Imprisoned Christian Said Musa Released From Afghan Prison!

Said Musa, "I can't deny my Savior's name." What boldness and courage (cf. Acts 4)! Awesome news, praise God! (read more)

Did Humans Invent God?

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Social Gospel? Beck Should Read the Prophets, John the Baptist, and Jesus

Darrell Bock has a thoughtful post on Glenn Beck's recent comments:

"I am in Israel but am reading about what I see as a strange controversy in the USA. It is Glenn Beck's call for people to leave church's that preach a "social gospel", but then goes on to discuss social action and issues of justice as if to do so is unbiblical. The confusion is that these are NOT all the same thing. Let's be clear: the gospel is NOT about doing social work. The gospel is not doign social work, but that fdoes not mean social work is irrelevant ot those who embrace the gospel. Social work can be a witness for the gospel or real evidecne of a proper response to God, a product of the gospel. The roots are in the Prophets, such as Micah 6:8.

He has told you, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD really wants from you:
He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful,
and to live obediently before your God.

Or try John the Baptist. In Luke 3:10-14 when he is asked to explain what repentance is that is ready for the Lord to come he says:

So the crowds were asking him, “What then should we do?”
John answered them, “The person who has two tunics34 must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.”
Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”
He told them, “Collect no more than you are required to.” Then some soldiers also asked him, “And as for us—what should we do?” He told them, “Take money from no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your pay.”

To turn to God means I relate to other peopel differently.

Or try Jesus' words to his audience (Matt 5:14-16):

You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden.
People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.

Or the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:5-9:

And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, because I must stay at your house today.” So he came down quickly and welcomed Jesus joyfully. And when the people saw it, they all complained, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham!

Something about Zacchaeus's heart was right in showing concern for the poor. Jesus commends the attitude. So let's not let Christian virtue get captured in ideological political rhetoric of cultural wars that take people away from the call of the gospel to be socially sensitive. Let's be sure we read and listen to the prophets John the Baptist and Jesus. May political commentators giving advice to members of the church be sure and read their Bible first and not oversimplify what God asks of people who serve him. Yes, the gospel is about salvation of the soul, but service to the world and caring for justice and the poor grows out of responding properly to God. Once again what some want to make either-or is actually a both-and when bibically defined. Let's not villify with political associations of communism or socialism a concern and compassion Jesus asks of people who love their neighbor....(more)"

Sound advice.Now good intentions don't always translate into the outcomes for the oppressed or poor that we desire. That is why it is about more than giving money to a good cause. See these three helpful works on this point. But it appears that Beck has a confused understanding of the Good News of God and what that means for all people.

When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Ourselves by Corbett and Fikkert



The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns



Money, Greed, and God by Jay Richards

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Thinking Green — The New Religion

Al Mohler has written an interesting article worth reading...

"The human species is inherently and resolutely religious. The Bible and the Christian tradition affirm this truth, even as we know that the religious impulse can so easily transform itself into idolatry.

Even the most cursory look at the world's cultures will indicate the religious fervor that characterizes humanity. The only observers who seem shocked by this universal phenomenon are the secularists and the prophets of secularization theory who were absolutely certain that religious faith and religious fervor would disappear in the modern world.

Needless to say, it hasn't turned out that way. The theory of secularization is a shadow of its former self. Leading proponents like Peter Berger of Boston University now acknowledge that the secularization thesis was not an accurate predictor of the fate of religious belief in the modern world. The modern world is not secularized. Indeed, many of the most heated conflicts around the world today involve conflicting faiths. As Berger has commented, it turns out that a few European nations and the American intellectual elites are the exceptions, rather than the rule.

And yet, the intellectual elites are not so secular as they believe themselves to be. As it happens, their religion may not be theistic, but it is a religion all the same.

That fact is confirmed in a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Stephen T. Asma, a professor of philosophy at Columbia College Chicago, argues that the new religion of many secular folk is ecology. As Asma explains, many secular types suffer from "green guilt."

In "Green Guilt," he writes:

Now the secular world still has to make sense out of its own invisible, psychological drama-in particular, its feelings of guilt and indignation. Environmentalism, as a substitute for religion, has come to the rescue. Nietzsche's argument about an ideal God and guilt can be replicated in a new form: We need a belief in a pristine environment because we need to be cruel to ourselves as inferior beings, and we need that because we have these aggressive instincts that cannot be let out.

Asma rightly notes that Friedrich Nietzsche, the nihilist who famously declared that God is dead, understood that religion was not dead at all. He "was the first to notice that religious emotions, like guilt and indignation, are still with us, even if we're not religious."

These "religious emotions," including guilt, explain why so many..."(for the rest of article)

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Praying for Haiti - Ways You Can Help

In the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, how can you help? Here are two ministries on the ground that can use your prayers and generosity.

1. Samaritan's Purse (click here)
2. Compassion International (Click here)

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Climate Change Data Dumped Article and A Christian Perspective on the Global Warming Debate

Green used to be just a color. Now it is a way of life, big business, and the source of no small amount of scientific controversy. We are now familiar with words that don't normally go together like carbon and footprint.

So what do we make of the Global Warming Debate? From a Christian perspective, we do have a responsibility to take care of and steward God's creation (cf. Gen.1-2). But this is not always easy to sort out in the modern world or even what this looks like amidst human priorities and the various ethical and economic issues raised.

In a recent article in the Times Online, it is being pointed out that there is some curious activity surrounding the dumping of the raw data on climate change and is worth a read.

"SCIENTISTS at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have admitted throwing away much of the raw temperature data on which their predictions of global warming are based.

It means that other academics are not able to check basic calculations said to show a long-term rise in temperature over the past 150 years.

The UEA’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) was forced to reveal the loss following requests for the data under Freedom of Information legislation.

The data were gathered from weather stations around the world and then adjusted to take account of variables in the way they were collected. The revised figures were kept, but the originals — stored on paper and magnetic tape — were dumped to save space when the CRU moved to a new building.

The admission follows the leaking of a thousand private emails sent and received by Professor Phil Jones, the CRU’s director. In them he discusses thwarting climate sceptics seeking access to such data.

In a statement on its website, the CRU said: “We do not hold the original raw data but only the value-added (quality controlled and homogenised) data.”

The CRU is the world’s leading centre for reconstructing past climate and temperatures. Climate change sceptics have long been keen to examine exactly how its data were compiled. That is now impossible.

Roger Pielke, professor of environmental studies at Colorado University, discovered data had been lost when he asked for original records. “The CRU is basically saying, ‘Trust us’. So much for settling questions and resolving debates with science,” he said..." More...

Also, here is a helpful introduction to this topic by Dr. Jay Richards from a Christian perspective. Here are some of the key questions he addresses and that all of those involved in the global warming / climate change debate need to think carefully about. (And if the raw scientific data is not being made available to the public...this makes coming to an informed conclusion kind of difficult).

• Is the earth warming?
• Are we causing it?
• If the earth is warming and we are causing it, is that bad?
• Would the advised policies make any difference?

Click here to watch...

One final word on this. This is a contentious topic. So whatever view you hold, we need to remember to consider the evidence without demonizing the people with whom we disagree. This is the only sound way forward if progress is to be made.

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Understanding Islam from a Christian Perspective

What is Islam? What does Islam teach? How are the teachings of Islam similar to those of Christianity? How are they different? Here is a helpful article from Probe Ministries:

"First, we want to take a look back at the history of Islam. Islam was founded in the early seventh century by Muhammed. When he was 40 years of age, in A.D. 610, Muhammed claimed to be receiving messages from God. These messages were later compiled and recorded in the Koran--Islam's holy book.

About this same time, Muhammed began preaching against the greed, economic oppression, and idolatry that plagued the Arab peoples. He called on the many factions of the Arab peoples to unite under the worship of Allah, the chief god of the Arab pantheon of deities. Though his message was initially rejected, by the year 630 he had succeeded in gaining control of Mecca, the economic and religious center of the Arabian peninsula.

Though Muhammed died two years later, the religious/political movement he founded rapidly spread throughout the Arab world, and far beyond. By A.D. 750, the Muslim empire spanned from Spain in the west to India in the east. In the centuries that followed, Islam penetrated deeper into Africa and Asia, extending as far as the Philippines. During its "golden era" Islam claimed some of the world's finest philosophers and mathematicians. It was during this time also that Islam and Christianity clashed as a result of the Crusades to reclaim the Holy Land from the Muslims...." (more)

Answering Islam

Biblical Training Lecture on Islam

Ravi Zacharias on Islam

Helpful Books:

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International Justice Mission - Freeing Slaves

Here is some of the wonderful work being done by IJM...

When a government official was recently alerted to several families held in slavery at a remote rock quarry in South India, he enlisted IJM’s help.

IJM investigators conducted a reconnaissance mission and determined that the facility was actually two separate but connected quarries controlled by powerful perpetrators – one formerly a state-level politician.

Avoiding a tip-off required sweeping, yet precise, simultaneous operations at both quarries. The perpetrators were dangerous, and the plan was logistically challenging, but it worked. In coordinated dual operations, IJM and local authorities rescued 13 families from slavery. Today, the families live in freedom.

"Inside [the quarry], it was not possible for our children to become doctors or police...but it is possible now."
— Venkatesh

March 6, 2009 – The rescue operation that freed Venkatesh and his family takes place

The quarry

See Freedom Through One Family's Eyes

Viswanathan, 13, wanted to work for the government when he grew up so that he could create a “robber-free world,” and his big sister Girija, 15, dreamed of becoming a doctor. But they were not free to pursue these goals: Their parents were slaves in the rock quarry where the family had been forced to live for the past eight years.

The children often crushed rocks with the enslaved adults – a taste of the future that likely awaited them. Their father, Venkatesh, feared that the children would be forced into the bondage of daily hard labor. His wife, Sumathi, worried about the danger the machinery and treacherous terrain posed to her family.

All this changed the spring day when IJM and the local government freed their family from slavery.

After the rescue, IJM helped the family return to their native village, where Venkatesh built a home equipped with “electricity for the children to study, for their education.” He never had the opportunity to go to school himself, and Sumathi was only able to study until fifth grade. These parents are very proud of the education their children are pursuing.

Viswanathan and Girija are working hard at school. They both like science class the best – Viswanathan because “the teacher teaches us well and science talks about the living things,” and aspiring doctor Girija because, “I score [good] marks.”

And out of school, do the two siblings fight? “Only if she starts it!” laughs Viswanathan.

Their father works in construction and hopes to buy a cow to generate sustainable income for his family. Their mother, who is recovering from an illness, can now access health care and dreams of starting a candle making business.

They are a normal family – with normal struggles. They are budgeting, meeting their new neighbors, dreaming of the future. And they are free.

Please give a gift today. Today, there are other families held in slavery who dream of freedom. Please give a financial gift so that IJM can locate and free these fathers, mothers and children.

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Immigration, Islam, and the West

As Islam grows--more by birth rate than adult conversion--there are new realities that we must be aware of as Christians (Muslims are 1/5 of the worlds total population - Christians are 1/3). Understanding is the first step. Engagement only follows after we understand. I came across this video from the wall street journal which highlights some interesting observations about Europe and America.



What do Muslims believe? A great place to start is The Baker Pocket Guide to World Religions: What Every Christian Needs to Know by Gerald McDermott.

Also, an excellent mp3 overview you can download is Decoding Islam: Understanding the Middle East Conflict in a Whole New Light-- Alan Shlemon (Stand to Reason)

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Welcome to the Future

Brad Paisley has a new music video out (full disclosure: I am a fan) that I think captures a very important idea about the time and global culture in which we live. Change is always occurring. In a way, everyday is a revolution. The Gospel does not change. But connecting the Gospel to the world is unique for every generation. Check out the video.

Brad Paisley

More CMT Music

More CMT Music Videos

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Ethics has fallen on hard times these days...Moral Choices by Scott Rae can help us recover our moral foundation

How does a Christian think about ethics? How can we make thoughtful, biblically informed decisions about:

• Abortion and Embryonic Stem Cell Research
• Reproductive Technologies
• Biotechnology, Genetics, and Human Cloning
• Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia
• Capital Punishment
• Sexual Ethics
• The Morality of War
• Ethics and Economics
• The Environment

If you are not sure how to answer these questions or are not convinced that the Bible has / should have anything to say about, then you need to have this book on your shelf.

On a personal note, Dr. Scott Rae was one of my professors in graduate school and he is the real deal. I have huge respect for him. Also, this book is very accessible. There is no better introduction to Christian ethics out there.

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Iranian Rally Is Dispersed as Voting Errors Are Admitted

These are interesting times globally, and thanks to Twitter and social networking; the emerging generation in Iran is making their voice heard (in the face of oppression and violence). We take for granted the right to assemble and protest in america. And I think America and President Obama should be more forthcoming in their encouragement of these young Iranians who are seeking freedom and a representative form of government.

Here is the latest in a New York Times article.

Our prayers are for peace and for justice.

McCain, Obama in sharp contrast on abortion - High court vacancies will create opportunities for president to alter policy

As the rhetoric reaches fever pitch, the stakes have never been higher for the innocents--precious unborn human children (that picture is from an ultrasound of an 8 week old). And the next president will influence the next generation by appointing supreme court justices.

Will the 1.2 million - yes that was million - abortions performed each year go up or down? (For perspective, the state of Montana boasts a population of 945,000). Will the brutal practice of partial birth abortion--if you have never learned or seen what this involves--or an abortion procedure actually does-- Click Here. Warning these are disturbing images and they will and should disturb you because you are looking at a human life. Most Americans do not know which is why they seem indifferent. My goal is not to minimize the pain or guilt that those who have had abortions experience; but someone has to speak up for the lives of these little ones. Yes there is grace and forgivness, but choices have consequences.

Trust me, you will never think of the "abortion rights" (doesn't that sound noble?) debate quite the same once you have an image to go with an idea. I especially appeal to college students reading this blog because you may not know how hideous this procedure is because it gets covered over by the rhetoric of choice and rights. Reality has a way of changing our minds.

Here is an MSNBC article (not a bastion of conservatism by any stretch on how STARK the contrast is between these two candidates--Obama and McCain). Regardless of where you come down on "Christians being one issue voters", anyone who is pro-life must recognize that this election cycle is different. Real and lasting policy will be solidified for years to come. That is simply a fact.

Yes, I know 700 billion dollars for a bailout is a huge number, but so is 1.2 million lives. And you ask any parent--or one desiring to be a parent--which one is more valuable.

"The facts of science are clear: from the earliest stages of development, the unborn are distinct, living, and whole human beings. Therefore, every "successful" abortion ends the life of a living human being."

To learn more about understanding and making the case for the pro-life position, Click Here.
Also, Pro-Life 101: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Your Case Persuasively
and, Common Ground Without Compromise

PLAN ON VOTING, EVEN IF YOU ARE FRUSTRATED

...That is the advice of evangelical Dr. Ben Witherington....

"The percentage of Christians who could vote but don’t is high, much too high, and the end result of such bad behavior is that we often get exactly what we’ve voted for--- Nothing! Or at least, nothing good. Do not let the fact that at this juncture there may seem to be no obvious candidate for a truly conservative Christian to vote for, for this office or that, deter you. There is better and there is worse, and you’d better figure out which is which, or what we will get is worse. This is particularly an urgent matter since in the last eight years things have certainly gotten worse economically and it terms of our relationships both with our allies and enemies. The politics of fear is trumping the politics of faith and sound reasoning repeatedly, and this leads to disastrous results in the long run for our country-- both economically and militarily."

He has other insights worth taking a gander at A VOTERS GUIDE FOR THINKING EVANGELICALS

Evangelical Manifesto

Just what is an Evangelical? And what is the responsibilty of evangelical Christians towards culture and politics? This is worth reading, thinking about, and interacting with.

"An Evangelical Manifesto is an open declaration of who Evangelicals are and what they stand for. It has been drafted and published by a representative group of Evangelical leaders who do not claim to speak for all Evangelicals, but who invite all other Evangelicals to stand with them and help clarify what Evangelical means in light of “confusions within and the consternation without” the movement. As the Manifesto states, the signers are not out to attack or exclude anyone, but to rally and to call for reform.

As an open declaration, An Evangelical Manifesto addresses not only Evangelicals and other Christians but other American citizens and people of all other faiths in America, including those who say they have no faith. It therefore stands as an example of how different faith communities may address each other in public life, without any compromise of their own faith but with a clear commitment to the common good of the societies in which we all live together. For those who are Evangelicals, the deepest purpose of the Manifesto is a serious call to reform—an urgent challenge to reaffirm Evangelical identity, to reform Evangelical behavior, to reposition Evangelicals in public life, and so rededicate ourselves to the high calling of being Evangelical followers of Jesus Christ."

Read the manifesto.

Comparing the Platforms - Democrats and Republicans

Here is the tale of the tape. The presidential race is heating up - Vice Presidential nominee, Gov. Sarah Palin was dynamic and compelling in her speech at the RNC.

So what is the difference between the parties? Christianity Today has put them side by side for you to investigate. They report...you decide ;)

Comparing the Platforms

Voting as a Spiritual Discipline: Ten Tips

I came across this list by Fred Sanders. It is worth a read.

Well, now it’s convention season, and responsible voters need to wake up and smell the candidates. Here is some advice about how to conduct a healthy spiritual life in a political season.

1. Vote. Resist the temptation to hover above the fray. “If God had meant for us to vote, he would have given us candidates.” “My views are so nuanced, or so otherworldly, or so nonpartisan, or so individual, that no party or candidate matches them enough to get my vote.” Hogwash. Apolitical posturing is immature and unserious. God calls us to responsibility, and it is a sin to refuse the call.

2. Vote actively and gratefully. People tend to get involved in politics incrementally, doing just as much as they feel they must. If you’ve been wronged or systemically oppressed, you take recourse to any legal option available to you. Voting is the easiest and most ordinary means of taking action for most of us. Thank God for the opportunity.

3. Vote submissively. In Romans 13, Paul tells us to be subject to the governing authorities. For those of us who live in nations where the governing authority is constituted partly by the consent of the governed, submitting includes voting. It’s a funny kind of active submission, but there it is.

4. Vote philosophically. Most of us don’t reflect on our political philosophies often. The election cycle is a good excuse to do so. Take some time to think through your basic presuppositions about the commonwealth, about power, about life in the communities you belong to, about the distribution of goods and the protection of rights. If your political philosophy got a little more coherent every time there was an election, you’d really know what you believe by midlife. Go ahead, invest a little more of your thought life in thinking things through.

5. Vote intelligently. Become informed enough to cast an intelligent vote. How much information does it take to cast an informed ballot? Find out, make a decision, and do the relevant research. Just because everybody gets a vote doesn’t mean you automatically deserve yours. Try to deserve your vote. Do the basic research necessary to know what you’re voting about: check the sample ballot, the position papers, and the various arguments.

6. But don’t go crazy with it. Unless consuming news analysis happens to be your hobby, don’t let it take up too much of your life and mental space this season. A finite number of thoughts course through your conscious mind each day; make sure you leave room for prayer and for thinking creatively about helping people around you.

7. Register to vote by mail, and send in your ballot nice and early. Then ignore all political coverage until election night. Journalism is in such a sorry state these days that nearly all election coverage is a little bit stupid. But in the ten days before election day, the news cycle spins out of control, the reporters go stark raving mad, and the whole world becomes an echo chamber. You can feel yourself getting dumber the longer you watch the news. For most people, no thought can occur during that time. The noise generated during this brief time period is exactly the kind of noise that drives out prayer.

8. Keep your perspective. There’s more to government than the president. Sure, he’s important, but he’s just the head of one of the branches of one of our many overlapping government systems. A president is a blunt instrument, and your vote can’t be a precise instrument. The presidential election cycle produces a strange kind of foreshortening that makes us think this vote will address all issues. Remember that local politics are slightly less stupid than national, and gradual progress toward goals is better than trying to fix everything with your One Big Presidential Vote. Is there anything you could be doing between now and the next big election that might make more of a difference?

9. Christians, don’t let your head get turned by the parties and causes that want to recruit you. The Republican party wants to keep counting on evangelical votes with no questions asked; the Democrats have been frenzy-driven to conjure up a Religious Left voting block for about five years now. The particular configurations that seem so important now will blow over, and the church will still be the church, Christians will still be Christians. Remain calm, it’s just flirting.

10. Pray about your vote. Tell God what you’re doing.

For the rest of this thoughtful article, click here.

Christianity and Islam: Compulsion in religion and the freedom to disbelieve

Iranian Christian Convert Detained by Secret Police

In America, we enjoy something many in the world do not--religious freedom and tolerance (in the true sense). Iran on the other hand does not offer religious freedom. Take a minute and read this, especially the last paragraph. (for the entire article, read here). This article reminds us of many things, not the least of which is that conversion is costly--not something you just add to your day.

(article begins) A former Muslim who converted to Christianity is being held by Iran’s secret police on suspicion of “apostasy,” or leaving Islam, according to a report Wednesday.
Mahmood Matin, 52, has been held in a detention center in the southern city of Shiraz since his arrest on May 15, according to Compass Direct news. His wife, who visited him on June 24, said Matin did not know where he was being held until she told him, according to a source who requested to remain anonymous for security reasons.

Matin told his wife that authorities were pressing him to reveal what foreign church he was connected to. But that he told them he was not related to any church outside of Iran.

The imprisoned convert claims he is being treated well, but his wife believes otherwise. During their five-minute conversation, officials were listening in, the source noted.

Matin was originally arrested in May when he met with 13 other Muslim converts to Christianity in a park in Shiraz.

Under Iranian law, apostasy is a crime that can be punishable by death. The county’s parliament is reviewing this month a draft penal code that would make the death penalty mandatory for anyone found guilty of leaving Islam or who uses the Internet to encourage others to do so.

Praying for Myanmar in wake of cyclone

Please join me in praying for the people of Myanmar (Burma). Especially pray that the corrupt government would allow aid and supplies into the country. Currently, it seems they are playing politics with the peoples' lives. There are tons of ministries helping out. One such ministry is Samaritan's Purse.

To find out what is going on in Myanmar and how you can help, click here.