Biblical Iliteracy

We don't need more "how to books" dealing with anxiety or troubled marriages. We need a revival in the Reformed Evangelical Church.  A revival which places the Bible at the center of our thinking. A revival of content which transforms the heart of believers. It's not a enough to learn how to quote verses or tell others about about the emotional connection we have with Jesus Christ. We need to be able to explain our faith, and to give sound reasons as to why we believe the Bible is true.

Maybe Biblical illiteracy is expected in secular society today, but with the abundant resources we have available, quite literally at our finger tips, it should not be expected in the church.  David R. Nienhuis, explains in his essay, "The Problem of Evangelical Biblical Illiteracy -- A View from the Classroom" the issues involved and possible solutions. You can read the essay here: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy

A Book Review by Pastor K.G of David P. Murray --Christians Get Depressed Too

Pastor K.G wrote a positive review of Murray's book. For those of you who suffer from depression it might be worth checking out. You can read his review here: Book Review: David P. Murray- Christians Get Depressed Too

Francis Schaeffer and The Line of Despair

Writer's Note:  All I know about Francis Schaeffer is what I remember from, “The God Who Is There”, and a comment from a friend who gave me the book for a Christmas gift. Other than that, his overall doctrinal views and the denomination he belonged to is something I never bothered to find out. When I opened the book for the first time I found this inscription below Schaeffer’s dedicatory to his wife:

" Brother, As you continue your exploration of Christian thought & philosophy you will eventually want to do business with Francis Schaeffer.  Dr. Schaeffer was one of the most important Christian thinkers of the 20^th Century. This book is a pretty good introduction to his thought…”

In any case, whatever denomination or religious camp you might place him, he did not disparage the importance of correct doctrine or ascribe to a faith void of Biblical content:

“…people in our culture in general are already in process of being accustomed to accept nondefined, countentless religious words and symbols, without any rational or historical control. Such words and symbols can be filled with the content of the moment. The words, Jesus and Christ are the most ready for the manipulator. The phrase Jesus Christ has become a contentless banner which can be carried in any direction for sociological purposes. In other words, because the phrase Jesus Christ has been separated from true history and the content of Scripture, it can be used to trigger religiously motivated sociological actions directly contrary to the teaching of Christ.” [ Francis Schaeffer: The God Who is There, pg. 110.]

Below is a brief essay I wrote in 2012 inspired by his work. Originally I had planned to write a critical analysis but at the time I did not think I was up to it. I still don’t. However, Schaeffer wrote a few things which pricked my heart. One of which was the idea of communicating the gospel in a way that relates to people in our time and culture, a skill which I had never really developed.

   

 December 7, 2012

Skepticism may have been dealt with in the 17^th century in answering at least one fundamental truth — no rational person can deny his own existence. However, it is unlikely self-awareness will satisfy the modern day skeptic. When pressed on the concept of certitude you might get him to confess he is a rational thinking being and must necessarily exist, however, it will not be enough to convince him that truth can be known with reasonable certitude. When he says there is no truth what he’s really means is, he does not believe in a unified, coherent system of truth.

In the first chapter of Francis A. Schaeffer’s book The God Who Is There, he gives a brief summary of major thinkers in philosophy, art, music, and theology; and then places them under what he calls – the line of despair. He does not mean these men were sulking about or living their lives in utter dejection:

“…let us note that when we speak of being under the line of despair, we do not mean that these people necessarily sit and weep, but that have given up all hope of achieving a rational, unified answer to knowledge and life.” (p. 43)

They had failed in their attempt to find a system of knowledge or universals which would ultimately satisfy the big questions in life. He points out if you seek to find meaning in some grand, mystical experience with no content, or depend on man to figure out life’s problems you’re doomed, you are as Schaeffer says, the destroyed ones.

What I like about Mr. Schaeffer is he took the implications of these thinkers seriously and those who had unwittingly bought into their ideas. He didn’t fluff them off as false then bash them over the head with a figurative baseball bat. He had compassion. He sought to communicate the life giving message of the Gospel on terms they could relate to, but never compromised on the truth of the Biblical Jesus and His work on the cross. If Christians are to speak about The God Who is There, according to Schaeffer, they must know something of their own culture. You have to meet people where they are in life.

This is in part the message I read from the first chapter. Is it really any different from what the apostle Paul said – I have become all things to all men that I might save some? 1 Cor. 9:22.

On a personal note: I beat my own self over the head. I have failed –sometimes miserably– in the area of communication. It is ironic because I have been trained over the years to read and study using those same rules of communication, but somehow have managed not to say anything at all. Maybe I don’t have the gift of witnessing.

Communicating the right path to people shouldn’t be difficult because most of the work is done. Man knows intuitively he has fallen short of perfection. It is up to those who are gifted to convince the skeptic from where they have fallen and how far. Only then will it be possible for them to rise above the line of despair and know The

Truth.

A Sermon by: John Calvin

 Armed for the Fight Against Grave and Serious Error

We have been warned that if God’s truth is being undermined, or if any are turning from the simplicity of the Gospel, we are to spare nothing and no one. Even if the whole world were to crumble as a result, we must maintain God’s cause with unshakeable constancy, without bending for anyone in any way. – from the sermon.

The editor’s note begins, “Note how apropos this sermon is for today.” Click on the title above to read the sermon.

John Calvin’s sermon is not only relevant, it speaks precisely to many of the problems we face in our time. Compromising the truth for fear of what others might think of us is just one example. Tolerating the errors of some for the sake of “peace” or a false sense of Christian unity is another. 

It is not just the Biblical exposition which is apropos, it is the attitude Mr. Calvin reveals in his sermon that is exactly the kind of boldness pastors and church leaders need. It has been a long time since I have heard a sermon with this kind force and seriousness. 

A Joy Unexpected

 June 28, 2013

I came out of the trail onto the main path. As I headed around the last stretch, Mozart’s Piano Sonata No.16 began to play on my Ipod. After the intro I lifted my head and saw a brood of kids with their moms blocking the path. When I cleared the other side I noticed a girl, maybe 3 or 4 years old with curly blonde hair, running and skipping along the berm on my right. I thought nothing of it and continue on with Mozart. 
 
Then something unexpected happened.
 
She stepped in front of me and held up a bottle of water. I stooped down and said, “Is this for me?” With sky blue eyes and the cutest face I ever saw she said, “Would you like a bottle of water?” I took it, and with a smile said, “God bless you and keep you!” She giggled and ran back to the group. 
 
I was filled with joy! I praised God and asked Him to bless her one hundredfold in return. Imagine, a small token of kindness having that kind of impact. It was exactly what I needed at the time.
 
A little further along the path I found another surprise. On the pavement written in chalk and in all kinds of colors I read: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” 
 
Each word had its own color: one blue, the other red, and so on. They were stacked and spaced, one after another, spanning almost the entire sidewalk and went on for about 25 feet. I laughed, and with Joy continued praising the Lord until I got back to the car.
 
People do acts of kindness all the time. You see a stalled truck at an intersection and help push. Someone might have a couple items at the checkout so we let them cut in front of us. It’s just the little things people do.
 
But the Bible tells us in so many words that every good thing we receive is of the Lord. In Him we live, move, and have our being. (Acts) He is the cause of all things, and the world is sustained by Christ through the word of his power. Nothing happens by chance. 
 
That child who gave me the bottle of water caused me to praise and give thanks to the Lord, and I know by the word of God it was ultimately a gift from Him. 
 
“For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.” – Mark 9:41

The Evil of Facebook

January 27, 2013

I came across an article on how Facebook causes envy. It was a study conducted by 2 German Universities. One cause of envy was users posting photos of holiday vacations or having a “good time.” Considering my career and the isolation that comes with it, I think they're on to something. 

The researchers found that one in three people felt worse after visiting thie site and more dissatisfied with their lives, while people who browsed without contributing were affected the most. “We were surprised by how many people have a negative experience from Facebook with envy leaving them feeling lonely, frustrated or angry,” researcher Hanna Krasnova from the Institute of Information Systems at Berlin’s Humboldt University told Reuters. –from the article

I confess. I have a negative opinion about social networking so any article that shines a bad light on f/b or MySpace feeds my bias. I know what some of you are thinking — f/b don’t kill people, people kill people, it is not the application itself which produces envy. This would be the logical way of thinking about it. It’s just like arguments against gun restriction. It is not the gun itself -- it’s the deranged people who use guns that cause terror. 

This is true. But I think the evil of fb can be related-- in a sense-- to one of my favorite movies. In the film The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo had left to his nephew Frodo a magic ring as part of his inheritance. When the wizard Gandalf discovered it belonged to the Dark Lord Sauron, he tells Frodo of its power and the eventual destruction of Middle Earth if the ring found its way back to its master. Immediately aware the danger and responsibility Frodo offers it to Gandalf. Frightened by the prospect, Gandalf explains he would desire to use the ring for good but the ring working through him would bring about evil.

Down to earth reasoning tells us it's not f/b which is evil. It only provides a medium that sometimes brings out the worst in some. Though who can say it has not become self-aware, that it’s bent on evil and destruction for those who try to wield its power? There are countless stories of people whose lives were destroyed by f/b: wrecked marriages and friendships; the envy and jealousy; the lonely who feel slighted because they don’t get enough “likes”. Then there’s the gossip, lies, and all manner of wickedness behind the screens. Who knows, maybe f/b is the “One Ring that rules them all”?

If any of the Wise should with this Ring overthrow the Lord of Mordor, using his own arts, he would then set himself on Sauron’s throne, and yet another Dark Lord would appear. And that is another reason why the Ring should be destroyed: as long as it is in the world it will be a danger even to the Wise. For nothing is evil in the beginning. Even Sauron was not so. I fear to take the Ring to hide it.  I will not take the Ring to wield it. — from J.R.R Tokien’s, Lord of the Ring – the fellowship of the ring