Search Results

Is VR church a bad thing? What about having a microchip brain implant as a Christian? As Christians should we endorse gene editing in order to help eradicate disease, what about to give our children the eye color we prefer? Photo by Giu Vicente on Unsplash “When you start editing the code of life, where do you stop? Are we soon going to create designer babies, with predetermined eye color, intelligence and physical traits? Should we alter the genome of mosquitoes in Africa so that they no longer carry the malaria virus?” ( Forbes, 3 Reasons To Believe The Singularity Is Near ) Where do we draw the lines as Christians with questions like these that are pressing in on us, whether we want them to or not? Whether we are ready to answer them or not. Technological advancement is developing at a rate that the average Christian’s theology can't keep up. We simply don’t know how to think about such things from a biblical worldview. Because of this Dr. Douglas Estes , associate professor of New Testament and practical theology at South University and regular contributor for Christianity Today , has written an incredibly accessible, and highly valuable work in his book “ Braving The Future, Christian Faith in a World of Limitless Tech ”. “Technology is changing around us at a blistering pace. We are entering an era in which human bodies merge with devices, corporations know everything about us, and artificial intelligence develops human and even godlike potential.” (from back cover) Written to help inform and equip the average Christian on how to think and best navigate in the technological sea that we all swim in while remaining faithful to Jesus’ call to be set apart and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey. The book is structured well with each of the eight chapters focusing on a particular type of technology paired with a modern sci-fi movie that highlights that particular piece of tech in order to help the reader contextualize the concepts (I’m a decent sci-fi fan and even I haven’t seen all the movies, but you can still readily see his connections). The book starts with the nearest technology such as virtual reality (something that is already here), ending with tech that is furthest away such as cybernetics (something that will likely still be far off in the distant human future). Estes book is a popular work written to address the transhumanism movement from a Christian perspective (for academic volumes on the subject see Transhumanism and the Image of God by Shatzer, and Modern Technology and the Human Future by Gay). And don’t worry if you have never heard of transhumanism (or sometimes referred to as H+ or techohumanism) … you aren’t alone … even my word processor doesn’t recognize the word yet. “Maybe you have never heard of any of these terms, but our culture has already exposed you to the ideas behind them, and you have surely felt the effects. Transhumanism is one of the main ingredients baked into the cake of Hollywood movies from X-men to Transcendence. It is a philosophy designed to help make sense of all the rapid tech change. Some thinkers anticipate it will be the biggest philosophical and cultural force in the twenty-first century.” (p. 25) And although you may have never heard of this worldview by name, its effects are indeed far reaching. “From Tylenol to dermal regenerators, from virtual reality to salt water pools, each new invention in our lives is an excuse for culture to whisper in our hearts, ‘You’ve got everything you need.’ Culture will also promote transhumanist ideas - those which bring with them a spirit of aseity. The idea behind transhumanism is more than simply for us to advance in our abilities to shape the world; the goal is to redefine what is means to be human. Transhumanism suggests that we are all that matters in our universe, and that we must evolve to the next phase of human existence so that we can be truly self-reliant.” (p. 47) This effect of transhumanism, that we ultimately have no need for God and can be completely self-reliant is in my opinion the greatest contribution of the book. Estes does a great job unpacking the humanistic and anti-God worldviews of much of what lies behind our understanding, and use, of technology and urges us as Christians to be thoughtful in our uses, and rejections, of technology in our daily lives. He encourages us to be thoughtfully engaged and critical in our consumption and absorption of technology (for another great resource on this topic, see my interview with Andy Crouch author of Tech Wise Family here ). Another vital contribution from Estes book is his call for Christians to remain (or become) “people of the book”. For the Christian to be able to brave a new world of limitless tech, it is going to demand of them unlike any generations before that they be better versed and equipped in understanding, interpreting, and applying the Scriptures. “In ages past, a casual reading of Scripture seemed enough to handle many situations. This is no longer the case. Instead the faster the world evolves, the harder it becomes to extrapolate biblical truths into daily situations. Therefore, in a world of limitless tech, the more precise our interpretation of the Bible must become and the more diligently we need to study its pages and its history. For all the work the church has done, it mist work harder if it will have any ability to speak into a future world.” (p. 132) One area that I think the book could have done a better job is perhaps connecting the dots a bit more clearly for folks that are not ‘tech savvy’, as I believe it might be all to easy for some demographics to write off this important book on such a critical topic as some unrealistic science fiction type of doomsday-er book, which of course it is not. From the young parent looking how to wisely raise their children in a technological environment that even they will quickly not recognize, to the savvy Christian millennial and Gen-z’er who is or will be working in the industry of science and technology, to the retiree who is making disciples of Jesus in relevant ways in a rapidly evolving technological culture, Dr. Estes book is a must read! #technology #transhumanism #bookreview #discipleship #review #tech

John C. Lennox's new book (released 2019) " Can Science Explain Every Thing " offers the Christian a power-packed apologetic punch in a short 125 pages. Highly accessible and easy to understand, this brief introductory apologetic work is an incredible asset for those just starting to venture into the world of apologetics, and a must read for high school and college students looking for a helpful resource on the reasonability of the Christian faith in the midst of the cultural milieu of naturalism and the supposed great divide between faith and science. Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash "This book has been written in response to many young people and adults who have asked for an introduction to the "Science and God debate" that would be more accessible than my book God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? In addition, many of them asked me to deal more specifically with the relationship between Christianity and science as distinct from restricting myself to the evidence for the existence of God." (p. 7) Lennox's work is an important one that addresses the 'science side' of our western culture that is "working to roll back the tide of ignorance and superstition that has enslaved mankind since we crawled out of the primeval slime." (p. 9) Lennox is a mathematician and professor at Oxford University alongside perhaps the most well known atheist in the world, Richard Dawkins, who also teaches at Oxford. Lennox has publicly debated Dawkins, and this book addresses many of the arguments presented in Dawkins' " The God Delusion ". In his address to this 'God and science debate', Lennox says that "it is very superficial to believe that increased scientific understanding squeezes God out", and "that science does not compete with God as an explanation ( to something ). Science gives a different kind of explanation." (p. 33) Lennox also takes aim at busting some myths like; the myth that religion depends on faith but science does not (chapter 3), and science depends on reason but Christianity does not (chapter 4) in which he states that the "faith expected on the part of Christians is certainly not blind" ... and "confusion about the nature of faith leads many people to another serious error: thinking that neither atheism nor science involves faith. Yet, the irony is that atheism is a belief system and science cannot do without faith". (p. 45) He also goes on to make the strong, and provocative, statement in regard to materialism and naturalism upon which atheism is based; "...naturalism, and therefore atheism, undermines the foundations of the very rationality that is needed to construct or understand or believe in any kind of argument whatsoever, let alone a scientific one ... It is science and atheism that do not mix". (p. 49) Lennox also goes on to deal with the issues of whether we can take the Bible seriously in a scientifically literate world, miracles, the resurrection and empty tomb of Jesus, as well as the personal dimensions of Christianity and the fact that we can test the truth of Christianity (for Christianity can be tested ). He argues that ultimately we cannot do this by checking it out from a distance (which is what the Greek word skeptein means, from which we derive our word 'skeptic', to investigate from a distance), but must be willing to engage up close and personally. Perhaps the books greatest strength is its brevity, accessibility, and ease of reading. Lennox has taken some fairly deep and complex concepts and made them easy to understand and remember. In total I found this short book to have incredible impact and to be balanced in its approach to both logical and rational arguments against the Christian faith, while addressing the "cultural soup that we swim in" (p. 14) of materialism and the notion that science and Christian faith cannot be compatible. Lennox does an excellent job of blowing these kinds of misunderstandings out of the water, while being compassionate and not overlooking the importance for anyone seeking to examine the Christian faith to be willing to do so personally , and not just from a distance. #bookreview #science #apologetics #faith #review

"Just let the Bible be whatever it is." Rob Bell But just what is the Bible Mr. Bell? What is the Bible? This is a vitally important question . Rob Bell is a famous American author, pastor, and " a singular rock star in the church world " (according to Time Magazine, who also named him among the most influential 100 people in the world in 2011). He is most notably known for his previous pastoral leadership of mega church Mars Hill and his New York Times bestseller " Love Wins " (which was a controversial book that some think catalyzed his exit from Mars Hill). Let me first start out by saying that I personally don't know Rob Bell, but I am vaguely familiar with the controversy that has surrounded him in recent years, especially in Evangelical circles. This is particularly so since the release of his book Love Wins in 2012 where he was essentially black listed from the orthodox Evangelical church as a "liberal" teacher who had wandered from traditional orthodox Christian doctrine (see reviews about Love Wins from the Gospel Coalition here , and Denny Burk here ). This even prompted Francis Chan to pen a response to Love Wins in his book titled Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We Made Up . Bell's most recent book What is the Bible?: How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories Can Change the Way You Think and Feel About Everything (2017) is actually the first book of Bell's that I have read. (for other reviews on this book see the bottom of this post) I personally came across Bell in his Nooma videos 15 years ago, which were short videos that had high production quality discussing matters of God and the Christian faith. I have personally used these for outreach small group bible studies in the past and thought they were tremendous. All of that being said, there is much that I could write in way of response to Bell's new book, and to do it justice I would probably need to write a 20 page paper, but I won't. I will try to keep this concise (while acknowledging the risk that in seeking brevity I don't address things adequately). Right out of the gate I will tell you my motive for writing this review is simply because I recognize the amount of influence that Bell has in modern American culture, especially "Christian" culture, which is what I think could be so dangerous ... but more on that in a moment. First, the good: In his book, Bell makes a clarion call and appeal for people to actually read the Bible for themselves (which is awesome!), and seems to have a level of respect, admiration, and appreciation for the Bible (although he admits that it was really his love for giving sermons, i.e., public speaking and persuasion, that seems to have led him to deeper study of the Bible (p.1), which seems suspect to me?). (c.f. Phil 1:15-18) I can also appreciate his passion for helping people dig into the Bible much further than what many church kids are taught in Sunday school. In particular I think he helps the religiously raised American population who have been weened on a "for the Bible tells me so" type of simplistic, and often unhealthy, view of the Scriptures. He helps them to see the complexity, tension, beauty, diversity, and humanity of the Bible. (Yes, the Bible was written by people , and contrary to popular belief, did not actually drop out of heaven on some golden tablets or something.) Bell has a highly engaging and provocative writing style and because of this he has the ability to appeal to a broad audience, such as non-Christians that would likely not be interested in the Bible and those who have been disenfranchised by the Christian church (the "de-churched"). I think this is a really good thing and he even curses a few times in the book (sure to appeal to many, a la Rachel Hollis, " I love Jesus and I cuss a little "). Of course leading more people to read the Bible is undoubtedly a wonderful endeavor, but how he is leading them to read the Bible is where I have some major concerns ... but again, more on that in a moment. Seeing the Bible as an entire narrative is extremely important and needed (see p.47-54). Through helping people to see the humanity of the Bible's authorship, Bell causes people to take seriously not only the literary styles of the biblical writings, but also the cultural, social, economic, political, and spiritual backdrop of when these things were being written. Because after all the Bible is an ancient library of poems, letters, and stories written across thousands of years by numerous authors living in real and different contexts from each other, and from us. For more on this see the important work by Fee & Stuart, How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth . This is also akin to the amazing and very important work that The Bible Project has done recently, which seeks to "help people experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus ". This "meta-narrative" framework that helps us to see the movement of the Bible as a whole and the story it is telling, that is leading us to wholeness, reconciliation, and striving to create a world right here and now that is filled with justice and non-violence (as opposed to Christians just waiting to "go to heaven") is an important point. I thought Bell did a great job emphasizing this. On this point see also N.T. Wright's works, in particular Surprised by Hope , one of the best books I have ever read. (Bell nods to N.T. Wright in the endnotes saying to read anything he has done with the word 'Jesus' in the title.) One other final point here, if you are a Christian and you really love America, you might not want to read Chapter 28 "Why Americans Often Miss The Major Themes of The Bible" (p. 211-215). I thought his assessment was excellent and a much needed critique of the nationalistic ideologies deeply embedded for so many America Christians (i.e. we are "God's country"), but that are in need of being deconstructed and are not supported by the Bible. (c.f. Phil 3:20) Now, the concerning (to put it mildly): I know many people in my spiritual circles that have flocked to Bell's most recent book, and that is how it caught my attention in the first place. And after reading it, I can see why . Bell is extremely gifted and a highly polished speaker and writer, and can be very persuasive. Even the interior formatting of the book helped me easily and quickly keep turning the pages! Which is all part of the problem. My primary concern with Bell's latest book is it is like a highly camouflaged leopard stalking its prey, looking to strike us unawares because we can't see well in the dense jungle. Bell's book is clearly a popular work, aimed at the masses, most of whom have had no theological training, or perhaps even critical thinking training for that matter. I'm afraid many people will have a difficult time discerning Bell's arguments and positions amidst the current cultural affirmations and post-modern worldview they swim in. Here is a look at some of this camouflage by a discerning eye: Probably the main message drawn from What Is the Bible? is that the Bible is a thoroughly human book.  It “is not a Christian book”; it “is a book about what it means to be human” (p. 4).  It is not about Jesus and a narrow way to God (p. 16).  Rather the Bible is a book produced purely by people sans any direct revelation from God (pp. 116-117, 188, 243-246, 266-267, 291, 295-296).  As a result, the Bible has all the problems, errors, contradictions, and wrong values that can be found in any human literature: “The Bible was written by people.  People with perspectives, grounded in their cultures and times and places” (p. 243) [ which is true ].  Thus “God didn’t set up the sacrificial system.  People did” (p. 244).  This leads to the invention of the crucifixion.  Bell writes, “God didn’t need to kill someone to be ‘happy’ with humanity.  What kind of God would that be?  Awful. Horrific. What the first Christians did was interpret Jesus’s death through the lens of the sacrificial system [which of course they created, not God]” (p. 245).  We, according to Bell, have misunderstood the cross-story all along.  “The truth is, the story as we read it is actually a giant leap forward. It’s a story about humanity growing in maturity, leaving behind the idea that the divine needs blood.  That’s the giant leap that’s happening in the New Testament.  The Bible is a reflection of a growing and expanding human consciousness” (p. 245).  In response to a direct question, “Is the Bible the Word of God?” Bell does his usual dance: “Yes.  Lots of things are” (p. 266).   The Word of God can be found through books, human words, and experiences.  “There are lots of words of God and you can and should listen to them all” (p. 267) [ so how do I know what "words" are from God that I should be listening to exactly? ] .  In other words, there is nothing unique about the Bible; it is just one source, of a multitude, that is God’s word (see p. 173).  Biblical accounts are often exaggerations (p. 80) and pure fabrications (p. 103) according to Bell.  Nevertheless we are assured that we can learn something from the stories anyway (pp. 94, 103, 240). ( Gary Gilley ) [ emphases mine ] Some things that I personally found most disturbing is that Bell seems to denounce that there is such a thing as absolute truth (p.169-181) but rather you can "stumble upon truth, whomever says it, however you come across it, you affirm it and you claim it because it's yours." (p. 175) But the question that is begged here is how exactly do you "affirm" it? Unfortunately Bell never really gives us any direction, only the vague notion that "it's yours " (which sounds dangerously close to the relativistic worldview of truth, i.e., "whatever is true to you is true to you," I have to speak "my truth," etc). In regards to the authority of the Bible he says; "The problem, of course, is that the folks who talk the most about the authority of the Bible also seem to talk the most about things like objective and absolute truth, truth that exists independent of relational realities ." (p. 271) To me this sounds an awful lot like Pilate retorting to Jesus' claims about himself, "What is truth?" (John 18:38) Elsewhere in the book he even discusses "dancing" with the Bible (I'll be the first to admit that I'm a terrible dancer ... but what does that even mean!?) and seems to indicate that there is not a "right" way of reading passages in the Bible. I'm all for engaging the text, asking questions and probing at it ... turning it like a "gem" as he discusses (p. 79-82), but that is in order to try to figure out it's meaning, the right way to read it and understand it. "Other times people want to know the right answer to a passage in the Bible. As if there is a right and wrong reading of each verse in the Bible. There are, of course, lots of ways to miss the point and truly read it wrongly. But to say that there's a right way may necessarily limit your reading of the Bible." (p. 81) I think I understand what he is trying to say, but which one is it? Can you read it wrongly, or not? If there is no way to "wrongly" read the Bible, then from that starting point it can mean literally anything you want it to (i.e., relativism). Bell also really gets close to the proverbial third rail when he seems (?) to assert that Jesus might not have had a bodily resurrection? "Interesting that the people who were closest to Jesus and spent years with him don't recognize him post-resurrection. Hmmm. The next time you hear someone insisting that it was an actual, literal resurrection, make sure you add that bodily must mean that he didn't look like he looked before …" (p. 185) Now of course Jesus' resurrection body was indeed unique (the firstborn from among the dead Paul calls it, c.f. Col 1:8) as he could walk through walls and locked doors (c.f. John 20:19, 26), and apparently shape shift and hide his appearance and disappear (c.f. Lk 24)! If this is what Bell is meaning by a bodily resurrection, than sure, but his wording seems to indicate that he thinks perhaps Jesus didn't have a bodily resurrection, which of course would be very similar to that which was soundly denounced and rebuked in many of the N.T. letters as "proto-gnostic" teachers were starting to enter the church teaching people that Jesus didn't come in bodily form, because all matter was inherently evil (c.f. 1 John). I barely have time to mention some sweeping statements that Bell makes like the fact that because Jesus' ministry was bankrolled by some women, then it's "crazy when religious and faith communities and churches don't allow women to do certain things like lead or teach or preach or be elders or priests ? (his emphases, not mine) This movement started with women not only being fully empowered participants but also bankrolling the work. How insane is it when a religious institution has a list of what women can and can't do?" Now don't get me wrong, I personally wrestle with the boundary lines of women's work in the ministry, and obviously Jesus elevated women (and children, and the poor, etc.) to an entirely different level in his cultural context, but to say something so matter-of-factly when the tradition of the church for thousands of years have wrestled with these very difficult things, seems irresponsible and misleading. What Bell presents will, for many I fear, be swallowed "hook, line, and sinker" all while being chased down with smooth rhetoric, snappy prose, polished style, and post-Christian new-agism zeitgeist pulsating throughout the book. This again is part of the problem, and appeal, of Bell's book. It's so attractive . It touches the nerve of many of our societal and fleshly longings. And I get it, I myself had mixed feelings as I read the book, and I consider myself at least to have a beginners understanding of some of the arguments to Bell's assertions (which he quaintly doesn't present or source by the way, leaving you to wonder, just where did he get that from)? While Bell does give a helpful list in the endnotes of other "books about the Bible that will blow your mind," (p. 315-318) (many of them are on my shelf) he doesn't site any of them in his actual body of work (which is why it is so readable I suppose), nor does he site any Scripture. While I concede this makes for easier reading and broader appeal, I believe this can leave the unscrutinizing more susceptible to being led astray (c.f. 2 Tim 4:3). So, what is the Bible? That is a great question that I believe Rob Bell answers essentially by saying it is a mysterious, beautiful, divine, self-affirming, that you are amazing and are already a saint and don't have a problem with sin and judgement kind of person so you don't really need to worry about anything, kind of book. Oh, and it was written by humans, not by God. While Bell's ability to teach others to appreciate the cultural and human lens in which the Bible was written is good, I think it slides way to far (perhaps even into apostasy?) by giving the sense that the Bible is really just one of many ways to the divine, and doesn't deal with the stark statements (particularly ofJesus) that there is only one way to God the Father (John 14:6), other than of course to say that the human authors didn't know what they were talking about. Nor does he seem to deal with the fact that the message of the New Testament is that people need to repent because there is a judgement to come (c.f. Mark 1:15; Acts 26:20; 24:25; etc.)! In this I am reminded of the final scene of the movie " The Book of Eli " in which after a hard fought (and highly violent) battle to save "The Book" (the Bible) from annihilation in a post apocalyptic future, it is placed neatly on a shelf next to all the other "good religious literature" (i.e., the Koran, Torah, etc.) for society to be able to rebuild. This is a not so subtle form of universalism - that all paths eventually lead to God, something the Bible soundly refutes. With Bell's hermeneutic approach to the Bible, you can really make it say just about anything you want (which interesting, and rightly , he calls out Christians for doing many times), and in doing so put yourself over the authority of the Bible and ultimately make God whomever you want him to be. So, should you read it? It depends. I think it is worthy of reading for many reasons, but you need to be prepared to eat the meat and leave the bones . This takes maturity and conviction (and likely theological and cultural exposure and education), so if you are not at a place in your faith to do this than I wouldn't recommend it. I think this quote from another review is helpful on this point: Some people will sound the alarm that this book should not be read by anyone [ especially new Christians ] because they may begin to interpret the Bible solely through the opinions of Rob Bell, and that’s dangerous. Amen. I couldn’t agree more. Though it would also be dangerous for us to have John Piper, or Tim Keller, or C.S. Lewis, or N.T. Wright, or your pastor, or ______________ [ insert your favorite theologian here ] be the sole expositor of scripture in our lives. There is nothing wrong with reading other theologians and their interpretations of scripture, in fact reading a diverse mix of voices is an important and healthy thing, but the best thing, is that we are personally reading and praying and wrestling through the scriptures ourselves and we are doing so in the context of community. ( Jon Stephens ) [ emphases mine ] For more helpful reviews on this book from various theological traditions see: The Gospel Coalition (Reformed) Southern View Chapel (Independent) Covenant (Episcopal) Jonathan Stevens (random guy - but I thought it was fair) Church Leaders (Evangelical) Missio Alliance (Evangelical) #bookreview #bible #scriptures #biblestudy #review

Many are rejoicing at the newly elected president of the United States today … many are not. For those that voted for the winning president, you may be feeling a sense of relief, hope, and excitement as a new president takes office to the most powerful seat in the land and all the opportunity that comes along with that. For those that voted against the winning president, you may be feeling afraid, discouraged, or even apathetic as your hopes have been dashed and your anxieties heightened … perhaps especially so if you are a woman, or a minority. For those of you that abstained from voting at all, you may be feeling regret ... perhaps you could have made difference? Perhaps you are feeling vindicated, justified, and relieved in your abstinence … that you didn’t pick between the “lesser of two evils”. For those of you that prayed for the election and its outcome … please don’t stop. For those of you that prayed for the election and its outcome … please don’t stop. But don’t be deceived, whether you won, lost, or abstained, for all of us as Christians, we indeed have won … no matter who sits in the oval office of the United States of America. In fact, the American nation, and all of her presidents, will one day be a footnote in the history of the world . For our lives are fleeting and momentary (2 Cor 4:17; Ps 39:4; Jam 4:14) and in the vast landscape of time, so are the lives of nations and civilizations. Our allegiance as Christians is aligned to another, above and beyond the president of the United States. Your allegiance and hope is in a kingdom, and a king, that cannot be shaken (Heb 12:27-29). In fact, the American nation, and all of her presidents, will one day be a footnote in history And yet, this is not to make light of your possible fears or anxieties, or sweep them under the rug with some stroke of spiritual cliché. No, this is to remind you that nothing strange is happening to you. In fact, it has been happening to believers for a very long time (1 Pet 1:3-9). Remember that Jesus already told us that we will have trouble in this life, but take heart … for he has overcome the world (Jn 16:33)! And what is our allegiance to the unshakable king and kingdom supposed to result in? Praise, awe, glory, honor, reverence, and living hope . So whether you are rejoicing over the new president, or are in mourning, or perhaps somewhere in between … remember to be alert and sober minded with your hope set on the grace to be brought when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming (1 Pet 1:13). Your hope is explicitly not to be in the rulers of this world or this nation, and our allegiance is never to be to them over our Lord Jesus. Trials will come, whether at the hands of a new president, the work of Satan and his cohorts, or even from within our own sinful nature … thank God that our hope can be in something unshakeable . #culture #politics #spirituality

I have often wondered what to make of my involvement in politics as a Christian and a citizen of heaven (Phil 3:20), while living in a country and constitutional republic government that gives me the ability to vote. Should Christians vote? I am a Christian. I am a citizen of heaven, and I also happen to be an American. I am extremely grateful to live in a nation that affords me the opportunity to vote and be a part of shaping what this country is, and I'm thankful for all the sacrifices that have happened along the way to make it so. However, I do not exercise my right to vote; I believe that my place in the political arena is prayer. Before you pick up rocks to stone me, hear me out. This seems so controversial, especially to mainstream Christian culture here in America, in which I hear all the time that it is my God given responsibility to vote (or you can enter any rights argument here; such as civil rights or feminists rights for example), typically followed by which way I should vote or which candidate I should vote for. But when I read of Jesus and his involvement in the political arena of His day (which was undoubtedly just as corrupt for there is nothing new under the sun - Ecc 1:9), he didn't seem to be directly involved. Except to pay taxes and to be obedient to the governing authority (c.f. Rom 13), Jesus himself refused to become a political leader even when others tried to force Him to do so (Mat 22:15-22; Jn 6:14-15). So why is it that as Jesus’ followers, we try to primarily enact change through people in office to execute the will and morality of God, especially without prayer, when Jesus who claimed to be THE truth (Jn 14:6) and was said to be God’s exact representation (Heb 1:3), didn’t choose that method? Certainly to set up a kingdom, couldn't Jesus have been more "successful" if he used the governmental and political systems of his day? But he didn't come to set up a kingdom of man, much to the chagrin of some of his followers (Jn 18:36). Instead he chose a method of love and self-sacrifice. A method that left a relatively small number of followers at his life’s end, but followers that were so dedicated, so moved, that they in turn changed the world. And so it is today. Don't mistake me here, there is nothing inherently wrong with being involved in the political arena as a Christian or voting (and I applaud those who do so in a way that is glorifying to Christ [Col 3:17] - but that is probably more rare than we think unfortunately). I will say however that being involved in politics can be fraught with the dangers of slander, selfish ambition, back biting, and deception - things that do not represent Christ. If you are involved in the political arena, or get involved, please do so in a way that displays Christ, since you bear his name as a Christian. And if you decide to vote (or get involved in politics to whatever degree), will you first follow the scriptures (1 Tim 2:1-2) and pray before you do so? Ask yourself: do you truly trust God to put those in authority that he wants (Rom 13:1-7) for his own glory, or deep down do you think he is asleep at the wheel and not overseeing the process? Are you willing to rely on the only true power he has given you as a Christian, the power of prayer (Jam 5:16)? (Of course you can utilize lesser powers that God has allowed you to have as well, such as voting, through the political process if you should so choose). Christians have a civic responsibility to culture and society for sure, to show God's heart to the world around us through a myriad of avenues (cf. Mat 5:14), but as Christians let us not place our hope, power, and influence in the world over the Lord, for ALL authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him alone (cf. Mat 28:18). #politics #prayer #culture

As Christians we are to be slaves to God and obey human authorities that God has placed over us, whether they are benevolent or not. #biblestudy #politics

There has been a lot of talk in the past several days about there being evil on "all sides" of the issue after the recent #Charlottesville tragedy. And while I generally don't get that involved in politics, news of this has reached even my ears. Yes I think we all inherently understand that evil is always on "all sides", as in "evil is in all of us" ... but that is like saying, "There certainly are a lot of grains of sand on the seashore." It's stating something so obvious that it doesn't really mean much ... especially when there is such blatant and obvious evil that is not being specified or called out (I understand Trump specified the evil later ). Don't get me wrong, this is not really about Trump. This is about us as Christians. Whatever your political stance and preferences, and whatever your thoughts about our current president in the United States, we must remember as Christians we are citizens of heaven, of a different kingdom ... under the rule of a different king. And it is as such that we must find ourselves not trying to just be politically correct, but rather kingdom correct ... both in our thinking, our actions, and our speech (including our social media outbursts for heaven sakes!). For our king taught that hatred, violence, and enmity, not to mention retribution upon our enemies (including ones you think you have on capitol hill) - is strictly forbidden for followers of Jesus. Jesus blistered the leading majority constituents (those that held the most power and influence) of his day, calling them hypocrites, hard-hearted, children of hell, blind guides, wicked, snakes, broods of vipers, and that they would not escape being condemned to hell (Mat 23). And don't forget his campaign manager calling them a brood of vipers as well (Mat 3)! Jesus apparently didn't have a problem calling out evil when he saw it, no matter where it resided, or what kind of trouble it got him in. He even called it out amongst his closest friends and followers, calling the apostle Peter "Satan", stating that he did not have the things of God in mind but the things of men (Mat 16). Jesus also said that everyone on the side of truth listens to him - implying that we do what we hear (John 18:37; c.f. Jam 1:22). Let's listen to Jesus for a moment (who we claim as our king ... right?): “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" (Mat 5:43-47) "Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Mark 13:13) "For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." (Mat 15:19) "But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil things he had done," (Lk 3:19 - there's that pesky campaign manager again) "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed." (Jn 3:19-20) "The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil." (Jn 7:7) As Christians who follow our Lord Jesus, let's not be afraid to call out evil , no matter where we see it. And let us call it out first and foremost whenever we see it in the mirror (Mat 7:3-5). #righteousness #racism #sin #diversity #prejudice #peace #politics #culture #kingdom

Should Christians vote? Jon discusses the intersection of the kingdom of God and politics. What does it look like to be aliens and strangers in the world, yet still be in the world? #kingdomofGod #voting #politics

An Interview with pastor Angel Maldonado and found of the And Campaign where we discuss the intersection of faith and politics and how this organization seeks to help Christian believers not compromise their biblical faith while fighting for social justice in the civic arena. Books referenced interview: Compassion & Conviction, (&) Campaign The Politics of Jesus, Yoder #politics #discipleship #race #socialjustice #justice

Continuing the Finding Our Place in God's Story series discussing what politics are like in God's kingdom and how it differs from Babylon, and how that should inform us as Christians in our modern American political landscape. #sermons #politics #kingdom #discipleship

In this session of our Jesus Centered series we take a look at politics. How does Jesus' kingdom impact and affect our political involvement and civic engagement? Jon encourages us that no matter how we choose to engage the politics of the world, or not, we do so through an explicitly Christian worldview.

What if Jesus meant every word he said? Dean Taylor is president of Sattler College in Boston and author of A Change of Allegiance , a book that chronicles his journey of faith to wrestle with the question, " what if Jesus meant every word he said ?" While a soldier in the United States Army, Dean wrestled with the idea of Christian nationalism as he and his wife sat in the bunks reading their Bible every night. They simply couldn't get past Jesus' abundantly clear teaching to love your enemy. What if Jesus really meant every word he said ... Referenced Just War Debate: "It's Just War" : https://youtu.be/K4xQaDDKY7k #interviews #nonviolence