Is there a right way to read the Bible?

This is an important question for us individually as Christians, but also for our culture. I recently spoke in our church about this a little bit, you can listen to the segment Should People Take the Bible Literally? here.

The good people at Stand to Reason blogged recently about this as well and it is worth a read. Click here.

Looking for a place to start learning how to read the Bible to discover the meaning the author(s) intended the text to have?

I recommend: Journey into God's Word: Your Guide to Understanding and Applying the Bible by J. Scott Duvall J. Daniel Hays (2008)

Jesus as Teacher

I found this to be a very helpful and important quote to ponder and act on:

“…if I want to fully experience the love of Jesus, I must receive one of his most important gifts he sends me—his teaching. I must invite Jesus to be the personal Teacher of my life. I must trust that he is right—about everything. And that therefore where I disagree with him I must either be wrong or not yet understand what it was he was saying. I must allow Jesus to teach me how to live.”—John Ortberg

What I learned from a twelve year old...

I recently came across a story of a 7th grade speech by Lia. I then discovered the link on You Tube to her actual speech. It is 5 minutes and is worth watching for several reasons:

1. People need to stop underestimating and under challenging young people
2. Her ability to communicate, understand and interact with the issues was very impressive
3. She did not appeal to the Bible to settle the question (like a trump card our culture does not accept)
4. She was winsome and earned the respect from her peers and judges
5. She did all this by taking one of the most contentious issues of our day head on, abortion.

After watching this, ask yourself if you could have given that 7th grade speech?



To further equip yourself on this issue, see one of my recent posts.

How Big Is the Gospel?

What is the Gospel? How does it relate to forgivness, mission, doing good in the world? Darrell Bock speaks to this in a 5 minute interview at preaching today; click here to give a listen. I found it helpful. What do you think?

Why did someone have to invent the Sundial?

Ok....I am preparing a message on Time. And I am now much more aware than ever why I do not like watches...or their predecessor...sun dials. I am not alone! I was amused when I came across what Plautus, a Roman Playwright in 200 B.C., said:

The gods confound the man who first found out
How to distinguish hours! Confound Him, too,
Who in this place set up a sun-dial,
To cut and hack my days so wretchedly,
Into small portions.

Preach it, brother...

On Anxious Thoughts

We live in an anxious world. God's Word meets us in our anxiety and gives us hope and power. Take some time to reflect and meditate on Phil. 4:4-13 in The Message. Perhaps read it several times slowly as a prayer, often called answering speech, to God.

"Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies."

Amen.

Be Still....

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him" - Psalm 37:7

Take 10 minutes today to just be quiet and rest in the Lord.

'Fireproof' is still generating heat on CNN and in movie stores

Who would have thought...a movie made by a church generates one of the most read stories on CNN.com...

Check it out....'Fireproof' is still generating heat

Welcome to College by Jonathan Morrow now available on Amazon Kindle!!!

Well, it has been a year since the release of Welcome to College: A Christ-follower's Guide for the Journey. I am excited to share that Amazon.com now has made Welcome to College available electronically via their Kindle reader!

I am amazed and humbled at the journey that God has had me on, right down to the opportunity to write this book to help students navigate and flourish in college life and beyond--with a whole-life faith; heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Luke 10:27)

So in light of that, I want to give God the praise and glory for this opportunity to play a part in His Kingdom work.

Infertility Technology Run Amok: Women Not Meant to Carry ‘Litters’ of Children

In an effort to think Christianly about all of life I wanted to share some further reflections on reproductive technology. The story of the Octuplets is still in the news and people are trying to understand what happened, how it happened, and should it have been allowed to happen.

Here is an excellent short article commenting on the latest in this story: Infertility Technology Run Amok: Women Not Meant to Carry ‘Litters’ of Children by Dr. Scott Rae.

What Darwin Didn't Know and The Cause of Academic Freedom

Darwin is in the news (more so than normal).

A Couple of things worth 20 minutes of your time getting up to speed on the debate and discussion about Darwinian evolution and the public square as well as a discussion of the evidence:

1.) Watch the interesting video What Darwin Didn't Know
2.) Read the article Darwin, Intelligent Design, and Freedom of Discovery on Evolutionists' Holy Day by Casey Luskin at US News & World Report

Darwin Celebrates Birthday...er...Kind of

Well, Charles Darwin is long gone; but his ideas remain some 200 years later...(which should again serve as a reminder of the power of ideas and why as Christians we must be good stewards of our ability to teach good ones, explain the difference, and thoughtfully critique the bad ones).

So what does the public think about how we should talk about Darwin's ideas--good and bad--in schools? Do democrats think differently than republicans? College graduates? the non-religious?

Click here to read a new Zogby poll and find out....it's fascinating.

FDA Approves Human Trials Using Embryonic Stem Cells

A recent TIME article ran on this. Here is a link to the stories as well as a thoughtful response by a respected Christian bioethicist.

Octuplets and the Question of Reproductive Ethics

I have been recovering from the flu--yuck--but have been following the story of the Octuplets born last week.

Basically, "the fertility doctor who helped a California woman have 14 children, including octuplets born last month, is facing a state investigation on top of harsh criticism from medical ethicists."

This raises some good questions. If we can do something, should we? Furthermore, who gets to decide? At what point does one's desires become trumped by ethical norms?

In light of that here is a link to An Overview to Reproductive Technologies. This will help orient you to the field, some of the procedures available and how they work as well as the ethical questions involved.

My professor for bioethics--Dr. Scott Rae--weighed in on the story in an article and I think his assessments are helpful:

Scott Rae, a fellow of the Centre for Bioethics and Human Dignity, said the case was neither a miracle nor cause for celebration. "The decision to implant eight or more embryos is indefensible," Dr Rae said. He applauded the woman's decision not to destroy any of her embryos, but suggested they could have been donated to other infertile couples.

Here are some other helpful articles to help us think ethically about decisions in our society.

Where is God During Financial Meltdown?

After spending two hours the other night with Anderson Cooper of CNN talking about the economy...via my TV...one thing became very obvious. Money and the lack thereof are hot topics today (and rightly so). People are hurting, losing jobs, and losing hope. But how should we process this?

Did Jesus know about money? Actually he said quite a lot about money--its use and abuse--and the proper place it ought to occupy in our lives.

In light of that, I want to suggest you listen to a very clear and compelling sermon that Pastor John Ortberg gave that explains what Jesus thought and how we can learn from him about money.

Where is God During Financial Meltdown by John Ortberg (click here to stream and listen - it is about 30 minutes long)

The Apostle Paul also had some helpful things to say as well. Here is one such excerpt:

(NIV) 1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time-- God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. 17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.

Hulu Super Bowl XLIII Ad and Worldview Formation

Do you ever wonder what largley shapes culture in the 21st century? Ideas and Images. Otherwise, why spend all that money? Finally, an honest Super Bowl TV ad...check this out. Now I am not saying to sell your TV and run for the hills or anything, but just sit back and admire the sheer audacity of truth in this commercial:



Well, at least they are honest.

Solution? Fight the mush....engage your mind. Think Christianly. A great place to start is The God Question: An Invitation to a Life of Meaning by JP Moreland.