Let me first say this: I don’t usually blog on the topic of homosexuality. My field is biblical scholarship and I tend to leave the issue of homosexuality to those who have found themselves having to deal with it on a very personal, psychological and emotional level. Indeed, the best voices to discuss this issue are those like my friend Mike Haley who found himself trying to reconcile scriptural ethics of sexuality and his own orientation. I have heard no one -- absolutely no one -- deal with this issue as well as he has. This is a very sensitive topic and one which needs to be dealt with on a much better and much more empathetic level than in the past. As Rachel Held Evans points out, we often lose people at the expense of winning an "issue."
However, with the recent Amendment 1 debate in my home state of North Carolina and in light of much of the aftermath which I have seen, I thought it wise to provide some points of discussion which I hope will help frame the discussion in a more sensitive and understanding frame of mind. My guess is that the vast majority of people who went out to vote on Amendment 1 this week did so without having a solid understanding of why they were voting one way or another. That is, I suspect that most who voted either yes or no did so out of mere passion or prejudice. The outcome, as you probably know, came out in support of the classic view of marriage: “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.” Homosexual marriage was upheld as illegal. Nothing, on that front, was changed.
I love movies. And I love superheroes. As you can imagine, I was eagerly anticipating the release of The Avengers movie. In fact, I was second in line Saturday night because I got there over one and a half hours early! And the movie did not disappoint.
Yet as I watched the movie I was struck at how much the basic storyline mirrored the Christian view of reality. It reminded me of how C.S. Lewis said that there are stories throughout the literature of the world that mirror Christian themes of love, sacrifice, duty, unity, and good versus evil. According to Lewis, God has placed this on the human heart. And we see shadows of this even in the most unexpected places.
Upon first look at Doug Powell’s innovative book, Resurrection iWitness, I was already impressed with its aesthetic appeal; not a typical feature of an argument-based apologetic work. With further exploration, I realized there was great potential for a lasting educational impact of the material because it taps into different learning styles. This book is ideal for establishing a foundation for belief in the resurrection for those persons who are visual or kinesthetic learners. In other words, if you wouldn’t necessarily be excited about reading through pages of arguments in text-only format, this might be the apologetics book for you.1
I took the book into the youth room at our church to get some reactions. The main word I heard over and over was “Cool!” A few people took the time to go all the way through the book, even though I just asked them to skim through. Bearing in mind that the youth room is full of distractions, I was impressed with the attention given to the work. This included adults as well as students! Some of the adults were extremely impressed with the work, asking where they could buy a copy. (You can purchase one here or on Amazon.)
By: Randall Hardman|Published Date: April 29, 2012
In part one of this article I addressed the question of whether miracles have ceased in the world today (a view called cessationism). Instead of taking an overly philosophical approach to this question I merely stated that having originally been a cessationist, my views on the topic changed drastically when I encountered a miracle of my own. The details of this experience are generally private (I do not share them in public discourse due to respect for another person involved), but I can assure you that the experience was as real as my waking up this morning. I also briefly mentioned the need to be skeptical regarding miracle claims both within and outside our traditions. Let me touch on this briefly.
One of the great puzzles about our future state in heaven is, won’t we be bored? I know there will be lots and lots of joy and love and worship. I’m not worried about heaven being bland and stale; surely God loves us more than to let that happen! It’s just that I can’t imagine how it will be. Specifically, if there’s no danger, no difficulty, and if we always know the outcome will be good, then where’s the interest or excitement? Where’s the challenge?
A couple nights ago I was listening to Saint-Saens’ Third Symphony, the Organ Symphony. As a trombonist I fell in love with this music in college: it’s loud and brassy in all the right places, but it also calls on the trombone for one of the sweetest soft melodies in all classical music. I’ve heard this symphony often. I know what’s coming next, all the way through it. There will be no surprises in it for me ever again, except (I hope) the kind of new discovery that comes from catching some inner part I’ve never noticed before.
What’s your favorite song or composition? I’m hoping you can think of something longer than the typical rock, pop, or country songs, because the longer the piece is, the more likely it will illustrate what I’m saying here. For jazz, I would suggest you listen to the nine-minute or so First Circle by Pat Metheny.
Last week seventeen high school students frommy Christian school went on a mission trip sponsored by Stand to Reason to reach Muslims in L.A. This was the first trip of its kind, so these students were really trekking out on faith! We were able to join an Iranian Christian Bible study, visit an Islamic center, engage Muslims in personal conversations, hear testimonies from former Muslims, get training from missionaries to Islam, share a meal with Muslims, and visit a major mosque. The students did not go unprepared -- they had spent the last seven months reading books and attending training sessions outside of regular school hours. My thanks in particular to Brett Kunkle, Alan Shlemon, and Dawnielle Hodgman for planning such a great trip. Here are some highlights and reflections.
Worshipping with Iranian Christians
The first night we visited with an Iranian Christian church in Beverly Hills to hear testimonies from recent converts from Islam. The first woman, Shareen, grew up in a Muslim home but became disillusioned with Islam. Her hunger for a father figure drew her most deeply to Christianity. She decided to read the Bible and was so enthralled by it that she read it straight through in one sitting! The love of God drew her in. Another young man, Mosen, also grew up in Islam. He was obsessed with the question of how a person can be good enough to go to heaven. No Muslims could give him a good answer, and they suppressed his questions, which burned him on Islam. He eventually read the Bible and was drawn in by the friendship and love of God. He cited 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” as his favorite verse, because he was transformed by Christ into a new creation.
By: Jonathan Morrow|Published Date: April 17, 2012
"Many people are rejecting our gospel today not because they perceive it to be false, but because they perceive it to be trivial. People are looking for an integrated worldview which makes sense of all their experience." -John Stott
Preaching the simple gospel isn't as simple as it used to be. To be sure the Holy Spirit is still actively convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-11). But the plausibility structures of this generation have drifted farther away from theistic categories. So our job is to help them connect the dots. Help them connect the questions they are asking with the explanatory power of the Christian worldview.
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Drinking. Premarital sex. Abortion. Homosexuality. Same-sex marriage. Christians have so many hang-ups with the behavior of non-Christians, don’t they? It all seems so judgmental. Christians have enough problems of their own, so why worry about others? And even Jesus warned against this. “Do not judge so that you will not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Who are Christians to judge others?
This common objection to Christianity packs some punch. But why? First, we’re swimming in a sea of moral relativism that prohibits any moral judgments (that is, if you want to be a consistent moral relativist). Against this relativistic backdrop, to identify some behavior as morally wrong is itself wrong. Hopefully you see the self-contradictory nature of this claim, but sadly, many do not as the muddled thinking of relativism blinds its adherents.
Dan Pearce of the "Single Dad, Laughing" blog has written an arresting article called "I'm Christian, Unless You're Gay." There is much in there that I applaud and support. I encourage all to read the story and the follow-up, and to learn well from it.
I do need to put that recommendation in context, for Pearce says he's not religious, and he gets some things wrong in his description of Christianity. I'll come back to that in a bit. But I want you first to read the story he tells, and then come back here to reflect with me on this that he wrote:
For the past few weeks I have been carefully reading through the entire Qur’an. One reason is because there are roughly 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide, including an estimated 3-7 million Muslims in America. Understanding the Qur’an will help me better relate to my Muslim neighbors and friends. Second, Muslims consider the Qur’an the greatest miracle and proof of Islam (Surah 10:37-38). It is considered the most beautiful, holy, and truthful book. I wanted to assess this claim for myself.
Following are some observations and criticisms of the Qur’an. Just one precursor: If the Qur’an were true, then I would believe it. I’m just not convinced it is. If someone begins with the conviction that the Qur’an is true, then certainly these critiques will have little effect. But if one begins with an honest attempt to evaluate the historical, theological, philosophical, and scientific evidence, I believe they would come to a very different conclusion.
The Character of Allah
There are clearly commonalities between the Islamic and Christian views of God. Both view God as omniscient (Surah 4:7), omnipotent (Surah 2:20), creator (Surah 6:1), and sovereign (Surah 74:31).
Much ink has been dedicated over the years to pen the perils of exposing our children to imagery that could negatively influence their lives. While I don’t see anything wrong with such discernment and cautioning, I think sometimes we’re missing the flip side of the coin.
Parents also need to be careful to expose their children to imagery that could positively influence their lives. Specifically, I’m addressing such imagery that comes from great works of music, art, literature, and film; the imagery that builds depth of human character because it explores the depth of human nature. I don’t see much caution in the church warning parents to make sure our children are people of depth.
Just last night I read through an E.E. Cummings poem with my daughter and read her evaluation of his view of patriotism. Cummings mocked a shallow or blind patriotism, but my daughter went beyond this basic understanding. She explained what she felt he would view as truly patriotic. I was surprised at her understanding of the “unstated” position inherent in Cummings’ poem. She got past the obvious, or surface level, onto the flip side of his view.
Celebrating the behind-the-scenes victor in the fight on trafficking
By: Chris Horst|Published Date: March 27, 2012
The battle rages on. Across the globe, forces for good assault a great evil -- human traffickers. Ruthless, shifty and complex, our formidable opponent lurks in red-light districts and shantytowns.
“More children, women and men are held in slavery right now than over the course of the entire trans-Atlantic slave trade...generating profits in excess of 32 billion dollars a year [GDP of Costa Rica] for those who, by force and deception, sell human lives into slavery and sexual bondage. Nearly 2 million children [population of Houston] are exploited in the commercial sex industry.” -- International Justice Mission (IJM)
Leaders rally coalitions to combat villains who perpetrate these crimes on innocent children. Pioneers like IJM and Not For Sale convene activists and churches to fight this injustice. Together, they bring freedom to the darkest corners of our world. I pray these organizations grow. I pray justice is served. I rejoice with each girl whose chains of bondage break. And, I mourn to think of the many who are not yet free.
By: Randall Hardman|Published Date: March 11, 2012
There is an innate feeling of uneasiness when it comes to hearing miracle claims of other religions. Something within us wants to argue that the only legitimate place to encounter the miraculous is within Christian contexts. We often find it necessary to argue that adherents to these miracle claims have somehow been deluded -- in a way which the apostles were not -- and thus suppose that non-Christian claims of the miraculous are all fabrications.
Legal documents (PDF) filed in a dispute between the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and the student group “Make Up Your Own Mind” (MUYOM), allege that
Defendants [the University] are enforcing their preference for student organizations affiliated with churches against MUYOM, by denying them recognition and the ability to restrict members and leaders to a set of religious beliefs because they are not affiliated with a church, but rather with a local, non-profit, Christian ministry.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom of church. What’s the difference? Like the newly coined and equally disturbing “freedom of worship,” freedom of church means freedom to practice religion in a defined, confined, private space. It is a transparent move towards eliminating Christianity and other religions from public view.
It is also government intrusion into theology, re-defining what counts as “religion” and doing so in a most novel and unusual way. Of course there are public-policy reasons why government must pay attention to realities of what is or is not religion. Its information for that purpose, however, ought to take account of what Christianity (in this case) has to say about itself. Government cannot rightly create new realities of what is or is not religion. That was never its role, and it never ought to be.
Upon first look at Doug Powell’s innovative book, Resurrection iWitness, I was already impressed with its aesthetic appeal; not a typical feature of an argument-based apologetic work. With further exploration, I realized there was great potential for a lasting educational impact of the material because it taps into different learning styles. This book is ideal for establishing a foundation for belief in the resurrection for those persons who are visual or kinesthetic learners. In other words, if you wouldn’t necessarily be excited about reading through pages of arguments in text-only format, this might be the apologetics book for you.1
Drinking. Premarital sex. Abortion. Homosexuality. Same-sex marriage. Christians have so many hang-ups with the behavior of non-Christians, don’t they? It all seems so judgmental. Christians have enough problems of their own, so why worry about others? And even Jesus warned against this. “Do not judge so that you will not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Who are Christians to judge others?