Super Bowl Ad You Didn't See
The NBC Super Bowl Ad you didn't see because it was "too politically charged."
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Thursday, February 12, 2009
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Purification
Lord Jesus,
I sin – Grant that I may
never cease grieving because of it,
never be content with myself,
never think I can reach a point of perfection.
Kill my envy, command my tongue,
trample down self.
Give me grace to be holy, kind, gentle, pure,
peaceable,
to live for thee and not for self,
to copy thy words, acts, spirit,
to be transformed into thy likeness,
to be consecrated wholly to thee,
to live entirely to thy glory.
Deliver me from attachment to things unclean,
from wrong associations,
from the predominance of evil passions,
from the sugar of sin as well as its gall,
that with self-loathing, deep contrition,
earnest heart searching
I may come to thee, cast myself on thee,
trust in thee, cry to thee,
be delivered by thee.
O God, the Eternal All, help me to know that
all things are shadows, but thou art substance,
all things are quicksands, but thou art mountain,
all things are shifting, but thou art anchor,
all things are ignorance, but thou art wisdom.
If my life is to be a crucible amid burning heat,
so be it,
but do thou sit at the furnace mouth
to watch the ore that nothing be lost.
If I sin wilfully, grievously, tormentedly,
in grace take away my mourning
and give me music;
remove my sackcloth
and clothe me with beauty;
still my sighs
and fill my mouth with song,
then give me summer weather as a Christian.
From Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennett
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Friday, October 03, 2008
Book Review: Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? by Timothy George
Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? Understanding the Differences Between Christianity and Islam
By Timothy George
Zondervan, 2002
Category: World Religions, Evangelism
ISBN: 0310247489
Paperback
140 pages
Indexes: Further Reading List, Key Terms for Islam, Historical Timeline
$12.99 MSRP
Timothy George was raised in a family that was “a little charismatic,” emphasizing the experience of emotion in worship rather than the stimulus of the mind.(1) Although not encouraged to attain higher levels of education or to pursue formalized training for ministry, in God’s good providence, George was afforded an opportunity to study at Harvard Divinity School where he was “the only evangelical Christian.”(2) George now serves as the dean of Beeson Divinity School, an interdenominational, evangelical institution (and seminary home for the present author). His commitment to evangelicalism includes a high view of the sovereignty of God as well as the trinitarian nature of the Godhead. Beeson’s affirmation of this trinitarian nature is evident in its admissions application(3) requiring each potential applicant to interact with the Apostles’ Creed, which is explicit in its trinitarian understanding.
This trinitarian understanding also lies at the heart of Timothy George’s book Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? as it “is the necessary theological framework for understanding the story of Jesus as the story of God.”(4) George’s impetus for writing the book came in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. In an effort to help others understanding the basic tenets of Islam in light of orthodox Christianity, he has offered this book as a tool. He is quick to say that “this book is not a vigorous apologetic against Islam and its many controversial practices…[but] the doctrine of God is at the heart of both Islamic theology and Christian faith. All other issues, however important, are secondary and derivative.”(5) George argues that Islam rejects the Christian doctrines of the Trinity, the incarnation of Christ, and salvation by grace(6) and any effort to evangelize Muslims must inevitably deal with these issues.(7) Oftentimes these issues are misunderstood by Muslims and these misunderstandings have found their way into the Qu’ran. George suggests avoiding the perils of Muslim-Christian debate as it is highly possible to “win and argument and lose a soul.”(8)
The author primarily uses both the Qu’ran and the Bible to outline the basic beliefs of Muslims and Christians. He also quotes Muslim and Christian scholars showing a great balance of research. The author interestingly shows many of the compatibilities between the two holy books as though passages from the Qu’ran could feasibly have been written as passages in the Christian Scriptures.(9) However, it is not sufficient in any evangelism effort to simply point out the similarities between Christianity and any other religion. We must go one step further and preach Jesus Christ as “crucified, risen, and coming again.”(10)
Throughout the book, the author is attempting to answer the question posed by its title: Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? George cautiously answers both “yes” and “no” while he illuminates the need for us to examine and explain the use of terminology that may be misleading.(11) The “yes” comes from the fact that “the Father of Jesus is the only God there is” and therefore he is the God over every other person who has ever lived, including Muhammad.(12) He responds with a “no” because Christians and Muslims “have radically different understandings of the character and nature of God.”(13) However, because of the “yes” answer Christians should have a passion to resolve the “no.” This should not lead us to a prideful contempt of our Muslim neighbor; rather, it should compel us to shed “evangelical tears”(14) for those who are trusting in their own works-based righteousness and not in the atoning death of Christ. A reading of this important and informative book will help each of us to do so.
NOTES:
(1) Conversation with the present author September 11, 2008.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Beeson Divinity School’s application for admission may be accessed here Accessed 9/25/08 for the purpose of this review.
(4) Timothy George, Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? Understanding the Differences Between Christianity and Islam (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 59.
(5) Ibid., 16.
(6) Ibid., 41.
(7) Ibid., 132.
(8) Ibid., 128.
(9) Ibid., 71.
(10) Ibid., 74.
(11) "[We] cannot say that Christians and Muslims worship the same God without qualifying biblically what we mean by same and what we mean by God." Ibid., 131.
(12) Ibid., 129.
(13) Ibid., 130. Thoughts on the Trinity, the incarnation of Christ, and salvation by grace alone are the predominant distinctions between the two.
(14) Ibid., 90.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Healing Stripes
Healing Stripes
by Thomas Doolittle
We should admire the wisdom and the grace of God that by the stripes inflicted upon Christ the wounds that sin had made in our souls should be healed. The wisdom of God is wonderful in this, to find out such a way, that the scourging of His Son should be the cure of our souls, and His wounding our healing.
And the grace of God is in this to be admired, that when He might have laid the strokes of His revenging justice upon us, He would accept the scourging of his Son for the punishment of our sins, that we might not be scourged forever. We deserved to be broken into pieces with His iron rod, and to be beaten with the rod of His wrath, but we are saved and delivered by the stripes that were laid upon His Son.
Our wounds were killing wounds, but the wounds of Christ are healing wounds. Oh what a surgeon is the Son of God that makes a balsam of His sores, to heal and cure ours! What manner of physician is this, that by His own blood fetched from his body, by cruel stripes and blows, makes a potion for diseased sinners, and thereby cures all their maladies!
Oh think of this till you do admire the wisdom and grace of God.
---Thomas Doolittle, Day by Day with the English Puritans, Randall Pederson, ed. (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004), p 108
"...O to grace how great a debtor...
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Gospel Rhymes
I do not like rap music. I never have and likely never will.
I once did not like the gospel. In fact, I was once an enemy of the cross and would still be to this day had not the the Holy Spirit accomplished his regenerating work to the glory of God.
I still do not like rap music, but I do like the gospel. And when the day dawns that the gospel can be communicated through a medium in which it might reach an entire generation, I am obligated to be willing to change my preferences. The day has dawned, and there is a rising generation of Christian, hip-hop artists who are using their talents to the glory of God to further his name throughout the nations. Lamp Mode is one of those artists and this video below reflects some of the most truth-filled lyrics that I have heard centered on the tri-unity of the Godhead.
Lamp Mode's mission statement says that they are intent on "highlighting the Character of God, while presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ and a biblical world view through hiphop culture." I believe that they have accomplished this purpose. At the recent Legacy Conference in Chicago, Paul Washer who was one of the speakers for the conference said "I came here thinking I would hear hip-hop. I heard preaching. I heard preaching."
I still do not like rap music, but I do like the gospel. And this is not rap music; this is true, biblical preaching of the gospel of the triune God.Chorus
Download Full Lyrics with Scripture References and Devotional Here
Glory to the Father
Glory to the Son
Glory to the Spirit
Three and yet One
One in your essence
Three in your persons
The same in your nature
Distinct in your working
Oh my soul- behold the wonder of the Trinity
Blessed be the Trinity, Oh, what a mystery!
I’ll stand amazed for the rest of my days
Pouring out my heart in Triune praise
HT:Christ, My Righteousness
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday is for Missions: China
With over 1 billion people, China is home to roughly 1/6th of the world's population. China has been a breeding ground for Marxist philosophy and the communistic regime has attempted to filter out all forms of religion. However, as history has proved, the Christian church has experienced phenomenal growth under such oppression although true statistics can not be validated. Nonetheless, the true church is healthy (arguably more healthy than the western church) and is growing exponentially.
Such growth under opposition is impressive and encouraging, however, we should be careful not to lose sight of the still great need for evangelization. The majority of Chinese peoples have still never been exposed to the saving grace made available through the gospel of Jesus Christ. 
Most are either atheistic (as the government would prefer) and others still have strong ties to Buddhism, Daoism (or Taoism), or other Chinese ethnic religions. Since the staunch Buddhist denies the existence of evil altogether, the concept of an indwelling sin nature is even more foreign to them. Daoism is where the familiar Yin-Yang symbol finds its origins and the philosophy expressed is that of an intermingling of good and evil to the extent that there is no clear distinction. Although fun to draw, this philosophy has grave implications for the thinking Christian.
Our friends at Operation World have been focusing on China since March 24 and will continue to do so until April 5. Follow this link to Operation World for an excellent overview of the country, its geography, religion, and politics. This will also be helpful with tools on how to pray for China.
It is interesting that I probably have a personal association with more missionaries to this area of the world than to any other. I'm not sure why I find this interesting given the high density of the world's population, but it seems interesting nonetheless.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Monday is for Missions: Basic Philosophy of Islam
Islam was founded by Muhammad in the year 610 after he received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel in a cave in Mount Hira.(1) This revelation was then memorized and dictated to others (since Muhammad could neither read nor write) and this collection of writing, or recitation, came to be known as the Qu’ran. This simple beginning has now become one of the largest religions in the world and is likely the fastest growing religion at the present time.
The basic philosophy of Islam may be divided into two categories: beliefs and obligations. The major beliefs are what Christians would refer to as “non-negotiable” in manners of doctrine. Muslims believe in “God”, whom they refer to as Allah, however, he is not to be confused with the Trinitarian God of Christian Scripture. Rather, it is said that Allah “has no son nor partner, and that none has the right to be worshipped but Him alone.”(2) Allah is also all-powerful and all-knowing, having planned creation’s events since the beginning of time. “He knows what has happened, what will happen, and how it will happen. No affair occurs in the whole world except by His will. Whatever He wills is, and whatever He does not will is not and will never be.”(3)
The next major belief is the Muslim’s belief in angels. Since the angel Gabriel is said to have given the message of the Qu’ran to Muhammad, it is necessarily imperative that a Muslim testifies to the existence of angels.
The third major belief is the belief in God’s revealed books. These books include the Qu’ran, the Jewish Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospels. There are some groups of Muslims (Sunni Muslims in particular) who believe also in the authority of the Sunna which “includes the Hadith in which the sayings and conduct of Muhammad and his companions are recorded.”(4) Shi’ites, on the other hand, do not accept the Sunna as authoritative and prefer to view the Imam (a pope-like figure) as the final authority. Shi’ites still await the return of the twelfth Imam. Most Muslims agree, however, that the only book that remains in an uncorrupted state is the Qu’ran.
Another major belief for Muslims is to believe in the prophets who were messengers of God. “According to the Qu’ran, God has sent a prophet to every nation to preach the message of there being only one God. In all, 124,000 prophets have been sent…”(5) Many of these prophets are in the Christian tradition such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. It is uniformly believed, however, that “God’s final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.”(6)
The final two beliefs for a Muslim are the belief in the Day of Judgment and the belief in Al-Qadar. On the Day of Judgment, “all people will be resurrected for God’s judgment according to the beliefs and deeds.”(7) Al-Qadar is the Muslim’s concept of predestination and it is required for the Muslim to submit to the will of Allah lest he not be considered faithful.
The next subcategory in the philosophy of Islam is the obligations which are also known as the Five Pillars of Islam. These are fairly straightforward and uniform throughout all of Islam. Some sects may add other obligations to this list, but none will come short of it. The first pillar is the “testimony of faith.” This is paramount to being a Muslim for it is here that the Muslim proclaims, “La ilaha illa Allahm Muhammadur rasoolu Allah” meaning “There is no true god [deity] but God [Allah], and Muhammad is the Messenger [Prophet] of God.”(8) The next obligation is to pray five times per day while facing Makkah (or Mecca). These prayers are performed at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night. I find it interesting that the Muslim, I.A. Ibrahim declares that, “in prayer, a person feels inner happiness, peace, and comfort, and that God is pleased with him or her.”(9)
Muslims are also required to give alms to the poor in the amount of 2.5% (or 1/40) of their income. During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim’s lunar calendar, all Muslims are required to fast during the daylight hours “as a method of spiritual self-purification.”(10) The final obligation for the Muslim who is physically and financially able is the make the pilgrimage to Makkah (or Mecca), which is known as the birthplace of Muhammad. In Mecca, there is a large black box in the center of the mosque which is known as the “Kaaba,” which is the “place of worship which God commanded the Prophets Abraham and his son, Ishmael, to build.”(11)
These are the six major beliefs and the five obligations which make up the basic philosophy of Islam. In short, the individual is never quite assured of his or her salvation for he is always in fear of the scales. The Muslim believes has two angels appointed to him to record his good deeds and his bad deeds. If the good deeds outweigh the bad then Allah is pleased and he will be able to enter into paradise. However, if the bad deeds outweigh the good, then he will be cast into an eternal hellfire separated from all that is good. This works-based system of salvation has spread rapidly throughout the world seemingly because of its outward appearance to “do good to others.”
The call for evangelism among Muslims has never been greater. Many parts of the world are enslaved to the system and diametrically opposed to the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which brings liberation from sin. The Muslim knows no such liberation as he lives in a constant fear of the scales. Pray that God may encourage the workers of his kingdom who work among Muslims in attempting to reach them with the gospel. Pray that he would be pleased to cause a burning hunger for truth within many who give blind allegiance to a god that they do not know and can not know personally.
Further resources:
Islam.com - Islam from an Islamic Persepctive
IslamWorld.com - Islam from an Islamic Persepctive
Go West Africa - an IMB website
END NOTES
(1) Dean C. Halverson, The Compact Guide to World Religions, ed Dean C. Halverson (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), p 104.
(2) I.A. Ibrahim, A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam, Second Edition, (Houston, TX: Darussalam, 1997), p 45.
(3) Ibid. p 46
(4)Dean C. Halverson, The Compact Guide to World Religions, p 105
(5) Ibid, p 106.
(6) I.A. Ibrahim, A Brief Illustrated Guide, p 48.
(7) Ibid, p 48.
(8) Ibid, p 65.
(9) Ibid, p 66.
(10) Ibid, p 67.
(11) Ibid, p 67
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Paradoxes
Another dead guys' prayer that breathes so much life for me...
"O Changeless God,
Under the conviction of thy Spirit I learn that the more I do, the worse I am,
The more I know, the less I know,
The more holiness I have, the more sinful I am,
The more I love, the more there is to love.
O wretched man that I am!
O Lord,
I have a wild heart, and cannot stand before thee;
I am like a bird before a man.
How little I love they truth and ways!
I neglect prayer,
By thinking I have prayed enough and earnestly,
By knowing thou hast saved my soul.
Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not an evangelical hypocrite, who sins mores safely because grace abounds,
Who tells his lusts that Christ’s blood cleanseth them
Who for reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for he is saved,
Who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives unholily.
My mind is a bucket without a bottom,
With no spiritual understanding,
No desire for the Lord’s Day,
Ever learning but never reaching the truth,
Always at the gospel-well but never holding water.
My conscience is without conviction or contrition, with nothing to repent of.
My will is without power of decision or resolution.
My heart is without affection, and full of leaks.
My memory has no retention, so I forget easily the lessons learned, and thy truths seep away.
Give me a broken heart that yet carries home the water of grace." 
Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, ed Arthur Bennett, (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2003), p 128-129
Monday, March 03, 2008
Will Pray for Food?
“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isa 55:1)
It would appear as though a Catholic church in Croatia has taken these words of Isaiah and applied them not to Christ, but to their café. The church is attempting to reach the youth culture that has populated the area and the method they have employed is not uncommon to many western protestant churches. They chose to open a café that serves cappuccino, fruit juices, pastries, and other snacks hoping to draw more students back to the area following the local services. The best news…it’s all free…well, sort of. 
The church has drafted a menu that does not require an actual exchange of dollar amounts (or whatever the applicable Croatian denomination may be), but all goods are based on the offerings of specific prayers. A standard cup of java will run you three "Our Fathers", but a Coca-Cola will require five "Hail Marys" plus an additional “Glory Be", “while a cappuccino ranks mid-way at four renditions of the Lord's Prayer.”
Now, although I would not agree entirely with the substance of the prayers, I can not fault this church’s ingenuity for encouraging its youth to memorize. Would it be better suited if the memory aid was based upon infallible Scripture such as the Isaiah passage mentioned above or any others? Of course. And judging from the menu prices it would appear as though Scripture is incorporated…you just have to order the cappuccino.
Read the whole thing
Thursday, February 28, 2008
I Must Confess...
There is another woman who has captured my heart!
22 Words
Everything said in only 22 words? This is absolute genius! I wish I could be as succinct as this all the time.
HT:Timmy Brister
Less Intense: A Follow Up
Two weeks ago I wrote a brief little post that simply said “Intense: That is about all I can say right now.” Indeed, that was about all I could say at that point. Not often found for a loss of words when given the platform, the said juncture defied what I claim as normalcy. Since that point in time I believe that I have arrived at this new frame: Less Intense. [As a sidebar: just prior to writing that little post I completed my first exam in which I was given the tiny little task of handwriting the biblical story from creation to new creation (Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 for you non-biblical theology types ) in 49 minutes or less. You know that feeling that you have just after you vomit anything and everything that your body says is needed or not needed? Well, now you begin to understand.]
I received several e-mails immediately following the aforementioned post (much to my surprise, I might add – who knew people read this thing!) Thus, for those who were concerned let me shed a little light into the time of my life that can most easily be described as “intense.”
Although I took a Jan-term course last month, my “official” entrance into seminary began a little more than four weeks ago. And from the word “go”, it has seemed to be an endless stream of reading, assignments, tests, more reading, planning, arguing, critical-thinking, more reading, and more reading. Just thinking about the sheer volume of the workload has been overwhelming to say the least – and that’s before I even get to work! All said, it has been a difficult time of transition over the past month and I am quite thankful that I can say that the month has now passed! In previous days I would have likely testified that as a result of my procrastination I have brought undue stress upon myself. Oh how I wish this were the case today! Unfortunately, the academic rigors of seminary life are not intended for the faint at heart or the procrastinator. I have really attempted to make wise use of my time and prioritize assignments by devoting more time to those that carry more weight, etc. However, given life’s circumstances this is simply not good enough and that causes my perfectionist personality to quiver. Yes, perfectionist AND a procrastinator – a lethal combination.
So, how do I get from “Intense” to “Less Intense?” Perspective. True, I have found some sort of a groove in which to glide, but the groove itself is more like a cheese grater, so it is not exactly comfortable. Thus, the Lord has been kind a gracious to me to bring back to mind that I must maintain perspective in my life. I can not put my marriage on hold for the next three to four years (or more should a PhD be in the future). I can not neglect all other forms of relationships outside of those whom I come into contact with in the library. I still need to eat – even though one class assignment included a 48-hour fast. I still need to exercise and maintain my physical health – which again, a class assignment will require me to run 5k (can you believe this!). All said, our Father has caused me to understand that if I am too busy “preparing for ministry” to the point that I have no ministry – particularly in the life of my wife – then I have missed the point altogether.
So, where does this leave me? It leaves me at a point where I have decided that I need to be content with something less than straight A’s. God has called me to ministry and I have an obligation to be a good steward of all that he sets before me. Therefore, A’s may not be what is best for my life. My perfectionism does not like this – in fact, it’s killing me - but it is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of necessity. I need to understand that I have limitations and time constraints that will mean that I may not be able to read everything or put forth the amount of work required for the best grades. Does this mean that I am not taking seriously my call to ministry and thus a call to prepare? No. But what it does mean is that I am attempting to have a holistic view of life which does not relegate my educational aspect of my calling to its own dimension. My wife must be a part of my education which must be a part of my work which must be a part of me paying bills and mowing the lawn. In other words, life is that – life. It is all interconnected and therefore I would do well to merge all of its parts into one amalgam so that neither part is neglected or malnourished.
Life is still intense, but that little “less” makes it seem all the more worthwhile.
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