Fascinating

Atheist Sunday Assembly Sees ‘Church’ Split Due to Ideological Differences

Based on the above report, it looks like even atheists desire gathering, fellowship, and community. It makes sense. People generally enjoy each other's company. This ought to inform the way we think about gatherings. People want to be together, talk, encourage, and eat (not necessarily in that order). If atheists (defined by what they don't believe) have a reason to gather, how much more do we? We are defined quite specifically by what we do believe. Even more, by who we believe in and follow. Interestingly, atheists see no reason to gather for worship, but they still want to gather. I suppose I have that in common with them; I don't want to get together for worship either. Just give me some fellow believers, the Holy Spirit, some food, and a bible and I'll be all set.

We Jesus-followers have a real reason to get together.

Big Announcement Tomorrow!

I have some big news that I'll be sharing with you tomorrow. This is something that I'm very excited about. I usually try to avoid shameless promotion, but in this case I'll make an exception. See you tomorrow.

So Westboro Baptist is Here in Savannah

For the next week or so, our fair city gets its turn with Westboro Baptist Church.  Today there were protests and counter-protests in several different locations around Savannah.

This is a difficult issue for Christians. Frankly, there seems to be no obviously good option for how to respond.  In talking with other Christ followers, I've heard a range of ways that the church is choosing to handle the Westboro visit.

As for our family, our decision for today (and the remainder of Westboro's time here) is to actively ignore them. The reality is that the folks from Westboro would quickly stop their nonsense if everyone simply left them alone. They travel from city to city in anticipation of protests, near riots, anger, hatred, violence, etc. Westboro Baptist visits with no intention of listening to the gospel. They have one message, and we all know what that is.

Some Christians decide to protest against them, try to share the gospel with them, or a combination of the two.  May God bless them as they do so.

Our decision to ignore this group is based on the idea that the gospel itself is a precious message.  It strikes me that trying to share the good news of Christ-crucified in that atmosphere is sort of like casting pearls before swine. I have no desire to do this, and as I said above do not want to give them any attention.

Instead, this morning we got together with our church family for a time of encouragement, singing, testimony, teaching, prayer, scripture reading, and eating.  It was great.

As for Westboro, I'll be glad when they leave.  Let's all ignore them that they may run out of money and stop taking their hatred to other cities.

Westboro Baptist is Coming to Savannah

In a couple of weeks Fred Phelps, his family, and his church will be visiting our beautiful city. Sadly, we all know that Westboro Baptist Church does not travel anywhere to enjoy the scenery.  Instead, they protest various things with an open message of hatred. I'm sure you've seen them on the news before.

As for Savannah, I have no idea why Westboro Baptist has chosen this city.  We're not that big or significant. Maybe it's because Savannah is both a tourist destination and a military town.  Regardless, Westboro is coming with their protests. Predictably, all sorts of counter protests are planned as well.

As a follower of Christ, I have a responsibility to respond to this situation in a God-glorifying manner.  The difficulty is knowing what that looks like. My guess is that Christians in our city will have differences of opinion on how best to react. I'm still thinking through the matter.

Varanasi Hit Again

In 2006-2007, our family had the opportunity to serve the Lord for several months in the city of Varanasi, India. Varanasi is considered to be the holiest city in all of Hinduism. Even if you have never heard of it, you've probably seen photos of people walking down large stone steps to bathe in the Ganges River at Varanasi.

Because of its religious significance, Varanasi is occasionally the target of terrorist attacks. According to news reports, a bomb detonated today at one of the busiest locations along the river. At least one person has died and about 20 are injured. Read more about it here and here.

Above all else, the city of Varanasi needs prayer for spiritual awakening to the glorious grace of Jesus Christ. Although some Indian Christians live in Varansi, it is Hinduism that dominates all of life there. Muslims make up a significant minority.

Please pray for the people of this city.

When You Depart From the Bible, Anything Goes...

According to a CNN report, "Workers in Poland finished erecting the world's tallest statue of Jesus over the weekend, a 170-foot (52-meter) giant that towers over the countryside near Swiebodzin."

The priest in charge said, "This is the culmination of my life's work as a priest. I felt inspired to fulfill Jesus' will, and today I give thanks to him for allowing me to fulfill his will."

This is just another sad and dangerous example of what happens when we leave the biblical model behind in order to do our own thing. This may get me in trouble, but it strikes me that this statue has about as much biblical support as today's church buildings do (hint: zero).

In the News Again

Last night we had a great time taking part in the Light the Night Walk in the historic district of Savannah. This was a large fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Our son Bobby is the "Honored Hero" for this year here in Savannah. Because of this, we have been in the news a bit lately. Earlier this week, we were in the local newspaper. Yesterday morning we ended up on the local T.V. news. Read the article and watch the video by clicking here. Bobby comes in at the 00:57 mark. I start blabbering at abut 1:14.

Our Family in the Newspaper

The Savannah Morning News has a nice story this morning that focuses on our family's journey through cancer. As most of you know, we were serving in India in early 2007 when our son Bobby (pictured here) was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. We hurried home to Savannah, where we dove into hospital life. God graciously carried our family - especially Bobby - through several months of chemotherapy.

During that time, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was a big support to us. This coming Friday night we get to help raise money for the LLS by taking part in the annual Light the Night Walk in Savannah. Bobby gets some special focus because of what he went through.

Here is our family's page for the Light the Night Walk. If you would like to donate, please do. Thanks.

Koran Burning Called Off

Yes! I'm so glad that the Koran burning has been canceled. I do not know the details or the motivations behind the situation, but I'm just thrilled that Muslims around the world will not watch on TV as "Christians" burn the book they love.

So, what should we do in response to this? First, let's thank the Lord. Then, let's pray that God would give us opportunity to sacrificially love Muslims in our neighborhoods, workplaces, etc. I'll admit that I do not know any Muslims personally. I want this to change. I'm praying that God will bring them into my life. I hope you do as well.

On the Proposed NYC Mosque

I have hesitated thus far to weigh in on the proposed Ground Zero Mosque (or whatever it is called) in Manhattan. However, since I've heard a great deal of bluster about it, I thought this would be a good time.

I am writing as a follower of Jesus Christ to other followers of Jesus Christ.

I'll be honest: the political side of this carries no interest for me. As is typical, political conservatives are generally against the mosque, while liberals are generally for it. No surprise there.

The problem is that many, many Christians have lashed themselves to the Republican party, which at least claims to be conservative. The outcome is predictable. Most Christians at least appear to be against the mosque being located near the World Trade Center site.

What is fascinating, sad, and also predictable is that when Christians state why they are against it, their arguments are based on pragmatic reasoning, emotions, and/or political party affiliation. Their reasons are not constitutional or, more importantly, biblical.

I have yet to hear a Christian provide a coherent, biblical reason for why this mosque should not be located in Manhattan.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to sacrificially love all people. Christ expects us to love as He loved. Because of this, we must love even those who want to kill us. We should expect to be hated and despised by the world. Why would the world love or even tolerate us when it killed our Lord?

Conservative Americans have been giving the Muslim world the message that we despise them. If we stand against this mosque, this will simply add to this message. If our goal is to love Muslims and share the good news of Christ with them, then let's welcome them into our neighborhoods. Let's invite them over for dinner. Let's show them what real, Christlike love is.

Why should a mosque be a threat to us? Are we afraid that we will convert to Islam? I would hope not.

Are we scared that Sharia law might take hold in this country? We shouldn't fear what man can do to us. The worst that can happen is that we get killed, and Paul has told us that to die is gain.

Are we afraid that lost people will increasingly turn to Islam? If that is the case, then we should start sharing the gospel more urgently and passionately.

One key question we need to ask ourselves is whether we are going to be driven in our decision making by American citizenship or heavenly citizenship. Which matters more to us?

In general, we have failed to make the active distinction between being Christians and being Americans. One clear sign of this is the American flags that hang all over our church buildings in this country. We too often try to mix the two. We even still refer to the USA as a "Christian nation."

This is not a Christian nation - whatever that is. We live in a secular state that will always have political arguments.

Jesus Christ did not call us to political involvement. He called us to radical, sacrificial discipleship and servanthood. He called us to love others even unto death. After all, that's what He did for us.

We should be asking how God would have us think of this mosque. Quite honestly, I don't think God cares much about another building. I do think He cares about the Muslims who might attend the mosque. God's plan to reach them is for us followers of Christ to love them, build relationships with them, and share the good news of Christ with them.

They won't see our love if we spend our time protesting against their mosque. As Christians we have better things to do than spend lots of energy on politics. Instead, let's stop worrying about a building, and start figuring out how we can love the Muslims in our communities.

My Son Bobby on the News

Most of you know that three years ago our son Bobby was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma. He endured several very difficult months of chemotherapy followed by much more time of recovery. We praise the Lord that today Bobby remains cancer free. We also thank the Lord for carrying us through that trial.

Our local Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has asked Bobby to be their "hero" for this year as they strive to raise funds for more research into blood cancers. Tonight the LLS held a kickoff for their fundraising. The fun part was that it took place at our local minor league baseball stadium. Bobby was given the honor of throwing out the first pitch at tonight's Sand Gnats game.

On top of all this, some reporters from a local TV affiliate attended the kickoff. They interviewed Alice and Bobby. Read the news article here.

Please Be Wise When Watching or Reading FOX News

As far as I can tell, most Christians are wise when watching news broadcasts from ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, BBC, etc. Christians rightly understand that these are secular networks that show the news through a secular lens. In most cases, some facts will be presented along with some bias. Therefore, we must wear a "mental filter" of sorts.

My great concern is with FOX News. Specifically, I'm scared that far too many Christians are watching FOX with no mental filter. For some reason unknown to me, many followers of Christ act as if FOX News is a Christian channel. It is not! FOX is just as secular as the other networks.

Several years ago, FOX News correctly discerned that many conservative Americans (some Christian and some not), were disgusted with the news presented by the other major networks. FOX, then, made an obvious decision to cater to conservatives. While the other networks lean to the left politically, FOX leans to the right. No doubt there.

FOX also understands that there is a large audience of evangelical Christians in this country. Therefore, FOX presents at least some news that will make Christians watch. FOX wants ratings.

I'm not disgusted with FOX. I'm disgusted with Christians who act like FOX is trying to advance the Kingdom of God.

This problem is a symptom of the larger problem within evangelical Christianity today. That problem is the old "God and country!" problem. It is the problem of the cross wrapped in the American flag. It is the problem that is the gospel of the Republican party. And let's be fair: it's obvious that while the other networks cater to the Democratic party line, FOX spews forth the Republican line.

As followers of Christ, we must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. No matter what news program we are watching, we must remember that the great agenda and goal of the networks is ratings. FOX wins all the time because while the other networks split the liberal watchers, FOX takes all the conservatives.

We are followers of Jesus alone. He alone must have our allegiance. And, He was not a Republican.

That said, let's think smartly no matter what we are watching. Use your mental filter, which should be based on scripture, no matter the channel. If you are reading news on-line, do the same.

FOX News is not the bible. FOX News is not Christian.

Watcher and reader: be wise.

A First for Me

I found this interesting today. As a first for me, a post from this blog has ended up being discussed at a news site. To read it, click here.

"You Reap What You Throw"

Enjoy.

On the Importance of Reading Different Viewpoints on the News

It is dangerous to only listen to and/or read news we agree with. When we do this, we fail to see why people think what they think and do what they do. We begin to think that only we are correct. It fosters an us-versus-them mentality.

A sad example of this is occurring in our country right now. Many conservative Christians only watch or read FOX NEWS. The problem with this is two-fold. First, FOX is politically conservative, but this does not equate to being biblical. Second, the news that FOX presents is almost always slanted to the right. So if we only watch FOX, we only see a narrow view of the issues.

As a counterpoint, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC all slant to the left.

What are we to do?

Why don't we listen to/watch/read news from multiple sources? This provides a much broader view of what is happening in the USA and around the world. It keeps us from getting stuck in our own little bubble.

I suggest reading from several of the US news agencies. For example, the FOX and CNN sites offer a good balance to each other. Another good place to look is the BBC.

Let me suggest one other spot: Al Jazeera. Yes, you can read it in English. This news site is going to look at world events through a far different lens than what we see here in the West. Al Jazeera presents news from more of a Middle Eastern view.

We may not agree with some or much of what is written at Al Jazeera. That's fine. At least read what people from other places are saying and why they are saying it. Let yourself be challenged.

Failing to look at anything other than FOX NEWS is a little like refusing to ever read anything by anyone who is not a conservative Christian. Just because we read something we disagree with, this doesn't mean that we have to agree with it.

Let's dare to look beyond what makes us comfortable. This includes the news we read.

Take a Look at BBC News

As Americans, we tend to look at news reports that are almost all "America-focused." Even when the reports are about something that is happening in another part of the world, the lens through which the report is made is the American lens.

It is refreshing to look at international news from a different perspective. In order to get outside the USA-bubble, I like to look at BBC News. The BBC does a good job of reporting what is happening around the world - and they don't see through an America-focused lens. I certainly don't agree with everything the BBC says, but that is to be expected from any news agency.

Another bonus to BBC coverage is that the BBC is not embroiled in the current culture war news programming that we have in the USA. You know how it goes: if you want the Republican/conservative slant, you go to Fox News or the Drudge Report. If you want the Democratic/liberal slant, you go to the news affiliates at CNN, CBS, ABC, or especially MSNBC.

The BBC is by no means objective (who can be?), but it does look at the happenings around the globe through what I believe is a wider lens. Since the world does not revolve around the USA, we should look for news from a broader perspective.

Final bonus: when we read about news from other countries, we can get a feel for the need for the gospel in those places. We are reminded that the citizens of other countries have far less than we do here - both in terms of physical possessions and access to the gospel.