How much like Jesus are we?

What’s your reaction to the following graphic and video clip?

The text reads:  “Each week, millions and millions of upper middle class American citizens put on expensive dress clothes, and load themselves into SUV’s and drive past homeless shelters, orphanages, prisons, missions, and halfway houses on their way to very expensive and nice church, where somebody tells them how to be more like Jesus.”

A lot could be said about that, and I want to give you a chance to do just that.  What’s your response to the statement?  Is it true or is it false?  Is it fair or is it unfair?  Why, or why not?  Now, watch this 5-minute video.

David Platt began his message at a recent conference by showing that clip (HT Timmy Brister); Platt went on to say:

Over 4.5 billion who are without Christ are right now heading to an eternity in hell.  That is a vast spiritual need.  Add to that a vast physical need.  26,000 children will die today because of preventable disease.  God has chosen to determine the measure and integrity of faith by our response to the poor. If this book is true, then we do not have time to play games with our lives [emphasis mine].  We do not have time to play games in the church.  I want to call us this morning to forsake hopes, plans, dreams, possessions, and ideas of a nice, comfortable, safe middle-class American life.  I want to call you to forsake it all in radical abandonment for Jesus Christ.

Both the graphic and Platt’s message are an indictment, if not a scathing rebuke, to most American Christians.

The comments are all yours.

Christian Carnival CCCXIII

Welcome to the 313th edition of christian carnival ii, a weekly collection of some of the best posts of the Christian blogosphere.  This carnival is open to Christians of Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic convictions.   I want to point out that this is the first time some of my closest blog friends have submitted a post to the carnival, and I’m thankful for their participation.  Their posts add significant value to this carnival.

As Jeremy Pierce notes in this post, one of the goals of the carnival is to offer our readers a broad range of Christian thought.  If you’ve never participated before, this is a great way to make your writing more well known and perhaps pick up some regular readers.   (Most of the instructions here are copied from Jeremy’s blog.  Following the carnival links you’ll find additional instructions and qualifications for posts being submitted to next week’s carnival.)

As you might expect with a carnival of this nature, there are some outstanding submissions every week, as well as a few that leave me scratching me head.  At any rate, I encourage you

Free Giveaway at my wife’s blog

Isaac Johnson here. My wife Jenny is conducting her first giveaway at her blog, and it’s an awesome giveaway at that.  The lucky winner will receive a Spend Yourself shirt of their choice.  What is Spend Yourself, you may ask?  It’s an apparel company started by some amazing friends of mine here in Louisville who love the Lord.  Spend Yourself has a heart for social justice and a vision to drive positive change in the world.

Spend Yourself will be selling a series of shirts in order to raise funds for specific causes across the globe. By doing so, they hope to help fund sustainable solutions to different social injustices, as well as to raise awareness, not only for each specific cause, but also for the need to be well-informed of what is happening in our world today. How can we fight social injustice if we do not know it is happening? By bringing attention to those individuals suffering under these injustices, we are helping to give a voice to those whose voice was taken away.

So head over to my wife’s giveaway HERE.

And check out Spend Yourself and pick out your favorite shirt HERE.  They currently have 6 different shirts, all helping very worthwhile causes and organizations.  Also, the shirts are really comfortable!  The latest shirt that is coming out in a matter of days is to aid the earthquake victims of Haiti.

Is all Magic evil?

I cut my teeth on comic books.  As a quiet little boy who loved to read, the fantastic powers of Superman and Aquaman and The Flash captured my anything-but-quiet imagination.  As I grew, so did my love of fantasy and science fiction; I enjoyed reading books and stories by Madeline L’Engle, O. Henry, Isaac Asimov and others.

When I became a Christian in 1975, my reading (along with my life) took a sudden, decidedly serious turn.  In fact, for the next 20 years or so following my conversion I read only one work of fiction–The Chronicles of Narnia.  Now, in the last few years, primarily because of looking for good books to read out loud to my kids, my own childhood (or childlike) love of fantasy and fiction has been reignited.

One of the authors we’ve grown fond of is N.D. Wilson, son of theologian Douglas Wilson.  I bought Leepike Ridge shortly after it was published and read it out loud to the entire family.  I’ve since read the first two books in the 100 Cupboards series to my two youngest boys, to their immense delight.  And incidentally, they’re not going to be too happy with me if I don’t get Book 3 of the trilogy (which was just released a couple days ago) ordered pronto!

So, having read several of Wilson’s books, I naturally found this quote on Justin Taylor’s blog, taken from an old interview with Wilson, thought-provoking and at the same time potentially controversial.  It did in fact spark quite a bit of discussion on JT’s blog, which may still be going on by the time I finally get around to posting this.  Here’s the quote.  It’s Wilson’s response to a question about the proper role of magic and the supernatural in children’s literature:

The latest edition of “christian carnival ii”

Christian Carnival CCCXII has been posted at MandM.

Next week’s carnival will be hosted here at “who am i?”.  I’d like to encourage any and all of my friends and readers to consider submitting an entry for next week, even if you’ve never participated before.  In order to do so, simply write a blog post any time this week and then submit it before midnight Tuesday evening, Feb. 2, using this carnival submission form.  Thanks!

A Challenging Pro-Life Sermon

My pastor preached one of the most challenging pro-life sermons I’ve ever heard last week for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.  The title of the message was “Convenience or Life?”

I encourage you to listen to it, but only if you’re willing to think through some difficult issues and make some radical changes.  You’ve been forewarned.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Here’s a link to the sermon.  The manuscript is a very condensed version of the message.  I recommend listening to it rather the reading it.

Wrapping Up – Intro to Biblical Counseling

By Isaac Johnson

I realize it has been a long time since my last post about my Biblical counseling course.  There have been many reasons for this, including working nights, finals, and both mine and my wife’s computers biting the dust.  This has offered me a good amount of time to reflect and process the semester as a whole and this course in particular.

This course was challenging for me not just at an academic level, but at the level of my heart and my own worldview.  One of the things I take away from the course is that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the most powerful thing we have to change lives.  It has the power to reach anyone, no matter what their life looks like.  I also leave the course with a much needed renewal of understanding of the sufficiency of Scripture.  Here we have what is needed to live life with excellence.  It’s not a last resort and it does not need any supplement to give it power.

I also have been given much practical instruction in just how to relate to other people, and knowing that they are in the middle of a spiritual journey as I am, whether they know it or not.  In all of our interactions, we can quickly forget that each person we run into is a creation of God, made in His image, in need of His love.  That was well worth the price per credit hour!

I also thank you all for your comments and readership.  It’s definitely helped me process a lot of these issues.  We’ll have to wait and see if I continue this next semester in another course.  I am taking Greek this semester, but I doubt many of you would enjoy a weekly post on that.  Thanks again and God bless.

————————–

An additional note from Barry Wallace

This has been an excellent series.  I encourage you to go back and read through the previous posts (see the links below), including the comments.  It will be well worth your time!

An Insider’s Look at Southern Seminary

What Biblical Counseling Isn’t

Defining Biblical Counseling, and a Word about Epistemology

Comparing Counseling Methods

3 Views on Sanctification

Pride, that epidemic vice

Haiti: In the news, and on our hearts

Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, once prayed, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.  I thought of that prayer as I thought about Haiti this week.  Here are a few thought-provoking and occasionally gut-wrenching blog posts and videos I’ve seen recently.  May our hearts be broken and moved with compassion.

This post caught my eye because the first paragraph described the very same nagging emotions I had already felt:

Haiti saddens me. It saddens me in part because so many have lost so much. It also saddens me because I care so little.

(Read the rest:  Live with Haiti in your heart)

Aaron Ivey, a Christian musician deeply concerned about social injustice and poverty, was in the process of adopting a child from Haiti when the earthquake struck.  He and his wife were interviewed on CNN.  Watch the video and then continue reading below for more information about Aaron, Mark Stuart of Audio Adrenaline, and many others who have Haiti lying heavy on their hearts.

“Together for Adoption » Blog Archive …“, posted with vodpod

You can find out more about Aaron at his website.

Mark Stuart, former front man for the band Audio Adrenaline,

Weep with those who weep in Haiti

For the last several years my family has supported and corresponded regularly with a young boy (now almost a young man) named Dalinksy through Compassion International.  If you’re not familiar with Compassion’s sponsorship program, I can’t encourage you too strongly to begin today supporting a child somewhere.  You can find out more about that here.

Dalinsky, who’s become dear to my whole family, lives in Haiti, which as the whole world now knows was devastated by an earthquake yesterday.  At the moment, we have no idea whether or not he’s safe.

I know I should always be moved by the plight of all those who are suffering everywhere, but I have to admit that I often don’t even think about the kind of suffering and deprivation millions of people in the world experience every day.  Having someone in Haiti who’s almost like a member of the family makes the tragedy there seem so much more personal.  On one hand, I recognize that probably exposes a serious deficiency in my concern for others; on the other hand, it may be a good reason for me (and perhaps you) to make a significant personal investment in the life of a needy child somewhere.

There are many heart-breaking stories coming out of the region now.  I read one report earlier today about a family who was in the process of adopting from Haiti.  They had already met the child and were going to leave this week to get her; instead, they just found out that she was killed in the earthquake.

I encourage you to join me in praying for those who are suffering in Haiti and in many other places around the world.  Here are a few ways that you can stay informed and get involved:

11 Charities Collecting Donations for Haiti

This is the blog of a family living and serving in Port-au-Prince.  They’re posting updates as they can:

The Livesay [Haiti] Weblog

And here are some news reports, one from World Magazine (with a link to a few more relief organizations at the end), one from the AP estimating that more than 100,000 may be dead (other reports speculate the death toll could reach 500,000), and a pictorial essay from the Boston Globe:

Search and rescue

Bodies piled on the street after powerful Haiti quake

Earthquake in Haiti

…weep with those who weep (Rom. 12:15b)

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/01/earthquake_in_haiti.html

Birth control pills and Abortion

I have always been opposed to abortion.  I graduated from high school in 1973, the year the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its now (in)famous Roe v. Wade ruling.  Abortion instantly became a polarizing issue, generating heated emotions on both sides of the debate.

Even though I wasn’t following Christ at that time, it seemed impossible to me to justify taking the life of an unborn child.  In one sense I don’t think that abortion is an exclusively “Christian” issue at all.  It’s possible to oppose abortion on medical, ethical or humanitarian grounds, quite apart from Christianity.

I can think of a couple examples from that time period which illustrate that point.  The first is a song that was released in 1974 by Seals & Crofts, against the advice of their record company.  “Unborn Child” was a bold and passionate pro-life statement by two men who were (and still are) both Baha’is, not Christians.

Another example from the mid-70s was the dramatic change of heart experienced by Dr. Bernard Nathanson.  Nathanson, one of the founders of NARAL, was not a Christian, and in fact not a religious man at all.  His unexpected reversal of opinion regarding abortion was based solely on medical evidence and humanitarian concerns.  (If you’re not familiar with Nathanson’s story I encourage you to read more about it here.)

But that’s all beside the point of this post…

in which I confess my gross ignorance.

I have to confess that I was under the impression until yesterday that only the so-called “morning after” pills like RU-486 acted as abortifacients, and that virtually all other birth control pills acted as contraceptives.  I’m sure I formed that opinion a long time ago, when less was known about how birth control pills actually worked, and then remained (sadly) ignorant of evidence to the contrary until now.  What’s worse, I passed my ignorant opinion along to someone who trusted me to give them good advice.

Every day in America is bloodier than 9/11

I received this in an email today from Stand to Reason, the online ministry of Greg Koukl.

According to Time magazine, September 11, 2001, was “the bloodiest day on [American] soil since the Civil War.”  When two jumbo jets slammed into the World Trade Center in New York followed by two other plane crashes—one exploding into the western section of the Pentagon and the other disintegrating into a field near Pittsburgh—2,973 people perished.

The terrorist attack on America was evil and tragic, but Time magazine was wrong.  9/11 was not the bloodiest day on American soil since the Civil War.  The number of human lives snuffed out on that fateful day was less than the number of children that die every single day, day after day, for over 35 years by abortion right here in the “land of the free.”

Since 48% of pregnancies are unplanned and half of those end in abortion, the most dangerous place for a baby to be in America is resting in her mother’s womb.

That last sentence must be one of the most tragic things that could ever be said about American culture.

How can I be sure?

It you’re on Twitter, you might want to follow @STimmis.  Here are eight consecutive tweets he posted this morning (HT @timmybrister):

How can I be sure I would lay down my life for sake of Jesus & the gospel? Perhaps I’ll be like Peter in his bravado and subsequent denial?

* * * *

Can’t ultimately be sure until I’m called on to do so. But there are indicators in what I am reluctant to give up…

* * * *

If I’m not prepared to give up my bed to go and serve someone, I can be fairly confident I won’t give up my life…

* * * *

If I refuse to give up a holiday abroad so I can support someone in gospel ministry. I can be fairly confident I won’t give up my life…

* * * *

If I’m not willing to pursue people who are different from me in order to bless them, I can be failry certain I won’t give up my life…

* * * *

If I’m not prepared to miss out on promotion so I can stay & help plant churches, I can be fairly certain I won’t give up my life…

* * * *

If I’m not prepared to jeopardise a friendship so that I can tell others about Christ, I can be fairly certain I won’t give up my life.

* * * *

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Jesus Christ

A twist on Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions

I love reading through Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions.  I admire his passion and devotion.  You can read a little about the background of his resolutions here, and the resolutions themselves here.

To my discredit, I’m not as disciplined as Jonathan Edwards.  In fact, I would have to admit that I’m a lot more like Mark Altrogge when it comes to making New Year’s resolutions than I am Jonathan Edwards.  You can read Mark’s thoughts here.

Have a safe and happy new year!

Christmas by itself is no gospel

One of the best meditations I ever read on the Incarnation and its implications was this, by James Montgomery Boice:

…if the death of Christ on the cross is the true meaning of the Incarnation, then there is no gospel without the cross. Christmas by itself is no gospel. The life of Christ is no gospel. Even the resurrection, important as it is in the total scheme of things, is no gospel by itself. For the good news is not just that God became man, nor that God has spoken to reveal a proper way of life for us, or even that death, the great enemy, is conquered. Rather, the good news is that sin has been dealt with (of which the resurrection is a proof); that Jesus has suffered its penalty for us as our representative, so that we might never have to suffer it; and that therefore all who believe in him can look forward to heaven. …Emulation of Christ’s life and teaching is possible only to those who enter into a new relationship with God through faith in Jesus as their substitute. The resurrection is not merely a victory over death (though it is that) but a proof that the atonement was a satisfactory atonement in the sight of the Father (Rom 4:25); and that death, the result of sin, is abolished on that basis.

Any gospel that talks merely of the Christ-event, meaning the Incarnation without the atonement, is a false gospel. Any gospel that talks about the love of God without pointing out that his love led him to pay the ultimate price for sin in the person of his Son on the cross is a false gospel. The only true gospel is of the ‘one mediator’ (1 Tim. 2:5-6), who gave himself for us.

Finally, just as there can be no gospel without the atonement as the reason for the Incarnation, so also there can be no Christian life without it. Without the atonement the Incarnation theme easily becomes a kind of deification of the human and leads to arrogance and self advancement. With the atonement the true message of the life of Christ, and therefore also of the the life of the Christian man or woman, is humility and self sacrifice for the obvious needs of others. The Christian life is not indifference to those who are hungry or sick or suffering from some other lack. It is not contentment with our own abundance, neither the abundance of middle class living with home and cars and clothes and vacations, nor the abundance of education or even the spiritual abundance of good churches, Bibles, Bible teaching or Christian friends and acquaintances. Rather, it is the awareness that others lack these things and that we must therefore sacrifice many of our own interests in order to identify with them and thus bring them increasingly into the abundance we enjoy… We will live for Christ fully only when we are willing to be impoverished, if necessary, in order that others might be helped.’

Deathbed

This is an incredible song.  It’s an epic tale of a life full of pain; a life mostly reckless and ruined, but in the end redeemed.

I’ve included all the lyrics here, but you should listen to the song before you read them.  Click on the title below to hear the nearly 11:00 minute story of a life:

Deathbed

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can’t believe this is the end