My good friend Andre Davis is having a great day for the Houston Texans - as of the beginning of the 4th quarter Dre has 5 catches, 117 yards and a touchdown...represent Dre! Andre was part of our ministry at Va Tech, helped me out here in Nashville with an inner city football camp in Summer 06.  When VT made the national championship game in 1999 Dre was on the cover of Sports Illustrated...with a symbol that marks his life on his glove.  He and his lovely wife Janelle are dear friends expecting a son in January.

There are seasons in life which are just full.  I don't particularly like the word "busy" as it is overused, reflects no sense of value and it seems to communicate very little.  So I choose the word full to describe life in certain seasons like the one which we find ourselves.  We have started a new season with the Inversion Fellowship, a group of men and women who have become so dear to me.  We are working on raising funds for church planting so that we do not have to take a salary from the new church for the first few years, yet be full time in the work.  It is also a season involving some travel and time away from my wife and kids.

Last weekend we had a weekend retreat with Inversion - a passionate look at the Missio Dei, the mission of God in the world.  Currently I write these a few feet from a burrito buffet line at a Campus Crusade Fall Retreat for the students at Western Kentucky University.  I am spending time with the students this weekend teaching about the nature of the gospel and its import for young people launching out into the world.  Our dreams must be in the gospel and this then must define our views of success, relationship and calling.  So far I have preached two times and it has been rich. But I am also aware that my little 6 year old girl is playing soccer with her Mom as the coach...and I am unable to be there.  Not exactly suffering, but a small sacrifice that feels like a loss in the soul.

This afternoon I have some free time - so I am debating whether to redeem the time and work on a paper I am writing on Emerging Churches and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Or I may take a nap.  Neither is the more godly choice and I think it might be possible to do both.  This Thursday we will discuss all things emerging at Inversion - should be interesting. 

On Saturday and Sunday of next week I will preach 4 services at our church out of Philippians 2:12-30 - a rich passage which has shaped my view of life in community, reflecting God's grace as we work out our salvation in fear and trembling.  We work and live out the salvation brought to us in Christ, but it is God who works in and through us to will and act according to his good pleasure.  Or as Calvin put it:

There are, in any action, two principal departments — the inclination, and the power to carry it into effect. Both of these he ascribes wholly to God; what more remains to us as a ground of glorying?

John Calvin, Commentary on Philippians available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom42

Yes, we rejoice in his work in us as he changes us through the gospel so that we shine like lights in a crooked and depraved generation. 

That Sunday afternoon I hope to take a nap, do a midterm for a seminary class I am taking and then we hit the mini-van as a family to travel to our former home of Blacksburg, VA.  Many of you know of the tragic events which happened on the Va Tech campus this past spring - part of what has come from that is an event on Oct 9th and 10th entitled Finding Answers Amidst Life's Greatest Losses - An Open Forum with Ravi Zacharias.  There are close to 30 church and parachurch organizations working together on this event. One of my good friends, Danny White, is working on many of the details.  I trained Danny in campus ministry years ago and I was thankful to be able to make the first connections with RZIM and my friends in Blacksburg just a few days after the shootings.  It will be great to see what God does these two days in October.  During our time in Blacksburg I will also preach at our home church Oct 14, catch up with several old friends and connect with many about partnering with our church plant Jacob's Well. 

Finally, Oct 21 we will present the church plant to the people of Fellowship Bible Church in Tennessee by way of a video my friend Scott Moore it putting together and hold some interest meetings on Sunday nights Oct 21 and 28.  Then I want to crash for a bit...then off to New Jersey for a week (Nov 10-18) meeting with some pastors and speaking on campus at Rutgers.  Then I pray to enjoy some down time with Kasey and hopefully a little vacation...before a writing push in December. 

I sit here around 160 or so students eating lunch and I am overwhelmed with thankfulness to the creator of all things - Jesus Christ.  He saved me in 1992 , put calling on my life, gave me a great best friend and wife in Kasey and some wonderful kids.  I cannot see the future any more than I can see past the stars, but I know who made and holds both...and for this I am grateful.

Some of you may have noticed that I posted a video from Southpark on the founding of the Mormon religion by Joseph Smith.  I wreslted with whether to post it or not.  The reason I posted it in the first place was simple. First, I thought it was funny.  Second, although in caricature, it did follow the story of Joseph Smith pretty well. 

After having the video up for a day or so I decided to take it down.  I received no complaints about it, nor any comments on the post.  Quite frankly, I was convicted by the fact that the video was not exactly charitable.  Though I make no defense of Mormon teaching and I consider Joseph Smith to be a false prophet, the nature of Southpark is to make fun of people, not only ideas, and by posting I was chiming in.  I do not think beliefs should be immune or free from scrutiny or ridicule, but the more I prayed and thought about it, the video went beyond critique of doctrine to mocking a whole group of people.  Perhaps I am being a bit too sensitive and need to lighten up a bit, but the decision was made to take it down.

Thanks...

JP Moreland lists his top five apologetics books over at Christianity Today.  Here is his line up:

• Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics
  William Lane Craig
• New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics
  W. C. Campbell-Jack, Gavin J McGrath, C. Stephen Evans, eds.
• Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth? Why Much of What We Teach About Evolution Is Wrong
  Jonathan Wells
• Philosophical Foundations For A Christian Worldview
  J. P. Moreland, William Lane Craig
• The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
  Lee Strobel

I own all of these books and concur with their selection. 

• Craig's work is thorough and very helpful in the areas of his strength - scholarly and philosophical his segments on the existence of God, knowing vs. showing God's existence are very compelling.  Blomberg's essay on the NT in this book is very good as well. 
  
• The dictionary is a new reference which is a must for anyone who cares about Apologetics. 
  
• Along with Behe, Johnson and Dempski, Jonathan Wells is one of the important authors in the ID/Darwinism discussion.  The DVD with the same title is also well done.
  
• Philosophical Foundations is an excellent Christian philosophy text book and rigorous in each major area of philosophical investigation. The only weakness I found is that Craig/Morelands view of  libertarian/contra causal freedom comes across too strong and compatibilism not treated as fairly.  A great book nonetheless.  This combines the best of Craig and Morelands work over the years
• Case for Christ is a great popular level book which hits many of the best scholars in their fields. 
  

A few other books I recommend for specific purposes. 

• Moreland's Scaling the Secular City is still an excellent general but scholarly Apologetic work. 
  
• For skeptics I recommend the classic Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton as well as the recent book The Question of God by Armand Nicholi. 
  
• For those interested in historical views on Apologetics and Apologetic Systems check out Faith Has its Reason by Boa and Bowman.  The Roman Catholic Avery Dulles' A History of Apologetics is also a good historical tour de force.
• For those studying theology at mainline and liberal divinity schools and seminaries - Dempski and Richards Unapologetic Apologetics is a must read.
  
• John Frame's Apologetics to the Glory of God is a good view of reformed Apologetics offering a unique and valuable methodology.
• James Sire's The Universe Next Door is a great book on basic worldview categories
  

Remember, many books have apologetic value even if not complete in their theological outlook and presentation.  Apologetics is a defense of Christian doctrine, but also has a role in engaging the thought world of every era.  The importance of Apologetics is to make a reasonable case for our faith and to be able to intersect and engage other worldviews.  Not just for intellectual games, but to set forth Christ plainly without barriers to considering him for who he really is.  A great task - a little reading never hurts.

Microsoft has an ultimate steal to offer college and grad students.  For a limited time you can purchase Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate edition (great software IMHO) for just 59.95.  Here are the rules:

You must hold a valid email address at a U.S. educational institution ending in .edu (for example, leina@contoso.university.edu)

AND 

Be actively enrolled with at least 0.5 course load.

To any seminary students reading this blog - that is a 679 dollar value for less than 60 bucks.  So if you use Windows (XP or Vista) this is almost a no brainer.  The new version of Office has a fantastic new user interface and I highly recommend it.

So if you are a student and do not worship all things which begin with the lowercase letter "i" - this is a great day for you. Here is the link - www.theultimatesteal.com and if you are concerned this might be a hoax read here.

Blessings

General News

• A married couple who didn't realise they were chatting each other up on the internet are divorcing. Sad story here of online cheating, with their current spouse.  Link here.
• Interesting little clock widget that watches the world - love to look deeper at the underlying assumptions, but interesting nonetheless.
  

The Church

• A look at Brian McLaren's new gospel
  
• Interesting take on the Lord's Supper by John Calvin - A Short Treatise on the Lord's Supper.
• Divorce - well, you know - no big deal for a preacher who God calls...Paula White on her divorce.

Technology

• Blog wars - Movable Type and WordPress - a nod (or 10 of them) for MT4.
  
• World's Smallest Camcorder - At least thats what they claim.
  

I wanted to publicly thank our Lord and Master Jesus Christ for the work he did in our Inversion community this weekend during our fall retreat.  Thanks to Jonathan and Jennifer, my partners in Inversion crime, who planned a great event.  God knit our community together in the gospel and called all of us to care about the lost and hurting around us.  Tom Pussel, fellowship church planter in Louisville shared with us from the Scriptures during the weekend and his final 15 min with us was walking through a slide show of pictures of his life "as a missionary in his culture in Louisville, KY"

• He showed his lawnmower where he cuts his neighbors grass and talks to her about Jesus
• He showed a pool hall where he was in a pool league with tatted up guys
  
• He showed a brew house where they held Men's fraternity at 6am and a guy who works there as come to Christ
  
• He showed an African American boy who he serves with as a "Big Brother" - he doesn't know his Dad and his mom is a crack addict...but he has been adopted. Adopted by a blind white lady (really, blind as in "can't see") - we looked at the family photo and said "God put that together"
• He showed us pictures of a weight room where guys lift and talk about Jesus.
• About some friends playing in a softball league that was not a church league and befriending (and getting crushed by) the "Tattoos and Piercing Shop" team whose Jerseys read "Damn Right it Hurts" on the back.

I grabbed two of our men and said to them "That is church planting..." Notes have been coming in to me via e-mail and Facebook this morning from our people who just had a great time.  On Saturday night we met with Jesus at his table and I watched my Inversion family participate in Jesus' body and blood and I lost it.  I love these people - and I am leaving them soon.  Jesus is doing a great work in them and in the Inversion community, to send all of us into this world, into culture with the gospel.  Also, I know some guys were at the retreat who are not sure they are in with the Jesus thing...they seemed to be very much "of us" by the end. 

I am so prayerful that Bible belt folks would step out of "I like this band, I like this preaching, this place has great kids ministry, consumerist church shopping nonsense" and beg God that our mission is about him, about the broken, the lost all around us.  Too often in my conversations over the last three years I have met Christian after Christian that simply have no relational contact with non Christians.  This must change - this weekend I saw God's light breaking onto many of us, that we must change...to be with the people whom Jesus spent time with - tax collectors, sinners, prostitutes...or in our day the guy at work, folks at the bar, people at the clubs, the waitress we work with, people downtown in impossible circumstances, the person across the street.   We do not need to go change everyone, get them to buy a certain flavor of upstanding appearances...but we need to be with them and tell them about Jesus, a Jesus who redeems and rebuilds lives, saves souls and brings a Kingdom.   This has been my hope and prayer for us - and for myself and my family. We all fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace...he then calls to us "follow me" and he meant it.  His road was with sinners, his disdain for the self-righteous and religious, his compassion was on sheep without shepherds, his destination a cross of shame, yet to then conquer death and be raised.  This is our message - a crucified and risen God - whose hope dawns every day, his mercies new every morning...Great is his faithfulness.  We are his ambassadors that means we rep his rule and reign in the world among those who remain under the dominion of a wicked ruler whose cruelty is immense and whose time is short.  I am thankful to be called a follower of this Jesus - that he would have anything to do with me, let alone love us as ravenously as he does, and give us a mission in his world. 

I know our ministry has inched forward these three years, but we have been more about reshaping a community, their passions, our hearts than simply filling up rooms.  This was a good weekend in that evolution - which by God's grace will turn into a revolution in all of our lives.

To my Inversion family - go now and follow Jesus...fear not, love deeply and give your life away. 

In case you didn't know - today is talk like a Pirate Day...the following video will be of help to you...

Note - we do not endorse all things said by pirates.

(HT - ATeam Blog)

Randy Alcorn has a great series of blog posts on depression where he quotes extensively the sermons of Charles Haddon Spurgeon.  Very important and helpful insight to remind us of the joy, weight and sorrow involved with our task. Here is the link to his blog...

(HT - Tom Clagget) 

Several weeks ago I read an interesting essay in the Atlantic Monthly entitled Crises of Faith by Ross Douthat.  The article peaked my interested for several reasons, namely it discussed two very interesting trends associated with American and European religious perspectives.  Most people know that Europe has trended highly secular over the last century with large cathedrals echoing times long past.  Most people also know that America is a highly religious country with belief in God regularly polling in the 80-90th percentiles.  What was interesting about this article that it was commenting on very recent trends that America is becoming more secular and Europe is seeing a religious resurgence.  Now both trends are very small, some may say insignificant, but the sociological movements are real and observable.

Unbelief in America

The trend in America which is highlighted follows the work of two Berkeley sociologists and their paper in the American Sociological Review.  In this work Michael Hout and Claude Fischer noted that the percentage of Americans who state no religious preference had doubled in less than 10 years.1  The percentage had gone from 7% to 14% in the 1990s.  The reason given is interesting and I will revisit it shortly.  I will quote the article at length:

This unexpected spike wasn't the result of growing atheism, Hout and Fischer argued; rathern, more Americans were distancing themselves from organized religion as "a symbolic statement" against the religious right.  If the association of religiosity with political conservatism continued to gain strength, the sociologists suggested, "then liberals alienation from organized religion [might] become, as it has in many other nations, institutionalized"2

In other words, people's current and deeply held political convictions actually sway people from religious involvement as they see it a front for the other side of the aisle.  Christian leaders, give ear to this.  Among the younger generation this seems to be more acute with the percentage of irreligious found to be 20% by a recent pew research center survey.3

A Religious? European Vacation

The article goes on to say that things are moving in Europe as well, yet perhaps a slight drift towards religion.  Douthat mentions the rise of Islamic immigrants who are not assimilating into secular European values and culture.  Additionally, Christian faith is reasserting with Pope Benedict focusing on the re-Christianization of Europe and immigrants from Latin America and Africa giving life to pentecostal and evangelical churches.4  The higher birth rates of Muslims and Christians are sure to influence the future of the continent in some way. Finally, Philip Jenkins has written recently on the resurgence of Christian faith in Europe in Foreign Policy magazine focusing on both the Catholic and Protestant flavors of the faith.

Overly Politicized Christianity Shrouds the Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Christian faith has long been entangled in political struggles and maneuvering.  From the time of Jesus himself to our very day, leaders in movements of Christian faith have affected political views or have been viewed as a threat from political leaders.  Rome was threatened by messianic uprisings in Jerusalem, this perhaps even part of the human equation in the crucifixion of Jesus. Certainly the church/state union which was birthed under the emperor Constantine in the 4th century had repercussions, both good and bad, throughout the last sixteen hundred years.  I for one am of the opinion that the Christian worldview should inform issues in the public sphere.  Our faith and philosophy should weigh into decisions related to the common good of society.  Personally, I subscribe to a view of law much akin to that of the medieval philosopher Thomas Aquinas some of which I describe a bit here. 

Yet there is a difference between Christian vision shaping our view of the public square and Christian leaders aligning with a certain political party as the Christian way.  One thing that stood out in this article is the nature of reaction to what is perceived as political visions shrouded in religious clothing.  If the research is accurate, people have reacted against religious faith because of particular political impressions given by certain groups, in this case the perceived religious right.  I am deeply troubled that perhaps our political stances would keep people away from even a hearing of the gospel. 

It is well known that a good percentage of evangelicals have been recently on the Republican side of the aisle.  Whether or not you swing that way personally, I want all of us to see that such one party alignment is not good for the church.  The gospel transcends political parties and is very much for leftists, right wingers and libertarians alike.  There is much to say about the conservative right and some of its stances related to Christian ethics.  Certain views on the sanctity of human life (abortion, bioethical issues, etc.) are typically found in the Republican camp today, though not the domain of one party.  Yet are there not concerns of the gospel (the poor, the environment, justice) which are as deeply biblical as the sanctity of life and found more on the left?  My issue today is not whether or not a Christian can or should vote for party or candidate x, y or z.  My issue is with the cultural implications of perceived captivity of Christians to a certain political view.  When Christian leaders and pastors hold forth a political view rather than the gospel, the results can be that people feel excluded rather than invited to Jesus.  Before they hear from us, they already think we are their cultural adversary in a war of ideas.

I think the church must see space for all manner of political viewpoints and must not politicize her message in the world.  I am not saying we should endorse sin, vote for candidates against conscience, etc.  Of course the Christian worldview should affect the way someone sees issues and votes. But what I am saying is that we should not declare political war against half of the population to which we hope to present the hope of the gospel.

We ought to put no stumbling block before others and preach Christ and him crucified.  Our salvation comes neither through the supreme court nor through the election of the right president.  It is a gift of grace purchased by Jesus Christ on a cross of execution.  If we forget this our mission may suffer - not out of persecution for righteousness sake, but the result of misguided worldly strategies.  Such would be what the Scripture would call folly, the trusting in the princes of men.

Notes

1. Ross Douthat, "Crises of Faith", The Atlantic Monthly (July/August 2007) 38.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid, 42.

Justin Taylor links to an e-mail from NT Scholar to Mark Driscoll in discussing contextualization, the missiological principle of communicating the unchanging gospel in ways understandable in a certain cultural context.  I'll reproduce the quote here:

Paul refuses to circumcise Titus, even when it was demanded by many in the Jerusalem crowd, not because it didn’t matter to them, but because it mattered so much that if he acquiesced, he would have been giving the impression that faith in Jesus is not enough for salvation: one has to become a Jew first, before one can become a Christian. That would jeopardize the exclusive sufficiency of Jesus.

To create a contemporary analogy: If I’m called to preach the gospel among a lot of people who are cultural teetotallers, I’ll give up alcohol for the sake of the gospel. But if they start saying, “You cannot be a Christian and drink alcohol,” I’ll reply, “Pass the port” or “I’ll think I’ll have a glass of Beaujolais with my meal.” Paul is flexible and therefore prepared to circumcise Timothy when the exclusive sufficiency of Christ is not at stake and when a little cultural accommodation will advance the gospel; he is rigidly inflexible and therefore refuses to circumcise Titus when people are saying that Gentiles must be circumcised and become Jews to accept the Jewish Messiah.

The quote is from an upcoming book entitled The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World

The following is a brief response for a college student studying gender at a state university:

I think you are hitting the issue correctly in seeing where the tension exists.

• Modern View - sex is biology, gender socially constructed – you can see the modern view on display here
• Biblical View - knows no such distinction.  We simply do not find in Scripture a "male who is really a woman" like you will see discussed in today's world.  Sexuality and gender are linked in the teaching of the Bible -
  

I see in Scripture "sex" extending far beyond mere biology as it is linked directly to the "imago dei" or image of God in Genesis 1:27 - here we find "male" and "female" both created in the image of God.  Now, what the image of God is has been a long discussion, and still ongoing in Christian theology, but nobody thinks it means a corporeal (bodily) existence.  Perhaps Mormons...

In my opinion the image of God is ontological (we have a certain nature – rational, emotional, volitional), functional (we have been made to rule and reign with God in the earth as vice regents), and relational (to exist in a communities of love and commitment).  We are made “that way” and it spans both male and female.  The Greeks and some Christians have erroneous thought of women as a lower order of being in the past.  Both Jesus and the apostles writing (Galatians 3:28) repudiate this view as made clear in my paper “Twisted Gender”

So I believe there is a maleness and femaleness to the human person, not simply their sex organs. Additionally, there are roles that God has made that only women and men can fulfill. Only women can be mothers and only men fathers.  Now today this is very tied to biology - only women bear children.  Now, we may "succeed" some day in establishing artificial wombs and move the birthing apparatus outside of the woman's body.  I think this will be tragic and sad and a huge loss for women, but nonetheless it is a goal of certain feminist ideology.  Even then, it will not change that women are designed for having and rearing children. I see the despising of motherhood as a great loss in our civilization.

Now, as to certain roles, the work done today is a bit tentative on asserting "Matriarchical cultures" - in fact, in almost every society the man is the provider/warrior and the women serve as community bearers and shapers.  Even today we see a move to using the term "matrifocal" for cultures once thought to be ruled by women.  We see that what really is seen is a high honoring of the matriarch in the community in terms of wisdom, guidance and leadership.  It is not as if males are no longer fighting the wars of the tribe or called upon to provide.  Now there is the goofy "bonobos" comparison which is a relative of the chimpanzee. These apes are used to provide an ideal for human species as they exhibit sexual freedom and matrifocal behavior – I find this absurd. 

One final issue – many use the tragic birth of genetically ambiguous children as “proof” that gender must be constructed.  But in these infinitesimally small amount of cases we find genetic problems, issues that are difficult which require tough decisions to be made by doctors and parents.  These could never serve as any sort of normative casuistry as to what we are.  In these cases something genetically did not replicate properly.

The Scriptural view is that God has designed us in a complementary fashion of male/females by which he is imaged in the world. Additionally he has made us sexually compatible to bring about joy, pleasure and children in committed marital relationship. Men are called to lovingly lead as servants in the home, women to lovingly be on the same team as both move forward under God.  Our modern world rejects the necessity of both sexes, declares fathers irrelevant, makes sexuality a choice which is backed up by hormones and scalpels.  It has not helped either sex and certainly has not been good for children.   

Now, the biblical view ought to stand in the arena of ideas about who we are and we must make our case. My short article is a small shot at this, but others more learned than I have made better cases...Follow the footnotes is what I always say.

Finally, a few entries from POCBlog on Gender issues from the past:

• The Logic of Gender in New York
  
• Twisted Gender - Male and Female According to Scripture and Culture

The following are some additional notes given out along with the message Healing is from Jesus, given at the Inversion Fellowship on Sept 13, 2007. 

The teaching of the Bible regarding The Kingdom of God is perhaps some of the most complex, mysterious, beautiful and awe inspiring realities.  This essay will be but a gnat scratching on the surface of the moon in attempting to describe the teaching of Scripture on this topic.  Yet it is also a matter of great importance because it is deeply connected to the gospel as taught by Jesus and the apostles.  The sections of this essay will be excessively brief as my goal iw to introduce rather than rigorously present all the issues.  For those interested there is a short and accessible book by the late George Eldon Ladd entitled The Gospel of the Kingdom which I recommend.

The Kingdom Defined-Rule and Reign

When we hear the word Kingdom today we are tempted to define it in terms of a geographical realm with a castle and certain people being ruled by a monarch.  At least in my kids' fairy tale books and DVDs this is usually how it rolls out.  Or if you are up on world affairs you might thing of a middle eastern monarchy such as Saudi Arabia or perhaps history buffs will think of historical western kingdoms before the advent of democratic nation states.  Either way, both impressions will not help us in thinking of what the ancients meant when they spoke of the Kingdom of God.  A kingdom as described in Scripture is the actual rule and reign of a King himself.  Rather than a geography or a people, the kingdom is the expression of an authority and the nature of that rule.  To put it very simply, the Kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God.  It is his exercised rule or sovereignty, not the realm in which it is implemented.¹  Additionally, there is great agreement that the Kingdom or Rule of God is one of complete justice, the eradication of sin and death and the peaceful ordering of all things by Christ our King.

So this brings to us an important question.  If the Kingdom is the rule of God, is it now here with us?  Or is the Kingdom a future reality coming in the time which we call "Heaven." Our answer will be yes...and yes.

Did it already come?  Still Coming? 

The idea of the coming Kingdom is rife with discussions of temporality (issues of time).  Did Jesus bring the Kingdom in AD 33? Is God in charge now, or is that still coming?  What does the second coming of Jesus say to the reality of the Kingdom?  Does the Kingdom have to do with righteous and just rule or the salvation of sinners by a holy, wrathful, loving, good and forgiving God?  Additionally, is it God's job to bring about his rule and reign on the earth, or is it our job as the church?  Or both? There are so many questions associated with this.   Christians throughout history have fallen on various sides of these questions and the issue is very important in many conversations today.  The witness of the Bible on this is precisely the source of the struggle for it clearly teaches that the Kingdom came with Jesus in some way (i.e. Mark 1:14,15) and it is with us in our present reality (Romans 14:17).  It teaches that those who believe in Jesus are moved into the Kingdom, yet at the same time there remains a dominion of darkness (Colossians 1:13,14).  Our greatest mistake is to be reductionist about the Scriptures teaching, silencing some parts in favor of others.  This is what Christians have done from time to time with the teaching on the Kingdom of God.  A few examples.

Too Much Now

Over time many Christians see the rule of God as perfect justice for all people and creation itself.  It is a state where all is made right on the earth.  So they see the gospel in these terms.  The good news is that there is a different life available now.  We can live lives of love and justice and bring the Kingdom to the earth more fully.  Liberal Christianity of the late 19th and early 20th century made this push.  Today, the idea that the gospel is "the Kingdom is here now" and live that way is becoming popular among Christians flying the flag "Emergent."  The call of the gospel is to live the Kingdom way now.  That is the good news brought by Jesus.  This is in some sense true.  Yet the casualty of "Kingdom Now" thinking is that the salvation of sinners from the wrath of God, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus "for our sins" is lost.  Many in this camp no longer teach that sin is individual, but only social.  They no longer teach the reality of eternity and the right judgment of God.  They no longer teach that Hell even exists but instead that our only focus should be "bringing the Kingdom" now.  It you choose to believe that the Kingdom is all Now, we miss some incredibly important truths about the Later.   If you like theology-you would call this over realized eschatology. 

Too Much Later

On the other extreme is the teaching that the gospel is only about getting a "go to heaven card" and not a call to followership of Jesus, transformation of communities, and reflection of the saving gospel of the Kingdom in our lives today.  All the focus is on the second coming of Jesus and the coming judgment and not living the way of Jesus today.  If all we are to do today is get folks saved-and I do believe we have a job to call sinners to repentance and faith-we will neglect building a Kingdom culture now that reflects the reign of God.  God desires for us to proclaim justice for the oppressed, to feed the hungry and to steward creation as representatives of another Kingdom.  You might say that under realized eschatology ignores some very important aspects of the rule of God-NOW for the sake of thinking about the Later.

Of course all this is too simplistic-but these issues are important.  The solution to this is not reductionism but to see all the teaching on the Kingdom-that it is a present in breaking reality, that it is not fully here, that it will come definitively at the second coming of Jesus as important.  We must like Now and Laters, not just Now or Later.  Sorry, you knew that was coming...

Now and Not Yet...

The Kingdom is Now

What we want to hold in tension is that the Kingdom very much appeared with the incarnation of Jesus, who is our covenant King.  The Kingdom also expresses itself when people enter into it by repentance and faith in Jesus.  When someone becomes a Christian, a follower of Jesus, for whom Christ has paid for their sins and reconciled them with God, the person very much enters the Kingdom.  After the first coming of Jesus we now can be set free from the power of sin, death, Satan.  All of these are thwarted-Jesus is the first fruits, the promise of our own resurrection and eternal life.

The Kingdom is Later

Yet Scripture is clear that this current age is under the dominion or rule of sin, death and Satan.  Our great enemy is called the prince of the power of the air, the ruler of this world (or age) and we know very well that sin and death still hold fast on the earth.  George Ladd summarizes this very well:

This age is dominated by evil, wickedness and rebellion against the will of God, while the age to come is the age of the Kingdom of God...The point is this: it is the character of this age to choke the working of the Word of God.  The spirit of the age is hostile to the gospel.²

Yet, in becoming a Christian now we receive the promise and evidence of the final destruction of these things as sin looses it power over us (sanctification) and death itself is not the end for us any longer (See John 11:17-27).  Finally, the second coming of Christ will fully bring the reality of the Kingdom in forever.  It will be definitive.  The dead will rise to immortality, evil and wickedness will be judged completely and demonic powers removed for all time.  As such all things will be made new and the redemption of God in all things will arrive. 

The Gospel and the Church-A Resistance Movement

In our day Jesus is still at work in the world saving sinners and adding folks to his community known as the church.  In this group of people we have a counter cultural community that lives according to the gospel of the Kingdom.  It proclaims good news of the death of Jesus for sin and the resurrection of Jesus for our hope.  It loves others and cares about injustice and empowering the poor.  The church is an in breaking of the Kingdom and this reality is proclaimed in the preaching of God's Word and visible in the practice of the ordinances of baptism (entry sign into the Kingdom) and the Lord's Supper (a continuing sign of the Kingdom).  This community exists for the world but does not subscribe to the systems and power of the world.  It is a revolution, an Inversion by which God is transforming people and extending grace into communities.  We are much like a resistance force in occupied territory.  Though sin, death and hell still have power, we proclaim hope through the gospel. We are a rag tag group of folks who are desiring the Lord to come and working hard for the sake of others.   We hold out the gospel and call people to Jesus for their salvation.  Then we walk together as a broken community giving our lives away for the sake of others.  When we fail we practice and live in regular repentance and hope in the gospel because we all fall short of the glory of God.  This is why we need Jesus.  We cannot bring his Kingdom or deal with our sin.  He does.  This is why the gospel is central to our lives and mission.  Once someone becomes a follower of Jesus, he is then part of the Inversion...Dallas Willard said it well:

To become a disciple of Jesus is to accept now that inversion of human distinctions that will sooner or later be forced upon everyone by the irresistible reality of his kingdom. How must we think of him to see the inversion from our present viewpoint? We must, simply, accept that he is the best and smartest man who ever lived in this world, that he is even now "the prince of the kings of the earth" (Rev 1:5). Then we heartily join his cosmic conspiracy to overcome evil with good.³

What is the Gospel of the Kingdom?  It is two fold.  It is to see sinners saved and involves individual salvation.  Yet it also calls us to see a new society or culture formed-the church.  The gospel saves us and will ultimately redeem all things.  It is Christ died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15) and a uniting of all things under God (Ephesians 1.10).  In our lives today we live as part of a revolution, not a fortress to keep out the world.  The gospel saves you and me and makes us part of God's restoration of all things. I'll give the late British journalist GK Chesterton the final word.

In the upper world hell once rebelled against heaven. But in this world heaven is rebelling against hell. For the orthodox there can always be a revolution; for a revolution is a restoration. ⁴

Yours in the Revolution,

Reid S. Monaghan

• 1. George Ladd, The Gospel of the Kingdom; Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God. Grand Rapids, Mich.,: Eerdmans, 1959 20.
• 2. Ladd, 28, 29
• 3. Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy : Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God, 1st ed. (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998), 90.
• 4. G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, Image Books ed. (New York: Doubleday, 2001), 113.

If you have any computer programmer friends, make sure you wish them a happy programmer day today. Engadget has a funny little post on it today entitled - if(date == "09/13/2007") Engadget.Write("Happy Programmer's Day");

BusinessWeek has an interesting article on the state of alternative energy technology.  I am a big fan of utilizing new science to generate energy...one of the challenges is developing sources that are sustainable economically.  The article talks about the state of developing technologies and some of the companies looking to bring them forward.

Here is the link 

Tonight I began reading a short little book by an author whose ideas have been influential in late 20th century evangelical theology.  Perhaps no scholar has done more to unite thinking about the New Testament witness to the Kingdom of God than the late George Eldon Ladd.

I am doing a quick read this week of his The Gospel and the Kingdom - look for an essay on the Kingdom coming here later in the week.

We recently had a photo made of our three kids and it turned out to be a fun picture. I'll fill in the details with some commentary.

• On the right is Kayla Joy, she'll be six in a little over two weeks and is in the first grade - all she wants you to look at is the hole in her mouth where her baby tooth used to be. Hence the big smile...
  
• In the middle is Thomas...aka Tommy Reid.  He is saying "help, you don't know what these two do to me...please, help"  You can see his plea written all over his face.  He is 13 months and loves head butting.
  
• On the left is Kylene Jordon - she is 3.75 - She is saying to us "look how sweet, cute and innocent I am! Except you cannot see my left hand...I am giving Tommy a wedgie."

The following are some additional notes given out along with the message The Gospel is Our Life, given at the Inversion Fellowship on Sept 6, 2007.

A Tale of Two Titles

There are many names or titles given to Jesus in the Scriptures. He is called the lion of the tribe of Judah, the rose of Sharon, the son of man, the great I AM, the Lamb of God, the Lilly of the valley, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, the Good Shepherd, the Word of God, the Light of the World, Savior, Lord. Indeed, you could keep going as this just scratches the surface.¹ Yet perhaps two of the most significant and radical titles ascribed to Jesus in Scripture appear in startling fashion in the prologue to the gospel of Mark. In one simple verse, something unbelievable is seen:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Now for many of us the names here are so familiar that the awe they bring may be lost to us. We are so used to hearing or reading "Christ" and "Son of God" in reference to Jesus without really pausing to see what they mean. Christ has become something like Jesus' last name...sort of like Fred Jones-but Jesus Christ. Son of God is taken for granted so we forget the radical nature of calling a human being such a thing. Lets look very briefly at each of these.

Jesus, Who is the Christ

The term Christ is derived from the Greek term Χριστός or Christos. Rather than a last name it is a title which means "anointed one of God" its Old Testament equivalent is Messiah. The term comes from the practice by which certain people were "anointed" or called by God and set apart for a special ministry. In the OT the priests (Exodus 29:7, 21), prophets (1 Kings 19:16), and kings (1 Samuel 10:1) were anointed with oil for their specific roles with God's people. When Jesus is called the Christ, or the Messiah, it simply states that Jesus is the completion of the work of God in history in whom all the covenant promises are fulfilled. He is the great high priest connecting human beings to God. He is the great prophet incarnating and speaking to us the Word of God. He is the great king that we long for who will benevolently rule for all eternity. To say Jesus is the Christ is to say that the hopes and longings of Israel-the hopes of all who will become children of God by faith-are fulfilled. The promised coming is on the ground-this is a new beginning, nothing will ever be the same.

Jesus, The Son of God

Muslim people have misinterpreted this title for years. The term Son is many times understood in the wrong context to mean that God had a physical offspring through copulation with a human being. It hasn't help that Mormonism actually teaches this, but nonetheless this sort of thinking is not what Scripture means when Jesus is called the Son of God. Philosopher Peter Kreeft sheds great light on how this term was used in the time of Jesus.

Son of a dog, is a dog, son of an ape an ape, son of God, is God - Jews were Monotheistic, only one God-Son of God is the divine title of Jesus and everyone at his time understood this title to mean just that.²

In titling Jesus as the Son of God they were clearly stating that this human being was God become man. This was no ordinary person walking the ancient landscape-the world's very creator, the second person of the triune God, was making an appearance.

In writing this inspired book, Mark structures the account of Jesus' life, teaching, death and resurrection using these titles. - Christ and Son of God. Here in the prologue they land on us in the first words of the gospel. Jesus, the Messiah, God come to earth is on the scene. Everything is about to change. From the middle of Chapter 1 until the middle of the book Jesus is living out a ministry of healing, exorcism and authoritative preaching in the areas of Galilee and Judea. In Chapter 8 Peter makes a confession as to Jesus' identity-"You are the Christ." From this point the narrative is heading towards Jerusalem. Finally, at the end of the book another confession is made; this time the words are from a Roman centurion. After observing the death of Jesus on an executioners cross, the words are uttered-"Truly this man was the Son of God!"

From the Wilderness to the Cross

The appearance of Jesus was not before the political powers and religious leaders, no, rather God came to his people in a dusty wilderness. Outside the pomp and regality of the powers that be, the man born in a humble manger, would now begin his ministry on the outskirts of town. From this lonely outpost would launch the most significant, world changing, universe changing work of all time. God would have it no other way. In the Exodus he led his people in a wilderness. In those days his people were disciplined and tested so that they would learn to trust God (Psalm 95:7-11). In Jesus coming to meet God and his people in the wilderness he will pass the test, be affirmed by the Father and by the Spirit launch his ministry onto the public scene. The Jesus release party took place not in a big ballroom or the hippest scene in town. It took place in the mysterious, dangerous and lonely place where God provides for and meets his people. He still calls to us in our own wilderness of sin and death today.

Where Mark begins his gospel he brings it full circle. He is recognized as the Christ, the Messiah and then he heads towards his ultimate mission of dying for the sins of the world. When this mission has been accomplished, a gentile, who would have access to God through Christ has his eyes open to what has just taken place. The crucified before him was indeed God. The coming resurrection would kick off the mission of the gospel in the world which continues into our day. This gospel continues to shape peoples' destinies in our day. The risen Jesus is still entering and saving lives today by the Holy Spirit sent into the world to glorify Jesus among his people. The gospel presented in Scripture is the defining story of our lives. 

The Gospel, our A-Z not our ABCs

What is the gospel? So many times we associate the term with some simple truths that we believe in order to go to heaven and then move on with life. Let me be clear. The gospel is the story of God's redemption of people through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Yet the good news of Jesus Christ extends further into our lives than simply getting us to a preferred afterlife. Dr. Timothy Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City has written and spoken extensively on the gospel and its all encompassing role in our lives as followers of Jesus.

We never "get beyond the gospel" in our Christian life to something more "advanced." The gospel is not the first "step" in a "stairway" of truths, rather, it is more like the "hub" in a "wheel" of truth. The gospel is not just the A-B-C's of Christianity, but it is the A to Z of Christianity. The gospel is not just the minimum required doctrine necessary to enter the kingdom, but the way we all make progress in the kingdom. ³

The gospel is not something we hear at camp, pray a prayer and then get on with life. It is not just for people who are not Christians, but it is the story that must define our lives. If we do not see our relationships, our vocational choices, our time, our money, the use of our lives on the earth in light of the gospel our lives will not be transformed as they ought. The following is but a brief recounting of the gospel, the large story of Scripture, which invades us anew each day that we follow by faith in the way of Jesus. Let me summarize in short form, the good news found in Scripture.

The Gospel

The gospel is the large story of Scripture of the working of God throughout time and history to bring about the redemption of his people and all things. The gospel is the story of the one Creator God, making all things, space, time, matter, energy in order to display his nature to his creatures. God created human beings in his own image and likeness to know him, love him, and reflect his character in the world to one another for their joy and his glory. Our first parents then gave God the proverbial Heisman, choosing to live life their way rather than God's way. They turned away from God and his provision for them, disobeying his commandment and thereby bringing fracture in their relationship with God, one another, and creation. God thereby cursed man and creation subjecting it to futility, bondage and decay. Yet God in his grace set about to redeem a people back to himself and has pursued us throughout history to this end. He promised in the very early days to send a human being, a seed of a woman to bring people back to God, reconciling them to himself and all things (Genesis 3:15) Throughout history he communicated with us and connected with us through prophets, men called to speak God's message to humanity. He made covenants with his people that would culminate in his sending of his own Son to the earth. He would be a Jewish person, the offspring of Abraham (Genesis 12, 15). He would fulfill God's commandments perfectly satisfying the demands of the law completely and live without sin (Hebrews 4.15). He would be a king to his people (2 Samuel 7) guiding them into a life of love, joy and peace. He would teach us the truth, show us perfected humanity, and ultimately die to take our place and pay the penalty for our own rebellion and sin (1 Corinthians 15:1-3). This person, Jesus, gave his life for us in what Martin Luther called the great exchange. Our sin was placed on him as he took our deserved judgment and punishment by dying on a cross. We then receive his righteousness and favor and good name before God the Father (2 Corinthians 5:16-21). We are thereby forgiven, brought back into relationship with God, our guilt is removed, God's wrath no longer is upon us, and we now become his followers and agents of reconciliation in the world. We receive all of this by his grace, none of it is earned by our works or actions. God will someday bring his kingdom in fullness where Jesus will completely and finally bring an end to all evil and usher in an eternal age of life and peace for all who follow him. Those who persist in rebellion against God will face his justice in Hell for all which was done in this life, eternally receiving the due penalty for sin.

Seeing Through The Gospel

• How I see myself -It is devastating and liberating to see myself as a sinner saved by grace. I need to know that I was bad enough for Jesus to die and loved enough that he joyfully did so.
• How I see and relate to others-If God has forgiven me, how ought I to live with others who sin against me. If we cannot learn to forgive those who make mistakes, who hurt us, we will simply be unable to love and be loved in relationships.
• How I understand where I live, where I work-I will spend most of my time in my workplace and in the place I call home. How does the gospel speak to where I live, who I associate with, what people I deem lovable, how I seek to invest my free time?

Seeing the gospel applied to all areas of life is Christian faith. If we miss this we will make following Jesus about morality or a set of religious rules we create for ourselves and by which we judge others. Legalism and relativism are equally poisonous.4 Our sinfulness and need for grace should slay legalism in our hearts. God's holiness and leadership in our lives should lead us to embrace God's ways and follow him because we are accepted and loved by him.

Notes

1. Names of Jesus, Rose Publishing-This handy little pamphlet has 50 names http://www.rose-publishing.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=757.
2. Norman Geisler and Paul Hoffman, Why I Am a Christian (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2001). For a defense of the doctrine that Jesus is the Son of God and how this title is used see Part 5, Chapter 13-Peter Kreeft, Why I believe Jesus is the Son of God, 222-234.
3. See Timothy Keller-The The Sufficiency of Christ and the Gospel in a Post-Modern World at TheResurgence.com
4. See Timothy Keller - Preaching in a Post Modern City - Part 2.
   

 

OK, this is my one year old boy Thomas Reid Monaghan.  AKA Tommy Reid.  I know many of you prayed for this little guy last year when he had so much trouble at his birth.  We are thankful that he is healthy, growing and doing push-ups.  Well...sort of.   

A prayer for young Thomas:

My Son, May grace rest upon your soul
May humility mingle with boldness as you grow into a man
May you grow in wisdom, stature and in favor with all
May you learn to trust, but learn to question
May you learn to labor, and learn to rest in God
May you embrace sanctified masculinity, but never barbarism
May you rise to love, serve and lead well all those who will surround you
May you not give way to a generation floundering in a sea of lust
May truth be your guide, hope your companion and the risen Christ your vision all of your days.
You are loved and treasured - but not above our God - may he alone rise to the highest place in our affections. May our hearts ever be one in him. 

...Continued from The Gospel of Mark

As we begin a new season together we will all be following Mark's story of Jesus which was a Journey towards the cross of Christ and living in light of his resurrection.  In our short few months together in Mark will have no illusions that we will be able to probe the depths of this book.  However, while we cannot plumb its depths, we will ascend its heights and run across its peaks.  Our main concern is having our vision of life transformed by the wonders we see in Jesus Christ and his gospel.  It is our hope that our vision and love of Jesus is aroused and our feet made swift in following.  

The Gospel is Our Life - Signpost in Mark 1

The book of Mark begins with a resounding clarity of purpose: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Here we find a beginning of a new chapter in an unfolding story, here we have good news coming forth, here we find the name of a person which means "The Lord Saves," here we find a person unique in all of history; a Son but no ordinary man.  Human beings have been made and fashioned for worship and our hearts will glory in all manner of things be it through religion, the pursuit of pleasure, the identification with a certain group or the exaltation of self.  Yet our lives will wander adrift without the lifting of our burdens of sin and the receiving of grace and peace with God. 

When religion beckons we must find the root of our story in the good news.  It is not what we do that makes us acceptable to a holy and good God, it is what has been done by Jesus himself in the fullness of time on the earth.  Jesus' first words in the gospel of Mark beckon us to action: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

Healing Comes from Jesus - Signpost in Mark 1, 2, and 3 

In a world that daily echoes the remnants of the fall of man we know that we are in desperate need of healing and wholeness.  Our bodies are broken and will surely pass away at an appointed time.  Our relationships are broken with communities constantly separating and being fractured.  Spiritual powers torment and destroy lives daily around the world and our souls are stained with the reality of sin.  We live today with the present world groaning and longing for redemption and renewal.  Jesus tells us that the self-righteous, the proud, the self-sufficient and the denial of our condition have no place with God.  For he tells us in Mark 2:17 - "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." All sinners may come to him and none will be cast out.

We Live In His Story - Signpost in Mark 4 

There are many ways to define life and communicate its ultimate meaning and purpose.  Many have chosen to describe the world only in scientific terms.  Many have chosen to weave complex philosophies for the consumption of humanity.  Others have danced through a myriad of political visions, cultural revolutions and social engineering.    Yet how did Jesus teach us and define for us the ultimate reality and the Kingdom of God?  He told stories to teach those who could hear.  Stories designed by God to both reveal the hidden secrets of the rule and reign of Jesus and to conceal them from those who would have no part in worshipping their Creator.   In the parables of Jesus life finds form and definition.  In his stories we see our story with clarity and soul humbling and soul refreshing life.  In fact, in the large story of the gospel we find the truth and see our faces as we are meant to be. 

The Hero of Every Story - Signpost in Mark 4

If life is the unfolding of a great story, the story of God, then that story has a beginning, a climax, and a final resolution.  It also has a hero, a great rescuer and every story of Scripture whispers his name[1].  The identity of Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God is the most important issue in all of history.  In the last part of Mark four we see a question emerge from the lips of the disciples, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?" In this signpost we look at the hero of history in a story that includes uncertainty, calamity, fear, peril and chaos - sound like life?  It ends with Jesus speaking definitively into hearts filled with trepidation and the peace and calm that results.  

A New Living Way - Signpost in Mark 7

So many times we get consumed with the external realities of appearances, morality, religion and wearing masks for people all around us.  Yet what is the reality of the human heart?  The picture that Jesus paints for us is not pretty as he tells us all matter of sin and wickedness flows out from our hearts.  Though his picture of humanity is one of depravity, he does not leave us there.  He knows that a mere coat of paint to cover our brokenness will crack and crumble in life.  No, instead of a simple pious makeover, he reminds us that the problem we have is not simply our poor religious performances.   In order to transform us into new people and place us on a path of life, it requires radical heart surgery.   It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean, and it is a renewal and recreation of our very selves which we most desperately need.  Is this possible?  Seeing Jesus in Mark 7 tell us YES!  But we must come to God needy and hopeful - in faith - for the work only he can do. 

A Continual Unfolding - Signposts in Mark 8, 9 and 10

There are some high mountain peaks in every narrative, crucial plot turns which move the story to its climax.  As the story of Jesus unfolds in Mark we see some very important events go down.   First, Peter confesses Jesus to be the Christ a confession upon which the church will be built.  Second, Jesus begins to foretell what was prophesied about him long ago, that the Son of Man must suffer, be murdered and rise from death.  This was an unexpected turn of events for the disciples that he repeats with them driving home the central focus of his mission.  Third, God reveals Jesus is his glory on the top of a mountain.  His radiant beauty and manifest glory was displayed for the disciples just before they turn towards leading the mission towards a cross in Jerusalem.  The cost of following Jesus, a Jesus who would be rejected by people and die an ignoble death, was being made clear. 

Do We Really Want Jesus? Signposts in Mark 11 and 12

Upon his entry to Jerusalem Jesus was being treated like a political religious rock star.  He was on the Jay Leno show, Carson Daly wanted to hang out and pretty much the whole town was in an uproar at the arrival of Jesus.  Their hero had come to save the day for Jerusalem and the reigns of the Roman oppressor would soon by conquered by the Messiah, a great warrior King! Or was there another plan?  Many of the people who welcomed Jesus would soon stand on the other side of his cause.  He would threaten religious power by bringing the salvation of God.  Those who desire to lead men in religion, rather than to the throne of grace, would soon shout out with ferocity "Crucify Him!"Even his closest of friends, the man who just had confessed him as the Christ of God would turn on his friend in a moment of trial.  Peter himself would deny Jesus. So I ask us...do we really want Jesus? 

Death by Love and Life By Death - Signposts in Mark 14, 15, and 16

The final apex of Mark's story comes to a head in the final chapters of the book.  Everything that began in chapter 1 has moved to this final station where death will come by love and life for God's people will come by death.  Jesus, the creator of all things, is mocked, rejected and tried as a common criminal.  His people abandon him and he submits himself to a shameful death, even death on a cross.  Yet such was the will of a loving God, for it pleased the Father to crush the Son.  Putting an end to sin, death and hell in one act and by death would come life to all men who believe.  This is the crown jewel of our faith.  The songs of men might sing of self-sufficiency and the triumph of our human ingenuity.  We will have no portion on this plate - we will preach and live Christ. Christ crucified, victoriously raised, on mission on the earth today beckoning to each of us...Follow Me. 

This is my prayer - joy in following Jesus in the mission of God on the earth,

Reid S. Monaghan

A secular Arab professor goes off on the Muslim community...It is a bit dated from early 2006, but it is pretty strong stuff nonetheless.

Here is the link on YouTube