Coming soon to the blogsphere - girl talk - a look at Biblical womanhood from Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters. Should be a great place for the ladies - and the inquiring minds of the fellas who want to know! Come on guys, put "girl talk" into FeedReader (or you favorite syndicated RSS/atom reader) and peek into the inscrutible world of girl talk. You know you want to.
Site to Launch on June 20th.
(HT: Between Two Worlds: Girl Talk Blog)
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POC Blog
The random technotheolosophical blogging of Reid S. Monaghan
Wonders of the Smithsonian
The saga over the film "A Privileged Plant" continues with the Smithsonian Institute. Very interesting read over at
Evolution News & Views
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Politics Without God--Europe's Secular Crisis
Al Mohler has a great piece on the theological and ideological landscape of Europe. In following the thought of George Weigel's The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America, and Politics Without God, Mohler lays out the predicaments of secular Europe.
Having spent much time in a very secular eastern European nation, I too have thought that Europe's radical secularism is creating a vacuum of ideas which Islam will rapidly fill. For hundreds of years, Europe withstood the advances of Islam. She did this with two swords - the sword of battle and the sword of the intellect. The military efforts of Charles Martel and the theological/philosophical mind of Thomas Aquinas. Europe today seems to lack both even as its Islamic populations expand. It has little will to act or to put forth any ideas which will stay the advance of rapidly growing Islamic communities. America should be wise in watching Europe in the coming decades. America's democracy was founded by religious people in reliance upon a kind Providence, while many of Europe's democracies (ala France) were founded upon autonomous man. Such men who claimed to be guided by reason, now distrust even their own minds. Uncertain of its own footing, the secularist ideologies of Europe will stumble upon its own uncertainty. May Europeans look to their history anew and see the greatness of the gospel; if not there may be dark days ahead yet again for the continent.
Reference - Politics Without God--Europe's Secular Crisis
Out...
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Sex and the Supremacy of Christ - Part I - God and Sex
Just what does Sex have to do with the Supremacy of Christ? Such a question would cause John Piper to go nuts to be sure. What might he answer? EVERYTHING!!! For if God be the all satisfying center of the universe, the one being who created all and wills all things for his own glory - Sex is first and foremost about God.
Part I of Sex and the Supremacy of Christ sets to answer the question - what is the relationship of God to sex.
In Chapters 1 and 2 John Piper sets out to show that sex serves two purposes in God's world:
- Sexuality is designed to help us know Christ more fully - it points to Him, and in marriage sex illustrates the deep union of God and his people
- Knowing God in Christ more fully is designed to guard and guide our sexuality. That knowing God as God creates a hunger for holiness that guards and guides our sexual passions. In other words all pleasures and passions in this world take their proper orbit when the highest good and passion of our lives is God himself
Intelligent Design the Future - Randi Will Pay Smithsonian $20,000 To Cancel TPP
Is our society really open an open debate of ideas or is there a scientific orthodoxy which desires to silence any voices different than its own. Some are willing to pay to keep certain things from getting out to the public. Intelligent Design the Future - Randi Will Pay Smithsonian $20,000 To Cancel TPP
If you are interested in the film surrounding this controversial idea (that earth seems to be fine tuned and designed for life in this universe), you can order it here.
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British Abbey rejects Da Vinci Code film plans - Yahoo! News
It seems like the leadership of the Anglican church still has some backbone on some issues...
British Abbey rejects Da Vinci Code film plans - Yahoo! News
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Sex and Supremacy of Christ - Introduction
Justin Taylor's introduction is an excellent entry way into the book. In other words, it does what a good introduction should do without revealing too much from the book. Taylor first sets the tone of the book by looking at the issue of "What The Bible Says about Sex." Going beyond looking for specific references to the word SEX, Taylor places sex within the broader Biblical context of "all things." In other words sex is something God has created and whenever the Bible exhorts believers about "all things" sex would find a home in that category. From this Taylor derives a list of truths about sex (God created it, it exists by the will of Christ, it is caused by God, subject to Christ, it is being renewed, it is good, it is lawful in the context of marriage, we do it to the glory of God-yes, really - for the rest of the list you will need to grab the book). Taylor's list which spans two pages gives a good idea that sex needs to be received as a gift, yet handled in the way God designed it.
Taylor does a good job in the intro highlighting the shame and difficulty the church has at times talking about sex. He does a good job distinguishing between a proper shame about the things done in our world with sex and a dangerous, unwaranted, unhealthy hesistancy to apply the Word of God to this area of life.
Before sketching briefly what each chapter of the book will cover, Taylor lays out what is a good summary for this book "Sex is a Pointer to, Not a Substitute for God" - in a sex saturated, sex worshipping culture this is a refreshing point of view. We are well aware that our culture is obsessed with sex, but the idolatry of a culture should not extinguish the God-ordained purposes for the great gift of sexuality. So boldy this book brings forward the truth that sex is a pointer to God himself. That sex is an earthly peek at something more heavenly may be a bit surprising to some. The question may come to many "Just what does Sex have to do with the Supremacy of Christ" - oh, friends this book is a refreshing answer to that question. Here you will not find a simple "don't do this, don't do that" that can at times over-run Christian discussions of sex. No, here you will see the divine design for sexuality, that it is designed to illustrate, yes, even to point to, something about God. Relational oneness and unity, adultery, fornication, marriage, sexual intercourse, birth - are all illustrations of God's relationship with his people. Yes, you will want to read on.
In the final phase of the introduction, Taylor stands a good post and lets us know what is coming in each of the chapters yet without giving you too much info. A proper introduction peaks the hunger of the reader to dig into the coming chapers to find gems for the soul - Taylor does this with great success. I found myself wanting to flip to each of the chapters (and did a few times) as they were described, but I also knew that the intro was not giving me the cliff notes either.
Overall the introduction sets the table well, peaks interest, and launches the book into the first chapters by John Piper which provide the major thesis.
I look forward to cranking through the rest - this one looks like it will be an invaluable resource to parents, pastors, and lay people alike. If you ever wondered how to give young people a vision for their sexuality that is bigger, deeper, and truer than "just hold back those passions until you can let it go some day in marriage" this looks to be a book for you.
--> Back to Main Review Page
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for His renown: Putting the Bible First
for His renown: Putting the Bible First Good advice here!
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The Da Vinci Code - The Movie
Sony Pictures' - The Da Vinci Code will be out next summer. The trailer is now available online at the film's web site. Justin Taylor has some good links that will help get a grip on the issues involved with this film. If you take your faith seriously, you would do well to orient yourself with the theological issues surrounding this book and film.
Check out Taylor's Entry on The Da Vinci Code - be sure to follow his links.
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Interesting read on Western epistemology (theories of knowledge) at the Evangelical Outpost
Part I - Cogito and Christ:
Doubt, Certainty, and Epistemic Humility Part II - Cogito and Christ:
Doubt, Certainty, and Epistemic Humility (Pt. 2) The philosopically interested depart to the Outpost at once! Those who are not don't just go get a latte...a word from Greg Koukl at Stand to Reason is helpful
Doubt, Certainty, and Epistemic Humility Part II - Cogito and Christ:
Doubt, Certainty, and Epistemic Humility (Pt. 2) The philosopically interested depart to the Outpost at once! Those who are not don't just go get a latte...a word from Greg Koukl at Stand to Reason is helpful
My point is simply this. The way to deal with vain philosophies, wherever they may be found, is to have good philosophy, not to abandon the art of critical thinking altogether. And if the church is to survive [and thrive] in the twenty-first century as an important and significant player in the marketplace of ideas, then those who are members of the church are going to have to recapture the traditional emphasis on the mind and learn to manage and use the tools of thought in defense of the Gospel.Amen! Amen? --------
Enter the Wardrobe...
The Moral Universe of Star Wars
I have to admit that I love the Star Wars films. I even like Attack of the Clones, the one that only made a measley 310 million dollars, and put most star wars fans to sleep. Perhaps I like the movies because I was 5 years old when I saw Episode IV - everything seems cool to a 5 year old. Especially outer space, intergalactic space battles, dark villans and hopeful heroics. It is interesting to observe the worldviews active in Star Wars. It is common knowledge that Lucas was heavily influenced by the works of Joseph Campbell, his views about human myths, the nature of our heroes, and common themes in religions. We know there are strong doses of Eastern mysticism and pantheism throughout the films, but today I don't want to travel down that well trod path of critique (the force, gurus like Yoda, good and evil being two sides of the same entity, etc.). Rather, I want to look at something more contemporary in these movies, namely the moral view of the universe offered in the saga.
The most recent installment, The Revenge of the Sith (stop reading if you still want to see the movie unmolested by my comments - I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will probably see it again) features some moral philosophical reflection between the two main characters of the film - Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the final scenes of the movie there is some dialogue leading up to and throughout the epic light saber dual.
Obi-Wan is talking to Skywalker about his pride and his lust for power in terms that have you to believe that he thinks these things are wrong - really wrong - not just in his opinion. He explains to young Skywalker that the Jedi are good yet the Sith are evil. The reply from Skywalker is that "from his persepective" the Sith are good - here enters an ancient, but ever popular philosophy of our day - that of Moral Relativism. A quick definition may be helpful.
Relativism is the denial of any absolute or bjective standards, especially in ethics. (See objectivity.) ethical [or moral] relativists can be individual relativists, who hold that what is morally right is relative to the beliefs or emotions of the individual, or they can be cultural relativists, who hold that what is morally right varies with different societies. (See subjectivism.) Analogously, in epistemology relativism holds that what is true is dependent on the individual or the culture.
Evans, C. Stephen. Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion, Page 101. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2002.
So the dialogue begins with moral clarity - Obi-Wan knows that his young padawan learner has gone bad, gone to the Dark Side (here Dark is thought to be "bad"). He has murdered innocents, even younglings (very young Jedi in training) - and all of this is known to be bad to us - really bad. But at this juncture, Anakin tells us he is doing what is right from his perspective - good and evil are just relative to the person or the viewpoint. Now, how will Obi-Wan continue? He has spoken in absolutes about Anakin - we all know there is a good and bad to the moral universe we observe in these films - we know this to be so about our real lives. Here is where the film turns...Anakin says to Obi-Wan "If you are not with me you are against me". To this Obi-Wan replies the one who speaks in absolutes is already gone. To this I only scratched my head. Did not Obi-Wan just tell us that "pride" and "lust for power" had turned Anakin "bad" - are these just relative opinions? Are his judgements of good and evil correct? Absolutely? If not, then Anakin and he are no different - killing younglings and defending the republic as a virtuous Jedi are just two equally valid perspectives. Yet when Anakin speaks in absolutes he is chided as being lost already (I only assume that Obi-wan thinks it is "bad, really bad, absolutely bad" to speak in absolutes). This is just poor thinking and rife with self-contradiction. It is like saying "it is absolutely bad to make absolute moral judgments" - the speaker is shooting himself in the proverbial foot - doing the very thing he claims it is wrong to do. Philosophers refer to this as self-defeating or self-referentially incoherant statements. They should not be believed.
One can perhaps see a shot at President Bush in this line for this president has said "Those who are not with us are against us." Such would not be surprising. However, a really interesting thing is that the words of Anakin Skywalker actually find there origin from another very different tongue than a 21st century American president. These words are from very mouth of Jesus of Narareth:
30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Matthew 12:30
23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Luke 11:23
One must think then that Jesus, who clearly speaks in absolutes, as one with moral authority and clarity, would be on the wrong side of the Star Wars moral universe.
The sad thing is that Star Wars has clearly defined good and evil, the good triumph in the end (see Episode VI Return of the Jedi) and all this moral relativistic goofiness is smuggled in to appear mysterious or profound, to pander to the relativistic spirit of our age. Such confusion is not needed.
A people can never oppose evil, be it Darth Vader or Hitler, by standing in mid air on the moral mushiness of relativism. To fight evil, we must stand upon moral ground. To push back injustice and aggression. In short we must combat evil with what is good, right and true. Such issues are difficult, yes, but we ought not sell away the good for a bowl of relativistic porridge.
So one thing is true - the phrase "He who is not for me is against me" has quite a different meaning in the mouth of different speakers. In the mouth of those who are evil, like Darth Vader - it is an invitation to be on the dark side. Yet in the mouth of the truly good one, yes even God incarnate, it is a wonderful truth to help us discern darkness from light.
The moral vision from Star Wars is no guide, yet thsoe who know good from evil from the law of God in the conscience, know quite readily that Vader is bad and the Jedi are good. Lucas knows this, he wrote the story...he just seems unwilling to face up to this in reality and sows into the relativistic mush to seem enlightened to already mushy minds.
Jesus knew better. So should we...
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STR's Recommended Readling List
Another great reading list for those looking for good books on Apologetics, Theology, etc. STR's Recommended Readling List
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Christianity Today Book Awards 2005 - Christianity Today Magazine
Brett Kunkle at Emergent
over at Stand to Reason's WEBLOG Brett Kunkle is recording his thoughts from the Emergent Convention this week in Nashville. Yes, Nashville - I would have loved to attend, but was "on assignment" in Peru - very ironic...while I was teaching on the inconsistencies of relativism and the incoherence of pluralism, the emergent folk seem to be reveling in conclusions that relativism and pluralism are "t-ruth" (little t of course). Many thanks to Mr. Kunkle for his insightful posts on the ongoings at Emergent.
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Peru - final update...
We are just returning from our trip into Peru...we could not have imagined how successful the trip would be before we departed.
Our first Apologetics Conference was a huge success and brought national attention in Peru. Over and over again we were told that the churches in Peru do not discuss the topics we were addressing during the conference.
- Intelligent Design and Evolution
- Postmodernism, Relativism and Pluralism
- Human persons? Abortion, cloning, and Euthanasia
These were the topics addressed during out week at the conference. We are know praying about two possible return trips in 06 - one for youth the other perhaps a national event.
Dale and I ended up two doing TV interviews surrounding the event and the president of the TV station is asking us to come back to do more in the area of Apologetics for the Peruvian people. It was an exciting week and we were shown so much love and kindness from the people of Peru. We pray that the churches of Peru would raise up leaders for society - in science, politics, and pastors. To change their culture and lead it into the 21st century. Thank you all for your prayers and the encouragement along the way. Out... --------Peru update III
The past several days have been a flurry with the team. The construction team continues to make progress priming and painting a metal skeleton which will become a future meeting place for a new church plant. The team working with the young school kids has shown a tremendous work ethic and creativity in engaging the kids.
The International Apologetics conference started and remains strong. Each night has drawn between 600-700 people - a packed house. Last night was day two of the conference where Dale Fincher opened the night with a message entitled "using the mind to grow our lives" - it was a passionate appeal about the power of ideas in shaping the soul and how it is the truth of God that sets us free. After Dale's talk I gave a seminar on "postmodernism, relativism, and pluralism" - I set forth a definition of what we mean by "truth" and then answered several philosophies which deny we have access to truth - be it moral truths (moral relativism) or religious truths (pluralism). I finished with a presentation of the unique claims of Jesus of Nazareth and how he is changing lives and changing people through his gospel across the globe in every nation. It was a great evening. We received word from two guests that their non-Christian friends who came had placed their trust in Christ by hearing the preaching about Jesus being the truth that sets free. Dale and I did not give any sort of "call to decision" - there were no long alter calls - simply, the Spirit using his words about the uniqueness of Christ - the Messiah of God, and his ever bold and eternal statment "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me."
Humbled and tired - but as our friend here Pastor Ricardo has said "it is a holy fatigue"
We have two more talks tonight - Mike Vogt will speak on "APologetics in Evangelism" and Dale will address "Valuable Human Persons, cloning, abortion, and euthanasia in the 21st century" - please pray for this.
In Christ
Reid
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Peru Update II
Hey guys,
The last two days have been pretty high pace. The hospitality here is overwhelming and warm – the love of Christ abounds. Our worship teams have done an awesome job leading the services here. Over Sat and Sunday I have preached 5 times – 15 came to Christ during the Sunday morning services! The church has a great follow up ministry which grabbed all the people who responded to the gospel. Many more indicated decisions on Sunday night but I am not sure of the number – many hands raised after my message and Pastor Richardo’s (Comas Church) invitation.
Today we did some work at a construction site – mainly scrubbing metal structure (a new church plant) to prepare for painting. Some of us had to climb up a good 20 feet and work up high J The young women on our team also did a great job serving and loving the children here at the school.
Tonight we have an evangelistic outreach at a public school showing a pro-life film and Jared and Mary Beth Dragoun are sharing a testimony as a young married couple (value of marriage).
Tomorrow we kick of the Apologetics conf with Plenary 1 – Intro to Apologetics (Reid) and Seminar 1 – Postmodernism, relativism, pluralism (Reid)…
Dale Fincher (RZIM) is doing a forum at the University that night before heading over here. On Wednesday and Thursday Dale and Mike Vogt (Fellowship Bible Church member) will handle plenaries 2 (Growing your faith through the life of the mind - Fincher) and 3 (Using Apologetics in Evangelism – Vogt) as well as two seminars (Creation and Evolution – Vogt and The Human Person in the 21st century - cloning, euthanasia, abortion – Fincher) This is a huge equipping opportunity which could spread into Lima in the future – I may need to study Spanish in the coming years J
Not sure what night the TV people are coming…Dale and I are supposed to interview as well…
We appreciate the prayers and know that God is bearing fruit here – people coming to faith in Christ!
Let the nations rejoice and be glad
Reid
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In Peru
Hey guys, we made it down just fine to Peru – go to the place we are staying at 2am – had to get up by 7am…I probably slept a total of 45 min last night – roosters crowing, dogs barking, etc. The people are AWESOME and the conference is being promoted on tv and radio. The brochures are top notch – I’ll show you when we get back. Team is doing very well, bonding nicely. Please pray that I sleep well tonight – speaking 4 times tomorrow. One of the guys has some ear plugs I can use!
Today we tour churches, plan the week, and have a joint celebration service this evening. Psalm 133 is the themes. Tomorrow night we have the large young adult outreach – we are preaching the gospel with invitation…pray the Spirit moves…Pray that I proclaim it clearly as I ought. Also, our worship and creative team has several music sets and a couple of dramas over the next couple of days.
The president of the local Christian TV station has really gotten behind the AP conference will be taping and broadcasting one of the plenaries, interviewing Dale and I and they are talking about a future conference with Business professionals in Lima – could be HUGE.
Apologies for the choppy sentences, but time is short on the computers.
Soli Deo Gloria
Reid
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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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