Over the last few months I’ve been asked repeatedly the hard questions about the identity of Jesus, and have decided that a series addressing the major complications of Jesus’ identity should ensue. Since Jesus is our savior, our defender, and our God we should know as much about him as possible and not settle for a Sunday school depiction of him carrying a lost sheep over his shoulder. Jesus is more than a shepherd, a prophet, a king or a savior. He is a person, with all the complexities that a person holds and more since he is also God.
I remember sitting in Moody Church in downtown Chicago one Sunday morning listening to the amazing Dr. Erwin Lutzer and his sermon on Christian Maturity. He illustrated his point saying, “I know that each and every member of our church is a mature believer. I know this because no one has yet challenged my pronouncing the word as “maTurity and not “maCHurity”. Well, I thought it was funny. Still do. What isn’t funny is when a follower of Christ stops growing in faith.
Ask any leading biblical archeologist and they are likely to say that there is no evidence of the Exodus story the Bible recounts in great detail. What they really mean is that there is no evidence during the time of Ramses II -- or any time during Egypt’s New Kingdom. One man had the audacity to ask if perhaps the evidence existed previous to the accepted timeframe and found not only answers, but some pretty compelling evidence as well. Patterns of Evidence – Exodus, now available on Netflix, is the story that proves The Story.
Our final ideology under examination is Mormonism, once the fastest growing religion in the United States, adds on average 800 coverts to its rosters every day. Its growth is largely attributed to its conservative family and political values, the care provided to members, charitable contributions, and the financial success of its followers. More of its over six million members are involved in mission’s work than evangelical Christians and distributes five million copies of the Book of Mormon every year. How does one argue against a faith that many well-meaning people, including Sean Hannity, believe is simply a branch of Christianity?
We’ve all heard the expression, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”, and it’s usually used to warn against giving or taking too much power over others. It’s a political truth. Yet this phrase says just as much about the nature of man as it does about the nature of power. For instance, it reveals that man is imminently corruptible – a truth the Bible teaches clearly throughout each book – meaning it is a religious truth as well. Man is a political creature who uses religion in a vain attempt to keep from corruption. Politics, however, isn’t evil and religion isn’t holy.
Yesterday we examined a few of the horrors that took place over the last week. I mentioned that while our outrage is understandable that we shouldn’t be surprised, at least not if we understand what the Bible teaches about humankind. Most worldviews disagree with the Bible’s assessment of our nature. Largely, people—including many Christians—think that mankind is either basically good, or morally neutral. We like to think that we’re “not that bad”; we like to point to the villains of history, like Karadzik or the Taliban, to tip the scales of righteousness in our favor.
I’m not sure where I first came across this, so I’ve no idea who to attribute this to and I apologize if I’m stepping on any copyrights, but I thought this was worth repeating on this special day, as it is an example of just why Jesus came to conquer sin and death. This man’s story reveals some powerful truths; the selfishness and brokenness of man, our need for a savior, and the fact that God always finishes what he starts. Happy Resurrection Sunday!
In our primer on ideologies opposed to western Christian teachings we come to Islam. Since Islam is now the fastest growing religion in America (overtaking Mormonism in the winter of 2001) we must ready ourselves to defend the faith before them, communicate the gospel to them, and guide them into a personal relationship with Jesus. We must learn to address them with courage, righteousness and love if we are to successfully turn them from the darkness of their ideology and toward forgiveness in Christ. Addressing Islam will be the greatest challenge the western church will face for the foreseeable future.
It was a Christian class on public speaking and the teacher began leading the class in an eastern meditation practice meant to calm one’s nerves. “Close your eyes,” she began, “and think only about your toes. Your toes, then your feet… Empty your mind.” At this point I’d had it, opened my eyes and asked loudly, “Is it okay if instead of emptying my mind I took every thought captive to the obedience of Christ?” Instead of relaxation, tension filled the room but everyone understood what was happening and what was at stake.
“Pope Francis Washes Refugees’ Feet in Holy Week Rite”, “Easter Attack in Pakistan Kills Dozens”, “After Islamic State Onslaught, Some Syrian Sites Still Stand”, “Bosnian Serb Convicted of Genocide”. These are just some of the headlines from this last week (thank you Wall Street Journal). What are we to make of all this? How does one think-biblically about the mix of religious traditions, some inspiring hope and humility others unleashing unimaginable horrors and terror? Does the Bible have any relevance in this modern day kingdom of madness?
We had been traveling for several days. After landing in Tel Aviv at the Ben Guerin Airport we traveled south, from one side to the other, viewing the Mediterranean on one side and the desert on the other. Roman aqueducts still stretch for miles through the desert and Tiberius is still a city by the Sea of Galilee. It was all fascinating and ancient and caused one to feel they are a part of the history of the Holy Land until, that is, we reached Jerusalem. The nation’s capital is a bustling city and not unlike most other world metropolises…
In most philosophy, world-view or apologetics classes world religions are studied and arguments for and against them are examined. Topics such as nihilism, existentialism, and even eastern pantheistic monism are dissected. While this line of study can benefit one committed to becoming an apologist, for the mainstream believer there may be more immediate and practical concerns. In the case of western Christianity, the three most encountered ideologies opposed its teachings are evolution, Islam and Mormonism. We will examine the basic arguments of each of these over the next few days before turning to a defense of Christianity and the Bible.