The Wong Day

"The Law and Gospel Distinguished" by Isaac Watts

2011-11-08T16:29:00.002-05:00

The Law commands and makes us know
What duties to our God we owe;
But 'tis the Gospel must reveal
Where lies our strength to do his will.

The Law discovers guilt and sin
And shows how vile our hearts have been;
The Gospel only can express
Forgiving love and cleansing grace.

What curses doth the Law denounce
Against the man who fails but once!
But in the Gospel Christ appears,
Pardoning the guilt of numerous years.

My soul, no more attempt to draw
Thy life and comfort from the Law
Fly to the hope the Gospel gives;
The man that trusts the promise lives.

More teens becoming 'fake' Christians - CNN.com

2011-09-15T21:53:00.000-04:00

"If you're the parent of a Christian teenager, Kenda Creasy Dean has this warning: Your child is following a 'mutant' form of Christianity, and you may be responsible.

Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls 'moralistic therapeutic deism.' Translation: It's a watered-down faith that portrays God as a 'divine therapist' whose chief goal is to boost people's self-esteem.

Dean is a minister, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and the author of 'Almost Christian,' a new book that argues that many parents and pastors are unwittingly passing on this self-serving strain of Christianity.

She says this 'imposter'' faith is one reason teenagers abandon churches.

'If this is the God they're seeing in church, they are right to leave us in the dust,' Dean says. 'Churches don't give them enough to be passionate about.'"

Read the rest of the article here...

Abreaction: The Shack

2009-11-07T23:05:00.007-05:00

The Collins English Dictionary defines abreaction as "the release and expression of emotional tension associated with repressed ideas by bringing those ideas into consciousness." And this is precisely what author William Paul Young set out to do when he wrote the NY Times bestseller The Shack. (It's been on the list for the past 76 weeks and is currently at #4!)

I am currently attending the American Academy of Religion annual meeting in Montreal, and decided to stop in on a session this afternoon where Young was talking about his book and interacting with a panel of theologians in front of a roomful of theologians on what he wrote. To be honest I have not read the book yet, even though many people had recommended it to me. I have been quite ambivalent towards the genre of Christian fiction on the whole, because much of the time it is either poorly written, or not very "Christian" in what it communicates, and in most cases just poorly written, un-"Christian" trash.

But since this was an academic presentation by the "Christian Theological Research Fellowship," I thought that it might be interesting to go hear what the author had to say about this "wildly popular novel" (as stated in the program book). Well, I was truly blown away by Young, and his presentation. I won't try to rehash the whole session or give you all my notes on the session here, as I don't think I could do him justice if I did, but I posted an interview that he gave a Christian radio station in Sydney, Australia, that basically captures a lot of what he had to say about the book and the many objections to it.

The Shack is essentially a "theological novel" (his description) and in it he is trying to address who God is and how he has come to understand him in the midst of deep personal pain. He talked about the "shack" as a metaphor of the human soul and how it is a run-down, ramshackle dilapidated building that we try to prop up and pretend is really a beautiful mansion, or a least a nice suburban detached two-storey home. In reality it is filled with deep darkness, pain and every manner of uncleanness inside. As far as he is concerned, this is what most of us (especially Christians) will not admit to. We try to paper over the cracks, and pretend that everything is ok, when we know it really isn't. And one of the ways we do it is to turn to religion to do. For him, religion is "fear and guilt based performance to win the approval of God." Instead he believes that we need to find our relationship with a personal and loving God who is revealed in his Son, Jesus Christ.

What really grabbed me was the fact that he set out to write the book in obedience to a request his wife. She wanted him to write something to tell his 6 children about what he had learnt in a time of deep darkness. He went through a huge personal crash in early 1994, and this began an 11 year ordeal, that he only came out of at the end of 2004 (details can be found in the posted interview). It was in this context that he wrote to share with his kids what he had learnt about God in this time of deep personal darkness. So The Shack was his abreaction and I think this is why it has gained the readership it has all around the globe (over 10 million and counting!). One of the theologians in the audience described it as Young's "12 step" recovery process. It connects with people deep down in a visceral way, bypassing all the intellectual objections many people have to the Christian description of God. I think that it is telling that most of the critics are those who are within the Chrisitian establishment, some of whom have labeled it "heresy". (Just "google" it and you can find all manner of vitrolic against him and his book)

Young himself is a "layperson" but not an unschooled one. He has had some seminary education, and is very well-read theologically. My impression of him was that he was quite astute as an amateur theologian. He was working as an office manager for a circuit board manufacturer when he wrote this book, and initially meant it as a Christmas gift for his children. He originally printed 15 copies for them and some close friends and other family members, but was later encouraged to try to get it published. What is amazing is that it was turned down by 26 publishers (both Christian and secular), so a couple of his friends helped him get it published, and they actually sold over 1 million copies out one of their garages with a $300 advertising budget. As Young says, it was a God thing!

What was widely acknowledged at the end of the session (which was attended by some really well-known, and respected theologians) was that Young has succeeded in getting theology into the hearts (and heads) of the masses. Not just Christians, but also many who had either turned their back on Christianity or had never given it serious thought up till reading his book. He shared some wonderful testimonies of people who had come to faith in Christ through his work, and many of them were really amazing. The challenged issued to the group of thinkers here in Montreal is to do more creatively so that theology will break out beyond the hallowed halls, and "ivory towers" we theologians too often find ourselves in. I can't wait to get my hands on the book and actually read it for myself!

An interview with William P. Young, author of "The Shack"

2009-11-07T22:20:00.004-05:00

This was an interview that the author of "The Shack", William P. Young gave a radio station in Sydney. It is well-worth watching!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

A Change of Heart

2009-10-30T20:25:00.012-04:00

I just came across an interview with Dr. Ashley Null on Thomas Cranmer (ht Aaron Z). For those of you who don't know, Cranmer is the architect of the English Reformation, and is one of the key figures in the formation of the Anglican church. Dr Null is the foremost expert on Abp Cranmer.

I used to think of myself as an Anglican because of an accident of birth (i.e. being born in the home of an Anglican vicar) but I now consider myself one out of conviction. The chief reason for this is what Dr Null pointed out in his interview:

"According to Cranmer’s anthropology, what the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies. The mind doesn’t direct the will. The mind is actually captive to what the will wants, and the will itself, in turn, is captive to what the heart wants.

The trouble with human nature is that we are born with a heart that loves ourselves over and above everything else in this world, including God. In short, we are born slaves to the lust for self-gratification, i.e., concupiscence. That’s why, if left to ourselves, we will always love those things that make us feel good about ourselves, even as we depart more and more from God and his ways.

Therefore, God must intervene in our lives in order to bring salvation. Working through Scripture, the Holy Spirit first brings a conviction of sin in a believer’s heart, then he births a living faith by which the believer lays hold of the extrinsic righteousness of Christ. Of course, the perfect justifying righteousness by which we are made right with God must be outside of us, for the ongoing presence of sinful concupiscence in our mortal bodies renders it impossible for us ever to be truly holy in this life. Indeed, the glory of God is his love for the unworthy, that although we are sinners, he makes us his own."

This insight into the human condition and God's work in our lives has revolutionised my own life, ministry and preaching. This understanding also permeates the liturgy of the Anglican church, especially since Cranmer's single greatest contribution is the Book of Common Prayer. I have really come to appreciate and value the depth of the prayers, and how it points us time and time again to God's sovereign work in us, and how we desperately need a "change of heart". As Cranmer prayed:

O Almighty God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men; Grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are found; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A 2009 Ranking of Graduate Programs in Theology in First Things

2009-10-08T21:00:00.013-04:00

I was alerted to this article from the Christian Journal, First Things by a fellow student at Wycliffe, where I am currently a doctoral candidate in Theology. It is a ranking of graduate theology programs in North America, done by the features editor of this publication. He also happens to be a professor of theology at Creighton University, and is well versed with the academic world in North America. What I was pleasantly surprised about was the fact that he ranked Wycliffe 4th in the North American continent!

When I applied to Wycliffe, it was not because I had an eye on the rankings, but because of what they had to offer in terms of the professors, and the way the system was set up within the larger Toronto School of Theology at the University of Toronto. So I was really pleased to learn that someone else (who is far more well-versed in academia) also thought highly of my choice!
However this is but one person's opinion and he admits that he has a personal bias, but as I learnt from Gadamer in my readings this week, prejudice is not necessarily a bad thing!

Can You Do It?

2009-10-01T22:01:00.005-04:00

I have recently gone back to school and one of the courses I am taking this semester is centred around the theology of the reformers, specifically that of Luther and Calvin. In class this past week, we were discussing the bound will from Luther’s Heidelberg Disputation, and of course the topic of semi-Pelagianism came up. One of my classmates used an illustration to explain this heresy that is too good not to share with you on on this blog.

He pointed out that a semi-Pelagian sees God like the Home Depot store whose tagline is “You can do it, we can help”. That set off a discussion about how pernicious this kind of thinking can be. It is actually fatal because it hides what the real problem is, and prevents us from fully embracing the gospel.

To use the Home Depot illustration again, it is like a person who thinks that all they need to make their home presentable is to get a fresh coat of paint, and maybe some new molding, to fix the problems they have with the house. When in reality the root of the problem is that the foundations of the house have rotted away, and it will collapse at any moment (ala Tom Hanks in “The Money Pit”). What is really needed is for the home to be torn down, and a new one erected in its place. That is why the Christian gospel is about death and resurrection—not “you can do it, we can help”!

So many times we don’t like to hear this kind of news. Someone in my class observed that Luther sounds so pessimistic and depressing in his disputation. Yet Luther himself points out how important it is to get the diagnosis of our problem right. In the proof for Thesis 17 of the Heidelberg Disputation, he says:

Sin is recognized only through the law. It is apparent that not despair, but rather hope, is preached when we are told that we are sinners. Such preaching concerning sin is a preparation for grace, or it is rather the recognition of sin and faith in such preaching. Yearning for grace wells up when recognition of sin has arisen. A sick person seeks the physician when he recognizes the seriousness of his illness. Therefore one does not give cause for despair or death by telling a sick person about the danger of his illness, but, in effect, one urges him to seek a medical cure. To say that we are nothing and constantly sin when we do the best we can does not mean that we cause people to despair (unless they are fools); rather, we make them concerned about the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Wedding Evangelism Anyone?

2009-08-05T05:47:00.001-04:00

This article from CT's Leadership Journal ("Wedding Crashers") shows that we have a lot to do in terms of the impression people have of the church.

"No" seems to be the word of the day, so much so that when they get a "Yes", it makes them re-examine their assumptions. This is especially reflected in an excerpt of an email from a self-avowed atheist who was married by a pastor:

"When we first met, I described myself to you as an atheist and asked if it were possible to 'leave God out of the ceremony.' You kindly told me that you desired to serve us best, but that leaving God out of it was not possible because God was a part of you. I was not sure what you meant, but I trusted your promise not to 'preach' to us on our wedding day. I have to say that I can no longer call myself an atheist. Rather, I am probably an agnostic, because I just don't know the answer. You've shown me that it's OK to question, as long as I am still en route. Since we are moving in a few months, we were wondering if you could point us to a church in Seattle with a pastor like you. You've made us think that we might be missing a part of life, so we want to give it a try."

In Perfect Harmony?

2009-07-07T21:46:00.008-04:00

I came across an interesting article "Ministry Lessons from Muslim" on an approach to pluralism that seeks to "love our neighbour" without compromising on loving God will all our hearts. I think it is worth some further reflection and consideration. This question of how we are to live with those of other faiths is a reality for us who live in multi-ethnic and multi-religious Singapore.

Of late, the spotlight has been turned on us as Christians, and how we live in a "secular" society. I myself have problems with the concept of a "secular" society because most often the underlying assumption is that for us to live with others, we have to "dumb down" who we are and what we believe. This so-called society is one in which everyone joins hands, singing "I'd like teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony". Where there is no conflict, because there are no strongly held views that impinge on another. In fact, many who espouse this view of "secularism" in reality put forward their own value system that minimalises any sort of religious belief, and they do it "religiously".

As an aside, that popular song of the 70's began as a jingle for that giant of globalisation, Coca-Cola. It included the line "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" and the refrain "It's the real thing". These of course play right into their goal of selling more so that they can gain more, another "religious" view which actually has many more adherents than any other religion in the world!

This type of approach to living in a plural (the word I prefer over "secular") world really denies and denigrates people and their beliefs. It assumes neutrality should be the goal for all. The problem is who defines what is "neutral"? We are complex creatures, and we are the sum of all our experiences and upbringing. To deny any of it is to be less than who we are, or to lapse into some kind of surreal, superficial "common ground" which really is a place where no one feels comfortable.

Don't misunderstand me, I do not support any person (or organization or corporation) that seeks to force their beliefs on another. Not only is it obnoxious, it is also incapable of changing anyone. Such a push, always results in a push-back, or in Newtonian terms, "an equal and opposite reaction" (Just look at what is happening in Urumqi, China). Yet what many people seem to think is that the solution is to take the opposite approach. They believe that lowering ourselves to the "lowest common denominator" will allow for greater harmony. I think that this actually leads to less understanding, because we only know the other person superficially. They cannot be themselves. It is a pale shadow of who they really are. So what is the solution?

The article points out that there is another way:

In our increasingly secular society, many people have come to view religion as a problem and the source of conflict between groups. This sentiment was popularized in John Lennon's 1971 song "Imagine," in which religion is presented as an obstacle to world peace and harmony. But Eboo Patel is helping these seminary students turn conventional wisdom upside down. He sees the potential for greater cooperation and coexistence by embracing our different religious identities, not abandoning them.

"If you enter a ministerial gathering as a Christian minister and downplay your Christian identity in an attempt to make everyone comfortable," says Patel, "as a Muslim leader, I'm immediately suspicious. I don't trust you. Embracing your identity as a Christian creates safety for me to be a Muslim."

I think that this is where we need to head. I know that it is not easy, but it is necessary.

ANA Merlion Commercial

2009-07-07T03:48:00.005-04:00

To be honest, I don't know why tourists are so fascinated with the Merlion.

Loving Sinners

2009-05-19T20:46:00.011-04:00

“Love the sinner, hate the sin” is a phrase that has been tossed about so often, that many people think it is a biblical quotation. Using the search feature on my bible software on 16 different versions of the Bible turned up: “There were no results for this search”. A search of the internet pointed to a possibility that it may have been a paraphrase of St Augustine of Hippo who said in Latin, Cum dilectione hominum et odio vitiorum, or “With love for mankind and hatred of sins.” So why do we as Christians use this phrase so often?
It may be because the sentiment it expresses is one found in Scripture. After all Paul reminds Timothy that, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1 Tim 1:15). Jesus certainly went out of his way to reach the lost, and became known as a “friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Luke 7:34). Then we have that famous story of the woman caught in adultery. As we all know, the story ends with him saying to this poor dis-graced person, “Neither do I condemn you... Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).

However, in my experience, as good and biblical as this phrase sounds, it is for all intents and purposes a human impossibility. As depraved creatures, we do neither well. Our “love” is incomplete at best, or hypocritical at its worst. And our “hate” is qualified. We “hate” the sin that is not our own. More importantly, we cannot for all our efforts keep that fine line between the “sin” and the “sinner”.

I have never heard a person once utter with great conviction, “That pastor really hates my sin, but I am convinced that he absolutely loves me!” Instead, what I have come across many times are people who has been so battered and bruised by other Christians, because of the callous judgement, and angry rhetoric, that they despaired of ever finding healing in the church. I am reminded of the story that Philip Yancey tells in his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace? He speaks to a prostitute who is desperate, advising her to go to the neighbourhood church to find help. She replies, “Church! Why would I ever go there? I was already feeling terrible about myself. They'd just make me feel worse."

So what are we to do? In my opinion, the greater problem we have in the church (or our tradition) right now is that we are far too Pharisaical in tone, and not sufficiently loving to sinners. How can we change that? Do we even want to? Don’t get me wrong. We must never deny the reality of sin in the life of the person. But most who come to us are “sick” people, in need of healing. What we cannot do is turn them away, just because they are unwell. After all, what kind of hospital would we be if we only allow healthy people to enter?

Even more important though is how we see ourselves. At times we think of ourselves as health care workers, when in reality we are the patients who are in various stages of recovery, but in desperate need of healing too! It is so easy for us to see “them” as sinners, forgetting our own condition. That is why Jesus was insistent that we deal with the log in our eyes, and not obsess over the splinters in the eye of another. So we are called to be loving sinners who love fellow sinners. And together we look to Dr. Jesus who alone can cure sin!

St Francis de la Sissies

2009-05-19T20:38:00.001-04:00

This put a smile on my face. Enjoy!

Asian Cuisine

2009-04-07T19:47:00.003-04:00

Asians will eat anything... and I know this from first-hand experience!

Read it all here: Fishermen catch, then eat, ultra-rare megamouth shark

The Scandal of the Gospel

2009-03-19T22:05:00.008-04:00

I found it interesting how Mark Galli, the managing editor of Christianity Today, drew a gospel lesson from the current furore surrounding the $165 million being paid out to high-leveled executives of the troubled insurance giant AIG (read all about it in The Scandal of the AIG Bonuses).

As a side note, I circumspectly offer the observation that they are the jersey sponsors of a team otherwise known as the "Red Devils" which leads me to think of "birds of a feather" and all that...

In any case, he wryly notes that this scandal is nothing compared to the scandal of the gospel; "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). The "free bonus" of grace given to totally undeserving miscreants cannot help but incense the masses; unless we happen to be one of the villainous miscreants.

If the gospel we preach doesn't turn a few heads, and cause the man in the street to cry out at the scandal, the question begs as to whether what we proclaim is truly "good news"?

As Galli says in his conclusion...

I wonder if we are preaching the gospel if we don't scandalize a few listeners, maybe even ourselves, with the incomprehensible unfairness of it all. When Paul talked about the gospel, many were shocked and appalled. It sounded as if God wanted to reward sinners, to give a bonus to scoundrels! They scoffed, "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?" (Rom. 6:1). And when they figured out what exactly he was preaching, they got so angry that they told him to fall on his sword, and then formed a mob to run him out of town.

May we be as "scandalous" as Paul as we declare the gospel of the cross on which our Lord bled and died...for us!

Pew Warmers?

2009-03-07T13:11:00.002-05:00

Pew Warmer,
originally uploaded by Jon W.

The Rev Dr Leander Harding was one of my professors in seminary. His keen sense of pastoral need and ability to sift through the flotsam of parish ministry is quite a gift, in my opinion. I recently came across a post on his blog about Ash Wednesday, and I reproduce a section from that post, " Thoughts on Ash Wednesday" here:

I have become more and more suspicious of the concept of the nominal Christian. Our parish churches are supposed to be full of nominal Christians who are just going through the motions, of half-believers who are relying on their good works and who have not really surrendered to Christ and accepted the Gospel. In any parish church there are a few real apostates, and a few real scoffers and perhaps a few who genuinely hate God. Their numbers are routinely exaggerated. Most of the people who come to the church Sunday by Sunday know they are dying and are placing their hope in Christ. It may be an inarticulate hope, it may be a confused hope. Often there are huge brambles of misunderstanding that must be cleared away before the whole power of the good news can come in upon them. Often there is real darkness into which the light of Christ has not yet come and which cries out for a light-bearer. Yet, they come. When Jesus saw such as these gathered in their multitudes on the hill side, the sight provoked in him not contempt for the nominal but compassion, “for they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

Closer to Being Human

2009-02-23T05:18:00.007-05:00

I just read a review in the NY Times on an off-broadway play entitled "This Beautiful City," which traces the transformation of the city of Colorado Springs into a "miniature capital of (Evangelical) Christianity." As expected, one of the storylines is, surprise, surprise, Ted Haggard and his fall from grace (covered elsewhere on this great blog) . What caught my eye in the review were the lines spoken by the character (holding his hat in the picture on the left) who plays Marcus Haggard, one of Ted's sons.

“Sure, tragedy happened there,” he reflects. “Flip side is, in my view, my dad’s understanding God for the first time. Because, you know, we believe God is unconditional love. He is the only one who can love us completely for who we are, no matter what we’ve done, and heal us. So I think my dad’s being healed. I think he’s closer to being human now than ever before.”

I would never wish what happened to Haggard on anyone. Having said that, if that is what it takes for us to become "closer to being human," it can only be a good thing. As Luther points out, "A theology of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theology of the cross calls the thing what it is." May we all be similarly healed!

Defeated Pastors

2009-02-17T23:06:00.003-05:00

Mark Galli, a Christianity Today editor points out that many of the pastors he has observed at this year's National Pastors Convention in the US seem to harbour "a simmering anger about the church" (read it all in his blog posting, "Pastors as Lovers")

Having been a pastor himself, he understands that the primary cause of this slow burn are the people that make up the flock. It is not a problem unique to Western Christianity, but is just as real here in Singapore. I'm quite sure many pastors have thought, "I love the church, but its the people in the church that I can't stand."

I am sure that the reasons for this can be complex, but I can't help but think how it boils down to how most pastors view their people. They mistakenly believe that change is the natural outcome of good preaching, teaching and leading. The cause and effect thinking that if we just give them good teaching, they will be transformed. Yet what happens is that we run up against the reality of the bound will, and get frustrated when our best efforts seem to fall on deaf ears.

The irony is that Pastors conferences heap on the misery when they continue to exhort these weary pastors to just do more of the same. Galli says, "I just wish that at NPC, more of the presenters would not have fed the anger with calls for revolutionizing this and transforming that, which only puts more guilt and even more unrealistic expectations on the shoulders of men and women in pastoral leadership..."

I've been there, done that, but refused to buy the t-shirt because who wants to be reminded of his inadequacies and failings? Ironically, Galli's prescription to "love the church" may not be any more soothing to tired souls. How can a bruised, beaten up shepherd, rise up and love his flock. I believe that it is only when he receives the love of the Shepherd, that he can rise up and love others. After all it is only love that can beget love. Christ said to "love as I have loved you." And to be fair to Galli, he sort of instinctually understands this. He points out towards the end of the of his blog post that the healing and renewal he had received in past conferences came because of the opportunities he found to commiserate with fellow sufferers, and the fact that he found sympathetic listeners amongst the walking wounded. Love indeed births goodness.

Desperate acts

2009-02-16T01:13:00.006-05:00

Unfortunately, the reality of how much people measure their self-worth by their net-worth comes through in this article. Much attention in this current economic crisis has been focused on the people who are on the lower strata of the socio-economic pile, but the reality of depravity and depression affects all, even those who seemingly have it made. Pain is truly universal.

IN THE abyss of financial ruin, faced with sure disgrace and possibly prison, some of the newly scandalised rich have taken desperate measures in these despairing times.
The black hole of hopelessness can be overwhelming. A man who lost US$1.4 billion (S$2.11 billion) to Bernie Madoff sits down in his Manhattan office and carefully writes a series of suicide letters to family and friends, then swallows a fatal dose of pills and conscientiously places a wastebasket under his bleeding arm, after slicing it with a box cutter.

Others are mind-boggling in their brazenness. A financier accused of stealing from his investors boards his private plane alone, sends a fake distress call over Alabama saying his windshield has shattered and he is bleeding profusely, then parachutes from the still-moving Piper Malibu, which is later found in a Florida swamp with no signs of blood or an imploded windshield.
In the past year, there have been more than 10 such incidents, from points across the country and beyond, executed by men whose finances disintegrated, sometimes into greed and possible thievery - with the same dizzying speed of the roller-coaster global market.
In January alone, three cases surfaced. German billionaire investor Adolf Merckle, who lost a fortune in shorted Volkswagen stock, threw himself under a commuter train.
Patrick Rocca, an Irish property investor who lost millions when the real estate market bottomed out, waited until his wife took their children to school before he shot himself in the head. Outside Chicago, real estate mogul Steven L. Good was found dead in his Jaguar, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Read the rest here...

Weeds and Wheat

2009-02-08T18:53:00.003-05:00

Having grown up as a pastor's kid, and now entering my 11th year of ordained ministry, I am seldom surprised anymore by the things that go on in churches. Martin Luther, the great reformer definitely understood that the Church is an imperfect place, and desperately in need of a Saviour. In a sermon reflecting on the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds (Matt. 13:25), he said:

The meaning of the parable is that no Christians, especially no preachers, should grow disheartened or despondent because they cannot bring it about that there are only saints in their churches. For the devil does not stand aloof but throws his seeds in, and this is first noticed when they burst forth and shoot up. Thus it happened with the apostles Paul and John and others. Where they hoped to have devout Christians and faithful labourers in the gospel, they got the most wicked rogues and the bitterest foes. And this it happens with us. Those we think godly and righteous do us the greatest harm and cause us the greatest difficulties, because we sleep and fear no evil.

This is the only comfort, that Christ himself warns us that it will happen in such a way. For this reason John comforts himself in the face of such difficulties in his epistle, saying, "They went out from us, but they did not belong to us" (1 John 2:19). For it is the way of the world that what should be best turns out worst. Angels become devils. One of the apostles betrayed Christ. Christians become heretics. Out of the people of God came wicked persons who nailed Christ to the cross.

So it happens still. Therefore we must not be alarmed and must not faint in our ministry when we see weeds shooting up among the wheat. Rather we must confidently go on and admonish our people, that no one be led astray.
--Sermons from the year 1544 WA 52:132f.

Happy "Moo" Year!

2009-01-23T11:34:00.011-05:00

Chinese New Year is a big deal here in Singapore. It's kind of like Christmas and Thanksgiving rolled up into one big holiday. The festivities and preparations begin months in advance, and they last 15 days after. This upcoming year is the Year of the Ox (the reason for my cheesy title) and it begins on January 25th.

There will be huge family reunions, large dinners, parties and the trimmings that go with any major holiday. However there is a flip side to it. I was having dinner two nights ago with a guy who is involved with a ministry that helps people with mental and psychiatric disorders, and he tells me that the staff in their residential centers have to be extra alert during these seasons because the incidence of attempted suicide goes up significantly in the weeks leading up to major holidays. When I asked him why that may be so, he surmised that some of it may have to do with the stress that comes from facing family, and the judgement that inevitably follows. I think that we all face it in some degree or another. I know I’m going to get more than a few comments about my “expanding ministry” or how “well-rounded” I’ve become in this past year.

And just as I was sinking into despair, I came across this quote from Martin Luther today and realized that this is what we need during such stressful times!

There are laws enough in the world, more than people can keep. The state, fathers and mothers, schoolmasters, and law enforcement persons all exist to rule according to laws. But the Lord Christ says, “I have not come to judge, to bite, to grumble, and to condemn people. The world is too much condemned. Therefore I will not rule people with laws. I have come that through my ministry and my death I may give help to all who are lost and may release and set free those who are overburdened with laws, with judgments, and with condemnation.”

This is a comforting saying in which the Lord Jesus portrays his dear sweet self, and it agrees with John, who says, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17). Jesus says, “I have come into the world that was condemned already and has enough to do with judges and judgement; but I will take away their judgement, that all who are condemned may be saved.”

Because of our desperate need, we must have such sayings.

A gift to an Atheist

2009-01-06T19:06:00.003-05:00

A really interesting perspective on evangelism from an atheist (Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller). Kudos to my friend Dave B who posted it on his blog!

A View of the Law

2007-12-14T16:23:00.002-05:00

Say What?

"Laws and regulations do limit excessive abuse; however, they only mark the space in which the war is waged. They don't eliminate war" Miroslav Volf in "Free of Charge", p. 14.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward men...

2007-12-06T19:54:00.001-05:00

"Preoccupied with self and distracted by affluence, many Christians try to confine the gospel to a superior form of therapy; they fail to see it as a cosmic plan of redemption..." Chuck Colson

Back on Track!

2007-11-06T16:48:00.001-05:00

Liverpool vs. Besiktas
Originally uploaded by opusco.

Liverpool has been in the soccer doldrums lately, and there has been a sense of despair that had been growing among the Anfield faithful. All that has changed today, since Liverpool beat Besiktas 8-0.

Learning to be Good?

2007-11-05T15:23:00.000-05:00

"[P]ride cannot be removed by teaching at all. We can be proud of anything we have learned. It's not primarily God's teaching but God's presence and activity in us that can effectively heal our pride" (Miroslav Volf in Free of Charge p.111)

Going for No. 6

2007-05-02T08:50:00.000-04:00

Liverpool made it through a tense UEFA Champions League semi-final yesterday against Chelsea. I watched it in the afternoon instead of in the wee hours of the morning like we usually do in Singapore. I can't wait for the final on May 23! It will be the last time I get to watch a Champion's League final at the sane hour of 3 in the afternoon this year for the last time! *sigh*

The World's fastest walkers

2007-05-02T08:41:00.000-04:00

So it seems that Singapore is number one again-- in walking. A study conducted by the British Council tells us that Singaporeans rank 1st in walking speeds.

Pedestrians all over the world are moving faster than a decade ago, according to scientists who have conducted a study into the pace at which people walk.
Psychologists say walking speeds have increased by an average of 10 percent in the past 10 years.
People in the greatest hurry live in Singapore, according to the study of cities in 32 countries. Following in their footsteps are residents of Copenhagen in Denmark and Madrid in Spain.
Researchers in each city found a busy street with a wide pavement that was flat, free from obstacles and sufficiently uncrowded to allow people to walk at their maximum speed.
The speed of each city's walkers was then timed by a team researchers, armed with stopwatches.
They timed how long it took 35 men and women to walk along a 60-foot (18-meter) stretch of pavement, monitoring only adults who were on their own and ignoring those conducting mobile phone conversations or struggling with shopping bags.
The results of the study, headed by British psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman, were compared with similar results from a decade ago in an experiment carried out by American psychologist Professor Robert Levine, from California State University.
Wiseman said walking speeds provided a reliable measure of the pace of life in a city.
"This simple measurement provides a significant insight into the physical and social health of a city. The pace of life in our major cities is now much quicker than before. This increase in speed will affect more people than ever, because for the first time in history the majority of the world's population are now living in urban center," Wiseman said.
Click here (CNN.com) to read more

Durians!

2007-04-10T13:25:00.000-04:00

I love this stuff! It is the "king of fruits!" Can't wait to get back to Singapore so I can eat them again.

NYT: Thailand — You can take the sugar out of soft drinks and the fat from junk food. But eliminate the pungent odor from what may be the world’s smelliest fruit and brace for a major international controversy.

The durian, a spiky fruit native to Southeast Asia, has been variously described by its detractors as smelling like garbage, moldy cheese or rotting fish. It is banned from many hotels, airlines and the Singapore subway. But durian lovers — and there are many, at least in Asia — are convinced that like fine French cheeses, the worse the smell, the better the taste.

Under the durian’s hardy shell are sections of pale yellow flesh with a consistency that can be as soft and oozy as custard and a flavor that is nutty and sweet with hints of vanilla and an occasional bitter bite.

Read the rest of the article...

The Christian soldiers who bring forgiveness

2007-03-22T23:18:00.000-04:00

Ten minutes’ bumpy drive from the border with Thailand, past a strip of gaudy casinos and brothels in a landscape of denuded hillsides, is a place where travellers fear to stop.

Throughout Cambodia the border town of Pailin is known — apart from its gemstones — as the last bastion of the Khmer Rouge, from where its remnants fought the Government until 1998.

The reputation is enough to send most travellers rushing through to the capital, Phnom Penh, eight hours drive away. Locals say that about 70 per cent of the area’s older men were fighters and that nearly all families have links to the regime blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million of their compatriots between 1975 and 1979.

Among them are men guilty of the worst crimes of the 20th century. Yet in the past four years many who are now law-abiding farmers and traders have renounced their former leader Pol Pot as a servant of Satan; travellers today are likely to suffer nothing worse than a fervent attempt to bring them to the Lord.

Phannith Roth, a missionary who grew up half-starved in a labour camp, admitted that he was terrified when his congregation in the town of Siha-noukville begged him to go to Pailin to spread the Word.

“I was scared because there are landmines everywhere, malaria is rife and because of the Khmer Rouge, who everyone knows are cruel,” he said.

“But it was the Lord’s will.” Now his Pailin Bible Presbytery Church has about 40 former Khmer Rouge worshippers....

Pastor Phannith said that many chose Christianity because they did not find forgiveness in Buddhism, which teaches that a soul must pay for its sins during lives to come.

Click here to read more...

What makes Christianity Different...

2007-03-15T22:23:00.000-04:00

I was reading a paper that Dr Elaine Storkey presented at the Theologians Task Group at Amsterdam 2000. It was on the topic of the need for dialogue with people of other faiths in the pluralistic reality of today, and how it can be so important for the mission of the church.

Towards the end of the paper she tells a personal story that really illustrates why we as Christians need to be in dialogue with others...

I was recently involved in an inter-faith broadcast with the BBC World Service. The Jewish Rabbi and Islamic Professor and I were all answering questions sent in by listeners from all over the world. The discussion was courteous, good-humoured and pleasant until one question came up. It was about how we can identify the real believer from the counterfeit. We all agreed that it was by their fruits that we could know them. Then the Rabbi told us about the enormous weight of the Law which had been given to the people of Israel, and how we would need to see some evidence of seriousness about living in accordance with God's norms and standards. The Muslim went through all the obligations to worship, the great holiness of God, the need to counter all forms of evil and infidelity, the importance of the moral law, and on and on. When it came to me, the presented changed the question. "What do Christians have to do, Dr Storkey?" I took a deep breath and explained that Christians did not have to do anything. We had to simply hold our empty hands to receive all that Christ had done for us. For we could not reach these standards of God's on our own. It was only through the grace of God in the work of Crhist that we were acceptable.

The Islamic professor was horrified, and lectured me for many minutes on the way this would open the door for young people to do anything they wished. I had two attempts to reply, when the Rabbi finally came to my aid. Putting a hand on the Muslim's shoulder he said, "My dear friend, you will have to accept what she says. You and I will never understand this. We are a Jew and a Muslim. But this grace is what Christians are all about. It is what makes Christianity different from every other religion."
Evangelical Review of Theology 25:1 (2001) pp.45-52

Obese men less likely to commit suicide, study finds - Los Angeles Times

2007-03-13T08:08:00.000-04:00

"Obese men less likely to commit suicide, study finds" screamed the LA Times headline. It points to a study that shows that as the BMI of a man increases, the likelihood of him being depressive and suicidal decreases. If I couldn't enjoy food, I would be suicidal too!

Click here to read it.

It may be No. 6 this year!

2007-02-23T07:55:00.000-05:00

I decided that this was too good to not blog about. I know that I haven't been on the blogs for a while, and certainly haven't blogged about football in ages...

Liverpool beat Barcelona on Wednesday in one of Liverpool's best European away performances in history. They overcame last year's champions at their dreaded Nou Camp stadium, in front of 90,000 Barca fans! And to add insult to injury, it was Bellamy and Riise, two of the players who were just in the news for a bust up over a Karaoke session after a training session! Sort of reads like a soap opera.

NYT and their Anti-Christian Bias...

2006-12-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

Some of you are probably old enough to remember that old BeeGees hit, "Stayin' Alive" and line talking about "The New York Times' effect on man..."

Well this past week I read a really biased article about a faith-based prison program in Iowa and the verdict by a judge in that state who is trying to shut it down. I have a good friend who works with Prison Fellowship who runs that program and I know from his accounts all the good these types of programs are doing for those who have run afoul of the law. Yet when I read the report, it was obvious to me that this article by the NYT was skewed in a terrible way.

Well Mark Early, the president of Prison Fellowship has put the record straight. Here is his side of the story...

All the News That's Fit to Print?
By Mark Earley

Regular “BreakPoint” listeners and readers know that a federal judge has ordered a highly successful program for prisoners called the InnerChange Freedom Initiative®, or IFI, to shut down because the judge felt it violated the separation of church and state.
Prison Fellowship strongly disagrees. So do the Justice Department, nine state attorneys general, and numerous faith-based organizations. That’s why Prison Fellowship is appealing the case and why the others I just mentioned have filed friend-of-the-court briefs with the appeals court on IFI’s behalf.

Not surprisingly, however, the New York Times agrees with the judge. On its front page last Sunday, the Times ran the following headline above the fold: “Religion for a Captive Audience, Paid for by Taxes.” The headline alone tells you the kind of picture the Times intended to—and, in fact, did—paint: inmates coerced into participating in a government-funded religious program.
But what did the Times not tell us in that article?

Click here to read more...

Balance

2006-12-05T23:26:00.000-05:00

"The Christian life, lived in the magnetic field between the two poles of the amazing grace of God and the appalling sin in which I share, has a corresponding synthesis of a godly confidence and a godly fear. The fear is lest I should put my trust in anything other than God's grace in Jesus Christ; the confidence is in the infinite abundance of his grace to me and to every one of his creatures." (p.178)

Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society.

The Blind Men and the Elephant

2006-11-12T22:27:00.000-05:00

We've probably all heard the story of "The Blind Men and the Elephant." It has been used to appeal for greater toleration amongst religions and as a parable in the cause of pluralism. But what is the real point of the story?

In the famous story of the blind men and elephant, so often quoted in the interests of religious agnosticism, the real point of the story is constantly overlooked. The story is told from the point of view of the king and his courtiers, who are not blind but can see that the blind men are unable to grasp the full reality of the elephant and are only able to get hold of part of the truth. The story is constantly told in order to neutralize the affirmation of the great religions, to suggest that they learn humility and recognize that none of them can have more than one aspect of the truth. But of course, the real point of the story is exactly the opposite. If the king were also blind there would be no story. [emphasis mine] The story is told by the king, and it is the immensely arrogant claim of one who sees the full truth which all the world's religions are only groping after. It embodies the claim to know the full reality which relativizes all the claims of the religions and philosophies.

Lesslie Newbigin in The Gospel in a Pluralist Society (pp. 9-10)

Singapore Takes on Crows; One Down, 34,999 to Go - New York Times

2006-11-07T22:47:00.000-05:00

I'm always fascinated when Singapore makes news in papers around the world. However, this article from the New York Times on the culling of crows in our ultra-urban city state really tops them all for me!

"“Garbage bin! Garbage bin!”

The men with shotguns tumbled from the Land Rover in a crouch and trotted along beside it like marines taking cover behind a Humvee.

“Don’t let them see your gun, they know about guns!” whispered the leader, Dennis Lim, a 20-year veteran of this kind of thing.

He jumped from behind the van, whirled and fired, “pop!” But his prey — seven or eight crows sitting on a trash bin — were gone.

“They’re smart birds,” Mr. Lim said. “One of them saw us and alerted the others. He started flying and the others started flying.”

Mr. Lim, 54, is on the front lines of a battle for his country’s territorial integrity, a member of the Singapore Gun Club who has been enlisted to help reduce an infestation that at one point climbed to 150,000.

The club is one of the few places here that permits private weapons, though owners must lock them up before they leave. In 1982 the government asked the club to take on the crows, and Mr. Lim has been hunting them down almost from the start.

Now he is standing by for a new challenge, the possibility of bird flu and the need to secure Singapore against migrating birds, perhaps by shooting them out of the sky."

Read the rest here...

The Way I See It

2006-10-13T00:42:00.000-04:00

On the way back from a meeting at a church in Monroeville (which is about an hour away from Ambridge), my professor and I stopped at a nearby Starbucks for a quick coffee. I picked up a mocha latte and was quite surprised to read a little theology on the side of the cup. It was part of a series that the coffee giants call "The Way I See It" and is intended to spark conversations. The quote was from a musician named Mike Doughty, who as far as I can tell isn't a Christian. This is what he said:

It’s tragic that extremists co-opt the notion of God, and that hipsters and artists reject spirituality out of hand. I don’t have a fixed idea of God. But I feel that it’s us – the messed-up, the half-crazy, the burning, the questing – that need God, a lot more than the goody-two-shoes do.

A Tragedy of News

2006-10-07T09:08:00.000-04:00

The horrific carnage that fell upon the Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania, has made the news all around the world. The gruesome details have been repeated ad nauseum in news reports in print, over the air and on the internet. But one place that won't happen is in the main newspaper that serves that strict religious community.

The Los Angeles Times reports: "Although the Oct. 16 paper will reflect the loss of life in Nickel Mines, where a man burst into a one-room schoolhouse on Monday and shot 10 Amish girls, killing five, Lapp (the editor of the Amish paper) hopes not to devote too many column inches to the incident. Long-standing policy at Die Botschaft prohibits the publication of stories about murder, as well as stories about war, love or religion."

When I was trained as a journalist, on of the ways in which I was taught to evaluate the newsworthiness of an event was by the level of conflict or controversy it manifest. What happened in Lancaster county certainly qualifies. And what is interesting is that this same element was also an essential ingredient in my scriptwriting class. I was told that conflict was an important tool that help a story's entertainment value. There in lies the rub. Is news meant to be for our entertainment or information?

Can we really make this distinction? In many ways, since the newsmedia is a business, it will always seek to give the public what it wants. It has to if it hopes to attract the eyeballs which sponsors demand and pay for. It has to cater to the same instinct which manifests itself in our tendency to slow down as we pass a car wreck to see if we can catch a glance of a mangled body, or a pool of blood. It horrifies us, but we can't look away.

The only problem though is how much do the details of such incidents actually inspire others to imitate the example. Malcom Gladwell in his hugely popular tome, The Tipping Point, highlighted the influence the few can have. He cited the example of how reports of a suicide had often resulted in a sudden uptick of imitators. The "permission" was given and others who harbored similar inclinations somehow felt that the door had been opened for them to do likewise.

The Amish schoolhouse incident is the 3rd school shooting that has occurred in the space of a week here in the US. Everyone of them highly publicized events. Is there a connection? Schools around the country worry about it. Some may consider the Amish paper's decision to not report the tragedy quaint and out-moded. But do they have a point?

The sad truth of the matter is that people don't need "permission" to act in atrocious and despicable ways. As saddened and appalled as I was by the incident, I only saw it as another example of how the whole issue of original sin continues to plague the human condition. We are not "evolving." Civilization is not progressing. The more we know, the more we discover that the sin in our hearts continues to rule and reign. No amount of "civilization" can eradicate it!

I don't condone the way in which the news outlets have continued to feed the public hunger for all the gory details. Yet I know that even if they didn't, the innate depravity that every human being carries withinin will come out, and will provide yet another story to be covered.

Our Part

2006-10-04T20:20:00.000-04:00

"The only thing of my very own which I contribute to redemption
is the sin from which I need to be redeemed"

Archbishop William Temple

Lost in the Noise

2006-09-26T23:23:00.000-04:00

The recent furore over the Pope's speech in the Muslim world has caused many (if not most) to lose sight of what he was really trying to say. As is typically the case, the noise often drowns out the real message. In essence, what the pope was trying to tell his audience, who were mainly a group of secular university elite, was that if there was going to be a "genuine dialogue of cultures and religions," the relationship between reason and faith had to be re-examined. He concluded his address by saying:

In the Western world it is widely held that only positivistic reason and the forms of philosophy based on it are universally valid. Yet the world's profoundly religious cultures see this exclusion of the divine from the universality of reason as an attack on their most profound convictions. A reason which is deaf to the divine and which relegates religion into the realm of subcultures is incapable of entering into the dialogue of cultures.

(You can find a pdf of the pope's full speech on the BBC website here)

Ironically, his very call for dialogue brought the heart of the problem he was trying to address to the fore. The Western media guided by their positivistic reason demonstrated its problems by the way they reported the speech. They lifted a quote from the address that was sure to generate maximum conflict, regardless of the fact that it was used totally out of context and totally contrary to the gist of what Pope Benedict was trying to say. Conversely, the response from the Muslim world similarly showed once again how faith divorced from reason can lead to unruly behaviours.

One of my professors, the Revd Dr. Leander Harding, has written a brilliant analysis of the Pope's address. He compares what the pope said with Michael Polyani's concept of "moral inversion" and points out that reason without faith or faith without reason both lead to perversions of morality. And when carried to its logical (or illogical) extreme, results in violence.

If we read Polanyi and the Pope together we can see that the apocalyptic violence of the totalitarian movements of the secular West in the 20th century and the violence of Islamic Jihadism have a strong family resemblance. The both reject in the name of utopian visions the concept of universal moral principles to which as St. Thomas says, “even the Jew and Muslim must agree.” Both European totalitarianism and Jihadism reject any reasoned critique of their utopian project. Both Polanyi and the Pope argue that there is no way out of this impasse without a rehabilitation of the role of reason and a redefinition of the relationship between faith and reason. If the choice is between an unreasoning faith and an unreasonably skeptical secular reason which brings in its train nihilism, the world is presented with a choice between moral despair and utopian fanaticism in both secular and religious forms, with no possibility of a mediating dialogue. This is not the way forward for reason or faith or the human race.

(Click here to read the rest of his blog...)

Sad but True

2006-09-24T05:23:00.000-04:00

The notorious Jerry Fallwell made a quip that conservative voters (who are of his ilk) fear Hilary Clinton more than they do the devil himself. He meant it to be a humorous quote in a closed door meeting, but unfortunately I fear that he is more right than he probably cares to admit.

"'I certainly hope that Hillary is the (2008 Presidential) candidate, she has $300 million so far. But I hope she's the candidate. Because nothing will energize my [constituency] like Hillary Clinton.'

Cheers and laughter filled the room as Falwell continued: 'If Lucifer ran, he wouldn't.'"

What does this say about the state of Christianity (esp. amongst Evangelicals here in America)? I am more saddened by the fact that most people here in America don't take Satan seriously enough and that any person (even those you disagree with) should be so "demonized".

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12

Read the whole article here...:

A Crisis of Trust Takes a Toll on Chinese Society

2006-09-24T03:28:00.000-04:00

This article from the Los Angeles Times puts a spotlight on the reality of living in a fallen world. This is yet another example of the depravity of man and the effects of original sin...

Crisis of Trust Takes a Toll on Chinese Society:
"Talk about swimming with sharks.

Zhang Xingshui, an attorney with the Beijing Kingdom law firm, knows that like people everywhere else in the world, the Chinese don't always trust lawyers, who often promise things they can't deliver. But in China, he says, lawyers don't trust their clients, who like to skip out without paying. And neither trusts judges, who routinely disregard the law in favor of politics when rendering decisions.

'Living in such a society is tiring for everyone,' Zhang said. 'You're forced to be vigilant so you don't fall into pits, which are everywhere. Everybody is a victim and at the same time an offender.'"

Click here to read the rest of the article...

Hinduism no barrier to job as priest in Church of England -- Times Online

2006-09-08T20:25:00.000-04:00

If you had any doubt that the Anglican church is facing a major crisis, read this...

Hinduism no barrier to job as priest in Church of England

"A PRIEST with the Church of England who converted to Hinduism has been allowed to continue to officiate as a cleric.

The Rev David Hart’s diocese renewed his licence this summer even though he had moved to India, changed his name to Ananda and daily blesses a congregation of Hindus with fire previously offered up to Nagar, the snake god. He also “recites Gayatri Mantram with the same devotion with which he celebrates the Eucharist”, according to The Hindu, India’s national newspaper.

The Hindu this week pictures him offering prayers to an idol of the elephant god Ganesh in front of his house. However, he still believes he is fit to celebrate as an Anglican priest and plans to do so when he returns to Britain..."

To read the rest, click here.

The God of China

2006-09-05T21:11:00.000-04:00

I came across this article about how the late Mao Zedong has been turned into a deity in communist (and previously aetheist) China. Some villagers in a rural province even claim that 3 miracles happened in their village on the 100th anniversary of his birth in 1993.

Imagine that... he could even become a candidate for beatification and eventual canonization if only China would recognize the Vatican!

It's as the great reformer, John Calvin said, "The human heart is a factory of idols...Everyone of us is, from his mother’s womb, expert in inventing idols."

A Taste of Home

2006-08-22T00:40:00.000-04:00

Came across a blog that had quite a number of recipes from home. The author is a free lance journalist and photographer from Malaysia. What really got my stomach juices going were the pictures that accompanied her recipes!

She has taken such good pictures of some of the dishes that I can almost smell the food! Of course for those of you who have never been to South East Asia, some of the stuff will be a little too exotic for your palates!

I can't wait for the season to start

2006-08-16T22:13:00.000-04:00

I was just reading the American columnist for Fox Soccer Channel, Nick Webster and he predicted that Liverpool will win the premiership this season. He was right in predicting that Chelsea would win last season... but of course that wasn't rocket science considering how much they spent on building their team!

However I think that Liverpool's win over Chelsea in the Community Shield this last Sunday has really got the fans hopes up! We will see how things turn out, but what is important is that they start the season well. Last season, after the Oct 2nd game in which LFC lost to Chelsea 4-1, Liverpool amassed 75 points to Chelsea's 67 for the rest of the season. The title was essentially lost in the first month when Liverpool only earned 7 points to Chelsea's 21. So with Mourinho (some call him Moanin-ho) claiming that his team are only 50% ready, the tables may well be turned!

Like I said, I just can't wait for the season to begin!

Against the Flow

2006-08-03T17:00:00.000-04:00

Being here in America, I have often felt discomfort at the level of politicization of the church. The following is an excerpt of a New York Times article about a pastor who felt the same way. Unfortunately the very fact that he made the news shows how prevalent this is in Evangelical circles here...

"Like most pastors who lead thriving evangelical megachurches, the Rev. Gregory A. Boyd was asked frequently to give his blessing — and the church’s — to conservative political candidates and causes.

The requests came from church members and visitors alike: Would he please announce a rally against gay marriage during services? Would he introduce a politician from the pulpit? Could members set up a table in the lobby promoting their anti-abortion work? Would the church distribute “voters’ guides” that all but endorsed Republican candidates? And with the country at war, please couldn’t the church hang an American flag in the sanctuary?

After refusing each time, Mr. Boyd finally became fed up, he said. Before the last presidential election, he preached six sermons called “The Cross and the Sword” in which he said the church should steer clear of politics, give up moralizing on sexual issues, stop claiming the United States as a “Christian nation” and stop glorifying American military campaigns.

“When the church wins the culture wars, it inevitably loses,” Mr. Boyd preached. “When it conquers the world, it becomes the world. When you put your trust in the sword, you lose the cross.”

Mr. Boyd says he is no liberal. He is opposed to abortion and thinks homosexuality is not God’s ideal. The response from his congregation at Woodland Hills Church here in suburban St. Paul — packed mostly with politically and theologically conservative, middle-class evangelicals — was passionate. Some members walked out of a sermon and never returned. By the time the dust had settled, Woodland Hills, which Mr. Boyd founded in 1992, had lost about 1,000 of its 5,000 members..."

To read more, click here.

The sound of silence

2006-07-28T01:37:00.000-04:00

I was asked today why I haven't updated my blog in such a long time. There are several reasons for this.

The World Cup is over and the new season of the English Premier League hasn't started yet
I have been busy studying Biblical Hebrew in an intensive eight week course through the summer. As such I have had very little going on in my life worth blogging about.
There has very little time to do much reading this summer since most of my time has been taken up with trying to memorise vocabulary, verbal stems, and other grammatical idiosyncrasies of a strange and wonderful language. (the upside of this is that I can actually read portions of Judges 3 and actually understand some of what it says in my Hebrew Bible!)
...and ultimately, the truth is... I'm just too lazy to keep up with it!

Don't worry folks... I have only 4 more classes to go and a final. So I should be back in a couple of weeks. (Is this ok with you, Janelle?)

The World Cup, General Convention 2006 and Learning Biblical Hebrew

2006-06-21T14:18:00.000-04:00

Ruth Gledhill in her Times piece "Anglicans look south for unity in diversity" drew a parallel between World Cup Football (aka soccer) and what is going on in the Anglican Communion. (I was drawn to her piece especially because the centerpiece of the article was an interview with my Archbishop, John Chew)

I have been reflecting on that metaphor as I follow both the World Cup and the proceedings of the Episcopal Church's General Convention (GC06) in Columbus, Ohio at the same time. It has been interesting to see how frenzied the proceedings became on the penultimate day of the convention and it reminds me of one of the traditional "powerhouses" of football frantically trying to get another goal (or two) so that they can ensure survival on the world stage.

As we have seen in this World Cup, too often the favorite underestimates the resolve, passion and preparation of the underdog, and they end up paying the price for that oversight. This is where the parallels between WC06 and GC06 seem very apparent to me...

The Windsor Report was released in 2004, almost 2 years before the Convention that is going on right now. And yet there are so many in the leadership of the Episcopal Church that seem to be surprised by how clearly the report called for certain actions on the part of ECUSA. The quibbling over words and the attempts to fudge a response show how very unprepared most of the leadership was. It appears that they have finally realized that their decisions at this convention will determine whether they remain on the World stage or get booted out of the tournament prematurely.

Many of those who backed the decisions of GC03 were painfully out of touch with how their actions had seriously impaired their relationship with the rest of the Communion, in particular the "poorer" and "less developed" brethren in the Global South. I can remember a number of Episcopal leaders remarking that the reaction of the orthodox conservative Anglicans would eventually blow over, and that they will eventually come to see the "wisdom" of what ECUSA has done.

A fine example of this misunderstanding of what is at stake come from the mouth of the Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts Schori (which rhymes with "sorry"). On being asked what she could do to heal the rift between ECUSA and the rest of the communion, she related an anecdote from her days as a marine biologist. She tells of a ship captain who initially snubbed her, but was won over in 15 minutes. "He got over it," she said.

Unfortunately she would be incredibly naive to think that the rest of the primates will "get over it" after GC06 has essentially "thumbed their collective nose" (some others have been less polite in describing their actions) at the requests of the Windsor Report and the Primates of the Communion.

The whole exercise of what I have been observing has been interestingly juxtaposed with my intensive Summer Hebrew course. In class last week we were taught about a Masoretic device in Hebrew Bibles known as Kethibh-Qere. This feature arose because of the Masoretes' high regard for the text of Scripture. Whenever they were copying the Hebrew Bible and came across a recognized error in the text, they chose to make corrections in the margin. This was so that they could leave the original text that was handed down intact, both as an act of extreme reverence and also as a safeguard against tampering with Scripture. If only the leadership of the Episcopal Church were as scrupulous over God's word as they were in manipulating the text of their endless (and ultimately meaningless) resolutions in Columbus.

Here as some links to first hand observations of GC06:

Rev John Burwell,
Deputy from Diocese of South Carolina

Ruth Gledhill,
London Times Religion Correspondent

Bishop James Stanton,
Diocesan of Dallas

Kendall Harmon
of the titusonenine fame

And of course from the Archbishop of Canterbury
who technically wasn't there but must have been
following the events closely from across the pond

What if the Medium really is the Message?

2006-05-30T14:35:00.000-04:00

An article by Shane Hipps on Out of Ur:

"Whenever we in the church debate new methods of communicating the gospel, or alternative ways of doing church it ends in a predictable turn. There is a point in these conversations when a person, hoping to end the debate once and for all, says “The methods must change as long as the message stays the same.” So it would seem as long as we preserve the unchanging message, any method is fair game. This serves as a kind of evangelical rally cry for methodological innovation.

If they are feeling particularly sophisticated, they may go on to explain that, “Our methods, in and of themselves, are neither good nor evil, it is how we use them that determines their value.”

Meaning, if we pipe pornography through the Internet it’s bad, but if we post the Four Spiritual Laws there the Internet is good. We assume that any medium is simply a neutral conduit for information, like the plumbing in our house. The tubes are of little consequence unless they spring a leak. So as long as we are communicating the unchanging message of the gospel, every technology or method can be good. This tends to be our most nuanced conclusion.

Unfortunately, it fails to account for what our media and methods truly have the capacity to do and undo. And so we encounter them with the proverbial slip on the banana peel. We remain quite oblivious to the ways our message and our minds are being shaped by our methods and media.

The reality is, our methods are in no way “neutral,” they have a staggering, yet hidden power to shape us regardless of their content. This is what Marshall McLuhan meant when he observed “The medium is the message.” And it stands in direct contradiction to our evangelical rally cry. In other words, our media and methods have an inherent bias and a message of their own that has little or nothing to do with their content..."

Click here to read the rest of the article.

What did Luther say?

2006-05-30T14:18:00.000-04:00

An excerpt from the article by Matthew Becker in this month's "The Christian Century":

"A recent New Yorker article on Mary Magdalene, obviously written with an eye on her role as Jesus' paramour in Dan Brown's best-selling The Da Vinci Code, began by noting that 'Brown is by no means the first to have suggested that Christ had a sex life—Martin Luther said it' (February 13-20). Bruce Chilton, an Episcopal scholar from Bard College, also makes this claim about Luther in Mary Magdalene: A Biography (2005). And a 2003 story in Time magazine declared that 'Martin Luther believed that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married.' Did Luther really make these assertions?

... Seemingly problematic is a small notation from John Schlagenhaufen, one of Luther's close friends, which contains a recollection of something Luther supposedly said informally at his Wittenberg dinner table in 1532:

Christ [as] adulterer. In the first instance Jesus became an adulterer with the woman at the well in John 4, because they say (no one understands), 'What is he doing with her?' In the same way with Magdalena; in the same way with the adulteress of John 8, whom he let off so easily. In that way the godly Christ first of all must also become an adulterer before he died. (WA TR 6, 107, sec. 1472; cf. LW 54:154)

No one knows if Luther actually said this. The critical apparatus in the Weimar Ausgabe reveals the textual and grammatical problems in this supposed quotation. Schlagenhaufen recorded only a portion of what he remembered Luther to have said that day (and after how many beers?). No context is given.

Scholars know how difficult, if not impossible, it is to link the lapidary 'table notations' of Luther's friends to Luther's own views. The editors of the American Edition speculate in a footnote that the 'probable context is suggested in a sermon of 1536 (WA 41, 647) in which Luther asserted that Christ was reproached by the world as a glutton, a winebibber, and even an adulterer' (LW 54:154).

A more probable context is Luther's account of the atonement. One of his basic assertions is that our sins become Christ's and Christ's perfect righteousness becomes ours by faith. This idea of 'the happy exchange' is found in many Luther texts. Given his central soteriological and christological concern, the theological irony in Schlagenhaufen's remembered notation becomes clearer: The 'godly' Christ becomes or is made a sinner through his solidarity with sinners, even to the point of dying as a God-forsaken criminal on the cross. This is how Luther understood Paul's statement, 'God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God' (2 Cor. 5:21).

So Christ 'becomes' an adulterer, though he does not actually commit adultery with Mary or anyone else. He puts mercy front and center, and rejects the legalism which demanded that the woman caught in adultery be killed and the woman at the well and Mary Magdalene be shunned. The holy one becomes the sinner by putting himself into the situation of sinners, by loving and forgiving them, and ultimately by taking their sins on himself. For this gospel reason, Luther could also remark that God made Jesus 'the worst sinner of the whole world,' even though he also acknowledged that the sinless, righteous Christ actually committed no sin himself.

Trapped in a literalistic approach to Schlagenhaufen's contextless note, some readers have missed the metaphorical character of the remark, which Luther may have made, if he made it at all, with a twinkle in his eye. I'm confident that Luther would not be a fan of The Da Vinci Code—except perhaps with a beer in hand and that twinkle in his eye."

What a victory...

2006-05-18T15:04:00.000-04:00

Photo was taken by Tan Teck Meng, Singapore.

The rugby team from my alma mater, St Andrew's Junior College beat our longtime rivals, Raffles JC 15-10 in the national competition in Singapore. This was especially sweet since it was a massive come from behind victory as heavy underdogs. The picture is of the winning touchdown having fought back from a 3-10 deficit in the 2nd half of the game. It has been 18 years since we last won the title.

Sweet!

2006-04-22T17:29:00.000-04:00

Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup semifinals. It was kind of nail biting at the end, but the redmen managed to hold out for the crucial win.

Out of 10 meetings in the last two seasons, Liverpool have only beaten blues twice. Last year we knocked them out of the Champions League at the semifinal stage as well. They must really see us as a jinx team in their cup runs! As usual, their manager Mourihno was moaning and couldn't even congratulate Liverpool on being the better team! He is such a poor loser...

Blogging means sometimes having to say "I'm sorry"

2006-04-20T12:06:00.000-04:00

A couple of months back I posted some stuff related to an online feud taking place between a couple of prominent pastors in the emrgent church movement. It ignited quite a furore and even led to a seminary professor questioning the benefit of blogging. Well here's the latest installment in the saga. Mark Driscoll the "offender" has offered his heartfelt "I'm sorry", but it has been painful reading some of the comments to his apology. While some have been genuinely supportive, there is still a large measure of unforgiveness that comes through which is such a poor testimony to the gospel!

It's like our Dean/President Paul Zahl said:

"I observe that Christians don't even tolerate sinners, another 'other' for all their talk of forgiveness. It is a wondrous fact – an arresting fact – that when Christians fall into sin, the talk one hears literally every Sunday, in principle, of God's forgiveness and welcome to the sinner becomes a dead letter. It is as if we declare "God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" only to NOT mirror that, any time sin actually strikes close to us in a real live human being. It is an amazing reality that a sinner has about as much chance from Christians as Zontar did from the soldiers in It Conquered the World. (Zontar was burned to death, by the actor Lee Van Cleef.)" (from John Zahl's blog)

Why it's Good.

2006-04-15T11:48:00.000-04:00

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18

I just read the New Yorker article by Peter Boyer, "A Church Asunder" after reading John Zahl's blog on it. It set me thinking about what our response should be towards the current crisis in our Communion. I still debate whether the revisionists of ECUSA are better classified (there I go labelling others again) as "Infidels" or "Hereticks" in Cranmerian terms. But the Good Friday collect reminds me that it doesn't really matter. I need to pray for them just the same.

Merciful God, who hast made all men, and hatest nothing that thou has made, nor wouldest the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live; have mercy upon all Jews, Turks (i.e. Muslims), Infidels and Hereticks [sic], and take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of thy word: and so fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy flock, that they may be saved amongst the remnant of the true Israelites, and be made one fold under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth, with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
The Third Collect for Good Friday
1662 Book of Common Prayer

At first hearing (or reading) this collect seems so un-PC. It raises our hackles and seems to run counter to all that we have been led to believe in relating to others in pluralism. But this is the crux of the gospel. This is the message of the cross. Paul Zahl unpacks the background of this prayer in his book on the Cramerian collects:

"The Jews believe in God, but reject Christ. The Mohammedans believe in God and honor Christ, but do not yield Him divine honor. Infidels are those who do not believe the basic doctrines of Christianity. Heretics are Christians who maintain religious opinions contrary to the teachings of the Church. This prayer is more a call to missionary work than a statement of judgment." (p.48 The Collects of Thomas Cranmer)

We're all sinners saved by grace, and in constant need of grace. And that is our motivation for mission. That is why we pray for those outside our congregations. This is why the day of Jesus' death is good. It is the "power of God unto salvation."

A Mad Dog Faith

2006-04-11T18:13:00.000-04:00

As we move through holy week, I have had a series of really interesting readings for a few different classes here. I was also recently visiting Dave's blog, who is a friend here at seminary (and fellow soccer fan...not!). He talked about the "Nazareth principle" in his post on Kant and Luther and it brought me back to something I read from Philip Jenkin's book, the Next Christiandom...

"Christianity grew as a grassroots movement, appealing to a rich diversity of groups. In some cases this might mean those on the margins of traditional societies. In his nuanced account of the conversion of the Igbo people of eastern Nigeria, Chinua Achebe describes how the faith gained its initial successses among the marginalized: "None of the converts was a man whose word was heeded in the assembly of the people. None of them was a man of title. They were mostly the kind of people that were called efulefu, worthless, empty men...Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, called the converts the excrement of the clan, and the new faith was a mad dog that had come to eat it up." Gradually, though, an increasing number of converts were drawn in from major families. (Today, the Igbo are overwhelmingly Christian.)" (p.43)

This gist of this story was repeated in my readings of how Christianity spread in Korea and China in the 19th and 20th century. The churches that grew the fastest and have had the most lasting impact are those that initially reached the lowest in society. It shouldn't be any surprise since the apostle Paul pointed out the fact that this is the basis of God's election:

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Could it be that it is the "down and outs" who are most receptive to the gospel? I imagine that they are the ones who can most easily accept the word that comes tellling us that we can do nothing to save ourselves. That's probably why Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the self-satisfied, self-sufficient and self-absorbed (my version of a three-self movement) to enter His kingdom...

This is the message of the cross. God came and identified with the down and outs, by subjecting himself to the ugliness of the cross...

He had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised,
and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement
that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:2-5

Go to the Source!

2006-04-04T11:46:00.000-04:00

Our Dean/President Herr Zahl, makes a strong case for the existence of Trinity. I firmly believe that the battle for the church will be won or lost in the seminaries. If we are to see the church turn around, we need to be more strategic in placing the right people in the right places, and I'm not talking about the episcopate (although that is important too).

But how do we break the politburo hold they have on our institutions? It is almost incestous the way in which they jealously guard their strongholds. Talk about a lack of inclusion...

Nobody Loves Me, Everybody Hates Me

2006-03-27T23:22:00.000-05:00

It sure seems like a bad time to be a Christian. Especially one who is serious about what he believes...

If you don't believe me, just ask Abdul Rahman, the Afghan Christian convert on trial for switching religions. He's damned if they convict him, and damned if they don't because there's a lynch mob waiting for him if he's released.

I've also just done a book review on the persecution of Christians entitled "Their Blood Cries Out" which is a little dated (published in 1997) but is still moving in its accounts of the ferocious attrocities perpetrated against followers of Jesus.

If that's not enough, the Asian Church History class I'm taking over at PTS covered what is known as the great Sassanian persecution of Christians in Persia in 340AD. This was "the most massive persecution of Christians in history, unequalled for its duration, its ferocity and the number of martyrs" (Moffett's A History of Christianity in Asia Vol.1)

This opposition is just about every where. In an editorial entitled "Cutting at Christianity" by Nora Gallagher in the LA Times on March 24, 2006, the author said, "It's become fashionable to take shots at the Christian religion. In a lot of otherwise civilized circles, the faithful and the faith itself are an easy object of prejudice; and worse, it's a prejudice you can get away with."

She ends the op-ed by pining for the "good old days" of pre-Constantine Christianity. She thinks that there were kinder gentler times in Jesus' day. But listen to what he said...

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." John 15:18-20 (NIV)

So it doesn't get any better folks, we'll just have to get used to it... Or eat some worms.

How 'bout them Reds?

2006-03-26T11:41:00.000-05:00

Amazing stuff. They beat Everton their cross-town rivals with only 10 men! 3-1 was the final score and it was sweet!

Schism looms...

2006-03-24T21:38:00.000-05:00

This is probably the clearest signal from Canterbury about the impending fate of the Communion. The Bishop of Exeter, representing the Archbishop of Canterbury, was speaking at the ECUSA House of Bishops retreat at Kanuga. He said:

"'I suppose one of the major challenges for the Episcopal Church now has to do with whether there are enought of you to stand broadly on the same ground, holding a range of opinions on Lambeth 1.10 but firm in carrying forward the Windsor vision of a strengthened and enabing communion life. This, I believe, is the key question rather than questions about whether the Episcopal Church will either be pushed out of the Communion or consciously walk away. Let's be clear. On the one hand, noone can force another province or diocese either to go or remain. We are not that kind of church. Yet equally, no diocese or province can enforce its own continued membership simply or largely on its own terms. There has to be engagement There is no communion without a shared vision of life in communion. So it does seem to me, as I listen to those other parts of the communion that I know best, that any further consecration of those in a same sex relationship, any authorisation of any person to undertake same sex blessings, any stated intention not to seriously engage with the Windsor Report, will be read very widely as a declaration not to stay with the communion.'"

A report of what sort of went on there can be found on Ruth Gledhill's Blog - Times Online: Schism looms, Exeter warns US bishops:

I know that many of my Episcopal colleagues here at Trinity look towards the General Convention in June with some anxiety. To be honest, I see very little signs of ECUSA repenting as was called for in the Windsor report.

FA Cup | Birmingham 0-7 Liverpool

2006-03-23T16:33:00.000-05:00

Birmingham 0-7 Liverpool. That makes it 15 goals in the last 3 games... enuff said!

What a game!

2006-03-16T08:48:00.000-05:00

I know some of you hate this... but I can't help it (sorry Dave!).

Liverpool routed Fulham yesterday, 5-1. I watched the delayed telecast and it was truly entertaining. You might have noticed that I haven't been posting much on football (the real kind played with feet) lately, because honestly, my team hasn't been doing too well. But now they seem to have picked up where they left off. Great to see almost all the forwards getting a goal each. Especially delighted with Fowler's goal!

To Fulham's credit, they really put in a good game, but once the Liverpool strikers got off the mark, there was no stopping them. I was particularly impressed with the young signing, centre-half Daniel Agger who deputised for the injured Hyppia. (A Dane for a Fin)

*whew* had to get this out, or I would have burst!

Making a Difference

2006-03-13T00:47:00.000-05:00

This is one man who has made a difference in the world!

PZ circulated a NYT article on John Stott, the elder statesman of the evangelical church, at one of our Dean's hours. I have always been impressed with his writings, and I admit that I often gravitate to his commentaries, when I come across them. He's been a tremendous influence on many others as well. I know that he had quite a bit of input in my father's life, and the life of my bishop, as well as many other church leaders in the global South.

I remember meeting him in Amsterdam 2000 and he was so very accessible. When I told him who I was, he greeted me warmly (and gave me a big hug, something which I still have a tough time getting used to as an Asian). He's one of the giants of the Church with an incredibly humble disposition. Truly a man of God. And I don't use that term lightly!

An Ounce of Prevention

2006-03-06T07:14:00.000-05:00

This past week, I was really alerted to the "great" journalistic value of Parade by Bp. Fitz Allison. As I opened the publication on Sunday (which comes with our Sunday paper), an article jumped off the pages at me. I really believe in what he's doing. It goes to the heart of the problem in terrorism, and though results are slow, I think the solution will be long term! (In fact Mortenson's book, Three Cups of Tea is all about taking the time to see lasting results)

The actual article will only be available online on Wed March 8, but this is an earlier one about what he's doing:

PARADE Magazine | He Fights Terror With Books (Greg Mortenson of Central Asia Institute): "Tucked amid a grove of poplar trees at the edge of emerald barley fields in Korphe, an isolated village in northern Pakistan, stands a tiny four-room school. This afternoon, a 17-year-old girl is about to confront Greg Mortenson, the American who built it. Her name is Jahan, and her intention is to remind Mortenson of a pledge he made to her when the building opened in September 1996.

“Do you remember the promise you made that day?” Jahan asks in Balti, the local language. “I told you that I want to be a doctor, and you said you would help. You fulfilled your pledge to us when our school was built. But today you must keep your promise to me. I’m ready for medical training, and I need 20,000 rupees [$400] to attend a maternal health-care program.”

Her request marks an extraordinary milestone in the 600-year history of the Braldu Valley. The narrow Braldu stretches high in the Karakorams, a spectacular range of granite mountains that straddles the border between India, Pakistan and China, where snow leopards roam across blue-ice glaciers. The Braldu is a place of equally spectacular isolation and poverty: The majority of its 3000 people are illiterate; one of every three babies dies before its first birthday; and local power rests in the hands of Shiite mullahs who take religious orders from the ayatollahs of Iran.

Korphe, though, is different. For, in this part of northern Pakistan (see map on page 6), a region that now sits on the front lines of the war against terrorism, Jahan is the first girl ever granted the privilege of learning to read and write.

The man to whom Jahan makes her petition is sitting cross-legged in the middle of a council of village elders. As the U.S. confronts Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, Greg Mortenson, 45, is quietly waging his own campaign against Islamic fundamentalists, who often recruit members through religious schools called madrasas. Mortenson’s approach hinges on a simple idea: that by building secular schools and helping to promote education—particularly for girls—in the world’s most volatile war zone, support for the Taliban and other extremist sects eventually will dry up..."

Click here to read more.

Fundamentalist Liberals (pardon the oxymoron)

2006-02-23T22:51:00.000-05:00

Here we go again...

"Two openly gay priests are candidates to become bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California and the election of either would worsen the rift over homosexuality in the bitterly divided church.

The Rev. Bonnie Perry of Chicago and the Very Rev. Robert Taylor of Seattle -- both of whom have longtime same-sex partners -- are among the five candidates. In 2004, an emergency panel of the global Anglican Communion, which includes the U.S. Episcopal Church, asked for a moratorium on installing bishops in same-sex relationships. The request came after the Rev. Gene Robinson, who has a longtime male partner, was consecrated bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.

''There's nothing really the Anglican Communion can do to us. But they can say they're no longer in communion with us,'' said Sean McConnell, spokesman for the Diocese of California....

The Rev. Paul Zahl, the dean of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pa., said if Perry or Taylor is chosen as the new bishop, it's a ''definitive thumbing of the nose at the worldwide church.''

He said hundreds of the 2.3 million Episcopalians already left the church after Robinson was consecrated and ''for those who are still hanging in there, this election would be the final straw. That's no judgment on the individuals, but on the principle.'"

Read the rest here...

Free Speech?

2006-02-23T22:21:00.000-05:00

Stanley Fish in his op-ed piece ("Our Faith in Letting It All Hang Out") for the NYT correctly identifies the root of the reason why the Danes went ahead and did what they did. He says, "The first tenet of the liberal religion is that everything (at least in the realm of expression and ideas) is to be permitted, but nothing is to be taken seriously." This is why the freedom of speech of today's liberal West has become such a sacred cow. All ties to any absolute have been cut. And the only absolute is that everything is relative.

I have been reading John Stott's book, Christian Mission in the Modern World (for a class of course) and one of the words he deals with is "dialogue." A definition which he puts forward is one that I really like: "Dialogue is a conversation in which each party is serious in his approach both to the subject and to the other person, and desires to listen and learn as well as speak and instruct." In what way were the Danish newspaper's cartoons a "serious approach" to dialogue? They certainly haven't been very good at listening. Did they even attempt to?

What is worse is that now others are paying the price for their insensitivity! The Anglican Church in Nigeria has been under attack especially in the Northern Provinces. One of the board members of our seminary, Bishop Kwashi's family was subjected to a vicious attack and were robbed. And I just came across a BBC interview with Bishop Cyril Okorocha of Nigeria who speaks about the tension that has boiled over down there. Apparently over 100 people (both Christians and Muslims) have already been killed as a result of this violence so far.

FA Cup|: Liverpool 1-0 Man Utd

2006-02-18T09:43:00.000-05:00

What a result! It is the first time in 85 years since Liverpool have beaten their greatest rivals in the FA cup competition. Even more important, one of their strikers got themself on the scoresheet, while keeping out the goals at the other end.

I couldn't watch the game live (pay per view's too expensive!), but had to listen to the broadcast on the net. From what I heard, Liverpool could have easily won it by 2 0r 3 goals! I'll be watching the delayed telecast when and if it finally comes on!

For a full report of the match, check out BBC SPORT.

On LFC

2006-02-12T23:22:00.000-05:00

Some of you who are regular readers of my blog might be wondering why I've not said anything about Liverpool in ages... Well just to show that I'm not a fair weathered fan, here goes my latest rant...

Well after a spectacular year end, Liverpool have become a testimony to the old addage, "what goes up, must come down!" They've not had a good start to the year, with three loses and one draw in the last five games in the league. Oh how the mighty have fallen! But speaking of big falls, there is one bright spot from this last weekend! Chelsea lost big! If you look at the photo of that game from the BBC on the right, you can see how shell-shocked their captain John Terry (no relation to our beloved Justyn) looks after a goal is scored. I can't help but rejoice in their misery. I know, this isn't a very Christian attitude, but, oh well...

Bono Speaks

2006-02-06T03:13:00.000-05:00

Some of you may know this, but Bono, was one of the speakers for this year's Presidential Prayer Breakfast. My friend who was actually there told me that he was quite powerful and made quite an impression. Here's what he said:

"If you’re wondering what I’m doing here, at a prayer breakfast, well, so am I. I’m certainly not here as a man of the cloth, unless that cloth is leather. It’s certainly not because I’m a rock star. Which leaves one possible explanation: I’m here because I’ve got a messianic complex.

Yes, it’s true. And for anyone who knows me, it’s hardly a revelation.

Well, I’m the first to admit that there’s something unnatural… something unseemly… about rock stars mounting the pulpit and preaching at presidents, and then disappearing to their villas in the South of France. Talk about a fish out of water. It was weird enough when Jesse Helms showed up at a U2 concert… but this is really weird, isn’t it?

You know, one of the things I love about this country is its separation of church and state. Although I have to say: in inviting me here, both church and state have been separated from something else completely: their mind. .

Mr. President, are you sure about this?

It’s very humbling and I will try to keep my homily brief. But be warned—I’m Irish..."

Click here for more...

The Message of the Blog

2006-01-31T20:54:00.000-05:00

Seminary Professor, Dr Craig Blomberg asks if Blogs are good for the body (of Christ that is)...

Leadership Blog: Out of Ur: The Blessing of Blogs: Is the New Media Good for the Church?: "I’m hardly an expert on blogging. My own ministry has been critiqued once or twice by bloggers, and my experiences with their postings have largely led me to ignore them. When Out of Ur ran a controversial story about a good friend of mine this fall, I read and contributed to the responses with interest for several weeks. That is the sum total of my experience with blogs. But it’s enough for me to raise some questions. If Marshall McLuhan was even partly right that “the medium is the message,” then what message does the medium of blogging send?"

To read more, click here...

Intelligent Design vs. Naturalism

2006-01-30T18:01:00.000-05:00

Here's a commentary from the Church Times entitled "How to probe the science of creation" which I feel is helpful in teasing out the nuance of the Intelligent Design-Naturalism (which unfortunately has been wrongly labeled "Evolution") debate. I think that he has done a good job of clarifying the positions and philosophical presuppositions, and this deserves careful consideration!

Brian McLaren on the Homosexual Question 2: A Blogger's Response

2006-01-26T21:04:00.000-05:00

This is a response that really speaks directly to what I was uncomfortable with in McLaren's commentary...

"Since posting Brian McLaren’s commentary about homosexuality we’ve had difficulty keeping pace with the responses being written. Reading through the comments reveals why homosexuality is known as a “wedge issue” in our culture. Our readers appear divided between heralding McLaren as a prophet, and condemning him as a heretic. Below is one response we received by a blogger named Jeff who disagrees with McLaren’s suggested five year moratorium on making pronouncements about homosexuality. But unlike many other critics, Jeff also writes about his very personal engagement with this issue."

Read more here...

A Pastoral Response to a Thorny Question

2006-01-24T19:34:00.000-05:00

Came across this in Leadershipjournal.net and I must admit that it has me thinking hard about how I would respond to the same question. I greatly respect McLaren even though I don't always agree with all his views on Faith and life. What do you think?

Out of Ur: Brian McLaren on the Homosexual Question: Finding a Pastoral Response:

"The couple approached me immediately after the service. This was their first time visiting, and they really enjoyed the service, they said, but they had one question. You can guess what the question was about: not transubstantiation, not speaking in tongues, not inerrancy or eschatology, but where our church stood on homosexuality.

That 'still, small voice' told me not to answer. Instead I asked, 'Can you tell me why that question is important to you?' 'It's a long story,' he said with a laugh."

Click here for more...

Believing in Ben

2006-01-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

Here's a great SI article on the Steeler Quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger...

"They're big and broad, with enough room for an entire football team to climb on them and get comfortable. No wonder the Pittsburgh Steelers put the AFC Championship Game on Ben Roethlisberger's shoulders and let it ride.

All the way to Detroit.

Historically speaking, home field is a great thing to have in the NFL playoffs. But I'll take a hot quarterback every time.

In truth, Roethlisberger isn't just hot these days. He's a river of molten lava (or steel, if you will), unstoppable and flowing in the direction of next month's Super Bowl, in the city they call Motown..."

Click here to read more.

Bitter Sweet Result

2006-01-22T21:32:00.000-05:00

A weekend of contrasts for me in the sporting arena. Liverpool lost to Man U despite controlling the game for 90 minutes. A lapse of concentration in defending corner led to a goal in injury time and so ends the unbeaten run. (incidentally the guy (left) holding his head is Djibril Cisse, the Liverpool striker. When my 2 year old son, Dan saw him during the game started laughing and said, "He looks like a dinosaur." Click this link to see why...)

Closer to home, the Steelers won! I think that they have also just won another fan. I have read on some other blogs that it is quite common for some the seminarians at Trinity to pick up an affection for the hometown team and after watching them through this season, I must admit that I've fallen for them. I love the cohesiveness of the team and how they seem to be led by great, hardworking men. Also their loyalty to their head coach despite the fact that they had not done as well in the past tells me that it is a team that respects stability. Not the quick fix or immediate results. Kind of reminds me a little bit of the Liverpool way of doing things!

You can read all about the game here...

A Bigger Big Weekend

2006-01-21T20:22:00.000-05:00

I said last weekend was a big one for sport. Well... I was wrong. This weekend's is bigger.

Firstly, it is the Liverpool-Man U derby at Old Trafford. It is one of the largest rivalries in English football because Liverpool were the dominant team of the 80's and Man U of the 90's. It is a big game for bragging rights and should be a good fight. It is even more significant since they are currently 3rd and 2nd in the league table and the winner will gain a foothold on 2nd place and may continue to have a glimmer of hope of catching runaway leaders, Chelsea.

But in truth right now, context is king... Being in Pittsburgh it is hard not to catch the Black and Gold fever. We were in town yesterday and there were street vendors everywhere selling Steeler paraphernalia. Every other person were wearing Steeler colors. And today I saw many cars decorated with the now omnipresent cry "Here we go, Steelers."

Just a little background for my friends in non-American situations: this is playoff season for the American Football League. The Steelers meet the Denver Broncos tomorrow in Denver to decided the American Football Conference championship. It is the first time that a 6th seeded team (out of 6) has made it to the conference championships. The Steelers are the ones who are rated the underdogs for this game. The winner then proceeds to the Superbowl to meet the champions of the National Football Conference.

Anyways, being deep in Steeler country has made me discover how football (of the American variety) mad the people of this city and region are. There was a T-shirt that I saw on one of the vendor's tables that sums it up best. It said, "In Pittsburgh, Steeler football is a religion."

So I will be sacking out on the couch tomorrow, watching two massive games...

A Great Story!

2006-01-18T12:40:00.000-05:00

I just came across the trailer of a movie that really excites me! It's entitled "End of the Spear" and is scheduled for release nationwide this Friday (Jan 20th). The story was first told in a book, "Through the Gates of Splendor" which I read as a kid. In truth I read the graphic novel version but it really impacted my life.

I dare say that it was probably one of the influences that has caused me to pursue the path that I now tread.

NOTE: Christianity Today online has a great article ("The Rest of the Story") which tells a little of the backstory and also some of the fruit of martyrs' seed sown in the jungles decades ago!

Reconciling Wrath and Love

2006-01-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

I've been reviewing my notes in preparation for an exam I need to take for a class I did last week. One of the things that our professor, Rod Whitacre said has really caused me to sit up and take notice. He was talking about the works of the apostle John who really focused on the love of God in the incarnation of Jesus. Touching on the wrath of God and how it relates to God's love (which many people continue to have difficulty reconciling), he said that “God’s wrath is His love exercised towards that which corrupts and destroys those whom He loves.”

What this essentially means is that the wrath of God is not something like the manifestation of a two-faced caricature that flips his personality in an arbitrary manner. Or worse still, a progression of development from the Old Testament God to the New Testament one. It is really all linked to the fact that “God is love.” What changed was the coming of Christ. As John said, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (Jn 1:14)

So where does that leave us? What Rod said was this: “When we hold onto our sin (i.e. by not repenting), we are holding onto to something that experiences his wrath (and is targeted for destruction).” Generally not a good idea!

300 years of Ben

2006-01-17T22:31:00.000-05:00

Pennsylvania celebrated Ben Franklin's 300th birthday today. He was a true renaissance man who had a hand in the history of my host nation.

Only grouse I have about him is the now infamous quote which appeared in his Poor Richard's Almanac (1733-1758):

God helps those who help themselves

A more accurate way to look at it would have been: "God helps those who cannot help themselves," or better yet "God saves those who cannot save themselves!"

Update on the Big Weekend

2006-01-17T16:57:00.000-05:00

For those in other lands not following the Sports news too closely, both of the teams I supported WON!

Liverpool beat Spurs 1-0 and that was expected.

What was not expected was the Steelers' victory over the No. 1 ranked team in the AFC (and probably the NFL), the Indianapolis Colts! It was a real roller-coaster ride, which had all the best drama you would expect of a playoff game! That coupled with truly appalling officiating made for a game that was incredibly satisfying to watch. On another note, it's interesting to see how the use of technology to aid referees never really eliminates human error. It is rare that a governing body of a sport overrules one of their own officials!

Anglican Satire?

2006-01-17T16:42:00.000-05:00

I just came across this blog while surfing instead of studying. It's even won the prestigious (dubious)"Most Humourous Anglican Blog Award for 2006"

Hmmm.....

Big Weekend

2006-01-14T00:16:00.000-05:00

It's a big weekend for sports... The Steelers are in a playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. It is incredible to see the amount of passion that people here in Pittsburgh have for their (American) football team. Most of them were either wearing their team jerseys or at least black and gold in suppport of the Steelers.

It sort of reminds me of the passion of Liverpool fans. I was almost sure that I was going to root for the Steelers this weekend, but then came across this article about the Colts head coach Tony Dungee. He is such a class act. His wife and in-laws are from the church we have been attending here and I have heard from people who know him about his tremendous witness and character. I guess that I'll just have divided loyalties...

On the other hand, I have no such problems with the game later on between Liverpool and Spurs. There's no doubt in my mind who will win at Anfield (Sorry, Boon!)

They are still unbeaten, but are no longer on their winning streak having drawn their last game against Bolton. So they only managed to equal their record of 11 consecutive wins in top league in England!

Perfect Ten!

2005-12-31T12:26:00.000-05:00

What a way to round out the year! Ten successive wins is a great achievement and it matches the '82 championship winning team. I couldn't watch the game live since it wasn't being telivised over here, but I managed to listen to the live commentary on the internet while studying for my Jan term class.

On another note, the holiday season is very different when you're away from home. I must admit that it's been a little subdued without our usual gang around us. jw.

Cloud Nine

2005-12-30T21:18:00.000-05:00

Liverpool have now won 9 straight league matches with their 3-1 trouncing of city rivals, Everton. It was a very one-sided game and the only real drama of the second half was trying to predict how many cards the ref, Graham Poll could show before time ran out. He did manage to send two Everton players off and I think he was just trying to liven up the game so that not too many Everton fans would leave the stadium before the whistle ;-).

I am looking forward to a perfect 10 tomorrow when they play West Brom at home in Anfield.

A Religious Debate

2005-12-28T01:01:00.000-05:00

Living in the state where the Intelligent Design (ID) test case was fought in the law courts has been an interesting experience. I get to read more articles on the subject than I would if it had been residing elsewhere (Parochial American journalistic policy of favoring local news over news from elsewhere is the reason).

Many defenders of Darwin have cheered U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III ruling that the Dover school board were guilty of 'breathtaking inanity' in trying to force ID on high school students of the district. While they may crow that this is a triumph for science, I still struggle with seeing how that can be true. The way I see it, the judge's ruling is actually quashing true scientific endeavor. What he does is paint a box around science, narrowing it so that anything that cannot be explained from a purely materialistic point of view, cannot be brought into the equation irrespective of whether it is true or not. Am I naive?

In reading the many op-ed peices that have come out about this case, I came across one by David Klinghoffer entitled "It's God or Darwin" on National Review Online. I'm not that familiar with the NRO but I understand that it is quite out there on the right when it comes to its politics and opinions. So the general direction that the article takes is a given.

I am personally quite uncomfortable with extreme "creationism" as a movement (I think that they are misquided in their zeal). On the other hand, I find myself agreeing with what Klinghoffer (who incidentally is a conservative Jew) observes. He points out that the debate is not just between science and religion, it is actually a debate of two different religious points of view. It is Naturalism vs Theism. Both require faith. Both approach the arguments with different axioms. And ultimately both have agendas to push. For more on this issue, read Olsen's blog on Christianity Today.

Speaking of religions... Liverpool won their Boxing Day match in convincing fashion against Newcastle. Michael Owen, the former Anfield favorite son, who appeared for the 'bar codes' was pedestrian and was subject to some taunts from the Kop end. I admit that I would have joined them if I were there. I feel like he walked out on the LFC for selfish reasons and so he's missed out on the great Anfield revival! He was the one that chose to walk alone. He is reaping his just desserts.

So this makes it 8 wins in a row in the league. Even better, the 8 successive clean-sheets equals a club-record that dates back to 1923!

Fever!

2005-12-10T21:13:00.000-05:00

I feel a temperature coming on... Click here to get the schedule for World Cup 2006

Seventh Heaven!

2005-12-10T19:06:00.000-05:00

Liverpool have won their 7th consecutive Premier League game! A spotty first half despite their overwhelming dominance eventually gave way to a comforatble victory after the Spanish genius, Benitez made and inspired substitution. Morientes was truly on fire and his nose for goal showed!

They are flying high and it remains to be seen if they can lift the World Club Championships next weekend. For my friends from America, this is a real World championship with the champion club teams from Europe, South America, CONCAF (Central America, North America and the Caribbean refion), Africa, Oceania and Asia all meeting in Japan to decide the winner. Each of the teams won their respective continental championships earlier in the year. The seedings anticipate a final between Sao Paulo from Brazil and Liverpool to decide who goes home with the title of World Club Champion.

Realigning the Realignment

2005-12-08T22:05:00.000-05:00

Came across an editorial on the Christianity Today site entitled "Intelligent Church Redesign". It is a commentary on the sad affairs of the state of mainline churches in the States and how schism may be the better way to go considering the heresies that have tied the churches in knots.

I too was of the same opinion before I got here, but after spending some time in dialogue with my Episcopalian brethren at the seminary, I realise that it is a complex issue that defies an easy solution. At the recent Anglican Communion Network cpmferemce (which is a network of the orthodox remnant within ECUSA) which I attended, I got a chance to see the complexities up close and personal. I met with all kinds of clergy from throughout the US. They represented every stripe and flavour of orthodoxy within ECUSA, as well as Anglicans who left because they couldn't wait for the reformationto take place. And it was interesting to hear their stories and to feel their pain.

It sort of reminded me of something a Jewish friend once told me, where you find 3 Jews, you'll find 4 opinions. Or to contextualize it, where you find 3 American Anglicans, you'll find 4 or more opinions. My dad was right, they really have to sort it out amongst themselves. Our out-going Archbishop Yong said to them in a panel discussion, "we are with you, as long as you hold fast to the faith once delivered and remain orthodox." (my paraphrase of course!) We from the Global South can only provide a clear voice, like one calling in the wilderness. But they have to repent and reform from within.

So, what's the solution? I think that quintessential Tyler Perry line is the best hope, "you've got to pray...ay...ay...aay..aaaay!"

Sixth Sense

2005-12-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

Liverpool have won their 6th consecutive league match. What's more, they are closing in on a club record of 10 clean sheets that has stood for 18 years. They currently have 8 and will be playing their 9th next weekend.

We'll have to wait till after Christmas to see if they make it since they head to Japan for the World Club Championships after that for 2 weeks.

On another note, Crouchie finally broke the duck with two goals. One of them splendid the other a little dubious. But both equally sweet! I think that he's going to be a legend for LFC. Yes, I know he isn't pretty to look at (both as a player and person) but if you can remeber back that far, Rush wasn't really all that refined a player either! But he got the goals when it counted... and I believe that Crouch will too in time to come.

Small Town USA

2005-12-04T20:17:00.000-05:00

I was in the town of East Liverpool, Ohio this past weekend for a class assignment. It is a place that has seen better days. As we were walking the streets yesterday, one could see that it was once a really prosperous and bustling hamlet on the Ohio River. It was renown in the Western Hemisphere for its pottery. Many of their artisans had come from the famous Stoke-on-Trent and brought with them their expertise. In later years steel and titanuim mills/foundaries rose in importance for the local economy. However over the years, competition, cheap imports and other economic exigencies eroded its place in the world.

Where we are in Ambridge is somewhat similar. The town got the name from the company, the American Bridge Company, who built the twon around a huge steel mill. They are best known for building the famed Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York. But when the mill went bust back in the 60's it started the slow but sure decline of the town.

Towns like these litter the entire Ohio River Valley. I am sure that its the same all over the US as well. Talking to the older inhabitants will get you story after story of the "good old days." Accounts of stores that had people lining up down the block to get in, churches full with barely a seat on a Sunday morning, life and wealth oozing from every street corner.

Some may say, that this is price of progress. It is the way of capitalism. It is economic Darwinism at its best... or worst???? It's just business after all. But there are lives at stake. And families are affected.

When the pursuit of coin usurps as the main agenda, the result is a bankruptcy that knows no limits. The system that we have sold our souls to will gladly wring every last drop of blood out of people and spit out the empty carcasses.

I wonder what our grandkids or maybe even our kids will think when they visit Silicon Valley, or Austin or any number of hot "new economy" hubs in the not too distant future. Will they shake their heads at the old man reminiscing about the "good old days"? I'm not even sure my hometown, Singapore will necessarily be spared.

Money is a good servant, but an incredibly poor master. Or in reality this is just another example of the total depravity of man! jw.

No. 4

2005-11-26T21:46:00.000-05:00

Liverpool have won their 4th consecutive league match. Best record in the last 2.5 years! Not a pretty victory I'm told, but we'll take the 3 pts any day!

Someone on the discussion boards said, "their not just marching up the table, they're running!" If they win their next two matches, they could actually be up to 2nd on the table (albiet only until the rest of the matches are played on Saturday) since they have an early kick-off.

All us die-hard LFC fans are beginning to dream... YNWA!

Extreme co-dependence

2005-11-24T23:32:00.000-05:00

Just watched the Farrelly bros movie, "Stuck on You" on cable tonight (starred Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear). Seems like ages since I've watched a movie!

Anyway, I really enjoyed it. The premise is built around a pair of conjoined twins who look nothing alike and have completely different dreams and personalities. It takes the connectedness (and might I even suggest co-depencency?) we all have with someone and pushes it to the extreme. The comedy comes from the obviously akward situations they find themselves in when they try to live a "normal" life, like dating, sleeping in bed, and just about anything we take for granted in our daily lives. What really gives the movie the edge is the fact that we have become so very individualistic today, that any idea of never being alone or having the ability to be alone creates a serious disonance within us that we can't help but laugh at the situations they go through.

It was kind of typical Farrelly brothers fare (i.e. somthing you watch to get your mind into neutral), and I don't think that it did all that well in the box office. But it had its moments and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I kinda like Damon as an actor and I can't think of a movie that he acted in that I didn't find entertaining.

They Won Again!

2005-11-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

LFC made it 3 league wins (3-0 over Portsmouth) in a row this last weekend! Wow! I am stoked...

I wonder if they'll keep it up. Haven't managed to watch the highlights yet but I read reports and they sound like they've picked up the slack.

Only piece of bad new is that Luis is injured. Still not sure how serious it is. Wonder when Crouch will register his first goal?

Geez Luis!

2005-11-15T22:23:00.000-05:00

Spain's Luis Garcia scores his second goal past Slovakia's Marian Had (R) during their World Cup qualifying play-off first leg soccer match at Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid November 12, 2005. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

It was an international break for the EPL this last weekend and I was following the fortunes of Spain in their playoff with Slovakia. They won 5-1 thanks to the Liverpool man, Luis Garcia's hat-trick!

Now, if he can carry that form into the League...

Can't Keep Him Down

2005-11-15T21:52:00.000-05:00

This evening, I had the privilege of hearing the eminent Prof James Dunn speak at the seminary's annual Simeon Lectures. He is one of the foremost New Testament Scholars and is a prolific writer. In fact he was one of the first to really examine the whole Charismatic movement from a Biblical point of view by doing an exegetical study of the experience in Scripture. The fruit of this study is the book "Baptism in the Holy Spirit" which was written in 1977 but is still in print today!

At the end he was asked a question about his view as a New Testament Scholar on the work of the Spirit in the church today and he said something that really deserves some serious self examination from those of us in mainline churches.

He pointed out that too many churches have seen the Trinity as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Bible...or God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Church. We have failed to see God revealed as God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And he ended by saying, "Whenever good order becomes more important than the life of the Spirit, then the Spirit bubbles up elsewhere."

Ouch! that's too true!

Parallel Reality

2005-11-14T23:38:00.000-05:00

How's this for a reality show?

Priest Idol (I'm not kidding...click here for more details) is the name of the show and it is scheduled to air in the UK starting today. It's about a Wheaton grad who's from Pittsburgh but is now a vicar in England. A camera crew followed him for a year documenting his efforts in trying to turn a dying parish church around. Sure sounds like a merger of "Survivor" and "Fear Factor" to me!

I've got to find out if anyone around here knows the guy. I also want to see if we can get to watch an episode here. Hmmm... wonder if they're going to call for auditions across the pond?

P.S. Christianity Today Online has an interview with the guy and also includes some more news links on the program.

Hope and A Future

2005-11-14T11:43:00.000-05:00

I had the priviledge of being at the Anglican Communion Network's "A Hope and a Future" conference this last week in Pittsburgh. I must admit that most of the proceedings actually only held an academic interest for me (as a non-American Anglican). However, I was really challenged by what Pastor Rick Warren said in his address on Friday.

It was truly inspiring to hear how he has been moved to take on the biggest giants of our day and to mobilise the worldwide church to work on eliminating them. Using the acrostic P.E.A.C.E. as an outline of his strategy, he has ambitiously set out a plan to eradicate, spiritual darkness, corrupt leadership, poverty, disease and illiteracy. Big goals indeed, but he points out that we have a big God!

I am still pondering what my part in all this will be...

Theology of the Cross

2005-10-07T00:37:00.000-04:00

Trinity Cross,
originally uploaded by jw.

Have you heard of the Theology of the Cross? I've been reading a book on it based on reflections of Martin Luther's Heidelberg disputation. It has really challenged a lot of my thinking and presuppostions.

I am still in the midst of digesting it. May try to regurgitate some of it here...

Ok, bad choice of words. Sorry!

A one-eyed man's reflections

2005-09-29T22:28:00.000-04:00

The saying goes: in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man i s king. That's my disclaimer.

Well not sure about the king part, but here are my "one-eyed" observations of the whole theological study enterprise...

As part of good scholarship, I have been assigned reading material from all views of the subjects being studied. Not only from people I agree with wholeheartedly, but also from people whom I would have problems considering even Christian. (my bad!)

The whole exercise reminds me sometimes of quote that I have heard repeated about our capacity for self-deception being infinite. Anyways, the way some of the arguements go is sometimes dizzying with regards to the loops they tie around their arguments. One the one hand they condemn "ideologically" biased opinoins and scholarship, and yet at the same time their own "ideologies" are not acknowledged! And all they really mean to say is that the "ideologies" in question don't fit their own comfortable template of what is right and wrong. Rather like the boy who shot his arrows then painted the bullseyes around where they landed.

All of it causes me to want to ask whether I have been as guilty of such self deception. Especially in the times I have confidently declared what I am saying is the truth!

A Fresh Start

2005-09-24T17:47:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my blog...

I'm just a little hesitant to put too much up here. I've discovered that whatever goes up on the net can come around to bite you in the butt, so I'll have to practice a little self censorship, and pray for the grace of God and you the reader so that I don't put my foot in my mouth too often!

If you want to hear how things are going in Pittsburgh (or more accurately Ambridge) check out the journal that Karen keeps on livejournal.com.

jon