Friday, February 8, 2013
A Hot Time in a Cold Place
The city of Harbin, Northeast China, where I lived for four years, has an annual claim to fame: the "ice lantern festival," perhaps the most prominent event of its kind in all of Asia, even perhaps the world. For your viewing pleasure, the Wall Street Journal has a blog with pictures. You can see it here.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Was It Real--or Faked?--or "Enhanced?"
Does it matter if what you see is real--or electronically spruced up? You may have missed the flap over Beyonce's singing at the inauguration last week--was she singing in real-time, or did she lip-sync? And does anyone really care? Here is an interesting article about how people prefer--at least we think--things to be more perfect than they could ever be in "reality," and whether reality can measure up to "enhanced" reality--whether it is pictures of people, or advertising, or singing.
Or--worship. Think about it: What if the musicians in worship thought they could do a "better" job by pre-recording their music, then lip-(and instrument-)syncing during worship? And what if a preacher decided he could do a "better" job by pre-recording the sermon, and lip-syncing? What would be lost?
Or--here's another angle on this. One current phenomenon is churches with multi-site worship services, where the sermon is preached at one site, and broadcast at all the other sites. So that if you are at another site, you do not get to "see" the preaching live, but only broadcast. What do you think? Is there not something to live, in-person preaching--the interaction, non-verbally, between the pastor and the congregation--that is taken away (I do think so--what do you think)? And then, can a pastor really act as shepherd (the word "pastor" comes from a root word meaning "shepherd") for a congregation that he only knows "remotely?" Is hearing preaching merely a matter of taking in information--or is there more going on? Let me know what you think.
Or--worship. Think about it: What if the musicians in worship thought they could do a "better" job by pre-recording their music, then lip-(and instrument-)syncing during worship? And what if a preacher decided he could do a "better" job by pre-recording the sermon, and lip-syncing? What would be lost?
Or--here's another angle on this. One current phenomenon is churches with multi-site worship services, where the sermon is preached at one site, and broadcast at all the other sites. So that if you are at another site, you do not get to "see" the preaching live, but only broadcast. What do you think? Is there not something to live, in-person preaching--the interaction, non-verbally, between the pastor and the congregation--that is taken away (I do think so--what do you think)? And then, can a pastor really act as shepherd (the word "pastor" comes from a root word meaning "shepherd") for a congregation that he only knows "remotely?" Is hearing preaching merely a matter of taking in information--or is there more going on? Let me know what you think.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Why We Need Confessions
When it comes to confessions of faith, many Christians are like Groucho Marx here:
Well, the February edition of New Horizons has an excellent cover article, by Carl Trueman, on why Christians (and churches) need confessions of faith--even lengthy ones, like the Westminster Confession of Faith, and Catechisms. It's not online yet, but as soon as it is, I will post a link.
Well, the February edition of New Horizons has an excellent cover article, by Carl Trueman, on why Christians (and churches) need confessions of faith--even lengthy ones, like the Westminster Confession of Faith, and Catechisms. It's not online yet, but as soon as it is, I will post a link.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Something from an Unexpected Source
Follow this link for a list of "25 Danger Signs" for Christians. It comes from an unexpected place, and yet, if you look down the list, it will be remarkably similar for us in our place. Ponder, for example, number 7 (among others!).
Monday, December 17, 2012
Reflections on a Tragedy
I recognize it is difficult, and dangerous, to try to diagnose a situation from hours away, with people of whom I have no first-hand knowledge. So what I say is necessarily hampered, and limited in its usefulness, by all that. Still, a few thoughts struck me as I read more about the shootings at the elementary school in CT.
While most of the talk is about increasing school safety and gun laws (I'm for both--on the second point see Nicholas Kristof's column yesterday. Not having grown up with guns--Germany, where I grew up, has strict gun laws, and so does China, where I lived for many years, and I can't say I minded either--I am somewhat baffled by the second-amendment crowd in this country. Which I realize stigmatizes everything else I say for some of my dearest friends.) But there are some other things that the media are mentioning, but not making much of--that could be made much of.
For example, both the murderer and his mother, in one Washington Post article, were not said to have any good friends. No one has asked for either of their bodies, according to the coroner, as of yesterday. While the mother was not a recluse (like the son apparently was), it does not appear that she had many friends. something tells me that this is a fruit of our present culture--especially middle-class culture--that does not bode well for us. I could elaborate, but you probably know what I mean. Today's middle-class culture--with its need to keep up with the Joneses, and the challenge of maintaining a standard of living, leaves little room for true friendship; you have to sacrifice numerous middle-class trappings to find and make room for friendship.
Or, take the divorce of this young man's parents. Now I have no desire to point a finger at people who are divorced. Life is complicated, and we live in a fallen world, and partake of the world's fallenness, which makes marriage exceedingly difficult (again, middle-class trappings, and the need to keep up middle-class appearances, add to the difficulty). So, there but for the grace of God alone, go I. Still, that divorce--reporters have said it was exceedingly difficult for the couple's two sons--should not be overlooked. Children--and teenagers--are more likely to "succeed" in life (however people define that, even without the gospel) with two parents--and even more with two parents who are present and engaged.
Which leads me to the question: how should we view this in light of the gospel? Two thoughts:
(1) Give thanks for God's common grace. Without common grace such events would become so common as to go unnoticed. I know that is a daring statement, but consider what our life would be like if each of us always acted on our worst temptations. By God's common grace we, and others, do not.
(2) When people ask how Jesus teaches us to think about such tragedies, point them to Luke 13:1-5. Read that, and memorize it, and meditate on it for the next tragedy. Note that Jesus gives no deep explanation--he does not reveal to us the mind of God on these things. And he gives us no grounds for pointing the finger at anyone, or standing in judgment on anyone in an absolute sense. We are no better than the victims of senseless violence or catastrophe--whether man-made (vv. 1-3) or random (vv. 4-5). Instead, these events are reason to reflect, and repent. Hard words (as so often Jesus' words are!), but absolutely true.
While most of the talk is about increasing school safety and gun laws (I'm for both--on the second point see Nicholas Kristof's column yesterday. Not having grown up with guns--Germany, where I grew up, has strict gun laws, and so does China, where I lived for many years, and I can't say I minded either--I am somewhat baffled by the second-amendment crowd in this country. Which I realize stigmatizes everything else I say for some of my dearest friends.) But there are some other things that the media are mentioning, but not making much of--that could be made much of.
For example, both the murderer and his mother, in one Washington Post article, were not said to have any good friends. No one has asked for either of their bodies, according to the coroner, as of yesterday. While the mother was not a recluse (like the son apparently was), it does not appear that she had many friends. something tells me that this is a fruit of our present culture--especially middle-class culture--that does not bode well for us. I could elaborate, but you probably know what I mean. Today's middle-class culture--with its need to keep up with the Joneses, and the challenge of maintaining a standard of living, leaves little room for true friendship; you have to sacrifice numerous middle-class trappings to find and make room for friendship.
Or, take the divorce of this young man's parents. Now I have no desire to point a finger at people who are divorced. Life is complicated, and we live in a fallen world, and partake of the world's fallenness, which makes marriage exceedingly difficult (again, middle-class trappings, and the need to keep up middle-class appearances, add to the difficulty). So, there but for the grace of God alone, go I. Still, that divorce--reporters have said it was exceedingly difficult for the couple's two sons--should not be overlooked. Children--and teenagers--are more likely to "succeed" in life (however people define that, even without the gospel) with two parents--and even more with two parents who are present and engaged.
Which leads me to the question: how should we view this in light of the gospel? Two thoughts:
(1) Give thanks for God's common grace. Without common grace such events would become so common as to go unnoticed. I know that is a daring statement, but consider what our life would be like if each of us always acted on our worst temptations. By God's common grace we, and others, do not.
(2) When people ask how Jesus teaches us to think about such tragedies, point them to Luke 13:1-5. Read that, and memorize it, and meditate on it for the next tragedy. Note that Jesus gives no deep explanation--he does not reveal to us the mind of God on these things. And he gives us no grounds for pointing the finger at anyone, or standing in judgment on anyone in an absolute sense. We are no better than the victims of senseless violence or catastrophe--whether man-made (vv. 1-3) or random (vv. 4-5). Instead, these events are reason to reflect, and repent. Hard words (as so often Jesus' words are!), but absolutely true.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
How to Speak about a Tough Topic
How do you talk about homosexuality? Here is Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterrian Church in New York City, speaking at a Columbia University forum (not exactly a sympathetic audience, by the way). I think he does an excellent job of delivering a gospel-focused response (which is not about our good works, or our not sinning, but about our trusting in Christ's righteousness, though we are sinners!). What do you think?
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Leader or Follower?
Follow this link for a neat video (by Curt Cloninger, a Christian skit-guy) about "leadership." Leadership is of course all the rage (and with good reason, often), but is leadership overrated? Watch this to the end to get the "punchline".
Thursday, September 6, 2012
What Are the Biblical Qualifications for Elders and Deacons?
This month our church is making nominations for the offices of elder and deacon. If you are interested in a short paper that studies what 2 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 says about the qualifications for elders and deacons (i.e. what kind of men you should nominate), please email me for a PDF file. The blog site does not allow me to post it here--or else I have not yet learned how to do so. (If you don't know how to email me, just leave a comment with your name, and I will get it to you).
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