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I would have blogged more but...

Just like the Pyromaniac proprietor Phil Johnson, if I hadn't been involved in the tedious process of bringing my new computer up to my own specifications. I too need to make my new computer look, feel, and act exactly like my old one, which can take a while. Add to that the fact that I've recently been on vacation, flooded with work, and am in the process of moving and I think I can be forgiven for the lack of blogging. There are many things on which I would like to blog, but instead of using this post to give you that list I wanted to steer you to two noteworthy posts of mine that I somehow managed to create even in this time of bloglessness:

• When God the Father, Hated Jesus His Son
• On Time Article, "Let's Have No More Monkey Trials"

There were other posts, of course, but if you only have a few minutes I would encourage you to spend some time on those two, especially the first.

On Time Article: "Let's Have No More Monkey Trials"

I just finished reading Krauthammer's piece with the subtitle, "To teach faith as science is to undermine both." He goes on to declare that to declare that there is a Creator who created and continues to guide His creation is a perfectly acceptable statement of faith but to begin teaching it as science goes too far and is outright preposterous. Faith cannot be science, he insinuates, because faith begins with the tenets of the faith as presuppositions and then seeks to find evidence to back up those, stating "Science begins not with first principles but with observation and experimentation." He then finishes the article with the following:

To teach faith as science is to undermine the very idea of science, which is the acquisition of new knowledge through hypothesis, experimentation and evidence. To teach it as science is to encourage the supercilious caricature of America as a nation in the thrall of religious authority. To teach it as science is to discredit the welcome recent advances in permitting the public expression of religion. Faith can and should be proclaimed from every mountaintop and city square. But it has no place in science class. To impose it on the teaching of evolution is not just to invite ridicule but to earn it.

To trumpet the science of evolution as something that proceeds without bias or "first principles" and through pure observation and experimentation has come up with the big bang and both micro- and macro-evolution is simply a lie. The science of which Krauthammer speaks is a science that has the underlying assumption that there is no "Creator who created and continues to guide His creation." I come to science seeing God everywhere. The scientists of which Krauthammer speak come to science assuming God is not to be found and hiding from Him when He makes Himself known in creation.

I do not deny it, when I study science I assume that God was the cause and stand in awe and amazement at His creativity, power, and graciousness in that creation. When the proponents of Krauthammer's science look at the same, they come at it with the same amount of faith with which I do...But their faith is different. They cannot see past their beliefs in the absence of God and at the same time blindly ridicule me as the blind one unable to see past my Bible-stained prism through which I see the world.

There is a large and growing body of science that is real science by the "Intelligent Design" crowd that is just as valid as that posed by the "Evolution" crowd. Which side we agree with and for which side we argue is a matter of faith, but the Intelligent-designers are not the only ones whose faith will guide them in that choice. To state that faith and science are mutually exclusive is simply ignorant and manipulative. Let the evidence and arguments for both be taught. To suppress Intelligent Design and Creationism in the arena of ideas is to commit the very atrocities that Krauthammer accuses Christians of perpetrating

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse...Claiming to be wise, they became fools. (Romans 1:19-22).

The Joel Osteen Gospel

I have recently spent a few hours listening to Joel Osteen based on the suggestion of some family members who encouraged me that I misjudged him based on my first listen. The first time I heard him, I walked away with the impression that he was preaching a feel-good, do-better, Christ-less Gospel. Now after listening for a few hours I know that he preaches a feel-good, do-better, Christ-less, be-like-Victoria-and-me Gospel. Christ is mentioned at the end when you are promised that if you pray the prayer you will now have eternal life, but what you believe about him or even if you believe that he really exists don't seem to be all that important, in fact he may say that to think so is just divisive and hate-mongering. I was struggling with how to best present my observations and then I stumbled upon Challies' blog entry: "Joel Osteen and Joel-likeness." I decided that I couldn't possibly say it better so I will just direct you there.

I want to make sure that you recognize that I am not Joel-bashing because his method annoy me. It's not because he appeals to people's emotions too much. It's not because of anything like that. It is primarily because I believe that his message is not Christian. Because he lifts the Bible up at the beginning and recites his Bible mantra and cites some verses, he cannot be assumed to be Christian. During the 4 or so services that I watched on his website, I had the express purpose of looking for any sign of the message that we are sinners in the eyes of God and that we need Christ and him only to be saved. I had my pen and paper in hand ready to document even an ellusive mention of the Gospel. Not even once was I able to put ink on the page, not even at the end when he asks people to pray the prayer. I was promised heaven a few times. I was told that God is very good, but that was about as close as it got.

Joel Osteen has been compared to a motivational speaker, but I think that the message he preaches is much more dangerous than that of a motivational speaker. A motivational speaker just promises you happiness and success, but Joel promises you happiness, success, and eternal life. But he doesn't point his people to God's provided means to get us there: Repentance and faith. With a motivational speaker the worst outcome is a bunch of disillusioned people who've just wasted time and money listening to him. But with Osteen's message, I fear that the outcome is an innoculization to the Gospel. Those who would preach repentance and faith and characterized as "divisive" and people "without joy." So now he has told his people that they are going to be successful and happy here, that they will enjoy eternity in heaven with their loved ones, and not to listen to those who have the Gospel.

Therefore, I am not just annoyed by Osteen, but fear for the souls of those who hear and are drawn to his message.

Crucified with Christ or Jumping on the Bandwagon?

I want to direct everyone to Tim Challies' observations on a particular King of the Hill episode. There really aren't any conclusions in the article, but that's not the point. By giving a play-by-play with quotes the message gets across and I think that its a message which we all need to hear and be challenged by: Do we do the "Christian" things that we do because we truly love Christ or because it is the popular thing among the circle of friends with whom we are spending time? Ultimately, I see very little persecution coming into my life due to my devotion and love for Christ. Instead, the "better I do" the more people seem to praise me for it, at least in the church. And for non-believers, "Oh how nice that you have found something which you love so much; I hope that I can find something like that too." Instead, of being an offense in the world, "Jesus is my Homeboy" shirts sell for $36 and The Passion of the Christ is the highest grossing indie film ever. What's going on. Where is the fulfillment in America of the promise that Jesus gave his followers, "A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. (John 15:20)."? Do you want to know what I fear? I think that are fighting hard to show that Jesus is cool, that church can be fun, and being a Jesus Freak means that you get to listen to cool music that is a "positive alternative for the whole family."

Do you want to know what I see is a problem in my heart when I am doing this and may be the underlying driving force behind why many Christians live such a Spirit-less life surrounded by spiritual things? I think Paul nails it when when was speaking to the motives behind the Judaizer's action toward the Galatians:

It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But far be it from me to boast except in the cross in of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:12-14)

Nobody persecutes a Christian anymore than a non-Christian for desiring to make themselves look good. Those in the world are after making one's own self look good so that they can boast in that thing. What is the Christian life about? Is it about living as a part of the Christian culture? Maybe homeschooling? Maybe getting the msot recent praise and worship cd and then telling everyone how much you enjoyed it? Is it about learning more theology, gaining a larger group of disciples, and impressing the elders so that I can move up the ladder of church leadership? Is it about coming up with pithy and thought-provoking blog entries so that people can validate me? Is it about becoming active in the church? Maybe being up on all of the "Christian" fads? Whatever it is, Christian life is usually far from seeing oneself as "crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20--dead to looking to one's own righteousness). I am proud. I hate it, and am trying to mortify my pride, but I am proud. And rarely do I boast in anything but my own accomplishments, knowledge, or position. That's not any more offensive to the world than if a non-Christian does it. But if I was convinced that the only thing that makes me anything, my treasure, and my only hope is my position before God because of what Christ did at the cross, somebody might be offended. I would n't be the offense, the Cross of Christ would, but am I being like the Judaizer's and living a life of "Christian culture" so that I can boast in my flesh and so that I am not "persecuted for the cross of Christ?" It's hard to say, but my fear is that oftentimes the answer is "yes".

The cross of Christ is a freeing message (Galatians 5:1). Christ paid the entire price for my sins at Calvary, and all of his perfect righteousness is now freely given to me. What an insult to that sacrifice if I try to add to it by bringing my meager accomplishments before God and say, "Thank you for the cross, but look what I did to help add a little more righteousness to my account." In fact, Paul says that to do that is to attempt to nullify what Christ did (Galatians 2:21, 5:2-4). But to declare that we are hopeless, utterly hopeless sinners reliant on coming to God on our faces begging for mercy is an offensive message to humanity that is obsessed with trying to increase our self-esteem.  It's a message that my heart utterly loves, but my flesh utterly hates. So God, I beg you to give me the mercy to live my life consciously aware and even declaring to you minute by minute that my only status, my only boast is Christ and what he did for me when he stepped out of heaven to die and be raised on my behalf.

Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalists: Is Christ Subjective Because Our Views Are?

Based on some negative comments that I have made on the writings of John Shelby Spong in the past, I have received a few emails both lambasting and congratulating me on my thoughts. Already getting a glimpse of it in Here I Stand, I decided to read his Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalists. The I just wanted to warn my readers about what is out there, being passed off as mainstream Christian thought, and is being eaten up.

Chapter 14 is a great example of what Spong stands for, and I cannot for the life of me understand how this logic appeals to, much less makes any ounce of sense to anybody. I'll quote from p. 227, where Spong rips a question of Bonhoeffer's from its context and makes one of the most blunt relativistic statements I've seen. And the fact that he is thought of as a great thinker is beyond me: "[Bonhoeffer's] question was not 'Who is Christ?' but rather, 'Who is Christ for us, for our day?' Bonhoeffer recognized, as so many religious people fail to do, that anything we say about Christ is subjective. We do not capture Christ...Our words point to Christ. Our images interact with Christ. But our words and our images are products of our world, of our cultural realities. They are not objective. They will not endure forever."

I think many think that he is brilliant because they cannot follow his flow of thought. Let's break this down: "We should not seek to find out who Christ really is. That is a mistake because our perception will be subjective. And because our perception is subjective (not objective) therefore it is wrong to seek an objective reality of who Christ is." First off, there is an implicit assumption here which Spong will not make explicit--he even explicitly denies this assumption--that the existance, the attributes, the actions, and the power of Christ must be objective. IF we are to view anything subjectively, there must be something to view. My perception of Christ may not be perfectly accurate, just as your perception may not be either, but that does not change the fact that an objective reality exists.

Take the following example: I am walking down the street with my iPod in my ears and I see a man fall down dead in front of me. I did not hear anything because the only reality that I could hear was the music blaring in my ears. I did not see a cause for the man's death, so I assumed that he must have had a heart attack. Another person heard a gunshot and saw a group of teenagers running down the street. That individual's perception is that he was shot by teens. A third person saw a sniper take aim and pull the trigger. That person's assumption is that the sniper shot the man. Three perceptions. Maybe one of them is correct. Maybe none of them are. But it does not eliminate the fact of an objective reality. And we don't live in this world like Spong suggests. No, we conduct an investigation to try to bring our subjective reality as close to in-line with objective reality as possible. Granted, our perception limits us, but the quest should not be ignored.

That is why I do not ask first and foremost, "who is Christ to me?" I want to take the evidence presented in God's word and in the testimony of the lives of the witnesses to his life, death, and resurrection and say "Who is Christ?" I want to read his own testimony of himself. Then, trying to mold my view of him as close to that truth as possible, then and only then do I ask the question "Who is Christ to me?" And the answer then becomes, "My only Hope. He's my Savior. He's my Treasure. He's my King!"

On my own, I could turn Christ into whoever I want. Given free territory in which to roam, unchecked by the truth of Scripture, my imagination can and does redefine God constantly. Therefore, I must believe the Word when it says of God, "You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. (Neh 9:6)" Because if I don't I tend to think that my perception defines reality. "My thought creates truth," I tell myself. What utter lies. God alone is Lord.

But that isn't a message that my sinful heart likes to hear and it isn't a message that Spong wants to hear. Therefore he has written the book, "Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism" and told us that the Bible isn't God's word, objective truth is a foolish aim, God is whoever we make him, and the ultimate goal and aim of our life and religion is good works and our contentment. Please take your eyes off yourself and turn them to Christ. He has existed for eternity as God, humbled himself and became a man for our sake, died the death we deserve on the Cross, and now he is interceding at the right hand of the Father on our behalf. How do I know that? The Bible tells me so. So please don't listen to these lies and pick up your Bible and read it. Start with Matthew and read straight through to Revelation and then start from Genesis and do the whole thing over again. Don't take my word for it, don't let Spong's attempt to Rescue the Bible ruin it, but read it and let God do the rest as he changes your heart and saves you from your sins.

When God the Father Hated Jesus, His Son

 We are a people familiar with hate. We've seen ton's of hate and the wrath and destruction that it causes:

6 million Jews dead in the Holocaust
Over 20 million killed in World War II, more than 80% of those civilians
recently

Over 2900 Killed and two gigantic towers leveled on September 11th
The beheadings and murder of Nick Berg, Ken Bigley, and countless others in the Middle East.
56 killed in London bombings on July 7th
88 or more killed in the attack in Cairo on July 23rd.
 

But most likely very few of us intimately know that kind of hate, the kind of wrath that makes us fall on our face and tremble in fear. I imagine myself face to face with a terrorist, him having a knife to my neck and I shudder a little bit. I know that I'd do almost anything to get myself out of that situation.

There is something much more terrifying which does not affect me as it should. Proverbs 6:16 says that there are seven things which the Lord hates, that are an abomination to him: "Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feed that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers." I'm guilty on seven counts. I have something a whole lot scarier than a Nazi or a terrorist to contend with, I've earned the wrath of God. Jesus says (Matthew 10:28), "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destory both soul and body in hell."

Unlike our our selfish, sinful, unrighteous, unjustified, God-defying hate, God has a perfect, God-glorifying, perfectly righteous and just hate for sin. And God's hatred for sin is so fierce, so brutal, and so inescapable that it is beyond our comprehension. We saw a glimpse, but a very tempered version of it, when He destroyed all but a family in the flood, when fire fell from heaven to consume Sodom and Gomorrah, and when God destroys entire nations that rebell against Him, but nowhere was that hatred so purely and fully expressad than at the cross.

Each of us, not a single one in this room, and I'm aware of none so guilty as I am, have earned an eternity so horrid in Hell that all we would be able to do day-after-day for one thousand years is to cry our with no hope of relief and knash our teeth in agony like one who is being burned alive and feels every second of it but can never just die and then at the end of that thousand years have a thousand more thousands with no hope of relief, not even a second. And we earned it. That is our cup to drink. That is my cup: Eternal wrath.

I can't get my mind around it, but when I try I shudder to my very deepest core and beg God for mercy. I can't comprehend that, but Jesus could, and his response was the same. Turn to Matthew 26:39, the Garden of Gathsemane, "And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." The cup he is speaking is what Isaiah (51:17) called the cup of God's wrath..the cup of staggering," and at the thought of it Jesus staggered and fell to the ground and begged God for another way. He could have said, and would have been justified in saying, "Father, those disciples sleeping over there have earned this cup. I don't want it. Make them drink it." But he did something so humble, so loving, so unfathomable, he stared into that cup which contained all the wrath of God not just against one man's sins but against billions of those who had rebelled and sinned against Him. Jesus was staring into into the cup of almighty God's wrath and said that thing for which we love Him, praise Him, and remember Him today, (Matthew 26:42) "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it your will be done."

God's hatred against sin is greater than we could comprehend but His love and mercy is greater still. The one who ruled heaven and earth, created all with a word, and holds everything together by his will stepped out of heaven and became a man. He did this so that he could go to the cross as a sacrifice on my behalf and there drink the cup of God's wrath against me so that I could live, so that I could drink the cup of grace, the cup of the new covenant. This all-powerful one shook, cried, and sweated blood and then willingly went to the cross to be murdered by His father.

For eternity Jesus had experienced perfect intimacy with His Father in the trinity. I've only known imperfect intimacy with my wife for 3 1/2 years. I cannot imagine giving up that intimacy for anything in the world. Jesus went to the cross and the Trinity was ripped in two. The Father stared at His Son whom He loved and saw my sin and your sin and hated him. And Jesus cried out in so much more pain and agony than anything those nails or the gaping wounds on his back could cause him, (Matthew 27:46) "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He drank every last drop of that cup for you and for me the cup which I deserved to drink.

And now, the men will come down the aisles and serve us a little piece of bread and a little cup with juice in it. Jesus told us to eat this bread to remember his body which was broken in our place. He told us to drink this cup, "the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins," in remembrance of him.

So for all of you, whether East Valley Bible Church Tempe is your regular body or if you are just visiting, if Jesus and his death and resurrection are your only hope to avoid wrath and enjoy God forever, please participate in this. However, if you, in your own judgment of yourself cannot say with certainty that you have place all of your hope in Jesus then please let the cup pass by. Jesus came to earth to live a perfect life and then to die on your behalf. So please, stop trying to earn heaven. You can't. All that you've earned is this cup of wrath. John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." So, even if you've never trusted Jesus like this before, you too can participate in this time if you put your faith in him. Then please meet with one of us after the service, even grab me during the service if you need to, I'd love to pray with you. But if you have come and Jesus is not your hope, he's not your treasure, please let the cup and the bread pass you by.

Please prepare your heart, thank Him, praise Him and we will take communion together in a few minutes.