Book review: Bad Religion

Not too long ago, I came across an article about the political phenomenon that is Donald Trump; the article was entitled How Christianity Explains Trump. In the course of the article a reference was made to the book Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics.by Ross Douthat, a columnist for the New York Times. As I look around at the state of faith in my country today, I found the premise fascinating. So it didn't take me too long to read it. I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the history of 20th and 21st century American religion, and what it means for us today.

The book is divided into two main parts. First, it traces major trends in religion over the past 100 years or so. This may sound like a tedious exercise and at times it really is. There is a lot of history, a lot of names, and no shortage of facts. While this is laborious, it is necessary to lay the groundwork for today's issues. He starts with a period of time where faith was grounded in the historic Christian tradition. While there were the usual denominational disagreements about doctrines, the foundation was the historic view of the nature of Jesus, the Trinity, and God's purposes for the world. The church was growing in popularity and figures like Billy Graham helped spur unprecedented levels of church attendance. He then shows how the church moved into what he calls "the locust years," where people (and clergy) were leaving the church in droves. Much of the church then responded with "accommodation," which was based on the idea that if we could just water down the message, people would come back to a faith that didn't demand much of them. It didn't work. So then came "resistance," characterized by pushback against the softness of accommodation. It led to active political involvement of evangelicals and is the basis of much of the support from Christians that Republicans enjoy today.

And then we come to today's world, and this is where I think Douthat has hit the nail on the head. All of these forces have led us to a pair of religious philosophies that he labels as heresies. My first reaction was, "Whoa, that's strong language!" But as I look back on the warnings of Jesus and the writings of the apostles about false teachers, I think he may have something. Both of these heresies are driving the public debates of 2016.

The first is the prosperity gospel - the unscriptural concept that God's primary goal for Christians is that we have riches, or at least an easy life. If we pray hard enough or have enough faith, God stands ready to give us all that we ever wanted. Put another way, God owes me the American Dream. This is an insidious distortion of the gospel, but why is the subject for another post.

The second is when we turn American nationalism into a religion. Somehow, a large number of us have come to believe that we are some sort of latter day Israelites, the chosen nation of God. And as such, we claim the promises of God to his people (made up of "people from every tribe and language and people and nation" - Revelation 5:9) and act as if they were made specifically to our nation. This leads to a sense of entitlement and religious snobbery toward our Christian brothers and sisters around the world. It show up on the liberal side in a belief that the USA is the solution to all the world's problems. On the conservative side, it shows up as a deep pessimism: Woe is us, for our nation which used to serve the living God is sliding down the path to destruction. If only we were God's people like we used to be.

The fact is (conservatives) that God's people have always been a remnant in every nation. It should be out goal to expand the kingdom of God one person at a time.

And it is also true (liberals) that our country is not the church and so we can not expect it to meet the needs of all the people; that's our job.

I believe the book gives an excellent diagnosis of the deep divisions we have in this country. So how should we respond as Christians? I believe we must:

• Commit ourselves to the kingdom of God as our first loyalty,
• Recognize that our material blessings are a gift of God, not a right as Americans,
• Use more of our resources (time and money) for God's kingdom, including finding ways to meet the needs of the poor,
• Make sure our political thinking is kingdom-based, taking a stand on each issue separately rather than allowing ourselves to be pigeon-holed into one box or the other, and, above all,
• Avoid voting out of fear or with our pocketbooks; vote for what's right without regard for self.

Again, I highly recommend this book for anyone who is wondering why Christian influence is divided and waning. And then I recommend a lot of prayer about what you can do.

God bless his creation.

Let's try this again...

Blogging is now well over a decade old, and certainly it has been changing. As a new medium, it was the home to all sorts of clutter - daily ramblings about any and every thing that might be on a person's mind. As well as any and every thing they did. Then it moved on to have themes...sometimes. Today, there are so many blogs that it's hard to tell which ones are worth reading.

When I began my blog in 2010, the original motivation was to write about my missions to Africa. To let people know what God was teaching me, what he might want them to know, and yes, to hash out my feelings. But it was never intended to be especially focused. Here is a quote from my first post:

So here we go. (I won't post) every day or maybe even every week. I plan to post when there's something that would be fun, interesting, or informative.

Yeah, pretty vague.

Almost a year ago, I developed some sort of writer's block. It's been weird posting so infrequently, but at the same time I think it has allowed me to think more about why I did this. I need for it be focused and regular. In other words, if I want you to give me your precious time to read it, I want to respect and honor that decision. So now I plan to start back. This is what I want it to look like:

Frequency:

• Weekly, on Mondays.
• Extra posts when something significant is going on, like posting from Africa while on a mission.
• While writing fewer posts, share links to them more often so that they will show up in more newsfeeds.

Topic:

Insight on living life as a follower of Jesus. This will include things I've learned from Scripture, observations on culture where the right questions are being asked (TV, movies, books, music, etc.), and observations from around me. I will try to relate everything to this overall theme.

So here's the first post from the new blog. In the next few weeks, I will touch on:

• A book I recently read that nails what's going on in American Christianity, 
• Batman vs. Superman,
• A motivational presentation that was good, but missed the mark,
• And more.

I hope those of you who used to read will jump back on. I hope others will take advantage of the newfound consistency to start following. In any case,

Here we go.

Again.

Mockingjay, Part 2

Last week, we finally witness the fourth and last installment of The Hunger Games movie series, based on the books by Suzanne Collins. It did not disappoint. This was a story that gripped me from the first chapter of the first book, and its echoes linger with me today. Unlike some other recent movie adaptations, this whole series captured the spirit of the original story. The finale was no exception.

 The interesting thing is that in my first post on this story (2012), I jumped ahead to Mockingjay because the themes of the story needed to be seen from the vantage point of their conclusion. In that post, I made the following observation:

Ultimately, the Hunger Games trilogy is a story of redemption, setting captives free, and standing up for "the least of these." And doing so at great personal cost. It reminds me alot of a true story, one that happened about 3,500 years ago.

And the final movie installment was true to this theme. It was powerful.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
COME BACK AFTER SEEING THE MOVIE






The highlight of the movie for me was the scene where District 13 President Coin (Julianne Moore) had gathered Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and her friends in a conference room to discuss what to do now that the evil Capitol regime had been overthrown. How do you punish the oppressors? How does such a damaged society move on? Is there room for vengeance? How do you move on?

After the Exodus, the Israelites faced the same dilemma and they didn't handle it so well. They went through judge after judge, trying to find a godly leader to make them the people that God intended when he led them out of Egypt. But the subsequent history consisted of a repeated pattern of 1) promising to serve God and do things his way, 2) failing, 3) reaping the consequences, and then 4) starting over.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

And so, as the new makeshift council met, President Coin proposed the unthinkable. A new Hunger Games to kick off the new society, supposedly as a substitute for mass executions.

As the proposal was put to a vote, it was hard to imagine how anyone could even propose such a thing. We began to see in the eyes of Coin and Katniss the same thing, but from a different prospective. This government would be no better than the old. Symbolic gestures designed to keep the people under oppression.

Yep...Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

What happened next gave me chill bumps. Katniss voted for the new Hunger Games, but with a condition. A condition that would allow her to put a stop to Coin. And then, in a marvelous piece of acting by the brilliant Woody Harrelson, Haymitch votes the same way with a look in his eyes that said, I don't know what you're up to, but I trust you."

Stories tell us about ourselves. This one told us about our self-destructive tendencies, our longing to overcome them, and our repeated failures to do so. But it also tells us about hope, about the need for someone to stand up and break the cycle. Thank God for the Messiah Jesus who came to break the cycle for us. If we will follow him, if we will trust him even when we don't know what he's up to in our lives, there is hope.

And for that I am thankful.

The Fault in Our Stars - thoughts, part II

Saturday night I shared some random thoughts on The Fault in Our Stars. You might say it was my review, of both the book and the movie.

I left one topic for a separate blog post though, mainly because it tied so closely to two recent posts and so I wanted it to get top billing, so to speak. That topic was a conversation between Hazel and Augustus about the afterlife. The conversation was in both the book and the movie.

Here is the context for the conversation:.

Augustus, Hazel, and Hazel's mom have traveled to Amsterdam to meet the author of a book that Hazel loves. The book about cancer and death rings true, and since Hazel has terminal cancer (not a spoiler - we know this from the first moments of the story) she wants to ask the author some questions about the ending. So, as she and Augustus are at dinner in a luxurious romantic restaurant in Amsterdam, Augustus asks her about whether she believes in an afterlife. Obviously, this is not just hypothetical speculation for them.

The conversation went something like this: Hazel thinks that forever is an incorrect concept. After a little joking, she first says a short no - no afterlife. Then she wavers, admitting she's not sure. The Augustus gives his thoughts: yes, absolutely. And then he elaborates, and this is the part I want to focus on:

Yes. Yes, absolutely. Not like a heaven where you ride unicorns, play harps, and live in a mansion made of clouds. But yes, I believe in Something with a capital S. Always have.

- The Fault in Our Stars, p. 168.

Now, I didn't expect the characters in this story to believe in a Biblical picture of heaven. It's not that kind of story. But his comments are telling.

They tell me a lot about what the world thinks a Christian view of heaven is. In summing up what he does not believe in, Augustus mentions several things that I think are the typical picture of heaven. This is the picture reinforced in movies and books such as Heaven Is for Real, and in the tendency of people to imagine their loved ones in a heaven that they have fashioned from their own minds. I don't know where the image comes from, because it's not Scripture.

So Augustus, I agree with you: The true heaven is not a place where you ride unicorns, play harps, or live in the clouds. It's also not just a place for our spirits to live forever. People do not become angels. And it's not just floating around in the light feeling happy and singing hymns.

So what is that "Something with a capital S"? This is the picture painted by Scripture: Jesus rose physically from the dead, preceding those of us who believe in him and will be raised one day. When a believer dies, he/she is in the presence of Christ right away, but that's not the end of the story. When the Messiah returns to the earth, he will redeem it, bring heaven and earth together in one reality, and we will reign over the redeemed creation with him forever. Nothing about harps. No unicorns. Just a world where man will bear the image of God forever, as we were originally intended to do. And it will be all about him, not us. It's going to be awesome!

It's soooooo much better than the images that Augustus rejects. No wonder people don't get more excited about it than they do. But if they had a true picture....oh yeah!

I love that a book like The Fault of Our Stars raises these hard questions. The skepticism of Hazel and Augustus reflects the uncertainty of our day. Stories like this make us examine life and question where our beliefs come from. Jesus came to bring us the answers to these hard questions. And that is good news.
_________________________
References for further reading:

Surprised by Hope - NT Wright

Heaven - Randy Alcorn

The Fault in Our Stars - thoughts, part I

Read the book. Saw the movie.

I thought the movie was a really good adaptation of both the sprit and flow of the story. The acting was outstanding and conveyed the emotion of this powerful story. Although there were some aspects of the plot that were condensed for the sake of time, it was faithful to the story. So my thoughts are not so much about the movie or the book, but about the story itself.

For those who don't know, the story is about a pair of teenagers who have been dealt the unfortunate hand of being, as the book calls them, "cancer kids." The key characters are a guy and girl who realize they are likely terminal and their parents. It's a story which attempts to deal realistically with what it's like to try and find meaning in life with the specter of death hanging over your head.

As I read (and then watched), here are some random thoughts I had:

• Much of the story centers around Augustus' fear of oblivion. He wants to make sure that he is remembered for something significant and that his death has meaning. This is one of many emotions in the story that rings true. I think that deep down all of us want our lives to mean something. Whether we live 18 years or 80, we want it to matter than we've been here.
• Hazel is focused, almost obsessed, with the need to face her fate realistically. She rejects what she considers to be false hope, and either corrects or ridicules those whose language belies denial of the truth that she is going to die soon. Early on, she makes a speech to her support group that went like this:

"There will come a time when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or that our species ever did anything...Maybe this time is coming soon and maybe it is millions of years away, but even if we survive the collapse of our sun, we will not survive forever...And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows that's what everyone else does."

To me, this speech underlies the entire theme of the book. Because if Hazel is right, all the despair and depression and pessimism about cancer and death makes sense. But if she's wrong...

• Despite the lack of hope, there is a tremendous amount of love displayed in the story. And I don't mean the romantic love based on attraction - although it's there. The love Hazel's mom has for her; the unselfishness of Augustus in so many ways, toward Hazel but also toward his friend Isaac. I could list so many more examples and be more specific, but then the post would come with s spoiler warning. Read it or see it for yourself - you'll be moved by howe love permeates the story.
• A word on the title: As you may recognize, it's taken from a line in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, where Cassius says, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." The idea of the quote being that our fate is not a matter of bad luck but rather the result of our choices. Of course, the book/movie is taking the position that having cancer is indeed a matter of fate. And it is. But like any other fate, how we respond to it is everything. I believe that in many ways the story's characters rise above their cancer, showing the title to be a lie. But in other ways they do not.
• Dealing with grief. There was no sugarcoating on that. I remember what it's like to know someone I love is going to die soon, and the grief is as real as the grief after they're gone. And I saw that depicted as I remember it.

You know, we're all terminal. The short time we have on earth is passing by so fast. So if we're honest with ourselves, we all need to know how we are going to process our impending deaths. In that sense, The Fault in Our Stars is a story for all of us. To be fully prepared for death, I believe the resurrection of Jesus can give us the faith, hope, and love to be ready for it. What does it look like to face it with love but without faith and hope? This is it, and it's done very well.

Highly recommended for the questions it asks and a realistic picture of death as the enemy. But the premise that facing death with joy and peace is a fairy tale - that is just not true. It is for many, but it doesn't have to be. Thank God for that.

Next post: Hazel and Augustus' discussion of heaven (page 167)

Pages and everything

Sometimes, moving forward is taking a step back.

As you may have been able to guess, I am huge fan of technology. I love being connected on social media. I enjoy my Macbook, my iPhone, my Kindle, and I will probably be on board at the next great breakthrough.

The thing I love about reading books with the electronic media is that I just have to take one item with me, and I'm able to jump back and forth between various things I'm reading. I am usually reading two or three books at the same time: one fiction, one nonfiction, and one to help me dig deeper into Bible study. This is all possible for me - who misplaces things a lot - because of the Kindle and the Kindle app.

And of course, I have the Bible app on my iPhone. Just pull that baby out and I have the Scriptures available anywhere. When you see me staring at my phone in church…yeah, it's the Bible.

But I've made a decision…I'm going back to using the Good Book. Emphasis on book.

Recently I noticed something about my Bible reading. I noticed that I was reading way too fast. Once I noticed it, I really started noticing it. I would skim, I would rush, and I would not settle down mentally to really get into it. I have a theory as to why. That's the way we read everything else these days. We scroll through twitter, see links to blogs and article of interest, and we skim through the ones we pick, looking to see whether they are saying anything new, anything to make us slow down.

At least I do. And I've read research indicating that you might too.

That's fine for blogs - heck, you're probably doing it right now. It's fine for articles, and it may be okay for books.

But to me, it's not okay for God's word. The authority of God is dripping from every page, and I need to slow down and absorb it. Take the time to learn the context, so I can distinguish what is really being said from my own personal biases that I try to read into the Bible.

I just don't think I've been doing that with the electronic versions.

And I also miss highlighting, underlining, and making notes in the margins. I miss turning to another passage to see what the writer might have been referring to. I miss a lot of things.

Not anymore.

I'll still use my Bible app for convenience when the book isn't at my fingertips. It's so cool to always have the Scriptures with me. But when it's time to sit down and really read, really study, I'm making a change.

Give me the Book.

The power of a good meal

Last week, a friend of mine posted a wonderful narrative on how God has designed us to come together over a meal. He talked about all the Scriptural references to eating together, and how God's invitation to us is one of coming in to dine with us (e.g., Revelation 3:20). And the Lord's supper itself is an example. Please read his entire post here:

Thanksgiving and the Eucharist

Well, this struck a major chord with me, because I thought about how rich my life is because of meals I get to share with family and friends. It truly is one of the great blessings God has provided.

That's why a book passage jumped out at me today during lunch.

I am currently rereading Mockingjay, the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy. Without revealing any major plot points, I was at a point in the story where Katniss and other key characters are in the midst of some very stressful training. They have been through so much together. They were strangers, then in some ways enemies, and now in a weird way have bonded as friends. Adversity tends to do that.

And so our heroes are gathered in this extraordinary situation, and the description - from Katniss' narration - is this:

All around the dining hall, you can feel the rejuvenating effect that a good meal can bring on. The way it can make people kinder, funnier, more optimistic, and remind them it's not a mistake to go on living. It's better than any medicine. So I try to make it last and join in the conversation. (p. 240, italics mine)

What a wonderful description of the power of eating with others.

So yes, Patrick, you are right when you point out the power of eating together. God made us that way, and we can see it not only in Scripture, in our lives, but in modern literature as well.

Thank you, Lord, for good friends and good food. Amen.

Catching Fire: Yes, it's that good

When you anticipate anything for as long as fans have waited for this movie, there is always a great risk of disappointment. You can build up something in your head to where there's no way to live up to it.

This is not one of those times.

Last night I saw the premiere of Catching Fire, the movie adaptation of the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy. It was amazing.

First, the pacing was outstanding. The movie ran over two hours but it seemed like about half that time. I know a movie is good when I don't have the slightest inclination to check the time. Last night? Not even once.

The casting for this series continues to be outstanding. I cannot even imagine anyone other than Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. But that's true now for all the major characters from the first movie. I would make special note of one though. Donald Sutherland embodies the subtleties of President Snow's character in a way that I can't even describe. Slight changes in the his face's muscle tension communicate as much as lines of dialogue would. It's a pleasure to watch.

The new characters are very well cast too. They are are all so good. But with very limited lines, Jena Malone's Johanna Mason just about stole the show. I loved her portrayal.

As for the story, I could write for pages about places where this movie made the story come alive, giving us just the right blend of drama, humor, and action - at just the right times. Since the movie only came out last night, I'll avoid details that would be spoilers. I'll just say that I fully experienced the evolution of emotions in a group of people as they realized that they were being drawn into something greater than themselves.

Book adaptations are tough. There is so much material and so little time. If you are a fan of the books, you will undoubtably have a favorite part that you will miss, be be slightly disappointed. That was true for me as well on a couple of my favorite details. But remember, mine are probably different from yours. So I will make this bold statement: This is one of the best adaptations I've ever seen. They were faithful to the story, the spirit of the book, and many more details than most adaptations.

Do you want to see a story about tyranny, freedom, oppression, human dignity, power, courage, and, most of all, fear vs. hope? Then this is your story.

Check it out.

What is praise?

It's all through the Psalms…in fact, it's all the the Bible. Praise the Lord. Over and over, there are not only expressions of praise toward God, but exhortations to praise him? Why? Is it an obligation? Another rule we're supposed to follow if we want to please our Creator? Or maybe something else?

On a seemingly unrelated question, why do we post what we post on Facebook? What compels us to share certain things with our friends?

For some awesome thoughts that I think apply to both questions, check out this link (and then come back):

Praise: The Consummation of Joy

So, condensing and paraphrasing, God wants our praise not because he needs our approval, but because it is the expression of the fact that we get it. We understand just how awesome he is and how much he's done for us, and so of course it spills out. If it is not my natural inclination to praise him, it's a sign that I really don't understand.

So, it's natural for us to say things like

• That was the best movie ever!
• I couldn't put that book down!
• Did you see that game yesterday? It was amazing!
• You've got to try the new Thai restaurant!

And, if you're really experienced it,

• God is so awesome!

And that's the essence of true praise. Not something we do because we're supposed to. But something we do because it spills out.

Oh….Facebook.

This also helped me understand why social media blows up when something happens that fills a lot of people with joy at one time. It could be a TV show that captures the imagination. Or a movie that a lot of people have been waiting for. Or, yes, a spectacular football game.

It's natural to want to share joy; it's not natural to keep it to yourself. And so now there is a place where we go and share it. I think it's cool.

So when the Lord blesses me - when I see his handiwork in nature, when he shows me something in his Word, when I think of how Jesus came to bring me life - it's natural to share it. And so, the Psalmist would say, go ahead.

Share it.

Long and loud.

Praise the LORD, all you nations,

extol him, al you peoples.

For great is his love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

Praise the LORD.  (Psalm 117)

Kindle

How much do you read?

I've got to confess that I went through a few years where my reading became relatively sparse. It's not because I didn't enjoy it...I've always loved to read. It is the only source of entertainment (novels), information, and growth that I can take at my own pace and let it sink in.

But it did get neglected for a while. I don't know why. Maybe I got too busy. Maybe when I studied for actuarial exams I got in the habit of mostly reading just what I needed to succeed. Maybe I just was watching too much TV. But for whatever reason I got to where I would read 1) what I needed for work, 2) the Bible, and 3) the occasional novel. Very occasional.

I have blogged before about the fact that I have found technology to be a good thing. I know some people think it's the devil, but I think if used right it's a blessing from God. For example, I have friendships that social media have helped me maintain.

And so, about two years ago, my Kindle entered my life.

There is something about always having my books at my fingertips that has revived my reading life. I now always have at least two books going at once. I'm usually reading something for pleasure and something for growth at the same time. I just finished a marvelous book on Dietrich Bonhoeffer that I would not have found without the Kindle. Right now, I am simultaneously reading the latest Tom Clancy novel, a book on Generation Y, and a commentary on Revelation.

That would never have been the case with traditional books.

I know there's something about having a book in your hand. About turning the pages. I've heard all the arguments and I see their point. But I'm telling you, I have grown more in the last two years than any such period I can remember. There are a lot of reasons - friends, family, my church, seeing God's hand working in Africa - but I think reading more is at or near the top of the list.

And my Kindle is a huge reason.

Thank you, God, for technology. It may be misused, but it is a gift from you. Thank you!

Review: How God Became King

In How God Became King, N.T. Wright addresses a very important question for Christ-followers. Why were the four Gospels written? What were they trying to communicate? How should we read them  today?

It came as something of a surprise to me that Wright considered this question worth asking. After all, I've read the Gospels all my life, and have found much in the them to help me live. Parables, miracles, and sermons are scattered throughout the accounts, all sandwiched between a description of how Jesus' ministry began and his death and resurrection. But as I began to read, I saw that this was the issue. The church has always been focused on the importance of the Virgin Birth, the Crucifixion, and Resurrection. And we diligently study Paul's letters providing context after the fact for what it all means.

But Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote a lot of stuff in between. So what is it? Filler? Random stories?

Or is there a theme that runs through the entirety of the Gospel accounts, including the parts we focus on so much? If there is, how should we approach the Gospels so as not to miss that theme?

In the book Wright makes a compelling argument that may change entire perspective. (Although perhaps most of you tracked the themes and I'm just dense.) He reminds us of the importance of context, and that Jesus came to be the Messiah, the One promised to Israel. He makes the case that YHWH promised to one day redeem his people and reign one the entire earth, not just Israel. And that he purposed to accomplish that through suffering and sacrifice.

In Jesus, all that was fulfilled, and that is what the Gospels are about: the  coming of the long-awaited Kingdom of God through the life, death,and resurrection of Jesus. Not something that was just for later, after we die - something was that initiated through Jesus' ministry and continues today through us all. Truly, the Lord's prayer expresses it so well; we are to pray that "Thy Kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." This is why Jesus came.

This is an outstanding book, and I plan to read more of Wright's material. If you want to know more, here is a link where you could order it: How God Became King.

Jesus came to bring God's Kingdom, and he made it possible through his death on the cross. I pray that I would do my part to continue the work in my generation.

Moneyball

Several years ago I read a book by Michael Lewis called Moneyball. A guy I work with recommended it to me for various reasons: It was about using advanced mathematics to make better decisions - which is my career. It was about applying those decisions to baseball - so it was the perfect book for a person who's both a sports nut and a math geek. And finally, there was a whole chapter devoted to the case of Jeremy Brown, a former Bama baseball player.

Great book! I learned alot of stuff that I have been applying at work ever since. And I've watched while major league baseball has been applying the principles more and more. (The Boston Red Sox are among the biggest users of the approach and they used it to break their 86-year championship drought in 2004.)

But I never - never - thought it could be made into a movie. When I saw the trailers for just that a few months ago, I thought, "What?" Good math, good story, but not one that had action or interpersonal drama to appeal to the big screen.

I was wrong. I went to see the movie Wednesday night and I was spellbound. You know, sometimes movies are criticized for changing the book too much. In case, it was the key. Unlike the movie, the story was built around the baseball season and the question of whether Billy Beane's (Brad Pitt) unconventional methods would succeed. And whether that would allow him to keep his job, including how his daughter was worrying about him. In short, the book was about the math; the movie was about the people.

And it did a masterful job of making the transition. I saw the movie at 10:00 PM on a weeknight - a weeknight of a very stressful week where I was exhausted alot. And yet I was hanging on the edge of my seat the entire time, totally absorbed in the story. Awesome acting performances, a great screenplay, and just the right pacing made for a great 165 minutes of entertainment.

Being a sports nut and math geek, I may be biased. But if you're looking for a movie this weekend, Moneyball would be a pretty good choice.

Just typical pool conversation

The other day I was at my sister's house, taking a swim in her pool. It was a hot day, the kind of day that pools were invented for. So maybe it's the fact that it was hot. But for whatever reason, the conversation I was having with a friend turned to hell.

Yep - typical lazy summer conversation at the pool.

It really wasn't the heat. I had just finished reading a couple of books on the subject, books that were written in response to Rob Bell's book Love Wins. The books were Francis Chan's Erasing Hell and Mark  Galli's God Wins. Whatever else you think about Bell's book, you have to give it credit for this: it has gotten Christians to talk about a subject that demands discussion but that we like to avoid. Everywhere, followers of Jesus are having conversations about their beliefs on our eternal destinies.

So here is the specific question we were discussing: How can eternal punishment be proportional to sins committed in a finite lifetime? And even more to the point, how does the cross pay the eternal penalty for us, given that it was suffering and death for a finite period of time?

Deep? Sure. So was the pool.

Anyway, the conversation was so interesting, I thought I would share a couple of points from it here.

First and foremost, we cannot possibly understand how such things work. The mind of God is infinite and ours are so limited. For me to try to understand the mind of God would be like my dog trying to understand mine. Except that the gap is so much greater than that.


"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 
   neither are your ways my ways,” 
            declares the LORD. 
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, 
   so are my ways higher than your ways 
   and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)


But that didn't keep us from trying. so here's a concept we came up with. It's probably soooooo far short of the truth, but it helped me get my arms around it a little:


God is infinite, and created everything, including time. He is above time and not limited to our timeline. For him, all of history is simultaneous because he cannot be bound by something he created. Based on this, I think it is reasonable to think of the cross this way: Jesus entered history and went to the cross for our sin and because of that moment, his eternal nature was, is, and will be enduring our punishment for all time. Because for him, that moment always exists. In other words, he took our eternal punishment on himself because for him, his substitutionary death exists for all eternity. It is always "now" to him.


There are hints of this concept in the Bible. Any time his eternal nature is mentioned, it's implied. But the biggest hint (as my friend pointed out) is in Revelation 13:8, where it refers to the Lamb "who was slain from the creation of the world".


Hard to understand? Yep. Even if it's on the right track, it's only a shadow of the actual truth. But it helps me get my arms around the fact that the cross is big enough to pay for all the world's sin for all eternity. And it also helps me see that the idea of eternal punishment for people is something that God has taken on himself, and therefore any judgment by us that it's somehow unfair is out of place. If so, God was unfair to himself.


I think it's time to move to the shallow end.

Harry Potter: It was over too soon...but so worth it

(Note: This post is a break from the series on my recent trip to Africa.)

It was one year ago. I was walking out of the movie theater, having just seen the latest Harry Potter flick, Deathly Hallows, Part 1. For at least the second time in that same situation, I said to my niece Macy, "I'm going to read all the books before the next movie." But as the series was coming to close, this was my last chance to really do it.

I knew that if I were going to get the full enjoyment out of the finale, I would need to follow through. For you see, I had seen the previous movies, but not necessarily in order, and definitely with no sense of the story thread. Or the themes it was addressing. This was a shame, because I'm such a fan of epic stories that are told in installments. In fact, as I walked out of that theater I was only two months removed from the end of the best epic story ever told on television, LOST. So I was starving for something to fill in the gap. And so I began reading.

Well, I finished just in time - last Monday, three days before the midnight premiere of Deathly Hallows, Part 2. I had already bought my tickets to the midnight show, so it was imperative that I finish. I did.

What I found as I read the 4000 or so pages was everything you would look for in a epic series. Characters I grew to love and others I hated. Human drama and fantasy adventure. Themes that are embedded in the very nature of life: Love. Revenge. Good vs. Evil. Enduring friendships. The importance of self-sacrificial love. Family. Dealing with grief. Destiny vs. free will. Doing the right thing in the face of adversity. And even sacrificial death and resurrection as an instrument for defeating evil.

And, as an extra bonus, an extremely rewarding ending for such a long story.

So there I was at midnight last week, sitting in a movie theater with hundreds of my closest friends. (I think the theater was using all 16 screens.) I sat there with a sense of anticipation, and also a sense of regret. I wished that I had started reading years ago, so that I could have experienced the unfolding of the story over time as it was intended. But I was gratified that I finally knew this wonderful story and that I was about to see its conclusion portrayed in what I knew would be a powerful movie.

I was not disappointed. As the crowd sat there in silence on the edge of our seats, the story unfolded in a masterful way. Just the right mix of action, humor, and drama. The best part of the whole story is 100 pages of the final book, and the movie got to that point early enough to do it justice. We saw the courage, the determination, the heartache, and the ultimate battle in all its glory.

The story is now told, and I'm glad I finally jumped in with both feet. Wish I had done it earlier, but that's water under the bridge. Better late than never.

Practical Universalism

Well, the book is out. And based on the reviews and interviews with the author, it appears to be what it was promoted to be.

Of course, I'm talking about the highly controversial book Love Wins by Rob Bell. I wrote about it in my blog a few weeks ago, and you can read what I said (as well as watch a promotional video) here.

Like I indicated, as I watch Mr. Bell being interviewed I think it's pretty clear he believes that people who reject God's love in this life will eventually give in to God's love post mortem and be saved. He rejects the label "universalist", but a label is just a label. The idea that our eternal destiny can be determined by choices made after death is, as Bell says himself about life after death, speculation. And it is speculation that I believe is contrary to Scripture. But...

Yes, there's a "but". And the "but" is what this post is really about. I saw a tweet earlier this week referring to David Platt's comments on the subject. And it stopped me dead in my tracks.

You see, the question for those of us disturbed by Bell's book is this: are we practical universalists? What does that mean? Just this: if we insist that God's justice demands an accounting and that Christ has been provided as the way to the life God intended (both here and forever), do we live as if it matters? Do we really believe what we're saying? Or is it just words?

If we really believe it, it will break our hearts to see people rejecting God's love. We will want to do something about it. And we will work our whole lives to bring God's kingdom here on earth, by 1) loving others as God loved us, 2) meeting the the needs of the poor, the widows, and orphans, and 3) by working to reconcile those in our sphere of influence to God.

I object to theological universalism, because I believe a loving God must deal with injustice and that the choice to accept God's love or not in this life matters. But I know that as I live my busy life, practical universalism creeps in all the time. God grant me the sense of urgency I need. Because people matter.

Discernment...waiting for the book

 Truth is truth. Either something is true or it isn't. Without this basic principle, all discussion of truth is meaningless. (For more on this subject, check out my blog post on the Glee episode "Grilled Cheesus".) With that in mind, I am a little nervous about the announcement for a new book by pastor Rob Bell.

Bell is pastor of a large church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the author of several books, has a popular podcast, and has released a series of teaching videos under the name NOOMA ("a series of short films that explore our world from a perspective of Jesus"). I have used these videos and some of Bell's messages as material for sharing the gospel with young people. I have always found his teaching to an awesome example of using real world examples that people can follow to illustrate the truths of the gospel. I believe the ability to take mundane observations and see Scriptural truth in them is a gift - one I have seen many times in Bell's teaching.

So Rob Bell has announced the upcoming publication of a new book called Love Wins. Here is the promotional video for it:


LOVE WINS. from Rob Bell on Vimeo.


By now some of you know that the announcement has blown up the internet. Tweets from well known pastors such as John Piper and Rick Warrren. An incredible hit rate for a blog post from Justin Taylor (the Gospel Coalition). And a backlash from many saying, "Hey, just minute! Let's wait to see the book."

Yes, let's wait. It's not fair to jump to conclusions based on promotional material and a short video. I believe we can do the cause of Christ real damage by eating our own before we really know what he's saying.

And yes, I acknowledge there's alot in the video that concerns me - but it may just be the hook to get us to read. What concerns me? Well, it seems to imply that we should subject God to our standards of what's just and fair. "How could that God ever be good? How could that God ever be trusted? And how could that ever be good news?" There is an implication that an eternal hell is contrary to the concept of a good God and that the author is prepared to reject it. But he does end by saying we'll learn what the Bible says about God and eternity, so yeah - maybe that's the hook. I hope so.

I hope so because the good news is clearly intended to be responded to. The Scripture is full of references to consequences for rejecting God, and the consequences are severe. Jesus came and provided a way back to God a great cost. Grace is costly and requires a response. All God wants is for us to begin a relationship with him. But we must do that - we must receive the gift in order to have it.

Hell is a tough concept; none of us want to believe it, because it is very unpleasant. But C.S. Lewis summed up why its necessity is logical better than anyone I've ever read:

In the long run, objectors to the doctrine of hell must answer this question: What are you asking God to do? To wipe out their past sins, and at all costs to give them a fresh start, smoothing every difficulty, and offering every miraculous help? But he has done so – in the life and death of his Son. To forgive them? They will not be forgiven. To leave them alone? Alas, that is what he does. (The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis) 

In other words, hell is simply separation from God - exactly what many of us have chosen and are choosing. It just lasts forever.

Is Bell's coming book going to teach universal salvation regardless of choices? It's too early to say and I will not pass judgment until I know for sure. But I know this: the answer will be important. No matter how much I think of the work he's done, his words as a minister of the gospel must be held to the authority of Scripture. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one come to the Father except by me." (John 14:6) I didn't say it, he did. And either he's right or he's wrong - it can't be both.

There is a difference between discernment and judgment. God asks..no...demands that we show discernment in teaching of the Word. He demands that we not pass judgment on our brothers and sisters. The former is important because truth is important and teaching sound doctrine is critical to salvation. The latter is important because of the command to love one another. May God grant us all the wisdom to discern the truth. And to love the messenger regardless. I'm praying for Rob Bell. Please pray for me.