I found a review by Aaron Sands who plays for the the band Jars of Clay. He is reviewing a book called "Expecting Adam" I think you will like this:
A month ago I dined in Boston with a group of about 10 people. A variety of backgrounds and worldviews were represented in this room as we discussed the topic of social justice. In particular, we were focused on the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa and all of the issues surrounding it. We considered the vital roles of the global church regarding HIV/AIDS, and looked for ideas to help connect the church body to this opportunity to see God’s hand of mercy firsthand. One of the Harvard students shared how he is currently exploring Christianity because knowledge and reason were coming up short in and of themselves when considering social justice in this world. If one is to ignore the problems in society and simply dismiss them as defective and disposable, then why should he desire to change the world (recognize and work with the problems and find solutions) and make it a better place?
Later that evening I was challenged by another of the students to read Expecting Adam by Martha Beck. I was given a brief synopsis of the book: a true story about a family that has its world turned upside down, about the way real life events shape our view of the world more than the highest acclaimed education. The author and her husband have walked the Harvard road for years, caught up in an environment that gradually shuts out more and more of what they want to hold most dear. Despite the challenge, they are intent on surviving and winning the prize, breaking convention by investing in family and other “outside” interests while maintaining their path to certain success.
I tracked down a copy of the book and read it over two days, taking advantage of hours sitting in airplanes and airports, and I must admit that I devoured the book. It was difficult to put down, to remove myself from the beautiful and mysterious story of this family. Their Harvard journey took an unexpected turn as they found out they were expecting another baby. They were already looked down upon by faculty and peers for having of the distraction of one child at home, not to mention a marriage to sustain. The pregnancy also brought with it horrible effects on her body that she had experienced with the first pregnancy, greatly hindering her studies and ability to function in all parts of life. Then the still point arrived: Early in the pregnancy they were told that the baby had a high probability of having Downs syndrome.
For any mother and father this must be conflicting and confusing news. Why? How? What does it mean? The questions are endless and without much resolve. Considering all of their knowledge and learning, this family dealt with an extreme amount of pressure from all sides. Without a moment’s pause they should have an abortion, said the assumptions of faculty, mentors and colleagues. There should be no feeling involved because it is a matter of principle. Emotions only cause illegitimate confusion and headaches.
But the story is broader than simple facts and words. The subtitle is A Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Magic. From the first chapter Beck expresses the mystery and all-encompassing scope of this life-altering crisis. We learn about the love shown forth, often without provocation, by some new friends. There are visions and unexplained experiences that connect both parents to this baby before he is born. This is real life with real people in real time in a real place, and the answer is not cut and dry like it should be.
During the intense strain on her body during the pregnancy, Martha writes, “I am amazed at how flat-out stupid I was not to acknowledge, or even recognize, my body’s desperate attempts to communicate to me that something was seriously wrong. The only self-defense I have is that our entire society celebrates people who push themselves to extremes, who force themselves onward through pain, fatigue, and injury to achieve all kinds of improbable objectives…if you just try a little harder, bear a little more agony, ignore a little more of your desire to quit, you would be fabulously rich and successful and get away from the bad guys every time.” (150-151) The only thing on her mind was a story about a Harvard student who was told by his professor (and future Harvard president), “My boy, you will find that most of the great deeds in human history were accomplished by people who weren’t felling well.” (149) Harvard joins society in celebrating the Stoic, the unmoved in the midst of struggle and pain. Weakness is not an option. Failure is unacceptable.
But here are some glimpses into her journey from reason alone to her newfound faith: “In the face of such uncertainty, the only things that seem to us worth doing are the ones that allow us to experience the strange and eventful journey of life in its full richness.” (109) Further, “This is the part of us that makes our brief, improbable little lives worth living: the ability to reach through our own isolation and find strength, and comfort, and warmth for and in each other. This is what human beings do. This is what we live for, the way horses live to run.” (136) She has come to a conclusion that collides directly with everything she has treasured in her education and worldview thus far: “The meaning of life is not what happens to people…The meaning of life is what happens between people.” (186)
So perhaps it is cut and dry, just not the answer they expected. From the moment the news came from the doctor, Martha had little doubt about what to do…any doubt had more to do with the surrounding issues than the actual decision. Her husband John eventually felt the same, and not just because he wanted to support his wife and avoid confrontation. He too went through a transformation that personally changed his view of the situation and of the world.
Though the journey is not necessarily safe, often uncomfortable, and very disorienting, it is hard to picture the story without all of its contents. Every small piece of the puzzle contributes to the end result and complete picture, and the reader embarks on the journey hand-in-hand with the Becks. Martha shares an early moment with Adam: “He looked back at me with steady eyes, and I knew what I had known—what I should have remembered—all that time: that his flesh of my flesh had a soul I could barely comprehend, that he was sorry for the pain I felt as I tried to turn him into a “normal” child, and that he loved me despite my many disabilities.” (71) Only the story as it is told in its fullness can explain such a worldview shift. Imagine the look on her professor’s face as she shares how this “defect” has brought her new life, not to mention other people as well.
This story of birth and rebirth is familiar in scope and effect to the experience of any human. The magic some may have difficulty with, since the supernatural can be an uncomfortable territory. Rightly so, perhaps, as Martha herself claims to fear the exclusivity of Christianity and sees her decision apart from the opinions of anyone else, possibly even God. “What mattered was that I had made a choice that felt as though, in the end, it would bring me to the place I needed to go.” (242) Later she adds, “the way back to my real environment, the place where my soul was meant to exist, doesn’t lie through any set of codes I will ever find outside of myself. I have to look inward.” (289) In light of her Harvard education and family background (which is explained in depth), turning inward is contrary to all that she has known her entire life. Yet only turning inward can be just as misguided as only looking outward.
The enchantment added tremendous validity and vulnerability to the story. There is a sense that even Martha doesn’t always understand the who, the why, the how; But she sees the mystery and magic as a valuable element of the story, the “real” aspects of the story. There is a unique and beautiful relationship between mother and fetus that no one except for the mother understands. Expecting Adam enhances that relationship while truthfully retaining the unknown and mysterious.
The Becks do pray for a miracle, especially towards the final days of pregnancy. Without losing joy and excitement even if the child has Downs Syndrome, they plead with God to “fix” their baby in the womb, recognizing that anything is possible and believing that God hears and answers prayers. After the child is born, John and Martha realize a miracle has taken place: “Maybe he didn’t need fixing. Maybe he’s the only one of us who was never broken.” (310) Their lives have been changed forever. The lives of family and friends surrounding them will never be the same. The power of love has been experienced and held fast. “Whoever said that love is blind was dead wrong. Love is the only thing on this earth that lets us see each other with the remotest accuracy."
Friday, May 14, 2004
Friday, May 07, 2004
I found this article by Al Mohler that gives some insight about young children and television
Television and Children---Rewiring the Brain?
From the very moment of its invention, television has been a focus of concern for America's parents--and for good reason. Research studies have consistently affirmed that the average child spends more time watching television than he spends in school, at church, or talking with parents. For many children, television is an electronic babysitter, and an entertainment engine of almost mesmerizing power.
Over the past three decades, a series of academic studies has considered the impact of television programming on children. The nation has gone through recurring waves of anxiety over television programming, concerned with the impact of violence, sensuality, and negative role models on young minds.
Just recently, attention has turned to a more fundamental question. Does watching television actually change the way children think, not just how they think? A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics should set off alarm bells around the nation.
Under the direction of pediatricians at the University of Washington, researchers considered the connection between exposure to television and a loss of attentiveness. After studying over two thousand five hundred children, the researchers determined that one hour of daily television exposure in children from birth to three years old is directly tied to as much as a ten percent loss of attentiveness when the children reach age seven.
The article, "Early Television Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems in Children" traces the influence of early television exposure to the fact that "the newborn brain continues to develop rapidly through the first few years of life and that considerable plasticity exists during this period." In other words, the actual process of watching television tends to "rewire" the brains of very young children, so that they grow accustomed to visual stimulation and multiple visual exposures. As the researchers determined: "The types and intensity of visual and auditory experiences that children have early in life therefore may have profound influences on brain development."
Television does not merely replicate everyday life and customary ways of experiencing the world. In the real world, our eyes are directed at objects around us, and we see from one perspective at a measured pace controlled by our own eye movements. Television, on the other hand, controls attention by offering multiple scene shifts, electronic visual stimulation, words accompanied by sound track, and stimulation by other visual cues presented on the television screen.
As the researchers explained the problem: "In contrast to the pace with which real life unfolds and is experienced by young children, television can portray rapidly changing images, scenery, and events. It can be over stimulating yet extremely interesting." In clinical terms, the researchers theorized "that very early exposure to television during the critical periods of synaptic development would be associated with subsequent attentional problems."
The research project verified the theory, and validated parental concern. The risk of television impact was actually greater than the researchers had feared. Exposure to television at age one was associated with as much as a 28 percent increase in the probability of having attentional problems at age seven.
The research data makes for compelling reading. Of the one-year-olds, thirty-six percent watched no TV, thirty-seven percent watched one to two hours daily, fourteen percent watched three to four hours each day, and the rest watched at least five hours of television each day. Those who watched from one to two hours demonstrated a twenty percent increased risk of attention problems. Those who watched three to four hours had an increased risk of from thirty to forty percent.
Dr. Dimitri Christakis, the projects lead researcher and a pediatrician at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, explained to CNN, "The newborn brain develops very rapidly during the first two to three years of life. It's really being wired," he said. "We know from studies of newborn rats that if you exposed them to different levels of visual stimuli...the architecture of the brain looks very different." Television can fundamentally change the way the brain responds to visual stimulation, Christakis believes. An over stimulation of the brain during the critical period of early development "can create habits of the mind that are ultimately deleterious," the researcher explained.
Over the past several years, millions of American children--primarily boys--have been diagnosed with attention deficit disorders. As a matter of fact, the pervasiveness of attention deficit problems has reached epidemic proportions. While some of this can no doubt be attributed to over zealous diagnosis, the problem really does exist.
Television is one of the most influential technologies ever to be invited into the American home. For adults, the television offers what amounts to an intellectual break from every day life. That's why the television is often described as "video Valium." Generally speaking, television makes few demands of the viewer and stimulates the brain, providing the sensation of thinking without the discipline of actually using the mind's intellectual powers.
With children, the dangers are only increased. When television is used as a video babysitter or "electronic pacifier," parents put their children at risk. Even before issues of program content are brought into question, the physiological and neurological impact of television must already be a pressing concern. When issues of content, moral values, violence, and ideology are added to the mix, the full picture of television's impact comes into clearer focus.
Christian parents should be especially mindful of this problem. For years now, many Christian parents have sought to replace toxic children's programming with Christian alternatives, believing that the content of the television experience is of first importance. This new research should offer an additional and urgent caution. Exposure to television--regardless of the program content--can harm children by changing the way the mind works in receiving and processing information.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has offered an official advisory cautioning parents to protect children under age two from all television watching.
Another study raises an entirely new issue. Researchers can now document the impact on children overhearing programming watched by their parents. This problem of "secondhand television," like secondhand smoke, indicates that a spillover effect happens when young children overhear or see programming parents believe they are watching alone. Children are drawn to the visual and auditory stimulation of the television medium, regardless of the programming. When children are in the room, they will watch programming even when parents think the content is "over their heads" and unnoticed.
According to industry reports, as many as one third of all American children have a television in their bedroom. That probably says more about the state of America's families than we would like to know, but it represents a truly frightening statistic in itself. "The truth is there are lots of reasons for children not to watch television," Dr. Christakis argues. "Other studies have shown it to be associated with obesity and aggressiveness," as well as anger and intellectual passivity.
The next time parents scratch their heads wondering about a lack of attentiveness in their children, perhaps they should look in the living room and see the real culprit, blaring away in living color.
Television and Children---Rewiring the Brain?
From the very moment of its invention, television has been a focus of concern for America's parents--and for good reason. Research studies have consistently affirmed that the average child spends more time watching television than he spends in school, at church, or talking with parents. For many children, television is an electronic babysitter, and an entertainment engine of almost mesmerizing power.
Over the past three decades, a series of academic studies has considered the impact of television programming on children. The nation has gone through recurring waves of anxiety over television programming, concerned with the impact of violence, sensuality, and negative role models on young minds.
Just recently, attention has turned to a more fundamental question. Does watching television actually change the way children think, not just how they think? A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics should set off alarm bells around the nation.
Under the direction of pediatricians at the University of Washington, researchers considered the connection between exposure to television and a loss of attentiveness. After studying over two thousand five hundred children, the researchers determined that one hour of daily television exposure in children from birth to three years old is directly tied to as much as a ten percent loss of attentiveness when the children reach age seven.
The article, "Early Television Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems in Children" traces the influence of early television exposure to the fact that "the newborn brain continues to develop rapidly through the first few years of life and that considerable plasticity exists during this period." In other words, the actual process of watching television tends to "rewire" the brains of very young children, so that they grow accustomed to visual stimulation and multiple visual exposures. As the researchers determined: "The types and intensity of visual and auditory experiences that children have early in life therefore may have profound influences on brain development."
Television does not merely replicate everyday life and customary ways of experiencing the world. In the real world, our eyes are directed at objects around us, and we see from one perspective at a measured pace controlled by our own eye movements. Television, on the other hand, controls attention by offering multiple scene shifts, electronic visual stimulation, words accompanied by sound track, and stimulation by other visual cues presented on the television screen.
As the researchers explained the problem: "In contrast to the pace with which real life unfolds and is experienced by young children, television can portray rapidly changing images, scenery, and events. It can be over stimulating yet extremely interesting." In clinical terms, the researchers theorized "that very early exposure to television during the critical periods of synaptic development would be associated with subsequent attentional problems."
The research project verified the theory, and validated parental concern. The risk of television impact was actually greater than the researchers had feared. Exposure to television at age one was associated with as much as a 28 percent increase in the probability of having attentional problems at age seven.
The research data makes for compelling reading. Of the one-year-olds, thirty-six percent watched no TV, thirty-seven percent watched one to two hours daily, fourteen percent watched three to four hours each day, and the rest watched at least five hours of television each day. Those who watched from one to two hours demonstrated a twenty percent increased risk of attention problems. Those who watched three to four hours had an increased risk of from thirty to forty percent.
Dr. Dimitri Christakis, the projects lead researcher and a pediatrician at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, explained to CNN, "The newborn brain develops very rapidly during the first two to three years of life. It's really being wired," he said. "We know from studies of newborn rats that if you exposed them to different levels of visual stimuli...the architecture of the brain looks very different." Television can fundamentally change the way the brain responds to visual stimulation, Christakis believes. An over stimulation of the brain during the critical period of early development "can create habits of the mind that are ultimately deleterious," the researcher explained.
Over the past several years, millions of American children--primarily boys--have been diagnosed with attention deficit disorders. As a matter of fact, the pervasiveness of attention deficit problems has reached epidemic proportions. While some of this can no doubt be attributed to over zealous diagnosis, the problem really does exist.
Television is one of the most influential technologies ever to be invited into the American home. For adults, the television offers what amounts to an intellectual break from every day life. That's why the television is often described as "video Valium." Generally speaking, television makes few demands of the viewer and stimulates the brain, providing the sensation of thinking without the discipline of actually using the mind's intellectual powers.
With children, the dangers are only increased. When television is used as a video babysitter or "electronic pacifier," parents put their children at risk. Even before issues of program content are brought into question, the physiological and neurological impact of television must already be a pressing concern. When issues of content, moral values, violence, and ideology are added to the mix, the full picture of television's impact comes into clearer focus.
Christian parents should be especially mindful of this problem. For years now, many Christian parents have sought to replace toxic children's programming with Christian alternatives, believing that the content of the television experience is of first importance. This new research should offer an additional and urgent caution. Exposure to television--regardless of the program content--can harm children by changing the way the mind works in receiving and processing information.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has offered an official advisory cautioning parents to protect children under age two from all television watching.
Another study raises an entirely new issue. Researchers can now document the impact on children overhearing programming watched by their parents. This problem of "secondhand television," like secondhand smoke, indicates that a spillover effect happens when young children overhear or see programming parents believe they are watching alone. Children are drawn to the visual and auditory stimulation of the television medium, regardless of the programming. When children are in the room, they will watch programming even when parents think the content is "over their heads" and unnoticed.
According to industry reports, as many as one third of all American children have a television in their bedroom. That probably says more about the state of America's families than we would like to know, but it represents a truly frightening statistic in itself. "The truth is there are lots of reasons for children not to watch television," Dr. Christakis argues. "Other studies have shown it to be associated with obesity and aggressiveness," as well as anger and intellectual passivity.
The next time parents scratch their heads wondering about a lack of attentiveness in their children, perhaps they should look in the living room and see the real culprit, blaring away in living color.
Famous quotes from Augustine:
“You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in You.” Confessions
“Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence.” City of God
“Love God, and then do what you like.” Confessions
“Too late I love you, beauty so old yet always new. Too late I loved you. And lo, all the while you were within me—and I, an alien to myself, searched for you elsewhere.” Confessions
“Where there is not that justice by which the One Supreme God rules over a city obedient to His gracious will, there is not a fellowship of people united in a common sense of right and community interest. And where that does not exist, there is not a people—nor is there a state, because where there is no people there is no commonwealth.” City of God
“It is all too possible to want gifts from the Lord, but not the Lord Himself—which seems to imply that the gift is preferable to the Giver.” Commentary on Psalms
“He could have come down from the cross, but He preferred to rise up from the tomb.” Enchiridion
“To see God is the promised goal of all our actions and the promised height of all our joys.” City of God
“The things of the Spirit do not come naturally to us like our mother tongue. We are fallen, and the things of God are therefore strange to us. Of course, interest, joy, and delight will help me learn, but behind them there needs to be the divine compulsion, the pressure of the Holy Spirit’s firm but loving discipline.” Confessions
“You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in You.” Confessions
“Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence.” City of God
“Love God, and then do what you like.” Confessions
“Too late I love you, beauty so old yet always new. Too late I loved you. And lo, all the while you were within me—and I, an alien to myself, searched for you elsewhere.” Confessions
“Where there is not that justice by which the One Supreme God rules over a city obedient to His gracious will, there is not a fellowship of people united in a common sense of right and community interest. And where that does not exist, there is not a people—nor is there a state, because where there is no people there is no commonwealth.” City of God
“It is all too possible to want gifts from the Lord, but not the Lord Himself—which seems to imply that the gift is preferable to the Giver.” Commentary on Psalms
“He could have come down from the cross, but He preferred to rise up from the tomb.” Enchiridion
“To see God is the promised goal of all our actions and the promised height of all our joys.” City of God
“The things of the Spirit do not come naturally to us like our mother tongue. We are fallen, and the things of God are therefore strange to us. Of course, interest, joy, and delight will help me learn, but behind them there needs to be the divine compulsion, the pressure of the Holy Spirit’s firm but loving discipline.” Confessions
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
I was reading George Grant's blog on Islam the other day and I found it very fascinating.
"A flurry of new books on Islam and its prophet, Mohammed, has led to a surprising revelation among historians: most of what we thought we knew about the fierce tribal cult is probably false. Indeed, according to I.M. al-Rawandi, the life of Mohammed chronicled in the Sira and the Hadith is likely “baseless fiction.” It was made up. The prophet never lived in Mecca. He never fled to Medina. He never instituted the haj. He never taught a group of disciples principles of faith. He was never really a religious leader at all. Instead, al-Rawandi argues in The Mythic Origins of Islam, Mohammed (which was originally a title not a name) was probably "just a bandit chieftain named Ubu’l Kassim who lived in what is now southern Jordan."
But that is not all. Scholars are beginning to realize that the Koran was probably made up as well. It may simply be a series of stories and quotations from scores of varying sources and authors stitched together over the course of a century or two by succeeding sultans and caliphs--for the purpose of justifying the terrifyingly brutal conquests of their militant Arab imperial armies. According to a host of historians, including Mohammed Ibn al-Warraq, John Wansbrough, Kenneth Cragg, Michael Cook, John Burton, Andrew Rippin, Julian Baldick, Gerald Hawting, and Suliman Bashear, the evidence is more than a little compelling.
The very first sources for the Sira, the Koran, the Hadith, or any of the other early Islamic texts actually appear no earlier than two to three centuries after Mohammed supposedly gathered his motley followers under the shadow of Mount Hira. According to Patricia Crone, formerly Lecturer in Islamic Studies at both Oxford and Cambridge and currently Professor of Near Eastern History at Princeton, "textual and historical evidence for Koranic authenticity is altogeter non-existent. The documents were cobbled together many centuries after the events they purportedly describe." She argues in The Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam, that Mecca was not the center of the Arab world at any time within two hundred years of Mohammed's life, that it was chosen simply for symbolic and mythic reasons much later, and that the militant ideas of ji'had are thus merely aspects of a much more recent "propaganda effort created by Caliphate militarism."
If these suppositions are true, they would certainly help to explain Islam's perpetual impulse to violent, revolutionary, and imperial terror. According to Craig Winn the narratives compiled by Islam's founding ideologues in the eighth and nineth centuries were essentially tools of war, inducements for further conquest, and thus are purposely "immoral, criminal, and violent." In Prophet of Doom, Winn takes the words of the prophet, as recorded in the five primary Islamic holy texts and shows that instead of portraying Mohammed as a great and godly man, "They reveal that he was a thief, liar, assassin, mass murderer, terrorist, warmonger, and an unrestrained sexual pervert engaged in pedophilia, incest, and rape. He authorized deception, assassinations, torture, slavery, and genocide. He was a pirate, not a prophet." Osama has quite some model, eh?
So, is Islam a pernicious myth after all? It appears that a growing number of reputable historians around the globe are actually beginning to think so. Gee. Waddaya know!
For more information on these ideas visit these sites: Ji'had Watch, Dhimmi, Daniel Pipes, Prophet of Doom, To the Point, Islam and the Church, and Tell the Truth.
"A flurry of new books on Islam and its prophet, Mohammed, has led to a surprising revelation among historians: most of what we thought we knew about the fierce tribal cult is probably false. Indeed, according to I.M. al-Rawandi, the life of Mohammed chronicled in the Sira and the Hadith is likely “baseless fiction.” It was made up. The prophet never lived in Mecca. He never fled to Medina. He never instituted the haj. He never taught a group of disciples principles of faith. He was never really a religious leader at all. Instead, al-Rawandi argues in The Mythic Origins of Islam, Mohammed (which was originally a title not a name) was probably "just a bandit chieftain named Ubu’l Kassim who lived in what is now southern Jordan."
But that is not all. Scholars are beginning to realize that the Koran was probably made up as well. It may simply be a series of stories and quotations from scores of varying sources and authors stitched together over the course of a century or two by succeeding sultans and caliphs--for the purpose of justifying the terrifyingly brutal conquests of their militant Arab imperial armies. According to a host of historians, including Mohammed Ibn al-Warraq, John Wansbrough, Kenneth Cragg, Michael Cook, John Burton, Andrew Rippin, Julian Baldick, Gerald Hawting, and Suliman Bashear, the evidence is more than a little compelling.
The very first sources for the Sira, the Koran, the Hadith, or any of the other early Islamic texts actually appear no earlier than two to three centuries after Mohammed supposedly gathered his motley followers under the shadow of Mount Hira. According to Patricia Crone, formerly Lecturer in Islamic Studies at both Oxford and Cambridge and currently Professor of Near Eastern History at Princeton, "textual and historical evidence for Koranic authenticity is altogeter non-existent. The documents were cobbled together many centuries after the events they purportedly describe." She argues in The Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam, that Mecca was not the center of the Arab world at any time within two hundred years of Mohammed's life, that it was chosen simply for symbolic and mythic reasons much later, and that the militant ideas of ji'had are thus merely aspects of a much more recent "propaganda effort created by Caliphate militarism."
If these suppositions are true, they would certainly help to explain Islam's perpetual impulse to violent, revolutionary, and imperial terror. According to Craig Winn the narratives compiled by Islam's founding ideologues in the eighth and nineth centuries were essentially tools of war, inducements for further conquest, and thus are purposely "immoral, criminal, and violent." In Prophet of Doom, Winn takes the words of the prophet, as recorded in the five primary Islamic holy texts and shows that instead of portraying Mohammed as a great and godly man, "They reveal that he was a thief, liar, assassin, mass murderer, terrorist, warmonger, and an unrestrained sexual pervert engaged in pedophilia, incest, and rape. He authorized deception, assassinations, torture, slavery, and genocide. He was a pirate, not a prophet." Osama has quite some model, eh?
So, is Islam a pernicious myth after all? It appears that a growing number of reputable historians around the globe are actually beginning to think so. Gee. Waddaya know!
For more information on these ideas visit these sites: Ji'had Watch, Dhimmi, Daniel Pipes, Prophet of Doom, To the Point, Islam and the Church, and Tell the Truth.
Friday, April 16, 2004
I read this from a blog by George Grant and found it a very insightful article:
Americans rarely ponder the Punic Wars. In the midst of a host of spiritual, political, social, economic, and intellectual problems, we probably should not lament this negligence of the ancient conflict. But I am in the midst of teaching Ancient History, so the Punic Wars are more relevant to me than the overdue Spring weed-eating job beckoning me outside.
The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought by the then up-and-coming expansionist Roman state against the mercantilist Carthaginian empire. Rome was a land power, interested only in whatever lands were adjoining their own property lines. Given time, this would place Roman legions and tax programs over a huge expanse of land stretching from Britain to Egypt. Carthage, an offshoot of the Phoenician trade empire, was the Ancient World’s equivalent of Wal-Mart and Sam’s Wholesale Clubs. If it could be bought, sold, or traded for, the Carthaginians wanted it. The Punic Wars, which took place between the years 264 BC. and 146 BC, mainly centered on the question of “Whose pond is the Mediterranean Sea?” The final answer was either “Rome” or “Rome,” take your pick.
The most commonly remembered image and story of the Punic Wars is Hannibal crossing the Alps with elephants. It really happened; it was an ordeal to move an army of 50,000 men with horses and elephants through the passes between snow banks and landslides, across rivers, and over mountain crags. To make matters worse, the locals weren’t too hospitable. Hannibal had to fight both natives and nature to cross the Alps. The elephants did not fare too well; along with about half Hannibal’s army, a number of elephants perished in the making of that historical drama.
Hannibal is the most fascinating figure out of the Punic Wars. The son of a great general, Hamilcar Barca, and the brother and brother-in-law of other great Carthaginian generals, Hannibal pledged his life from his youth to opposing Rome. For fifteen years, he roamed up and down the Italian peninsula turning Roman armies by thousands into spaghetti sauce. For fifteen years, little children had the spadittles scared out of them by the whispered words “Hannibal ad portas”—“Hannibal is at the gates.” For fifteen years, he dominated the local gossip and political news as his armies alternately won allies, creamed disloyalists, pillaged wheat fields, and ravaged the land.
Hannibal was one of history’s all time great military leaders. Whatever characteristics we associate with Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Cortez, Robert E. Lee, or Douglas MacArthur that made them military geniuses can be found in Hannibal. He was courageous, tactically brilliant, innovative, sneaky, recklessly bold, ruthless, and most often successful. He typically drew the Roman army onto ground of his own choosing. At the Battle of Lake Trebia, he ambushed an entire Roman army. At the Battle of Cannae, he succeeded in a textbook-perfect double envelopment of the Roman army’s flanks. In that one engagement, he slaughtered 40,000 plus Romans.
Whether bribery or threats, diplomacy or intimidation, cavalry raids or set battles, Hannibal was the master of the art of war. Years after the Punic Wars, Scipio Africanus (the only Roman to truly defeat Hannibal on the battlefield) asked Hannibal to name the three greatest military leaders in history. Hannibal gave first place honors to Alexander the Great, second place to Pyrrhus, a king of Epirus, who invaded Italy in 280 BC, and third place to himself. “And what if you had defeated me?” Scipio asked. “In that case, I would place myself as number one,” Hannibal replied.
Yet, despite his greatness on the battlefield, despite his perseverance, despite his unswerving dedication to opposing Rome, Hannibal joins the losers of history. He is a brilliantly attractive loser, but still a loser. There are no second place honors on the battlefield.
With that in mind, we should focus a bit of attention to the winners; that is, we should look at the Roman generals and Roman system that did triumph in that war. Hannibal will not lose his attractiveness as a historical figure, anymore than will other losers like Napoleon or Rommel, the Desert Fox of World War II fame.
G.K. Chesterton, in his wonderful book The Everlasting Man, makes the point that the defeat of Carthage and the triumph of Rome was a great blessing to the world. The Baal religion of the Carthaginians was, he said, much more pagan and oriented to human sacrifice than were the Roman idolatries. The Carthaginians were Phoenicians, of whom we read in the Bible, and Hannibal’s very name meant "the grace of Baal." The victory of Rome helped prepare the Ancient World for the advent of Christianity—when the fullness of time was come.
Maybe Chesterton was right; he quite often was. His defense of Rome against Carthage is entertaining and thought provoking. But whether the Carthaginian paganism and commercialism (which does not sound all that foreign to us) would have aided or inhibited the later spread of the Gospel is a question of speculation only. God is His wise providence predestined that Carthaginian strip malls and human sacrifices would be buried under Roman sandals, salt, and sand. Meanwhile, the Gospel would travel through the cultural conduits devised by crafty Greeks and controlled by imperialistic Romans.
How did Rome win? Obviously, they did not have anything like the modern American media broadcasting defeatism and pessimism while Hannibal and his multi-national army terrorized Italy. Rome had its peace-at-any-price party, as did Carthage. But Rome had enough of a long-term commitment, enough of a stable structure, enough of an eschatology of victory (to borrow a title from Marcellus Kik), that it sustained over a decade of defeat before it decisively defeated Carthage. Rome survived battles like Cannae, which destroyed not just the flower of their youth, but a large number of political and military leaders. Rome survived economic disasters that make the American Great Depression look like a bull market. Rome even survived an inept political system that put two rulers in at a time for a period of one year, giving them divided, often incompetent leadership. Thus Rome survived political incompetence of a magnitude that can only be found in a gathering of Democrat presidential hopefuls every four years in Iowa. Rome survived a terrorist attack on their soil for a decade and a half; Rome did not have a 9-11; Rome had a 218-203.
Rome obviously never knew such alternative courses of action as those made famous by an unnamed Gallic nation in the second half of the Twentieth Century that has its capital located in a town called Paris. Had they known such, they could have opted for any one of the following responses: Retreat, surrender, collaboration, adoration.
Two men of the Roman army presented different, yet complementary, approaches to the threat that Hannibal posed. These two men were Quintus Fabius Maximus and Publius Cornelius Scipio. Fabius became known as ‘the Cunctator’ or ‘the delayer.’ From Fabius, we get the term “Fabian tactics.” Unlike his more bold predecessors and successors, Fabius avoided direct confrontation with Hannibal and thus avoided allowing himself and his army to be ‘the delicate feasting of dogs, and all birds.’
Ernle Bradford said, “The one thing that Fabius had to do, he realized, was avoid defeat.” Just like the Russians in their later campaigns against the French and Germans, Fabius practiced a ‘scorched earth policy.’ Every field, every delicious animal, every warm shelter, and every farm that lay within the reach of Carthage’s mercenaries was destroyed. Fabius was dedicated to the long-term, gradual wearing down of Hannibal’s army. Just like President Bush’s campaign against Iraqi terrorists, Fabius’ campaign came under severe criticism. But he avoided his critics, just as he avoided Hannibal.
While Fabius never won the acclaim and honors of the battlefield victor, his methods worked. He made use of resources that Hannibal did not have: Time, supply sources, patience, and long-term objectives. Bradford says that Fabius ‘had done more than any other to teach the Romans the way to wear down and finally defeat’ Hannibal.
In later centuries, Fabian Socialists borrowed Fabius’ name and methods to ‘successfully’ bring about a socialist evolution in Britain. ‘Fabian Tactics’ refers to the use of methods of slowly wearing down the opposition.
The other and more prominently successful Roman was Scipio. Unlike Fabius the Cunctator, Scipio was confrontational. Like all great men, Scipio studied his enemy. He had plenty of opportunities. He saved his wounded father on the battlefield during one of Hannibal’s early battles in Italy. Later, he fought in and survived the Battle of Cannae.
Like all great men, Scipio figured out the vital, but weaker chinks in the armor of his enemy. Scipio’s early successes were not against Hannibal himself, but against the Carthaginian army fighting in Spain. He tilted the military fortunes in Spain toward Rome. The loss of Spain to Carthage meant the loss of money and metals. The metals were used to forge weapons and the money was used to pay armies. Carthage, as implied throughout this essay, depended on a hired band of assorted warriors. After turning the war in Spain to Rome’s favor, Scipio began to draw away Carthage’s key ally, the North African Kingdom of Numidia.
Rather than fielding an army in Italy and adding to the ever-increasing list of deceased warriors for Rome near Rome, Scipio ported his army across the sea to the outlying areas near Carthage. By whatever methods of contact available, Carthage ‘e-mailed’ Hannibal and said, “Please come home. Now.” At this time, Hannibal’s raid into Italy was in its fifteenth year, and his near invincible army’s heyday had long since passed. Whatever ragtag troops he was able to load onto ships then went with him back to Carthage.
Amazingly, Hannibal the Carthaginian was geographically disoriented back in Carthage. He knew Italy better than his home turf. Meanwhile Scipio had used his time in North Africa to build up his army, win allies, and bruise the locals. Before actually confronting Scipio on the battlefield, Hannibal tried to wheedle a peace agreement out of the Roman general. In doing this, Hannibal in effect revealed his vulnerabilities. Scipio used even the negotiations to his advantage by drawing up his allied units to the battlefield while he and Hannibal talked.
So, in 202 BC at the Battle of Zama, the world changed forever as Scipio defeated the Carthaginians and Hannibal. The tactical elements of Scipio’s success consisted in arranging his army in such a way that Hannibal’s front line of elephants proved ineffective. After the confused and injured elephants lumbered off the battlefield, Scipio hit Hannibal’s flanks with the skilled Numidian cavalry units, which once served under the Carthaginian flags. As lines of Romans and Carthaginians converged with the clashing of swords, spears, and shields, the Carthaginians slowly got pushed back. When they realized that the enemy cavalry had flanked their army, a rout ensued. Hannibal escaped death both death and capture. He lived on to rule Carthage for a time, until later pressures sent him into exile. Scipio, for his accomplishments, was given the title “Africanus,” the only Roman given a name of the land he conquered.
What, if any, are the ‘lessons of history’ for us? Personally, I tend to want to find my lessons from Hannibal. He’s a historical loser, an underdog, and a brilliant man who is bested by a bureaucratic organization. But for the Christian in today’s culture wars, we would be better served by observing history’s winners. Christ promised us that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His church. We tend to read it as though it says that we shall not be totally defeated by the enemy who is camped at our gates. Jesus issued a victory-oriented image, not a defeatist or underdog or loser image.
Christians need to learn from Fabius (and even from the Fabian Socialists). We need to fight long-term battles, avoiding foolish defeats, destroying enemy resources, and using time and patience to our advantage. Why battle for prayer in public schools? The Fabian approach would be to build a Christian school and concentrate on changing the next generation or the one after that.
Wear down the opposition. Preach, pray, evangelize, build churches, and support Christian education, read Christian books, live Christian lives. Abortionists and homosexual unions and hedonists and atheists cannot produce either families or culture. Don’t despair if unbelieving modern-day Hannibal’s are camped outside the gate. Hannibal never got inside Rome’s city limits and Christ’s church will never succumb to His enemies.
Aim toward producing Godly grandchildren. Have a long-term vision of victory. Be Fabian, be Augustinian, be Medieval, be anything, but impatient. Focus on Cathedral building and be multi-generational in expectations.
Along with this, Christians need to learn from Scipio. Study about and from our enemies. If unbelievers develop better universities, write better novels, create taller skyscrapers, and make more money, learn from them. Anything they do right, they accomplish because they have stolen from God. Take back the technology and artistry.
Find the sources of the enemies ‘metals and money’ and win it back. Again, Christian schools are battlefields for confronting the enemy—both short-term and long-term. Mel Gibson’s movie has done more to draw the enemy out of Italy and back to North Africa than anything else Christians have done in decades.
Whether it’s Hannibal’s elephants or Mordor’s oliphants, the bloated enemy forces are vulnerable. It may take a few more arrows than usual, but big ugly things die when punctured enough times. Fascism and Marxism did not last out the last century. Darwinian Evolution, Freudianism, Nietzsche’s notions, unbelieving Existentialism, Humanism, Feminism, Abortionism, Homosexual fanaticism, and whatever other deviations are lined up for battle, are all easily outflanked or directly defeated by a vigorous Christian confrontation with faithful doctrine, life, and culture.
Victory is often simply a matter of not having a culture of defeat.
Americans rarely ponder the Punic Wars. In the midst of a host of spiritual, political, social, economic, and intellectual problems, we probably should not lament this negligence of the ancient conflict. But I am in the midst of teaching Ancient History, so the Punic Wars are more relevant to me than the overdue Spring weed-eating job beckoning me outside.
The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought by the then up-and-coming expansionist Roman state against the mercantilist Carthaginian empire. Rome was a land power, interested only in whatever lands were adjoining their own property lines. Given time, this would place Roman legions and tax programs over a huge expanse of land stretching from Britain to Egypt. Carthage, an offshoot of the Phoenician trade empire, was the Ancient World’s equivalent of Wal-Mart and Sam’s Wholesale Clubs. If it could be bought, sold, or traded for, the Carthaginians wanted it. The Punic Wars, which took place between the years 264 BC. and 146 BC, mainly centered on the question of “Whose pond is the Mediterranean Sea?” The final answer was either “Rome” or “Rome,” take your pick.
The most commonly remembered image and story of the Punic Wars is Hannibal crossing the Alps with elephants. It really happened; it was an ordeal to move an army of 50,000 men with horses and elephants through the passes between snow banks and landslides, across rivers, and over mountain crags. To make matters worse, the locals weren’t too hospitable. Hannibal had to fight both natives and nature to cross the Alps. The elephants did not fare too well; along with about half Hannibal’s army, a number of elephants perished in the making of that historical drama.
Hannibal is the most fascinating figure out of the Punic Wars. The son of a great general, Hamilcar Barca, and the brother and brother-in-law of other great Carthaginian generals, Hannibal pledged his life from his youth to opposing Rome. For fifteen years, he roamed up and down the Italian peninsula turning Roman armies by thousands into spaghetti sauce. For fifteen years, little children had the spadittles scared out of them by the whispered words “Hannibal ad portas”—“Hannibal is at the gates.” For fifteen years, he dominated the local gossip and political news as his armies alternately won allies, creamed disloyalists, pillaged wheat fields, and ravaged the land.
Hannibal was one of history’s all time great military leaders. Whatever characteristics we associate with Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Cortez, Robert E. Lee, or Douglas MacArthur that made them military geniuses can be found in Hannibal. He was courageous, tactically brilliant, innovative, sneaky, recklessly bold, ruthless, and most often successful. He typically drew the Roman army onto ground of his own choosing. At the Battle of Lake Trebia, he ambushed an entire Roman army. At the Battle of Cannae, he succeeded in a textbook-perfect double envelopment of the Roman army’s flanks. In that one engagement, he slaughtered 40,000 plus Romans.
Whether bribery or threats, diplomacy or intimidation, cavalry raids or set battles, Hannibal was the master of the art of war. Years after the Punic Wars, Scipio Africanus (the only Roman to truly defeat Hannibal on the battlefield) asked Hannibal to name the three greatest military leaders in history. Hannibal gave first place honors to Alexander the Great, second place to Pyrrhus, a king of Epirus, who invaded Italy in 280 BC, and third place to himself. “And what if you had defeated me?” Scipio asked. “In that case, I would place myself as number one,” Hannibal replied.
Yet, despite his greatness on the battlefield, despite his perseverance, despite his unswerving dedication to opposing Rome, Hannibal joins the losers of history. He is a brilliantly attractive loser, but still a loser. There are no second place honors on the battlefield.
With that in mind, we should focus a bit of attention to the winners; that is, we should look at the Roman generals and Roman system that did triumph in that war. Hannibal will not lose his attractiveness as a historical figure, anymore than will other losers like Napoleon or Rommel, the Desert Fox of World War II fame.
G.K. Chesterton, in his wonderful book The Everlasting Man, makes the point that the defeat of Carthage and the triumph of Rome was a great blessing to the world. The Baal religion of the Carthaginians was, he said, much more pagan and oriented to human sacrifice than were the Roman idolatries. The Carthaginians were Phoenicians, of whom we read in the Bible, and Hannibal’s very name meant "the grace of Baal." The victory of Rome helped prepare the Ancient World for the advent of Christianity—when the fullness of time was come.
Maybe Chesterton was right; he quite often was. His defense of Rome against Carthage is entertaining and thought provoking. But whether the Carthaginian paganism and commercialism (which does not sound all that foreign to us) would have aided or inhibited the later spread of the Gospel is a question of speculation only. God is His wise providence predestined that Carthaginian strip malls and human sacrifices would be buried under Roman sandals, salt, and sand. Meanwhile, the Gospel would travel through the cultural conduits devised by crafty Greeks and controlled by imperialistic Romans.
How did Rome win? Obviously, they did not have anything like the modern American media broadcasting defeatism and pessimism while Hannibal and his multi-national army terrorized Italy. Rome had its peace-at-any-price party, as did Carthage. But Rome had enough of a long-term commitment, enough of a stable structure, enough of an eschatology of victory (to borrow a title from Marcellus Kik), that it sustained over a decade of defeat before it decisively defeated Carthage. Rome survived battles like Cannae, which destroyed not just the flower of their youth, but a large number of political and military leaders. Rome survived economic disasters that make the American Great Depression look like a bull market. Rome even survived an inept political system that put two rulers in at a time for a period of one year, giving them divided, often incompetent leadership. Thus Rome survived political incompetence of a magnitude that can only be found in a gathering of Democrat presidential hopefuls every four years in Iowa. Rome survived a terrorist attack on their soil for a decade and a half; Rome did not have a 9-11; Rome had a 218-203.
Rome obviously never knew such alternative courses of action as those made famous by an unnamed Gallic nation in the second half of the Twentieth Century that has its capital located in a town called Paris. Had they known such, they could have opted for any one of the following responses: Retreat, surrender, collaboration, adoration.
Two men of the Roman army presented different, yet complementary, approaches to the threat that Hannibal posed. These two men were Quintus Fabius Maximus and Publius Cornelius Scipio. Fabius became known as ‘the Cunctator’ or ‘the delayer.’ From Fabius, we get the term “Fabian tactics.” Unlike his more bold predecessors and successors, Fabius avoided direct confrontation with Hannibal and thus avoided allowing himself and his army to be ‘the delicate feasting of dogs, and all birds.’
Ernle Bradford said, “The one thing that Fabius had to do, he realized, was avoid defeat.” Just like the Russians in their later campaigns against the French and Germans, Fabius practiced a ‘scorched earth policy.’ Every field, every delicious animal, every warm shelter, and every farm that lay within the reach of Carthage’s mercenaries was destroyed. Fabius was dedicated to the long-term, gradual wearing down of Hannibal’s army. Just like President Bush’s campaign against Iraqi terrorists, Fabius’ campaign came under severe criticism. But he avoided his critics, just as he avoided Hannibal.
While Fabius never won the acclaim and honors of the battlefield victor, his methods worked. He made use of resources that Hannibal did not have: Time, supply sources, patience, and long-term objectives. Bradford says that Fabius ‘had done more than any other to teach the Romans the way to wear down and finally defeat’ Hannibal.
In later centuries, Fabian Socialists borrowed Fabius’ name and methods to ‘successfully’ bring about a socialist evolution in Britain. ‘Fabian Tactics’ refers to the use of methods of slowly wearing down the opposition.
The other and more prominently successful Roman was Scipio. Unlike Fabius the Cunctator, Scipio was confrontational. Like all great men, Scipio studied his enemy. He had plenty of opportunities. He saved his wounded father on the battlefield during one of Hannibal’s early battles in Italy. Later, he fought in and survived the Battle of Cannae.
Like all great men, Scipio figured out the vital, but weaker chinks in the armor of his enemy. Scipio’s early successes were not against Hannibal himself, but against the Carthaginian army fighting in Spain. He tilted the military fortunes in Spain toward Rome. The loss of Spain to Carthage meant the loss of money and metals. The metals were used to forge weapons and the money was used to pay armies. Carthage, as implied throughout this essay, depended on a hired band of assorted warriors. After turning the war in Spain to Rome’s favor, Scipio began to draw away Carthage’s key ally, the North African Kingdom of Numidia.
Rather than fielding an army in Italy and adding to the ever-increasing list of deceased warriors for Rome near Rome, Scipio ported his army across the sea to the outlying areas near Carthage. By whatever methods of contact available, Carthage ‘e-mailed’ Hannibal and said, “Please come home. Now.” At this time, Hannibal’s raid into Italy was in its fifteenth year, and his near invincible army’s heyday had long since passed. Whatever ragtag troops he was able to load onto ships then went with him back to Carthage.
Amazingly, Hannibal the Carthaginian was geographically disoriented back in Carthage. He knew Italy better than his home turf. Meanwhile Scipio had used his time in North Africa to build up his army, win allies, and bruise the locals. Before actually confronting Scipio on the battlefield, Hannibal tried to wheedle a peace agreement out of the Roman general. In doing this, Hannibal in effect revealed his vulnerabilities. Scipio used even the negotiations to his advantage by drawing up his allied units to the battlefield while he and Hannibal talked.
So, in 202 BC at the Battle of Zama, the world changed forever as Scipio defeated the Carthaginians and Hannibal. The tactical elements of Scipio’s success consisted in arranging his army in such a way that Hannibal’s front line of elephants proved ineffective. After the confused and injured elephants lumbered off the battlefield, Scipio hit Hannibal’s flanks with the skilled Numidian cavalry units, which once served under the Carthaginian flags. As lines of Romans and Carthaginians converged with the clashing of swords, spears, and shields, the Carthaginians slowly got pushed back. When they realized that the enemy cavalry had flanked their army, a rout ensued. Hannibal escaped death both death and capture. He lived on to rule Carthage for a time, until later pressures sent him into exile. Scipio, for his accomplishments, was given the title “Africanus,” the only Roman given a name of the land he conquered.
What, if any, are the ‘lessons of history’ for us? Personally, I tend to want to find my lessons from Hannibal. He’s a historical loser, an underdog, and a brilliant man who is bested by a bureaucratic organization. But for the Christian in today’s culture wars, we would be better served by observing history’s winners. Christ promised us that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His church. We tend to read it as though it says that we shall not be totally defeated by the enemy who is camped at our gates. Jesus issued a victory-oriented image, not a defeatist or underdog or loser image.
Christians need to learn from Fabius (and even from the Fabian Socialists). We need to fight long-term battles, avoiding foolish defeats, destroying enemy resources, and using time and patience to our advantage. Why battle for prayer in public schools? The Fabian approach would be to build a Christian school and concentrate on changing the next generation or the one after that.
Wear down the opposition. Preach, pray, evangelize, build churches, and support Christian education, read Christian books, live Christian lives. Abortionists and homosexual unions and hedonists and atheists cannot produce either families or culture. Don’t despair if unbelieving modern-day Hannibal’s are camped outside the gate. Hannibal never got inside Rome’s city limits and Christ’s church will never succumb to His enemies.
Aim toward producing Godly grandchildren. Have a long-term vision of victory. Be Fabian, be Augustinian, be Medieval, be anything, but impatient. Focus on Cathedral building and be multi-generational in expectations.
Along with this, Christians need to learn from Scipio. Study about and from our enemies. If unbelievers develop better universities, write better novels, create taller skyscrapers, and make more money, learn from them. Anything they do right, they accomplish because they have stolen from God. Take back the technology and artistry.
Find the sources of the enemies ‘metals and money’ and win it back. Again, Christian schools are battlefields for confronting the enemy—both short-term and long-term. Mel Gibson’s movie has done more to draw the enemy out of Italy and back to North Africa than anything else Christians have done in decades.
Whether it’s Hannibal’s elephants or Mordor’s oliphants, the bloated enemy forces are vulnerable. It may take a few more arrows than usual, but big ugly things die when punctured enough times. Fascism and Marxism did not last out the last century. Darwinian Evolution, Freudianism, Nietzsche’s notions, unbelieving Existentialism, Humanism, Feminism, Abortionism, Homosexual fanaticism, and whatever other deviations are lined up for battle, are all easily outflanked or directly defeated by a vigorous Christian confrontation with faithful doctrine, life, and culture.
Victory is often simply a matter of not having a culture of defeat.
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
I have been reading "The Weekly Messenger" by John Armstrong. I always enjoy reading his thoughts. His thoughts this week was about his ministry for many years. He said, "I was practically unloving, unkind and a tenacious Reformed theologian for many years. I cut myself off from brothers (and especially sisters since I was often a misogynist in my attitudes) if they did not believe in “sovereign grace.” The emphasis in my life was not grace as a relational truth, but “sovereign” grace. By this mental turn I could conveniently reject a host of Christians (while admitting privately they were my brothers and sisters) by saying to myself, “I am being faithful to the gospel of grace here and they have compromised the faith.” I even had my select quotes from the history of the Protestantism. (After all, all the martyrs were on our side, all the truth was proclaimed by our special heroes, and all the errors were taught by those on the other side.) If you did not hold my convictions I would tolerate you but I would not embrace you freely, gladly, graciously, as a mature, serious Christ-centered brother/sister.
I can hear the response of a few. Doesn’t the truth matter? Are you just buying into love, sweet love? No, the truth really matters but don’t forget that John 13:34-35, is the truth too. And don’t forget that Jesus prayed John 17:20-24 and really meant it. (All the special pleading for an invisible Church here simply doesn’t work.) The divisions that separate Christians are sometimes necessary but quite often they are more the result of sin. As one reminded me recently, “When we celebrate annually the birth of our respective denomination we would be more faithful if we repented and grieved over the historical facts of our past.”
When the truth of love and relational unity is compromised, on the altar of vigorous theological opinion, the result is that a lost world does not see or hear our message as it should. Christ’s kingdom suffers violence. I bring grief to my Lord’s heart."
John has made me see that we are to hold to the truths of the gospel, but our calling to to love one another also. This is a tough balance but it can be done. Scripture says, "they will know we are disciples by our love". How well are you able to minister to all the people of God? That will say more about your faith in Christ, than all the books that you have read.
I can hear the response of a few. Doesn’t the truth matter? Are you just buying into love, sweet love? No, the truth really matters but don’t forget that John 13:34-35, is the truth too. And don’t forget that Jesus prayed John 17:20-24 and really meant it. (All the special pleading for an invisible Church here simply doesn’t work.) The divisions that separate Christians are sometimes necessary but quite often they are more the result of sin. As one reminded me recently, “When we celebrate annually the birth of our respective denomination we would be more faithful if we repented and grieved over the historical facts of our past.”
When the truth of love and relational unity is compromised, on the altar of vigorous theological opinion, the result is that a lost world does not see or hear our message as it should. Christ’s kingdom suffers violence. I bring grief to my Lord’s heart."
John has made me see that we are to hold to the truths of the gospel, but our calling to to love one another also. This is a tough balance but it can be done. Scripture says, "they will know we are disciples by our love". How well are you able to minister to all the people of God? That will say more about your faith in Christ, than all the books that you have read.
I have had the privilege of being in revival this week at the Trinity Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. Trinity is one of the older churches in Fort Worth and the membership of the church is mainly that of Senior Adults. The Lord has richly blessed the week of revival. The one thing that has jump out to me during the week is the hunger of God's people for hearing the word of God. I have been amazed at the receptiveness of the congregation to the great truths of God's Word. It simply reminds me again that the sheep of God just want us to feed them the word of God. They want something of substance in order that they can deal with the difficulties of life in a godly way. I have come again to the fresh realization that faith comes from hearing and hearing the Word of Christ. I pray that God would raise up more men who will faithfully teach the Word of God to the people of God.
Saturday, February 21, 2004
I saw the movie "The Passion" on Friday night. It was one of the most powerful films that I have ever seen. It drives home the amazing love of God for sinful mankind as Jesus suffers and dies on a cross. The film presents the sufferings of Christ in a very powerful way. But the amazing thing to me is the Lord Jesus Christ's faithfulness to the very end. He did all that the Father told him to do and he was faithful to the final breathe. Such power and love is overwhelming. I walked out of the theatre thanking God for the grace that he has shown me through His Son.
You do not want to miss this film. I pray that God will use the powerful message to open your eyes to the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You do not want to miss this film. I pray that God will use the powerful message to open your eyes to the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
This weekend was the amazing story of the capture of Saddam Hussein in a spyder hole in Iraq. The man who graced palaces for decades was found hiding in a hole in the ground.
While this story was playing out this weekend, I was reminded of another story that I had heard about. It is the story of Jawad Amir Sayyid, 45, of Karada, a town southeast of Baghdad.
Jawad lived for 21 years in a one meter by one and a half meter hole under his kitchen. He entered the cell on December 2, 1981 and did not once emerge from it until April 10, 2003. The day after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.
He went into hiding because he feared execution for deserting from Saddam's army and supporting dissident views. He lived in a room with the bare necessities of life. He mother provided water and food through a small hole. He had a miniature toilet for his use.
He kept up with the world events by listening to the BBC Arabic Service. His first hope came in 2001 when he heard George Bush give a speech just after 9/11. Bush said that he would hunt down the terrorists. Sayyid knew then that one day he would get out of his cell.
This is a powerful story and one of stark contrast to that of Saddam. Saddam once lived at the top of the world, while Sayyid lived in a cell. But today, Saddam has fallen and Sayyid is free.
For followers of the Lord Jesus Christ this story is a reminder that evil men fall. They make cause havoc and evil for a season, but they will one day reap the consequences of their actions. While those who patiently endure and who keep their hope will one day stand again. The Bible tells us that all who endure to the end will be saved. As people who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be times of evil and we are called wait on the Lord, trust His mercy and His love.
Always remember that Good always work! The Lord causes all things to work together for good to those who love him and are called according to His purposes. Remember that sometime we have to wait 21 years for the promises to be fulfilled, but the wait is always worthwhile!
While this story was playing out this weekend, I was reminded of another story that I had heard about. It is the story of Jawad Amir Sayyid, 45, of Karada, a town southeast of Baghdad.
Jawad lived for 21 years in a one meter by one and a half meter hole under his kitchen. He entered the cell on December 2, 1981 and did not once emerge from it until April 10, 2003. The day after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.
He went into hiding because he feared execution for deserting from Saddam's army and supporting dissident views. He lived in a room with the bare necessities of life. He mother provided water and food through a small hole. He had a miniature toilet for his use.
He kept up with the world events by listening to the BBC Arabic Service. His first hope came in 2001 when he heard George Bush give a speech just after 9/11. Bush said that he would hunt down the terrorists. Sayyid knew then that one day he would get out of his cell.
This is a powerful story and one of stark contrast to that of Saddam. Saddam once lived at the top of the world, while Sayyid lived in a cell. But today, Saddam has fallen and Sayyid is free.
For followers of the Lord Jesus Christ this story is a reminder that evil men fall. They make cause havoc and evil for a season, but they will one day reap the consequences of their actions. While those who patiently endure and who keep their hope will one day stand again. The Bible tells us that all who endure to the end will be saved. As people who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be times of evil and we are called wait on the Lord, trust His mercy and His love.
Always remember that Good always work! The Lord causes all things to work together for good to those who love him and are called according to His purposes. Remember that sometime we have to wait 21 years for the promises to be fulfilled, but the wait is always worthwhile!
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
As we enter Thanksgiving in the morning it would be good to read again the MayFlower Compact.
"In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620."
Here at the truths that brought the Pilgrims to America
1. They did this is in the name of God.
2. They did it for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.
3. Establish a colony based on just and and equal laws that worked for the general good of the colony.
4. They had great reverence for their king.
They established Plymouth on December 21, 1620. Their first year they planted 26 acres and nearly starved to death. As Governor Bradford reported, they gathered what they had the small harvest that they had. The Indians gave them some meat. They shared together the first thanksgiving in America. There was no feast and many were hungry.
The second year, knowing they had to go all out, but still under the obligation to practice communal agriculture, they doubled their first year’s production, and planted 60 acres. But that was no by means enough, they still were near starvation.
And so the third year, they switched to private agriculture, assigned each family its own property, made each responsible for itself. They planted 184 acres, tripled their best previous effort, and never went hungry again. William Bradford wrote: "Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise."
These early Americans were men and women of great faith, great courage, and great perseverance. May we remember this Thanksgiving that God has called us to be men and women of faith, courage, and great perseverance. When we walk long enough and see God faithful to His Word, then our thanksgivings will resound with real meaning. Thanksgiving has real meaning when we reflect on God's grace and provisions.
"In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620."
Here at the truths that brought the Pilgrims to America
1. They did this is in the name of God.
2. They did it for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.
3. Establish a colony based on just and and equal laws that worked for the general good of the colony.
4. They had great reverence for their king.
They established Plymouth on December 21, 1620. Their first year they planted 26 acres and nearly starved to death. As Governor Bradford reported, they gathered what they had the small harvest that they had. The Indians gave them some meat. They shared together the first thanksgiving in America. There was no feast and many were hungry.
The second year, knowing they had to go all out, but still under the obligation to practice communal agriculture, they doubled their first year’s production, and planted 60 acres. But that was no by means enough, they still were near starvation.
And so the third year, they switched to private agriculture, assigned each family its own property, made each responsible for itself. They planted 184 acres, tripled their best previous effort, and never went hungry again. William Bradford wrote: "Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise."
These early Americans were men and women of great faith, great courage, and great perseverance. May we remember this Thanksgiving that God has called us to be men and women of faith, courage, and great perseverance. When we walk long enough and see God faithful to His Word, then our thanksgivings will resound with real meaning. Thanksgiving has real meaning when we reflect on God's grace and provisions.
The apostle Paul states in his first letter to Timothy, "I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men." Thanksgiving is a time that we give thanks to God for all his blessings that He has bestowed on us during the past year. But remember that true thanksgiving will also be made on behalf of all men. It is not just for the blessings in our family. It is thanksgiving for the President, Congress, for state leaders, and for city leaders. They are God's servants in providing a stable environment to live and raise our families.
They provide us the atmosphere in which to live a tranquil and quiet life. They provide us the opportunity to work out our salvation in fear and trembling. We have been called to be godly. The best way to achieve that is to pray for those in leadership positions and ask God to bless their work. We are not only to pray for them but also give thanks for their work. They provide us a safe place to live and to practice our faith.
This Thanksgiving, make sure to give thanks for those who allow you to live safely in the United States of America.
They provide us the atmosphere in which to live a tranquil and quiet life. They provide us the opportunity to work out our salvation in fear and trembling. We have been called to be godly. The best way to achieve that is to pray for those in leadership positions and ask God to bless their work. We are not only to pray for them but also give thanks for their work. They provide us a safe place to live and to practice our faith.
This Thanksgiving, make sure to give thanks for those who allow you to live safely in the United States of America.
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
I was reading the other day from Agustine's Confessions. I have started a new way of reading books. I keep one close by that I read for about 15 minutes each day. I stay with that book until I finish. The book I am working on now is Confessions.
In reading this way, I keep picking up good insights from great authors. In Book 10, Chapter 36, Augustine says, "And Thou knowest how far Thou hast already changed me, who first healedst me of the lust of vindicating myself, that so Thou mightest forgive all the rest of my iniquities, and heal all my infirmities, and redeem life from corruption, and crown me with mercy and pity, and satisfy my desire with good things: who didst curb my pride with Thy fear, and tame my neck to Thy yoke. And now I bear it and it is light unto me, because so hast Thou promised, and hast made it; and verily so it was, and I knew it not, when I feared to take it."
Notice the phrase "lust of vindicating myself." Proverbs 21:2 says, "Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord bweighs the hearts." One of the great hinderances to our spiritual walk is always having to vindicate our own actions. We easily will agree by saying "yes, but!" Immediately moving to the reason for our actions. I have spent the morning wondering how much spiritual progess can be made with a partial confession."
The apostle Paul says of himself, "I am the foremost of sinners." He does not justify himself, he does not blame his actions on others or the lack of opportunities. He knows that the problem is his own heart. One of the signs of grace at work within our lives is that we will be less likely to vindicate ourselves. In fact the more we walk with the Lord the more we will trust him to vindicate us and the more we will work to walk in a manner worthy of the calling.
John says in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Lord please deliver us from the lust of vindicating ourselves!
In reading this way, I keep picking up good insights from great authors. In Book 10, Chapter 36, Augustine says, "And Thou knowest how far Thou hast already changed me, who first healedst me of the lust of vindicating myself, that so Thou mightest forgive all the rest of my iniquities, and heal all my infirmities, and redeem life from corruption, and crown me with mercy and pity, and satisfy my desire with good things: who didst curb my pride with Thy fear, and tame my neck to Thy yoke. And now I bear it and it is light unto me, because so hast Thou promised, and hast made it; and verily so it was, and I knew it not, when I feared to take it."
Notice the phrase "lust of vindicating myself." Proverbs 21:2 says, "Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord bweighs the hearts." One of the great hinderances to our spiritual walk is always having to vindicate our own actions. We easily will agree by saying "yes, but!" Immediately moving to the reason for our actions. I have spent the morning wondering how much spiritual progess can be made with a partial confession."
The apostle Paul says of himself, "I am the foremost of sinners." He does not justify himself, he does not blame his actions on others or the lack of opportunities. He knows that the problem is his own heart. One of the signs of grace at work within our lives is that we will be less likely to vindicate ourselves. In fact the more we walk with the Lord the more we will trust him to vindicate us and the more we will work to walk in a manner worthy of the calling.
John says in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Lord please deliver us from the lust of vindicating ourselves!
Monday, November 17, 2003
On November 11, 2003 the Washington ran a story that was entitled, "A Scholar Confronts 'Ugly Face of America". The story was about Muzzafar Iqbal, a professor from Canada who is of Pakistani origin. He had been invited to be a part of a conference at Georgetown University in Washington D. C. for the Georgetown University's Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding. At the airport in Toronto, he ran into our immigration agents who wanted to fingerprint, photographed, and require that he keep us informed of all movements in our country. He balked at the requirements and said that he did not want to enter our country. He would not enter until the requirements are changed. Deneen L. Brown the author of the article implies that something is wrong with our system that will not allow this man into our country without fingers, photo, and information about where he is going.
The story does not tell us anything about Muzzafar Iqbal. So who is he?
1. He appears to be a member of the Pakistan Islamist organization Jamaat-e-Islami. He writes for their website. He wrote and article entitled "Routes of re-colonisation"
2. He wrote an article for Trinicenter.com entitled, "War Analysis: The fate of empire builders". In this article his hatred for the United States come through clearly.
3. In an article entitled "Defining the Islamic State" he calls United States, England, and Israel as the Great Axis of Evil.
4. He has a great hatred for Israel in an article that was written entitled, "Israel Has Transgressed All Bounds". He says, "These Jews are absolutely devoid of any respect for the faith and religion of others. But it should not surprise anyone, since they learn such abusive and dirty tricks from their own SCRIPTURES, which are filled with shameless stories of incest and pornography (Gen. 19:30-38, Gen. 38, 2 Samuel 11 etc.), and these Jews seem to be immensely affected by these Divine stories.]"
His real views are seen in an article entitled "O I See". He says, "It is also to be noted that in clear contradistinction to the propagators of this new brand of moderate Islam, there is no category of moderate Muslims in the Qurân. The Qurân only mentions three categories of people: the believers, the unbelievers and the hypocrites. Further, it says, "O you who believe, do not take the Kuffar as your allies in preference to the believers; do you want to place before God a manifest proof of your guilt?" (4:144). And if this were not enough of a proof for the hypocrisy of these propagators of a made-in-America Islam, then one should open the Noble Book of Allah and read what the Revealer of Islam has said about the killing of Muslims by the Muslims and pay heed to what awaits them before they send their troops to Iraq."
I do not understand a major newspaper trying to cover the real facts of a story. And making our own country look bad as it tries to protect its people from the dangers of Islam. But as I look at the real dangers that we face today, the words of the Psalmist become very important.
David says in Psalms 5 these words,
8 "O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.
9 There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself.
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.
10 Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against You.
We will win the war against Islam by proclaiming the truths of God's Word. Jesus Christ is the only true way of salvation. As we stand boldy for the good news of the Lord Jesus, we will walk the narrow path and trust the Lord to take care of our enemies. Our enemies are real and dangerous, but our God is in control and He will accomplish His good will and purposes.
And I also pray that God would raise up good reporters who would tell the whole story! And I am grateful for an immigration worker who did his job correctly in an airport in Canada.
The story does not tell us anything about Muzzafar Iqbal. So who is he?
1. He appears to be a member of the Pakistan Islamist organization Jamaat-e-Islami. He writes for their website. He wrote and article entitled "Routes of re-colonisation"
2. He wrote an article for Trinicenter.com entitled, "War Analysis: The fate of empire builders". In this article his hatred for the United States come through clearly.
3. In an article entitled "Defining the Islamic State" he calls United States, England, and Israel as the Great Axis of Evil.
4. He has a great hatred for Israel in an article that was written entitled, "Israel Has Transgressed All Bounds". He says, "These Jews are absolutely devoid of any respect for the faith and religion of others. But it should not surprise anyone, since they learn such abusive and dirty tricks from their own SCRIPTURES, which are filled with shameless stories of incest and pornography (Gen. 19:30-38, Gen. 38, 2 Samuel 11 etc.), and these Jews seem to be immensely affected by these Divine stories.]"
His real views are seen in an article entitled "O I See". He says, "It is also to be noted that in clear contradistinction to the propagators of this new brand of moderate Islam, there is no category of moderate Muslims in the Qurân. The Qurân only mentions three categories of people: the believers, the unbelievers and the hypocrites. Further, it says, "O you who believe, do not take the Kuffar as your allies in preference to the believers; do you want to place before God a manifest proof of your guilt?" (4:144). And if this were not enough of a proof for the hypocrisy of these propagators of a made-in-America Islam, then one should open the Noble Book of Allah and read what the Revealer of Islam has said about the killing of Muslims by the Muslims and pay heed to what awaits them before they send their troops to Iraq."
I do not understand a major newspaper trying to cover the real facts of a story. And making our own country look bad as it tries to protect its people from the dangers of Islam. But as I look at the real dangers that we face today, the words of the Psalmist become very important.
David says in Psalms 5 these words,
8 "O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.
9 There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself.
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.
10 Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against You.
We will win the war against Islam by proclaiming the truths of God's Word. Jesus Christ is the only true way of salvation. As we stand boldy for the good news of the Lord Jesus, we will walk the narrow path and trust the Lord to take care of our enemies. Our enemies are real and dangerous, but our God is in control and He will accomplish His good will and purposes.
And I also pray that God would raise up good reporters who would tell the whole story! And I am grateful for an immigration worker who did his job correctly in an airport in Canada.
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
This was taken word from word from Dr. George Grant's blog
An interdenominational pastoral association in New Hampshire has humbly offered the following set of resolutions to the church at large:
We, the Evangelical Ministers Fellowship of Strafford County, New Hampshire, in support of the many recently disenfranchised members of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, solemnly affirm the following, quoting from the Episcopalian New English Bible:
I. On Authority: “Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, . . . that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17
II. On Christ’s Representatives: “The bishop then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher,” I Timothy 3:2
III. On Righteousness: “and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.” Romans 1:27
IV. On Penalties: “and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned them to destruction, having appointed them to serve as an example to future generations of the ungodly,” II Peter 2:6
V. On the Future: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals, . . . thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.” I Corinthians 6:9-10
VI. On Christian Hope: “But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Titus 3:4-6
With a firm reliance on the protection of the Triune God, we, the undersigned members of the Evangelical Ministers Fellowship of Strafford County, New Hampshire, on the authority of the Holy Scriptures, grieve the planned consecration of V. Gene Robinson as Bishop in the Episcopal Church and commit to a posture of repentance before God. We pray for the many church members that will no longer have a true shepherd. May they hear the voice of the Good Shepherd who gave His life for His sheep.
Pastor Owen Williams – Trinity Anglican Church, Rochester
Pastor Steve Poole – Grace Community Church, Rochester
Pastor Steve Spearing – Hope Community Church, Dover
Pastor Ed Whitman – First Congregational Church of Barrington
Pastor Dick Arnold – Nute Ridge Bible Chapel, Milton
Pastor Scott Littlefield – First Congregational Church of Barrington
Pastor Thomas F. Clark, III – Tri-City Covenant Church, Somersworth
Pastor Paul Johnson - Minister of the Gospel-Advent Christian Church
Pastor Christopher D. Tidwell - First Baptist Church - An Evangelical Free Church, Deerfield
Pastor David McKnight – Grace Community Church, Rochester
Pastor Wally Horton – Hope Chapel, Assembly of God
Pastor Glen Boardman – Grace Community Church, Rochester
Pastor Bernie Quinn – Grace Community Church, Rochester
Pastor Dave Blakney – Christian Worship Center, Barrington
Pastor Jim Guzofski – Christian Worship Center, Barrington
Pastor Terry Sharbaugh – Durham Evangelical Church, Durham
An interdenominational pastoral association in New Hampshire has humbly offered the following set of resolutions to the church at large:
We, the Evangelical Ministers Fellowship of Strafford County, New Hampshire, in support of the many recently disenfranchised members of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, solemnly affirm the following, quoting from the Episcopalian New English Bible:
I. On Authority: “Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, . . . that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17
II. On Christ’s Representatives: “The bishop then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher,” I Timothy 3:2
III. On Righteousness: “and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.” Romans 1:27
IV. On Penalties: “and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned them to destruction, having appointed them to serve as an example to future generations of the ungodly,” II Peter 2:6
V. On the Future: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals, . . . thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.” I Corinthians 6:9-10
VI. On Christian Hope: “But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Titus 3:4-6
With a firm reliance on the protection of the Triune God, we, the undersigned members of the Evangelical Ministers Fellowship of Strafford County, New Hampshire, on the authority of the Holy Scriptures, grieve the planned consecration of V. Gene Robinson as Bishop in the Episcopal Church and commit to a posture of repentance before God. We pray for the many church members that will no longer have a true shepherd. May they hear the voice of the Good Shepherd who gave His life for His sheep.
Pastor Owen Williams – Trinity Anglican Church, Rochester
Pastor Steve Poole – Grace Community Church, Rochester
Pastor Steve Spearing – Hope Community Church, Dover
Pastor Ed Whitman – First Congregational Church of Barrington
Pastor Dick Arnold – Nute Ridge Bible Chapel, Milton
Pastor Scott Littlefield – First Congregational Church of Barrington
Pastor Thomas F. Clark, III – Tri-City Covenant Church, Somersworth
Pastor Paul Johnson - Minister of the Gospel-Advent Christian Church
Pastor Christopher D. Tidwell - First Baptist Church - An Evangelical Free Church, Deerfield
Pastor David McKnight – Grace Community Church, Rochester
Pastor Wally Horton – Hope Chapel, Assembly of God
Pastor Glen Boardman – Grace Community Church, Rochester
Pastor Bernie Quinn – Grace Community Church, Rochester
Pastor Dave Blakney – Christian Worship Center, Barrington
Pastor Jim Guzofski – Christian Worship Center, Barrington
Pastor Terry Sharbaugh – Durham Evangelical Church, Durham
Sunday, November 2, 2003 was a tragic day for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in America. It was the day that the Reverend V. Gene Robinson was consecrated to be the Episcopal Bishop of New Hamphire. Gene Robinson is a practicing homosexual who was given the highest position in the Episcopal Church in New Hampshire. The Episcopal church has been divided by this act of rebellion, but it continues to move forward.
V. Gene Robinson was the Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire since 1988, where he coordinated the diocesan staff and ministry of the Office of the Bishop. Since 1983 he has served as Executive Secretary of the Episcopal Province of New England, and since 2001 on the Board of Trustees, General Theological Seminary.
On the Diocese of New Hampshire web site you can find the convictions of Gene Robinson.
He says in one section, "Because we live in a complex world, and because we don't ask our members to check their minds at the door, faithful Episcopalians will continue to disagree on whether abortion is a moral choice, whether dioceses should be forced to open their ordination processes to women, or whether faithful gay and lesbian relationships should be celebrated and not just tolerated. The particular answer to any of these questions is less important to me than how we as a Church deliberate about them. Are we prayerful about them, listening for God's voice instead of our own egos? Do we truly value the people who hold an opposing view, while disagreeing with their position? And most of all, can we continue to come to the communion rail, humbly receive the Body and Blood of Christ, respecting the dignity of those who disagree with us. I believe we can. And must."
Notice some of his statements:
1. The particular answer to any of these questions is less important to me than how we as a Church deliberate about them.
2. Are we prayer about them, listening for God's voice instead of our own egos?
3. Can we continue to come to the communion rail, humbly receive the Body and blood of Christ?
His statements have a ring of truth. But a false teacher will always carry much truth with error. I agree with Gene that it is important how we discuss the questions of our faith. But it is also critical to know that there are answers to the questions. And the answers are important because truth is truth. It does not change. Gene Robinson would like to ignore the answers to the questions, so that he can continue in his rebellion against the Lord.
The Word of God is clear on the subject of homosexuality. Romans 1:26 says For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
Paul declares that the "gay life style" is one of degrading passions, a lifestyle that is unnatural, and one of indecents acts. Common sense alone would tell us that the lifestyle is wrong. But we have clear indication from God's Word that it wrong. In fact Paul concludes his statement by saying a time would come when this lifestyle would receive the due penalty of their error. God would bring judgment upon them for their rebellion.
Gene Robinson statement that we need to listen to God's voice immediately leads to the question, "Where do we receive truth from God?" Is it through impressions, feelings, dreams, or just the reasoning of man himself? There is not one of us who has not made decisions in life based on impressions, feelings, dreams, or our own reasoning. But the guide is not our impression, our feelings, or etc. Our guide is the sure Word of God. When our impressions and our feelings go against the revealed Word of God, then our impressions or feelings are wrong. No matter how strongly we may feel about something, Truth from God's Word is still truth. In fact Gene Robinson has stated that the Bible say that homosexuality is wrong. Gene just doesn't want to follow the Word of God.
Gene statement about coming to the Lord Supper table while engaged in a lifestyle of rebellion against God allows people to come. But Scripture is clear about the real and present danger of taking the Lord's Supper while in open rebellion. Paul calls us to examine our lives before we partake of the bread and the cup. Many in Corinth were sick and or had died because they came to the table of our Lord while in open rebellion. Gene Robinson is leading people to face the judgment of God.
In fact we have in Gene Robinson a classic example of false teacher. Peter says of the false teacher, "Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep." (2 Peter 2:2-3).
The tragedy of all of this is that the Episcopal Church approved him. The downward spiral of the church in America grows stronger each day. How do we stem the tide that moves us to an abyss from which there is no recovery? Some will say do not worry about it, it will go away. No it will not!
This is just another step on the slippery slope to the destruction of the life that we know in America. the homosexual advance in the Episcopal Church will not be limited to the election of Bishop Robinson. The October 29, 2003 edition of The Washington Times reveals that the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, D.C. plans to develop rites for homosexual "marriages" for his diocese. Bishop John B. Chane claims that a resolution passed during the recent Episcopal General Convention gives him permission to move in this direction.
We are called to take a stand. As Martin Luther, there are times that we say, "Here I stand, I can do no other." We are people of God's Word. May we proclaim it boldly with love, as we work to be salt and light in America and in the world.
V. Gene Robinson was the Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire since 1988, where he coordinated the diocesan staff and ministry of the Office of the Bishop. Since 1983 he has served as Executive Secretary of the Episcopal Province of New England, and since 2001 on the Board of Trustees, General Theological Seminary.
On the Diocese of New Hampshire web site you can find the convictions of Gene Robinson.
He says in one section, "Because we live in a complex world, and because we don't ask our members to check their minds at the door, faithful Episcopalians will continue to disagree on whether abortion is a moral choice, whether dioceses should be forced to open their ordination processes to women, or whether faithful gay and lesbian relationships should be celebrated and not just tolerated. The particular answer to any of these questions is less important to me than how we as a Church deliberate about them. Are we prayerful about them, listening for God's voice instead of our own egos? Do we truly value the people who hold an opposing view, while disagreeing with their position? And most of all, can we continue to come to the communion rail, humbly receive the Body and Blood of Christ, respecting the dignity of those who disagree with us. I believe we can. And must."
Notice some of his statements:
1. The particular answer to any of these questions is less important to me than how we as a Church deliberate about them.
2. Are we prayer about them, listening for God's voice instead of our own egos?
3. Can we continue to come to the communion rail, humbly receive the Body and blood of Christ?
His statements have a ring of truth. But a false teacher will always carry much truth with error. I agree with Gene that it is important how we discuss the questions of our faith. But it is also critical to know that there are answers to the questions. And the answers are important because truth is truth. It does not change. Gene Robinson would like to ignore the answers to the questions, so that he can continue in his rebellion against the Lord.
The Word of God is clear on the subject of homosexuality. Romans 1:26 says For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
Paul declares that the "gay life style" is one of degrading passions, a lifestyle that is unnatural, and one of indecents acts. Common sense alone would tell us that the lifestyle is wrong. But we have clear indication from God's Word that it wrong. In fact Paul concludes his statement by saying a time would come when this lifestyle would receive the due penalty of their error. God would bring judgment upon them for their rebellion.
Gene Robinson statement that we need to listen to God's voice immediately leads to the question, "Where do we receive truth from God?" Is it through impressions, feelings, dreams, or just the reasoning of man himself? There is not one of us who has not made decisions in life based on impressions, feelings, dreams, or our own reasoning. But the guide is not our impression, our feelings, or etc. Our guide is the sure Word of God. When our impressions and our feelings go against the revealed Word of God, then our impressions or feelings are wrong. No matter how strongly we may feel about something, Truth from God's Word is still truth. In fact Gene Robinson has stated that the Bible say that homosexuality is wrong. Gene just doesn't want to follow the Word of God.
Gene statement about coming to the Lord Supper table while engaged in a lifestyle of rebellion against God allows people to come. But Scripture is clear about the real and present danger of taking the Lord's Supper while in open rebellion. Paul calls us to examine our lives before we partake of the bread and the cup. Many in Corinth were sick and or had died because they came to the table of our Lord while in open rebellion. Gene Robinson is leading people to face the judgment of God.
In fact we have in Gene Robinson a classic example of false teacher. Peter says of the false teacher, "Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep." (2 Peter 2:2-3).
The tragedy of all of this is that the Episcopal Church approved him. The downward spiral of the church in America grows stronger each day. How do we stem the tide that moves us to an abyss from which there is no recovery? Some will say do not worry about it, it will go away. No it will not!
This is just another step on the slippery slope to the destruction of the life that we know in America. the homosexual advance in the Episcopal Church will not be limited to the election of Bishop Robinson. The October 29, 2003 edition of The Washington Times reveals that the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, D.C. plans to develop rites for homosexual "marriages" for his diocese. Bishop John B. Chane claims that a resolution passed during the recent Episcopal General Convention gives him permission to move in this direction.
We are called to take a stand. As Martin Luther, there are times that we say, "Here I stand, I can do no other." We are people of God's Word. May we proclaim it boldly with love, as we work to be salt and light in America and in the world.
Friday, October 24, 2003
Yesterday, I had the priviliege of walking the halls of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. I had the chance to see the portraits of such great men as James P. Boyce, John Broaddus, and A. T. Robertson. I was given the privilege of sitting at the desk of Dr. Al Mohler, President of Southern Seminary. As I walked through the campus, I was hit by the fact that many great men and women have walked these halls over the last 150 years. They have gone out into the world and given their lives in service to Jesus Christ.
I left campus this morning to come home and have a renewed sense of dedication to continue to walk in the steps of those who have gone beforeus . They have left us great examples of faith, dedication, love, commitment, and sacrifice. We are to learn from them. The apostle Paul says, "Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us." We are to follow the example of Paul, but also to observe others who walk with the Lord Jesus and follow the pattern that they leave us.
I challenge you to study the life of a great Christian and learn from them. Then put into practice the examples that have been given to us!!
I left campus this morning to come home and have a renewed sense of dedication to continue to walk in the steps of those who have gone beforeus . They have left us great examples of faith, dedication, love, commitment, and sacrifice. We are to learn from them. The apostle Paul says, "Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us." We are to follow the example of Paul, but also to observe others who walk with the Lord Jesus and follow the pattern that they leave us.
I challenge you to study the life of a great Christian and learn from them. Then put into practice the examples that have been given to us!!
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Last week, Mahathir Mohammed, Prime Minister of Malaysia, speaking to the Organization of the Islamic Conference summit, made the following remarks to the summit:
• The Europeans killed six million Jews out of 12 million. But today the Jews rule this world by proxy,"
• They get others to fight and die for them," he said, adding, "1.3 billion Muslims cannot be defeated by a few million Jews."
• The Jews survived 2,000 years of pogroms not by hitting back but by thinking. They invented socialism, communism, human rights in democracy so that persecuting them would appear to be wrong, so that they can enjoy equal rights with others."
• he called upon the world's Muslims to end attempts to resolve problems by violence, condemned the practice of suicide bombing, and claimed that the Islamic nations had gained "nothing" in more than a half century of fighting Israel. But then he followed it up with a call to arms with greater weapons to fight the Jews.
The audience included Afghan President Hamid Karzai, King Abullah of Jordan, Assyrian President Bashar Assad, Morocco's King Mohammed VI, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Special observers included Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The speech was met with applause from the audience that was present.
Speech's like this remind us of the fact that the world is a very dangerous place. Man’s heart is always moved towards hatred and lies. Hatred is based on lust and pride of the human heart. John says in 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Hatred towards others is the way of the world. But for followers of the Lord Jesus Christ we will have love towards all. Love is patience, kind, not jealous, does not brag, is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, is not selfish, is not provoked, never takes into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. This is the evidence that the grace of God is real in our lives.
The key to living in the world is to know that good works! The world uses hatred and lies to move towards its purposes. The followers of the Lord Jesus Christ uses love. Christians loves fellow believers, they pray for their enemies, they goes the extra mile with those who try to take advantage of them, and they never return evil with evil, but only return good for evil. The reason is the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ know that good works!
The world may seem out of control, but the Lord Jesus Christ is in complete control. The world may be overwhelm by lies and hatred, but the kingdom of God is moving forward based on truth and love.
Never be shocked by the hatred you see in the world. But also never return hatred with hatred and never return lies with lies. As salt and light in the world, may we stand with truth and love. And trust the Lord God to accomplish his purposes through those who believe that good works!
• The Europeans killed six million Jews out of 12 million. But today the Jews rule this world by proxy,"
• They get others to fight and die for them," he said, adding, "1.3 billion Muslims cannot be defeated by a few million Jews."
• The Jews survived 2,000 years of pogroms not by hitting back but by thinking. They invented socialism, communism, human rights in democracy so that persecuting them would appear to be wrong, so that they can enjoy equal rights with others."
• he called upon the world's Muslims to end attempts to resolve problems by violence, condemned the practice of suicide bombing, and claimed that the Islamic nations had gained "nothing" in more than a half century of fighting Israel. But then he followed it up with a call to arms with greater weapons to fight the Jews.
The audience included Afghan President Hamid Karzai, King Abullah of Jordan, Assyrian President Bashar Assad, Morocco's King Mohammed VI, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Special observers included Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The speech was met with applause from the audience that was present.
Speech's like this remind us of the fact that the world is a very dangerous place. Man’s heart is always moved towards hatred and lies. Hatred is based on lust and pride of the human heart. John says in 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Hatred towards others is the way of the world. But for followers of the Lord Jesus Christ we will have love towards all. Love is patience, kind, not jealous, does not brag, is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, is not selfish, is not provoked, never takes into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. This is the evidence that the grace of God is real in our lives.
The key to living in the world is to know that good works! The world uses hatred and lies to move towards its purposes. The followers of the Lord Jesus Christ uses love. Christians loves fellow believers, they pray for their enemies, they goes the extra mile with those who try to take advantage of them, and they never return evil with evil, but only return good for evil. The reason is the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ know that good works!
The world may seem out of control, but the Lord Jesus Christ is in complete control. The world may be overwhelm by lies and hatred, but the kingdom of God is moving forward based on truth and love.
Never be shocked by the hatred you see in the world. But also never return hatred with hatred and never return lies with lies. As salt and light in the world, may we stand with truth and love. And trust the Lord God to accomplish his purposes through those who believe that good works!
Friday, October 17, 2003
I read a new book on Thursday that is called Coach Wooden One on One. Coach Wooden who coached at UCLA was the greatest coach of last century. During his coaching career, he won 667 games and only lost 191. He won the PAC 10 over 19 times during his career. He won 10 National Championships in college basketball. During his coaching career, his team had a home record of 149 wins and 2 loss. During one stretch UCLA won 88 straight games. He also had a record 38 straight wins in the NCAA tourneyment. What made him such a great coach.
He said in his book that his father gave him a card one day that he carried through his life?
One one side the card had a poem by Henry Van Dyke
Four things a man must learn to do
If he would make his life more true:
To think without confusion clearly,
To love his fellow man sincerely,
To act from honest motives purely,
To trust in God and heaven securely.
On the other side was his dad's creed
1. Be true to yourself
2. Help others
3. Make each day your masterpiece
4. Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
5. Make friendship a fine art.
6. Build a shelter against rainy days.
7. Pray for guidance and count and give thanks for your blessings every day.
But the underlying foundation for Coach Wooden was his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He and his wife spent each day reading God's Word together and praying together. He taught his players biblical truths as he coached. He was faithful to his church in Santa Monica where he served as a deacon since 1948.
The Lord blesses those who walk faithfully and they have an impact on others.
He said in his book that his father gave him a card one day that he carried through his life?
One one side the card had a poem by Henry Van Dyke
Four things a man must learn to do
If he would make his life more true:
To think without confusion clearly,
To love his fellow man sincerely,
To act from honest motives purely,
To trust in God and heaven securely.
On the other side was his dad's creed
1. Be true to yourself
2. Help others
3. Make each day your masterpiece
4. Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
5. Make friendship a fine art.
6. Build a shelter against rainy days.
7. Pray for guidance and count and give thanks for your blessings every day.
But the underlying foundation for Coach Wooden was his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He and his wife spent each day reading God's Word together and praying together. He taught his players biblical truths as he coached. He was faithful to his church in Santa Monica where he served as a deacon since 1948.
The Lord blesses those who walk faithfully and they have an impact on others.
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Another film that is to be released on October 17 is called the Gospel of John. This is an accurate word for word presentation of the gospel of John. It is a three hour epic movie on the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will give you a good understanding of the gospel and will enhance your study of God's Word. I strongly encourage you to see this movie.
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
I want to strongly recommend to all to see the movie "Luther." It is an accurate portrayal of one the great men of history. I was amazed at the boldness for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ that Luther demonstrated throughout his life. One of the great moments in the movie is at the Diet of Worms were Luther is brought before the King to recant all his writings. After one night of prayer, on April 18, 1521 Luther spoke words that changed the world. He said, "Since your most Serene Majesty and your High mightiness, require from me a direct and precise answer, I will give you one, and it is this. I cannot submit my faith either to the pope or to the councils, because it is clear as day that they have frequently erred and contradicted each other. Unless, therefore, I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture, or on plain and clear grounds of reason, so that conscience shall bind me to make acknowledgement of error. I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything contrary to conscience."
Then looking around about the gathered assembly of rulers he added: "Here I stand, I can do no other. May God help me. Amen."
The boldness of one man spread throughout Europe and led to the Reformation. I encourage to you see the movie and come to understand the boldness that is sometimes needed when we stand for truth in a culture that is hostile to all that is good and right!
Then looking around about the gathered assembly of rulers he added: "Here I stand, I can do no other. May God help me. Amen."
The boldness of one man spread throughout Europe and led to the Reformation. I encourage to you see the movie and come to understand the boldness that is sometimes needed when we stand for truth in a culture that is hostile to all that is good and right!
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