Where is God when it hurts @ Virginia Tech? June 30, 2007
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“Christianity Today” published a sermon given by author Philip Yancey on the Virginia Tech campus. He spoke to the group of studetns just two weeks after the shootings in Blacksburg. Yancey is one of those writers who is complete unable to give cliché answers to though questions. In fact, one friend of mine recently told me that the only thing he doesn’t like about Yancey’s books was that he doesn’t offer solutions quick enough. Personally, I appreciate this. It’s all too easy to set up a “straw-man” caricature of what you’re trying to speak against and then easily knock it down. However, issues like pain and suffering cannot be treated so tritely. And so I always appreciate how Yancey is willing to go to the center of the problem of pain. He takes no shortcuts.
I’ve attached a link to the transcript of Philip Yancey’s sermon to the Virginia Tech students. Please let me know what you think about what he says (click “comment” above).
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/june/14.55.html
Don’t you think Paul is an unlikely convert? June 26, 2007
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If you ever want to read a fantastic brief Jewish whirlwind summary of the Old Testament, turn to Stephen’s last words before his murder as recorded in Acts 7. In a final attempt to demonstrate the authenticity of Jesus’ Messiahship, this first of the Christian martyrs, Stephen, walked the angry crowd of listeners through a journey of the Hebrew Scriptures, showing them that their entire Jewish history had culminated in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. And one statement you can’t miss at the end chapter 7 is this one, “At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at [Stephen], dragging him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” (7:57-58)
Saul, who Christians later knew as ‘Paul,’ would have no doubt wondered why anyone would possibly believe in a crucified Messiah. The very word Messiah meant, “anointed one.” It referred to one who was anointed, appointed, and blessed by God for something. After all, how could crucifixion (utter humiliation) be joined with God’s Anointed One (Messiah)? Saul found the answer to that question. (more…)
Can God make a rock so big that He can’t lift it? June 20, 2007
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You might have heard an atheist, agnostic, or skeptic claim that the idea of God is incoherent—that it doesn’t even make sense. One way in which he or she might try to demonstrate this assertion is by asking you if God can create a rock so big that He cannot lift it. The hope of the argument is that at best, you’ll be left with either an impotent God (if He can’t create such a rock), or at worst, you’ll be left with no God at all (if the idea of God is untenable). Does this argument work? I don’t think so. And it’s not just that I disagree with the conclusion. There’s something much more obviously wrong with it at its foundation. (more…)
Forgiveness: Pt. 3 June 17, 2007
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HOW TO “LOVE” A JERK
It’s probably easier to forgive people of whom we would say we already love. And by love here, I mean, having loving feelings. But what about forgiving someone who is simply a jerk? What if we don’t have any good feelings toward the person who has wronged us? What do we do? One of the most helpful and freeing things I’ve ever read on forgiving ‘jerks’ has been C. S. Lewis’ chapter on “Forgiveness,” in Mere Christianity. (more…)
Forgiveness: Pt. 2 June 15, 2007
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THOSE YOU CAN’T FORGIVE
As I wrote in the previous post, we are never allowed to withhold forgiveness from another person, especially considering the infinite weight of the debt of which God has forgiven us. We must always be willing to offer forgiveness to the person who has wronged us. But for “forgiveness” to truly take place, one part must offer forgiveness while another must request and receive it. Forgiveness is a two-way street. (more…)
Forgiveness: What it does and doesn’t mean June 13, 2007
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As I’ve been talking with a couple people this week who are struggling with issues of forgiveness, I thought I’d spend a couple days blogging some thoughts on forgiveness.
MORE THAN A FEELING
Forgiveness is not merely a sentiment. Instead, it’s a staple of life. It’s essential in our lives because Jesus commanded us to forgive. The reasoning he offered for why we should forgive others is (1) we ourselves have been forgiven greater wrongs and (2) we will continue to need forgiveness by God in the future. Jesus even went on to tell his listeners that the standard they use with others will also be the standard applied to them (Mt 7:2). In fact, Jesus lays down some pretty serious terms for God’s forgiveness of our sins in what we might call, ‘The Apostles’ prayer’: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those that sin against us” (Mt 6:12) . This is pretty clear. If we don’t forgive others, God will not forgive us. So how do we go about forgiving others? (more…)
Having good counsel & accountability June 7, 2007
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The Roman Emperor, Nero (A.D. 54-68) is remembered most today for his grizzly persecution of Christians, much of which continued until the 4th century (Nero was known to impale Christian men and women on stakes in his garden, then light them on fire to light the walkways). However, the first five years on Nero’s reign were considered some of the best of any emperor yet. What went wrong? (more…)
How God does NOT guide us (Ps 32:8-9) June 2, 2007
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If you’re at all like me you’ve spent no small amount of time asking God to lead, guide, and direct you in some particular situation. Maybe it’s been a job change, a decision about schooling, a relationship, or something else. And the frustrating part is that even when we are completely open to God simply taking us by the hand or telling us directly what to do, we usually don’t receive a miraculous “writing on the wall” (Dan 5). Why not?!
I have been challenged in the reading of Ps 32:8-9 to better discover how God DOES and DOES NOT lead us. (more…)
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