Recently, a caller to the local newspaper phoned in with a comment about faith and religion. I thought I would mention it here and critique it, because its contents reveal a common misunderstanding about Biblical Christianity.
The caller said: "I agree with the caller who said organized religion is responsible for more deaths in mankind's history than anything else combined. I believe in God, I pray every day, I teach my children about God, I just don't believe in religion."
Here are a few of my immediate thoughts:
1. No doubt "organized religion" has been the cause of much harm historically. And that is not a good thing at all. But, in the first place, this does not mean that all "organized religion" is to be dismissed with the same broad brush. Christians, for instance, have done wrongful and hurtful things in the name of Christianity. But this does not mean that Christianity should be dismissed. What it means is that those particular Christians who (mistakenly) advocated a hurtful thing in the name of Christianity should be dismissed. It's one thing if the entire "religion" advocates harm and another thing altogether if some adherents to a "religion" advocate harm mistakenly. Rather than dismissing Christianity, we need to stand up to the particular adherents that are in error and call them to account. And, in the second place, I would question the caller's claim that "organized religion is responsible for more deaths in mankind's history than anything else combined." Without doing the research, I would doubt very much that that is the case. Unless, of course, one speaks so broadly as to refer to EVERY belief system as an "organized religion" (including things like Nazism, Communism or Marxism, Paganism, Hedonism, etc.).
2. The caller makes absolutely no reference to Jesus Christ, whom the Bible states to be the only way to God. Belief in "God" in any other way besides through the person and work of Christ is a dead faith.
3. The caller advocates a "private" religion, one in which he/she can "believe," "pray," and "teach his/her children" but only on his/her own, without the evils of an organized religion. But the Bible says that there is no such thing as a private religion. The Bible explicitly teaches that all who believe in Jesus Christ are united to Christ and, therefore, united to everyone who is united to Christ themselves. In other words, the Bible explicitly teaches that Christians are, by definition, part of a corporate and "organized" BODY, the body of Christ. The Bible knows nothing of a private Christianity that simply stays within one's family. Instead, Christianity gives us a new family and commands us to gather together in organized assemblies. As John Calvin (and St. Augustine before him) was wont to say: we cannot take God as our Father without also taking the church as our mother!
What is that but "organized religion"?
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Creation vs. Evolution
Today's local paper carried an article from The Washington Post about the new creation museum that has opened in Petersburg, KY. The article, although not explicitly anti-creation, was written from an evolutionist point of view. It simply assumes evolution and eschews any "religious" encroaching upon the turf of science. I guess that is what bothers me so much about it and about the whole nature of what goes for scientific dialogue today. "Science," as we know it and practice it today, has ceased to have any real association with its Latin origins. Science no longer deals with "knowledge" per se (from the Latin scientia, meaning knowledge) but with a specific kind of knowledge, namely, an interpreted knowledge of the material world that is interpreted through a materialistic world view.
If we try to interpret the "facts" from a theistic/Christian world view (the belief in a God), then we are told that we are bringing religion into science and that that is bad. We need to engage in "pure" science and leave matters of faith behind. And "pure" science means interpreting the facts from a materialistic point of view (n.b., materialism is the belief that this world, the material stuff of this world, is all that there is and that there is nothing else).
Well, I have a problem with this. If interpreting the facts of science in a theistic way is "religion" and not science, then interpreting the facts in a materialistic way is also religion and not science. All interpretation of facts is religious, because we all interpret facts based on our presuppositions or our world views (i.e., based on how we view the world). One's world view is a product of one's "religious" belief. To put it simply, if we are materialistic/atheistic in our world view, we will interpret the world order in one way. If we are theistic/Christian, we will interpret the world order in another way.
Evolution and an ancient earth (the view that the earth is millions/billions of years old) have become "facts" of science, when, in actuality, both are simply faith-based interpretations of scientific facts, which facts could be interpreted in different ways.
Let me explain what I mean. Take the age of any given fossil, call it "Fossil X." If Fossil X is dated by our conventional dating procedures and found to be millions of years old, the scientists proclaim triumphantly that this proves an ancient earth. But, what do we really "know"? that by our conventional dating procedures the fossil was found to be millions of years old; that's it. The possible conclusions are as follows (there may be others, I'm sure; this is just a sample):
1. Our dating procedures are inaccurate. We may find out in one hundred years (or more or less) that our dating procedures were woefully inaccurate. Maybe, maybe not. Not too long ago, we thought that making someone bleed was the way to cure them of their sickness (and many folks, sadly, bled to death en route to being cured!). Science has and does make new discoveries over time. We have not "arrived" at the point of "advanced" science in the 21st century. In the future, we WILL discover that we have been wrong in any number of ways.
2. The Fossil actually is only several thousands of years old but was created by a divine power (uh oh, I've brought God into the picture!) to "look" like it was millions of years old (i.e., it was created "mature" rather than in an infantile state, rather like Adam and Eve, who were not created at 0 years old but as adults).
3. The Fossil actually is millions of years old.
4. God wanted to show that the foolishness of God is greater than the wisdom of men! And He wanted some people to stumble over His foolishness, so that He could show the riches of His glory to those who believe (a la Romans 9:19-23).
Not one of us was there when the universe was created or came into being. The best we can do is to gather the facts and then make our interpretations. The travesty is that, under the guise of science, many well-intentioned folks seek to convince us that evolution and an ancient earth are "scientific" facts and that creation and a relatively new earth are merely "religious" beliefs.
If we try to interpret the "facts" from a theistic/Christian world view (the belief in a God), then we are told that we are bringing religion into science and that that is bad. We need to engage in "pure" science and leave matters of faith behind. And "pure" science means interpreting the facts from a materialistic point of view (n.b., materialism is the belief that this world, the material stuff of this world, is all that there is and that there is nothing else).
Well, I have a problem with this. If interpreting the facts of science in a theistic way is "religion" and not science, then interpreting the facts in a materialistic way is also religion and not science. All interpretation of facts is religious, because we all interpret facts based on our presuppositions or our world views (i.e., based on how we view the world). One's world view is a product of one's "religious" belief. To put it simply, if we are materialistic/atheistic in our world view, we will interpret the world order in one way. If we are theistic/Christian, we will interpret the world order in another way.
Evolution and an ancient earth (the view that the earth is millions/billions of years old) have become "facts" of science, when, in actuality, both are simply faith-based interpretations of scientific facts, which facts could be interpreted in different ways.
Let me explain what I mean. Take the age of any given fossil, call it "Fossil X." If Fossil X is dated by our conventional dating procedures and found to be millions of years old, the scientists proclaim triumphantly that this proves an ancient earth. But, what do we really "know"? that by our conventional dating procedures the fossil was found to be millions of years old; that's it. The possible conclusions are as follows (there may be others, I'm sure; this is just a sample):
1. Our dating procedures are inaccurate. We may find out in one hundred years (or more or less) that our dating procedures were woefully inaccurate. Maybe, maybe not. Not too long ago, we thought that making someone bleed was the way to cure them of their sickness (and many folks, sadly, bled to death en route to being cured!). Science has and does make new discoveries over time. We have not "arrived" at the point of "advanced" science in the 21st century. In the future, we WILL discover that we have been wrong in any number of ways.
2. The Fossil actually is only several thousands of years old but was created by a divine power (uh oh, I've brought God into the picture!) to "look" like it was millions of years old (i.e., it was created "mature" rather than in an infantile state, rather like Adam and Eve, who were not created at 0 years old but as adults).
3. The Fossil actually is millions of years old.
4. God wanted to show that the foolishness of God is greater than the wisdom of men! And He wanted some people to stumble over His foolishness, so that He could show the riches of His glory to those who believe (a la Romans 9:19-23).
Not one of us was there when the universe was created or came into being. The best we can do is to gather the facts and then make our interpretations. The travesty is that, under the guise of science, many well-intentioned folks seek to convince us that evolution and an ancient earth are "scientific" facts and that creation and a relatively new earth are merely "religious" beliefs.
Friday, May 25, 2007
State of the Church!
Here we are just over 20 months after the nation’s worst natural disaster roared across the once-beautiful beaches and cities of south Mississippi. To call these months since the storm surreal would be something of an understatement! But that’s the first thing that comes to my mind.
I hope I will always remember the first Sunday that we worshiped together after the hurricane. There was not a dry eye among us, as many met their new pastor for the first time and saw one another for the first time since the storm. It was a living, breathing illustration of Psalm 84:10, “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (ESV, emphasis added). If you’ve ever wondered how anyone in their right mind could say the words of that psalm and actually mean them, you should have been worshiping with us on those first few Sundays after the hurricane. There was no place else we wanted to be than in Katrina-ravaged Gulfport, MS, side by side with one another, worshiping the Lord and singing “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow!” That’s a picture I hope I never forget.
Another thing that I hope I never forget is the love and support of so many of you, our brothers and sisters from around the world, who sacrificed your time and your resources to show us the love of Christ and to encourage us. Those of you who have faced tremendous loss and have had a brother or sister come along side, not like Job’s friends, but with the compassion of Christ, you will know what it has been like for us to have thousands of you come down and pray and give financially. I tell people the feeling is a lot like being abandoned in a desert (although I have to admit that I’ve never been abandoned in a desert—and really don’t want to be!) with no water and no prospect for any and, just when you are about to give up because you don’t know how you’re going to make it or what you’re going to do, a van pulls up with all the water you need! And, more than that, with company too, so you don’t have to spend your desert days and nights alone. Thank you! We have formed deep and lasting friendships with many of you. We miss you when you’re away and look forward to your return.
It is for those of you who have shouldered our burden that I write these words. I want you to know how much we appreciate your labors, sacrifices, and supplications on our behalf. But I also want you to know that our hour of need is not past. We need you now at least as much as ever. We need you to remain steadfast in partnering with us. We need your help, and here are a few of the ways that we do:
1. We currently have a contract to purchase a tract of land north of I-10. But there is a significant portion of wetlands on the proposed property and that is causing frustrating delays in our moving forward. Please pray for the Lord’s provision here.
2. Building costs on the Coast have skyrocketed! As of today, we have learned that the cost to build a multi-purpose building with office space and Sunday school rooms will be upwards of $315 per square foot, not including the land cost. At that cost, replacing the facility we had before the hurricane would cost over $10 million. And we have only $1.7 million in insurance proceeds (barely enough to build ½ a gymnasium with no office/classroom space at the current prices). Please pray that the Lord would raise up “cheerful givers” to help us build a facility of our own that will at least meet our immediate needs.
3. Pray for the work of the gospel both in our church and in our community. Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit all along the Coast and throughout the nation.
4. Our Camp Hope ministry has been operating in the red for the last few months. It costs an average of $25,000-$30,000 per month to run this ministry (we pay for all the materials for the storm-damaged homes that we repair and all the food/camp costs to house the volunteers that come down). Please pray for the Lord’s provision here too.
5. If you are a retired minister and would be willing to move down here to help out, even if it is only for a portion of the year, let us know. We have plenty of work for you! Even if you are not a retired minister (just plain retired), and would be willing to move down to help out, please let us know. Pray that the Lord would raise up retired individuals, who would be willing to move here to help.
6. Camp Hope is booked solid through the summer months (thank you!). But we have many open weeks with no volunteers at all beginning in September through the end of the calendar year. Call Heather Carter at 228-697-7950 or email her at hcarter@fpcgulfport.org for more information on scheduling a group to come down.
7. If you would like a group from our church to come and speak to your church about the needs that we have and the ways in which you could be involved, please let us know. We would be happy to work with you and your church in this way. Please call or email Heather about this too.
Once again, let me assure you of our profound appreciation for the ways in which you have supported and encouraged us over the last 20 months. But please remember that we have a long way to go. Believe me, I know that the sheer volume of the need along the Coast is overwhelming. But I also know that our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills…and much, much more! As Haggai reminds us, the silver is His and the gold is His (Hagg. 2:8). Surely our needs are as nothing to Him! Join with us in our 21st century rebuilding, as we trust the Lord to build His house.
I hope I will always remember the first Sunday that we worshiped together after the hurricane. There was not a dry eye among us, as many met their new pastor for the first time and saw one another for the first time since the storm. It was a living, breathing illustration of Psalm 84:10, “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (ESV, emphasis added). If you’ve ever wondered how anyone in their right mind could say the words of that psalm and actually mean them, you should have been worshiping with us on those first few Sundays after the hurricane. There was no place else we wanted to be than in Katrina-ravaged Gulfport, MS, side by side with one another, worshiping the Lord and singing “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow!” That’s a picture I hope I never forget.
Another thing that I hope I never forget is the love and support of so many of you, our brothers and sisters from around the world, who sacrificed your time and your resources to show us the love of Christ and to encourage us. Those of you who have faced tremendous loss and have had a brother or sister come along side, not like Job’s friends, but with the compassion of Christ, you will know what it has been like for us to have thousands of you come down and pray and give financially. I tell people the feeling is a lot like being abandoned in a desert (although I have to admit that I’ve never been abandoned in a desert—and really don’t want to be!) with no water and no prospect for any and, just when you are about to give up because you don’t know how you’re going to make it or what you’re going to do, a van pulls up with all the water you need! And, more than that, with company too, so you don’t have to spend your desert days and nights alone. Thank you! We have formed deep and lasting friendships with many of you. We miss you when you’re away and look forward to your return.
It is for those of you who have shouldered our burden that I write these words. I want you to know how much we appreciate your labors, sacrifices, and supplications on our behalf. But I also want you to know that our hour of need is not past. We need you now at least as much as ever. We need you to remain steadfast in partnering with us. We need your help, and here are a few of the ways that we do:
1. We currently have a contract to purchase a tract of land north of I-10. But there is a significant portion of wetlands on the proposed property and that is causing frustrating delays in our moving forward. Please pray for the Lord’s provision here.
2. Building costs on the Coast have skyrocketed! As of today, we have learned that the cost to build a multi-purpose building with office space and Sunday school rooms will be upwards of $315 per square foot, not including the land cost. At that cost, replacing the facility we had before the hurricane would cost over $10 million. And we have only $1.7 million in insurance proceeds (barely enough to build ½ a gymnasium with no office/classroom space at the current prices). Please pray that the Lord would raise up “cheerful givers” to help us build a facility of our own that will at least meet our immediate needs.
3. Pray for the work of the gospel both in our church and in our community. Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit all along the Coast and throughout the nation.
4. Our Camp Hope ministry has been operating in the red for the last few months. It costs an average of $25,000-$30,000 per month to run this ministry (we pay for all the materials for the storm-damaged homes that we repair and all the food/camp costs to house the volunteers that come down). Please pray for the Lord’s provision here too.
5. If you are a retired minister and would be willing to move down here to help out, even if it is only for a portion of the year, let us know. We have plenty of work for you! Even if you are not a retired minister (just plain retired), and would be willing to move down to help out, please let us know. Pray that the Lord would raise up retired individuals, who would be willing to move here to help.
6. Camp Hope is booked solid through the summer months (thank you!). But we have many open weeks with no volunteers at all beginning in September through the end of the calendar year. Call Heather Carter at 228-697-7950 or email her at hcarter@fpcgulfport.org for more information on scheduling a group to come down.
7. If you would like a group from our church to come and speak to your church about the needs that we have and the ways in which you could be involved, please let us know. We would be happy to work with you and your church in this way. Please call or email Heather about this too.
Once again, let me assure you of our profound appreciation for the ways in which you have supported and encouraged us over the last 20 months. But please remember that we have a long way to go. Believe me, I know that the sheer volume of the need along the Coast is overwhelming. But I also know that our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills…and much, much more! As Haggai reminds us, the silver is His and the gold is His (Hagg. 2:8). Surely our needs are as nothing to Him! Join with us in our 21st century rebuilding, as we trust the Lord to build His house.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
New prayer blog
Since we have been talking about prayer, I wanted to share with you a portion of a recent chapter on prayer that I came across in John Miller's Powerful Evangelism for the Powerless (pp. 60-64).
Miller says:
"God provides a means for us to appropriate the Spirit's power in our lives and a means for non-Christians to be prepared to receive the Word. That means is prayer.
"Here is an amazing paradox: we who have the Holy Spirit must constantly seek His presence and His control of our lives by fervent prayer (Luke 11:5-13). Without this heavenly anointing, there is only an earthly work. Our words have no power unless the Spirit speaks through us, and they have no effect unless the Spirit applies them to men's hearts. John Piper says, 'God has made the spread of his fame hang on the preaching of his Word; and he has made the preaching of his Word hang on the prayers of the saints.'
"Christians...have missed the exciting link between prayer and God's purposes in the world. It is, simply, that prayer starts the promises of God on their way to fulfillment. Here is God's battle plan for our time. In prayer, God allows us to lay hold of His purposes as these are expressed in His promises....By claiming God's promises as we petition Him in prayer, we set God's work in motion.
"...coldness and timidity in evangelism in the church c[an] only be cured by a commitment to corporate prayer. According to J. Edwin Orr, a major student of revivals, this 'concert of prayer' became the dynamic source of boldness in evangelism and missionary endeavor for the U.S. right up to the mighty spiritual explosion of 1858. He says, 'The concert of prayer remained the significant factor in the recurring revivals of religion and the extraordinary out-thrust of missions for a full fifty years, so commonplace it was taken for granted by the Churches.'"
Let us pray down heaven!
Miller says:
"God provides a means for us to appropriate the Spirit's power in our lives and a means for non-Christians to be prepared to receive the Word. That means is prayer.
"Here is an amazing paradox: we who have the Holy Spirit must constantly seek His presence and His control of our lives by fervent prayer (Luke 11:5-13). Without this heavenly anointing, there is only an earthly work. Our words have no power unless the Spirit speaks through us, and they have no effect unless the Spirit applies them to men's hearts. John Piper says, 'God has made the spread of his fame hang on the preaching of his Word; and he has made the preaching of his Word hang on the prayers of the saints.'
"Christians...have missed the exciting link between prayer and God's purposes in the world. It is, simply, that prayer starts the promises of God on their way to fulfillment. Here is God's battle plan for our time. In prayer, God allows us to lay hold of His purposes as these are expressed in His promises....By claiming God's promises as we petition Him in prayer, we set God's work in motion.
"...coldness and timidity in evangelism in the church c[an] only be cured by a commitment to corporate prayer. According to J. Edwin Orr, a major student of revivals, this 'concert of prayer' became the dynamic source of boldness in evangelism and missionary endeavor for the U.S. right up to the mighty spiritual explosion of 1858. He says, 'The concert of prayer remained the significant factor in the recurring revivals of religion and the extraordinary out-thrust of missions for a full fifty years, so commonplace it was taken for granted by the Churches.'"
Let us pray down heaven!
Friday, May 11, 2007
A sixth reason to pray in private
After a long hiatus, here is a sixth reason that we should pray in private from Thomas Brooks' book on prayer:
Private prayer has prevailing power.
"Private prayer is the porta coeli, clavis paradisi, the gate of heaven, a key to let us into paradise. Oh, the great things that private prayer has done with God! (Psa. 31:22). Oh, the great mercies that have been obtained by private prayer! (Psa. 38:8, 9). And oh, the great threatenings that have been diverted by private prayer! And oh, the great judgments that have been removed by private prayer! And oh, the great judgments that have been prevented by private prayer! I have read of a malicious woman who gave herself to the devil, provided that he would do a mischief to such a neighbor, whom she mortally hated: the devil went again and again to do his errand, but at last he returns and tells her, that he could do no hurt to that man, for whenever he came, he found him either reading the Scriptures, or at private prayer.
"Private prayers pierce the heavens, and are commonly blessed and loaded with gracious and glorious returns from there. Whilst Hezekiah was praying and weeping in private, God sent the prophet Isaiah to him, to assure him that his prayer was heard, and that his tears were seen, and that he would add unto his days fifteen years (Isa. 38:5). So when Isaac was all alone meditating and praying, and treating with God for a good wife in the fields, he meets Rebekah (Gen. 24:63, 64)."
It reminds me of something Samuel Rutherford used to say, namely, that he never went on an errand for someone to the throne of God in prayer that he did not bring back a blessing for himself!
Private prayer has prevailing power.
"Private prayer is the porta coeli, clavis paradisi, the gate of heaven, a key to let us into paradise. Oh, the great things that private prayer has done with God! (Psa. 31:22). Oh, the great mercies that have been obtained by private prayer! (Psa. 38:8, 9). And oh, the great threatenings that have been diverted by private prayer! And oh, the great judgments that have been removed by private prayer! And oh, the great judgments that have been prevented by private prayer! I have read of a malicious woman who gave herself to the devil, provided that he would do a mischief to such a neighbor, whom she mortally hated: the devil went again and again to do his errand, but at last he returns and tells her, that he could do no hurt to that man, for whenever he came, he found him either reading the Scriptures, or at private prayer.
"Private prayers pierce the heavens, and are commonly blessed and loaded with gracious and glorious returns from there. Whilst Hezekiah was praying and weeping in private, God sent the prophet Isaiah to him, to assure him that his prayer was heard, and that his tears were seen, and that he would add unto his days fifteen years (Isa. 38:5). So when Isaac was all alone meditating and praying, and treating with God for a good wife in the fields, he meets Rebekah (Gen. 24:63, 64)."
It reminds me of something Samuel Rutherford used to say, namely, that he never went on an errand for someone to the throne of God in prayer that he did not bring back a blessing for himself!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Where HAVE you been?
It certainly has been a while since my last blog! I know what you're thinking...you're wondering, "Where have you been?"
Well, I can answer that! I have been out of town for several days speaking to churches in Annapolis, MD, and in Delaware. I was given the privilege of preaching in the morning services (not one service, but three!) at Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Annapolis this past Sunday. EP has been a BIG supporter of ours after the hurricane. They have supported us financially and prayerfully (even holding specific prayer meetings just for us) and by sending down multiple teams of volunteers to help us in the community (they have another team coming down in late June). I was able to thank them personally on behalf of our church.
If you're interested in listening to my sermon, you can tune in on their website, www.epannapolis.org under the "resources" link.
I also was able to preach before and then give an update to the churches in Heritage Presbytery. As you'll remember, the Heritage Presbytery churches (17 churches in total, I think) adopted us after the hurricane and helped us build Camp Hope and start the rebuilding ministry that we now run ourselves. They have been our single biggest supporters and encouragers. I was able to thank them (profusely), to encourage them with what they have helped to accomplish down here (humanly speaking), and to update them on our current needs and situation.
It was a long trip (I got in late last night) but well worth it! Please join me in praying for EP in Annapolis and for the churches in Heritage Presbytery. Pray that the Lord will bless them in every way. But pray also that the Lord will bring fruit from my visit, according to His will.
It's good to be home!
Well, I can answer that! I have been out of town for several days speaking to churches in Annapolis, MD, and in Delaware. I was given the privilege of preaching in the morning services (not one service, but three!) at Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Annapolis this past Sunday. EP has been a BIG supporter of ours after the hurricane. They have supported us financially and prayerfully (even holding specific prayer meetings just for us) and by sending down multiple teams of volunteers to help us in the community (they have another team coming down in late June). I was able to thank them personally on behalf of our church.
If you're interested in listening to my sermon, you can tune in on their website, www.epannapolis.org under the "resources" link.
I also was able to preach before and then give an update to the churches in Heritage Presbytery. As you'll remember, the Heritage Presbytery churches (17 churches in total, I think) adopted us after the hurricane and helped us build Camp Hope and start the rebuilding ministry that we now run ourselves. They have been our single biggest supporters and encouragers. I was able to thank them (profusely), to encourage them with what they have helped to accomplish down here (humanly speaking), and to update them on our current needs and situation.
It was a long trip (I got in late last night) but well worth it! Please join me in praying for EP in Annapolis and for the churches in Heritage Presbytery. Pray that the Lord will bless them in every way. But pray also that the Lord will bring fruit from my visit, according to His will.
It's good to be home!
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