January 17, 2012 0

Post-Modernism

By in Culture

This is just a short entry, but an important one. If you are in church circles I would bet my tax return that you have heard the term ‘post-modern’ tossed around by now. But do we really understand it?

If you do not have a full grasp on the concept and its effect on the church and our culture you will quickly find yourself lost in the insanity of our times. Post-modernism is not just a trend, an artistic movement or a subject for philosophy students. It is a very real change in our society’s metaphysical viewpoint. It has changed the way our society, in its hive-mind-like consensus, views reality. The best description of this concept I have seen comes from a site for poets:

For Postmodernists the world exists only through our understanding of it, and the prime medium of that understanding is everyday language. There is no further or ultimate reality that words point to, and we deceive ourselves by seeking deep spiritual meanings in art.

Obviously this explanation is geared to the arts, but the principal holds true for the whole school of thought. A post-modern view of art ascribes no deeper meaning to an artists work, only what you may see in it. A post-modern novel may have an unreliable narrator so the reader is not able to trust the story as told. A post-modern view of language posits that words only have the meaning that the speaker and the hearer gives them, and they do not have to even agree. A post-modern theology is one where there is no absolute truth, and the only truth we can uncover is what we find ourselves.

As you can see this viewpoint stands directly in opposition to orthodoxy of any kind. Must we ignore post-modern artists, writers, and other culture makers? I would say no. As a technique in the hands of an artist it can be entirely benign, or even beneficial to Christians. Should we entertain the teachings of post-modern philosophers, thinkers, ethicists and theologians? If you are an orthodox, confessional Christian I would daresay you know that answer already.

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January 16, 2012 0

The Deep Cultural Divide on Issues of Life

By in General

Our culture and society is deeply divided on issues of “life”. There is no better place to see this than the recent discussion around the Santorum family’s handling of a stillborn child… in 1996. The fact that some will go back more than 15 years and pull such a painful and private episode for criticism surely says something about the divisive nature of these issues.

A good overview of this discussion can be picked from Ross Douthat, the token NY Times conservative.

At 19 weeks of pregnancy, Gabriel was found to have a potentially fatal fetal abnormality. After a risky intrauterine surgery, Karen Santorum came down with an infection that ended up triggering labor. The baby lived for just two hours, and after his death the couple took his body home overnight — so that their children could “absorb and understand that they had a brother,” Santorum said later — before burying him the following day.

As Ross and Pete Wehner point out, this is in line with the recommendations of medical professionals. The American Pregnancy Association outlines the following suggestions for dealing with this loss. Here is an excerpt:

After the tests are completed, you will usually have the choice to spend time alone with your baby. You can find comfort in looking at, touching, and talking to your baby. Most parents find it helpful to make memories of this precious time that will last a lifetime. Here are a few ways you can make memories with your baby:

  • You can give your baby a bath and dress them in a special outfit. Before leaving the hospital you can take the a piece of this clothing to have as a keepsake.
  • You can take pictures of your baby.
  • The hospital staff can give you an imprint of handprints and/or footprints.
  • You may want to take a lock of your baby’s hair.
  • It may seem odd at first but you can read a story or sing a lullaby to your baby.
  • If you would like, the nurse can record your baby’s measurements.
  • You probably have also named your baby by now. Be sure to tell the hospital staff as soon as possible so all documents can have your baby’s name listed.
  • You can have your baby christened or blessed while in the hospital.
  • A baptism certificate will also be given to you to keep.

You will be able to spend as much time as you need with your baby, but at some point you will need to say goodbye. This will probably be one of the most challenging things to do because it is so final. Allow yourself to cry; expressing emotion is natural in the grieving process. Having the keepsakes will remind you that a part of your baby will always be with you.

If you are like me you cannot possibly read that without out feeling a deep empathy for anyone who has to deal with this staggering of a loss. Heartbreak of this magnitude should be understood and respected enough to not make it an issue of public criticism and debate. However, sadly, that is not the case.

“He’s not a little weird, he’s really weird,” Robinson said of Santorum. “And some of his positions that he has taken are just so weird that I think that some Republicans are off-put. Not everybody is not going to be down, for example, with the story of how he and his wife handled the stillborn child. It was a body that they took home to kind of sleep with it, introduce it to the rest of the family. It’s a very weird story.”

The divide that is visible in this viewpoint is shocking. While mainstream medical and psychological advice gives full support to treat a stillbirth as a real loss of a very real person the political Left has come to a point of seeing little value or humanity in the body of a stillborn child.

The inevitable conclusion for Christians who still value life is that while the tide may be turning on abortion, the value of life will continue to be degraded and dismissed by a small, vocal portion of society. How do we deal with this on an everyday basis? How do we live with and explain our decisions that may start to be very different from what is expected? Do we dedicate our time to the old-fashioned culture wars? Or work to change our world one mind and family at a time? I think we will unfortunately have to spend a good deal of time deciding these things.

October 17, 2011 0

My Hypocrisy: Occupy Wall Street, Politics, and Idolatry

By in Culture, Personal

I pushed my chair back from my desk in my home office. It was 7 o’clock and for the last hour or so I had been making my rounds on the conservative and libertarian blogs. The “Occupy Whatever” protests had been going on for a few days and I had been reading reports, opinions and watching videos on what was going on in New York and elsewhere. I distinctly remember my thoughts as I stood up from the computer and went to fix dinner. “It’s so sad that all those hippies have placed all their trust and hope in a system of government and hopes for a socialist utopia. I feel sorry for them. I’m not like that, I’m different. I have Jesus.” That was a week ago and I’ve done some thinking, and God has been working on my heart since.

What I thought was true, of course. Without an all powerful Savior to put our full faith, hope and trust in we look around for substitutes. We look for hope in other people or relationships. We look for security from a government or an army. We look for compassionate change from the masses. We erect these people, institutions and things as idols in our lives. We worship them, we sacrifice for them, and we orient our lives around them in hopes of a form of salvation. This is the condition of the human heart as it always has been, but I also realized something else.

I am a hypocrite. Not just a hypocrite in the sense that I have my own idols. I’m a hypocrite in the sense that I have have the exact same idols. Those that know me will immediately know that I do not subscribe to the same beliefs, but the result is the same.

I trust a well armed and trained military for my security. I trust my 2nd Amendment rights to protect myself and my loved ones. My hope is for a change in government over what we have had these last many years. My justice is found in the letter of an imperfect law. But most damning of all, my greatest refuge of hope for our country is in a free market system that while efficient, is by no means perfect.

This is painfully ironic for someone who, only a few years ago, mocked political opponents for holding their candidate up as a ‘messiah’. Crow is not a fun meal.

My idolatry is even worse than those I called out, because my faith has enabled me to see it for what it is, and I still buy into the lie. This makes me even worse than those that I looked down upon. Upon this I build my public confession, I am a hypocrite and a liar.

Now, these things are not unimportant. I do think it is vital for all people to be engaged and educated about how our country, states and cities are run. But for Christians, it cannot be our ultimate.

Now that God has used this to reveal the depth of my sin, where do I go next? For one, I need to dig deep in prayer and repentance to ask my Lord to remove those idols. Additionally, I need to examine my heart and my mind and determine how I can engage in the civic life of this society without basing my identity or my faith in either the actors, institutions or machinations of government.

Change cannot come from a sinful heart. Confession, repentance and then obedience is the path to defeating sin and temptation. How will this play out for me? I’m not sure yet… but I know where the right place to find my hope is.

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October 12, 2011 0

100 People: In Response to Grace

By in General

Note: I am privileged to serve on the Austin Stone Story Team as a writer. I have been with the team a few months and it has been great for me, it’s an opportunity to serve the church body with my meager talents and tell the stories of what God is doing in our community and in the world. I encourage you to check out the 100 People Network. It is a ministry of our church focused on sending out members of our church body to proclaim Christ to the unreached people groups of this world. I will double post my articles here with the hope of humbly drawing more attention to the great work of Christ. If so moved, please consider supporting the network’s work, or work through your local church body.

Originally posted at: http://100peoplenetwork.org/blog/goer_story_in_response_to_grace

Story by: Brian Lundin
Photo by: Scott Wade

With its current population of over 1.21 billion people, India is on track to become the world’s most populous country by 2025. Greg wants to see a church planting explosion there that would rival what has taken place in China. For someone with such high hopes, washing the feet of the poor in the countryside might seem like too meager of a beginning. But Greg is following the example of humility that Christ displayed for us: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14).

Greg was raised in church, but by the time he started school at The University of Texas, he realized he was not living in obedience to God. Originally, his goals were to obtain a degree in computer science, find a good job and pursue what this world has to offer. But at the invitation of a good friend, Greg started attending The Austin Stone and going to a campus Bible study. At that point, God made some remarkable changes in his life.

When asked about the change, Greg states, “I started living in response to grace.”

Read the whole thing…

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September 26, 2011 0

100 People: Where I Want To Be

By in Missional Living

Note: I am privileged to serve on the Austin Stone Story Team as a writer. I have been with the team a few months and it has been great for me, it’s an opportunity to serve the church body with my meager talents and tell the stories of what God is doing in our community and in the world. I encourage you to check out the 100 People Network. It is a ministry of our church focused on sending out members of our church body to proclaim Christ to the unreached people groups of this world. I will double post my articles here with the hope of humbly drawing more attention to the great work of Christ. If so moved, please consider supporting the network’s work, or missions work through your local church body.

Originally posted at: http://100peoplenetwork.org/blog/goer_story_where_i_want_to_be

When he was a child, Cameron’s mother had one single prayer for her son’s life; all she wanted was for him to follow God’s will. It was a simple prayer, but it was that simple prayer that is now taking him to North Africa.

Preaching the gospel to an unreached people group in a foreign land was the farthest thing from his mind when Cameron walked into The Austin Stone Community Church for the first time. The look in his eyes and the confidence in his voice tell the story of a changed heart.

Before coming to Austin, Cameron was not walking with God. “I began to realize what a hypocrite I was, but I met a group of people here who really had a relationship with Jesus, who really knew him and loved him.”

This spoke to Cameron deeply and the change in his life began with simple, small steps. “I began to do the only thing I knew to do,” he said. “I began reading the Bible and telling God, ‘I want to know you more.’”

During his last summer as a college student, Cameron took advantage of a last-minute opportunity to spend his summer teaching English in the Czech Republic. His time among the Czech people confirmed a growing awareness that God was calling him to go and serve the nations. “God just opened this door and I jumped through it,” Cameron said. “But by the end of the summer, I knew I could do this for the rest of my life.”

On his way back to the United States, he made a stop in North Africa to stay with a friend. In hindsight, Cameron realized it was during this visit that his eyes were opened to see a truly unreached group of people in a place where the gospel is rarely preached. “In the five days I spent in North Africa, my heart was really drawn to that area,” he explained.

On the plane ride home, Cameron filled out an application to serve on the international missions team at the Austin Stone. A few weeks later, he had been selected and was starting his internship. While serving as an intern, Cameron met the leaders of a group that was preparing to go to North Africa and decided joined their team.

In the midst of his final preparations, he knows that this call to go to the nations is not the end of a journey but, rather, the beginning of something much greater. “My time in the Czech Republic was a huge time of sanctification and growth in my faith. It’s not like [God] grew and sanctified me and then sent me out. It’s that I didn’t know what I was doing. He sent me out and then used that to produce fruit in others and in my own life,”

Cameron’s first two years with his team in North Africa will be focused on learning the language and building relationships within the local community. He and his teammates are eager to fully immerse themselves in the culture of their new homeland. “Thirty years down the road, if we spent the first two years learning the language – and learning it well – it will be much more fruitful than if we did not.” After this intense time of language acquisition, the team will begin working to planting churches in one of the toughest areas of the region.

It was the words of Jesus in Scripture that helped Cameron say yes to God’s call, as well as to help calm any fears that may arise as he looks to the future.

“Behold, I will be with you always to the end of the age.”

It is with a distinct boldness Cameron claims, “When I read that, the Holy Spirit pierced my heart. It led me to a place of saying, ‘I want to be in a place where this is true for my life. Wherever that is, that’s where I want to be.’”

Profile by Brian Lundin
Photos by Chris Hedlund

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September 22, 2011 0

Evangelical Tribes

By in Culture

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Are evangelicals in America living up to this command of Paul’s? I’m not sure. I think an honest examination of this passage is uncomfortable for us. Denominations, theological tribes, and unfortunately even “Christian celebrities” are common and usually unquestioned features of the evangelical landscape. We have grown up with them, been passively taught to put our our faith and devotion into them. Even churches that specifically claim to be the single unified church cannot help but to deepen the divisions just by existing. No matter what, in this day and age the church will be organizationally split. How do we deal with this in light of Paul’s teaching?

I’ll back up a bit to explain why this question has popped up in recent days. Last week I was reading some blogs and I saw a recommendation for N.T. Wright’s book “The Resurrection of the Son of God”. The recommendation was glowing, but the only time I had heard Wright’s name before was in conjunction with his spirited theological disagreement with John Piper over justification. I googled Wright’s name along with Piper’s Desiring God URL to see if he had anything to say about Wright other than what I knew. In that moment I realized that I just experienced an interesting instinct.

You see, I had just reacted to an unexpected referral from someone I trusted by running to another person as the source of viability on this recommendation. Essentially, I was asking Piper for his permission to read a book by Wright. Was this a sin? I don’t think so, but it easily could be. The key is, sin is in our hearts, not in our actions. Over time John Piper has proven to be a reliable source for me on interpreting Scripture and learning Biblical truth. I have grown to trust his advice, and it is logical that I would seek his counsel. So when I read that he appreciated Wright’s efforts on this topic I purchased the book and dove in. I don’t think this reaction to check with a theologian I trust was wrong.

However, what if Piper’s response was the opposite and I shunned the book for that reason alone? Would that have been sinful? I think it could have been. By taking Piper’s thoughts and, in my mind, condemning someone as a total heretic could have been very unhealthy for me. To look for others’ opinions or even engage skeptically with the text myself would have been preferable to using just this one person’s opinion. In looking at this experience I realized that I identify myself so much with a given viewpoint (Reformed Baptist) that I was hesitant to engage with someone outside of that group.

With that in mind I, had two other interactions that made me think about this as well. I met someone recently and in our initial conversation church came up. When he told me he was going to a conference soon and I inquired who was teaching. His reaction was, “They aren’t well known outside of certain circles.” The other one conversation was with my girlfriend who stated that a certain theologian/pastor’s name still elicited a negative reaction because of connotations his teachings had in her collegiate ministry.

Have we gone too far? Is it too dividing to look upon theological or missional distinctions as a basis for separation? Fundamentally I think not. I think what matters is the heart and the motivations for separation. If we are judging another school of thought or denomination and being unfairly or destructively critical we can go too far. If we remain humble and know that the truth is God’s and not our own I think we are being true to Paul’s teaching and God’s desire for His church.

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September 21, 2011 0

Piper and DeYoung on Holiness

By in Theology

Sanctification has always been an interesting, yet somewhat confusing topic for me. It is interesting for me because as a child my impression of sanctification was flawed. Whether I just had a flawed view myself or if it came from poor teaching I am not sure, but to me sanctification consisted of simply trying harder to not “break the rules”. I did not have a focus of the Holy Spirit as the one who performed sanctification, but rather it was us who ‘tried’ to follow the rules. I now know this is incorrect now, but I must admit I have not fully absorbed the implications of my corrected view of sanctification.

Which is what brings me to this post. The video interview below was very illuminating and did more for my understanding of the topic than most things I have heard before. If the topic intrigues you I highly recommend you take the 50 minutes or so to listen to it.

Part 1:

Part 2:

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May 27, 2011 0

Must Watch: John Piper Interviews Rick Warren

By in Theology

For some of us theological geeks, this interview has been a long time coming. John Piper sits down for a deep theological discussion with Rick Warren. It is wide ranging and very, very good. No matter your opinion on these men and their ministries, you will gain from watching this.

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May 19, 2011 2

Goodbye, For Now

By in Personal

Standing in the cemetery watching the casket that I had helped carry being lowered into the ground I could not help but be struck by the gravity, grief and, yes, beauty of the moment. Today was an unusually cool day for May in Tulsa. There was an overcast sky, just enough to mute the sun but not enough to bring darkness. Just as the workers started to lower the casket into the earth a light mist started up and brought a chill to the air. If I was directing a moody film festival film I wouldn’t have changed the scene one bit.

I had many thoughts flash through my mind in the 10 minutes it actually took to have my grandfather interred. I thought of the funerals I had been to in my life and how I had not seen this before. I thought about how the Bible tells us that these bodies will go back into the dust we came from. I thought about my baptism and all the baptisms I had seen. I thought about those beautiful words, “buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in the newness of life”. I thought about the death of Christ, His burial, His resurrection and the fact that one day believers will see that resurrection ourselves. This was good. This was fitting. This was the reality of our earth and our sin. But this is not final. God’s grace is final, Jesus’ sacrifice is final.

Over the last few days I have watched my beloved grandma cope with the grief of losing her husband of 62 years. As I was seated in her dining room this evening watching her process everything the day had brought I had one thought running through my head. I may never have the opportunity to be married for more than 60 years, but I hope I can experience some of the love that they had for each other. The love and devotion between my grandparents was obvious to those around them. To people of our generation there may have been many things we did not understand about their relationship, but it was easy to see the affection.

Finally I am sitting here at my parents house sorting through the events of today and the last few days. It’s impossible to put into words what it feels like to sit here and realize all that has come about in the last five months. I have lost both of my granfathers, moved to a new job and seen untold change in my personal life. Christ is showing me that I must lean on Him, that through all of life’s trials and joys He is my constant.

So, when I think about my grandfather I think about the verses that came to mind months ago. To the verses that tell us what we, believers in Christ, will be singing to praise the Lord in His final act of redemption. I look forward to looking up at Jesus and singing these words, and doing it standing beside my Grandpa Lundin.

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready.

Revelation 19:6-7

Today I buried a grandfather for the second time in five months. We said goodbyes, but not for good.

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May 12, 2011 0

The Daily Show: Christianity and America

By in Culture

I’ve always like the extended interviews that the Daily Show post on their website, they tend to have more context and be way more informative. Just recently they posted an interview with David Barton that is pretty fascinating on Christianity in America. I highly recommend taking the time to check it out.

Part 1:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive – David Barton Extended Interview Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Part 2:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive – David Barton Extended Interview Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Part 3:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive – David Barton Extended Interview Pt. 3
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

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