In preparation for some Thoughts in Time (I am renaming a series called Tuesdays in Time, Thoughts in Time because sometimes I am just too busy on Tuesdays) I wanted to post overall on one of the current worldviews prevalent among Western intellectuals.  In this essay I want to do just a few things.  First, I want to lay out a worldview which I am calling naturalistic reductionism - what Richard Dawkins has described as "dancing to our DNA."  Second, I want to give an example from a recent wired magazine article, of how this leads to some rather absurd thinking.  The short article, Why Things Suck: Science, demonstrates well that while attempting to explain everything - this worldview  explains no-thing at all.  Third, I want to describe why the scientific enterprise, when engaged as a believer, in no wise sucks.  So let us begin our dance...maybe with more than just our DNA.

Over the course of time ideas develop and evolve.  Thinkers influence one another and create problems for systems of thoughts.  When problems emerge, other thinkers seek to solve those problems and rescue the system.  At times the system becomes so beaten and questioned that it is jettisoned altogether for other views.  Such is the history of ideas.  In our current situation we stand at an interesting point in Western ideas.  Many have rejected concepts such as supernatural entities, God, angels, human souls - in favor of a a world made up only of energy.  We are just bits of organized information, matter/space/time/energy rearranged ordered according to the laws of Physics.  Here is where it gets interesting.  The universe, so we are told, is a random occurrence of space/time/matter combined with chance.  There is no order to the order any longer in many people's thinkers we are in a random process which in no way had us in mind.  This view of life; that we are all but the result of nature and her laws can be called naturalism and it has ancient roots.

Interestingly enough, the study of nature and her laws had led to astounding blessings and profound burdens for human kind.  Science has brought us both vaccines and atomic bombs, modern sanitation and weapons of mass destruction.  Yet because of the success of the scientific enterprise it has been extended to literally explain everything; as if everything can be reduced by the word "JUST"

• A human being is JUST a bundle of matter organized by law and DNA
• Love is JUST an exchange of chemical signals by specialized apes
• Ethics is JUST something our species created in order to pass on its genes and survive
• God is JUST localized activity in a sector of your brain

Let me be clear.  Scientific investigation is a great gift to humanity.  The very fact that our thinking and the ways our universe functions correspond is a great clue to the design of God in us.  Yet when we take a good thing such as science and extend it to all every of knowledge we go much too far.   As the late British journalist Malcom Muggeridge once remarked we run great risk of simply educating ourselves into imbecility. 

In C.S. Lewis' book The Pilgrim's Regress, a man name John is in prison - captive as it were, to the spirit of the age.  In his pit he is brought things to eat at which the jailer would explain what they were eating.  He tells John that when eating meat they are just eating corpses, when partaking of milk they were just downing the secretions of a cow, and eggs were just the menstruum of a verminous fowl.  John finally rebels against this, calling out the madness of his jailer.  The reductionism of his jailer was far too much for his experience of eggs.  John's objection was that some things in life seem like gifts, others do not.  There is a difference he says between a cow's dung and a cow's milk.  One seems like Nature's gift, the other does not.  We know what an egg is scientifically, yet they are also pleasant food, gifts in creation...  The materialist of course will say at this point - nope, just an unfertilized ovum. The problem with reductionism is not that it says so much - but rather that it says too little.  There is more to life than just the fluctuations of quantum foam.  For human experience, human consciousness, human relations, human spirituality cannot be reduced to the simple, elegant laws of Physics. Yes, they are very much a part of who and what we are - but it is only a partial story...one that impoverishes the human experience and hinders flourishing.  My purpose here is not an argument against metaphysical naturalism, rigorous argument can be found elsewhere, my point is an existential one...that we are left with an impoverished reality when we say we are JUST a bucket of lucky DNA.

Now to our example.  Wired Magazine recently ran an article with a pithy little title - Why Things Suck - 33 Things that make us Crazy.  Interestingly enough, one of the things that sucked was Science - as one who studied in the hard sciences during my undergraduate work at UNC, this was of some interest to me.  Personally, I like science and think it sucketh not.  Upon reading the little segment by Thomas Hayden, I realized why it sucks for him.  Let me copy his entire piece in for you so you can read it in context - really, it is actually quite brief.

Continue reading "Why Science in a Theistic Universe Does Not Suck" »

The Blog Madness has come down to the final four blogs over at Said at Southern. Reid happens to be the only blogger in the final four who also graduated from a school who is in the actual final four. That is just a cool fact for the journey - the top 10 (ok, I snuck in 11) new reasons to vote for Power of Change are included below. Just so you know - that cute little monkey's life is in danger so you need to vote today. Thanks for supporting us in this noble effort. Power of Changers - unite - it is time to vote today.

• Ask not what your blog can do for you, ask what you can do for your POCBlog – vote now!
  
• Steve McCoy – aka the Reformissionary, is already spending the prize money…help me by voting to demonstrate that pride cometh before a fall.
• You all vote for American Idols…clear your conscience and vote for something other than idolatry.
  
• I just blogged about Mixed Martial Arts – ever hear of a guillotine choke? I am not a violent man, but I would vote today.
  
• The Kittens you already placed in heaven during the last round of voting are lonely. Every time you vote this round, a little baby seal will join your kittens. Additionally, if you know what capuchin monkeys are – well, I hear your vote saves them too (see my picture above...what did she say? save me!). 
  
• A vote for the POCBlog will slow global warming – Al Gore has confirmed this inconvenient truth!  Save your friends living on the coasts of Great Britain today!
  
• Did I mention that three Baptist blogs are ganging up on me? If you are a Baptist and a Baptist has ever made you angry, take out your frustration in a godly, non violent manner - vote POCBlog.
  
• I might end up spending grocery money on books if I don’t win – my kids need to eat – vote for the starving children!
  
• If I win and you are, say vote #500, I’ll buy you a book of your choice with the gift certificate – is this bribery? Not sure, but a book may be in it for you – vote today!
  
• All the other guys in the race are fine men with fantastical blogging skills. Most of them have lots of other bloggers and RSS subscribing people reading their sites. Our site is read by you – the people, our friends. Let’s win this online competition with an old fashioned people network. Do tell a friend…vote for Reid today.
• Finally, I am a church planter...a vote for us contributes 50 dollars towards church planting in the Northeast. 
  

The complete works of Jonathan Edwards are now on prepub for the Logos Libronix system. The price is a very reasonable 69.95 for both downloadable and CD-ROM versions. The Logos Blog has more information for those who are interested...but the following is what most of you will want to know.

Soon you will be able to have access to Edwards' most important writings in your Libronix Digital Library System. The Logos edition is based on the standard 1834 edition that was reprinted by Banner of Truth and Hendrickson, both of which are still in print.

You can put your order in now at the prepublication page. 

There is a short video interview with Anthony Bradley discussing Black Liberation Theology availble on YouTube. This appeared on CNN's Glen Beck program.

(HT - Darin Patrick)

I recently read a post by my not so punchy friend Owen Strachan over at his blog Consumed.  Owen has been wrestling out loud about Christian believers and their relationship to (or non relationship to) Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).  MMA has become wildly popular through the Ultimate Fighting Championship, aka the UFC.  He was provoked by an article in NY Times Magazine and some comments made by Mark Driscoll - a pastor and fan of MMA. His main question could be surmised by some simple questions: Should Christians beat the hell out of each other or enjoy watching other men do so?  Does being tough and masculine mean an endorsement of barbarism? Now he might not say it that way, but this seems to be the essence of his struggle.  I think this is a valuable struggle as our relationship to violence is a long tragic part of the tale of human history.

This question gets to the much larger issue of the role of violence in life and in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ.  This post does not seek to raise the pacifism/just war discussion in any detail but let me state at the outset that I do not see pacifism as tenable either practically or biblically.  Let me just say that the if you are a pacifist you will probably find much to disagree with when reading the coming reflections on ultimate fighting and mixed martial arts.  But I will make one promise to all the pacifists reading. If the evil horde invades; those who believe in a civil and noble defense will protect you, your home and family.  You're welcome.

So, to reflect on fighting in general and ultimate fighting in particular I propose just a few things.  First, I will make some observations which I will call my recommendations.  These will be a few small reasons for "why we fight."  Second, I will offer a rejoinder to qualify the beastly urge in all people to desire license rather than morality when dealing with delicate issues.  Fighting is not a good thing, but it is a real and unfortunate permanent feature of human existence in a fallen state.  I wish I could just shout - STOP FIGHTING, can't we all just get along and the whole universe would realign to our wishes.  Yet because the world is full of human beings, like you and me, there may be times when it is necessary, in defense of what is good, to punch someone in the throat. 

Recommendations

My first recommendation is this.  There are times when men (and I do mean male men) must fight for what is good, right and true. 

The great philosopher Kenny Rogers once used a thought experiment called The Coward of the County to explore the struggle that men have in relationship to violence.  A violent father who had made bad choices and caused great harm teaches his son:

Promise me, son, not to do the things Ive done.
Walk away from trouble if you can.
It wont mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek.
I hope you're old enough to understand:
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man.

The advice is well taken by the son until the life and limb of a loved one is violated by a group set on evil doing...the boy, having learned the lesson from his father and become a man, ends the treatise with the similar but slightly different chorus:

I promised you, dad, not to do the things you done.
I walk away from trouble when I can.
Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek,
And papa, I sure hope you understand:
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man.

When do we fight...it must be in defense, for what is right, when there is no other option and when we must win.  Sam Wise Gamgee once encouraged his good friend Frodo with words I recommend for all men and women. 

Frodo: I can't do this Sam.

Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to Sam?

Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.  

Some things require a fight.  Not all things - not greed, lust, covetousness - things all too often fought for in the world of men.  But the misdeeds of the vile and violent does not mean that others should never fight - in fact, it is precisely the reason we must. 

To learn to fight, you must fight...

It is my opinion that certain men should be trained to protect the common good and provide peace so that human society can flourish in goodness, truth and beauty.  Additionally, Christians have a great interest in a just state and a protected citizenry due to the commands and structure found in Romans 13.  Historically Christian thinkers Ambrose, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin and many others have argued that defensive, just wars are sometimes necessary.  I found this message to come through powerfully just last night as my wife and I finished up Season 1 of the CBS television show Jericho.  In the finale, men were called to fight an aggressive invader with life and limb on the line (perhaps another post, but I find this to be a great show).  Yes, there was the token blond girl with the gun, so feminists you can be happy to fight as well, but the reality in the show demonstrated a common theme in history.  At times a band of brothers must be arrayed to fight and physically beat back a sinful invasion.  If this be the case, men must learn to fight during peace time as well as war time.  Those in the military are taught fighting techniques - martial arts, wrestling - lets just say they learn MMA.  Where are these techniques developed in peace time?  Where do men grow in toughness, discipline and fortitude when the enemy is at bay.  They learn through hard work, training, drills and sport.  In fact, in sport, better ways to wrestle are actually developed in relatively safe, controlled sporting environments.  As a wrestler for most of my life, I know this to be true.  Come try and take me - I am more prepared than most.  I suppose we could eliminate every sport but, say, golf...but I do not think that would be used by the marines to learn to fight and win war.

So we do not want a culture of violent thugs and brutes without honor.  What we really need is a society of men who live in meekness and strength, virtue and passion and strength under authority.  I will grant it is here that mixed martial arts is a very mixed bag.  It has both thugs and men of character slugging in the octagon.  Such is life.  Pull for the guy that is not a thug. 

The Bible uses fighting as a metaphor for life and spiritual growth

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

It seems to me if this be the case than God's Word expects us to know what fighting actually is and that we should know how to do it.  Now this is one of those chicken and egg problems in theology.  Did God use fighting to accommodate a violent people in order to teach them of our greater spiritual battles with the world, the flesh and the devil?  Or did God understand he made the world and we would have to fight while living life outside of Edenic perfection?  In other words, because of the fall there will always be some sort of fight.  My thought would be the latter.  For humans to grow food...it is work, a fight.  For humans to create order out of the thorny, thistled world of sin...it is a battle, sometimes literally.  For humans to communicate, have honest commerce, to act according to conscience...it will be a fight.  For humans to overcome sin, find forgiveness, live in righteousness, be reconciled to God...it is a fight, but the battle is the Lords.  For followers of Christ to deny the flesh and turn their wills to God daily...it is a spiritual fight. 

If you hold to the presupposition of an inspired Scripture then you must see that God wants all of us to know what "fight" means.  It is human to struggle - internally and externally.  It is a wrestle with our own depravity and that of others.  Robert Hawkins, one of the characters on Jericho, was asked a question by his teenage daughter: Who are the good guys and who are the evil guys? His answer - there aren't any such thing.  Some my take offense to that, but I find it biblical.  A human being is always a mixture of good (imago dei) and evil (sinful depravity and rebellion).  Jesus said it this way: there is none good but God.  If this be true, there will be a fight and God desires to teach and shape his people in the midst of the battle.

One last note is appropriate before moving on.  It is interesting that Paul is telling his younger padawan Timothy that he is to fight the good fight of faith.  As such I feel it is the fathers of a culture which must teach young men to respect and honor women, walk in self control and know when to fight and when not to.  Hence Kenny Rogers. Fatherless societies become base and excessively violent.  When Dad is at home young men can be strong and self-controlled...respectable - such men are exactly what we need.  They are in my opinion what every radical feminist desires. Unfortunately she has seen too much of the former to find much use in men.

Rejoinders 

Now to MMA.  Any sport that involves the movement of the body risks to some degree bodily harm.  My Mom will testify that she freaked out every time I wrestled and played a football game.  As such any sport must have rules designed to make the competition as immune from death as possible.  Yet sometimes this too is unavoidable.  People die every year playing football, soccer and walking across the street.  We can do as much as we can to prevent death but it is simply not avoidable - it is amazing that I made it to 35 without wearing a bike helmet growing up!  So football has rules to prevent very dangerous contact (head to head, hits on QBs etc). Amateur wrestling, even soccer, have rules to prevent this type of contact.  There are underground MMA arenas without such rules; I find that deplorable and do not recommend any of this barbarism.  UFC has evolved from its early, more deplorable days, to have many rules.  The UFC now has just these type of rules; a very long list of fouls which are designed to protect the combatants.  

One final rejoinder about MMA culture.  Let me be very clear.  The culture surrounding the UFC is base.  It is hyper sexualized, full of some non thinking men and there is much disrespect for competitors and opponents.  If tattoos bother you, the UFC will provide lots of them to see.  Maybe the one place in the world that has more than the NBA.  Like boxing, basketball, football, etc. there is also a huge gambling culture that surrounds it as well.  I believe the UFC's ownership is connected to the gambling industry.  I do not support this any more than I do people betting on the Tar Heels in the NCAA tournament.  Additionally, there is also an offshoot of the fighting culture that will likely continue to spiral downward into madness and barbarism. 

Yet does this culture's existence not mean that it is precisely the place for the gospel?  Would it not be good to enter and tell of Jesus the saving one in such arenas?  Could not respect for opponents, civil sportsmanship and godly masculinity provide a contrast in the middle of the UFC world?  Could it not mean that Matthew 5:16 - so let your light so shine before men that they might see your good works and praise your father in heaven - might be true in UFC world as well?  If such worlds are not engaged - the only direction they can go is downward. Or one may conclude that it is unredeemable.  Some human activities do degrade to this status.  I do not think this is so of the UFC.  So I watch the UFC with guys I teach and lead; I also discuss it as a fan with non Christians.  I also teach godly masculinity and I believe we need to be able to mature and be able to discern and live the difference.  To do otherwise is to put one's holy head in the sand. This course of action seems to quench any mission in culture and is pretty lame as well.  I would rather put my hand in the hand of God and walk out into the darkness...and let him light the world.  Yes, even the world of ultimate fighters.

OK, some of the men over at Said at Southern have created a sort of NCAA tournament for blogs associated with Southern Seminary.  The POCBlog was included and received enough votes to make it out of round one.  Now it has come to the second round and it has gotten a bit crazy.  I think the 50.00 gift certificate to an online bookstore has fired up the theology book guys.

So, I decided to do my own, very public, shameless plug.  Here is what you need to do.

• Go to this web site and vote for POC - we are in the South Division
  
• Vote, then get your family members to vote - your spouse, each of your children - you need not be a land owner to vote
  
• Then put it out to all your friends on Facebook and MySpace - ask all of them vote
• Then send it to any e-mail list you have - have all those people vote

It is time to hear the roar of the POCBlog - men and women - let's get to work.  There is great power to create real change.  Not convinced?

Top Ten Reasons to vote POCBlog 

1. Help out the minority - almost all the other guys are Baptists
2. Stand with the POCBlog - we are a family here - a family that votes together, stays together
3. I know how to apply UFC fighting techniques
4. Owen Strachan once called this blog "punchy" - it is time to punch back
5. Support Reid's addictive book buying habits
6. Every vote for the POCBlog saves a kitten...and that kitten will get to go to heaven
7. Jesus loves you
8. Because Friends are friends forever if the Lord's the Lord of them
9. If that song makes you sick - go do something about it - vote Power of Change
10. My kids want me to win - they will cry if I loose - you don't want to make my kids cry - please vote on behalf of Kayla, Kylene and Thomas Reid

Here is the link - you know what to do (-vote-) 

This past Sunday my six year old Kayla and I were walking into our church.  Our church is a large church in a wealthy suburb of Nashville, Tn.  It is somewhat in the middle of the evangelical universe - Nashville and Dallas probably compete for the title "buckle of the Bible Belt."  We have been here for almost four years and my relationship to the community has been difficult but very good.  In my opinion this area needs prophets - nice ones though...so people might listen to them.  I realized a couple of years ago that I am not that guy; that God was calling us to different lands.  To be honest I didn't know that would mean New Jersey, but I am thankful for that assignment.  Anyway, back to six year old ecclesiology.

Ever since my kids were old enough to understand anything I have worked to teach them that the church, the New Testament ekklesia, is a people not a building where you go on Sunday.  I call our current church buildings - the buildings where our church meets, etc.  I really work hard on this because there are church buildings everywhere here.  For the most part I think Kayla (6) and Ky (4) are getting it.  Tommy of course is 20 months and doesn't have a clue yet - but he sports a mean head butt.   Anyway, this past Sunday I almost had a debate of sorts with my six year old about what the church actually is.  Too fun. 

This year we have talked quite a bit about the life we will soon be living in New Jersey "as the church," namely it will be in our living room.  No matter how much we talk about this, it will still likely be a very different experience than a big church with a multi-million dollar budget that is reflected in our surroundings here.  Maybe that was an understatement.  In our conversation this weekend I told Kayla that the church is called into existence by Jesus through the gospel, so a church gathering will be a Word-centered gathering that will include the Bible.  Second, I told her that the church visibly lives the gospel together in community "marked" by the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Table. The sign of baptism marks entry into the community when one repents and believes the gospel and that the Lord's Table is the sign of God's covenant faithfulness and our sustenance by Jesus over time.  In it we proclaim the gospel visibly, participate with Jesus, receive sustaining grace, remember his work for us on the cross, etc. So this means a church gathering is not only a Word-centered gathering it will also center on communion.  At this she disagreed...I was actually encouraged because I want my kids to think.

She basically said this: At church we hardly ever do communion so it cannot be central to the church's gathering.  She was concerned that Jacob's Well would participate in the Lord's Table every week in New Jersey as part of our life together in the gospel. This seemed strange to her. I reassured her that historically and biblically there was great precedent for the Table every week.  We see this in the first century church and of course historically, most Christians celebrate the Table weekly.

Justin Martyr's book Apology has a reflection on church gatherings from the 2nd century.  I wanted to tell her about that.  Here it is for those interested:

And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.

Justin Martyr The First Apology, chapter LXVII

Additionally, I wanted to tell her that the early pastoral manual of sorts known as the Didache, had this to say about our gatherings:

But every Lord's day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. But let no one who is at odds with his fellow come together with you, until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be profaned. For this is that which was spoken by the Lord: "In every place and time offer to me a pure sacrifice; for I am a great King, says the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the nations."

I thought of some of the reformed confessions of the church which say of gatherings and ordinances:

The reading of the Scriptures with godly fear; the sound preaching, and conscionable hearing of the Word, in obedience unto God with understanding, faith, and reverence; singing of psalms with grace in the heart; as, also, the due administration and worthy receiving of the sacraments instituted by Christ; are all parts of the ordinary religious worship of God. - Westminster Confession

Also they teach that one holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered. - Augsburg Confession

Baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution, appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver, to be continued in his church to the end of the world.  - London Baptist Confession

Yet I chose to simply listen to her thinking out loud about "the church" and it was beautiful.  I then told her that when the church observes the table it is doing more than having a memory or an object lesson - it is meeting with the risen Jesus who is spiritually present with us.  She thought that was a good thing to do every week...I agreed.  I am thankful to hear the buzz around our church to make communion "more central" - thankful indeed.  Yet I fear in many evangelical houses of worship that if you never came to the table it would not even be missed.  It has become such a small part of Christian worship and I think this is a great loss. 

My six year old reminded me of this - thank God for six year olds who see simply what we do (or don't do) in life as worship.

A smallish POC Bundle today... 

Reviews

• Tim Challies reviews John Eldridge's new book Walking with God - though I am more charismatic (continuationist) than Challies, I think this review makes some very important points.  
  
• I just started reading a book out of the UK called Total Church.  So far the thesis of the book is great.  Churches should be centered on the gospel word, gospel mission and the community.  The community is where life is lived and the fruit of the gospel is observed.  So far, so good.  It seems to want to avoid the ditch of Emergent by focusing on community and loosing the biblical gospel.  At the same time it seems to want to reject the hyper-individualism preached in some conservative churches. I'll try to review it some day here on the POCBlog. 
  

Theological Reflection

• Mars Hill Seattle has a cushy, seeker friendly Good Friday video which begins their message on atonement.  Who said the mega church has to water down the message of the cross...now I do know that this would offend the sensibilities of many church folks - but God on a tree - humiliated, brutalized, suffering shame, crucified and raised for sinners is our message.   Strong stuff.
  

Just for Fun

• If God made you a hairy person, wookie-like even, and you like technology...this little device may be for you.  Silk'n - the light based, hair removal system - FDA approved and coming to a hairy back near you.  
  

The ESV translation of the Scriptures is getting a big boost this fall with the release of the ESV Study Bible.  To be honest, this has been in the works for quite some time and it seems Crossway went the extra mile to do this right.  Justin Taylor, former theology director for Desiring God was brought in to Crossway to manage this project (among others). 

Anyone interested in this work will be happy to know that a new web site (sort of) has gone up in advance of the Bible's publication.  The site only devours e-mail addresses of those who want to be up to date on the news surrounding the release.  I entered mine this evening.  Looks like details will be coming in mid April.

Here is the link - http://www.esvstudybible.org/ 

(HT - Taylor) 

Apparently Richard, I am an atheist, I am smarter than you and wish I could be the theists worst nightmare, Dawkins slipped into a recent pre-screening of Ben Stein's documentary Expelled.  For those not familiar with the upcoming release here is a super trailer for the film.

The Discovery Institute Press release has all the details about Dawkins' crash of a screening in Minnesota.  Interestingly enough, it appears Dawkins might believe in design after all...only by aliens.  This thesis is actually becoming quite popular today. Really.

Here is the release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACT: ROBERT CROWTHER
DISCOVERY INSTITUTE
(206) 292-0401 X107
ROB@DISCOVERY.ORG

Richard Dawkins, World’s Most Famous Darwinist, Stoops to Gate-crashing Expelled
by Bruce Chapman, www.evolutionnews.org

Like many films im pre-release, Ben Stein’s Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is being selectively screened around the country to develop a buzz.

There is a growing fear by the producers that Darwinists may be trying get into the showings to make bootleg copies (for the Web?), possibly in hopes of damaging the commercial value. Others may be crashing because they want to trash it before it even gets reviewed by the media. P.Z. Myers, who was not let into a showing last night in Minnesota, probably falls in the latter category.

Amazingly, the best selling Oxford scientist/author Richard Dawkins also crashed a showing of Expelled in Minnesota last night and he not only was let in, but introduced at the end of the showing.

Dawkins apparently acknowledged that he had not been invited and did not have a ticket. A sophomoric side to his ideological is thus revealed.

Dawkins, understandably is nervous about this film, among other reasons because Ben Stein has him on camera acknowledging that life on Earth may, indeed, have been intelligently designed, but that it had to have been accomplished by space aliens! This is hilarious, of course, because Dawkins is death on intelligent design. But it turns out that that view applies only if it includes the possibility that the designer might be God.

Myers, of course, relished being expelled from Expelled, but objective observers know that Myers is the most vociferous advocate of expelling Darwin critics from academia. Not from movie pre-screenings where he wasn’t invited, mind you, but from their jobs. Too bad the film doesn’t show (and I wish it had), his promotion of advice to attack teachers and professors who dare question Darwin’s theory. The whole point of Myers is that he is a take-no-prisoners, crusading atheist scientist who has made it his purpose in life to harass people who disagree with him. Dawkins turns out to be his buddy and mutual admirer.

Frankly, I wish the producers would have a special pre-release screening for the Darwinists who are interviewed in the film — and invite some of the rest of us who have seen their depredations up close. We’d be glad to debate right there.

Among other things, I’d like to read some of the Darwinists’ statements and charges back to them and ask them to defend themselves. One of the most preposterous is that the well-funded’ Discovery Institute is funding this film! ( 1-They seem to have far more money available to them than we do, and 2-We are saving our pennies for the upcoming Broadway musical comedy, Darwin’s Folly.)

I have to say something else, personally. I have been sandbagged by one TV and documentary crew after another. So have Discovery-affiliated scientists. The interviewers all say they just want to understand the issue. Going in, they are quite clear about definitions, for example, and only start using Darwinist definitions of our positions when they report. They never provide questions in advance and even if they say they will stick to science questions and public policy, almost all sneak in questions about personal religious beliefs. Then, of all the footage, guess what gets on TV or in the documentary?

So it really is pathetic of Dawkins, et al to complain that when they were interviewed for Expelled they didn’t know that the film was inherently unfriendly. These are interviewees who received pre-agreed questions, signed release forms after the interviews were conducted, and actually got paid for their time.

I am getting more excited about Expelled myself and can’t wait to see the finished version. I suspect I’ll wish that the film was twice as long and had twice as much from Dawkins, P.Z. Myers, et al. From what I already have seen, they really expose themselves as the anti-intellectual, bullying poseurs they are — small men who above all are afraid of a fair contest.

###

A few interesting articles in this easter season.  First, my friend Tim Dees sent me an article on Slate.com which talks about the Episcopal Relief and Development agency's "new" stations of the cross exercise. For those of you who don't know the stations of the cross is a long traditional exercise found in catholic and some high Protestant traditions. It is used to remember the passion of Jesus Christ, particularly during holy week.  Now here's a new twist from the ever creative Episcopalians...just a short excerpt from the Slate piece.

This year in time for Lent, Episcopal Relief and Development, the relief agency of the Episcopal Church, began offering a variation on the Stations of the Cross called the Stations of the Millennium Development Goals. It features eight stations, one for each of the global priorities identified by the United Nations in 2000, from eradicating poverty to promoting gender equality. Where each of the 14 stations of the traditional Stations of the Cross represents an event leading up to Jesus' death—"Jesus is condemned to death" and "Jesus falls the first time," for example—the alternative version, promoted by Episcopal Relief and Development, shifts the focus to righting global problems. At Station 8, "Create a Global Partnership for Development," participants are reminded that a "fair trading system, increased international aid, and debt relief for developing countries will help us realize" the U.N. goals. An optional activity at Station 7, "Ensure Environmental Sustainability," asks that "pilgrims calculate their carbon footprint and come up with three strategies to reduce it."

Interestingly enough even Slate understands why this is just goofy and trivializes the sacred:

The value of liturgy lies in its ability to unite people around powerful ritual moments. But the Stations of the Millennium Development Goals appropriate the form of the old-school Stations of the Cross service without retaining the sense of sacred mystery that makes it so powerful. That's no sin—but it is a bit of a shame.

I just think it is possible to worship the God-man Jesus Christ and care about global development too.  Maybe its just me. It seems some denominations cleverly invent new paths to loosing one's way.  You can read the whole thing here.

This time of year the easter eggs, bunnies, chocolate and fake green grass fly around in a consumeristic frenzy making all the little kids happy.  I remember how much I loved getting an Easter basket this time of year.  This year I have wrestled quite a bit on the season and how easy it can be lost to each of us.  Let's make it clear - there is no commandment in Scripture to have a celebration/feast called Easter. The observance does however have a long history and such celebrations hinge upon what it is we are celebrating.  At Easter the church celebrates something extremely important, in fact the central kernel of the gospel.  Easter is the celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to bring sinful human beings back into relationship with God.

Every year people come out with opinions, articles and documentaries about the life and death of Jesus.  The usual experts are paraded around on both sides to say that Jesus was or was not this or that.  Yet the central tenet and claim of Christian faith is remembered annually at this time - God became a human being and died himself for rebellious human beings.  The question for me - is this lost to the church at Easter in our day?  

This year I have struggled a bit in soul with a sort of goofy reality.  This year Easter came early in the church calendar which also meant it coincides with another religious activity found on the American cultural landscape - March Madness.  Now you may think - Reid, basketball does not compare to Jesus.  Not so fast friend.  My guess is that Good Friday and Easter will not cause a blink away from the massage celebration of the round ball in America.  In fact I have struggled with what to do with the NCAA Tournament because I am a huge fan.  I am a sports guy, love the tourney, but feel awkward about Easter and talk of Sweet 16s in the same breath.  Maybe because I sense that I am actually a worshipper of both God and basketball games.  Thank God for Easter – as it demonstrates God’s grace to me as an idolater.   

My fear is that in our culture of show without substance we might miss, and our neighbors will certainly miss the incredible, radical implications and claims of the gospel.  Many will do their hat tip duty of church attendance for family this year at Easter - yet what will they hear in the churches?  My hope is that sin, death, the cross and the resurrection might be on full display.  My hope is that people will be corned by good news and choose to turn to God for his forgiveness...or they will have to wrestle with the gospel in its biblical form - not the "here are three things to make you happy this Easter" drool that some churches will peddle. 

May Christ dwell in each of your hearts richly through faith this Good Friday.  May his love and wrath, mercy and justice, grace and severity be real to each of you in these days.  And please don't shame yourself for watching basketball games with friends.  I will be cheering for the UNC Tarheels in the tourney and have a few brackets I will check.  Yet do examine your hearts if you are feeling that Good Friday and Easter celebrations are "in the way of your getting back to the games" - such would be a huge adventure in missing the point.  My hope and prayer for this weekend is that my life, love and worship will be found in Christ alone...even amongst Easter eggs and Easter hoops.

At risk of jumping for joy, the two things I like to write about most, technology and theology have strangely converged at Google.  Now I don't want to risk being labeled a Tim Keller groupie or fanboy by over posting Keller videos here at the POCBlog...so I'll let someone else do that work for me.  Everyone knows that Steve McCoy is a Keller fanboy so he has linked to Dr. Keller's recent lecture at Google. Here is his link at the Reformissionary.

Google has some cool intellectual culture where they bring in authors, host discussions for employees etc. (as a parenthetical, if you have not watch Merlin Mann's inbox zero e-mail presentation you need to for your e-mail sanity).  On March 5th they hosted Keller for a discussion of the ideas in his new book The Reason for God.  Very good - similar to the Berkeley deal, but in my opinion much better - but at Google as well - which in my mind, is much cooler. 

OK, I'll go ahead a risk fanboyism and embed it here too.

Today there was a surprise announcement from the Temple of Mac in Cupertino.  High Priest Steve Jobs has done something unprecedented - he has allocated some of his priestly duties to another.  Upon hearing of the recent dedication of one MacIdolator Jobs himself investigated this paragon of devotion.  Upon obtaining precise details of the supereragatory act, Jobs announced that Charlie Rose would be named Associate High Priest of the Church of Appletology.  MacIdolators have been rejoicing with light beer and spontaneous iPhone calling and texting.  They were, however, unable to text the photos of Rose to one another due to technical limitations.  Job's announcement was brief but to the point:

If anyone would give up their face for the new AIR, and he makes a living being on TV where people look at his face, this sort of dedication has not been seen before in the annals of Mac history.  Rose's sacramentalism, to receive bodily pain in order to continue to receive grace from his AIR has touched all of us in the Mac economy worldwide.  We do hope and pray that his influence would be deep and wide in our community.

Rose refused to comment.  Insiders said that he always knew he was called to be a prophet and that his AIR save was out of calling, not self promotion.  Unrevealed sources say the only real statement obtained from Rose has been: Don't make me a hero, it was just the right thing to do. Full news of Rose's amazing, self-denying act may be found here.

(HT on the Rose story - Tim Dees) 

In case you missed the wonderful dicussions yesterday concerning St. Patrick's day, one more bit of information has come to my attention.  It seems St. Patty's day is something that all white people like. This wonderful piece of satire begins like this:

Normally if someone were to wake up at 7:00 in the morning, take the day off work, and get drunk at a bar before 10:00 a.m., they would be called an alcoholic, and not in the artistic, edgy way that white people are so fond of.

On March 17th, however, this exact same activity is called celebrating St. Patrick’s day. This very special white holiday recognizes Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who helped to bring Catholicism to the Emerald Isle. His ascetic life is celebrated every year by white people drinking large amounts of Irish-themed alcohol and listening to the Dropkick Murphys.

Read the rest here. BTW, my ancestors were Irish folk who came to America due to harsh realities in the motherland - so don't hate...just laugh.  And if you are not Baptist tip a Guinness (just one though sinner) for me.

There are many who do not know who St. Patrick is or what he accomplished in the 5th century.  In fact, my daughter's public school is doing rainbows, leprechauns and pots of gold...but without a clue about St. Patrick - whose day we celebrate.  In order to introduce the patron saint of Ireland to you I would highly suggest the critically acclaimed work of Thomas Cahill.  Cahill has written several works about the various streams of historical influence on western culture.  His work How the Irish Saved Civilization tells Patrick's story as well as the converted Celts who carried on western literary learning while the continent went through a tumultous time after the sacking of the Roman Empire.  Great book - if you are Irish and don't know your history...get this book.  Cahill's works are all available in audio book format through iTunes and audible.com.  I am going to grab his Mysteries of the Middle Ages here today.

Finally, Mark Driscoll's short essay on St. Patrick is a quick and introductory read with some sources linked at the bottom.  Of course there is our beloved, though sometimes erroneous friend, wikipedia as well - enjoy the St. Patrick wiki.

The books premise is up front and repeated throughout the book.  Calvin's pulpit ministry founded a free and just society in Geneva fulfilling the ancients longings for the Polis, or the CITY. I would say that it is a quite a fan boy volume in favor of John Calvinism.  I didn't realize the exclamation point could be used so enthusiastically after the word "Calvinism" after reading the book.  The strong points are the focus on the positive social transformation of Geneva and its reputation throughout Europe at the time of Calvin.  So many people live with a caricature of Calvin as an oppressive religious despot who was simply out to get free thinkers like Servetus.  This book gives a very positive view of Calvin which can serve as a corrective to this caricature.  Though its fan-boy tone may show too much bias. The book also shows that Calvin's preaching was after creating a just city in the time between the advents of Jesus - establishing a state through the work of transformational Bible preaching.  It is helpful for those who teach Christian faith is just about "souls getting saved for heaven." 

A huge weakness is the book's very clear rejection of the separation of church and state - something I find scary about some reformed people.  I personally think such a separation should always remain, though some people like this author seem to like the historical link between church and magistrate.  Overall, I liked the book but just not much as the author likes Calvinism!!! I appreciate Calvin's commentaries on Scripture, parts of his theological legacy and his social influence on the move towards European democracies.  In many ways Geneva influenced both France and Great Britain towards liberty and capital based economies, a fact lost on many secular revisionist histories.  I think the book is worth the read for those who desire to see pulpits have the depth and strength to bring real, social, just holistic change in society.  For those who are theocratic nut jobs already...I fear they would find too much fuel for their fire in this book.

Pop Culture

• There is a fascinating site/java application which consistently scourers the blogosphere for people talking about the way they "feel."  Apparently it looks for the word "feel" and pulls that data.  It then uses a cool Java applet to aggregate the data with some fun visualizations.  I watched the "murmers" screen as it scrolled down how people feel in our world - made me pray for people.  Very cool - here is the link - http://wefeelfine.org - The creator of the site gave a speech about it at TEDS which can be viewed here at the TED conference site.

On Science

• There are two interesting posts up over at Uncommon Descent.  The first is a quote by Thomas Jefferson...though no fan of "Jesus, Jesus, we love Jesus" stuff he was certainly a proponent of design in the universe.  Great quote found here. 
  
• Second, did you know you are 70% acorn...or visa versa...and you thought you were mostly chimpanzee.
  

Tim Keller's new book is going to be at #7 on the NYT Best Sellers list this week. Expect a review around here some time soon (in POCBlog time that means - I hope to do that soon and have no idea when that will be).

Also he recently lectured at UC Berkeley with the Veritas Forum on issues related into "belief and skepticism" - you can watch it below from YouTube. Keller is a rock star who isn't one.

I fight authority, authority always wins – John Cougar Mellencamp – circa 1984

The subject of authority is a bit of a sensitive one in our culture today.  At the dusk of Western Civilization we have brought our individualism and autonomy to its logical conclusion.  We have a profound disrespect and disdain for authority.  Yet rightful, God ordained authority is a good gift and necessary for our lives.  No person is an island, no person need to operate without being under a good authority for their lives.  Yet authority is often abused where human beings go on trips of power over one another.  Indeed, Jesus once said it this way: 

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Matthew 20:25-28 ESV

So there is a lording over and a servant sort of authority with the latter being both commanded by Jesus and more pleasant to live under.  Nobody likes to work for a boss who is a jerk, a little Napoleon with an King Kong sized ego.  Yet simply because some authority is abusive does not mean that all authority is bad.  In fact, Scripture shows us that good and just authority is the outflow of the plan of God. 

There are many layers of authority surrounding each person all the time.  Parents are responsible authorities in the lives of their children; the worldview of MTV notwithstanding.  Governments have a God ordained authority in the lives of their citizens; the worldview of the anarchist notwithstanding.  Pastors have a responsible authority for those in their care and men have a responsibility for their families.  The latter will cause squirming in both irresponsible, passive men and the women who despise them.   Yet how do all these spheres interact.  What follows will only be a brief attempt to theologically state my theological perspective on authority for follows of Jesus.  I will proceed according to certain assumptions so I will briefly lay those out so it will be easier to track with me. 

First, I believe that God is the highest authority for all creation and every human being…whether we believe in God or not.  His authority is then vested at various levels through various institutions – the home, the church, the state.  Second, I believe that the church and state have different realms of responsibility given by God so I support the separation of church and state and oppose theonomy.  Third, I believe the Holy Scriptures are true and binding over all humanity but they are NOT the instrument and code of civil government so I also oppose theocracy.  Fourth, I believe in human conscience in relation to parenting and believe that Moms and Dads to be the primary authority in raising kids; children are not wards of the Republic.   Finally, I believe the church and the individual Christian are bound to conditionally obey all governments under which they are living.  In other woods, unless the government is ordering/compelling one to sin, the government should be obeyed.

Authority from the ground up

Children and Parents

The Scripture in several places declares an order to the human family in that children are to obey their parents and parents are to love, instruct, teach and discipline their kids.   In the 10 commandments we find that God tells us to “honor your mother and father” (See Exodus 20).  Additionally, this is restated in the New Testament in Ephesians 6:1-2 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Furthermore the same passage encourages fathers to “not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”  This of course echoes the call of Deuteronomy 6 for parents to teach their children to know and follow God.  When this responsible authority is abdicated in the home children grow up lonely, insecure and many times turn to alternative “families” such as gangs or other groups to find identity.  Additionally, when parents do not both love and discipline children, the kids do not develop respect for authority.  As a result kids can be either pressed towards rebellion or live in complete unruliness.  Spending time in fatherless communities or watching one episode of Super Nanny will suffice as examples.   This unit of the home is then under the care and authority of local churches and its leadership.

The Authority of Pastors

Pastors were once held in high regard in our culture but times have changed.  First, there is a lack of trust in church leaders who through repeated moral failure or financial scandals have repudiated a respected and holy office.  Additionally, today’s church shopping consumer mindset in matters of religion makes the pastor out to be a producer of religious goods and services.  If someone does not like the product – be it preaching or instruction, many will just move on to another house of worship or a new religion to suit their purposes.  If a pastor tells someone he is acting like an idiot by running around on his wife and to knock it off, the man can simply move on to a man who will not challenge his sinful behavior.  Yet it is clear in Scripture that God places his people in churches for their good by giving them spiritual authority. 

Hebrews 13 teaches us this in two ways.  First, the pastor/elder is to set a good example:  Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith (Hebrews 13:7).  Second, we are to obey our leaders and submit to their care:  Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you (Hebrews 13:17).  

It is to be said that churches should give much care in calling their pastors.  Scripture insists that such men be wise, responsible, godly, qualified men (See Titus 1, 1 Timothy 3).  Pastors and other Christians in the church should walk together in community so that families are cared for and that parents are instructed and helped lead their homes.   Finally, there is a lost calling not practiced by many cowardly clergy and passive Christians which must also be a part of life together—that of discipline.  Frankly put we should call each other to high standards of integrity, our marriage vows, loving our kids and doing what is right in our communities.  If someone sees me screwing up I really want to be called to account; this is good and should not be neglected in the churches.

The Authority of Government

Followers of Christ and their families are shepherded in the church by qualified pastors or elders.  Churches also exist in a broader culture under various forms of governing authorities.  Let us be clear that Scripture is not silent on the believer’s relationship to government.  We are to pray for our leaders and submit to their government.   Two passages of Scripture are quite relevant, 1 Timothy 2 and Romans 13 – we’ll quote them at length:

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.  1 Timothy 2:1-3

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Romans 13:1-7

The clear teaching of Scripture is the government is given by God to enact and enforce good conduct in a society.  Wrong doing should be punished and the government has been given the sword to hold evil doing at bay.  This means that Christians in all manner of governments are called to be good citizens.  Now, a huge rejoinder must be made.  It is also clear that government should not be obeyed when it commands and compels its citizens to do evil and disobey God.   There are many examples of this.  The Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1 and the apostle’s civil disobedience when commanded not to share the gospel in Acts 4 are the most often cited.  When a government is compelling evil, the believer has a duty to do what is right and refuse the unjust law.  A modern example would be a doctor refusing to obey a government which might compel him to perform abortions.  It is my opinion that non violent civil disobedience is the path in such cases and that taking up arms against a government is not advisable unless in self-defense.  I will leave that complicated discussion for other days.

Separation of Church and State

Both church and state have been called by God to govern and have authority in the lives of Christians.  The church is a body of believers called out by God together as a covenant people by the gospel.  As such the highest authority in our lives is the Word of God, the Scriptures.  Yet each church is in a realm of state authority as well so the lines of separation must be discussed.  Historically, the Roman Catholic Church and the magisterial reformers (Luther, Zwingli and Calvin) held to a unification of church/state.  The state was legitimized by God and the church endorsed this legitimacy.  Additionally, the state enforced and permitted the establishment of religious authority and unity in a realm. This view had long standing back into Greek and Roman times.  A state and its gods were one.  However, this was questioned by many reformers and evaluated in light of Scripture.  Did not Jesus teach that the rule of Caesar was different than the rule of God?  Does not a marriage between worldly power and the church have a corrupting influence on both?  Such questions in Western culture led the founders of the American experiment to articulate clearly the relationship between church and state.  It is found in the well known establishment and free exercise clauses of the first amendment of the US Constitution.  Here is how it reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.  

The meaning of this statement is quite clear but the implementation has always been a bit fuzzy.  What it means is that there will be no official state religion or church in our country.  Additionally, the government will not prohibit law abiding citizens from freely practices their religion.  It does not make a religion free zone in any portion of society nor does it create a religion of which all citizens must participate.  It means we have freedom of religion – a gracious gift to the people of America.   If this is the case and I take this to be a just solution, how are the authorities of church and state established.

The Authority of State – Natural Law

Many thinkers in history, particularly Aristotle, Aquinas and John Locke have taught that there is a law built into human experience which dictates to conscience basic categories of a just society.  I do not time here but I discussed various types of law briefly here (Christianity and Nation States...Law and a Just Society).  Natural law would be defined in the Christian tradition as follows:

Natural law is the law “written on the heart” (Rom 2:13) – the conscience by which people know Good and Evil – right from wrong. Sin mars this faculty in man, but it remains none the less. These are things that people “Can’t Not Know” – i.e. that Murder is wrong, it flows from the moral nature of God and presses upon people. People suppress this and hold it down in wickedness, many becoming callous as to be seared against God’s witness in conscience. See Romans 1,2. This is shared by both regenerate and unregenerate – though our Reformed brothers (and I am very reformed) some times do not like saying that non-Christians know right and wrong. Thomists think Natural law is evident to right reason, reformed scholars say that the noetic effects of sin blur, mar, even destroy this capacity in people. Though some make room for “common grace insights” i.e. that murder is wrong.  Some recent works on Natural law would be found in the writings of Princeton scholar Robert George and J. Budzizewski of the Unviersity of Texas at Austin. 

The state then governs in accord to the law written on the heart expressed in basic morality found in all cultures.  The so called “second tablet” of the Ten Commandments is reflective of such basic moral foundations.  The natural law is an expression of God’s authority on all peoples and we disobey this moral law to our own peril and distruction.

The Authority of Church – The Word of God

Christians however are called to a higher authority than even the state, the authority of the Word of God.  Scripture is the Supreme Court in all matters of life and teaching for Christian believers.  It is to be obeyed and headed out of love for Jesus Christ who is revealed in this Word.  It reveals the laws of God which demonstrate to us our sinfulness and need of grace.  It reveals the gospel by which we are saved and restored to right relationship with God.  It reveals the mission of the church in the world as the inbreaking of the ultimate rule and reign of God in the Kingdom of Heaven.  It reveals that we are citizens of two realms…the Kingdoms of earth and the Kingdom of God.  Scripture instructs us as to when civil disobedience is warranted while simultaneously calling us to submit to just and reasonable laws.

In this age church and state are separate spheres of authority with Scripture guiding the church.  When Jesus returns he will set up a perfect divine monarchy with himself as King of Kings.  Aristotle once wrote that the best government would be by a perfect and virtuous ruler.  Yet none of this metal is to be found among the sinful throng of humanity.  In the current state of affairs it has been said that democracy is the best of all bad forms of government.   Yet a day will come when authority will be always good, kind and just.

Conclusion

During our days in this age of history we are called to love rightful authority and submit joyfully to it as a gift from God.  We are also called to stand against injustice in its various forms.  Parents should embrace responsibility and children should submit to their parents.  Fathers should be responsible for their homes and families, pastors should willfully and humbly shepherd the church and all citizens should obey the laws of their lands.  None of this will happen in perfection so love must cover a multitude of sins.   The ultimate high treason against authority is humanity’s rebellion against God.  In this case the highest of rulers came to earth as a lowly servant.  This servant died to save rogue rebels from the justice they deserve.  All of history will one day be wrapped up when that same servant will come back again with full authority to judge the living and the dead.  We may bow our knees today in light of his love and grace or face the fury of the wrath to come by persisting in our rebellion.   When we realize that we can entrust ourselves to a fully loving, fully good, fully justice God – we realize that this is an easy choice to make.  May he reveal this to you by his Spirit and may we find repentance and faith.

I am going to start running a somewhat regular feature here on the POCBlog which has arisen out of my recent return to the gym. Recently I have been riding the exercise bike and reading Time Magazine.  It has been good to ride hard and read what the good editors of one of America's news weeklies has to say about life and their interpretation of the news.  Interestingly enough I find the worldview expressed in Time to be highly naturalistic and reductionist even with their hat tip stories and a few interviews on religious matters. 

So, due to my bike time thinking about Time I am going to start ot interact with some of their features on Tuesdays.  Tuesdays in Time I will call it...I hope it will be a good exercise in thinking about subjects of interest being treated in the marketplace ideas.  So far I know there will be something coming on the chemistry of love, scientists "creating" life and curing addicts through giving them drugs.  Other than that, time will tell what I meet upon the exercise bike in the coming days.  Should be a fun time.

I may engage a monthly in the Monthly as I enjoy reading in the Atlantic Monthly - but for some reason this month's cover is about Brittany Spears...which is makes it feel like a tabloid for some reason.  I am guessing it will have some good social commentary about the rise and troubles of everyone's favorite Mousekateer, Mom and dance club Maverick.

Some fun links flying around in today's POC Bundle

Bible Translations

• A new format for the ESV. Also, I hear the official ESV Study Bible is slated for the fall...I know many have been waiting for that one.

Technology

• Looks like someone is creating the Matrix...well, at least for a pendulum.  Researchers are creating a virtual pendulum that mimics the properties of a real world counterpart.   See the link here. Very cool - you might just get to be Neo after all...then again, probably not.  Although the artificial intelligence posse wants you to believe that a human being is just software running on a brain...I think there is a fundamental flaw in this thinking.  Even so, for a programmer to keep the "state" of a human being in code so that it can be mimicked seems to be infinitely complex. There are optimists and pessiments of course.
  
• Some researchers are saying that we are afraid of being disconnected from technology and our interactions...interesting pdf.
  

The Church

• Lots of audio/video up now from the recent Text and Context conference put on by the Resurgence.  I have heard "best conference ever" many times so I will likely try and pick a few of these to listen. Here is the link to the stuff.
• Praying about going to this Band of Bloggers thing.  I like some young guys I met through blogs - but not sure I have the time...Should I go?
  

This weekend I was back in North Carolina to spend some times with my friends at Vintage21.  Vintage is a church in downtown Raleigh which is a church of seekers, followers and doubters who are learning to follow and worship Christ.  You can read more about their vision here.  Two of their pastors did my assessment interview with the Acts 29 network - they looked me over and examined my life and doctrine pretty thoroughly.  The good thing was that they still liked me after that. 

Anyway, I jumped in from the bull pen to preach for them this weekend while their lead pastor Tyler Jones was on vacation.  I preached from 1 Corinthians 11, stopping right before the passage about head coverings.  Actually, I just had 1 Corinthians 11:1 - you can listen to that here if you like and also read some questions for reflection. 

I really enjoyed being with the Vintage community - their vision is to proclaim and live vintage Christian faith - the teaching of Scripture, the gospel of Jesus. loving God and our neighbors...into our 21st century context.  Some of you may have heard of Vintage because of their Jesus videos.  If you have not seen those they are some pretty good comedy poking a little fun at religion.  The Jesus videos live here and even have their own MySpace page.

Many thanks to Nate, Matt and Tyler for their invitation and hospitality.  Godspeed to your work in the triangle - for the glory of God and the good of your city... 

Shocking, ground breaking new research announced in the New York Times.  Read the shocking news here - Maternal Instinct Is Wired Into the Brain. 

Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas - Launch - Starting a New Church from Scratch (Ventura: Regal Books, 2006)

Wandering into the world of contemporary church planting (or starting new churches) is a bit of an interesting journey.  First, one quickly finds that there are many, many camps all with their own gurus, books, handbooks, notebooks, conferences and web sites.  Second, even those whose theological vision is similar can be methodologically worlds apart.  Or to say it simply - they all disagree with one another on how the job should be done.  There are missional churches who focus attention on the world "out there."  There are attractional churches (purpose driven and seeker types) that focus on doing church with contemporary excellence so as to get the people in "in here."  There are organic house church types that recommend the church never leave the living room.  There are irresistible churches, creative churches, visioneering churches, simple churches, glocal churches and several types of churches from Mars Hill (different ways to see Acts 17).  As a guy who is moving soon to plant churches, too much reading dizzies the soul.  To be honest I am about to punt all the books in favor of the Bible.  Well, maybe not but I realize that for me Scripture is a starting point.  In my reading I did just finish a book entitled "Launch - Starting a New Church from Scratch" by two guys who are planting in the early 21^st century in New York City.  It was a quick and fun read that had me saying amen, scratching my head, and cursing a few times - I repented of that. 

I would say the book is written by guys that are firmly in the purpose driven, excellence/creative, church service centric camp...and probably some of the best in that flavor of church starting.  So I knew I would learn some good things from the read.  I was not disappointed...well, then again I was really disappointed.  Let's just get to the review.

Strengths

The strength of this book is not hard to find.  It is a great book for those wanting a clear strategy for starting a church service.  I say starting a service because the focus of the book is "launching" Sunday services and a large one at that.  The premise is that a church planter should move to a city with one focus - launch quickly and launch large.  If that is one's goal - this book will tell you how to do it.  The back cover even says "No Money? No Members? No Staff? No Problem!" - the book is brimming with confident know how and a can do attitude.  If you are not sure if the launch large paradigm is your focus you might be a bit frustrated because the book is focused on the steps to launch the church service. 

One of the things that I found very helpful in the volume is was the practical advice given along some very specific lines.  It does a good, though brief, job at coaching a church planter in raising funding for the new church.  It does an excellent job in talking about strategy formulation and strategic planning.  If you are a guy who doesn't know what a yearly calendar is, or how to form and articulate what you are doing, or how to get from point A to B without wandering for a few years in the dessert this book will help you.  The missional guys won't like the Sunday service-centrism of this book, but they might benefit from chapters 3 and 4 on funding and strategy even if they have a different model in mind.

The volume also has some good insight for growing churches which need to plan ahead for the future.  If people are meeting Jesus in your church and more of this starts to happen; chapters 9 and 10 helps inspire proactive thinking for getting ready if God should bring increase to the church.  This chapter helps ask good "what if" questions about facilities (again, house church guys squirm now), growing as a leader.  Page 209 actually hints at what these guys actually do to sharpen their own lives and keep growing as believing men.  Their suggestion to read deeply from Theology, Philosophy and Church History was refreshing and had an intriguingly intellectual feel to it - which the book itself seemed to lack. 

There were other things here to like as well.  Their view of servant leadership and calling the church to reach out to others in acts of kindness were refreshing to read.  Their approach to staffing and volunteer issues were also immensely practical. 

Overall the help I found in the book was thinking through practical issues - in fact, I often found myself launching out of the book to think about our own planting efforts.  For this I thank God and made the read more profitable. However, I found some frustration with the book as well, perhaps because I am thinking through mission/planting in a different way.

Weaknesses

I think my main struggles with the book were due to its hyper-pragmatism.  I think things should be pragmatic and practical in life, especially in church planting, but I prefer a bit more theological vision along with my pragmatic steps.  This showed up in many places for me.

First, there are Scriptures at the end of the chapters which reflect the idea being communicated.  However, at least two times, these verses were grossly out of context.  A couple of examples will illustrate.  The chapter on fundraising ends with a quote of Romans 8:17 which reads in the English Standard Version:

And if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

But they quoted a portion of it, and from a translation which I have been unable to find (I think it is first of edition of the New Living) which made it read:

Since we are his children, we share his treasures-for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too.

So the suffering clause was dropped and a translation that had the word treasures slotted in.  It is odd that this passage is used about fundraising as this is not Paul's message in Romans 8.  Second, the chapter was fine without slapping the Bible verse on it.   Another example was after chapter 7.  The chapter spoke about the importance of a big, successful "Launch" for giving the church a proper foundation.  OK, this is the books premise - fair enough.  Yet in order to illustrate the importance of this a verse was used to talk about "foundations" - Luke 6:48 was selected:

It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built.

Is this part of Jesus' teaching about the foundations of launches or even foundations of churches?  I'm not so sure. It seems to be about building one's life upon the hearing and obeying his teaching. Anyway, I didn't see the point of using the Bible in this way and found it troubling. 

Second, there is little ecclesiology