Reading the Bible with Scot McKnight

Scot McKnight teaches Bible at North Park University in Chicago. His jesuscreed.org blog is a major internet hub for evangelicals and pastors. His book, The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible, has just been published by Zondervan. 

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Parakeet-Rethinking-Read-Bible/dp/0310284880/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224095251&sr=1-1

Since I've just read chapter 7, I'll start there. The idea is simple - and searching. Listening to the words of the Bible is an act of love toward the God of the Bible. Words are important because they are a personal communication from one person to another. To listen to another's words is to take that person seriously, to love them. True with people, true with God. 

Scot (yes, only one "t" for this loyal Scotsman) points out that listening to another's words means being not only attentive, but also receptive. We absorb the words and their message(s), and we respond to them appropriately. The appropriate response to God is to act on the basis of what his words tell us. How we respond to God's words is how we respond to God. 

Truth and the Presidential Election

I received a forwarded e-mail with a subject line about Barack Obama's "Not Exactly's", claiming to have been penned by Bill Brown, a former Billy Graham associate. Here is my response:

Dear friends -

After some hesitation, I have decided to share my thoughts on this forwarded e-mail. Or perhaps just one principle thought: This e-mail purports to reveal inaccurate and misleading statements by Barack Obama. My expectation for such a serious group of charges is that they be carefully worded and thoroughly documented. In the Bible the standard for accepting an accusation is that there be two credible witnesses. If there are not two credible witnesses, or even one, the accusation does not stand. To this we may add the excellent American principle that a person is to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

In light of this, here are my problems with the e-mail:

1. It claims to have been written by a former associate of Billy Graham. But the Bill Brown who was a member of the BGEA, when contacted, expressly denies having written it. See http://www.brianmclaren.net/archives/blog/naivete-cynicism-and-wisdom.html
(I googled "Bill Brown BGEA".)

2. I checked the reference to accusation #7 in the e-mail, which was the point that I found most shocking, and found no evidence of any sort supporting the accusation.

3. The tone of the e-mail is thoroughly un-Christian, we who are to "Honor everyone" (I Peter 2:17).

So let us as Christians hold firm to the teaching of Psalm 15 and so be salt and light to the nation during this election process: Who does not slander with his tongue, ... nor take up a reproach against his neighbor.

One of our roles as Christians is to hold the world accountable to the truth. Regardless of what candidate we prefer, a Christian never wants to win at the cost of the truth.

Feel free to share these thoughts with others. And your reactions and comments are welcome.

Mark Farmer

Chrysalis

There is a post today on Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed site that I wrote regarding Alan Jamieson's book, Chrysalis. Here is the link:

http://www.jesuscreed.org/

Hopefully it is understandable enough for folks who haven't read the book.

Do Hard Things

That's the title and theme of a book just out written by two 19-year-olds, Alex and Brett Harris. (Yes, they are twins.) The subtitle is, "A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations." Pretty strong stuff, eh?

I'm a third of the way through the book, and plenty of it is for whatever age we happen to be. This, for example:

Alyssa Chua, a seventeen-year-old ... from the Philippines, explained her pattern this way: 'My comfort zone was the place where everything was just the way I wanted it to be; a situation where I never had to make extra effort or do something difficult; a place I could sit back, relax and enjoy myself.'

The problem, she told us, was that she stayed inside her comfort zone, she was essentially refusing to surrender her life fully to God; she was avoiding the hard things He was calling her to do.

The authors go on to put their finger on the real issue:

What we're really saying is that we don't want to do things that come easily or naturally. We don't want to break through our fears. And by our actions, we're also saying that God isn't good and powerful enough to help us do what we can't comfortably do on our own.

Alex and Brett describe another young man who, unlike Alyssa, spent his life avoiding taking that first step out of his comfort zone. "The result? He's basically the same person he's always been."

Seeking the truth about God

Thanks to Laurel for this excellent interview with the son of a Hamas leader who has decided to follow Jesus. Mosab Hassan Yousef is refreshingly - and painfully - honest in his remarks, which have much to teach us.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,402483,00.html

Near the end of the interview is the puzzling phrase "a 100-person peace when Jesus returns." This is no doubt a misprint for "a 100 percent peace...."

Teaching a person to think and explore for themselves instead of blindly following what they have been taught is one key to world evangelization. The French writer Jean-Claude Guillebaud, in Re-founding the World, writes that Jesus himself emphasized the individual's responsibility to search out the truth and follow it (him). Luke 9:59-60 is one example of this. And this indivudual responsibility is one of the founding pillars of the Baptist movement.

This applies as well to the children of Christians. In his book Chrysalis, Alan Jamieson raises the question in the final chapter of how churches can be safe places for people who have grown up in the church to ask their questions about matters in the Bible and in Christianity that trouble them.

Gospel Presentation

For years I have been experimenting with different ways of presenting the gospel in a way that is both simple and complete enough to be satisfying. James Choung, whose book True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In, is published by InterVarsity Press, offers this three-minute presentation. I think I have found what I was looking for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCVcSiUUMhY

More on how to not complain

I find that complaining begins in my head. Why do I think complaining thoughts? The truth is, it is because of what the apostle Paul calls "the sin that dwells in my members". In other words, this is a habit that I have developed and tolerated. But because Christ has made me a new person, I don't have to yield to critical or complaining thoughts about others, or myself, or God.

The article cited in our previous post suggested looking for solutions to problems instead of complaining and blaming. In addition to that, the disciple of Jesus can also replace complaining thoughts with thankfulness. "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." So Paul in Philippians 4:8. The work of taking every thought captive to obey Christ (II Cor. 10:5) begins with myself. It's such a better way to live.

Complaining

I googled "Why do people complain", and this is by far the most enlightening response I found.People have had to deal with complaining ever since Moses (Exodus 14:21; Numbers 11:1, etc.). "Complaining mode" seems to be the default setting for media coverage of elections and candidates as well as of junior high lunch rooms. And I admit that I complain, too - sometimes about complainers! And I don't like myself so well when I complain. So if you catch me not practicing the wisdom below, call me on it!

From http://supersonicsuccess.com/blog/why-do-you-complain

Why Do You Complain?
March 23rd, 2008

Did you know that complaining is severely damaging to your health, financial success and your entire life?
Studies have shown people who complain frequently tend to have poor health, less satisfying and enduring relationships, and don’t tend to do as well in their jobs or make as much money.

The key to getting what you want in life is focusing your energy and attention on what you do want, rather than what you don’t want. By complaining, the focus is always on what’s wrong, what’s going badly.

So why do people continue to do it?

Well first of all, it’s a habit. Most people have been doing it their entire lives. In fact, the majority don’t even realize they’re doing it half the time. Most people complain much more frequently than they think they do.

Don’t believe me? For the next 24 hours, pay attention to how many people begin a conversation with you by whining about something that didn’t go the way they wanted it to.

The most common reasons why people complain (and why it can be so difficult to stop) are:

- It’s a good conversation starter.
It’s much easier to begin a conversation with someone and find a common ground by complaining. (Can you believe it’s going to rain AGAIN today?…).
To get over this particular hurdle, rather than use a complaint to start talking to someone - complement them. It’s a much more positive way to start a conversation.

- Complaining keeps people from taking action.
This is the #1 reason most people complain. That way they can procrastinate and have plenty of excuses why they aren’t reaching their goals. There’s always a reason why it’s not possible to do what needs to be done. It’s much easier to complain about it than it is to find a solution.
Not only that, but for some crazy reason, we’ve been taught that it’s okay to talk negatively about yourself, but it’s not okay to “brag” about what’s going well!

- Preexcuses failure
Another very common reason people complain is to pre excuse failure. For instance, walking to a meeting late while complaining about how bad the traffic was, how there was a huge line at the dry cleaner, etc.
It takes all the responsibility off of that person, they no longer have to own up to the fact that they should have left earlier or been more prepared.

The first step to stop complaining is to become aware of it, then replace that complaint about what you don’t like, with what you do want.

The goal is not to act like everything is great and pretend you are no longer bothered by anything, but instead to seek out solutions.

Instead of playing the victim and simply stating that the situation is not what you want - figure out what you DO want, and seek to create that.

What can you do about the situation? Don’t look for problems, look for solutions.

The times they are a-changin'

A small group of pastors was talking the other day about how many significant and stressful trends and events are in the news now that affect us more or less directly. Here are some of the things we discussed, plus a few more:

- very high gas prices, and still rising
- home foreclosures
- high and increasing costs for health care and insurance, and shrinking coverage
- the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan along with the needs of returning GIs
- food shortages around the world and in U.S. food banks
- repeated attempts to legalize gay marriage
- the quiet but persistent infiltration of Islam in Western societies
- the growing role played by China and India in the world economy
- earthquakes in China and Japan, floods in Iowa (and this is just in the last couple of weeks)

Other items could be added to this list of things that are reshaping the world in which we live.

One person observed that these are all conditions which we sense we cannot control to any great degree. The accumulation of all these pressures might have a paralyzing effect.

How are we as the community of Christians to understand the times in which we live? Let's converse (civilly!) about it in the days to come. The challenge will be to not repeat stock answers we have heard others express, but to think carefully while seeking the mind of Christ...

Dads

At our weekly men's conversation over Saturday breakfast this morning, we talked about our fathers.  We talked about the impact they had on who we have become.  Yes, for better or for worse.  

I miss my dad.  He passed away when I was 26.  Many have been the times when I have wished he was there to bounce an idea off of, or to ask for advice.  I love the memories of walking with him in the woods, and of going to work with him on Saturday mornings on the Ohio State campus. I love the books he gave me - over my head at the time, but now a delight.

And I wish he and I had known how to talk with each other.  It's as if we both wanted to connect but didn't know how. And I wish he had told me more about his father than the few tidbits I received.  And I wish he had known how to teach me to assemble my short wave radio kit instead of just doing it for me.  

But thank you, heavenly Father, for Dean Farmer.  Thank you for all you gave me through him. And teach us how to talk about our dads and, if possible, with them. 

Cardboard testimonies

One of the best things in life is to hear the story of how Christ has turned a person's life around. In this 8-minute video, a creative approach to testimonies enables a large number of people to testify in a short time. They left me moved and grateful to our Lord.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ

Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper was the grandson of an American Baptist church planter and pastor in Nyack, New York. As a young man he spent several years (1906-1910) in Paris and elsewhere in Europe. When in Paris, he lived on the fourth floor of the building adjoining the Baptist Church at 48 rue de Lille, just above where Jean and I lived in 2004-2005. The top image above is a painting done by Hopper from his apartment at the church; the one below is a photo taken from ours. Notice the details in the windows, the chimneys, the iron grill.

This geographical coincidence led to my fascination with Hopper and his work. As I look at the print of a Hopper painting of a lighthouse (on of his favorite subjects) on my study wall, I see an empty sky. No clouds, no sun. It might be uniformly overcast, or it could be untouched canvas. And the lighthouse thrusts up into these empty heavens in hope of seeing what might be over the sharp (and empty) horizon.

Hopper's works very often lead the eyes away from the painting itself, as if what was most interesting was there, unseen...

I would be interested in a conversation about artists readers of this blog especially appreciate. Any takers?

Creatures

Last week at a local Barnes and Noble, a large Cecropia moth that had only a sort time before emerged from its cocoon was clinging to a pillar as its larva-body fluids finished fanning out into its wings.  It was just beautiful - and so was the spirit of the cluster of people gathered around it and peering through the glass store-front.  There was a sort of protective attitude toward this newcomer, and curiosity about what it was and its life-cycle. 

Google "cecropia moth" for photos - be sure to check out its amazing caterpillar!

Jean and I also have a nest with three tiny rabbits a few days old by our back door.  The neighbor's cat carried one of them away last evening and took it to her unharmed. One shaken tiny bunny was safely deposited back in the nest!

(When I figure out how to paste links and photos, entries like this will be more interesting!)

Prince Caspian

Jean and I liked this film of C.S. Lewis's story very much.  It has a maturity and an impact that the first film in the series, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, did not, though it was certainly worth seeing.  

The cinematography in Prince Caspian draws in the viewer with striking scenery and intriguing close-ups of the story's characters.   The viewer follows the story line without difficulty. Several scenes are tense in a good way. The special Narnian characters are delightful (Trufflehunter the Badger), dignified and imposing (the Centaurs), and the Minotaurs are scary and courageous. There are surprises even for those who have read the books. A special hat tip to Trumpkin the dwarf!

But the deepest satisfaction comes from the playing out of the hard, real-life issues that the main characters have to deal with that are the heart of Lewis's work. The sense of Aslan's absence and indifference is one of these, and the pain of coming back to a Narnia that has changed since their first visit is another among several.

So yes, by all means go see it on the big screen and take everyone with you! I came away saying, "I would like to see that one again."

Your comments welcome

The Comments have now been activated.  Click on the link under a post to add your comments.  Brief, constructive comments are appreciated by all!

"Sexy" enough?

"Sexy" is now sometimes used to describe political policies and other decidedly non-sexual entities. It basically means sufficiently attractive to sell to enough people. Is Jesus' teaching that obedience the one thing necessary in the Christian life sufficiently "sexy" to convince Christians and church-goers to actually do it?

I think so, although he would perhaps prefer to keep "sexy" in its usual place. Here's why:

Do I want my doctor to obey the Hippocratic Oath?

Do I want my spouse to obey his or her vows?

Do I want my pastor to obey everything Christ taught?

Do I want my children and grandchildren to obey Christ in everything?

Do I want my fellow Christians to obey Christ in everything?

If not, who would I want them to obey?

To obey Christ in all is the best thing I can do for myself, my family, my church, and the world.

Back to the Basics

This past Sunday I began a sermon series called "Back to the Basics."  It has long impressed me that the one thing that Jesus said to teach new Christians was to obey everything that he has commanded (Matthew 28:20).  George Patterson is right that spiritual growth and maturity are best measured not by knowledge but by obedience.  

Paul used the image of warfare to describe his apostolic ministry (II Corinthians 10:3-5).  His goal was to take as many captives as possible. "Submission to Christ is the new land into which they are carried," wrote Alfred Plummer in his commentary on this passage.    

Sound oppressive? Not when you remember that the old land was called Obedience to the Law of Sin the Dwells in My Members, which previously had taken them captive (Romans 7:23). We always obey someone (Romans 6:16-18). "Who will I obey now?" is a question that can help us when we are tried or tempted. 

Paul's means of taking people captive were not violent, but gentle, spiritual ones. He loved people as his own children and shared himself as well as the Gospel with them. 

So there is really only one "Basic" in the Christian life: to obey the Lord Jesus Christ.  His yoke is easy, and his burden is light.  

Achan and the wrath of God

Yesterday on www.jesuscreed.org (probably my favorite web site), a home-schooling mom asked a searching question about the passage in Joshua 7 where Achan and his family are stoned because of his sin.  The comments posted by readers come at the question in very different ways, and the mom herself takes part in the discussion after a while.  Go to www.jesuscreed.org and scroll down to the entry : "God's Wrath: A Question."  

Bible translations

In  just over a year at ABCW, I have moved from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) to Today's New International Version (TNIV), and now to the English Standard Version (ESV) for the end of the short series on Romans 8.    Here are a few of their strengths and weaknesses for the use I make of translations: 

The NRSV and TNIV are gender inclusive, using "brothers and sisters" instead of "brethren" and "person" instead of man when this is the intent of the biblical authors.  The ESV unfortunately relegates many of these inclusive terms to the footnotes, but at least they are there.

The NRSV annoyingly translates "son of man" in Ezekiel and many other places as "mortal", which then loses its obvious connection to Jesus calling himself the "Son of Man."  TNIV and ESV stay with the word for word translation.  

The TNIV translates "flesh" in Romans 8 as "sin nature" to avoid the mistake of thinking the term refers to the body as such.  But this is too narrow a limitation on the rich term "flesh"; an explanatory footnote or glossary would have been better.  At least it indicates the term "flesh" in the notes.  NRSV and ESV keep the literal meaning in all its complex ambiguity.

The language of the TNIV is quite contemporary, that of the NRSV and ESV a little less so in places.  

Christ's intercession for us (Part 2)

A second help to getting our mind around Christ's intercession for us (Romans 8:34) is to look at how he prayed for people during his earthly ministry.  His cry from the Cross jumps immediately to mind: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!" (Luke 23:34)  If he prayed for his enemies to be forgiven because of their weakness and ignorance, how much more must he pray for his brethren in our unfaithful failings?

A wonderful example of this is found in Luke 22:31-32.  In the discussion after the Lord's Supper, Jesus says to Peter that Satan had demanded to have the disciples, "that he might sift you [plural] like wheat."  They were going to be severely shaken out.  Then Jesus adds, "But I have prayed for you [singular, referring to Peter] that your faith may not fail.  And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."  

Jesus apparently sees no contradiction between Peter's faith not failing on the one hand, and Peter's needing to "turn again" on the other.  In other words, Peter's threefold denial of Jesus, which Jesus foretells in v. 34, does not mean that his faith has ceased to exist or completely deserted him.  (That is the meaning of the Greek word translated "fail".)

So the risen and reigning Christ prays for us that when Satan throws his worst at us, our faith will continue to exist, even if it appears to go underground for awhile.  And when that faith rises again to the surface and we come to ourselves, so to speak (as in Luke 15:17), we will strengthen our neighbors and friends whose faith has been shaken.   

Christ interceding for us

In this morning's sermon on Romans 8:31-39 we tried to get a better feel for what Paul means in v. 34 when he speaks of Christ's interceding for us at the right hand of the Father.

We began by looking at how Moses interceded for Israel in their battle against the Amalekites in Exodus 17:8-13.  Unlike Moses, Jesus Christ doesn't need anyone to prop up his hands as he intercedes.  But we may rightly think that just as Israel prevailed against their attackers when Moses' hands were raised in prayer, we shall prevail against whatever Satan throws at us.  Satan's aim is to separate us from the love of Christ (v. 35, 39).   We prevail because of Christ's intercession.  

"Prevail" is another way of saying "conquer" (see v. 37).  But to "conquer" suggests a final, decisive victory that ends the battle.  As we wait for the new heavens and new earth, it is more accurate to speak of our constant prevailing over Satan's unending, persistent pressure on us to drive us to despair, defeat and destruction.  He seeks to get us focused on our failings and those of others (Revelation 12:10).  The Son, on the other hand, works constantly to keep us free from guilt, from shame, and from the fear of death or anything else that might happen to us (Rev. 12:11).   

Since Christ's intercession for us never stops, we will prevail if we just keep on fighting, refusing to yield to the voice of the Accuser and commanding it in Jesus' name to be silent.

Interaction

A second "Bible vitamin" that George Patterson (see previous post) encourages for congregations is "dialogue to develop".  Instead of the "devastating myth" that "pulpit monologue is the most powerful teaching tool," churches which practice dialogue, teaching one another, encouraging and exhorting one another, and other kinds of edifying interaction "consistently see amazing results." 

Of course, good preaching and teaching is not a monologue, even though only one person is speaking.  Good teaching is done in a spirit of dialogue, which is in large part what makes it interesting.  The speaker has prepared by dialoguing with both God and the biblical authors, so that his or her hearers are listening in on a dialogue that has been going on for some time. (Perhaps eavesdropping is the expression of a desire for good preaching!) 

A good speaker also anticipates the questions and possible objections of the hearers.  Without saying a word, the hearers feel that they are part of the interaction.  

Dialogue is a remarkable and consistent characteristic of the God of the Bible, and hence of the Bible itself.  From Genesis to Revelation, God is listening and people are talking to him - praising,  complaining, pleading, lying, inquiring, confessing - and God is responding.  

So yes, I agree with Patterson.  The Church is called to be a demonstration community of the reign of God in the world.  Since God is a God of dialogue, we his people express his image when we listen carefully and respond thoughtfully and with humility to each other and to the world.

Small congregations can pack a punch!

George Patterson was an early and healthy influence on my church planting ministry.  I am happy to acknowledge him as the inspiration behind our upcoming sermon series on The Basics.  

On his web site at www.acquirewisdom.com, Patterson writes that "Scripture, history and recent research all agree that small congregations are more effective in mobilizing believers to win friends to Christ and do vital ministries."  He adds that "big is always better" is a "debilitating myth."  

Of course, such effectiveness is not automatic.  A church of any size can fossilize and fail to effectively bring people to Christ and Christ to people.  

Patterson suggests that the starting point for fruitfulness is Christians obeying Jesus. Everything flows from that.  

The Kite Runner

A rich, sensitive and heart-warming film about two childhood friends in Kabul and how they respond in different ways to evil.  Their choices and their consequences follow them into adulthood and don't go away.  The excellent story is complemented by rich views of Afghan life before and during the Taliban takeover, and of the life of Afghan immigrants to the U.S.  

Highly recommended; newly released on DVD.  

Toynbee on growth

Toynbee (see previous post) says that a society grows in response to challenges through the action of a creative individual or small minority.  This creative individual or group discovers a fresh way to move forward and influences others to go with them.  

But creativity has its nemesis: the idolatry of a previously successful identity, institution or technique.  

Creativity has to come from outside that which already exists.  Toynbee's argument is that ultimately such creativity comes from participation in the Kingdom of God, which alone is eternal.  

This leads to the thought that followers of Jesus Christ have as part of our mission to be so in touch with God's reign that we receive from him fresh insights as to how our own lives, our families, churches and nations can reject the idolizing of past achievements and serve God in our generation.  This doesn't mean devaluing or rejecting what God has done in the past, but building on and learning from it without being limited by it.  

And as we building our generation, we will do so in the full awareness that our work, too, shall pass as we will.  For we await the time when the new creation will bring in a world without evil or decay.  Our work is of value as it moves toward that Day.

Challenges

Historian Arnold Toynbee, in his A Study of History, saw the growth and decline of civilizations as depending on how they responded to the challenges that were theirs.  He wrote that history is an succession of: challenge → response → new challenge arising from that response → response to the new challenge, etc.  A successful response leads to growth and to a new challenge, whereas an unsuccessful one brings the society around to a repeat of the previous challenge, and to decline if there are repeated failures to respond creatively.  

This sounds to me like a useful model for the growth and decline of churches and individuals. 

Toynbee lists five kinds of challenges for a people.  Referring to "the virtues of adversity," he treats each challenge as a stimulus to the growth of a people if they respond creatively to it:

1.  The stimulus of a difficult terrain to work in.

2.  The stimulus of new ground to explore, occupy and develop.

3.  The stimulus of a blow or setback that is inflicted.

4.  The stimulus of some kind of constant pressure.

5.  The stimulus of one's own handicaps and weaknesses.  

Gearing Up

This blog will get into gear during the first full week in May.  

One of its features will be answers to questions sent in by readers.  Please send yours to pastormark@abcwesterville.com.  

Any question relating to the Christian faith and living it out in the realities of today's world is welcome.  I don't pretend, of course, to have all the answers, but I will share what wisdom I have received in the hope that it will be helpful.  The best questions are honest ones, and I will seek to give honest answers.  

Please include your name when sending a question.  It will not be shown on the blog.

See you soon!

Pastor Mark

Thoughts for Today

Day after tomorrow I'll be presiding at the funeral service for the fourth member of our congregation to pass away in the past our months. One person a month beginning last November. Florence, Pat, Betty, and Jim. All had surpassed the "three score and ten" years marker - a frequent achievement in our church.

While one natural focus for Christians on such occasions is the hope of the resurrection, there is another, life before death. It is for this that we have stories at hand. I notice that when a loved one goes to be with Christ to await the resurrection, we tell stores of what they gave to us of themselves in the life before death. "He taught me to drive." "He encouraged me in my struggle." "She always had a smile for me." And so on.

Today we are writing the stores that will be told of us when our time comes.