What I'm Reading and Watching

First of all, I'm trying to do more of the former and less of the latter... so I'm going to try to make this post sound like I'm doing a LOT of reading and very little TV watching- hardly any. Here's my best shot at it...

"The Online Looking Glass": Ross Douthat is my favorite editorialist. This article is prophetic, and something I have to think about all the time. Why do we feel the need to blog, post our thoughts and pictures online for the world to see? It can lead to the dark place of narcissism.

"Miami Heat Needs to Work on Their People Skills": I'm one of the "billions" that enjoyed watching the Heat lose Sunday night. But why? Mike Lopresti has a good take.

"The Reason for God": This is one of those books that I'm ashamed I haven't read yet. Speaking of prophetic, there's a reason God has put his favor all over Tim Keller's writings and ministry. He's worth hearing.

Team of Rivals: I'll be reading this book for awhile...

"Mere Christianity": This won't be the last time I talk about reading and (currently) listening to this book by C.S. Lewis. Next to the Bible, this is my most frequented book. Writing about it is my way of prodding you to take and read, not throwing out the excuse "I read it once back in college."

"Revelation: God Wins" (itunes podcast or website): Speaking of what I'm listening to... My partner's bro, Bob Thune Jr., just finished rocking this series on Revelation. People ask about my view on Revelation and end times... Bob articulates them in his journey through Revelation with his church, Coram Deo. Revelation is cyclical, allegorical, and as much about the past (the cross) as the future. As GK Chesterton said, "And though St. John saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creature so wild as one of his own commentators." God won, and he will win. God wins. We were going to teach through this at Veritas this fall, but I think we're headed for Luke's two books this fall and spring...

Samuel and the Epistles: I'm reading the ESV in a year. I'm not loving the ESV, mostly because it doesn't follow the most natural lingual paths. On the other hand, it's more literal translation colors in certain parts of the text. For example, this morning in Colossians 2:18 the ESV uses "asceticism" where the NIV uses "false humility." An argument could be made for either word choice, but I hadn't heard "asceticism" used before in that passage and it seemed to help me understand what Paul was conveying. Next year I think I'm going to give the Holman translation a shot.

Joshua 6 and related commentaries: I'm preaching on the fall of Jericho this week at Veritas. Last week Jeff took one for the team, taking on the issue of circumcision in Joshua 5.

Now to the candy section of life- what I've been watching:

I just subscribed to FreddeGredde's youtube channel thanks to Todd Wallace's twitter post.

Ryan Seiler's "Greener" music video

Sarah Palin's explanation of Paul Revere. That's just plain sad; enough to end someone's political career.

I recorded the Republican debate last night but I'm not sure if I'll get around to watching it. I'm a little jaded when it comes to politics right now, but I know I should be informed and prayerful for our leaders and country.

Truth be told, the reason for less tv watching is seasonal. NBA finals are over, who cares about baseball until late September?, and we have a 3 month lull until kickoff of college/NFL football.

For now, I'll get back to pretending I like to read more than watch tv...

youtube

This article in usatoday fascinates me... Read it here. Yesterday I spent some time at the skatepark. I often wonder why, considering the only shredding I'm doing these days is my finger... (Don't worry Veritas softball team, I'm hoping I'll be good to go for tonight):

All the talk with the locals here at the Iowa City skatepark revolved around youtube drama. So I thought the timing of this youtube article was interesting. Everyone in the world with a computer, camera, and internet connection has access to this "gold rush".

Some quotes...

"Interacting with your audience through video is unquestionably a new dimension for TV as we know it, and people are inventing new content formats all the time...YouTube has democratized the concept of the professional"

"What [consumers] do care about, however, is being entertained, and in that sense we're in a new Gold Rush era..."

I wonder what this means for the church. Here are a few common responses...

1. Fortress... by creating our own subculture. Because we all know God needs his own "tube" and social networking site.

2. Withdraw... by cutting the internet cable

3. Engage... by being the most innovative and creative in a way that reflects God.

What does #3 look like? I'm not sure. Ideas?

Words

This year my blog has been mostly neglected. Here's the pathetic stat... 12 posts in the last 5 months.

For the first time in a LONG time I felt like I had some "creative" space. No visitors, nice back porch weather with a perfectly placed breeze, and a thought provoking book (Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln) are the ingredients that led to this epiphany...

I love ideas, and I love the words needed to communicate them.

In fact, that's what inspired the metropuritan blog a few years ago. I started blogging to sharpen my writing skills, share excerpts of my life, and hopefully bring a little encouragement to others on the journey. I'm sure there was a little narcissism mixed in. Me and everyone else with a blog, FB and Twitter account.

As I read on this utopian day, some phrases jumped out at me, renewing my desire to read and write more...

"[Lincoln] read and thoroughly read his books whilst we played. Hence he was above us and became our guide and leader." (a childhood friend's recollection of Lincoln) p. 49

"Books became his academy, his college. The printed word united his mind with the great minds of generations past...It was through literature that he was able to transcend his surroundings. He read and reread the Bible and Aesop's Fables so many times that years later he could recite whole passages and entire stories from memory... With remarkable energy and tenacity he quarried the thoughts and ideas that he wanted to remember...once he obtained paper, he would rewrite it and keep it in a scrapbook so that it could be memorized. Words thus became precious to him, never...to be lightly or indiscriminately used." (p. 51-52)

In Lincoln's own words, in some advice to a law student, he said, "Get the books and read and study them...The books, and your capacity for understanding them, are just the same in all places...Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other thing." (p. 54)

Well, hopefully I've found enough inspiration to churn out a few more than 2.4 blog posts per month for the rest of 2011.

In other news related to "words"...

I got my tweeterfeed updated and therefore these blog posts will be synced to my FB and Twitter (not sure why it ever stopped...). I had to tell the world on FB about this important news and nearly hit "send" when I noticed the "w" missing from "twitterfeed". As a pastor, I could've been fired for a status update with "ti..." Nevermind.

Another word debacle came when Ava kept leaving the "r" out when she was telling me about this new book she was reading, "Little Britches". She had no idea what she was saying, and I was left wondering what kind of books Leatha had put on the kids' summer reading plan.

Speaking of bad words...I'm determined that my kids hear every bad word in the book from my mouth before they hear it on the playground. That's another blog entry for another day...

For now, I'm resolved to get back to the basics... reading and writing.

Errrr...wait a minute... the NBA finals start tomorrow. Shoot. Go Mavs.

What the...

Hell.

It's a huge topic of discussion right now thanks to Rob Bell's new book Love Wins. I immersed myself in the topic this week as I prepared for a message on hell to our college students. We had already had this topic on the schedule long before Bell's book, so the timing was good for me to re-engage the issue.

First things first... with all the sections to choose from, I had a hard time finding the book at Barnes & Noble.

I scoured all of those sections and apparently they couldn't decide because they had it on a special shelf toward the front of the store.

It's hard to summarize my thoughts on the book and the controversy that has come because of it. I'm not mad, I don't want to burn anyone at the stake (or the book)... but I am deeply troubled.

What troubles me?

First and foremost... I'm grieved by my own sin. I'm gripped by the reality that it's self-righteousness that Jesus frequently condemns- hypocrites who are glad to call out others on things they fail to do themselves. Like "love God and others" for starters. These were the "conservatives" of their day. Right in so many ways, but wrong in the thing that mattered most. I am not beyond any of that.

Second, and flowing naturally out of the first point, I'm in awe of what I've been saved FROM and saved TO. Darkness to Light. Hell to Heaven. Eternity without God to eternity with God. There's no way to understand or conceive of the horrors of hell or the bliss of heaven. The effect of immersing myself in this study can be summarized in the following: God has become very large, my view of my sin has grown proportionally, and grace has become... amazing.

My friend Alex says if you want your view of hell to pass as "biblical/orthodox", it must pass the "Scary Test." Any treatment of hell that is glib and void of horrors you may only encounter in a nightmare is probably too diluted. As one theologian says...

“Now, because no description can deal adequately with the gravity of God’s vengeance against the wicked, their torments and tortures are figuratively expressed to us by physical things, this is, by darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth, unquenchable fire, an undying worm gnawing at the heart. By such expressions the Holy Spirit certainly intended to confound all our senses with dread.”

If all of our senses are not "confounded with dread", we may need to re-think our view. This is why any discussion of hell is difficult to have. It's probably why we don't talk about it more. It seems only fitting to talk quietly and with tears about such a topic.

You can't imagine the weight I felt standing up in front of a bunch of 18-22 year olds to tell them about Matthew 25. As if the imagery in that passage were not enough, consider the wonder of the criteria that Jesus used to separate the sheep from the goats. Again, that's why I started with my first point.

Third, I think there's a greater discussion going on than our debate about hell. We contemporary bloggers and pastors and philosophers and theologians are continuing an ancient controversy over this one word... "certainty."

What exactly can I know for sure?

There's a whole history of Western thought that I don't have the time (or knowledge...) to go into. I have an interest in philosophy that began from studying it in college and therefore have just enough knowledge to be dangerous. So look out...

Rob Bell is a product of ... Gasp... Post Modern thinking.

And for that I thank him...kind of (he's good at asking questions, deconstructing assumed meaning and certainty about art, literature, philosophy, theology... anything). This is contrasted with the Modernist who thinks everything is as easy as putting the text, painting, _____ under the microscope of the scientific method and getting at the answer. With this approach, I can empirically rationalize everything.

Modernists tend to love logical argument (i.e. Proverbs, Romans) while Post Modernists prefer narrative (Samuel, Acts). Modernists think in terms of organizing variables (A+B=C) and dissecting sentences like a good mathematician, while Post Modernists prefer to ponder stories.

Engineering versus English majors.

PC v Mac.

All of this is of course, an oversimplification.

Post Modernists are experts at asking the Modernist, "Are you sure?"

So that's my basic assessment of Bell's book, and how I explain the flaws in his thinking. He's a guy, who based on his PM worldview, views the Bible as a story filled with metaphors and prose to be interpreted (and often deconstructed/reconstructed), not as a set of specific theological concepts to be argued. That's why it doesn't do a lot of good to argue over the specifics with him. You have your view of the story and he has his. That's why it's hard to pin him down on anything.

Bell is not sure of anything. All that's left is more questions about hell. And this is my problem.

And so the theological stream of "orthodoxy" expands and stagnates into the Dead Sea. How can we know what orthodoxy is? Who's in, who's out?

So here's a situation I alluded to in a previous post about a conversation I had with a PM pastor Doug Pagitt. And here's where it gets back to Rob Bell. When I was reading Love Wins, I felt like I was talking to Pagitt. It was a flashback. Every statement I made was followed with a question...

Mark: "The Apostle Paul tells us to watch our life and doctrine closely, because in so doing we will save not only ourselves, but our hearers as well (1 Tim. 4:16). I think you need to be very careful."

Doug: "How do you KNOW what Paul's exact doctrine was?"

Mark: "You can read it... starting with those 10 chapters to Timothy."

Doug: "What are you so certain of? There's a cultural context that Paul wrote in that you have no way of knowing. The same is true with Jesus. When he said he is the way the truth and the life, what exactly did he mean? There was a Hebrew understanding of this that may not mean what you think..." [btw, it's funny that Bell used Jn 14:6 in his book]

Mark: "Hmmm. I'm just saying, I think there is doctrine we can know and be certain about. I think it can be the difference between heaven and hell for us and the people we lead, just like Paul said."

Doug: "What exactly are those doctrines you're sure keep people in or out?"

Mark: [Something really profound]

Doug: [More questions provoking uncertainty]

My point here is that questions are good- they are welcomed. I'm glad Bell asked them. It got me thinking.

But these are not just innocent questions. This is a way of interpreting text and understanding epistemology (the study of how we know what we know) that's based more on a French philosopher's deconstructionism (Derrida) than anything. The reason I can say this with such confidence is that Pagitt told me Derrida heavily influenced his view of epistemology. My contention is that the same method Bell uses to deconstruct the traditional view of hell can also deconstruct his own view. I'm sure my pagan professors at the university are thoroughly enjoying Bell's book- and not for his intended purpose.

For example, Bell obviously carries a lot of baggage into this book. He must've had a traumatic upbringing in a fightin' fundy home, based on his caricatures of people who hold a literal view of hell. They hang bad art in their house, are boring, stuffy, judgmental, and think they have all the answers. They also picket abortion clinics and funerals of gay people. In light of that, I could interpret all of Bell through that lens. He's writing out of his own context of spiritual abuse. Therefore, his view that "love wins" is more Bell's wishful thinking for a different god than it is the reality of the Bible.

That's one way to approach Bell's book. It's not the way I'd like to see it, though.

I'd rather sift the good and avoid the evil. (1 Thess. 5:21). Which is why I used the following key...

I think certainty is possible and (of course) encouraged in the Bible. And if you're certain about things, it doesn't mean you're a Pharisee. It doesn't mean you lack love. Jesus warned us about wolves. The Apostles John, Peter, Paul and Mary (sorry I couldn't resist...) all repeated this warning, often calling them out by name.

"Well, are you sure you should be calling Rob Bell out because of his view of hell? Does this make him a false teacher prepared for destruction?" (2 Peter 2)

I'm not sure.

I'm uncertain.

There are good things to be uncertain about...

Thankfully- for all of us- I'm not God. I think judging someone's eternal destiny is something we should be cautious about (duh). It's God, not Mark, that will judge the peoples with equity- for right-ness and fair-ness are the legs that hold up his throne (Ps. 9, 97)

But I will call out this teaching for the flock I lead- and encourage them not to listen to Bell. I wasn't compelled to change our doctrinal statement (check www.veritasiowacity.com)- in fact I'm more resolved to cling to it. I think he asks some good questions, but I think on the whole premise of his book (that love will eventually win everyone... even post-mortem) he is wrong.

I'm certain of that.

"Pretty certain?

A lot certain?

Kind of certain?

Medium certain?

Certain most of the time?

Everyone who doesn't agree with you is going to hell forever certain?"

But I don't think Rob thinks I should be.

Jesus the "Drunk" and other random happenings

Yesterday at Veritas... Thune rocked Philippians 2:19-30. I never made the connection of how Paul uses Epaphroditus as another example of verse 4, "look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

We had two baptisms yesterday- 2 very cool testimonies and the visual of God's work among us. There is nothing better on earth than a changed life. All the world revolutions and the toppling of every evil empire in the history of the world cannot compare to the awakening of a single soul.

This was a little controversial...

We surveyed campus with the questions...

- If Jesus asked to go with you on your spring break trip, what would you tell him?

- In the Bible, why do you think they called Jesus a "drunk"?

- To you, who is Jesus and do you think his teachings are relevant to college students?

Going into this talk, I really wanted to get the pulse of the average U of I student on this issue. The results were interesting. Most people (even Christians) didn't know Jesus was called a drunk. A common response was, "I went to Catholic church growing up- I'm over the whole Jesus thing." or "He wouldn't want to be with us on spring break if he knew what we were doing."

This overwhelming response confirmed something I've thought a lot about in planting this church, "What exactly have people rejected- Jesus or Religion?" That's nothing revolutionary, but it is when you think about the stewardship we have of deconstructing past biases against Jesus, and incarnating the Jesus who came into the world to love and save sinners.

As to the flyer- the cheap photoshopped Jesus with a college T and bottle may be thought provoking or sacrilegious, I'm not sure. But our point was to confront the idea, "Who have you rejected? Who does the Bible say Jesus is and what he is like?"

For those of you who are wondering where and why Jesus is called a drunk... Matthew 11. In the text, he's called a drunk for 2 reasons: 1) He drank alcohol 2) He spent time with people who drank... a lot. I never really heard that in Sunday school. Jesus' point is that self-righteous people will never be happy, regardless of the lengths God goes to rescue people.

Back to earth... (below)

With the snow thawing, the kids pulled these (important) flags out of the yard. They must've been worried for my safety. You can never be too safe on the road. It's not just scooters that need flags...
I wonder how many times I've referred to myself as an "idiot" on this blog. Justifiably so. At least I remembered all the kids...
This week influenza is making its rounds. I've been sick for 4 days and still laid up. Cameron is being a trooper here, trying to keep Beck entertained with "Diary of a Wimpy Kid."

This is a very safe position. You just can't teach that in driver's ed.

Back to my movie watching... in the queue right now- The Pacific (disc 2)

Santa Claus is coming to town

Here are some thoughts from Bruce on Santa...

And some even better thoughts from Driscoll...

http://blog.marshillchurch.org/2010/12/13/what-we-tell-our-kids-about-santa-pastor-mark-for-the-washington-post/

Imago Dei

Today I was driving down a fairly busy four lane highway, when a driver a few cars ahead of me decided to randomly slam on his brakes. The next car quickly responded with brakes and swerving.

I had to make a quick choice... rear end the car in front of me at a high speed or risk it- hitting the brakes and swerving into the left lane, hoping for an opening in that lane.

I swerved, barely missing the car in front of me.

As I passed the stopped cars to my right, I saw the reason for the mayhem...

A Dog.

Are you kidding me? For the love of humanity- hit the animal!

Whatever you do, don't get yourself and others killed trying to avoid... a dog. Nobody wants to be responsible for hitting Max the Retriever, but nobody really wants to be responsible for saving a dog and killing a human. They teach that in driver's ed. Back in high school, a kid in Omaha was paralyzed when he swerved to miss a squirrel.

I drove by the madness on the road, then I recalled a conversation with my philosophy professor back in the day.

I was talking to him about the moral argument for God's existence, which I consider the most intuitive (i.e. It's naturally obvious) of the classical arguments. I asked him if he thought there would be a moral obligation in the following scenario: A house is on fire and you can save the baby or the dog. Are you morally obligated to save the baby? If so, where does this sense of "ought" come from? Is it mere preference and/or socialization, or moral obligation based on something outside of us. And something in us.

It made me think of the aforementioned scenario on the highway.

If a child were to wander out onto the highway, there would be an obligation to brake, swerve or whatever to avoid the child. But not in the case of a dog, cat, deer, raccoon, or bird (btw: two of my coolest roadkill- a hawk and coyote).

The difference, of course, is that we we're made in the "imago dei"... image of God. His fingerprint is on us. We have souls. We are eternal beings, and although we have some things in common with animals, a dog will never watch a sunset in awe of its Maker. A dog cannot lift its paws in worship or sing a hymn of praise. It cannot repent and surrender its will.

Nor can it blog about its experience of almost getting killed on the road.

All said and done- I'm glad the dog is still alive. But I'm more glad that I'm still alive.

Cue Pearl Jam.

Book List

I told some guys I've been mentoring I would give them a book list. Fellas, here you go...

1. Mere Christianity (CS Lewis)- If I only had one book next to the Dangerous Book, I'd take this one. Also, read all the Chronicles of Narnia, as they will expand your imagination.

2. Desiring God (John Piper)- This created a Copernican revolution in my theology back in '97.

3. The Knowledge and the Holy and...

4. The Pursuit of God (AW Tozer)- My grandpa Bill used to quote large chunks of Tozer to me. Tozer is in the "mystic" category, but your soul will expand reading Tozer.

5. The Supremacy of God in preaching (Piper)- If you're planning on preaching

6. Working the Angles (Eugene Peterson)- If you're going into ministry, this will remind you of the balance you need.

7. In Harm's Way (Doug Stanton) and Endurance (Alfred Lansing)- got me into historical non-fiction, WW2 history, and challenged me to love adventure, risk, and not giving up.

8. Systematic Theology (Wayne Grudem)- This is a must have resource

9. The Life You've Always Wanted (John Ortberg)- some lighter reading to mix in with the deeper stuff. You'll find this refreshing and helpful as you learn what ingredients go in to life with God. Disciplines of a Godly Man (Kent Hughes) is also good on disciplines.

10. Purity Principle (Randy Alcorn)- most concise and best book on purity

11. How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth (Fee & Stuart)- Bible interpretation 101

12. Let the Nations be Glad (Piper)... the first sentence of the book is worth the price of the book. "Missions is not the chief end of the church, worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't." Too many people without a heart for the nations are in ministry. This book will help you get off on the right foot. But having taken Perspectives... you already are!

13. Turning Points (Noll)- a primer on church history.

14. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God and...

15. Knowing God (Packer)- doctrine of God (Theology Proper)

16. Shepherding a Child's Heart (Tripp)- this is for when you "grow up" and have a family. It's the best book on parenting

17. Pilgrim's Progress (Bunyan)- one of the all time best sellers

18. Master Plan of Evangelism (Coleman)

Books I'm ashamed to say I haven't read- but are in the dock:

1. The Cost of Discipleship (Jeff Dodge and Ed Noble will not be happy about this... I'm on it!)

2. Magician's Nephew (last book in the Narnia series... or first book, however you look at it)

3. Confessions (Augustine). I've read it once. I put it on the list because I'm ashamed I haven't read it more than once.

4. Institutes of the Christian Religion (Calvin)- maybe I'll read this in another life

5. The Divine Conspiracy (Dallas Willard)- I'm about half way through. The hardest part about this book is figuring out what not to underline.

6. Anything by Tim Keller (ouch!!!). Reason for God, here we come!

Alright, fellas, in 15 minutes, that's the best I can come up with. I'll add to this list as I think of more. Remember Ecclesiastes 12:11-12, "The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails- given by on Shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body."

Thank you, Dallas

In high school, I was told to read books like The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer and Knowing God by J.I. Packer and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard.

Apparently my youth pastors shouldn't have been youth pastors (i.e. Ed, John...). There was probably more age appropriate books out there.

But as I read these books, I may not have gotten them, but I knew there was gold in them. So I kept digging.

To this day if I could only have one book next to the Bible, I'd pick Mere Christianity. That should be a post of its own. Related to that is why we should read a few books a lot rather than many books once.

But the Dallas Willard book really troubled me. I knew he was saying something profound that I really couldn't quite explain. Over the years Willard has become more popular, and people have sought to regurgitate him in more understandable ways. His thoughts on the kingdom are brilliant. When I finally "got" Willard, it was a Copernican revolution close to the scale of when I "got" what John Piper was saying about the glory of God.

Where is this going?

I came across a Willard article that could've saved me a lot of time. It's a cogent article on his thoughts on evangelism, discipleship, heaven/hell, pluralism, etc... Click here for the whole thing, or here are some sound bites...

On evangelism...

Much of evangelism today is rooted in a misunderstanding of salvation. People have been told they are Christians because they have confessed they believe that Jesus died for their sins, but the total package is presented in such a way that it leaves the general life untouched.

Biblically, salvation means deliverance; the question is, "Deliverance from what?" The common message is "deliverance from guilt." But the full concept of salvation in the New Testament isdeliverance from our present sins. Deliverance from sins comes from the new life of God’s Kingdom when we place our confidence in Jesus the person.

The problem is that we have been obsessed with this idea that the real issue is "making the cut" to get to heaven. We have taken the discipleship out of conversion.

I am uncomfortable with the distinction between evangelism and discipleship. What we call evangelism is often nothing more than soul-winning. Evangelism has come to mean getting people "across the line." It operates according to a model of providing goods and services that has nothing to do with Christlikeness.

The real question is, How do you do "evangelism-discipleship?" My short answer: You ravish people with the blessings of the Kingdom. You make them hungry for it. That’s why words are so important—we must be wordsmiths. You use words to ravish people with the beauty of the kingdom. It’s the beauty of the kingdom that Jesus said was causing people to climb over each other just to get in. People become excited like the pearl-purchaser—they will give everything to get in.

On discipleship...

My definition: A disciple is a person who has decided that the most important thing in their life is to learn how to do what Jesus said to do. A disciple is not a person who has things under control, or knows a lot of things. Disciples simply are people who are constantly revising their affairs to carry through on their decision to follow Jesus.

On pluralism...

If somebody says to me, "What name would you give by which I might be saved?" I’m not going to say, "Buddha." I’ll say Jesus. Someone may say to me, "I know a Buddhist who is going to heaven." I will say, "Good luck."...I always say, if you’ve got someone who honestly is better than Jesus, trust them. And if you don’t, trust him. By all means, don’t trust yourself, because you’re the one who’s got the problem.

Peter Kreeft

Friday night I had the privilege of eating dinner with Peter Kreeft, one of the great Christian philosophers of our day (pronounced Krayft, as in "Beethoven"). Pictured below...Me, Pete, Alex, and Dan.

Here's what I learned from the conversation:

Kreeft came across as a black and white guy, which I didn't fully expect. Alex, a brilliant guy in his own right, and Kreeft discussed how hard we should be on Karl Marx. Kreeft put the deaths of 100 million people on him, while Alex encouraged us to learn something from what he had to say. They also got into a similar discussion about Rousseau, who I know little about.

When I asked Kreeft what he thought about the new atheist movement (Hitchens, Dawkins, etc), he dismissed them and their arguments as unoriginal. "If you want to read a real atheist with consistent arguments, read Nietzche." I asked what modern books are must reads if we want to understand modern thought and he dismissed them all. He basically said that although they are marketable and appeal to the masses, they don't hold a candle to the philosophical rigor of previous thinkers. He said there's nothing quite as brilliant as Locke and Kant, and modern minds just can't appreciate it.

I disagreed with him.

I said, "I'm pretty sure that the contemporaries of Locke and Kant probably had a hard time reading them as well. When I read "Critique of Pure Reason" and "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" in college, they were almost unreadable. It's said of Kantian philosophers that they are angry people." Alex had my back with Kant, saying that even Germans read Kant's translated essays in English, because they are so difficult in German. But Alex wasn't much help on defending Locke, because he's an expert on him.

Kreeft basically said, "Your generation watches too much TV and doesn't have the mental capacity for it."

He's probably right.

I should wrap this up so I can get back to the Olympics...

Other things I found interesting:

He had never heard of Mark Driscoll.

He hates computers.

He thinks part of the hope for unity in the church is a "charismatic experience." He said the last 3 popes were all baptized in the spirit and performed exorcisms.

He said he's Catholic, not Jesuit, "The Jesuits are like Yankee fans, there are a few good ones."

Regarding Lent fast... "Last year I gave up alcohol, but I found times where some Scotch would've been nice to wash down a bad taste in my mouth. So this year I've gone to increasing alms to the poor. This has made more sense."

Why Evangelicals are often quicker to embrace him than Catholics... he said he always tries to emphasize "Mere Christianity", as C.S. Lewis did.

He thinks preaching should be more narrative and story based than systematic and expositional. "Who wouldn't choose Matthew over Romans?" he asked.

He called his spiritual life, "messy and unorganized, just like everyone else's."

Overall, this guy is brilliant and did a masterful job speaking at our Veritas forum. I could count all the "and um you knows" on no fingers. Filler words were noticeably absent. Every word was profound and perfectly placed. It was an honor to hang out with a man that we will look back on as one of the greatest Christian thinkers and most prolific writers. Period.

She's got a point

Wow, this was a great commentary on the Super Bowl ad with Tim Tebow: click here.

Props to Ed for the vine.

Week in Review

This is why we have so many kids... someone's got to grind the wheat. He's wearing ear protection. You never know when OSHA is going to show up. Actually our wheat grinder is super loud.

This is what I listened to on my laptop while cleaning the kitchen on my day off. Tim Keller, one of the brilliant minds (and pastors) of our day.

Our kids didn't do the best job of taking care of their frog. It shriveled up in the bottom of the bucket. Dehydration can't be a fun way to go.

A boy's jackpot.

The young guns
Makai playing dead

Grandma Marge holding Jett. What a legacy Grandma is leaving for our family... she is praying for all of her offspring to follow Christ until the day he returns.

Beck at Papa Jack and Grandma Linda's in Omaha last weekend.
For my weekly ministry report, click here. In this picture, Jeff Dodge is teaching church history as a part of Cornerstone's school of theology.

Apologetics Jackpot

If you have a question about the faith, click here for the "Ultimate Apologetics MP3 Audio Page."

It's not a misnomer.

Thanks, challies.com for the vine.

How the class of 2013 thinks

With college ministry on my mind, this was a good read to remember my audience: Click here for the mindset of the class of 2013.

Props for the vine: Johnnie's email-> WORLD mag -> Ed Stetzer -> Smart peeps from Beloit College

Cha Ching

I hit the jackpot today.

I was looking for something to engage my mind as I was cleaning the floors and windows when I stumbled upon Peter Kreeft's website. Click here for some mind calisthenics.

What better to break the monotony of our often brain dead cultural routines than some thoughts from a great Catholic philosopher? There are a lot of great downloads on the audio page for different topics that might pique your interest (i.e. pro-life arguments, C.S. Lewis insights, sex, heaven, arguments for God's existence...a little something for everyone).

Here's the opening page of the website...

Augustine tells of a vision of seeing a little boy at a beach scooping up the ocean thimbleful by thimbleful and emptying it out on the sand. Then he sees an angel who tells him that this boy will have emptied out the entire ocean long before Augustine has exhausted what can be said about God.

This site's Featured Writings and Featured Audio about the ocean of God's love are only a few thimblefuls. No—less. For God's love is literally infinite. It is the shoreless sea we are destined to swim in, surf in, and grow in forever.

Under the Mercy,

Peter J. Kreeft

I just found out that he will likely be our speaker for the Veritas Forum that we'll be hosting at Iowa State in February. I'm looking forward to spending some time with him and being a sponge for a couple bitterly cold Iowa days.

Here's the youtube link I listened to while cleaning the floors. There's not really much to watch, just visualization stuff...

On a philosophically related note- For those of you who remember Plato's "forms", I saw this car and cracked up. It's the car I drew as an artistically challenged first grader. It's the purest and most ideal form of "car".

Dads, this is a must listen

I got kicked in the butt with this message. It's especially challenging to dads. Man up and listen.

Potpourri of Thoughts...

What truly defines a word- its etymology or its usage?

In French "pot pourri" is literally a "rotten pot"

In modern English it's a mixture of flowers, herbs and spices kept in a jar and used for scent

I'll let you decide...this post is a potpourri of thoughts from last week.

OLD TESTAMENT CLASS

I've been enjoying this class that Alex Tuckness has been teaching. It's one of many classes our church offers to equip the next generation of up and coming leaders. I've enjoyed being forced to read large chunks of scripture all at one time. I'm plagued by the "devotional reader" complex. There's something about my mind that will only read the Bible slowly, in a meditative way. This is mostly good. But the inherent weakness of such reading is that you miss the big picture. You end up staring at a single tree, and missing the beauty of the forest, as it were. I have seen the centrality of the book of Deuteronomy. If there's one OT book to master, that's it. I love what Alex said, "Basically the rest of the OT can be summarized, 'Moses wasn't kidding.'" If you haven't understood Deuteronomy, then the Psalms, Proverbs, Prophets, and history books won't make much sense. I also enjoyed a jet tour of Joshua. In my mind, it seemed to be to the OT what Acts is to the NT... God powerfully on the move. 

Do it again, God, in our day.

LEATHA FOUNDATION ORPHANAGE

We just got a great update from the orphanage. This will get a separate post, but I'm having trouble with our scanner, so it will have to wait. Pictures always tell a thousand words. But here's a sample from one of the enclosed letters, "Dear my parents in the Lord. I am Deborah Paundi 11 years old, schooling at Milepa...I lost my parents 3 years ago both father and mother. Since my parents died I had no hope for my future, especially for school and my daily living. But since Leatha Foundation started in 2006 it has come to my rescue, because I am receiving food, cloth, soap, pens, books and blankets which makes my life change many things...I always pray for the poeple who are supporting Leatha foundation. May God bless you all."

That blessing is for all of you who have given generously for the orphanage. May God hear her prayer for you. I'm confident He does- there's a special place in His heart for them. (Ex. 22:22-24)

HEADBAND

I bought Leatha a headband for Valentines Day from this website (click here). She loved it! Fellas, you might want to check this out. The main thing is to do something for your wife that required some thought and planning. I'm no expert on these things, but I was a blind squirrel that found a nut this year...

BIG FAMILIES

Interesting article in the NY Times on big families, which I happen to be a fan of (big families that is, not the NY Times. Click here for the article) Great thought: "Lifestyles are expensive, not kids." Props to Challies Dot Com for the vine. 

PANDORA

Check out www.pandora.com if you haven't yet. It's free and customized radio based on what you like. Just type in a band you like and, "tahdah" you'll be listening to a bunch of music you'll probably enjoy.

SALT COMPANY

Well, once again Alex took us to the depths of the Mariana Trench of the Bible this week with Romans 11. He did a great job, once again. I'm glad he was willing to take 9 and 11 for me. But to be honest I'm looking forward to coming up for air with the rest of the book. Romans 12 has the biggest "therefore" in the whole Bible.

ANTHEM SONGWRITING

The team is writing some really cool songs these days. However, today's practice reminded me of how difficult it is for a song to come together and truly hit its "sweet spot." It's a unique thing when the content, melody line and musical style perfectly collide to produce an "encounter," for lack of a better word. The Anthem band will be leading worship in the auditorium at Cornerstone next weekend, where we'll present some of the new songs.

Just a few days ago we decided to push the live Anthem recording to be on the last TSC of the semester (April 30). There will be two services in the Cornerstone auditorium at 7 and 9. It's going to be an amazing night. The Willow Creek Association is interested in marketing all the Cornerstone Christmas productions and original Anthem music, so we hope the blessing of what God is doing here will reach more people. His will be done. 

Expelled

On Monday I did my typical routine... got a text message from redbox with my free DVD rental. So I watched Expelled.

This movie is worth seeing. It's a little polarizing (comparisons to Nazi Germany), and certainly not the whole story, but it exposes the ridiculous suppression of truth ("damned nonsense" as C.S. Lewis calls it) that goes on in academia. I was surprised to find a friend that was in it... Guillermo Gonzalez. He was a part of our church and recently "expelled" from Iowa State.

My O.T./N.T. prof...Hector Avalos. I also did an independent study with him on my topic, "An essay concerning Jonathan Edward's biblical exegesis in 'The End for Which God Created the World.'" Although Dr. Avalos is a prosletyzing atheist, I consider him a friend and a man with crazy knowledge about the ancient near east.
And last but (or and...) least my physics prof- John Hauptman. I didn't get to know him well, but he seemed like a nice guy. But his quotes in the movie were blatantly hostile to faith.
Where do we go from here?

If you're a young person with an inclination toward science- strive to be the next Newton or Kepler or Einstein. Do science with all your might and remember the chief end of all science is the glory of God. Cherish Psalm 19. And remember that as a scientist, you are merely "following the faithfulness of God in all things." (to loosely quote AW Tozer in Knowledge of the Holy)

If you're a schmo... pray and love people. Don't try to win arguments. Don't throw down your "pearls of knowledge" on intellectuals. But don't think the truth is unknowable. "The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple." Ps. 19

If you're a Christian apologist...don't deny this fact- believing in a Creator God is an issue of faith (Hebrews 11:3 "By faith we believe God created the world...").

Kids are better than expendable income

Recently I was introduced to someone as a family man who "has 4 kids."

The guy's first response, "Sucker."

Amazed at his audacity, I gave a polite, awkward laugh at his absurd comment. I thought, "I'll give him the benefit of the doubt."

Then his pity toward me continued, "I happen to enjoy my expendable income."

Now that's brilliant. Unfortunately, it's the genius of humanity when overcome by narcissism. Look at Europe- they're paying people to have children. (I'll save this rant for another post...)

I took these pictures today. We've got some awesome neighbor friends who are great at sharing toys. This picture of Cameron and Beck in the pimped out Escalade made me think of this guy's comments.

What is worth more? At the end of the day, what brings greater joy?

The toy or the kid?

I had Beck clinging to my leg as we rode around the neighborhood on the skateboard thinking, "Does life get any better?" I have a feeling I'll reminisce about these days. Sometimes I don't appreciate it as much as I should. Sometimes the hard work of raising kids seems overwhelming. Sometimes an expendable income appears more worth it.

But my sanity is restored when I stop and think about the stupidity of selfishness. A self centered universe doesn't look so brilliant on one's death bed. The fact is, everyone wants to look back on their life and see a trail of righteousness- whether it's children and grandchildren who love Jesus- or people who you've impacted.

At the end of our lives, one thing is for sure, our expendable income is the last thing that will matter.

To singles and young families- let me give a plug for having as many kids as you can handle. Close your ears to the world, which screams (with every billboard, commercial,...), "How will you enjoy your life if you let 2, 4, 5 or 10 kids get in the way of your pleasure?" and hear the words of God, "Children are a blessing from me." see Psalm 127: 3-5.

Don't believe the prevailing cultural nonsense about you being the center of the universe. Our purpose on planet earth is much bigger than trinkets and toys.

Get to a theater on April 18th

A friend of mine here at Iowa State University, an astrophysics professor, was recently hanged on the gallows of modern academia and scholarship.

Guillermo Gonzalez was recently denied tenure in spite of the fact that he more than met all of the requirements for tenure. Moreover, his appeals fell on deaf ears from the president and regents. His colleagues in the physics department emailed each other and conspired against him from the beginning. The regents refused to look at these in his appeal.

I may feel this more than most Americans simply because my job revolves around the university environment. But there is no doubt- the ideas that rule in the university will shape the world for better or for worse.

I recently saw this movie trailer that everyone should see. That's a pretty sweeping statement, but I believe it to be true.

It's not a "Christian" movie, it's an honest look at the persecution that's happening to those who hold to "intelligent design."

Check out the documentary by Ben Stein, Expelled, in theaters April 18th.