On The Golden Compass

Many of the Christians I’ve talked to about The Golden Compass have had a very negative opinion of the movie – whether they have seen it or not. I finally decided to see it for myself. While entertaining in the least, it left me with much food for thought, and now that I’ve spent the last week mulling it over, I think I am finally ready to write something.

It’s true that The Golden Compass has a hidden agenda. I could see where the author was going before the movie was half over. Yes, there is a lot of symbolism and ultimately the characters in the movie are at war with the entity that represents God. I found the question of why very intriguing. The author clearly has a problem with God because He is sovereign.

The reason the characters are fighting is because this entity, referred to as the Magistrate, is out to rob people of their free will, represented by the small animal (known as a daemon) that follows around each person. The focus is on children because children are impressionable – a point of which the author is keenly aware. The children’s daemon is constantly changing shapes because they have not fully formed there opinions.

I find it interesting that the author makes this clear and one of his underlying messages is that we are ruining our children by instilling in them certain values and standards. In teaching our children about God we are destroying any possibility for them to develop and form their ideas on their own. But while this is the case, he has resented his ideas in the form of a movie that is directed toward children. Funny. So his ideas are okay to instill in children whereas Christian ideas are dangerous? Or maybe he didn’t think of that.

I don’t think that I would send my children to see the movie but I do think that when the movie comes out on DVD it would be well worth renting. I think Christians ought to be aware of what is being taught and not shy away from it. It’s true that the message is anti-God but it’s also true that we should be educated about what is going on in our world and what is being taught so that we can better minister to the world.

It’s also true that those responsible for production of the movie seem to have paid very close attention to the way The Chronicles of Narnia was made and the feel of the movies are similar. The movie is pleasing to the eye. Those responsible for the aesthetics should be proud. They did well but it really did lack originality. I felt very much as though they were trying to copy Tolkien and Lewis. The Nordic feel to the movie was very reminiscent of Tolkien’s trilogy, while the colours and the animals seemed to be from Narnia itself.

However skewed the message is, the movie was very entertaining. Yes, the polar bear are amazing and there is a sweet polar bear fight. See the movie and draw your own conclusions. These are mine.

The Real Issue

I read today about an organization, called the CWFA, that is concerned about the decency of the Superbowl. By “decency” I mean the concern is whether or not the Superbowl will be family friendly this year. The Concerned Women For America (CWFA) is a Christian organization that seeks to stand up for Biblical principals in our lost culture but while their goals are good I wonder if they are missing the real issue.

“God’s gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt,” sings Casting Crowns in a new hit from their latest album, The Alter and the Door. When I first heard that line it made me think. That’s what is missing in this generation of evangelicals. How quickly we run to arguing with the world about surface issues and miss the real problem.

“I can’t believe the way girls dress nowadays.” “We need to stand up for public prayer.” “It’s wrong for politicians to ignore the needs in Africa.” The list of complaints from Christians goes on and on but what good is it doing? They still ban prayer, and Janet Jackson still has a “wardrobe malfunction.” Is our complaining making a difference? Picketing at the White House reminds Washington that we don’t like abortion but what is it doing?

We are missing the real issue here. We might be able to influence politicians decisions but issues will keep coming unless the hearts of these people are changed. What we need is not another march but another missionary and prayer warrior. It isn’t about fixing surface issues. It never has been, but somehow Evangelicals have forgotten this.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t raise our voices against concerns for religious liberty but what I am saying is that if that is all we do, we are damning our country. We need to proclaim Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We need to pray that the Spirit of God moves in the hearts of our leaders. We need to walk humbly before our God and seek to lead by example.

Former Soviet Nations Closing

I read recently, in one of the International Mission Board’s (IMB) newsletters, that those nations that were once soviet are slowly becoming closed once more to the Gospel. Of course, for a nation to close to the Gospel entirely is impossible. God can get in even if missionaries can’t. In the 1980s, Brother Andrew proved this by smuggling Bibles into the “closed” Soviet nations. The time maybe coming yet again for such exploits.

The article mentioned the thought that perhaps God had opened up those countries so that He could rebuild them and renew their resources and spirits. That may well be. Recently, after the Soviet reopened, Bibles belonging to families within the Russian nations were found in warehouses. These Bibles were distributed back into the hands of the people. In retrospect, the Soviets may well say they did themselves no justice by keeping instead of burning these Bibles but by the same token God knew that they would be needed. He opened up the region and allowed the Word of God to go forth unhindered.

It has been a decade and a half since the fall of the Soviet. The church in Russia is growing. Leadership training has been the focus in many churches. New Seminaries have been established and are sending out many pastors, teachers, and missionaries into the surrounding regions and across the world and the government is noticing. Slowly but surely, attention is turning back to religious freedom and questions are being raised as to its benefits.

In Kazakhstan, President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced a few days ago the intention to start tightening down on religious freedoms. Though Kazakhstan has no national religion, that does not mean that this country should become a religious dumping ground for all, he said. While I can understand the logic behind this, I believe that this is only beginning. I heard from a Ukrainian brother a week ago that things there are not looking good either. He fears it may lead to a war. And the accounts are growing.

How much longer will these nations remain open? There is no way to tell but we must remember that all is under God’s sovereign control and will occur according to His plan and timing. Now is not the time for fear but rather the time to take advantage of the freedoms that remain. Please join me in remembering our brothers and sisters abroad in prayer, and remember also to pray for the leadership of these nations.

A Change Clarified

In keeping with the previous topic of change, it has been brought to my attention that a clarification may be in order. While the intentions may seem the best and the heart may for a moment seem to feel something for the condition of this lost and fallen world, the most serious issue at hand is not one that anyone can, on thier own strength, attend to. The real need before us is a need for Jesus and the changes that are required in hearts of Christians and the world can only be accomplished by His Holy Spirit.

Often Christians miss the mark by demanding change from each other without first examining the center of the matter: the heart. How can demands be made for change apart from a work of the Holy Spirit? God must work by His Spirit to soften our own hearts so that we can in love attend the needs of the world. Jesus reminds us of this in John 15:5 and the apostle Paul himself said, “For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” (Col 1:28) Any efforts on our own are in vain. We must all be working in the strength that He provides!

Finally, if our change is merely focused on providing temporal aid what good is it? Sure, food for those starving is a very necessary thing but feeding the body only to forget the soul must not be done! As Christians, our mission must be to meet the physical needs as a means of connecting with a person so as to care for their soul. Every man, woman, and child needs Jesus. They need a Saviour to rescue them and how can we, who have this hope, neglect to share with the world our Saviour? That is the most pressing issue.

Let's Begin Again

Here we are again. It’s the beginning of another year and life goes on. Truly, as the writer of Ecclesiastes writes, “There’s nothing new under the sun” (1:9). We still go to work every day to ensure that we can support our extravagant lifestyles. We still sit in classrooms allowing those with knowledge beyond our own to improve us. We still eat McDonalds even though we’re constantly reminded that it’s killing us slowly. We still watch movies and dream of playing opposite Denzel Washington or Katie Holmes, despite the fact we know it could never happen. We still waste our money in the Starbucks drive thru even though we could save by purchasing at the grocer. We still watch the news and thank God that’s not us, while out there, somewhere, there’s a family who has been through hell over this past year. And Life goes on.

We are not coasting in flying cars, we are not watching robots do our dirty work, we are not living in a more stable environment, nor is the world suddenly a better place. People are still dying, children are still starving, soldiers are still fighting, and politicians are still too self absorbed to be honest. And life goes on.

But wait! It is the New Year! A time to start over. A time for change. A time to regroup and remind ourselves why we are doing what we are doing. A time for resolutions, right? So, the guy next door is resolved to work harder so that he can land that deal. The girl upstairs is resolved to workout every day and get in shape so that she attract some cute guy. And the couple in the car next to us is resolved to save up for an exotic Caribbean cruise. Well now, there’s progress for you.

No, Lewis is right: “We are far too easily pleased.” We watch the world go by us and we live contentedly in our little bubble. It’s sad, the things that happen in this world, but there’s not really anything we can do about it, without inconveniencing ourselves. We think that we are happy where we are. We’re comfortable. How important is that comfort? We’ve spent our lives building it. Why would we want to give it up?

It’s funny, isn’t it? A house, some furniture, a car, some books, our music collection, a gym membership, Starbucks, and Macy’s – all the things that make us so comfortable – are the very things that condemn us. They point their fingers at us and proclaim that we are spoiled. We are gluttonous and selfish and we like it. We let the man next to us starve so we can be comfortable.

But there is a better way. While there is nothing inherently wrong with our stuff, I propose a change. This will look different from person to person. For some it may be cutting down the daily Starbucks run so that the money saved can go to someone who needs it more. For others, that change might be more drastic – a change in job, to better help where help is needed, or a change in location, to better reach out to those who can’t reach back. For some, it might be a more permanent dedication to the Word, and for others it might look like the abandonment of all things banal so as to pursue the proclamation of the Gospel.

Life does go on. It presents to us further opportunity for change and growth. Let’s begin again.

(thanks to Josiah L. for proof reading)

What is an Incarnational Missionary?

An incarnational missionary is essentially a missionary who “undertake(s) the difficult task of learning to know and identify with the culture.” (Hiebert 91) They endeavor to understand the culture and deal with the theological problems of the culture. Their role is primarily to present the gospel so that it is understood in a meaningful, relevant way to the people of the culture. Then they establish churches.

The study of cultural anthropology and cross-cultural communication are important. Studying cultural anthropology enables the missionary to better understand what he sees and hears and experiences in the new culture. It helps to act as a filter to help him learn and process the culture. Cross-cultural communication is helpful to allowing true communication of ideas and concepts to the culture. It sometimes requires the changing of words or phrases or ideas so that the meaning is understood properly. For instance, if a culture doesn't have sheep the phrase, “Lamb of God” might not be understood. So, in effort to maintain the concept, the missionary might change the expression to “Goat of God.”

So, essentially the study of anthropology aids the incarnational missionary in the learning of cultural relevance and cross-cultural communication enables truer communication between the peoples. Which is the aim of the incarnational missionary – to minister effectively to the people of a different culture than his own.

This is an essay answer to a question from a test earlier this year. I just ran across it today and thought that it would be beneficial to post because we are all, as Christians, in a way missionaries and dare I say we should be incarnational missionaries at different points in our interaction with the world, be it in this American culture or another culture.

On The Rise Of Islam...

This is the other essay from the exam. Again, I am far from an expert. I'm not even sure if all my thoughts are correct. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!

The rise of Islam can be explained by a couple key factors. From the leadership abilities of Muhammed to the lack of necessity for contextualization, the religion and way of life had an advantage from the beginning.

In the time of Muhammed there was no religion that was uniquely Arab. This made it more easily spread in the long run. But when Muhammed first started to introduce his teachings they were not accepted except by a small minority of people. He and his followers were chased out of their hometown and spent ten years building his following in Medina, their new home which they had captured by force. It was an unlikely victory and created the first Islamic State. During this time Muhammed grew to be a great leader and military power. He, at last, rallied his followers and they returned to Mecca, where they quickly overtook the city and claimed in the name of Islam. Muhammed led his men across the Arabian peninsula, uniting the Arab peoples under one common rule of law and religion, Islam.

After Muhammed's death Islam continued to spread. It started to move west but the Turkish Nomads overtook it within the first 100 years and they set up their own government. But it did spread east. Christians throughout the area were more than willing to accept it for a number of reasons. First, it brought with it a local ruler. The area of southern Persia had been ruled by the Byzantines in the west. But many people felt that someone so far away couldn't possibly understand what was going on locally and therefore couldn't rule effectively. And they were somewhat oppressive toward Christians. When Muslims came into the area they set up a local government which was more effective in leadership. Secondly, because Christians and Jews were seen as “people of the book” they were treated well. They were no longer oppressed but rather there was religious tolerance for them.

Islamic Rule had many strengths. Beyond those already stated (ie. local government, religious tolerance), it brought with it good moral law that had been lacking in the area. There was more security and safety for it's followers and their “brothers,” as they called the Christians and Jews.

Even though it can be challenging to witness to Muslims today, because of their good moral law and basic foundational religious beliefs that coincide with basic Christian doctrines, it has provided us with a door to reach them with the gospel. We don't have to start at the ground level we would have had to start at for the Zoroastrian peoples that were previously ruling the area. I would say that it was a good thing Islam took over.

Not in the original essay but should be noted: the following is a response to an argument against the final thoughts of my essay -- specifically the fact that a Islam has made it easier to witness. The argument was that it is easier to witness to a heathen than a muslim.

There is a big difference in gospel presentation between a Muslin and your average heathen. But when it comes to Islam, a Muslim doesn't need to be convinced of the most basic foundational pronciples (ie. There is a God and only one, Jesus Christ did exsist - although the details they have of Him are sketchy, God is sovereign and wrathful and deserving of our attention and devotion, etc). The basic framework is there! Even a heathen has a belief. It may be that we evolved or that there are multiple gods or that all religions will take you to heaven. They can be just as hard or harder to witness to than a Muslim.

The problem is that we Americans have no idea how to approach a muslim -- especially since 9/11. We look at them like they have two heads or like any minute they are going to pull out a gun and kill us. We don't see what we have in common but rather the differences that divide us. There are so many bridges built between Christians and Muslims that if we knew enough of the Quran and what it teaches, and enough of our Bible and what it teaches, we wouldn't have such a bad attitude toward witnessing to them (I don't point the finger at you at this point. I point it at Evangelical Christendom). The American church has written off Muslims as "unreachable" for so long. But the truth of the matter is that they are only unreachable as much as we are unwilling to go to them.

Witnessing to a Muslim is no different that witnessing to your next door neighbor who was raised Catholic. We have to build a relationship with them and come to them humbly and with a culturally relevant mindest.

Justification Apart From Christ?

This is the first of two essays that I wrote for the last exam we had. I should say that I am by no means an expert on this! This is only fallible man trying to explain something that he knows very little about. Read on.

The question of whether or not it is possible for a man to be justified apart from knowledge of Christ is an old question. It has been debated and argued for centuries but even with all of the debates, the answer is unchanged. It is just simply not possible.

Some will point to the Scriptures, specifically the Old Testament, and ask how was it possible then for Abraham to be justified? Christ had not yet come. Could he have possibly known? But this really isn't the issue. Paul addresses this in Romans 4, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Abraham received the promise and had faith that God would do it. He looked forward to the fulfillment of the promise. Maybe he didn't fully understand it but He trusted God.

Today, no one can say that they have such an excuse as it might be argued that Abraham had. Christ has come. He accomplished the work His Father sent Him to do. Now, it is for us to spread the gospel in the name of Christ. Jesus Christ came and brought us redemption through His blood. We now trust in His righteousness for our justification because He took our transgressions upon Himself and was punished for them. While before, the Jews missed the mark by trusting in their good works for their righteousness before God, we now look back to Christ and are saved by faith in Him. Romans 10:4 says, “For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness and everyone who believes.” The Law was put forth that we might know of our utter inability to keep it and turn to God for the help provided in Christ. This was a stumbling block to the Jews (Rom. 9:33), but for those who will turn to God, He promises salvation. This is seen in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

But that does bring us back to condemnation apart from knowledge of Christ. What about the man on the Island? Has he no hope of salvation? Because everyone has the general revelation from God, they are without excuse. Paul explains this in Romans 1:19-20, “Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” This should make us realize the necessity for us to proclaim the gospel. We are called by Christ and scripture to proclaim the truth of Christ to nations. “How then will the call on Him in whom they have not believe? How will the believe in Him they have not hears? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14)

Further, the scriptures say that faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of the Lord (Rom 10:17). This states a strong case for the inability of belief apart from preachment. That's not to say that a person can't pick up the Bible and hear the Word of the Lord through the reading of the scriptures. God works through His Word. But it does not help the man on the Island who doesn't have the Bible. He is still condemned because he cannot obtain the special revelation of God solely from what he sees.

This should spur us on in our zeal to proclaim the gospel of Christ to the nations. How will they hear if we do not go and tell them? It is our responsibility as followers of Christ to obey His command to us, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20a) In doing this, they may hear and turn to faith in Christ for their righteousness before God.