"New" News: Week 10-11 of '09

In the News

Wanted: Dead or Alive - What is Actually Happening to American Evangelicalism?

Last week's religion news was schizophrenic. Is there a coming evangelical disaster or a resurgence of Neo-Calvinism as one of the 10 ideas changing the world?  Here are a few interesting articles to help gain some clarity:

• More Americans say they have no religion, -Associated Press, March 8th
  
• The coming evangelical collapse -Michael Spencer, Christian Science Monitor, March 10th
  
• Survey: Less Than 1 Percent of Young Adults Hold Biblical Worldview -Jennifer Riley, Christian Post March 10th
  
• Losing My Religion...Not So Fast -Lauren Green, Religion Correspondent; Fox News, March 11th
  
• 10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now...# 3 The New Calvinism -David Van Biema, Time Magazine, (this one is worth quoting...) "Neo-Calvinist ministers and authors don't operate quite on a Rick Warren scale. But, notes Ted Olsen, a managing editor at Christianity Today, "everyone knows where the energy and the passion are in the Evangelical world" — with the pioneering new-Calvinist John Piper of Minneapolis, Seattle's pugnacious Mark Driscoll and Albert Mohler, head of the Southern Seminary of the huge Southern Baptist Convention. The Calvinist-flavored ESV Study Bible sold out its first printing, and Reformed blogs like Between Two Worlds are among cyber-Christendom's hottest links."
• Why the Time Magazine Trumpeting of New Calvinism Is a Bad Thing -Thabiti Anyabwile, Tuesday, March 17 (a respectful and sober treatment of the issue)

EDITORIAL: I'm never too keen on church death predictions.  Some churches may die, but Christ's church will never die.  His claim was simple; "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. He will build his church but he will build no one else's. That's why the first wound toward the death of a movement comes in the form of a label.  I'm certain that the leaders of this fresh new movement of God love Jesus supremely (their ministries have increased my love for Christ) but we should all be careful to accept any labels lest we minimize Christ leadership and work in building the church.  

When Ideas Collide...

Collision Course: Homosexuality and Christianity?

• "Equality Ride 2008: Faith in Action: Social Justice for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered People."  Young Evangelicals Are Ditching the Christian Right's Bigoted Agenda -Pam Chamberlain, The Public Eye, March 6th
• Christian and gay -Emma Midgley, BBC, February 24th

Collision Course: Islam and Christianity?

• Families of dead soldiers react with fury to Muslim hate preacher's taunts -Andrew Levy and Paul Harris, DailyMail Online (UK), March 12th
  
• Egyptian Christian Burned Alive; Father Murdered Also -Ethan Cole, Christian Post Reporter, March 10th
  
• Minister beaten after clashing with Muslims on his TV show -Jonathan Petre,  DailyMail Online (UK), March 15th
  
• Islam and freedom of speech -Geert Wilders, The Boston Globe, March 8, 2009.  Geert Wilders is a member of the Dutch Parliament and head of the Freedom Party. In 2008 he released "Fitna," a controversial film about the Koran and jihadist violence. Wilders was condemned as an anti-Muslim agitator but also hailed as a defender of Western values and free speech. In January, a Dutch court ordered Wilders prosecuted for allegedly inciting hatred against Islam.  He is interviewed here by the Boston Globe
• Report: Obama Considers Reaching Out To Taliban by The Associated Press discussed on NPR, March 10th

EDITORIAL:  The point here in collecting these resources is NOT to elicit Fred Phelps-ian foolish outrage and fear, but to challenge us to consider what we really believe about the Scripture.  The pressure to compromise the teaching of the Bible (on homosexuality, 1 Tim 1:9-10 and the exclusivity of Christ, Acts 4:12 for instance) is not something new but it is increasing and may eventually come from the state.  We have to wrestle with some big decisions now.  

• Can we be loving and hold to the authority of the Bible? (Is that a false dichotomy?) 
  
• When do we stand against authority that compromises Scripture? 
  
• Would it be more loving to compromise? 
  

There is a very real possibility that we will all be faced with these challenging questions and our "standing" may come a great cost.  Where will we stand?

(Comparable) Quote(s) of the Week

"[We urge the U.S. to] maintain its good credit, to honor its promises and to guarantee the safety of China's assets...

We have lent a huge amount of money to the U.S. Of course we are concerned about the safety of our assets, to be honest, I am definitely a little worried." - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. (Proverbs 22.7)

In the Arts

Ryan Adams is writing...

RYAN ADAMS RELEASING BOOKS LIKE HE RELEASES ALBUMS -Joe Shearer, Past Magazine Online, March 11th

"Prolific" has always kind of been Ryan Adam's middle name when it comes to records (he's released 10 of them in the last nine years), but it seems he's taking that work ethic to the book world. Not one, but two books are slated for this year. more...

Random Resources

The Gospel Coalition website has a growing collection of video interviews (2 - 12 minutes long) that are definitely worth reviewing.

Soul of the Author

On a date with my wife and Mac (our 5 yr-old), I bought a Schleich lion and a lamb to adorn my desk.  From heavy counseling situations to demands as a father/husband to disappointments in ministry to the stress of preaching the word, I need to be reminded of Christ's sufficiency and supremacy. Jonathan Edwards, while expounding on Revelation 5, once said that in Christ we find "an admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies." Lion and lamb. Ruler over all and intercessor for my sin. That's my Jesus. 

"New" News: Week 9 of '09

In the News

U.S. State Department "Dating Other People"

The times they are a-changin'.

Rebuffed at the White House 

All Things Considered, March 6, 2009 · President Barack Obama's gift of a set of DVDs to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown appalled the British media...more

Hillary Clinton and Co. warm to Syria (Times UK) (AP)

Quote(s) of the Week

"We are not going away. We will not be invisible. We have had it." 
ROBIN TYLER, an opponent of California's gay-marriage ban, after a challenge before the state Supreme Court

"Barack's name ain't Jesus. Barack ain't gonna improve your child's reading score. There are things we've got to do on our own."
THE REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT, Barack Obama's former pastor, warning against asking too much of the President

In the Arts

Good news indeed.  In one enigmatic tweet from Sufjan Stevens ("writing music"), the eclectic composer of "state-themed" albums like Michigan and Illinois shows some signs of compositional life.  Which state will be next?  (...a nice banjo and orchestral arrangement would greatly suit stories about 10,000 lakes, Paul Bunyan and Lake Itasca, in my humble opinion)

... a little sample from Steven's Michigan album.

Random Resources

Justin Taylor's "Between Two Worlds" blog was filled with helpful resources this week:

This post, stimulated by thoughts like this from C.S. Lewis on idolatry,

"(Sensual love) ceases to be a devil when it ceases to be a god. So many things--nay every real thing--is good if only it will be humble and ordinate.” (1940)

includes a great FAQ on the "lusts of the flesh" by David Powlison from the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (example: "How can I tell if a desire is inordinate rather than natural?")(Desire 101: Putting First Things First)

Also, Talyor provides an excellent summary of this very in-depth collection of lectures on worship.

From Ligonier:

Interview with Sinclair Ferguson on his new book "In Christ Alone: Living The Gospel-Centered Life."  Ferguson's message at the Desiring God National Conference on James 3 and the tongue still haunts me 6 months after hearing it.

C.J. Mahaney's Productivity Series - C.J. has been writing some tremendously wise things about "making the most of every opportunity" at his blog.  I'll be reading the whole series this week. 

Memory Madness

My friend Steve Nelson prepared this excellent Scripture Memory program for kids (their parents).  It is simple and systematic and thorough in content (240 verses total) and review (last fall my 9 year-old was able to recall 70 verses).

If you are looking for some commentaries, Best Commentaries has a comprehensive list and slick shopping function for purchasing from a variety of vendors.

Soul of the Author

This week I have been rejoicing in the fullness of the Gospel and feeling increasingly burdened to not waste my life.  I have been working to grow in prayer and fill in the margins of life with things that build more than entertain (watching messages, reading more, etc).  Life requires continual deepening in "knowledge and depth of insight", stasis will not do.

"New" News: Week 8 of '09

In The News...

Legislating Morality or Limiting Conscience? 

The catch phase, "You can't legislate morality", is one of the least intelligent cliches of the last 40 years. Laws are nothing if not a reflection of a culture's morality.  

Now, the forces that have derided any ban on the destruction of human beings in utero as "legislating morality" are seeking to bridle the conscience of medical practitioners who refuse to destroy those human beings.  It goes beyond maddening all the way to spooky. 

A summary of the issue at NPR

A quote is from a piece by Chuck Colson at BREAKPOINT (which also includes some great links to additional reading):

"the government is considering undermining religious freedom and freedom of conscience for the sake of convenience. They can’t even argue it’s necessary. If someone objects, for conscience’ sake, to facilitate abortion, anybody is free to go to another doctor or druggist.
...
Remember—freedom of conscience is the first freedom. And people who can be compelled to act in violation of their most deeply held convictions are not free in any meaningful sense."

Bailouts Increase Recession 

This piece from Reuters examines how U.S. rescue efforts may risk double-dip recession.

I'm not sure if I am more surprised that the piece exists or that it is considered newsworthy ("Thank You Captain Obvious").

Student Christian Conversion (in the UK) on the Rise

"Despite declining church attendance in the UK, the alpha movement, designed primarily for non church goers, has been embraced by more of the British public year by year, and Edinburgh’s students are no exception."

The Malaysian "Allah" Controversy

Can Malay Christians print "Allah" in their publications? It depends on the week.

Who really makes the decisions in Malaysia and why does it matter? These articles are helpful in understanding the controversy.

An AP story printed in The Christian Post.

More from the Malaysian press.

The Quote of the Week:

I began reading the Bible to disprove the Christian faith I was learning both to admire and despise. I cannot begin to describe my feelings when I first read the New Testament texts. I saw myself in many of the parables and felt as if the Bible had been written especially for me. After reading every book I could find on the historical accuracy of the Bible and Christianity, I was convinced that the Bible had remained unaltered throughout the centuries and that circumstances surrounding Christ's death led to the conversions of thousands. However, my perspective remained intellectual and not spiritual... - Bobbly Jindal from US News

In the Arts...

U2's "No Line On The Horizon" is available at Amazon for $3.99 

Paste Magazine's review. 

and from the Christian Post;

 "A Theologian Calls New Album Most Thoroughly Christian Project to Date" 

My favorite line so far: "stop helping God across the road, like a little old lady" (from Stand Up Comedy)

Got Milk?
When it comes to acting, no one can argue Sean Penn is the real deal, but did he portray the real Harvey Milk? This article examines the "artistic license" taken in Milk and the danger of rewriting Milk's history.

Also, Carl Trueman (at reformation21.org) speaks plain British in this discussion of the Milk review from the Gospel and Culture project.

"I am not even sure how to respond to the comparison of gay outing to Christian witness and commitment. The reviewer's use of the `a' word -- `authentic' and its cognates -- is surely crucial here. It is, after all, the postmodern cliche most beloved of trendy Christians. But it is, ultimately, an existential, or even better, aesthetic category, not an ethical one. Indeed, it is devoid of moral content in any biblical sense. If honesty and consistency between belief and action, even at personal risk, are the criteria for judging that somebody is worthy of emulation, then what is to stop a spoiled eight year old screaming for the latest toy, or Adolf Hitler, or even serial killers from being such? All offer examples of sincerely held beliefs in action."

Random Resources

ESV Study Bible Online is free for the month of March! I'm so grateful to Crossway for the ESV Study Bible. This reference is loaded with tools to enhance your understanding of the Bible and now you don't have to take any ESV geek's word for it - you can review the content for yourself.

Help Me With Bible Study (helpmewithbiblestudy.org)

I stumbled across this site while doing some research this week. It has a very useful collection of skill-building lessons, study methods and tools.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5.15-17)

RescueTime is a free time tracking software that monitors your application usage and provides real time reporting of what activities occupy your time. I have been using it for several weeks now and, once it is customized, it is a fantastic tool.

The Soul of The Author

On several different occasions this week a generous gift left me feeling exposed, powerless, a little guilty and uncomfortable with being indebted (that's pride for those taking notes). Through the kind gifts of a friend, God reminded me of the wonder of His supreme kindness in Christ and how I still have some Gospel "resting" and rejoicing to do (Romans 4:4-5, 6-7).   It is the remedy for a cadre of anxious distractions. 

"New" News: Week 7 of '09

Map of Prop 8 Supporters in Salt Lake City 

The un-civil discourse starts getting creepy.

"The website eightmaps.com uses an interactive map – similar to Google maps – to show where they all live or work. A push pin marks each spot. Zoom in and you see more pins. Click on a pin and get the details: Name of campaign donor, profession or place of business, dollar amount donated and the date of that donation." (more from ABC4 News in Salt Lake)

Defenders of Mary Make Strange Bedfellows 

After an Israeli TV show mocked Jesus' mother, Hezbollah (whose statement reviled the offense towards Christians) and the Vatican called for action.  No commentary needed.

Frank Schaeffer's Letter to President Obama

More discouraging news from the son of Francis Schaeffer.  Revealing less political gravitas than personal offense, this letter is a window into the soul of a man who hasn't quite come to peace with his beliefs. 

President Obama Beats Out Jesus As America's Hero

The silence on this discovery reveals the difference between today and a day when John Lennon's claim that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus left most people aghast.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Americans named President Obama as their No. 1 hero, followed by Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King, in a new Harris poll. (more here...)

An NPR Piece on the Hey'a (Religious Police) in Saudi Arabia

As sharia law becomes prevalent in Pakistan and the UK, this piece sheds light on the necessity of enforcement in compulsory faith.  Only the Gospel changes our affections. (Jeremiah 31:33,34)

Also on NPR, Hillary Clinton's silence on civil rights disturbs advocates.  We probably shouldn't hold our breath for a firm stance on moral issues from this administration.

Environmental News

“Obama will use as much energy in flight to CO as the museum’s solar panels can produce in 4 years.”

Don Carson on The Resurgence

A a great comprehensive review of biblical theology available in video here. 

The Soul of The Author

Self-condemnation is a bit of a recreational sport for me. This week a close friend helped me to see it for what it truly is: proud and unbelieving.  As we prayed about it, the pattern and its genesis became clearer and, in his kindness, God led me to repentance for this judgment and denial of the Cross.  

I imagined a courtroom with me as the judge and defendant and Jesus as the advocate.  Two passages flooded into my mind at the scene:

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19.30)

Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8.33-35)

All I could do is weep as I imagined the judge taking off his robe and bowing before Christ. It was another reminder of my need for the Gospel. Truth is a beautiful surgical sword (Hebrews 4:12).

Why You Should Get a Feed Reader (by Mike Anderson @theResurgence )

1. You never miss a blog post from your favorite sites.

Once you subscribe to a feed, your feed reader will make sure that you see every new post from that feed. Whether you want to read your websites once a week, once a day, or every ten minutes, any unread items will be saved for you.

2. You can scan a ton of articles quickly.

When using a feed reader, you can quickly filter through the articles that you don't want to read. When surfing the web, you have to shuffle through different interfaces, type in web addresses, and surf bookmarks. This takes a ton of time. It’s much better to have the content you want delivered to you than to have to go find it every time you get online.

3. Melting-pot learning.

One of the great side-effects of using a feed reader is that you begin to learn about various memes in a melting-pot fashion, where ideas flavor each other. You'll learn new ideas over time, and understand the relationships between them.

4. You can save articles for later.

Feed readers allow you to save articles to read for later. In Google Reader, you can put a star next to items you like and come back later to read them in full. You can also tag articles and search for them later.

What is an RSS Feed?

What is Google Reader?

Google Reader

I would highly suggest using Google Reader. It's getting better all the time and is incredibly easy to use.

Subscribe to "...all things new" feed.

"New" News: Week 6 of '09

1) A Week of Interesting News from The Vatican...

First, the Vatican is restoring an age-old cause of the reformation and is now offering indulgences for its communicants to reduce their penalty in purgatory (bone up on indulgences at theopedia.com). 

If indulgences reduce the penalty for sin, what worth is Jesus? (2 Corinthians 5.21 & Romans 5.9-11)

Any philosophy without Christ will need a form of indulgences to justify sin.  Religion operates on earned righteousness.  Even the rising popularity of carbon offsets smacks of this religious practice (especially in their abuse).  

Second (which is connected to the first philosophically), the Vatican Claims that Darwin's Evolution is Compatible with Christianity. 

Consider:

Genesis 1.31 - Are millions of years of naturally selected death compatible with the "good" God declared in Genesis 1?

Romans 5.12 - If you are of the persuasion that Genesis cannot be taken literally, then does death come into the world by sin or natural selection?

The connection between death and sin is fundamental to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and therefore fundamental to Christianity.  Any idea that claims death comes from anything other than sin attacks the very basis for Christ's sacrifice.

Fortunately (maybe), the Vatican will be allowing a presentation on Intelligent Design at its next Darwin Conference (I'm not making this up).  Although I don't think it will be too favorable.

"The committee agreed to consider ID as a phenomenon of an ideological and cultural nature, thus worthy of a historic examination, but certainly not to be discussed on scientific, philosophical or theological grounds," said Saverio Forestiero, a conference organizer and professor of zoology at the University of Rome.

2) Has Global Warming Caused the Fires in Australia?  

Do the facts support it?  A detailed summary on global temperature trends from NASA.

3) President Obama Tries to 'Balance' on Church-State Tightrope - USATODAY.com

4) "Finally Alive" by John Piper

"I realize it is shocking that I would be reading a book by John Piper, but this one has novel merit for me as a pastor..." (more review here or click the cover image to purchase "Finally Alive" or download a free .pdf version at desiringgod.com)

4) Preparation for Summitview's Sermon Series on 1 & 2 Peter

Here's a great study guide (in .pdf) from "Trial: 8 Witnesses from 1 & 2 Peter" the current sermon series at Mars Hill. The guide provides fantastic background to Peter's epistles especially useful to Summitview as we prepare for our 10-week series. (Total coincidence really, I planned this series back in July - must be the Holy Spirit)

5) Pastors in the Media

For good this time... check out Pastor Mark on "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News" (see the video) on CNN this weekend.

6) "Shack-troversy"

The controversy over "The Shack" continues and the response from the pro-Shack crowd to the anti-Shack crowd has me thinking Shakespeare... "Thou dost protest too much..." Tim Challies has a great, thorough review here.

7) The Soul of The Author

This week has been one of increased clarity regarding the calling on my life as Jesus-follower, husband, dad and pastor.  My job is to bring more Gospel.  Whether through forgiveness, my own repentance, clarity in preaching, speaking to my own soul or instruction of my kids it must run through the filter of the Gospel.  

Specifically, I'm learning that repentance and asking for forgiveness are two different things. I'm praying that God's grace will grant me real repentance.  

A couple thoughts that stirred me this week:

"Let your wife worry about your clothes. Buy books and study. We don't need any more well-dressed, hip, funny heretics." - Matt Chandler

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation (Psalms 42.5)

"New" News: Week 5 of '09

Each week a number of time-worthy, thought-worthy, Digg-worthy and (dare I say) forward-worthy items come to my attention.  These things may be a little too detailed to tweet, need no additional commentary or are just outside of my constraints to dedicate to a legitimate post.  So I'll try to faithfully summarize them here every weekend.  

Michael Phelps's Bong

 C.J. Mahaney...

This is what I find so striking: A man whose chest has been covered with gold medals, has achieved international fame, showered with awards, and blessed with an incomprehensible amount of money, still feels compelled to press his face to a bong.

an NPR.org  story on bauk - gang rape in Cambodia as a new pastime. 

This story made me want to drive a spear through the MacBook Air.  I think it is absolutely fascinating and terrifying that secular world can offer no explanation for something so horrific because they CANNOT say the word sin. Listen to the account of this poor victim and the silly, trite, unjust and all-around unsatisfying answer of the expert.

"When he dragged me out, there was his two friends with him and three more were waiting in the fields," Mao says.

Two of the men raped her before others were alerted by her screams. Eight days later, she told her story from a safe house.

What happened to Mao has a name in Cambodia: bauk. Its literal translation means "plus," but it also means gang rape, a chilling social phenomenon among young men in the city.

....

Wilkinson [an expert on this cultural phenomenon] says there are many possible reasons why bauk has proliferated. Many believe it's a male-bonding experience: It costs about $15 to hire a prostitute for the night and paying for just one prostitute saves money. There are also few recreational opportunities for young people.

Really, that is the best we can do?  They have so "few recreational activities" and so...? Just say it... "it is wrong, they have sinned!"  These boys, Cambodia, the press and I need new life; we need Jesus!

Is Facebook the Bait of Satan?

Carl Trueman - No Text Please, I'm British

"Thus, we must teach people by precept and example that real life is lived primarily in real time in real places by real bodies. Pale and pimply bloggers who spend most of their spare time onanistically opining about themselves and their issues and in befriending pals made up of pixels are not living life to the full; nor are those whose lives revolve around videogames; rather they are human amoebas, subsisting in a bizarre non-world which involves no risk to themselves, no giving of themselves to others, no true vulnerability, no commitment, no self-sacrifice, no real meaning or value. To borrow a phrase from Thoreau, the tragedy of such is that, when they come to die, they may well discover that they have never actually lived."

Al Mohler - Thoughts on Social Networking on the 5th Anniversary of Facebook

A great list of things to consider in the world of social networking.

Desiring God Pastor's Conference: "Commending Christ"

Free video of conferences messages by Mark Dever, Matt Chandler, Michael Oh and John Piper.

The Stimulus Package - the Great Delusion

I don't know, it just seemed like I should have something about the rise of the State here.

Niall Ferguson

"The delusion that a crisis of excess debt can be solved by creating more debt is at the heart of the Great Repression. Yet that is precisely what most governments currently propose to do."

Giveaways Galore!

Ligonier Ministry's

Name your price (actually your donation) and receive a copy of The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards.

challies.com

Tim Challies is starting a nice little feature on his blog (which I highly recommend) entitled "Free Stuff Fridays" - I think it's fairly self-explanatory.

Bible Study Magazine

Bible Study Magazine and Mars Hill are giving away 20 copies of Mark Driscoll’s new book, Vintage Church. They are also giving away five subscriptions and a copy of their Bible Study Library software!

The Soul of the Author

It seems insufficient (to me at least) for anyone to read the thoughts of someone whose interior world remains, well, interior.  Transparency strengthens any Gospel communication (1 Timothy 1:15) because it allows preaching the gospel and living the gospel to occur.  So each week I'll give you a quick snapshot.  Its hard to avoid the sense of narcissism here, but my prayer is that Christ will become greater and I will become less as the subtext of Christ's sanctifying work in me is revealed (1 Timothy 4:13-14,15-16).   

For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. (1 Thessalonians 2:3-8 ESV) 

I've already said too much so this week I'll keep it simple.  My fathering, husbanding and pastoring need discipline and, well, God is faithful.