Chronological Reading of Passion Week

(HT:  Ryan Kelly)

Awkward

Another beauty from Awkward Family Photos. 

A YouTube Symphony

Click here to experience an interesting use of technology and music. 

Be Freed To Mourn

Bob Hyatt:

This Good Friday, allow the grief to seep deep down into your bones, into your bowels. Meditate on the wounds, the suffering, and the deep, deep love of Christ. Allow the tears to well up from the pit of your being, escape your eyes, and roll down your face. Let the sobs rock your body. Leave the Good Friday service in silence. Extend your mourning through the night and into Saturday. Leave the TV off. Wear black. Refuse to medicate, distract, or otherwise soothe yourself. Mourn. Grieve.

If you do this, as the sun rises on Sunday, you will finally know what Easter is all about. 

Read the rest.

How to pray for churches in Juárez, Mexico

Where I sit right now in Albuquerque, NM is just a mere four hours away from what many have said is the most dangerous city in the world right now: Juarez, Mexico.  The accounts of the atrocities taking place there because of drug war violence are staggering.  Dave Harvey has a great post today on how to pray for the many churches in Juarez that are being affected right now by the violence.  He writes:

You may have seen reports of the murders of three people associated with the U.S. Consulate in Juárez, Mexico, earlier this month. Sadly, these are among the latest of thousands of murders in the city of Juárez and elsewhere in Mexico as the country battles drug traffickers. The weekend of the Consulate shootings, 28 other people were murdered in Juárez alone. Stunning doesn’t quite capture it; it’s devastating, a social shock to the people of Juárez.

We recently received some updates and prayer requests from Iglesia Gracia Soberana de Cd. Juárez, the Sovereign Grace church in that city, and wanted to pass them along to you. Will you join us in praying for believers in Juárez?

Read the rest.

Easter Reading from Crossway

    * Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross edited by Nancy Guthrie
    * Raised with Christ by Adrian Warnock
    * Scandalous: The Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus by D. A. Carson
    * Death By Love by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
    * Doctrine (particularly chpt 8 & 9) by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
    * Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper
    * In My Place Condemned He Stood by Packer, Dever, and Duncan
    * The Heart of the Cross by Ryken and Boice
    * Precious Blood edited by Richard Phillips
    * The Passion of Christ and the Purpose of Life by Adrian Rogers

iDolatry

Dustin Neely with a good reflection on how to diagnose idolatry in your heart especially when it comes to the newest gadgets.  He writes:

"Do I get an iPad or not?" That is the question many are asking these days.

With the pending release of Apple's newest "magical and revolutionary device," April 3 has become the new December 25 for many. Adults everywhere, techies or not, are salivating for this new gadget like Ralphie for his Red Ryder BB gun.

In the process of determining whether or not I should take the plunge myself, I have begun asking some questions that might also help you in your process of prayerful evaluation. In fact, my hope is that they serve you well beyond this particular purchase but for others as well.

His three questions are:

1. Is this a tool or a toy?

2. What's the posture of my heart toward this device?

3. Is this a wise financial move?

Read his post to see how he fleshes these out.

More LOST Links

Trevin Wax:

• Chris Seay thinks it’s about Jacob and Esau, a theory I’ve long considered, although I’m wavering now.
• Amy Hall on the show’s vacillation between a God of grace and a God of judgment.
• Nancy Guthrie on the show’s portrayal of earning forgiveness.
• Philip thinks the show is telling the mythological story of Lilith. This proposal has some merit.
• Oscar Dahl thinks that the point of LOST is that there is no point. We’re all lost.
• Here’s what I think. This show better not end with someone waking up from a bad dream. That worked for Newhart. But I think I would pull my hair out if it’s the ending of LOST.

Emphasizing Ministry in the City

Tim Keller:

So my point is -- that far more churches, far more Christians, and far more missions should be dedicated to reaching the great cities of the world. That is not the same as saying 'anyone who is really sold out for Jesus' mission will go to cities.'

Read the rest.

This Song is Cool

"A Star's Lament" - Take a listen here. 

Buy the whole record here. 

Looking for Paradise

Mark Driscoll:

The next time you are standing in line at a store, take a moment to look at the covers of the magazines on the rack. Each cover presents a picture of some sort of heavenly life. There is vacation heaven, fishing heaven, hunting heaven, pet heaven, entertainment heaven, sex heaven, bridal heaven, nicely organized home heaven, baby heaven, and so on. The articles in the magazines speak of life in hellish terms but offer functional saviors to take us from our hellish life to our heavenly one if we just obey the steps and buy the products.

The question persists, however, why? Why do we live for the endless pursuit of heavenly perfection on earth, and spend our hard-earned money relentlessly pursuing that perfect place, perfect thing, perfect person, or that perfect day? Perhaps all of our toys, hobbies, home improvement projects, festivals, parties, toys, joys, and vacations are simply our way of looking for paradise and practicing for heaven.

Read the rest.

Fundamentals of the Gospel

Gospel 101 from Sojourn Community Church on Vimeo.

(HT: Steve McCoy)

LOST and the Bible

Another interesting take on LOST and all the "revelations" that we received thus far this season.

Powerful Powerlessness

The man who is utterly powerless is powerful (Matt 27:32-40). Matthew provides ample evidence to demonstrate just how weak and powerless Jesus is. Victims were crucified completely naked: the cross was meant to be an instrument of shame as well as of pain. So the soldiers gamble to determine who will gain possession of Jesus’ clothing. As the soldiers keep watch, Jesus has no hope, none whatsoever, of rescue. Then comes the mockery that shows the significance of these evidences of Jesus’ weakness and powerlessness. If we are going to understand why Matthew reports these words, we must remember that the theme of Jesus’ destruction of the temple has already been introduced—he had said he would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days.

Jesus claimed so much power; now witness his powerlessness. So in light of his claim, they say “save yourself”—which of course they utter ironically, since they are convinced he his helpless and cannot do a thing to help himself. Jesus’ claims are somewhere between ridiculous and scandalous—and they deserve to be mocked.

But the apostles know, and the readers of the Gospels know, and God knows, that Jesus’ demonstration of power is displayed precisely in the weakness of the cross. Because we read John’s Gospel, especially John 2, we know what Jesus actually said on this subject: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (2:19). According to John, Jesus’ opponents did not have a clue what he meant; indeed, Jesus’ own disciples had no idea, at the time, what he meant. But after Jesus was raised from the dead, John says, the disciples remembered his words; they believed the Scripture and the words Jesus had spoken. They knew he was talking about his body (vv. 20–22). The point is that under the terms of the old covenant, the temple was the great meeting-place between a holy God and his sinful people. This was the place of sacrifice, the place of atonement for sin. But this side of the cross, where Jesus by his sacrifice pays for our sin, Jesus himself becomes the great meeting-place between a holy God and his sinful people; thus he becomes the temple, the meeting-place between God and his people. It is not as if Jesus in his incarnation adequately serves as the temple of God. That is a huge mistake. Jesus says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” It is in Jesus’ death, in his destruction, and in his resurrection three days later, that Jesus meets our needs and reconciles us to God, becoming the temple, the supreme meeting-place between God and sinners. To use Paul’s language, we do not simply preach Christ; rather, we preach Christ crucified.

- D.A. Carson, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus (RE: Lit), p. 20-23

Forget April, March is Really the Cruelest Month

Jon Busch:

How excited do I get about March Madness? Each year, as I fill out my bracket I find myself humming the Christmas tune “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” I arrange my schedule and, if necessary, cancel social events to ensure that I can watch as many games as possible. I listen to Dick Vitale’s commentary and find no hint of exaggeration or obnoxiousness; on the contrary, Dick has the unique ability to verbalize everything I am feeling deep in my heart as I watch these games.

What is it about the NCAA tournament that makes it arguably the most exciting sporting event of the year? Maybe it’s that everyone in your office from the ex-jock salesman to the 75-year-old receptionist has the chance to win a couple hundred bucks and bragging rights for an entire year. But more than this, I think what makes March Madness such a spectacle its inherent cruelty.

His conclusion:

This year has delivered the most insane tournament in recent memory, with two number five seeds (including the adorable Butler Bulldogs) reaching the Final Four. Even if you’ve never watched a college basketball game in your life, I whole-heartedly recommend that you tune in Saturday at 6 p.m. EST and let the madness take you in.

Read the whole thing.   

Challies on Reading

Tim Challies:

More than any other question that comes in via email, I'm asked this one: "How do you read so much?" While granting that I do read a lot, I think it bears mention that there are lots of people who read as much as I do or a lot more. The difference is that I write about what I'm reading, so you're more aware of it than you are with most of these voracious readers.

Every year or so I sit down to write out a few thoughts on reading. I'm doing so again today, offering a few thoughts on how you can read more and read better. This is adapted from a list I created a couple of years ago. Actually, what I'll do is write today about how to read more and read more widely and then tomorrow we'll work on reading better.

Read the rest of his helpful thoughts.  

Firefighters Are For Weak People

David Dorr:

Recently a firefighter in our church was told by one of his colleagues that belief in Jesus was for weak people.  I found that ironic coming from a firefighter.

I have a fire hydrant  in our side yard.  I have never looked at the fire hydrant and felt any shame.  I drive by a firehouse everyday.  I never think, “If this community didn’t have weak people than we would never have firehouses.”  Every month when I pay my property taxes, that go towards financing fire departments, I never get angry at myself, thinking, “if I could just handle fire myself I wouldn’t have to write this check.”

Imagine a person whose house was on fire.  The fire is raging out of control and the fire truck pulls up, sirens blaring.  The person runs out of his house in a rage and says, “How dare you come to my house and think that I can’t handle this fire myself! Firefighters are for weak people, not for me.”

What would you think of someone like that? Insane.

Read the rest.

BTW - David is an A29 pastor and has a great new blog.  You should subscribe to it.  

Five Ways to Make Passion Week Count With Your Kids

Here.

Reflections on my Recording Today

Recording is hard. It's like standing naked in front of the mirror. Not fun and you are painfully aware of all your little imperfections. Mentally it is very hard to concentrate and give it your best effort for 5-6 hours. All in all it went well. We recorded 8 tunes and I hope to be able to release all eight. We took three takes of each tune and I'll just pick the best one.

Here was the set list:

1. Come As You Are (Nirvana, my jazz arrangement)
2. Message in a Bottle (The Police, my jazz arrangement)
3. Solar (Miles Davis)
4. La Belle Dame Sans Regrets (Sting)
5. Beautiful Love (Victor Hugo)
6. Black Nile (Wayne Shorter)
7. Nardis (Miles Davis)
8. The Face of Love (Esbjörn Svensson)

Stay tuned for more info on how you can pick up your copy from AmazonMP3.com.

Provocative Question That Needs To Be Pondered

No Blogging Today

I am spending the day doing a new jazz recording.  Pray it goes well!  Hopefully I'll be releasing this exclusively on-line in the next few weeks.  More info coming soon.

Good Advice For Those Who Aspire To Anything

Seth Godin:

Publishing books to make money...

is a little like hanging out in a singles bar if you want to get married.

It might work, but there are way better ways to accomplish your goal.

If you love writing or making music or blogging or any sort of performing art, then do it. Do it with everything you've got. Just don't plan on using it as a shortcut to making a living.

The only people who should plan on making money from writing a book are people who made money on their last book. Everyone else should either be in it for passion, trust, referrals, speaking, consulting, change-making, tenure, connections or joy.

Free Chapter from "Doctrine" by Mark Driscoll

Click here to get a free chapter on worship from Mark Driscoll's new book, Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe (RE: Lit: Vintage Jesus)

Some Clarity on Health Care and Abortion

Kathleen Parker:

It is telling that the nation's largest abortion provider - Planned Parenthood - is claiming "victory" because "we were able to keep the Stupak abortion ban out of the final legislation and President Obama did not include the Stupak language in his executive order."

Several supporters of the bill have argued that this debate is otherwise irrelevant because abortions aren't performed at CHCs. While currently true, this doesn't mean that CHCs wouldn't like to offer abortion among their reproductive services.

Under the new law, they can. There's nothing to stop them.

Here's why. By statute, CHCs are required to provide all "required primary health care services," defined to include "health services related to ... obstetrics or gynecology that are furnished by physicians."

Federal courts long have held that when a statute requires provision of health services under such broad categories, then the statute must be construed to include abortion unless it explicitly excludes it. Voila.

One may believe that poor women should have affordable access to abortion. This is a reasonable position and it likely will be the outcome as a result of this bill. But it is not what Americans have been led to believe is true, nor is it what most want. A 2009 Quinnipiac University poll found that 72 percent of Americans oppose public funding for abortion.

Prediction: Abortions will be performed at CHCs, you can bet your foreclosed mortgage on that. There was always a will by this administration, and now there's a way.

Read the rest. 

Paul Tripp Addresses Sin and New Beginnings in Marriage

This is a very encouraging word.

Paul Tripp- Adultery and new beginnings from Crossway on Vimeo.

Update on Matt Chandler

The Character of Your Marriage is Built in 10,000 Little Moments

Paul Tripp- what he has learned through marriage from Crossway on Vimeo.

John Calipari’s Leadership

Doug Wolter:

Great leaders see the potential in people and empower them to become the best they can be.  They create a leadership culture within their organization that attracts other leaders to them.  Take Kentucky basketball coach, John Calipari for example.  Prior to the NCAA Tournament, Calipari sat down with each of his players individually and had the same conversation with each one:

“Tell me what you look like when you’re playing your best,” he said he told them. “Let’s really be specific. What are you doing? What does it look like?”
After each player answered, Calipari said something that surprised many of them: “As your coach, how can I help you be that player?” (Eric Crawford, Courier Journal).

Do you see what he did right there?  He told his players to picture themselves playing at their fullest potential and then empowered them to get there with his help.  That’s good leadership.

We Shouldn't Be That Surprised... But Really?

Walt Mueller:

On Sunday night I stopped at a Kiosk in the Cincinnati airport to pick up something to eat. While standing at the register I scanned the magazine rack behind the cashier to see if there was anything interesting that might catch my eye. My eyes stopped on the cover of the March 2010 edition of Maxim. Here's what I saw. . . .

What caught my eye was the text towards the top right side of the cover. It seems the only thing Tiger Woods did wrong was get caught.

Imagine what the fallout would have been if this cover and the accompanying article hit news stands thirty or forty years ago. We live in a different world. We've got our work cut out for us.

Film & Theology: The Top 5 Lectures from Mars Hill Church

Like me, many of you love to think theologically about movies.  If that is you, you might want to check out this post from the Resurgence blog. 

Pastor James Harleman leads Mars Hill's Lake City Campus. He also teaches classes on engaging culture and conducts monthly Film & Theology events at Mars Hill Church. Here are his top five Film & Theology lectures.

A Sermon on Psalm 1

I recently had the chance to preach to the college and young adult group at our church.  My text was Psalm 1:1-3.  Take a listen if you would like.  

Word and Deed

Timmy Brister has a great post concerning the Biblical connection between word and deed. His conclusion:

There is so much more that could be said about this relationship of word and deed ministry together, but I want to succinctly lay out some of the biblical rationale why I believe it is so important. We can err on either side, emphasizing one to the neglect of the other, but the mission entrusted to us by Jesus is one where the in-breaking of the kingdom is manifested through kingdom words and the realization of the kingdom is manifested through kingdom deeds. May we be faithful to both aspects of our mission!

Read the whole thing.

AmazonMP3 Daily Deal

Elephant
by The White Stripes
Price: $4.99

True Saving Faith - More Than Fire Insurance

True saving faith is not simply a matter of believing in Christ because you are afraid of going to hell; faith is not simply a matter of avoiding punishment where you do not have any desire to love and enjoy Christ. Rather, true saving faith means that you come to a deep, heartfelt conviction of how precious Christ is, and 'account all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord' (Philippians 3:8). You come to see Christ as all your salvation and happiness (Colossians 3:1).

True saving faith also means that you love every part of Christ's salvation - holiness as well as forgiveness of sins. It means that you earnestly desire God to 'create in you a clean heart and a right spirit' as well as 'hide his face from your sins' (Psalm 51:9-10). Do not be like those who care nothing about Christ at all, except to be delivered from hell. 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.' (Matthew 5:6)

- Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, p. 51

(HT:  Trinity Church Blog)

Adoption in Colorado

Great article here about how there is great headway taking place in Colorado to make a huge dent in the foster care numbers.  Check it out.

Orphaned in Haiti: What Your Church Can Do

Dan Cruver:

Your church now has the opportunity to partner with a Haitian church to care for Haiti’s orphaned and vulnerable children. Since they returned to the states, the Haiti Orphan Relief Team (HORT) has been diligently working on an executable plan that will provide U.S. churches with the opportunity to come alongside Haitian churches to serve Haiti’s orphaned and vulnerable children. The plan is called the “Haiti Orphan & Vulnerable Child (OVC) Program” (Download the PDF flyer). Here’s how your church can participate.

Biggest Delusion in Marriage—the Problem is Outside of Me, Not Inside

Paul Tripp's motivation to write "What Did You Expect?" from Crossway on Vimeo.

On The Executive Order for Abortion in Health Care

USA Today:

Both sides in the abortion debate came to a rare agreement on Wednesday: The executive order on abortion signed by President Obama, they said, was basically meaningless.

"A transparent political fig leaf," according to the National Right to Life Committee's Douglas Johnson.

"A symbolic gesture," said Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards....

Obama agreed to issue the order to placate a group of House Democrats who oppose abortion rights, led by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-MI. They had demanded that the health care bill include specific language banning any use of government funds or tax subsidies for abortions....

Now, no one's happy.

Richards says the order only "codifies" what's already in the bill. Although she said she's pleased women can pay for coverage of abortions on their own, she regrets that a "pro-choice president" signed the order.

Johnson lashed out at Stupak and those who voted for the health care bill, calling them "lawmakers who in the end cared more about pleasing the powerful (House) speaker from San Francisco than their pro-life constituents."

The White House is looking to move on. Obama signed the order Wednesday behind closed doors, and Gibbs was reluctant to discuss the controversial issue at his daily news briefing....

An Update on iMonk

Read here and pray for this family.

What A Finish!!!

March Madness resumes tonight. Hoping for more highlights like this tonight!

An Adoption Story

The adoption story of Hannah Li Renee Lietzau. Hear how Jason and Melody Lietzau decided to adopt a baby with a heart condition from China.

Haiti, 70 days later

More pics here. 

Some Perspective on the Health Care Bill

If you turn on Fox News you will hear about the political and social sky falling in our nation right now.  Maybe it is.  Maybe it isn't.  I honestly don't know enough about politics to have any sort of educated comment on matters of health care, the Constitution, or political process.  But what I do know is this.  Even with serious problems in our government, I am very thankful to live in the United States.

Yesterday I went to lunch with a buddy of mine who grew up in South Africa.  Basically the infrastructure of that country (like many other African nations) is seemingly broken beyond repair.  The whole system is corrupt and is more dysfunctional than any American could ever imagine.  My friend's parents still live there but have told him to never consider moving back since there is nothing there for him anymore.  My friend wants to work as hard as he can so that hopefully someday he can afford to move is parents away from South Africa.  We are surely blessed to live in this country. 

I don't believe that this dose of perspective should lead me to keep quiet about structures of evil in our country but we should keep in mind that we can be both thankful and resistant.  It's not an either/or.  I know that having a spirit of thankfulness will temper my resistance and perhaps infuse it with a winsome spirit that could be attractive to an on-looking culture.  Most people already think that Christians are angry, homosexual hating, and arrogant.  We need to push back against this assumption with gentleness, humility, and love. 

So speak and vote against Health Care if you believe it is harmful to our society (I'll always speak out against abortion) but just keep in mind you don't live in South Africa, Iraq, or North Korea.  We have much to be thankful for and let that spirit temper your speaking. 

Parental Controls for Kids Using Your Mac

Recently I let my oldest son have my 6 year old Mac laptop.  I know that our kids are going to grow up using computers all the time so I thought now is a great time to get started.  The sooner he can learn to type the better off he'll be.  Of course with computers and kids, parental controls are a huge deal and I am thankful that Apple computers come with some great built in features to make computer use safe for kids.

Here is a great article that breaks down how to set it up if you are Mac user and would like your kids to be able to have access to your computer or their own computer. 

I Dare You To Try This

Massan for Leader Bike from Dan Arel on Vimeo.

(HT: Chris)

Some Choices Are Just Wrong

A Salvo fake ad.

SNL with Justin Timberlake in 2 Minutes

This is pretty funny.   JT is a good entertainer.



(HT: Jon)

Adoption and Health Care Reform

Here is a good thing about health care reform from Jason Kovacs:

Good news for adoptive families from the health care bill signed into law. The adoption tax credit has been extended until the end of 2011 and increased from $12,170 to $13,170 for adoptions occurring after January 1, 2010 (it’s retroactive). The credit is also now refundable.

You can read the bills text on page 903 of 906 here.
 
USA Today’s brief analysis:
“Taxpayers who adopt children:  Effective in 2010, the bill makes the adoption credit refundable, increases the credit by $1,000 and extends the increased adoption credit through 2011.”

In The Land of Believers

Denny Burk has an extensive review of this very interesting new book:  In the Land of Believers: An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church.

Here is a summary of the book:

A secular Jew raised by a single mother in Berkeley, Welch became an outsider in a strange land when in 2002 she moved for graduate school to the heart of the Bible Belt near Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. She saw everything around her ironically, treated the South “as a joke” and her time there “as a kind of elaborate performance art project.” Then something miraculous happened. The jaded Californian began to like Virginia. She’d arrived to a Virginia on the verge of a demographic shift as a new, progressive population burgeoned. But she also grew to like the Old South—its manners, easygoing nature, and friendliness. She got serious, cast aside her cynicism, and sought to know her evangelical neighbors “as people.” Why did they think as they did? Why were they so determined “to convert non-Christian America?” She went “undercover” to attend Falwell’s church. The resultant portrayal of evangelicals as she sees them and of how she transcended the popular media caricatures of them constitute an insightful, frequently funny book. --June Sawyers

How Abortion is Killing the Democratic Party

Joe Carter:

Last night 219 members of in the House of Representatives proved what many of us have suspected for decades: Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton are the twin pillars of the Democratic Party. The refusal to prohibit federal funding of abortions in the health care bill shows that the Democratic leadership is either remarkably dedicated to the principle that woman should have the right to use federal funds to kill their unborn children or they are the dumbest politicians in history. However, if they truly support abortion on demand they should stand by that conviction no matter how many elections it will cost them. And as history has shown, it has cost them plenty—and will cost them many more.

Read the rest of this very interesting article.  

(HT:  T-Wax)

Quite A Contrast Between Prophets of Baal and Jesus

Jonathan Parnell:

And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention. (1 Kings 18:28-29)

Imagine that scene: 450 prophets of Baal, weeping and pleading, wounds all over their bodies with blood gushing out, exhausted and limping around an altar, hoping for Baal to show himself. Could it ever get any more gruesome that this? Imagine it. Could there ever be a scene more horrible than this?
 
Yes.

The only scene more gruesome than a crowd of people limping around an altar, wounded all over their body with blood gushing out , begging to see a god who doesn’t exist is the true God of the universe hanging on a cross, wounded all over his body with blood gushing out, showing his love to a people who don’t care.

The prophets of Baal begged their god,  “Answer us!” “Say something!” “Give some gesture!” “Please, do something!”

And the true God showed his love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. We didn’t ask him for that. We were sinners who didn’t care anything about God, we worshipped ourselves, we were dead in our sins. And it was precisely then that God showed himself. It was while we were still weak, at the right time, that Christ died for the ungodly.

Praise him.

Discipline Vs. Punishment

Michael Kelley with some good parenting thoughts here.

Effectively Responding to Moral Relativism

Josh Brahm:

While working last week with the Justice For All exhibit at Kennesaw State University, I got into a conversation with two students, Justin and Teesha, about moral relativism. There are few topics more difficult to discuss than moral relativism. This is partially because it’s a complicated topic already, but also because few people are open to changing their views on relativism. Even if a person is typically open-minded, the whole concept of relativism is that we can have differing views on a subject, yet we can both be right.

When I train students to respond to moral relativism, I tell them to start by asking a clarification question. Steve Wagner of JFA points out that there are two different types of relativism, so it’s best to ask, “do you believe morals are relative to individuals or cultures?”

If the person believes morals are relative to cultures, I’m going to ask, “then how can you judge the Nazi’s decision to slaughter the Jews?”

If the person believes morals are relative to individuals, I’m going to say, “then you can’t distinguish between a father who feeds his daughter and a father who molests his daughter, can you? They just have different preferences.”

I’m going to share with you an excerpt of my dialogue with Justin, in hopes that it will give you some “tools for your toolbox” to use the next time your friend says “morals are relative.”

Justin:   There is no such thing as objective truth.

Josh:    Is that a true statement?

Justin:   Well, it’s true for me.

Josh:    I understand that, but is it true for me too, or is it just true for you?

Justin:   I don’t know, but it’s definitely true for me. There are some things I believe are wrong, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong for everybody.

Josh:    Okay, well do you think we could agree that there are some things that are objectively wrong? Like rape, for example. Wouldn’t it be wrong for someone to rape Teesha?

Justin:   Well, it would be wrong for me.

Josh:    I understand that, but when I say ‘rape is wrong,’ I mean that there is something inherently evil about the act of rape itself. It seems that when you say ‘rape is wrong,’ you’re simply stating a personal preference.

Justin:   Yes, it’s wrong for me, but who am I to judge someone else?
(I could tell by Teesha’s body language that she was slowly coming to grips with the natural consequences of Justin’s worldview, and it was making her a little uncomfortable, but she didn’t say anything yet.)

Josh:    What about child prostitution? It happens all around the world. Can’t we at least agree that that’s really messed up?

Justin:   Well, I personally don’t think that’s right…

Josh:    Yeah, but some people do. Some people think it’s okay to sell little girls' bodies for sex with adult men. Isn’t that just wrong?

Justin:   Well, some people grow up with different parents and in a different culture than me. So I definitely wouldn’t do it, but who am I to judge another culture?

Josh:    I definitely agree people’s worldviews are partially shaped by their parents and culture, and that we should strive to think freely and clearly, and not just adopt whatever our parents taught us. (Justin nods approvingly.) But couldn’t an entire society be wrong about the “rightness” or “wrongness” of paying to have sex with 7-year-old girls?

Justin:   I think it’s wrong, but it might be right for them.
(Teesha interrupts that she disagrees with Justin. “Well I think that would be wrong!” she replied.)

Justin:   Something can be wrong to me, but that doesn’t make it wrong for someone else. Maybe it’s right to them. There is no objective right and wrong.

Josh:    Look, everybody used to think the earth was a flat disc on the back of a giant sea turtle. Were they right?

Justin:   It was right for them.

Josh:    Yes, but were we ever actually on the back of a giant sea turtle?

Justin:   *pauses / stammers*

Josh:    Do you understand the Law of Non-Contradiction? It is not possible that something be both true and not true at the same time and in the same context.

Justin:   But there is no truth!

Josh:    See that?! You just made a truth statement, that there is no truth! I don’t even have to refute that. Your argument is refuting itself! It committed suicide. It was Dead On Arrival.

Teesha laughed, and we moved on to another topic, and went our separate ways a half hour later.

 Read the rest.

Shouldn't obesity become illegal soon?

Interesting question here from Dr. Anthony Bradley.  I'm not sure if he is serious here (maybe he is, I don't know) or just trying to make a point.

"If all Americans are going to foot the bill for everyone else's health care costs shouldn't we have rules regarding people's eating habits."

Read his his post.

Free Pastry Day at Starbucks

Print out your coupon today (March 23rd) for a free pastry with the purchase of any drink!  Got to get there before 10:30am!

Life Together Blog

Many of you who frequent this blog know that I link quite often to Doug Wolter. He is a great pastor, faithful husband and father, and gifted leader. He has recently switched his blog site to http://life2getherblog.com. Please subscribe to his RSS feed and/or bookmark his site.  

Mark Driscoll on Prosperity Theology

He writes:

A Marketing Scam

Practically, prosperity theology/idolatry is a marketing scam. My undergrad degree is in communications from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University, which is one of the top programs in the country. In my advertising, journalism, speech, marketing, and public relations classes, we were repeatedly taught that advertisers pay for media (e.g., air time on television and radio) and that unless a host or program is able to attract and retain a valuable audience for advertisers, they simply cannot remain in business.

The Dirty Little Secret

However, one of the first things I learned many years ago while co-hosting a small national Christian radio show was that there was one exception—namely, Christian programming. You see—and here’s the dirty little secret—most programming on Christian radio and television is nothing more than infomercials. Many of the shows are not kept on the air because they attract an audience that advertisers will pay for. Instead, the air time is purchased by the “ministry,” who can then use that time to say whatever foolish thing they want without needing to satisfy advertisers’ requirements for quality programming.

How to Make Jesus an Idol-Giver

The question is, how can you pay for the expensive airtime when advertisers won’t pay for the typical slots around the “Christian” programming? The answer is prosperity theology/idolatry. To pay for the airtime for infomercials, “ministry” leaders need to find a way for people to send in generous tax-deductible donations. The problem is that most people don’t give generously unless they really get the fact of the gospel—that our God is so generous that he gave us his own life—or they are given a theology in which Jesus is an idol-giver. So, prosperity theology was born for, in large part, the express purpose of paying for poor quality “Christian” programming and generating massive amounts of revenue to keep programming on the air that would not otherwise merit a time slot. Simply stated, it’s a business racket where you have to promise people God will bless them, or guilt grandmas into writing big checks by promising that Jesus is a pagan god who can be made to live for our glory if we manipulate him through faith and giving.

Of course, there are exceptions. Some fine Bible-based, Jesus-loving, gospel-centered ministries do exist on television and radio that do not promote prosperity theology/idolatry and actually teach against it by being faithful to the Bible. Just a few examples that come to mind are Greg Laurie, Hank Hanegraff, R. C. Sproul, and Kay Arthur. Nonetheless, now you know the dirty little secret about prosperity theology/idolatry.

Great Reminder Here From Russell Moore

He writes:

Is it a problem that some of us who are tranquil as still water about biblical doctrine and ecclesial mission are red-faced about Nancy Pelosi and the talking heads on MSNBC?

Is it a problem that some who haven’t shared the gospel with their neighbors in months or years are motivated to vent to strangers on the street about how scary national health care will be?

More:

If we were half as outraged by our own sin and self-deception as we are by the follies of our political opponents, what would be the result?

If we rejoiced as much that our names are written in heaven as we do about such trivialities as basketball brackets, what would be the result?

So if what you’re afraid of is a politician or a policy or a culture or the future of Western civilization, don’t give up the conviction but give up the fear.

Work for justice.

Oppose evil.

But do it so that your opponents will see not fear but trust, optimism, and affection.

 Read the rest.

(HT:  JT)

How the Health Care Overhaul Could Affect You

A simple summary here from the NY Times. 

Tim Ferris on Multitasking

Though I fail to do what he prescribes here I think there is probably much wisdom in it.



(HT: Matt Perman)

Without God There Is No Objective Morality

Why can't an atheist worldview support belief in objective universal morality?  Greg Koukl answers that question here. 

"Stuff Christians Like" Releases Today

Stuff Christians Like is a book that some of you will probably want to check out.

Mark Driscoll on his Trip to Africa

Mark Driscoll:

A preacher in my position can start to live an isolated and idealistic life. We can become hard, callous, ignorant and cold hearted. We can fly in and speak to stadiums, have our photo taken, and autograph our books, and every minute get further and further from human suffering and need. So, I thank God for the opportunities he gives me to be wrecked. Seeing Haiti was life changing and I want to publicly thank those who have given more than $2 million total to Churches Helping Churches, including our Mars Hill gifts, which were more than $600,000. I also thank God that I get to not just be a preacher, but also a pastor dealing with rape victims, single moms, and those who have a tough life because of sin committed against them. And I’m glad I came to Africa, even though the few weeks away from my family were very difficult for us all, and I do hope that I can get out today or soon to see them and return to work.

Still, God has opened a great opportunity here. In my two weeks between the cities of Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg, I have learned a lot about what I believe God may have in store for the three premier cities in South Africa and from them to the townships and the rest of Africa. We are ironing out a few details, but it seems like a robust, gospel-centered, Jesus-loving, Bible-believing network of churches is being pulled together. These churches have some amazingly godly pastors, and enough people and horsepower to plant hundreds of churches. Those churches can help raise up a new generation of men who love women and children like Christ loves the church and declare a spiritual war on the darkness that permeates this culture of rape. I think we can help network and resource the African church to do the African work, as the last thing this country needs is idealistic, ignorant Americans running things from a distance and throwing money at problems without the gospel. We come to serve, not to solve.

Read the rest.  

If Planned Parenthood is excited about the new health bill you know that can't be good for the unborn

Cecile Richards, CEO of Planned Parenthood:

Today is a truly historic day for the American people who have long demanded affordable, quality health care coverage.

For more than a year, Planned Parenthood has worked tirelessly for a health care reform bill that would fix our broken health care system, strengthen women’s health, and achieve quality, affordable health care for all Americans.  Today, monumental progress was made toward achieving these goals with the passage of historic health care reform legislation by the U.S. House of Representatives, despite a symbolic gesture, in the form of an Executive Order, to anti-choice Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI), which has diverted attention from the central goal of health care reform — controlling costs and extending coverage.

As a trusted health care provider to millions of women and families across the country, Planned Parenthood applauds the fact that this legislation would extend health care coverage, including family planning, to tens of millions of women and families, guarantee access to affordable life-saving screenings for cervical and breast cancer and other serious health problems, protect women against gender discrimination by private insurers, end the practice of dropping coverage because of pre-existing conditions, and significantly increase access to reproductive health care.  The proposal also includes a commonsense provision to expand family planning under Medicaid, which would significantly increase access to essential preventive health care for millions of women.

As a result of this historic expansion of health care coverage to more than 30 million Americans, the doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals who work for Planned Parenthood health centers will be providing care to many  more women, men, and families who will be seeking primary and preventive care.

Planned Parenthood is also extremely pleased that members of the House listened to the millions of women and men who expressed their strong opposition to the Stupak abortion ban.  Stopping the Stupak ban was a high priority for women across the country who rejected the notion that they would not be able to even use their own money to obtain private insurance coverage for abortion.  It was a tough fight, but we salute Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D- CA), Congressman Rosa DeLauro (D–CT) , members of  the House Pro-Choice Caucus, and all others who stood up for women’s health and women’s rights.

Nonetheless, we regret that a pro-choice president of a pro-choice nation was forced to sign an Executive Order that further codifies the proposed anti-choice language in the health care reform bill, originally proposed by Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska.  What the president’s executive order did not do is include the complete and total ban on private health insurance coverage for abortion that Congressman Bart Stupak (D–MI) had insisted upon. So while we regret that this proposed Executive Order has given the imprimatur of the president to Senator Nelson’s language, it is critically important to note that it does not include the Stupak abortion ban.

This is a historic day for American people. We regret that a gesture to Congressman Stupak has diverted the nation’s focus from this bill’s accomplishments, including the extension of family planning to millions of women.

(HT:  Jill Stanek)

I still can't figure out why all my Christian friends who voted for Obama kept telling me that "presidents can't do anything about abortion anyway".  Seems like presidents CAN do quite a bit about abortion evidenced by the fact that one of the largest abortion providers in the world in the world is very excited about these new changes. 

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Another Great Finish

C.J. Mahaney is crying right now. 

Some Pics From A Recent Concert

Here was the program for the night.  We had a great time.  I'll be posting some audio and video soon.

Zach Nielsen:
Fugue in C minor – Johann Sebastian Bach
Fugue in E minor – Johann Sebastian Bach

Leslie Peltier:
Traumerei -- Robert Schumann
Song Without Words in D Major, Op. 109 (posthumous) -- Felix Mendelssohn
The Swan -- Camille Saint-Saens
accompanied by Dianne Maier

The Zach Nielsen Trio:
Waiting for Charlie – Alan Broadbent
Nardis – Miles Davis
The Face of Love – Esbjorn Svensson

Leslie Peltier:
Sonata in C Major, Op. 119 for Cello and Piano -- Sergei Prokofiev
accompanied by Matthew Stewart

The Zach Nielsen Trio:
Black Nile – Wayne Shorter
Message in a Bottle – The Police

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