28 October 2008 by Brian.

I’ve been reading in the book of James lately and was reminded of just how relevant the book is today.  Many Biblical scholars believe that James was written during a time of economic crisis in the first century.  Specifically, the Roman Empire was experiencing a famine, putting extreme pressure on the Jewish community.  Of course, Jewish followers of Christ were seen as traitors and idolaters by the Jewish religious and political establishment, making them even more vulnerable.  Simply put, these were extremely difficult times which could make it difficult to stay faithful to God and His ways, rather than to take matters into their own hands and attempt to provide for themselves, even if it meant acting in un-Christlike ways.  Sound familiar?  You can see the evidence of the pressure that the original readers of James were under and you can see how James drove the message home by using so many agricultural images while speaking to members of an agrarian society during a famine.

Try reading James again with this background in mind.  I think we may find it easier to put ourselves into the shoes of the original readers and to really understand what God is trying to teach us through this powerful little letter.

Posted in Naturalism, Social Injustice, Social Justice, Humanism, Community, Leadership, Politics, Inductive Bible study, Inductive study method, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Sanctity of Life, Spirituality, Morals, Bible study, Morality, Secularism | No Comments »

5 September 2008 by Brian.

I was reading Psalm 50 and was struck by the statement God makes at the end of this selection:

17     For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.

18     You make friends with a thief when you see one,
and you keep company with adulterers.

19        “You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.

20     You sit and speak against your kin;
you slander your own mother’s child.

21     These things you have done and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one just like yourself.
But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you.

The passage describes a community made up of people who have no regard for the righteousness of God.  They live according to their own rules, satisfying their appetites, and obeying their whims.  They disregard God’s corrective action in their lives, they disregard the moral law and freely accept injustice among them.  They speak evil, even of those to whom they should be most loyal - their own family.  So, they speak up in matters they shouldn’t and keep silent when they should speak up in opposition to evil.

God states definitively that He is completely different from this society of His supposed people.  God does not keep silent in the face of evil, but opposes it.  He does not speak evil, but doesn’t back down from the truth, even when it is uncomfortable to the hearer.  As His people (I refer to believers here), we are expected to glorify Him by living His character by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

So, if this is true, then why do I so often hear those who speak up against evil, injustice, or sin referred to as “mean” and those who keep silent and go with the flow as “nice”?  People tend to feel guilty for trying to do the right thing or requiring others to hold to a standard, whether it is simply a business policy that is the standard or its an issue of right and wrong.

We must be careful, always realizing that our judgment isn’t perfect and that humility and grace should always be present in the believer’s life.  But, there are many issues in our society about which God would have us speak up on behalf of Right and righteousness.  If God is who He says He is, then we should be faithful to do so.  The weak and vulnerable in our society need our voices.  People need to see us living the life of Christ at work, in our families, in politics, and, yes, even in church!

Do we dare to ask God to show us just how far short we fall and then trust Him to re-mold us in His image whether it’s comfortable or not?

Posted in Naturalism, Humanism, Abortion, Homosexuality, Eurabia, Social Injustice, Bible study, Inductive study method, Inductive Bible study, Social Justice, Community, Politics, Missions, Missionaries, Europe, Leadership, Evil, Environmentalism, Social Medicine, Trinity, Trinitarianism, Israel, Religious fanaticism, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, Postmodern Philosophy, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Marriage, Postmodernity, North Korea, Morality, Religion, Radicalism, Radicals, Morals, New Age Spirituality, Spirituality, New Age, False Doctrine, Secularism | No Comments »

20 August 2008 by Brian.

Ravi Zacharias has edited a very helpful book entitled, “Beyond Opinion.”  I found one chapter in particular especially intriguing.  It was the chapter on, “The Role of Doubt and Persecution in Spiritual Transformation.”  You see, I’ve read a lot, studied a lot, and even done a little teaching on the topic of evil and how its existence can best be understood within the Christian worldview.  However, the author of this particular chapter (Stuart McAllister) does a great job of addressing the existential reality that we would often prefer to avoid.  In fact, I would argue that God attributes great value to the growth and the glory produced in the “desert experiences” of our lives, while those experiencing them (at certain stages, at least) are under the impression that nothing has any value whatsoever.  In order to understand the context, you need to know that earlier in the chapter, he shared his experience of having been imprisoned in a Czechoslovakian prison after being caught trying to smuggle Bibles behind the Iron Curtain.  Here are two brief paragraphs, which I hope will motivate you to read the entire chapter:

“The Trinitarian vision of God has served to sustain me in many different ways.  What do I mean?  As I journeyed into my life of faith I came to grasp (not very well) the historic teachings regarding the nature of God.  To see that God is a community of love, that he existed in self-giving relationships before the creation, and that he took on himself flesh in order to redeem us, was an awesome discovery.  The gift and life of the Holy Spirit was the final link in tying together what was for me, a vague notion.  This universe is a relational order, and I was now tuned in by virtues of God’s grace, mercy, and enabling love.  This understanding of God allowed me to dwell on God the Father, the Sovereign, the ruler, the God who humbled Egypt and led his people in the wilderness.  It also allowed me to consider Jesus as the incarnate one, the suffering servant, who although God in the flesh, restrained himself, sought out sinners, and gave his life in such an unselfish way.  The Father ruling, governing, guiding; the Son in his example, service, and sacrifice, followed by the Spirit in his comfort, keeping, power, and presence (John 14:26).  All these have been vital in my reflections.

How has this helped me practically?  It has meant that many times I could rest in the assurance of God’s ultimate and good control over life and circumstances.  Even though I had to face questions, I recognized my limitations and found comfort in the sense of God’s sovereign rule.  The example of Jesus continues to inspire and fuel a longing to be more like him: to follow his way, to respond as he responded, to treat people as he treated them, to love as he loved.  The assurance of the Spirit’s presence and help has met me in many ways, as I travel, preach, face questions, and seek to wrestle through issues.”

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5 July 2008 by Brian.

Ron Smith posts on some interesting revelations from unChristian.

If only we could ban the ‘f word’! 

Posted in Naturalism, Humanism, Abortion, Social Justice, Bible study, Religion, Religious fanaticism, Homosexuality, Community, Missionaries, Leadership, Missions, Evil, Politics, Environmentalism, Morality, Morals, Contemporary Christianity, Sex, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, False Doctrine, New Age Spirituality, New Age, Spirituality, Postmodern Philosophy, Postmodernity, Secularism | 1 Comment »

18 June 2008 by Brian.

It’s late, so here’s a couple of quick thoughts.  I was recently challenged by a former church-goer as to the behavior of the vocal “Christians” and how even their fellow believers fear to do business with them because they are so untrustworthy and can actually be expected to operate in direct opposition to their stated beliefs.  I couldn’t argue…it certainly happens…often.  Is it in keeping with the person of Christ?  Absolutely not.  Is the validity of faith in him and a transforming relationship with him called into question?  Absolutely.  This is a tragedy in the church and one which, as believers, we should be challenging.  I pray for more churches that will call people to lives worthy of the high calling we’ve received in Jesus Christ.

Another sad application of the same issue can be seen in our failure to answer this dangerous school in Virginia.  Islamic students are being taught that it’s acceptable to kill ‘infidels’, yet the American church is so impotent that most Muslims in this land see nothing to attract them to Jesus and the God of the Bible.

If we fail to repent and remedy the current situation, then whether our downfall is ultimately brought about by secular humanism or Islam, the answer for our ineffectiveness in reaching our neighbor will be found in the same place: the mirror.

Posted in Naturalism, Humanism, Abortion, Eurabia, Social Injustice, Bible study, Social Justice, Community, Politics, Missions, Missionaries, Europe, Evil, Environmentalism, Trinity, Trinitarianism, Religious fanaticism, Radicals, Contemporary Christianity, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Postmodernism, Postmodern Philosophy, Morality, Religion, Radicalism, Morals, False Doctrine, Postmodernity, Spirituality, Secularism | 2 Comments »

8 May 2008 by Brian.

When Jesus says, “Take up your cross and follow me.”, does it disturb you?  If not, you’ve probably allowed yourself (as I often have) to sanitize “your” Jesus.  Let’s be clear, there is only one Jesus and he is the person who actually existed and who continues to exist.  (In reality, our perception of him doesn’t change his actual character and nature in the least.)

Todd Agnew’s, “My Jesus” is an excellent challenge to see Jesus as He is and to follow Him, regardless the cost.

Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ
Then why do you look so much like the world?

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be?

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the rich
So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow
This picture of the American dream
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part
Sometimes I doubt we’d recognize Him

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet would stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despised the proud
I think He’d prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus!

Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I’m tired of living for success and popularity
I want to be like my Jesus but I’m not sure what that means to be like You Jesus
Cause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me
Can I be like You Jesus?
I want to be like my Jesus

Posted in Humanism, Social Injustice, Social Justice, Inductive Bible study, Community, Trinity, Europe, Missionaries, Missions, Trinitarianism, Bible study, Israel, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Biblical Worldview, Spirituality, Religion, Morality, Morals, False Doctrine, Secularism | No Comments »

14 April 2008 by Brian.

I’ve been reading a very good book, edited by Ravi Zacharias, called “Beyond Opinion”.  I highly recommend it, as it offers insight into the challenges and opportunities offered by a variety of world views competing with Christianity today.

In the course of reading the chapter on Islam, I learned an interesting fact which explains a lot of the information I’ve heard regarding the religion of Mohammed.  There is a doctrine in Islam known as ‘abrogation’, which allows scholars to explain away one passage which stands in direct opposition to another by saying that the second passage abrogated (repealed) the former.  This explains how Islamic scholars can say that the Quran advocates tolerance of Christians while another passage exhorts Muslims to make war against Christians and to kill them.   It gets really tricky when you consider that there is no clear logic (at least to the casual reader) that indicates which passages supercede the others.

Next time you hear someone defend Islam as a religion of peace while quoting the Quran to “prove” it,  consider the fact that the speaker may be reading a passage that isn’t even considered the final word on the topic.  I’ll share another doctrine in the near future which makes this even trickier.  Bottom line: don’t believe everything you hear…Islam is decidedly different from Christianity or Judaism.  We need to know how so we don’t allow it to simply enforce its will in the world while we look the other way and tell ourselves there’s nothing to be concerned about.

Keep in mind that this has NOTHING to do with the call to love and reach out to Muslim friends and neighbors.  Just because a particular religion is hostile to our own, doesn’t mean we’re not called to love its adherents.  This is just as true of Secular Humanism as it is of Islam and it’s a calling we can never ignore or diminish in any way…we must take up our crosses daily wherever God has called us.

Posted in Community, Politics, Social Medicine, Abortion, Humanism, Social Injustice, Eurabia, Trinity, Trinitarianism, Europe, Christmas, Missionaries, Missions, Environmentalism, Evil, Social Justice, Bible study, Postmodernity, Spirituality, Postmodernism, Biblical Worldview, Islam, Contemporary Christianity, False Doctrine, Morals, Religious fanaticism, Israel, Radicals, Radicalism, Morality, Religion, Sanctity of Life | No Comments »

9 April 2008 by Brian.

It drives me nuts when I hear people use emotional terms when describing their thoughts about an objective, fact-based issue:

Question:  “What do you think should be done in order to prevent Social Security from going bankrupt?”  Answer: “I feel like privatization is the best option.”

What?!?  Nobody asked which flavor of ice cream you prefer today or your emotional reaction in the face of such a daunting challenge.  The question is one that needs rational analysis of a variety of facts and the consequences of the various potential solutions to the problem, producing a well thought-out decision.  Now, the decision could be wrong…nobody expects that the respondent will provide THE definitive, correct answer.  However, the question is one which requires and intellectual response, not an emotional one.

Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”  Our language betrays the fact that our generation has lost faith in objectivity, rationality, fact, and truth.  People rarely “think” or “believe” anything about anything anymore.  Now, they “feel like” everything from the sum of 2 plus 2 to their favorite flavor of ice cream to the results of their monthly budget or the existence or non-existence of God.

As believers, we should be aware that a rational, objective approach is insufficient for 100% of life, but this approach is foundational to reality because a Constant exists in the universe and He is the source of reality, the moral law-giver.  We should never be so arrogant as to believe that we perfectly understand everything and that we cannot be wrong about an issue.  However, we shouldn’t back away (nor slip into our culture’s habit) of speaking as if everything were up to personal choice.  This, I believe.

Posted in Humanism, Abortion, Homosexuality, Community, Naturalism, Eurabia, Bible study, Inductive Bible study, Social Justice, Social Injustice, Politics, Social Medicine, Missions, Missionaries, Europe, Christmas, Evil, Environmentalism, Taxes, Trinity, Trinitarianism, Israel, Religious fanaticism, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, Postmodern Philosophy, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Marriage, Postmodernity, North Korea, Morality, Religion, Radicalism, Radicals, Morals, New Age Spirituality, Spirituality, New Age, False Doctrine, Secularism | No Comments »

25 February 2008 by Brian.

A friend of mine told me about the series of “…in 5 seconds” videos on YouTube.  This example is the Star Wars version…it’s a pretty funny summary of an hour and a half long movie.

You know what’s NOT funny?  When we try to boil down the gospel into a 30 second soundbite.  I understand the need to communicate the basic elements of the gospel in a relatively short period of time, but let’s not confuse this with truly “sharing the gospel.”  Sharing the gospel should normally begin by living a life that is a testimony to the saving and transforming grace of God expressed through a  relationship with Jesus.  This testimony is then explained by communicating the plan of redemption expressed in the Bible, a story that begins in Genesis, continues through the history of Old Testament Israel, and culminates in the ministry of Jesus, his death and resurrection, and the introduction of the New Testament Kingdom of God.

Let’s face it, Star Wars gets short-changed in the “5 second” version.  How do you think the gospel fares?

Posted in Trinity, Bible study, Trinitarianism, Missions, Missionaries, Israel, Religion, Postmodernism, Biblical Worldview, Postmodern Philosophy, Postmodernity, Spirituality, Contemporary Christianity | 3 Comments »

31 January 2008 by Brian.

I’ve heard unbelievers mock the cross and I’ve heard believers confess confusion regarding the justice of an innocent man suffering on it for our sins.  Recently,  I’ve been reading an excellent book lately, “The Cross of Christ”, by John R. W.  Stott.  The following excerpt offers an excellent perspective on the wonderful work of Christ on the cross.

“What we see, then, in the drama of the cross is not three actors but two, ourselves on the one hand and God on the other.  Not God as he is in himself (the Father), but God nevertheless, God-made-man-in-Christ (the Son).  Hence the importance of those New Testament passages which speak of the death of Christ as the death of God’s Son: for example, ‘God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son’, ‘he…did not spare his own Son’, and ‘we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son’.  For in giving his Son he was giving himself.  This being so, it is the Judge himself who in holy love assumed the role of the innocent victim, for in and through the person of his Son he himself bore the penalty which he himself inflicted.  As Dale put it, ‘the mysterious unity of the Father and the Son rendered it possible for God at once to endure and to inflict penal suffering’.  There is neither harsh injustice nor unprincipled love nor Christological heresy in that; there is only unfathomable mercy.  For in order to save us in such a way as to satisfy himself, God through Christ substituted himself for us.  Divine love triumphed over divine wrath by divine self-sacrifice.  The cross was an act simultaneously of punishment and amnesty, severity and grace, justice and mercy.

Seen thus, the objections to a substitutionary atonement evaporate.  There is nothing even remotely immoral here, since the substitute for the law-breakers is none other than the divine Lawmaker himself.  There is no mechanical transaction either, since the self-sacrifice of love is the most personal of all actions.  And what is achieved through the cross is no merely external change of legal status, since those who see God’s love there, and are united to Christ by his Spirit, become radically transformed in outlook and character.”

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