Turkey and the Mentally Disabled

The New York Times has an interesting editorial on Turkey's "torture" of the mentally handicap. A recent report released by Mental Disability Rights International claims that 1/3 of those in psychiatric rehabilitation for mental retardation receive electric shock therapy. After having skimmed the report it seems that electric shock therapy is mild compared to some of the other things that mentally handicapped people in Turkey must face. The reality is that this happens in probably just about every country to a certain extent. MDRI's website documents many different cases of abuse in many different countries - Turkey is just in the limelight now because of its hopes of joining the EU. I agree though with the NY Times editorial in that Turkey should take advantage of this to help form a corrective for the sake of their membership in the EU and more importantly for the sake of those who suffer under such corrupt circumstances.

Architeuthis

There is just something that fascinates me about the Architeuthis, or the Giant Squid. There is something all together mysterious about this creature which roams in the darkest depths of the ocean. It defintely seems to be true that the Ocean is the last frontier. There are so many mysteries which we are only beginning to discover. God is surely a creative God. Such creatures only declare the glory and wonder of the Creator of heaven and earth.

An Autobiographical Deconstruction of Nietzsche

Here is mt stab at getting to the heart of the life and thought of Friedrich Nietzsche God is dead and I have killed him. I am now dead and I have killed myself. This is the chronicle of my great existence. I am Dionysus against the crucified. First, let me begin with the murder of myself. I was born on October 15, 1844 in Rocken in the Prussian province of Saxony (Germany). My father was a Lutheran minister and both of my grandfathers were Lutheran clergymen. I am already dead as to my father and yet remain alive while becoming old as to my mother. My father died while I was at the age of four. I was told that he used to keep me by his side, as he would prepare his sermons or play the piano. After he died I was left as the only male in a household consisting of my sister, mother, grandmother, and two aunts. In 1865 I departed to the University of Leipzig and it was there where I encounter the work of Arthur Schopenhauer. His The World as Will and Representation, awakened me to the reality of suffering and conflict. His pessimism proved to be my optimism. In his work I discovered that suffering and pain were essential to life and in many ways were the foundation of life. To live purely as a rational Apollonian is to self-destruct. One need also be a Dionysian to lavish in suffering, pain, frivolity and the orgiastic. At the age of 24, before I even received my doctorate, I was appointed to a professorship of philology at Basel. I remained at Basel from 1869 to 1879 when constant sickness forced me out of teaching. Suffering seduced me and actually strengthened me. That which does not kill me only makes me stronger. I endured suffering physically and also professionally as my book The Birth of Tragedy was seen by many in philology to be a failure in the field. It is true that my Zarathustra is the greatest of my works, indeed the greatest of all works. I have continually been misunderstood, but do not perceive a time where humanity will come to their senses. It remains for them to see that I am no man, but that I am dynamite. My sister, Elisabeth, has also been an enigma to my mind. My relationship with her has been up and down yet it seems to have remained in the dregs. I have come to realize that in her character is everything, which I wish not to become. Her marriage to Bernhard Foerster, the anti-Semite, has reviled my soul. Her madness is sickness and I no longer which to see her and I have sought to avoid her husband for many years now. The anti-Semitic hubris of Germans is ironic in that Germany has in corrupted culture, learning, and truth. Germans are incapable of any notion of greatness and this is most evident in the arrogance of my brother-in-law. Anti-Semitism has even captured the heart of Richard Wagner. I could not have survived my youth without his music, but now find him as standing against everything, which is German. Wagner was once the hashish I needed to rid myself of being condemned as German. He was an antitoxin of everything German. How then is it possible that he has become a Christian? Is this to explain his hatred for the Jews? While he has been the great benefactor of my life and I have often greatly enjoyed his company I must remain contra Wagner. To become what one is, one must not have the faintest notion of what one is. In not knowing myself I come to best see myself as I am. It was on this day, January 3rd 1889 when I was walking through town and came upon a coach driver whipping his horse. Rage infected my heart at this act of brutality and I rushed to protect the animal. I wrapped my arms around the animal’s neck and was no more. I remain human, all too human. Secondly, let me speak to you of the death of God. I am predisposed to atheism. I do not understand such concepts as sin and guilt. Christian morality is the climactic foolishness of the ages. I am not child like enough to have a conscience, which is pricked by such imaginative doctrines. I have no experience of sin, no perception of guilt. What are these teachings but the herd morality of a religion with a God who is no longer. I am too inquisitive, too questionable, and too exuberant to accept the gross answer, which Christianity provides. God is a gross answer, one that I cannot live with. I will seek to annihilate Christian morality. I am the first immoralist. I am the annihilator par excellence. I reject the lies of Christian truth, the lies of Christian morality. Benevolence is not virtue it is weakness. Humility is arrogance. I do not want to be holy. In fact every “holy” man of whom I encounter I must wash my hands. Holiness reviles me. The God of Christianity is weak. He must be overcome. Where is this God? Is he asleep? Is he unable to hear? Has he forgotten? Is he able? No, he is dead and I have killed him. The bloodstained knife remains in my hands. The acrid smell of his decomposing body is a constant and putrid stench breathed in my nostrils. Where can I escape from his death, where can I run from his ruined presence? God is dead and the only way to escape him is to become him. I shall become God. I shall become the Ubermensch. I will strive with my all to fill the place of God. I shall not be the last man that Zarathustra spoke of. The last man sacrifices the future. I however shall become the future. I will not lie around but instead I will seek to conquer. I know my fate and I know that one day I shall attain, one day I shall become greatly known. This will come about because I am so wise. I have realized that God is dead and that the ultimate goal of my life is to fill his place. I do not want to become God but to become better then him; I want to become more than human. I am war like by nature. I will achieve the status of Ubermensch by waging war on morality, reality, and the truth, which is really all a lie. In essence I will wage war on Christianity. It is here, in Christianity, where all error stems from and flows forth. I do not want to become a victim of Christianity, but to expose the lies, which have been promulgated throughout the ages as the truth. Attacking is one of my instincts and therefore I myself am an opponent of Christianity. I am the Antichrist. Christianity is an oppressive religion, which seeks to exploit its adherents by positing superstition, which only strives on stupidity and weakness. Christians indeed have destroyed Christ. The New Testament has made Christ into a week queer who taught some quasi-feminist morality. The will to power is to be far more exalted. It is in overcoming the follies of religion where one will find the true meaning of this deranged life. It is not to be found in Christ or in the endless meanderings of the New Testament. Christianity is empty, a vacuous religion which seeks to suppress the truth in the name of righteousness. Humanity must relearn the truth and I will be her teacher. Throughout the ages man has only known meager imaginings of the heart, which leads astray. For the one who seeks after pleasure, laziness and immorality let him find it in religion. However for the one who seeks after the truth let him strive against reality, against Christianity, and against our cultural conception of truth. I am the truth and you can become the truth for there is no such thing as truth. Let us return to where we began. God is dead and so am I. I revel in the death of God and glory in the death of self. For God is dead and I have killed him. I am dead and have killed myself. The bloody knife drips wet with a mixed blood for now I have become more than human and more than God. I am the wise. I am the clever. I am a destiny. I am the murderer of God. I am the murderer of myself. I am Apollonian. I am Dionysus. I am all too human. I am the Ubermensch, the superman.

An Ugly Win!

It wasn't pretty but it was a win. David Ackers, suffering through a hamstring injury, managed to kick the winning field goal with 9 seconds left to give the Eagles the victory over a persistent Oakland Raiders.

The Semi-Pelagian Narrower Catechism

This little piece has been making its way around the blogosphere. It is pretty funny. Thanks Scott for pointing it out.

1. Q: What is the chief end of each individual Christian? A: Each individual Christian's chief end is to get saved. This is the first and great commandment. 2. Q: And what is the second great commandment? A: The second, which is like unto it, is to get as many others saved as he can. 3. Q: What one work is required of thee for thy salvation? A: It is required of me for my salvation that I make a Decision for Christ, which meaneth to accept Him into my heart to be my personal lord'n'saviour. 4. Q: At what time must thou perform this work? A: I must perform this work at such time as I have reached the Age of Accountability. 5. Q: At what time wilt thou have reached this Age? A: That is a trick question. In order to determine this time, my mind must be sharper than any two-edged sword, able to pierce even to the division of bone and marrow; for, alas, the Age of Accountability is different for each individual, and is thus unknowable. 6. Q: By what means is a Decision for Christ made? A: A Decision for Christ is made, not according to His own purpose and grace which was given to me in Christ Jesus before the world began, but according to the exercise of my own Free Will in saying the Sinner's Prayer in my own words. 7. Q: If it be true then that man is responsible for this Decision, how then can God be sovereign? A: He cannot be. God sovereignly chose not to be sovereign, and is therefore dependent upon me to come to Him for salvation. He standeth outside the door of my heart, forlornly knocking, until such time as I Decide to let Him in. 8. Q: How then can we make such a Decision, seeing that the Scripture saith, we are dead in our trespasses and sins? A: By this the Scripture meaneth, not that we are dead, but only that we are sick or injured in them. 9. Q: What is the assurance of thy salvation? A: The assurance of thy salvation is, that I know the date on which I prayed the Sinner's Prayer, and have duly written this date on an official Decision card. 10. Q: What is thy story? What is thy song? A: Praising my Savior all the day long. 11. Q: You ask me how I know he lives? A: He lives within my heart. 12. Q: And what else hast thou got in thine heart? A: I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. 13. Q: Where?? A: Down in my heart! 14. Q: Where??? A: Down in my heart!! 15. Q: What witness aid hath been given us as a technique by which we may win souls? A: The tract known commonly as the Four Spiritual Laws, is the chief aid whereby we may win souls. 16. Q: What doth this tract principally teach? A: The Four Spiritual Laws principally teach, that God's entire plan for history and the universe centereth on me, and that I am powerful enough to thwart His divine purpose if I refuse to let Him pursue His Wonderful Plan for my life. 17. Q: What supplementary technique is given by which we may win souls? A: The technique of giving our own Personal Testimony, in the which we must always be ready to give an answer concerning the years we spent in vanity and pride, and the wretched vices in which we wallowed all our lives until the day we got saved. 18. Q: I'm so happy, what's the reason why? A: Jesus took my burden all away! 19. Q: What are the means given whereby we may save large crowds of souls in a spectacular manner? A: Such a spectacle is accomplished by means of well-publicized Crusades and Revivals which (in order that none may be loath to attend) are best conducted anywhere else but in a Church. 20. Q: Am I a soldier of the Cross? A: I am a soldier of the Cross if I join Campus Crusade, Boys' Brigade, the Salvation Army, or the Wheaton Crusaders; of if I put on the helmet of Dispensationalism, the breastplate of Pietism, the shield of Tribulationism, and the sword of Zionism, having my feet shod with the gospel of Arminianism. 21. Q: Who is your boss? A: My boss is a Jewish carpenter. 22. Q: Hath God predestined vessels of wrath to Hell? A: God hath never performed such an omnipotent act, for any such thing would not reflect His primary attribute, which is Niceness. 23. Q: What is sanctification? A: Sanctification is the work of my free Will, whereby I am renewed by having my Daily Quiet Time. 24. Q: What rule hath God for our direction in prayer? A: The rule that we must bow our hands, close our heads, and fold our eyes. 25. Q: What doth the Lord's Prayer teach us? A: The Lord's Prayer teacheth us that we must never memorize a prayer, or use one that hath been written down. 26. Q: What's the book for thee? A: The B-I-B-L-E. 27. Q: Which are among the first books which a Christian should read to his soul's health? A: Among the first books which a Christian should read are the books of Daniel and Revelation, and The Late Great Planet Earth. 28. Q: Who is on the Lord's side? A: He who doth support whatsoever is done by the nation of Israel, and who doth renounce the world, the flesh, and the Catholic Church. 29. Q: What are the seven deadly sins? A: The seven deadly sins are smoking, drinking, dancing, card-playing, movie-going, baptizing babies, and having any creed but the Bible. 30. Q: What is a sacrament? A: A sacrament is an insidious invention devised by the Catholic Church whereby men are drawn into idolatry. 31. Q: What is the Lord's Supper? A: The Lord's Supper is a dispensing of saltines and grape juice, in which we remember Christ's command to pretend that they are His body and blood. 32. Q: What is baptism? A: Baptism is the act whereby, by the performance of something that seems quite silly in front of everyone, I prove that I really, really mean it. 33. Q: What is the Church? A: The Church is the tiny minority of individuals living at this time who have Jesus in their hearts, and who come together once a week for a sermon, fellowship and donuts. 34. Q: What is the office of the keys? A: The office of the keys is that office held by the custodian. 35. Q: What meaneth "The Priesthood Of All Believers"? A: The Priesthood Of All Believers meaneth that there exists no authority in the Church, as that falsely thought to be held by elders, presbyters, deacons, and bishops, but that each individual Christian acts as his own authority in all matters pertaining to the faith. 36. Q: Who is the Holy Spirit? A: The Holy Spirit is a gentleman who would never barge in. 37. Q: How long hath the Holy Spirit been at work? A: The Holy Spirit hath been at work for more than a century: expressly, since the nineteenth-century Revitalization brought about by traveling Evangelists carrying tents across America. 38. Q: When will be the "Last Days" of which the Bible speaketh? A: The "Last Days" are these days in which we are now living, in which the Antichrist, the Beast, and the Thief in the Night shall most certainly appear. 39. Q: What is the name of the event by which Christians will escape these dreadful entities? A: The event commonly known as the Rapture, in that which it is our Blessed Hope that all cars driven by Christians will suddenly have no drivers. 40. Q: When is Jesus coming again? A: Maybe morning, maybe noon, maybe evening, and maybe soon. 41. Q: When the roll, roll, roll, is called up yonder, where will you be? A: There. 42. Q: Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah! A: Praise ye the Lord! 43. Q: Praise ye the Lord! A: Hallelujah! 44. Q: Where will we meet again? A: Here, there, or in the air. 45. Q: Can I hear an Ay-men? A: Ay-men.

Injustice at Catholic Seminaries

As the Catholic Church begins to take a deeper look at their seminaries many homosexual priests are upset. The Roman Church is seeking to weed out all homosexuality and homosexual practice within the priesthood. In light of the recent sexual abuse scandals that have riddled the church many argue that such a move will cut off the problem at its root. However, as expected, most homosexuals are not at all happy. It appears that the Vatican is working on a document which will bar all gay men from the clergy. They will begin at the seminary level in hopes of rooting out any homosexuals which may be thinking they are called into the ministry. One 48 year old gay priest has compared the recent moves of the Roman Church to Hitler’s “Final Solution” by exterminating and persecuting all the Jews. A 30 year old Franciscan seminarian says that the thought of leaving seminary has not crossed his mind and that he desires to speak out against such “injustices.” Others argue that homosexuality is not the issue, but celibacy is. Msgr. Denis Herron, pastor of St. Teresa's Church in NY, believes that a commitment to celibacy is more important than one’s sexual orientation. "Some people can't make that commitment, and that can be heterosexuals or homosexuals," Monsignor Herron said. "I'm concerned that this could turn into a witch hunt." It very well may turn into a witch hunt but are not some witch hunts necessary? The Bible is clear in its denunciation of homosexuality. The question then becomes, “how closely will the Roman Catholic Church follow the teachings of the Bible?” This issue is much deeper than just a few sexual abuse scandals – it is a matter of God’s holy word. Read a TIME article on the Roman Church and Homosexuality. UPDATE: Amy Welborn, in an Op Ed for the NY Times, argues for the validity of such a "purge" of homosexuality from Catholic seminaries for the sake of the people in the pew. She writes, "But a seminary also owes us, the people in the pews, psychologically mature priests who aren't engaged in an eternal and ego-driven struggle with their own problems, who are prepared to serve, to teach and preach - with integrity and honesty."

Bridging the Chasm: Abstract to Concrete

Trying to teach abstract ideas to concrete thinkers is tantamount to trying to explain the difference between red and orange to a person who was born blind. How would you seek to explain grace, mercy, redemption, or righteousness to concrete thinkers without at the same time teaching something that is not really accurate?

Bridging the Chasm: Abstract to Concrete

In order to bridge the chasm of abstraction for those who think concretely the use of examples may prove the best.  Concrete thinkers need to see and hear concrete examples.  Examples, however, can only exist on an analogical relationship between that which they attempt to represent.  For instance, an example of grace can only mirror the reality of grace.  As an example it may have some dissimilarity between the reality of grace in abstraction.  Yet, even though this analogous relationship exists I do believe that is exactly the method Scripture uses.  The Bible does not discuss grace, mercy, redemption, and righteousness in abstraction.  Instead the Bible uses concrete examples from life and history.

First, there is grace and mercy.  Grace (or mercy) in abstraction may be defined as receiving that which we do not deserve.  Yet, grace is made real and concrete when sinners who deserve death and judgment actually receive grace and mercy.  Romans 5:8 best exemplifies the concrete example of grace: “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  The concrete reality of the death and resurrection of Christ display the grace and mercy of God.  

Secondly, there is redemption (or ransom).  Abstractly it may be defined as being saved from something evil or bad.  Yet, here again, we see that the example of Christ brings home the abstraction of redemption.  Scripture uses a variety of metaphors and examples to explain redemption.  First, there is the idea that we are dead in trespasses and sins, yet we are made alive in Christ (Eph. 2:1; Rom. 6:11).  The Devil has captured humanity and is the king of the earth, yet Christ came in order to destroy the works of the devil and to ransom those who were once children of darkness (1 John 3:8-10).  And of course, probably the most prominent event in the Bible is that of the Exodus.  The Exodus is the paradigmatic story of redemption and ransom from out of slavery and bondage.  This event serves as a type of the redemption found in Christ.

Lastly, there is the idea of righteousness.  This concept in abstraction may be defined as holy and moral perfection.  This is even a more difficult concept to explain concretely because the examples are hard to come by – for there are none righteous (Rom. 3:10).  The examples of the cult rituals of OT Israel which prefigured Christ may serve as a helpful example differentiating between righteousness and unrighteousness.  It is probably true that unrighteousness is easier to explain than righteousness – there are more examples and illustrations to use!  

The Bible is full of examples and illustrations to help bridge the gap between abstract thought and concrete thought.  As a side not this is why chronological Bible-telling is so effective and helpful in more orally traditional cultures (non-western cultures).

Lakeshore Baptist Church

Lakeshore Baptist Church was decimated by Katrina. Yet, in the midst of hopeful tears they continue to worship together. All but one of the members homes was destroyed and as Pastor Elbourne describes, they are a church in exile. The pictures are amazing...

Total Depravity in the News

More verification that our world is lost in sin and misery. Two men were convicted of murdering a transgendered person. After they discovered that Gwen Araujo used to be a boy they killed him/her. A Haitian woman recounts her rape and beatings at the hand of the Haitian paramilitary. Eleven children were found caged in Ohio. Nursing home owners are charged with multiple deaths and negligence in the wake of Hurrican Katrina.

Comment Spam

I don't really want to do this but my hand has been forced. I have turned on a word-verification form for the comments to help eliminate comment spam. Every time I post something it gets spammed. Just type in the words shown and you will be allowed to post your comment - sorry for this inconvenience, but it should help keep things clean.

Evangelism and the Devotional Life

How does evangelism and devotion to Christ fit together? What affect does our time spent in prayer and the Word of God have on our evangelism? There have generally been two responses to this question and with these responses therein lies two dangers. First, there is the danger of seeing ones devotional life as a causal event which produces the effect of evangelism. This view argues somewhat as follows: I just had a great time with the Lord, therefore I am ready to share my faith with anyone. On the corollary it also argues that if you have a devotional time and get nothing out of it or if you skip your devotions then you are unfit to accomplish any fruitful evangelism. This is the error of legalism. The Church has been swept away by the flood waters of such thinking, washing away the true hope and motivation for evangelism. The second error is to think that no devotional life is needed for evangelism. We can just go out and do it without any spiritual preparation. This views sees no conditions whatsoever on the Christian and his purposes in the world. This is the subtle error of antinomianism. It is a rejection of God’s law and the way he intended for his people to obey him. Both legalism and antinomianism are guilty of separating one’s time of devotion away from the rest of one’s life. It is the fallacy of compartmentalization. Legalism argues that a set aside time of devotion to Christ insures a good or at least faithful witness. Antinomianism teaches that such a time of devotion is unnecessary to the task which God has called us unto. Both are affronts to the gospel of Christ and Biblical evangelism. God’s blessing of our evangelism is not dependent on our performance. We have a gospel centered salvation but a performance focused sanctification. This is not the Christian life, but a life lived under the shackles of legalism or antinomianism. The true Christian life is one that teaches that we are saved by grace and that we are to live daily by that grace. Jerry Bridges attacks our sinful thinking of “good days” vs. “bad days.”[1] On a bad day spiritually we see ourselves as too sinful and worthless to evangelize. We skipped our devotions or got nothing out of them. It was a dry time and because of this we think that we are unspiritual, unfit to evangelize. Then on good days we had a time of sweet fellowship with Christ and feel that nothing could stop us. We are hopeful in our evangelism and believe that because of our being filled up with the Spirit our witness will be effective. Every day, our good and bad days “should be a day of relating to God on the basis of his grace alone.” Bridges offers up this earth shattering spiritual principle: “Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”[2] Even our good works of evangelism are filthy rags in need of cleansing through the blood of Christ. We must take our eyes off of our performance and place it on our Savior. Our filthy rags are to no avail, but Christ and his perfect righteousness imputed to sinners such as ourselves is the hope of the gospel for all of life. Yet, there is also the danger of forsaking our duty to evangelize because the gospel covers all of our sin. “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2). We are no longer compelled to evangelize by our guilt, we are to be motivated by the love of Christ. “For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died” (2 Cor. 5:14). Our devotional life and our evangelism must be motivated by love to Christ and not guilt for our countless sins and endless shortcomings. Here we see the necessity of a life of devotion to Christ for the purpose of effective Biblical evangelism.[3] It is the gospel which motivates our hearts to share the love of Christ with others. Without spending time in the Word and in prayer we will not be reminded of his love and we will fail to be compelled to share it with others. We need the gospel every hour, every day of our lives. There is also a danger of seeing our devotions as limited to a set aside time to worship Christ, read the Word and pray to our Father in heaven. I am not advocating that we abandon a set aside time of devotion to Christ, but that we so reorganize our lives that we see not a set aside 15 minutes as our devotional time, but the very entirety of our lives as a living sacrifice of devotion to Christ. It is not our time of devotions, but our life of devotion which counts in the long run.[4] We are to do all things to the glory of our God, our creator and king. [1] Jerry Bridges, The Disciplines of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1994), 15-17. [2] Ibid, 18, emphasis his. [3] By using the word “effective” I am not referring to the amount of conversions or baptisms but evangelism carried out purposefully for the proclamation of the Word and the glory of Christ. [4] Of course, it must not be forgotten that a life of devotion to Christ presupposes a consistent time spent in the Word and in prayer.

Islam and Peace

We have heard in the Western media that Islam means peace. Therefore it has been deduced that Islam is a peaceful religion which has been hijacked by a few radicalists. While a derivative of the word "Islam" does mean peace the central meaning of Islam actually means submission. Islam is a religion of submission of the whole person to Allah. In a video tape released today, 9/11, a Muslim threatening Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia says the following: "We are Muslims. We love peace, but peace on our terms, peace as laid down by Islam, not the so-called peace of occupiers and dictators." The Islamic notion of peace is submission of all to Islam. At least this is what the so-called "radicalists" are saying...

Operation World

For many years Patrick Johnstone has produced Operation World. Simply, it is a prayer guide for the nations. It details the nations of the world for the purpose of informing the reader to better pray for those peoples. It looks at the religion, geography, economy, politics, and culture of any given people. Then after the “facts” are given there are numerous suggestions for prayer and outreach. It is simply an amazing resource. There is even a CD and a website. I have my homepage set to Operation World’s Pray Today. This page defaults to the nation scheduled to pray on that specific day. I would encourage you to set this as your homepage and be reminded to pray for the nations every time you log onto the internet. That all the nations of the earth will one day praise his name!

Tensions of Turkish Identity

In one of today's New York Times editorials, the case of Orhan Pamuk - a novelist charged with the “public denigration” of Turkish society - stands to remind us of the underlining tensions of Turkish identity. Pamuk, facing up to three years in Turkish prison, has left the country. Indeed, I would say that there is a multifaceted tension of identity. There are at least three vying for attention: Islamic, secular, and nationalistic. The Islamic consciousness of Turkey longs for a strong Muslim presence and rule in the country. While, the Turkey is considered about 99% Muslim, the majority of those “Muslims” live as secularists even if they profess Islam. An Islamic identity would bring a resurgence of Islam to the table including the stronger more radical forms of Islam. This is a direct tension which would severely limit their options for joining the European Union. Then there is the secular consciousness of Turkey which I would say is the predominate view. This is the thought and lifestyle of those in the major cities and outlying areas. The impact of the West cannot be denied on this Islamic country. Its presence is everywhere, from cell-phones to McDonalds. This Western influence is what is allowing the EU to remain partially open to Turkish membership. Then there is the strong undercurrent of nationalistic consciousness. This identity can actually cut across and flow through the other two yet also remains separated. Those who strongly identify with Mustafa Kemal, the founder of the Turkish Republic, are the military and leaders of the present Turkish government. They fear the EU for what it could do to undermine the country’s Kemalist ideals. Yet, they also fear the Islamic identity for Kemal wanted a more Westernized society and almost paradoxically they fear the western secularist identity as too strong of a break from the past. Turkey is a land in tension. A country that exists between two worlds: the West and the Middle East, secularism and Islam. The next few years are defining for Turkey. If they are able to join the EU I believe a change of openness and democratic secularism will gradually influence the country, yet if they are denied membership than I believe that the option of Islamic rule will gain a stronger foothold in the country. A resolution of this tension will either strengthen Turkey or begin to erode the country. For now we can only wait and see what will happen along with Mr. Pamuk.

Gospel Motivation

Here is my answer to two questions I was asked for a class on personal evangelism. 1) What motivates you to witness 2) The most significant "barrier" to witnessing with which you struggle For better or for worse there is a difference between what often motivates me and what should motivate me to witness. For instance, in this course we are required to witness and share the gospel at least seven times. So, in this particular case the primary motivation may overwhelmingly be the course requirement. Of course, this is a wrong motivation but given that it is a requirement it is an unavoidable one. On the other hand, though it cannot be completely dismissed as wrong. Maybe someone, like me, needs the requirement of a course to motivate into active evangelism. It may first be as a duty, but through actively performing evangelism and seeing the power of God and his gospel the work of evangelism will (I hope and pray) turn into a delight. Now what should be the true and proper motivation toward Christian proclamation? The Gospel. It is the love of Christ displayed to poor and wretched sinners which should motivate us to share this love. Only once we have understood that we as poor, miserable, and destitute sinners have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb, only then will we be constrained to proclaim the glories of Christ. We need to let Romans 5:8 sink in to our hearts and minds: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” I believe that the greatest barrier to my consistent evangelism is the failure to recognize and fully grasp the motivation of evangelism. When I forget the gospel or when the gospel is not impacting my life then I loose the sense of urgency and importance for evangelism. Yet, if the gospel is revived and if I begin to live the gospel then a naturally out flowing of my gospel life will be a desire to share it. When one forgets the grace and mercy of God to miserable sinners one doesn’t see the need of sharing what is not important or what hasn’t impacted their life. Yet, when the reality of the gospel burns within our hearts we will have no other choice to share. Therefore, a recover of the undiluted, pure gospel of Jesus Christ is necessary to achieving consistent and faithful biblical evangelism.

Ambassadors for Christ

Little, Paul E., How to Give Away Your Faith. Downers Groves, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1966, 1989. 191 pages. Introduction Paul Little’s classic work, How to Give Away Your Faith, offers a simple yet often times profound look at one of the “hardest” tasks of the Christian life: evangelism. Witnessing is hard. Most Christians try to stay away from it and those who do evangelize often prove to be more of an embarrassment to the faith than a witness. How are we to faithfully proclaim the gospel of Christ to a world in need? How do broken clay jars carry an eternal message of hope and life to the thirsty and starving? In seeking to answer such questions, Little charts a helpful course for those who seek to be Christ’s ambassadors to the world. Summary Be Real! The world’s need for Christ is real and his help is a necessity. Christ and Christianity are the only real answers to the world’s need. We must be aware of this need and we must sincerely and truthfully proclaim the wonders of his name. It is our duty to live a life of genuine faith and sincerity of mission because superficial Christianity is empty and meaningless. Our focus should be ultimately placed on things eternal while seeking to remedy things material. Our goal is to have others not just assent to the facts of Christianity but to believe in the Christ of Christianity. How then are we to witness? First, Little highlights the necessity of evangelism for our own personal spiritual growth. It is necessary to witness the power of the gospel. Then we must obey. Evangelism is a matter of obedience. Obedience to Christ brings forth proclamation of his truth. Little proceeds to list seven steps toward active evangelism. First, we must have contact with others in a social context. Secondly, we must seek to establish a common interest with the purpose of bridging communication. Then we must provoke an interest in spiritual things. Fourthly, we must recognize when we should stop and when we should continue on sharing. We also must not condemn those whom we are witnessing too for their various sins. Sixthly, we must not become sidetracked. We must stick to the main message. Lastly, we must call them to repentance. We must call them to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ that they might be saved. How do we handle those “ticklish” awkward situations? Our desire is to have the unbelievers with whom we are in contact to begin to respect us even though we are different. As they begin to respect us so they will also begin to listen to us instead of viewing us as weird or insane. But awkward moments will come and the best thing we can do is to be prepared for them. We should anticipate difficult situations and have alternatives to comfortably work through them. As ambassadors of Christ it is our duty to proclaim his message. The messenger must know and understand the message for the purpose of being a faithful and knowledgeable ambassador. Little sums up the gospel message in Jesus Christ himself – “who He is, what He has done, and how He can be known in personal experience” (56). He suggests following the pattern of problem, diagnosis, cure for setting forth the message of the gospel. Further, ambassadors cannot just know the message but they must also believe it and live it. We don’t have all the answers, but we nonetheless must be ready to give a reason for the hope within us. There are many questions, which non-believers have, but their basic problem is one of moral unbelief. They have rejected their creator and traded his truth in for a lie. Christ is the answer to those questions, which are asked. However, he has left it as our duty to show the helpless and lost the importance and relevance of Christ in answering those questions. Christianity is true because Jesus is the truth. He is the relevant truth the world needs. So how are Christians to witness to a corrupted world without compromising our holiness? It is our duty to reach out to the world, but we must not succumb to worldliness. We must recognize that all of our life is God’s and we are to live as unto him and for his purposes. We should live all of life cognizant of being stewards of God’s time and we must strive to live a life of constant witness to the truth. The gospel is not just for a one-time salvation event; the gospel is for life. Faith in Christ, the object of our salvation, must continue throughout the Christian life. We are in a daily battle but with Christ it is a victorious battle. We battle against our secret self; against sins both external and internal. This battle must be fought with the Sword of the Spirit and it must be waged through the power of prayer. We also battle over time and priorities, which must be aligned with God’s prerogative. In doing so we will have fought a victorious battle. Evaluation It is hard to summarize the gospel. It encompasses the totality of the person and work of Christ. It cannot be easily reduced; yet, all gospel presentations in one-way or another do so. Little summed the message of the gospel up briefly in five points (or three facts: problem, diagnosis, cure). The gospel by no means is limited to these five points or four spiritual laws. Because the gospel is the message and motivation for evangelism it would have been helpful to spend more time on explicating the basics of the gospel message. He does offer good suggestions in helping us better understand the gospel: write it out, tell other Christians, tell non-Christians. I began reading Little’s “Seven Basic Questions” which non-Christians ask with the thought of seeing how postmodernism has changed those questions (67-81). Surprisingly, many of the questions being asked back in the 60’s and 70’s are the same ones being asked in the 21st Century. The destiny of the lost, the exclusivity of Christ, the problem of evil, miracles, and the veracity of the Bible are all questions still being pondered today. However, one will have to look elsewhere to find more comprehensive answers to these questions. Chapters 7-9 seem a little disconnected from the whole of the work. While they do relate in many ways to evangelism they don’t seem to relate as much as previous chapters. They do relate, but it seems that Little could have done a better job in integrating them together into a coherent whole. These later chapters seem to move away from teaching about evangelism toward various basics of the Christian life. It probably would have proven more helpful to have those chapters under a heading of what to do after evangelism. Maybe it would have been more worthwhile to have those chapters in the beginning to discuss the character and duties of the evangelist. Another factor which Little did not really deal with was the role of Scripture memorization in evangelism. Maybe this would fall under a general knowledge of God’s Word, but it seems important enough to warrant a separate discussion. The one who has hide God’s Word in their heart will have a great arsenal at their disposal when it comes to the battle of witnessing. Being able to go to the Bible will help show the non-Christian the importance to Scripture and that it contains the hope for this life and the next. Conclusion Witnessing is not optional for the Christian. In fact, as Little has shown, it is vital to the Christian life. It is a matter of obedience to our Creator and Redeemer. Little, offers a helpful guide toward developing better witnesses. While he offers various witnessing helps he goes beyond the task of evangelism and hits the witness himself. This is where Little is most valuable and while this work will be used for some years to come.

To be a Turk...

...is to be a Muslim. This is the philosophy of the majority of the Turkish people. A true Turk cannot be a Christian. Because of this the persecution continues.