What does it mean for the Bible to be “inerrant” and “infallible?” November 29, 2006
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Someone recently asked me what is meant by the claim that the Bible is “inerrant” and “infallible”? These two words both refer to the degree of correctness of the Bible. The two words really surfaced during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century under Church reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin. However, long before the Reformation the idea that the writing of the Bible was somehow “superintended” by the Holy Spirit was widely believed by the Church universal. The idea originated with the belief that (1) the Bible had it’s origin or source in God, (2) that God is perfect, and (3) therefore that the Bible—as God’s Word—is perfect and without error. (more…)
Why does God want us to be thankful when He doesn’t need our thanks? November 26, 2006
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As Pastor Dary spoke on thankfulness this last weekend, I was challenged in my own thoughts by how often I neglect this appropriate response to God and to other people. The text that we looked at was Luke’s account of Jesus healing the 10 lepers, specifically noting how only 1 of the 10 returned to give his thanks to God (Luke 17:11-19). One of Pastor Dary’s point was, “We often accept the gift and forget the giver.” Pastor Dary pointed out that while Jesus was not in some deep need of receiving accolades and thanks, he did commend the one man who returned and gave thanks. Why does God want us to mirror this same response of gratefulness when He is not in need of our thankfulness? (more…)
Should Christians choose burial or cremation? November 22, 2006
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I don’t now remember what the title was, but when I was a little boy I watched a movie in which a man awoke to discover that he’d been buried alive. His family and friends, assuming he had died, though really he’d only been in a sort of comma, had a funeral, paid their last respects and lowed his casket down into a grave. I think it’s fair to say that ever since then I’ve had an emotional affinity toward being cremated when I die! That way, I thought, at least there’d be no chance of me “waking up” in the ground! And I’m sure that my claustrophobia doesn’t allow me to be too objective about the matter. But, my anxiety disorder aside, what does the Bible have to say about the subject of what we do with the human body after death? Is there a biblical mandate, or even a model, for choosing burial verses cremation? (more…)
How to figure out what someone really believes? November 19, 2006
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One challenge that arises when talking to people is trying to get a radar fix on what the person really believes? “Are you a Christian, a Buddhist, an atheist, a Taoist, a New Ager, or what?” And given the muddled and confused answers that we often get back from our questions, we’re all the more perplexed on what the person really believes about important issues in life.
Well, let me suggest three basic questions, that if clearly understood, you will be able to employ in order to get an accurate radar fix on anyone. The questions are:
(1) What is the nature of the religious ultimate? (a personal, transcendent God; an impersonal cosmic force; the eternally evolving material universe, etc.)
(2) What is the nature of the human problem? (fallen out of relationship with God; forgot we are gods; a meaningless, chaotic universe, etc.)
(3) What is the nature of the human solution? (given new life by God; develop god-consciousness; evolve into higher beings, etc.)
MORE EXPLANATION: (more…)
Is God male? November 16, 2006
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Two students recently expressed their concern to me about a class they were taking at a local Christian University in which the instructor opened her prayer with the words, “Our Father God, our Mother God….” Upon asking a few more question, I discovered that this teacher wasn’t promoting a pantheon of multiple gods, but was trying to be sensitive to those in her audience who might have had a bad experience with their earthly fathers, and so had difficulty understanding and accepting God as “Father.” So, apparently, the use of both “Father” and “Mother” by the instructor was an attempt to make God more accessible to everyone.
Is this appropriate? Is it okay to refer to God as either “Father” or “Mother,” or is there a biblical case for only referring to God as “Father?” What is God–male, female, a combination of the two, or something else altogether? (more…)
Why didn’t God create a world without evil? November 13, 2006
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Why didn’t God create a world without evil? This question has arisen from the mind of each of us at some point or another. I suppose it presses most intensely upon the mind when life slaps us across the face with the stinging reality that the world is not as we would like it to be. It is then we wonder, “Wait a minute! If God is really all-knowing and all-powerful, couldn’t He have figured out a way in which there is no evil in our world?” Doesn’t the existence of our evil-stricken world make God look a bit like a sadist, or one who receives pleasure from inflicting pain on another person? So . . . why didn’t God create a world without evil? (more…)
The only solution I know of to the Holocaust November 11, 2006
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The one thing I did and did not want to see while in Jerusalem was the Holocaust Museum. I did want to see it because I knew I must. I did not want to see it because I knew it would force me to look into the terrifying wickedness of the human heart, and because I would be forced to wrestle again with the troubling why question with God. For sure, the most upsetting portions of the silent tour through the museum’s maze had to do with the children. There were short videos and still pictures of children weeping for fear, hunger, confusion, and panic in the Jewish ghettos. It strikes me more deeply now that I am a parent myself. I can’t help but picture my own little ones in that same situation. What would it be like to hold my small child, as we stand in line behind another parent and child, knowing we are being ushered into sealed “gas chambers” where carbon monoxide will fill these little lungs until death comes? How can we ever begin to make sense of this in God’s world? (more…)
Jerusalem–thoughts on Jesus November 7, 2006
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Today was our first full day within the city walls of Jerusalem. One thing that struck me as we toured in, around, and even under the current city of Jerusalem, is what an intimidating visit it must have been to come to Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. This great capital city of the ancient world is perched on top of a mountain. It was once two mountains separated by a valley which was amazingly filled in with earth when Herod the Great decided to construct the enormous holy building. This Temple of Jesus’ day was 2 & ½ times the size of the current Muslim Dome of the Rock. As we walked through the ancient tunnels beneath what is now the Muslim quarter of the city, we viewed portions of the retaining wall of the temple mount, today covered by centuries of foreign occupation and rebuilding.
So, here’s what hit me today. (more…)
A road-side tomb from the time of Jesus November 3, 2006
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Last night we stayed in a hotel in Tel Aviv. Our hotel was a stones throw from the enormous Mediterranean Sea. We had some problems as the luggage carriers were on strike. Apparently, when no one removes bags from an airplane they go to Istanbul. So, we had to return this morning and wait amidst the sea of other travels for our bags to arrive.
UNEXPECTED SIGHT OF INTEREST:
While driving on a toll-road between our stops at the seaport of Caesarea Augusta and Tel Megiddo, our tour guide stopped along the side of the road. The area in which we were driving was called the necropolis (city of the dead), what we would think of as a cemetery. The area of tombs had been all but covered through centuries of occupation and rebuilding. However, a few years back, when they were blasting to build this toll-road, they came across various tombs dating from the time of Jesus (2nd Temple era). The above picture shows a tomb which had a disk-shaped stone rolled over the entrance. What appears to be two other entrances to the right are actually coves or niches within the tomb where bodies were placed, but in this case two of them were exposed by the explosions to create the road. The picture of me is from inside the tomb, crouching in front of a different niche at the back of the grave. (more…)
I’m going to Israel today November 1, 2006
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This morning I’m leaving DIA at 10:25am for a 10-day study tour in Israel. I’ll be traveling with our Missions Pastor, Frank and about 30 others. We’re flying from Denver to Chicago to Istanbul to Tel Aviv. I’m hoping to be able write a brief post each day while I’m there, assuming there’s a business center in our hotel or nearby. I’d appreciate your prayers for safety for both my family staying home and for myself. I’m very excited for what will be a trip of a lifetime. Thanks!
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