Atheists are not trying to get T.D. Jakes or Touched By An Angel off the air. Einstein never confronted an atheist professor. New U.S. coins do not omit "in God we trust". These and other "critical" forwarded emails assault me ever so often and I'm tired of it. The truth about these issues can be easily checked in a few minutes at snopes.com or some other source. Take a minute and check it out.
Sometimes I wonder if the people sending these warnings out even read them at all. Or just have really bad memories since many of these false warnings have the same message with only small details being changed.
Lets not waste our time rallying people to oppose nonexistent threats when there are many real causes we should unite for.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Why Every Christian Should Read Harry Potter and The Golden Compass
With the upcoming release of the Golden Compass movie based on the book by Philip Pullman my email has been flooded with warnings not to see this movie. I have also endured many warnings about Harry Potter and witchcraft. I am ambivalent about these warnings. On the one hand I agree with the people who warn that Pullman's work is anti-God and anti-church (it is) and that Rowling's series has witches and witches are evil (they are). On the other hand I was an English major and a former English teacher and a good book is a good book. It's hard for me to say don't read this book or that book when it is a really great read.
But these books being well crafted is not why I think every Christian should read them. I think every Christian should read them for these reasons:
1. Evangelism. Paul used the Greeks belief in many gods as an opening to share about Christ and the resurrection. Both series give excellent opportunities to talk with others about Christ. I don't mean saying, "God says, 'Harry should be killed!'" but using what the Potter series has to say about the power of love to talk about God's love. Or using what Pullman has to say about the evil of the church to talk about human evil and frailty verses God's goodness.
2. Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world. We say this, but it seems at times we don't believe it. The message seems to be that if we or our children read these books (or see these movies) then they will be enticed into denying Christ and becoming Wiccans or atheists. But as Christians we are not called to ignore the arguments and reasonings of people who do not believe as we do, but to give an answer for the hope we have. We do not grow as Christians by avoiding things that challenge our beliefs.
3. If we are condemning magic in one book, we should condemn it in all. If Harry Potter is evil, then so are Gandalf and Aslan. We have not condemned The Lord of the Rings or Narnia because despite their use of wizards and mythical creatures and Greek gods, we recognize Christian themes and overtones in them. The same can be said of the Harry Potter series. Despite the use of witches there are Christian overtones to the book and moral lessons to be learned.
4. Our opinions and beliefs should be formed based on fact not on someone else's opinion or on rumor. I too often see Christians condemning something based on misinformation. If you are going to speak out against something find out for yourself if it is true. Don't just read an email or listen to a speaker and take it for granted what you read or hear is true.
But these books being well crafted is not why I think every Christian should read them. I think every Christian should read them for these reasons:
1. Evangelism. Paul used the Greeks belief in many gods as an opening to share about Christ and the resurrection. Both series give excellent opportunities to talk with others about Christ. I don't mean saying, "God says, 'Harry should be killed!'" but using what the Potter series has to say about the power of love to talk about God's love. Or using what Pullman has to say about the evil of the church to talk about human evil and frailty verses God's goodness.
2. Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world. We say this, but it seems at times we don't believe it. The message seems to be that if we or our children read these books (or see these movies) then they will be enticed into denying Christ and becoming Wiccans or atheists. But as Christians we are not called to ignore the arguments and reasonings of people who do not believe as we do, but to give an answer for the hope we have. We do not grow as Christians by avoiding things that challenge our beliefs.
3. If we are condemning magic in one book, we should condemn it in all. If Harry Potter is evil, then so are Gandalf and Aslan. We have not condemned The Lord of the Rings or Narnia because despite their use of wizards and mythical creatures and Greek gods, we recognize Christian themes and overtones in them. The same can be said of the Harry Potter series. Despite the use of witches there are Christian overtones to the book and moral lessons to be learned.
4. Our opinions and beliefs should be formed based on fact not on someone else's opinion or on rumor. I too often see Christians condemning something based on misinformation. If you are going to speak out against something find out for yourself if it is true. Don't just read an email or listen to a speaker and take it for granted what you read or hear is true.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Black and White In a Gray World
In debates I've had with some of my friends I have often been accused of wanting black and white answers. My friends assert that things are a lot grayer in the real world. It is true that we live in a complicated world and that there are hardly ever cut and dry answers that fit every situation. But my friends have missed what I was actually asking them. I was not and am not asking for a black and white answer that fits every situation. What I am asking for is why they believe the way they do and can they support it with scripture.
As Christians the Bible is supposed to be one of our moral plumb lines. (The Holy Spirit and fellow believers being some others). So when we, as Christians, go against something that seems fairly black and white in scripture I have to ask why. I am not doing this just to debate some issue (though I do love a good debate), but to get us to really think about why we believe something.
I had a friend in college whose grandmother was convinced "cleanliness is next to godliness" was in the Bible. I think a lot of Christians have similar misconceptions about what God's word says. It bugs me when someone claims the Bible says something that it doesn't (often the same people who send those urban legend emails -- grrr.) If you believe in Christ then your beliefs and actions should match up with his and his match up with the scripture.
I am not saying that there is no room for a different understanding of how scripture should be interpreted or seen. Most Christians would agree that polygamy and slavery are wrong, but these are both treated as acceptable in the Bible, clearly God has opened our eyes to better understand the scripture in these areas. But seeing scripture in a new light is different than ignoring it all together.
As Christians the Bible is supposed to be one of our moral plumb lines. (The Holy Spirit and fellow believers being some others). So when we, as Christians, go against something that seems fairly black and white in scripture I have to ask why. I am not doing this just to debate some issue (though I do love a good debate), but to get us to really think about why we believe something.
I had a friend in college whose grandmother was convinced "cleanliness is next to godliness" was in the Bible. I think a lot of Christians have similar misconceptions about what God's word says. It bugs me when someone claims the Bible says something that it doesn't (often the same people who send those urban legend emails -- grrr.) If you believe in Christ then your beliefs and actions should match up with his and his match up with the scripture.
I am not saying that there is no room for a different understanding of how scripture should be interpreted or seen. Most Christians would agree that polygamy and slavery are wrong, but these are both treated as acceptable in the Bible, clearly God has opened our eyes to better understand the scripture in these areas. But seeing scripture in a new light is different than ignoring it all together.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
A Faith Like That
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. (Hebrews 11:13 NIV)
I love reading stories about faith, from Noah to Smith Wigglesworth to Heidi Baker. These stories are from different times and places but in all of these stories people put their faith in God and God shows up and does amazing things. The faith of these people is strong and alive and vibrant. These stories stir up my faith and encourage me to believe God for miracles and other amazing things to happen.
But there are other stories. Stories from my life and probably yours as well. Times when I was certain God was going to heal, full of faith he would deliver and . . . nothing. Stories of hundreds of years as slaves to the Egyptians. Stories of Mother Theresa not feeling God's presence.
There is a faith in these stories too. It may not look as bold and alive and vibrant as the faith in the stories where God shows up miraculously, but it is there. It is a faith that despite disappointment, despite doubt keeps smoldering. It is a faith that says, no matter what happens or does not happen I trust God. God is good. God is good even if my prayer is unanswered.
Some people have a problem with this. They say that if you have faith you will always be healed or see something miraculous happen. And while I agree that sometimes we give up too easily and need to be more proactive in exercising our faith, sometimes faith goes unanswered.
So, while I pray for miraculous things to happen and long to see amazing things, I think the faith I am more in need of is the faith that keeps a hold of God and his goodness even when it is not immediately answered.
I love reading stories about faith, from Noah to Smith Wigglesworth to Heidi Baker. These stories are from different times and places but in all of these stories people put their faith in God and God shows up and does amazing things. The faith of these people is strong and alive and vibrant. These stories stir up my faith and encourage me to believe God for miracles and other amazing things to happen.
But there are other stories. Stories from my life and probably yours as well. Times when I was certain God was going to heal, full of faith he would deliver and . . . nothing. Stories of hundreds of years as slaves to the Egyptians. Stories of Mother Theresa not feeling God's presence.
There is a faith in these stories too. It may not look as bold and alive and vibrant as the faith in the stories where God shows up miraculously, but it is there. It is a faith that despite disappointment, despite doubt keeps smoldering. It is a faith that says, no matter what happens or does not happen I trust God. God is good. God is good even if my prayer is unanswered.
Some people have a problem with this. They say that if you have faith you will always be healed or see something miraculous happen. And while I agree that sometimes we give up too easily and need to be more proactive in exercising our faith, sometimes faith goes unanswered.
So, while I pray for miraculous things to happen and long to see amazing things, I think the faith I am more in need of is the faith that keeps a hold of God and his goodness even when it is not immediately answered.
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