Christianity
Shout to the Lord: AI Edition
Apparently this is the talk of the Christian world today: American Idol contestants singing “Shout to the Lord” last night. Since I have not watched the show since Sanjaya was unjustly kicked off last season, I did not see it live. My mom missed it as well, thanks to the DVR stopping 2 minutes shy of the end.
Here is a clip from the show:
P.S. Sure I am a little disappointed they didn’t sing “Jesus.” But just a little. At least they sang 99% of the song, in front of some 6 million people.
Book Review: God’s Problem
Last night I finished reading God’s Problem by Bart Ehrman. Ehrman is an agnostic (former evangelical) New Testament scholar at UNC- Chapel Hill. Given his background, and since the subtitle is How the Bible Fails to Answer our Most Important Question: Why We Suffer, I knew from the beginning I would disagree with the majority of the text. However, I did try to read the book with as open a mind as I could.
In this book, Ehrman discusses the various “answers” that the Bible gives for the cause of suffering. He separates these different approaches, claiming that the human Biblical authors disagreed on the causes for suffering. For example, he devotes chapters to the Minor Prophets, the OT narratives, and even the book of Job. In each of these chapters, he argues that the books provide conflicting reasons for suffering. By taking these “answers” out of context and distorting them, Ehrman is able to state that the Bible gives him no clear answer to suffering. This is a major issue he has with the Bible, as it is the reason he lost his faith.
Throughout the book, his personal vendetta against Christianity is evident in his writing. Often times, he issues a liberal reading of the text, hoping to shock the reader into questioning Christianity. Also, at the beginning of each chapter, Ehrman gives a shocking modern example of extreme suffering. Examples include the Holocaust, Pol Pot’s Cambodian regime, and WWII battlefield atrocities. These “shock tales” serve no direct purpose to the book, other than attempting to get the reader upset with God for allowing them. Ultimately, this disbelief in and personal vendetta against Christianity reduces this book into an attack on Christianity. Rating: 1 / 5
As an aside, I felt it was important to read this book for two reasons:
1. Ehrman is a good author. He is a very fine scholar, having coauthored the most important book on NT text transmission. Ehrman has a gift to clearly present very technical matters and I respect this, even if I disagree with his conclusions.
2. Many people ask this question. Everyone in a church suffers. Every student in a youth ministry suffers. At one point or another, everyone has wondered why there is suffering. I wanted to see what the secular world (via Ehrman) had to say about suffering. That way, I am better prepared to give a Biblical answer to the question of suffering.
Grad School Weekend: Review
As I posted earlier, I had the first weekend of my Grad school class on Bible Geography. Great class because 1. it is easy, 2. it is relatively short (not a semester long) and 3. I am really enjoying it. I love learning about the Bible, and so far this class has opened my eyes to the geographical setting of the narratives.
An example of what we are learning in class:
Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and had killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife - 1 Kings 9:16 ESV
This is a verse in the Bible that I have read a few times, but never studied. In the class, however, we spent about 20 minutes looking at the importance of location (Gezer was Israel’s entrance to a major international road), motive (Pharaoh improves Egypt’s trade with the world), and significance (Gezer was never taken by Israel during Joshua’s campaign, but rather a foreigner: see Joshua 16:10).
So far a great class, although it gets a little boring at times. Plus, the homework is cake: drawing on maps. Can’t wait for next week!
Happy Easter
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” - Luke 24:1-6 ESV
I am so thankful that we celebrate a risen Savior. Easter is always a time to remember the simple yet powerful truth of the empty tomb. Amen.
“Fireproof” Out this Fall
Just saw that Sherwood Pictures (the film studio run by Sherwood Baptist Church in GA) is coming out with another movie: Fireproof. Starring Kirk Cameron, Fireproof will be coming to a theater near you this fall. View the trailer to the movie here: Fireproof Trailer.
I really hope this movie receives as much acclaim and attention as Facing the Giants did last year. What a great movie that was!
Bible Switch “Work of Satan”
Found this article the other day describing a hacker’s attack on Bible Gateway.com. For 3 days in July, this hacker adjusted the settings of Bible Gateway’s Bible search to provide different results. From the article:
“… anyone at BibleGateway.com who looked up passages in the King James Version of the Bible was actually presented with passages from the Amplified Bible (and vice versa).”
Now you would think that anyone who knew anything about either the KJV or the Amplified Bible would recognize the difference between the two. The KJV is an older translation written in a “higher English” manner, meaning it sounds old and dignified. The Amplified Bible is a more modern reading that provides a clearer reading in English by using extra words. However, some people blindly relied on the text found on that website, to some disastrous ends.
A presenter at the American Fundamental Baptist Association National Conference used text he assumed was KJV, but was really the Amplified Bible. The article recorded the crowd’s reaction:
More than 11,000 of the 13,000 appalled attendees walked out of the stadium while over 100 attending pastors’ wives fainted in their dismay.
“Good mercy, there was nothing subtle about the toxin that was spewing from his mouth! How Satan was able to deceive him on such a simple verse, I do not know.” (quoted from a witness)
Now I am all about people using their favorite translation or interpretation for their English Bible (mine is the ESV). However, to call the display of God’s Word a “toxin” or “the demonic realm of blasphemy” is way too harsh. Lighten up, people! Be glad you are free to read the Bible in your preferred translation, yet alone read it. Having your own Bible is a luxury too many Christians worldwide cannot have. Be grateful we have the Bible. Don’t worry about the “evil nature” of translations or paraphrases you may not agree with. View the Bible as God’s Word, and treat it as His written revelation to you.
Hillary Clinton and the Holy Spirit
Last month Hillary Clinton gave an interview with the New York Times about her religious beliefs. Read the transcript here: Transcript with Hillary Clinton.
Points from her interview:
- Her discussion of the Trinity. She said “I believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and I have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit on many occasions.” I am glad she recognizes the Trinity, but I wonder why she mentions her “feelings” of the Holy Spirit. But it’s not like Christians keep a running tally of how many times times they “felt” the Holy Spirit.
- Her description of faith. She described faith as “…the background music. It’s there all the time. It’s not something you have to think about, you believe it.” Sorry, but I think about my faith all the time. I thank God for my faith, and I try to live it out daily.
- Her Beliefs on Salvation. When asked if belief in Jesus is the only way to get to Heaven, she responded with “That one I’m a little more open to. I think that it is, as we understand our relationship to God as Christians, it is how we see our way forward, and it is the way” She then goes on to say that she accepts others who do not believe Jesus is the way to salvation.
- Her Thoughts on Isaiah. I wonder what parts of Isaiah she finds “very intriguing and provocative.” Interesting.
I am not here to judge her. I mean, it sounds like she knows what she is talking about, or she at least knows what Evangelicals want to hear. Her rejection of Jesus as the ONLY way to Heaven disturbs me, and it is not what Evangelicals want to hear. I cannot stand the woman and may move to Canada if she is President, but I am glad that she at least talks about Christianity. Heck, I voted for the guy who believes Jesus came to America!
