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5/29/2009 GFC - not enough of a crisis? For some people, the Global Financial Crisis is exactly that - a crisis.It's a crisis for for economists who have seen the sudden collapse of financial systems and institutions they thought were very strong. And it's such a crisis that governments have been pumping billions of dollars into economies to prevent them from stalling. And it's also a crisis for retirees and those close to retirement who have suddenly seen their retirement savings disappear almost overnight, or their retirement plans placed on hold indefinitely. For these people, their whole lives - their worldview - will have changed dramatically. But for many others, it's hasn't really been very much of a crisis... Oh sure, some of us may have been fearful of losing our jobs, or have even lost jobs. It's a crisis on that level - but it's not actually been a very great crisis in the end. Because those of us who are still relatively young and marketable, we believe we still have a long time to build up our wealth - we are not really all that worried! You see, our world really hasn't changed very much. In reality, many of us will still trust in wealth! In a few years many of us will still be investing feverishly like we were before. In a few years many of us will still look eagerly for the stockmarket to again increase our wealth inexorably. Once we know our jobs are secure, many of us will get right back into looking for that next promotion to take us higher and further in our careers. In the end, the Global Financial Crisis will not have shaken our same basic trust in wealth. Yes, it will have been an inconvenience - it may have put our plans on hold for a few years, and it will definitely mean higher taxation for many years to come! But for most of us, the GFC won't really have taught us that wealth is unreliable... 10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; [ PS: how much has the GFC really affected the worldview of your friends and colleagues? ] 5/25/2009 Looking for property for a church plant? In the Sydney Morning Herald last week I read an article, titled Goodbye, deli: shops closing by the dozen. Here is part of it:Glebe Point Road has become littered with empty shopfronts since the financial crisis hit, with at least 12 businesses shutting down. Signs in empty windows reveal that many have been locked out by landlords impatient for rental arrears. In case you didn't know, this is actually an effect of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). In terms of impact of the GFC, so far you've probably seen people in certain industries lose their jobs as companies lose business. But this is what's in store in the next phase of the GFC. And what you see here is actually only the start of it, as more and more businesses find it hard to renew their business loans.
In order to lend money, banks need more than just the deposits from people's bank accounts - banks also borrow from each other. However the GFC eroded trust between lending institutions, and therefore banks became unwilling to lend to one another. This means that banks suddenly have less money available to lend to to home buyers and businesses.
So what do these banks do? They can either stop lending to home buyers - or they can stop lending to businesses. You still see ads for home loans on TV - and that's because banks are choosing to stop lending to businesses. This means that when a small business (eg. a shoe shop, or a deli) goes back to the bank to renew their business loan, they are refused - because the bank just doesn't have as much money to lend as they once did. Even if that business is doing well, they may still be unable to renew their loans - because banks just don't have the money to lend to home buyers as well as businesses. And so that shoe shop can't get the capital to buy more stock.
The result? More and more small businesses closing up. More and more empty shopfronts in your local shopping centre.
The implication of this for pastoral ministry is pretty obvious - pastoral care for those who have lost jobs, or who have seen the business they have built vanish overnight.
But there is something else as well... the flood of busines property onto the market will mean that prices to buy and lease will drop towards the end of this year. It's the simple mechanics of supply and demand - lots of supply, not enough demand. And so if your church is thinking of a church plant or a new location, then the GFC provides a rare opportunity to secure business property for a church plant at a very good price - if your church has the money. Because over the next few months you'll increasingly find that warehouse sites, shopfronts and office lots are becoming much more affordable!
[ PS: thanks to Robin for the insightful chat in the car! ] 2/26/2009 Religion across generations Ernest Chiang from CECA has dug up an interesting report from the ABS about the religious affiliation of the different generations in Australia from the 2006 ABS census (it's called Religion across the generations). And in terms of generations, there isn't just Gen X, Gen Y and baby boomers - the ABS divides the population into five generations, from the iGeneration (0 to 19 years), all the way up to the Oldest generation (80 years+). 
Large sections of all generations still identify themselves as Catholics - believing that we are saved by faith plus works. And in Galatians Paul urgently wants people to know that such a gospel is a different gospel - one that is not a gospel at all (Gal 1:6-9). Not only that, large segments of the younger generations identify themselves as 'no religion' (particularly Gen X, Y and the iGeneration). And across the board, non Christian religions (eg. Buddhism, Islam, Mormonism) is actually quite a small percentage. These graphs show that there is clearly a lot of work to do! And it also shows that in terms of preparing ourselves for outreach, it is still particularly important to sharpen ourselves to speak clearly about (a) Roman Catholicism, and (b) atheism/agnosticism. Though how we speak about these things might change because of generational differences... [PS: any other observations you can make of these graphs? ] 12/11/2008 The violence of trade At NDCCCS we've been preaching through the book of Ezekiel. I recently spoke on Ezekiel 25-32, when the Lord God addresses the surrounding nations, such as Moab, Ammon, Philistia, Tyre and Sidon. And as is usually the case, you come up with more stuff than you can use in a talk.In chapters 26-28 God addresses the nation of Tyre on the cost to the North of Jerusalem - and one of the interesting things about this section is what God has against Tyre. If you read those three chapters, it becomes clear that Tyre is a very cosmopolitan place. They are heavily engaged in international trade, and people from a whole catalogue of nations come to Tyre to do trade with her (eg. 27:12-23). Tyre is famous for its trade. In chapter 28 the Lord God outlines why judgment will fall on Tyre - and it is primarily because of her pride (28:1-5). However there is also something else. Several times, God also condemns them for the way in which they conducted their trade. Here is verse 16, where he mentions the violence of their trade: 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. Ezekiel 28:16a (NIV) And verse 18, where God also condemns the unrighteousness of their trade: 18 By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; Ezekiel 28:17a (ESV) The thing about commerce, business and finance type jobs is we figure they're generally pretty upright. As long as you're not doing anything illegal, the way you do business is a neutral thing in terms of Christianity. However Ezekiel 28 warns us that this isn't always so - in the case of Tyre at least, they conducted their trade in a way which God charaterises as violent and unrighteous. Perhaps it was the way in which they took advantage of people in their commerce. Or the way in which they leveraged their superior position for gain at the expense of others. We can't really tell, but it is possible for the way we do business to be so violent as to incite God's anger. Might there be business practices today that would fall into this category? I would imagine so. I don't know enough about the business world to say what they are, but this is probably something that Christians who work in the finance and business world need to consider carefully - instead of merely following the ways of the business world. Sure, that may be the way to maximise shareholder value and please your boss - but just because there are no laws against it doesn't mean it is alright. Would God consider your company's business practices violent? or unjust? Would God consider what you do on a daily basis violent? or unjust? You may not have come across a great deal of Christian critique of today's financial systems and practices. But that doesn't mean that Christians in the business world should be content with ignorance and uncertainty. Instead, you should be troubled that business practices could be seen as violent, or unjust in God's eyes. And be all the more eager to think through God's perspective of modern business practices. [ PS: read any good Christian critiques on the business world? ] 11/10/2008 Power Distance IndexOne of these indices is the Power Distance Index - a measure of how close, or how distant a relationship superiors like to have with their subordinates, and that subordinates like to have with their superiors. My friend at Tsun-Am-I recently posted a link to a very useful website that shows you the PDI of various countries. So a high PDI country is one where people prefer, or are used to having a large power distance between a teacher (say) and the students. These countries are Malaysia (104), China (80), Indonesia (78) and the Phillipines (94). And so the norm in such countries is for leaders to be highly respected, for people not to ask embarrasing questions, for students and subordinates to listen. However low PDI countries are those which prefer, or are used to having a small power distance between the boss and the workers. These countries are Australia (36), New Zealand (22), Ireland (28) and the Austria (11). The norm here is for leaders to be accessible, to be at the same level as their subordinates, to be open to challenge and suggestions. This is all about expectations, about what people are used to, what they have had modelled for them again and again during their formative years - and which they then take with them into their working life. And of course individuals will be different, but on the whole this gives you an insight into some of the conflict that can happen in a ministry training situation, or in a second-generation church. Conflicts can happen when people who are born overseas (say Hong Kong with a PDI of 68, or Malaysia with a PDI of 104), starts to interact with those who are born or raised in Australia (with a PDI of 36). After a short while, those who are used to a higher PDI will find those who are used to a lower PDI to be disrespectful, disobedient, and to take an overy casual and relaxed approach to important things. However those who are used to a lower PDI will find those who are used to a higher PDI to be controlling, talking down to them, distant, making decisions for them without really consulting them. One of the things that list of countries does is it immediately makes someone question the inherent rightness of their own culture. Are you really going to argue that a PDI of 68 is correct? what about 74, or 66? And are you really going to say that whole countries are wrong in their approach? Of course not. This is just our cultural preference. And what we, and in fact all cutlures need to do, is to submit our culture under the lordship of Christ. To allow our culture to be tested and transformed by the gospel - and love those from other cultures, whom God has also brought into his kingdom. There are other differences between cultures that Hofstede has written about, which are really worth investigating for ministry (such as Individualism, with Australia at 90 and Hong Kong at 25). You can see them all from the link posted above! [ PS: how close would you prefer your bosses / teachers to be with you? ] 10/6/2008 What to do with terroristsBut what should we do about terrorists - apart from protecting ourselves against them? Do we hate them back? hope the Americans deal with them? In Matthew 5, Jesus tells his followers to love those who hate them, and pray for those who persecute them. Well, these terrorists certainly hate Christians. So do we love them? and how often do we really pray for them? To that end, there is a relatively new website called Adopt a Terrorist for Prayer (www.atfp.org), which provides a database with profiles of over a hundred terrorists (all Islamic 'extremists'). Some have been captured, while others are still at large. But all hate Christians, and are very far away from the gospel - at least, in human terms. The idea is that you or your Bible study group choose a terrorist, and pray for their conversion. Sounds impossible? Then remember the apostle Paul, who was once a persecutor of Christians, breathing out murderous threats against them. And how Jesus appeared to him, and turned him into his apostle to the Gentiles... So why not Abd al-Aziz Awda, of the Islamic Jihad? or Khaled Mashal, chief of HAMAS’ Syrian branch? It's also been encouraging to see how Christians affected by terrorism - particularly US soldiers who have an active faith - have responded to the website. Often with deep humility and prayerfulness! [ PS: hope you had a great holiday - our Bible study group had a picnic in a park! ] 9/29/2008 Gen Y, the gospel, and churchesThis generation, for example, is the only one that cannot remember a time without the Internet influencing their information and relationships - and that has had a significant impact on them. This generation has also more wealth and options laid out before them than any previous generation before them. What then are the features of Gen Ys? and how must our ministries adapt to reach this next generation for Jesus? Here is a table I put together earlier this year for discussion with the pastoral team at our church.
The focus of this article is obviously Gen Y. In all of this I'm not assuming that Baby Boomers, or Gen Xers, have gotten it entirely right, or that Boomer or Gen X culture doesn't need to be critiqued by the gospel. Not at all! The gospel critiques all cultures - and calls on people of all generations to turn to him. And as they do so, the people of each successive generation will find different things they struggle with. [ PS: can you think of other things you'd add to that table? ] 9/25/2008 Better map of Chinese churches in SydneyRemember a couple of weeks ago I showed you a map of Chinese churches in Sydney? Well some members of the SCCCA English committee (and particularly Ernest Chiang) have updated that list and transported it across from Google Documents, into Google Maps. And here it is what it looks like (click on the map to go to a larger version stored at Photobucket):  There are now over 100 churches on the map, up from the 80 on the previous map. Notice how Ernest has colour-coded churches for the different regions. Please note also that this is a very broad classification of churches - it includes charismatic churches, health-wealth-prosperity churches, Vietnamese churches, Indonesian churches and even a Unichurch! [ PS: can you see your church missing? ] 7/19/2008 "Walk with Jesus" - Catholic styleI thought to myself: "great, it must be some Bible teaching event, maybe a conference, and people are learning about following Jesus." Because that's what you would imagine, with a name like that ... right? So I clicked the link (to here) - and discovered what "Walk with Christ" really means for Roman Catholics... The way a devout Roman Catholic "Walks with Christ" is with a priest blessing a host (a wafer of bread), and placing that into an elaborate metal holder (called a monstrance, pictured in the promotional banner). And then the priest holds up the monstrance and carries it through the streets with people walking along with him, and others lining the route making the sign of the cross as the consecrated host passes by. That is what it means to "Walk with Christ." "Walking with Christ" is not really about Christlike living at all - it's actually about physically walking along with a wafer of bread, that they believe has changed (or transubstantiated) into the actual body of Christ. This is all part of the feast of the blessed sacrament, an annual procession through the streets of Sydney. They have also put up a YouTube video here promoting the event - and it's worth watching. Because the video shows up quite explicitly how different Roman Catholicism is from biblical Christianity. There is a particular need to cultivate a lively awareness of Christ’s real presence, both in the celebration of Mass and in the worship of the Eucharist outside Mass. Pope John Paul II, Mane Nobiscum Domine And if you think this event is merely a minor quirk of Roman Catholicism, think again. At one point in the video, a voice explains how "this is the central belief of our Catholic faith" (1:28). Perhaps you might be fooled into thinking that Roman Catholics are close to biblical Christianity - at least on a superficial level. They are passionate about God, so are we. They sing similar songs to us. They love Jesus, so do we. They stand against many of the same things we are. But here you begin to see how significantly different Roman Catholicism is. How tradition has taken the language of biblical Christianity - and amazingly, unbelievably, brashly - given it their own, completely new meaning. [ PS: some good analysis on World Youth Day and Will's blog here. ] 4/21/2008 New suburbs ... with no churchesAnd they are really packing these houses in - observe how small the backyards are, and how tight the streets are! The reason is because these houses make the developers a lot of money - and the more high value housing they can stack on what used to be a paddock, the more money flowing into their pockets. However you will notice that these new suburbs often don't have any place for a church building. Sure, there will be a generic community centre built into the plans - but no real opportunity for a church to build a building on the land. And the reason is because it doesn't earn the developers as much money to do that. Why set aside a double-sized block of land for a church, when you could build six executive apartments on it? There is simply no financial incentive for property developers to set aside land space for church buildings - particularly if their shareholders are expecting them to provide them with maximum value on their investment! But this is where state and local governments can step in. Unless state and local governments require developers to set aside parcels of land and offer denominations the opportunity to decide whether they want to do a church plant in this new suburb, they will never get a foot into the door. Sure, there are alternatives to building a church building - a church could set up inside a community centre, or in a local school. There are advantages to this model of church - for instance you don't have as huge a capital investment up-front, and you don't have to pay the upkeep of a building. But let's be honest that churches that rent halls will also have to compete with other groups wanting to make use of that one community centre - a yoga group will want to use the hall on Friday nights. A charismatic church will have gotten the best Sunday booking first. A Buddhist group will also want to use the school hall on Sunday nights. And let's also be honest that there are advantages in having a building that is permanent and recognisable, where you can put up posters on the walls... Yes, it's good to have a non-church-like building that isn't threatening to newcomers - but there are also heaps of good reasons in having a building that you control and can use any time or any way you like. And I have known people in ministry whose job it has been to set up a church in new suburb - and without a physical presence, they've found it really hard. But consider this: why would state and local governments intervene on behalf of churches? Why would they bother to place such restrictions on property developers? State and local governments would only do so if there are sufficient numbers of people on councils or in government who are aware of the issue and willing to take a stand on it. This certainly means that first of all Christians should lobby their state and local representatives about these sorts of issues. Get them to make it a condition of rezoning that parcels of land (preferably a corner block) be set aside for churches to build a church building! However we all know that when money is involved, lobbying will only go a certain distance realistically. Developers will still have the ear of state and local governments, and so this means that secondly, some Christians must be willing to stand for public office in state and local governments. Sure, we want to get on with the job of preaching and teaching the gospel, and standing for public office seems to be a tiresome distraction from that goal. However, unless some Christians are willing to give their time to stand for public office, then there will be no one to stop developers from filling every available area with expensive housing - and leaving no foothold for churches. With these new suburbs, Sydney is spreading out. In fifty years' time where will our churches be? Will they be concentrated in the old suburbs? Will we find ourselves with stunted opportunities in these new areas? Or will Christians in our day have realised what was at stake? [ PS: back to Confucianism soon... ] 4/1/2008 Reading Pilgrim's ProgressYou've probably heard of it - it's an allegory describing the journey of a man named Christian, from his home in the City of Destruction, through various adventures, all the way to the Celestial City. Along the way he meets a number of characters - some of whom are fellow pilgrims, and others of whom try to waylay him one way or another. Some examples are Evangelist (from whom he first heard the gospel), as well as Faithful and Hopeful who travel along with him (although Faithful is martyred along the way). In the other corner, there is also Giant Despair, Ignorance, and Talkative. And through his travels he will pass through places such as the Hill of Difficulty, Doubting Castle, and of course Vanity Fair. It's a brilliant way for John Bunyan to teach both theology and warn against the pitfalls that might befall a Christian, though some of the descriptors he uses as names for some characters are not in common use today (eg. Timorous, Pick-Thank, and Mr. By-Ends). It's such a shame that things aren't so much simpler in real life. Imagine if, instead of working in the CBD, you worked in Vanity Fair? The name itself would warn you not to invest your life in the seductions of the business world! Or if that non Christian girl you were thinking of asking out went by the name of Wanton? Or if you could know that one of the deacons standing for election at your church was actually named Formalist? Or if your boss was called Demas, who beckons you to turn aside to work in the silver mine of Hill Lucre? Unfortunately, people actually go by quite tricky names in real life - like Mary, or Phil, or William - making the job of Christians making their way through life that much harder. Reading Pilgrim's Progress, however, is good preparation. [ PS: have you a favourite incident from the Pilgrim's Progress? ] 12/29/2007 A Christian Operation System?
It was back at Uni when I got my first taste of the operating system Unix - and its PC counterpart Linux. Back in the 90's it was a real challenge to install Linux on your system - but I got a Slackware distribution and set up a dual boot system, and was the proud owner and sysadmin of my very own Linux system! 11/2/2007 Reformation braveryThe 31st of October is remembered by most people as Halloween. However for those who know, it's actually Reformation Day - on 31st October 1517, Martin Luther nailed the 95 Thesis on the church door of Wittenburg Castle. That was an event protesting the sale of indulgences, and sparked off what is now known as the Continental Reformation.
In preparing something to share with our leaders on Reformation Day, I came across this painting depicting the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre.
The Reformation had spread from Germany across Europe, as people rediscovered the precious message of the gospel. In France, the protestants were known as Huguenots. But in August and September of 1572 Catholics in Paris began murdering Huguenots in their thousands. They began with murdering the leadership, and continued by killing whole families of everyday Huguenots in the streets of Paris. Some were spared if they converted back to Roman Catholicism. But by the end tens of thousands - some report hundreds of thousands - of everyday protestants were killed for their faith by their fellow countrymen.
Later on a wholesale amnesty was proclaimed to protect those who participated in the killing. The Pope of the day commissioned a medal to commemorate the event, and a special day to celebrate the massacre - the 11th of September - the other 9/11!
Of course there were protestants in other countries as well who lost their lives for the sake of the gospel. When Queen Mary took the throne in England, she tolerated protestants for a while - but then began persecuting them. This woodcut depicts the burning of Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer in 1555.
Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley, and Hugh Latimer were a few of the hundreds who were burnt at the stake for being protestants. As the fire was lit, Latimer encouraged Ridley with these words: "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."
Shocked by the ferocity of the Marian Counter-Revolution, England returned to protestantism when Queen Elizabeth came to the throne just three years later.
Not only did the Reformation recover the gospel of justification by faith alone, it also gave us examples of men and women who boldly stood for the truth of the gospel - even if it meant giving their very lives.
[ PS: want to learn more about Reformation church history? Moore College has an excellent PTC subject on that. Why not sign up for the start of the December term? ] 8/14/2007 2007 Make It CountYou could only get onto the broadcast if you registered beforehand as a church. And besides, my Bible study was meeting at the time, so I didn't get to see it.
However, they have now made the videos of the speeches and question time available on the ACL website here.
First there was a speech from John Howard, followed by a question time with John Howard; then a speech from Kevin Rudd, followed by a question time with Kevin Rudd. There are four videos in .wmv format, ranging in size from 37.3MB to 105.8MB.
The ACL isn't about getting people to vote for Labor, the Coalition, or even Family First. It's set up in order to put forward the Christian view on a range of topics to the various political parties, and to encourage Christians to be thoughtful voters.
As you watch these videos, and listen in on the policies (and slander) in the lead up to the 2007 Federal Election, remember that we as Christians do have an inside view into what really is good for people. Instead of the 'good' being defined by selfishness or popularity, we have been told from outside of our human condition what really is good. God has revealed to us his purpose and design his creatures. And knowing this, we are actually in a good place to judge what is good for a nation full of God's creatures.
Some of us may be cynical of the whole political exercise, and just cast a donkey vote ("who cares?"). Others of us might cast a vote based on greed or selfishness ("who will give me more money?"). But instead, consider that the loving thing to do for a nation of people is to be thoughtful about your vote - and make it count.
[ PS: that's not to say it'll be an easy decision... ] 8/11/2007 What your calendar reveals about youI wonder if you noticed, but that list was very much oriented towards the academic side of things - term dates, exam periods, school holidays!
And that's because, in the Asian culture, the getting of educational qualifications is very important - in fact for some, it is a rival to the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Notice also that I say it's the 'getting of educational qualifications' that is the goal - as opposed to the goal of education itself.
And because it's such a big thing in the Asian culture, we are compelled to build our programmes around it. To avoid putting important things on during exam times. To not demand so much of people during school terms. To only start things once school has started.
Because we discover through hard experience that people primarily orient themselves around their educational activities. One example is when people come back from their overseas holidays. Sure, other things may be going on during January (or February) - but they'll only arrive back in time for the start of school (or uni)...
But other cultures have their own peculiarities. A couple of years ago at a training thing, someone was sharing with a few of us how they do their planning for the year. And as an exercise they handed out a sheet of dates for the coming year. But that was an Aussie, and their 'important' dates didn't include school terms at all!
Apart from the public holidays, it was just a list of significant sporting occasions, such as the Soccer World Cup, the AFL grand finals, the NRL grand finals, the One Day Internationals... And they had essentially designed their ministry (and its outreach events) around a whole series of sporting events! Because in the Australian culture, it is sport, and not the attaining of educational qualifications, that is supreme.
Now this is not to say that we completely ignore the preferences of our culture, or indeed work against those preferences - perhaps by forcing people to choose between their studies, or attending a church conference. It may be idolatrous, or it may be innocent - this is something that you'd have to think carefully and honestly about.
But looking at our calendars will provide a pretty revealing insight into what our culture holds to be most important.
[ PS: more dates to come... ]
8/6/2007 The real crutchThe implication being that it's only weak people who need to use a crutch like religion to prop up their self esteem and confidence when things go badly. Christians are people who need to cling on to fairy tales to stand the rigors of modern life.
The further implication is that normal people don't need a crutch to get on with life - they have a healthy self-image, and a robust scientific worldview. They have the life-resources that do away with the need for psychological crutches like religion. If you need religion, fine - but they pity you for it. To them, you're like a baby who needs their security blanket.
And you've probably met people at uni or in the workplace who think such things about you and your faith. Perhaps you've been on the receiving end of their knowing sneers, or condescending looks.
But did you know: it's actually the other way around. They are in fact the ones who are relying on crutches - not us. They rely on crutches with names like 'good physical health', or 'lots of money', or 'successful career'. These are the things that they're relying on - and while they may seem very confident and secure at the moment, it only takes a minor disaster in their life for their crutches to be shaken.
Perhaps they might discover they have some disease. Or the stock market might wipe out thousands of dollars. Or they may find themselves retrenched and at the wrong end of the job market. When these sorts of things happen, it's obvious that their confidence was actually built on some flimsy stuff after all.
And it's in these cases that Christians can really have a strong testimony. When our health, our wealth and our career is taken away, how will we respond? will it devastate us? Or will it be obvious to everyone that our 'crutch' is in fact much more substantial than anything else around? When these things happen, non Christians do notice how we react - and when they discover that we aren't so worried to about having a long life, or that we're not so tied to our money, or that we are happy to take up a job others think is beneath us - that is a real advertisment for the gospel.
[ PS: can you think of other crutches non-Christians rely on? ] 8/3/2007 Stock market correctionWhen the stock market is going strong, we are led to put our confidence in the permanence of wealth. It appears completely reliable and dependable - and we start to put our hope more and more in wealth.
But things like this are timely reminders that this is only an illusion. In 1 Timothy 6 Paul writes to Timothy saying:
Wealth is uncertain - and every once in a while we are given reminders that this really is the case. The problem is that we are bad learners. And as soon as the market starts creeping up again, we again start to put our confidence in wealth. But this small scare can be a useful entry point to a gospel conversation.
How did people around you react to the downturn? How did you react? When things like our wealth is suddenly taken away from us, we reveal to ourselves and the people around us where our hope really is found. Your confidence in the face of financial loss can be a great witness to the people around you.
But even if you were disappointed with how you reacted, it can still be a good talking point with your friends: "You know, I was a bit disappointed with myself last week." "Yeah? How?" "Well I realised I was putting a lot more confidence in wealth than I wanted to." "What do you mean?" "Well you know how I'm a Christian..."
[ PS: it's times like this that we discover that wealth is the real crutch! ] 7/28/2007 The Roman Catholic line on ProtestantsBut in the last month news has been that the Roman Catholic Church has pronounced Protestant churches to be not true churches at all - and so it's now very obvious what they think of us. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has sought to clarify their doctrine church (see it here), and in so doing they write the following:
The stance of the Roman Catholic Church was made very clear after the Reformation at the Council of Trent (1545-63), where Catholic doctrine was clearly defined, and Protestant beliefs were clearly condemned. It was only in 1962-65 that the Vatican II council took a softer stance and proclaimed Protestants (and even Jews and Muslims) to be joined to the church. But for those short 50 years of liberalism, the Roman Catholic Church has maintained, and now has reiterated, its hard-line Tridentine stance.
In the attached commentary (see it here) they elaborate:
For Roman Catholics, Christian unity involves Protestants rejoining themselves with the body of Christ - by which is meant the Roman Catholic church, with its apostolic succession. Until we do that, we aren't really considerd to be part of the true church...
Some people have reacted with horror, saying that it has set back the ecumenical cause (ecumenism being the movement that tries to bring together all the different Christian religions). However the problem with ecumenism is that it puts organisational unity first - and doctrinal faithfulness much further down on the priorities.
Christians sometimes say, "but Catholics are Christians too ... aren't they?" Officially they actually believe a different gospel. That has always been the case - and that has been clear as far back as the Council of Trent. The recent pronouncement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has only restated that stance - and making it obvious that they really do believe in a different gospel.
[ PS: what reaction have you noticed from grass-roots Roman Catholics? ] 7/15/2007 One year to World Youth DayWorld Youth Day runs from 15th to 20th July 2008, and will involve thousands of young, passionate Roman Catholics flooding into our city - maybe even 500,000. Attendance at previous World Youth Days have numbered in the millions - 1.2 million at 2005's WYD in Cologne, 2 million at 2000's WYD in Rome, and 10 million at 1995's WYD in Manila!
One year out from the 2008 WYD and it's already in the news - you might have heard about the arrival of the WYD cross and statue of Mary, which is now making its way around Australia. As the 2008 WYD approaches, you can expect that public interest and media attention will only increase - particularly given that, as part of the WYD festivities, Pope Benedict XVI will arrive in Sydney on 17th July 2008.
Other things in the WYD schedule involve teaching sessions, stations of the cross, a pilgrimage walk, an evening vigil, a sleep-out under the stars, and concerts. With this international event happening in our city next year, we can expect it to have a major impact on our city. The young Roman Catholics who will be coming into our city will be energetic, excited, and motivated.
The hype surrounding this event will probably lead many non Christians to become interested in Roman Catholicism. And Christians who don't have a solid understanding of the differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism may find themselves either attracted to this youthful expression of Roman Catholicism, or unable to answer the arguments of well-trained, motivated Roman Catholics.
Geoff Folland writes that, "the threat for evangelical churches is that many of our members, especially our youth, are ignorant of the substantial differences that lie at the heart of the matter." He warns that "WYD theatens our churches both because the teaching has the potential to shipwreck the faith of some believers, and because the hype of such an event (including the almost celebrity-style attnetion the Pope's visit will receive) will attract many who do not think theologically."
There are a number of things that Christian churches can do - expect to hear more about that in months to come.
But for yourself, the most important thing is to have a good grasp of sound doctrine. Make sure you understand the gospel - and understand it well enough to defend it. Enrol in something like Moore College's Doctrine 1 PTC course, or their Reformation Church History PTC course. Learn about the differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism - and why it is we believe the things we do.
And not only will this protect your faith, you'll also prepare yourself to reach out to your Roman Catholic friends.
[ PS: stay tuned for more about Roman Catholicism... ] 6/14/2007 Blasphemy ChallengeMaking the rounds of the Internet is the Blasphemy Challenge, by a group calling themselves the Rational Response Squad.
The idea is for people to post a video of themselves on YouTube committing the unpardonable sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29).
And as a reward, the Rational Response Squad will send out 1001 free copies of the DVD documentary, The God who Wasn't There. The advertising on their website says, "Retail price: $24.98. Your price: one soul."
And since the challenge has been issued, tons of people have been posting low-quality vids of themselves "blaspheming the Holy Spirit". The challenge has been on since December last year, and as of this morning there were 1250 responses to the challenge - though not all of them were actually taking up the challenge. To the right is an example of a young lady taking up the Blasphemy Challenge...
I think the Rational Response Squad are basing their challenge on a misreading of Mark 3:29. The idea behind that passage is that people were saying that the stuff that Jesus was able to do, was in fact from evil spirits. This becomes obvious when you look at what the very next verse says...
And obviously, if a person is thinking that Jesus is of the devil, they aren't very likely to come to him for forgiveness.
But aside from that, even if you did believe that saying "I deny the Holy Spirit" was the unforgiveable sin, it still strikes me as rather foolish thing to do. But I suppose Romans 1 tells us that this is exactly the kind of behaviour we should expect from those who claim to be wise, but are in fact fools (Rom 1:22). Not only do they revel in sin, they actually encourage others to participate with them (Rom 1:32)!
[ PS: if one of your friends were to upload a video, what might you say to them? ] |
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