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.

2Chronicles 25

Why worship gods you know can't help you?

I don't know but that's what Amaziah did. After he defeated the Edomites, he took their idols -- who hadn't helped them against him -- and set them up in his palace to worship them. The God of Israel, of course, did not approve.

Review: THE WAY OF THE WILD HEART by John Eldredge

This book is very similar to Eldredge's Wild at Heart, which makes sense given that it's a companion to and an expansion of that book. Like that book, it has a thin veneer of Christianity, but it's only a veneer.

The biggest problem is that the book is simply nonbiblical. At best, it expands on Scripture; at worst it flatly contradicts it. While the discussion of the various stages of manhood is interesting, the reader can't help getting the impression that he's learning more about Eldredge than about the ostensible subject of the book.

I'm sure that wasn't his aim. I'm sure he just wanted to write a book that would help people. Unfortunately, I can't review his intentions,only the book as it is, and that's what I don't recommend.

2Chronicles 24

Joash started so well to have ended the way he did. He was the one who brought back the temple tax, which was used to restore the temple and make it better.

Of course, Solomon could've told him you have to finish just as well.

Review: THE COLLAPSE OF SEPARATION AMONG FUNDAMENTALIST BAPTISTS by David Cloud

It's taken me a while, but I've finally figured out what makes Cloud and I so different: our ideas on separation. It's certainly a biblical concept, as the New Testament specifically tells us to be different from the world. I believe that means not chasing trends so we can be like everyone else, but with a little Jesus on top. That's become a very bad habit in some churches.

Cloud, however, seems to see separation as a list of things to do; churches have to be like the one into which he was converted or they've "compromised". Any such groups have to be separated from. This is a fairly common view among Fundies, but there are two very serious problems with it. The first is that it not only is it not found in Scripture, but this kind of shunning is antithetical to it. The second is that it leads to an "us four and no more" attitude, in which we assume that only those who agree with us exactly are saved.

This book is essentially a list of "compromises" made by churches Cloud used to consider faithful. I don't recommend it; it seems like it's longer than it is.

2Chronicles 23

It's interesting that while Josiah is known as a reformer, the reforms started before he even before he took the throne. One of the most important was keeping anyone unclean out of the temple.

Even the queen couldn't violate that, which may have helped keep Josiah alive.

XII. Education

Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence. In Jesus Christ abide all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All sound learning is, therefore, a part of our Christian heritage. The new birth opens all human faculties and creates a thirst for knowledge. Moreover, the cause of education in the Kingdom of Christ is co-ordinate with the causes of missions and general benevolence, and should receive along with these the liberal support of the churches. An adequate system of Christian education is necessary to a complete spiritual program for Christ's people.

In Christian education there should be a proper balance between academic freedom and academic responsibility. Freedom in any orderly relationship of human life is always limited and never absolute. The freedom of a teacher in a Christian school, college, or seminary is limited by the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ, by the authoritative nature of the Scriptures, and by the distinct purpose for which the school exists.

2Chronicles 22

Huh. Turns out it was Jehoram who was the king and was married to Ahab's daughter. Azariah was one of the brothers he had killed. Sorry about that.

This chapter deals with his son and heir, Ahaziah, and his wife, Athaliah, presumably Ahab's daughter. Azariah was bad, but his mother was worse. Upon taking her son's throne,  she tried to have her grandsons killed.

That's one bad granny.

Review: TWELFTH NIGHT by William Shakespeare

This is another of Shakespeare's comedies based on mistaken identity/gender. This must have been a plot he liked.

Unfortunately, it also feels overly familiar. There's nothing that sticks out, and very little that I remember about the play. As far as I'm concerned, that's more than enough reason to not recommend it. 

2Chronicles 21

Azariah acted like a member of Ahab's family because he was.

The Bible is clear that Azariah disobeyed God just like the kings of Israel. Ahab was arguably Israel's worst king, and he was even worse when hag-ridden by his wife Jezebel. Even if he had started out good, Azariah didn't have a chance once he was married to their daughter.

It's just voyeurism, you know

Let me ask you a question. Would you like to stand outside someone's house and just watch them? Assume for the moment that you can't be caught. You could see how they eat, how they sleep, and how they treat each other. You could even look in on their most private moments.

Of course, most of us wouldn't want to do that. We'd be Peeping Toms, living our lives through others. Voyeurism isn't just illegal. That would be bad enough. It's also deeply weird.

So why is pornography any different? It's just people doing things they shouldn't with people they shouldn't do them with, in places they shouldn't be doing them. And there we are, watching.

Please don't think I'm letting the people who make it off. I'm not. The things they do are wrong. However, I think it's safe to say that a good many of them wouldn't do those things if there weren't money to be made from it, and the only reason there's money in it is that so many people are willing to pay for the privilege of being Peeping Toms.

I have to confess that I had a problem with porn for years. Specifically, the problem was that I had no problem with it. I didn't see anything wrong with pornography, though I didn't want my wife, my children, my parents, the people I went to church with, the ones at work ... really, i didn't want anyone to know what I was doing.

Porn is a lonely addiction.

Yes, I said addiction. Just like an alcoholic will always be one even if he hasn't had a drink in 20 years, I think it's something that will be with me until I die, because even now it still comes to mind and has to be forced down. Besides, you can't unsee anything.

Every voyeur knows that.