What do you think of these statements:
- A plurality of persons and ideas is good...
- A plurality of religions is a brute fact...
- A plurality of gods is an idolatrous fiction...
- A plurality of contradictory "truths" is an impossibility...
POC Blog
The random technotheolosophical blogging of Reid S. Monaghan
Geeky Quotes of the Day
Here are a few geeky quotes that made me laugh today as I was scanning back through David Berlinski's book The Devil's Delusion - Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions.
On certain flavors of inflationary cosmology
During the 1980s, the physicist Alan Guth argued that the early universe was characterized by a period of exponential inflation. Very soon after it blew up in the first place, it blew up again. When suitably blown up, it stopped blowing up. The Stanford physicist Andre Linde carried this idea a step further in his theory of eternal chaotic inflation. Universes are blowing up all over the place. They cannot stop themselves.
Berlinksi, 122
And on the reductionism and evolutionary psychology of Steven Pinker:
When Steven Pinker writes that "nature does not dictate what we should accept or how we should live our lives," he is experssing a belief--one obviously true--entirely at odds with his professional commitments.
If ordinatry men and women are, like Pinker himself, perfectly free to tell their genes "to go jump in the lake," why pay the slightest attention to evolutionary psychology?
Why pay the slightest attention to Pinker?
Either the theory in which he has placed his confidence is wrong, or we are not free to tell our genes to do much of anything.
Berlinski 178
Amen, and Amen.
Desiring God Pastor's Conference
This past week I spent Monday-Wednesday at the Desiring God Conference for Pastors in the great city of Minneapolis, MN. There are some things in the world that are certain, others more difficult to assume. One thing I am convinced of however is that it is COLD in Minnesota in February. After walking a few blocks to an Irish pub in -16 degree wind chill, I quickly learned why Minneapolis has a really cool downtown Skywalk. The building of Minneapolis are networked together by an indoor maze of sidewalks which connect buildings and food courts and offer some generally good walking trails for the worker downtown. Seriously, I thought the inside of my nose was going to get frost bitten just by breathing. Though the outside temperature was far from balmy, the conference was warm and moving.
The theme this year was evangelism, sharing with others the good news of Jesus Christ, with those God places in our paths. Mark Dever from Captial Hill Baptist Church delivered a great series of plenary talks while the secondary speakers knocked it out of the park as well. Matt Chandler, from the Village Church in Texas, exhorted pastors to center their teaching ministry in the gospel, particularly in our age of dumbed down preaching and teaching. Finally, Michael Oh, encouraged pastors and their churches to take more seriously the global mission of the church. Oh is a Korean American who is a missionary to Japan and has a facinating story. I want to hear more from Dr. Oh in the future...his introduction was funny.
Finally, I enjoyed the hang time I got with Garrett Kell, Doug Greene, Chris Wheeler and Greg Joiner - good to see you guys. Thanks for all the gifts you placed into my life this week with your time, your words, prayers and encouragement.
Here are links to all the messages in the order in which they were given - in audio, video and texteo:
Desiring God 2009 Conference for Pastors
February 2, 2009
Mark Dever
A Shepherd and His Unregenerate Sheep
Desiring God 2009 Conference for Pastors
February 3, 2009
Matt Chandler
The Pastor and Evangelism
Desiring God 2009 Conference for Pastors
February 3, 2009
Mark Dever
"I Will Not Be a Velvet-Mouthed Preacher!”
The Life and Ministry of George Whitefield: Living and Preaching as Though God Were Real (Because He Is)
February 3, 2009
John Piper
The Church and Evangelism
Desiring God 2009 Conference for Pastors
February 3, 2009
Mark Dever
Missions as Fasting
The Forsaking of Things Present for the Global Exaltation of Christ
February 4, 2009
Michael Oh
Commending Christ, Q & A
Desiring God 2009 Conference for Pastors
February 4, 2009
Various
The Question of Dreams and Visions
There is an occurrence in Scripture where God's people are given the ability to interpret dreams and visions. This was a common practice among the Chaldeans, and in Daniel's case, God gives him this ability. Though there is much goofy, yes even wicked, stuff associated with dreams and visions it is one of the means by which God has revealed himself in Scripture. The Christian doctrine of revelation teaches that God truly reveals himself or makes himself known to people. We typically speak of his natural revelation whereby God displays something of himself through created things and conscience (See Romans 1-2 and Psalm 19). Additionally we speak of God's special revelation where he clearly and explicitly makes himself known. This primarily comes through the incarnation, God becoming a human to reveal himself in the person and work of Jesus. Furthermore God has spoken through prophets, apostles and Jesus and these are all preserved and given to us in Holy Scripture (See Hebrews 1:1-3). So God reveals himself to all through nature and conscience. He shows who he is and that we are accountable to him. God reveals himself uniquely to some through his Word (the Bible) and Jesus Christ who is revealed therein. So what of dreams? Some theologians place dreams and visions in the category of special revelation as they are only give to some people. They are not the normative way God speaks.
Though dreams and visions are not something we expect, need or something that happens every day, God does use them for his purposes. He gave Joseph the ability to interpret dreams in the book of Genesis and here in Daniel we find our exiled young man with the ability as well. Additionally there have been documented cases of God giving dreams and visions to his people today to further his purposes. Particularly in countries where access to gospel preaching and the Scripture is limited or prohibited by law or cultural pressure, God has given people visions and dreams of Jesus.1 Now, one caveat and caution is in order. Any dream that does not accord with the revealed word of God we have in Scripture is not to be assumed to be "from God." We should test any such dreams or visions by the revealed truth of the Bible and the counsel of mature leaders. After all, while some dreams and visions can be from God, others could be demonically inspired or the byproduct of eating a bad burrito. God has given us his Word as a sure and guiding testimony so that we can test prophecies (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22) and hold on to what is good. There are many who seek after dreams, visions and experiences only to be led away by con men who revel in psychosomatic trickery. We need to be guided by Scripture. Be aware of this but also do not put God in a box, let his Word speak to you daily so that you can discern authentic visions from the poor peddling of TV prophets and nightmares brought on by an ill advised midnight snack.
Notes
1. There are many testimonies from the Islamic world which recount dreams and visions-see http://www.answering-islam.org/Testimonies/ - See also the bibliography at the end of that page. Also, a DVD entitled More than Dreams distributed by Vision Video, has chronicled this as well.
Why I love Amateur Wrestling
CD Mock, current wrestling coach at UNC Chapel Hill (my alma matta) had the following to say about wrestling in an online article. It reminded me why I love the sport:
"It is a very difficult sport," states North Carolina wrestling head coach C.D. Mock. "It is not fun. It is not a team sport--nobody wrestles for fun. No one is going to have a pick-up game on Sunday of wrestling. It is a brutal sport. You have two people out there--you are all alone and you have no one to depend on. It is just you; if you don't get it done it does not get done. At the same time you have someone coming against you one-on-one who is trying to ensure you do not get it done. Add to that cutting weight, having to not eat as much as you like and drink as much as you like and pretty much train twice a day, it is tough. We have a code of ethics on the wrestling team and our 12th code is: 'We are different'. To go in that room every day to get beat up and come back the next day takes a rare breed."
We are different...so many people today are uncomfortable with being different. I think wrestlers revel in it a bit (psychology guys go easy on us). We have funny ears, are at times bow legged, some have crooked noses (mine is surely a mess) and we always see life as a bit of a scrap. Yeah, the sport has its meatheads and trouble makers, probably too many, but it also gives discipline, self-control and a work ethic to young guys. It is one of the world's oldest sports and one I pray that PC wimpiness doesn't wipe out all together. The rise of MMA has given many wrestlers a sort of pro-league possibility which may increase interest in the sport.
The bottom line for me is this. Many things have shaped my life - early on it was science and amateur wrestling. I believe God providentially put me in those arenas to make me who I am today. A bit meatheadish, sometimes a trouble maker but hopefully all the better for having gone at it on the mat. Plus, I actually studied a little in college to counter balance some things :)
So to the fraternity of guys out there who have cut the weight, fought the fight, put in time in sweltering hot rooms and been through torturing training sessions...hats off brothers, with all of our flaws, we are different.
John Updike and a Quote on Preachers...
The Pulitzer price winning American author and novelist John Updike passed away yesterday at the age of 76. For those who are unfamiliar, I found our good friend wikipedia to be of help - John Updike March 18, 1932 - January 27, 2009)
A friend sent me a quote from a character in one of his works, which I felt was quite relevant for seminary students and pastors alike.
"Do you think this is your job, to meddle in these people’s lives? I know what they teach you at seminary now: this psychology and that. But I don’t agree with it. You think now your job is to be an unpaid doctor, to run around and plug up holes and make everything smooth. I don’t think that. I don’t think that’s your job…. I say you don’t know what your role is or you’d be home locked in prayer…. In running back and forth you run away from the duty given you by God, to make your faith powerful.... When on Sunday morning, then, when you go out before their faces, we must walk up not worn out with misery but full of Christ, hot with Christ, on fire: burn them with the force of our belief. This is why they come; why else would they pay us? Anything else we can do and say anyone can do and say. They have doctors and lawyers for that…. Make no mistake. Now I’m serious. Make no mistake. There is nothing but Christ for us. All the rest, all this decency and busyness, is nothing. It is Devil’s work." John Updike Rabbit, Run p 146.
(HT - Tim Dees)
Saying and Saving Grace
Saying and Saving Grace
Grace. There is no better word to use to describe the uniqueness of the message of Jesus than this one word. Biblical grace is a concept not found in the religions of humanity and it is one that is often misunderstood or simply missed completely in contemporary culture. Today when one hears the term it is likely provoke thoughts of a prayer said before meals or a character on a popular television drama. Many Christians may talk of grace, but few of us actually live in light of the grace of God.
In this essay I want to do a few things. First, I want to contrast biblical grace with most ideas of religious observance found throughout our world. After doing so I wish to offer a simple definition. Then I will breakdown several different ways in which the Bible talks about grace in God's relationship to human beings. It is my fear that we could be too narrow in our understanding of the Scriptures teaching on grace. Finally, I will conclude with some practical guidance on living in grace in relationship to what we might call habitual or besetting sins.
Biblical Grace vs. The Chains of Religion
Before we make a positive definition of what we mean by grace, I want to first prepare us for its meaning by way of contrast with human religious traditions. We might think of religion as humanity's attempt to please, connect with and commune with transcendent reality. Simply put religion is a human exercise - an attempt to please God or align with the universe etc. It is an enterprise founded on the devotion, actions and morality of human beings. Religion would teach us that God will like you if you say, do, believe all the right things. The more perfect you are, the more favor you will find with God (or the karmic universe in some ways of thinking). Many are the mantras of religion: keep the law, follow the eight fold path, observe the five pillars or sow towards good karma. Perhaps then you will find a right standing with the transcendent or divine. Biblical grace is a stark contrast to these sorts of ideas.
There are many worthy definitions of the concept of grace, but for the sake of brevity I will offer a basic definition given by Millard Erickson in his Christian Theology:
By this [grace] we mean that God deals with his people not on the basis of their merit or worthiness, what they deserve, but simply according to their need; in other words, he deals with them on the basis of his goodness and generosity.1
It is tempting to look into the mirror to tell oneself I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and dog gone it, people like me. The wonderful truth of the grace of God is that he accepts sinners, not perfect people, he gives grace to the needy, not to those looking to be full of themselves. The teaching of the Bible about grace reveals that God's acceptance of broken, imperfect people is not based upon them getting their act together. God accepts those who come to him in the knowledge that they are undeserving and in great need. He does not turn away those who come to him with a trusting soul. Those with a spiritual hunger and thirst may come to him and be accepted in grace.
35Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
Species of Grace
The Bible teaches us that there are several kinds of grace which God lavishes on his creation and human beings. God is always expressing kindness to a world which is living in rebellion from Him. One of the most fascinating truths of Scripture is that God showers grace even upon his enemies. The following are a sampling of the kinds of grace God expresses to his world.
Widespread (or Common) Grace
First, there is an aspect of grace that is widespread and given to all human beings. God's design of the universe and our planet provides that the sun rises2 on all people equally and the just and unjust receive rain and physical provisions for life. (Matthew 5:44-45). Furthermore, God's widespread, or common, grace bears daily witness to his loving care by giving us fruitful seasons and harvests and allowing people to have satisfied, glad hearts in our food and drink (Acts 14:15-17). Finally, God graciously reveals himself to all of us through creation and conscience (See Romans 1:18-23 and Romans 2:14-16). He does this for all so that they might know that he is God and we are accountable to him.
Saving Grace
Yet in addition to God's widespread grace, he additionally gives saving grace to those who believe. We are saved from sin, death and hell by the kindness and grace of God. His rich mercy towards us brings us to trust in his grace rather than our own works to make us justified and forgiven (Ephesians 2:4-9)before Him. God's grace is lavished upon his people so that their sins are forgiven and they are made right with him. He brings us back into a close relationship of love and trust through the work of Jesus (Romans 3).
Sanctifying (Life Changing) Grace
God's grace does not simply save us so that we get on a life waiting list for heaven. No, his graces transforms our lives to be more like Jesus. His grace teaches us to renounce worldly passions and to now live our lives for the glory of God. His grace purifies us and places in us a strong desire for good works where we may not have given a rip before (Titus 2:11-14).
Persevering Grace
Finally, all followers of Jesus who have received widespread grace, been rescued by saving grace and who are being transformed by sanctifying grace are also kept by grace until the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven. God preserves his people by grace (John 10:27-29) and he holds a coming reward for all he is guiding towards his Kingdom. He guards and keeps his people by his sustaining grace until our temporal death or the coming of Jesus in fullness at the end of time (1 Peter 1:3-5).
One of the beautiful teachings of the New Testament has really connected with me over the years. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes the following: It is the grace of God that I am what I am, and this grace was not without effect, no I worked harder than them all, but not I, but the grace of God within me (1 Corinthians 15:10). This passage teaches us the centrality of grace in shaping our lives and giving strength to labor in the purposes of God.
Grace in the Trenches
A strong concept of the grace of God is needed to keep us from the edges and extremes of prideful self righteousness or despair from our own sin. Martin Luther's classic reformation theology teaches us that Christians are Simul Justus et Peccator-we are simultaneously justified yet at the same time sinful. God's grace has accepted us, justified us through the work of Jesus. Yet throughout life we battle with what some have called indwelling sin. We must daily yield our lives to his grace and trust him to lead us away from temptation. Romans 8:1-17 teaches us that the new life we have in God must be lived by his Spirit and power every day. While at the same time we work to put to death the sin in our lives. This tension must be embraced or we will become either proud or despairing.
If we think we have made ourselves better, or our good works have made us somehow more pleasing to God then we will think too much of ourselves. If we forget the unconditional acceptance of God through the work of Jesus we will despise ourselves and despair at our brokenness. The middle way is the way of the cross whereby we daily die to our sins and ask God to help us live in newness of live (Romans 6). We do this by practicing confession (See Psalm 51 and 1 John 1:9) and repentance. By confessing our sins to God we walk in the light with him and experience the truth of grace. As Jesus once said to an adulterous woman-neither do I condemn you. Then we turn from our sin back into (not run away from) fellowship with God and his people. As Jesus said to that same woman-go and sin no more.
As we struggle with habitual sins of pornography, self-image, pride, self-exaltation, eating disorders, lying, gossip, slandering our neighbors, rebelling and just being punks, we must remember that we are saved by grace. Only then will we have the courage necessary to be changed by grace. Confession and repentance are great gifts to the believer. They are like a scuba tank of live giving oxygen for those suffocating in the deep oceans of the soul. As you struggle with sin, remember Jesus-he is able to sympathize with you and change your life. If you go it alone, denying the grace of God, you are literally up the creek without a paddle.
Learning to walk with you towards our gracious God,
Reid S. Monaghan
Notes:
1. Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1998), 320.
2. Jesus and the Scriptures, as many others, use phenomenological language to describe the relationship of the earth to the sun. It is common in all times in history to speak of “the sun rising” and is in no way “unscientific or inaccurate” to speak this way. In fact, every time the weather person is on the news you will hear talk of the sunrise. Plus, watching sunsets and sunrises with a friend at the beach is much better than “lets go observe the well timed planetary rotation of our earth.” That won’t get you too many dates. God has given us certain “means of grace” or practices by which he transforms our lives.
3. To read about these practices see Reid S. Monaghan Spiritual Disciplines at the book table or online at —http://www.powerofchange.org/blog/booklets.html.
Whiteness, Race and the Future
Hua Hsu has an interesting article entitled The End of White America? in the Atlantic Monthly. It goes beyond the normal demographic projections (though it mentions them) to discuss our experience as a nation moving from a European heritage towards a post-white, post-racial reality. The last paragraph reads as follows:
But maybe this is merely how it used to be—maybe this is already an outdated way of looking at things. “You have a lot of young adults going into a more diverse world,” Carter remarks. For the young Americans born in the 1980s and 1990s, culture is something to be taken apart and remade in their own image. “We came along in a generation that didn’t have to follow that path of race,” he goes on. “We saw something different.” This moment was not the end of white America; it was not the end of anything. It was a bridge, and we crossed it.
It made me think of the Kingdom of God and how it will certainly be the most multi-ethnic community we might imagine. Revelation 7 echoes the following future:
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
We are thankful to live this reality today in light of that day here in New Jersey. Though race, culture, foods and habits keep communities separated into enclaves...there are hints that we all want to come out and live a bit with one another. May this increase. My hope for Christian people is not to eradicate certain churches that find cultural and worship affinities along ethnic lines; but rather we could continue to see families join together for more multiethnic churches into the future. We are learning here in NJ to live this way and are praying that our little church will continue to take form as we build towards public worship in 2009.
One more fun blast from the past...here is a picture from our Black Culture Club my senior year at Kellam High School. I was a member through middle and high school - the only "negative" and "anti-spot" in the picture. You can guess for yourselves how I received those honorary titles...
The Utopian Vision of Wikipedia Interrupted by Sin
Wikipedia is a wonderful online repository of information. For the most part, on subjects which are without much controversy, Wikipedia provides timely and helpful information on a plethora of subjects. The idea behind the site was to create a user editable resource which could offer a vast array of knowledge that is updated regularly. Over time the information would be refined by those who were passionate about a certain subject and areas of their expertise.
It places a strong emphasis that the crowd will eventually get it right and a vast resources is made available on the world wide web. I love the idea and it is a work of idealism which I really respect. The thought of a group of kind human beings working together for the common good and offering their knowledge to the world gives one warm fuzzies for sure. Wikipedia has often found its critics. Some say that only experts in a field should weigh in on such fields. Others have had concern that such a vast resource would sphaghetti out of control when very little control is exercised. Yet the effort seems worth the time to correct the mistakes and work towards refining the information.
There is one problem that I believe the Wiki Foundation has underestimated. Human Sin. It is no surprise there is terminology in wiki-world which reflects that we are not all prone to good natured editing of information for edifying our fellow human beings. The most common problem on wiki's is Vandalism. This sort of thing is a problem where pages can be filled with slander, lies, false information and propaganda. How deep the problem affects wikipedia is subject to debate, but sometimes the misinformation can be quite harmful or disturbing.
The New York Times bits blog is reporting the following this week:
Stung by criticism after vandals changed Wikipedia entries to erroneously report that Senators Edward Kennedy and Robert Byrd had died, Wikipedia appears ready to introduce a system that prevents new and anonymous users from instantly publishing changes to the online encyclopedia.
The new system, called Flagged Revisions, would mark a significant change in the anything-goes, anyone-can-edit-at-any-time ethos of Wikipedia, which in eight years of existence has become one of the top 10 sites on the Web and the de facto information source for the Internet-using public.
The idea in a nutshell is that only registered, reliable users would have the right to have their material immediately appear to the general public visiting Wikipedia. Other contributors would be able to edit articles, but their changes will be held back until one of these reliable users has signed off, or “flagged” the revisions. (Registered, reliable users would see the latest edit to an article, whether flagged or not.)
So the original vision of Wikipedia is slowly being modified and eroded over time. By what you may ask? Human nature. People are sinners who are prone to do jacked up stuff to people's visions of Utopia. I would be nice if everyone was courteous online, if everyone wanted to the common good, if everyone saw humanity as joint progress narrative where we all buy the world a coke and teach it to sing in perfect harmony. This is not our world, this is not what human beings are. A segment of Steve Turner's poem Creed comes to mind:
We believe that man is essentially good.
It's only his behaviour that lets him down.
This is the fault of society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.
Wikipedia only works as a completely free site if people were not sinners. So because of sin we need editors, we need flagging and we need God's grace. For wiki vandalism is but a small problem in our chaotic world. Wikipedia needs saviors now, it needs some responsible editors to rescue it. All things involving humans are in need of such redemption - for we ourselves are our problem. Some admit it (repentance) some do not (pride). Scripture comes to mind:
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...Romans 3:21-24.
Here is the link to the piece on the Bits Blog - interesting to see how this is all playing out. It seems a small group of idealists is holding on while the realists are calling for more control. Go weigh in and influence the decision in either direction you please - hey, it is wikipedia after all.
Guacamole...
My good friends Rhett and Link provide a recipe and a bit of faux history regarding one of my favorite green things to eat...yes, Guacamole. See the madness below:
I seems my boyz have dialed in with the Food Network - seems to be a match made in heaven...I sure wanted to make Guacamole and get the recipe after watching that madness. Here is the foodnetwork guac page. Enjoy
Why Logos Rocks
Here is a link on the Logos Blog
On the favor of God
Unmerited Favor
In Daniel 1 we see an interesting word used about Daniel's decision not to defile himself with the King's food. Daniel 1:9 teaches us that God gave Daniel favor and compassion in sight the sight of the chief of the eunuchs. In this passage we see two sides of a unique biblical truth regarding the work of God through our lives.
The word translated favor here is the Hebrew term hesed which has the meaning of unfailing kindness and steadfast love. It is a statement of God's covenantal commitment to his people; it is a statement of God's faithfulness to his promises. It is the word used in Lamentations 3:22-23 where we are told
22The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
We will be focusing more on this next week, but suffice it to say Scripture wants us to see that God was faithfully with Daniel as he took a stand in Babylonian culture. At this point we should notice that God's favor affected the relationships he had with those who were in power. This favor was simply a gift of God, and preceded negotiations about the food issue.
Favor for Wise Living
Daniel then makes decisions and actions in light of the grace God had given. He had a huge part to play in how he was received by those around him and we observe that Daniel displayed exemplary wisdom in his interactions with the Babylonian officials. He displays himself to be a shrewd negotiator and his wise action moves him towards his desire to honor God. There is much practical insight here in this for today. Each of us must navigate work places, schools and cultural settings which can press us towards the compromise of our own worship. We need exactly what Daniel needed-God's favor and then wise actions in various situations and living relationships.
In the workplace today we may be called to compromise the truth, submit to morally questionable instructions and perhaps practically deny our most deeply held beliefs. What sort of practical wisdom does the sojourner need today? I will suggest two areas as paramount. First, we must understand where tensions lie with our culture and the gospel. Second, we must choose wisely where and when to take a stand. For making everything a big deal is not wise yet nor is compromising the soul as we live before God. So let's look at where we may find tensions in our culture with the gospel today.
Dave Mahan, director of the Rivendell Institute for Christian Thought and Learning describes certain cultural fault lines1-areas of life that may create earthquakes between gospel and culture. I find these helpful in anticipating where trouble may arise for the sojourner who seeks to influence others for the Kingdom of God. The description here is necessarily brief.
- Truth-our culture is relativistic in nature and has a low regard for truth. Living with integrity today may present us challenges around issues of truth.
- Freedom-Our culture is obsessed with a view of freedom that literally says "everything goes." Yet we realize that every thing that goes may not be the good or right way to walk in the sight of God.
- Authority-We question, malign, rebel against and abuse power and authority. We will be pressed in the way to submit to and exercise authority.
- Self/Identity-As followers of Jesus we believe that human beings are made in God's image and are worthy respect. We also believe God is the one before whom we truly know ourselves. Our culture views that human nature and the self as constructed based purely on the whims, preferences and choices of individuals. We typically base the worth of persons on their position, their amount of possessions and the power they posses while the gospel puts intrinsic value upon all persons.
- Future-Finally, our view of the future is very different than those around us. Our hope may be mocked, our belief in God's guiding of history seen as naïve and even belief in the coming Kingdom of Heaven is maligned. Afterall, when was the last time you saw a movie set in the future where God had anything to do with reality on earth?
These issues are areas where the gospel can both practically and intellectually clash making sojourning challenging in our day. In closing, knowing where tensions exist is only part of the equation. What we need is wisdom of where to make our own stands in the complex circumstances of life. When tempted to lie to increase our sales, when tempted to compromise our lives in an over sexualized culture, when pressured to treat others without honor, we will have difficult decisions to make. We must prayerfully maintain integrity in our dealings with others walking both an eternal and human path. As we develop character and love for God we will do all our work as we are doing it with him. Virtue and industry will be our path and we can grow to be trusted men and women in our day. People of character may receive favor from God and people and our worship can remain undefiled in tough situations where others might choose a lower path. The tough part of wisdom is that it happens in real time and is not always a clear step by step path. As we seek a way of wisdom, Jesus' own words become our calling: so let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Lord, may this be our prayer...
Note
1. Dave Mahan, Lecture—Cultural Fault Lines, Engaging Contemporary Culture Project, Fort Collins, CO 2001.
Jerusalem Pizza...
In the first chapter of the book of Daniel we see an echo of a tradition which is still very part of our modern world. Driving through downtown Highland Park, NJ you first pass by Jerusalem Pizza before making it to a place where you can get kosher Chinese. Very cool - great food in Jersey. To walk with God in a foreign culture necessitated both cultural embrace and cultural distinction for Daniel and his friends. They were living in Babylon but they were not wishing to become full Babylonians. They had been enrolled in Babylon U to receive an education, they had been allotted the finest of foods from the King's table and they had been given Babylonian names. In Daniel 1:8 we see that they took a stand around an issue regarding food.
There is much scholarly speculation as to why they put their proverbial feet down regarding food. Some say that they wanted God to receive the credit for their good health and not the dietary program of the King,1 others claim they wanted to have their allegiance in God and were making a sort of a statement of political dissent.2 Others offer a fear of participating with food and drink offered in worship to Babylonian deities.3 Finally, and relevant to our current essay, the food would have impacted their consciences in relation to their worship of God.4 Let's look at the passage.
8But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.
It seems like the issue they were actually concerned about was defilement. This term literally means to become religiously unclean or unholy before God5. Though it is likely that the exiled teens would have been unable to avoid all foods which would have defiled them, it seems this was the place they made their stand for the sake of conscience. As many people misunderstand the purpose for the Old Testament's dietary laws, I wanted to take a small bit of time and discuss this.
In the biblical book of Leviticus we find several injunctions by God as to what the people of Israel were and were not to eat. Now some may find this an arbitrary thing for God to do, after all what is the big deal about eating certain foods. Surprisingly enough, food is not the issue at all. Food was merely the means that God used to communicate something to his people and those in the tribes among whom they would live.
Food is one of the most common, yet most important aspects of human life. God created the world so that the produce of the earth would sustain our daily lives. Using such a basic and daily necessity such as food, God wanted to demonstrate something about himself to his people. This is clearly articulated at the end of Leviticus 11. It reads the following:
For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."
God's purposes in the dietary laws for the Jews was to make them holy. We typically think of the word holy as being simply a sort of moral category, but in fact it means "sacred, consecrated, set apart for God." God intended his people to have a distinctness and as such he made them different down to the very food that they ate. Now it has been observed that to each Kosher is in fact quite healthy, but this was a gracious byproduct of the reason which God gave his people a special diet.
Furthermore, the faith of ancient Israel also included the sacrifice of animals to take away and pay for the sins of the people. This was in no way to placate or pacify a King Kong God, but a gift of grace to atone, reconcile and restore fellowship with God. Sin separates, sacrifice brought forgiveness for sin.
Yet the Old Testament did not complete the story of redemption of God's people. This religious diet, did not purify their hearts, it only set them apart in an external way. Furthermore, the sacrifice of animals was but a temporary solution for sin and had to be repeated year after year on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. This was a foreshadowing of the great need of all humanity. We needed to be made righteous and be reconciled to God at the level of the heart. We needed a lasting holiness and a sacrifice which would be given once for all.
The Old Testament pointed forward to a coming reality that would make many people holy before God. It would not come from external actions but would be accomplished by an action by God himself. In the New Testament Jesus, a Jewish man, taught us the following in Mark chapter 7:
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."
Our passage in Daniel teaches that God was the one who gave him favor as he made a stand to remain a person set apart, made holy, by God. We too need favor and forgiveness for our own hearts and attitudes towards God and others. God would do this for his people as he showed them grace and favor in Jesus. Today instead of animals being sacrificed for sin, we live in light of the sacrifice that Jesus gave once for all on the cross. Furthermore our "cleanness" before him is because of his righteousness counted to us by the free gift of God. So rather than a human making a stand for culinary cleanliness, we now eat of the Lord's Supper to remind us of the one who made a stand in the world for us. We do not make stands against defilement from culture alone; Jesus is with us each step of the way. As he has made us "clean" we can now follow in his mission to proclaim the saving good news to others who will find peace with God and forgiveness in him.
Notes
1. Longman, Tremper. Daniel : The Niv Application Commentary from Biblical Text ... To Contemporary Life. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1999, 52, 53.
2. Joyce G. Baldwin, Daniel (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1978) 83.
3. Stephen R. Miller, Daniel (Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman, 1994), 66.
4. For a comprehensive listing of reasons they might have objected to the food see Goldingay, John. Daniel. Dallas, TX: Word Pub., 1989, 18.
5. 7705קָדֹושׁ qā∙ḏôš) James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament), electronic ed. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997).
Great Things Seen...
I sent this out to our core team at Jacob's Well...thought it might be of some encouragement here on the POCBlog as well.
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One sees great things from the valley, only small things from the peak.
- G. K. Chesterton
Today, I ran across this quote from an author which has long inspired me and provoked much thought in the soul. It reminded me again of the beauty and the hope of our task ahead as those who are digging Jacob's Well here in central Jersey. Hope is an interesting thing indeed. It is mocked by the cynic, it is made an idol by the naive, yet remains the ingredient of life that we cannot live without. During a time of public celebration and transition in American today, hope is at the forefront. Hope for change, hope for a better economy, hope for peace in a world of terror.
For follower's of Jesus our hope is always in a different place. It is not in our money, it is not in our success, it is not simply in human leadership and it does not live in pollyannaish optimism. Our hope is in someone, yes. Our hope is in his future, yes. Our hope is optimistic because we trust in the character and love of God seen fully in the face of Jesus Christ.
This past Sunday I read quickly a passage from Romans 15 - it is a verse we will very much live together in 2009. Here is the passage in context:
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Here is our road Jacob's Well - to live for God's glory, for the good of our cities, townships and neighbors, to love and laugh deeply as a church family and through the encouragement of the Scriptures find our hope. This past weekend we encouraged one another, welcomed new friends and with one voice sought to honor our God.
As we are an embryo of a church, we are growing. As we sojourn together in our time and place we cannot help but look up from the valley to see great things ahead. As God looks down on our lives, our struggles, our quarrels, our pains...he knows that we are small. Yet he calls our vision upward and outward and gives us dreams.
I am thankful today after watching the inauguration of our new president; I am even more thankful for the King who was inaugurated with a crown of thorns. He is risen and now guiding his people to his Kingdom which will have no end. As we sojourn in America, let us give thanks today for the nation we possess. Yet let us never waver in our hope in Jesus; for in him we find our greatest longings, purest worship and the true home for our souls.
This week we'll sojourn back to the Thomas' house. We will finish Daniel 1 this week by "Sojourning in the Grace of God." Should be great.
Love to each of you,
Reid S. Monaghan
President Digital
President Elect Barak Obama will be a man of many "firsts" - Apparently he is the first president to have his official photo taken with a digital camera. Whether you are a worshiper, admirer or detractor...you can see the new pic at the link below.
Ultimate God Fighting
There are many common myths that have floated around the human consciousness since the dawn of time. One is that bad things should only happen to bad people and that good people should only have good things happen in their lives. The biblical story line is not one that tells us “we” are the good people and “they” are the bad people; it is much more equitable than this. Scripture teaches us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 6:23). The bottom line is that we all have our share of the bad and God is good to us by his grace. Furthermore, he allows some things in our lives that are painful for he is concerned more about transforming our lives than simply propping us up with pillows.
Another myth that is commonly believed in many cultures is that “Might makes right.” In other words, if your army beat someone's army, then your god sort of beats up their god. It is amazing that this sort of thinking even makes it into football games. In the ancient world and even throughout history (think religious wars) people thought that if a battle went in a certain direction that it showed that a certain god was giving them favor. This thinking can permeate all of us where we can even think of our country or a certain political party as having a most favored status with the most high. Now, Scripture does teach us that Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:34) Furthermore, we also know that there are consequences for our folly and God is a judge of both people and nations. But we cannot universalize the idea that if an army has success that God must be playing favorites.
In Daniel chapter 1 we see very evidently that this is NOT the case. The Babylonians were clearly victors in their conquest of Judah and their people would have given credit to their god Marduk for their might and success. Yet we learn something interesting in Daniel 1:1-2.
Daniel wants his reader to know that God was not absent from the scene, nor was he defeated by an imaginary idol named Marduk. God was working through these circumstances to bring about his purposes in the end.
As we face various circumstances, trials, difficulties, blessings and successes in our lives we must remember that God is with us, he is our loving leader and King. This is truth; circumstances be what they may.
Another myth that is commonly believed in many cultures is that “Might makes right.” In other words, if your army beat someone's army, then your god sort of beats up their god. It is amazing that this sort of thinking even makes it into football games. In the ancient world and even throughout history (think religious wars) people thought that if a battle went in a certain direction that it showed that a certain god was giving them favor. This thinking can permeate all of us where we can even think of our country or a certain political party as having a most favored status with the most high. Now, Scripture does teach us that Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:34) Furthermore, we also know that there are consequences for our folly and God is a judge of both people and nations. But we cannot universalize the idea that if an army has success that God must be playing favorites.
In Daniel chapter 1 we see very evidently that this is NOT the case. The Babylonians were clearly victors in their conquest of Judah and their people would have given credit to their god Marduk for their might and success. Yet we learn something interesting in Daniel 1:1-2.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand…The truth of the matter was that the Babylonian king and his armies were being employed by an even higher power to bring short term, temporal judgment Judah for its sin. While the Babylonians would have declared Marduk the victor in the ultimate god fighting championship, they were clearly mistaken. Daniel wants it to be absolutely clear; the LORD is the one in control of the circumstances of his people. In fact, he even uses the Hebrew name adonai here6 meaning the Sovereign and powerful master, declaring that he is the true ruler in this story. Though there are kings involved in the rise and fall of empires, it is God who is acting through all these affairs. So when the captives were taken from Jerusalem to the city of Babylon, they most likely entered through the massive Ishtar gate of an imposing city. The gate and its thoroughfare would have been decorated with animals that were sacred to venerated Babylonian deities.
Daniel wants his reader to know that God was not absent from the scene, nor was he defeated by an imaginary idol named Marduk. God was working through these circumstances to bring about his purposes in the end.
As we face various circumstances, trials, difficulties, blessings and successes in our lives we must remember that God is with us, he is our loving leader and King. This is truth; circumstances be what they may.
Palm Pre Roundup
Engadget has a great summary of all the coverage of the new Palm Pre over at their site. For your convinience I have brought all the links to you here as well. Also, Palm has now placed a QuickTime version of its CES Press Conference on its web site here.
Engadget Coverage of the Palm Pre
The liveblog
Live from Palm's CES press conference
Impressions / hands-on coverage
Palm Pre first hands-on with live updates!
Palm Pre in-depth impressions, video, and huge hands-on gallery
Palm Pre interface tour
Product announcements
The Palm Pre
Palm announces webOS platform
Palm Pre's wireless charger, the Touchstone
In depth / details
There will be a GSM-friendly 3G Palm Pre
Palm stock on a rocket to recovery
Palm's Pre gets its own spot on Sprint's website
Palm Pre website now live with official images, video
Palm's the master of its own domain, the king of its own Castle
Palm's Pre boxed
Palm Pre ads appear on Engadget
A Tale of Two Kings
The book of Daniel begins with a tale of two Kings.; one of Judah one of Babylon. I thought it might be some fun background information to learn a little bit about the geopolitical situation of that time.
The king of Judah at this time is a man named Jehoakim. He is an interesting guy and was not well liked by anyone. His people didn't like him, God didn't seem to like him and I am guessing even his mother found him hard to love.
First of all, he was placed in power after the death of his father, a beloved ruler named Josiah who attempted to steer his people back towards the ways of their God. After Josaiah's death, Jehoakim was placed on the throne by the Egpyptian king Neco. He was a puppet of Epyptian power and he did not listen to the word of God. He oppressed his own people and ripped them off so he could live in opulence. Jeremiah, a man who was called by God to tell the truth to this King, predicted that Nebuchadnezzar would conquer him (Jeremiah 25) and the surrounding territories. Jehoakim was such a good guy that Jeremiah said the following of him at his death
18 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: "They shall not lament for him, saying, ‘Ah, my brother!' or ‘Ah, sister!' They shall not lament for him, saying, ‘Ah, lord!' or ‘Ah, his majesty!' 19 With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried, dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem."
Jeremiah 22:18, 19
As the old King James translation puts it, this king received the burial of an ass. You can guess what kind of guy he was. You must be a real donkey if God has his prophet promise you the burial of a donkey.1
His nemesis in the first chapter of Daniel is the infamous Nebuchadnezzer who was the son of Nabopolassar the founder of the Chaldean dynasty which ruled Babylon. He rose to power shortly after his military defeat of the Egyptian/Assyrian alliance at the battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. During this military campaign he also made his presence known in Judah. At this time his father dies and he returns to Babylon to be crowned King. Jehoakim was made a subject of Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar brought several of the nobility back to his capital city to be trained in his service. Daniel and his posse were deported to Babylon at this time. From the biblical accounts in Jeremiah, 2 Chronicles and Daniel as well as the ancient Babylonian Chronicle we can reconstruct the following time line for the Babylonian-Judean relationship in the 6th century.2
- 605-Daniel and his friends are deported and Jehoakim becomes subservient to Babylon
- 601-Jehoakim switches allegiance back towards Egypt after a temporary military defeat of the Babylonians
- 597-Jehoakim killed buried without honor-his son Jehoiachin succeeds him and is conquered and exiled to Babylon along with a group of others including the prophet Ezekiel
- 587/86-Babylonian fully and finally crushes Jerusalem devastating the city and its Temple
The tensions between Jerusalem and Babylon lasted roughly 18 years and ended in the complete humiliation of God's people. One scholar gives this horrific description:
"In 587 BCE, the Babylonians began an 18-month-long siege of Jerusalem which ended with the city's almost complete destruction in the summer of 586 BCE. Zedekiah's sons were killed before his eyes, then he was blinded and taken to Babylon. Thousands of Judah's citizens were deported to Babylonia where they joined their countrymen, beginning the famous 'Babylonian Exile.'" 3
One final note should be made. Many scholars have seen a discrepancy between the accounts of Daniel and the accounts of the book of Jeremiah regarding the dating of Nebuchadnezzar's first year of reigning in Babylon. Daniel clearly articulates that Neb's first year was in the "third year of the reign of Jehoaikim" (Daniel 1:1) while Jeremiah tells up it was during his "fourth year." Several reconciliations have been offered to understand the apparent discrepancy, the most compelling first put forth by Assyriologist D.J. Wiseman.4 There were several ways of dating the assension of a King in the ancient near east. First, in Judah they would count the first year of the King as the first year. Simple enough and it seems Jeremiah used this reckoning. Second, the Babylonians counted the first year as an ascension year making the first year of a King's reign the one following ascension. Tremper Longman reproduces a helpful chart from G.F. Hasel that illustrates this well:5
Chronicle of Kings in Jeremiah and Daniel
| Ascension Year Method | Ascension Year | 1st year | 2nd year | 3rd year | Daniel 1:1 |
| Non-Ascension Year Method | 1st year | 2nd year | 3rd year | 4th year | Jeremiah 25:1, 9; 46:2 |
Notes:
1. See article Jehoakim Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1988; 2002), 2:976.
2. For more background information see Joyce G. Baldwin, Daniel (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1978) 19-21 and 77-79.
3. William H. Stiebing, Jr. Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture (Longman, 2008)281.
4. For a discussion of dating methods see Goldingay, John. Daniel. Dallas, TX: Word Pub., 1989, 14
5. See Longman, Tremper. Daniel : The Niv Application Commentary from Biblical Text ... To Contemporary Life. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1999, 44.
Palm Rising...
For those out there who were wondering...it seems like Palm has done something very cool once again in introducing the Palm pre. I have been holding out from becoming a "iClone" on so many fronts so this looks reaaaaly nice. Sweet intro video available on the Palm Pre web site.
Engadget is Live Blogging the Palm CES event...Gizmodo has a descritpion and pics up too...it looks as if old school Palm users are going to be stoked. Word is that it will be out on the Sprint network in the first half of 2009. You can sign up for a release notification from Sprint today - I did. Let us just hope it isn't priced ridiculously high...
Now I need to get back to work on more important things. This new Palm phone looks tres cool...but it ain't eternal.
A few pics:
Fighting with God
If you are into both MMA and Jesus (I do submit that this is indeed a possibility) there is a conference upcoming in Oregon that the PACNWers may be interested in.
See the following Fighting with God Conference page for more information. PS - if you watch the View, apparently you cannot attend. Also of interest is a lengthy piece in the Atlantic Monthly on the UFC in general and Quintin Rampage Jackson in particular. Well written piece and a curious read - be warned the language therein is not always good and some of the spiritual stories shared are "theologically interesting."
As I stated before, the UFC has the good, the bad and the wicked aspects of humanity associated with it - it is not a cozy place on earth as it is in heaven. For those interested, here is the apologetic I wrote for MMA from a biblical perspective.