church

  • Aimee Byrd

    Fascinating and thorough review of a recent book about Biblical views on men and women, masculinity and femininity:

    https://cbmw.org/2020/05/04/does-anyone-need-to-recover-from-biblical-manhood-and-womanhood-a-review-article-of-aimee-byrds-recovering-from-biblical-manhood-and-womanhood/

  • Should women preach in church?

    Should women preach in church?
    and
    I agree with Owen Strachan... Feel free to contact me if you're interested in my reasons or would like to discuss more.
  • American Gospel

    I just watched the documentary "American Gospel"... WOW. POWERFUL. BEAUTIFUL. ACCURATE. All American Christians should watch it.

    https://www.amazon.com/American-Gospel-Christ-Russell-Berger/dp/B07M9ZCVZZ

  • Ten theses on creation and evolution

    The magazine "Christianity Today" recently published "10 Theses" about evolution and Christianity. Dr. Jonathan Safarti thoughtfully discusses the problems with these theses in this excellent article:

    https://creation.com/ten-theses-todd-wilson

  • book reviews

    Here are some recent books read, with short reviews.  For more reviews, see here: http://tim223.xanga.com/category/book-reviews/

    Discipling, by Mark Dever
    This is an excellent book, about "why" and "how" to "disciple" someone (teach/train them to follow Jesus in faith and action, as the Bible describes, by way of spending time with them). Part 3 "How" is especially valuable: "Choose someone"(excellent chapter), "Have Clear Aims" (excellent chapter), "Pay the Cost" (discipleship is often difficult and messy), and "Raising up Leaders" (i.e. putting younger Christians into ministry, giving them the freedom to make mistakes and learn and grow, delegate ministry to them, encourage them to disciple others, etc).

    Hidden Christmas, by Tim Keller
    This book goes through the Bible passages about the birth of Jesus, and expounds on the meaning of each one, from the points of view of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the magi, etc. Keller explains the gospel in a very clear, relevant, way. Excellent.

    Changed, edited by Ken Williams and Elizabeth Woning
    Wow... this is a powerful, beautiful, collection of short biographies, of people who came out of a gay, lesbian, or transgender life. Each brief life story is beautiful, well-told, clearly and gently presented. It is gentle, yet powerful. Highly recommended for everyone! changedmovement.com

    Evolution and the Christian Faith: Theistic evolution in the light of Scripture, by Philip Bell
    This book critiques "theistic evolution" from a theological and Scriptural perspective. It focuses on the Biblical discussion, not the scientific discussion. Sometimes the argumentation got a little weak, and appealed to old-fashioned cultural argumentation assuming cultural attitues that are not shared by some readers. But some of the points were very strong, and some arguments were presented more strongly than usual. The book highlighted well TE's problematic view of how Christ and His apostles were "mistaken" in their view of Genesis... and also TE's issues with suffering and death before sin, and how that affects the gospel, our view of the future new heaven/earth, and evangelism. Overall this is a good book, worth reading.

    The Quest, by Todd Wood
    This is a discussion of the 'quest' for truth, and in particular, how to understand science in light of faith, and vice-versa. Its author has a unique perspective, as a young-earth creationist who does scientific research on fossil hominins and ancient DNA. He talks about being criticized from both secular and YEC sides. He emphasizes that we should avoid trying to have "pat" answers and wrapping up the "hard questions" too quickly, but should instead be comfortable pondering the questions over years. For example, "transitional" fossils between ape and human, distant starlight, radiometric dating, patterns of genetic similarity between species, and certain interpretive aspects of Genesis. He says that the Quest requires Faith, Humility, Persistence, and Love. (He has a whole chapter on the importance of love, which will probably be appreciated by young people who have heard too many arguments on the topic of creation/evolution.)
    While his book is decently written and has many thought-provoking statements (helpful for people from either YEC or TE/OEC or evolutionist backgrounds), his tone occasionally moved into a bit of a 'rant'. I liked many of his comments and observations. He had an excellent chapter on the Galileo situation. He had great points about how the church fathers interpreted Genesis (not simply 'literal' vs 'metaphorical', but 'layers' of meaning which were simultaneously accepted as true). He had nice "Adoremus" transition sections between chapters, focusing on various nifty natural wonders and animals.
    I also noticed something which felt inconsistent: while insisting that we must not force our "hard questions" into settled easy answers, he also insisted that faith must precede our quest (based on Hebrews 11:6, "without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him"). He talked many times about his "firm commitment to young-earth creationism", which is apparently never shaken by various discoveries (I wonder if he talks so much about this because other people keep questioning whether he really is a YEC... this is a constantly recurring theme in his writing). In my opinion, he should not push so hard on this fideist presuppositionalist stuff, and instead adopt Paul's attitude (1 Corinthians 15) - if Christ is not raised, our faith is worthless. In other words, follow the evidence wherever it leads, whether toward or away from YEC, evolution, or Christianity itself, and don't worry about whether other people think you're a YEC or not. Wood rejects the label of fideism (p. 41), but very weakly.
    Overall, I think this book is worth reading, and especially worth discussing in a small group or class.

    Blessed are the Misfits, by Brant Hansen
    Excellent book describing his experience of church and Christianity from the point of view of someone to whom "it doesn't make sense"... "why do Christians do the things they do?" But also, from humility, "Why would God show mercy to evil and pathetic and sinful people like us?" He talks about his Asperger's and about his faith journey. Somewhat scattered, but very witty and fun to read. He also weaves in various stories from the Bible.

    Heretic: One scientist's journey from Darwin to Design, by Matti Leisola and Jonathan Witt
    Excellent book. Leisola shares a bit of his own story of changing from a Darwinist to a believer in Intelligent Design, and lots about the aftermath - the persecutions he faced from journals, fellow scientists at conferences and university meetings, etc. Each chapter shares a little about the reasons why ID is more reasonable than evolution in view of today's modern scientific knowledge (very up-to-date and also accessibly-written for a layperson), along with some anecdotes from Leisola's career. The semi-autographical style might not be for everyone, but I think it is a good book, worth reading.

    Love Thy Body, by Nancy Pearcey
    Excellent book. She makes the point that today's postmodern society (like the Graeco-Roman gnostics of NT times) tries to separate the "facts"/physical-body from the "values"/mental-identity/gender/personhood, and this attempt to say the body doesn't matter directly ties into the progressive views on abortion, euthanasia, promiscuity/hookup-culture, homosexuality, transgender issues, and more. She writes very well, with plenty of stories, quotes, cultural allusions, statistics, etc. She makes the point that the Christian view of the body is more 'inclusive' and 'holistic', etc, and so she uses progressives'/liberals' own language subversively and powerfully, showing that their view ultimately leads them to a place they don't want to go. Well worth reading, and probably well worth discussing among secular circles too.

  • I survived 'I kissed dating goodbye'

    This is an extremely interesting (and free) documentary by Josh Harris! Worth watching!

    http://isurvivedikdg.com

  • book reviews

    Here are some recent reviews.  For more, see this link: http://tim223.xanga.com/category/book-reviews/

    Spacecraft Earth, by Henry Richter and David Coppedge
    This book summarizes information from many different domains of science, related to how Earth is optimized for life and how living creatures display optimal design. It discusses cosmology, including the Big Bang theory, multiverses, etc. It discusses biology, including the complexity of life and the difficulties with the commonly-accepted theories of evolution and abiogenesis. It discusses the evidence both for and against evolution. At the end, Dr. Richter shares his own life story, including his career of developing Explorer I (USA's first satellite) and how he became a Christian in his 40s.
    The book has a perfect balance of concise information and readability, with a few stories and pictures thrown in too. It might be slightly too science-oriented for some, but it is perfect for anyone interested in science/engineering/tech/biology. It is great to read for learning more information, and great to give away to others.

    God's Crime Scene, by J. Warner Wallace
    Wallace, former detective, takes a "crime scene" approach to looking at the evidence for God's existence, such as the fine tuning of the universe and the existence of objective morality. The book is very easy to read, and has great clear lay explanations of the latest quantum physics arguments and how they relate to the debate (e.g. can things pop into existence spontaneously out of 'quantum vacuum'? Did Stephen Hawking's imaginary time remove the need for the universe to have a beginning?) He agrees with William Lane Craig's explanations. On the down side, he accepts a multi-billion-year-old universe and evolution, like Craig. Possibly useful (with caveats) for some people (e.g. atheists).

    Escape from North Korea, by Melanie Kirkpatrick
    This book tells about the underground railroad of people helping North Koreans escape their country. It is very well researched and documented, and very well written. It presents many facets of the issues and is very informative. It has many testimonials from North Korean refugees. It is a bit dated now, since it was published in 2012, but is still very worth reading.

    Hope Heals, by Katherine and Jay Wolf
    This is the true story of a couple who experienced a terrible medical tragedy, a brain stroke. They together (back and forth) write about their experience, and how God and their family/friends sustained them through it. It is powerful and beautiful - well worth reading.

    Mideast Beast, by Joel Richardson
    This book presents more of the Biblical side of the prophecies about the Antichrist and the end times. As presented in his old article "Will Islam be our future?" (http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/JR/Future/index.htm ), Richardson believes that the end-times government described in the Bible will be a Muslim government, a renewed Caliphate/Ottoman empire. This book answers objections that people have presented to his view (i.e. from people who believe in a renewed Roman empire as the end-times government) He presents many interesting and persuasive interpretations of the relevant Bible passages, including Daniel, Revelation, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Isaiah, etc. His conclusion is that we should love Muslims, by seeking to bring the gospel of Christ to them and show them the way out of the darkness of Islam.

    The Great Omission, by Steve Saint
    The main point of this book is that western missionaries should seek to help the people with whom they are ministering become self-sufficient in terms of financing, leadership (especially church leadership), missions-sending, and technological skills. Missionaries should 'work themselves out of a job' in a particular place, empowering the indigenous church and local community to become self-sufficient and sending out other missionaries. It presents excellent points, although it gets a little like a 'rant' occasionally. Worth reading.

  • blame guns?

    Important interview from Dr. Eric Wallace, Chicago pastor, about gun violence.

    https://crev.info/2018/08/pastor-blames-crime-evolution/
    Excerpt:
    "We need to change the hearts and minds of those folks who are committing these crimes. And they want to talk about gun violence as if the guns are running around and shooting people. It’s people shooting people, and we need to be able to minister to them and get them to have a heart transplant, if you will, through the power of the Holy Spirit."

  • Mr. Rogers... was he a sheep? Are you?

    What was Mr. Rogers' relationship with God like?
    Fascinating article - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/jared-c-wilson/mister-rogerss-deathbed-confession/

    Are you a sheep?

(I use 'tags' and 'categories' almost interchangeably... see below)

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