How Would You Answer?

More thoughts springing from the discussion we’re having in Seminary 101, which features the Apologetics and Outreach class of Professor Jerram Barrs (available for free on Covenant Seminary's website):

Imagine if someone came up to you and asked a simple question: what must I do to inherit eternal life? I’d guess that, for many Christians, this would be the perfect opportunity to launch into the basics of the gospel: you’ve sinned against a holy God, Christ has died to pay the penalty that your sin deserves, and you must place your faith in him to become righteous in God’s eyes and, as a result, enjoy eternal life with him forever.

That’s why I find the account of Jesus’ conversation with an expert in the law in Luke 10 so interesting. There, Jesus is asked precisely the question mentioned above. But instead of replying with something along the lines of what I just outlined, he asks a question of his own. Here’s the exchange as Luke records it:

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.

As long as we’re talking about questions, here’s one I think the text begs us to ask: why did Jesus respond the way he did? It seems to fly in the face of the gospel. As Jesus repeatedly states—and the apostles argue after him—salvation is possible only by trusting in him and his substitutionary work, never by sheer obedience to God’s commands (see, e.g., John 6:40, 11:25-26; Gal. 3:10-14; Rom. 3:21-26; 1 Pet. 1:3, 8-9, 18-19; 1 John 4:10, 5:11-12). Why then does Jesus say what he said?

Two things should be said. First, Jesus is fully prepared to admit that one could theoretically be justified by perfect obedience in the law: “Do this (i.e., obey the two commands),” he says, “and you will live.” But secondly, because the standard of obedience is God’s own righteousness, he’s also completely aware that no person—infected with sin as we are—can satisfactorily obey the law. Instead, we fall pitifully short. While the expert in the law would likely agree with the first point, he does not yet understand the second.

That this is true can be understood by from the next verse: “But [the expert] wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” He was apparently confident that Jesus’ definition would allow him to demonstrate how well he had fulfilled the command. But Jesus’ reply is not nearly what he expects. He answers by way of a story—the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). Functioning as an extended illustration, the parable reveals that love for one’s neighbor encompasses far more than what the expert had believed. In reality, he had not even begun to fulfill this fundamental obligation of the law.

A bit of reflection helps us realize that if Jesus would have simply launched into the basic points of the gospel with this man, it would have fallen on thoroughly deaf ears—those who do not yet understand the reality and significance of their sin won't recognize the need for a Savior. Instead, Jesus first gives his attention to removing a major impediment in this man’s life to embracing the truth he—like everyone else—so desperately needs.

This is an important lesson for us to learn as we seek to influence others for Christ. We too will encounter those who will not yet be ready to hear a simple summary of the gospel. Perhaps they don’t yet believe in God at all. Maybe they doubt Jesus was a genuine historical figure. Or it could be that they, like the expert in the law, don’t yet understand their sin and its consequences. Many more examples could be added to the list, but it suffices to say that each presents a barrier that must be confronted before the gospel can be understood and accepted.

Of course we won’t know which obstacles exist if we don’t know what an individual actually believes, which suggests our first concern will likely be asking questions and seeking genuine understanding. Then, should God choose to give us the opportunity, we’re far more likely to be able to commend the truth of God and his gospel in necessary and effective ways.

Must Read Story On Forgiveness And The Power Of The Gospel

Over and over we read in the Bible that one of the marks of a Christian is that he (or she) forgives those who have hurt him. And yet many Christians have said that is one of the most difficult things that Christ has ever called them to do, especially when they have been hurt very badly. So imagine how difficult it must be for Patricia Porter to extend forgiveness to Bobby Lee Cutts Jr., who murdered Jesse--her pregnant daughter and his girlfriend. Bobby and Jesse had a three year old boy together named Blake who is now in the custody of Ms. Porter.

Recently Patricia went to the courtroom where she extended the following words of forgiveness to Mr. Cutts.

"I have had this conversation in my head with you a million times. It is a day I will never in my life forget. When I walked in that room, the presence of evil was so strong in there you could hardly breathe, and I knew my daughter was dead. I never ever thought she walked out of that room. And when you walked up there that morning, Bobby, I never in my heart wanted to believe you could have hurt her, but in my soul I knew you had.

I remember pulling into the driveway the next day and asking God, “Where is my daughter?” and he said, “She’s with me, and she’s fine.” And I made up my mind that day that whoever did that, I would forgive them because I never wanted to allow that kind of hatred into my life. I would have never been able to raise Blake and hate you. And I’ve written a lot of things here, and none of them seem to make any sense. None of this makes sense. There’s mornings I have to cover her picture up or I can’t get out of bed. And I just move on. I pretend that one day she’ll walk through the door again, but you and I know she won’t.

I serve an amazing God, Bobby, a God that forgives and heals and restores people. And I want you to know today that I do forgive you. And I know that it’s only through him that I am able to do that, and I pray that you find him, and you find the forgiveness that nobody else in this room can give you. It doesn’t matter what anybody else in this room feels for you. And that one day you will tell the truth. I think you lied to so many people. I don’t think you know how to tell the truth. I think you’re going to have to learn all over again.

And, your Honor, I may not have a family to go home to after this, but I pray that you make a way for this man to someday be able to get out of there and begin a new life, and to hold his son, maybe as a man. And I hope you pray that I’m able to raise him to forgive you. He knows what you did. You would not believe the stories he’s told us."

Where does Patricia Porter get the strength to forgive her daughter's killer? That's the question that she was asked by a reporter after the sentencing. Her answer is right on target.

"I know it sounds very cliche, but it’s because of Christ, because I’m forgiven, because I remember when Jesus hung on the cross and he asked his Father to forgive people that killed him. Nobody understands what it’s like to lose a child more than God did. He was able to forgive, and because of that I am able to forgive."

Here's the video.

HT: Ray Fowler

The Point That I Had To Cut From My Message

Most Sunday mornings when I am getting ready to preach, there is something that must be cut from the sermon due to time restraints. I'd argue that that's not always a bad thing. In other words, sometimes cutting a paragraph or two helps focus the sermon making it clearer and more understandable.

This past Sunday when I preached on 1 Chronicles 29:10-20 was no exception. That morning it was clear to me that something needed to be thrown overboard. I thought that I would use this forum to share the point that I didn't have time to share in my message.

Let me reset the scene for you especially if you weren't with us last Sunday. 1 Chronicles 29 records David's generous and sacrificial gift to the construction of the temple. We learn that he didn't give out of duty or obligation. He didn't give grudgingly or through clenched teeth. Instead we read that he, along with the leaders, gave freely, willingly, wholeheartedly, and with great joy (v. 9). Now the obvious question is, "What do they know that we don't know or at least too often forget?" To answer that question we looked at David's prayer (v. 10-20) and found 4 beliefs that motivate us to be generous and sacrificial in our giving: Everything we own belongs to God, We are stewards not owners, We have tasted grace, and Life is short.

If I had time, I would have included a 5th belief: A generous and sacrificial giver believes that their giving is a test.

1 Chronicles 29:17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.

The apostle Paul uses the same language when discussing giving...

2 Corinthians 8:8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.

In what sense is giving a test? I think that giving is a test in that it reveals our hearts in a way that almost nothing else does.

The reality is that it is easy to say that we trust God to be our satisfaction and security. It's the doing that's the hard thing. Every morning I say to myself that I'm not going to eat junk food that day. I'm really good at the "saying" part. It's the doing part that I'm not so great at. When 3:00 comes along and I'm tearing open my second bag of M&Ms, it's rather obvious that I didn't do what I said. You could say that I failed the test.

But how do I know if I am truly looking to God for my satisfaction and security? Well I think that both David and Paul are saying that giving is a test that reveals our what our heart trusts in. The more that we are giving generously and sacrificially, the more we are probably banking on God. And of course the reverse is true as well. So giving is a test because it reveals whether our heart is trusting in God or in something else. What is the test of giving revealing about your heart?

Mike Huckabee's Problem Is Our Problem

Here is a short quiz. Can you identify what the following quotes refer to?

1. "It's the same power that helped a little boy with two fish and five loaves feed a crowd of 5,000 people."

2. "Sometimes, one small smooth stone is even more effective than a whole lot of armor."

3. "We've also seen that the widow's mite has more effectiveness than all the gold in the world."

4. "It's almost like when the prophet was looking for a king. He came down, looked through all of Jesse's sons, went through a whole bunch of them, and said, 'Is this all you got?'"

What all these statements share in common in that they were found in a victory speech given by Mike Huckabee on Super Tuesday, and they are all clear references to stories found in the Bible. Now Huckabee's problem is that when National Public Radio (NPR) went to the National Mall in Washington D.C., they could only find one person who could make sense of any of these statements (full story). This may come as a shock to you, but out of all of the people interviewed, only one understood that these quotes were referencing stories found in the Bible. The reason that's bad news for Huckabee is that it means that his message is not having the impact he'd like because most of the people listening don't understand what he's talking about. The most startling fact is that all the interviewees told NPR that they had been raised in church and had attended Sunday School as a child. So it isn't just the unchurched who are unfamiliar with the Bible.

It's clear why this is a problem for Mike Huckabee (or other political candidates hoping to connect with voters based on shared biblical knowledge), but why is it a problem for us? It's a problem for every Christian because we too are trying to communicate to our culture. And if we're not careful we too will make the mistake of assuming that others share our biblical frame of reference. But as our culture (both inside and outside the church) becomes more and more biblically illiterate, we must make fewer and fewer assumptions. Several years ago when I was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ, a friend of mine and fellow staff member had a conversation with a fraternity guy who didn't know that the Bible contained an Old and New Testament. Stephen Prothero of Boston University says that more than half of Americans can't name any of the four Gospels, and half don't know that Genesis is the first book of the Bible.

While on one level this is disheartening, Christians shouldn't get overly discouraged. As you read the book of Acts, you see that the gospel made tremendous inroads into a Greek Hellenistic culture in which the message of Christ was completely new. In fact, sometimes it is almost helpful to be able to explain Christianity to someone and start from the very beginning. That's almost easier than having to undo misconceptions about God, Jesus, or the Bible.

So here is our challenge. First, read your Bible so that you aren't biblically illiterate. Second, as you seek to influence friends and family for Christ, make sure that you don't assume too much about what they know or believe. Take your time and ask good questions. Don't be in too big of a hurry to start at the very beginning. A book that might prove helpful to you is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. I'll have more to say on the book in another post but for now I'll just point out that it does a great job of modeling how to communicate Christ to the modern skeptic.

Help on the Relationship Between Science and Faith

The relationship--or the lack thereof, according to some--between science and faith is one of the more controversial and widely discussed topics in the current cultural discourse. Can one believe that God exists and has communicated in an inspired word while at the same time holding science in high regard? What would such a view practically look like? Or are science and faith simply mortal enemies? Must we choose one side and effectively dismiss the other?

If you're someone who would like to explore these questions further, let me point you to one good place to start: Science and Faith: Friends or Foes, by C. John Collins. A professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Collins has background that encompasses both "camps" in question. Prior to completing his seminary education and a subsequent Ph.D. in Hebrew Linguistics, he earned both his undergraduate and masters degrees in electrical engineering at MIT--all of which perhaps gives him a better vantage point than many to explore the relevant issues.

Quoting from the introduction:

I am writing this book for people who do not have specialist training in theology or philosophy. I think, for example, of Christian parents who want to know how their children should study science; of college students thinking about entering the sciences, or challenged in their faith by them; of teachers and those who write books for children. I would also be pleased if any who have doubts about Christianity, because of what spokesmen for science tell them, might read this book and find that believing in Christ is reasonable after all. Finally, I have Christian friends who are scientists, and they mostly feel that their non-Christian colleagues at work think their crazy for their faith, and the people they share their pews with think they're suspect for their scientific work: I'd like to help them achieve some sense of peace.

Science and Faith is available at The Crossing Bookstore on Sunday mornings.

Baseball, Steroids, And Confession Of Sin

This is a great article by C. J. Mahaney on what we can learn from Andy Pettitte's reaction to being caught using HGH. If you find this article beneficial, you might want to check out some of Mahaney's books at The Crossing's Bookstore.

Who Thought to Pray for Saul?

Here’s an interesting question that sprang from our class discussion in Seminary 101 last Wednesday night: who thought to pray for Saul of Tarsus, i.e., the man who would later become the apostle Paul?

The question becomes important when we take a moment to consider who Saul was. The New Testament—including several autobiographical passages—tells us that Saul was radically opposed to Christianity, so much so that he actively and violently and persecuted the church. The book of Acts tells us that he watched the garments of those who participated in the stoning of Stephen (7:58). A bit later in the narrative, we find him “breathing murderous threats” (9:1). Toward the end of the book, when Paul addressed King Agrippa, he describes his activities this way:

I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them (Acts 12:9-11).

The bottom line: if you were a Christian contemporary of Saul, it would be difficult to find a more strident and dangerous enemy.

With that in mind, I would imagine that the number of those Christians who thought to pray for Saul at all, let alone on a regular basis, was extremely small. Surely if anyone was beyond God’s grace, Saul was that person. And why pray for a man who was doing so much damage to the cause of Christ, a man who made you afraid for your very life?

But then again, Jesus himself had given this command to his disciples:

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? (Mat. 5:43-47).

And surprisingly enough, we do know of at least one man who did pray for Saul: Stephen, one of the very individuals he persecuted. Echoing Christ on the cross, Stephen cries out just prior to his death, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).

Finally, we’re confronted with the fact that Saul was not beyond God’s grace at all. Not only does he place his faith in Christ, he eventually becomes—of all things—an apostle, set apart to preach the gospel over much of the known world and author a good portion of the New Testament.

With the benefit of a couple thousand years, it becomes much easier to offer a biblical critique of the church’s likely failure to pray for a man like Saul. What is much more challenging, however, is applying the lesson to our own lives. In other words, who are the individuals and groups—people who sharply oppose and even persecute Christians and their faith—for whom you and I fail to pray…or even think to pray? Who do we evaluate as beyond God’s reach and not worth the effort? Who would we rather love to hate? Osama Bin Laden and radical Islam? Christopher Hitchens and the rest of the New Atheists? Richard Dawkins and the proponents of scientific naturalism? Homosexual groups? Or maybe it’s just that very trying family member, or the person in your office you find nothing short of irredeemable.

And yet, Jesus’ words were never meant to be an oft-quoted but easily ignored platitude. The command to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us still stands. Is it a tremendous challenge? Yes, one that will require nothing short of God’s powerful grace working in our hearts to meet. Is it futile? Not in light of Paul’s own story. God, it turns out, is much more gracious than we are.


(My thanks to Jerram Barrs for many of the thoughts in this post).

Liberal Theology Exposed On ER

(2:29)


HT: Trevin

Are There Biblical Alternatives To Church?

David Wells, a highly respected theologian and author of many books, comments at the 9 Marks Blog on a newly released Barna Report. It's pretty amazing stuff and well worth reading. Perhaps all of us to examine whether our attitudes toward church participation are biblical.

A recent Barna report offers an interesting snapshot of the current mood.

Surveying those who are “Christian” by self-designation—which, we know, is not of much use as a category—Barna found that a majority of adults believe that there are six alternative ways to attend a conventional church service that are biblically acceptable:

worship at home (89%),
active in house church (75%),
watching religious TV (69%),
radio broadcast (68%),
special ministry event (68%),
and participating in a marketplace ministry (54%).

Keep in mind, these are not both/ands, but alternatives! Each of the six was deemed by most adults to be “a complete and biblically valid way for someone who does NOT participate in the services or activities of a conventional church to experience and express their faith in God.” Barna also found two more alternatives regarded as legitimate by a significant minority of adults, including:

interacting with a religious website (45%)
and engaging in spiritual activity on the internet (42%).

Appended to this report are the conclusions from Barna's latest book (Pagan Christianity, co-authored with Frank Viola) which argues that much of what conventional churches do are rooted in pagan origins: church buildings, formal sermons, official pastors, the truncated form of the Lord Supper, as well as later accretions like stained glass, pews, altar calls, pulpits, pastoral prayers, church bulletins, clergy attire, choirs, tithing, seminaries, infant baptism, and funeral processions.

Assume for the moment that Barna’s numbers are correct and that they really do identify a prevailing mood. This mood will be in our churches. How are we going to respond to it? It seems to me that this has become a central question and we need to be careful that we are not caught fiddling while Rome—the reality of the Church—gets burned down. The problem, though, is that the consequences in our churches of increasingly vapid biblical teaching, personality-centered pastoring, invasive individualism, contempt for the past, and an egregiously non-theological kind of evangelicalism have now been accumulating for years. And this makes for easy-pluckings by anyone who seems to have a better idea or who offers more for less.

The Charitable Consequences of Religious Belief

The latest issue of Books and Culture offers this intriguing write-up of Arthur C. Brooks’ Who Really Cares, which looks to be a rather provocative examination of the dynamics behind charitable giving in the United States. Here’s an excerpt of the review:

Drawing on some ten data sets, Brooks finds that religiosity is among the best predictors of charitable giving. Religious Americans are not only much more likely to give money and volunteer their time to religious and secular institutions, they are also more likely to provide aid to family members, return incorrect change, help a homeless person, and donate blood. In fact, despite expecting to find just the opposite, Brooks concluded, “I have never found a measurable way in which secularists are more charitable than religious people.”

I would hasten to add that Christians should resist the temptation to interpret Brooks’ findings as a reason to tout their moral superiority. To begin with, his study appears (judging from the review) to have focused on the broader category of religious belief rather than Christian faith specifically. And besides, it’s one thing to judge the Christian church’s charitable attitude in relation to secularists, it’s quite another to evaluate it from biblical perspective, a far more challenging standard. Nevertheless, Who Really Cares may offer one important response to those cultural observers who claim that the practical affect of religious belief is, if anything, decidedly negative.

Hard Lessons From A Young Man's Mistake

More than anything else in life, Kevin Hart wanted to play football at a D1 program. He lifted weights, practiced hard, and attended camps at Cal, Oregon and the University of Nevada. But like most other high school football players, Kevin Hart just wasn't good enough to play at that level. Unable to deal with reality, he decided to create his own reality by concocting an imaginary tale about Cal and Oregon waging a recruiting battle to get him to commit to their school.

Here's an AP video (1:22)...


Here's an interesting and revealing quote by Kevin Hart from Gene Wojciechowski's story at ESPN.com...

"I wanted to play D-I ball more than anything," he said in the statement. "When I realized that wasn't going to happen, I made up what I wanted to be reality."

A few lessons that we can learn...

1. You can't create your own reality. Eventually the truth catches up to you. Of course you can try and even "succeed" for a while. For example, you might be able to trick your parents into believing that you are doing well in school, but eventually the grade cards are mailed out. You can spend money like you are a person of great wealth but eventually the bills come due. In the same way, you can try to live a part from God but eventually you must give an account to him for your life. No one can create their own reality.

2. People feel such great pressure to be a success in something that they will destroy their life to get it. Kevin Hart wanted to be a football player so badly that when he realized that wasn't going to happen, he did great harm to himself. If his actions seem silly to you, it's only because your dream wasn't to be a football player. Your dream might be to have a strong Christian family. And maybe you want that dream so badly that you unintentionally alienate your kids from Christ. Your dream might be to become the best in your profession and in the process you destroy your family. Your dream might be to look a certain way and in the process of pursuing that dream you destroy your body or even your soul. This story is a good reminder that our greatest dream must be to "run the race" that God has given us to run. It is faithfully finishing that race that will bring true and lasting joy in our lives as well as the sense of "success" that we all long for.

3. It's easy to fool people. Just think of all the people that Kevin Hart had convinced with his story. He'd fooled his parents. They were at the signing ceremony believing that their son was going to Cal. He had fooled his coaches because they were there too. He'd fooled his friends. They all stood and cheered his decision. But Kevin Hart did his best job fooling Kevin Hart. Somehow he had convinced himself that he was going to get away with this. Did he think that he could just show up on campus at Cal and that their would be a scholarship available for an athlete that they were barely aware of? Did he think that he could just go out on the field and the college coaches wouldn't realize what was happening? That's the point: He had fooled himself into believing things that I'm sure sound ridiculous to him now. The one person that you can't fool is God. One day soon every person who has ever lived will give an account to a God who knows all of our actions, thoughts, words, and motives. That's reality.

Follow Up on Abercrombie and Fitch

Several days ago, I posted a link to an article critiquing clothing retailer Abercrombie and Fitch. Though I was unaware of it at the time, A & F had only recently made headlines for a controversy involving a local obscenity law.

If you didn’t see the story, here’s a quick summary. After receiving several complaints, police in Virginia Beach confiscated two poster advertisements from a local A & F store for being in violation of the city’s obscenity code. Though the store manager was initially issued a criminal citation, the charges were subsequently dropped after police determined they would have difficulty being upheld in court.

Though I presume it's now mostly moot, A & F issued a statement during the controversy that I found interesting:

“The marketing images in question show less skin than you see any summer day at the beach. And certainly less than the plumber working on your kitchen sink. This is an incredible over reaction by city officials that would be comical except for its potentially serious legal implications. We will pursue our legal rights aggressively and fully expect to prevail." -- Tom Lennox, Vice President of Corporate Communications.

While I won’t recapitulate the previous critique here, I will say that I’m confident A & F will never use a shot of the proverbial plumber phenomenon on the wall of one of its stores. While the relevant amount of skin bared might be comparable to one of its promotional photos, it's obvious the overall effect is decidedly different. And the effect of the photos is, of course, precisely the issue.

The Dreaded “H” Factor

I’m talking hormones, ladies.

Before I continue, a Disclaimer to Husbands may be in order: Ok guys, this post is definitely for the women out there. However, if you decide to share this with your wife because you think she “needs help in this area," might I suggest that you tread lightly and do so with the utmost sensitivity? Prime examples of the wrong way to broach the subject: “Honey, you’re being hormonal again. Check out this post. “ or “Is it that time of the month? I think you might want to check out this post.” When in doubt, I suggest that you don’t say anything in the moment and pray for her instead. :)

Every woman deals with hormones in some way or another. For some of us, hormones during PMS, pregnancy, the postpartum time, and menopause not only are bothersome, but can wreak havoc in our personal lives. How, then, can we deal biblically with our emotions and an altered physical state? Do we really have any way of controlling our emotions or physical reactions to the effects of hormones? For more about this issue, check out the girltalk blog where they are doing a series on this topic right now. Here is an excerpt:

Our Lord does not stick us in the middle of hormonal craziness and leave us alone to find our way out of the maze. No, He graciously provides a way of escape so we can endure it. He provides a way of escape so we can rejoice in Him (even when it’s the last thing we feel like doing). He also provides a way of escape so we can serve others (even when it’s the last thing we feel like doing!). We’ll spend the next few days considering some of the ‘ways of escape’ God has so graciously provided.

Interesting Issues Re: Muslim-Christian Dialogue

Recent efforts between Muslim and Christian leaders to engage in dialogue based on what they view as common religious ground has sparked an interesting and important conversation within the Christian community. It concerns—you guessed it—the proper approach to Muslim-Christian dialogue. Let me see if I can set the stage for those unfamiliar with what’s taking place.

In October of 2007, a number of Muslim scholars, clerics, and intellectuals, representing “every denomination and school of thought in Islam,” released a document called A Common Word Between Us and You. Addressed to “all the leaders of all the world’s churches, and indeed to all Christians everywhere,” A Common Word asserts “the most fundamental common ground between Islam and Christianity, and the best basis for future dialogue and understanding, is the love of God and the love of neighbor.” The introductory page of the Common Word website (from which the above quotes are also taken) continues:

Never before have Muslims delivered this kind of definitive consensus statement on Christianity. Rather than engage in polemic, the signatories have adopted the traditional and mainstream Islamic position of respecting the Christian scripture and calling Christians to be more, not less, faithful to it.

It is hoped that this document will provide a common constitution for the many worthy organizations and individuals who are carrying out interfaith dialogue all over the world. Often these groups are unaware of each other, and duplicate each other’s efforts. Not only can A Common Word Between Us give them a starting point for cooperation and worldwide co-ordination, but it does so on the most solid theological ground possible: the teachings of the Qu’ran and the Prophet, and the commandments described by Jesus Christ in the Bible. Thus despite their differences, Islam and Christianity not only share the same Divine Origin and the same Abrahamic heritage, but the same two greatest commandments.

In return, scholars from the Yale Divinity School’s Center for Faith and Culture drafted a warmly positive response, which was subsequently endorsed by over 300 Christian leaders, including respected conservative scholars (e.g., John Stott and Christopher J. H. Wright—both of whom have authored books available in The Crossing’s Bookstore) and well known evangelical pastors (e.g., Bill Hybels and Rick Warren). The authors intend for their response to be accompanied by subsequent conferences and workshops designed to promote further engagement.

The Yale response, which was published in the New York Times, has not gone without criticism, however. Last month, John Piper has offered his thoughts on what he believes to be the document’s shortcomings. Commendably, Piper has also provided opportunities for two of those who endorsed the Yale response to reply, Rick Love and Greg Livingstone (for the latter link, scroll down the page a bit to “Livingstone on ‘A Common Word’”).

Taken together, this (apparently gracious) back-and-forth raises a host of interesting issues regarding what it means to communicate with those ascribing to other faiths in a manner that is both winsome, yet biblically faithful. I think you’ll find the both the original documents and subsequent dialogue worthy of careful thought.

Three Cups of Tea

I recently finished Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. As the book has received numerous awards and made several bestseller lists, I thought that I would give you a brief overview so that you can decide if it is a book that you would enjoy reading.

The Gist: In the process of Greg Mortenson's failed attempt to climb the K2 mountain in Pakistan, he met Haji Ali, the nurmadhar (mayor) of Korphe village. Korphe was one of the several very small villages located in the wilderness of northwest Pakistan's mountainous terrain. The villagers' lifestyle is what one might expect: no electricity, no running water, and no vehicles or roads to drive them on. The winters are so severe that they spend months at a time inside with their animals. But what moved Mortenson was that many of these villages lackes schools and teachers. As a way to pay back the villagers for saving his life, Mortenson promises to build Korphe a school. Given that he has never held steady employment and only worked as a nurse to fund his climbing expeditions, coming up with the $12,000 for the project proves to be a significant hurdle. Over the course of several years he is kidnapped by the Taliban as a suspected spy and is the subject of a fatwa, but still is able to both raise the necessary funds and then build fifty five schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Good: The most enjoyable part of this book is the opportunity to learn about people in a remote part of the world. In addition it was good to be reminded that one person can make a huge difference in the lives of many people.

The Bad: Books like these tend to read like applications for sainthood. Although the book was actually written by David Oliver Relin of Parade Magazine and not Mortenson himself, it still comes across a bit to self-promotional for my tastes. Here is one of many examples of what I'm talking about...

"But his hyperactive efforts had only made him more aware of the ocean of need still awaiting him. With a nocturnal flurry of phone calls to Pakistan, emails to his board, and countless pots of coffee, he began planning his spring assault on Pakistan's poverty."

I can almost hear the theme to "Rocky" in the background.

What I will remember most: A woman named Julia Bergman meets Mortenson and heads to Pakistan to lend a hand in some very rough conditions. She shows up to work with a necklace that reads, "I Want To Be Thoroughly Used Up When I Die."

Help Me Out By Writing Your Memoir

Legend has it that a person bet Ernest Hemmingway that he couldn't write a complete story in just six words. Accepting the challenge, he wrote "For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn." It probably goes without saying that Mr. Hemmingway won the bet.

Inspired by his example, Smith Magazine has been asking its readers to write their life story in exactly six words. The book, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure, was released earlier this week. You can see some of the responses on their website or on a video on Amazon.

Much like Post Secrets, I've found people's six-word stories to be interesting, inspiring, and incredibly sad. My plan is to use some of the entries in my sermon in a couple of weeks. I thought it would be fun to see if some of you would be willing to take a stab at summarizing your life in just six words. If you're open to giving it a shot just leave it in the comments (feel free to do it anonymously).

Great Questions About Music In Your Christian Life

Here are some very convicting questions from Greg Gilbert at the 9 Marks Blog.


One last thing: Again, I’m not wishing here for a music-less Christian life, or for a Christian life with less music or even softer, simpler music. I love music; I think we were created as musical beings. In fact, if you forced me to pick, I personally prefer really plugged-in contemporary music to any other style. Bob Kauflin and Sovereign Grace, for example, are making some of the most wonderful, God-honoring, Christ-exalting music available today, and I love hearing and singing their songs, whether it’s in my own church, at some other event, or even over and over again on my own iPOD.

So I think music is a good thing, even a great thing. But as I said before, every good thing in this world can and will be misused by sinful human beings. And I think that’s something that’s deserving of thought among Christians when it comes to music. My hope is that these questions, and the thoughts they provoke in you, will help you to be on guard against your spiritual life becoming unhealthily dependent on anything it should not be dependent on. I hope they're helpful to you:

- Do you get bored when someone reads a longish passage of Scripture in your church? Do you start wishing they’d get on with the music?

- Do you need music playing in the background for the reading of Scripture to affect your emotions?

- Does a prayer seem too “plain” or “stark” to you if it doesn’t have music playing behind it?

- Do you feel depressed a few weeks after a worship conference because you haven’t felt close to God in a long time?

- Do you desperately look forward to the next conference you’re going to attend because you know that, finally, you’ll be able to feel close to God again?

- If you’re in a big church with great music, are you able to worship when you visit your parents’ small rural church?

- Do you ever feel worshipful in the middle of the week, at work, at school, etc. just because of thinking about God and his grace? Or does that only happen when the music’s playing?

- Do you tend to feel closer to God when you’re alone with your iPOD than you do when you’re gathered with God’s people in your church?

- Do you feel like you just can’t connect with other believers who haven’t had the same “worship experiences” that you have? Can you only connect with other believers who “know what it feels like to really worship?”

- Is your sense of spiritual well-being based more on feeling close to God, or knowing that you are close to God because of Jesus Christ?

For more on this topic, check out recent posts over on the 9 Marks Blog.

(HT: JT)

Art For The Glory Of God

Challies has an interesting interview with the artist Makoto Fujimura. Also, Phil Ryken wrote an article on Fujimura's work. Not knowing much about this kind of art myself but wanting to promote art for the glory of God, I'd love to read your comments.

Religious Literacy

Stephen Prothero, a religious studies professor at Boston University, writes about the religious literacy of Americans. Here is a quiz he gives his incoming students. Take the quiz and then compare your results with his students.

Here are Prothero's comments at a recent speech...

And students do really badly. I think about one out of nine of my students would pass with 60 percent or better. And one thing that really intrigued me is, at the end, I would give them a list of Bible characters and then Bible stories and I'd ask them to match them. I'd have Adam and Eve and Paul and Moses on one side and, on the other side, I'd have Exodus and the Road to Damascus and the Garden of Eden. I'd ask them to draw a line between the two, and it's amazing - (laughter) - the lines that they would draw in their heads. Paul would be getting the olive branch from the dove and - (laughter) - Jesus would be parting the Red Sea. I mean, somebody must have been able to do that. It was probably Jesus, you know. (Laughter.)

And again, these weren't obscure things. It wasn't even like David and Goliath things. And so now, when I read stories in magazines and newspapers--Appalachian State beats Michigan, or any other David and Goliath story - I always kind of laugh and think nobody knows that story. Most Americans probably don't know that reference to David and Goliath.

Read the whole article.

Join the Cultural Conversation at The True/False Film Festival

My thanks to Jeremy Brown for writing up the following thoughts regarding Columbia's upcoming True/False Film Festival:

An infamous Roman governor once asked, "Truth? What is truth?"

The question continues to be asked both by Christians and the culture around us. But the answer is not always obvious. Even so, the ambiguities in our world don't make us less interested in deeper questions. They make us all the more curious about what is true and what is not. As people who find our identity in the very person who claimed to be the truth, we should always be concerned about what is real and with the big ideas that drive our culture. And the good thing about these kinds of questions is that Christians aren't the only ones asking them. In fact, often the best questioners in our culture are people who have other religious identities—or none at all. What is true about the world? What does the culture around us believe to be true, and why? What place does God have in human experience? Digging into these questions can be messy, but ultimately, it remains a rewarding task…and one we’re called to pursue.

The True/False Film Festival, coming to downtown Columbia over "Leap Day Weekend" (Feb 28-Mar 2) is perhaps one of the most creative and enjoyable ways of delving into our shared questions through the medium of film. It's an opportunity not only to view the newest, most innovative non-fiction films in the world, but also offer a humble, thoughtful Christian voice to the conversations taking place within our own community and larger culture. And at the center of everything is the heartbeat of the Fest: walking the sometimes fuzzy line between what is true, what is not, and considering what difference it actually might make.

Arguably Columbia's most important cultural event, The True/False Film Festival offers four days packed with excellent documentaries, live music, and opportunities to find fresh glimpses into the truth of pressing social issues, the human condition, and the mixed bag of wonder and tragedy we find in the world around us. The best way to experience the Festival is to purchase a pass (starting at $55), but tickets to individual films are also available. Pass holder reservations begin on Monday, February 11. For a list of films and events, ticketing information, and a complete program, visit www.truefalse.org.

Note: Some of the films (but by no means a majority) shown at True/False may contain offensive subject matter (not to be confused with a challenging perspective). Discernment and a healthy dose of common sense are helpful guides when deciding which films you choose to view.

The Seeds Mrs. J Planted

Who has made an impact in your life for Christ?

My good friend posed this question to me the other day, as she was preparing to lead a discussion on this topic. Most of the individuals who first came to mind were those I knew in college, since that is when I became a Christian. Scores more have helped me to grow and mature in my faith since then. However…about eight years before I started walking with God there was Mrs. Jennewein.

As my 8th grade Health class teacher, cheerleading sponsor, and Student Council sponsor, I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with Mrs. Jennewein. In fact, she used to pick me up for our before-school meetings and summer cheerleading practice. Looking back, I see that she took a particular interest in me and went out of her way to serve me for some reason.

Even as a self-centered, immature 13-year-old, I knew something was different about her. For one thing, she was one of the only adults I wanted to be around. Not because she was the cool teacher who cussed sometimes or who told the funniest jokes or who didn’t give us homework. Instead, I wanted to be around her because she was open about her own life and mistakes. I wanted to be around her because I could talk to her like a friend. I wanted to be around her because, unbeknownst to me, she constantly wove godly wisdom into her teaching and conversations. And, I wanted to be around because I knew she cared about me.

I don’t ever remember Mrs. Jennewein telling me about Jesus, though. I don’t even think it really registered to me that she was a Christian, until years later when I was in college. I was home on Spring Break, if I recall, and outside in my front yard one day. Mrs. Jennewein happened to be walking by, since she lived in my neighborhood. I hadn’t spoken with her in years. During the course of our conversation, I told her how I had changed…how I had accepted Christ during college and now wanted to go into full-time ministry. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said, “Rachel, I prayed for you all those years I knew you in junior high. I prayed that God would work in your life and you would know Him in a real way.”

I’m overwhelmed when I think about the seeds of God's truth and love that Mrs. Jennewein planted in my heart long ago. And, what a gift to have someone like her pleading to God on my behalf so early on. I’m sure Mrs. J didn’t know what He would do through her example, service, friendship, and prayers for a little 8th grade girl. In fact, I’m quite convinced that if she had heard any stories about me while I was in high school, she might have been tempted to think that God wasn’t going to ever work in my life! Praise God, though, that he used her “sowing and planting” efforts as one means to help me grow to know Christ (and, subsequently, have a completely changed life.)

So, I ask again, “who has made an impact in your life for Christ?” Thinking about this question this week has certainly given me a thankful heart toward God and the way He has worked in my life. And, it’s provided more motivation for me to serve, pray for, and love others for Christ, as well. I hope it does the same for you.

Al Qaida, Abortion, and Down Syndrome

"The Frog in the Kettle Syndrome" is based on the idea that if you put a frog in a kettle of hot water, it would immediately jump out. But if you put that same frog in a kettle of warm water and then slowly heated it, the frog would never know that there is a problem and eventually die.

The story is used to make many points including that oftentimes, without ever realizing it, our values are shaped by the culture we live in. This is true of Christians and non-Christians alike. Like the frog, we get so comfortable with our environment that we don't realize the danger that we are in. We need something outside ourselves to help us see our predicament and alert us to our need to "jump out" of our moral stupor before it's too late.

Just like it may take pictures of the Holocaust to wake us up to the reality of evil or a sad story to recognize the plight of the homeless on a cold, winter night, so it might take a shocking news story to open our eyes to the evil that our world has learned to tolerate and even accept as normal.

Over at the Desiring God Blog, I recently read a short but shocking post by John Piper on selective abortions based on a baby's health.

Here's how it starts...

Al Qaida has moved another step toward western standards of abortion barbarity in using Down Syndrome women to blow boys and girls to pieces. The news is that this was not suicide bombing, but the detonation of retarded girls at a distance.

The disgust one feels for the kind of heart that does this could reveal to England and America how we should feel when we screen for Down Syndrome babies and then kill them.

Read the whole thing.

"The World According to Abercrombie and Fitch"

I’m getting older. I realize that.

One way this point is driven home to me is by taking stock of the stores that I will or will not enter in the mall. As the years go by, stores on one list gradually move to the other. For example, years ago I used to frequent American Eagle. Now I can’t remember the last time I actually went into the store. I think it had something to do with the rise of what I will charitably describe as “fashionably wrinkled” shorts sporting a surplus of pockets.

Another clothing store that I haven’t set foot in for years is Abercrombie and Fitch. Though I think they’ve toned it down of late, one of the reasons for my self-imposed exile was that I could usually hear some sort of techno-dance beat about 100 feet from the store’s entrance. (Now back in the day, I might have been a slave to the funky beat, but let’s just say I’ve found increasing emancipation as my college fraternity days get farther into the rearview mirror.)

Actually, my concerns with popular clothing stores can run a little deeper than these things, with Abercrombie and Fitch being one of, if not the most alarming of the bunch. For that reason, I thought I’d provide a link to an interesting commentary by David John Seel, Jr., who takes a closer look at the retail giant. Here’s a provocative excerpt:

Abercrombie & Fitch is not about clothes. Or ultimately about fashion. Instead, A&F offers its buyers the experience of stepping into the fantasy world of adolescent dreams, unlimited popularity and carnal pleasures. Here the beautiful people belong.

I find Seel’s conclusions both challenging and largely persuasive in this particular case. And while that shouldn’t be extrapolated out into a sweeping and indiscriminate denouncing of retail clothing stores (yes, you’ll still see me at the mall), it does argue that we could all benefit from thinking a bit harder about what’s really going on when we--or our children--shop for those new jeans.

Weekend Reading

Here are some articles on the web that I found interesting this week...

1. Tim Challies interviewed Devin Brown who is the author of Inside Prince Caspian and Inside Narnia. Part 1. Part 2.

2. In the past Cammi has posted about how The Crossing's partners in Kenya are faring in the midst of the violence. Read about an orphanage associated with another ministry. And then pray.

Here is how it starts...

The orphanage under attack.

My uncle helped found an orphanage in Kenya on an island in Lake Victoria. There are more than 300 kids, many of which were orphaned by the HIV epidemic. Some of the kids are HIV positive. It is without a doubt the most visceral representation I know of what it means to share God’s love.

And tonight it might be burned down.

3. Philip Ryken writes about the busyness that drowns out our spiritual life. Here's an excerpt...

The trouble, of course, is that all of this overload gets in the way of our spiritual progress. More than a century ago Phillips Brooks observed, “The more we watch the lives of men, the more we see that one of the reasons why men are not occupied with great thoughts and interests is the way in which their lives are overfilled with little things. ” What about you? Is your life occupied with great things for God, or is it overfilled with little things? And if it is, what, if anything, are you going to do about it?

Read more.