LIBERTY +

This blog post will also serve as Episode 33 of my Podcast.

Preface

I would like to speak on a topic that I have been fairly silent on. Well, silent in this realm, in the actual real world, I have not been silent on this topic, but lately I have felt the need to speak up in this format. I hope to do so in a way that displays the love of Christ as revealed through the Spirit inspired text of our Holy Scriptures. If you don't agree with that, then most likely you will not agree with anything else I have to say. If you believe in the inspired Word of God as collected in the Holy Bible, but you don't hold to its infallibility and inerrancy, then we are still going to be working off of different platforms and you will, again, most likely disagree with what I have to say.  

To illustrate, I will be working from (what I could figuratively describe as) a boat dock that, in its completed form, is almost 2,000 years old, while you will be balancing on a progressive boat that is headed somewhere. And the truth is, you may genuinely believe that the progressive boat is the place we all ought to be, and immovable docks all ought to be abandoned... and I'm fine with your assessment of the situation, as long as you and I agree that you are progressing and I am not moving. 

Finally, this is a blog post, not a book. It will be abundantly obvious that this post is not perfected in its points or extensive in its explanations. If you come reading with an anti-Matt bias or an anti-boat dock bias, then we will again, most likely disagree. But if you are reading this, then it might be possible that you are open to a conversation, and conversations are things that I love. 

My Desk

This is on my desk at school... Open Bible... Cross...

Debatable...

Today I am at DACC for the WYSE Academic Challenge. I don't normally get into these sort of events, but there was no one else to "coach" this group of kids, so I was the one selected. (Honestly, I don't mind. They are a great group of kids.)

I mention this only because when I arrived for the orientation and all of the schools were in the gymnasium, I overheard another teacher talking about the upcoming Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham debate that is going to be streaming live tonight. For some reason I assumed that this teacher was speaking on behalf of Ken Ham. I heard him saying something about looking forward to seeing the other guy get "trashed" in this debate.  As I approached and mentioned that I was going to watch the debate as well, I quickly realized that he wasn't on the Creation side of the debate, but instead, he was in support of Bill Nye, and was assuming that the other guy (Ken Ham) didn't have a chance.

Now, I would've challenged this fella, seeing that I was in support of Ken Ham, but also because even other evolutionists and atheists have distanced themselves from Bill Nye, not feeling that he is adequately prepared for this encounter. I would've challenged him, as I said, except he was a "I can't get a word in edgewise" sort of guy.  I finally smiled and nodded and strolled away. He may have still been talking when I got out of earshot, but I couldn't take much more of this guy's attitude that said, "Who would actually be in support of a Creationist?!?"

I find this attitude annoying. Especially when guys like Bill Nye the Science Guy makes statements like this,

"Many people have been critical of me for taking this debate because I'm not an expert on evolution," Nye said. "But this is not advanced evolutionary theory. This is not high-school science. It might be elementary-school science. That Mr. Ham and his followers don't embrace it is troubling." (full article here)

Many Creationists (and others who are latching onto Intelligent Design) are not idiots. We are not unintelligent, backwoods hillbillies. For the most part, we are people who are questioning the consensus. I haven't held onto creation science because of Scripture alone... I am too much of a mathematician to not ask questions... I have held onto creation because it makes sense scientifically as well. For me, Creationism is easily more believable than the established Darwinian Evolutionary Theory.

For the record, I am not afraid of exploring and considering both options, and even exposing my children to both options, I mean, I really want my boys to think... I am in agreement with Ken Ham's thoughts as he stated in a response video where he originally challenged Bill Nye to the debate,

“Creationists, of course, are very happy to teach their children about evolution and teach the problems with it and teach their children how to think critically. Isn’t it interesting how Christians are not frightened to teach their children about evolution!”

Anyway, I could rant for awhile, so I will stop here. If you want to watch this live debate, here it is: (I know it will be playing in my home tonight.)

 

For more information about when this begins visit debatelive.org.

The Soul of the City

I just finished listening to a book called Why Cities Matter.  Near the end of the book there is a quote for an ancient letter to someone named Diognetus that is defending / explaining Christianity. In this letter, Christians are referred to as the "Soul of the City". As I listened to the way this letter describes Christians, I can't help but ask if this description would work for Christians today.

But then I had to dig a bit deeper. I googled this letter so I could read this description again, and I found myself asking if this could apply to the Christians in my city...

Asking this question in this way could leave me a bit pompous though. Especially if I satisfied myself by thinking that I fit this description better than other Christians in this city. So, I had to ignore everyone else for a moment and simply ask, "Do I fit into this description? ... Am I in some way a part of the Soul of the City?"

I would like to encourage you to ask this question of yourselves. I don't want to be alone in my miserable answers.

For Christians cannot be distinguished from the rest of the human race by country or language or customs. They do not live in cities of their own; they do not use a peculiar form of speech; they do not follow an eccentric manner of life. 

This doctrine of theirs has not been discovered by the ingenuity or deep thought of inquisitive men, nor do they put forward a merely human teaching, as some people do. Yet, although they live in Greek and barbarian cities alike, as each man's lot has been cast, and follow the customs of the country in clothing and food and other matters of daily living, at the same time they give proof of the remarkable and admittedly extraordinary constitution of their own commonwealth. 

They live in their own countries, but only as aliens. They have a share in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign land is their fatherland, and yet for them every fatherland is a foreign land. They marry, like everyone else, and they beget children, but they do not cast out their offspring. They share their board with each other, but not their marriage bed. It is true that they are "in the flesh," but they do not live "according to the flesh." 

They busy themselves on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the established laws, but in their own lives they go far beyond what the laws require. They love all men, and by all men are persecuted. They are unknown, and still they are condemned; they are put to death, and yet they are brought to life. They are poor, and yet they make many rich; they are completely destitute, and yet they enjoy complete abundance. They are dishonored, and in their very dishonor are glorified; they are defamed, and are vindicated. They are reviled, and yet they bless; when they are affronted, they still pay due respect. When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; undergoing punishment, they rejoice because they are brought to life. They are treated by the Jews as foreigners and enemies, and are hunted down by the Greeks; and all the time those who hate them find it impossible to justify their enmity. 

To put it simply: What the soul is in the body, that Christians are in the world. The soul is dispersed through all the members of the body, and Christians are scattered through all the cities of the world. The soul dwells in the body, but does not belong to the body, and Christians dwell in the world, but do not belong to the world. 

The soul, which is invisible, is kept under guard in the visible body; in the same way, Christians are recognised when they are in the world, but their religion remains unseen. The flesh hates the soul and treats it as an enemy, even though it has suffered no wrong, because it is prevented from enjoying its pleasures; so too the world hates Christians, even though it suffers no wrong at their hands, because they range themselves against its pleasures. 

The soul loves the flesh that hates it, and its members; in the same way, Christians love those who hate them. The soul is shut up in the body, and yet itself holds the body together; while Christians are restrained in the world as in a prison, and yet themselves hold the world together. 

The soul, which is immortal, is housed in a mortal dwelling; while Christians are settled among corruptible things, to wait for the incorruptibility that will be theirs in heaven. The soul, when faring badly as to food and drink, grows better; so too Christians, when punished, day by day increase more and more. It is to no less a post than this that God has ordered them, and they must not try to evade it.

(quoted from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library)

Oh... if only we were the soul of our cities!

Otherworld by Jared C. Wilson - Book Review

Otherworld: A Novel by Jared C. Wilson snagged my attention and kept it until the end.

I was originally drawn to this book because of the author. I knew of Jared C. Wilson because he is a Pastor and an author or other gospel-focused books. When I saw that he had written an novel, I was immediately interested. Not too long after I had heard about this book, it showed up on the list of free kindle books on Amazon for a short time, so I snatched it up.

I have to say, this book has everything. UFO's, the occult, cops, shootings, heartfelt introspective thoughts, a love story, a newspaper man, the newspaper man's boss, demons, professors, lunatics, dead bodies, pastors, cow mutilations, the grassy knoll, the gospel, and an exorcism... and somehow it all makes sense. The main character of the book is the newspaper man, but he also focuses on a young Pastor, an old Cop, who is a prayer warrior, a cantankerous old farmer, and a crazy evil kid.

While writing an interesting story that easily kept my attention, Jared Wilson is also able to bring reasonable explanations to various aspects "sci-fi" topics from a Biblical worldview. I especially appreciated how he was able to bring in the explanations without it feeling "forced". So often Christian writers leave you with this story that makes you feel like the Biblical aspects were squeezed in later. Most notably, Jared Wilson was able to weave a gospel presentation into one of the scenes, and it just felt natural. Someone could easily pick this book up and read clear truth from scripture and not know that the author was trying to do that.

I am obviously recommending this book. The Kindle version is currently only a few bucks on Amazon. If you are looking for a nice little piece of fiction to get you through these next few January weeks, then I want to encourage you to click on through and snag this book.

(Don't forget, if you use the links on this blog to get to Amazon, I get some credit for it... In other words, you can continue to support my book obsession.)

Temptation - Book Review

Temptation: Applying Radical Amputation to Life's Sinful Patterns by Jay Adams is a short book, only about 32 pages in length, and is part of a series of books providing Resources for Biblical Living.

Facing ongoing sin in one's life can be a troubling and frustrating part of Christian Living. I would doubt that there is a Christian out there that would honestly say that they haven't had struggles, or battles, with sin. In this book, Jay Adams begins by inviting the reader to consider sins in their own life that they may be struggling with, then he describes the two main tendencies offered in Christian circles on how to face sin.  These two options are: "(1) inaction on your part in lieu of contemplation and prayer; or (2) obedience to biblical commands that leads to growth."

Both of these methods, though often set as opposing methods, are actually missing the correct approach.  In other words, there are aspects of both that are true, but they must be taken together. I agree with this basic premise, true Biblical change is an absolute dependence on God, that we are working whole heartedly to accomplish. What many misunderstand in this is that since my sanctification (spiritual growth) is entirely dependant on God, then I can work with confidence!  Consider this passage of scripture:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13, ESV)

Can you see these two concepts working side by side?  It is not, "... God is doing his part and I am doing my part." Instead it is, "God is doing all of it so that I can do it!"

My issue, like most, is that instead of truly working, with the confidence that God is working, I want to gradually eliminate sin from my life when he calls me to stop sinning today.  This is where this little book is especially helpful. The main focus is on the concept of "radical amputation" which is pictured in Christ's teaching in Matthew 18 about the cutting off of hands and the poking out of eyes. What Jesus actually says is,

And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. (Matthew 18:8-9, ESV)

Cutting off is so abrupt. It is so final. So much I want to hang on to the availability to sin in my attempt to stop sinning. I want to be gradual in the process. I don't want it to cost me very much.  That is not Jesus' approach. On this gradual walking away from sin, Jay Adams said something that was quite helpful in putting it into perspective:

"The proposal to 'wean' oneself from sin is as offensive as if one were to cut off a dog's tail, one thin slice at a time."

He goes on to say, in response to a Let God... mentality:

To many, the unbiblical (though seemingly spiritual) manner of putting off sin is to follow a quietistic course of action. In the final analysis -- without going into methods of various sorts -- what quietism is saying, 'God has promised to eliminate sin in my life, and only he can do so. I will therefore leave the matter in his hands. In his time, he will do so.' But this is nothing more than a pious cop-out. God has already told you the time -- it is now. The sin is to cease at once.

If you are struggling with sin in your life, then I want to recommend that you get this book. It is direct and to the point, which is what those who are in sin are needing and wanting to hear.

(This book was provided by NetGalley.com for reviewing purposes.)

I am a Church Member - Book Review

I wanted to listen to I Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference by Thomas Rainer, because I was looking for a book that might be of assistance to those people that are new to our Church, but also new to church in-general.  I thought about picking up the Kindle Version, but when I saw this book on Christian Audio, I decided to go ahead and pick it up.  Listening to audiobooks on my ride to work and while I am working out, has been very beneficial.

Basically this book breaks down a few basic elements of Biblical Church membership. The author speaks as a Pastor (and the member of a church). He shares different stories with each chapter, and then builds a Biblical basis for the point of understanding Biblical Church Membership. I appreciate that the points, though they include the stories and personal experiences, are not built on these accounts. The principles are built on scripture, the other elements are just there to assist in illustrating different aspects of these principles.

At the end of each chapter, he restates the principle in the form of a commitment that a person could state as a promise to others in the church.  There is a huge benefit here, because it draws people in for the application of the Biblical truth they just read/listened to.  It is also a fairly short book. the audio chapters are only about 15 minutes long, and there are only about 6 chapters. I am considering looking for a package deal of these in paperback for the church. I will at least get one for myself to draw from as new people continue to come to Edgewood.

If you are looking for a great way to help new members understand what they are "getting themselves in to" then this is a good book that could be used to accomplish that task.

The Trilemma...

Originally a radio broadcast, eventually a book... Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

(I've probably posted this quote before, but I am an old blogger now, and I am starting to repeat myself.)

A Call to Resurgence by Mark Driscoll -- Book Review

One of the lessons that I have learned about listening to non-fiction audio books is that I will always be distracted, no matter how good the book. It could be the most fascinating book that I have ever listened to, or it could be the most boring monotonous book in existence, but I will be distracted. At some point while listening, I will catch myself thinking about something other than what this audio book is saying to me. With some books this happens more often than with others.

But I have found that one of the most telling attributes of an audio book is the form of my distraction, not just how often I am distracted. With some audio books I find myself contemplating supper or a test that I need to grade, but with other audio books, I find that my mind has latched onto a thought or concept that is being discussed in the book and my brain must travel down that path, even though the voice talent has continued reading.

With Christian Audio's version of A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future by Mark Driscoll my mind was constantly trailing off down a thought or concept presented by the author. For example, the chapter dealing with "tribalism" was quite enlightening.  Especially when Pastor Driscoll discussed these tribes through the illustration of national borders and local boundaries. Even though we evangelical Christians might sort ourselves out into different "tribes" there is an importance is understanding and operating with the reality that there are others in our same "country."

What I found even more fascinating were his explanations regarding the differences between Christendom and Christianity. This was an important distinction that it had never occurred to me to make, but once the differences had been clarified, I wasn't quite sure how I had missed it. I believe that distinguishing Christendom and Christianity will prove to be an invaluable tool as we attempt to navigate the modern religious and political scene, not only here in America, but across the globe.

This book was an absolutely worth-while read, and I would recommend it to anyone.  I will most likely have to purchase a hard copy of this book so I can take my time and contemplate each chapter a bit  more in-depth.

Basic Christianity by John Stott - Book Review

Basic Christianity by John Stott has been an amazing book.

I have heard of John Stott. I have seen other others mention him and quote him from time to time.  I have even seen a few of his books, but until now, I had never had the opportunity to read (or to listen to in this case) anything from this author. I am so glad that I have finally had that opportunity. While listening to this book, with each successive chapter that I completed, he continued to move up my personal ranks of influential authors.

This book is exactly what the title suggests, it is all about Basic Christianity. But what I really loved is that the majority of the topics that this book covers would not have made it into my own book on basic Christianity... But here is the thing: After listening to Stott's explanations and reasons for each of his topics, I began to see how important each of these subjects are. If I had written a book on Basic Christianity, I would have thrown it away in favor of this book.

I mean, sure, we both would have talked about who Jesus is, but the angles that he uses to approach this person of Jesus was literally eye-opening.  I have found myself throughout the day contemplating different points that had been made and making mental notes on what I would need to revisit.

Bottom line... Jesus is an amazing figure who stands supreme in the scope of human history.  I understand that better now after having listened to this book.  I will definitely have to purchase a hard copy of this book.

To get this audio book, please visit Christian Audio whose reviewers program has made it possible for me to listen to so many great books!

...unless someone would like to gift it to me during "Pastor Appreciation Month" ?

Four Views of the End Times - Book Review

Four Views of the End Times is a rather short book.  It is meant to be a quick overview of the four predominant Biblical views of the End Times.  These four views center on the Biblical understanding of the Millenium and other apocalyptic prophecies normally found in the final book of the New Testament, the book of Revelation. These four views are Dispensational Premillennialism, Historic Premillennialism, Amillennialism, and Postmillennialism.

I know that the majority of people that I am acquainted with would be slightly surprised that there is more than one Christian view of the End Times. The view that is most popular today, in American culture is the view called, Dispensational Premillennialism. Most think that real Christian scholars are in agreement over this view, but they just don't know the timing of when these things will come to pass. End Times discussions that I overhear or are involved in tend to focus on this pervading thought that the rapture is going to happen any day now, and we can be assured of this because of the current events in the Middle East.

This book does an excellent job of describing the other three views and giving the facts regarding these views.  We learn the different time periods when different views were most popular. We also learn of different influential Christians who have held these different views throughout the ages.  Finally we learn much of the Biblical perspective on each of these views.

It is a short enough read that one could make it through the entire book in less than an hour, but you will still walk away from this book with a better understanding of our exploration of this fascinating topic.

If you are looking for a way to get a better grasp on the different views of the End Times, then I would highly suggest this book.

Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton - Book Review

I have heard that I should read some G.K. Chesterton.  So I did.  I read Manalive and The Man Who Was Thursday.  I also read another one of his fictitious works, it might have been Lilith. But I have heard that I shouldn't just read his fiction, but one of his other works.  Recently I saw on a blog an encouragement to read Orthodoxy with a link to a free version on Amazon.

Orthodoxy is almost autobiographical, but not really.  It is a collection of thoughts that tell the story of Chesterton's journey away from Orthodox Christianity into truth, only to find that at the center of truth was Orthodox Christianity.

His writing style is fairly unique, and reminds me of C. S. Lewis.  There are references to names and ideas that are time-period specific, quaint little comments that I didn't understand, but gathered that his audience would have understood completely what he was talking about.  There is a whimsical edge to his words, but there is also a deep and profound logic to what he is saying.

I don't think that I could write a review that does this book justice, so I am going to share one of my favorite sections with you:

The sun rises every morning. I do not rise every morning; but the variation is due not to my activity, but to my inaction. Now, to put the matter in a popular phrase, it might be true that the sun rises regularly because he never gets tired of rising. His routine might be due, not to a lifelessness, but to a rush of life.  

The thing I mean can be seen, for instance, in children, when they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony.  

But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. 

It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. The repetition in nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore. 

I think he may be right.

Christian or Deist?

Are you a Christian or a Deist?

I recently read an article on The Gospel Coalition blog that was titled, Deists who love Jesus (and talk like Freud).  I found it to be really enlightening and relevant to many discussions that I've had lately.  One of the most important parts, the part that grabbed my attention, was a definition of something called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.  Here are a set of beliefs associated with this form of deism:

1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.
2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life, except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

What I find to be alarming about this set of beliefs is that so many people I know, who would call themselves Christians, would hold to these beliefs.  I have talked to countless teenagers who would hold to these beliefs.  The majority of people that I meet would hold to these beliefs.

What about you?  Are you a Christian or a Moral Therapeutic Deist?