My thoughts on May 21st "Doomsday"

I have been trying to ignore the Family Radio madness predicting Doomsday on May 21, for fear of giving a false prophet publicity. But now it is all over the news everywhere, so my little blog is not adding to the noise.

My thoughts?

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. - Matthew 24:36

And also...

For you know quite well that the day of the Lord's return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. - 1 Thessalonians 5:2

So, first, anyone who claims to know when "the End" will come is claiming to have knowledge the Jesus Himself did not have. But, second, all Christians are called upon to live as though Jesus were returning any second.

Please, be kind on May 22 when we all wake up and find the world still here. There will be many people disillusioned and shocked that they were wrong. And most of them were not deceivers - they were deceived!

Secular "Bible"?

Atheists often like to claim that their path is superior to that of the religious, because their ethics are based on philosophy or pure logic rather than an external standard. But the fact is no man is an island, and all morality is learned from wiser men and women. So, a prominent humanist has finally put together a "Secular Bible. Containing wisdom from a number of non-religious sources, it claims to try and provide a purely "human" approach to morality and ethics.

Apparently, it is #41 on Amazon's UK bestseller list. But somehow, I don't think we'll see it displacing the Holy Bible at the top of the list.

Lent Reading: Quote of the Day

Sean, who has largely left Mod-Blog for his own personal blog posting-wise, has put out a challenge to his friends. To read thru Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Meditations on the Cross over the season of Lent. I am not sure how each of us will share the journey with Mod-Blog... if at all. But I thought I'd start off with a "quote of the day" from the book. Something which got me thinking. Feel free to respond, react, and make fun of me in the comments.

What is the peculiar thing you are doing? The extraordinary - and this is the most scandalous thing - is something the disciples must do. It must be done - just like that better righteousness - and must be done visibly. [Emphases his]

Reminds me of James 1:22: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

Haven't had any time to fact-check this...

...against scripture or history, but I find this illustration to be fascinating. It is one artist's conception of the universe as understood by the ancient Hebrews, purely off of Old Testament scriptures.

It's the motto of our age

Solar Audiobibles Sent to Haiti

This may be one of the more original evangelistic approaches to the Haiti disaster. The group "Faith Comes By Hearing" is shipping 600 solar-powered audio Bibles, which can broadcast scripture up to 500 people. In a time of despair, they can offer hope to both the literate and illiterate.

And yes, to the cynics out there, this is being shipped AFTER the food, water, and medical supplies have already come into the country.

The NIV is in for some Revisions

For many years, my denomination has trusted the New International Version (affectionately called the NIV) as its English translation of choice for study and teaching. It has been felt that this translation was among the best in terms of balancing scholarly accuracy and readability for the layman. I have read the NIV extensively, quizzed on it, and taught from it.

And now, it appears the publisher wants to redo it. After a failed attempt to update the NIV with gender-neutral language which was released as the TNIV (Today's New International Version), the publishers claim they have learned from their mistakes but still want to update the translation to be accessible to modern readers.

We shall see. I think the publishers underestimate the conservative nature of the evangelical community.

The Good Samaritan: Asking the wrong question

The parable of the Good Samaritan - as preached by most pastors - has always bothered me. Most of us know how the story goes: an expert in the law stands up to challenge Jesus, and comes up with the commandment "Love your neighbor as yourself." He then asks Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus then tells the story of a traveller who is mugged and left for dead on the road. Two religious authorities walk by but do nothing to help the man. Then a Samaritan (a hated group for the Jews) comes upon the man, helps him, treats his wounds, and takes him to an inn where he pays for the victim to stay until he is healed. Jesus then asks "Who was this man's neighbor?" The expert replies "The one who had mercy on him" (i.e. the Samaritan). Jesus replies "Go and do likewise."

Most teachers say that the moral of the story is "Be a good neighbor." But if you look at a plain reading of the text, it says something different. "Love your neighbor as yourself" - "Who is my neighbor?" - "The one who has mercy on him." What is the logical conclusion of these three statements? "Love the one who has mercy on you." Not quite what your sunday school teacher taught, right? A very wordly way of looking at things - do good to those who do good to you!

But I had missed the last statement "Go and do likewise." (Thanks to Mark Driscoll whose sermon - on another topic entirely - triggered this line of thinking.) If you look at the whole, Jesus is really saying to the expert, "You're asking the wrong question." The expert asked "Who is my neighbor?" - i.e. "Who do I *HAVE* to love?" Jesus wants him to ask "Who do I *GET* to love?" The answer then is "Whoever you see in need. Whoever you are, wherever you're going." The former question reduces the Law to a prescription. The latter question opens it up as guide to living. The former is a checklist, the latter is a lifestyle. The former is the minimum, the latter is the maximum.

I thought this might be interesting to other Mod-Bloggers out there. Maybe I am the only one who hadn't "gotten" this previously - sometimes my logical nature gets in its own way. But I suspect this may be of use to others, as well.

"Quiverfull"?

I had noticed a lot more large families at the churches I attend and visit. Whereas one day four kids was a lot, nowadays at many churches you see families of 7 or 10. I thought it was interesting, but apparently it is a movement. Who knew?

The movement, called Quiverfull, is based on Psalm 127, which says, "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."...The Swansons subscribe to the Quiverfull movement.

"When we first got married, we actually didn't want children," Kelly's husband, Jeff Swanson, says.

But then the Swansons began to notice that the Bible was very high on big families. And Kelly says that she and Jeff decided that God knew how many children they could handle.

"We just started thinking, 'God is sovereign over life and death. God opens and closes the womb,' " Kelly says. "That's what his word says, so why we're trying to fiddle around and controlling ourselves, we need to stop doing that."

Honestly, I find the idea a bit strange, although I know this kind of thing was the norm only a few generations ago. My grandfather came from a huge family... but only a small number made it to adulthood. Is this a reaction to the overpopulation mania of the 70s, or a real Biblical idea?

BIBLE STUDY: Raising your hands in church

I come from a conservative background of the Protestant church tradition. My friends and family tend to be non-demonstrative lot at church, with little more than the occasional "A-men!" when we are REALLY moved. So, it has bothered me to see a particular phenomenon from the charismatic/pentecostal tradition starting to appear in church - the raising of hands. This action, usually done during singing, always seemed showy to me and distracting. But, it is important to separate "it bothers me" from "it is wrong." So, I decided to do some research into the phenomenon, and see what the Bible had to say.

First, I found an amazing number of defenses of the practice online. The best explanation of why people lift their hands in worship came from here.

- Lifting the hands is a symbol of surrender.
- Lifting the hands is a symbol of trust.
- Lifting the hands is a symbol of openness.
- Lifting the hands is a symbol of affection.

The "surrender" symbolism is especially significant, it seems to me. In my own observation, I have noticed that the lifting of hands is especially common among women in the churches I have visited. Surrender is something that is culturally-appropriate for women in America - giving oneself to your husband, to your children, to your church, to your friends - but is less culturally-appropriate to the rugged individualism which governs men in our culture.

In looking through scripture, there appears to be three classifications for the raising of hands:
1. Prayer (5 references): 1 Timothey 2:8, Lamentations 3:40-42, Psalm 28:1-2, Psalm 141:1-2, Nehemiah 8:5-6
2. Worship (2 references): Psalms 63:3-4, Psalm 134:1-3
3. Study (1 reference): Psalm 119:48

Going by the pure number of references, it is clear scripture favors the raising of hands as a posture of PRAYER over worship. However, it is equally clear that scripture does call for the lifting of hands in worship. One interesting note from the same article listed above may be significant in this.

The Hebrew word for hand is the word yad; yadah means to “throw out the hand” or to worship with extended hands.

Which may indicate that the extension of hands to an object of adoration is simply an assumption of Hebrew culture.

Another article noted one other aspect of the raising of hands - which C.S. Lewis also applies to kneeling in The Screwtape Letters - is that movements and positions of the body influence the attitude of the mind and heart.

But of note also is this article which makes the claim that all raising-of-hands references in the old testament are related to the sacrificial system, and thus are inappropriate to a Christian world where sacrifices have been fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Christ. The author dismisses the 1 Timothy 2:8 scripture as a figurative passage asking for "clean hands" of Christians.

Overall, the middle road here appears to be that the raising of hands is a Biblical practice. It is permitted and encouraged by Scripture, but is not commanded or required. This article does a good job of summarizing what I have come to: worshiping with lifted hands is appropriate and scriptural, but should be done with an eye toward its potential impact on others around you. If you are in a service with people who will find it distracting, or who will be tempted toward showing off, then keep your hands down. If you are in a service where people are comfortable or ambivalent to the practice, go right ahead.

For me, this study has been a comfort. It reminds me that my own prejudices should not rule how I view others, or their relationship with God. Surely, some raise their hands to be showy. But others do so with sincere hearts, looking to praise God and obey scripture.

What can Bible Reading do for you?

It comes as no shock to those of you who know that I coach a Bible Quiz Team, that I am a big advocate of Bible reading. In my opinion, no person should consider themselves educated unless they have read significant portions of the scriptures for themselves... in whatever translation. How can you understand our legal system unless you have read about the 10 Commandments and Moses's practice of acting as judge over Israel? How can you understand political protest and standing firm before authority without reading about Daniel and the fiery furnace or the lion's den? How can you understand most of the literature of the Western World without reading about the life of Jesus, to which it constantly alludes?

Well, one agnostic Jewish man decided to take the challenge for himself and got more than he expected out of the experience. Both for the positive and the negative. His conclusion? "Everyone should read it—all of it! In fact, the less you believe, the more you should read."

George Bush Doesn't believe Bible is Literally True

In an interview Monday, President George Bush said that he doesn't believe that the Bible is literally true. He then goes on to say some things that would also be rough for evangelicals who voted for him to swallow. This includes saying he believes he prays to the same God as people in other religions. I'm not saying the President Bush is not "Born Again", but he is definitely not as much part of the Christian Right as we thought. This begs the questions. If President Bush is not a Christian Conservative and is not a Fiscal Conservative, then what is he?

Read Through the Bible Via E-Mail

One of the things I struggle with is trying to faithfully read my Bible. Remembering to make the time, remembering where I left off, etc. means that I normally don't stick to any plans that I start. I may have found one that will work well for me now. A church has set up a free service where you will get a passage every day by e-mail. By reading through each e-mail, you will read through the Bible in a year. How will this work better for me (and may others out there)? First, if I get behind, I know exactly which e-mails I still need to read. Second, because it's an e-mail, I can start out reading some on my computer, read some more while waiting in line somewhere on my phone, and then finish up later on reading in book form if I'd rather not read off of an electronic screen. E-mails are text and hyperlinks only (no graphics) and the text comes in the NASB translation.

The concept behind Holy Water

Having been a Protestant my whole life, my only real experience with Holy Water has been its use in vampire movies as a prop to fight the monsters. But I knew it was widely used by Cathoics and Eastern Orthodox Christians in their rites. I could see no biblical support for such a practice, so I was curious to see how it is justified. Wikipedia had some interesting answers.

Biblical References:

In the Old Testament, holy water is mentioned in Numbers 5:17, with regard to the preparation of the Bitter Water in the rite of the Jealousy Ordeal. Numbers 5:17 actually uses the phrase "holy water".
Other verses they may be used as reference for understanding the sacrament (not so much its effects) are Exodus 29:4, Leviticus 8:6; Exodus 30:17; Numbers 5:17; Numbers 8:5-7; 1 Kings 7:38-39; John 9:6-7; John 13:4-10; John 19:34
In John 9:6-7 we see Jesus using clay, spit, and the water of the "pool of Siloam" to heal a man. In John 13:4-10 Jesus washes the feet of the Apostles and seems to imply that the water cleanses. This event occurs right before the Last Supper, where Catholics believe that Jesus established the Eucharist and the Priesthood, thus John may be alluding to the rites described in the Old Testament (such as in Exodus 29:4, Leviticus 29:4, and Numbers 5:17)

Another View:

The use of holy water is based on the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, and the Orthodox interpretation of this event. In their view, John's baptism was a baptism of repentance, and the people came to have their sins washed away by the water. Since Jesus had no sin, but was God incarnate, his baptism had the effect not of washing away Jesus' sins, but of blessing the water, making it holy—and with it all of creation, so that it may be used fully for its original created purpose to be an instrument of life.

A very interesting view, to be certain. I still do not think there is any real Biblcal mandate for "Holy" water in Christian practice, but now at least it makes more sense to me. And I will admit I find the second quoted view to be quiet poetic and beautiful.

Is Christian Tithing Biblical?

I have been having some discussions recently with my friends about tithing at church. One of my friends who graduated from seminary said to me that teaching on tithing isn't found in the New Testament. I decided to do some checking myself and dusted off my book from Larry Burkett on the Bible and Money where he lays out all the verses in the bible that talk about money in a topical format. I was surprised that I think there was only one verse in the New Testament that mentioned tithing and it had no real teaching on that subject for a believer. Google provided me with a link to an interesting article which I would encourage you to read. It is mostly aimed at those who teach that if you don't tithe to the church then you are sinning. But it lays out a lot of scripture and argues that among other things, there isn't any evidence that Jesus tithed. The most interesting minor thing in the article is on how Jesus paid his Temple tax. Jesus states that he does not need to pay the temple tax, but will do so to avoid offending anyone. In the end, he doesn't even pay it out of his own money, but this is where the story of the coins in the fish's mouth comes in. I encourage you all to read this article even though it is long (44 pages when pasted into a Word document). Lest you think he argues not to give any money to church, he doesn't say that at all. He just says that what you decide to give to the church is an offering, not a tithe. You shouldn't feel obligated by scripture to give any certain percentage.

A positive story about Christianity...in the NY Times

I didn't know what to think when I saw this story on the top of the NY Times homepage, but I'm glad that I read it. Basically it's the story of a church in Georgia that chose to forsake it's segregated, homogeneous white past to start ministering to the influx of refugees in their community. The more compelling part of the story is why they did it. Because the mother ship Willow Creek said it's the right thing to do? No. Because lots of other churches in the area were doing it? Not even close. Because they needed their stock as a church to go up, so they could be the biggest and best church in town. Nope. It was simply because the Bible says so. Jesus' teachings about loving your neighbor and unity within the church became real and they decided to accept it.

With his church failing, Mr. Perrin and other longtime members looked to the Scriptures for guidance and found what they believed was a mandate from Jesus to diversify their church.

“We realized that what the Lord had in store for that old Clarkston Baptist Church was to transition into a truly international church and to help minister to all these ethnic groups moving into the county,” Mr. Perrin said.

It's good to see Christianity in a positive light sometimes. Perhaps there is something good about having us around.

Hong Kong to classify the Bible as "Indecent"?

In what may the most ridiculous move in recent times, Hong Kong authorities are being asked to classify the Bible as "indecent" because of sections with violent and sexual content. Apparently, the move is part of a public protest over the banning of a recent student magazine which ran a feature about incest. If the Bible were to be thusly classified, only adults would be allowed to buy the book and it would be sold wrapped in a solid cover with a large government warning on the cover.

Let's be clear. The Bible does include sections which discuss incest, murder, adultery, rape, and many other horrific acts. But it discusses them as history and condemns them. This may be simply be a political maneuver of protesters, but let's not allow things to get out of hand and deny the religious freedom of millions.