Dr. Kim Riddlebarger on Eschatology

For anyone who has grown up with the dispensational end times teaching in a church or been significantly influenced by the doctrines of the Rapture, 7-year Tribulation, and Millennial Kingdom, there is a great series that you should hear in response to these doctrines by Dr. Kim Riddlebarger. He is a Reformed scholar and presents a very different and persuasive way in contrast to the dispensational view in interpreting prophetic passages in the Scriptures, though it's not really that different in the historical sense. I found them very helpful. Here they are:

http://www.issuesetc.org/podcast/267070709H2S2.mp3 (On the Rapture)

http://www.issuesetc.org/podcast/270071009H2S2.mp3 (On the Tribulation)

http://www.issuesetc.org/podcast/271071309H2S2.mp3 (On the Millennial Kingdom)

http://www.issuesetc.org/podcast/272071409H2S2.mp3 (On Israel)

The Eclipse of Biblical Manhood

As I promised, here's the first post on a gender-related resource, and it's for men! It's from the radio show of Dr. Mohler, president of Southern Seminary. Anyone who knows me knows I like his work, and honestly, I've listened to about 150 different broadcasts of his, and this is my favorite show. Let me know what your favorite part of the broadcast is. I'll share mine later.

http://www.sbts.edu/media/audio/totl/2009/AMP_04_13_2009.mp3

P.S. The first 10 minutes or so are news items of the day and can be skipped over. And also, ladies are welcome to listen as well and post their feedback.

Movie watch

I finally got to see the movie Up (in 3-D) yesterday, the new Pixar film. It was pretty entertaining. They know how to make a basic coherent story every time that's both funny and to some degree heartfelt. It's no wonder they usually are the leader above the other movies that fall under the same genre. You may want to wait until it comes out on DVD though since the price (for me at least) was $13 (including the 3-D glasses).

That's not all I wanted to post on though. Anyone who follows movies even a little bit will notice that there are a lot more computer genereated and cartoon movies out now than before. The previews I saw before the movie were all under that category. Why mention that? Because usually, this kind of movie is not held to as high a standard as a movie with real people making choices that (hopefully) have good or bad results according to what they choose. "But," someone will say, "those themes can be present in cartoons too." Fair enough. But it's doubtful that the standard is held as high as moveis with physical human beings in it. Take the Little Mermaid for example. How many people remember that as a part of the film, she defied her father and left her home and it was not looked down upon, but exalted. If a teenage girl in a typical film was so dissatisfied with living at home that she ran away to find some place that she really wanted to be, would it be looked at in the same way as Ariel? Arguably, there are more permissible things that we allow for cartoons and computer animated films than other pictures.

With that said, I thought it would be good to turn to the worldview of the movie Up. I won't ruin any major parts of the story, but it is safe to say that pretty much every Pixar movie (along with most/all popular animated ones) don't mention any sort of higher power at all. Part of the reason I think is because of what is mentioned above. Now I know that these kinds of movies are fictional. But that doesn't mean they have to leave that element out. No one could easily say that the Narnia books leave out a sovereign ruler, or a substitutionary sacrifice for evildoers, or that what you do really matters.

This is where the worldview comes in. Though I could not claim that I know the exact worldview that the movie represents (though some that come to mind are moralism, materialism, and naturalism), the way I would phrase the movie's message is, "Make the most of this life as you can." But then that just begs the question. Why? Why make the most of this life? Why go to great lengths at all to do something epic in this world, or even small things that will contribute to society? Why not just eat and drink and make merry, since tomorrow you die?

The only way to answer that question in an intellectually honest way is to have the Lord in the story, if not literally, than (very carefully I would say) in a creative way. What other reason could you give that would truly motivate someone? In the short-term, a good feeling could be a reason, or more money, or whatever other worldly motive you could think of. But after this life, none of it would matter. It would all be meaningless. But if God's glory is the motive, then it has an infinitely deep meaning.

Picture from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/

Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc.

A Prayer Of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

Gender Confusion and Modern Controversies

All of us are familiar with the gender-neutral agenda that the culture pushes (though it's certainly not limited to America). But can it be linked with things like abortion and homosexuality, two of the biggest controversies we face in our time? With homosexuality it's not difficult to see how what is normally associated with natural attraction and desire for intimacy/commitment with the opposite gender is traded for something that is replacing it with the same gender. With abortion, arguably the main reason that women seek abortions is that they don't want their life to be encumbered by a child at the time of their pregnancy, usually for the sake of wanting to have a "brighter future," "choosing" things like prioritizing a career, wanting to finish college, move up on the corporate ladder, or any number of things that they view as more important than raising a child. Certainly there is more that should have been prevented on her part before the pregnancy occurred, but the issue here is that it is so ingrained for a woman to look out for herself in the financial sense that she views her role as independent and as the provider for herself instead of having a depended mindset on someone who will commit to her in holy marriage.

The Bible has such clearly defined roles for men and women that it's a wonder sometimes to me that churches simply don't emphasize what they are. Would abortion be as much of an issue if churches in America taught that marriage is something that young men/women should be moving towards (at least the majority of people) instead of looking at it like it's optional? Would aboirtion be as big of an issue if men were taught to be the provider of their household and women to be keepers at home, as opposed to not intruding on people's personal goals of being self-sufficient (another thing the culture teaches)? I would say no. Too often men are caught off guard by the weight of responsibility in terms of leading and being the one who is depended on in so many ways, and women do not hear about the importance of what it means to be a Proverbs 31 woman and the joys that come with it (far more than they will ever get in prioritizing a career). Now this does serve more as a preventitive model. Obviously there are many people in a situation that does not fully lend itself to this pattern (e.g. an abandoned spouse left to raise her kids, which is really the man's atrocity in this case). I'll try to post on that in the future. But it's still high time that we as Christians lived out our roles as male and female.

This topic has been on my mind so much that it seems good to at least post on it more frequently, and specifically to link articles that deal with this topic of gender roles. Obviously, the end goal is not to merely point out the cultural flaws, but to glorify God and follow His plan for our lives. Nothing can bring more satisfaction or fulfillment. But we need to help each other out in this. We need to embrace what God has revealed to us as what is best. The end result will be transformed families, being good stewards of what the Lord has gifted us with, and being a brighter light to the world that is quickly crumbling around us.

Image from http://www.lofitribe.com/

Copyright 2006-2009 Shawn Anthony. All rights are reserved.

Debbie Maken on Singleness

Recently, my brother has been showing me a few things from Debbie Maken, a writer and wife who wrote the book, "Getting Serious About Getting Married." She offers a lot of encouraging and challenging words on the subject, and is worth hearing out for any singles in their 20s and 30s who think about marriage regularly. Here is an interview with her on Premier TV sharing good principles on this subject (though it is directed toward women, but men can definitely learn from it too):

http://player26.narrowstep.tv/nsp.aspx?player=Premier2&void=48451

Cheap books!

Canon Press, which puts out books by Douglas Wilson and Peter Leithart (to name just a couple guys), has a bunch of books on sale for $1-$3 a piece until May 8. Check it out!
http://www.canonpress.org/shop/

The Bible as Food?

George Muller, the well-known Christian who lived a life of poverty and with God's help built a huge orphanage in England, has an interesting quote regarding the Bible. He said, "It is as plain to me as anything, that the first thing the child of God has to do morning by morning is to obtain food for his inner man. As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time, except we take food, and as this is one of the first things we do in the morning, so it should be with the inner man. We should take food for that, as every one must allow."

He goes on to specify what that food is: "Now what is the food for the inner man: not prayer, but the Word of God: and here again not the simple reading of the Word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what we read, pondering over it, and applying it to our hearts."

This is quite a picture is it not? And yet it is not that foreign to the Scriptures themselves: "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." (John 6:63). Our spiritual sustenance as Christians depends on these words in the Scriptures. It also says, "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day." (Psalm 119:97). They are to be read, remembered, meditated on, and applied. We eat multiple times a day to stay nourished, so why should we think this is any different? We should be memorizing Scriptures that are especially applicable to our life, and reading through the Bible regularly in a disciplined and intentional manner, making sure we are not just hearers (or mere readers) but doers of the Word. This does not make personal Bible reading a substitute for bringing ourselves under the preaching of God's Word, since (as a previous blog entry alluded to) shepherds have a charge by Christ to, "Feed my sheep." (John 21:17). But it must be a big part of one's regular diet so that he may not be looking to his flesh to be fed, which the verse above said is "of no avail" (or as the NASB version says, "the flesh profits nothing"). So let me ask you, are you regularly feeding on God's Word?

Photo from: http://lbcpastor.wordpress.com/2007/11/15/our-view-of-thanksgiving/

"No Longer a Christian Nation"

President Obama has repeatedly stated in his speeches that "America is no longer a Christian nation". That is an interesting phrase, no doubt. He has said it a little differently in his recent debate in Turkey ("We don't consider ourselves a Christian nation"), but it is essentially the same. What does he mean by this though? Looking at the context of the first statement, he says that we are a nation of Jews and Muslims and Buddhists and nonbelievers (though he did not specify what these nonbelievers do not believe in).

One question comes to mind though. Why does he say that we are no longer a Christian nation? Certainly there were other religions present before president Obama became president and
even before he was born. Unitarianism has been around since the 19th (or maybe even the 18th) century, which holds that all faiths are equal, which is very different from Christianity. Judaism has been around for quite a long time too. Anyone can see that there are a bunch of different religions existing in America today. So why would the president say this?

It seems to me that he is trying to be as inclusive as he can to other religions. Don't get me wrong, civility in the public square is important. We (particularly as Christians) must be quick to listen and slow to speak. We must also be patient and longsuffering. But just how far can one accept others ideas? More importantly, what kind of direction does the president want to go in?

It's interesting how he singles out Christians in his multiple addresses. I don't think that's just because other countries think of us as a Christian nation, though I'm sure that's part of it. Our country has Christian principles, and the president has vocally proven that he intends not to preserve or uphold them with the proposals he wants to make (and we should pray that he would do otherwise). In the most blatant sense, he has said that he wants to sign the FOCA, the Freedom Of Choice Act, which would effectively overturn any pro-life legislation in all 50 states, legalize partial-birth abortion, and force hospitals (including faith-based ones) to have their nurses and doctors perform abortions. He has also been going very far in his outreach to Muslims, bowing to the king of Sudan (which is not a small thing) and saying things like "The United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam." (I will defer to Dr. Mohler's blog for anyone interested in a good analysis of this statement http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=3579). And the proposed idea to socialize medicine will make for doctors getting paid much less and customers getting treated much worse (e.g. much longer waiting lists for surgeries).

The Constitution is currently set on Christian principles (and is quite exclusive): "We hold these truths to be Self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator (excluding the principled belief of 'nonbelievers') with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life (excluding abortion), liberty (excluding Islam's fundamental principle of submission of all nations to Muslim law) and the pursuit of happiness (excluding socialism's forcing our happiness to be defined by the government, not the individual)." President Obama and even the American people at large can freely choose to change these Christian principles, but it may be the last free choice they make.

Happy Belated Resurrection Sunday

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Gay Marriage expands in its legalization

In case you haven't heard, the House in New Hampshire has just passed a bill to legalize gay marriage in the state. It has to go to the Senate now before it becomes law. Pray that the moral law would be upheld there.

Here's a link to the news story: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ia0uHb3aRkxBGOF4NgaTGIYjKFhwD975TDF80

TIME magazine and Calvinism

Here is a very interesting article about the resurgence of Calvinism in America that's predicted. It's from TIME magazine of all things! It was number 3 in relevance out of 10.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1884779_1884782_1884760,00.html

The White House Screens Prayers

Here is a very interesting blog from Dr. Albert Mohler a few days back regarding those who pray at events that involve the president. They actually make sure the prayers don't offend anyone.

http://albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=3356

Free Audiobook

There's a cool offer going on at www.christianaudio.com. Every month they have a free audiobook you can download, and the one this month looks well worth listening to. It's called "Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life" by Donald Whitney. Simply go to the website, and you will see the free offer on the top right side of the page. You will need to register by the way (which is free to do also) and you have to type the promo code MAR2009 before you checkout to get it for free. If you listen to it, or even just a part of it, leave a comment about what you think of/learned from it!

P.S. Here's a good review of it if you want to know more about it:

http://discerningreader.com/book-reviews/spiritual-disciplines-for-the-christian-life

Prayer Request

In case I hadn't told you already, my supervisor passed away at age 37, and I would request you pray for his bereaved wife and immeadiate family. It was quite sudden and makes it difficult for me and my co-workers as well, though that is obviously far inferior to the grief of his family. Please remember this in your prayers.

The Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

Here is an eye-opening blog post from a site I frequently visit called littlegreenfootballs. I think it reveals how we can pray for Israel's peace, and just how minimal their security is right now.

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/32760_Yon-_Photos_from_Israel

President Obama From the Past

Here's a helpful video on Obama's faith. It is quite revealing,
and shows how we can better pray for him as followers of Christ.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md2bf9DNVB4

Got Therapy?

The radio has recently been advertising about relational conflicts and how to resolve them. Sometimes they just mention a dramatic relational conflict with a closely followed disclaimer that the advertised product will not be able to remedy that kind of situation. But other commercials have been claiming that therapy is something that would solve these problems, most specifically with your marriage, or with your children. Among other techniques, the claim goes that if you simply use certain words, your marriage will thrive with harmony and romance, and/or your children will stop being disobedient or obnoxious. But is that what it really takes to remedy the problem? Are there really words that, if said, would heal months or even years of conflict with another person or group of people? Or if you simply do certain things like take someone where they like to go, or buy them something special, or any combination of things like these, will that gain true peace?

We have such a tendency to want quick-fix solutions, and often they only provide surface-level solutions. If a child gets put in his/her place by the parent and no love is shown, bitterness can easily take root in the child's heart. Friends can have long-term division between them just over one conversation, and there's no quick fix to restoring the trust that was once there. It takes a deeper change within us to enact lasting restoration at the heart level.

To effect the heart to have true liberty from bondage to our sin, God says that we must go to His Word, and only His Word, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent (or complete), thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. God's Word is the manual for overcoming any sin issue, no matter how long-standing they have been. And the range of these issues are unlimited because the Scriptures equip us for every good work.

Now this does not diminish the need for counselors. The Scriptures are replete with looking out for each other in the local body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12 says that very clearly. So then the quesiton arises, who should counsel? I'm glad you asked! Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, writes, "I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another." (Romans 15:14). The answer to the question is that all believers are (at least potentially) able to counsel one another. If you are following Christ, you can tell others to follow you as you follow Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). If you are skilled in the word of righteousness and are no longer a baby needing milk in the spiritual sense (Heb. 5:13-14), you can help others in their childlike understanding to become mature (Heb. 6:1ff). If you are mature and see a brother dealing with a besetting sin or carrying a huge burden, you can help him deal with that (Gal. 6:1-3). These are (among other things) the foci for the true Christian. Why should we need anything else besides God's revelation to us to make us who Christ wants us to be? In Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

So, is modern psychology useless and helpful for nothing? No. Is it something that can help us in the sanctification process? No. Why? Because we have begun following Christ by the Spirit, and cannot be perfected by the flesh (Gal. 3:1-6, esp. v. 3). Modern psychology is rooted in viewing man as basically good, not responsible for his sin, and/or no different from an instinctual animal (referencing http://www.crechurch.com/counseling/comparison_of_counseling_philoso.htm).

How can this be adopted by the Christian, or even mixed just a little bit with the giving of sound biblical advice? They are two completely different worldviews with two completely different results. The Scriptures are what we need to live out to be completely acceptable before God, and we ought to listen to people who encourage and warn us to heed Him in all things.

Image used from www.cdc.gov/std/EPT/

Where are all the grown ups?

One of the best things that I can think of doing is blogging on an issue that relates to our culture and try to look at it from a biblical perspective. Today I finished a great book called The Death of the Grown Up that I heard of from one of my living heroes, Dr. Albert Mohler. He wrote a blog on it over a year ago and it was sitting on my mind until I finally decided to read it, and I am glad I did! The author of the book, Diana West, gives a great historical analysis of how America has gone from training children to be adults, to letting the youth stay in perpetual adolescence. Some of the statistics I found were alarming. One that has stayed in my mind for many months was about the show SpongeBob, which is on the Nickelodeon channel. That channel has its target audience between the ages of 6 and 11. But about one-third of the people who watch SpongeBob are between the ages 18 and 59! Another fascinating thing related to Seventeen magazine, a magazine started in 1944, with the aim to, "give stature to the teenage years, give teenagers a sense of identity, of purpose, of belonging." And just to bring the point home, West brings up that, "The average video gamester was eighteen in 1990; now he's going on thirty." So instead of prodding teenagers to become adults and be attracted to things that adults were doing, a whole new market was made for this age group to be comfortable in and feel no pressure to grow up. They could even stay as an adolescent beyond the teenage years in this new subculture.
As if that's not bad enough, parents are also contributing to this delayed adulthood. We have probably seen or heard of the parent that dresses like his/her children, listens to the same music, and just wants to be the child's friend. As a result teenagers have no role model or example in society of what a grown up is. Even if the teenager wants to grow up into a mature man or woman, there is nowhere that that teen could belong. It's not hard to see how this applies to everyone beyond the teen years.
The consequences are great for this sort of immaturity. For American society, there is another force out there that preys on this detriment according to Diana West, Islam. If people don't want to look at what is really happening in our society and they don't want to deal with it rightly, which has happened many many times in regards to Islam, then Europe and the US will slowly start to become more and more like the Middle East. We don't want to offend Muslims so that bombs won't be detonated on civilians, so we'll call Islam a religion of peace. We don't want protests or assassinations, so we'll call a cartoon unacceptable that jokes about someone telling Islamic martyrs that paradise ran out of virgins. We fear intimidation and threats of more bombs blowing off, so we'll refrain from saying Islamic societies are evil, even if they treat women horribly and have a history of expansion by violence.
It's easy to lament this sort of thing, but how do we handle this as Americans, and even moreso as Christians? The Bible says for older men to teach younger men to be self-controlled, and for older women to teach younger women a myriad of things including being pure, self-controlled and keepers at home (Titus 2:3-6), and Paul exhorts all guys to "act like men" (1 Cor. 16:13).
Being unskilled in God's Word is how the writer of Hebrews describes an immature man (5:13). Discerning between good and evil is what the mature one does (5:14). That obviously goes for more than just recognizing that Islam is not a religion of peace and a direct threat to our freedom (as important as that is). It means testing all things and holding fast to what is good (1 Th. 5:21). It means being able to descern truth from error, false teachers from true shepherds of the flock. It means not letting the culture define what you do, but to let the truth do that as it pertains to all issues. If you are a Christian, don't stay a spiritual baby. Grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).