Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
j
I really don't have any answers, and I definitely don't want to just repeat Sunday School info about why Hell exists. But I do want to say something that a friend said about Hell and sin and God. He said that God is going to do the things that bring him the most glory.
If God made everyone believe in him so that everyone could go to Heaven, then that would just be normalcy. There's no glory to be found in the norm.
But this response still comes up short of answering why we have to innocently be born into sin; why God allows people to be born knowing they're going to Hell; or why God had to allow sin to happen in the first place.
Yeah, I really don't have any answers. And I really don't want to say that a lot of this comes down to faith. But a lot of this comes down to faith.
If God made everyone believe in him so that everyone could go to Heaven, then that would just be normalcy. There's no glory to be found in the norm.
But this response still comes up short of answering why we have to innocently be born into sin; why God allows people to be born knowing they're going to Hell; or why God had to allow sin to happen in the first place.
Yeah, I really don't have any answers. And I really don't want to say that a lot of this comes down to faith. But a lot of this comes down to faith.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
hell
first and foremost, if there are a lot of superfluous j's in this post i apologize. my keyboard is freaking out, i will try and keep it to a minimum but i make no promises. that being said lets go.
well second and not as foremost, its been a long time since ive been on here. ive not been a great blogger, and its a shame bc i feel like ive had a lot to say but i just havent said it. anyway im here now and i hope we as a group pick up the slack bc i enjoy you all very much.
ok now for real lets go. so yesterday jwe had this like community mega group gathering. its all the little community groups meeting up and coming together, we are doing it for the whole summer, anyway we are going through tim kellers most recent book, the reason for God. its pretty good, but jyesterday the chapter that we looked at tried to answer the question "how could a loving God send people to hell?" and well i just wasnt satisfied. just completely unsatisfied with how we reasoned it away, and still talked about God being so loving. see have a hard time saying that God truly loves the unregenerate man. its particularly hard coming from the reformed perspective that i come from, and really cant get away from. i dont know totally where you all stand on this stuff, im pretty sure tian and i would could from different perspectives, probably josh too, timmy and trey not sure, anyways that doesnt matter bc we are talking about me. if i believe that it is God who saves, God who puts tjhe desire in man, it is God who chooses man, not vice versa, then how can God love those whom he does not choose? he has the cure, he could save, but he elects to not save. and it honestly got me mad yesterday. i was mad and frustrated and i just didnt know what to do. i felt like God is sitting there looking at someone dying of cancer and he has the cure and he jjust is saying, nah dont think ill save that one. dont think ill pursue them. its not something that makes me not believe anymore, or lose hope, but it jjust makes me mad, and i dont understand. and then i realized that i do the same thing all the time that i was criticizing God for doing. i at least intellectually have the information that can save my friends souls. i know what they need to know. i could tell them. i could love them. but i dont. i dont do it, and i felt like such a hypocrite. it was such a shocking epiphany, i literally didnt see it coming at all. i thougth i had a good case. i thought God would just say to me, hey trust me, trust me. and ultimately thats what i need to do, trust when i dont understand, tjrust that God is good. i guess i didnt expect to get called out like that. i feel like God had enough of my whining, and said hey how about you. look at yourself.
i feel like this thought is incomplete still...i dont think ive come all the way around, but i feel like its important enough in my life that i wanted to write about it...jmaybe ill learn more soon and post that too. but for now, this is what i got...
well second and not as foremost, its been a long time since ive been on here. ive not been a great blogger, and its a shame bc i feel like ive had a lot to say but i just havent said it. anyway im here now and i hope we as a group pick up the slack bc i enjoy you all very much.
ok now for real lets go. so yesterday jwe had this like community mega group gathering. its all the little community groups meeting up and coming together, we are doing it for the whole summer, anyway we are going through tim kellers most recent book, the reason for God. its pretty good, but jyesterday the chapter that we looked at tried to answer the question "how could a loving God send people to hell?" and well i just wasnt satisfied. just completely unsatisfied with how we reasoned it away, and still talked about God being so loving. see have a hard time saying that God truly loves the unregenerate man. its particularly hard coming from the reformed perspective that i come from, and really cant get away from. i dont know totally where you all stand on this stuff, im pretty sure tian and i would could from different perspectives, probably josh too, timmy and trey not sure, anyways that doesnt matter bc we are talking about me. if i believe that it is God who saves, God who puts tjhe desire in man, it is God who chooses man, not vice versa, then how can God love those whom he does not choose? he has the cure, he could save, but he elects to not save. and it honestly got me mad yesterday. i was mad and frustrated and i just didnt know what to do. i felt like God is sitting there looking at someone dying of cancer and he has the cure and he jjust is saying, nah dont think ill save that one. dont think ill pursue them. its not something that makes me not believe anymore, or lose hope, but it jjust makes me mad, and i dont understand. and then i realized that i do the same thing all the time that i was criticizing God for doing. i at least intellectually have the information that can save my friends souls. i know what they need to know. i could tell them. i could love them. but i dont. i dont do it, and i felt like such a hypocrite. it was such a shocking epiphany, i literally didnt see it coming at all. i thougth i had a good case. i thought God would just say to me, hey trust me, trust me. and ultimately thats what i need to do, trust when i dont understand, tjrust that God is good. i guess i didnt expect to get called out like that. i feel like God had enough of my whining, and said hey how about you. look at yourself.
i feel like this thought is incomplete still...i dont think ive come all the way around, but i feel like its important enough in my life that i wanted to write about it...jmaybe ill learn more soon and post that too. but for now, this is what i got...
Monday, July 7, 2008
Damnation on campus
If you've not heard about the greatest threat the Catholic Church faces these days, check this out...http://www.wftv.com/news/16806050/detail.html.
Seriously. Does this make sense?
Seriously. Does this make sense?
Sunday, June 15, 2008
1492
School finally just ended, so I decided it was time to start reading a book for my own personal enjoyment. Plus, my shelf of books to read is getting rather full and I have several that I've been putting off reading for 2 or 3 years now. My goal is to get those finally read this summer.
The first one that I just started on is titled The Rewriting of America's History, by Catherine Millard. In the introduction she writes, "Rewriting a nation's history is frequently one of the first strategies taken by a conquering nation. Why? Because a people who do not know from where they came also do not know where they are going. Thus, they become easy prey for a conquering nation....It's happening through the rewriting and/or reinterpretation of American historical records...In some cases, changes are subtle, and in others, blatant. It's done through removal of key historic pieces that do not support the current ungodly bias."
Millard is founder and president of Christian Heritage Tours in Washington, D.C. Their sole purpose, as you can probably guess, is to teach the Christian history of America that so many do not know about. This is also the purpose of the book. It begins with the sailing of Cristobal Colon (aka, Christopher Columbus) and ends with the founding of the original colonies (I think. I'm only on page 23, but by skimming the last pages it seems that that is where it ends). It's very straight forward, a little dry, but a very good read so far.
I'm sure I'll be posting more interesting facts from the book in the future, but here's a little piece from Columbus' own pen:
[Speaking of his son to whom he has sent some gold that was discovered] "that he shall help to maintain and sustain on the Island Espanola four good teachers of the holy theology with the intention to convert to our holy religion all those people in the Indias.
I said that I would state my reasons [behind my journey]: I hold alone to the sacred and Holy Scriptures, and to the interpretations of prophecy given by certain devout persons.
For the execution of the journey to the Indies I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps....No one should fear to undertake any task in the name of our Savior, if it is just and if the intention is purely for his holy service. The working out of all things has been assigned to each person by our Lord, but it all happens according to His sovereign will even though he gives advice."
Columbus' desire was not to enslave the Indians for the profit of Spain. Much more is said in the book, but it is clear that his intention was to spread the Gospel. Also, he wasn't an idiot who didn't know where he was going. He didn't make use of maps or anything! He knew that, in doing God's work, God would guide him to his destination--even if it wasn't the one he was aiming for.
I am tempted to write more about this last part, but I'll let you make the application/connection between our own aims and God's.
The first one that I just started on is titled The Rewriting of America's History, by Catherine Millard. In the introduction she writes, "Rewriting a nation's history is frequently one of the first strategies taken by a conquering nation. Why? Because a people who do not know from where they came also do not know where they are going. Thus, they become easy prey for a conquering nation....It's happening through the rewriting and/or reinterpretation of American historical records...In some cases, changes are subtle, and in others, blatant. It's done through removal of key historic pieces that do not support the current ungodly bias."
Millard is founder and president of Christian Heritage Tours in Washington, D.C. Their sole purpose, as you can probably guess, is to teach the Christian history of America that so many do not know about. This is also the purpose of the book. It begins with the sailing of Cristobal Colon (aka, Christopher Columbus) and ends with the founding of the original colonies (I think. I'm only on page 23, but by skimming the last pages it seems that that is where it ends). It's very straight forward, a little dry, but a very good read so far.
I'm sure I'll be posting more interesting facts from the book in the future, but here's a little piece from Columbus' own pen:
[Speaking of his son to whom he has sent some gold that was discovered] "that he shall help to maintain and sustain on the Island Espanola four good teachers of the holy theology with the intention to convert to our holy religion all those people in the Indias.
I said that I would state my reasons [behind my journey]: I hold alone to the sacred and Holy Scriptures, and to the interpretations of prophecy given by certain devout persons.
For the execution of the journey to the Indies I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps....No one should fear to undertake any task in the name of our Savior, if it is just and if the intention is purely for his holy service. The working out of all things has been assigned to each person by our Lord, but it all happens according to His sovereign will even though he gives advice."
Columbus' desire was not to enslave the Indians for the profit of Spain. Much more is said in the book, but it is clear that his intention was to spread the Gospel. Also, he wasn't an idiot who didn't know where he was going. He didn't make use of maps or anything! He knew that, in doing God's work, God would guide him to his destination--even if it wasn't the one he was aiming for.
I am tempted to write more about this last part, but I'll let you make the application/connection between our own aims and God's.
Friday, June 13, 2008
get your read on
Since I read a butt-load of books each semester, I thought it might be a good idea to let ya'll know some of the better ones I've read:
Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ - John Piper
*Short book, just over 120 pages. Nothing like Desiring God.
Master Plan of Evangelism - Robert Coleman
*One of like 4 or 5 books that does an in depth study of Jesus' style of discipleship and evangelism. One of the better books I read this Spring.
Humility - CJ Mahaney
*If you've never read or heard of Mahaney, you should start.
Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life - Donald Whitney
*Southern Professor. Good book talking about the disciplines (eg, fasting, praying, serving). If you've read Dallas Willard's Disciplines, they're a lot alike.
Knowing God - JI Packer
*It's sort of a systematic theology book on who God is, written with the lay minister in mind (aka, common man). I plan on reading this one again when I have some free time. Like in 2 years.
Devotional Classics - Richard Foster
*Although Foster is a little out there, this is a great compilation of some of the greatest minds in the history of the Church. Short list of authors: CS Lewis, Jonathan Edwards, John of the Cross, Thomas Merton, John Calvin, Teresa of Avila, Watchman Nee, Ignatius of Loyola. It's really interesting to see what people from different places and different times thought about God. Some of it, like Julian of Norwich is a little weird. But all of it is good.
Evangelical Ethics - John Jefferson Davis
*A good overview of the major ethical issues (eg, abortion, euthanasia, bioethics) including history of each argument and the evangelical perspective. I may not agree with every point, but Davis gives each issue a fair assessment
The Universe Next Door - James Sire
*Like the ethics book, but an overview of different worldviews (eg, pantheism, nihilism, postmodernism).
Faith and Reason - Ronald Nash
*RTS professor. Like the ethics book, but for philosophy and the Christian perspective.
And that's only like half of the books I read this past semester!
Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ - John Piper
*Short book, just over 120 pages. Nothing like Desiring God.
Master Plan of Evangelism - Robert Coleman
*One of like 4 or 5 books that does an in depth study of Jesus' style of discipleship and evangelism. One of the better books I read this Spring.
Humility - CJ Mahaney
*If you've never read or heard of Mahaney, you should start.
Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life - Donald Whitney
*Southern Professor. Good book talking about the disciplines (eg, fasting, praying, serving). If you've read Dallas Willard's Disciplines, they're a lot alike.
Knowing God - JI Packer
*It's sort of a systematic theology book on who God is, written with the lay minister in mind (aka, common man). I plan on reading this one again when I have some free time. Like in 2 years.
Devotional Classics - Richard Foster
*Although Foster is a little out there, this is a great compilation of some of the greatest minds in the history of the Church. Short list of authors: CS Lewis, Jonathan Edwards, John of the Cross, Thomas Merton, John Calvin, Teresa of Avila, Watchman Nee, Ignatius of Loyola. It's really interesting to see what people from different places and different times thought about God. Some of it, like Julian of Norwich is a little weird. But all of it is good.
Evangelical Ethics - John Jefferson Davis
*A good overview of the major ethical issues (eg, abortion, euthanasia, bioethics) including history of each argument and the evangelical perspective. I may not agree with every point, but Davis gives each issue a fair assessment
The Universe Next Door - James Sire
*Like the ethics book, but an overview of different worldviews (eg, pantheism, nihilism, postmodernism).
Faith and Reason - Ronald Nash
*RTS professor. Like the ethics book, but for philosophy and the Christian perspective.
And that's only like half of the books I read this past semester!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
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