The commands of Jesus II

it seems I skipped Matthew chapter five entirely, and everything last week was really from chapter six. Sorry 'bout that.

In the same way, let your light shine before others ... (MAT 5.15)

... leave your gift before the altar and go. (MAT 5.24)

First be reconciled to your brother ... (MAT 5.25)

If your right eye causes to sin, tear it out and throw it away ... (MAT 5.29)

And if your right hand causes you to sin, tear it off and throw it away. (MAT 5.30)

... Do not take an oath at all. ... 5.34)

Let what you say be simply "Yes" or "No" ... (MAT 5.37)

Do not resist the one who is evil ... (MAT 5.39)

... but if someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (MAT 5.39)

... Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. (MAT 5.43)

Ten more next week!

Psalm 119 Daleth

No matter how good we think we are are, it's just never good enough. We can't even obey his commands until he remakes us: as this psalm says, we all need him to enlarge our hearts.

We just can't do it on our own,

Review: TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD by Kevin DeYoung

One of my core beliefs is that God is not an idiot. He's fully capable of saying what he means to say, when he means to say it. There are good reasons to believe the Bible.

That's basically DeYong' point. Instead of expecting the Bible to prove itself or looking for reasons to reject it, we should give it the same consideration every accused criminal gets: it should be considered innocent until proven guilty. I agree, and since it's also well-written, I recommend it.

Psalm 119 Gimel

The soul wants structure from God like the body wants water.

We are made to desire the things we need need. Our bodies crave food and water, and our souls crave order. This isn't because Christians are spineless,weak-willed wretches who just want someone to tell them what to do. That's just the way people are designed.

Psalm 119 Beth

Having been a young man, I know from experience that their way is not naturally pure.

There's only one way to make it that way, and that's by the word of God. Not by hearing it once and forgetting about it, but by meditating on it constantly.

Review: NEXTWAVE VOL 2 by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen

What I said about volume one applies here. But more so.

The writing is hilarious and over-the-top. The art is superb. It seems that by the end of this volume Ellis is using his incredible creativity to try and come up with things Immonen can't draw. Fortunately for us, Immonen seems to be able to draw anything.

This is one of the best comics I've ever seen. It's so good I'm going to suspend my judgment on its violence and recommend it.

Psalm 119 Aleph

Since Psalm 119 is so long -- the longest chapter in the Bible! -- I'm going to do it a section a time. This section tells about the blessedness of the one who walks in the law of the Lord. While we like to claim that blessedness for ourselves, but we have to remember that it's not just for those who know God's law, but for those who keep it.

Sayin' don't make it so.

Review: REVOLUTONARY! by David Pearce

This book was written for those Christians who want to evangelize through their art, and I am at best only marginally talented at any kind of art, I still found it an interesting and informative read. Pearce's writing is clear and concise, and the steps he lays out are applicable whether one is an artist or not.

The price deserves mention. This is a full-sized book, and very well-designed, but it cost less than a dollar for the Kinda edition. Though I know such an edition costs almost nothing to produce, that selling price isn't designed to make a writer or publisher rich. Instead, it seems meant to ensure a wide distribution. Regardless, while most publishers charge $10 for an ebook, it was nice finding one so inexpensive. I recommend it. 

Psalm 118

Like many other psalms, this seems to exist solely to praise God,

It used to bother me that God condones and even demands so much praise from people. Then I realized we always praise what we love, even unworthy things. God is just the only thing that's worthy.

The commands of Jesus I

Jesus said some things that he wanted obeyed. Here are ten.

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them ... (

MAT 5.1)

thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you ... (MAT 5.2)

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing ... (MAT 5.3)

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. (MAT 5.5)

But when you pray, go into your room and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret. (MAT 5.6)

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do ... (MAT 5.7)

Do not be like them  ... (MAT 5.8)

Pray then like this ... (MAT 5.9)

And when you fast, do not look gloomy ... (MAT 5.16)

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face ... (MAT 5.17)

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth ... (MAT 5.19)

(All quotations are from the English Standard Version.) I didn't pick these with any agenda in mind. They're just the first ten in the Gospels. I plan to do the next ten next week, if the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, and since I live near the top of a mountain I'm not too concerned about the creek.

Psalm117

This is mostly known as the shortest chapter in the Bible, but the content bears looking at, too. Even in the shortest psalm, the focus is on God. The psalmist invites his listeners to join him in praise.

It's almost like he can't open his mouth without praising God.

Review: CHRISTIAN ATTITUDES TO PEACE, WAR, AND REVOLUTION by John Howard Yoder

Just as JI Packer is the brain of modern Calvinism, providing its intellectual basis, John Howard Yoder was and remains the brain of modern Anabaptism. Despite the fact that he's been dead for several years and that his books are, in my experience, scholarly and difficult, he remains the major intellectual voice of the movement, especially when it comes to nonexistence.

This book is a collection of essays detailing Yoder's beliefs about how a Christian should react to state violence. Since it's a collection rather than a coherent work, it's choppy and repetitive at times, and while I agree with his conclusions, I've never found Yoder very fun to read. I can't recommend this book.

Psalm 116

If God has been faithful to us, then why wouldn't we be faithful to him?

This psalm is about praising God for what he's done. It's not so much loving God for what he can do for us as loving him for being the kind of God who's always been there for his people.

Five books plus one

I'm a reader, and I always have been. Other than the Bible, there are very few of the thousands of books that I've read that have had a profound effect on me and what I believe. Here are five.

1. The Screwtape Letters 

I've always said Mere Christianity was the book that led me to God, but this was the first Lewis book I read, and the one that still affects me nearly 30 years later.

2. Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up 

It would be difficult to estimate the impact this small book, and the person who first loaned it to me, have had on me. All I know is that when I started this book I wasn't a Christian. When I returned it a week later, I was.

3. The Cost of Discipleship 

It's not just the gate that leads to life that's narrow. The way beyond it is, too.

4. The Ragamuffin Gospel 

This is a hard book to read. I don't like it because it's hard, but because it's true.

5. The Myth of a Christian Nation 

We're far too ready to claim this as a "Christian nation" without really thinking about what that means. In its most basic sense, "Christian" means "like Christ", and that's something this country's never been.

And here's a bonus:

Revolution in World Missions 

Jesus didn't just die for Americans. He died for everyone.

Terror, horror, and the gross-out

I like being scared. Not disgusted; you don't make something scary by adding fake blood. Like I told my wife, creepy is good, but gory isn't.

A long time ago, Stephen King wrote, "Always try to terrify. If you can't terrify, then horrify. If you can't horrify, go for the gross-out." The last one is obviously different, but for years I didn't know the difference between terror and horror.

I think the first thirty minutes of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining are some of the most terrifying ever filmed, and nothing scary happens. The atmosphere is just so oppressive that my nerves just get wound tighter and tighter in expectation. The fact that it stars Jack Nicholson at his creepiest doesn't help make it a ray of sunshine either.

The same movie has a good example of horror as well. When the woman in the tub turns out to be an old woman's bloated corpse, the very idea is horrible. It's something that we never wanted to see, and never want to eye again. It's repulsive, and that repulsion is the difference between terror and horror; terror is fear of something unknown, while horror is fear of something known.

What most things have degenerated into, unfortunately, is just gross. Too much of modern "horror" is just fake blood and guts, which derives directly from the slasher movies of the 1980s and indirectly from The Shining's corridors of blood. What few directors seem to learn, though, is that a drop of blood can be more effective than a corridor of it, and when it comes to gore, less is usually more.

At least that's my opinion.

 

Psalm 115

Giving glory is good,  but you have to give it to the right one.

God deserves praise. Man doesn't. God has done unbelievable, unexpected things that have changed the world. Man hasn't. The burden of glory has never rested easy on man's shoulders,but it fits God's.

Review: FOLLOW ME by David Platt

When I was listening to this as an audiobook, my lovely wife asked me why, since I was such a fan of Platt's, we had never been members of his church. I said something about him being Calvinist. If that's  true, she asked, then why do you like his books so much? I said it was because he usually didn't talk about Calvinism.

This book is the exception.

It's not about Calvinism, but Platt is clear about his position and it forms an unmistakable undercurrent to the book. Though I don't share his theology, I thought the book, which is about following Christ, was very good. I recommend it.

Psalm 114

Even the earth itself is called on to acknowledge the greatness of God. This psalm even gives examples of how it already has. Even the hills and mountains can't be still around him.

When you control the whole universe, a few rocks or an ocean won't slow you down.

Review: WORKS by John of the Cross

The works of John of the Cross, a medieval Spanish monk and priest, have inspired people for centuries.  Along with his friend, the nun Teresa of Avila, he is considered one of the greatest Christian mystics of all time.

While I got this Kinds book for a very good price, that's because it's a public-domain translation. As a result, it's very old, and as a result of that, it's not a lot of fun to read. It was a book I read more because I felt I should than because I wanted to. While I wanted to know what it said, I would've been better off just reading a summary. I don't recommend this book with extreme prejudice.

Psalm 113

Who is like the Lord? No one, that's who.

The psalmist makes his point by listing some of the great works of God, works that no human being could have done. This psalm praises God for being what we never could.

Next

And that's it for the Schleitheim Confesion. Seven articles, in this case summarized and commented upon. That means that so far on Wednesdays we've covered the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and the Schleitheim Confesion. Next I want to go over some of the commands of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 112

though this psalm begins with praise for God, that's not really what it's about. It really tells of the greatness of the man who fears God, and who follows his divine instructions.

God has never sought perfect people, just obedient ones.

Review: THE SPACE TRILOGY by CS Lewis

This is old science fiction, with all that implies. Apparently Lewis wrote the first book just because he feared JRR Tolkein liked SF. In the days before probes explored the surfaces of other worlds, there was more fiction than science in the genre and imagination was needed to fill in the huge gaps in knowledge. As a result, neither his Mars nor his Venue resembles our current picture of either planet.

While that's to be expected when reading old SF, Lewis is and was best-known as a Christian author, and as such his attitude toward violence here is extremely hard to justify. In these three books he offers a paradisical world in which death is an accepted part, an edenic world based on murder, and a version of our world where a man is brought from the past to defeat evil by brute force.

It seems that Lewis is saying that the only way to win against the Devil is to beat the snot out of him, and that's why I can't recommend it, even though I really want to.

Psalm 111

We shouldn't just trust him because of his great works; we should expect great works because we trust him.

God has done great things, and his power is beyond imagining. He should be praised for both. The most amazing thing isn't what he's done in the past, though. It's that he's promised to do it in the future.

What the stroke has done for me

More than three years after my stroke, I still can't reliably move anything but my eyes. It's a terrible way to live, and not one I wouldn't wish on anyone. But it's still taught me some valuable lessons.

First, by making me absolutely dependent upon other people, it's shown me that we're all absolutely dependent upon God. That's an idea that I've always given lip service to, but never really believed.

It's also taught me that eternity is closer than we think . There are several times when I've come close to dying, and I've got to be ready for it at any time. Again, that's something I've always said I believed, but it's really been driven home the last couple of years.

Psalm 110

Part of this psalm is quoted in Hebrews. Another part is quoted by Jesus Christ. If for no other reason, it's important for that.

My ignorance embarrasses me. I knew these were references to the Psalms, but I didn't know to which psalm, or to where in it. In the end, it won't matter if I know more than someone else, because I won't be judged on a curve. I'll be judged by God's standard, which is perfection.

Review: OISHINBO A LA CARTE VOL 3 by Tetsu Kariya

Ramen is not the same in Japan as it is here. While we tend to think of as very cheap bricks of noodles with flavor packets in the packages with them. In Japan, it's more of a handmade noodle soup. Gyoza are deep-fried dumplings, usually flavored with garlic, and often served with ramen.

I only know the because I read Oishinbo A la carte vol 3, which focuses on ramen and gyoza. Other than that, it's just like the first two volumes. I recommend it.

Psalm 109

There are several kinds of psalms; this is both a plea for help and an imprecation against enemies. It's important to remember that the command to love your enemies hadn't been given yet.

This was the easy time.

Review: THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO ... by Peter Enns

To be perfectly honest, I didn't finish this book. The premise seems to be that the the Bible can't be trusted, because it's just the product of ancient nomads who didn't know any better. The idea is a terrible one, and I don't recommend this book.

Live and learn, I guess.

Psalm 108

No, actually everyone is not equal in God's sight.

God chose a nation for himself. The Israelites were his chosen people. By definition, everyone else wasn't. In particular, three nations had plagued Israel throughout its history: Moab, Edom, and Philistia. This psalm describes them as worthless and defeated.

The Schleitheim Confesion, Article Seven

The Oath 

No oaths should be taken because Jesus prohibited the taking of oaths and swearing. Testifying is not the same thing as swearing. When a person bears testimony, he is testifying about the present, whether it be good or evil. 

---

I was initially confused about the difference between swearing and testifying. An illustration helped me understand. Imagine yourself in a courtroom. There is nothing wrong or sinful about sitting in this witness stand, telling what happened and the effect it's hot. But taking the oath beforehand is wrong and sinful, because our Savior has forbidden it.

Psalm 107

This psalm offers an answer to problem of evil. Sometimes, people suffer just suffer as a consequence of what they do. It doesn't explain all suffering, but it's a start.

But the main point is to be thankful to God.

Review: TEACH US TO WANT by Jen Pollock-Michel

it seems strange to have to ask to be taught desire in a culture that screams, "Gimme!" Very often, though, Christians are told not to want anything and to just be satisfied with what we have. While it's clear we're not to indulge our selfish desires, just being satisfied is the opposite of what Jesus taught.

This book is about biblical wanting, asking so that we can glorify God rather than gratify ourselves. It's not the kind of thing I would ordinarily get, but it was a free download from Christianaudio.com, and "free" is my favorite genre.

I didn't expect to like this, but I did. It was entertaining, informative, and biblical. I recommend it.

Psalm 106

This is another retelling of the Exodus, but from a religious perspective.

It isn't just another list of events. The focus here is on the relationship between God and man. Simply put, he's faithful and they're not. It's still true. He still is, and we're still not.

The secret of my success

Several people have asked me how I'm always in a good mood over three years out from a cataclysmic stroke. The simple answer is that I'm not, but it takes too long to complain.

Why don't I not worry more? I worry all the time; I'm a natural worrier. That's one more reason it's not useful to have a good -- if morbid -- imagination. But there are things worrying won't fix, and so there's no point in worrying about them. They just have to be endured.

The key is to know the difference. Some people don't, and can't turn their worrying off. I'm thankful I do.

Psalm 105

God is hard on his people, but only because he loves them.

This long psalm is mostly devoted to recounting of the exodus, but there are a couple of lines that focus on Joseph's ordeal in prison. It wasn't a time of punishment from God, but of testing.

Review: THE CANADIAN by Tim Wheatley

I first read this book because I wanted to learn about Canada. If I was going to be a missionary to the Canadians, I would do well to learn how they thought and what was important to them. 

This book is a treasure trove of that kind of information. Unfortunately, it's also obviously an amateur production. On the whole, though, I found it far more useful than not. If you don't mind some odd formatting, I recommend it.

Psalm 104

The Lordis great. In fact, he's very great.

The psalmist goes into detail about God's creation of the world, but even that only encompasses a small part of who and what he is. All we can do is be like the psalmist and bless and praise him..

Review: HOW THE FIRST AMENDMENT CAME TO PROTECT TOPLESS DANCING by Susan Shelley

This book tackles a very complex subject -- constitutional law -- and not only makes it clear but shows why it became complex in the first place. The Constitution, it seems, was never meant to apply to the stats, but only to the federal government.

For taking a dense and highly technical subject and making it simple, I recommend it.

Psalm 103

This psalm says the same thing a lot of different ways. Essentially, it just says that God is good and we should all praise him for it. It's not a novel or unexpected message, but it's a good one.

Praise the Lord for he is good.

The Schleitheim Confesion, Article Six

The sword 

Violence must not be used in any circumstance. The way of nonviolence is patterned after the example of Christ who never exhibited violence in the face of persecution or as a punishment for sin. A Christian should not pass judgment in worldly disputes. It is not appropriate for a Christian to serve as a magistrate; a magistrate acts according to the rules of the world, not according to the rules of heaven; their weapons are worldly, but the weapons of a Christian are spiritual.

---

This commitment to nonviolence was one of the things that attracted me to the Anabaptists in the first place. I simply believe that's what the New Testament teaches, and that that's what Christians are called to. It's not cowardice; imagine being beaten to a pulp without even fighting back even to defend yourself, or standing unarmed in the middle of 100 men pointting rifles at you. It's trusting that someone else will do the fighting for you.

Psalm 102

We have assurances that everything will be made right in future, but sometimes it's very hard right now. We just have to remember that that God's always been faithful in the past, and there's no reason to think he won't be in the future.

Things may look bad now, but we just have to be patient, because this too shall be made right.

Review: THE COMPLETE WORKS OF EM BOUNDS ON PRAYER by EM Bounds

Collecting all of Bounds' many books on prayer, this is a huge file, yet takes up very little space on the Kindle and was extremely inexpensive. If you like to read old books, there's no good reason to not get an ereader.

In a way it's a shame there's so much here, because Bounds tends to repeat himself. The books were probably aimed at different audiences, and were definitely not meant to be read back-to-back. The cumulative effect is of reading the same book over and over.

The books were written in the 1800s, and they read like it. I'm not saying that that's necessarily good or bad, but the fact is that styles have changed a good bit since then. They've harder to read than they used to be.

I can see why these books have become classics, but they're just overwhelming read all at once. I recommend the books but not the way I read them.

Psalm 101

I've dubbed this the Netflix Psalm.

Reading this right after writing about something I found on Netflix opened my eyes to just how much I've comprehend with evil. Whereas in this psalm David says he won't set any evil before his eyes, but I decide how much evil is acceptable. I'm not better than David. No man can serve two masters.

Studded with hooks

I want to talk about The Messengers.

That's just a series I found on Netflix a few months ago. I have no idea who made it, or what network it was on. It wasn't even a very good series. But it had one thing going for a: it was very loosely based on the Book of Revelation..

And by very loosely based, I mean that it borrowed its terminology from there. It wasn't even remotely biblical; it's pretty ironic to hear a character solemnly intone "We can't change the Book of Revelation" when that's exactly what the show does.

The fact is, though, that that biblical language draws people (like me) in who should know better. The story is a typical save-the-world plot, and the religion that God apparently prefers is a by-the-numbers pluralistic hodgepodge. Still, each biblical word is a hook that digs in. We're dragged in despite ourselves.

The only thing that makes The Messengers special is this reliance on pop Christianity. It's enough, though, to pull in millions of viewers who wouldn't have watched twice. But sometimes you want real food and not just a hook.

Psalm 100

Do you know how long forever is?

However long you think it is, it's longer. Out finite minds simply can't conceive of infinity. But God can, and that's how long his love will last. We can dwell in it forever and never reach the end of it.

Review: FAREWELL TO MARS by Brian Zahnd

This is, as it says, the story of how an evangelical pastor embraced the gospel of peace. Interestingly -- and I've seen this in my own life -- the worst resistance came not from outside the church of Jesus Christ, but from within it.

Obviously, this book resonated with me. I agreed with its conclusions and most importantly found it solidly biblical.i recommend it.

Psalm 99

It meant a lot that the Lord of the Universe had chosen Israel to be his people. Having him as their god was a very big deal to them. 

He deserved praise, and they intended to give it.

Review: I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FAITH TO BE AN ATHEIST by Norm Geisler and Frank Turek

Apologetics is essentially the logical defense of the Christian faith, an attempt to show its reasonableness compared to all other options. In that way this book is an invaluable gold mine of apologetic arguments.

Unfortunately, it also has a smug, condescending tone, like the smartest kid in the room. I can recommend the information, but not the way it's presented.

Psalm 98

Making a joyful noise is not an excuse for not being excellent.  

Whenever we sing or play badly in church, we joke about "making a joyful noise". That's ridiculous; God deserves our best, not our worst. Let's stop settling for good enough and strive for perfection.

the Schleitheim Confesion, Article Five

Pastors in the Church 

Pastors should be men of good repute. Some of the responsibilities they must faithfully carry out include teaching, disciplining, the ban, leading in prayer, and the sacraments. They are to be supported by the church, but must be disciplined if they sin.

---

This article deals with the qualifications and duties of pastors. There's no mention of seminary, Bible college, or any education at all. While a pastor is entitled to be supported by the church, he's not entitled to get rich off them or act with impunity. He needs discipline like everyone else.

Psalm 97

Be glad that God is in charge, because it could be a lot worse. There's no reason God has to be righteous or forgiving, but righteousness and forgiveness are the very foundations of his reign.

It's our good fortune that God's nature is good.

Review: THE ADVENTURES OF DR MCNINJA OMNIBUS VOL 1 by Christopher Hastings

Dr MccNinja is an independently-produced webcomic by Hastings. Dark Horse Comics printed a huge dead tree collection, and that's what I'm reviewing.

The writing is a mixed bag. While the characters are generally pretty far out there, they're used in stories that are remarkably traditional. Not nearly enough use is made of the characters' inherent silliness.The art is similarly double-minded. Hastings is an excellent draftsman, and he draws certain things very well. Away from that comfort zone, though, he seems to lose confidence.

The biggest problem is that as a comic featuring ninjas, zombies, and banditos riding velociraptors, it's very violent. I don't recommend it.

I have a flag

About 15 years ago I was really into vexillology, the study of flags, so I designed my own. There was all kinds of symbolism involved, but I mainly just thought it looked cool. I still do.

An announcement

I have a new post up at The Bible Exchange,  "Praying for daily bread with a full pantry". www.bibleexchange.com.

Psalm 96

The Lord gives his people everything, and all he asks in return is that we tell others.

Though this psalm contains many calls to worship God, but it's worth noting that worship is not a slow song. Nor is it something we do at 11 am on Sundays. . It's a way of life that acknowledges God's greatness and draws people into his kingdom.

Psalm 95

Praise the Lord!

This psalm is almost entirely praise to God, and calls on the people to kneel before his greatness. That's the only posture that makes sense when faced with omnipotence 

Review: THE COMMON ENGLISH BIBLE read by Various

I listened to an audio recording of this, which was available as a free download from christianaudio.com. Honestly, I still feel like I paid too much for it.

it isn't the recording quality. That's fine; it's neither stellar nor terrible, but just pretty good. It's the translation itself. Several years ago, a number of mainline denominations got together to produce a new Bible translation they could all use, with an emphasis on gender-neutrality 

This is the result, and it reads as much like a legal document as it does the word of God. I don't recommend it,

Psalm 94

God will punish the wicked; don't worry about that. It's on his timetable, though, not ours. We can ask him long it will be before it happens, but we won't get an answer until everyone else does.

We just have to have faith. Imagine that.

Review: THE FUNDAMENTALS ed by AC Dixon and RA Torrey

This consists of 90 essays written about the turn of the 20th century, on a wide range of biblical topics. They were written to combat Modernism, which was rampant at the time, and were originally sent free to every clergyman in the US.

The good news is that the information is solidly biblical and still extremely relevant. The bad news is that the essays are long, scholarly, and repetitive, especially if read back-to-back. I recommend it as a reference, but don't read it straight through like I did.

Psalm 93

God is strong and powerful.

By implication nothing else is. There's nothing and no one that can stand up to God for even a second. It's our good fortune that he loves us.

The Schleitheim Confesion, Article Four

Separation from evil 

The community of Christians shall have no association with those who remain in disobedience and rebellion against God. There can be no fellowship with the wicked in this world; there can be no participation in works, church services, meetings, or civil affairs of those who live in contradiction to the commands of God (Catholics and Protestants). All evil must be resisted including their weapons of force such as the sword and and armor.

---

This is an article I both agree and disagree with. There is a desperate need for the Church of Jesus Christ to be separate from the world; they have nothing in common and no reason to be involved with each other. On the other hand, the idea of having no association whatever with non-Christians tends to kill missions and evangelism and create an insular church with a bunker mentality. I also believe a person can be mistaken about some things and not be lost.

Psalm 92

God is very good to those who love him. Does this mean that as long as you do certain things God has to bless you? Of course not. That would make you mercenary, not loving.

No one gets to hold God hostage.

Review: THE KINGDOM THAT TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE-DOWN by David Bercot

This seems like an update and expansion of Bercot's earlier book, Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up. Though doesn't appear to be much in common between the two, this book occupies a similar place at the center of Bercot's teaching.

The biggest difference between the earlier book and this one is that while Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up spent a good deal of time introducing the early Christians and their beliefs, this book shows beliefs as they have worked out over the past 25 years or so.

There's no shortage of teaching about grace and love, but it's rare to actually see them in the real world. I recommend this book.

Psalm 91

God will always protect the one who clings to him.

This psalm was quoted by Satan during the temptation recorded in Matthew and Luke. But to focus on that is to miss the whole point of the psalm. Those who place themselves under God's lordship also place themselves under his protection.

You will borrow and not lend

in the Bible debt is a curse. It's a divine punishment. Now it's seen as part of the way the world woke. And that's true. It is part of the way the world works. What's less clear is why it's part of the way the Church works.

When Christian couple gets married, they're expected to already be several hundred thousand dollars in debt or to get that way as soon as possible. Then they're supposed to spend the next few decades paying it back. During that time they're expected to get even more in debt for luxuries they can't afford and most people can't even imagine.

Congregations get millions of dollars in debt for new buildings to draw people in, who will then spend the next several years helping pay them off. Of course, more people means bigger building in an ever-increasing spiral. It's in a pastor's best interest to grow the church as large and as fast as possible.

I'm not accusing pastors of having cynical or mercenary motives. The ones I've met were by and large good men who genuinely cared about the Kingdom of God but did what they were trained to. It's the strategy as a whole that's flawed and has left the country strewn with big churches with even bigger debts.

Both individual and congregational debt have the same effect. Instead of asking what we ahead do, we have to ask what we can afford to do,

Psalm 90

God is great. At the end of the day that's all that can be said about him.

In this psalm Moses recounts the great deeds of God, from even before Creation. He also asks God to lift his curse and bless the work of the Hebrews' hands.

Review: MISREADING SCRIPTURE THROUGH WESTERN EYES by E Randolph Richards and ...

... Brandon J O'Brian

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I got a bachelor's degree in religion, and the single most important class I took was one that basically taught me to read the Bible. The gist of the class was to figure out what a passage would've meant to its original readers before trying to apply it to our culture.

This book makes the same point from a different angle. It looks at the very great damage that's been done by treating ancient Middle Eastern documents like modern Western ones. It's a lesson we in the Church all need to learn, and I recommend this book.

Psalm 89

God made a lot promises in his word, and he hasn't broken one yet. The problem is when we take promises as absolute when they're really conditional.

There's always an if.

Review: OISHINBO VOL. 2: SAKE by Tetsu Kariya

If anything, I actually care less about the subject of this volume than that of the previous one. So why do I like this series so much?

It's not the story, which is usually just as excuse to talk about food. It's not the art, which is merely serviceable. And it's not the characters; like the previous volume, this one includes stories taken completely out of context, leaving no room for character development. 

In spite of all that, I really like this series. Maybe it'll because it's like a good documentary, teaching while it entertains. Regardless, I recommend it.

Psalm 88

Even a dying man can pray.

This psalm is a cry to God from a soul with nothing else left. Even his friends and family have been taken from him, but he's still concerned for God. Dead men, after all, can offer no praise.

The Schleitheim Confesion, Article 3

THE BREAKING OF BREAD 

Only those who have been baptized can take part in Communion. Participation in Communion is a remembrance of Christ's body and blood; the real body and blood of Christ are not present in the sacrament.

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Communion -- or the Lord's Supper or the Eucharist or whatever you call it -- is the central act of Christian worship. It's one of the reasons we're told to gather together. As such it is for Christians only. Allowing others outside the faith to participate in this symbolic act is harmful, not helpful, to them.

Psalm 87

The most important thing about Jerusalem is that Zion is there. This mountain came to symbolize many things, from the city to this nation to God himself. Most notably, it was seen as this place where Earth met Heaven.

It seems only right to paise the greatest place in the world.

Review: TIME AND THE GODS by Lord Dunsany

This is the third collection of Dunsany's mythological short stories that I've read, and the idea is wearing a little thin. This is essentially The Gods of Pegana Part II; it's so similar to the earlier book that it just seems redundant. If you've already read this other book, there's no point in reading this one; if you haven't, this isn't the place to start. I don't recommend it.

Psalm 86

Please listen, God. You always have before.

The psalmist has multiple reasons for thinking that God will hear his prayer. He asked him to, it will lead to more praise for God, and most importantly God's always listened before.

Feliz cuatro de julio

That may be "Happy Fourth of July" in Spanish, but I'm not sure. I do know that this is the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and is widely regarded as the birthday of the United States of America.

Millions of hours have been spent arguing about the religious feelings and motivations of the Founding Fathers. I don't want to add to the fray; I just want to say two things and get out of the way.

Being a member, or even a regular attendee, of a church doesn't make you a Christian. And even if this was founded as a Christian nation, it hasn't acted like one.

Psalm 85

Again, the psalm tells about God's power and how he has used it and should be using it.

The psalmist knows that God has the ability to do whatever he wants. It's just a matter of him wanting to. And it's not that he doesn't want to. This is the same God who sacrificed his son for people who hated him.

An announcement

I have a new post,  "Horror", up at The Bible Exchange, which really tells me they need higher standards.  www.bibleexchange.com 

Review: LUD-IN-THE-MIST by Hope Mirllees

This is considered a classic of fantasy, one of the foundational documents of the genre  it doesn't hurt that it's very good.

The story is presented as a mystery. It focuses on the Chanticleer family, upper-class merchants who resemble the Dutch merchant families of the 17th and 18th centuries. They find the family's position threatened as they're drawn ever-deeper into a plot involving Fairy.

The book harmed its reputation,I recommend it.

Psalm 84

To be honest -- which is a shouldn't think I have to use -- psalms like this just make me feel inadequate. When I read something like this, in which the psalmist talks of his overwhelming love for God's house, I wonder:

Why don't I feel that way?

Review: RECOVERING REDEMPTION by Matt Chandler and Michael Snetzler

To be honest, this book made absolutely no impression on me. I finished this book just a few months ago and can't even remember what it was about. I only remember it at all because I wrote it down.

I don't recommend it just because of its sheer unmemorability.

Psalm 83

God's got the power to deal with our enemies. He's proven that in the past. He just needs to do it again.

That's what this psalm does. It reminds him of what he's already done and asks him to do it again. It's a safe guess he doesn't need to be reminded of either what he already has done or of what he needs to do now, but some people will only pray when they need something.

The Schleitheim Confesion, Article 2

The ban

A Christian should live with discipline and walk in the way of righteousness. Those who slip and fall into sin should be admonished twice in secret, but the third offense should be openly disciplined and banned as a final recourse. This should always occur prior to the breaking of bread.

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This is about excommunication, and comes almost entirely from Jesus' instructions in Matthew 18. If a person won't live what he says he believes, there's no reason to think he's a Christian and therefore no reason to allow him to take Communion.

The only part that doesn't come Jesus' own words is the last sentence, and even that makes sense in context. After all, there's no point in giving someone Communion if you're about to tell him he can't receive it. 

Psalm 82

God is just, and he will judge justly. There's no point in trying to hide behind some arcane law or get off on a technicality. He will judge us for what we've done.

And that's the last thing any of us wants.

Review: GORMENGHAST by Mervyn Peake

The second book the Gormenghast Trilogy, this book is written in the same overflowing style as the first, but here it's turned to description rather than humor. It's a beautiful book, though a tragic one. The tragedy is lit by elements of comedy, as the first book's comedy had a background of tragedy.

Unfortunately it also continues the myth of redemptive violence, the idea that good guys have to kill bad guys to make the world a better place. For that reason alone I can't recommend it.

Psalm 81

A good father knows that sometimes you just have to let your kids run themselves into the ground, and God is the best father there is.

It isn't that he couldn't or wouldn't save Israel. He'd proven neither was true by rescuing them from Egypt. But they just wouldn't turn to him, and had to do things their own way. And that's the problem: sometimes he lets you.

Hatting love

Why do people get so mad when the love oF Christ is shown?

I don't think it's out of hate. Very few people seem to wake up and decide to hate others. Instead, it seems to come from fear..

People are afraid for themselves. They're afraid for their families. They're afraid for whatever they've built up that makes them feel secure, or that they won't have something they think they need. Most of all, I think people are afraid of life and of losing control.

But they don't have control anyway. Someone else is always in charge. And that kind of fear is a weapon of Satan, not God. Jesus didn't die to leave us in fear, but to free us from it.

The basis for all that anger is fear, based on a lie: if you do enough, you can be fine by yourself. 

Psalm 80

God made his people, and only he can restore them.

This psalm also tells about God taking the people from Egypt, but does so metaphorically rather than by repeating the events again. It's a nice change, 

Review: THE MYSTERY OF THE MARK by Peter Hoover

Much like Hoover's The Secret of the Strength, this is a history of the early Anabaptists, this time on their work as missionaries. Hoover writes well, and does a good job of mixing his own experience in an Anabaptist community with the historical narrative.

Given that I have a strong interest in the early Anabaptists and an even stronger one in missions, it should be no surprise that I recommend this book.

Psalm 79

How long are you going to wait, God? They've defiled your temple, destroyed your city, and conquered your people. We're thankful for your provision, but we want to see your vengeance.

What's it going to take?

Review : THE MABINOGION trans.by Lady Charlotte Guest

This is Wales' national epic, a set of legends that bind the people together. It's basically Welsh mythology, though apparently strongly influenced by Continental medieval romances.

The problem is the translation. Victorian translators tended toward deliberate archaism, and Guest seems to have been worse then most. I don't recommend this just because it's so hard to read.

Psalm 78

Even though his people have been unfaithful, God never has.

And since he hasn't been in the past, there's no reason to believe he will be in the future. I think that's why the Bible repeats the events of the Exodus so often. It reminds people what God has done so they'll trust him.

The Schleitheim Confesion, Article 1

,Since direct translations from the original German are very long-winded, I've decided to use the summaries from Wikipedia instead.

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BAPTISM 

Baptism is administered to those who have consciously repented and amended their lives and who believe that Christ died for their sins and who request it for themselves. Infants, therefore, were not to be baptized.

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Baptism was the most visible issue that separated the early Anabaptists from both the Church of Rome and the Reformers. In fact, the very name "Anabaptist" is a reference to their practice of "baptizing again", giving baptism to those who had been through the practice of infant baptism.

Psalm 77

When times get hard or the enemy is at the gates, turn to God. If you're not convinced that God can be trusted, just think of all he's done in the past. God has always been trustworthy. And he always will be.

You have everything to gain by depending on God.

Review: HCSB NNW TESTAMENT read by Dale McConachie

The Holmium Christian Standard Bible was transferred and is owned by the Southern Baptist Convention, essentially because it was paying too much for using the NIV in its materials. The translation itself isn't one of my favorites, and the performance, while certainly not bad, isn't spectacular either. I don't recommend it because there are much better audio Bibles out there also for free.

Psalm 76

No one can stand up to God. He is to be feared.

No weapon can harm him and no fortress can stand before him. He casts down princes and kings tremble at the mention of his name. Even his children, while they shouldn't live in abject terror of him, should have a healthy respect for him.

Buddhism (not the Hollywood version)

Buddhism has become popular in the US in recent years, largely because of the influence of several Hollywood stars. However, what they espouse is just a watered-down, Americanized version.

It's not just a matter of having more good karma than bad; in Buddhism's various Asian forms, there's no difference between "good" and "bad" karma. All karma will keep a soul trapped in a cycle of death and rebirth. After sometimes millions of these rebirths, the soul may reach Nirvana, which is a state of perfect nothingness into which the soul is irrevocably dissolved.

Millions of years of pain followed by nonexistence: that's Buddhism in a nutshell. It's a philosophy of death, not a set of feel-good beliefs designed for rich white people. And it's completely opposed to Christianity.

An announcement

I have a new post,  "Something else you knew I'd write about sooner or later", at The Bible Exchange. www.bibleexchange.com

Psalm 75

There will be rewards and punishments.

Though things don't seem fair now, though people seem to literally get away with murder, God has promised a time when he'll judge people by what they've done. And he's promised to be fair.

Review: RADICAL TOGETHER by David Platt

The second of Platt's books, this one is about community. Where Radical showed what changes in individual Christians would look like, here we see how those changed Christians should function together. Simply put, the first book was about a person, and this one is about the church.

As such I don't see anything wrong with it. I don't believe in Platt's Calvinism, but there isn't any of that here. This small book is fundamentally about the mission of the church, and I recommend it.