Richard Dawkins, Are You Serious?

Dawkins, famed atheist and scientist, is leaving his position at Oxford University to write a book about the effects of Harry Potter on kids.  The point mainly is to stir kids away from magic, spirituality, etc. toward science and evidence (as if the two were mutually exclusive).  In the article link, Dawkins is quoted at a recent conference, talking about a related subject.  He said:

It is evil to describe a child as a Muslim child or a Christian child. I think labelling children is child abuse and I think there is a very heavy issue, for example, about teaching about hell and torturing their minds with hell…It’s a form of child abuse, even worse than physical child abuse. I wouldn’t want to teach a young child, a terrifyingly young child, about hell when he dies, as it’s as bad as many forms of physical abuse.

Dawkins is blind to the light of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4).  We can’t blame him; he can’t help it.  He is especially lacking common grace from God.  Yet, he’s still responsible for his sin and folly.  I honestly don’t think I know anyone, even the most liberal person in my sphere, who would say that physically hitting a child is better than calling them a Christian.

I can only ask, “Richard Dawkins, are you serious?”

The Gospel According to Hosea 12

The gospel is all over Hosea.  “What?” you ask.  “Jesus isn’t even named in Hosea.”  I know, but in the words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend.”

Hosea 12:2 says, “The LORD has an indictment against Judah.”  God has an indictment against us — we sin…a lot.  We have committed cosmic treason by totally forsaking God’s rules.  We totally offended God by turning our backs on him and saying, “Yeah, thanks but no thanks, God.”  So, God, not waiting for us to make the first move, sent his Son to fulfill the requirement that we could not (and did not want) to fill.

Because we couldn’t fill the requirement (i.e. perfection), we deserved to be killed.  We deserved the electric chair or gas chamber or worse.  That’s how bad we are.  In 12:14, God says, “Ephraim has given bitter provocation; so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds.”  We have made God incredibly irritated with the way we’ve acted.  This happened to Israel after Jacob sought his whole life, after starting the 12 tribes of Israel.  This happened after Moses led the Israelites out of bondage from a crazy Egyptian dictator.  And we have done the same, or dare I say, much worse.  Still, while we were enemies, God sent his Son to show us true love, compassion, and grace.  We didn’t get God’s repayment for our deeds.  Instead of wrath, we got mercy.  Christ came.  God repaid to Jesus what we were due when he went to the cross.   Jesus took our disgraceful deeds and exchanged them for his righteousness, so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).  This doesn’t just make it a Christian.  It radically transforms the rest of my life in how I respond to and interact with God.

Our response to God’s initiative and grace that he gave us through Jesus’ death is that we “by the help of God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God” (v. 6). God is sovereign and he will help us come to Jesus if indeed he has called us to come to Jesus.  And after we trust Jesus and become Christians, we must wait for him to cause us to feel the heat of his word in our lives. You cannot manufacture any affection toward God, either before or after conversion. We might see the light of the sun, but because of our imperfect nature and propensity toward sin, we so often find ourselves in the shadows, shivering, not feeling its heat. We must wait on the Lord and believe that he who has predestined us, also called us, and justified us, and has already glorified us (Rom. 8:30).   In the shadows, God calls us to wait, but while waiting, we are to long for him to rescue us.  We must go to God, by his help, and in our going we must wait for him to show up.  God showing up is what he does best.  This is grace.  This is who God is.  This is the gospel.

As I let the weight of God’s wrath on Jesus sink into my heart, I can’t help but tremble.  Every false word, lustful look, greedy thought, jealous action, selfish attitude, and prideful intention put Jesus on the cross.  I have given bitter provocation to God.  I deserved to be repaid for my disgraceful deeds.

Jesus died because God put him to death.  “It was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief” (Isa. 53:10).  Jesus died to make people right with God.  “The righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous (Isa. 53:11).  Jesus died to bring us to God.  “He bore the sins of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors (Isa. 53:12).

That’s the gospel.  And it’s in Hosea.  Actually, it’s on every page and in every word of the Bible.

Why Bad Times Are Good for Missions

John Piper posted a couple days ago on why bad economic times are good for missions.  In it, he came up with four conclusions for why this is true:

• During an economic downturn we are more dependent on God. That is the most fertile soil for creating missionaries.
• During an economic downturn unreached people around the world do not expect you to come, but to look out for yourself. So they may more likely see your risk as love rather than exploitation.
• During an economic downturn those who need Christ around the world may be less secure in earthly things and more ready to hear about eternal life.
• During an economic downturn people at home may be wakened to the brevity of life and the fragility of material things, and so may become more generous not less. And when they give under these circumstances, it will make Christ look all the more like the all-satisfying Treasure that he is.

Listen to Piper’s last sermon during Bethlehem Baptist’s missions focus week.

Seinfeld 2027 on Frank TV

This is priceless.

2 Samuel Bible Studies

In a previous post, I made available Bible study materials from 1 Samuel.  I now have the 2 Samuel studies uploaded.  They are not in one PDF, like 1 Samuel.  My apologies for that.

2 Samuel PDFs

God’s Heart – 1:1-27
David’s Kingship Begins – 2:1-5:5
Moving Up – 5:6-25
David’s King – 6:1-7:29
David’s Reign – 8:1-10:19
Divine Grace – 11:1-12:31
Human Disgrace – 13:1-39
Trouble at Home – 14:1-33
The Word Fulfilled – 15:1-19:43
Success Against Rebellion – 20:1-26
God’s Faithfulness – 21:1-22
Singing Praises – 22:1-23:7
Disguised Mercy – 24:1-25

Mark Richt’s Family and Adoption

Here’s a great story that ESPN ran last week about Mark Richt, head Georgia football coach, and his family’s adoption of two children from Ukraine.

Some Lessons for Conservative Christians

When it comes to politics, I’m a moderate (for more on this, read here and here).  I’ll admit that to anyone.  However, on most issues, I’m conservative, but not an ultra-conservative, fundamental, homeschooling-denim-jump-suit-wearing Christian conservative (unless I get credited with putting the “fun” back in fundamentalism).  Still, I’ve made it clear on this blog that I cannot, nor will not, vote for Obama.  You all know that.

As much as I enjoy conservative values and worldview, a greater joy than being conservative is that I’m a Christian.  I love Jesus.  If I die, Ronald Regan isn’t getting me into heaven.  Jesus is.

This election might not go as I hope.  In fact, it probably will not.  It’s not looking good if you vote red.  I have a friend who works for the Nebraska GOP.  She said, without a doubt, Obama will win this election and there’s nothing McCain can do. I think that, if Obama wins the election, God will teach conservative American Christians three lessons, among many others, in the election and throughout the next four years:

• A President can’t save you (see 1 Samuel 8).
• Christians (republican ones) do not always get what they want just because they ask for it — God isn’t a genie.
• We do not live for this world, but for the one to come (see 1 Cor. 7:31; Jn. 2:17).

I do not think that Obama’s presidency will go well.  I’m not saying McCain’s, if elected, would.  But if you love Jesus and are reading this blog, pray over these things and trust the Lord to learn these lessons.  I will.

Lord willing, those who support Obama (especially Christians), will see learn these lessons well.  If we do not hope in Christ, we are lost.  There has never been, and never will be, a Savior on Capitol Hill.  Praise God for that.

Humor Break

I’ve went to extreme measures to prove a point or stand on principle, but I don’t think I’d ever go this far.

Church Tour

Church is fascinating to me.  The way a church service is run especially catches my attention.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the Church (God’s people).  I love (mostly) every aspect about a local church (fellowship, evangelism, small groups, etc), but I think Sunday morning says a lot about what a church represents, believes, teaches, and treasures.

In the next six weeks, I am going to visit local churches in my city (Lincoln, Nebraska).  There’s three immediate goals I have in mind.  One, I want to see what God is doing in the larger picture of Lincoln, instead of my own church.  I hope to grow my appreciation and love for other denominations and brothers/sisters — even if my theology is different than theirs.  Two, I want to observe how each local body does church.  What do they do that I like?  What do they do that I don’t like?  As someone who wants to plant churches someday, I need to formulate a philosophy of how a service should be run and it’s never too early to start.  Third, I want to see how much a single visit to a church service reveals about a church’s beliefs through the sermon, music, announcements, etc.  What is important to them will implicitly and explicitly come out during the service.

There will be objective and subjective parts of the posts during this “church tour.”  There’s really not much structure though.  I’ll simply be blogging my thoughts and observations.  My point isn’t to criticize or offend anyone — it’s just to observe.  I’ll be visiting six churches of different demoninations, sizes, styles of worship, and theological beliefs.  Each week I post, I won’t name the church, but I’ll let you know the denomination and size.  We’ll start the church tour blog posts next week.  I hope this will be as fun for you all to read as it will be for me to write!

Sometimes (a lot of times), the Truth isn’t Nice

We should learn to love and practice Jesus’ hard truth when speaking to others.  On top of that, you can’t help but laugh when the disciples talk amongst themselves when they are around Jesus.