of this idea not only want to listen to "Christian" music, but they want to watch only Christian movies, and eat at Christian restaurants, and read Christian books, and have their overflowing toilets fixed by Christian plumbers. I used to argue with youth pastors who wanted me to burn my Guns 'n Roses albums by saying "Would you only go to a Christian butcher?" But now it seems they listened to me, as you can find these Christian Yellow Pages at many churches. I cannot fathom why the church would try yo get their congregants to quit associating others in the area, and become seclusionists, having no affect on the outside world. I guess they are not truly evangelicals then.

The fact is "Christian" is not an adjective you can add to a word. There is not Christian music or Christian dating site. I encourage Christians to make music. Please. In fact the church could use more artists. But what we do not need is more separation from the world we live in. We are told to be in the world, and not of the world. That does not mean to live with our eyes shut pretending the world does not exist. Its funny that the same people that lament how immoral Hollywood or Washington have become are often the same who told Christians to leave those venues, thus leaving the impact the were having on those venues.

I encourage you to read a secular book, listen to a secular band, and please use a secular plumber. You may find that you are living in a bubble and have lost touch with the culture you live in. You may learn a new skill, or find you like Sufjan Stephens. Its possible you'll find you prefer Monet over Kinkade. You may even befriend the plumber who comes to your house, and have a non-Christian friend.

Seth, the author of the blog that inspired this post, finished his post well. He said
I just wish that Christians would use more logic in their decision making and less emotional ones. Remember, just because something or someone has an Ichthus in their logo, on their CD cover or on their book flap, doesn't make them good or Christian, it just makes us the sucker of good advertising.

Fundamentalists, Evangelicals, and Liberals

2008-10-26T11:50:00.006-05:00

I previously wrote a blog about my concerns with a topic in Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll and Gary Breshears. Today I would like to focus on another topic in the book which I enjoyed. On page 82 Driscoll states

"Without being overly critical, I do believe that most Christians and Christian traditions have a propensity to under emphasize one aspect of Jesus' ministry, which can have very tragic effects. Personally, I have an easy time understanding the priestly role of Jesus for the victims of sin, but I can sometimes be overly harsh with a sinner. When someone sins, I more easily see them needing Jesus as prophet rather than priest, which is not always the case. Sometimes, as Paul says, it is the kindness of God that brings about our repentance. Practically this means that I am prone toward fundamentalism."

Driscoll goes on to lay out the following

PROPHET+KING-PRIEST=JESUS OF FUNDAMENTALISM
PROPHET+PRIEST-KING=JESUS OF EVANGELICALISM
PRIEST+KING-PROPHET=JESUS OF LIBERALISM

Obviously if we neglect any of the three ways Jesus revealed himself we are in error and will not have a orthodox view of Jesus Christ. Driscoll also states

"Jesus came to the Earth to reveal himself to us as our prophet who speaks to us, priest who walks with us, and king who rules over us. ...For the three offices of Jesus to be the greatest benefit to us, we must humbly ask God to reveal to us which aspect of Jesus' ministry we are most likely to or even ignore an read scripture with a humble heart seek to see Jesus in the fullness of his glory."

In chapter Six, Driscoll goes on to explain another difference between Fundamentalists and Liberals, where the error is an overemphasis on either the resurrection or crucifixion of Jesus.

"Sadly, there are those who err in emphasizing either the crucifixion or the resurrection of Jesus at the expense of the other. Some preach only the cross and its result of forgiveness of sin and justification. Without preaching the resurrection of Jesus as well, Christians are prone to overlook the mission of Jesus and the new life he has for them on earth. They tend to see Christian life as little more than going to church to soak in teaching until they get to heaven. This is the perennial error of Christian fundamentalism.

Conversely, there are others who preach only the new kingdom life that Jesus offers through his resurrection. These Christians excel at helping the poor and handing out hugs and muffins, but fail at repentance of personal sin and calling others to repent of personal sin so that they might be forgiven and reconciled to God through Jesus. This is the perennial error of Christian Liberalism."

Those two paragraphs were the best thing I got from the book. As someone who grew up in a conservative, fundamentalist Baptist church and went to a Southern Baptist Bible College I spent the majority of my life overlooking the importance of the new life here on earth offered by Jesus. The last few years however I've been learning about sharing in the new life we have here on earth, reading Shane Claiborne and trying to live in community with other believers. My transition has not been easy, and I've been mocked by fundamentalist. I must strive to see Jesus as my priest, prophet and king and I must value his crucifixion and resurrection.

Church Sign Theology Thursday #3

2008-10-23T18:23:00.005-05:00

I found this church sign from stopchurchsigns.com. It is a particularly bad sign that focuses on religion and works.

The first problem with the sign is it assumes that Heaven and church are all about religion. Reading this sign would cause me to think religion and going to church will be what will get me into Heaven. Jesus upset the religious leaders of his day by insisting that religion could not save them. When the rich man came to Jesus he was sure he would go to heaven because he had followed the ten commandments his whole life. Jesus however stated that alone was not enough.

The second problem is nowhere does the sign mention that Heaven can only come through the blood of Jesus Christ. What if I have a religion that causes me to go to church, yet does not teach the redemptive power of Christ (Jehovah's Witness, Latter Day Saints, Islam, Scientology, etc.) Religion without Jesus Christ means nothing, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

I also don't like the sign because it makes church seem to be required for salvation. We have a Sunday service to bring a local body of believers to joyfully celebrate our risen Lord, to take part in the sacraments, to hear the preaching of the word of God, and to be encouraged by other believer's. Church attendance is not a get out of Hell free card nor a way to earn brownie points in the kingdom of God. This pervasive theology of ekklesia is what causes many to loathe church, yes even many Christians.

So You Say You Want Change?

2008-10-20T18:16:00.004-05:00

Possibly one of the best panhandling signs I've seen.

"Christian" Pediatrician Turns Away Sick Child

2008-10-18T13:54:00.004-05:00

In Bakersfield, California Pediatrician, Dr. Gary Merrill, turned away Tasha Childress and her daughter because of Childress' tattoos. Merrill sights his belief as a Christian as his reasoning for doing so.

from KGET via heal thbolt

The doctor said he is just following his beliefs, creating a Christian atmosphere for his patients.

Tasha Childress said it’s discrimination.

She said Dr. Gary Merrill wouldn’t treat her daughter for an ear infection because Tasha, the mother, has tattoos.

The writing is on the wall—literally: “This is a private office. Appearance and behavior standards apply.”

For Dr. Gary Merrill of Christian Medical Sevices, that means no tattoos, body piercings, and a host of other requirements—all standards Merrill has set based upon his Christian faith.

“She had to go that entire night with her ear infection with no medicine because he has his policy,” Tasha Childress said.

Merrill won’t speak on camera, but said based on his values and beliefs, he has standards that he expects in his office.

If it is really the teachings of Christ that cause Merrill to not help children whose parents have tattoos, I would love to know where in scripture he found this practice be taught by Jesus, the GREAT physician. To refuse to treat a sick child because of the appearance of her mother is sickening. Did not Jesus give his own life for those he called "sons of the devil"? Merrill has every right as an American to refuse service, it is his private practice. However if he wants to be a bigot, and doing so endanger the health of young children, I wish he do so not under the guise of Christianity.

Did Jesus Go To Hell?

2008-10-17T18:08:00.007-05:00

I've recently been reading Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll and Gary Breshears. I agree with many things in the book, but there was one stance with which I am concerned. On page 122-123 Breshears discusses whether Jesus went to Hell. He makes reference that much of this doctrine is a misunderstanding of the Apostles' Creed. But then he uses Luke 16:19-31 to say Jesus believed there were

"two places (divided by a great chasm) where people would go when they died. These were holding places until Heaven and Hell were opened for eternal occupancy. One was a place of joy for believers called 'Abraham's side, ' also called 'paradise' by Jesus on the cross. The other holding place was hades or the place of torment for unbelievers. Ephesians 4:8-10 says that after his death, Jesus went into that place of holding for believers called paradise for three days and then upon his ascension into Heaven he took Christians with him. Today, paradise is in Heaven and when we die we go to Heaven, for as Paul says, 'to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.'"

The theological problems with this assessment are astounding. Not only is he in error about what Jesus did after dying, the way he comes to his conclusion is questionable exegesis to say the least.

1. Improper Interpretation of a Parable.
The first thing to grab my attention was the passage Breshears uses to base his idea off of is a parable. Lets take a look at the text:

19"There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' 25But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' 27And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' 29But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' 30And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'"

We can not use a parable to derive our eschatology. The parable exists to share a spiritual truth, not to describe holding cells for those waiting to got to Heaven or Hell.
2.Ephesians 4:8-10
It has been shown exegetically that this idea of the “lower parts of the earth” is not Hell, but rather an appositional genitive referring to the earth as the “lower parts” in relationship to heaven. The NIV translates this as "the lower, earthly regions." This translation refers to Jesus' coming to the earth as a baby, the incarnation. Grudem states "This NIV rendering is again preferable in this context because Paul is saying that the Christ who went up to heaven (in his ascension) is the same one who earlier came down from heaven (v.10). That "descent" from heaven occurred when Christ came to be born as a man. So the verse speaks of the incarnation, not of a descent into Hell." John Piper also states "This probably means that he descended to the earth, which is the lower parts. The 'of' there doesn't mean that he is going under the earth. So I don't think that text warrants the interpretation that he descended into hell."
Other Thoughts
There was never any need for holding cells. All people that are saved, do so through the blood of Christ. Old Testament Jews were saved by faith in the coming Messiah, much like we are save by faith in the messiah who has come. There is no Biblical evidence to view paradise as something other than Heaven. Piper says "In fact, he said to the thief on the cross,

"'Today you will be with me in paradise.' That's the only clue we have as to what Jesus was doing between death and resurrection. He said, 'Today—this Friday afternoon, after we're both dead—you and I will be in paradise together.' I don't think the thief went to hell and that hell is called paradise. I think he went to heaven and that Jesus was there with him."

Church Sign Theology #2

2008-10-16T17:54:00.002-05:00

EDIT: Well apparently I can't hotlink from the original picture, and can no longer get to the original, but the sign said "Look Busy, Jesus is Coming" If I find it again I will repost.

This sign is a blatant showing of legalism. The sign would cause us to believe as long as we look busy, God will be fooled. One can only assume looking "busy" refers to works, for why would Jesus want us to be busy. This is a classic guilt trip church sign; you know the kind that make you think you're doing something wrong and if you would just change that behavior and go to church then God would be happy. The other reason is it appears to insinuate that God can be fooled. We know that God is omniscient and omnipresent, so there is never any reason to "look" something rather than just being something, for God knows your heart and motives.

How Manly Men Can Fight Poverty

2008-10-15T12:54:00.004-05:00

Today I was reading one of my favorite blogs, The Art of Manliness, which had an article written as a part of Blog Action Day, an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, in posting about the same issue on the same day. This years issue is poverty.

This is an excerpt from the blog:

How to Kick Poverty’s Ass

How can we as men help kick poverty’s ass? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Become a mentor. You don’t need to go halfway across the world to fight poverty. Opportunities exist right in your backyard. Become a mentor to a disadvantaged young person in your community. Young people are stuck in a cycle of poverty. Their parents are poor, and thus often don’t know how to motivate their kids to seek higher education and a better life for themselves. And the kids then follow their parents’ example, have their own kids, and raise them the same way. By becoming someone’s mentor, you can step in and break that cycle. You can provide the guidance and counsel that they may not get at home or from their friends. You can help them develop the skills that will enable them to become self-sufficient. Keep in mind that being a mentor is a long term commitment. Expect to be in it to win it for months or even years. The investment will be well worth it for the person and for you. Check out Big Brothers or your local community center. Or look for a way to volunteer in your area’s schools.

2. Offer a free class to impoverished people. It’s not the politically correct thing to say, but it is oftentimes the lifestyle of impoverished people that keeps them poor. In many cases, they lack basic life skills that we often take for granted. Things like showing up to appointments on time, basic grooming, and interpersonal skills might be lost on them. Most communities and states have agencies that teach people these skills. Many are hurting for teachers. Make a call and volunteer some time.

3. Donate a suit. The other day, I heard on the radio about an organization that collects gently used suits for impoverished men to wear at a job interview. I think that’s a damn good idea. Check out Dress For Success and see how you can donate your old suit to help a fellow man.

4. Join Americorps. Have you recently graduated from college and find yourself drifting, unsure of what you want to do next? Consider joining Americorps. Americorps is one of the best kept secrets in the country. Americorps is like a domestic Peace Corps in which men and women dedicate themselves to a year of full-time service (although there are some part-time opportunities as well). Americorps is an umbrella for thousands of different programs, from those that tutor elementary students to those that work with the elderly. After the very me-centered time of college, Americorps will give you a chance to completely dedicate yourself to improving the lives of other people.

5. Join an international relief organization. If you’re wanting to help battle poverty on an international level, join up with an international relief organization. You’ll have the chance to get on the ground and help people directly. You could be involved with classes that teach water purification, sanitation, and farming. Or you could instruct people on how to run a business. Stuff that will help individuals become self sufficient and on the road to beating poverty. Many churches have international relief programs. If you’re not a church person, check out Peace Corps or UNICEF.

6. Donate to a micro loan. Studies have shown that just giving countries money doesn’t do anything to alleviate poverty. The money gets lost through graft and the inefficiency of bureaucracies. Why not put the money directly in the hands of the people you’re trying to help so they can help themselves? Micro loans do just that. Your $50 or $100 loan can help some man in Africa start their own business. You’ll be giving the help a person needs to become self-sufficient.

I'm glad to see Art of Manliness addressing the issue of poverty. So often men see helping others as sissy, but what could be more manly than helping others develop a sense of pride for themselves by being freed from the chains of poverty. I encourage all men to take a stand and find how you can help your neighbors and those around the world. Be sure to check out Blog Action Day to see how others are fighting poverty, and join in the fight.

Our Witness is a Great NOT

2008-10-14T18:41:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I covered the first part of a sermon by John Piper. Today I will finish the second half of the sermon.

Our Witness is a Great Not
Piper's second point is that we are NOT the focus of the Gospel. Even though God chose us as the way to spread his gospel, we are not central to it.

"In fact, John the Gospel writer is so bent on making sure that we feel the not of John’s testimony that he piles on the negatives in verses 19-20: 'And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed . . .' Did not deny what? He did not deny, 'I am not the Christ.' He affirmed I am not the Christ. And thus denied that he was the Christ. Do you see why I think we are onto something here? You only write like this when you are trying to make a point.

But he is not done making his point. Verse 21: 'And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No.’' Of course he was Elijah in one sense. He had come 'in the spirit and power of Elijah' (Luke 1:17), but he was not the actual physical Elijah who had gone into heaven in the chariot of fire without dying.

He is still not done. Verses 26-27: 'John answered them, ‘I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

John seems to choose a negative way of showing that he was not the Christ and Piper picks up on this. Rather than deny that he was the Christ, John affirmed that he was not the Christ. Rather than proclaiming who he is, John seems to sit back and let the others guess, then diverts the attention away from himself. John is an excellent example of Christian humility. So many pastors and televangelists must always have the spotlight shining on them, John refuses the spot light, becoming less so Jesus may be more.

“He Must Increase; I Must Decrease”
Later John comes back to this idea of making less of himself.

"You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, “I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.” The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease."

Piper states:

"This is the great not of our witness. We must decrease; he must increase. We must make much of him; we must not make much of ourselves. So it was with Paul: 'I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So he who plants and he who waters are not anything, but only God who gives the growth”'(1 Corinthians 3:6-7). 'What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord'(2 Corinthians 4:5)."

"What then is John? He is John the Witness. The necessary witness who is not the Christ. How does he describe himself? Verses 22-23: 'So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said, 'I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’' I am simply a voice.

A voice, a witness. And in his mouth are not self-exalting words, but Christ-exalting words. John 1:15: 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.' John 1:34: 'I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.' John 1:29: 'Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.'”

How much we all could learn from John, such humility. We must die to ourselves, and turn the attention away from ourselves. Christ uses the foolish of this world, so he may prove that it is none of our doing. I'll leave you with Piper's ending, because I could not better articulate his point.

"Here’s the lesson for us. We must be his witnesses. It is a great necessity. Faith comes by hearing a witness. But we must not make much of ourselves. Beware of the witness that needs attention for himself. Beware of the preacher who constantly angles to put himself in a good light and returns again and again to his ministry and his achievements. Beware of the preacher’s subtle preoccupation with himself even when he speaks of his own flaws. Beware of your own bent to love the praise of men.

Remember, therefore, that from the very beginning of John’s Gospel, there is a human witness to the light—our witness. Our witness is a great necessity. And our witness is a great not. He must increase; we must decrease. Amen."

Our Witness Is A Great Necessity

2008-10-13T18:06:00.004-05:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of listening to John Piper preach at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN. Piper preached an excellent sermon from John 1 6:36. The sermon, titled John Was Not the Light, But a Witness to the Light, had two main focuses: Our witness is a great necessity, and our witness is a great Not. Today I will focus on the first part of the sermon.

Our Witness Is A Great Necessity
Piper states

"John was a man, that is, a human. This is important because up till now the Word, Jesus Christ, has been called God the Creator of all things. In him was life, and that light was the light of men. So it looks as if the way this Word and Life and Light are going to spread through the world is by its own sovereign power and brightness. But John knows that is not the case. This Word and Life and Light are going to spread through the witness of human beings—and no other way." Piper goes on to explain that saying a human witness was needed does not mean that it was necessary for God to use a human, but rather shows when God wants to use a witness, he sends a witness. We are reminded of John 20:21 "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Piper continues that we serve a God who saves and sends. He says

" We serve a saving and sending God. He provides the foundation of our salvation in Jesus Christ, and he provides the means of our salvation in those whom he sends. Let this have an enlivening effect on you. God is at work now—today—moving his witnesses through the world, making them the means of his saving work. I hope this makes you want to look Jesus square in the face and say with Isaiah, 'Here am I! Send me'"

In Verse 7 John mentions “. . . that all might believe through him.” This is the first mention of believing in John's Gospel. It occurs 97 more times.

Piper ends the point on the necessity of the human witness.

"Our witness is a great necessity. Without a witness no one believes. Verse 7: “He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.” Through him. Through his witness. That’s how necessary it is. Believing only happens through a witness."

Join or DIE!

2008-10-10T16:10:00.004-05:00

I wonder how many people's mental image of "church" looks something like this, a large force which tries to destroy anything it doesn't like. This picture is taken from MAKE: magazine some of the comments on the page were:

"Spreading the word through force and/or fear. Business as usual."

"Take that, you Darwinists!!!"

"That tank needs to be in a Monty Python movie . . .

And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, "O Lord, bless this Thy hand grenade that with it Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits, in Thy mercy." And the Lord did grin and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats and large chu... [At this point, the friar is urged by Brother Maynard to "skip a bit, brother"]

... And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin, then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it." Amen."

Church Sign Theology Thursday

2008-10-09T17:07:00.004-05:00

So I've decided to start a new posting on Thursdays titled "Church Sign Theology Thursdays" I will take a picture of a random church sign and discuss the theological implications of the sign.

In honor of my recent move to Wisconsin todays sign comes from Waupun, WI.
I must admit this one is a bit humorous. It could be a temporary play on the classic verse Hebrews 13:5 "...for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" Honestly I can't even rip this one because it makes me laugh so much. (For those how don't get the joke, Brett Favre joined the NY Jets shortly after "retiring" from the Green Bay Packers, where he played for 17 seasons. Lets just say those in WI are still upset.)

The Importance of Discipleship and Evangelism

2008-10-08T19:39:00.006-05:00

For my last post on Carson's sermon about trends in the church I focus on His 5th point

5. There is a trend in our churches to emphasize discipleship over the gospel.

Carson emphasized teaching the whole council of God centering on Christ crucified as the power of the gospel and salvation. If we see the gospel as what "saves" us and if we see discipleship as the actual place where real transformation takes place, it is not a biblical approach. Carson said this trend has a tendency to lead us to see discipleship as legalism; as what pleases God.

We must take the more correct Biblical approach and see evangelism and discipleship as a lifelong process. For years the SBC had the opposite negative approach, lets get as many prayers and baptisms as possible so we have a large membership, but lets forget about them after that. In response many churches have pushed the other way, with discipleship classes, new Christian classes, small groups, accountability groups, etc. What we must do is focus on evangelism, by sharing the love of Christ with our neighbors, and continually helping them grow in their relationship with Christ, while continually loving and serving others.

The Trends You May Not Know About

2008-10-06T18:52:00.006-05:00

3. The most dangerous trends in any age are the trends that most people do not see.

"Orthodoxy is always focused on the past but the new expressions of evangelicalism are the most dangerous. Carson recalled the once Christian colleges like Princeton and Yale that were led by pastor/theologians but became so big that they hired administrators who were not as discerning of current trends; only of past. A formally orthodox leader will head into trouble if he is not astute toward current trends in evangelicalism.

Carson made the case that 1920's liberalism is no longer the issue-even though some churches are still fighting that shadow. Today's issues like justification, inerrancy, primacy of family, gender roles, sexuality, pornography, modesty, race relations (very few race-integrated churches), tolerance, consumerism and human flourishing are the current issues at hand.

I think most church planters are men who grew tired of fighting for bygone issues in their churches while people are losing the wars against the current issues of today. In my opinion, mainline churches will continue to lose their best men who want to be warriors in a real war, not in the reenactments of the religious wars of the last forty years. As long as we continue to address these modernist battles, Satan and his demonic force will rule the ground in our churches with diversion tactics that consume our energy."

The problem laid out here is known by most any church goer under the age of 40. Many young men are leaving churches and denominations because they refuse to address the issues of today. So many churches are caught trying to fight battles that lost significance decades ago, that they don't see the issues that are most affecting their young congregants. I don't need a church that is trying to get prayer back in school and evolution out. I need a church that will help me learn how to be a man, give me a place to serve, and will answer questions about the Christian's role in the environment, and how I should be helping the poor. I want to be in a church where I can be a part of making a difference in the issues that affect me and my neighbors. Those churches that refuse to see the trends right under their nose because they are focused on issues of the past will become churches of the past.

Evangelical fragments move into clumps

2008-10-05T13:47:00.003-05:00

2. Current evangelical fragments are moving into a new phase -- into polarized "clumps."
Don said evangelicals are identifying themselves in clump-like expressions of evangelicalism (Health/Wealth clump, Openness clump, Arminian clump, etc.). Carson said the National Pastor's Conference (NPC) is as inclusive as possible -- some speakers are stellar while others are simply heretical -- but they include as many unique tribal representatives as possible. "Even Reformed circles are clumping," said Carson, "and the center is emptying out in favor of vague, dilute evangelicalism."

Carson astutely said that old-time gospel would be around until Jesus comes while he believes (as Don humorously put it, "not as a prophet or the son of a prophet, but one who works for a non-profit") that in 25 years nobody will be calling themselves "emergent" but many will still be centralized in the gospel.

I wonder what will replace the center as the varied subcultures of evangelicalism move to the fringes. For orthodox confessionalists, the center is the perfect place for the gospel. We need pastors who call their people "back" to the inner city of the gospel without relenting to the flight to the suburbs of dilute evangelicalism, as Carson put it.

The main problem I see Don making reference to is the continual division among the church. Many evangelical groups are continually becoming more exclusive, working to drive those out of their groups that are not their identical counterparts. One example of this was the MBC's decision to pull funding from all church plants associated with Acts 29. Rather than working church planters to further the gospel, the MBC decided their extra-biblical view on alcohol consumption would not permit them to work with those who feel alcohol can be consumed in moderation. I am not saying we should become all inclusive, allowing any heretical group to join with us. We should however strive to keep the gospel center, and let secondary issues be dealt with by individual churches. We also, in order to prevent a " vague, dilute evangelicalism", need to focus on theology. It is very important for the pastor to empower his congregation by preaching the word and focusing on biblical theology.

More on Carson's church trends

2008-10-04T17:34:00.004-05:00

In my last post I made reference to a blog about a sermon by D.A. Carson concerning five current trends in churches. I previously covered trend 4, but would like to return to this sermon and cover the other trends. Carson's first mentioned trend is the observation of contradictory trends.

1. It is important to observe contradictory trends.

"Interestingly, Don encouraged us to recognize the good things in our current culture. He said we have a lot more good commentaries available to us than we did fifty years ago. Yet, mainline churches have fewer conversions than ever before. This is a contradictory trend, according to Carson.

I understand this to mean that we know more and have access to more information, but it is not resulting in more conversions. We apparently know more about God, but less about His mission to seek and to save those who are lost. Our mainline churches are focusing on the minutia difference between supralapsarianism and infralapsarianism, for example, but are ignoring the call to both know God and to follow his sending us to our neighbor's house. There should be a constant tension between group Bible studies and sharing of one's faith. Otherwise we end up in a holy huddle somewhere arguing about non-essentials."

This trend is wide spread, not only in the church, but also in our culture.
We have the world at our fingertips, and can find the answer to most any question in minutes, yet we as a culture are getting dumber. While this is a cultural problem, it still rests on the shoulders of the church to create an environment where we understand the world and follow it as well. When I was in college my Biblical Interpretation would often remind us that the Hebrew word for knowledge, yada, not only meant to understand, but also to do. If you knew to do something, but did not do it, you did not really yada it. We must reemphasize this idea in the church, not to be legalistic, but to show that knowledge and action must be connected for there to be true understanding.

The second problem is the push for Christians to live completely segregated lives. This is not the model shown in scripture, but something that has made a resurgence lately. Jesus lived and dwelt among the sinners, tax collectors and lepers. Many large churches try to provide a resort where the Christian has his own coffee shop, book store, gym and a plethora of other social grounds that would cause the Christian to have to be around unbelievers otherwise. I'm surprised we haven't seen them open up their own grocery stores and beauty salons. (If you know of a church that has done this please let me know.) We should relish the chance to brush shoulders with our neighbors in these arenas. What a great way for us to build relationships and minister to those around us. We are called to be in the world, but not of the world, not create our own world completely devoid of anyone that is unlike us. These Churches are not evangelical, but are more like country clubs, where only the elite (or elect) can play.

I am challenged in both areas. As a Christian college grad student, I love to study scripture, form criticism, theology church history, etc. Yet I continually struggle to apply what I've learned to my life. Also as an employee at a Christian camp, it is very easy to never leave and be a part of a Christian community bubble.

Acts of mercy and the Gospel of Jesus: The Inseparable Couplet

2008-10-01T18:31:00.004-05:00

Scott Thomas, director of Acts29 Network, recently blogged about a sermon delivered by D. A. Carson, Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Friday September 26 at Bethlehem Baptist Church. The article mentions 5 trends in the church today. I would like to eventually cover all 5 trends, but today I would like to focus on number 4:

There is a trend in our churches to be consumed by social concern.

"In the most intriguing point of his talk, Don said that the Gospel plus caring for the poor was an inseparable couplet. He cautioned that if the gospel was merely assumed (and not clearly articulated), our passion for social justice would overshadow the gospel. While we are not intentionally exalting social concern over the gospel, people learn what we are excited about (gospel over caring for the poor). Carson warned, "Our passion must first be the gospel and not assume it to be understood." He continued, "We must be careful to keep the gospel central and not turn our responses to the gospel as the main target."
Furthermore, Carson exhorted these Christian leaders to spend our time on prayer and the ministry of the Word and allow our people to begin and maintain efforts in social concern. He said we must distinguish between what the church as church must do and what the community of believers in the church must do (I did not personally see the difference but it seemed to suggest that the pastor was exempt from exemplifying an outpouring of the gospel into the community through social efforts).

Our calling, Carson said is to do good in the city (Jer. 29), because the person has an eternal destiny and we care for them. We are all poor beggars telling other poor beggars where they can find bread. Don concluded this section by warning us not to make the issues of gospel and social concern antithetical."

I love the first sentence, "the Gospel plus caring for the poor was an inseparable couplet." It is so encouraging to think of the Gospel and caring for the poor as "inseparable couplet." The two can NEVER be separated. When we preach the Gospel, it must always be lived out, with the love of Christ touching the hurting around us. How greatly would the worlds view of Christianity be changed of the Gospel was always accompanied with the caring of the poor?

The quote about beggars telling other beggars reminded me of Jim Henderson's book a.k.a. LOST. Henderson states

"We realized that calling people who are outside the faith 'the lost' sets up an us/them dichotomy, artificially separating 'the found' from those who are hopeless in their 'lostness.' It also conveys a class system, setting up the assumed superiority of 'the found' in contrast to the sad plight of 'the lost.'Rather than one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, the idea of 'reaching the lost' sets up an unnecessary and unhelpful obstacle."

We should remember that we need to continually preach the Gospel, and that its preaching should always be accompanied with Christian mercy.

Mary and the Good Samaritan: Bridging the gap between Christian service, and the Gospel.

2008-09-30T17:58:00.008-05:00

I've recently been in a dialogue about the importance of Christian service and making sure is does not swamp out the proclamation of the Gospel. The question is basically should Christians be known for their acts of mercy, or the Gospel. Or as D. A Carson puts it "the debate (is) between those Christians who say that we should primarily be about the business of heralding the gospel and planting churches, and those who say that our responsibility as Christians extends to the relief of oppression, suffering, and poverty in all their forms." This Sunday I had the pleasure of listening to Jeff Greenman, Associate Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies and Professor of Christian Ethics at Wheaton College, preach at HoneyRock camp. Jeff's sermon came from Luke 10, and focused on the stories of The Good Samaritan, and Mary and Martha. The sermon reminded me of the forementioned dialogue, and stressed the missing primary business of Christians, listening to Jesus. The following is adapted from his sermon.

The Parable of the good Samaritan shows the way of Jesus.
The good Samaritan is our exemplar, our model. How can we "go and do likewise" like commanded by Jesus? The answer comes from the following story with Mary and Martha.
There are many false lessons that have been extracted from the story of Mary and Martha. The story is not about:

Mary as the symbol of contemplation over action
Mary as the symbol of the love of God over the love of people
Mary as the symbol of the Gospel as superior to Law
Or Mary as the symbol of Christianity being greater than Judaism

Rather, the actual concern of the text is found in verse 40.

40But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me."

Martha was distracted. The Greek implies Martha was distracted by service.

Mary is the Prime Exemplar of Attention to Jesus.
Mary takes the position of a student to Jesus. This was a radical ideas, of a women as a student of a rabbi. Yet her sister Martha, is pulled away from Jesus. She is trying to be a good hostess, she doesn't want to be rude, but she doesn't stop to listen. She is worried and upset, she's grumpy, and she even tells Jesus off.

Distracted Service
To be the good Samaritan, we must be like Mary. We must first listen to Jesus before we serve. Otherwise we will see service as duty. Commentators have heaped tons of scorn on Martha. But how often have we been like Martha, going through the motions, yet not paying attention to Jesus. Those of us in ministry are often the worst at this. We focus so much on doing the work of God, we forget to listen to Him. There is nothing wrong about service or busyness, but we must first listen.

We all know what it is like to be like Martha, I hope we can all learn to be like the Good Samaritan, it means we must first learn to listen like Mary.

The Road To Jericho

2008-09-23T19:10:00.003-05:00

As third millennium American Christians, we often find ourselves distant from the stories told in the New Testament. Think about it, how many Christians would still follow Jesus if he told them to sell all their possessions, leave their families, and live a life as a homeless disciple? Jesus warned his disciples that they would have no place to lay their head, That they would have to pick up their cross and follow him. I would venture to say many would decide that the radical life change brought by following Christ would be a bit too much.

Yet this is the example we see in scripture. The church of Acts "sold their possessions and belongings and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need." Few churches discourage helping others. We are all for the idea. Everyone wants to give to charity, to make their "difference", feel good about themselves, and not have to get dirty in the process. I was raised in a Southern Baptist church, and was told that we all fulfill the Great Commission by giving to the Cooperative Program. After seeing how CP money was spent, I soon realized that was a poor excuse for missions. Short-term mission trips can be another way American Christians can get their do-gooders rush without any real commitment or life change. I'm not saying all mission trips are useless, but it cannot be a substitute for missional living.

We must be willing to live missionally. This goes beyond charity and forces us to become friends with the poor, the down-trodden, and the oppressed. Charity is popular, it is even used to sell merchandise. (Think (RED) ) The celebrities are constantly toting their own charity, even playing charity gameshows, but they rarely get into the trenches with those the money goes toward. This is a higher standard we are called to as Christians. Jesus was mocked by the religious leaders of his day for hanging out with tax collectors, lepers, and gentiles.

So find a simple way to get involved in the lives of your neighbors, and the oppressed. Rather than just flipping a coin to someone less fortunate, invest your time into their life. Take an interest in those around you. There is not one set way to go about this process. The stories in the Gospels and Acts are a great starting point. You may also want to check out the following:
http://thesimpleway.org
http://circleofhope.net/blog/take-action
http://missionyear.org
http://universityofthepoor.org
http://missionalchurchnetwork.com

America's Dairyland

2008-09-13T18:38:00.003-05:00

Courtney and I have finished our first week here at HoneyRock Camp, in Three Lakes, WI. It has been great so far. Our first group of campers will all be over 55! I've been working with the construction and maintenance department. Courtney is working in the office doing marketing. We'll get pictures up as soon as I find my SD card reader. So far we've been on a boat ride, seen a porcupine, ate some cheese curds, and ate Soda Pops, a restaurant with a selection of 150 sodas.

Brandt Russo continues work in Lakeland Florida

2008-08-31T22:03:00.007-05:00

Brandt Russo was released from jail in Lakeland, Florida on Friday, August 29th. Russo plans on returning to minister to the group of homeless living near Ignited Church, who had him arrested in the first place (article here). Brandt goes into further detail, clearing up some of the questions about his arrest in his blog. Brandt says after attempts to have Ignited Church help the homeless, he heard from Stephen Strader, pastor of Ignited Church.

"He wrote me back saying he appreciated what I did for those people, but he didn't know what to do with them. That they were not a homeless shelter and basically weren't equipped to help anyone but his congregation and the people at the "outpouring". He went on to tell me he wanted to talk to me but couldn't because of his busyness due to the fact that his church was losing thousands of dollars a day."

Russo also tells about his time in jail.

"My cellmates were the most beautiful spirited men I have ever met. Just so broken and humble. We stayed up late reading the bible together and joking around about how horrible the food was (as the food network played in the background...torture). The two days I was there, God was there with me the entire time. It was so beautiful walking in the cell with the orange jumpsuit and having all the inmates immediately call me preacher boy because of my tattoos. I felt so blessed to not only see another side of the least of these Jesus spoke of in matthew 25, but to be one. We stayed up late talking about Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jesus, and the early christians and apostles who also seemed to be getting into so much trouble. We discussed how amazing it was that some of the most powerful parts of the new testament, and King and Gandhi's most powerful letters and speachesI(sp) were birthed by the spirit of God in a cold jail cell."

We must now wait and see what will unfold in Lakeland. Though Russo has been bailed out of jail, he still is to go before a judge September 25th. Some have speculated that Ignited Church will drop the charges due to the negative publicity they have been receiving. If that is so, I wonder how they will deal with the homeless in the future. Again I urge you to continue to pray for Brandt and his ministry, and the homeless of Lakeland, Florida, as well as how God would have each of us minister to those less fortunate than ourselves.

Is Ignited Church Ignoring The Hurting In Their Own Backyard?

2008-08-27T10:34:00.004-05:00

Perhaps you saw it on The 700 Club or you heard about it in an email, I'm talking about the phenomenon in Lakeland, Florida. It is being hailed as "The Great Florida Healing Revival." The services have been a coalition between Ignited Church and Todd Bentley.

Here is a clip about the ordeal

The "revival" has been mostly based around healing , with an emphasis on being blessed by God if you use your money to serve him. Healing services every night were aired on GodTV. People have been traveling from all over the world to be healed at one of these services. Yet in the last week some findings have been less than glamorous.

First came the news of Todd Bentley's failing marriage. Todd and his wife Shonnah Bentley are separated and now are seeking a divorce. Todd's own ministry announced August 15th that they "have discovered new information revealing that Todd Bentley has entered into an unhealthy relationship on an emotional level with a female member of his staff."
Rev. Stephen Strader, pastor of Ignited Church stated “Three years ago, he did the exact same thing. He grew out of his relationship to his wife and transferred his affection to another. That’s the biggest frustration with us. The bottom line is that he was traveling too much and not taking care of his wife and family like he should,”

Yesterday I received news of a new development with Ignited Church. Lakeland has a large homeless homeless population, and Brandt Russo, a 24 year old homeless minister, traveled to the area after hearing hearing horror stories of the homeless living in a swamp within walking distance of Ignited Church. From Brandt's blog, one homeless man "asked one of the staff at Ignited church if the community could use the church to sleep in during the tropical storm, and they just told him 'this church isnt set up for that'. Soon after the pastor multiple times told the revival attendees not to help the homeless camped out, and they have to go through the church for permission to help (which they don't do much either). He did say that they could sleep under the awning in front of the church when it rains, but if the cops come they have to leave or be arrested. One beautiful old man used to sit out and make crosses out of palm leaves and hand them to people going in, not expecting a thing, and was arrested for trespassing (they called the cops on him)." After trying to meet with the pastor of Ignited Church to try to find a way the church could minister to the homeless in their own backyard, Rev. Stephen Strader had Brandt Russo arrested for trespassing on private property. (the church parking lot)

This brings up some important questions of what ministry should look like. I ask what did Jesus' ministry look like. Was it not Jesus who said
"For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me: I was in prison, and you came to Me.'

"Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?

'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?

'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'

"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'"

How we treat others is how we treat Christ. How can we claim we are in the middle of a "revival" and forget those hurting on our doorstep?

I would like to encourage you in the following ways.

1.Please pray for Brandt. Please consider supporting his ministry, and pray that God will sustain him and use him in mighty ways while he is in jail.

2.Pray for the leaders of Ignite Church. These are fellow brothers in Christ, and we should be praying for them. Pray that God may show them how to reach ALL for Christ. It is not impossible that God may show them the error of their ways, and they may develop a TRUE healing ministry, healing the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of those at their own doorstep.

3.Pray for Todd Bentley and his family. Again this is a brother in Christ, who it seems found success too fast, and let the Deceiver get a foothold in his life. God could change his life and heal this hurt marriage. We should not condemn him, but pray that God deliver him.

4. Seek your role in ministry to the hurt. We are all called to minister to the hurt and dying of this world. Our American version of Christianity places far to much emphasis on receiving rather than giving. All of these popular church services have one thing in common, its about "what can God do for me?" I urge you to focus on what can you do for God. Read the gospels and study how Jesus did ministry, you may be surprised.

The Times They Are A Changing

2008-08-21T12:37:00.002-05:00

In nine days I will be leaving my home for the last 4 years, Hannibal, Missouri. I spent three and a half years here going to school at Hannibal LaGrange College, met my wife, got married, helped start a church, and ran a music venue all here in Hannibal. Hannibal is the home of many great memories in my life. It was here that I first came out of my shell, and learned how to have a healthy social life. Courtney and I spent many days days together, going to movies, concerts, demolition derbies, parks, skating rinks, and a plethora of other places. It was here in Hannibal where I met friends like Chad, Matt, Andy, Richard, Jake, Stephen, and Sean. I learned to grow in my faith. I learned a great deal about leadership. I was mentored by Joe, Ron, Sam, and Dr. Hufty.

I will miss the feel of this familiar town. I love the sleepy river feel. I loved the excitement with the teens on show night down at The Crux. I will miss those kids a great deal. I was able to live the dream for a while, and hopefully a venue will be in my future again. This town has become ingrained in who I am; from my corncob pipe, to my interest in bluegrass, its mark is evident on my life.

As I move it is an exciting and sad time. I will miss all the memories and friends here, but I know God has something great in store for us in Wisconsin. We will be working at Honey Rock Camp. I will be in a Graduate Program Assistantship and Courtney will be a Marketing Intern.

So I leave you with some Mark Twain quotes:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”

“Life does not consist mainly, or even largely, of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thought that is forever flowing through one's head.”

“The radical of one century is the conservative of the next. The radical invents the views. When he has worn them out, the conservative adopts them.”

KILL THE CLONE TOOL

2008-08-15T10:37:00.001-05:00

I found a new blog yesterday, PhotoshopBlunders, which chronicles horrible Photoshop jobs that have made it into print and on corporate websites. Below are a few of the funniest blunders I found.

Here we see the Sun running the same story as the Metro, yet something seems to be missing. Notice the remaining knee, and the lack of an outboard motor.

This one is apparently an attempt by Iran to show a stronger military presence. Perhaps they should hire some better graphic designers if they expect us to tremble in fear over the clone tool.

Maybe this one isn't even a Photoshop blunder but an amazing story of a young man with a deformed arm who became a professional athlete in a sport where it was an advantage not to have fully functioning arms.

You can find more for yourself. Trust me that place is full of gems.

End of a Chapter

2008-08-05T11:50:00.003-05:00

When starting this blog one of my goals was to share insight into running a music venue. Unfortunately it seems that not something that will be happening. Two weeks ago we closed the doors of The Crux for the last time. A number of things led up to this event.

1. The Crux since its inception has been located at 421 Broadway. This arrangement was an agreement with Believer's Church of Hannibal. Believer's is church plant in Hannibal that Courtney and I have been a part of since last May. We starting going to Believer's before it official launch in August 07. Before August we met in 421 Broadway, then we started meeting at the YMCA. 421 Broadway, along with 423 and a house on 5th street were a donation to Believer's Church to get started. After the move one night we were loading some sound equipment back into The Crux (The building was named The Crux before the venue ever started.) when some young men stopped and asked if there was a concert going on. This sparked conversation, and we told Sam (the pastor) how Courtney and I wanted to run an all-ages music venue. Sam thought it was a good idea, and by October we had our first show.

2. We continued to run The Crux this way. Believer's church (BC) allowed us to use their building free of charge. We were only responsible for covering the monthly utility bill. It was officially run as a ministry of BC. This allowed us to work under BC's nonprofit umbrella, which saved us on a lot of fees and taxes.

3. The spring brought a new trouble to the equation as well. The roof began leaking, badly. We had a leak on 423 from the beginning, but once 421 began leaking it was the beginning of the end. I told Sam and hoped to get the roof fixed. He was afraid of the liability of a rapidly deteriorating building, and began looking for options to move.

4. We searched many locations and could not find a satisfactory location. We needed a location which was safe and accessible, large enough for our growing crowd (421 Broadway had a max capacity of 49), and was cheap enough to be possible on our budget.

5. At the same time as this process I graduated college, finished substitute teaching, and began looking for a full-time job. When I let Sam know that I was considering accepting a position which would have me move away from the area, the search for a new building came to a halt. He was sure that there was no one who was a part of BC who could fulfill the duties I had at The Crux with the same level of competence. I talked with Stephen Sprague, Jonas Mackey, and Rob from Eolia. When I went to talk to Rob he told me of his plans to open the Threshing Floor. Stephen was up for the challenge, but the leadership at BC felt he could not adequately take the responsibility at the same time as being a college freshman. I talked to Jonas about the possibility of my moving, and the need for someone to take over if I get the position, and the need for a new building. Jonas eventually decide to take the responsibility, trying to get an outside individual to get behind the idea and provide a location and monetary backing.

6. BC decided to give away the building to get under the liability it posed. This meant we had to be out of the building by July 23rd. I continued the search to secure a new building. I had still not received a job offer and was trying to get a job at HLG so I could stay in the area and continue to run The Crux in a new location.

7. I heard back from Honey Rock, and they asked Courtney and I both to come work for them starting September 8th. We knew if we took the job The Crux could very likely cease to exist, but for us it was the best move. I had been unemployed since May, and the position at Honey Rock will allow me to begin Graduate work towards a masters degree while working with teens in a camp setting.

8. Since the acceptance of the position, I have been working with Jonas Mackey to prepare him to take over The Crux, he submitted a proposal, but has been asked to submit a more detailed proposal. After the last show at 421 Broadway, I gave him everything we had sound system, lights, furniture, etc. Jonas will continue to work on the plan. Hopefully the backing will come, and The Crux will become much more than it ever was when I ran it.

Anyway, I was blessed greatly through the year I poured into The Crux. I met many great teenagers who shared a passion for music. We had a lot of great shows, and hopefully we provided a safe place for teens to enjoy music without the negative influences. My desire was to share the love of Christ to all who entered our doors, without preaching. I never wanted The Crux to become a Christian music venue. I wanted to be an all-ages music venue that was positive. Yet I wish I could have shared the hope that lies within Christ to the teens more. Hopefully we've laid a foundation on which others can build.

American Evangelicalism compared to Light Beer.

2008-07-29T14:39:00.001-05:00

I have a close group of friends who get together once a week to play Texas Hold 'Em, smoke cigars, drink beer and discuss life, religion, and politics. While we usually find ourselves drinking Budweiser Select, we all have a favorite import. One prefers Amstel, another Guiness Extra Stout, and Killian's Irish Red for myself. While we all prefer imports or micro-brews, we still often settle on Bud Select. This is both because we can all agree on this generic macro-brew's unoffensive taste and it is the cheapest at the local Walmart. Anyway, I read this article comparing American Evangelicalism to American Light Beer. I found it interesting because it reminded me both why I prefer micro-brews and imports, as well I why I prefer my Reformed Theology, Acts-29 Church.

Pay to Play

2008-06-23T10:50:00.002-05:00

Since opening The Crux I've constantly tried to figure out the best model for venues and bands to both do well. I lived in Hannibal for 3 years before opening The Crux. In that time the only local shows I saw were at Hannibal LaGrange College. Most of those were not shows I enjoyed, with the exception of the Mercury Radio Theater show I put on. I saw several bands who were playing shows in St. Louis yet they weren't getting paid any money. Rather they had to pay gas both ways and sell up to 30 tickets. I wanted to help these bands build a local audience and have a place for fans to see touring artists. So when I started The Crux I quickly had to make decisions on how to get people in the door, make enough money to stay open, and pay the bands enough to make it worth their while. What I decided on was door deal splits. I limited our shows to 3 bands so the bands can make a decent split. The venue keeps half the door and the bands split the other half. Bands can also sell merch to help supplement their pay. This method allows both the bands and the venue to take a chance on each other. Every time I open our doors I'm taking a chance on the bands that play. If they are good musicians and have a good following, we do well. If they're not then we may not make enough to pay the bills. And I'm not talking about making enough to cover my personal expenses, I keep no money from The Crux, I'm talking about paying the power bill so we can stay open. Yet even after offering this opportunity I see bands who are still playing pay-to-play venues. So to you bands who still think Pay-to-Play is doing something for you, heres some advice.

1.You are being exploited! These venues are not putting on these shows because they like your music or want to help you. They put on these shows for an easy way to make money. Many of these shows have 8 bands who sell 30 tickets a piece for $8. So that means the venue brings in close to $2000 without any real work at all.

2.Pay-to-Play is not a way to get your foot in the door. Many bands do these shows because they think its a way to expand their fan base and get their foot in the door with a "legit venue." I can tell you that these venues are anything but legit. These venues will not suddenly offer you an opening spot with a national headliner because you did a pay-to-play show. Instead they will see you as the little guy who can always be exploited. The only future shows you will be offered are more pay-to-play shows. Many bands also think it will look good if they have played at so-and-so venue. Trust me, it means nothing to venues or promoters if you played a pay-to-play venue, no matter how big it is.

3.Don't be flattered because you were asked to play one of these shows. Most likely the promoter has never even listened to your music. I received a myspace message from a pay-to-play promoter that books shows for The Creepy Crawl. The message talked about how much they liked my band and wanted us to get on this show, and the only thing we had to do was sell these 30 tickets. You see the thing is I'm not in a band. The myspace page for The Crux is a music page. So the promoter just assumed it was a band page, and didn't even look at the page at all before sending the message.

4.You will kill your draw. People get tired of the band that is always begging for friends to purchase tickets for these shows. You may be able to make enough ticket sales off these shows at first, but soon your crowd will dwindle, and you will be useless for any venue.

So support the venues that support the bands. You will be better of in the long run. Take the money you would have spent on Pay-to-Play shows and invest it in getting a press kit, studio time and buying merch. This will help you out much more.

Internet Metering

2008-06-16T14:50:00.001-05:00

According to an article in the New York Times internet providers may change the way you use your internet. If you are an avid internet user, you may incur more expenses or decreased internet speed. The providers are targeting those who use what they deem excessive bandwith, this being anything from 20 or more GB a month. So fans of MMP online games, music and video downloaders and streamers, and other internet junkies will either pay more or have slower internet connections. For gamers this of course means they will have to start shelling out more money, for a slower connections speed is not an option. All I can say is I'm glad the release of Halo 3 caused me to get out of the online gaming craze. Unfortunatley I know if the internet providers do go ahead with this, I will still be affected. I will not be able to spend as much time on Youtube for sure.

The Return

2008-04-30T16:45:00.000-05:00

After a long hiatus I've decided to return to blogging. I've long wanted to return to blogging but a plethora of reasons has not permitted me to do so. I've started a completely new blog and will not use myspace or xanga for blogging. The myspace blog set up was never satisfactory to me, and xanga was more of a journaling experience for me. Hopefully I can use this blog to share insight on running a music venue, theology, and other valuable life experiences I've bumped into along the way.