Perfect Moments

Sitting here studying for my sermon, watching a crackling fire in the fireplace, with snow on the mountains outside, and listening to Karen Carpenter singing "I'll Be Home for Christmas".

Thank you, Lord.

How Firm a Foundation!

Listened to a powerful sermon on "The Reliability of the Bible," preached by Lon Solomon of McLean Bible Church this morning. Definitely worth your time! Click here to listen.

A Little Light(ling) Reading

As a parent with small (and medium and large) children, I'm always on the prowl for good books for the kids. And by good I do not mean "NEA Approved". I want something that will not only hold their attention but fire their imaginations and, most importantly, establish them in Scriptural principles. R. C. Sproul's The Lightlings fits the bill.

I wasn't really surprised, mind you. Sproul's other children's books, in audio format, are already some of my kids' favorite bedtime listening. But as much as my children love the books, I love them even more.

The Lightlings is the story of the Fall (Gen. 3:1-15), retold in a fantasy millieu for kids. The story of the lightlings, special creation of the King With No Shadow, presents the truth about man's rebellion, guilt, and redemption in a way that gives parents some priceless teachable moments. There is even a teaching guide at the end of the book.

With that said, this is a children's story, not a theological text (although many of those are also available from Ligonier ministries as well). As such, this story is designed to teach a small set of principles -- and it does so powerfully -- but the details will not stand up to nitpicking. But, then, it's not supposed to.

Accompanying Dr. Sproul's words are some of the most beautiful illustrations I have seen in a children's book in awhile. So many times good books are accompanied by mediocre illustrations, leaving our children with a handicapped aesthetic sense. Not so with The Lightlings.

Oh, yes, and there's a bonus. This is also the very best book for any Christian parents or grandparents who want to teach little ones not to be afraid of the dark.

Pick up a copy of The Lightlings for your kids or grandkids. It's not only a beautiful story, beautifully illustrated; it helps you to teach your little ones about the MOST beautiful story ever told.

$25 Holy Land Tour

There is a great new book from Thomas Nelson publishers that you really want to add to your home or pastoral library. Reflections of God’s Holy Land is a combination travelogue, Bible backgrounds commentary, devotional, and coffee table book, that surrounds you in the sights, sounds and smells of the lands of the Bible.

Each of the almost forty articles features a gorgeous cover photo, followed by an informative “Did You Know” section supplied by a skilled tour guide, and “Reflections” by the authors, who share their devotional thoughts in a warm, personal style.

The writing style strikes a perfect balance: transitioning from the historical information to the intimate devotional thoughts is never jarring. And it is a compelling style. From the very beginning I was captivated: as in her introduction Eva described reaching out her hand to touch what may have been soot from Joshua’s fire at Hazor I could feel the coolness of the stone.

The centerpiece of the book is the gorgeous photography. There is none of the dry, matter-of-fact images from far too many textbooks. These pictures are alive. The colors are vibrant and the composition draws you into every scene. Particularly exciting for me were the pictures of some of the animals that are mentioned in the Bible, such as rock coneys, and wild goats at En-Gedi.

Pastors will find the background information to be extraordinarily profitable. Reading the historical vignettes while looking at the actual locales will enrich your sermons and lessons, as you are now able to picture the places you are seeking to describe. And everyone will appreciate the quiet moments of reflection that the authors allow us to share.

Get this book. Integrate it into your sermon and lesson prep. Make it a part of your daily quiet times. It will be money – and time – well-spent.

Trustworthy.

"After a survey of the alleged errors and discrepancies, including not only the typical ones just mentioned, but also many others, we assert, without fear of successful contradiction, that no one of these is real. As Christians we call this book the "Holy Bible." But if it were only a relatively good book, setting forth many valuable moral and spiritual truths, but also containing many things which are not true, we would then have no right to apply to it the adjective "holy." It would then be on a level with other books, and would differ from them not in kind but only in degree.

"But how different is our attitude toward it when we approach it as the very word of God, an inspired, infallible rule of faith and practice! How readily we accept its statements of fact and bow before its enunciations of duty! How instinctively we tremble before its threatenings, and rest upon its promises! As we proclaim the word of life from the pulpit, or in the classroom; as we attempt to give comfort at some bed of sickness, or in a bereaved home; or as we see our fellow men struggling against temptation or weighed down with care, and would give them encouragement and hope for this world and the next, how thankful we then are for a fully trustworthy Bible! In such cases we want to know that we have not merely something that is probable or plausible, but something that is sure."

- Lorraine Boettner, The Inspiration of Scripture

Where Have You Gone, B.B. Warfield?

In light of a recent program on the PBS series Nova, purporting to reveal "The Bible's Buried Secrets" (giggle), I have now postulated a new theory of Brownian motion (DAN Brown, that is). My theory goes like this:

Debunked theories have a tendency to move

from obscure to cutting-edge

in direct proportion to the desperation of the antitheist.

About 8 minutes into the program "scholarship" (which apparently speaks with one unified voice now--take that, Hegel!) presented the "new" (are you serious?!?) approach called the documentary theory. More on the fallacies of the JEDP theory later; but for now, I am just amazed at the sloppy, one-sided, intellectually dishonest propaganda that is being foisted on the public, on the taxpayer's dime. Of course, since they are interested in serving the public trust, I am sure that they would be more than willing to give equal time to, say, James White, Norman Geisler, or Dan Wallace.

Yeah, right. And Whoopi Goldberg will host it.

Without His Cross

Welcome to the 21st Century . . . There's Just One Catch

HealthDay is now reporting on a study from the November issue of Psychological Science, in which it was found that teenagers' level of self-confidence has "crossed into overconfidence. Teens today possess an unrealistic self-image, with many respondents, for example, rating themselves as A-students, even when they are not making As. And just who is to blame for this?

"These kids didn't raise themselves, they got these ideas from somewhere," Twenge said. With Mom and Dad handing out endless praise, kids today readily believe they are somehow superior, she said. And teachers aren't blameless, either: According to Twenge, research shows that high school teachers now give out an "A" grade more easily than their counterparts did in the 1970s, even though today's high school students report doing less homework than students from that era.

The tragedy is that this backfires when these over-inflated egos encounter the rocky shoals of real-life. Employers now have to constantly pour incentives and perks on mediocre employees, just to keep them around. But I would make one tweak to Twenge's conclusions, courtesy of Biblical theology:

This "gimme now" mentality is not a result of indulgent parenting. It is a natural state. We are all born depraved sinners. By pouring the treacle of the self-esteem gurus into their kids, all these parents have done is provide high-octane fuel for their little sinners. If these parents and teachers were fulfilling their proper role of providing discipline and instruction as well as nurture and encouragement, the proper checks would be in place and these kids would grow into balanced adults. Instead, when the parents and teachers strive so hard to be friends, the brakes are gone, and these kids are totally unable to conduct themselves in adult society.

Which, by the way, is why adult society is soon to be a thing of the past. This is why the main objection to McCain was that he was old.

Shades of Logan's Run.

Take Heed

Let this message pierce your heart.

Douglas Wilson on Pop "Culture"

Check out this video by Douglas Wilson . . . and THINK ABOUT IT.

Good Bad Language?

So, what about the trendy use of off-color, edgy, explicit, scatalogical, even obscene and arguably profane language in the pulpit (here is a somewhat safe example -- I could link to far worse clips)? Advocates argue, as in this clip, that the Bible uses this sort of strong language, therefore it is okay for us to use it in the pulpit.

There's just one important difference I'd like to point out: whenever this sort of strong language is employed in the Bible . . . . nobody laughs.

Big difference.

Jesus came "to seek and save that which was lost". While I completely agree that God has a sense of humor I rather think Mark needs to take a second look at Jesus' use of humor, sans the deconstructionist, post-mod, eisogetical glasses.

Coming Waaaaaay Out

Okay, the news "came out" recently, and has been burning up the grapevine for a few days now, so I doubt that anyone will be shocked to hear that Ray Boltz is gay. For the record I've taken a deep pull of the same cocktail of sadness, disappointment, concern, shock, confusion, and indignation as everyone else -- well, okay, maybe I just sipped, since I'm one of those old curmudgeons who thinks Christian pop is kitsch at best, a complete oxymoron at worst. But I admit that even I felt the emotional impact of songs like "Thank You" and "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb".

My point, though, and I do have one, is more about the typical imbalance we have seen in the reaction to the news. As soon as I read the story the first time I could hear the wheels of the boycott-o-matic cranking up. Sure enough, as soon as the knee-jerk conservatives caught a whiff of scandal in the breeze they started their spiritual heimlich (and, as is usually the case, ejected more baby than bathwater). I say this not to disparage conservatives -- I are one -- but to decry the standard knee-jerk, reactionary, often ill-considered, scorched-earth response. Maybe if blogs came with a waiting period . . .

Anyhoo, I'm not saying we should run out and buy his next album en masse, in the highly-touted but completely misguided spirit of mutual Christian support (really nothing more than sanctified consumerism and back-door ecumenism). For one thing, in reading his "testimony" in recent interviews there is no compelling reason to take his word that he is in fact a believer, so we might do with a more moderate level of credulity to begin with. Fans of the Fallwellian half-gospel that is so popular in areas where "Baptist" is the default denomination may take umbrage at that suggestion (after all, if he prayed a prayer he's in, right?) but Biblical data is on my side on this one.

So, no, we don't continue to buy his albums and throng his concerts in some smarmy show of love-over-discernment. But that's not where the loppers are currently poised to snip. The hue and cry that has been raised is, "stop singing any of his songs". And while there may for some be a painful connection with some of those songs to a fallen hero (next time pick a hero who has already finished the race -- may I suggest Adoniram Judson or C. H. Spurgeon), there is another question that begs to be asked:

Did Ray Boltz' admission of his sinful proclivities change true statements into false ones? Did songs he covered that proclaimed truth suddenly cease to be true? Again, for some, "Thank You" is a Ray Boltz song; and for their sake should not be sung because of the painful connections to Boltz' sin. But for most it is not a Ray Boltz song. Set aside for the moment the larger debate over whether this sort of music should be sung by Christians at all, and focus on this specific question. Did the fact of Boltz' sin make the song de facto inappropriate?

I would argue that we need to rethink the scorched earth, knee-jerk reactions that Christians often have to these issues, in favor of more careful reflection on the issues and a more measured and thoughtful response. Christians are, after all, to be a thoughtful people (e.g., Isa. 1:18)

AND, since we are also to be a discerning people we need to recognize that homosexuality is a sin, no matter who commits it.

AND, since we are also to be a compassionate people, let's be sure that in our rush to denounce we do not forget to pray that God would grant Ray Boltz repentance and draw him to the only One Who can give him the love that he obviously is desperately seeking.