Salteee

new beginnings...!

2011-03-01T00:13:00.004+10:00

If you've noticed an absence of blogging lately...here is why:

That's right, a new website is now up and running with all previous blog posts here imported into the site. Go check it out, and reset your RSS feed through there as I will not be maintaining posts on this blog for much longer...

www.steven-tran.com

What can miserable Christians sing?

2011-01-24T23:16:00.003+10:00

Carl Trueman once remarked that when he asked the above questions at conferences it often elicited laughter from the audience despite it being a serious question.

So, what do Christians who are hurting, who are experiencing the fire of trials, who find themselves in the Valley of Vision, sing? Here is a hauntingly beautiful song from the Getty/Townend duo (lyrics below).

Still, my soul be still
Words and Music by Keith & Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townend

Still my soul be still
And do not fear
Though winds of change may rage tomorrow
God is at your side
No longer dread
The fires of unexpected sorrow

God You are my God
And I will trust in You and not be shaken
Lord of peace renew
A steadfast spirit within me
To rest in You alone

Still my soul be still
Do not be moved
By lesser lights and fleeting shadows
Hold onto His ways
With shield of faith
Against temptations flaming arrows

Still my soul be still
Do not forsake
The Truth you learned in the beginning
Wait upon the Lord
And hope will rise As stars appear when day is dimming

Can I also suggest that the wonderful album 'Come Weary Saints' from Sovereign Grace ministries as another resource for churches to tap into.

Unilever, Lynx and Dove - a contrast in advertising

2011-01-06T18:36:00.007+10:00

Unilever is a pretty big corporation which owns a variety of products and brands. Their brand ownership includes both Lynx (men's personal hygiene products) and Dove (generally women's personal hygiene products).

A brief look at the recent advertising of these two products presents a world of difference. Lynx has emphasised the use of attractive and immodestly dressed females to market their products to (generally) young men, while Dove has pitched their advertising to women encouraging greater self-esteem in women by taking aim at the use of overtly sexualised/photoshopped female images.

It is this stark contrast in advertising aims and goals which encouraged a good friend of mine to share his concerns with Unilever. This was his letter:

Dear Unilever,

We find the advertising used to promote Lynx products offensive, sexist, and degrading. It encourages men to see women as objects for their use and pleasure rather than human beings of equal value. It gives young men unhealthy and unrealistic expectations of women and relationships.

We wish to inform you that we will not only never purchase any Lynx products, but also, since the release of your “Lynx Lodge” campaign, we have decided to never purchase any products that are owned by Unilever.

This is for several reasons:

1. The Lynx Lodge is little more than a glorified Brothel. Even though we have read statements from your company stating that the women who work at the Lodge are safe, we are highly concerned for the long term physical and mental well-being of any woman working in such a degrading job.

2. Unilever owns Dove, which claims to promote a healthy body image for women. We find it extremely hard to understand how a company that is aiming to help women with their self esteem can be undermining their own goal to such an extreme with one of their other brands. Even if Lynx advertising is not aimed at women, they are still exposed to the images of bikini-clad super thin models who men desire. The message from Lynx has a detrimental effect on women that more than undoes any positive messages Dove might be trying to communicate. The inconsistency within your company leads us to wonder if your goal with Dove is to truly help women improve their self esteem, or simply to make money out of them.

3. Unilever is willing to use sex to sell products. Surely if your products were of a high quality, this would be unnecessary, as you would be able to advertise them based on their performance rather than eye-catching campaigns. All we know about Lynx is that it is supposed to turn women into crazed sex-driven animals – and in reality this is certainly not the case. Your advertising conveys nothing about what actually makes your product superior to its rivals. While we are aware that this is how most of your competitors behave, surely it is better to stand out as a quality product that does not need to degrade women and deceive men in order to create sales.

4. Your company has displayed through these behaviours that it is incredibly irresponsible with the power it has through the media. Unilever appears to be a company that is concerned solely with self advancement and profits, not the wellbeing of its customers.

For these reasons, we find it impossible to continue to endorse any of your brands, and we are morally compelled to make our friends aware of the significant lack of ethics and decency demonstrated by your company. We hope that the outcry sparked by your Lynx Lodge campaign will urge you to reconsider the values your company holds, and make some changes to the way you advertise. Unilever is in a position of significant influence over our society, and we hope that you will start to use that power for good and not for your own gain. If these changes were to occur, we would happily purchase Unilever brands.

J&J.W.

This was Unilever's reply:

Dear Mr and Mrs W.

Thank you for your feedback and the opportunity to address your concerns regarding our marketing activations.

While acknowledging the raised points I would like to take the opportunity to outline Unilever's practice standards regarding the marketing activities involving our products:

We take marketing responsibilities very seriously and are committed to responsible marketing.

In all cases we follow the regulatory guidelines, while being respectful of differing views, and taking care not to offend.

Unilever adopted a global guideline to prevent the use of 'size zero' models or actors in its advertising to ensure that our advertising does not promote 'unhealthy' slimness.

We follow explicit guidelines about direct advertising to young children.

Unilever has a wide portfolio of everyday consumer brands, offering products to consumers that address different needs. Each of our brands talks to its target consumers in a way that is relevant and that communicates the brand's own unique proposition. Sometimes that proposition is serious and informative; at other times it is light-hearted and amusing.

Lynx communicates to its consumers through a series of light-hearted and tongue-in-check advertisements that feature fantasy situations that rarely happen for guys in the real world. Lynx strives to create marketing campaigns and promotions that make women laugh as much as men, and the women featured in our advertising are always in on the joke.

The campaign for Lynx aims to build the confidence of young men. For Lynx, it is about the "Lynx effect" - the boost that using Lynx can give to the confidence of young men that often find themselves daunted by the dating game.

We do take the concerns of consumers very seriously and thank you for your feedback.

Again, we apologise for any offence caused and thank you for taking the time to contact us.

Yours sincerely

Consumer Relations Department
www.unilever.com.au

So what do you think?

Facebook Photo Albums Do's and Don'ts

2011-01-05T22:53:00.003+10:00

This is a 'one finger pointing to you, two fingers pointing back to me' post. Not intentionally singling anyone out – and I'm guilty of some of the 'Don'ts' in this post! There are also more 'Don'ts' in this list because I'm a legalist at heart, but what other Do's and Don'ts would you add?

Don't's:

Don't post up blurry, or unintentionally out of focus photos: it ruins the purpose of an album, to tell a story.
Don't post up 200 photos in one album. Just because there's an upper limit doesn't mean you have to reach it with every album. Break it up a little, books have chapters so too can your albums.
Don't mix up the order of your photos: especially if chronology is important to the photos you post up. It's bad story-telling, and you don't want to be known as a bad story-teller!
Don't post up un-rotated photos: it's bad for people's necks!
Don't post double-ups: even if one photo was without the flash and the other with...pick the better one and leave it at that
Don't post up unedited photos alongside obviously edited photos: it makes you look a) too lazy to edit all your photos, b) like you're trying too hard to be a 'pro photographer', c) like you're happy with your edited photos but unhappy with your unedited photos (so why did you post those up?).
Don't spam tag: when you take a photo of something rude and tag all your friends.

Do's:

Do post up photos in an album some at a time, especially if the photos develop an unfolding narrative (like a wedding or event)
Do post up edited photos: but if you do, make sure that the photos in the album are edited with consistency.
Do write captions for your photos: witty or otherwise, they help viewers enter the story of the photo and album.
Do 'like' and 'comment' on other photos that you genuinely enjoy.
Do set your album privacy settings to 'everyone' when appropriate. When is it appropriate? That's up to you to decide (be wise, and especially obtain permission where necessary - like other people's kids).

Building Houses, Reading Books – some suggestions

2010-12-20T21:46:00.004+10:00

In between the last post and this post (about two months!) some friends tagged me on a Facebook list. It asked what 15 authors have influenced you the most and it was interesting to see some of the responses. The most encouraging comment I received was that my author list reflected my vintage! So please keep that in mind as I make some suggestions in this list. It is by no means exhaustive and it is highly reflective of my Gen-Y vintage.

Paul writes to the Corinthians that when they were ‘infants in Christ’ he fed them ‘spiritual milk’. This is appropriate since infants need milk. But for a Christian of a few years – say, spiritually 5 years old and up – it’s a massive concern if they are still on milk. A child of 5 years old should be stomaching solid food. A child of 10 should be eating a wide variety of food and should be able to readily identify what is good and bad for them. And even more so for someone much older. So with this in mind I’ve separated each section into ‘for starters’ and ‘moving forward’.

First – The Framework. Books to build your understanding of God and His Word.

For starters:

- The Bible – keep reading and re-reading! It is simple enough for babes to grasp, and profound enough to keep even the wisest among us in awe. Keep reading the Bible!

- Tim Keller – The Prodigal God – This is a great little book to remind you that the gospel isn’t first and foremost about people but about God.

- CJ Mahaney – Living the Cross Centred Life – my book of 2008 and 2009. Worth owning and re-reading yearly.

- Josh Harris – Dug Down Deep – my book of 2010. Excellent, clear and simple introduction to doctrine and how great it can be.

Moving forward:

- Tim Keller – Counterfeit Gods – we all have idols, those things that replace God as the centre of our lives. Identifying them and letting them go, however, is hard. This little book has some helpful pointers.

- John Stott – The Cross of Christ – Immerse yourself in the cross of Christ and you’ll find yourself constantly digging deeper and deeper.

- John Piper – Desiring God/The Pleasures of God/Battling Unbelief – Piper can be hard to get into. I’d suggest starting with ‘Battling Unbelief’ as it is smaller and clearer, but once you warm to Piper’s style a treasure trove awaits.

Second – The roof and the walls – those things you need to keep the weather and baddies (like false doctrine) out. Books to help you understand how the message of the Bible fits together alongside Doctrine and life.

For Starters

- Robert Vaughn – God’s Big Plan – A great little book which is clear, easy to read, and helpfully showing how the Old and New Testaments fit together.

- Kevin DeYoung – Just Do Something – Another great little book on the issue of guidance. This seems to be a regular issue with new Christians and this little book can be of great benefit amidst the many unhelpful things people can say about ‘seeking God’s will’.

- Peter Jeffrey – Bitesize Theology – Jeffrey does us all a great service by helpfully summarising the bible’s teaching on a variety of topics like, ‘Jesus’, ‘The Holy Spirit’, ‘Justification’, ‘Sanctification’ etc...

Moving Forward

- Graeme Goldsworthy – Gospel and Kingdom/According to Plan – Bigger and weighty books on how the Old and New Testaments fit together.

- Mark Dever – The Message of the OT/NT – Dever summarises in his own words what each book of the Bible is about, their main themes and how (especially the Old Testament) point forward to Christ.

- Gordon Fee & Douglas Stewart – How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth – one of the more helpful reference books you could own, a great book on understanding how the Bible is to be read according to context, genre and literary setting.

- Commentaries – a bit of a minefield in terms of finding good and helpful commentaries. I’d suggest speaking to your pastor or someone you might know who goes to a theological college/seminary, or head here www.bestcommentaries.com. Old Testament and New Testament commentary surveys by Tremper Longman III and Don Carson (respectively) are also very helpful.

- Don Carson – A Call to Spiritual Reformation – Carson is always good value. This is a great book on the topic of prayer and how the New Testament should shape the way we pray.

- Mark Driscoll – Death By Love – one of the best books I’ve read lately which helpfully connects doctrine and life. The subject matters are weighty, as doctrines of the Cross are, and Driscoll helpfully applies each doctrine to pastoral situations. A tough slog, but worth every bit.

Third – interior decoration. This is where it’s up to you. Here are some suggestions in some categories...

Apologetics:

Apologetic books can, like commentaries, tend to be a minefield. I’d suggest that apologetic books only be read after you’ve built your framework and walls/roofs a little more. You’ll often find that some apologetic arguments might run counter to your framework and understanding (ie – the ‘free will’ response to the issue of suffering running counter to the Reformed view that the will is in bondage and isn’t really ‘free’ at all). But some of the more helpful apologetic books include:

John Dickson – The Christ Files – evidence for why we know what we know about Jesus
John Blanchard – Does God Believe in Atheists? – A rather thick book which tackles a wide variety of philosophical and theological issues.
Ravi Zacharias – Can Man Live Without God/Jesus Among Other Gods – for those who love a good philosophical challenge. Not for the feint of heart.
Ray Galea – Nothing in my hand I bring. A personal journey of one man through Catholicism to a personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Otherwise I’d suggest that the best apologetics come from a solid understanding of Christ and the Cross.

Boy/Girl Relationships

- Joshua Harris – I Kissed Dating Goodbye/Boy Meets Girl – two of the best books about singleness and courtship respectively.

- Some might include the books by Eric and Leslie Ludy, but I personally find them a little bit soppy.

- Joshua Harris – Sex is not the problem, Lust is. Fantastic little book on the issue of sexual immorality, ways to think through it and the hope of the Gospel in the struggle.

- Amelia and Greg Clarke – One Flesh. This one is definitely for engaged or married couples only.

Service/Ministry:

- Colin Marshal and Tony Payne – The Trellis and the Vine – a new and excellent book on thinking through how and why we serve in church.

- Colin Marshal – Growth Groups – one for future leaders of churches.

- Karen and Rod Morris – Leading Better Bible Studies – similar to Colin Marshal’s book but has a few other very helpful insights, particularly if you’re going to be in any teaching capacity.

Preaching/Teaching

- SMBC – How To Speak at Special Events – one of the most helpful entry level books on preaching and how to preach.

- Don Carson – Exegetical Fallacies – if you’ve read through some of the other books already listed, this one might be worth getting if you’re getting into serious preaching. Carson’s list of exegetical fallacies, how the bible is often used wrongly in sermons, is lengthy and varied. Sometimes the matters can be quite technical (ie – incorrect use of Greek grammar for emphasis) but it’s an otherwise helpful book.

- Jay E Adams – Preaching with Purpose – a short book to spur you towards passionate preaching.

Missions:

Missions biographies are always gold. These are worth stocking up on.

Fourth – the rubbish bin. You can generally judge these books by their covers because they usually have the author’s face plastered dominantly on the front.

- Anything by Joel Osteen deserves to be binned. He’s basically Oprah Winfrey ‘think positive’ with a Christian Badge...a very small Christian badge...

Well, there are my suggestions. What would you add to the list? Would love to hear from you, especially the non-Gen-Yers!

Building Houses, Reading Books

2010-10-25T00:07:00.002+10:00

In my former work life I spent the bulk of my day reading building disputes. I read all kinds of disputes: dodgy repairs, owners unhappy with the work (sometimes unjustly), contract obligations unfulfilled. There were some strange ones in there: like the man who was convinced his home's foundation was laid incorrectly and was faulty despite multiple inspections saying otherwise, who then went bankrupt and took a jackhammer to the floor before the bank repossessed it. But more often than not most matters revolved around perceived dodgy work by the builder.

Reading all these disputes helped me realise that building a house must be done in a particular order. One memorable person who came through our way was a builder whose license was suspended. He had built a new house which the Qld Building Services Authority not only deemed unfit to live in but also potentially dangerous or life threatening. The house he built had its foundation laid correctly, but he failed to build a house which was safe to live in.

Reading books to build our renewed minds (Romans 12:1-2) is like building a house. The foundation needs to be laid first, then the framework of the house needs to be erected, a roof put in place, then walls and then all the interior stuff. I personally think the books we read fall into similar categories as building a house. The foundation is Christ, but how you build from there is important. Get the order wrong and you can end up with a funny looking home or worse: a home which falls over at the whiff of a storm.

As an avid reader, but by no means having read everything, can I make a few (non-exhaustive) suggestions on how choose what books to read:

First – you need framework. A good home has not only been designed well, but the framework is erected first. Not only does this give shape to the home, but it also sets up how you build the rest of your home. Books to help build your framework are books which help you understand God and the Gospel.

Second – you need a roof and walls. The roof and walls of your home help provide shelter from the elements and keep the nasties out. Books which help you understand how to read the bible and build your confidence in God’s Word are like the roof and walls. When the hard knocks of life batter away at you your roof and walls shelter you, and when you encounter strange (or false) doctrines your roof and walls keep them out of your home.

Third – interior decoration. This is where it’s up to you. Just like there are some essentials in a home (tables, chairs, beds) books on ministry and church help you feel more at home as you serve others. Apologetic books are useful at this point in time, after you’ve built an understanding of God’s word and your framework (not all apologetic books are useful nor would you necessarily agree with some of their arguments).

Fourth – the rubbish bin. This part requires a certain degree of discernment and humility. After re-reading and growing in our knowledge of God and the Gospel we might find that some books we read earlier may no longer be helpful or useful. I found one particular book very helpful in my Christian walk early on, but I'm loathed to suggest it now.

My next blog post will suggest some books which fit all of those categories.

Australian Election 2010 – and my vote does not go to...

2010-08-12T18:34:00.005+10:00

Danny Nalliah. My brother in Christ, minister with ‘Catch the Fire Ministries’ (who recently won a Federal court case against the Islamic Council of Victoria), recently forwarded an email that’s been making the rounds outside of his own circles. It’s an interesting read for a number of reasons, primarily because he says that if you vote Labor in the upcoming federal election you’re (essentially) not a Christian. How else would you read these words?

If you still say ‘I will vote Labor’ that is your choice. That’s the freedom we enjoy in a democracy, but I must say you definitely cannot be a Christian who has a proper relationship with Jesus if you vote this way.

There’s been a few other unhelpful emails flying around Christian networks – or I assume they are flying around primarily because I’ve received them a number of times from various sources. I classify them as unhelpful for a variety of reasons, but chief among them is the assumption that Julia Gillard’s atheism makes her unfit to be Prime Minister of a ‘Christian Nation’.

Now, here’s where I’d like to point to a couple of more helpful thoughts on the upcoming election.

First there is my college friend and coffee-dealer Nathan Campbell. He asks some good questions and links to other - helpful - articles from well thought out Christians. He also raises questions on why an Atheist should not hold office in a democratically elected Parliament, making the insightful point that when Paul tells the Roman Christians that all governments are placed there by God he had in mind one of the most anti-Christian governments in history, the Roman Empire.

Second there is Simone Richardson who has raised some good questions in regards to the ‘Christian Values Checklist’. Here’s her thoughts:

Many items on this list are not Christian values at all. Take #22 - 'Oppose all illicit drugs and fund abstinence based rehabilitation'. Why is abstinence based rehab the Christian way? Is God opposed to methadone programs? Or #21. Christians have different views on the charter of rights. Or #10 - Why should same sex relationships not be registered? Or #7 with the education voucher things?
The list is disproportionately obsessed with issues of sex and reproduction. 11 items!
The re-writing of Australia's history required for #2 sounds a bit silly. Didn't think we had much of a christian heritage.
All of the parties get a tick for 'support greater care of God's environment'. Do they really want to care more for the environment? Are they all willing to make the costly and unpopular decisions that may be necessary? Certain parties that got the tick for this one voted against the ETS and don't believe in global warming. A much softer line seems to be taken on this than on any other item on the list.
The biggest problem with this list is not what it says, but what it leaves unsaid. The things (apart from repentence and faith) that God has told us he cares about most are not on the list. What about showing respect for the elderly? the poor? the sick? the outcast (refugees...)

She’s then posted her own version of a Christian Values Checklist (admittedly incomplete and skewed) but with surprising results.

Third there is this fantastic interview with Sydney Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen on the upcoming election and the role that faith (for voters and Politicians) plays. It’s a lengthy interview but here are some interesting snippets:

Peter Jensen: The thing that impresses me about the two who are leading up our respective larger parties at the moment is how similar they are. That may sound odd to you.

Monica Attard: How are they similar?

Peter Jensen: They're Aussies. They're Australians. They're passionately committed.

Mr Abbott shows his commitment very strongly. But I wouldn't think if you ran a commitment-o-meter over the two of them you would find the same thing.

Furthermore they're committed to much the same things, and many of those things are good things. So the first task of government is to provide justice. I believe they're both committed to justice.

And there's many ways we have a choice between two goods. And I think we need to recognise that. Yes, there are differences. Of course there are, thank goodness for that. And there will be differences of party philosophy. But there's a lot of similarity, too.

...

Monica Attard: Now, three out of four Australians identify themselves as being affiliated with Christianity, though only around fifteen per cent, I believe, of those people attend weekly church services. Do Christians necessarily vote from the viewpoint of faith, do you think?

Peter Jensen: Yes, we do. And fortunately in Australia it is perfectly possible, even across the range of options, to vote from faith and to vote differently. You cannot say to a Christian in Australia I think you must vote for such and such a person. It's a matter of balance. You will work out which way you want to go.

There are certain things about the genius of the Liberal Party which are very attractive to Christianity, there are certain things about the genius of the Labor Party that are very attractive to Christianity, because they both come from Christian sources.

...

Monica Attard: And you're not concerned having a Christian lobby participate in the political process so directly is kind of tearing down that whispering wall between religion and politics?

Peter Jensen: We're pretty robust in this area. One of the ways in which we have got on with each other is for Christian leaders, on the whole, not to reveal voting preferences, and certainly not to urge people to vote one way or the other.

I would hope never to do that. And I would hope nothing I would say would favour one side or the other. That's how we've got on and it's a good system.

It means that the unfair advantage that a church may have is not brought to bear on the voting system. And we recognise the worth of both major parties, for example. That's worked over the years.

The difficulty is, however, that now that Christians - active Christians - make a minority of the population, active Christians want to know more about what parties are saying. And the ACL operates as a group to bring to the surface what parties are actually saying, and to create a sense of accountability by the parties to Christian people.

Could it go too far? Well, not yet. But we need to keep an eye on it.

Monica Attard: At what point would it make you feel uncomfortable?

Peter Jensen: Oh, I think if the Australian Christian Lobby or any group, any church, actually said, oh, in this current federal election, Christians, you must vote for this party.

I think as Australians we've been through some difficult times. The dismissal of Mr Rudd I think caused a shiver of apprehension about the nature of Australian life and politics. I can't feel that it was well done, though those in position felt it should be done.

But God be thanked that, whatever happens after this election, that we will have an Australian who can lead this country as prime minister.

So who am I voting for? I’ve yet to make a decision yet (I’m generally a swing voter) and I’m hoping that better (more interesting?) policies come out soon. Until then, I’ll be doing my research on the candidates and trust that our sovereign God will take care of his church no matter what.

Another packed semester of study

2010-07-16T09:39:00.004+10:00

Another leave of absence from blogging and another huge word count for this semester. Here are the questions (some highly interesting!) that I get to tackle...

--oo--

TH604 – Church, Sacraments and Ministry

3000 word essay – 50%

Evaluate Lumin Gentium as the most extensive discussion on the doctrine of the church in Roman Catholic theology that was given the greatest majesty in the Second Vatican Council.

3000 word essay – 50%

‘‘This IS, IS, IS my body’. Evaluate Martin Luther’s succinct summary of the Lord’s Supper and the eucharistic words of Jesus in the New Testament.

CH625 – Mordern Evangelical Movement

1500 word Review - 25%

The Cambridge Companion to Puritanism, Chs 5, 13, 19 & 20
M. Noll, The Rise of Evangelicalism, Introduction & Chs 1-3

Students are to write a short evaluative review in relation to the above resources (i.e. summarize and critique what they are saying, and compare and contrast the views of the different authors). You should particularly focus on the character or later Puritanism in Britain, and the question of continuity and discontinuity between later Puritanism and early-phase evangelicalism in Britain. It is not expected that you read any other resources for this assignment

1500 word essay - 25%

According to Jonathan Edwards in his work, The Religious Affections, what place do “the affections” have in the Christian life? What are good and bad ways of distinguishing between affections that are genuinely arising from true Christian faith, and those that are not?

3000 word essay - 50%

“The emerging church movement is just a bunch of old ideas with a new, postmodern dress on.” Account for the success of the emerging church movement in contemporary western Christianity, and explain why it can sometimes produce polarizing reactions, in light of the recent history of evangelicalism and the pressure points within it.

NT631 – Corinthians

3000 word essay - 50%

What circumstances gave rise to Paul providing the most detailed apologia of his ministry in 2 Corinthians 10-13 and can that be related to 2 Corinthians as a whole?

OT621 – Former Prophets (Joshua - 2 Kings)

1500 word review - 20%

Moises Silva, Biblical Words and Their Meaning: An Introduction to Lexical Semantics (Zondervan, 1994)

2500 word essay - 40%

Write an exegetical essay that explores the use of satire in the narration of two different judges in the Book of Judges. Evaluate what influence this rhetorical approach may have had on the implied reader.

PC603 – Pastoral Skills and Methods

2500 words essay - 40%

Having come to a considered independent conclusion on the place of assertiveness training for those engaged in Christian ministry, propose a set of relational skills necessary for an effective pastoral ministry and pastoral counselling ministry, and discuss the implications of these conclusions for Christian community.

4000 word essay - 60%

Analyse and critique several delivery options for effective pastoral care in a particular situation. Choose one of the topics listed on page 3 “Section B: Pastoral Care in Particular Situations.” This assignment must show evidence of capacity to research, gather and critically integrate information on a pastoral care issue.

Plus: A summary paper containing the main point of each major lecture segment and its assigned readings is to be submitted to the lecturer via the QTC office by 2nd November. This summary is to be brief, giving the main idea of each major lecture segment and the pastoral application arising from each main idea.

--oo--

The essays I'm looking forward to the most are:

- CH625 - Jonathan Edwards - I've always wanted to plumb the riches of Edwards' work, and here is my first opportunity.

- CH625 - 'The Emerging Church' - I've been fascinated by this church movement for some time and now I get a chance to critically analyse why this movement has been so popular.

- OT621 -Satire in narrative - Probably one of the most profound things I've learnt so far in my studies is to consider the literary artistry of the Old Testament so I'm looking forward to this particular question.

Once again, for those inclined, please pray that I'll be diligent and organised through this semester (since I no longer have Steph's photocopying to rely on!). Also pray for good health through the semester.

‘Worship’: content and heart

2010-05-06T23:32:00.004+10:00

A couple of weeks ago one of my lecturers, who shall remain unnamed, propped up on a high horse for a minute and said that ‘Christian music’ is the bane on the body of Christ. Now, while I don’t agree that all Christian music is a blight on the body of Christ I think he had a point. Over morning tea that same day one of my fellow student friends, who works in radio, said that all ‘Christian music’ does is figure out what’s popular in the secular charts and try and find a Christian imitation.

Then recently Stephen Altrogge half sarcastically, half seriously blogged on how to write a dodgy worship song (with reference to nobody in particular – but from his own experience). My favourite two points were these:

Be Vague About Your Theology
Make sure to avoid any theology at all costs. Don’t talk about atonement, wrath, or any other biblical concepts. You want your song to be all about feeling. Don’t let the mind get in the way. Repeat after me: “Worship is a warm feeling, sort of like heartburn, only better.”

Make the Song All About You
The main point of your song should be your experiences and how God makes you feel. Don’t bother with objective truth about God. I would suggest that you use the words “I” or “me” at least 12-15 times. For example, “I feel like singing, yes I feel like spinning, because You make me feel so good inside. Like it’s my birthday, but more awesome.”

While slightly tongue-in-cheek the rest of his points hit too close to home for many of the songs I hear on radio and in some churches. Stephen then followed up that post with an excellent post on ‘Why words matter in Worship Song’. In answer to the comment that ‘what matters most in a worship song is the heart behind the song...’ he writes this:

To a certain extent, I agree. The sacrificial death of Christ makes our flawed, imperfect praise acceptable to God. My best worship is always stained with sin, and I always need Jesus to make my worship acceptable. And the heart really does matter. God does not like insincere worship.

But, we need to be very careful in how we think about this. The heart behind a worship song isn’t the only thing that matters. The words of the song and the ideas conveyed by a song matter. A whole lot.

Here’s why: we don’t get to worship God in whatever way we choose. We can’t sing whatever we want about God, no matter how deep our sincerity. In Scripture God has told who He is and how He must be worshiped. And because God is God, He gets to make the rules. He gets to tell us what worship should look like.

And concludes with this:

Truth matters. Sound doctrine matters. Our songs should be saturated with truth. It doesn’t please God when we sing false things about Him. It pleases Him when our songs are packed with Biblical truth.

Every one of us is a theologian. We all have our own thoughts and ideas about God. The question is, are we good theologians? Do we think and sing right, true, good thoughts about God? For the sake of God’s honor, let’s be sure that our songs help us be good theologians.

A few years back Tim Challies hopped onto the ‘Worship Wars’ debate which erupted on the blogosphere when Chuck Colson wrote an article for Christianity Today blasting the lyrics to the song ‘Draw Me Close’. His post is worth considering at length and proposes a very helpful test for evaluating the music we sing in church:

The Message Test - Does this song express the word of God? Is there a strong message and one that appeals to the new man or to the old man?

The Purpose Test - What is the purpose of this music? Was it written to lift you up or to bring you down? To make you joyful or to make you sad? Different types of song may be appropriate at different times. Obviously the very nature of music dictates that certain patterns in music have the ability to stir emotion independent of the song's lyrical content.

The Association Test - Does the song unnecessarily identify with things, actions or people that are contrary to Scripture? An otherwise good song may have to be rejected simply because people will make inappropriate associations with it in their minds. The authors provide the example of singing "Amazing Grace" to the tune of "The Rising Sun" which is a song about drinking and gambling. As people were singing worship to the Lord they would also be thinking of the song's original words, leading their minds to think of things that are inappropriate for a worship setting.

The Memory Test - Does the song bring back things from your past that you have left? The purpose of this test is not to guard against music that people may dislike, but to guard against music that may cause them to sin, heeding the biblical warning about not offending one's brother. So it has less to do with taste and more to do with leading people to sin.

The Proper Emotions Test - Does the music stir our negative or lustful feelings? Amazingly enough, music does have the power, once again independently of lyric, to stir emotions to sin. If you don't believe this, watch a room full of young people during a hard, driving rap beat, even before the words begin.

The Understanding Test - Will the listeners have a hard time understanding the message or finding the melody. Different people know and understand different types of music. People will have an easier time worshiping to a type of music that they understand. Those new believers in Papua New Guinea may have a difficult time worshiping to contemporary Christian music as they would simply not understand it. The same principle holds true with the lyrics, though I would suggest to a lesser extent, because unlike music, words are objectively true or false. If a song is strong in its theology, the people should eventually understand it, even if they do not now. With music this is not the case. Those natives will be no farther ahead if they learn to appreciate church-rock (and many would suggest, perhaps correctly, that they would actually be farther behind!).

The Music Test - This test asks if there is really "a song within the song"? Is the song singable? Does it flow from verse to verse? Does it stir the listener's heart to join in the song? A song with beautiful words may quickly disappear from the hymn books simply because it is not singable.
So there are the seven tests suggested by the authors. Conspicuous by its absence is one I would like to add, which is:

The Excellence Test - Does the song provide God with the best music and lyrics? We should strive for excellence in all we give to God. If our giving to Him should not be half-hearted, how much less our worship?

On this basis he evaluates ‘Draw Me Close’ and comes to this conclusion:

The Message Test - Fail. Colson would clearly fail this song on the basis of the message and so would I. Storms and Taylor would pass it. It seems to me that the song is trite, void of meaningful content and too man-focused.
The Purpose Test - Pass. The song was written to honour God.
The Association Test - Pass. I don't know that people would associate this song with much of anything.
The Memory Test - Pass. See above.
The Proper Emotions Test - Pass. The music is consistent with the lyric.
The Understanding Test - Fail. The song is schmaltzy in its lyric and many people, especially men, will object to the romantic overtones.
The Music Test - Pass. While it is not inspired music (see the next point), it is singable.
The Excellence Test - Fail. Neither the music, nor the lyric is an expression of excellence.

This is an excellent series of questions by which to test any music we sing corporately in church.

At this point I want to turn my attention to Starfield, an increasingly popular band to which many of my blog readers would be familiar. I’m making these comments because a) someone has asked me to look into their lyrics, b) their songs are making their way into teens groups and churches, and c) anytime I hear a group of Christians sing the praises of a group/band then I want to reflect upon their lyrics/theology. I want to make some observations on their lyrics as found online and hope that my comments will be taken with these necessary provisos:

Firstly – I haven’t listened to all of their albums and don’t know much about the band personally. My comments are going to be restricted to their lyrics (which, after all that I’ve posted so far, you should be convinced are the most important part of any song).

Secondly – I don’t want these observations to be any reflection upon their fans or anyone who appreciates their music and has been encouraged by it. My concern is to raise discernment among listeners.

Thirdly – my observations will be limited to their ‘Saving One’ album.

Ok, here are my observations:

With the exception of one track the album contains no ‘Jesus is my boyfriend’ type of songs. However the song ‘Absolutely’ is about as typically ‘Jesus is my boyfriend’ as you can get. Even the references to ‘worship’ and ‘forgiveness’ are vague, containing little definition.
The lyrics seem to focus primarily on the personal experience and relationship of God – there is only one song primarily concerned with ‘we’ (and one other song which mentions ‘we’ once) and no mentions of ‘us’. This isn’t necessarily bad, but if your diet of songs in church or youthgroup are primarily ‘me-centric’ and not ‘theo-centric’ then your theology will inevitably be shaped towards ‘me’.
‘The Saving One’ is probably the heaviest song in regards to theological content. That said, it’s much like the song ‘Jesus, God’s Righteousness Revealed’ which is just a collection of theological lines with nothing tying it together.

So if I were to take their lyrics and test them against that which Tim Challies has suggested then I’d be disinclined to use their songs in corporate worship.

Which brings me to an observation that John Piper recently made at the Together For the Gospel conference:

A very practical thing for pastors: I asked that we sing when I was done because I really wanted you to be able to say with the heart “all I have is Christ.” I wanted you to say it and sing it. My suggestion for pastors is that you study the music here, the lyrics, and you do the research and get the gospel songs. Sovereign Grace is serving the evangelical movement incredibly, I think. I’m going to qualify my enthusiasm here. I'm totally there, these are my favourite contemporary songs. And it is a narrow slice of culture, it’s a narrow slice of musicality. Know that, and be okay with that, and maybe not limit yourself to that.…It’s amazing how many churches don’t—from their hearts—sing the gospel, sing the glories of justification, sing the glories of substitutionary atonement, sing the glories of the resurrection.

When was the last time you sung about the wrath of God or the substitutionary atonement in church? It’s not that hard to write songs containing these themes – Sovereign Grace music seems to do it consistently, and consistently well. Here’s an example from their album ‘Sons and Daughters’ in which the parable of the Prodigal Son is reworked into a wonderful performance song:

May the music in your church not only prepare hearts to hear God’s Word, but teach it faithfully also.

Cult vs Denomination

2010-04-05T22:59:00.003+10:00

I recently found this video which is beginning to go viral. Despite being filmed in 2007 the video contains music and synthesizers from the early 90's and a dance routine from the decade earlier. But the dance solo from 2:00 onwards is probably the highlight.

A little digging online and I discovered that the producers of this clip 'The Way International' is a cult. Further digging on their website and Wikipedia confirmed this. But then I asked myself, 'What’s the basic difference between a ‘Cult’ and a ‘Denomination’?'

Tim Challies has a helpful look, but to summarise here are his four points of a cult: Add, Subtract, Divide, Multiply.

Add – Cults add to the Bible. And what they add is seen as authoritative. So while a Denomination like the Presbyterians holds firmly to the Westminster Confession of Faith and Anglicans have their Common Book of Prayer these are not given the same authority as Scripture. However, groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and their ‘Watchtower Organisation’ and the Mormon’s ‘The book of Mormon’ are both seen as just as authoritative or more authoritative than the Bible.

Subtract – Cults take away from Jesus. It’s always something – for JW’s Jesus is not the Son of God, but Michael the Archangel. For Mormon’s Jesus is not the pre-existent Son of God, but a created being. For Oneness Pentecostals Jesus is just a ‘mode’ of God. Whatever the case, the Jesus of Scripture is diminished.

Divide – Cults divide the loyalty of believers. Each cult believes it has exclusive revelation and understanding of the truth and ensures that its followers are just as exclusive. No-one outside of their cult will be saved. Denominations will disagree on important (but secondary) matters – such as the mode of baptism – but denominations will never argue that the believers in their church are the only ones who are saved.

Multiply – this is the most pernicious mark of a cult: they multiply the requirements of salvation. Salvation in a cult is never ‘by faith alone’ – but always in addition to some human effort. Thus every cult rejects the heart of the gospel.

A cult doesn’t need all of these marks to be ticked in order to be classified as a cult – though most major cults usually have all marks. And by these definitions one could logically argue that Catholicism is also a cult since the Church includes ‘Tradition’ and the ‘Pope’ as authorities alongside the Bible and multiplies the requirements of salvation (to include good works). I have good friends who believe so and I find it hard to argue against – suffice to say that the usual term ‘cult’ is a lot more restrictive and specific in common usage so as to not include Catholicism.

So what about denominations? Well, having been at a Presbyterian Bible College now for the past year and a bit I’ve now become a lot more educated as to the inner workings of the Presbyterian denomination. I’m no expert, nor do I intend to take any Presbyterian specific classes in the course of my degree, but I know I have a much better insight than I did prior to beginning my studies. So here’s a short list of things I think each denomination differs on:

Church Governance – each denomination has a slightly different methods of governing their church. Some have a strong hierarchical, ‘top-down’, system of governance where power lies in one main person. The Anglicans follow this system and it works well if the person at the top is a strong biblical leader (like the Sydney Anglicans) and is a disaster when the persona t the top is theologically liberal (like the Brisbane Anglicans).

The Presbyterian model of church governance vests its power in a Board of Elders which means there is greater theological accountability within the church. The only downside (as far as I can tell with my limited knowledge) is that things tend to move very slowly in this system and if Elders on the Board are not as theologically literate as others it can cause problems.

The final model of church governance is usually termed ‘congregational’ – where the power of decision making is vested in the congregation. Most independent churches and Baptist churches follow this form of church governance. The positives are that this system appears to be the most democratic, but the major negative of this form of governance is that not only is decision making painfully slow, but Pastors are often under the authority of the congregation. This has led some Pastors in some congregational circles to move towards a more ‘theologically light’/prosperity laden gospel in order to seek approval of members.

No system of governance is perfect nor is one more biblical over the other. Each have positives and negatives.

Baptism – each denomination has generally one of two views: believer baptism as a Sacrament of Faith, or infant baptism as a Sacrament of Grace.

For Baptist, Methodist and most Independent churches baptism has been viewed as a Sacrament of Faith – an act performed by those mature enough to understand the Gospel and profess Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

For Anglican, Presbyterian and Lutheran churches baptism has been viewed as Sacrament of Grace – an act performed on infants as a symbol of the free gift of grace each Christian receives (for the infant has done nothing to deserve this Grace). Evangelical churches which practice infant baptism stress that this Sacrament of Grace is not a means of salvation and must be coupled with the proclamation of the Gospel and an affirmation from the believer at some point.

Catholic infant baptism is different on its own. In Catholicism baptism washes the stain of sin from the infant – and if that infant should grow, perform good works/penance/confession and attend Mass regularly then they will have done enough to receive (or earn) salvation.

In conclusion, these differences play an important part in church life. But while these differences mean apparent separation and distinctiveness, we should be careful to note that at the end of the day each denomination (not counting Catholicism as I think Catholicism is a different animal altogether) is divided over 'secondary issues', that is to say that no core issue of the centrality of the Gospel is being fought over. Secondary matters of baptism, church governance and other non-essential issues of interpretation have given rise to various denominations globally. But the unity of the church remains.

Check out 'The Gospel Coalition' and 'Together for the Gospel' for two organisations/conferences built upon this idea of unity within diversity.

Avatar Review - Follow Up

2010-02-27T10:38:00.004+10:00

In follow up to my review of Avatar, I've recently come across a short snippet of Mark Driscoll's thoughts on the movie (though the comments are quite old). Here's a transcript of his sermon:

The world tempts you to sin, to use people, to disobey God, to live for your own glory instead of his own, to be a consumer instead of generous, that's the world system.

And if you don't believe me, go see Avatar, the most demonic, satanic film I've ever seen. That any Christian could watch that without seeing the overt demonism is beyond me. I logged on to christianitytoday.com and the review was reflective of Christianity today, very disappointing. See, in that movie, it is a completely false ideology, it's a sermon preached. It's the most popular movie ever made, and it tells you that the creation mandate, the cultural mandate is bad, that we shouldn't, we shouldn't develop culture, that's a bad thing.

Primitive is good and advanced is bad and that we're not sinners, we're just disconnected from the divine life force, just classic, classic, classic paganism, that human beings are to connect, literally, with trees and animals and beasts and birds and that there's this spiritual connection that we're all a part of, that we're all a part of the divine.

It presents a false mediator with a witch. It presents false worship of created things rather than Creator God in absolute antithesis to Romans 1:25, which gives that as the essence of paganism. It has a false incarnation where a man comes in to be among a people group and to assume their identity. It's a false Jesus. We have a false resurrection. We have a false savior. We have a false heaven. The whole thing is new age, satanic, demonic paganism, and people are just stunned by the visuals. Well, the visuals are amazing because Satan wants you to emotionally connect with a lie.

I think there are some very good points made here. Namely - to get people to accept a lie you don't give it to people for what its worth, you dress it up. Satan is terribly clever at doing this and I think Driscoll's forthright comments are worth pondering. While I was suckered into the visuals of the movie I will admit that I found the storyline pretty laughable (and predictable).

Another good point he makes is that we must consider the spiritual affect of even a 'work of art' which has had such a profound influence globally. I heard the other day that even though James Cameron has only made 12 films they have grossed a total of +5 Billion dollars globally, making him, on gross earnings, the highest earning Director in history. So we must evaluate the spiritual and philosophical push his films make.

Finally, it may seem crude to some that Driscoll's views this film is as 'demonic and satanic'. I would challenge all of us to keep meditating on how close to the truth he might actually be. Anything which robs God of his true glory is both demonic and satanic. Whatever you think of Driscoll's words, it's been widely noted that Avatar pushes a particular agenda. And that agenda is not in line with scripture. Coupled with the fact that this is movie is one of the highest grossing movies of all time and we begin to see that its robbing of God's glory affect may be more profound than we first think. What better, easier, and more glamorous way can Satan be at work?

Happy discerning-movie-watching. :)

Leave of absence...from blogging

2010-02-17T12:35:00.003+10:00

After a 2month+ holiday over the Christmas/New Year period from Blogging I thought I might have a bit more time to 'pen' some thoughts once college started again. However that seems like a remote possibility as my assessment schedule is heavy, to say the least! I'm not the only one in this boat, so (for those who inclined) please pray that myself and my fellow students will get through this semester with our heads still intact!

Here's what my assessment schedule looks like:

CH624 – Reformation Church History – 3000 words – Due Wk3
How did Calvin regard his views on the way in which we receive the grace of Christ, and also the nature of the Christian life, as differing from those of the Papacy? To what extent did he depend upon, and differ from, earlier Continental Reformers? Discuss with reference to his Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, Chs 1-19.

TH603 – Grace and Eschatology – 3000 words – Due Wk5
Evaluate Hans Kung’s thesis in his Justification: The Doctrine of Karl Barth and a Catholic Reflection that there is fundamental conformity between Barth’s Church Dogmatics and traditional Roman Catholic official dogma and the more recent the ‘New Perspective’.

PC647 – Preaching – 2000 words – Due Wk6
Book Review – Graeme Goldsworthy, ‘Preaching the whole Bible as Christian Scripture’

NT635 – Pauline Theology and Romans – 3000 Words – Due Wk7
Exegesis Paper - A paper on a passage within the selected passages in Romans.

OT620 – Pentatuech – 3000 Words – Due Research Wk
3000 word essay on the theology of the Pentateuch

CH624 – Reformation Church History – 3500 words – Due Wk 10 (Ed: I have to choose one of these questions and I'm not sure which one)

To what extent is it possible to draw a sharp contrast between the life and work of the “early Luther” (pre-1525) and the “later Luther” (post-1525)? What points of continuity and discontinuity exist between the early Reformer and the man in his later years?
Which elements of Zwingli’s reforming program essentially died with him, and which ones outlasted his death and became his lasting legacy to the Swiss Reformation? What, historically speaking, might explain this state of affairs?
The efforts of the Papacy and its allies (such as the Jesuits) to turn back the tide of Protestantism in the years after the Council of Trent met with great success in some parts of Europe, but mixed or minimal results elsewhere. What historical factors can explain these differences?
Just how “Protestant” or “Roman Catholic” was England during the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I? – How much had the attitudes, beliefs and practices of the nation-at-large been influenced by Protestantism by this point in time? What kinds of evidence and arguments have been used by historians in discussing this question?
Was the “Elizabethan Settlement” ever really settled? Was the religious situation in England stable during for at least part of Elizabeth I’s reign,? Or is it better described as a continuous succession of tensions and conflicts that were always going to explode into Civil War, sooner or later?

NT635 – Pauline Theology and Romans – 1000 words – Due Wk 12
What is the function of Romans 9 and 10 within the letter?

TH603 – Grace and Eschatology – 3000 words – Due Wk12
Evaluate the different theological perspectives on eschatology and their implications for theological constructs of the Christian life.

OT620 – Pentateuch – 1500 words – Due Wk12
Book Review - T. D. Alexander, 'From Paradise to Promised Land: An Introduction to the Main Themes of the Pentateuch'

Other:
Preaching – Sermon 1 (script) – 1800 words
Peaching – Sermon delivered – 1800 words

At this point I'm reminded of JI Packer's great words (paraphrased slightly):

We must...turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God.

Avatar - REVIEW

2010-01-06T21:13:00.004+10:00

I read some time ago that Hollywood is moving towards 3D films as a way of bringing people back into the cinemas. Avatar 3D is a promising start.

Let me cut to the chase. The storyline for Avatar is quite basic and somewhat predictable. I’ve heard it said elsewhere that there are really only 7 storylines these days which are recycled in various forms. That said, my interest in films these days are in the re-telling of those basic story lines. It’s like going to a fine dining restaurant and complaining that they serve chicken. Well, yes, it is chicken, the same stuff you can make at home, but how they present the same meal is what makes it special.

Avatar, as a story, is relatively simple. Without giving too much away, it’s essentially about a group of invading humans looking to profit from a foreign planets natural resources. An ex-marine finds himself drawn to an experiment in which he uses an avatar to mix with a local tribes ‘people’ known as the Na’vi (and while this isn’t a new plot development the mode in which it is done is relatively novel). Initially sent in to spy he falls in love with the ‘people’ and eventually saves them from destruction.

The scenery is as lush as I’ve ever seen in a movie and the cinematography has been done very well. In 3D the scenes burst to life and draw you in very quickly. The dense forest of Pandora is teeming with exotic flora and fauna and those scenes are almost worth the ticket price alone. Almost 3 hours of movie making passed before I knew it.

But some have labelled the movie as propaganda. After seeing the movie I understand this concern to a point. While I didn’t think it that preachy or as a bad as this reviewer made it out to be, there were other elements which had me thinking:

Firstly – the use of the terms ‘shock and awe’ and ‘pre-emptive strike’ echo closely the rhetoric used to justify the Iraq War (whether or not the war itself was justifiable I’ll leave alone for the moment). That these terms are used by the relatively one dimensional ‘American Military’ characters certainly gives you James Cameron’s view on said war.

Secondly – the Na’vi people have a semi-pantheistic relationship with their home planet, Pandora. Their ‘deity’ is not so much an external and personal being, but rather an impersonal life-force (type) akin to Gaia mythology. Cameron weaves this theological narrative through the story in a way which presents the Na’vi as living harmoniously with their environment and the Military (read America) as living recklessly. If there is any propaganda in this movie it’s this idea of environment vs industry/money.

At this point I think it’s fair to say that this ‘environment vs industry’ message is pushed firmly and subtly within the narrative of the movie. The Bible teaches that man is to be a steward of creation and under the command to subdue it (cf Genesis 1:28). Avatar presents the Na’vi as peaceful stewards and the Military as reckless subduers. The Bible’s message is one of balance. We are not like the Na’vi who have such a relationship with their land that they deify certain aspects of it. And we are not like the Military who care nothing of the planet (creation) itself. Not only this, but we also look forward to a day when creation will be released from its bonds and made anew.

Those (minor) points aside I think the movie was worth the ticket price. Certainly in 3D it gave me plenty to marvel at.

- - - -

I've posted some recent thoughts regarding the movie's robbing of God's glory. Please find that post here.

Reason #159 Why I Love My Wife

2009-11-14T10:27:00.002+10:00

She leaves me little notes like these...

Australian Idol's Amazing Grace

2009-11-09T21:41:00.002+10:00

My church finishes late on a Sunday evening, so I rarely get to see any TV shows scheduled during that 'prime time'. This year Australian Idol has fallen into this category of shows I just can't keep up with any longer.

So it was to my surprise this evening when my in-laws mentioned that Stan Walker last night chose to sing Chris Tomlin's version of Amazing Grace. They described his performance as surprising for them to hear since they knew the song, it was a church/worship song, and his version was different to what they're used to.

So I had a watch this evening and I felt a sense of dejavu. Early last year American Idol contestants sang 'Shout to the Lord' during a 'Idol Gives Back' charity show. Was this something similar? Bob Kauflin shares some thoughtful reflections on the American Idol performance which are worth reflecting upon.

I didn't think Stan's performance was all that bad myself. I did, however, note a few things:

1. The song's lyrics were condensed (most likely for sake of time) so only verse 1 (which was repeated) and the chorus were sung. This was a shame since the song says so much more about Christian conversion.

2. Stan's singing style brought immediate attention to himself and not the lyrics - it was probably a wonderful example of what not to do as a song leader (and why I appreciate groups like Sovereign Grace who are not only gifted musically, but know how to not draw attention to their vocals).

3. Stan seemed unprepared to share his thoughts on the song by pointing people to Christ or say anything meaningful about it. Dicko, who professed that he was no 'God-botherer' (sic) even gave him an opportunity to share his thoughts on singing that song, but the opportunity was lost.

Keep praying for Stan. Pray that he is personally clear on who Jesus is, and that he'll be clear in proclaiming a crucified and resurrected Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Specials of the Day - 8th November 2009AD

2009-11-08T10:21:00.005+10:00

Exams are still on at the moment so more substantial blogging to come. In the meantime, continue to enjoy these latest 'specials' from around the net/blogosphere.

Canon 7D - DPReview

The latest installment of Canon's EOS range was announced about a month ago, but is now widely available. I'm eyeing one off a the moment, and just need to sort out finances to get it! But for now have a read of Digital Photography's Review's review. It can get a bit technical but if you're still keen then take a look at the intro to ground the context of the 7D's release, head to the review's comparisons and then jump to the conclusion. Otherwise use the drop box menu to navigate.

Inmates come to guard's aid in jail attack

This is a nice and short story of fellow inmates helping out a guard officer during an attack by a fellow inmate..

Sexual Detox: e-book

Tim Challies recently posted up a series of blog entries on the issue of sexual purity. This particular e-book is aimed particularly at single Christian guys. I highly recommend it. Also on the same topic, Mark Driscoll released a similar e-book a few months back titled 'Porn-Again Christian'. That's also available as a free download from Re:Lit (Reformation Literature).

The Day I Went To Church

The Briefing archives online have a great testimonial of a non-Christian's first-time experience in (an Anglican?) church. There's plenty here for us to chew on as we consider how to serve those in church who are there for the first time ever. Consider especially the language our churches use, the assumptions we make about what different things mean (like communion, offering/giving, songs...etc), and how we generally communicate what church family life is like by our interaction with people.

First Baptist: Dallas

Speaking of going to church, here are some photos and design plans for First Baptist Church of Dallas' new...wait for it...$130 million dollar building! Jared Wilson from First Things has some things to say about that:

Nobody should fault FBC Dallas or anybody else for building a building. But this isn’t a building. This, and a bunch of other stuff, is Bible Belt Disneyland. This is evangelicalism with more cowbell. This is Field of Dreams attractional church. And it stinks to high heaven. I was directed to a church website once while doing some research that had in its mission statement this sentence: “We will be a missional church, reaching out to the community to invite them to come see what we’re doing at ___________.”

Not go and tell. Come and see is the “mission” of megachurchianity. Which is why you need evangelistic windows.

Why do most people get converted in their younger years?

Ying Yee has a passion for ministry to the +50 bracket in church. He offers some insightful reflections on his blog as to why more people are converted in their youth as opposed to older age. It's worth reading and...well...reflecting upon.

Specials of the Day - 29th October, 2009AD

2009-10-29T10:41:00.005+10:00

The Idolatrous religion of 'Conscience'

If you haven't heard, the Lutheran church in America has gone the path of the Episcopal and other liberal churches - they have normalized homosexuality. Al Mohler, in his characteristically insightful manner, offers some thoughts on the recent decision - with particular regard for this nonsense about the churches being 'bound by conscience'. Interestingly enough John Piper offered these thoughts after a freak tornado hit the building the Lutherans were meeting in when they were making the decision regarding homosexuality and their church.

in tandem - Marriage: what it is

I recently came across this wonderful new blog from three 'ministry wives'. I highly recommend it for thoughtful, concise and biblically feminine perspective on things. Definitely one to add to your RSS feed.

Animism, alive and well

Jean Williams from The Sola Panel has some very helpful things for us to consider in regards to the spirit realm and our response to it. I wonder how much of a problem this is for Chinese churches?

What Hitchens has learned from Wilson

A remarkable thing happened recently in the US - a documentary was screened in cinemas following Christopher Hitchens (one of the breeds of the 'new Atheist' along with Richard Dawkins) and Doug Wilson (Pastor and faculty member of New Saint Andrews College) as they debated each other (in pubs?) across the country. 9 Marks' Michael Mckinley shares some interesting excerpts from a recent interview with Hitchens on Wilson. I especially thought Hitchens assessment of liberal Christianity insightful:

[Wilson] doesn't waffle when asked why God allows so much evil and suffering—of course he "allows" it since it is the inescapable state of rebellious sinners. I much prefer this sincerity to the vague and Python-esque witterings of the interfaith and ecumenical groups who barely respect their own traditions and who look upon faith as just another word for community organizing.

The ESV - conflicting translation procedure

Bill Mounce at Koinonia sheds some light on the translation procedure of the ESV - and in particular regard to Romans 2:27, 29. The ESV translates the word γαμματος as 'written code' in one verse and 'letter' in the other. Is this a contradiction in the translation philosophy of translating the same word the same way in the same context? Not according to Mounce - and his explanation should give us further confidence the task of bible translation is taken seriously and our English bibles are trustworthy.

A year without toilet paper!

Stephen Altrogge provides a fair critique of the story of a man who decided that he and his family would reduce their carbon footprint to zero for a year. Take your time to read the comments section also - a wonderful example of how to respond humbly and fairly to criticism and disagreement.

Apple: Time to drop anti-PC sarcasm from TV ads

Here's an intereting op-ed piece from a Mac user telling Apple that their 'Mac vs PC' ads (which, even though I'm a PC user, still love and find funny) have run their course and it's time to stop being so smug. What do ye Mac users say? :)

Eat more Curry!!

As if I needed more convincing, it now appears that yellow curries may help ward off some cancers...

Specials of the Day - 25th October 2009AD

2009-10-25T10:08:00.002+10:00

How to pray for persecuted Christians

Steve Nation has posted up a 10 point helper, from Barnabas Fund, on how to pray for persecuted Christians. Join us in praying through the points for the next 10 days.

Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology

Together for the Gospel has produced another great book from their most recent conference. In it you'll find a the transcripted version of each speakers talks given over the conference. Well worth a read. I have a copy of 'Preaching the Cross' if you ever want to grab that. Otherwise head to the T4G website to download the talks for free.

The Case for God - Karen Armstrong (Review)

Tim Challies gives this book a review. After judging the book by its cover I thought it would be another great apologetic book to add on our shelves. However here's what Challies has to conclude about it:

The Case for God, then, is in no way a case for the God of the Bible or, really, for the God of most other faiths. Rather, it is a defense of making the idea of God respectable again, even if it means radically changing what we mean by that name. It is an absolute mess and easily one of the most boring, most obnoxious books I’ve ever read.

President Obama excludes 'Fox News' from interview

Fox News has been quite critical of the Obama administration in the past. Get past any perceived bias in this report (from Fox News!) and you're still left with this: the Obama administration wanted to exclude a particular media outlet from participating in White House correspondence.

Should Christians say that their aim is to convert others to faith in Christ?

An ever insightful article from John Piper on the issue.

The Readers Bible - Hebrew and Greek online

Now something a little more study related (at least for me!). An online Hebrew and Greek bible for students and pastors (and anyone else interested in the original languages of the Bible). Type in the passage and the original text comes up. Verbs are highlighted in pink and nouns are in green. Hover over the words and the parsing for each word comes up. Have fun!

Specials of the Day - 19th October, 2009AD

2009-10-19T22:41:00.002+10:00

I've been trying to plot my blogging since I started this blog way back in '04 (yes, it has been going for that long), and I've noticed this year that whenever major assessment is due blogging goes quiet...

And yes...I've had lots of assessment due!

So here's a quick run down on things I've been reading while constructively procrastinating:

Richard Dawkins - The Greatest Show On Earth - Review

Tim Challies has a well thought out review on the latest offering from Richard Dawkins.

Atheists Are Fools

Speaking of Richard Dawkins, here's an interesting quote that Gordon Cheng has found. Be sure to follow the link and click through to download the Australian Church Record for a read of Chappo's brilliant article.

Myth-Busters: Who said the earth was flat?

Justin Taylor has discovered for us an essential item of reading for Christians - a wonderful article which debunks the myth that the church taught the world was flat. The article essentially says that nobody ever taught it... So it makes you wonder how such a myth appeared in the first place...maybe an angry Atheist...

The Mission of Desiring God

I love this short blog entry from Desiring God on their mission to the world. I wonder if many of my fellow Christian bloggers would consider taking some of this on board and thinking through how they can best achieve similar goals with their blogs.

Facebook has over 30,000 servers

And I'm pretty sure that at least 10 of them are devoted to my facebook habits...

'The Manga Bible' - Review

2009-09-29T23:53:00.009+10:00

The Manga Bible – From Genesis to Revelation by Siku

When I picked up this ‘ The Manga Bible’ (TMB) I was quite excited. As I got into it the excitement grew, perhaps this would be the Manga Bible I was hoping to encourage my teens to read (that in so doing they might be interested in reading their bibles more, much for the same reasons that ‘The Aussie Bible’ was written).

However by the time I finished I was not only disappointed, but deeply troubled. Here’s my review broken down into it’s parts (this will be a relatively concise review - please ask me for more details if you wish).

Positives:

the animation is superb, probably some of the best Manga I’ve seen. (you can see some of it here)
a lot of the characters are painted in very masculine ways, which I sometimes forget may have been true of the characters in real life (eg, Samuel is a hulk of a person, and quite a dominating character, whereas I sometimes think of him as a frail elderly chap)
the storyline keeps relatively true to the text of scripture...(but)...

Minor Quibbles:

...sometimes the narrative strays from the intention of the text and some narrative remarks are more reflective of the authors of TMB than of the bible itself
cf the last point – some books of the bible are condensed too much (eg Revelation is only given three pages, with much animation but very little content)
The animations, in the version I have, go right to the binder, so in some instances it’s hard to read what’s being said because it’s too close to the binding
Some pages, though few, are full 2-page spreads and I got lost trying to follow the speech
there are some minor spelling and grammatical mistakes, which are less forgivable in Manga, I think, because of the relative lack of content
In places the animation can be quite graphic (eg, a nude outline of Bathsheba, the violent beheading of Goliath)
Paul is animated a bit too ruggedly handsome in my opinion...

However these minor quibbles give way to some major issues I have with the TMB

Major Issues:

The presentation of Jesus is less human and more divine. That is, Jesus is presented throughout TMB as commanding, dominating and a force to be reckoned with. For instance the temptation in the wilderness doesn’t seem to faze Jesus one bit. He’s able to deal with Satan without breaking a sweat. And throughout the rest of the Gospel’s animation Jesus just comes off too powerful, which wouldn’t give me confidence to know that he was ‘[able] to sympathize with our weaknesses, but ... has been tempted as we are...’ (cf Hebrews 4:15)
The back of the book contains some transcripts of interviews with the script author (Akin) and the animator (Siku). This is probably the most troublesome part of this Manga bible. Firstly there is speculation about secret ‘bible codes’ written into the book of 1 Kings (which are presented as facts rather than speculation). Secondly there are unhelpful discussions about theodicy (problem of evil) in Jonah and genocide generally in the OT. The authors don’t seem to have any theological grounding for the statements and conclusions they reach (and I suggest that their conclusions are slightly unbiblical).

I have no idea why the authors of TMB decided to include the speculative and unhelpful interviews at the back of their book. Minus this and I might have recommended the book for my teens. But the portrayal of Jesus I think is overall unhelpful also. At least with 'The Manga Messiah' there is a very real attempt to portray Jesus' humanity. With TMB I just simply could not connect with Jesus. Jesus, the focal point of the entire bible, is not treated well in TMB.

So despite the positives, the negatives outweigh, I think, any recommendation for teens. My search for a Manga Bible continues...

Atonement Q&A

2009-09-26T00:44:00.003+10:00

Atonement Q&A by Shai Linne...check out his blog!

Here are the lyrics:

Who is God? God is the universes Creator and Sustainer plus the only Savior, there is no one greater. He's Triune, holy, omnipotent, omniscient, absolute, loving, sovereign and righteous are a few of His attributes.
How do we know this? Well, we know this from the Bible where God has revealed Himself- anything else is just an idol.
Whats the Bible about? Mans complete ruin in sin and what God has done in Christ to bring us to Him again.
What is sin? Sin is the breaking of Gods law plus our condition, which means from birth we all got flaws.
Whats the result? The result is by nature were Gods enemies and must pay the penalty unless God provides the remedy.
What the remedy? The remedy is the cross of Christ where He suffered all the strikes for the lawless type. I've been rescued by the Lamb, I'm convinced that He's risen and blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven!

Chorus

Just fall back, and with the eyes of faith
Behold the beauty of surprising grace
Because the Lamb has died, third day He had to rise
Hes magnified- Gods wrath is satisfied
Just fall back- theres an atonement now
The cross of Christ is holy ground
Because the Lamb has died, third day He had to rise
Hes magnified- Gods wrath is satisfied

Regeneration- the Holy Spirits true work in His love to the elect, who receive new birth from above.
Expiation- expiation means Gods removed my filthiness the old testament type was the goat into the wilderness.
Redemption- weve been freed from slavery to sin and His very own blood is the price He paid, my friend.
Propitiation- Propitiation means since the Lamb has died His work is finished- Gods wrath is satisfied
Adoption- adoption means God is now my Father, I got the hottest Poppa and by the Spirit holler Abba
Reconciliation means theres no more enmity, God is now a friend to me, were no longer enemies.
Justification- God declares us righteous.
Sanctification- were being made into His likeness.
Glorification- thats what happens at the finish when God conforms believers perfectly to Christ's image!

Verse 3

Gods grace is magnificent, He slayed His innocent Son- through faith and repentance we get the benefits.
What is faith? Faith is a gift from God- when we receive this we trust and treasure the person and finished work of Jesus.
Repentance? Repentance is turning from your sin and trusting Christ as the Spirit cleanses you within.
What is grace? Oh, grace is unmerited favor our inheritance major cause we cherish the Savior!
Right, and if I may quote again, we were doomed with Satan but believers get Jesus righteousness through imputation.
Imputation? God takes Jesus righteousness amount through faith He credits it into the Christians account.
Anything else? Well, I guess this overview must suffice but none of this is possible apart from union with Christ. And finally, once you know the ways of the Lord than the only thing that you can say is Soli Deo Gloria!

Reformed Charismatic...?

2009-08-30T13:37:00.007+10:00

I’ve heard this term bandied around a bit of late and recently it came to my attention that quite a few people feel unnerved by the phrase.

Eminent bible teacher and preacher Philip Jensen has a go at tackling the issue here.

Jensen rightly points out that classical Charismatic theology and classical Reformed theology are incompatible. His thoughts are helpful in thinking through these terms.

However, Jensen rightly points out at the beginning of his discussion that words can be redefined by just about anyone. While his discussion is helpful in considering the classical positions of Charismatic and Reformed theology, I cannot help but feel that Jensen hasn’t done quite enough to discuss the new wave of ‘Reformed Charismatic’ movements which appear to be coming from the US (with guys like CJ Mahaney, John Piper and Mark Driscoll as the common faces of the movement – though to my knowledge these men have not used the phrase ‘Reformed Charismatic’ to describe themselves). This new wave appears to happily use the term ‘Reformed Charismatic’ to identify themselves while at the same time disassociate themselves from ‘Classical Charismaticism’. Jensen speaks firmly, and I think appropriately, on the issue of whether classical Charismatic theology can be reconciled with classical Reformed theology – but he doesn’t speak on the issue of how this new wave of ‘Reformed Charismatics’ define themselves and their teaching.

At this point I defer to a blog post by CJ Mahaney who defines himself as ‘Reformed’ in his understanding of the doctrines of Grace (soteriology) and ‘Charismatic’ in his continuationist beliefs regarding the Holy Spirit’s gifts. Classical Charismaticism defined itself partly in the requirement that a believer demonstrate gifts of the Holy Spirit, in particular tongues (as a sign of baptism by the Holy Spirit). This position inevitably creates a tiered system of faith – those who are Christians but yet to experience the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’ and those who have had the experience and are more ‘complete/full/better’. This position, of course, is inherently unbiblical.

However does holding a continuationist position (that the gifts of the Spirit, those listed in 1 Corinthians 12-14 in particular, continue to this day) necessarily contradict holding a Reformed position? At this point I defer to the works of well respected Evangelical scholars such as DA Carson (Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians, 12-14), JI Packer (Keep in Step With the Spirit) and Wayne Grudem (Systematic Theology edit: it has been brought to my attention by a trusted and more learned brother that Grudem comes from a slightly different theological background than Carson or Packer - so his material needs to be read with a little bit more discernment). Leading voices in Evangelical thought and scholarship who agree that the gifts of the Spirit continue to this day, but (and this is an important but!) with sanctions on their use as determined and restricted by Scripture (as found in 1 Corinthians 12-14).

Recently John Woodhouse, principal of Moore Theological College, had a go at answering the question. Here are his (brief) thoughts on the issue:

Phillip Jensen interviews John Woodhouse - Reformed Charismatics from Audio Advice on Vimeo.

I think Woodhouse does a very good job at answering the question in an insightful and humble manner. Picking up on one of his points I’d like to close with some things we can do in response.

Firstly – know where things are coming from. Woodhouse rightly points out that the ‘Reformed Charismatic’ camp seems to stem from two different places – one founded in Reformed theology and one founded in Charismatic theology. Let me illustrate with this diagram...

The tension behind this debate is probably based in the unknown potential of where each theology is heading. Logically it works out, as the diagram shows, that those coming from a Charismatic background will more logically moved towards a stronger Reformed theology and vice versa. But this is only potential – it may or may not happen. But I think it’s helpful to know where someone is coming from to know possibly where they might move to next.

Secondly – be discerning. As Woodhouse rightly points out, this is a new "fad" (I use the term very loosely). Don’t simply jump onboard because everyone else is. Test the teaching that you are hearing against scripture and pray about it. If no warning lights come on then pray for your own heart, that what you are hearing or reading would implant in you a desire towards godliness, faithfulness and fruitfulness.

Thirdly – (carried from the last point) don’t be overly critical. Throughout the history of the church God has worked in waves of revival. We should welcome any such revival in the churches grounded upon God’s Word and work hard to ensure that the effects are long lasting.

Finally – don’t forsake the past. The tension of this debate threatens to drive a wedge between faithful older generations and faithful younger generations. The Reformed Charismatic movement is predominantly a younger generation movement. If you are caught up in the wave do your utmost to maintain unity within the body. It will be a terrible indictment upon the movement if its proponents forsake the fertile ground prepared for them by hard working older generations. Both generations need to remember that ultimately it is God who brings growth – one generation might do the sewing and planting, another does the watering – and both are equally important for the fruit of God’s Word to grow.

I am intensely interested to hear Woodhouse’s view regarding the cessationist/continuationist debate. No doubt he will be well thought out – but I’ll have to wait for another time to ask that question. Perhaps if I ever bump into him I’ll take him out for some coffee and ask!

The Manga Messiah - REVIEW

2009-08-24T18:06:00.003+10:00

As part of our SAint Lucia Teens (SALT) budget for each year we set aside some funds to build up our library. It's been a lot of fun shopping at our local Christian bookstore for material suitable for our teens.

So when I stumbled upon the Manga Messiah I just knew it was worth picking up for the sake of reading through. I have previously puchased other types of 'Manga Bible' which have gone down successfully. The prime aim of making these available in our library is not as a replacement for bible reading, but as a means of creating enthusiasm for the Word, very much for the same reasons the Aussie Bible was written.

So, what did I think of the Manga Messiah? Let me break this down into three parts:

1. Good points:

A lot of the animation is brilliantly done, vivid and artistic. I found myself moved in a number of places whilst reading, so in essence the message is delivered well. I found some of the background narration helpful and roughly on the mark. And in the end the authors leave with an evangelistic challenge to consider the message of Jesus and how it affects the reader.

2. Minor Quibbles:

Some of the animation seems a bit amaturish. By this I mean some of the wide-angle scenes seem a little too roughly drawn and less-mangaesque than I'm use to.
There was also a strange decision by the writers to use the Hebrew names for some key characters, eg. Yeshua (Jesus), Yosef (Joseph) and Miryam (Mary). I found this strange because most other character names were left untouched - Peter, Judas Iscariot, Thomas...etc
All the animated characters look a little too Japanese, but this is a very minor quibble..
there seems to be only two Pharisees following Jesus around to test him...and they are caricatured a little too much
the soldier at the foot of the cross looks too similar to Pilate - in fact, I still can't tell them apart!
Judas Iscariot has an earing...which he wouldn't have.
The disciples are given a little bit too much credit in being able to figure out what Jesus is saying

3. Major Quibbles:

Probably the largest quibble I have with the 'Manga Messiah' is that the authors chose to synthesise the Gospels. By this I mean they have chosen to try and harmonise each gospel account to present an overall picture of the life and teachings of Jesus, with some sort of chronology developed through splicing together each Gospel account. This leads to some interesting issues:

- not all of the disciples are 'called' in the early part of the book, but some are 'called' later on

- some events appear out of the order we may be use to in order to accomodate the authors interpretation of the flow of events

The problem I have with attempting this synopsis is that it undercuts the theological motive for each gospel writer in presenting their material as chosen. It also suggests that the gospel writers may have gotten some bits wrong or didn't give a full enough account.

Conclusion:

So would I recommend the Manga Messiah. I'm not sure. There's a couple more versions of the Manga Bible out there so I want to read through them. But the Manga Messiah, whilst overall being well presented, I think falls just a little short because it tries to do too much. A theological editor probably would have been helpful to the authors.

Obama is NOT the anti-Christ

2009-08-15T10:47:00.003+10:00

According to this video there are a remarkable number of linguistic coincidences which 'strongly suggest' that Barack Obama is the anti-Christ. I'm waiting for the emails to start popping up asking about the validity of this video, so let me show it here and add some comments:

Let me make a few points which are straight from a well articularted post by Dan Wallace here:

It is debatable whether Jesus spoke most of the time in Aramaic; he may have done much of his teaching in Greek. It is also not true that Aramaic is the oldest form of Hebrew.
A sleight of hand has occurred: First, it is claimed that Jesus spoke in Aramaic, but then it is claimed that he spoke in Hebrew. Which is it? Although the characters for both languages are the same, the vocabulary has some key differences, especially in vowel points but also often in the very consonants used.
Is Isaiah really the source for the Christian view of Satan? It may contribute to our understanding, but even that is disputed. The one passage that may speak about Satan is indeed Isa 14. But part of the reason for this being so interpreted is due to the influence of the KJV. At v. 12 the King James says, “O Lucifer, son of the morning!” The word lucifer, however, is simply a transliteration of the Latin Vulgate at this point. It is not another name for Satan. The Hebrew word, helel means ‘morning star’ or ‘shining one.’ Most modern translations (the NKJV is the only exception I found of the translations I checked) do not translate helel as Lucifer; rather they have ‘shining one,’ ‘day star,’ ‘morning star,’ etc. (cf., e.g., NET, ASV, RSV, NRSV, ESV, TEV, REB, NIV, TNIV, NAB, NJB, HCSB). Of course, there are still excellent scholars who believe that Isa 14 is ultimately a reference to Satan, though in the historical context it was directed at the Babylonian king.
To have the idea of ‘lightning from the heights’ would normally require a preposition, not a conjunction (see next point).
It seems to be an illegitimate leap to say ‘lightning and the heights’ means the same thing as ‘lightning from the heights.’ Indeed, there is a perfectly good Hebrew word that means ‘from’: min. But that would produce baraq min-bamot. It’s getting more difficult to see the validity of the narrator’s linguistic points.
When all is said and done, the evidence is simply bogus. Jesus didn’t speak in Hebrew, and the Hebrew that is given here does not mean ‘lightning from the heights.’ Baraq ubamah means ‘lightning and height.’ But that can hardly be the underlying Aramaic (which is not Hebrew) for the Greek text of Luke 10.18. Thus, a linguistic leap from Greek to Aramaic to Hebrew, with the grammar and vocabulary changing along the way, is required to make Luke 10.18 mean what the narrator wants it to mean.

Wallace ends with this penetrating insight:

This is hardly a case of “I report; you decide.” It is rather a case of “I’ll tell you only part of the evidence, and will use some fancy exegetical gymnastics to make everything fit; and based on the skewered evidence, you decide.”

Friday Funny

2009-08-14T13:29:00.000+10:00

Now...go get your flu shot...

Or at least cover your nose with a tissue!

Specials of the Day - 14th, August, 2009AD

2009-08-14T12:27:00.001+10:00

Lots and lots of good bits from around the net and the blogosphere:

Face in Chinese culture: and what you can do about it!
Andrew Hong has done us another brilliant service by blogging about 'face' in Chinese culture. His insights and suggestions are definitely worth reading and pondering.

Pakistan's Christian - recent persecution
Christianity Today has an article for us to all read and pray through. Pray especially for the Pakistani Christians, that they would remain firm in their faith and not respond to violence with violence, but with graciousness.

The Praisefactory
It's really hard to find Sunday School material which is not moralistic and teaches the bible well. The folks at Capitol Hill Baptist have generously provided their Sunday School material (including programs and music!) for FREE! You can also find a review by Michael Mckinley over at 9 Marks blog here.

The Natural Salesman
Tony Payne has written an extraordinarily encouraging post over at the Sola Panel on evangelism and personality. He writes:

I started to say that I sometimes find it difficult to talk easily about Christian things, especially with non-Christians, because I'm not a natural ‘salesman’ sort of personality—“Not like you two guys”. But one of my friends pulled me up short.
“No, you don't understand sales”, he said. “It's not about being a particular personality. I've got all these guys who think they're great salesmen because they're the fast-talking, ambitious ‘sales’ guy. But they're actually not. The girl who's bringing in the most business is much more laid-back, but she's genuine. She communicates real concern and sincerity. She gets next to people, understands and listens to them, and then works really hard to help them get what they want. She's bringing in the business, but if you asked her, she wouldn't say she was a natural salesperson.
“It's really about whether you love the product, and know it well, and whether you actually care for people and want to see them satisfied. If you really believe in it, then you'll sell it.”

Preach Christ or go home!

The ever quotable Spurgeon on preaching. I love this quote:

A sermon without Christ in it is like a loaf of bread without any flour in it. No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching.

8 Ways that Twitter can benefit the Christian

This is useful and helpful blog post from a friend in Melbourne on how Twitter can benefit Christians. I'm make this reservation with the caveat that Twitter isn't something everyone should jump onto - but for those who have it to use it wisely.

The Incarnation on Twitter

Speaking of Twitter, Stephen Altrogge has begun a nice little campaign to flood Twitter with Systematic Theology (tag #systheol). I recently got a mention on his blog for attempting to Tweet the Incarnation.

Lecrae - Don't Waste Your Life

2009-08-03T14:04:00.002+10:00

Produced by the folks at Desiring God. Check out Lacrae's album 'Rebel'.

Lyrics:
I know a lot of people out there scared they gone die
couple of em thinking they'll be livin in the sky
but while I'm here livin man I gotta ask why
what am here fo I gotta figure out
waste my life? no I gotta make it count
if Christ is real then what am I gone do about
all of the things in Luke 12:15 down to 21 you really oughta go and check it out
Paul said if Christ aint resurrect then we wasted our lives
well that implies that our life's built around Jesus being alive
everyday I'm living tryin show the world why
Christ is more than everything you'll ever try
better than pretty women and sinning and living
to get a minute of any women and men that you admire aint no lie
We created for Him outta the dust he made us for Him
Elects us and he saves us for Him Jesus comes and raises for Him
Magnify the Father why bother with something lesser
he made us so we could bless Him and to the world we confess him
resurrects him so I know I got life matter fact better man I know I got Christ
if you don't' see His ways in my days and nights
you can hit my brakes you can stop my lights
man I lost my rights I lost my life
forget the money cars and toss that ice
the cost is Christ
and they could never offer me anything on the planet that'll cost that price

Suffer Yeah do it for Christ if you trying to figure what to do with your life
if you making money hope you doing it right
because the money is Gods you better steward it right
stay focused if you aint got no ride
your life aint wrapped up in what you drive
the clothes you wear the job you work
the colour your skin naw we Christian first
people living life for a job make a lil money start living for a car
get em a house a wife kids and a dog when they retire they living high on the hog
but guess what they didn't ever really live at all to live is Christ yeah that's Paul I recall
to die is gain so for Christ we give it all he's the treasure you'll find in the mall
Your money your singleness marriage talent and time
they were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine
that's why it's Christ in my rhymes That's why it's Christ all the time
my whole world is built around him He's the life in my lines
I refused to waste my life he's too true ta chase that ice
heres my gifts and time cause I'm constantly trying to be used to praise the Christ
If he's truly raised to life then this news should change your life
and by his grace you can put your faith in place that rules your days and nights

Specials of the Day - 18th July, 2009AD

2009-07-18T13:00:00.002+10:00

The Americans Know This Will End In Schism
N.T Wright is very wrong on the issue of Justification and the Atonement, but he gets this right. The Episcopal Church in America has voted overwhelmingly to ignore the 2004 Windsor Report placing a moratorium on the blessing of same-sex couples and the ordaining of practising homosexuals as Bishops and Ministers. N.T Wright writes:

Jesus’s own stern denunciation of sexual immorality would certainly have carried, to his hearers, a clear implied rejection of all sexual behaviour outside heterosexual monogamy. This isn’t a matter of “private response to Scripture” but of the uniform teaching of the whole Bible, of Jesus himself, and of the entire Christian tradition.

The Orthodox Are Finished
Albert Mohler also reflects upon the decision by the Episcopal Church in his characteristically insightful way. His next blog on the issue, 'The Bishop Discovers Heresy?', takes to task Dr. Katherine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, over her use of the term 'heresy' in describing the most fundamental of all Christian doctrines - individual conversion to faith in Christ.

Blessed are the Green of Heart
Alan Jacobs at 'First Things' has given a brilliant review of the latest offering in the world of Bible's - 'The Green Letter Bible'.

John Calvin on Facebook?
Douglas Estes over at Koinonia gives some itneresting reasons why he thinks John Calvin (great reformation theologian) would have signed up to facebook...

Why We Don't Sing
Tony Payne over at the Sola Panel offers some insights as to why we find it hard to sing in church. His conclusion is insightful and one for all of us to ponder:

The very fact that we Christians do still sing makes us strikingly different in our world. That we don't sing more lustily means that the godless sorrow of our world is still too much with us.

10,000 Pennies

2009-07-11T10:59:00.004+10:00

Tim Challies recently linked to a video presented by '10,000 Pennies' on youtube (10,000 Pennies has a blog with further explanations on the figures he uses here). I think it's worth reposting at length...

Here is his first video - a look at how Obama's initial $100 million budget cuts looked in comparison to his 3.5 Trillion dollar spending...

Soon after Obama, responding to critics who said the $100 million was too small compared to the 3.5 Trillion upped the figure to $17 Billion dollars. Too many numbers to keep in your head? Don't worry, 10,000 Pennies has another video to demonstrate how much this looks like:

Here 10,000 Pennies tackles the issue of the percieved criticism leveled at former President Bush for his wild spending. In comparison to Obama, Bush's spending was a leisurely drive through the park...

Here is 10,000 Pennies take on how effective Obama's stimulus package has been. I'd love to see the figures for Australia - but as I said, I'm no economist.

There's a couple of other videos regarding US National Health care, but that's probably enough for now. So, how have people responded? Here's an interesting response from the Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele:

One person, with a creative mind, and able to communicate seems to be making a big difference. Pray that more Christians would do the same.

Specials of the Day - 9th July, 2009AD

2009-07-09T12:16:00.003+10:00

Burglar Fail
This burglar got more than he bargained for...

Religion Thriller: Michael Jackson and Faith
The world continues to be captivated by Jackson, and it looks set to continue with various custody and legal battles looming in the shadows. This article from Boston.com collates a number of sources speaking on what faith, exactly, did Jackson have. It seems that as with Jackson's life, his beliefs were a mass of confusion. As the article's author, Michael Paulson, says, 'Make of it what you will.' Click here to also find a Christianity Today article questioning whether Jackson became a Christian.

Idolatry New and Old
Speaking of Jackson, Tim Challies offers some helpful things to think about regarding the Jackson Memorial Service. Challies is worth quoting at length:

Even those who spoke of Jesus or who prayed to Jesus did so without any clear reference to the Jesus of the Bible. They spoke of a Jesus who accepts all and even (or perhaps especially) those who had rejected him. Never did Michael Jackson give any evidence of putting his faith in Jesus Christ, yet those who watched were assured, time and again, that he was now safe in the presence of the Lord, waiting there for the rest of us to arrive. Words and phrases invoked God and used the Christian lexicon but without any reference to the gospel, the true gospel, the gospel that saves. Lost men declared to other lost men untruths about the god they wish for, not the God who is.

Why Palin Quit
Sarah Palin wasn't the brightest of running mates for the Republican party during the last U.S elections. Her recent stepping down from Governership in Alaska has sparked a frenzy of speculation that she is now being moulded to run for the next presidential elections in 2012. However, that is not the whole story...

How to over-spiritualise everything
This comic says it all :)

Debating Ideas - East and West
Andrew Hong does it again. This time with a helpful analysis of debating styles between Eastern and Western culture. If you're an ABC and have found it hard to express your ideas or critique the ideas of others (in particular elderly 'others') then this article might helpfully explain why.

Battling Self-Pity
Mark Altrogge, Pastor and a singer-songwriter for Sovereign Grace Music, has written some wonderful thoughts for battling self-pity over at his blog, 'The Blazing Centre'.

To Be Like Jesus: Kid's CD
And if you didn't know already, Sovereign Grace has released a Kid's Album. Head to their website to check it out - a great present for friends and young families.

MJ's Memorial

2009-07-08T16:01:00.004+10:00

I didn't manage to stay up till 3am this morning to watch the live coverage of Michael Jackson's Memorial, but I did tape it and saw it this morning.

It was a lot more dignified than I imagined it would be. It lacked the eccentricities of Michael's last two decades of life and was filled, appropriately, with honours regarding his philanthropy and some rather amusing and heart-felt personal anecdotes (one which had my smiling the most was probably that of Magic Johnson's recollection of having a KFC dinner with Michael Jackson). It was touching and a trip down memory lane.

Two things stood out for me in surprising ways. The first was a speech towards the end by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas who seemed to genuinely believe (and strongly imply) that Michael knew Jesus as Lord and Saviour. I'm not certain what she understood this to mean but I pray that it is a biblically faithful assessment.

Second was the closing prayer by Rev. Lucious Smith. He prayed, '...but even the King of Pop must bow his knee to the King of Kings...' Amen to that.

Specials of the Day - 2nd July 2009AD

2009-07-01T00:39:00.005+10:00

Richard Dawkins Jumps the Shark
Al Mohler gives a fascinating commentary on the latest phenomena sponsored by Richard Dawkins - Atheist Camps.

Swedish Parents Keep Child's Gender Secret
A true and sad story of a Swedish couple who have kept the gender identity of their child a secret. Jill Stanek's comments are worth pondering.

Re: Lit - Pastor Dad
A free eBook given away by Re:Lit written by Mark Driscoll and fatherhood.

Gideon's Fleece
Daniel I Block over at Koinonia has some interesting thoughts on Gideon's Fleece and why it was such a sinful act.

Edit:

One more special for the day.

The worst published opening page in history
A friend of mine (an ex-pat New Zealander) said to me that, 'When a New Zealander emigrates to Australia the IQ of both countries drops.' I wonder if that particular New Zealander penned the lines to this woeful opening page...

Amos - The Day of the Lion

2009-06-30T16:26:00.004+10:00

An upcoming sermon series at 5:17church. Come check it out :)

Specials of the Day - 30th June, 2009AD

2009-06-30T11:25:00.006+10:00

The world continues to react to MJ's death
Here are some photos from media around the world capturing the outpouring of grief at MJ's death. He certainly had an impact on many lives.

This car nearly says it all...
Typical 'Christian car', non-typical message style...and what's with the ornaments?

How Rude was Jesus?
Bill Mounce over at Koinonia takes a look at the phrase, 'τι εμοι και σοι, γυναι' from John 2:4 and discusses whether or not Jesus was being rude to his mother...

The President picks a new Pastor
President Obama has settled on Lieutenant Carey Cash, grand-nephew of Johnny Cash, as his new Pastor. Pray for Cash to faithful preach God's Word to the President.

Wal-mart rejects 'racy' Worship CD
Slightly older news, but worth reposting: The latest Vineyard Music worship CD, "Intimacy, vol. 2," has raced to the top of the Christian sales charts, but Wal-Mart is refusing to stock the album without slapping on a parental warning sticker. The ground-breaking — some say risqué — album includes edgy worship songs such as "My Lover, My God," "Touch Me All Over," "Naked Before You," "I'll Do Anything You Want," "Deeper" and "You Make Me Hot with Desire."

And finally, Ignatius, the Youth Pastor:

What are you looking for in a Youth Pastor? Perhaps this clip will give you a clue :)

Is he really 'Resting In Peace'...?

2009-06-28T11:47:00.005+10:00

A quick look through my DVD and CD collection will quickly reveal that I'm a 'fan' of Michael Jackson's work. I personally believe that 'Dangerous' was his best album, 'Who Is It' his best single, his best unreleased single was 'Streetwalker' and his best video 'Smooth Criminal'.

He set the industry standard of entertainment and his concerts, videos and music remain etched in our memories. But the obvious and disheartening truth was that his personal life was tumultuous, to say the least.

So when his death was announced a few days ago the world was appropriately shocked. The timing and suddenness of his death took everyone by surprise. The resulting overflow of tributes has been thick and fast.

Some would say a little too thick...

I haven't been keeping much of an eye on the tributes myself, but I have been keeping an eye on facebook and the blogosphere to see what people have been thinking. Facebook has seen many people change their status to 'RIP MJ' (or the many variations of that). But the blogosphere has been set alight but commentary on, and, for the blogs I keep an eye on, theological reflection upon his life. Tim Challies has posted some helpful and insightful thoughts here, and Justin Taylor was quick to blog here and here.

What has been surprising in relation to those posts have been some of the comments condeming the posts as uncaring, inappropriate and judgemental. Whilst I agree that perhaps the blog posts came a little too soon after the death of MJ, I would like to venture one observation I've noticed as common with all the critical comments: that some Christians are beginning to fall into the trap of 'justification by death'.

Central to all Christian beliefs is 'justification by faith' - that we are declared righteous, holy, pure and blameless on the sole basis of our faith in Christ's atoning sacrfice on the cross. We are then 'justified' before God by being graciously credited with Christ's righteousness. Only on this basis are we justified.

But in recent years there has been a gradual growth, parallelled with the rise of Hollywood and pop culture, in 'justification by death' - that no matter how we lived we are declared 'good' on the sole basis of death.

Two cases in point, and both from the same source, illustrate this clearly in our Australian context. 'The Chasers War on Everything' came under fire twice for skits mocking those who had passed away and children dying of cancer. In the first skit a member of the Chasers team wrote a satirical song regarding the exaltation of many celebrities (such as Steve Irwin, Peter Brock and Princess Diana) upon their deaths - mocking how their 'sins' (for lack of a better word) have been overlooked in favour of their good works and deeds upon their death. In the second skit the Chasers team satired the 'Make a Wish Foundation' (which, admittedly, was a highly insenstive mockery of children suffering through terminal diseases and their families. The Chasers later apologised for this skit.).

In both cases the public outcry was enormous - or at least the media portrayed it that way. And what seemed to fuel the outcry? The sense that someone dared to speak about a dead persons 'ugly side', that a dead persons character would be called into question (despite plain evidence throughout the deceased's life of such character flaws). The fact that the deaceased's 'justification by death' has been called into question...

I enjoyed Michael Jackson's art. I marvelled at his tireless work for charities and his love for the Earth and desire to preserve it for future generations. And whilst I can not claim to speak authoritatively on his final days on earth, I can say that there seems to be little evidence that he had faith in the atoning and justifying work of Christ.

Michael Jackson did many good works, but good works are not what justify us before God. I am sad that he passed away, but I am more sad that his eternity is uncertain.

New to the Blogroll

2009-06-20T11:50:00.002+10:00

I've added some blogs I've started to read and have found both edifying and profitable in my thinking as a Christian. They are:

5:17church - our new church plant has been running along smoothly, and our Pastor (Steve Nation) has been regularly updating our church blog with excellent thoughts.

Euangellion - Michael Bird, lecturer at Highland Theological College in Scotland, recently made a trip to QTC. I was quite impressed with his sermon at chapel and part of the seminar I attended on 'The Messiah in the Old Testament'. This is a blog he contributes to and I find his book reviews and thoughts very helpful.

Between Two Worlds - this blog has a number of wonderful contributors with excellent thoughts and reflections on both life, culture and theology. This blog is updated often throughout the day (since it has multiple contributors) so it's worth having on your RSS feed and keeping an eye on it.

Koinonia - deriving its name from the Greek word (κοινονια), which is often translated as 'fellowship' in our bibles, this blog includes an impressive list of contributors - including the likes of Bruce Waltke, Chris Wright, Craig Blomberg, Darrell Bock and Tremper Longman III. A great resource for bible teachers and preachers with excellent little snippets of commentary on biblical texts worth reading.

Fan Into Flame - Pete Ko, a good friend and Pastor from Sydney, has a great blog with excellent thoughts and reflections. And speaking of reflections...

Reflections - yeah...Ying Yee isn't known for coming up with catchy titles, but don't let that steer you away from this fantastic blog. Ying has had years of experience working in Chinese Churches and this blog is a welcome addition to his ministry not only to Chinese Churches in Sydney, but across the world.

Finally, Challies Dot Com, is a blog from Tim Challies in Toronto, Canada. Tim has excellent book reviews and is a well thought-out Christian blogger. His updates and reflections are insightful.

I'll be borrowing an idea from Tim Challies also - his blog contains a frequent update known as 'a-la-carte', a collection of various news clippings and blog posts of interest. So as to not a total rip-off I'm going to label mine 'Specials of the Day' which you will see in future postings.

Friday Fun

2009-06-12T15:51:00.002+10:00

Part of our ministry over the past few weeks has been to open up our home and invite students in for a quiet place to study - we provide fresh coffee and lunch free of charge. It's been great having people over to serve them in this way and it's also been effective for me personally to couch my own studies within the context of service and ministry.

The coffee has been good - not exceptional (I wasn't able to make it to Pastor B's place to pick up some fresh roasted beans!) but this guy brings new meaning to 'you eat with your eyes first...'

And for something random, here's a classic from Tripod:

Deleted post

2009-06-01T18:47:00.002+10:00

I recently posted up some thoughts regarding Fundamentalist Christians and Fundamentalist Muslims. My words were not as clear as I would have liked as evidenced by some of the comments made in response.

So I have deleted the post in order to think through some of the implications which have been raised regarding the first of the two points I had previously made, however I stand by the second point which was:

2. When a Christian is called to lay down their lives for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel they do so knowing that Jesus laid down his own life for His people. When a Muslim is called to lay down their lives for Allah and Islam they do so knowing that Allah has not done the same for them.

My sincere apologies for any words which were unclear in my prior post. With God's grace I will endeavour to clearer in future :)

Media Watch #2

2009-05-24T22:47:00.005+10:00

In 2006, around Easter, there was a media sensation as the National Geographic unveiled the lost 'Gospel of Judas'. The media hype surrounding this event was huge - Archaeology was getting front page headlines instead of being relegated to the 'interesting but unimportant' sections somewhere towards the later third of the papers.

It was later shown, however, that the gospel was useless in revealing any new information about Jesus or Judas. In fact, there has been much debate and criticism of the National Geographic Societies handling of the find - including not allowing access to the source documents (or facsimiles) for over 12 months after releasing their findings and having all researchers on board sign non-disclosure documents. Once critical translation of the text finally came out, many scholars rebuffed the initial claims from the National Geographic Society and even argued that the NGS had mistranslated the document.

Now, did you know that the NGS released a revised edition of the Gospel of Judas? Much of the criticisms (such as mistranslation) have been ironed out and the impact of the text softened - but who cares? Certainly not the media who failed to report this to the same depth and energy as the prior find.

So to with the recent discovery of 'Ida' - the so-called 'missing link' in the evolutionary chain of apes to humans - there was a media sensation. And just like the Gospel of Judas discovery the publication of the findings of 'Ida' were both shrouded in secrecy and controlled by a tight media group.

Now, I'm not a big promoter of 'Answers in Genesis' but they've got a list of news clippings from around the Science community which cast strong doubts about the 'factual statements' which were bantered around by the media at the discovery of Ida. It appears that all is not well within the science community with some rightly criticising the methods used by the 'Ida' team to promote their discovery. Time will tell whether or not any corrections will be published as widely.

The rain is good because God is good!

2009-05-21T21:48:00.003+10:00

According to the South-East Queensland Water website the recent rains that Brisbane has endured has helped prop our dam supplies to a combined total of 72.30%, up 9.61% in 24 hours alone (and 13.34% since Monday)!

Also according to the website an estimated 240,000 mega litres of water has flowed into the dams and continues to flow in since Monday. These are startling numbers.

But, meditate upon the numbers further and God's goodness just seeps right out...

A mega litre of water equals 1 million litres of water. The Sydney Olympic competition swimming pool comes in at approximately 3.3million litres of water (according to the measurements given here). If 240, 000 mega litres entered our dams that equates to 240,000 x 1,000,000 litres = 240,000,000,000 litres. Or, roughly 73,000 Olympic sized swimming pools!

Now, 1ml of water equals 1gram. 1000ml = 1kg. Therefore 240,000,000,000 kg, or 240,000,000 tonnes, of water was dumped on the greater Brisbane region. To put that into perspective, a fully loaded Boeing 747 weighs approximately 440,000 kg. Imagine 54,500 747s crashing into Brisbane!

Those figures are simply astonishing. Yes, there has been much physical damage done to Brisbane, we have been declared a natural disaster zone, yet think of how much more damage could have been done were it not for the rain's prolonged descent to the earth.

The rain is good, because God is good.

Further meditations on the rain can be found here.

No, Mr President, No.

2009-05-14T21:03:00.004+10:00

In case you missed it, here is John Piper's passionate plea to President Barack Obama on his policies regarding abortion.

Pray for President Obama to witness this video and be convicted of the truth that all human life, at every stage of life, needs protection.

And head to abort73 to educate yourself further in regards to abortion and how you might speak to your friends about it.

A must read for preachers in Chinese Church contexts...

2009-05-07T11:39:00.001+10:00

Check out the latest post on 'face' by Chinese church pastor Andrew Hong (who will be preaching at the upcoming BLT Plus conference!).

It is a must read for preachers in a Chinese church context - where 'face' holds an incredibly strong (and subtle) hold on many of the people in our congregations.

Are you grateful for the rain?

2009-04-05T00:20:00.004+10:00

It seems Queenslanders can never be satisfied. We've had drought and low dam levels in the 'great South-East' for the past few years. Yet when good rain arrives people jump onto facebook so quickly to say, "I hate the rain!" or "Argh! I'm all wet!"

Well get an umbrella already!

For everyone else, here is a great article by John Piper. It's a meditation on God's goodness in sending rain. Highly recommended. Here is a section, quoted at length - and I think you'll hopefully see it's brilliance:

But Job is not joking. "God does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number." He gives rain on the earth." In Job's mind, rain really is one of the great, unsearchable wonders that God does. So when I read this a few weeks ago, I resolved not to treat it as meaningless pop musical lyrics. I decided to have a conversation with myself (= meditation).

Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God? Picture yourself as a farmer in the Near East, far from any lake or stream. A few wells keep the family and animals supplied with water. But if the crops are to grow and the family is to be fed from month to month, water has to come on the fields from another source. From where?

Well, the sky. The sky? Water will come out of the clear blue sky? Well, not exactly. Water will have to be carried in the sky from the Mediterranean Sea, over several hundred miles and then be poured out from the sky onto the fields. Carried? How much does it weigh? Well, if one inch of rain falls on one square mile of farmland during the night, that would be 27,878,400 cubic feet of water, which is 206,300,160 gallons, which is 1,650,501,280 pounds of water.

That's heavy. So how does it get up in the sky and stay up there if it's so heavy? Well, it gets up there by evaporation. Really? That's a nice word. What's it mean? It means that the water sort of stops being water for a while so it can go up and not down. I see. Then how does it get down? Well, condensation happens. What's that? The water starts becoming water again by gathering around little dust particles between .00001 and .0001 centimeters wide. That's small.

What about the salt? Salt? Yes, the Mediterranean Sea is salt water. That would kill the crops. What about the salt? Well, the salt has to be taken out. Oh. So the sky picks up a billion pounds of water from the sea and takes out the salt and then carries it for three hundred miles and then dumps it on the farm?

Well it doesn't dump it. If it dumped a billion pounds of water on the farm, the wheat would be crushed. So the sky dribbles the billion pounds water down in little drops. And they have to be big enough to fall for one mile or so without evaporating, and small enough to keep from crushing the wheat stalks.

How do all these microscopic specks of water that weigh a billion pounds get heavy enough to fall (if that's the way to ask the question)? Well, it's called coalescence. What's that? It means the specks of water start bumping into each other and join up and get bigger. And when they are big enough, they fall. Just like that? Well, not exactly, because they would just bounce off each other instead of joining up, if there were no electric field present. What? Never mind. Take my word for it.

I think, instead, I will just take Job's word for it. I still don't see why drops ever get to the ground, because if they start falling as soon as they are heavier than air, they would be too small not to evaporate on the way down, but if they wait to come down, what holds them up till they are big enough not to evaporate? Yes, I am sure there is a name for that too. But I am satisfied now that, by any name, this is a great and unsearchable thing that God has done. I think I should be thankful - lots more thankful than I am.

Grateful to God for the wonder of rain,

Pastor John

Now go to your window and look at the rain, look how high it fell from. Look how vast an area the rain is covering. And let's be grateful together :)

Men earn more than women - and biblical motherhood

2009-04-01T09:46:00.003+10:00

According to this report from Yahoo News, Australian men can potentially earn up to $1million dollars more than women over a lifetime. The gist of the article states that there is still a relatively large income gap between men and women.

AMP Financial Services managing director Craig Meller is quoted in the report stating, "There is still more work to be done to narrow the gender divide, particularly in the child rearing years."

I've long been fascinated by these reports and their conclusions. Stats are only ever as good as the numbers you put into them - and I often think these sorts of stats miss some important observations.

Firstly, pay structures between men and women are generally egalitarian. So a female doctor with x number of years experience will be paid the same as a male doctor with the same experience. A male administrative assistant will be paid the same as a female administrative assistant doing the same level of work. Gone are the days when a woman would be paid less for the same work as a man.

Secondly, these stats always show a discrepancy primarily because the income figures of higher managers and CEOs are included. And the majority of higher end managers and CEOs, who are paid much higher salaries, tend to be male. Hence the perceived imbalance on the 'average' income of men and women.

Does that mean there is still an imbalance? On the surface there appears to be. But there's another untold victim in this story which these reports seem to often miss - motherhood.

Since the rise of the feminist movement over the last century we've seen an increasing push, by women, to be seen as equal to (or better) than men. That these comparative income reports keep coming out with the same conclusions shows that the push is not yet finished. However the victim in these reports aren't the lower-income earning women, it's motherhood.

Let me explain. The reason why most managerial positions are held by men is not because men are necessarily better, but because women tend to have children and spend 'their better working years' at home raising the children. Those years 'lost' to raising of children are often years lost working your way up the corporate ladder. This has forced many women between the two opposing choices - stay at home to raise a family, or forgo motherhood altogether in order to work your way to the top. Some women have attempted to harmonise both worlds by working whilst raising families - and we should honour the efforts of those women who balance work and raising children at the same time.

But the choices remain, and they remain in stark contrast to each other. For a woman to be seen to accomplish any great feat requires a sacrifice which is increasingly becoming less desirable. Miss the years to raise children in order to be seen as successful. It is little wonder that there is an increasing voice of discontent for women in high-end jobs.

I say all this to point out a few things:

1. Our church needs to be working hard to promote biblical complementarianism. We need to better support mothers and motherhood in our church and esteem the role of women in child bearing and raising. And our witness in this world will be better served if the world can see how much the men in our church love and support our women and promote their true femininity in Christ.

2. We need to keep discerning our world, culture and the information we receive from it. And we need to be weary of jumping onto bandwagons of the day.

3. And finally, feminism does not hurt men - it hurts women. It denies biblical reality that men and women are indeed created differently. It denies that men and women are created with purpose and dignity and strips women of their God-given femininity and replaces it with a masculine ideal of feminism.

Friday Fun

2009-03-29T11:46:00.001+10:00

I know it's a little late...but oh well :)

The Way of the Master...?

2009-03-25T21:21:00.004+10:00

There's an evangelism technique which has gained popularity over the past few years called, 'The Way of the Master'. The basic technique involves asking if a person considers themselves good, getting them to acknowledge that they have committed a sin of some sort, showing them that if they have committed that sin then they are a law breaker (according to the 10 Commandments) worthy of eternal punishment and condemnation and then pointing them to Jesus Christ, the Saviour.

For a long time this particular evangelism technique has unsettled me. Definitely not because people are evangelising, but in particular the use of the Old Testament laws to determine guilt or innocence.

In preparations for my presentation on the place of Exodus 32-34 in its literary structure I came upon this devastating point made by Peter Enns in his NIV Application Commentary on Exodus:

As we have seen in a number of other places in Exodus, this is a book written for Israelites and about Israelites. Its application is not for anyone except God's people. We saw this with the Ten Commandments. It is a misapplication to think that the law given to God's people should be used as a standard by which to judge unbelievers. (emphasis mine)

So what to do with 'The Way of the Master' now that we know that its a misapplication of the Old Testament?

The Golden Calf

2009-03-22T21:48:00.004+10:00

Ever stop to think why chapters 32-34 of Exodus appear where they are? I've been assigned to give a presentation on that issue this coming Thursday. For now, here's something I read this afternoon which has helped illuminate the passage a little more:

At every key point the people's building project contrasts with the tabernacle that God has announced. This gives to the account a heavy ironic cast.

1. The people seek to create what God has already provided;
2. They, rather than God, take the initiative;
3. Offerings are demanded rather than willingly presented;
4. The elaborate preparations are missing altogether;
5. The painstaking length of time needed for building becomes an overnight rush job;
6. The careful provision for guarding the presence of the Holy One turns into an open-air object of immediate accessibility;
7. The invisible, intangible God becomes a visible, tangible image; and
8. The personal, active God becomes an impersonal object that cannot see or speak or act.

The ironic effect is that the people forfeit the very divine presence they had hoped to bind more closely to themselves.

(Terrance E. Fretheim, Exodus, pg 280-281)

Gospel of John commentaries

2009-03-21T11:10:00.002+10:00

John Piper has been preaching through John at Bethlehem Baptist over the last few months. He was asked the question recently, 'What commentaries are you using?' Here is his response:

Note a few things:

How deeply passionate he is about the commentaries reflections upon the text
How great he finds different 'windows' and 'perspectives' from different authors
His own thoughts and wrestling with the text and the questions he has before approaching a commentary

A great example on the use and place of commentaries in preaching :)

3 NT views on the State and the QLD State Election

2009-03-18T18:15:00.003+10:00

There's a common misconception amongst Christians that the NT only speaks of government in one place - Romans 13:1-6. This has given rise to some angst in regards to applying this passage to Christians living in countries like Zimbabwe or Nazi Germany. How should a Christian apply this passage to their situation? Answer: submit only to the extent that their laws do not go against God's laws...or so the answer goes.

Last week Bruce Winter helpfully clarified the New Testament's position on the state. There are actually three views.

1. The State is at peace

This is the view Romans 13:1-6 has in mind. Where Christians are free and able to participate at all levels of government and daily life. Paul's emphasis in this passage is two fold:

1. Governments like these are put in place to administer justice. They are there to punish those who do evil.
2. To good. Seek the welfare of the city. The phrase 'Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval.' in verse 3 refers to seeking 'benefactions' - citizens who do good in order to seek honours for their work from the government and be placed in positions of honour over the cities. Paul points to Erastus in Romans 16:23 as an example of a man who sought a benefaction and was honoured to take a place as 'city treasurer'.

2. The State is suspicious

This happens where Christians are viewed suspiciously, possibly as trouble makers, by local officials and 1 Peter 2:13-17 addresses this issue. Peter exhorts the Christians in the diaspora to counter criticism of the church by doing good. By seeking the welfare of their city and by pouring their energy, time and money into improving the welfare of their city. And in doing so they will silence their critics.

3. The State is the Beast

Finally we have the situation many Christians have found themselves in throughout history. When the State becomes the Beast of Revelation 13:11-18. When God's instrument for justice in this world seeks to take the throne of God, when the State requires acts of devotion or allegiance, and when your choice is either obedience or death, then Christians may need to flee*.

So there are the three views. The State at peace with Christians, in suspicion of Christians, or the Beast against Christians. Whenever we're considering how to best respond to our local Governments we need to apply the right text to the most appropriate context.

It is probably safe to say that the two major leading parties in Queensland (Labour and the LNP) fit neatly into the first category. With that in mind there are some other things which we'll each need to take into consideration before our vote this coming Saturday. For more information visit Queensland Votes to find out more information on the parties and their views on particular issues which are relevant to Christians.

And remember one last thing: you always get the politicians you pray for. So pray more often for our political leaders.

* The life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer offers a startling glimpse into a faithful Christian during the time of the Nazis who chose not to flee but instead to fight. The choice we make when the State becomes the Beast is not always so clear.

On debates and generosity

2009-03-18T09:33:00.003+10:00

Tony Payne over at the Sola Panel has, again, written a superb blog regarding a current movement within our churches towards 'generous orthodoxy'. I understand, from personal experience, that this movement is mostly seen in response to the growing 'New Calvinism' which is sweeping across America and having (relatively) positive impacts on Western churches world-wide.

Tony's post has given me pause to think through recent debates I've been caught up in. Am I debating firmly matters of secondary importance or matters which go the heart of our faith - particularly those who most would class as 'brothers in the faith'. Whilst some of these debates have been over secondary issues, I believe that other debates I have been in recently have been to do with 'central' issues.

By way of short examples, secondary issue debates I've been caught in recently have centred on whether or not the KJV bible is the only infallible Word of God. Whilst I have firm views on this I also believe that those who I've had debates with are 'brothers in the faith'.

But then a more recent debate has shown to me that the issues we are debating are secondary to a more pressing central issue - the authority of scripture. The debates I've had recently on gay-marriage and separation of church and state have led me to believe that these issue are symptomatic of a larger problem - that is the authority of scripture. So whilst some may have read these debates as 'heated' and over 'unnecessary' issues, I hope my arguments have been clear enough to show that what really is at stake is much more important. Otherwise please pray that I would be humble enough to know the difference.

KJV only...?

2009-03-09T14:41:00.003+10:00

Some thoughts posted up on the blog-formerly-known-as 'Pastoral Apprenticeship Musings' - now known as 'Homeward Bound'.

Friday Fun

2009-03-06T09:17:00.004+10:00

This is Stefano Barone and his song 'TCLD' (not sure what it stands for). Very cool.

Now check out this kid, Shunga Jung, play the song as well... an incredible gifting from God!

Why don't more Asian parents allow their kids to play instruments other than piano or violin? A plausible reason is given here.

In other Friday Fun, check this out:

The US government has been given the green light for their 787 Billion, close enough to 1 Trillion, dollar economic stimulus package. So $100 looks like this:

And $10,000 looks like this:

And $1,000,000 looks like this:
How much would $1 Trillion dollars look like? Click here to find out. Enjoy!

Too salty for some?

2009-02-13T10:26:00.005+10:00

Carried from my previous post it seems that some find salt too salty.

Tony Payne recently wrote a relatively good and biting satirical comment over at the Sola Panel. It helps to click through the link and read the back story.

But the post elicited some negative feedback, such as this from a 'David Gundry':

Quite a disappointing post on the solapanel today. Yes, Sylvia Hale’s attempt to skew the issue in hope of political gains is at best shameful.

It seems a little odd that attempts at humour are made on a christian blog site by depicting the murder of those whom we may disagree with or find frustrating.

Maybe politics could be left to the politicians and the focus could return to theological edification rather than bashing a certain political stance.

Tony Payne has responded to the comments with this witty follow-up. I agree with his final sentiments. But I think Charles Spurgeon says it even better:

I do not know why ridicule is being given up as a weapon to Satan to be used against us and not to be employed by us as a weapon against him. It [humour] is a dangerous weapon it will be said and many men will cut their fingers with it. Well that is their own outlook, but I do not know why we should be so particular about their cutting their fingers if they can at same time cut the throat of sin and do serious damage to the great adversary of souls...

So, back to my original question - are you salteee enough? :) And if you're not - in what ways can you work on it?

Media Watch #1

2009-01-16T18:51:00.005+10:00

There's a show on the ABC called 'Media Watch' - the show basically keeps an eye on the media at large and points out inconsistencies or bias. The show itself, however, has proven it can be biased as well. But enough of that...

I want to turn attention to some of the reporting on the Miracle on the Hudson River today. A US Airways Airbus A320 made the crash-landing shortly after take off from LaGuardia airport, New York when both engines failed after flying through a flock of birds. The plane managed to land relatively safely onto the Hudson River saving the lives of the 155 people onboard. Due honour should go to the quick thinking pilot who decided to use the river as his landing strip, searched the cabin twice to ensure nobody was left behind and was the last to leave his plane.

But the reporting of this event, particularly on the Channel 9 news tonight, was interesting. The reporter began her story with the basic facts and then went on to say (something to the effect) that, "Whilst the passengers stood on the wings of the plane waiting for rescue a number of them prayed, but what saved them was a lack of panic..."

A number of passengers prayed...BUT...what saved them was a lack of panic.

When there is no God, there is no one to thank. When there is a God, there is someone to thank - and there is someone to be held accountable to.

- - - - -

Come along this Sunday to CCCB SLE to hear a great sermon from Mike Raiter on this very issue...

Great servant, but terrible Master

2009-01-14T11:46:00.002+10:00

This story serves to show, once again, that money is a terrible master.

But then isn't this the logical outcome of a materialistic philosophy?

Are you 'salteee' enough?

2008-12-19T23:13:00.004+10:00

From David E. Garland's NIV Application Commentary on Colossians, pg 273-274

The Colossians speech is to be salty. In our idiom, salty language is something replete with profanities, but obviously this is not Paul's meaning. "Seasoned with salt" was used to refer to witty, amusing, clever, humourous speech. Their saltiness will prevent them from being ignored as irrelevant bores.

So are you salty enough? :)

The Jesus Storybook Bible - every story whispers His name

2008-11-28T11:49:00.003+10:00

Do you know someone who has a young child? Say ages 4 and up?

To be honest there are not many good children's bibles out there. The main reason is because whilst many have colourful illustrations and great narration, most fall into the troublesome theological blunder of 'moralism' - see the character in the story, follow their good behaviour (be like Noah - listen to the Lord; be like David - have courage to defeat your Goliath's; don't be like Jonah - obey God's commands...etc).

Many children's bibles fail to take into consideration the 'big picture' - how everything in the Bible points ahead of itself - towards Jesus Christ. Now I understand that 'Biblical Theology' (as it is commonly known) is a difficult thing to wrap your head around for an adult, so imagine the difficulty it would be for an adult to translate biblical theology for children... is this too difficult a task to undertake?

Not for Sally Lloyd-Jones (related to Martyn?). She has written a superb children's bible - the narration is brilliant. And even better she has managed to not fall into the traps as most other children's bibles, but has managed insightful pointers and connections from Old Testament to New.

The illustrations by Jago are also bright, colourful and appealing.

But I think one of the best features of this bible is that not only will it serve generations of young children - helping them to connect the Old and New Testaments together - but I think it will help a number of parents and adults as they read and share God's unfolding story with their kids. And, prayerfully, families will unite together to praise our wonderful and awesome God for His mighty deeds in Jesus :)

Page 56

2008-11-25T15:26:00.002+10:00

Ok, so I've seen this twice now on the various blogs I read...so here goes...

Rules:

Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
Turn to page 56.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post that sentence along with these instructions in a note to your blog (and on the comment section of this post).
Don't dig for your favourite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

"Martin J. Selman: "Jesus both fulfilled and expanded the messianic ideas of the Old Testament."
From Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears

The Screwtape Letters read by John Cleese

2008-11-25T10:21:00.004+10:00

'The Screwtape Letters' is a fictional book written by CS Lewis. It tracks letters between Screwtape, a senior devil, and his younger newphew Wormwood, who is starting out in the temptation business. CS Lewis never claimed any special revelation behind the letters nor did he claim to know the Spiritual world inside out, but the book offers incredible insight into the folly of sin and the many, varied, complex and insightful ways which the devil tempts Christians. A highly recommended book :)

So to my surprise I found this site in which you can download, free, an audio version of the book read by John Cleese! Enjoy!

Embryonic Stem Cell Research - still 0

2008-11-20T10:40:00.004+10:00

A few years ago there was a massive public debate regarding stem-cell research. The parties were debating the legal ramifications for allowing or disallowing stem-cell research and, in particular, the effect it would have on Australia's place in leading science and technology.

You may have also noticed that things have gone all quiet on that debate front...and I think here is why - there have been no developments!

According to this website the 'infinite value' Embryonic Stem Cells was believed to have had has turned out to be not much in the end. Some might query if these statistics are misleading in that quite a few countries have outlawed research of this kind - but one might also wonder about those countries (such as Australia, England, Canada and China) which allow this research and have come up with nothing. Still, there are many years to come and we shall see - but the statistics seem to be speaking loudly at this stage - Adult Stem Cell research (where no life is destroyed) - 73 clinical benefits. Embryonic Stem Cell research (where life is destroyed) - 0 clinical benefits.

Let's keep an eye on this...

Obama is not the anti-Christ

2008-11-14T10:25:00.001+10:00

Great blog post here from Michael Mckinley over at the 9 Marks blog.

Monsters like Hitler, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, and Josef Stalin have all risen and fallen and have not been the harbinger of the end times. But this guy wants to socialize our health care, and Jesus is supposed to be so enraged that he will come storming back to save us?

Please. The Christian faith is doing great. Christ's church is being built. The gospel is exploding in other parts of the world. It's not the end of the world... just because you think America's going down the tubes or because you don't like the guy elected to lead one branch of the government for the next four years.

If you're struggling... just take a deep breath, put down your copy of Left Behind, and pray for the president-elect.

"It's not about you, stupid!"

2008-11-13T11:42:00.003+10:00

I wonder if any of us would be brave enough to say this in our church?

Before you click 'forward'...

2008-11-13T10:34:00.003+10:00

It happened again. It's happened less so of late since we started working from home, but it still happens. I'm speaking of those email forwards that you get - you've seen them... those ones which contain some powerpoint attachment which range from those 'soppy-shallow-theology types with photos from creation' to 'beware-this-latest-email' to the more general warnings regarding the latest serial killer's tactics of luring people into their traps. All of these emails containing some encouragement to forward the message on (and I especially love those encouragements which read, "I'd rather get this 1000 times than not at all!").

More often than not the content of the warning emails is generally either misinformation or an outright hoax. I've only ever come across one email which contained information which could probably be true.

The latest email came from a person at my church. It was about the holocaust and how the UK has stopped teaching it in their schools so as not to offend Muslims. Here is an article from Snopes.com regarding the general content and here is another article from the BBC explaining the extraordinary lengths the UK Governement is going to stop these emails.

Now it seems easy enough to simply delete these emails and get on with life - consider it spam which made it's way into your inbox and just move on. But I'd like to point out one thing for us to keep in mind before you click 'forward' on the next email...

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. - 2 Peter 1:16

Peter was clear that the information he imparted regarding Christ was a true and trustworthy account. He was not making it up, nor was he relying on second-hand information - but [they] were eyewitnesses of [Jesus'] majesty.

Everytime a Christian forwards on a hoax email it impacts our credible witness to this world. If we are so quick to believe, and forward on, an email which contains unreliable information how are people going to trust us when we impart to them things of utmost importance - namely Jesus' death and resurrection?

So before you click forward on your next email do a google search to determine if the content is true or not. Or jump onto snopes.com or hoax-slayer.com and search for your email. You might be surprised.

A great blog

2008-11-12T11:35:00.002+10:00

A Pastor-friend down in Sydney has one of the most well thought out blogs I've read in ages - particularly in regards to understanding and critiquing Asian church culture. His latest blog post regarding 'Power Distance Index' is insightful for those of us who are young and ministering within churches. Power Distance Index (PDI) is an indicator of the distance certain cultures prefer to have between leaders and subordinates (ie Teacher and Student). The higher the number the higher the distance and hence the greater respect a subordinate has for their leader. The lower the number the closer the distance and subordinates view leaders on a more even playing field. He writes:

Conflicts can happen when people who are born overseas (say Hong Kong with a PDI of 68, or Malaysia with a PDI of 104), starts to interact with those who are born or raised in Australia (with a PDI of 36). After a short while, those who are used to a higher PDI will find those who are used to a lower PDI to be disrespectful, disobedient, and to take an overy casual and relaxed approach to important things. However those who are used to a lower PDI will find those who are used to a higher PDI to be controlling, talking down to them, distant, making decisions for them without really consulting them.

Which culture is ultimately right? The biblical answer is neither. Our calling is to serve each other as Jesus, the greatest of all, served us. That means for overseas born (and generally older) generations to serve graciously and for younger generations to serve humbly.

Friday Funny

2008-11-07T10:04:00.002+10:00

Ok, so things around here have been pretty serious of late. Time to bring it down a notch and remind each other not to take ourselves too seriously...

I mean...check out this guy!

You get the politicians you pray for...

2008-11-06T13:38:00.008+10:00

It still amazes me the number of genuine Christians who are celebrating the election of Barack Obama to the White House. I wonder if they realise they were celebrating the election of the most pro-choice (pro-abortion) Democrat candidate in history? Whose first act as President, he claims, will be to sign the 'Freedom of Choice Act' which will "erase every federal and state restriction on abortion, no matter how modest" and would allow abortions freely? Did they know that Obama refused to protect the lives of babies born alive from unsuccessful abortions? Or did they also know that Obama wants to repeal the 'Defense of Marriage Act' which defines marriage as a life-long union between a man and a woman?

I want to be clear that I'm not saying I do not support the new President-Elect. I'm not saying that America got it wrong when they voted. I'm trying to understand why Christians seemed so eager to jump onto the Obama bandwagon without realising he stands against those things which affect Christians the most...?

I also want to be clear that I'm not promoting a single-issue type of voting. I want to say what John Piper says here so much more clearly - that though no single issue qualifies someone to be voted in as President, there are single issues which should disqualify someone from holding office. And in this case it's abortion and same-sex marriage.

I also want to be clear that now that America has a new President-Elect, our job as Christians is helpfully spelled out by Justin Taylor here:

No matter who you voted for--or whether you voted at all--it's important to remember that, as President, Barack Obama will have God-given authority to govern us, and that we should view him as a servant of God (Rom. 13:1, 4) to whom we should be subject (Rom. 13:1, 5; 1 Pet. 2:13-14).
We are to pray for Barack Obama (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
We are to thank God for Barack Obama (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
We are to respect Barack Obama (Rom. 13:7).
We are to honor Barack Obama (Rom. 13:7; 1 Pet. 2:17).
There are many qualifications to add to these exhortations--for example, see this excellent post by John Piper--but it's still important to remember that these are requirements for all Bible-believing Christians.

Soli Deo Gloria

- - - - -

Edit - Eric Redmond has guest posted over at Theologica Blogspot. His reflections are insightful.

Developing a Renewed Mind

2008-10-21T09:50:00.004+10:00

Back at Uni one of my friends once said to me that, 'Words are just words.' Whilst I deeply love and respect this friend, I believe that she was very wrong.

"You're mother and I are getting a divorce."

"I'm sorry, but the cancer has not responded to treatment."

"You need to wait till the traffic signals are green before you can cross the street."

All of these phrases are not simply 'just words'. Words are highly important, words communicate truth, it is through Words that God chooses to communicate through us.

I've been realising how important, then, it is to be reading words with a renewed mind. So much of what we read (and hear) needs to be filtered through the right sieve in order to determine what is factual, biased, mere opinion or persuasive argument. It's not enough, as one person recently commented to me, to say an article is biased and therefore reject it. Tell me why you think it is biased. What is the bias against? There will always be bias in written forms (despite the goals of wikipedia!).

When you read God's word you'll note that God has his own bias. It's hard not to pick it up! But unlike our own biases, God's bias is not influenced by sin - it is influenced by his glory and holiness.

For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for how should my name be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.
(Isaiah 48:11)

It is through this lens that we must read our world.

So I thought that these two posts recently listed by Al Mohler have been highly insightful. Not only for the content of his argument, but the manner in which he reads our culture and responds to our cultures arguments. You can find his posts here and here.

Of note is his second post dealing with a newspaper article. Take note of how he is able to read between the lines of the report and his corresponding thoughts. It's a brilliant article not just for its content, but as an example of how to critique our culture and worldview. I think there is great value in learning from Al's writing style in order to help develop our renewed minds.

Speeding ticket gone wrong

2008-10-17T22:57:00.001+10:00

Saw this just then over at 'The Blazing Centre' - Mark and Stephen Altrogge's Blog.

One word...bummer...

I'm sure there's a sermon illustration in here somewhere...

Got an iPhone?

2008-10-17T09:57:00.003+10:00

Head to this website for a free e-book from Desiring God - 'Don't Waste Your Life' by John Piper.

http://www.desiringgod.org/iphone/dwyl/#_home

Another reason for me to get an iPhone I reckon...

If you don't have an iPhone you can still head here and download all of John Piper's books for free!

More on the financial crisis

2008-10-15T11:43:00.003+10:00

Paul Grimmond over at the Sola Panel has written some helpful insights (here and here) into the global financial crisis. I'm still trying to get my head around what exactly happened to bring us to where we are, but I have a feeling that the number one reason for the collapse has been greed.

If you're in a church, monitor the weekly offerings and we'll see whether or not our sheep have been caught up in this 'crisis' as well...

Living Dolls

2008-10-14T20:19:00.004+10:00

I haven't been able to find a link to the story yet, but Today Tonight did a special tonight on 'Living Dolls' - dolls which look so life-like they have grown in popularity...and with some interesting buyers.

Of the three buyers that I saw (since I was ducking in and out of the kitchen during the story) there was a woman who had lost her baby child, a grandmother whose grandchild moved overseas and a man who lost his mother. When the mother who had lost her baby child was asked the question, "Don't you think that some people would find this uncomfortable?", her response was, "Well, when people get to see how life-like she is then I'm sure they'd fall in love as well" (or something to that effect). The journalists response was classic post-modern philosophy at it's best, "Well, neither her nor her doll are hurting anybody so in that context it's ok."

Of more interest was a man who had recently lost his mother - and sought 'companionship' and a 'better quality of life' through relating to adult life-like female dolls. He then maneuvered this adult-sized doll from the kitchen table to an outside setting by hanging her to a nail post to keep her upright.

Through it all I was shaking my head and wondering how to react. Here are a few rough thoughts:

It's clear from these videos that humans were created for relationship. Some of us are awkward at creating and maintaining them, but we were created for relationships nonetheless
In a sinful and broken world some of us will seek to fulfill our relationship needs in either sinful or strange ways
The Church is God's wonderful gift to us by which we may enter into strong and close fellowship with each other to meet our relationship needs
I pray that our church would be so loving and united that we would be able to reach out to those who have lost loved ones and are seeking healing

That's all I can think of for now. Any others?

Your first reaction to the global financial crisis reveals...

2008-10-08T22:55:00.002+10:00

...your first love.

See here for more thoughts.

Bloggers and Blogging

2008-10-07T17:26:00.002+10:00

Does this describe you...? *insert smiley face*

A final word on Mark Driscoll...?

2008-09-26T23:14:00.003+10:00

Ok, there are some who read this blog and may be thinking I've gone all 'Mark Driscoll Groupie' - this accusation is probably half true.

I was recently made aware that quite a number of Christians are beginning to get a little upset at bloggers. Particularly in the wake of Mark Driscoll's arrival in Australia there were a number of bloggers, 'Christian blogs' and bloggers who are Christian (there is a slight difference), who raised concerns and vocalised criticisms. Being a blogger myself I'm aware of the danger one can get into regarding being misunderstood or writing something which stems from ungodliness on my part.

So it comes as no surprise to hear that people are getting fed up with reactionist bloggers. Even some of the blogs I read regularly (and promote via my blog roll down the right hand side) have come under fire for being too critical, defensive and...well...reactionistic.

So I found Philip Jensen's latest post from St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, to be both enlightening, fair, balanced and humble. He lists three points to reflect upon when considering Driscoll's recent visit (and I think his comments apply very generally to anything we hear from a visiting/overseas guest speaker).

Don't be defensive.
Don't become an overnight groupie.
Don't respond with nothing.

You can find Philip's post here.

I'd like to add to that list for the bloggers who may be reading this and are blogging themselves:

Don't blog (or email) late at night. Your thoughts will not be as clear as they will be during the day.
Always think before you click 'publish/send'. Take some time to think through what you have written and the reason you wrote it.
Remember point number 2. The internet is a wonderful thing, but it can just as easily be used for ungodly and godless means.
Remember point number 2! With broadband the way it is now the internet, blogging and emailing are instantaneous. Your thoughts, emotions and the possibility of being misunderstood (however great) will be published for the world to see, and it's very hard to take it back once you have.

And as always, happy blogging :)

Driscoll, Grown Men & ABC's

2008-09-10T23:23:00.002+10:00

Part of Mark’s challenge to the 900 plus men who attended the ‘300 Men For Jesus’ night was for men to start taking responsibility over their lives. Mark cited recent Australian statistics to the effect that Australian men now live at home until the average age of 25 and do not get married until they are 32. His conclusion in relation to these statistics was that Australian men are delaying growing up and taking responsibility for as long as they can. To bolster his argument he said that by the time he was 25 he was already married with children and starting a church plant.

This challenge struck a particular chord with many of the guys I know that night. Some were challenged to find work to stop living off their parents. Others reacted strongly against the suggestion that men should not be living at home after the age of 18. Still, others took it with a grain of salt knowing that, culturally, it’s more acceptable for Chinese people (even Australian Born Chinese - ABC) to live at home until you are married (like I did).

But that got me thinking as to whether or not our (Chinese) cultural assumption is biblical at all. Certainly in scripture there is no defining point at which one becomes an adult. Ephesians 6 encourages the fathers to ‘bring up’ children in the discipline of the Lord, which leads to the conclusion that there is a point in which fathers no longer ‘bring up’ children. John Stott in his BST Ephesians commentary adds that whilst we don’t normally read our cultural understandings into the bible passages we are reading, he believes that because Paul’s word usage is so general that Paul would allow for culture to dictate how one defines a ‘child’.

I’ve heard it said that in Australian culture you are a ‘child’ until you turn 18, at which point your parents (historically) encouraged you to move out and get a job. With university and further education becoming increasingly popular that age has been shifted back a little – perhaps 22 or 23. Adulthood in an Australian context is achieved once you have a job and have exercised independence by moving out of home.*

For Asians, however, I’ve heard it said that you are a child until you get married. So adulthood is reached upon marriage. Adulthood is not thrust upon a child by the parents gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) prodding out of the family nest, but when that child reaches for the independence found in marriage.**

Which leads me to the thought as to what should an ABC be doing between the ‘just graduated from uni/starting a new job’ period in their life to ‘getting married’. Mark would say they should have a job, should have moved out, started looking for a wife and serving within their church. The longer you delay these steps the harder it essentially is for young men to be a part (let alone interested) of a church. The largest population of people who don’t go to church are young men between the ages of 18-35. The reason Mark gives: they aren’t growing up quickly enough to want to take responsibility. Men need to be encouraged to exercise godly dominion, in their lives, in their homes and in the church.

Let’s take a step back for a moment and examine this from our church perspective. How many single guys, aged 18-35, are there in our church? Now how many of them are actively serving within the church? How many of those who are not active still live at home?

But what if it’s culturally appropriate for a young, single, ABC man to be living at home even whilst they are working? Initially I’d say it is, however there are a few other excuses as to why some ABC’s continue living at home. Excuses which I’d say are characteristic of the type of man Mark Driscoll wants to hammer.

Excuse #1
I have everything I need at home – meals cooked for me, laundry done for me, cheap rent (if at all), bills paid...etc

This caricature is often a lot more subtle. It’s very hard work living on your own and doing things to sustain your life – doing the dishes, washing your own clothes, paying the rent/mortgage and the bills. The fear of these things is only quashed when a man decides to pluck up enough courage and get out there.

I saw a documentary once of a social worker who was helping a particular group of refugees. These refugees weren’t Asian, but their culture had left some devastating consequences for their men. The social worker was finding that even though the refugees were set up with a fridge full of food and a simple home to live in, after a week they were starving. None of the men knew how to cook or look after themselves because culturally they had been conditioned to learn that cooking and cleaning were women’s/wives jobs.

Are our men the same? I’m not expecting guys to cook like Jamie Oliver, but if you want to grow in taking up responsibility, cooking for yourself is one place to start.

Excuse #2
It’s too expensive to move out and buy a home.

Firstly, who said you have to buy a home? The issue here is not home ownership, but growing up and taking responsibility. If you’re single, working and on a wage of more than $35k a year renting is not going to kill you. Sure, rent money is dead money (as ‘they’ say) but if it means you’re getting out of home and growing in exercising godly dominion then consider it an investment into your godliness as a man.

Excuse #3
I’m not moving out because I’m not getting married yet. Why do I need to find a wife? I might have the gift of singleness...

I heard this one more recently – the idea that since getting married means moving out of home, not desiring marriage = not having to move out.

Gifts are always given to us for the good of the body. Marriage is a gift because, as Mark said, it is there to make us holy (not happy). Singleness is a gift also – but it’s not a gift purely for our own sake, it’s there to allow us to serve better and fuller. For instance, I was told recently that bible college students are told that if they are single more is expected of them. And it’s true – if you’re single you don’t have the cares and worries of this world (as Paul notes in 1 Cor 7). Jesus was single, the Apostle Paul was single, John Stott and John Chapman are single. But in each case look at what they did/are doing. The gift of singleness is not simply a lack of desire for wanting marriage. It’s being able to more fully devote yourself to the work of the Lord.

Finally...
This last point I won’t call an excuse. It’s a valid reason for some to still live with their parents: my parents expect me to look after them when they are old/I have relatives I need to care for. I want to first say that this is a great exercise in responsibility for carers. It is very godly to take care of the elderly and there is much that the family of God should be doing to assist.

So what excuses do you have left?

* On a tangential note, whilst in High School (and bored) I picked up Bill Cosby’s ‘Fatherhood’ to have a read. It was quite an entertaining book with the wit that I became accustomed to listening to Bill Cosby whilst I grew up in the 80’s. Cosby is also a big fan of pushing the kids out the door (and never letting them back in!) when your children reach ‘adulthood’.

** This is probably the cause of most conflicts between OBC parents and ABC children. An ABC spends most of their waking hours learning how to reach for independence. An OBC parent expects their kids to remain submissive to their parent’s wishes until they get married. Conflicts generally occur at the later university stage of life when ABC’s start to exercise independence (going out more + spending less time at home) but the OBC parent considers this behaviour to be unruly and offensive to their parental provisions of home and food (ie - treating your home like a hotel: you only come back to eat and sleep). So you’ll often hear complaints that their ‘child’ is out too often and not doing things like seeking a job, finding a wife/husband and settling down. Who is right or wrong? No-one really. Both the OBC parent and the ABC child need to understand each other’s culture. The OBC needs to recognise that their culture is not exactly shared with their children and the ABC ‘child’ needs to ensure that they are home enough to respect their parents by showing love and honour.

More on Driscoll

2008-09-09T09:34:00.007+10:00

A friend of mine recently "accused" (I use this in the most loose sense!) me of lazy blogging by referencing the blogs of others I had recently read. Well that's partly to do with how good some of the other blogs are, and how good some of their recent postings have been. And this morning's post will be no different :P

In the wake of Mark Driscoll's whirlwind tour of Australia (or was it just Sydney and Brisbane?), some blogs of note have been feverishly putting down notes, thoughts and reflections. When Mark brought 10,000 people to the Sydney Entertainment Centre for one talk comparisons were made to the Billy Graham crusades back in the 60's, and, just like Billy, Mark has drawn his fair share of criticism, revulsion and praise.

So here's a bit more reflection upon his visit by the Sola Panel. Firstly a summary of Mark's talk given to Sydney Anglicans on the '18 Obstacles to Effective Evangelism'. Similar notes were taken by Gordon Cheng (one of the Matthias Media men) at his blog, but also including notes from both talks he gave that day. Also of note is Gordon's posting on his reflection upon Mark the man himself.

But in response to the 18 points talk, Sandy Grant over at the Sola Panel posted these thoughts in reply. Sandy's post is both self-effacing and humble in accepting the points Mark made which were accurate of himself (and just like a good preacher does, applies the message to himself in a very helpful and practical way) yet balanced in his critique of one of Mark's other points.

Essentially Sandy's point of criticism revolves around Mark's challenge that 'we are afraid of the Holy Spirit'. His point is summarised here (as copy and pasted from the Sola Panel site):

You don't know what to do with it, so the trinity is Father, Son and Holy Bible. You are so reactionary to pentecostalism that you have reacted also to the charismatic. The Holy Spirit calls people into ministry. He also empowers people for ministry. You don't have to be charismatic but you should be a little charismatic, enough at least to worship God with more than just all of your mind. The word charismatic here means prosperity, excessive, bizarre. In London, it means you're not a liberal. Don't get hung up on all the terminology. Do you love the Holy Spirit? Jesus says the Holy Spirit is a ‘He’ and not an ‘it’.” Ministry cannot be done apart from the Holy Spirit—I think that is in part leading to the lack of entrepreneurialism and innovation, because if it's not already done and written down, you're suspicious of it.

Sandy's take on this is well worth reading. However I'd like to throw in a few thoughts of my own that I have been thinking through and experienced in our time as pastoral apprentices.

It has been my observation that most Chinese churches tend to hold to a cessationist view of the gifts of the Spirit, whether knowingly or just simply in practice. Mark holds a continuationist view which obviously runs counter to our practice and theology. Does that make him a 'charismatic'? He would say, 'Yes!' But I would say, 'Well, it depends...'

See, even in the summary statement above Mark points out that being 'charismatic' means different things to different people. For instance, in London it means 'you're not liberal'. In Sydney it means 'prosperity, me-centred theology and tongues'. In our church it simply means 'tongues'. However the biblical definition is simply 'gifted'. That is, Spirit gifted for a particular ministry - the Greek word, charismata, is often translated as 'gift'. So when Mark says we need to be "a little [more] charismatic, enough at least to worship God with more than just all of your mind" his critique in relation to my observation in our church is devestatingly accurate.

"But wait", you might be saying, "isn't the cessationist view biblically accurate?" Whilst there are plenty of arguments going around that it is, but I'd like to point out that it seems to me that Christian academics has resolved this issue in the negative - for further reading J.I Packer's - Keep in step with the Spirit and Don Carsons' - Showing the Spirit. Both Packer and Carson deal faithfully with the scriptural texts and both sides of the charismata argument. Both end up on the side of continuation, but with the 'seatbelt' of 1 Corinthians 12-14 to guide (that is, affirming the continuationist perspective whilst cautioning against excessive focus or devotion to the Spirit).

"But wait", you might again be saying, "does it really matter in the end so long as people are loving each other and our churches are doing ok?" No it doesn't matter so long as people are loving each other, and there are good books out there from cessationist views with very gracious views towards continuationists (for instance, Graham A. Cole - "He who gives life: the doctrine of the Holy Spirit").

However, the more I reflect upon this issue the more I come to realise that the cessationist view has a pretty devastating effect upon ministry. Recently at a training meeting we discussed an article from 'The Briefing' by Colin Marshall. In that article Colin discussed the ministry mind-shifts we need to make in order to better serve and minister to the people in our churches. Leading the way in his 10 point argument was that we need to focus more on people rather than on programs. We need to minister to the people and encourage their areas of giftedness rather than search for people who can slot into the programs we have already established. My reflections upon this issue has lead me to conclude that one consequence of holding the cessationist view has been that our church has geared itself towards thinking that the maintenance of the programs we run will bring about growth numerically and spiritually. Instead of seeing the areas in which people are gifted and finding/creating a ministry to build upon them, we squeeze people into particular ministries and expect them to flourish. As a result people complain that they are 'burning out' because ministry revolves around 'doing' rather than 'serving with joy'. Serving becomes about doing what you can to maintain the ministry area you've been given rather than encourage you shape it according to your giftedness.

Hence, Mark's last point in that summary statement, "Ministry cannot be done apart from the Holy Spirit—I think that is in part leading to the lack of entrepreneurialism and innovation, because if it's not already done and written down, you're suspicious of it", is a devastatingly accurate and biting piece of commentary upon the way we operate. In what ways can the Chinese church be more innovative? Let's put our heads together and see if we can't come up with something.

Cyclone Driscoll has come and gone

2008-08-30T15:13:00.006+10:00

Mark Driscoll, senior pastor at Mars Hill Church Seattle, has been in Australia for the past month on holiday with family and, more recently, flying around to the many speaking engagements he's been booked for (30 in 11 days). His popularity and almost celebrity status was a great draw card to the many events he has spoken at. Not hard to imagine from a man who started Mars Hill Church at 25 (with only 12 people + his family) and now a decade later oversees 17 Sunday services at 6 different locations (via satellite feed) and almost 8000 people in attendance each week.

Whilst he has stirred up some controversies on the internet over various statements and tid bits in the past, Mark is better known in evangelical circles as the pastor who has been able to connect culture and faithful biblical doctrine. The great problem, as Mark sees it, is that churches too often have one or the other - they are either too culturally sensitive (and lose biblical faithfulness) or they are biblically faithful (but lack cultural awareness and are seen as old and outdated). Hence the problem with many evangelical churches is even though they preach and teach biblically sound doctrine, their service and their understanding of the culture around them is weak - so they are seen as irrelevant. The flip side has been the rise in the 'emergent/emerging' church movement (for instance, Rob Bell and his unaffliated Mars Hill Church in Michigan) which has sought to be culturally relevant at the expense of biblical faithfulness.

Here are Mark's own words in regards to being relevant, yet also being faithful:

There is a strong drift toward the hard theological left. Some emergent types [want] to recast Jesus as a limp-wrist hippie in a dress with a lot of product in His hair, who drank decaf and made pithy Zen statements about life while shopping for the perfect pair of shoes. In Revelation, Jesus is a prize fighter with a tattoo down His leg, a sword in His hand and the commitment to make someone bleed. That is a guy I can worship. I cannot worship the hippie, diaper, halo Christ because I cannot worship a guy I can beat up. I fear some are becoming more cultural than Christian, and without a big Jesus who has authority and hates sin as revealed in the Bible, we will have less and less Christians, and more and more confused, spiritually self-righteous blogger critics of Christianity. (source here)

Biblically faithful? Certainly. Culturally relevant terms? Spot on.

So QTC invited Mark to come and give some lectures on both culture and missions. His lectures were entertaining, insightful and incredibly practical. I'm going to post some more thoughts at our Pastoral Apprenticeship Blog soon.

That evening Mark then spoke at North Side Christian College to a group of men from around Brisbane. The event was promoted initially as '300 Men For Jesus'. A Michtelton Presbyterian effort to get 300 of their men to come and hear Mark speak frankly about biblical manhood. News of the event spread quicker than anticpated and a larger venue had to be found. In the end over 900 men turned up to hear what this biblically faithful and culturally relevant pastor had to say about being a man.

Initially the talk was titled, 'Burn Your Plastic Jesus' - which he had given at the Sydney Enternatinment centre the night before (to, apparently 10,000 people), but slightly more focused towards men. However he instead got up and preached from Genesis 1-3.

How was it? Well, some seemed to have been greatly impacted by it (eg, here and here - for my Asian friends who read this blog and know these people...). Others seemed to have gotten off on the wrong foot with Mark and didn't quite enjoy it, to say the least (Note: a more balanced view from that last blogger has been recently posted and it would be worthwhile checking that out).

Rave reviews and criticism aside there were a few things everyone could agree on:

1. Mark spoke clearly and faithfully from Genesis 1-3.
2. His talk comforted those who were struggling and unsettled those who thought otherwise.
3. Like it or not, it was a challenging talk.

I personally found it challenging. Not primarily because Mark spoke abundantly about marriage, but because I'm sinful (with an overstated view of myself) and need to hear the hard word spoken to me directly. Mark's talk to men was hard and straight forward. How we responded to it is probably more indicative of our heart rather than what Mark said. I also found the talk encouraging and as I left for home I found myself (as my recent facebook profile status announced) 'slapped in the face, rebuked, challenged and given new energy to love and serve my sanctifying wife!' I learnt so much about what it means to think of myself has head of the household and how to love and serve my wife and family.

I've ordered the DVD if you wish to see it (or re-watch it to see if there was anything you missed), let me know.

ESV Study Bible video promo

2008-08-27T13:51:00.001+10:00

Check out this clip with a short presentation of the ESV Study Bible and it's features. Get passed the American accent and it looks pretty good!

Blog Roll

2008-08-19T11:12:00.002+10:00

At the Brisbane Leadership Training Plus event just passed this weekend I shared about the blogs that I read as a way of keeping up my reading habits whilst online.

You can now find a selection of the blogs I view regularly on the side bar to this blog (on the right!). Click through and happy reading!

And my vote would not go to...

2008-08-15T00:00:00.004+10:00

Barak Obama.

Admirable that he is the first black Democratic Presidential nominee and looks set for victory in a few months.

Not-admirable, in fact down right frightening, is this must-read report on Obama's view on abortion.

And for that, he would lose my vote.

The ESV Study Bible is coming soon...

2008-08-14T15:34:00.006+10:00

I've never really been a fan of 'study' bibles - those bibles with explanatory notes on the 'bottom' of the page (which actually end up taking more room than the bible text itself!). There are a number of reasons I don't like them:

They tend to make people lazy - to look at their notes for interpretation rather than meditate on scripture itself.
The explanatory notes are almost always correct. Depending on the study bible you get, those notes are either the interpretation of one person, or a few. Some study bibles are okay, some (which shall remain anonymous) are shocking in their twisting of scriptural interpretation or biblical theology.
cf the previous two points: it's happened more than once during bible study that someone has chipped in with, "Well, my bible study notes say..." Good. Now what does the text say?

Up until the announcement of the ESV Study Bible (being released in October), I've rarely endorsed someone purchasing a study bible. If you really want to study the bible you'd do it with a good set of commentaries by your side :P

Now, however, the list of contributers (eg. Wayne Grudem, J.I. Packer, John Piper, Kent Hughes, to name a few) to the ESV Study Bible, as well as the many endorsements (eg. Mark Driscoll, Mark Dever, etc) it's received, have made me stop to pay attention.

One of my greatest objections against the use of 'study bibles' has often been the lack of Biblical Theology in the notes. Most often the notes tend to describe certain events or give historical/cultural background. Some notes attempt application, which is usually the downfall of a study bible. Seemingly not so with the ESV Study Bible. There appear to be some great articles on understanding scripture along with how to apply the Old Testament to 21st Century New Testament believers. Having read through the 'Jonah' and the 'Introduction to the Psalms' excerpts I'm comforted that the editors have done their best not only to present the historical backrgounds to scripture faithfully, but also help us draw the lines between the Old Testament and the New Testament confidently.

This is study bible worth getting excited over! My name will be on the list of those now eagerly awaiting this excellent addition to the great bible translations of all-time.

Will you join me on the waiting list?

P.S - if you can't wait, the ESV Reformation Study Bible is currently out. This is also an excellent Study Bible (though aimed at Pastors/Teachers) with an excellent list of contributers and endorsements.

Channel 7 News apology

2008-08-11T22:58:00.002+10:00

As I was driving home this evening I was listening to the live 7 news coverage on the radio. One of the commentators made a brief apology regarding a story they aired the night earlier - accusing Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of taking up seats during the opening ceremony belonging to someone else. In actual fact the Australian Olympic Committee had given him two tickets.

I wonder how 7 News got this report wrong in the first place? Chinese whispers perhaps? :P

NFL Hall of Fame and the Doulos

2008-08-07T11:14:00.002+10:00

Q: What do the NFL Hall of Fame and the Doulos' arrival in Brisbane have to do with each other?

A: News coverage.

The Doulos has arrived in Brisbane and will be docking over the next few weeks before heading to Sydney. Recently Art Monk was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. The Doulos is a ship which sails around the world providing social services as well as a wide variety of Christian books. Art Monk is both a humble and (seemingly) mature Christian.

But if you watched or read the news regarding these two events you'd might miss the Christian connection.

On Ten news earlier this week was a little spot on the Doulos. There was no mention about the Christian nature of it's mission or its services, but a focus on the fact that it's currently the worlds oldest ocean liner. Coverage of Art Monk's induction into the NFL Hall of Fame seems to very selectively quote his fantastic speech.

Now, good has come from the news spots (for instance there is greater public awareness and interest in the Doulos and more visitors because of that) but I can't help noticing the continued double standards of the media in portraying Christianity. News wise there are really only three 'Christian' type of stories - the story of the old (but outdated Church) trying something new (like the Priest marrying a couple whilst standing on top of flying planes), the outspoken (and outdated) Church representative up in arms over some piece of legislation the wider community seems to support, or the Church sex-scandal (showing it's not just outdated, but also evil).

To put it in a nutshell, the media tends to portray Christians negatively. Positive acts go frequently unreported and if they are reported tend to be missing anything Christian about them.

Am I being too cynical? Perhaps. Am I wrong? Let's keep watching/reading the news to find out...

A response to an interesting question

2008-07-18T11:51:00.005+10:00

At the personal risk of being branded ‘homophobic’ or ‘fascist’ I am responding to a question posed to be on my facebook recently. I say this at risk simply because any discussion on the moral implications of homosexuality is usually branded homophobic. There is no room for sensitive debate. These are serious questions and I intend to answer them as humbly and seriously as I can.

I’m also writing this response from a Christian perspective on the issue. A Christian brother has raised these thoughts and I intend to respond as a Christian would. I, therefore, will primarily be engaging with the arguments he has proposed and leave behind the many side issues relating to homosexuality (eg. the nature vs nurture debate). What follows is my attempt to thoroughly and biblically respond to the questions posed. I will also be assuming that since Christians mostly read this blog that I won’t need to outline in detail the bible’s reasoning against homosexual relationships.

alright, homosexuality is a sin. and in God's eyes it is just as much as sin as lying/stealing/adultery/coveting/idolatry. when we stand against homosexuals marrying, aren't we singling out a particular group of sinners and standing against their rights to marriage? would we be so ready to say "NO" to liars marrying or adulterers marrying?

The logic in this train of thought breaks down as you consider the argument further. We don’t stop liars or adulterers from marrying – we stop them legally from committing the particular sin they are prone to commit. So we stop liars by making contracts binding and by severely punishing perjury. We have anti-theft and stealing laws to prevent/punish stealing.

When we stand against same-sex marriage we are not standing primarily against the homosexuals themselves – we are standing for the sanctity of marriage itself. Not against homosexuals, but for marriage.

Here’s the problem with the legalisation of same-sex marriage: the arguments for same-sex marriage can be logically used to continue breaking down the definition of marriage. If marriage is defined as a voluntary union between a man and a women for life, then in order to legalise same-sex the requirement that the union be between a man and a woman needs to be redefined.

However why stop at breaking the definition of marriage between a man and a woman? Why not breakdown the need to have only one man/woman and legalise polygamy? As more Muslim immigrants come to Australia we are hearing requests to make polygamy legal. The arguments we are hearing are quite logical – for some Muslims it is culturally acceptable to marry multiple partners. They would also argue that if you allow 4 divorces, why can’t you allow 4 wives?

How about the requirement that marriage be for life? Why not create short-term marriages of 5, 10, or 20 years? What humanist argument is there to prevent this sort of thing from happening?

Even from a humanist perspective, the arguments for same-sex marriage lead inevitably to an uncontrollable slippery slide – where the end point is hardly recognisable as ‘marriage’.

The argument that ‘same-sex marriage’ doesn’t hurt anybody is utterly flawed. By redefining marriage we inevitably lose any sense of heterosexual marriage as normative. The consequence of such an individualistic reshaping of marriage means that the marginalised in our society (the poor, homeless, widows and orphans) end up worse off. Research has shown time and again that stable societies are built upon stable family units. Redefine that family unit until it is unrecognisable and the lowly in society will pay dearly.

my belief is that we as conservative asian christians have overportrayed homosexuality as something unforgivable by God. i very much doubt that we would be as quick to support legislation which deprives the rights of other more common sinners, like liars, idolators (in a hypothetical situation). so just because anti-gay marriage legislation doesn't affect us non-gays, its ok to say "No, these homosexual sinners should have less rights than the rest of us who have not chosen homosexuality."

hence why i stand for equal rights for all sinners, gay or not.

Yes, there have been and are groups of Christians who have overportrayed homosexuality as an unforgiveable sin (not just conservative Asian Christians). We are, however, not debating the merits of their arguments or portrayals. In this particular debate we want to be clear on what is biblical and what is not.

The bible does not say that homosexuality is unforgiveable. The unforgiveable sin is to reject Jesus as Lord and Saviour (cf Matt 12:31). Paul says in 1 Cor 6:

Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

We need to be clear that when Paul refers to ‘homosexuality’ the Greek word is referring to the practice of homosexuality, not the feelings or emotions. A person can have homosexual tendencies but that does not exclude them from the kingdom – unrepentant homosexual practice and activity will exclude someone from the kingdom of God.

In arguing that we would not be as quick to support legislation which deprives the rights of other more common sinners (like liars) is to miss the point that we already deprive them of their ‘rights’. We deprive liars of their ‘right to lie’ by making contracts binding, we deprive the ‘rights’ of thieves by making theft illegal, we deprive the rights of drunkards by refusing to sell alcohol to those already intoxicated.

What we need to see here is that when homosexuals argue for the ‘right to marriage’ they are not simply requesting that their unions be legalised. They are requesting a redefinition of marriage which inevitably leads to the total dissolution of marriage generally.

But then, what are ‘rights’? If ‘rights’ are another expression of our basic needs and desires, then we are all equal since everyone exercises their ‘right’ to rebel against the creator God. And we are all equal in our deserved punishment for this rebellion. God’s word makes clear, however, that this punishment we deserved has been ‘propitiated’ – the just wrath and anger against our sin has been turned away and focused upon Jesus.

We often say that God loves us no matter who we are or what we have done. And biblically this is a true statement, but it’s only half the truth. We need a greater awareness of the fact that God can only love us so much because he hates His Son. On the cross Jesus ‘became sin for us’ (cf 2 Cor 5:21) and in doing so his Father’s wrath, anger and hatred against all of humanity’s sin was poured out upon him. This is the message we proclaim when we tell people the gospel – God loves you because He hated His Son.

So when we consider the arguments for same-sex marriage we need to consider the basic message we are saying to same-sex couples who wish to be married. “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, God loves you anyway.” We may think that to give them this message is a loving thing to do. But to do so, to not warn them that scripture clearly states that the practice of homosexuality is a sin needing repentance, to leave them in error is a wholly unloving thing to do.

In order to proclaim the gospel in full we need to not only point people to the love of God, but also to the anger and hatred of sin poured out against Jesus Christ. To say to people, “Even though you are homosexual, you have the right to be married” might sound loving to us, but it is completely unloving because it leaves them in error and under the just judgment of God.

also, from a humanist perspective, i believe that one person who loves another, regardless of gender should be allowed to marry. i believe that a man who loves another man has much more right to marry than a man and a woman who do not love each other.

i do understand the "homosexuality is a sin" stance from many Christians but my doubts are that by trying to be biblical in standing against gay marriage in this way, aren't we being a little unbiblical in judging a particular group of sinners unworthy of a basic human right?

The question here is really, “Is marriage a basic human right?”

To answer in the affirmative is to miss the point of what marriage represents. Ephesians 5 speaks clearly on the roles of husbands and wives in the marital relationship. The roles are important because they metaphorically represent the relationship between Christ and the Church. So just as Christ is the head of the Church and the Church submits to Christ, so the husband is the head of the wife and the wife submits lovingly to her husband (as to Christ). The husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the Church – to the extent of laying down his life. In view of the teaching that marriage is a reflection on God’s relationship with his people, we should see that marriage is a ‘gift’ – not a right.

Just as singleness is also a ‘gift’ (1 Cor 7), marriage is a ‘gift’. It cannot be claimed as a right because the Christian view of marriage is dependent on our understanding of Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection – which is also a ‘gift’ given to us and not something we can claim as a ‘right’.

All this leads to another point. Christians cannot support the legalisation of homosexual marriage not only because it will inevitably destroy the definition of marriage, but also because homosexual marriages cannot work biblically. If the wife is submissive to her husband, then how can that work if both partners are either ‘wives’ or ‘husbands’? That form of marriage cannot reflect the relationship between Christ and the Church.

The question is also raised as to whether or not we are being ‘unbiblical in judging a particular group of sinners’. In order to be unbiblical we need to know what the bible says in the first instance. It seems to me that a large number of Christians are adopting the phrase, ‘Do not judge’ as their life motto. So we see someone at church wearing slightly inappropriate clothing – ‘who are we to judge?’ We see someone making fairly unwise/worldly choices in life and we hear, ‘you shouldn’t judge them’. All of this thinking fits rather neatly into the post-modern individualist era that we live in – I do what I do and if you’re Christian you shouldn’t judge my actions (unless they are *really* sinful).

But instead, what does Jesus have to say in regards to ‘judging’? In the gospel of Matthew Jesus says quite clearly, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matt 7:1). We can understand that to mean that we can live our lives whichever way we want, so long as we don’t hurt anybody, and nobody is allowed to judge us for that. But then Jesus goes on and 14 verses later has this to say, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matt 7:15). How are we to be aware of who is a false prophet? Doesn’t it require a great deal of discernment – of judgment – in order to make this pronouncement?

So what did Jesus mean in 7:1 when he talks of not judging others? He is speaking of having a judgemental attitude – one which fails to see the log in our own eyes (Matt 7:3-5) and hypocritically judges the actions of others.

Are we then being unbiblical in ‘judging’ homosexuals because we deny them the legal right to marriage? I think the biblical response is we are not ‘judging’ per se (for could we not be guilty of judging polygamists because we deny them the legal right to marriage, or judging the liar because we punish perjury?). We are saying ‘No’ to that which is morally wrong – just as we say ‘No’ to liars, stealers and adulterers. There is no hypocritical judging taking place, but proper biblical discernment.

Same-sex marriage is clearly unbiblical for the reasons I have set out. But leaving aside arguments from the Bible, even from a more humanist perspective we should logically see that arguments for same-sex marriages are flawed and will inevitably lead to greater evils.

Responses?

- - - - -

Postscript:
Mark Driscoll has interviewed J.I. Packer on this issue. You can read Mark's blog thoughts here.

There will be dancing...

2008-07-05T23:06:00.002+10:00

I've seen this floating around now for a little bit. It never fails to bring a smile to my face each time I see it. This clip reminds me of Revelations 7:9

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

There will be dancing in heaven - Psalm 150 approves of it ;)

Church Sign Boards

2008-06-30T22:29:00.003+10:00

A local church in my area erected a sign board earlier this year. It's a massive sign board with plenty of room for very-large print messages to reach a very large population (the church is located on a very busy intersection).

The message on the board is changed once a week, and since I usually venture past this intersection once a week I get to read their little messages. However, and with much love and respect, and I can't help but feel a little critical of some of the messages which have been put up. Some weeks they have been excellent. Attention grabbing, to the point and thoughtful. Other weeks and it feels as though the message is so general as to lose its Christian integrity (by which I mean that the message loses any Christian distinctiveness).

Now, I have been verbally thinking through this issue and Shte1 gave me a challenge - it's difficult to come up with an interesting message which grabs your attention and is gospel centred, so I should try coming up with one per week for a year and see how I go.

Ok.

Here, I hope, is the criteria by which I hope any message should be judged upon:

The message should be short - a sentence of approximately 10 words
The message should be punchy and attention grabbing
The message should be thoughtful and distinctively Christian

Of course the primary motivation of any message board is to attract people into your church building, so hopefully the messages should do that also.

Now, given that criteria, I'd like to suggest my first post - a spin on the one I saw up a few weeks ago, "At the heart of all conflict is a selfish heart."

Now, this isn't too bad. However I didn't believe it to be true - particularly when you consider some of the big divisions which are happening in churches across the world (ie in the Anglican and Presbyterian churches across the globe regarding liberalism and the acceptance of homosexuality). There is certainly conflict in these disputes - but are these conflicts rooted in selfish hearts? Rather the issues were are being disputed are matters of biblical doctrine, and when it comes to matters of biblical doctrine there are lots of gray areas, but there is also black and white. I believe that the conflict in the global Anglican communion is not rooted in selfish hearts, but in sinful ones.

So I'd twist the previous message shown to this one, "At the heart of all conflict is a sinful heart."

That's church sign board message #1 down. 51 to go!

You have a blog?!

2008-06-12T23:22:00.007+10:00

It seems everyone is in the business of posting their thoughts online. This is happening at such a rate that Time Magazine, in 2006, named 'bloggers' one of their 'Persons of the Year'.

And with people starting blogs recently (who I never would have thought had desire to write) it's probably time to re-link to another blog I recently stumbled upon. The link is to 'The Blazing Centre', a blog from the Altrogge family (Mark, Senior Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Indiana and Stephen, his son, singer-songwriter and pastoral intern). They have posted up some helpful thoughts for Christians to consider as they blog.

Tony Payne, from Matthias Media, has written a short article to introduce the (relatively) new 'Sola Panel Blog' (which I found helpful for my own personal blogging) in which he states that one of the purposes of the blog is to be:

thoughtful (offering a considered, crafted piece of writing rather than a dashed-off and/or rabid paragraph in reaction to the latest thing)

As I reflect on that I have to confess that at times my own blogs (and some comments I have left for others) have been less than thoughtful and considered. But I also praise God for the many friends and family who continue to offer helpful thoughts/feedback/comments on posts which were not as well thought out. Please keep me accountable by doing so and I will endeavour to improve the thoughtfulness of my posts as I grow in my own personal godliness and theology.

Seperated at Birth?

2008-06-11T12:10:00.004+10:00

Time for some slightly irreverent laughs...

The first picture is this: three men who were separated at birth...

Speaking of which, YF Camp is coming up soon - have you registered?

And secondly - this might be old news re Nick Darcy (the Australian swimmer who was kicked off the national squad after allegedly king hitting another swimmer), but I found this great photo comparison from another blog:

Notice the similarities between 'The Karate Kid' bully and Nick Darcy? Yeah... he probably won't stand much of a chance in court with that look-a-like-appearance... everyone hated that 'Karate Kid' bully...

Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV)

2008-05-02T10:40:00.005+10:00

I couldn't let this one pass by without blogging some thoughts.

Grand Theft Auto IV is, as the name suggests, the latest in a popular line of video games. This particular game has garnered so much acclaim and media hype that predictions of it's opening sales would be huge (somewhere in the $400 million range)*. It may surprise some to know that whilst DVD and CD sales have been down in the past few years, Video Games have increased (partly, I think, due to a greater difficulty in software piracy).

A few years ago my brother had a copy of Grand Theft Auto (although I'm not sure precisely which one, it was definitely one of the earlier games). Being a bit of a computer game player myself, I found the game entertaining and slightly comical. I was a non-Christian at that point, but the game play (which was viewed mostly from an eye-in-the-sky-looking-down perspective) was pretty straight forward. You're a criminal on the run and you earn money and points by doing various jobs and what not. Part of the gameplay, even at this stage, involved shooting and running down people in vehicles.

However the latest renditions of this game have grown in their sophistication - and I'm not referring to etiquette. The graphics are much better, the perspective has moved down to a traditional one-player role-player-game style (where the camera follows closely behind the main character to give you the effect that you're controlling them through the world) and the storylines more involved and intricate. One of the problems with this is that while the level of sophistication grew the moral gameplay descended. For instance, GTA San Andreas was pulled temporarily from Australian shores because it discovered that a patch on the PC version allowed a mini-game known as 'hot coffee'. This mini-game incorporated an overt sex-simulation between the main character and his girlfriends.

GTA IV picks up where San Andreas kind of left off. There's new characters, new gameplay and new stories, but like San Andreas you can also pick up a prostitute, make your car rock more than suggestively and then when you're done take that car and run her over.

Are we to call that entertainment?

Whilst I don't want to get into a debate on whether or not video games (and other forms of 'entertainment') can be linked with violence later on in life there are a few things worth reflecting on.

Firstly, whilst the game has an MA15+ (or R18+?) rating, this game remains the most popular game for 12-14 year olds to play. If that is the case, I'd be very concerned. Particularly if I'm a youth group leader - if I'm uncomfortable with my teens playing this game, would I want them to see me playing it?

Secondly if I am playing this game, what kind of messages am I telling myself (and others?) about what to spend your money on, and what to fill your mind with?

Other thoughts?

* The game was recently given a 10/10 review and 'Editor's Choice' from Gamespot.com

Thoughts from others

2008-04-16T23:56:00.004+10:00

It's been nearly a month since I last posted anything. It has been a busy period and many things have kept me away from my beloved blogs. These last few weeks, in particular, have kept me busy since I'm preaching through the book of Ruth and have had a highly edifying time looking through the book and writing sermons.

In between all that I've been reading the blogs of many other people I greatly respect. Here are a couple of note:

Albert Mohler - President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has written some thoughts on the Pope's visit to America. He writes of the Pope:

If [the Pope] is right [in regards to the Roman Catholic Church being the only true church in which the grace of God works through], we are endangering our souls and the souls of our church members. Yet, I am convinced that he is not right -- not right on the papacy, not right on the sacraments, not right on the priesthood, not right on the Gospel, not right in understanding the church.

Joshua Harris - not only author of the many 'BGR' (boy/girl relationship) books I taut from time to time, but also Senior Pastor at Covenant Life Church. Writing here and here on the issue of American Idol contestants singing 'Shout To The Lord' on their show, twice! Then following it up with these concluding remarks.

Bob Kauflin - Worship Pastor at Covenant Life and Sovereign Grace Ministries. Also writes some well balanced thoughts on the 'American Idol/Hillsongs' event.

Will post up some more thoughts soon! I hope!

Sapporo short-term mission blog up and running :)

2008-03-19T15:18:00.002+10:00

If you didn't know already, Shte1 and I went on a short-term mission in December of last year to Sapporo, Japan. We spent just under three weeks in Sapporo, Hokkaido working with OMF and their team 'fmZero' (OMF spelt backwards). There was much to learn, much to see and much to give praise to God about during our trip.

I've put up a modified journal of our time in Japan. Written from my perspective and containing photos which you may (or may not) have seen as yet. You can check it out here.

J.I. Packer on the Anglican split

2008-03-14T16:45:00.001+10:00

We're back from holidays feeling relativley refreshed despite the record heat wave Adelaide suffered through.

It seems much has happened in our time away - news has filtered into my inbox that J.I Packer is being threatned with sanctions and is being suspended from any ministry in Canadian Anglican Churches. Why?

If you haven't been paying attention to some of the current woes of the Anglican Church worldwide here's a (very) brief summary.

The Anglican world-wide body met together in 1998 at the Lambeth Conference to discusss many issues - probably the most primary one was the growing concern of the move of the church towards liberalism and acceptance of homosexual behaviour as a valid lifestyle choice. A large document of the minutes was produced which essentially upheld the current biblical position and put a moratorium on any ordination of candidates who were practicising homosexuals.
In 2003 the Episcopal Church of America went against the Lambeth recommendation and ordained a practicising homosexual - Gene Robinson - as Bishop of New Hampshire.
Since that time there have been simmering tensions between the Episcopal Church and some of it's Evangelical congregations.
In 2006 the Episcopal Church appointed Katharine Jefferts Schori as presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Her appointment was seen as highly controversial.
Late 2007 a number of evangelical churches in the Episcopal denomination voted to break from Episcopal oversight and sought the oversight of evangelical Bishops from Africa.
Early 2008 St. John's Shaughnessy Anglican church in Vancouver (where JI Packer attends) voted overwhelmingly to break from the Anglican Church of Canada for similar reasons - and sought oversight from Bishops in South America.

If you didn't know - J.I. Packer has been an influential evangelical theologian for many decades.

Here are some of Packer's thoughts on the issue. I especially liked these two thoughts:

In response to the question, "Why can't we agree to disagree?"

Because what we’re contending for is the gospel – and the alternative, what we’re being asked to sanction even if we don’t’ personally agree with it, is not the gospel – It is in fact a denial of the gospel and a key point. And it would be extremely unloving and irreverent to the God who has spoken and told us what the truth is if we simply said, ‘Oh let’s not bother.’
There are secondary matters which we can say, ‘Oh let’s not bother’ - say for infant baptism vs believer baptism – but this is a primary matter. This is what it means to get right with God. And none of the specifics of the gospel are negotiable.

In response to the follow-up question, "What do you mean by unloving?"

To leave people in error which may ruin them eternally is, in my judgement, extremely unloving.

It's worth a look.

How language changes

2008-03-03T11:39:00.002+10:00

Shte1 had a snigger at this verse this morning during her quiet time, when I re-read it I couldn't help sniggering as well...

2 Chronicles 14:14 (NIV)

They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the LORD had fallen upon them. They plundered all these villages, since there was much booty there.

A Christmas carol for all!

2008-02-19T13:40:00.004+10:00

A few months ago I posted some thoughts on the Christmas Carol, 'Away In A Manger'.

Yesterday I received the Sovereign Grace album 'Savior' (with all-American spelling), and noticed the lyrics to the final song, 'Sleep, Jesus, Sleep'. I thought it a highly appropriate alternative carol to the subtle-heresy-laced 'Away In A Manger'.

Sleep, Jesus, Sleep
Rich Dalmas (C) 2006
Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

Sleep, Jesus, sleep
We've come to see
You who never closed Your eyes
Watching over earth and skies
Now in frail humanity
Must sleep

Sleep, newborn King
We'll gently sing
You who reigns forevermore
Ruling as the Lord of lords
You who never had a need
Must sleep

Sovereign One
Born as Mary's son
Prince of Peace
One day You'll deliver me
Deliver me

But now sleep, Son of God
We'll watch in awe
You'll fulfill that Father's plan
Reconcilling God and man
Now Your promises to keep
Must sleep

You can hear a sample of this song here.

I also received a copy of 'Valley of Vision' and will post my reviews on both CD's soon.

Psalm 150 – Let Us Lift Up Endless Praises!

2008-02-15T23:19:00.002+10:00

**** These are the condensed notes from my sermon on Sunday. *****

Hills and valleys, highs and lows. Life is full of hills and valleys, highs and lows. So when we come to Psalm 150 and its relatively buoyant nature, what are we to make of it?

Firstly we can not divorce Ps 150 from its original context – the 149 Psalms which precede Ps 150 contain moments of overflowing joy and moments of excruciating despair. Hills and valleys, highs and lows. Psalm 100 shouts for joy in proclaiming:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

But then, just as easily, the Psalmist cries out:

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (Ps 13:1)

This is but a minute taste of the emotions which are felt and expressed throughout the Psalms. So when we arrive at the end, what are we to make of the journey through the Psalms?

I’d like to suggest that Ps 150 holds some great truths we must never let go of.

Firstly – Ps 150 is a conclusion. It’s the summarising point, the end note, of the Psalms. It’s the place we should finish as we reflect on life, and our relationship with God, through the Psalms. You could say that the main idea of this particular Psalm is that as we reflect upon God, His character and His works, we must eventually be led to exuberant and passionate praise of Him.

And within that sentence there are a few key words that we must draw attention to – must, eventually, exuberant and passionately. The Psalm raises two main questions for us – Why is God to be praised and How is God to be praised.

Why?
Verse 1 sets the tone for our answer:

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

The first reason we praise God is for His place in the cosmos. The word ‘sanctuary’ refers to God’s Old Testament temple: the place where God’s spirit dwelt amongst his people, the place where Israel would offer up their worship (and probably sing this Psalm!). We praise God because he came down from ‘his mighty heavens’ to be with his people in his ‘sanctuary’. Today Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:19…

Do you not know that your body s a temple of the Holy Spirit within you…?

Why do we praise God? Because He is in His holy temple – our bodies. Why praise God? Because His Spirit is within us! Praise the Lord!

The second reason we praise God is because is in verse 2:

Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!

What mighty deeds has he done? We know that in the Psalms there are great odes to God’s creation. For instance the psalmist cries out, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, the sky above proclaims his handiwork’ (Ps 19:1). Elsewhere we see the Psalmist shout for joy at the saving work of the Lord – Psalm 66 rejoices in the ‘awesome deeds’ of God who turned the sea into dry landing order to save Israel.

Paul must have had this verse and Israel’s salvation history in mind when he penned the opening lines to his letter to the Ephesians where we read:

1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will 6 to the praise of his glorious grace

The mightiest deed of our Father in Heaven is the very act of sending His Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sins and thereby bless us in Christ with every spiritual blessing. And that he did all this before the foundations of the world – that we were predestined to receive adoption as sons out of love. And all of this working to the praise of God’s glorious grace. Praise Him for his mighty deeds, praise the Lord!

These are the two opening reasons why we should be praising God. That as we reflect upon our lives and upon God and His character we must eventually be led to praising Him.

The next question is how are we to praise God? Verse 3-5 set out the manner in which this is to be done.

Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Exuberantly and passionately! It is obvious that God deserves nothing less than passionate and enthusiastic praise. Now, this doesn’t mean that we should be joyous and happy all the time. It doesn’t mean that there will not be sombre moments or that the songs we sing in church should only be upbeat ones.

What it does mean is that that anything half-hearted will fail to please Him and fail to glorify Him. The Psalmist wants our enthusiastic praise to overflow from our deep satisfaction in God. And he wants us to do this at the conclusion of our thoughts and reflections upon Him.

Which leads us to our final exhortation in verse 6 of the Psalm:

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, praise the Lord!

That word ‘breath’, as I mentioned in an earlier post, refers to the same ‘breath of life’ which God breathed into Adam. God wants all people to praise Him. People who will experience joy and pain, pleasure and sorrow. People who will go through the highs and the lows, the hills and the valleys of life. People who will read through the Psalms and have experienced (maybe not all) the emotions written down. People who will, as the Psalmist does here, bring their concluding thoughts on God and life to praising Him.

So, since Ps 150 can not be divorced from the 149 Psalms preceding it we’ve seen that Ps 150 is a conclusion. It is the end point of our reflections upon God and His character. Which means the obvious thing we can not do when we take time to ponder God is to walk away not praising Him. We can not continue to believe the lie and exchange the creator for the creation. We can not praise or worship everything else but God.

What it may mean for some of us is that we need to be shaken out of our complacent faith. A faith which is devoid of passion and exuberance. Faiths which are lukewarm in practice and in theology. For this is no simple Psalm – the praise is a result of a deeply rooted in theology.

But what it certainly means is this - that no matter what hills and valleys we may go through, our reflections upon life and upon God must eventually lead us to praising Him.

Last year at the Men’s Training Event a man shared his testimony. He had two sons, both of whom were mentally disabled. He shared memories of having to clean the sheets of a 25 year old man who still wet his bed. He shared his struggles raising his children. And he shared of how he and his wife had buried both of them. Their disabilities cut short their life-span, and what no parent would ever want they endured. That they should outlive their children. Now, by all accounts this was a man who had every right to be bitter at God. But he went on to say that he felt blessed to have two disabled sons. What parent could say that they never had to worry where their boys where at night? What parent could say that they were completely at peace knowing their two boys were now free from their disabilities and with Jesus? Here was a man who had gone through his fair share of hills and valleys, yet was coming away praising God.

When he finished giving his testimony there was a deathly silence. We rose and sang a song in response. A song which is sung every year, a song which never fails to rumble the foundations of the tin shed at Mt Tambourine. Hundreds of men gathered together singing at the top of their lungs in response to life’s hills and valleys:

No condemnation now I dread: Jesus and all in him is mine; alive in him my living head and clothed with righteousness divine. Bold I approach the eternal throne and claim the crown through Christ, my own.

Our reflections upon Jesus and his character must eventually lead us to exuberant and passionate praise of Him.

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!

CBA - Determined to be different!

2008-02-07T14:28:00.001+10:00

Has anybody else noticed the great irony in the current Commonwealth Bank of Australia television advertising (the over-the-top 'Determined To Be Different' Mad-Max styled ad with raging Koalas) and what the CBA recently did with increasing their interest rates above the Reserve Banks set recommendation?

The 'breath' in Psalm 150

2008-02-07T00:44:00.000+10:00

I had always wondered what the final verse in Psalm 150 always meant when it asked:

150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

Is the command a general command for the whole of creation? Or is a bit more limited than that?

After cross checking the Hebrew word for 'breath' (now that I'm getting used to using e-sword) I've come to the conclusion that it's limited. The word 'breath' (נשׁמה) used in Psalm 150:6 is the same word used to describe the 'breath of life' that God breathed into Adam.

When you look at the creation story Adam is unique in a few ways:

He alone, compared with the rest of creation, is made in the 'image of God'
The act of God 'breathing' into the nostrils to give life is only described in the process of making man

So there you go :) Agree/Disagree?

New Year, new template

2008-02-05T17:40:00.000+10:00

Well, with the new year well underway I thought it was time to give this blog a new template/look. I fiddled around with another template design (which you may have seen) but didn't really like it all that much.

So here's the new one, hope you like!

Is God selfish in desiring worship?

2007-11-26T12:05:00.000+10:00

In May of this year YF held an evangelistic event with a guest speaker. The talk went well and the question and answer time was also going relatively smoothly. Until one person asked this question, "Is God selfish in desiring worship?"

The speaker was stumped and as I was thinking through my own answer I found myself fumbling also. My hat off to the speaker who didn't attempt a corny or round-about answer, but was willing to admit that he wasn't sure. He offered to come back to her at a later time with a thought through answer.

In the meantime I mulled that question personally. I remember reading something about it in 'Desiring God' by John Piper and have found this article also helpful.

Essentiallly the answer is, 'No.' Because of who God is. I'll leave you to read the article for yourself :)

Brisbane Leadership Training 2008

2007-11-23T23:00:00.000+10:00

Come and update yourself :)

Or learn how to write nourishing bible studies

I'm telling ya...there's more to BLT than you might think...

Seriously...it's great!