Reason to Believe

Just One Question....

2011-09-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

I guarantee that watching this will be the most meaningful, thought provoking and impacting 33 minutes you'll spend all week......

Oprah Winfrey and the One World Church

2008-04-17T15:56:00.001-07:00

I came across this video today that does a great job of explaining exactly what Oprah Winfrey believes about God via her own words and the words of her spiritual leader.

It takes about a minute to really get going but it's worth the wait.

Considering how many millions of followers she has, it is worth taking five minutes to develop a good understanding of her spiritual beliefs so you will know the truth next time her name comes up at the water cooler.

I don't know anything about the book it promotes at the very end, but this short video is fascinating.

Men Who've Had Abortions

2008-01-11T21:54:00.000-08:00

When one thinks about abortion and its victims, the first thought that comes to mind is, of course, the killing of an innocent human being. After that perhaps thought is given to the millions of women who have spent every day since having their abortion, regretting the decision they made (See Here). But what about the father? Are men affected by the decision of a woman to have an abortion? Here is a look at that very question.

The following was written by Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It appeared on his blog on January 8, 2008.

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A new voice is emerging in the abortion debate, and this voice is a powerful witness to the tragedy of killing the unborn. This voice is the voice of the fathers of abortion.

"We had abortions. . . . I've had abortions," says Mark B. Morrow, a Christian counselor and participant in arranging four abortions. Morrow was speaking to a gathering of men who have become antiabortion activists through reflection on their own experiences and their own lost children.

Stephanie Simon of The Los Angeles Times provides a report on this new movement in "Changing Abortion's Pronoun," published in the January 7, 2008 edition of the paper. Here is her introduction to the story:

Jason Baier talks often to the little boy he calls Jamie. He imagines this boy -- his son -- with blond hair and green eyes, chubby cheeks, a sweet smile. But he'll never know for sure. His fiancee's sister told him about the abortion after it was over. Baier remembers that he cried. The next weeks and months go black. He knows he drank far too much. He and his fiancee fought until they broke up. "I hated the world," he said. Baier, 36, still longs for the child who might have been, with an intensity that bewilders him: "How can I miss something I never even held?"

That question haunts many men, as Simon's report makes clear. These men are raising their voices against abortion and the Culture of Death, and they call themselves "post-abortive men." As Simon explains, "Abortion is usually portrayed as a woman's issue: her body, her choice, her relief or her regret. This new movement -- both political and deeply personal in nature -- contends that the pronoun is all wrong."

The concept of "post-abortion syndrome" has gained currency in recent years as women who have experienced abortions speak of their trauma and pain. As the paper's report acknowledges, these reports of post-abortion pain and deep distress were cited in the U.S. Supreme Court's decision allowing the government to ban partial-birth abortions.

The focus on the voices of men is new, but it reveals again that abortion takes a toll on all concerned, including those who are the fathers of aborted babies. The stories vary with the individuals involved. Some of these "post-abortive men" demanded and facilitated the abortion, others never knew of the pregnancy until it was too late.

The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel

2007-10-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

I’m a really big fan of The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel, so when Zondervan asked me to check out Lee’s newest book, The Case for the Real Jesus, I happily accepted.

This book follows the same format as the other books in the series in that Strobel begins each chapter with a story from his life as an investigative reporter, poses his question, and then interviews an expert in order to seek out an answer.

From the recent production of The Da Vinci Code to Islam’s denial of Jesus’ resurrection, the constant bombardment of attacks on the historical Jesus is a reality in American culture today.

In The Case for the Real Jesus, Strobel addresses six of the most common assertions against Jesus. Those questions are:

1. Scholars Are Uncovering a Radically Different Jesus in Ancient Documents Just as credible as the Four Gospels.
• This chapter deals with issues such as the Gnostic gospels, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Judas, The Gospel of Mary, and many others.

2. The Bible’s Portrait of Jesus Can’t Be Trusted Because the Church Tampered with the Text.
• This chapter deals with areas of textual criticism, has the Bible been changed, alleged contradictions and errors.

3. New Explanations Have Refuted Jesus’ Resurrection.
• In this chapter, Michael Licona presents a 5 point argument defending the resurrection.

4. The Cross-Examination.
• Lee attempts to counter Licona’s arguments defending the resurrection, and presents alternative theories including the Islamic view of the resurrection.

5. Christianity’s Beliefs about Jesus Were Copied from Pagan Religions.
• This chapter of the book examines the story of Jesus compared to other pagan gods such as Mithras, Dionysius and others.

6. Jesus Was an Imposter Who Failed to Fulfill the Messianic Prophecies.
• A close look at who the Messiah was to be, the system of sacrifice used in Ancient Israel, and what requirements the Messiah was to fulfill are all addressed in this chapter.

7. People Should Be Free to Pick and Choose What to Believe about Jesus.
• Questions such as “what is truth?”, statements such as “All religions are equal” and a close look at postmodern thought are all examined here.

All things considered I really enjoyed this book (especially the Islamic Catch-22 explain on page 132). I really appreciate how Strobel is able to take complicated concepts, such as postmodern thought, and present them in a way for all to understand. This book is timely and relevant to today’s world. Some parts of the book seemed like they were written quickly to meet a publisher’s deadline but the chapter on the resurrection of Jesus alone, was worth the price of the book.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you enjoy contemporary apologetics or are seeking answers to discover who Jesus really is in light of “new discoveries”, I’d recommend this book.

Pros:
Timely and Relevant Questions
Clearly written and easily able to be understood by all

Cons:
This book didn’t have discussion questions at the end of the chapters the way his previous ones did.
Zondervan went a little heavy on the promotion for Strobel’s other books.

You can purchase this book from Amazon.com by Clicking Here.

Just Stop and Think

2007-10-04T15:56:00.001-07:00

A friend told me about this website, www.juststopandthink.com, and suggested I check out the movie.

I'd highly encourage you to check it out. It's about 15 minutes long and could change your life forever.

Click on the picture to check out the video.

Dangerous Christianity?

2007-10-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

On the September 12, 2006 edition of The View, actress Rosie O'Donnell stated:

"Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America."

I've often thought about this quote. What exactly does she mean by "radical Christianity?" Why would she say that? Simply for shock value? Or does she truly believe it?

I thought about it again this morning. I was doing some research and thumbing through Josh McDowell's classic apologetic Evidence that Demands a Verdict. In reference to the late D. James Kennedy and Jerry Necombe's book What if Jesus had never been born?, McDowell pens the following:

They [Kennedy and Necombe] begin with the assumption that the church, the body of Christ, is Jesus’ primary legacy to the world. Then they examine what has happened in history that displays the influence of the church. Here are a few highlights they site:

Hospitals, which essentially began during the middle ages
Universities, which also began during the middle ages. In addition, most of the world’s greatest universities were started by Christians for Christian purposes
Literacy and education of the masses
Representative government, particularly as it has been seen in the American experiment
The separation of political powers
Civil liberties
The abolition of slavery, both in antiquity and in modern times
Modern science
The discovery of the new world by Columbus
Benevolence and charity; the good Samaritan ethic
Higher standards of justice
The elevation of the common man
The high regard for human life
The civilizing of many barbarian and primitive cultures
The codifying and setting to writing of many of the worlds languages
The greater development of art an music. The inspiration for the greatest works of art.
The countless changed lives transformed from liabilities into assets to society because of the gospel
The eternal salvation of countless souls

Have there been abuses by the church? Unfortunately yes, no one is denying that. But to say radical Christianity is as dangerous as radical Islam, well, I'll let you be the judge of that.

Did They Really Say That? # 3

2007-07-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

“If a person doesn’t think there is a God to be accountable to, then…what is the point of trying to modify your behavior to keep it within acceptable ranges? That’s how I thought…I always believed the theory of evolution as truth, that we all just came from the slime.”

- Jeffery Dahmer, a convicted serial killer responsible for the murders of 17 young men and boys, many of which involved necrophilia, dismemberment, and cannibalism. (Quoted from an interview with Stone Phillips - Dateline NBC, 11/29/1994)

The consequences of our worldviews are very real.

Small Change to the Site

2007-07-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

I just made a small change to the site. For some time now I've noticed that with all the pictures and videos that I post, it was taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R to load the entire page. Well I've finally done something about that. I chopped the site down into 25-post increments. That means that only the last 25 posts will show up on the main page every time you visit the site. To see the previous posts you'll need to either:

1. Click on "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page to see the next 25 posts

OR

2. Use the Table of Contents on the middle of the right side of the page

OR

3. Use the search bar at the top right side of the page

This should make the load times much, much quicker.

Beqaa Valley and the Cedars of Lebanon

2007-07-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

We traveled from Beirut to a location in the Beqaa Valley. The Beqaa Valley is the most agriculturally fertile region in Beirut. It was also home to many cities mentioned in the Old Testament such as Baal-gad and Mount Hermon.

Now these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the sons of Israel defeated beyond the Jordan toward the west, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even as far as Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir; and Joshua gave it to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their divisions, - Joshua 12:7

The Beqaa Valley. The right side of the picture continues on to Israel while the left side enters into Syria.

During our travel into the Beqaa Valley we went up into the mountains and saw the cedars of Lebanon. These trees are phenomenally beautiful and smell fantastic (see Hosea 14:6). I think each of us were a little bit surprised at how majestic these trees are. Truly fitting to be used to craft the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 5:5-6). I was shocked to learn that they grow at the rate of only 1 centimeter per year. Many of the trees we saw were no less than 3000 years old. Amazing.

In a forest of beautifully smelling, Cedars of Lebanon

Through your servants you have reproached the Lord, And you have said, 'With my many chariots I came up to the heights of the mountains, To the remotest parts of Lebanon; And I cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypresses. And I will go to its highest peak, its thickest forest. - Isaiah 47:24

The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. - Psalm 92:12

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. - Psalm 29:5

Beirut, Lebanon

2007-07-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

After a few days in Cairo I headed over to Beirut. As I mentioned in my Cairo post, due to the sensitive nature of the work going on, I cannot post any pictures or write about any of the work being done over there.

Lebanon is a wonderful country. I wasn’t quite sure to expect when I stepped off of the airplane but it didn’t take long for me to begin to appreciate it. A beautiful city located on the coast, Lebanon is a stark contrast to Egypt. Despite its violent nature the city is beautiful. The people there are very warm and friendly and the word hospitality takes on a whole new meaning. Arabic is the most predominate language but many also speak French and English.

Beirut is a tough place to live and even tougher to minister in. Day in and day out I met with those who live and work here, hearing about some of the amazing things God is doing, and helping them to strategize new ways to reach even more people

Beirut is a beautiful city located on a peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean. The northern half of the city (right side of the photo) is predominately Christian while the southern half (left side of the photo) is exclusively Muslim. Beautiful mountains surround the city on the east side and in the distance you can see the Mediterranean Sea.

Lebanon is a country with an extensive history of violence. On Valentine's Day of 2005, Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed when a car packed with over 1 ton of explosives detonated beside him. This is the location of his assassination. The fresh asphalt on the road is where the 30 foot crater left by the explosion was repaired.

The explosion was so powerful it completely destroyed this nearby building.

The final resting place of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

This statue was located in the center of town during the years of the Lebanese Civil War. Looking closely you can see that it is completely covered with bullet holes from the war.

A close up of the statue.

After the civil war the government spent 31 billion dollars to rebuild downtown Beirut. However, fear of car bombs grips the hearts of many in Beirut and the downtown area, including the Parliament building (shown above) remains a ghost town except for the soldiers who are stationed every hundred yards [soldiers not photographed].

Rebuilding of a bridge after it was destroyed by Israeli troops during the war in July 2006.

Moses, Baby Jesus and the Pyramids

2007-07-11T16:40:00.001-07:00

Myself and another member of my team got up early one morning before our day really began to try to beat the heat and the crowds and see some of historic Egypt. While obviously sightseeing is NEVER one of our objectives when we travel for ministry, every once in a while we find a few hours in the schedule that are available and we try to squeeze something in. I was very fortunate on this trip.

Beating the heat turned out to be harder than I anticipated. Even early in the morning it is already roasting. In the past I had often wondered "What are the Israelites problem? God rescued them from Egypt and all they do is complain and turn to idols. What is the deal?

After having now been to Egypt I have a whole new understanding for what the Israelites endured during their time of slavery and the subsequent exodus. The country is so hot and so sandy, I cannot fathom how they survived wondering for 40 years in the desert. Add to that a strict diet of manna and I can now begin to understand why they always seemed so grumpy and constantly made poor decisions (although it certainly doesn't justify or excuse their behavior).

We first went to the alleged location that baby Moses was found hiding amongst the reeds of the Nile:

Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said. Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" "Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."
- Exodus 2:1-10

The round well is the location that Moses was allegedly found. The Nile has changed course over thousands of years but looking down the round well there is still water today. The wall is supposedly the wall to Pharaoh's palace. I am a bit skeptical as to the authenticity of this historic site but the Egyptian Antiquities Department believes it is legitimate.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." - Matthew 2:13-15

The exact location where Jesus and his family hid. There is now a church over the location so the marble floors were added after Jesus was gone. I am also skeptical about this site but the Egyptian Antiquities Department has certified it as legitimate.

One of the 7 wonders of the world

Camels are not nearly as docile as horses.

Fun Fact of the Day: The odd colored stones at the top of the pyramid are not the original stones. The original stones were removed in the 18th century to build a mosque for the ruler of Egypt.

Garbage City and the Cave Church

2007-07-11T16:14:00.001-07:00

They are called the untouchables. There are almost 50,000 of them, they are almost entirely Christian, and they literally live in the dumps.

In Cairo, for one reason or another, the Muslims will not work as trash collectors. Perhaps it has to do with their religious beliefs or maybe because as the majority population, they just refuse to do such a disgusting job. Whatever the reason, the job falls to the Christians.

Driving through the dump I discovered that this wasn't just a place to work, it was where they lived. You can imagine the incredible stench produced when garbage from a city of 16 million is piled together and bakes in the sun in temperatures above 115 degrees. Yet the Christians complete their work, many with smiles on their face.

I ponder the reason for these smiles. Surely it isn't that they enjoy their circumstances. Perhaps it is because they have discovered the difference between happiness (which is a temporary emotion) and joy (which is the assurance of their salvation and anticipation of being with Jesus).

Daily deliveries to Garbage City

A Child at Play in Garbage City

But, as he always is, God is at work. One must drive through Garbage City to come to the cave church. A massive church cut deep into a rock of sheer limestone. You can tell from the photos how big the place is. What you can't see is that the church conducts services every day of the week, filled to capacity.

Cave Church Panoramic

Cave Church from halfway up

Cairo, Egypt

2007-07-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

I realize that it has been quite a while since I last posted. I even heard some teasing this weekend about "I don't know how many times I can watch this video." There have been quite a few things happening that have kept me away from my computer. Quite a few graduations, weddings and even a quick vacation.

I just returned from a trip to the Middle East that was absolutely incredible. Most of the Christians I worked with, are very active in the underground church all over the Middle East so as I hope you understand, for their safety, I cannot show any pictures of them, their ministry, or anything that could potentially put them at risk.

Cairo and the Nile River

Downtown Cairo

Daily Life in Egypt

Reality Check

2007-05-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

My heart broke when I watched this video. Partly because of what I saw on the video, but mostly because of what I saw in myself. There is nothing in life that brings me more joy that sharing the news of Jesus with someone whom desperately needs to hear it. Yet when I watched this video and took a deep, and honest look at my life, I think that more often than not I probably tend to act more like those in this video than how I want to be. Is it because of Ignorance? Spiritual Pride? Laziness? Busyness? Complacency? Could it even be Apathy?

Most likely it's all of the above.

That needs to change.

It's reality check time: Take a moment to watch this video. Don't just watch it for entertainment's sake, but listen to the words and really understand what's going on. For millions of people, your neighbors, acquaintances, and co-workers, this is real life.

Watch this video and than take a moment to absorb it. Then ask yourself "Who am I most like?" The question is NOT "Who do I wish I was?" or "Who am I supposed to be?" but "Who are you really like?"

I sadly suspect that you are just like me.

Photos from the Holy Lands

2007-04-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

I've received a lot of positive feedback regarding the photos that I posted during my trip to the Bible Lands last January (Those photos can be viewed by CLICKING HERE). I wanted to recommend a great resource to everyone that I myself have found to be very helpful.

Todd Bolen is a Professor of Biblical Studies in Israel. Over the past 10 years, Todd has traveled to virtually every place mentioned in the Bible numerous times. (Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration but it sure seems like it). Each time he goes he takes new photographs so that he always has the best possible photographs (since conditions change) of a biblical site.

Todd has compiled thousands of these photographs into digital format and many can be viewed for free by visiting Bibleplaces.com and then clicking on "The Sites." Here you can peruse many of the photographs. But if you're like me, you want more.

When I returned from my trip I discovered that several of my photos didn't turn out the way I wanted. The lighting was bad or I was at the wrong angle. After speaking with my professor, I discovered that from Bibleplaces.com you can purchase the complete collection of photographs from the Holy Lands for a very reasonable price ($189.00 USD I believe - CLICKING HERE will take you to the ordering page).

I chose the 2 DVDs instead of the 10 CDs and when they arrived in the mail I was blown away. Not only were all the photos there, neatly organized by location for easy reference, but there was so much more. Perhaps the best "bonus" feature was that every location had a fully prepared Powerpoint presentation already made. The slides of the Powerpoint already contained the photos and their locations (so you know what you're looking at) and many of them had tons of information written in the notes section. Theoretically you could insert the disk, open up Powerpoint and begin teaching.

I've never met Todd personally and I have nothing to personally gain by endorsing these products, but I cannot articulate how highly I recommend these discs. Reading about a place in my Bible and then being able to visually see that exact location has really taken my study to the next level.

If you are in a teaching position or are a visual learner, like myself, these discs should be a mandatory part of your reference library, but you don't have to take just my word for it.

Free E-Newsletters from Christianity Today

2007-04-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

While surfing the web today I discovered that Christianity Today offers over 30 free subscriptions to e-newsletters they produce on tons of different topics.

You'll probably find one you like. You can check them out here:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/free/features/newsletters.html

Why I Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus

2007-04-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

Last night I gave a two hour presentation at my church on "Why I Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus." I spoke about what the resurrection is and is not and factors that increase reliability. Then I examined the evidence of the empty tomb, the multiple appearances and the changed lives of the disciples. I concluded with an examination of, and argument against, popular theories denying the resurrection such as the swoon theory, hallucination and legend.

This presentation was much more in depth and therefore a bit more heavy and intellectual than my series on the resurrection, so some readers may prefer just to read the series.

You can find a copy of my outline from last night's presentation HERE or click on the link under the "Topical papers" section.

Paradigms in Conflict: 10 Key Questions in Christian Missions Today by David Hesselgrave

2007-03-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

In Paradigms in Conflict: 10 Key Questions in Christian Missions Today, highly respected Missiologist and former missionary to Japan, David Hesselgrave takes a detailed look at some of the most difficult issues facing missions today. These issues include:

Sovereignty and Free Will
Are there Other Ways to Heaven?
Who is our Missionary Model: Jesus or Paul?
Do Missionaries get Called Individually or is there a Universal Divine Calling?

Due to my work with a mission’s organization, I am privy to see many of the issues addressed by Hesselgrave worked out on a daily basis so I can attest to the legitimacy of these issues.

What I really like about Hesselgrave’s approach is that he clearly and accurately (albeit briefly in some cases) presents both points of view and then runs them through a biblical analysis.

While many of these issues are very complex and one chapter from this book simply just cannot present every single detail, it does do a great job of giving an overview to some of the very real struggles facing missions today.

This book is very easy to read and Hesslegrave does a great job explaining what the issues are as well as the history that led up to their controversies.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you are interested in, or find yourself wrestling with difficult contemporary issues in missions today, you will enjoy this book.

Hesselgrave more often than not takes a more conservative view as his conclusion so if you find yourself at odds with his view, you may find yourself squirming in your seat as you read.

You can buy the book by CLICKING HERE

Generation Ex: Adult Children of Divorce and the Healing of Our Pain by Jen Abbas

2007-03-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

I live in the United States where the divorce rate hovers between 50 and 60 percent. Tragically the rate of divorce for those who claim the name of Jesus is the same as those whom do not.

Another way to look at it is like this; as summer rolls around and the wedding season gears up, you may be invited to several weddings. At each and every wedding you attend, as the couple begins to recite their vows of love and commitment for each other, pull out a small coin from your pocket and flip it into the air. Heads the couple will stay together and tails they won’t.

I'm not trying to be cynical, rather that is the sad reality of our culture. But what is even more devastating is the impact that divorce will have on their children. As we move from a generation where a divorce was a cause for public shame, to a generation where divorce is accepted and oftentimes encouraged, we are just now beginning to see some of the consequences the decision to divorce has.

“Adult children of divorce” (ACOD) is the term given to those whose parents have divorced (when they were children or adults) and are now adults preparing for, or are already in a committed marriage. Many of these ACODs are just now beginning to see the traumatic effects their parents divorce have had on them.

From the back cover:

Finally, a book for adult children of divorce, written by an adult child of divorce.

One of the hardest truths about divorce is that every split – no matter when it occurs – will have lifelong effects on the children caught in the crossfire. While most people acknowledge our pain during our parents’ parting, few of us realize that our most significant insecurities, questions, and doubts may not show up until years later, when we seek our own intimate relationships as adults.

In fact, millions of adult children of divorce feel lost, displaced, or unwanted years after the ink has dried on their parents’ divorce decree. Like them, you may fear abandonment, betrayal, or failure in your own marriage. Despite outward successes, you may doubt your emotional abilities. You may notice that your parents’ divorce affects you more each year, not less.

You are not alone!

Through research, interviews, and personal stories, Generation Ex will help you understand the effect of your parents’ divorce on your identity, faith, and relationships and will give you the tools you need to create a dramatically different legacy.

Includes: questions for reflections.

This book is not a “quick fix” or a “self-help” rather it is designed to help you unlock the doors of your painful past, with the help of someone who knows how you are feeling, and allows you to begin the healing process.

If you are an Adult Child of Divorce, are married to an ADOC, are contemplating a divorce, or have already divorced, I HIGHLY recommend this book. I’d also recommend this book as an addition to pre-marital counseling curriculum when either person is from a divorced home.

You can purchase the book through Family Life by CLICKING HERE.

The Tomb of Jesus?

2007-03-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

Okay I realize the alleged discovery of the tomb of Jesus has been around for a few weeks and I haven't posted anything about it yet.

I came across a poll that said 97% of all people think that James Cameron's documentary is a fraud so I didn't think it was worth addressing. But after more thought I realized not everyone may see it the same way as I do and someone may come across a person from that remaining 3%.

Several well respected scholars and websites have already covered this topic extensively so I'm not going to reinvent what's been done. The following are the places I think do an excellent job while maintaining readability:

Associates for Biblical Research (By far the most thorough analysis, written by a friend of mine)

CARM (Always one of my favorite sites)

Stand To Reason (A review of the documentary from STR)

Bible Places Blog (This site has lots of links but you may need to do a little digging)

I also address the issue of the tomb of Jesus HERE, HERE, and HERE

Hostage to the Devil by Malachi Martin

2007-03-08T11:35:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I finished a fascinating book by Malachi Martin titled “Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans.” Now I don’t know how many thousands of books I’ve read over my lifetime, quite a few I’m sure, but I can’t seem to recall one as heavy and dark as this one was.

Martin, a (now deceased) former Catholic Priest, writes of five firsthand accounts of demon possession and subsequent exorcism. Martin thoroughly researched each case, interviewing those involved and studying the recordings and transcripts of the exorcism, to present an accurate portrayal of what demonic possession is like. As you can imagine, all of the possessed were involved in sinful lifestyles and Martin doesn’t pull any punches in his recap (Read that: Mature Audiences Only).

Having studied demonology in seminary as well as encountering demonic possession first hand on the mission field (CLICK HERE for that post) I must admit I was quite intrigued at what Martin had to say. Especially because this book is considered a classic in its field, and students of demonology (which I caution anyone against becoming) are bound to read it sooner or later.

Martin’s experiences fit superbly within his Catholic worldview. Items such as sprinkling the possessed with holy water and holding up a crucifix are presented as powerful weapons against demons. Martin teaches us which prayers are to be used to “provoke” the demon and then explains how exorcisms rarely last less than one and often times up to five days.

However when I think back to my experiences, or the experiences of others I know, or even compare it with the biblical accounts of exorcism, I feel like I’m missing something. In the Bible we see Jesus conducting multiple exorcisms. (See Luke 8:26-39, Luke 9:37-43, Matthew 15:21-28, etc.). Time and again he instructs the demons to depart and they do. Never do we see him using “holy objects” or taking several days, or using only special prayers. While not always instantaneous, my experiences and the experiences of those I respect, are that exorcisms usually last less than a few hours and sometimes just a few minutes. None of us used any holy objects or recited magical prayers. We simply gave the situation to the Lord and followed his examples.

So what’s my point? Well I guess what intrigued me most about this book is how do I reconcile my experiences with the demonic being one way with Martin’s experiences being different, while at the same time both experiences actually happened?

Does the enemy play into our worldview? Meaning if we expect them to respond a certain way, will they try to twist it to their advantage, even during exorcism?

Or does God allow the demons to linger on longer as a way to get the Priest’s attention and to show that only He can expel the demons and not the Priest?

I’m not sure how it works.

There are some really good aspects to this book. Martin’s emphasis on making sure you are right with God before even thinking about conducting an exorcism is great. (Even if you aren’t planning an exorcism this is important.) I also really appreciated how Martin traced back over the possessed person’s life and showed how personal choices, deemed insignificant by the person, would eventually snowball into demonic possession and by the time the possessed realized what was going on, it was too late. But there is a price to be paid by reading this book. It definitely wouldn’t win the feel good book of the year award.

Bottom Line:

If you are a student of demonology, have a solid understanding of correct theology and are not easily offended by graphic depictions and language, I recommend reading this book which you can purchase by CLICKING HERE.

However, if even one of those areas does not describe you, than this is definitely not the book for you.

Here Come Labels!

2007-03-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later.... I just wasn't expecting it to be today. I logged on this afternoon planning to write up a book review of a book I just finished to find that the nice folks at blogger were being kind enough to give me the opportunity to upgrade to the new blogger, or my account would be deleted.

You can probably tell by the new look that with the upgrade came some changes. I had been avoiding the upgrade because the new system uses CSS instead of HTML which basically means I couldn't use my old template. Not a huge deal but I don't know the first thing about editing CSS code so I predict some "growing pains" are coming around the corner.

One great new feature that I'm real excited about is my site now has labels! Each post entry has been given a label. If you scroll down the right hand side to the "Table of Contents" you can pick a category and every post I've written under that label will appear. How great is that!

Now if I could just figure out how to resize boxes......

The Saddest Thing I Ever Heard…

2007-02-16T10:48:00.000-08:00

In a recent online interview with America Online utilizing Instant Messenger, actress Eva Mendes was asked about her character in the upcoming movie “Ghost Rider.” During the interview we see a moment of brutal honesty about the reality of her world. The following from Eva (writing under the user ID RoxieLovesBlaze and complete with typos) just broke my heart:

MoviefoneKevin: that's cool. did you check out the comic books at all?

RoxieLovesBlaze: yes! comic book roxie looks different than i do, and i just hope that die hard fans embrace me in this role. also, i love the idea of selling ur soul to the devil since i work in hollywood and i sell my soul a little every day.........

At first I thought this was just another victim of the Hollywood lifestyle. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized Jesus came in contact with people just like Eva two thousand years ago.

Jesus addressed the crowd in Mark 8:36-37 and asked “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? What will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

It appears that Eva has answered “a career in the limelight.”

Such a fleeting, temporal endeavor in exchange for the most precious of all gifts. My heart breaks when I think of the day when Eva comes face to face with the reality of Luke 12:20 where Jesus says:

"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'

Who was St. Valentine?

2007-02-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is celebrated every year on February 14th, but why? Who is the man behind this holiday known for candied hearts, chocolate, roses and love notes?

There are three Valentines who are noted as having lived in the late third century in the Roman Empire during Claudius II's reign. One was a priest in Rome, another a bishop of Interamna (modern Terni, Italy), and the third a martyr in a Roman province of Africa. Some believe the martyrdom of all three men named Valentine (or Valentinus) occurred on February 14th. Many scholars believe two of the Valentines, the priest in Rome and the bishop of Interamna, are the same, suggesting the bishop of Interamna was a Roman priest who became bishop and was sentenced there and brought to Rome for his execution. It is believed Valentine's execution occurred around the year 269 A.D. In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of Valentine's martyrdom to replace the pagan Roman holiday in celebration of the goddess Juno and the eve of the Feast of Lupercalia.

Many would agree Saint Valentine's life is a mystery. History proved his existence when archaeologists unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. He is mentioned in Jacobus de Voragine's Colden Legend, written circa 1260, about saints. (It is written that this was perhaps the most widely read book after the Bible during the late Middle Ages.) He was also featured in a woodcut in the illustrated book called The Nuremberg Chronic/e, printed in 1493.

Sources indicate it was Emperor Claudius II who had Valentine executed for secretly marrying Claudius' soldiers, defying an order from the emperor that soldiers were not allowed to marry. Claudius was having difficulty recruiting soldiers and believed the reason was an unwillingness for Roman men to leave their loved ones, as a soldier would be required to fight for at least 25 years. Therefore, Claudius banned all marriages and engagements. However, Valentine, along with Marius, secretly married couples until he was caught, apprehended and brought before the Prefect of Rome. It is even believed Valentine tried to convert Emperor Claudius and was then imprisoned. One legend says Valentine restored the sight of his jailer's daughter while he awaited his execution. Yet another legend says that on the eve of his death, he wrote a note to the jailer's daughter and signed it, "From your Valentine."

Despite the mystery and questions surrounding the man we have come to know as Valentine, the accounts of his courageous decision to marry couples against the Emperor's law and share the gospel with him stand as testimonies, encouraging us to stand up for Jesus Christ!

~ The Voice of the Martyrs, February 2006

Colosseum, Roman Forum, Mamertine Prison

2007-01-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

***Well this is it, the last post of this trip. It has been a long, and amazing 3 1/2 weeks. We have successfully made it home in one piece, with all of our luggage, and Emily and I are feeling much better. We appreciate all the prayers and emails of encouragement we received while we were gone. We are really looking forward to being able to teach to others what we have learned, in the near future.***

Sunday was spent seeing a final few sites in the city of Rome. We started out at the Colosseum.

I learned two interesting facts about the Colosseum. First, it hadn't even started to be built until 72AD so Paul wouldn't have seen it. Secondly, it wasn't finished until 80Ad and since Nero was already long dead by then, we can eliminate the myth that Nero killed Christians in the Colosseum.

This is an inscription on the Arch of Titus which was erected in 81 AD. I found this fascinating. Look closely at the inscription. It depicts the looting of Herod's Temple in Jerusalem by the Roman army after it's destruction in 70AD. Notice the menorah, the table of showbread and the two silver trumpets.

This is a view of the remains of the ancient Roman forum (marketplace).

The ashes of Julius Ceasar are here and people still pay their respects.

This is the "Milliarium Auream" or "Golden Milestone"(at least the base of it). Remember the phrase "All Roads Lead to Rome?" Well this is where mile marker zero was.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was seeing the Mamertine prison. This was the prison Paul (and probably Peter) were imprisoned in right before their executions. (Not to be confused with the apartment prison Paul stayed in during his first Roman imprisonment). Two things to note, first I'm 6 feet tall and my head is touching the ceiling. Secondly, the gray post on the left side of the picture is where the chains would have been attached to.

This is the only flat space in the entire cell. It is very probable that this is the exact location Paul wrote 2nd Timothy from.

For visitors there is now a convenient staircase but Paul (and Peter?) would have been lowered down, and received food through, this hole in the ground. (The white object you see is a person in the cell area).

St. Paul's Basilica (Burial Site) and Three Fountains (Execution Site)

2007-01-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

After spending the morning at the Vatican we journeyed just outside the city limits to two of the sites I was really looking forward to; the execution and burial locations of Paul. It was much more intense than I was expecting. Probably because for the previous 3 weeks we had been recreating his every step, reading passages from the Bible in their cities of destination or origin, and these two locatoins are where it all ended.

While visiting these two sites the irony was not lost on me that Paul started out as a persecutor of Christians and then died as a persecuted Christian. I wonder if this would have been some form of closure for him for the guilt he surely felt at times?

These are the stones Paul walked on from his holding cell as he was marched to his execution spot.

This monument stands over the spot that church tradition says he was executed at. Because Paul was a Roman citizen, he couldn't be crucified. (Peter was not a Roman citizen.) Therefore he was beheaded which was seen as much more humane.

Church tradition says that Paul's head bounced three timies and in each location a fountain sprang up. There is an altar like this one in each of those three locations. (Paul's execution location is now a monastery). Considering that these fountains are about 30 feet apart from each other I'd say that it'd be just about impossible for this to be true, but it's interesting non-the-less.

After his death one of his friends in Rome took his body a few miles down the road to her family burial location. St. Paul's Basilica now stands over that location.

This altar stands over the spot Paul's body is located.

This is as close as you can get to Paul's coffin.

Scientists have identified Paul's coffin because it has these words on it which mean "Paul, Apostle, Martyr." However for some reason they are hesitant to open it to verify that Paul is in there. (I guess the only way to verify would be if the neck bone is severed than it's probably Paul but if it's not than you got the wrong guy.) Why won't they do this? Is it perhaps because of the loss revenue if it isn't him?

The Vatican

2007-01-22T21:04:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a very busy day in Rome. The first half of it was spent touring the Vatican. While I'm not going to spend the time write now to explain the numerous reasons why, it's safe to say I'm not Catholic. That being said I was very interested in seeing the Vatican, especially since it has had such a huge impact on history. I had mixed reactions. On one hand I was wowed by the sheer splender of the place. The architecture and paintings are stunning. On the other I was saddened. It seemed so spiritually empty. So many rituals but no passion. One of our group members went to take communion in St. Peter's. The Priest asked him if he was a Catholic. He responded with "I'm a devout follower of Jesus Christ." The Priest again asked him "But are you a Catholic." He responded with "I'm a Christian." "Then you may not take communion" and he walked away. Truly Sad.

Photo of St. Peter's taken from the square. St. Peter's was built partly as a statement of the counter-reformation.

If you look at the four yellow windows, apparently the Pope lives in the second one from the right. (At least I overheard a tour guide say that).

This is the Papal altar where the Pope gives mass. It is also the alledged burial site of Peter. Traditionally on June 29th (64 AD or 67 AD depending on your view), church history holds that both Paul and Peter were martyred. Peter was crucified upside down (alongside of his wife) at the Circus of Nero which was just outside of present day St. Peter’s. Excavations have found the bones of a 60ish year old man from the 1st century AD have been found under the altar but how can one know if they belong to Peter?

Embalmed bodies of past Popes (such as this one of Pope John XXIII of Vatican II fame) are found throughout St. Peter's for devout Catholics to pray to.

While walking through the Vatican museum I was disturbed to see many statues of various dieties such as this one of Artemis. Why would you have images of false gods in the Vatican?

This is a double edged sword found on a statue. I included this photo because this is the type of sword used to execute Paul.

Ostia Antica and the Appian Way

2007-01-21T23:35:00.000-08:00

We successfully made it from Athens to Rome very early friday morning. Unfortunately Rome doesn’t have as much internet access as I was hoping for so these last three posts are a bit late. (I'll post one now and the remaining ones tomorrow when I get back to the States.)

After landing in Rome we immediately traveled down to Ostia Antica. Ostia was the ancient port city for Rome. Paul’s journey into Rome started down in the boot of Italy so he wouldn’t have come in through Ostia. However, if Paul was released at the end of his two year imprisonment (which I believe he was) and if he did travel on to Spain (which some of the Epistles hint at and Church history states that he did) than he would have most likely departed from this seaport.

Ostia has one of the few known (and best preserved) synagogues from the 1st century AD in the Roman world.

The early church (pre-Constantine) in Rome met in one of three locations: villas, synagogues or apartment blocks. Below is the picture of the remains of an apartment block. Never higher than 50 feet, apartments offered absolutely zero privacy. Since the poorest lived on the top floors, it is likely that’s where the Christians met as well.

We then left Ostia and drove to within a few miles of the city walls of ancient Rome and walked the final two and a half miles of the Appian Way which leads into Rome. This is the road Paul took to enter Rome.

Roman law mandates that the dead are buried outside of the city. As Paul was walking up the Appian Way and about to enter into Rome he would have seen thousands of graves such as the one below lining the road. As he was journeying to Rome a prisoner to be tried and likely executed, I imagine this was incredibly difficult emotionally.

This is me on the ancient steps of the Appian Way, just a few miles outside of Rome. Paul walked these very steps.

Hundreds of thousands of graves like this one, line the entrance into a city.

Athens

2007-01-18T09:11:00.000-08:00

We visited the city of Athens today. Interestingly Athens, like Rome, Istanbul and Lisbon, has 7 hills in the city. I also found in interesting that there are no skyscrapers in the city. I couldn’t find any building higher than 6 to 10 stories tall. They don’t want anything coming close to the height of the acropolis I guess.

Emily and I in front of the world famous Parthenon.

Climbing to the top of Mars Hill.

This is Mars Hill from the Parthenon. Notice the agora at the far right of the photo.

Acts 17:16 “While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.”

These are just a few of the idols that Paul would have walked by. It was said that in ancient Athens it was easier to find an idol than a human. Later in the day we walked through the National Museum of Greece in Athens and it was packed full of idol statues found during excavations. I can easily see why Paul would have gotten so upset.

As we realized in many other sites, there is such a deeper understanding of the Scriptures having actually been here. I’m realizing things that never noticed before. For example, as Paul is defending his case against the aeropagus (the court responsible for defending Zeus against new ideas), he says:

Acts 17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands”

Paul would have been saying this less than 100 yards from the temple to Apollo. Not only that but right over his shoulder the aeropagus would have been looking directly at the temple to Athena (now known as the Parthenon) looming against the skyline. This would have been a very clear message to the court. There are tons of other examples of this in the passage.

Corinth, Isthmia, and Cenchreae

2007-01-17T08:47:00.000-08:00

We visited Isthmia, Cenchreae and Corinth today. Isthmia is where the famous Isthmian games of ancient times originated and Cenchrea is mentioned in both Romans 16 and Acts 18 as the harbor Paul used coming in and out of the Corinth area. But since Corinth is such an important Biblical site, I'll keep my post focused there.

This is a view ALMOST from the top of Acro-Corinth where the Temple of Aphrodite and her 1000 temple prostitutes were. Sailors would come into port and hike two hours up a grueling path just to ...um ... visit with the temple workers. In the background nestled in the mountains is the city of Delphi.

This is a very important inscription. It used to be filled with bronze letters but those were stolen. It reads "Erastus in return for his aedileship [a top city official position] laid [this pavement] at his own expense." Due to several factors such as Erastus being a very uncommon name as well as the job description we are virtually certain this is the samae Erastus of Romans 16:23 and 2 Timothy 4:19.

This is the Bema seat that Paul would have stood before Gallio at. This was a huge event because when Gallio refused to hear the case, he was acknowledging Christianity as a part of Judiasm (which was a protected religion). When the Roman governnment realized Christianity was something very different several years later, that is when the persecution began.

This is the Corinth Canal. It was built in the 1800's so that they no longer had to put boats and cargo on rollers to get across the isthmus.

Here is one of the few known busts of the infamous Nero. Do you think perhaps his insanity was due in any small part to the fact that he had enormous ears? (Click on the photo to see what I mean).

Delphi

2007-01-16T09:55:00.000-08:00

Delphi. For those familiar with it the name is synonymous with evil. If Jerusalem was the throne of God, than Delphi was the seat of Satan. This was the center of all ancient cult worship. This is where people would come from all over the known world every year to consult with the future-telling oracle. I don't have enough time to really go into all the details, but let's just say 2000 years ago you probably wouldn't want to raise your kids here.

This is the Temple to Apollo and the center of the cult city. People would hand a priest a written question to ask the oracle. The priest would then enter into the temple where the oracle was sitting in a special chamber. Interestingly this chamber was directly over a fissure in the earth that emitted noxious vapors. These vapors would cause the oracle to utter nonsense words which would be interpreted by the priests. (These interpretations were very vague). The oracle could never be wrong.

This is the entrance to the oracle chamber.

We walked through the Delphi museuem which is loaded with artifacts from the cult days. You can still very clearly feel a strong sense of demonic oppression in certain parts of the museum.

Thessalonica and Berea

2007-01-15T11:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, I think this post should just about bring us up to date. Yesterday Emily and I visited Thessalonica and Berea (which I'll write about in just a minute) and today we took a long bus ride down through the countryside and visited a monestary high atop some cliffs. We then continued through the country and are spending the night in Delphi. I should have some pictures of Delphi in my next post.

Emily's throat is much better but she still has a bit of a cough. Both of our stomachs are feeling better but are still not 100%.

We've been so many places it seems a bit confusing so here's a map with a rough estimate of the route we've taken so far:

We began the day in Thessalonica. I was disappointed as there are hardly any ruins at all. Most of this modern city has been built on top of the ruins so there's no way to excavate them.

Modern Thessalonica. I doubt Paul stopped at this Starbucks on his journey. Note the ruins to the left.

These agora remains are about the only ruins in the entire city.

After Thessalonica we visited Vergina (where Phillip II was assassinated and Alexander the Great crowned King) and saw the royal tombs. We then headed to nearby Berea. I was really looking forward to visiting Berea but when I got there I discovered there are no ruins left. The entire city has been built up. However there was this monument built in the old part of town.

This is the site of an ancient Synagogue although there is no way to know for sure if this is where Paul met with the Bereans.

Philippi and Neapolis

2007-01-15T10:46:00.000-08:00

Following Paul's route (though we went by land instead of by sea) once he received his vision of the Macedonian man, we left Assos very early in the morning and took a ferry across the Dardanelles. After a long bus ride we crossed the border into Greece and headed towards Kavala. Kavala is the modern day name for the city of Neapolis, the seaport Paul landed in as he entered into Greece for the first time on his second journey.

Now a storage area for old boats, this is what's left of the ancient harbor Paul sailed into.

Sunrise over the Egnatian Way. This is the road Paul took from the harbor of Neapolis towards Philippi.

Philippi is only about 5 miles from Neapolis, easily a one day's journey.

This is the traditional location of Lydia's baptism.

It's a bit difficult to see from here but in the foreground is the bema (judment) seat that Paul and Silas stood at as the city government decided to send them to jail. The marketplace they were dragged to for exorcising a demon is in the background.

This is the traditional site of Paul and Silas' jail.

Assos, Troas and Troy

2007-01-15T10:28:00.000-08:00

Emily and I both came down with some stomach bug (she's still batteling her other illness on top of this) but even though we weren't feeling well we spent the day visiting some very interesting places. We started the day with a sunrise at Assos. This is the city that Paul sailed to and from on his third journey.

This is the road Paul would have used to enter the city.

The small harbor in Assos hasn’t changed very much since Paul’s time. It’s still in use today.

We then went over to Troas, a city Paul visited no less than 5 times. I was really looking forward to visiting Troas for two major reasons: First, it’s where Paul had his vision of the Macedonian man on his second journey and it’s also where God (via Paul) raised Eutychus (who’s name means “good fortune”) from the dead after he fell asleep during one of Paul’s sermons and fell from a window.

This unknown temple in Troas dates back to the 1st century BC. Paul would have walked by it quite a few times.

We then headed over to Troy of the Iliad fame. This excavation is divided into 9 strata’s or layers so it’s hard to know what you are looking at.

These are the walls that would have been in use during the time of the Iliad.

These bricks from a mud house date back to 2500BC.

Pergamum

2007-01-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

It’s been 5 days since we had internet access so I have a lot of posting to do…..

Yesterday we spent the night in a beautiful hotel on the Aegean Sea in the city of Assos. Unfortunately it had no internet so I couldn’t post any photos.

We had spent the day in the last of the seven churches of revelation, Pergamum.

Like most cities in Turkey, the modern city is built over the remains of the ancient one. This is modern Pergamum, a beautiful little cobblestone town.

These are the remains of the temple the Emperor Trajan had built for himself to be worshiped as a god. There is a nearby inscription that reads “Lord of the land and the sea.”

There is a building called the Red Hall dating back to the 2nd century AD. It was built under Emperor Hadrian and was a Temple dedicated to the Egyptian Gods. Pergamum had quite a relationship with Egypt. Especially since it’s library was second only to Alexandria’s. The citizens of Pergamum are also the one’s that mastered the use of parchment (goatskin) manuscripts.

This is the remains of one of the Egyptian god’s statues.

The excavated remains of a banquet room.

Sardis, Philadelphia and Thyatira

2007-01-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Sardis, Philadelphia and Thyatira ; three of the churches from the book of Revelation. Philadelphia and Thyatira have hardly any excavation done and most of Sardis’ ruins are reconstructions from the remains so there aren’t many interesting photographs to share.

Sardis - Reconstructed gymnasium dating to 2nd century AD.

Sardis - Temple to Artemis with a church dating to the 4th century AD right next to it.

Sardis - Bema Seat – In a synagogue there were two bema seats. One was used to decide civil matters (as Jews didn’t use courts) and the other is the bema of Moses, used to read the Torah.

Philadelphia – Large unexcavated stadium.

Thyatira – “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God…” -Revelation 3:12a

Smyrna (Modern Izmir)

2007-01-08T05:47:00.000-08:00

***Emily has been battling a very bad cold, would you please take a few seconds to pray for her? We'd greatly appreciate it.***

We spent today in the third largest city in Turkey, Izmir. Izmir used to be known by a differnet name, Smyrna. The same Smyrna referred to as the "suffering church" in Revelation chapter 2.

In addition to claiming to be the birthplace of Homer (of Iliad and Odyssey fame) Smyrna is also well known for being the location that Polycarp, a disciple and friend of the disciple John, was the Bishop for over 40 years. It was also the place he was martyred (first by burning and when that failed, by stabbing).

Just before he was executed he was given one last chance to spare his life and denouce Christ, in response he said:

"For 86 years I have served [Christ] and he has done me no wrong, how can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"

The agora (marketplace) of ancient Smyrna.

Beautiful archways under the agora (marketplace).

This is the best preserved Roman road in all of Asia Minor.

View of modern day Smyrna (Izmir). This is also the place where the old theatre used to be and where Polycarp was martyred.

Ephesus

2007-01-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

Playing one of the most important roles in the expansion of the early church, Ephesus was an amazing city to visit. Even though Acts 19 and Revelation 2 give us some great information about this city, I never really realized just how much happened here. Paul (on his 2nd and 3rd journeys), Apollos, Aquila and Pricilla ministered here, 1st Corinthians, John's Gospel along with, 1, 2, and 3 John were all written from here. Paul taught his “seminary” here in the lecture hall of Tyrannus for two years where future church planters such as Epaphras, Tychius , Trophimus, Philemon and Archippus were trained. These men planted churches in Colossae, Laodicea, Hierapolis, and the seven churches in Revelation. The 3rd Ecumenical Council which defeated Nestorianism and established the hypostatic union (2 natures, 1 person) took place as well as so much more.

The city of Ephesus is sectioned out with the upper and lower sections. This is a photo of the central area looking over the fountain in the center of town, taken from the foundations of the Temple to Domitian.

These are some of the excavated terrace houses. All of these beautifully decorated rooms belong to one home with the pillars as the “living room” area.

And about that time there arose no small disturbance concerning the Way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, "Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. "And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. "And not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship should even be dethroned from her magnificence." And when they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" And the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia. And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him. And also some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater. So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and the majority did not know for what cause they had come together. And some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" And after quieting the multitude, the town clerk said, "Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, and of the image which fell down from heaven? "Since then these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. "For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. "So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. " But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly. "For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today's affair, since there is no real cause for it; and in this connection we shall be unable to account for this disorderly gathering." And after saying this he dismissed the assembly. And after the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples and when he had exhorted them and taken his leave of them, he departed to go to Macedonia. – Acts 19:23 – 20:1

This is the commercial agora where Demetrius gathered with the other craftsman and the riot began.

This is the theatre, about 150 yards away where the entire town gathered until the city clerk could calm them.

This is the Church of Mary, the traditional site of the 3rd Ecumenical Council.

The only one of the 12 disciples to die a natural death, this is the tomb of John, caretaker of Mary, exile from Patmos, loved by Jesus.

Didyma, Miletus, and Priene

2007-01-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

Today started off with a three hour bus ride in the early morning towards the Aegean coast of Turkey. For those that have been keeping track, our journey thus far has looked something like this:

We finally arrived in the early afternoon at our first stop; the ancient city of Didyma where we visited an ancient temple of Apollo.

This is the inside of the temple of Apollo’s courtyard.

This is an early Christian symbol (similar to the fish). When placed on top of each other, the Greek letters standing for “Jesus Christ, God, Son, Savior” can be found in this symbol.

We then went over to Miletus which is found in both Acts 20:14-26 and 2nd Timothy 4:20. This is where Paul stopped at the very end of his third journey and delivered his very moving speech to the elders of the nearby Ephesian church. I had the opportunity to read the passage to our group in the Miletus theatre but won’t post the video because it’s really large and I haven’t edited it down yet.

This is what part of ancient Miletus would have looked like.

This inscription reads “Place of the Jews who are also the God fearers”

We then headed over towards ancient Priene, a small city of about 5,000 founded by Alexander the Great.

This is where Alexander the Great stayed when he visited Priene.

This Menorah is just about all that remains of an ancient house synagogue in Priene.

Laodicia and Colossae

2007-01-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

Mentioned in Colossians 4 and Revelation 3, Laodicia was one of the seven churches singled out by Jesus in the book of Revelation. In fact it was the only one of the seven not to have anything positive said about it.

In Revelation 3 Jesus refers to the church in Laodicia as poor, blind and naked which I found interesting because the city was incredibly wealthy, produced a world famous eye salve, and was a regional leader in textile manufacturing. Of course he is referring to their spiritual state but I was most struck by the phrase “I will give him the right to sit with me on my throne” in verse 21. Those in the tiny Christian community in this city must have been awestruck to contrast that image with the huge Roman Empire they knew so well.

A very rare find, a Jewish Menorah with a cross above it chiseled into a marble column.

These are the remains of the aqueduct that brought the famous lukewarm water into the city.

I’m holding some of the piping from the aqueduct.

This is all that remains of the water tower. The water tower would redirect water from the aqueduct to various parts of the city.

Unfortunately there isn’t much to see at Colossae. It is a tell like Lystra as it hasn’t been excavated yet (which is pretty convenient for the opium farmer who currently has his farm there). But we did read through Paul’s letter to Philemon as the slave owner was a resident of Colossae.

As we read the letter I was struck by the fact that God the Father is very much like Philemon and Paul is acting very much like Jesus insofar as Onesimus is the sinner. Paul is interceding on Onesimus’ behalf to him who is rightfully owed (Philemon). Powerful.

We also talked about the fact that history places a Onesimus as the Bishop of Ephesus and many scholars think that this is the same Onesimus. This would make sense especially because many believe that Bishop Onesimus was the one who began collecting all of Paul’s letters into one central source.

Me in Colossae.

Hierapolis

2007-01-05T19:31:00.000-08:00

Mentioned only in Colossians 4:13, the church in Hierapolis was founded by Epaphras. We known Epaphras met Paul in Ephesus but we aren’t sure how. There are three main theories that are accepted:

1. Epaphras was attending a pilgrimage to the Temple of Artemis.
2. He was a member of a civic delegation.
3. He was a merchant doing business there.

Regardless of how they met, we know that Epaphras was the primary church planter in the Lycius valley which included Hierapolis, Colossae and Laodicia (of Revelation fame).

These are the main gates into the city

After Emperor Domitian died, the Senate hated him so much they demanded his name be chiseled out of every stone in the Roman Empire. (They did this with many people they didn’t like) This picture shows an example of where that happened. This helps us understand the church in Sardis would have understood and really related to Jesus’ words in Revelation 3:5 where He promises to never blot out their name from the book of life.

Can you see the Menorah at the top of the lid of this sarcophagus (ancient coffin)? We tend to think the Star of David as the standing symbol of Judaism but the Menorah was the standing symbol for over 1500 years.

Built in the 5th century AD, the Martyrion of St. Philip was erected as the final resting place of the disciple Philip. Tradition and the Apocryphal Acts of Philip state that he was executed here by upside down crucifixion.

Mandrake plants are all over Turkey. You may remember them as the fertility drug used by Leah and Rachel to barter for time with Jacob (Genesis 30). Emily and I try to steer clear of these plants.

That’s not snow but rather calcium covered thermal pools. These are the famous hot springs of Pamukkale right next to Hierapolis.

Attalia (Modern Antakya)

2007-01-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

Today was mostly a travel day. It was the first morning we could sleep in (until 7:30am) and boy did we love that!!! Attalia was the port city from which Paul and Barnabas finished their first journey and sailed back to Antioch on the Orontes from. We spent the morning at a museum in Antakya that had many artificats from excavated Perga. Some of my favorites are below:

P.S. Perhaps the best news of all, I think (not positive) that I fixed the bug and you should now be able to click on photos (going forward) to enlarge them.

This pottery dates to Paul's time

More pottery from Paul's time.

Iconography dating to the 5th century AD

The real St. Nicholas lived in Myra, not to far from Attalia. Here are some of his, uh, "relics" (notice the jaw bone).

Our drive to Pamukkale took us through many mountains. During the drive it began to snow and at one of our rest stops we had a great snowball fight. I often forget that Paul would have had to travel through harsh conditions like this to spread the gospel.

Perga

2007-01-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

“Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John left them and returned to Jerusalem.” – Acts 13:13

Paul and Barnabas arrived here on their first journey. Most of the remains date to the second half of first to second century so it’s beyond Paul’s time except for the main city gates, Paul definitely would have walked through them.

We're standing next to the gates Paul and Barnabas walked through at the entrance to the city.

Perga is where John Mark left Paul and Barnabas on the first journey. Historically scholars have come up with different theories as to the reason for his departure. These theories range from persecution to illness to homesickness. However our traveling archeologist, Dr. Mark Wilson, has a different theory. He believes that the conversion of Sergius Paulus in Cyprus was a turning point northward in a journey that should have taken them to North Africa. Dr. Wilson believes that Paul was originally headed to Alexandria based on the fact that Antioch on the Orontes was first evangelized by North African Christians and it had a heavy North African population so it would make sense that Paul’s commissioning church would send him there. However when Sergius Paulus became a Christian, things changed. Since Pisidian Antioch is the hometown of Sergius Paulus and he would have had major connections there. (This also helps explain why Paul and Barnabas didn’t evangelize in Perga during their first trip through here like they did in other cities but rather they went straight through to Pisidian Antioch). Dr. Wilson believes that John Mark may have left Paul and Barnabas in anger because he wanted to go to North Africa and not Pisidian Antioch. (This would also correlate with church history stating that John Mark later went on to evangelize and was subsequently martyred in Alexandria). While there’s no way to be sure either way, I think it makes for an interesting theory.

Although many ruins are post-Paul (just barely) it is clearly a very social culture. I can easily picture Paul discussing theology and evangelizing in a public bathhouse. The agora (marketplace) is such an integral part of the city, there is no other conclusion to make but that Paul was a street evangelist.

The agora at Perga.

Remains of a bathhouse.

Looking at everything and picturing it complete with roofs, covered in marble, etc, I can see how beautiful these cities were. We have nothing like them in today’s world. It’s definitely our loss.

This is the floor of the bathhouse. The entire city was covered in various marble patterns.

Side and Aspendos

2007-01-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

We stopped by three sites today. The first two were Side (pronounced "See - Day") and Aspendos. Although not directly mentioned in the Bible, these two sites have much to offer in the way of ancient ruins of Paul's day.

Side, an ancient major seaport, is a place Paul likely visited at some time. If he didn't stay here, he most likely saw it from a distance during his sail to Rome.

The beautiful ancient seaport of Side on the Mediterranean.

After spending time in Side we traveled a few dozen miles to Aspendos. Aspendos has the best preserved theatre in all of Asia Minor. Built under Marcus Aurelius between 161 - 180 AD, this theatre is so well preserved that it is still in use today. Emily, myself and some of my classmates performed a song here to test the acoustics. They were amazing.

Here's the view from the top of the theatre.

Here is the view from the stage. I'm the red dot in the center.

The remains of the Roman aqueduct are amazing.

Here's Emily being conned, er... acting like a local.

Reading Acts 13 in Pisidian Antioch

2007-01-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

The highlight of the day was a reading of Paul’s sermon in Acts 13. There we were, standing amongst the ruins of the great city; listening to the very words Paul spoke to the citizens there 2000 years ago. Very powerful.

Here’s the video.

Pisidian Antioch

2007-01-02T11:04:00.000-08:00

After several hours of driving (I can't believe Paul walked all this way), we finally arrived. We drove through the city to the ruins of ancient Pisidian Antioch.

Welcome to Pisidian Antioch

This is the main road in ancient Pisidian Antioch

I'm walking in Paul's footsteps

These are the remains of shops at the main entrance to the city. Kind of like the ancient version of a mall.

These are the ruins of Temple to Ceasar Augustus.

This is all that remains of a Basilica from the 4th century AD. It was known as the seat of Optimus, the Archbishop of the province of Pisidia who represented Antioch at the council of Constantinople in 381 AD. Many people believe that the synagogue Paul spoke at in Acts 13 is buried beneath the Basilica.

Iconium

2007-01-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

Although we spent the night in Iconium (now called Konya) there wasn’t much to see so we headed on towards Pisidian Antioch. I was amazed at the number of mosques in this city. There are hundreds of them. I later found out that Konya has the most number of mosques in all of Turkey.

Modern day Iconium

Along our way to Pisidian Antioch we paralleled the Via Sebaste, an ancient road connecting Perga to Pisidian Antioch to Iconium. The road dates back to the 6th century BC and is the road Paul would have taken on his first journey.

Emily standing on what is left of the Via Sebaste

When we arrived in Pisidian Antioch we first headed to a museum of artifacts from the area.

An early infant baptistry (notice the cross)

Tarsus and Lystra

2007-01-01T10:13:00.000-08:00

Today we left Adana and made our way to Tarsus and Lystra. Tarsus was the boyhood home of Paul and was "no ordinary city" (Acts 21:39). We're pretty confident this was Paul's hometown because Jesus Himself said it was in Acts 9:11. This city has also hosted other significant figures in history such as Marc Antony, Cleopatra, Xerxes, Darius, and Alexander the Great.

A view of modern day Tarsus.

Perhaps the most impressive of the remains of Tarsus. This is all that is left of the ancient main road that ran through the center of town. The ruins just to the side are the remains of a marketplace. Paul would have traveled through here almost daily.

This is the old entrance to the city. It is now called the "Gate of Cleopatra" and legend says she passed through this gate on her way to marry Marc Antony.

Archeologists are unsure of what this giant ancient structure dating to 200AD is but they believe it may be some sort of cult temple. The archeologist traveling with our group said there is nothing else from the ancient world of this magnatude in all of Turkey.

The Kidnis river is where Alexander the Great bathed and caught an illness that almost killed him in 333 BC. It is also the river that Paul would have played in as a child.

After leaving Tarsus we traveled through the Cilician Gates which aren't actual gates but a very narrow passage through the Tarsus mountains. Paul would have traveled through here with Silas on his 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys. Many other famous historical figures would have traveled through here as well.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture to post but I will say this; I was completely amazed at how difficult the travel was to get from Tarsus to Iconium. The mountain passage was extremely rugged and difficult followed by foothills and plains of equally tough terrain. Realizing that what took us 3 hours to drive through probably took a week's worth of difficult travel made me really begin to appreciate the hard work and dedication that Paul was willing to endure to spread the message of Jesus.

After driving several hours we passed Iconium (where we are staying tonight and visiting tomorrow) and went to visit Lystra. I was very excited about visiting Lystra because it's one of my favorite places Paul visited in all his journeys.

Paul visited Lystra on both his 1st and 2nd journeys and here are the main events that took place in this tiny little town:

1. Paul miracously heals a man lame from birth.

2. Paul and Barnabas are worshiped as they are thought to be Zeus and Hermes in the flesh.

3. Paul is stoned to death and raised from the dead.

4. Paul recruits and circumcises Timothy who becomes his protege and the receipient of two personal letters.

5. The church here is one of the intended receipients of the letter to the Galatians.

However what I didn't know is that while archeologists have found very strong proof that this is the location of Lystra, it has yet to be excavated. So when we arrived, this is what we saw:

It's not a hill but rather a tell (an archaeological site in the form of an earthern mound that accumulates from mineral buildup over time) that covers modern day Lystra.

Here is the view from the top.

Me playing archeologist. I'm actually holding several pottery shards I found. I don't know how old they are but they looked very old.

Antioch on the Orontes and Seleucia

2006-12-31T11:43:00.000-08:00

We started out day in Antioch on the Orontes (also known as Syrian Antioch). What an incredible experience to be in this city, so rich in Christian history. Antioch was the hub of Paul's missionary activities, his journeys usually started and ended here, his commissioning church was here, he confronted Peter here (Galatians 2), he took rest here between trips, the letter with the result of the Jerusalem council was addressed to the people here, many believe Matthew wrote his gospel from here, Paul likely wrote his letter to the Galatians from here, and it was the first place the word "Christian" was ever used.

P.S. You'll be glad to know our bags finally arrived this morning.

The city of Antioch looks much different today than it did in Paul's time.

The Orontes River flows through the center of Antioch as it did in Paul's day.

We spent some time studying artifacts at the museum in Antioch.

We then made our way about 25 miles Southwest to Seleucia. Seleucia is the port city where Paul and Barnabas set sail for Cyprus on their first missionary journey.

The two inlets into the sea are all that remains of this ancient seaport.

As we walked along the ancient seaport I looked out to sea thinking about Paul and Barnabas doing the very same thing some 2000 years ago, wondering what God had in store for them on their journey.

This is the inscription of the Emperor when Titus' tunnel was completed in 72 AD.

Greetings From Istanbul!!!

2006-12-30T13:17:00.000-08:00

We finally made it here… Well kind of. Emily and I and all our classmates made it but our bags didn’t. Last I heard all of our bags (yes all 40 from our entire group) were somewhere between London and Adana, Turkey. Although we’ve been wearing the same clothes now for over 48 hours, our spirits are sky high as we prepare to study firsthand the journeys of the Apostle Paul.

We spent the today (the 30th) in Istanbul. It was freezing cold but we saw several amazing sites in the only city in the world that spans two continents.

The Blue Mosque (named for the tiles on the inside and not the outward appearance) was a bit of a let down. I had heard so much about it but when we were actually there it seemed to be more for tourists than a Muslim place of worship. Interestingly enough myself and a fellow student, Onsi, both felt a significant lack of a feeling of demonic oppression than we had felt at other mosques before.

We then visited the Hagia Sophia (the center of the Eastern Church for a thousand years). It was sad to see how much destruction of the church had taken place when it was converted into a Mosque in 1432 (it is now a museum). However the history of this building is amazing. Of the 7 Ecumenical councils, numbers 5 and 6 took place here. It was also the first basilica to have a single domed roof.

The Ecumenical Councils took place right here

The mosaics on the walls (many of which were covered up by plaster when the basilica was converted to a mosque) are absolutely stunning. This picture is made up of thousands of single colored pieces of glass.

We caught a late flight and headed 350 miles south to Adana, the 4th largest city in Turkey. Tomorrow we’ll see Antioch (Paul’s base of operations and the first place the word “Christian” was used) and Seleucia (the port Paul and Barnabas sailed to Cyprus on their first journey).

What is Chanukah?

2006-12-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

The celebration of the Jewish festival of Chanukah (sometimes written as Hanukkah) remains a mystery to many Bible believers. It begins this year on Friday, December 15, at sundown. Its beginning is on the Jewish Shabat this year. The date is Kislev 25 on the Jewish calendar. It continues for eight days in commemorating the tradition that the oil for the light in the Second Temple (the one built in the time of Haggai and Zechariah – completed in 516 BCE) was sustained so that the Maccabees could finished [sic] their victory over Antiochus Epiphanes and the Seleucid domination of the Holy Land. The Temple was then cleansed from its pagan defilement.

Jewish People give gifts to one another on each day of this celebration, usually beginning with a small item that does not cost a great deal. Each day the gifts increase in value.

The prominent symbol of the celebration of Chanukah is a Menorah with nine branches instead of the seven used for the Temple Menorah (lampstand). The four branches on each side of a central candle (total of eight) represent the eight days that tradition says the light of the Temple was sustained miraculously by the oil. The arguments among Jewish scholars over the significance of the central candle continue to this day, but the prevalent view of rabbinical tradition is that the central candle refers to the light of the Messiah Himself!

That seems to match what we read in the Gospel of John. In John 10:22 we read that our Lord Yeshua was present at this “feast of dedication” in Jerusalem, and it was “winter.” In John 7:2 we know that the events of that chapter were clearly at the time of the “feast of Tabernacles” which comes in the fall in the month of Tishrei (Tishrei 15-22), which is the seventh month o the Jewish calendar. The following month is Cheshvan, and immediately following is the month of Kislev when Chanukah is celebrated. So, the period of time between the events of John 7 and John 10 is approximately 63 days. Some Biblical scholars believe that there is a slight “time gap” between John 7 and John 8, the story of the women taken in adultery. In John 8:12 Yeshua said: “I am the LIGHT of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Similar words were spoken by our Lord in John 12:35-36, 46.

In John 8:20 we learn that the words of our Lord Yeshua about being the “LIGHT of the world” were spoken in the “treasury” as He “taught in the temple.” If the occasion was connected with the celebration of Chanukah, then we know that giant candelabras were lit in that area of the Temple during the festival; and all the way from Amman, Jordan, it looked like Jerusalem was on fire (remark in the writings of Flavius Josephus)! It appears from the closing words of John 8, that Yeshua escaped an attempt to stone Him. John 9 is the story of the man born blind who was healed by our Lord. It is possible that the words of John 10 about the Shepherd and His sheep should be connected with the story of John 9. In any case, by John 10:22 we are now at the “feast of dedication (Chanukah).”

This celebration is known as the “festival of lights,” and many scholars believe that all the “lights” associated with the celebration of Christmas actually have their roots in the Jewish festival of Chanukah.

Reprinted from Hope for Today Newletter Volume XI Number 12 - “What is Chanukah” by David Hocking

The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson

2006-12-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

After my experience in Eastern Europe last September I realized I didn't know as much about spiritual warfare as I should. So I picked up several books dealing with the topic. I just finished one of them entitled The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson.

Anderson divides the book into three parts. The first part examines a Christian's identity in Christ while the second part looks deeper into Satan's tactics to defeat us. I thought these two sections were good but he could have condensed it considerably.

However it's the third section, "Steps to Freedom" that I found most helpful. Based on the premise that "...people are not in bondage because of past traumas - they are in bondage to the lies they believed as a result of past traumas" Anderson puts forth a seven step process to teach Christians God's truths and help them overcome the enemy.

Don't be fooled, Anderson clearly rejects that there is anything magical about the words or process used. Helping Christians to discern and reject lies about them from Satan and learning to see themselves as God sees them, will set them free from bondage. Anderson then gives a step by step process to help Christians discover Satan's footholds in their lives and how they can remove these footholds through prayer and confession.

For the most part I think this book is fantastic and I recommend every Christian buy it. I also very highly recommend every Christian to go on a half-day personal retreat to complete chapter 13's Steps to Freedom in Christ.

You can buy the book by clicking here The Bondage Breaker®

The Guardian

2006-10-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

Due to the busyness of my schedule I don’t often get a chance to go to the movies and when I do, I usually go to one that doesn’t require much heavy thinking, as a way to “escape” if you will. This blog is not a source for movie reviews, however it does focus on contemporary apologetics and after watching this movie, it got me thinking about something that I wanted to share with you.

I went and saw “The Guardian” a few days ago. The Guardian (staring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher) is a movie about the United States Coast Guard rescue swimmers. Although the film takes some creative license, these men and women have arguable the most difficult job in the world. When you are far out to sea in the middle of a dangerous storm and your boat is sinking, these men and women risk their own lives, as their motto so clearly states, “So Others May Live.”

So others may live. What a noble concept; sacrificially ending one’s own existence so that someone else can extend theirs. It sounds nice but is it accurate?

Perhaps being accurate isn't the right question. Perhaps a better question would be to ask “Is believing in the nobility of laying down one’s life so that another can live, consistent with a person’s worldview?”

Let me try to unpack that a bit:

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I believe that human beings are valuable because they are made in the image of God (See Genesis 1:26). Sacrificing one’s own existence for another is noble and virtuous. John 15:13 says “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

However not everyone can say that. There are many different worldviews and religions that teach many different things. Depending on your specific worldview/religious beliefs will determine whether you truly believe saving another’s life at great personal risk is noble, foolish, or moot.

Consider the following:

Evolution/Naturalism – An evolutionist (or naturalist) believes that mankind exists as the result of pure accident. That protons, neutrons and atoms just happened to combine the right way to create life and over billions of years humans are the latest in a series of life forms. But if you believe in evolution you can’t ascribe worth to a human any more than you can a rock. Neither has more value than the other. Jumping from a helicopter into 20 foot seas to save a person is no more noble than trying to save a piece of granite.

Furthermore, risking your life to save another is contradictory to the “survival of the fittest” philosophy embraced by Charles Darwin. Darwin stated that mankind’s chief end is to survive in order to pass down your genes to the next generation. Those most fit to survive will pass on their genes and those least fit will die off, thereby continuing the evolutionary process. But by risking your life to save someone else, you not only risk removing yourself from the gene pool, but enabling one “less fit” to continue to pass their genes on. Rather than being a righteous action, the rescue swimmer is simply demonstrating his/her own “less fit” status for passing on genes than that of the victim. Saving another’s life at risk to your own is a complete contradiction of Darwin’s philosophy. (To further develop this concept read my post on “What is a Right?” by Clicking Here).

Hinduism – A Hindu would have a hard time finding the nobility in sacrificing your life because the victim essentially had it coming to them. Hindu’s would argue that the victim’s potential drowning must have been bad karma from his/her previous life. They would say that hopefully in the next life the victim would do better in breaking free from the cycle of reincarnation.

Buddhism – A Buddhist would find no nobility or justification in self-sacrifice because there really isn’t a problem at all. The victim isn’t really drowning and you’re not really there to save them because you, the victim, and the raging seas around you don’t really exist in the first place. You just appear to be a person at a specific point in the cycle towards reaching enlightenment. It's simply an illusion.

Atheism – An atheist would have to find the rescue swimmer foolish to sacrifice his/her life. Since atheists don’t believe in God they can’t justify or attribute any value to human beings, and since they don’t believe in an afterlife, there would be no “reward” in heaven (or paradise etc.) for the foolish actions of the rescue swimmer. Nothing to look forward to but complete nothingness as your body rots away.

When I look at these different worldviews in this situation I find myself struggling with what I know to be true in reality. That deep down in my heart, saving another's life is a good thing. While sitting in that theatre I don’t know how many Buddhists, Hindu’s, Atheists, or Naturalists there were, but I presume there had to be some. However I couldn’t find a single person in that theatre that seemed to be feeling anything less than genuine admiration for the rescue swimmers of the US Coast Guard. Nobody mumbled about “foolish acts for no good reason.” Nobody yelled out that “Nothing that film depicts really existed so what’s the big deal?” Nobody sighed outloud “He must have deserved to drown due to Karma. I’m sure he’ll do better in the next life.”

Not one single person. In actuality it was quite the opposite. I personally believe that’s because deep down in all of our hearts we know that sacrificing our life for another is among the most noble, generous, loving things we can do.

We can make up all kinds of excuses about where we came from, whether we have a second shot at life, or whether we even exist at all, but when it comes time to put our beliefs to the test, all these beliefs will fail, most without even realizing it, because God didn’t create us that way.

God loves mankind so much that he sacrificed his Son for us, and being made in his image and following his example, it is the supreme act of love to do it for another and for that reason alone, do we find self-sacrifice for the benefit of others to be among the most noblest of all deeds.

What Does A True Christian Look Like?

2006-10-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

"...And even in the painful aftermath of the shootings, the Amish continued their witness to the love of Christ, reaching out to Roberts’s family, attending Roberts’s funeral, comforting his wife and children, and providing for them through a fund established for Roberts’s victims and their families. One victim’s family even invited the Roberts to their daughter’s funeral. In the most dramatic way, they forgave Roberts."
-- BreakPoint Commentary - 10-11-06 - Charles Colson

By now almost all of us have heard about the recent tradgedy in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania where 5 young Amish girls were executed by a gunman (Charles Roberts) in their schoolhouse. But while many of us try to sort through our own feelings there has been little coverage, or at least little understanding, of how and why the Amish are handling it the way they are.

Quite simply, the Amish are taking the words of Jesus literally.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you."
-- Matthew 5:43-44

Perhaps Katie Weaver, an Amish woman that traveled from Michigan to support those in Pennsylvania, said it best, "We can tell people about Christ and actually show you in our walk that we forgive, not just say it."

But how can someone forgive another when something so bad has happened? That's a great question. Is it a clear understanding that our own sin is just as bad in God's eyes? Is it being able to tap into some sort of supernatural strength from God? Is it both of these or even more? I wish I had a clear cut answer. Until I do I take comfort in knowing that not even Jesus' 12 closest friends figured it out right away.

[Jesus speaking] "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him." And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
-- Luke 17:4-5

Read the entire BreakPoint commentary

Lord's Prayer Sung in Ukrainian

2006-10-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

The following video... actually it's audio recorded in a video format (long story), was recorded during a worship service at a new church plant among "teens and twenties", (many ostracized by the "official church" solely for their age) in central Ukraine.

I always feel like I'm getting a taste of what heaven will be like when I hear songs sung to God in foreign languages.

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO PLAY THE VIDEO

Demonization and the Power of Jesus

2006-10-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

I had an incredible experience last week. One that's never happened to me before. Even now I am trying to sort through my thoughts and feelings about it. Rather than try to put everything down here and attempt to have it make sense, I'll redirect you to the blog of someone else who was there with me and is much more articulate than I am.

CLICK HERE

or go to

http://www.undertheiceberg.com/2006/10/02/demonization-and-the-power-of-jesus/

Ukraine and Romania

2006-09-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

I'm just finishing up a 14 day trip through 4 countries that has found me in 8 different hotels with 5 different roommates. As you can imagine I'm pretty tired but I wanted to post a few pictures of just a few things I've learned:

The Russian Orthodox Church traces its origins to Ukraine.

The Orthodox Church seems to put more emphasis on works than what Jesus did on the cross.

Although beautiful to look at, the Orthodox church in Ukraine and Romania has found itself completley irrelevant and unable to reach the people.

This is the inside of a Ukrainian Orthodox church.

Life in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.

Anyone hungry for some Ukrainian food?

Even though it's located less than 100 yards from their "home" the lead bishop of the Orthodox Church in Romania has made it clear that he wants nothing to do with these children.

Who will share the love of Jesus with these children?

Marian and me in Sept. 2005

Marian and me in Sept. 2006

On my trip to Romania in 2005 I quickly bonded with a young boy named Marian. I believe he is probably 5 or 6 years old, but life in these wretched conditions makes one's age difficult to determine. Having no running water, electricity, food, or even a toilet, can take it's toll. It was such a blessing to be able to find my friend Marian again on my return visit. I didn't think I'd be able to find him among the hundreds of other children and if I did I wasn't sure how he'd be. I was thrilled to see how much healthier he looked this year. He still had that same warm smile that I remembered and he seems to be overcoming impossible odds.

So Have You Heard The One About...?

2006-09-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

I've got a good one for you. While giving a history lesson to around 1500 Catholic theology students the Pope, reading from a 14th century document, says:

"Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

In angry response two Muslims stormed a Catholic hospital in Somalia and shot a 70 year old nun 3 times in the back killing her and her body guard. Then we find out:

"Hardline cleric Sheikh Abubakar Hassan Malin [in Somalia] on Friday told worshippers at his mosque to hunt down and kill whoever offended the Prophet Mohammed. "

Okay so let me make sure I have this right; These Muslims are angry about the Pope reading from a document more than 600 years old, which describes their religion evil and inhuman and to express this anger they go out and murder innocent people?

Am I the only one who sees the irony in this?

Click Here or Click Here for the articles

Has Billy Graham Become an Inclusivist?

2006-09-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

I know I have a hard time imagining that as well but after having read a featured article in the August 14th edition of Newsweek magazine I was definitely surprised to learn of the evolution of some of his beliefs.

The article was written by the managing editor of Newsweek, Jon Meacham. If that name rings a bell it may be because I wrote a critique a few years ago of his article about the birth of Christ. [To read those critiques Click Here and Click Here].

Here are some of the “highlights” (or lowlights) of Meachams interview with the most well-known evangelist of all time:

[In reference to the Bible] …"I'm not a literalist in the sense that every single jot and tittle is from the Lord," Graham says. "This is a little difference in my thinking through the years." He has, then, moved from seeing every word of Scripture as literally accurate to believing that parts of the Bible are figurative…

I’d be interested to know how he reconciles that with Second Timothy 3:16 which states “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” [emphasis mine].

[At one point in the article Meacham inserts a section from an interview with Franklin Graham, Billy’s son.] In perhaps his most celebrated remark, Franklin has referred to Islam as "a very evil and wicked religion," and declines to back down. "After 9/11, there were a lot of things being said about how the God of Islam and the God of the Christian faith were one and the same, but that's simply not true ... ," Franklin told NEWSWEEK. "The God that I worship does not require me to kill other people. The God that I worship tells me I am to love my enemy, to give him food when he's hungry and water when he's thirsty."…. Asked about his son's use of the phrase "evil and wicked" in reference to Islam, Graham says: "I would not say Islam is wicked and evil ... I have a lot of friends who are Islamic. There are many wonderful people among them. I have a great love for them. I have spoken at Islamic meetings, in Nigeria and in different parts of the world."

Refusing to condemn the worship of a false God? I could be way wrong, but it seems to me anything that worships and praises a false God would be, by definition, evil and wicked (remember the first commandment?). I guess I just can’t see how God would look at that sort of behavior and be pleased with it.

Finally, here is the biggest ouch moment for me. Billy Graham, the man who has preached of Salvation through Jesus alone, all over the entire world for the past 60 years goes on to say:

A unifying theme of Graham's new thinking is humility. He is sure and certain of his faith in Jesus as the way to salvation. When asked whether he believes heaven will be closed to good Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or secular people, though, Graham says: "Those are decisions only the Lord will make. It would be foolish for me to speculate on who will be there and who won't ... I don't want to speculate about all that. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the whole world, and I think he loves everybody regardless of what label they have." Such an ecumenical spirit may upset some Christian hard-liners, but in Graham's view, only God knows who is going to be saved: "As an evangelist for more than six decades, Mr. Graham has faithfully proclaimed the Bible's Gospel message that Jesus is the only way to Heaven," says Graham spokesman A. Larry Ross. "However, salvation is the work of Almighty God, and only he knows what is in each human heart."

Wow! I know, not what I was expecting to hear either. Don’t get me wrong, I completely agree that only God knows the heart, God loves everyone, and that God alone is the gatekeeper of heaven’s doors. But I also believe John 14:6 that says “Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. It seems clear to me that belief in Jesus for the forgiveness of one’s sins is a foundational requirement. I can’t understand where he see’s a loophole for those religions that deny Christ. Then again, the article is written by a strong opponent of historical Christianity and it’s quite possible that Billy’s words have been twisted against him to support Meacham’s personal agenda.

If you’d like to read the article, in its entirety for yourself, go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14204483/. I'd be very interested to read any of your comments whether you agree or disagree with me.

Outnumbered and Surrounded by Enemies

2006-07-15T17:02:00.000-07:00

I receive a free monthly magazine from The Voice of the Martyrs. An organization that works with Christians persecuted for their faith, around the world. In an ironic twist, it seems more often than not, that these persecuted Christians are doing more to share the love of Jesus with non-believers, than those of us who live in free countries.

The following is taken from an article from a recent edition of the magazine. (It should be noted that in Egypt it is illegal to convert to Christianity).

One Egyptian Christian approached two imams of a large mosque. He told them “I want to know about the truth and talk about Islam. The imams were delighted and told him to come to the mosque the following day at one o’clock.

The next day when the Christian walked in, he was surprised to see the two leaders sitting there with 10 of their students, or disciples. The Christian prayed, “Oh God, help me find a way to talk to them.” He was outnumbered and surrounded by enemies. Sitting down on the carpet with the group, he addressed the imam with the traditional term “beloved.” The imam stopped him. “You cannot call me that!” said the irritated leader, “I cannot love you as a friend.” The Christian opened his Bible to Matthew 5: “But my holy book, the Bible, commands me to love you. Jesus said we should love our enemies.

The imam’s disciples were watching this discourse with great interest. One of them turned and asked their leader, “Why can’t we be a friend to him?” Another asked, “Why does God say we must hate him, but his God tells him to love us?” The imam stood up, furious, and tried to speak, but his anger, or the hand of God, caused his voice to choke up. He put his hand on his own throat, his face turning red, then whirled around and left the room. The Muslim disciples moved closer on the rug, clustering around the Christian. They asked questions for the rest of the afternoon. They wanted to know more about this power to love your enemies. Some still meet with this bold brother.

To get your own subscription visit The Voice of the Martyrs website.

Spiritual Accountability Questions

2006-07-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

The following is the letter from Chuck Swindoll I mentioned in my last post. I think it lists some great questions and I plan to use it as a guide in my accountability group.

Being creatures with blind spots and tendencies toward rationalization, we must also be in close touch with a few trustworthy individuals with whom we meet on a regular basis. Knowing that such an encounter is going to happen helps us hold the line morally and ethically. I know of nothing more effective for maintaining a pure heart and keeping one’s life balanced and on target than being a part of an accountability group. It is amazing what such a group can provide to help us hold our passions on check!

Recently, I was encouraged to hear about a minister who meets once a week with a small group of men. They are committed to one another’s purity. They pray with and for each other. They talk openly and honestly about their struggles, weaknesses, temptations, and trials. In addition to these general things they look one another in the eye and answer no less than 8 specific questions:

1. Have you been with a woman (or man) this week in such a way that was inappropriate or could have looked to others that you were using poor judgment?

2. Have you been completely above board in your financial dealings this week?

Are you honoring God with your money?

Tithing regularly?

Getting out of debt?

3. Have you purposely exposed yourself to any explicit material (pornographic and/or sexually suggestive material) this week?

Have you held on to or fostered any impure thoughts?

4. Have you spent daily time in prayer and in God’s Word this week?

Where is the Bible you are reading?

When do you have your time with God?

Do you keep a prayer list?

5. Have you fulfilled the mandate of your calling? In other words, have you fulfilled the responsibilities God has called you to as a member of His body and witness to the world?

How is your service for Christ going?

Have you done your part of fulfilling the Great Commission by sharing how to become a Christian with someone or discipling other believers?

6. Have you taken time off to be with your family this week?

What have you done to show your wife she is cherished?

What have you done to show your kids they are special and unconditionally loved?

7. Is there anyone you need to ask for forgiveness from or anyone to forgive?

8. Have you just lied to us?

Authenticity and Accountability

2006-07-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

The past month has found me right in the midst of a move to a new home (hence the reason I haven’t posted in so long). As is inevitable in any move I began looking through old files and I came across a letter from Chuck Swindoll. As I read it I began to think about the hundreds of pastors and church leaders I’ve worked with from all over the world and two of the biggest obstacles to their work.

One of the biggest chasms between many pastors and their congregants is a lack of authenticity. So often it seems that a pastor will preach from the pulpit about how everyone else should live their life, but then never takes the time to explain the struggles he is facing in his own life. This often causes the church-goer to believe there is something wrong with them if they are struggling with something that seems to affect no one else. Over time this syndrome will cause many to view the pastor as having a “holier than thou” status and eventually they will walk away from the church disgruntled.

The other half of this deadly combination is a lack of accountability. Quickly eroding the trust and credibility of the pastor and just a small step away from becoming full blown hypocrisy, lack of accountability will cause the most moral of men to eventually fall. One of the most destructive things to happen to a church is moral failure by a pastor. Perhaps the single best method for preventing moral failure is accountability. (Anyone remember Proverbs 27:17?) Far too often a pastor is so busy tending to people that he fails to forge accountability relationships with others, however these relationships are absolutely vital if one hopes to have any defense against the giant bulls-eye painted on him by the Devil.

Becoming authentic and honest from the pulpit will require a tremendous amount of courage (at first) and the solicitation of feedback from trusted peers, but it can be done and it will become easier over time. Gathering a friend, or small group of friends, together to help hold each other accountable is much more difficult. It may even seem terrifying at first. Revealing your deep innermost struggles and temptations to another person may leave you feeling vulnerable and awkward at first. But with the right person (or group of people) and an atmosphere of trust and confidence, one can establish a line of protection against moral failure that will be exponentially more difficult for the Devil to penetrate.

Although I have written specifically about pastors, that by no means excludes any of us from needing to exhibit these characteristics in our own lives. How will those who don’t have a relationship with Jesus, come to have one if they look at our lives as inauthentic or holier than thou? How will they view me if I continually have moral failures and do little to prevent it from happening again? For me personally, authenticity and accountability are two areas I could do much better in and I plan to make an intentional effort to improve them starting now. How about you?

Did They Really Say That? # 2

2006-06-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

"The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy"

-- Bringham Young in Journal of Discourses 11:269 on August 19, 1866

(Bringham Young was the second prophet and former President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints [Mormon])

King of Glory Video

2006-05-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

This was a video played during the church service on Easter Sunday. It is a morphing of historical images of Jesus set to music. I didn't create it and I'm not sure who did (otherwise I'd give them the credit) but I think it's pretty awesome. I had to compress the file quite a bit so it may appear a bit choppy but it is still definitely worth a watch.

The video is about 5 minutes long so it may take a few minutes to download. (It may be faster just to download the video. For a PC Right Click on the picture and select "Save Target As" for a Mac, hold down the "Option" button and click on the photo.) Also, this particular video will require a Quicktime Player to watch

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO PLAY VIDEO

I'm Still Alive

2006-05-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I just realized that last you heard I was in the barrios of Venezuela and that was over 2 weeks ago. I could see how leaving you hanging probably wasn't the best idea. Sorry about that. Things have been insane these past few weeks. Seems like nothing is going right. We've had major computer problems, health issues, both our cars died and we're looking for a new place to live. Unfortunately blogging as been put on a temporary hiatus (very temporary). I'm trying to get back to it ASAP, especially with the Da Vinci Code coming out tomorrow.

Thanks for hanging with me in the meantime.

Still in Venezuela....

2006-04-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

I had a quick minute and wanted to put up a few pictures. Here are just a handful taken over the past few days. They include photos of a plaza in Venezuela, a church, and me during one of my finer moments of cultural sensitivity. (Click on any photo to enlarge).

Welcome to Venezuela

2006-04-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Caracas Venezuela late last night. I'm here to work with our teams working with the poor in the barrios as well as helping our staff transition to Venezuelan led leadership. The barrios of Caracas fill the hills. Communities are filled with generations of families that never leave the barrio. Millions of people only know life like this. (Click on a photo to enlarge).

Barrios line the hills

Barrio homes stacked upon each other

Me with barrio homes in the background

Some of our team that live in the barrios day in and day out

Happy Easter!

2006-04-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to wish you a Happy Easter.

I hope you take a moment today to reflect how Jesus' pure love for you is what enabled him to face the cross head on. His desire to give you an opportunity to come to God (which his death provided) gave him the strength to go through the most grusome type of execution known to man.

If you have questions or doubts about whether or not the resurrection actually took place, I'd encourage you to scroll down this page and look at my series of posts from March 30, 2005 through May 10, 2005 or click on the links below.

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? - Introduction

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? - Factors Increasing Reliability

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? - The Empty Tomb Part 1

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? - The Empty Tomb Part 2

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? - The Empty Tomb Part 3

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? - The Appearances

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? - Dying For A Cause

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? - Alternative Views

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? - Conclusion

May the Lord richely bless you this Easter!

Jesus Walked on Ice? (part 2)

2006-04-10T21:59:00.000-07:00

<--- Modern Day Sea of Galilee

Since some of you may not be familiar with the story of Jesus walking on the water, I will start this post by looking at the biblical account first. The story of Jesus walking on the water can be found in three of the four gospels. It is recorded in John 6:16-21, Mark 6:45-52, and Matthew 14:22-33. Since the account in Matthew has the most detail, I will use it as my base passage.

"Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

- Matthew 14:22-33

The Sea of Galilee is 650 feet below sea level, 145 feet deep and surrounded by hills. These physical features make it subject to sudden windstorms that cause massive waves.

Okay, so let me paint the picture for you. Earlier in the evening Jesus sent the disciples on ahead out to sea while he stayed back to pray. Now it’s roughly four o’clock in the morning and there’s a boat full of experienced fishermen out about 3 ½ miles from shore. They are tired from a long night out at sea and then the storm comes in. Because of the geographical features of this sea, fierce winds pick up and massive waves begin crashing around the boat. Verse 24 states that the wind was so strong that the boat couldn’t move against it.

Are you picturing this scene?

For arguments sake, let’s set aside that Jesus, as God incarnate obviously would have the ability to control the laws of nature (after all, he created them). Let’s bring Nof’s theory of ice on the Sea of Galilee into the picture and see what that looks like.

So how is it Jesus, in his sandals and robe, manages to maintain his balance on a piece of floating ice, through a storm fierce enough to hold back a fishing boat full of experienced fishermen, for 3 ½ miles? Have you ever walked on a frozen pond or an ice skating rink without ice skates? It’s incredibly difficult to do even under the best of conditions. I would argue that it would be impossible for a man to do what Jesus did, under the conditions argued by Nof.

But let’s look deeper. In verse 29 we see that Peter wanted to join Jesus on the water. After an invitation by Jesus, Peter gets out of the boat, and walks to Jesus. After a few moments Peter realizes the ferocity of the storm, and takes his focus off of Jesus and onto the waves around him and subsequently begins to sink.

Of course this raises questions for me. If Peter was on ice, why did he begin to sink? Furthermore, if there truly was ice on the water, wouldn’t Peter or the other disciples be able to see it as he readied himself over the edge? Wouldn’t one of them be able to counter Jesus’ apparent miracle with an eyewitness account of floating ice? Yet we have no hint that that happened.

Obviously Nof takes none of this into consideration. His biased approach of supporting his predetermined conclusion leaves no room for critical analysis or plain old common sense.

Coming from a background in law enforcement, I tend to put a lot more weight on eyewitness testimony than I do any other form of evidence. In analyzing this journal article, whether I look at problems with the study, or problems that arise when compared with the biblical account, I am left with one definitive and critical question: If Jesus was doing nothing more than merely surfing on a piece of ice, than why did all of the disciples worship him saying ‘Truly you are the son of God’”?

Jesus Walked on Ice? (part 1)

2006-04-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

<---- Current Location of the Sea of Galilee (AKA Lake Kinneret)
[click on photo to enlarge]

There is a new study out by Florida State University Professor Doron Nof in the April edition of the Journal of Paleolimnology. The study claims Jesus didn’t walk on water, rather an obscure and rare storm caused part of the Sea of Galilee to freeze, enabling him to walk on ice. Once I was able to stop laughing at the absurdity of this statement, I decided to investigate it for myself and I actually read through the article. (For those of you without access to the journal, you can checkout a news article about it by CLICKING HERE.)

As I began to read the article, I realized that there were some major problems with Professor Nof’s arguments. For ease of reading, I decided to categorize these flaws into two different categories: problems with the study and problems when compared to the biblical text.

My first problem with this study is that it’s speculative and just plain bad science. Professor Nof started his study as a witch-hunt. With a reputation for developing theories of natural causes to biblical accounts (i.e. the flood, parting of the red sea) Nof appears to develop his conclusion first and then tries to find data to support his conclusion. Any 6th grader could tell you that this is the opposite of the true scientific method which seeks to derive its conclusion from the data rather than vice versa.

For example, Nof states “With the idea that much of our cultural heritage is based on human observations of nature, we sought a natural process that could perhaps explain the origin of the account that Jesus Christ walked on water.”

Doesn’t this sound like they aren’t so much interested in discovering truth, no matter where it lies (i.e. the scientific method) but rather intentionally seek to find data establishing a non-miraculous explanation?

In an interview after the study, Nof said “I’m not trying to provide any information that has to do with theology here, all we’ve thought is about the natural process. What theologians or anybody else does with that it’s their business so to speak.”

This may sound nice at first, but think about what he’s actually saying “all we’ve thought about is the natural process.” This means he automatically excludes anything that isn’t a natural process, right from the start. The cards are already stacked against anything miraculous from even being a possibility. His pursuit isn’t to seek truth, but rather to cast doubt. It’s no different than a junior high girl starting a rumor just because she doesn’t like someone.

Nof makes numerous other statements supporting this such as “…our present explanation does not exactly address ‘walking on water’ but rather provides a plausible physical process that has some characteristics similar to those described in the New Testament” but I think you get the point.

But in the interest of fairness, let’s look at what arguments Nof himself claims. Remember, Nof’s whole argument is that the water in the Sea of Galilee was frozen, thereby allowing Jesus to appear to walk on water when in actuality he was walking on ice. Nof argues that while just about impossible for the sea to freeze today, it possibly froze a handful of times over the past 2600 years.

The following are quotes taken directly from Nof:

Throughout recent history there have been no known records of a total ice formation on its top. Furthermore, given that convection requires an initial cooling of the entire lake down to 4°C, it is difficult to imagine how such a low-latitude lake, presently subject to two-digit temperatures during the winter, could ever freeze.

Such a perfect combination of conditions on the low-latitude Kinneret [Sea of Galilee] might well seem miraculous. In the last 120 centuries, Nof calculates the odds as roughly once in 1,000 years. However, during the life of Jesus the prevailing climate may have favored the more frequent formation of springs ice -- about once in 30 to 160 years

"In today's climate, the chance of springs ice forming in northern Israel is effectively zero, or about once in more than 10,000 years."

As natural scientists, we simply explain that unique freezing processes probably happened in that region only a handful of times during the last 12,000 years,"."

So let me make sure I understand, in the last 12,000 years the sea has probably frozen over 12 times, and in today’s world (which is the time frame we are doing the study) it’s practically impossible to have it freeze over, we are discounting the eyewitness testimony from those actually at the scene and are now asserting that the timing was so perfect as to allow an opportunity for Jesus to present himself as a fraud?

In the next post we’ll compare the study to what the Bible has to say about the events of that day.

Context! Context! Context! (part 2)

2006-04-05T13:59:00.000-07:00

I was recently visiting a popular Atheist website. The writer was claiming that the Bible was perverse and disgusting and promoted immoral activity. He then quoted the following verse to substantiate his point:

Genesis 19:32 "Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him, that we may preserve our family through our father."

Now based solely off of what is written, I would agree that this incestuous behavior is pretty disgusting. But the real question is whether or not the quoted text is actually representative of what the Bible is teaching. Remember, the Bible in many places is written as a historical narrative. That means that it records what actually happened and just because something is recorded doesn’t mean the behavior was approved of. Let’s now look at the entire story in context (remember Lot and his daughters just barely escaped Sodom and Gomorrah as God began to destroy it and Lot's wife died in the process).

Genesis 19:30-38 “And Lot went up from Zoar, and stayed in the mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to stay in Zoar; and he stayed in a cave, he and his two daughters. Then the first-born said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him, that we may preserve our family through our father. So they made their father drink wine that night, and the first-born went in and lay with her father; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. And it came about on the morrow, that the first-born said to the younger, "Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve our family through our father. So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger arose and lay with him; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. And the first-born bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. And as for the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day.”

There are several important things to note here. First, Lot was not aware of what was happening so he did not approve of this behavior. Secondly, his daughters secretly plotted against him, drugged him, and then finally raped him. Each bore a son as a result of this activity. (It is also important to note that the daughters were not driven by lust. Rather they were driven by the fear they would never marry and therefore they would be left with no one care for them. This certainly doesn't excuse their immoral behavior, but it does show how the sinful culture of Sodom and Gomorrah caused them to justify their actions.) God will not be mocked and even a cursory study of the Old Testament will show that the Moabites and the Ammonites were among the most wicked people alive during that era.

The sin exhibited by Lot’s daughters had a long and lasting outcome that affected thousands of people. (Think about people you know who seem to have a long family line of problems. They are affected by other’s choices much the same way). The Bible did not record this activity because it supports the behavior but rather to show the real consequences of sin in real people’s lives.

Not simply looking at a verse but the entire context of the passage could be used in many other situations as well. For example, John 11:35 simply says “Jesus wept.” Now if we just look at this verse, someone could claim that an all powerful God was actually more of a crybaby. However, looking at the verse in context we can see that is far from the truth and that in his crying he was not only proving his humanity, but expressing deep heartfelt emotion. Therefore when life throws us its worse and we are heartbroken, we can know that we have a God in heaven who can empathize with us.

This post has gone on to be a bit longer than I intended. I hope you found it useful and see the importance not only for your own understanding of the Bible but in refuting those who simply pick and choose verses to make the Bible say what they want it too. If you’d like more information on this topic, you can CLICK HERE.

Context! Context! Context! (part 1)

2006-04-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest problems we face in quoting from the Bible is that people can make the Bible pretty much say anything that they want. As noted Missiologist, Church Planter, and Professor Tom Steffen put it:

“People’s assumptions about God impact their perception of Scripture. Those who define the Supreme Being as a God of love may approach Scripture as devotional literature. People who view God as logical and linear may view the Bible as a book of verifiable propositions. Atheists who claim that God does not exist may search the Bible for ways to refute his existence. Some approach the Bible as a great work of literary art while others use the text mystically to discern direction for life”

Knowing this, followers of Christ must make sure that when we are quoting from the Bible, we are accurately quoting what the text is saying. Oftentimes when discussing the Bible we can be quick to turn to a verse that substantiates our point. However many people don’t know that the Bible wasn’t originally written this way. There was no “divine inspiration” of chapters and verses. In fact the Bible wasn’t divided into chapters and verses until the medieval times. Stephen Langton first divided the books of the Bible into chapters in 1205 AD and Robert Estienne (Stephanus) further divided each chapter into verses in 1565 AD. Although these divisions don’t affect the truth of the message, they can sometimes cause it to be confusing. We need to be aware of this to have an accurate understanding what the Bible is saying.

Stay tuned for the real life application…

Did They Really Say That? #1

2006-03-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

''We will try to see if he converts to Islam, for Islam is the religion of compassion. But if he does not, Islamic law will be enforced,''

- Afghanistan Supreme Court Judge Ansarullah Mawlavizada in reference to the trial of Afghan Abdur Rahman who faces the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity.

Food For Thought

2006-03-20T19:13:00.000-08:00

I recently received a letter from Voice of the Martyrs an organization that works to meet the needs of persecuted Christians all over the world. The following is an excerpt from that letter and I think it raises a good question about the nature of who Jesus was in comparison to Mohammed.

“Last week I read an article that you may see in a future newsletter. The Christian writer was talking about the violent Muslim riots resulting from the cartoon of Mohammed with a bomb in his turban. Mohammed was a warrior and violently killed many for Islam. The writer muses that if someone drew a cartoon of Jesus with a turban, what would they put in it? A fish? A loaf of bread or the name of a hospital or orphanage? This is an interesting thought to ponder…We at VOM are thankful for dedicated readers who realize that the bread and fish, along with the gospel are more powerful than any bomb.”

Back From Cambodia

2006-03-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a few days since I posted. After Indonesia I headed towards Cambodia and there isn't a whole lot of internet access over there. Now I'm home and thought I'd post some pictures from my time there.

Cambodians love Americans but not for the reasons you might think. Cambodians are predominately Buddhist (about 95% of them). Because of this they have an interesting view of Americans. They believe Americans are wealthy and blessed and in the context of their Buddhist worldview, that must mean we are good people. On our path towards enlightenment we must have been good people in our past life because we are now being rewarded in this life (the reward being wealth, life in America, freedom to travel, etc.).

This is a common form of transportation in Cambodia

The kids in Cambodia are just like the kids I've met in Romania, Indonesia and South Africa. They are joyful and full of love. We as adults, while good intentioned, tend to look past them as human beings loved by God and instead focus on their level of poverty. In my experience children don't see it quite that way. They don't care about the color of your skin or what your salary is. They just love to play and have fun with you.

While in Cambodia I had an opportunity to visit Tuol Sleng. This photo is a picture of thousands of mugshots of the victims lined up throughout the grounds. Here is an excerpt from my journal about my time there...

"Tuol Sleng is the Cambodian version of Auschwitz. It used to be a high school before the Khmer Rouge took it over and turned it into a place to torture people them and then kill them. The people they brought here weren’t criminals. They were priests, teachers, artists, professors; people of skills. The Khmer Rouge wanted to remove these people from society to start afresh. It was so horrible that my eyes tear up just writing this. Historians kept the prison as they found it in order to preserve it as a historical monument so the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge would never be forgotten. As such there are still instruments of torture lying around, blood stains on the ground, and a wall of skulls belonging to victims. A sign at Tuol Sleng told us that of the 20,000 people imprisoned here, only 7 survived. Only 7! Touring Tuol Sleng there are hundreds of “mug shots” of the prisoners who were there. Many of them were children. As I walked up and down the walls of photos I wondered how many children died without ever having had a chance to hear the gospel? Walking throughout the place I tried to tune into my discernment of spirits gift. I felt the place to be a giant vacuum. Completely empty. To have this much evil is beyond human ability alone. There is no doubt demons were involved. Now that their work is done here I feel they have completely left this place, like a soul leaves its corpse behind."

This is part of the wall of skulls.

Tom and I went on a home visit to spend time with this family. Two of the members of this family have AIDS. They live in a squatter home (a makeshift home made of spare parts lying around) behind a shopping area. We took some photos of them and then went to a one hour photo store to have them developed. Here you see Tom presenting those photos as a gift to the family. This family had no photographs of any of their family members. It was a blessing to be able to provide them this small gift.

In Cambodia a common belief is “wives are for childbearing, prostitutes are for pleasure.” This plays out in that often a man will visit a prostitute, get AIDS, then come home and give it to his wife. Most often the man will die first leaving the woman behind to care for the family. After the man dies the woman must support her family so she often turns to prostitution herself, continuing the cycle.

This little boy, Chantol is 7 years old and he has AIDS. His father died from the disease. His mother is infected. He lives in the house in a squatter community on the Mekong, in the interior of Cambodia.

Some of the staff with the organization I work for, run a place where women with AIDS can come to make crafts to earn an income instead of turning to prostitution. Here we are praying with some of these women.

This is a photograph of the Cambodian nationals who work day and night to minister to those dying of AIDS. Some work inside of the building behind us which is used as a hospice while others go out into the community and make house visits. The sacrifice these individuals make in order to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to learn about Jesus, is incredible.

Part of my time in Cambodia was spent eating ethnic food such as this tarantula. Whoever said a life of serving God was boring???

Muslim Call to Prayer Video

2006-03-04T23:31:00.000-08:00

This is a short video taken in Indonesia of a Muslim call to prayer. Muslims pray 5 times a day and this was the afternoon call to prayer. Like most Muslim areas in the world, you can hear the call throughout the entire city. The mosque is the tall statue in the background.

<---To view the video click on the picture.

The video is pretty short but it is in a Windows Media Player format. For those using Windows there shouldn't be any problem with the playback, but for for those of you with a Mac, if you haven't already, you'll need to download the Windows Media Player for Mac. You can do that by CLICKING HERE.

Heading South into Indonesia

2006-03-04T22:48:00.000-08:00

I recently had an opportunity to spend some time with some missionaries down in Indonesia. Due to security reasons I can't tell you exactly who, where, or what (I'm sure you can understand why). However I can tell you that some exciting things are going on down there. God is doing tons and people are coming to Christ. I heard several stories of miraculous events taking place. Please keep Indonesia in your prayers. I wanted to share a few photos with you. These photos were taken in a little village off the side of a main road. Long story short, there is a very good chance that we were the first white people that ever stepped foot into their village. To show that we not only viewed them as human beings but that we wanted to be with them in their own village meant so much to them.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Photos From Singapore

2006-03-04T01:13:00.000-08:00

Here I am having finally arrived in Singapore....

Very typical Singaporians.....

This is a Hindu Temple....

Greetings From Singapore

2006-03-02T21:57:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted in a while. Well that’s because I’ve been in Singapore the past few days. I’m in Singapore as part of a 3 country trip to work in various ministry contexts. I had a break in my work and thought I’d take a minute to give you some of my initial impressions of the city.

Singapore is very clean and very disciplined, which is what you’d imagine from the wealthiest (per capita) nation in Asia. Being about 1 degree above the equator means its hot and humid but most places have air conditioning inside. Singapore has a unique blend of urban setting and lush tropical greenery.

The country is mostly Chinese, Malay and Indian. (The country even has both a Chinatown and Little India). As such, Singapore is a strategic location for nationals to reach those in places like China and other restricted countries, that Westerners either don’t have access to or won’t have the same success as a national.

So, because of that, right now I’m working with about 80 different pastors who represent 25 people groups. Some of them work with local congregations while others work in a missions capacity. So far the only real obstacle was getting stuck in an elevator but the week is still young. I’d greatly appreciate your prayers and will try to post some pictures soon.

What does it look like to be a Christian in South Korea?

2006-02-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

The long awaited video is finally here. Well it may not exactly be long awaited but it has taken me tons of hours to get it up and running. (If you have problems viewing it, please either email me or leave a comment so I can try to fix it).

This is a video hodgepodge of still pictures, audio and video I created from the time I spent in South Korea. Most of it is taken from the pastors conference I mentioned in my last post. To watch the video just click on the picture.

The video is just under 2 minutes in length but it is in a Windows Media Player format. For those using Windows there shouldn't be any problem with the playback, but for for those of you with a Mac, if you haven't already, you'll need to download the Windows Media Player for Mac. You can do that by CLICKING HERE.

Reflections from my time in South Korea

2006-02-22T17:04:00.000-08:00

Last December I was in South Korea. (I know, South Korea in December, can you say freezing?). Well I braved the cold to spend 8 days working with over 60 Korean pastors from all different denominations to help them develop healthy churches.

I found it interesting to learn that approximately 25% of the entire South Korean population are church attending Christians (mostly Presbyterian), yet Korean churches are also experiencing the same problems as American churches, especially in trying to retain the younger post-high school, pre-college age group.

I spent some time working with the new CRM Korea Board of Directors and helping them get established. One of CRM’s core values (CRM is the mission agency I work with) is to raise up nationals to lead the work in their home country and then send out other nationals as missionaries into new countries. So not only is all of our work in South Korea led by South Koreans but they just sent their first missionary into another country.

I wanted to share two quick thoughts with you. These are excerpts from my journal that I wrote while in South Korea:

Tonight while driving through Seoul I looked up at the skyline and noticed there were crosses everywhere. As far as the eye could see there were red, illuminated crosses. It was clear for all to see, there was a heavy Christian presence here in the nation’s capitol. I then realized that just a mere 30 miles to the north [Into North Korea], being known as a Christian or even revealing a cross, could warrant an instant execution. At that moment a wave of sorrow for my brothers and sisters in the north consumed me. I can’t remember feeling anything like it before.

One of the highlights of this trip is to pray and worship with the Koreans. When Koreans pray, it is very powerful, loud and authoritative. Even without knowing the words being spoken, one can almost comprehend the requests based on the passion and power behind them. Interestingly enough, this is also how Koreans sing. They sing at the top of their lungs and with authority. No one stands there wandering if the person next to them will think they are a good singer. It is totally and completely focused on worshiping God. No distractions. I wish more church congregations in America sang this way.

In my next post I'll try to put up some video from South Korea.

New Articles Added

2006-02-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to point out that I've added four new articles to the "Articles I've Written" section. These articles were written while I was working on my Master's degree.

A Whole New Look

2006-02-17T12:04:00.000-08:00

It's alive, It's alive !! Okay, well the site has been alive for over a year now so I shouldn't be too dramatic but I am excited about all the new changes. I'm sure you've noticed the site has a whole new look. Gone is the lighthouse, white background and script, I now have a new template to work with and I think it looks a lot better.

In addition to a new look there are several new feature changes that have been made, and many more that are forthcoming. Since some of them are subtle, I'll take a minute to point them out.

First, I have a picture up. Those of you who don't know me can probably tell why I didn't have a picture up before and all of you who disagree with what I write about can now have something for your WANTED posters.

Second, I formatted the archives into a drop down box so you don't have to do a tremendous amount of scrolling.

Third, at the bottom of the section entitled "My Favorite Places" I now have a link for you to email me, as well as a means for syndication (syndication deals with RSS readers, not newspapers for publishing). Now, I am rather technically challenged so I don't exactly know the details of how syndication works with RSS readers. I think I got it down but if you are using an RSS reader and it's not working, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Fourth, I now have all my posts listed by title on the side so you can scroll down a short list instead of the whole blog. They look like links but as of now they won't take you to a page. I'm trying to figure out how to make them work, if you know what I need to do, please let me know.

Fifth, I decided to tryout the idea of enabling comments. We'll see how well this works as it's new for me.

But that's not why I'm excited. I'm excited because I finally found an external server in which I can upload files to. This means a whole new world for my site. I can not only upload pictures (to make it no longer just dull text) but videos and articles I've written. (Check out the section entitled Articles I've Written. Right now there is only one but there are many more on the way.)

This should make the site much more visually stimulating. There is one more change though that I am making; the change of content. I will continue to post about apologetic issues, especially contemporary apologetic issues, however I want to branch out into other areas. Specifically the area of missions.

As a missionary I have an opportunity to work with Christians from all over the world. I ususally take many pictures and videos while I'm working with them. I realize that many of you will never have a chance to experience what it's like to be a follower of Jesus outside of the United States (or your home country). So I'd like to begin posting some of these photos and videos so that you will be able to gain a better understanding of life for other Christians.

Having this new content will enable me to begin to post on a more frequent basis. It used to take hours for me to develop the content of my previous posts. This new content will go much faster.

I definitely value your feedback about these new changes. Please let me know what you think.

An Apology

2006-02-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

I owe you an apology and a bit of an explaination. As you probably noticed my last posting was the end of September 2005, nearly 5 months ago. Many of you have told me you thought I dropped off the face of the earth. Well I haven't. Unfortunately planning a wedding consumed way more of my time that I expected it would and as such, my blog was among the first of many time consuming activities to be cut. For that I am sorry.

Well the wedding is finished as well as the subsequent honeymoon and receptions (yes plural) and life is ready to begin again. I'm planning to begin blogging again very soon (as in the next week or two). I am wrestling with some format changes. I've been thinking that while I'd like the format to continue to focus heavily on contemporary apologetics in the real world, I'd like it to expand to cover other areas as well.

Since I am blessed to be able to go all over the world and work with Christians in many different countries and cultures I've experienced quite a bit about the "bigger picture." So often we in America think we know exactly what God is doing in the world and the more I travel to meet with other Christians, the more I realize God's plans are so much bigger than we think.

Enough.

As I was saying I'm still deciding on these format changes and would be very interested in your thoughts and comments. You can send me an email at RemovingDoubtsATaolDOTcom.

Humans Are No Different Than Apes?

2005-09-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

This seems to be the case according to the London zoo. I read an article a few weeks ago that said the London zoo was now putting human beings on display. (You can read the article and see pictures for yourself by CLICKING HERE).

As I read through this article several thoughts popped into my mind. The first was, “Are you serious?”

According to the zoo, the purpose of this display is to show that humans are no different than animals. Rather we are simply primates like an ordinary monkey. Polly Wills, the spokeswoman for the zoo, said “Seeing people in a different environment, among other animals…teaches members of the public that the human is just another primate [emphasis mine].”

Just another primate? How many other primates use the telephone on a daily basis? How many other primates invented mass entertainment like television and movies? How many other primates invented methods of transportation allowing them to visit their primate relatives anywhere else in the world in less than 24 hours? How many other primates have put their species on the moon AND the depths of the ocean? Seems to me that at the very least our accomplishments and lifestyle should put us into a whole other category which brings me to my next point.

Aren’t classifications like “primate” and “species” a human invention? Sure there are types of animals that may look similar to the eye, but there is no law that nature imposed on itself in regards to classifications. Prior to scientists developing this classification system there was nothing like it in nature. So to say that humans are just another primate seems kind of pointless. Classifications change and many scientists disagree on certain animals belonging with other animals in the same category.

Perhaps most of all I was surprised by the inconsistencies in the zoo administration’s actions and beliefs. For example, these humans on display are wearing bathing suits with fig leaves on them. My question is why? If we are just another primate shouldn’t we be in the nude as that is our natural state? To put humans in bathing suits is like putting a blanket around the elephant, it isn’t found in nature. I would presume that zoo officials would argue they are wearing clothes so as not to offend anyone. Offend another member of the same species by appearing in our natural state? Hmmm, that’s interesting as I can’t think of a single other animal that does that. Could it be because we have morals and values which are ALSO something that no other species has? How can we be “just another primate” if we are the only ones with morals and values?

My second question is why are the humans allowed to go home at night? Why don’t we just walk down the street, kidnap a few humans and through them in and lock away the key? No other animals get to go home at night. It’s because we have certain values and rights (like respecting life and freedom) which we grant to each other. No other animal does this. So how can we be observing humans as “just another primate” if we have created all of these unnatural stipulations?

For my final thought I find it fascinating that humans in the zoo are covered by fig leaves. Why fig leaves? The only answer that makes sense to me is that it’s taken from the story in Genesis chapter 3. (In Genesis 2:25 we find Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, were naked and felt no shame. After being tempted to, and subsequently, rebelling against God, Adam and Eve “…realized they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” [Genesis 3:7])

But this is peculiar because the zoo officials seem to not have much difficulty taking that part of the story out but they sure don’t buy into the part about God creating man. Seems to me that isn’t very intellectually honest; but that’s a post for another time.

In conclusion, I’d like to leave you with the words from Almighty God himself on how He feels about humans, and let you decide on your own if, as the London zoo advocates, we’re “just another primate.”

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-- everything that has the breath of life in it-- I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

-- Genesis 1:26-30

Quick Thought

2005-08-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

With the postmodern generation/mindset among us, it feels like there has been an influx of criticism towards different evangelistic methodologies (i.e. Evangelism Explosion, 4 Spiritual Laws, Bridge Diagram, Evangelistic Crusades, etc.). It seems that almost everyone I talk to has a very strong opinion about which methods don't work and why they should be abandoned. I find this most ironic as the very generation/mindset that wants to paint everyone as an individual and not generic, in the same breath feels that different evangelistic methods, although not their particular "cup of tea" must not be able to work for anyone else.

I came across this story in an article I read recently and thought that it captured my feelings perfectly (especially when I realize that the conversation must have happened over 100 years ago):

The story goes that on one occasion D.L. Moody [1839-1899] was criticized for his mass evangelism methods, and he replied to his critic, "I don't like them either. What methods do you use?" When the critic indicated that he didn't use any evangelistic tools or activities, Moody said, "Well, I like the way I do it better than the way you don't." We should keep that in mind, especially when we encounter evangelism practices that make us cringe

Conclusion to the Series on Intelligent Design

2005-07-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

Recent support for the Intelligent Design movement has caused a major wave in scientific communities. Historically Darwinists could write off those that support Intelligent Design as ignorant religious fundamentalists. However a new understanding of the differences between Intelligent Design and Creationism has driven a wedge into their argument. Although Intelligent Design does claim to find substantial evidence in the world for a designer, Intelligent Design does not claim to have knowledge about that designer nor does it seek it.

Intelligent Design has forced many in the scientific community to realize that there is a difference between philosophical assertions and scientific ones. For example, a true Darwinist cannot look at something in the world and say it is “bad.” For that would either be contrary to the “natural selection” viewpoint or it would pre-suppose a designer who made a mistake. Either way it would be a philosophical observation and not a scientific one. It is important for academic integrity for philosophy to remain philosophy and science to remain science.

Intelligent Design has also shown many that its foundational concepts are used in everyday life and accepted without challenge. Crime Scene Investigators, Archeologists, Military Cryptographers and many more use Intelligent Design to help them with their tasks all the time. Yet when these same proven and trusted precepts are moved over to the biological realm, a huge uproar occurs. Intelligent Design has shown that many people are ignorantly living in an inconsistent worldview.

Intelligent Design has brought to the surface several hypocrisies in the scientific community. Scientists are trying to have the best of both worlds when they exclude Intelligent Design when trying to explain origin of life but embrace it when they need to figure out whether something is a worthless rock or priceless artifact. Intelligent Design has also forced the scientific community to reveal its ugly side. As more and more overwhelming evidence for Intelligent Design becomes apparent, more and more of the arguments against it turn to smear campaigns against the person’s character rather than against the theory itself.

In the past few years the Intelligent Design movement has gained massive momentum. More and more top scientists are beginning to study the concepts Intelligent Design utilizes and are beginning to realize the truth behind it. History has shown that there is a pendulum of public opinion that sways back and forth. Since 1859 the pendulum has been swinging towards the theory that evolution contains the answers to the origin of life. However, with the recent developments in Intelligent Design, I believe that pendulum has clearly reached its apex and is rapidly swinging the other direction.

Thank you for taking the time to bear with me through this series. I realized Intelligent Design is not an easy topic to understand and you may be even more confused than when you started. But I hope you have learned a few things and realize that when held to the same standard of other sciences, biology must at least look at Intelligent Design theory as a possibility until evolution moves from a theory to a scientific law.

Is Intelligent Design Used Today?

2005-07-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

In our last post I briefly mentioned the concept of consistency. Today I want to look at examples of Intelligent Design being not only used, but widely accepted in a wide variety of disciplines in today’s world. As we take this quick journey I hope you can quickly see that opponents of Intelligent Design are …….

The concepts behind Intelligent Design are used today in many different disciplines of science. In fact, many different fields of science would not be able to function or even exist without some form of acceptance of Intelligent Design.

For example, a Crime Scene Investigator uses Intelligent Design when he approaches a crime scene and has to determine whether a person died as an accident or the result of foul play.

If an Archeologist finds a weird shaped rock he must determine if it is the result of abnormal weathering or if it was chipped that way by a pre-historic hunter.

A Military Cryptographer must decide if a piece of paper handed to him with jumbled letters is just a random sequence or the enemy’s secret code. All three of these disciplines use precepts, such as specified complexity, found in Intelligent Design.

Naturalists claim that we must have solid natural explanations to work with. Eugenie Scott in her essay entitled The Nature of Change (Click Here to read the article), wrote “…but even if we didn’t [have solid explanations to work with], science only has tools for explaining things in terms of natural causation.”

Again we are faced with an incompatible situation. Scott is claiming that science can only explain things in terms of natural causation. This is true if, and only if, the person establishing scientific guidelines decides to incorporate it. In and of itself there is no reason natural causation has to be a criterion. In fact, it seems quite suspicious that it would be there in the first place. The only logical reason would be to ensure that it could exclude any theory that relies on something that mere human reasoning cannot explain. Again we are faced with the scientific community not actually being interested in the truth, but what fits with their agenda.

Another point to consider is that if Intelligent Design is well received in certain scientific fields but not others, serious problems begin to arise. As seekers of truth and academic integrity we must begin to ask questions about this. For example, how can we trust the Archeologist or Crime Scene Investigator if the objective methods used are only true for his field and not others? Wouldn’t truth be truth regardless as otherwise it would be relative?

Phillip Johnson raises a great question when he asks “If design is a legitimate subject for scientific investigation in the case of computers, communications from space aliens, and peculiar markings on cave walls, why should it be arbitrarily excluded from consideration when dealing with the biological cell or the conscious mind?” We must hold those in the scientific community accountable for hypocritical practices.

I hope you can see that those opposed to Intelligent Design theory really aren’t opposed to the theory in any field whatsoever, except biology. When one becomes opposed to a theory based on personal preferences instead of pursuit of truth regardless of where it leads, we no longer have science, we have chaos.

Arguments against Intelligent Design

2005-07-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, so now we (hopefully) have a basic understanding of what Intelligent Design is. However not everyone believes in this theory. I want to take a moment and look at some of the more common objections that are out there.

One of the biggest problems opponents of Intelligent Design face is that of not mixing scientific assertions with philosophical or religious ones. True science requires a neutral mind open to all possibilities in the pursuit of truth. Yet most naturalists assert that Intelligent Design has no place in science academia and should be kept to religious circles.

Phillip Johnson wrote in Signs of Intelligence:

“Scientific materialists think that advocates of Intelligent Design are either irrational or dishonest because they are advocating as science a proposition that ought to be confined to religion, namely the claim that scientific evidence points to the reality of a designing intelligence in the origin and development of life.”

But how can science honestly say it is pursuing truth if it already has preconceived stipulations set in place?

For example, Robert T. Pennock states in his essay Mystery Science Theater that:

“The origin of species once seemed equally mysterious, but Darwin followed the clues given in nature to solve that mystery. One may, of course, retain religious faith in a designer who transcends natural processes, but there is no way to dust for his fingerprints.”

Here we can already clearly see that Pennock has closed his mind to a creator God simply because he can’t see evidence of it that is up to his standard. In other words, “dusting for fingerprints” would have to fit his own subjective criteria of evidence as opposed to another person’s criterion where the intricacies of ecosystems or complexities of plate tectonics could suffice.

Dembski has a great retort to this problem. In The Design Revolution he says:

“So long as intelligent design has a demonstrable secular purpose – advancing science, enriching the science curriculum, preventing viewpoint discrimination, promoting academic freedom – its motivation even if religious is legally irrelevant.”

Another problem facing opponents of Intelligent Design is that they are acting inconsistently with their worldview. They claim that they will not accept Intelligent Design as a legitimate theory because it has religious suppositions behind it. Yet those in science and academia conceptually accept and even use Intelligent Design in their everyday lives. Although the next post will specifically focus on these areas, I want to bring up one example here.

This is an example Phillip Johnson gives in his chapter of Signs of Intelligence; “If they [science academia that currently reject Intelligent Design] were to receive a signal containing a sequence of prime numbers as portrayed in the movie Contact, they would conclude it came from intelligent beings – without the need for independent evidence of the existence and nature of aliens.”

Here you can see an example of where the scientific community would be stuck between a rock and a hard place. The evidence would clearly show signs of intelligent life, yet the method used to assert this is the very method they deny as religiously based.

Robert Pennock addresses this issue in his essay Mystery Science Theater. (Click Here to read the article). Here he brings up the very issue of the movie Contact and claims:

"…a design inference like that in the movie Contact, for instance, would rely on background knowledge about the nature of radio signals and other natural processes, together with the assumption that a sequence of prime numbers is the kind of pattern another scientist might choose to send as a signal. But the odd sequences found within DNA are quite unlike a series of prime numbers."

But Pennock is mistaken. He is so focused on the specifics involved with the radio signals, that he completely misses the concept being represented; namely that it is possible to make an inference of something you don’t know about from something that you do know about.

Okay, my guess is by now your head is spinning, I know mine is, let’s call it a day and come back later for an analysis of Intelligent Design in use today.

Intelligent Design is not Creationism

2005-07-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

One of the ACLU’s biggest arguments is that Intelligent Design is just hidden Creationism. However, Intelligent Design and Creationism are not the same thing!

According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, Creationism is “the doctrine that ascribes the origin of matter, species, etc. to acts of creation by God.” This differs from Intelligent Design in that Intelligent Design only looks for a designing intelligence, and not for information about the designing intelligence. In fact we could be living in a world designed by Martians and as long as it was designed by the Martians this would be totally consistent with the theory of Intelligent Design.

Perhaps William Dembski said it best when he wrote “Creation is always about the source of being of the world. Intelligent Design is about arrangements of preexisting materials that point to a designing intelligence. Creation and Intelligent Design are therefore quite different. One can have creation without Intelligent Design and intelligent design without creation.” (The Design Revolution, 38)

Some people will argue that Intelligent Design is just disguised theology but if they really understand the theory they will realize that it is not. Although it is similar to Creationism in that it has theological implications, it differs in that it does not require specifically theological, biblical presuppositions (i.e. earth created in a day). In fact, even if the Intelligent Design of some structure has been established, it is still a separate question whether a wise, powerful and beneficent God ought to have designed a complex information structure one way or another. (Signs of Intelligence, 10)

Intelligent Design is not concerned with why the designer decided to do something one way and not the other, it is not concerned with what the designer was thinking at the time, and it is not concerned with who the designer is/was. Intelligent Design is only concerned with the fact that there is a designer.

This difference between Intelligent Design and Creationism seems to be a difficult concept to grasp for many Darwinists. For reasons unknown, many seem to attack the individual supporting Intelligent Design instead of attacking the theory of Intelligent Design itself. If you are like me, you may have experienced this yourself.

It seems that because many who support Intelligent Design also happen to be Christians (even though Christianity and Intelligent Design do not have to correlate) makes for an easy target on religious grounds.

For example, Barbara Forrest, a philosophy professor at Southern Louisiana University, wrote a paper titled The Newest Evolution of Creationism. In this paper she states her views on the Intelligent Design movement. The following are some quotes from that paper: (It should be noted that Wells and Johnson are well known supporters of the Intelligent Design movement).

[Jonathan] Wells, influenced in part by Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon, earned Ph.D.'s in religious studies and biology specifically "to devote my life to destroying Darwinism.”

[Phillip] Johnson, a law professor, whose religious conversion catalyzed his antievolution efforts…

At heart, ID proponents are not motivated to improve science but to transform it into a theistic enterprise.

Note that none of these statements have anything to do with the suppositions set forth by Intelligent Design, but have everything to do with the person that supports it. The quotes listed above are not selected at random but rather give a complete picture as to the nature of the essay. (Click Here to read the article) It is sad to see that those who are considered professionals in their field struggling so badly to find faults with the theory that they are reduced to avoiding it altogether and simply attacking the person.

I hope you’ve been able to see that Intelligent Design theory, although compatible with Creationism, is NOT a requirement for, nor is it a component of creationism.

What is Intelligent Design?

2005-07-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

Seems like we should probably start out by defining exactly what Intelligent Design is. According to William Dembski (perhaps the world’s leading scholar in the field of Intelligent Design), Intelligent Design is the name given to a theory of science that states “there are natural systems that cannot be adequately explained in terms of undirected natural forces and that exhibit features which in any other circumstance we would attribute to intelligence.” (William Dembski’s The Design Revolution, page 27).

Now Intelligent Design uses several factors including specified complexity (independent improbable patterns [more on this later]) and irreducible complexity (organisms that cannot be broken down into smaller functioning organisms like some kinds of bacteria) as proof of its existence.

But it is important to define what we mean by the word “intelligent.” According to the book Signs of Intelligence (by Dembski and Kushiner), the intelligent design community understands “intelligent” to refer to “an intelligent agency, irrespective of skill or mastery.”

Confused yet? I hope not, but I had to get that out of the way to set up our foundation.

Intelligent Design is the antithesis of Darwinism. Darwinism, also known as Naturalism, states that the natural world is all there is. It believes the world is exclusively explained in natural terms. Darwinism states that factors such as natural selection and random variation account for life on the planet. When a naturalist (it should be noted that naturalist and Darwinist are interchangeable for this series of posts) talks about science, he will speak from the perspective that the natural world is all there is.

This perspective is contrary to one who subscribes to Intelligent Design. A supporter of Intelligent Design would feel that the results of an intelligent agency can be detected empirically and that the natural world bears evidence of intelligent agency. They would also likely say that naturalism is not only bad philosophy but bad science (we’ll look at this more in depth later).

When dealing with Intelligent Design there are two important facts to keep in mind. First, Intelligent Design is not creationism. I will go into more details later but let me state that Intelligent Design does not account for who designed the world, only that it was designed. In other words, Intelligent Design does not require a belief in God.

Secondly, from a Christian perspective, it is important to remember that Intelligent Design is not an apologetic. Although it does have implications for use in apologetics, it is more pre-evangelistic in nature. (Kind of hard to use it to defend God’s existence if it doesn’t require God’s existence eh?)

Okay, I think that’s good enough for a brief introduction to our topic. I think that this post will be the most complicated of all of them because it sets the foundation. I would recommend re-reading it a few times if you are still confused.

Introduction to Intelligent Design

2005-06-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

Parents listen up. If you have children in the United States public school system, these next few posts will be very important to you. As the debate over evolution becomes more and more common in our court system, you need to be armed with a basic understanding of the issues.

Earlier this week I read a news article entitled Pennsylvania Lawmakers Debate Evolution in Schools. The article went on to explain that there was a big debate over whether or not to allow “Intelligent Design” theory in public schools before a federal court. Definitely not uncommon. However, having studied this concept at the Master’s level, I was more than interested to read the article.

Predictably, I was saddened at the lack of understanding of Intelligent Design theory, especially by such a large group of educated people.

As such, I’ve decided to do a series on Intelligent Design. As you can imagine ID can be a pretty complex topic so my goal is to break it down into bite sized pieces that make sense.

I want to look at topics like: What is Intelligent Design? Is Intelligent Design really just hidden creationism? Is it in use anywhere today?

Now I’ll be upfront, the purpose of this series is NOT to defeat Darwinism or evolution; nor is it designed to explain Specified Complexity. Those are a topics better suited to a different series at some point in the future. The purpose of this series is simply to help make the theory of Intelligent Design a little more understandable. As always, I’ll do my best to quote from reputable Scholars so you have a chance to research what I have stated, on your own.

As you go through the series and learn more about what Intelligent Design is and is not, I’d like you to keep in mind the following quote from the article as it shows a very common attitude from the ACLU towards the theory of Intelligent Design”

“’How many new biotechnology companies will want to locate here in Pennsylvania if our students are being taught a watered-down version of the complexities of evolution?’ asked Larry Frankel, legislative director for the state’s ACLU chapter”

If you would like to read the article in its entirety, Click Here

The Great Omission

2005-06-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

I was reading a book by Robertson McQuilkin (I know, what a name) called The Great Omission. The following story is taken from that book. I thought it was pretty thought provoking and wanted to share it with you.

In a dream I found myself on an island – Sheep Island. Across the island sheep were scattered and lost. Soon I learned that a forest fire was sweeping across from the opposite side. It seemed that all were doomed to destruction unless there were some way of escape. Although there were many unofficial maps, I had a copy of the official map and there discovered that indeed there is a bridge to the mainland, a narrow bridge, built, it was said, at incredible cost.

My job, I was told, would be to get the sheep across that bridge. I discovered many shepherds herding the sheep who were found and seeking to corral those who were within easy access to the bridge. But most of the sheep were far off and the shepherds seeking them few. The sheep near the fire knew they were in trouble and were frightened; those at a distance were peacefully grazing, enjoying life.

I noticed two shepherds near the bridge whispering to one another and laughing. I moved near them to hear the cause of joy in such a dismal setting. “Perhaps the chasm is narrow somewhere, and at least the strong sheep have opportunity to save themselves,” one said. “Maybe the current is gentle and the stream shallow. Then the courageous, at least, can make it across.” The other responded, “That may well be. In fact, wouldn’t it be great if this proves to be no island at all? Perhaps it is just a peninsula and great multitudes of sheep are already safe. Surely the owner would have provided some alternative route.” And so they relaxed and went about other business.

In my mind I began to ponder their theories: Why would the owner have gone to such great expense to build a bridge, especially since it is a narrow bridge and many of the sheep refuse to cross it even when they find it? In fact, if there is a better way by which many will be saved more easily, building the bridge is a terrible blunder. And if this isn’t an island, after all, what is to keep the fire from sweeping right across into the mainland and destroying everything? As I pondered these things I heard a quiet voice behind me saying, “There is a better reason than the logic of it, my friend. Logic alone could lead you either way. Look at your map.”

There on the map, by the bridge, I saw a quotation from the first undershepherd, Peter: “For neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no way from the island to the mainland whereby a sheep may be saved.” And then I discerned, carved on the old rugged bridge itself, “I am the bridge. No sheep escapes to safety but by me.”

In a world in which nine of every ten people is lost, three of four have never heard the way out, and one of every two cannot hear, the church sleeps on. “How come?” Could it be we think there must be some other way? Or perhaps we don’t really care that much.

I Was Just Thinking...

2005-06-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

I was taking a break from the never ending task of planning my wedding (I had no idea it would be this intense) and I began to look back over my journal of some of my experiences as a prison chaplain. I came across the following entry and it got me thinking:

...I also learned that there are Chaplains from many other religions out of the same office that we are in. I found this interesting due to the belief structures of some other religions. For example, Christian Scientists do not believe in the problem of sin or evil so what would a Christian Scientist Chaplain give as cause for the person who is in jail? Buddhists believe life is an illusion so are those bars that are keeping you locked up an illusion too? Muslims believe that Allah predestines everything so what do you say to a Muslim who is behind bars? “Sorry, but stop complaining because Allah clearly wants you there?” I hope I have an opportunity to talk with some of these other Chaplains over the course of my time there.

I haven't really come up with the answer to these questions yet. Perhaps it is because God created each one of us to love and care for our fellow man. Of course this naturally leads to the question "Why would God create us to care for our fellow man unless He cares for him too?" If this is true, that God does care for man, than there may be serious contradctions in these religious worldviews as they do not necessarily promote a God that is caring and loving. This then brings us back full circle to my original question of why are some of these other chaplains here? Interesting.

I'm Back!

2005-06-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, It’s official…… I am back! Thank you for your patience with me and this website as it has been neglected for the past few weeks.

As I stated earlier I just finished my Master’s degree in Christian Apologetics (defending the truths of Christianity) and I’m not sure if I’m now wiser or even more confused than when I started

As if that wasn’t stressful enough, the day after I graduated I was off to Scotland to work with some Christians who have been in an intensive 10 month leadership training program.

And then to top it all off, I got engaged to the most amazing woman in the whole world last week. (I know every guy says that their wife is the most amazing woman in the world but that’s only because they haven’t met my Emily).

So needless to say it has been a stressful few weeks… But I have recouped and am ready to hit the ground running.

I’d like to say thank you to Tony for his kind words about my site in his newsletter. For those of you who are new to Reason To Believe I’d like to say welcome. The goal of this site is to show that there are intelligent and logical evidences for the truth of Christianity and that a life without a relationship with Jesus Christ is really no life at all.

I’m thinking about beginning a series on abortion but as always I am open to any ideas from you, simply send me an email at “RemovingDoubts AT aol DOT com” (You just need to replace AT with the @ sign and DOT with a period [I have to do this thanks to the SPAM]).

Again welcome to the site and thanks for stopping by

Current Status

2005-05-21T00:22:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

For those who read this site regularly I apologize for my lack of posting throughout the month of May. I am finishing up my last semester in my Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics program and I am swamped. Projects are due, deadlines passed, things are crazy!

I plan to resume blogging very shortly. I have some travel coming up immediately after my graduation next week so hopefully as soon as that is done we'll dive right back in to where we left off.

Thanks for your support, patience and understanding,

Ryan

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? – Conclusion

2005-05-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

Over the past 8 posts you’ve joined me on a journey to determine whether or not Jesus of Nazareth really died on the cross and rose again from the dead, or if the story is just a legend passed on for centuries. In our journey we covered a lot of territory and I want to briefly recap what we learned. First we looked at what the resurrection is and is not.

We then looked at five separate factors increase the reliability of information we are looking at. While none of these factors alone can 100% prove anything, taken together they make for a powerful argument.

Next we looked at the evidence of the empty tomb. We examined the burial procedures that were used and we identified participants and eyewitnesses that ensured Jesus’ body made it into the tomb. We learned that both believer and skeptic alike agreed that the tomb was empty and we identified by name, those that discovered and verified that the tomb was empty.

We then examined the multiple appearances of Jesus after his death. We saw how sometimes he appeared to individuals and other times he appeared to large groups. We also saw the consistency that ran throughout these appearance narratives.

After looking at the appearances we examined the behavior of the eyewitnesses. In other words, we put their words aside and looked at their actions. We saw that despite having every reason not to, the disciples were convinced of Jesus’ resurrection. We concluded by determining that no one dies for what they know to be a lie, and yet every single disciple (minus 1 who was banished to a remote island) were executed for their belief in the resurrection.

We then finished our study by looking at some of the alternative views to the resurrection. We examined what each theory claims and then looked at them in light of what we learned about the resurrection.

I hope you have been able to see that there are clear, rational, and logical reasons for believing in the resurrection of Jesus as a true historical event. Perhaps in the past you’ve asked yourself “What makes Jesus so different from any other historical figure?” Well, I can take you to the grave of Buddha, Mohammad, and Gandhi, but I cannot take you to the grave of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only person in all of history to claim to be God, and then back it up by raising himself from the dead. I can’t think of any stronger evidence one can show than by single handedly conquering death and for that I believe in him and his message; that because of our sins, the only way to God is by belief in his Son Jesus.

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? – Alternative Views

2005-04-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

So far I’ve laid out what I believe to be a strong case for the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, having studied apologetics extensively I have come across several “alternative views” to the resurrection. I’d like to take a closer look at some of the most popular alternative views and then comment on them in light of what we’ve learned in the past several posts.

The first alternative view is the “Legend Theory.” That is, the New Testament accounts of the resurrection are the product of a legend produced over time. Well there are some basic evidentiary problems with this view. The biggest problem is that the historical documents narrating the event can be traced back to a time period when eyewitnesses were alive whom could easily refute the account. These documents trace back to the original disciples that were involved as well as the original location (Jerusalem) of the resurrection. Additionally, many Scholars agree that a legend takes a minimum of 2 generations to develop. Therefore, there simply wasn’t enough time, nor is there enough evidence to support this theory.

The second alternative view is the “Swoon Theory.” This view holds that Jesus didn’t really die on the cross, he just swooned, and was awakened while in the tomb. No one really holds to this view anymore except for Muslims. Here’s the problem – to hold to the swoon theory one must believe:

First, Christ didn’t die on the cross. Then the professional Roman executioners whose lives were on the line if the punishment wasn’t carried out, didn’t ensure he was dead. (Remember they didn’t need to break his legs). Next, the spear in his side which both split open his lung and pierced his heart didn’t kill him. The incredible agony and stress leading up to his execution in addition to his weakened state due to the floggings and beatings didn’t precipitate his death. Then with no food or drink or way to ease his suffering he had to lay in a pitch black tomb. Next, in his weakened condition he would have to get up from under 92 pounds of spices and burial clothes that were bound so tight they eliminated any movement. He would then need to find and roll back the stone at the entrance of the tomb which historians agree was a wheel made of granite, 8 feet in diameter and 1 foot thick weighing about 4 tons, all by himself. He would have to do this silently because after he moved back the stone he would still need to sneak past the guards and escape so he could appear to his disciples as active and radiant.

Is this reasonable to believe? I’ll leave that for you to decide.

The third alternative view is that someone stole the body. Well right off the bat there are two things to notice. First, it presupposes the tomb was indeed empty, and second it assumes that someone knew where the correct tomb was located. But there are some big problems with this theory. First, it doesn’t explain why the disciples believed they saw the risen Jesus. Second, it doesn’t explain why Paul or James (neither of which believed in Jesus while he was alive) converted to Christianity. Thirdly, even if this was true, it would only explain the empty tomb, it wouldn’t disprove the resurrection.

The fourth alternative view I’ve heard is the “Wrong Tomb Theory.” That is, Jesus’ followers went to the wrong tomb. This theory is full of problems. First, we have absolutely no ancient documents that say they went to the wrong tomb (Remember, we know from Matthew that the Jewish authorities had to bribe the guards so say the body was stolen, not that they went to the wrong tomb). Secondly, we know the tomb was owned by Joseph of Aramethea (and his servants) and therefore could have easily been pointed out the location of the correct tomb. But perhaps the most powerful evidence is that the Bible claims the correct location of the tomb was known by many (See Mark 15:47, Matthew 27:61, Luke 23:55, John 19:39). But regardless, even if the disciples did go to the wrong tomb, it still wouldn’t account for the appearances of the risen Jesus to the disciples.

The fifth alternative view is that of naturalism. That is, “Only science proves what is true.” However we must look at exactly what science is. Science only relates to what can be observed and tested. By definition, a historical event cannot be observed and tested and therefore all historical events must then be disqualified. So you can’t argue that science can be used to “prove” historical events. But a more important aspect of this view is that it is self-refuting. Science, in and of itself, cannot prove that only what science proves is true. In other words, you can’t put take “science” into a laboratory, observe it and record observations and discover that only what science proves is true. Therefore, the statement cancels itself out. As if that wasn’t enough, there are many things we accept that are outside of the purview of science. Things like "love" and "ideas" cannot be observed or measured but no one denies they exist.

The sixth and final alternative view is the “Hallucination Theory.” That is, the disciples must have hallucinated when they saw the risen Christ. This view may seem reasonable at first glance, but let’s look a little deeper. Hallucinations occur to individuals, they do not appear to groups. However Jesus appeared to both individuals AND groups (remember appearing to the 500 at one time). He was also seen by friend AND foe over a period of forty days. Hallucinations don’t last for 40 days. According to most Psychiatrists, hallucinations generally only appear to certain kinds of people: those that are high-strung, highly imaginative, and very nervous. Yet Christ appeared to multiple people, in a strict Jewish culture, under very different circumstances. It doesn’t seem logical for all of them to have a hallucination. But even if one does hold to the hallucination theory, it still doesn’t explain the empty tomb.

I realize there are many other alternative views out there but space doesn’t allow me to address them. I hope that you are able to see that when people give you alternative views to the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus, you don’t need to be nervous. Instead look deeper into what they are claiming and compare it to what you’ve learned about Christ’s resurrection. I believe you will quickly see that when one objectively looks at the evidence of Christ’s resurrection, the truth of the event shines through and all other views quickly fall away.

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? – Dying For A Cause

2005-04-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

So far we’ve looked at written documents left behind by the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. I’d like to transition from looking at their writings to looking at their lives. I don’t know if you are like me, but often times I feel that “talk is cheap.” I am much more interested in actions than I am in words. That’s why I believe the evidence of the eyewitnesses’ lives is just as powerful as the documents they left behind. The Disciples clearly believed they had seen Jesus Christ appear to them after they saw him executed; their words, actions and the course of the rest of their lives hinged on this one central belief.

Before we can truly understand their behavior, we must look at what their mindset was to help us understand what was really going on. For those who have studied the Bible you know that the Messiah was supposed to liberate Israel from the Roman oppressors. He was not supposed to be executed by them. This is what made it so difficult for the Disciples to understand Jesus’ predictions about his death. So when we examine the behavior of the Disciples, we see a group of men who abandoned and denied Jesus at the time of his arrest and execution who suddenly turned into men who boldly and publicly proclaimed his resurrection to the point they were executed for it. We must ask ourselves what was the origin of this belief? There are really only two options: influence from either Jewish or Pagan sources (you can’t argue for Christian influence because Christian influence hadn’t been invented yet).

To argue the origin was from Pagan influences is absurd. People will often quote ancient Greek mythology stories involving a resurrection (unfortunately these people don’t realize the first traceable mythological resurrection story is dated to 100 years AFTER Jesus’ time). To claim that the early Disciples thought their friend would come back to life based on Greek folk tales would be like you thinking your friend came back from the dead because you saw the movie E.T. Clearly Pagan mythology is not the appropriate way to understand the resurrection story.

The second option is from Jewish influences. We know that the concept of the resurrection wasn’t a new concept for a Jew as it was found in many places throughout the Old Testament (Isaiah 26:19, Daniel 12:2, Ezekiel 37). However the Jewish belief of the resurrection was ALWAYS after the end of the world and NEVER before that. This is the frame of mind the disciples brought with them in approaching the resurrection. This helps explain why it was so hard for them to understand Jesus’ predictions about rising from the dead; the resurrection only occurs at the end of the world. Given the 1st century Jewish beliefs about resurrection you cannot explain the Disciples and other early Christians belief in the resurrection of Christ outside of the actual event itself

But let’s put this aside for a moment. I want to focus on what I think is the most powerful argument that the Disciples saw Jesus Christ raised from the dead. The Disciples were willing to die for their belief. Now let me be clear about this, being willing to die for a cause does not verify the truth of their statements, it just verifies the sincerity of their statements. (For example, the terrorists that flew into the world trade center were sincere in their beliefs that this horrific act would secure their place in paradise, but that doesn’t mean that the act actually did secure their place). Every single one of the Disciples (minus John who was banished to an island) and numerous other witnesses of Christ’s resurrection were executed for their belief in the resurrection. Now many of these people weren’t killed immediately. Some had up to 30+ years before their death. It just doesn’t make sense why someone would go 30+ years knowingly believing a lie and then giving their lives for that lie. So how do we know the Disciples died specifically because of their belief in Jesus? Well, in addition to the Bible we have several non-Biblical sources that record these accounts: Clement (1 Clement 5:2-7), Ignatius (Letter to Smyrna 3:2-3), Polycarp (To the Philippians 9:2), Dionysus of Corinth (cited by Eusebius in Eccleastical History 2:25:8), Tertullian (Scorpiace 15), and Origen (Contra Celsum 2:56, 77) are just a few.

It is very important that we take into consideration the behavior of the disciples after Christ’s resurrection. We know they believed they had seen the risen Jesus, despite having every reason to the contrary, to the point they willingly gave their lives in defense of that belief. That is powerful evidence! Perhaps Jewish Rabbi Pinchas Lapide said it best:

“This scared, frightened band of the apostles, which was just about to throw away everything in order to flee in despair to Galilee; when these peasants, shepherds, and fishermen, who betrayed and denied their master and then failed him miserably, suddenly could be changed overnight into a confident mission society, convinced of salvation and able to work with much more success after Easter than before Easter, then no vision or hallucination is sufficient to explain such a revolutionary transformation”

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? – The Appearances

2005-04-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well, so far we have looked at the accuracy of the burial account and established the fact that the tomb was empty. But big deal, all an empty tomb tells us is that the body wasn’t there. This leads us to our second area of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus; the multiple appearances of Jesus Christ after his execution. Had Jesus only appeared to one of the disciples, it would be pretty difficult to believe he had resurrected from the dead. But Jesus didn’t appear to just one person. Instead he appeared to many different people, individually and in groups, over a span of time. I won’t go into exquisite detail of the resurrection appearances as books have been written about this topic, nor do I want to investigate the appearances as recorded by the gospels, rather I want to examine the appearances from the perspective of Paul as recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8. Although the gospels record the different appearances of Jesus quite adequately, I want to look at Paul’s account for two reasons. First, almost all Scholars agree that Paul’s writing of 1 Corinthians predates all four of the Gospels which makes it the earliest account that we have. Secondly, because in reading 1 Corinthians we have an authentic letter from the former chief persecutor of the Christian church who was an eyewitness to, and also in contact with other eyewitnesses to, the risen Jesus. This makes his testimony much more powerful than any of the gospel writers.

1 Corinthians 15:5-8 reads:

“and that he appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”

Although this passage takes up a little bit of space, it packs in lots of important information. Paul first mentions that Jesus appeared to Peter. This account is independently attested to in Luke 24:33-34. (Remember what I said earlier, that events are much more credible if more than one source records it [Multiple Independent Attestation in Scholar speak]). Paul then mentions that Jesus appeared to the 12 disciples. This is account is independently attested to by Luke in Luke 24:36-43 and John in John 20:19-20.

Next Paul mentions that Jesus appeared to over 500 people at once. 500 people! Now sometimes when I mention this people will point out that this account isn’t found anywhere else in the New Testament (which I guess implies it isn’t as credible?). But I’m not so sure about that. Some people believe, me included, that this appearance to the 500 is recorded in Matthew 28:16-17 which reads “But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.”

Let me tell you why I believe these were the same appearance. First, it was on a mountain. Mountains were necessary to accommodate large groups of people (remember the feeding of the 5,000 and the teaching of the Beatitudes were on mountains). Secondly, it was by appointment. The disciples were told to go there and wait for Jesus. This provided plenty of time for other people to hear the news and gather together as well. Thirdly, Matthew records that “some doubted.” Who were these people? Surely not the disciples. Could they have been some of those 500 that had gathered around? I know my argument isn’t airtight but that’s okay, it doesn’t have to be. Even if Matthew is talking about a totally different appearance that doesn’t discount the authenticity of Paul’s record. It simply means we don’t have a second record of it. More important than the number of sources is Paul’s challenge. When Paul writes “most whom are still living yet some have fallen asleep” he is directly challenging his readers to verify the accounts for themselves. By knowing that some have died (fallen asleep) Paul is showing he isn’t just passing along some story but that he is personally acquainted with these individuals. He must know who these people are to know which ones are dead and which ones are alive. On a side note, just to help explain the magnitude of these 500 witnesses seeing Jesus alive after his execution, if all 500 of these witnesses were brought into a courtroom and each one spoke for only 6 minutes, you would have 50 hours of courtroom testimony.

Continuing on with our study, we see that next Jesus appeared to James, Jesus’ own brother. Now according to Galatians 1:19, we know that Paul had firsthand information of this appearance by talking directly with James when he traveled to Jerusalem. Okay, quick pause for background information, even though they grew up together, James did NOT believe that his brother Jesus, was the Messiah nor the son of God. We know this from both Mark 3:21 and John 7:5. We also know that after Jesus’ death James DID become a believer in Jesus. We know this because James was executed by the Sanhedrin in 65 AD for leading the church in Jerusalem. So how do we explain this conversion of James to faith in Jesus? Here’s an even better question: what type of event would need to take place to convince you that your brother was the Lord and would cause you to be willing to be executed for that belief? I don’t know about you, but for me it would take nothing less than seeing my brother come back from the dead.

According to Paul, Jesus then appeared to the apostles again and then finally appeared to Paul himself. Although we’ve only looked at one small passage regarding the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, I hope you can see that Jesus appeared to many people over a span of time in the very city he was killed in. He didn’t appear to just one person way out in the woods never to be heard from again; that is of course unless you believe the account of Joseph Smith in the Book of Mormon.