POC Blog

The random technotheolosophical blogging of Reid S. Monaghan

Ministry without Theology?

Melinda Penner over at Stand to Reason has a great little post about the importance of Theology for Christian ministers. See The Study of God We live in a profoundly shallow time for evangelical faith, but their are signs that this is changing. May we pray that love of God with affections and intellect, emotion and contemplation, may rise again to lofty heights in our day. Psalm 139, after a brief meditation on the knowledge of God, the psalmist writes - "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it." High knowledge, too lofty for us - most of the time we never have a thought that seems too wonderful, too mind blowing, that it humbles us to worship. The study of God will never exhaust its task, for the depths of the riches of God are deep, and beyond that is the glorious unknown...plumbing the depths of what is revealed about God makes the soul soar, weep, worship. To know God, to be known by him, such is too wonderful - to love him, to think of him, to praise him as he is and not as we speculate him to be...such is the task of Theology... Thanks Melinda; for reminding minsters of our task Out
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Personal and Pastoral Thoughts on the Kingdom of Heaven

A believer in Christ cannot study the Kingdom presented in Matthew’s gospel and not be personally affected by its message. What I offer next are just a few personal and pastoral applications to life and ministry. Some Personal Thoughts Perhaps the greatest personal appliacation I have found in studying the KOH is in the character of the kingdom’s subjects. We see in Acts and the epistles of Paul a bold Christian witness, fearlessly proclaiming the truth of the gospel to an antagonistic world. In Matthew we see humility, purity, forgiveness, hunger for righteousness, and mercy as the characteristics of the believer. This humble, beatitude lifestyle must be combined with a bold uncompromising witness for Christ and held in constant tension in order for one to be an effective kingdom servant in the 21st century. In secularized public life of today’s America, believers must learn to be intentionally shrewd in their proclamation of the gospel without cowering away from speaking the truth in love. As we speak this truth, our lives will continue to speak volumes to the world around us. The beatitude lifestyle of a subject of the KOH will do nothing but further the validity of the truth that lives within us. I also found great significance in looking at the character of King Jesus. So often, I thank God that he is so completely other, completely different than us in his holiness. I was personally moved to see how King Jesus is completely sovereign in the affairs of life, yet remains gentle and humble at heart. He truly is the only genuine source of rest from our burdens in a weary world. The resurrected living Christ who is meek yet reigns as King…this is the Jesus that we worship as our Lord and God. Pastoral Thoughts (I know, that sounds so...Pastoral) The two pastoral applications found in Matthew’s presentation of the KOH parallel each other and follow directly from the now/not yet reality of the kingdom in time. First as we deal with the struggles and hardship of this life we always have the future hope of what God will do when he finalizes history at the coming of the KOH in its fullness. The reality that our ultimate home is in a kingdom where we shall be liberated from the sin, death, pain, suffering, sorrow and decay of this world brings great hope to the soul in darks times. Secondly, the fact that the kingdom has come now, although not in its fullness, can uplift the soul dealing with feelings of depression and insignificance. When one realizes that they are children of the king, deeply loved and valuable, the perspective on the everyday struggle of life can change. When it is realized that the King has promises for us now, work for us to accomplish, and his power to get the job done, purposeful and meaningful living follows. Unfortunately many of the kingdom’s subjects remain ignorant of their royal heritage and the glorious mission Jesus has for them (Matthew 28:18-20). Perhaps the we as the subjects of the KOH will find that we will move from fear, to faith, to courageous living as we learn more of the plans and purposes of the King. To that end...
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The Kingdom of Heaven in Time – A Trans-temporal Kingdom

The KOH Coming in the Time of Christ The KOH is a kingdom that spans time and links all of history together within the redemptive plan of God. The KOH in Matthew’s gospel is presented as having come, but yet still coming in the future but in a different form. The evidence for the inauguration of the kingdom at the time of Christ begins with the proclamation of John the Baptist that “The kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2) and with Jesus himself making the same claim after his temptation in the wilderness to begin his public ministry (Matthew 4:17). Jesus also gives strong evidence that his kingdom had indeed come with him to the earth when he sent out the twelve disciples to preach the message “the kingdom of heaven is near” accompanied by a supernatural ministry which validated this claim (Matthew 10:7,8). Jesus himself directly claims that his kingdom had come when he told the Pharisees that he drives out demons by the Spirit of God giving evidence that “the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Matthew 12:28) Finally, in Matthew 16:28, Jesus tells his disciples plainly that they would “not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” This statement is followed by the supernatural experience where Jesus is transfigured and appears with Moses and Elijah before Peter, James and John. Many evangelical scholars feel that during this transfiguration event, the disciples received a foretaste of the coming kingdom in its future form, when it is to come in full power, honor, and glory.[i] The KOH Future Even though it is clear that Jesus inaugurated the KOH in his first coming, it is equally clear that there are still some elements of his kingdom yet to be fully realized. This is articulated by Jesus when he speaks to his followers about the faith of the Roman centurion in Matthew 8:8-12. After the centurion’s expression of trust in Jesus’ power and authority to heal his servant, Jesus makes a statement about people coming from all over the world to “take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” Clearly this is a reference to a future time in the kingdom where the living and the dead will rejoice together. The apocalyptic teachings of Jesus in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24,25) also point strongly to a future time when the kingdom will be consummated with God’s final judgment. The parables in Matthew 25, which begin “At that time the KOH will be like”, give further evidence of this future aspect of the kingdom. The Kingdom’s Trans-temporal Nature Perhaps the most striking evidence of the now and future aspect of the KOH is found in Jesus’ parables about the kingdom in Matthew 13. The parable of the weeds (or tares) vividly teaches of a present kingdom age where the sowing of the word of God takes place in an imperfect world. This same parable also points to a future judgment where at the end of this age the wicked (the weeds, sons of the evil one) will be condemned and the Son’s of the kingdom (the wheat) will come into the KOH (God’s barn is used as a metaphor for the kingdom in this case). The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast then tell of present kingdom activity of growth which will take place before the judgment, while the parables of the treasure and the pearl tell of those coming into the kingdom during this time period. Finally, the parable of the dragnet again illustrates a coming judgment and eradication of evil from God’s eternal kingdom at a future time. Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart in their book How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth illustrate the kingdom’s span over time will the following diagram:[ii]


This idea of the KOH spanning time past, present, and future comes to us forthrightly in the most holy of ordinances left to the church by the King himself. In the apostle Paul’s description of the Lord’s Supper we find these striking words:
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (emphasis mine)[iii]
In this statement we see the trans-temporal nature of Christ’s kingdom exhibited in this in this most sacred observance of the church. Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup (in the present), you proclaim the Lord’s death (in the past) until he comes again (in the future). In this ordinance kingdom subjects reflect on the nature of the kingdom living in their midst, inaugurated in the past, and coming in fullness and power at some time in the future.

Up Next - Some Personal and Pastoral Thoughts on the Kingdom of Heaven [i]Ibid. “Matthew 17:1-8” [ii] Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth- A Guide to Understanding the Bible, 2nd ed., (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1993) p. 133 [iii]Holy Bible, The New International Version, “1 Corinthians 11:23-26” (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
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The Real Kingdom of Heaven

With much talk about the Kingdom of Heaven in the world of movies, I thought it might be helpful to mention a bit about the Kingdom of Heaven in the view of Jesus of Narareth. What was "The Kingdom" to Jesus? The phrase ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ is used thirty-one times in the gospel of Matthew and zero times in the other gospels. The phrase ‘Kingdom of God’ (KOG from here forward) is used only five times in Matthew, but is found forty-seven times in the Mark, Luke, and John (NASB). This surfaces some questions for consideration:
Are we to think Matthew’s gospel means something different when he spoke of the KOH? Or did he mean the same thing that Mark, Luke, and John meant using the phrase KOG?
A Central Passage Matthew 19:16-26
23And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."[i]
Jesus use of both the KOH and the KOG in this passage reinforces the idea that Jesus himself spoke of these two concepts synonymously in the immediate context of his discussion with the young man. These two kingdoms are one and the same; the kingdom which the ‘rich man’ man will have difficulty entering. But what is this Kingdom of Heaven...a nation state, an ethereal concept of the imagination, a real realm of rulership? A Kingdom is defined as follows:
“A politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or queen and a realm or region in which something is dominant, an area or sphere in which one holds a preeminent position.”[i]
The king of the KOH of heaven is none other than Jesus himself. Matthew first introduces Jesus to his readers with a strong genealogy linking him directly to David, the covenant king of Israel. This imagery introduces Jesus to the reader right away as the coming covenant king who will sit on the throne of David in an eternal kingdom (2 Sam 7:15,16). When a people are ruled in a kingdom the central questions asked by them would be about the authority and character of the king. Matthew goes into great detail to describe to us both the authority and character of King Jesus, the ruler of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is presented as one with utmost authority exercised with astonishing virtue. History has taught humanity, that an authoritative king without virtue quickly becomes a tyrant and a virtuous king without true authority lacks any power to accomplish his agenda. In stark contrast to each of these scenarios, Matthew reveals Jesus to us as a king with absolute sovereignty yet who acts with complete benevolence. Matthew accomplishes the task of presenting Jesus’ sovereign authority in the following ways: He demonstrates the king’s authority over the natural realm in Jesus’ healing of diseases and the calming of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:23, Matthew 8:23-27). He presents Jesus as the promised hope of Israel as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in order to present him as having authority in the religious life of Israel (Matthew 5:17-19). He presents Jesus as one who has authority in the spiritual realm with his driving out of demons (Matthew 9:33, 12:28). And finally, Jesus is presented to have the ultimate authority, the authority to do that which only God could do, forgive the sins of human beings (Matthew 9:6). Matthew’s presentation of Jesus’ virtuous character is just as decisive. He presents Jesus declaring God’s heart to care for and feeds his subjects, providing for them as his own children (Matthew 6:25-33). Jesus is the compassionate preacher of “good news” to his people who were harassed and helpless (Matthew 9:35,36). Jesus values those doing the work of his kingdom, even knowing the number of hairs on their heads and illustrating to them of their supreme value in God’s eyes (Matthew 10:30,31). Jesus is presented the gentle one, humble at heart desiring to give rest to the souls of the subjects of his kingdom. And finally, in the parable of the debtors and the parable of the vineyard workers, Jesus the king shows his forgiveness, equity and generosity in ruling his subjects (Matthew 18:23-35, Matthew 20:1-15). Who is this king of the kingdom of heaven? He is the Jesus who reigns over every facet of creation, yet at the same time remains humble, gentle, loving and kind to his subjects. This is the type of ruler and leader that the hearts of men long for…complete sovereignty, with equitable justice and mercy for all. Whereas the rulers of this world are so often power hungry and oppressive, the KOH will have a meek king, a king who is a shepherd who cares for his sheep. A Kingdom not only has a ruler, but it also has subjects. Just who are the subjects of the Kingdom of Heaven? The kingdom of heaven presented in Matthew’s gospel not only provides a description of Jesus the king, but also a portrayal of the character of kingdom subjects. Just as Jesus is different than the rulers of this world, the subjects of the KOH are to be different as well. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he describes the subjects of his kingdom as humble, needy, pure, forgiving, hungering for righteousness, merciful, and even persecuted (Matthew 5:1-16). He tells of a people who should not be religious show-offs, but humble in generosity, fasting, and prayer. His subjects are to be different, to seek the KOH its principles and not just the things of this world (Matthew 6). They are to follow the king and do his business with self-denying devotion (Matthew 10:38,39 and Matthew 16:24-26). Finally the subjects should find rest for their souls in the king’s character and leadership for their lives (Matthew 11:29:30). Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the KOH is this relationship between the king and his subjects. Jesus is not far and distant from his subjects or their plight in this world; he is intimately involved with his subjects as they humbly respond to his authority. In this kingdom there is no strife between the people and its government; there is a harmonious relationship made possible by the loving actions of the king and the reciprocal response of his subjects. Stay tuned for more on the Kingdom of Heaven...up next we will talk about the "Trans-temporal nature of the Kingdom" [i] Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, (Online Dictionary http://www.m-w.com/ - Merriam-Webster, Incorporated) 2001 [i]The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, Crossway Books, 2001.
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Fathers - not in the TNIV

World Mag's blog has an interesting entry about the "Today's New International Version's" removal of the word "Father" from passages in the Bible. See "Parents" instead of "Fathers" - I take it that the translators are trying to not discriminate against "mothers" - but why translate the word "Father" to "parents" - both Hebrew and Greek have the word "Father" and "Parents". Do the translators (who supposedly hold to the original texts being the words of God) not realize that "Fathers" may have a certain role with their children? This boggles the mind...maybe, I am missing something
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Dr. Norman L. Geisler

The Evangelical Outpost is running a series entitled Know Your Evangelicals" which features brief sketches on Evangelical leaders in our day. This week the outpost is featuring Dr. Norman Geisler, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary. I have enjoyed many of Dr. Geisler's works over the years and enjoyed taking some classes under he and his faculty as well.
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The Ultimate Bacon Sandwhich

This is just nasty - a friend sent me this - too funny... The Ultimate Bacon Sandwich
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Campus Ministries - Engage!!!

For years in ministry my passion has been for Christians, especially college students, to engage their campuses and the intellectual worlds they walk in. Recently Time magazine ran an article on the "college faith" of many. Scott Klusendorf's and Melinda Penner of Stand To Reason, have commented on the Time article.
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Ridiculous statements...

A recent review of the movie Kingdom of Heaven went up on the web site HollywoodReporter.com. This piece written by Kirk Honeycutt, serves as an example of what one might expect from Western news media reviewing and watching such a film. Ignorance of History and a profoundly anti-Christian point of view. The following are some of the hightlights from this review, with some of my comments in blue.

This was a ghastly though vitally important stretch of history when Western civilization, whipped up by religious fervor and bitter poverty, confronted the Muslim world with both the sword and cultural arrogance.

Ghastly yes, but the sociological interpretations of medieval Europe and the reasons people went on crusade offered here are facile and embarassing. What one gets from reading the first paragraph of this review is that there was a Muslim world out there that all of a sudden was attacked by people who were "whipped up by religioius fervor and bitter poverty." Not only that, these poor, unenlightened religious hermits came with "cultural arrogance." The actual story of medieval Christendom is vastly different and certainly the Muslim world was confronted with the Sword - Muslim armies had been conquering Christian territory for hundreds of years. Now to the next poorly informed statement in the review...

"Kingdom" fulfills the requirements of grand-scale moviemaking while serving as a timely reminder that in the conflict between Christianity and Islam it was the Christians who picked the first fight.

This is just false. One, the movie does not depict any sort of first fight it is set around the year 1187. The conflict between Islam/Christianity had been a continual struggle for hundreds of years. And History shows that even the "1st Crusade" was by no means the Christians "picking the first fight" - such is the nature of the Western consciousness of history. Mr. Honeycutt simply does not know what he is talking about. Now to his further misunderstandings

This promise of rebirth and forgiveness lies at the heart of the story the film wants to tell. Indeed much contemporary thinking has been transposed on the 12th century, but then how else to make the Crusades relevant or even palatable to modern audiences?

Mr. Honeycutt seems to want us to believe that themes of rebirth and forgiveness are contemporary thinking. He must have absolutely no clue about Christianity or the worldview of medieval Christians. The gospel is precisely about these two things (see John 3:1-8, 2 Cor 5:17-21, Ephesians 1:1-14) and it is western secularism (contemporary thinking) that has no idea what rebirth and forgiveness really mean. These themes Mr. Honecutt astonishingly says are put into the film to "make the Crusades relevant or even palatable to modern audiences." Well, Mr. Honeycutt, I am very interested in the history of the Crusades, Christianity/Islamic struggles, as well as the aggressive nature of contemporary Islamic Jihadism. Western concern not to "offend such people" is evident in another part of the review.

The film wisely avoids showing the slaughter of Guy's army by forces lead by Saladin (Syrian film star and director Ghassan Massoud).

Why is it wise to avoid showing this slaughter? Perhaps to not offend the peaceful religion of our day? Saladin will likely come off as a noble and respectable person in the film - and this is not innappropriate as he did at times show mercy to his conquered foes, only selling them into slavery, or taking payment for their freedom, rather than killing them. There were thugs on the Christian side of things and the Muslim side of things. Reynald of Chatillon featured in the movie is an exhibit of a thug running under the guise of religion to further his own gain, something that the faith of Christians clearly rebukes (See 1 Tim 6:3-10).
This review is somewhat of an expected spin put of these times by contemporary people. The narrative "we bad" "they good" is all too common in the West due to Western cultures brash rejection of its own long heritage. Secularists want us to think "Chrisitian bad" - "everyone else good" - do not be misled, we all have our share of "bad" - indeed it is the human heart that is the problem, not our civilizations. Listen to Jesus himself:

14And he called the people to him again and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him." 17And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18And he said to them, "Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." -- Mark 7:14-23

And it is the human heart that needs to be forgiven and changed - such is the Mission of Jesus. It is he that brings "rebirth" and it is he that provides "forgiveness" and it is he alone, not those posturing in his name for power and greed, that is the faith of the Christian.

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Interesting Quote

Still, Lewis himself had a love-hate relationship with Hollywood, says Terry Lindvall, who will teach a Christian theology and film course at the College of William & Mary this fall and is author of Surprised by Laughter: The Comic World of C.S. Lewis. He believed there was death in the camera. Meaning, when you translate word to image, the imagination dies.
From The wonderful world of 'Narnia' By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-05-02-narnia_x.htm (emphasis added)
In our image saturated world, is WORD better than IMAGE for imagination? I tend to agree for the well aquainted word smith can enter the mind much better than the creator of visuals. Perhaps we have gotten so poor with the written word that we cease to "see" how WORDS can bring beauty into the soul. From a Theological perspective, this would be expected - for the most beautiful one, the one from whom all beauty is derived, cannot be imaged at all. The eternal God, invisible, has descibed himself to us in a Word.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple - Psalm 27:4
Gazing upon the unseen beautiful one...praying to see the unseen (2 Cor 4:18)
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CS Lewis' Narnia

Great article about the coming film based on CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia books. Yes, Narnia Cometh to the Big Screen
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Christianity and Nation States...Law and a Just Society

In response to the Kingdom of Heaven Post a friend asked if those in the name of Islam and Christianity were both just power hungry to build states and grab wealth. Probably a little of both…but the question about the two religions and their relationship to state building is an interesting one. Islam is by nature a state building faith – in its inception, Islam establishes the law for the land for the areas which it rules. So religious expansion and geopolitical expansion were one in the same for early Islam. The question is still valid for Islam today as some are attempting democracies Christianity by nature is not a state building religions, but Christians can be involved in the affairs of the state. Thomas Aquinas, a medieval Christian (he’s not right on everything, but one of the greatest thinkers in church history. One of our finest minds) talked about the relation between Eternal Law, Natural Law, Divine Law, Human Law, and the Law of Sin. The following would be helpful in thinking about the role of the Christian Faith in relationship to “political states.”

 

  • Eternal law are the principles by which God created and governs the universe. Protestants call this the “decrees of God” – it is the counsel of his own will (Eph 1:11), which we know little of. God makes his own choices freely based upon his own reasons. We know of the Decrees only as he revealed – other parts we know nothing of (Duet 29:29).
  • 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” – ie 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” ie that murder is wrong. CS Lewis was big on natural law as well.
  • Divine Law – the reflection of God’s Eternal Decrees revealed in God’s Word which directs us towards faith in Christ as the way of forgiveness, reconciliation, with God. \
  • Human Law – Law of Nations/Civil Law – the applications of Natural law to specific times, places, and issues a society faces (ie for us – laws on cloning, outlawing slavery, rights to vote, speed limits etc.) Law of Nations would be a derivation from a basic moral principle – “doing no harm to your neighbor” and making a deduction that “you should not shoot him with a gun” and punishing those who do. Civil law would be something for the common good but could have one or more solutions (which side of the road to drive on so people do not crash into each other) Human law is for believers and unbelievers – it should be derived for the common good. God’s word (Divine law) should not be forced upon unbelievers, but Human law should not violate divine law either (hence the dotted line in the diagram). For Aquinas if Human law violates natural law (it is immoral) or Divine law, it is not a valid law but an act of violence against God and man.
  • Law of Sin – the consequence of sin and rebellion against God. This affects us and puts us in bondage as we are distorted and corrupt in our very nature (Fallen) – Reformed thinkers and Thomists disagree as to the extent of the affect of sin on the mind – is the mind or the will fallen and to what extent is the issue. Thomists seemed to say that the mind was able to function though at odds with our feelings, affections, desires – hence man is at odds with himself due to his separation from God. Reformed thinkers tend to further stress the noetic affects of sin (the mind fallen as well). The diagram and thought follows very closely a discussion in J. Budzizewski’s Written on the Heart, The Case for Natural Law – 60-63.

Most believers, and certainly those in the American Civil tradition hold that Natural law (ie self-evident truths of moral reason) should provide the basis for Civil law. In the past our laws were written based on Natural law and not contradicting Scripture – though today, that sort of reasoning is not widespread with other ideologies and political philosophies (utilitarianism) hold many thinkers in tow. So Christians should form “just states” and societies for the good of all, so that the Gospel, the Word of God is free to go forth to convert sinners and then those converts should then “Obey Government” (Rom 13) – unless it does violence to conscience commanding us to violate Divine Law…Christians should not seek to conquer their neighbors but do have the right to wage just war in defense.

Now the question arises…Were the “Crusades Just?” – That is a complex question – the initial response of Europe was very well a just defense against an aggressive invader. It seems to me like much of the activity of European knights certainly not, but I am no expert on the precise history…just the major facts. Now, to the Medieval Crusader States. The Kings of that era were interested in the faith but also very much interested in power and wealth. In fact, much that did violence to “law” was done in the name of God by rulers of Christian provinces. When a Christian murders and conquers the innocent in the name of Christ he is clearly in the wrong. There was much excess on both sides during this period of history and the results still carry into our day.

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The Kingdom of Heaven

Note: There are helpful historical resources, linked at the end of this post. Also, if interested in the view of the Kingdom of Heaven as taught in the gospels, see the post "The Real Kingdom of Heaven"

Next week director Ridley Scott (of Gladiator fame) brings his medieval epic, The Kingdom of Heaven, to the Big Screen. The time period of the film, the medieval crusades, is a period of history of which much of the western world remains ignorant. Many in the west have been educated in the secular educational systems of the United States and Europe, where much of Christian history has been minimized, at times given a predominately negative slant. Therefore, an understanding of the people, times, and beliefs of the Crusades are caricatures at best for most of us. This film will bring great interest in the history of these times, so what is offered here is a brief context for what we will be viewing. As always, this film is a Hollywood story based upon history and will have its many shortcomings. Hollywood seldom has good things to say about Christianity, so I do not expect much to be done here. I'll comment more on the actual depiction once the film is in release. (Updated - World Magazine's Jamie Dean has done some research which shows some of the gross historical inaccuracies in the film. The usual contemporary re-visioning of history to be more in today's image than theirs...what is the world envisioned by the film? A world of tolerance, pluralism, and a distortion of the actual beliefs of the people involved) This was indeed a dark time in history, yet it bears heavily in our day with the current jihad declared against the West by certain Muslim radicals. Indeed, parts of the world have a long term memory of this protracted time of conflict. What follows is very brief, but I pray helpful, historical fly-over of the setting of this film and help you discern what you watch if you choose to see the film.

By the 7th century AD, the Christian gospel had spread throughout North Africa, the Middle East, parts of Asia, and all of Europe. Almost all that was once Rome, had been thoroughly Christianized. In 570 AD, Muhammad, who would become the prophet of Islam was born in Arabia. In 622 Muhammad flees the city of Mecca to Medina in what is known to Muslims as the Hijra. Eight years later, Muhammad’s armies conquered the city of Mecca establishing Islamic rule. Over the course of the next 300 years, the armies of Islam succesfully conquered the territories of Northern African, the Middle East, Asia Minor, Persia/Iraq as well as much of central Asia. Muslims had conquered the Iberian peninsula (including Spain), some parts of France (though they were successfully expelled due in part to the leadership of Charles Martel), parts of Italy, and much of the Mediterranean. Beginning in the late 7th century, the Eastern Byzantine Empire had withstood multiple Muslim onslaughts over the course of several hundred years. The major centers of Egyptian Christianity had fallen and Constantinople was consistently under siege. At the close of this period of Muslim expansion and conquest, the Christian world underwent a split. In 1054 the Latin West and the Greek East parted fellowship in what became known as the Great Schism . This was important in understanding a crucial dynamic leading up to the Crusades. East and West had split, though they were both Christian, and a call for aid would soon come from the East.

In 1095 the Eastern Byzantine Empire sent emissaries to the Western church to ask the Western Church and provinces to come to their aid. These events gave rise to Pope Urban II's calling of the First Crusade. The goals of the Crusade was to come to the aid of Eastern Christians under Muslim aggression, provide secure passage to pilgrams to Jerusalem, and recapture the church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The First Crusade led by Western princes was successful and the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem was established in 1100 under the rule of Baldwin I. The Crusader states in the Levent lasted for nearly nine decades until they fell to the Muslim leader and general Saladin in 1187. The movie “Kingdom of Heaven” is set during this time period during the last days of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Several other Crusades were launched over the next several centuries. Richard “the Lionheart” of England had some success in the Third Crusade reestablishing the city of Acre and regaining pilgrim access to Jerusalem. In 1291 the city of Acre once again fell to the Muslims bringing an end to Christian states in the Holy Land. The later crusades were filled with infighting amongst eastern and western Christians, harsh anti-semitism and Jewish persecution by lawless Crusaders, as well as crusades amongst Christians. Needless to say they were highly ineffective. After this period, The Ottoman Empire began its rise in the latter periods of the middle ages (1300-1600) becoming the dominant Muslim power in the world. The Ottoman Empire consistently advanced in the Balkans and on the eastern fronts of Christian lands. The Ottomans were held at bay by the Austrio-Hungarians as well as the Russian powers. The Ottoman Empire remained a nemesis to parts of Europe and was not thoroughly defeated until World War I when the modern Turkish state was established after the Allied victory. After World War II allied control led to the establishing of a Jewish state in Israel. This has inflamed the Islamic world to this day with many radicals unwilling to accept any Jewish presence in the Middle East. A Brief Time Line in Reference to "The Kingdom of Heaven"

  • 700-1000 – The Years of Muslim Conquest
  • 1054 – The Great Schism between Western and Easter Christians
  • 1095 Pope Urban II opens the Council of Clermont. Leaders from the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus come to ask assistance from the Western Christians.
  • 1096-1099 – The First Crusade and the establishment of the Latin States

Timeframe depicted in Kingdom of Heaven Movie

  • 1187 – The Battle of Hattin – massive defeat of the Christian forces which is featured in the film
  • 1187 – The Fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

Timeframe depicted in Kingdom of Heaven Movie

  • 1291 – Fall of Acre – last Christian state in the Holy Land

Time Lines and References

Recommend Reading

Articles:

Books:

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The Beauty of Childhood Imagination

Tonight, I had the privilege of spending some hours with my almost 4 year old, Kayla Joy. Mom, had a night out with some of the ladies from our Community Group at Fellowship Bible Church. Today, Kayla did not have a nap in the afternoon which meant that our time before she went to bed was a little sleepy, but especially sweet. We took the time to look through our wedding pictures and I explained to her what marriage is, how God creates a new family when a man and woman marry, and how she would be my girl until the day (if that day comes) she were to marry. This of course was fascinating to her and she declared she just wanted me to be her Daddy for now. I wholeheartedly agreed! What then took place is a precious moment, that I do pray I never forget. In the back of one of our photo albums was a picture of my water Baptism. My pastor at the time, Stephan Sharpless, an African American man, was praying for me in the pictures, taking me into the water, and raising me up. Kayla and I talked about what Baptism means and she said "when I am older, I would like to follow Jesus and be Baptized" I told her that I thought that would be great in due time. Then she said "but Daddy, who will Baptize me?" I looked into her little blue eyes and said "I will sweatheart, by God's Grace, if he so wills, I will" She filled with delight at that thought. Then it got really cute. Kayla Joy (as word for word as I possibly can reproduce):

"Daddy, when I go down in the water and come back up, you know what I will become?"

At this I was thinking, "Wow, this is profound, what will she say?"

Thats when I become a mermaid, only girls can be mermaids

That was enough for me, but what she will become upon faith in Christ -- she will be changed, not to a mermaid, but to a human being whose future exaltation and glory will far supass even those wondrous realms of childhood fantasy...yes, even mermaidom. Yes, Lord, thank you for mermaids! And thank you for the new birth - Father, may you visit your power on dear Kayla - to save her and have her rise anew. Soli Deo Gloria, Amen

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Dead guys that wrote cool stuff

There are many dead guys, who were not perfect, who were personally flawed, but also wrote great stuff. A new site just went up about the life and works of John Owen...very interesting. Owen lived in the height of religious strife England during the tulmuluous days of reformation and struggle for freedom. An excellent timeline setting his life in context between other events in history is found on the site - very informative - See Owen Timeline Looking forward to the next instrallment of John Piper's The Swans Are Not Silent Series which will feature John Owen. Volume 4 is described as follows:

This volume will, Lord willing, contain the biographies of Athanasius, John Owen, and J. Gresham Machen. What unites these three is their tenacious defense of orthodoxy against the false teachings of their day. All three teach us to engage in theological defense and debate in ways that are life-giving rather than deadening. I believe this will be a relevant contribution to what the church needs today in its battle for doctrinal purity and loving interaction and cultural impact.

John Piper, Freshwords - March 30th 2005

To stand for truth amidst contemporary controversies and waves of teachings is always a tough task - Psalm 1 tells us that this will always be the case - there are those who will be called to delight in God amidst assembled masses of another mind. Thank God for the faithful who have walked ahead of us:

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

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On BS

Recently finished a great little book entitled "On Bullshit" by Harry G. Frankfurt. This little 67 pager does an excellent analysis and definition of BS in our day. I will most likely review the book in a coming entry but for now here are a couple of quotes (note, if the actual word BS is offensive, the following use it in the flow of the text - apologies, no offense intended)

For the bullshitter, however, all these bets are off: he is neither on the side of the true nor on the side of the false. His eye is not on the facts at all, as the eyes of the honest man and of the liar are, except insofar as they may be pertinent to his interest in getting away with what he says. He doe not care whether the things he says describe reality correctly. He just picks them out, or makes them up, to suit his purpose. Harry G. Frankfut, On Bullshit (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005) 56.

Someone who lies and someone who tells the truth are playing on opposite sides, so to speak, in the same game. Each responds to the facts as he understands them, although the response of the one is guided by the authority of the truth, while the response of the other defies that authority and refuses to meet its demands. The bullshitter ignores these demands altogether. He does not reject the authority of the truth, as the liar does, and oppose himself to it. He pays no attention to it at all. By virtue of this, bullshit is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are. Ibid, 60-61.

A friend today asked me to look into some comments made by Oprah Winfrey about the nature of religion (See video here). Due to my recent research into the nature of BS, I must categorize that Oprah is communicating the lies of another and then she is covering his lies with a bunch of bullshit. At least, that is my humble estimation of the estate of Oprah’s religiosity. The Biblical Witness is very open about these matters:
  • Jesus: "Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" (John 8).
  • John: "He who has the Son, has the Life. He who does not have the Son, does not have the life" (1 John 5).
  • Peter: "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
  • Jesus: "He who believes has life; he who does not believe does not have life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36).
  • Paul: "If anyone delivers to you another Gospel, let him be anathema" (Galatians 1).

This list of passages from Greg Koukl - How to Do Postmodern Theology

Oprah, please do not demean the faith of 1/3 of the globe with your smattering of BS...

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Meditations on John 1:1-34

The Word Became…
There is no more startling and puzzling and marvelous and mysterious and heart thrilling concept in the entire Bible as this simple phrase found in John’s gospel. This Word (the divine Logos which was with God and was God, became flesh). The first question this provokes is this – What does it mean for God – infinite in being and perfections – to become something at all. By definition God cannot become other than he is, he cannot undergo mutation or violation of his nature. But yet this God did become! And what was it that he became? The divine Son, the pre-existent Logos who was with the Father before the Word began, became flesh. The brightness of deity put on the dim cloak of humanity, glory became dust, and dust became glorious. Did such a becoming do violence to the divine nature – my brothers, we must say NO! Rather, this becoming was a conjoining of natures in the one person – the divine taking on a lesser nature, but yet not a confusion of the divine with the human. One person, two natures – the wondrous God-Man Christ Jesus did step upon the earth.
For orthodox theology has specially insisted that Christ was not a being apart from God and man, like an elf, nor yet a being half human and half not, like a centaur, but both things at once and both things thoroughly, very man and very God. GK Chesterton, Orthodoxy (New York: NY, Image books, 1959) 93. Originally published: New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1908.
In the midst of the mud and dirt of earth, in the midst of the sweat and blood of human flesh, God tabernacled, God dwelt among his own creation. Though the pristine glory of the one true God, upon which no man may directly gaze, was shrouded in the humanity, nonetheless the beauty of this man shone forth the being of God. “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” was the message – his very life was the beauty of God in perfected humanity.
He was the meekest and lowliest of all the sons of men, yet he spoke of coming on the clouds of heaven with the glory of God. He was so austere that evil spirits and demons cried out in terror at his coming yet He was so genial and winsome and approachable that the children loved to play with Him and the little ones nestled in His arms. No one was half so kind or compassionate to sinners yet no one ever spoke such red-hot scorching words about sin… His whole life was love. Yet on one occasion he demanded of the Pharisees how they ever expected to escape the damnation of hell… He saved others but at the last, Himself He did not save. There is nothing in history like the union of contrasts which confront us in the Gospels. The mystery of Jesus is the mystery of divine personality. James Stewart, The Strong Name
This person, the word made flesh, had come to earth to be a lamb, a lamb sacrificed to take away the sin of the world. What a thought! Humanity’s greatest dilemna, was to be remedied by the sacrifice of a lamb, and the lamb was God’s very Son, the 2nd person of the eternal, glorious, holy, unchanging, all powerful, wise, righteous, loving God. Lingered in dust and dirt below the Lord of Glory did bestow
Glory and Honor on Humanity's frame
Never again the world the same Benevolent grace exploding earth’s borders Arrayed by the Father’s purpose and order O heavenly visist enlightening the eyes
Purchased for God the humblest of prize
Reid Monaghan 2005
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Thoughts on Isaiah 53

When one speaks of events prior to their occurance, questions ought to arise. Either some trickery has occurred or a power beyond this world is at work. When the conjunction of event and prediction is mingled with one claiming to be the suffering Christ of the living God – true humble majesty has been displayed. The prophetic nature of Isaiah 52-53 is startling in its own right – but the content of the one predicted to come is all the more striking. Marvel at the description seen in these chapters. One who is to come would be:

  • Marred, beyond human semblance…
  • He had no form or majesty that we should look at him
  • Despised and rejected by men
  • He bore our grief and carried our sorrows
  • Wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquity
  • Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed
  • Upon him was laid the iniquity of us all
  • Oppressed, afflicted, as a lamb to the slaughter
  • Yet Innocent and being cut off

Such a person would be marvelous indeed, but the Biblical fact that this was very God of very God, the Son of Man, Jesus – the divine and the human conjoined in one person. As such this astounds the mind and thrills the imagination. The humility and servitude of the suffering Christ – for the joy set before him – is the subject of this prophetic passage. Perhaps the most astonishing passage and revealing as to the purposes of God, comes to us in Isaiah 53:10:

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Who crushed, and killed, and sacrificed this servant of Isaiah 53? None other, none other, but God, YHWH. It was the will of the Lord to crush Him...Why? He would be the lamb of God, God’s very own sacrifce and substitute for sin would be made by his Christ, he himself being the lamb without blemish (innocent) offered for the sins of humanity. The substitution, propitiation, and intercessory work of God in Christ, is seen here in the humility of the Suffering servant of Isaiah 53.

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Church History

Believers today know so very little about the past, especially the Christian past. While secularists will only decry the injustices down by church and Christianity in the past - this is so much of a caricature of the actual facts. Yes, there were abuses and injustices and down right evil atrocities done (in contradiction to the teachings of Jesus) in the name of Christianity. But the truth of the matter is that more good has been done by the gospel of Jesus Christ than anything in history (See Christianity on Trial - Arguments Against anti-religious Bigotry by Carroll and Shiflett)

A few books you may want to check out on the church history side of things…very good reading

Also, the Christian History Institute Web Site is a good place to get lost... Out...
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ECPA: Bestsellers List

A quick read of the top books read by believers these days shows how desperate the situation is to bring depth of thought back to Christ's church...man, we are a fluff reading bunch. ECPA: Bestsellers List Also, note - the TNIV is #14 in the Bible list, despite what is probably the most aggressive, well funded, marketing campaign in history. As I have said...Just say No.
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