Movie - Fireproof (must see)

Released in the Fall of 2008, with a budget of only about half a million dollars, as of Jan 19th 2009,this film has grossed more than USD33 million dollars. It is a movie about fireproofing one's marriage. The fundamental message is simple: Before anyone can save any marriage, something else must happen. Produced by Sherwood Baptist Church movie ministry called Sherwood Pictures, it comprises cast largely from members of the church and is good clean family entertainment. The actors and actresses are volunteers who believed in the message behind the movie, and this help keep the production costs low.

Even my seminary made a rare exception to recommend this movie to the entire community. My church showed the film last weekend and it was a real tear-jerker. Gather your friends. Include your children as well. Invite your church members and watch the film together. It is a heart-warming story that really drives home the message of faith, hope and love. Even the final kissing scene, the producers dimmed the lights and let the actual husband and wife smother each other. Talk about good and clean, this is it! Remember to have loads of tissues to pass around.......

You can watch the trailer below or click here.

Ash Wednesday (25 Feb 2009)

[Photo Credit: Worshiphelps]

My Church has recently concluded a 7-sermon series on the Lord's Prayer. Last week was the grand summary of "Thine is the Kingdom." It has been a wonderful time wading through the rich content and heavenly intent of the famous teaching of Jesus. How appropriate it is that the ending of the series dovetails neatly into the first week of Lent. For my meditation, I was drawn to three things Jesus gave up and three thoughts on how Jesus managed to overcome such overwhelming odds.

Three Things Jesus Gave Up
This coming Wednesday (25 Feb 2009) is Ash Wednesday, which marks the first day of the season of Lent, lasting 40 days. It is also a time when we remember how Christ began his ministry. Jesus gave up 3 things; his rights; his power; his self-reliance. Firstly, his willingness to give up his rights. Despite his bountiful dominion of plenty, his eternal divinity, he chooses to empty himself of the kingly privilege of the heavenly realm. He voluntarily limits himself of his divine powers. Humbly, he walks right into a world of hostility. There was no fanfare for the king of the Universe. There was no room for the mighty Prince of Peace except a humble manger. There was no recognition of the One Who created the world. Even Joseph and Mary had to endure potential shame and humiliation at his birth. This willing abdication of rights is something rarely seen in human circles. He gave up rights and privileges. Secondly, his willingness to undergo testing. even in his weakest moments. It is one thing to be tempted when full. It is yet another to be tempted when he is famished. It looks like Jesus is out to prove one thing: He is fully human, and he suffers from the same kinds of temptations that ordinary humans face.Strained physically, drained emotionally, challenged spiritually, Jesus pressed on. Remembering the Scriptures in his heart, he fought against the temptations of riches and the deception of the evil one. He knows the Scriptures so well that the devil could not penetrate the Son of God's armour. He gave up power to order spiritual forces, choosing to fight with the sole weapon of God's Word. Thirdly, his willingness to give up self-reliance. to depend only on Scriptures and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is showing us that it is possible. It is also interesting to observe how the Spirit interacts with Jesus. He gave up relying on self, but depending and trusting on the Holy Spirit.

HOW JESUS OVERCOME
What enables Jesus to be victorious? What are his strategies to overcome the temptations? With this, we have to read Luke 4 more closely.

1) Jesus was 'full of the Holy Spirit.' He entered the desert fully prepared and completely in the companionship of the Holy Spirit. We remember Jesus's act of obedience to be baptized by John the Baptist, and subsequently receives God's blessings. This filling of the Holy Spirit marks the presence of a Person rather than the power of an energy force. Being filled with the Holy Spirit implies him able to do what the Spirit leads him to do.

2) Jesus defeated the Devil by NOT yielding to temptations. The leading of the Spirit to the desert implies that God has allowed Jesus to be tempted by the devil. This may look strange, but it seems to me that Jesus, the second Adam, has to be tempted just like Adam was tempted in the Garden of Eden. Why must the Spirit lead Jesus to be tempted? I must say that this appear strange. However, there is one reason I can think of. If Jesus has been similarly tempted like all of us, no one can then turn around and accuse Jesus of not able to understand our human weaknesses. After all, Jesus has not only gone through what humans face in life, He has to endure worse conditions amid extreme vulnerability. (Remember he was hungry).

3) Jesus is truly a worthy second Adam. A remarkable parallel can be seen between Adam and Jesus.

ADAM	JESUS
Adam was sent to the Garden of Eden of plenty.	[Jesus was sent to the deserted wilderness.]
Adam was given a helper through Eve.	[Jesus had the Holy Spirit]
Adam was given permission to eat anything except from one tree.	[Jesus CHOSE to eat nothing.]
Adam was tempted once and he failed.	[Jesus was tempted thrice and he resisted them all.]
Both Adam and Jesus were free to choose.	[Adam did so foolishly, but Jesus obeyed wisely.]
The first Adam failed miserably.	[The second Adam in Jesus, triumphed over all.]

As we remember Ash Wednesday, who do we follow? Do we copy the antics of Adam, of giving in to temptation? Or do we follow the faithfulness of Jesus, who denied the seductive pleasures of the world, and chose the path of righteousness and dedication to God? I know of people who tries to abstain from something during this 40-days of of Lent. It could be fasting regularly, from addictions like coffee, or simply a greater amount of time via prayer. Like riding the bicycle, the best way to learn to pray is pray. Similarly, one of the most profound ways to follow Christ is to learn how to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him.

Have a meaningful Lent 2009.

ks

Book: "Case For Christianity" (CS Lewis)

Before Lee Strobel's very successful "Case for Christ" and "Case for Faith" in the 80-90s, we have CS Lewis, who argues competently for the "Case for Christianity" back in 1943. This is a drastically abridged version to Lewis's more successful "Mere Christianity." This 56-page booklet comprises a series of short radio addresses given to the British public in the midst of WWII. It is delivered in 2 parts. The first part talks about "Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe." The second revolves around "What Christians Believe."

1) What is the book about?
It is a book targeted at making a case for a believable Christianity, using a mixture of philosophy, reasoning and theologizing for the lay people. It tries to convince listeners that Christianity is a reasonable faith.

2) What are the key points of the book?
Lewis touches upon the nature of human behaviour. He condenses the nature of mankind into 2 points.

1. Human beings have a universal belief in terms of what they OUGHT to behave.
   
2. Yet, though they know they should, they don't.

3) What is Lewis's understanding of Moral Law?

1. "Moral law is, so to speak, the tune we've got to play: our instincts are merely the keys." (CS Lewis, Case For Christianity, NY:Touchstone, 1996, p8)
   
2. If two instincts conflict, even though the stronger one will win, humans tend to side with the weaker party. For example, when someone on safe grounds (strong) sees a drowning man (weak), his instinct is to help.
   
3. Even then, man's instincts does not mean he will behave accordingly.

4) Lewis's Understanding of Natural Law? Three views:
First, there is a MATERIALIST view where nature just happens to exist. Some of us may see this as the Big-Bang view. Second, there is the religious view where there is a Higher Divinity behind all of nature. Third, there is the IN-BETWEEN view where small evolution happens after the initial act of creation.

5) Part II - What Christians Believe
Lewis skillfully highlights several deficient worldviews before offering up Christianity as the most realistic.

1. ATHEISTIC: Here, the world is divided into those who believe there is a God and those who don't. Here Lewis, didn't quite elaborate on the agnostic view. He argues that the atheistic view is inadequate because it does not explain good and evil.
   
2. PANTHEISM: The thinking here lies in terms of a God animating all things, and all things is God. This philosophy stems from Hegel who teaches that God is beyond all good and evil, but is everything is God. Again, this view is inadequate because it does not explain evil and suffering.
   
3. "Christianity + Water" View: This is the simplistic view that there is a good God, and 'everything eventually will be alright.' This fails to take seriously a faith that is reasonable.
   
4. DUALISM: This view advocates 2 equal and opposite independent powers. There is a good and there is evil force. Both counter each other. The problem is that whether something is good or bad, is measured against a certain standard. Who sets the standard? Is it the force of good or evil?

6) Lewis's Case for Christianity
Lewis makes a case that people does not need convincing theories before they can believe in Christianity. Theories explain how something work, not the thing itself. In the same way, we can accept what Christ has done without knowing how it works. Sometimes, we would not know how something works until we accept it. Using the example of food and nourishment, one does not need to know HOW the body is nourished by the food before eating it. One can simply eat it without knowing all the theories about how the food is digested, absorbed and converted into the necessary nutrients. By making a distinction between theory and actual believing, Lewis tries to show us that while one can reason about Christianity, faith is not entered into via theory. It is believing in a person who lived and existed.

"Theories about Christ's death aren't Christianity: they're explanations about how it works." (46)

Let me end with my favourite passage from the book.

Of course, I quite agree that the Christian religion is, in the long run, a thing of unspeakable comfort. But it doesn't begin in comfort; it begins in the dismay I've been describing, and it's just no good trying to fo on to that comfort without first going through that dismay. In religion, as in the war and in everything else, comfort is the one thing you can't get by looking for it. If you're looking for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you're looking for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth - only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair. Most of us have got over the pre-war wishful thinking about international politics. It is time we did the same for religion. (27-8)

7) Why I like this book?
Simple. It is short and sweet.

ks

Book - "The Shack"

This book launched a publishing company called windblownmedia. Christian publishers see it as a Christian book with controversial theologies. Non-Christian parties sees it as too 'Christian' for their comfort. It has been criticized by some conservatives like Al Mohler and Tim Challies for its theology, which seems to contradict the traditional ideas of God. (For example, God the Father is actually a black woman, Jesus as a Jewish man and the Holy Spirit portrayed by an Asian woman.) Yet, there has been huge interest from many groups. Challies even called the theology of the author as unbiblical. Christianity Today published a rather mild critique of the book, though it eventually took the side of saying that both the supporters and non-supporters of the book failed to 'keep faith.' Regent-College Professor John Stackhouse also had his fair share of criticism in that the book seems to discredit the institutional church.

What I Like....
1) Memorable Quotes

• "Life takes a bit of time and a lot of relationship." (92)
  
• "Your question presumes that poison is bad; that such creations have no purpose. Many of these so-called bad plants, like this one, contain incredible properties for healing or are necessary for some of the most magnificent wonders when combined with something else. Humans have a great capacity for declaring something good or evil, without truly knowing." (133) (on poisonous plants seen as all bad)
  
• "Faith does not grow in the house of certainty." (189) (on faith)
  
• "Just because I know you're too curious to go, does that reduce your freedom to leave?" (95) (on freedom of the believer)
  
• "Paradigms power perception and perceptions power emotions." (197) (on how people understand things)
  
• "So check your perceptions, and beyond that check the truthfulness of your paradigms - what you believe. Just because you believe something firmly doesn't make it true. Be willing to reexamine what you believe. The more you live in the truth, the more your emotions will help you see clearly. But even then, you don't want to trust them more than me." (197) (on the difference between trusting God and trusting one's perceptions)
  
• ".. just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable evil doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering, you will find grace in many facets and colors." (185) (on pain and suffering)
  
• ".. religion is about having the right answers, and some of their answers are right. But I am about the process that takes you to the living answer and once you get to him, he will change you from the inside. There are a lot of smart people who are able to say a lot of right things from their brain because they have been told what the right answers are , but they don't know me at all." (198) (on the difference between religion and relationship)
  
• "If anything matters then everything matters. Because you are important, everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will ever be the same again." (235)
  

On the Other Hand....
There are stuff in the book written in a controversial manner. The theologies of having 'Papa' God as a female and at the same time a woman, is a radical attempt to counter against sexist or overly-patriarchal image of God the Father. I am not sure if this works well, as we can easily claim that Young is dogmatic about God being a female! Having the Holy Spirit represented as an Asian woman also brings in images of racial distinction. One can easily question: "Why not a Latino? or Arab?" The very choice made by Young already limits one's perception about the Holy Spirit.

The book is a work of fiction, or some will like to call it a theological fiction. That said, Young's book can come under the same genre of the Da Vinci code, in the sense that the book is a fiction based on what the authors claim to be facts. For biblical scholars, this could approach the genre of myths, whereby a story is used to narrate the truth.

The book focuses a lot of restoring the view of God from a relationship angle, of forgiveness and of grace. There is nothing inherently wrong about it. However, if this emphasis comes at the expense of overly critical of human institutions, or rules and regulations, a line needs to be drawn. For example, quoting the character of Jesus in the book:

"Once you have a hierarchy you need rules to protect and administer it, and then you need law and the enforcement of the rules, and you end up with some kind of chain of command or a system of order that destroys relationship rather than promotes it. You rarely see or experience relationship apart from power. Hierarchy imposes laws and rules and you end up missing the wonder of relationship that we intended for you." (122-3)

This is seen as an affront on the authority that is based on 'human institutions,' and paints it as an altogether bad thing, and as opposing relationship. The truth is, relationships are necessary whether institutions exist or not. Does Young mean to say that if we eliminate all hierarchies, we resolve all relationship issues in the world? Unlikely. I think if one pushes it far enough, the very 'relationship-centered' platform advocated by Young will soon become the very institution that Young seeks to replace in the first place!

My Comments
I finished this book in one sitting, personally grateful for the clear theological themes carried across via a fictional story that attempts to bridge the head and the heart. Certainly, there is some initial discomfort when the person of God is introduced in a non-traditional way. Yet, I am impressed with the way Young weaves together the loving and harmony displayed by the three members of the Triune Godhead. The downside is the overwhelming negative tones toward institutions and religious traditions that we have come to know, even love. I have to agree with Dr Stackhouse's opinion in this regard. We need to have an even keel regarding our attitudes toward religious institutions as well as relationships. We cannot simply cut out one part and hope for the other to expand and fill the void. A second danger I feel is from the reader's perspective. A literary 'Dr-Jekyll-and-Mr-Hyde' picture emerges. On the one hand, it is easy for those of us who are theologically trained to see that this book is a work of fiction that contains theological themes. On the other, the unsuspecting lay person may become confused and disillusioned about the church and all things institutional. What the world needs is not more sarcasm and attacks against the institution. What we all need is redemption. Even the relationships that Young proposes need to be redeemed.

I recommend the reading of this book highly, and pray that it will challenge readers to read the Bible more. All in all, the book does the public by explaining theology in a very refreshing way. William P Young has done for basic theology, just like Eugene Peterson's THE MESSAGE has done for English Bible translations.

ks

Depression = Anger Turned Inside Out?

Christianity Today just published an interesting article on Anger. It talks about a pervasive 'undercurrent of anger' in the modern workplace. Ranging from bad management to perceived unfair expectations, from the local business to the larger economy, the situation appears to be getting worse. Associated Content published a list of 'Top Ten Causes of Anger at Work.' They are:

1. Bad Management
   
2. Unjust Treatment
   
3. Lack of Career Opportunity
   
4. Not Being Appreciated
   
5. Excess Workload
   
6. Computer Irritations
   
7. Dishonest Colleagues
   
8. Incompetence of Subordinates
   
9. Interpersonal Incivility
   
10. Asserting Power

Interestingly, all of these ten causes deal with the emotional reactions seen from an ego-centric angle. One can argue that these 'causes' tend to be largely subjective. For example, what do you mean by 'unjust treatment?' For the boss or for the subordinate? What if both are victims of something very much outside their control? Or take 'dishonest colleagues.' Could it be lack of communications in the first place? Another interesting observation is 'computer irritations.' What happened to the computer? It has not changed much. The hardware is still the same as of 3 years ago. Maybe the software needed some refreshing. However, I suspect that the biggest change is not the computer but the user themselves. The user expectations have shifted faster than the computer. So, perhaps it is more accurate to say 'computer-USER irritations' rather than 'computer irritations. All said, I believe that for every external reaction, there is something very intrinsic going on.

It is Something More internal
The author, Mark Galli compares the anger reactions in China and in America and was intrigued to ask why the former tends to be more violent. Galli then warns us about 'unhealthy anger' which exists among Christian people. Surprisingly, it is anger that is considered 'grounded in righteous anger.' Essentially, there is nothing wrong in being angry. However, when initial anger is allowed to linger, turning from anger-->bitterness-->overblown rage, it can harm loved ones around us. There is however something else that is even more sinister. Anger that is turned inside out can lead to serious bouts of depression. Kerry Gene calls it a marriage, with anger and depression going 'hand-in-hand.' However, to equate repressed anger as inward anger leading to depression may again be too simplistic. There is something even more intrinsic. Sin. It is how we respond to the effects of sin that brings about all the negative implications of depression, rage and all kinds of emotional and physical violence.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

When we come up short, we fail to be who we were meant to be. The entire human race is not exempt. Every person is tainted. Every soul is contaminated by the sinful desires of the soul and tempted by the evil powers and principalities of the world. However, there is hope. The first step is to acknowledge it, that we are sinful. The second step is to seek help. If we fail to acknowledge sin in our lives, or realize our brokenness, there is no need or incentive to accept the extended hand of the Helper. If we delude ourselves into saying sin is nothing much to worry about and repeatedly refuses help, we are digging our own emotional graves. Each denial and every statement of arrogance or complacency only becomes giant heaps of yucky soil piled on top of our hearts as it is gradually lowered into the crypt. Being emotionally buried alive is one thing. By spiritually volunteering our souls to constant self-deception that we can take care of our own sin, our own way and in our own time can be described in one word: Tragic.

In summary, when we repress our anger, and start to hurt ourselves, it could lead to serious depression conditions. It could increase anxiety and store up wrath. It could even lead to violent behaviour that hurts. Yet, inward anger and depression is not simply due to bad emotions. There is something more internal called sin. For people who choose the acknowledge sin, seek help and turn away from their wicked willful ways, there is hope. Immediately after v23,

"and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Rom 3:24)

This is a free gift. What is there to lose? Take it, my friends.

ks

Do not be SLEWed by Temptations

“Keep us safe from ourselves and the devil.” (Matthew 6:13, MSG)

This is a refreshing translation of the last verse of the Lord’s Prayer. The KJV translates it as “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” The word ‘temptation’ has a double implication, one of enticement and the other of testing. The Greek word ‘peirasmos’ represents more of a trial rather than an enticement, though it can be argued that an enticement can be a form of trial. It is the same word used by James when he talks about counting it all joy when one encounter trials (James 1:2). While Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase may not capture the literal meaning of 'peirasmos,' it reminds us that the chief way for the evil one to disturb our spiritual focus on God is via tempting the self. The preacher at my church last week talks about three ways temptations are used against us, namely, i) the temptation to be suspicious of God; ii) temptation to think negatively of life; and iii) the temptation to be self-controlling of our destiny.

As I reflect upon the nature of temptations, I can think of a fourth danger, which is the temptation to become weary that we become tired of fighting the spiritual warfare. If we recognize we are in the midst of spiritual warfare, we will be constantly wearing our armor of God. The reason why we are not actively wearing the armor of God more, is because we have become too relaxed, too comfortable with our material plenty, that we think that there is no war. If that is true, the army for God will be deprived of one more warrior for Christ.

Summarizing, there are four ways in which we can be tempted toward sinning against God. I coin the acronym as S.L.E.W as a way to remember. We can be tempted to do the following:

S – Sowing seeds of suspicion about God;
L – Leading us to live negative lives;
E – Enthroning ourselves rather than God;
W – Weary or tired of fighting the spiritual warfare.

When we have become SLEWed by temptations, we are of no threat to the evil one. Suspicious living is the beginning of a spiritual downfall, just like Adam and Eve became suspicious of God's command not to eat the forbidden fruit. Living negative lives accelerates this demise, where we allow our heads to be clouded with negative thoughts until we fail to see the hope of God. Enthroning ourselves give us a false sense of security. Weary of fighting makes us choose the 'safer, non-confrontative' stance in a world that is urgently in need of Christian warriors for Christ. When we have fallen victim to SLEW, we die spiritually without even knowing it.

The Last Verse Sums Up the Prayer
Another significant point is that the Lord’s prayer ends with this verse. The part about “Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever” is not in Matthew. Luke’s rendition is the same (Luke 11:4b). I will venture to suggest that this last warning about temptation is important. All it takes is one yield to temptation and all our good works from the earlier part of the Lord ’s Prayer can be rendered meaningless. No wonder Jesus tries to cover all the bases in order for us to pray effectively.

This last part of the Lord's prayer is a summary statement of our need to let God protect us from all temptations that lead us away from all the honor we desire to give God. This last statement is important because all the good deeds and works we have done, can easily be unraveled through one clumsy yielding to temptations. Thankfully, the verse "Lead us not into temptation" is not the last verse. "Deliver us from evil," reminds us once again that what begins with God, ends with God who is able to help us overcome. Surely, in God, we shall overcome.

ks

Jolt Quote XXII

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. "

(CS Lewis, "Is Theology Poetry?" in The Weight of Glory, San Francisco: Harper-Collins, 2001, p140)