Ezra 5

There's a difference between being an enemy of God and just doing your job.

In previous chapters Sanballat and his cronies proved themselves enemies of God. They were willing to use anything, including physical violence and bald-faced lies, to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem. By contrast, Tattenai the governor asked for information, and when he didn't get what he wanted he wrote the emperor. That was just doing his job.

Review: MORNING AND EVENING by Charles Spurgeon

This is a devotional book, consisting of brief readings for each morning and evening of the year. It's not meant to be read straight through in less than a week, so naturally that's exactly what I did 

I'm not a fan of devottionals, for the same reason I'm not a fan of most country songs: I don't like to be told how to feel. The fact that many of them are just glurge (like chicken soup with sugar in it; an attempt to be good for you and sweet) doesn't help. As is usually the case, though, older is better and Spurgeon is always worth reading.

I still don't like devottionals,  but even I have to admit that this is better than most. Rather than glurge, it's meat throughout, and I recommend it.

Ezra 4

Sometimes unbelievers want to be a part of God's work, for their own reasons. When they're (rightly) rejected, they often take it personally, causing trouble and hindering the work instead of helping it.

That's still no excuse for not saying no. 

Review: THE LANGUAGE OF GOD by Francis S. Collins

Collins was the head of the Human Genome Project and a professing Christian. This book tries to reconcile the two,

Unfortunately, the current state of biology isn't compatible with the Christian faith as revealed in the Bible. Any attempt to combine the two does violence to one or the other, and it's usually to Christianity.

That's true here. Collins' position seems to be that of theistic evolution, which says that evolution happened, but was directed by God. It's essentially identical to Darwinian evolution except for a little God on top.

While I found the scientific aspects of the book interesting, the underlying assumption that the Bible is always wrong when it conflicts with our current understanding is disturbing and dangerous. I don't recommend this book, and while I wouldn't go so far as to question Collins' salvation, I would humbly suggest that he examine himself.

Ezra 3

Notice what they did as soon as the altar was done.

They sacrificed to God. They thanked him for what he had done, and praised him for who he was. Most importantly, they did it his way,according to what he himself had given his law to Moses.

XVI. Peace and war

It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness. In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ they should do all in their power to put an end to war.

The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord. The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations, and the practical application of His law of love. Christian people throughout the world should pray for the reign of the Prince of Peace.

Ezra 2

This long chapter is almost entirely made up of a list of names and numbers. A good many came back, but it was still only a tiny fraction of those carried off. These were the good Jews, those who trusted God to keep his promises.

Always remember, these were the good ones.

Review: AGAINST THE WIND by Markus Baum

Eberhard Arnold was a German Chrstian and founder of the Bruderhof movement, modeled on the voluntary socialism, community of goods,and poverty of the Church in the book of Acts. This book is a biography of him and the first Bruderhof.

I found the book very interesting for a couple of reasons. First, it's a part of Christianity most people never hear about. Second, it was around this time that I started studying Anabaptism, and the sixteenth century Anabaptists were hugely influential on Arnold.

I don't expect everyone to share my views, but I recommend this book. Besides, the ebook is free at plough.com.

Ezra 1

Not only were the Jews allowed to return, but their neighbors paid for it.

Cyrus, predicted by name, was the king who allowed the exiles to return and gave back what Nebuchadnezzar stole. His decree allowing them to leave also encouraged their neighbors to give to them, and the neighbors did so, generously. 

It doesn't really matter what Chris Bloom thinks

When it comes down to it, I haven't said very much original. I hope I never do.

Except in the book reviews, I don't think there's a lot of room for it. If I approach the Bible as true, then it's my word against God's. That's a losing proposition, no matter who you are.  

The absolute best I can hope for is to make a little comment and get out of the way. A lot of people think the Bible is hard. If I can make it a little bit easier so that more people read it, then I'll be happy.

Besides, it doesn't matter what we think. It only matters what God thinks. 

Review: HEIDEGGER IN 90 MINUTES by Paul Strathern

Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher of the 20th century. He was a student of Hegel, and in turn was pretty much the Third Reich's pet philosopher. 

Paul Strathern is a British author who has written extensively, especially about science and philosophy, including about 40000 of these books. He writes them in a dry, ironic tone that I like.

I can't think of a quicker way to learn about the various philosophers and their thought. If you have any interest in philosophy at all, I highly recommend this and the other books in the sense.

Review: CAPTIVATING by John and Stasi Eldredge

In this book, Eldredge tries to do for women what he did for men in Wild at Heart. There are two very serious problems with that.

The first is that he's obviously not a woman. He tries to get around this by having his wife coauthor the book. Since she parrots him so completely, though, the book feels like it has only one author anyway.

The second is even more severe. In his other books, Eldredge has played loose with Scripture, building up a picture of God that looks remarkably like John Eldredge. In that sense, nothing much has changed; though the mold forces God is female instead of male, it still produces a God of his own design,

As always, Eldredge's psychology is good, but his theology is awful. I don't recommend it.

XV. The Christian and the social order

All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.

Review: RICH CHRSTIANS IN AN AGE OF HUNGER by Ronald J. Sider

I've wanted to read this for a while now,just because it's spoken of approvingly by so many authors I like. It's become a basic text and its author a recognized leader in what has unfortunately become known as liberal Christianity. I've never understood why meeting physical needs as well as spiritual ones is "liberal", but at least I finally got to read the book..

Maybe it was inevitable, but I didn't think it lived up to the hype. For a book lauded to high heaven, it just left me cold. I know the facts and figures are central to the book's argument, but I thought there were too many numbers and not enough words.

Essentially, I found it unbalanced, with too much information and too little interpretation. Oddly, by being overwhelming, it was underwhelming, though I admit very few books could have lived up to the kind of expectations I had. Still, better books have been written on the subject, and I don't recommend this one.

2Chronicles 36

This is it, the end not only of the books of Chronicles, but of the independence of the Hebrews.

God tried to warn them. Over and over and over again he tried to warn them. But they wouldn't listen, and in the end it happened just like he said it would.

Ezra starts next Monday.

Safty first

A long time ago, I was enlisted in the US Navy. On my first ship, the USS Guam (LPH-9), I worked in the engine room under somebody named MM1 Lugert. Lugert was much older than us new kids, and looked a little like pale beef jerky, but he couldn't spell. He was mocked unmercifully for that, and I'm sorry to say I mocked more than most.

One day Lugert decided to have some signs made that said "SAFETY FIRST". He got what he asked for, but because he was a terrible speller he asked for signs that read "SAFTY FIRST. Now he was made fun of and had a dozen highly-visible signs that told people to make safty their top priority.

The thing is, though, we still got it. We understood what he was trying to say. The message, though garbled by Lugert, still came through. Just like in Christianity, he said, transitioning crudely.

There  are professing Christians I wish would just be quiet. There are people I wish weren't in my congregation. That's fair, because I'm sure there are plenty of people who wish I'd shut up and get out of their congregation. It's the way things are, unfortunately.

The good thing is that the truth of the Gospel isn't dependent upon the person carrying it. Rejecting Christianity because of Christians is like refusing to fish because some people are bad at it. Now, I've heard a lot of reasons for not fishing, and I don't do it myself, but I've never heard that one, though people have always loved to tell me that they won't go to church because when they did it was full of hypocrites.

If you're one of those people, I have some great news for you: you're absolutely right. The church is full of hypocrites. But it gets even better. You see, even though we have so many, there's always room for one more.

After all, we're talking about your eternal safty.

2Chronicles 35

Josiah was a good king, but only when he listened to God.

As long as he paid attention to God, Josiah and his kingdom were blessed. When he ignored him, though, or worse, worked against him, as Josiah did when he went to war with Pharaoh Neco, he paid the price.

Review: MULTIPLY by Francis Chan

Francis Chan has developed into an author right in front of us. His first couple of bucks were very good, but suffered from Chan's ideas outrunning his ability to put them on paper. It seems he's finally caught up to himself.

Unlike his other books, this is more of a manual than a book to be read straight through. It's designed to help people be disciples of Jesus Christ and then to make more disciples. Since that's a weak area in many churches, there is a niche that needs filing, and Chan's ideas fit there very well.

Though it's not the kind of thing you would sit down and read for fun, I highly recommend this book. It's past time to worry less about church growth and more about individual growth.

2Chronicles 34

Hezekiah wasn't doing everything the law commanded, but only because he didn't know what the law commanded. When a copy was found and he realized how short he and his nation had fallen, he repented for himself and them.

One reason he had it read to the people was so they would know too.

Review: WITTGENSTEIN IN 90 MINUTES by Paul Strathern

Ludwig Wittgenstein was one of the few philosophers I knew anything about before reading one of Strathern's books, thanks to the Action Philosophers! comic book. (You'd be surprised what you can learn from comics if you try.) This book, however, was where I learned that he was friends with Bertrand Russell, and that he was one of the few mathematicians on Earth that Russell considered his equal.

To me, that epitomizes the whole series. By now, you should know that I like these books, and always recommend them.

2Chronicles 33

Very often we make our own problems. 

A lot of the good deeds Manassseh did after his repentance were just fixing what he'd messed up before. At least he got to fix them. As I've said before, I believe the reason God let someone so bad go so long is that that's how long it took Manasseh to turn around.

XIV. Cooperation

Christ's people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner. Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ's Kingdom. Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends by various groups of Christ's people. Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations, when the end to be attained is itself justified, and when such cooperation involves no violation of conscience or compromise of loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Testament.

2Chronicles 32

Were the actions Hezekiah took when he heard about Sennacherib inspired by God? I don't think so -- not directly, anyway -- and I doubt he'd claim divine inspiration, either. He was just a very smart, very prudent man.

But who made him smart and prudent? 

Review: WHY I AM A CHRISTIAN by John RW Stott

I have to admit that this was going to be the title of my first book. I thought it was a clever take on Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian. Unfortunately, about 14,000 people beat me to it, which is why I don't try to be clever very often.

This isn't a long book, but it doesn't need to be. Neither is it an autobiography or a great apologetic work. In the end it's exactly what it says on the cover, no more and no less.

This isn't an "important" book, but it is a very good one, as one might expect from Stott. I recommend it.

2Chronicles 31

Throughout the history of God's people, when the ruler was good, the people prospered.

That was the case in this chapter. God's people were so prosperous that their tithes -- the first 10% of their income -- that were supposed to feed the priests were so large that they ended up piled in front of the temple.

I finally figured it out

A while back I said I couldn't be a Baptist anymore. I just can't believe in what's usually referred to as "once saved, always saved", a phrase I genuinely hate. Most of the people who say they do believe in it seem to be clinging desperately to it,  even though there's little in the New Testament to support it. At least as I read it.

But that's a purely negative statement. It tells what I don't believe, but not what I do believe. "Not- Baptist" isn't good enough. To narrow it down further wasn't very hard. I started with the assumption that the New Testament is meant to be taken seriously. With that in mind, here are a few things that I've learned from it: pacifism, total devotion to Christ, believers' baptism, and the power of prayer. There was only one group that both claimed to believe those things and consistently acted like it: the Mennonites.

Not that everything will change immediately. My family and I are members of a small Southern Baptist church, and that isn't likely to change anytime soon. Neither is the fact that I'm paralyzed from the eyeballs down. The biggest change has been internal. I no longer think of myself as a Baptist, but as a Mennonite.

Besides, I have a beard and I like hats. Where else am I going to go?

2Chronicles 30

Though he missed the date called for in the law, Hezekiah held the Passover as soon as he was able.

He did it right, too. Rather than just donating a lot of animals, he sent messages inviting the people of Israel to the feast. Including a rival kingdom was more than would be expected of Hezekiah, but he just thought all the Hebrews should have the same opportunity to worship.

Review: WHAT JESUS DEMANDS FROM THE WORLD by John Piper

If you were told that being a Christian was easy, then I'm sorry  but you were lied to. Becoming a Christian is easy; being one requires that you sacrifice of everything. That is not easy.

Piper's book is essentially a longer version of that, though put better than I could. It's a call to count the cost, to know what you're getting into before you volunteer. If you've already signed up, this book can help you see what you're in for. It's probably more than you thought.

John Piper and I disagree on various issues, sometimes profoundly. On this one we're united, though. I recommend this book, because most people don't have a clue what's expected of them.

2Chronicles 29

Notice when Hezekiah opened the temple: the first month of his first year. God was a priority for him. He made sure if was a priority for others as well. We'll see that throughout his life.

It's what made him a good king,

Review: WHAT IS THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH? by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert

This book answers a very good question . Far too often, we cut new Christianns loose with little more than a vague admonition to "be good", or more often "don't be bad". It is as if our job is to get them saved, and after that they're somebody else's problem.

The answer my pastor gives is that the church exists to teach lost people how to be saved, and saved people how to live. That's a very good answer, as good as any I've heard and far better than most. DeYoung and Gilbert give a similar answer, though being Calvinisttic it's more complicated than it needs to be.

Teaching saved people how to live is called discipleship, and it's something that's been lacking in evangelicalism. I recommend people learn about it, but not necessarily from this book.

2Chronicles 27

It's good to follow in your father's footsteps, provided they were good footsteps.

In this chapter we're told that Jotham was a good king who did all his father Uzziah had done except enter the temple. In other words, the thing that caused such a terrible punishment.

XIII. Stewardship

God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth.

2Chronicles 28

For those of you keeping track at home, Ahaz was beaten by Edom, Israel, Syria, and Assyria. When it came to the last one, he  even paid for the privilege.

It just didn't pay to be an evil king. 

Review: THE ROB BELL READER by Rob Bell

Rob Bell is an infuriating person. Very often, he moves right to the very edge of orthodoxy, but refuses to take the one tiny step necessary to commit himself to Christianity. He seems to like being a little outside any one religion, where he can claim to be open-minded, yet close enough to historical Christianity to be considered aChristian leader.

Of course, he would probably say his existentialism is historical Christianity. If he ever said anything that straightforward.

This book consists of excerpts from his books up through Love Wins. I firmly believe that each person should be judged by his own words, but there just isn't much here. Bell uses a lyrical, stream-of-consciousness style to say not much of anything. Trying to figure out what Bell actually believes from his writings is a little like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall; it's awkward and ultimately ineffective.

This is not a long book, and it was free, but I still don't recommend it. There are too many books out there that actually say something. 

2Chronicles 26

It seems like breaking faith with God was worse than not believing in the first place.

This chapter features Uzziah, who was of the best kings Judah had. Yet he was punished severely for what we would consider a minor offense, when others seem to have gotten off scot-free for much worse. The problem is that once he got a little strength, he started depending on himself instead of God, and thought his own way was best.

There is no such thing as a technical virgn

This was an abstract issue to me. I had an opinion on it -- not the one I had when I was a teenager -- and I knew what the Bible said on the subject, which was also not what I had believed as a teenager. Then somehow my daughter became a teenager, and suddenly it was a real concern for me.

Let me put it as clearly as I can: there is no such thing as a technical virgn. If you say there is, you're a liar.

If you've done everything with someone other than that one thing, you're not a virgn, technical or otherwise. In fact, if you've done anything with someone else involving genitals, you're not a virgin.

It's not that God hates sex. He doesn't; in fact, he came up with it. His first command was to tell two naked people in a garden to get it on. As my eighth-grade science teacher, Mrs. Sockwell, put it, God made a way for us to reproduce ourselves, and he made it fun.

The problem comes when we try to separate it from its context. Sexual pleasure is meant to be enjoyed by married couples not by sweaty teenagers. If you've given it to or received it from someone you're not married to, you're not a virgin, no matter what a little piece of skin might say.

God is less concerned with your body than with your heart.