February 06, 2010
Ronald Reagan's 99th Birthday Today
In memorial, here's a 13-minute speech he gave at Normandy on June 6, 1984. President Reagan was commemorating the 40th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy Invasion.
Jesus Christ and Mixed-Martial Arts
I agree with Michael Mckinley: "The New York Times seems to be on a mission to make Christians look stupid, and we keep giving them the stick with which to beat us about the head and neck." McKinley is referring to a NY Times article on the emergence of mixed martial arts (MMA) ministries in evangelical churches. Often formed to attract young (18-34 year old) men, these groups seek to interject some testosterone into the Christian experience (sponsoring events like fight nights, where attendees and visitors can watch MMA events on large screen TVs).
For the sake of full disclosure: I agree that passivity in men today is a problem. But passivity and hyper-testosterone are (unfortunately) not incompatible. A man can be physically tough and athletically-oriented and yet be utterly passive in his faith or with his woman. Likewise, gentleness and tenderness are not emasculation. The mature man is tough and tender, strong but not violent, a leader who channels his strength for the service of others. Secondly, I enjoy Jack Bauer. But I don't confuse him for a representation of Jesus. Jesus conquered through humiliation and surrender to torture. Yes, He's coming back in part to carry out vengeance on His enemies, but that's not our fight (Rom. 12:17-21), though there is a role for Christian police officers, soldiers, and CIA or FBI agents (as ministers of the state, Romans 13). Lastly, I don't think it is necessarily sinful to watch (or participate) in an MMA fight.
But Mark Dever once said it well, "What you win them with is what you win them to.” (@Tim Bertolet) In sum, McKinley's concerns are spot-on:
1. It's derivative and unoriginal. It was lame when Billy Sunday was doing it 100 years ago.And pastor Eugene Cho (quoted in the NY Times piece) also says it well:
2. It makes the gospel man-centered. Coming to Jesus isn't a way for you to deal with your daddy issues. I get it, your dad didn't hug you when you were little and you want to be a different kind of man. How about you go hug your kid then? Jesus didn't come to help you get in touch with your inner MMA fighter.
3. Like it or not, the gospel is at least in part about weakness. It's about the almighty becoming weak to save us. It's about us being helpless and unable in our sins. There's no way to Christ that doesn't start with brokenness and an admission of impotence. Yes, Jesus is the strong man who binds the adversary, but he bound him by suffering, humiliation, and weakness.
4. It discourages and mocks godly men who aren't macho. There is an undercurrent of disdain in all of this. Proponents of this testosterone Christianity can't help but take shots at guys who wear pastels and drink cappuccino. You might not like guys with manicures, but there's absolutely nothing morally wrong with it. A reserved, quiet, well-groomed man can be a good Christian. Believe it or not.
While there are clearly stories about Jesus’ “toughness” [Jesus topples tables and whips moneychangers in Mark 11, Matthew 21, and Luke 19/20], I also seem to remember that:Amen and amen.* Jesus washes the feet of his disciples
* shows compassion to the poor, lepers, and paralytics
* feeds the hungry and heals the blind and sick
* pursues justice and loves mercy
* embraces the women and children, marginalized, and scandalized
* demonstrates amazing grace to the prostitute woman in John 8
* enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey to the shouts of Hosanna…and eventually goes to the Cross to die for humanity.
Who do I live for? I live for this Jesus!
HT: JT
February 04, 2010
Tabletalk Issue on Justification
The February issue of Tabletalk is on the topic of justification and the "new perspective on Paul." Contributors include R.C. Sproul, Michael Horton, Derek Thomas, Cornelis Venema, John Piper, D.A. Carson, J.V. Fesko, Guy Waters, Roger Nicole, Paul Helm, Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Schreiner and Albert Mohler. Ligonier Ministries was kind enough to make several of these articles freely available on the Internet: "Justification for Everyone" by Burk Parsons, "Tilting at Scarecrows" by R.C. Sproul, "An Unpopular Vision" by George Grant, "The Missing Motive" by Eric Alexander, "On Controversy" by Keith Mathison, "Two Birds, One Stone" by R.C. Sproul Jr.
February 03, 2010
Josh and John Duggar Help Save Little Girl
A touching story. "I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in divine intervention. I believe God had us here at this time to help Maddye."
Wired For Intimacy - How Pornography Hijacks The Male Brain
Dr. William M. Struthers, an associate professor of psychology at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, has written what sounds like a fascinating book: Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain
Pornography is powerful. Our contemporary culture as been pornified, and it shapes our assumptions about identity, sexuality, the value of women and the nature of relationships. Countless Christian men struggle with the addictive power of porn. But common spiritual approaches of more prayer and accountability groups are often of limited help.Reviewing this book, Dr. Albert Mohler explains:In this book neuroscientist and researcher William Struthers explains how pornography affects the male brain and what we can do about it. Because we are embodied beings, viewing pornography changes how the brain works, how we form memories and make attachments. By better understanding the biological realities of our sexual development, we can cultivate healthier sexual perspectives and interpersonal relationships. Struthers exposes false assumptions and casts a vision for a redeemed masculinity, showing how our sexual longings can actually propel us toward sanctification and holiness in our bodies.
With insights for both married and single men alike, this book offers hope for freedom from pornography.
Why men rather than women? As Struthers explains, the male and female brains are wired differently. "A man's brain is a sexual mosaic influenced by hormone levels in the womb and in puberty and molded by his psychological experience." Over time, exposure to pornography takes a man or boy deeper along "a one-way neurological superhighway where a man's mental life is over-sexualized and narrowed. This superhighway has countless on-ramps but very few off-ramps.He also gives this content-rich quote from Struthers:Pornography is "visually magnetic" to the male brain. Struthers presents a fascinating review of the neurobiology involved, with pleasure hormones becoming linked to and released by the experience of a male viewing pornographic images. These experiences with pornography and pleasure hormones create new patterns in the brain's wiring, and repeated experiences formalize the rewiring.
Viewing pornography is not an emotionally or physiologically neutral experience. It is fundamentally different from looking at black and white photos of the Lincoln Memorial or taking in a color map of the provinces of Canada. Men are reflexively drawn to the content of pornographic material. As such, pornography has wide-reaching effects to energize a man toward intimacy. It is not a neutral stimulus. It draws us in. Porn is vicarious and voyeuristic at its core, but it is also something more. Porn is a whispered promise. It promises more sex, better sex, endless sex, sex on demand, more intense orgasms, experiences of transcendence.Thankfully, as Dr. Mohler points out, Struthers doesn't let porn-viewing men off the hook: The addict retains full responsibility for his addiction, neurological explanations notwithstanding.
IVP has made available the Introduction and Chapter 1.
February 02, 2010
Sally Jenkins on Tim Tebow Superbowl Ad
An insightful article by Washington Post sportswriter Sally Jenkins on the upcoming Tim Tebow Superbowl ad. Jenkins is pro-choice, which makes her withering critique of the National Organization of Women (NOW) that much more newsworthy. She begins with the observation, "Tim Tebow is one of the better things to happen to young women in some time." She goes on to write:
I'm pro-choice, and Tebow clearly is not. But based on what I've heard in the past week, I'll take his side against the group-think, elitism and condescension of the "National Organization of Fewer and Fewer Women All The Time." For one thing, Tebow seems smarter than they do.She later makes the explicit connection between Tebow's example of abstinence before marriage and the problem of unwanted pregnancies:Tebow's 30-second ad hasn't even run yet, but it already has provoked "The National Organization for Women Who Only Think Like Us" to reveal something important about themselves: They aren't actually "pro-choice" so much as they are pro-abortion. Pam Tebow has a genuine pro-choice story to tell. She got pregnant in 1987, post-Roe v. Wade, and while on a Christian mission in the Philippines, she contracted a tropical ailment. Doctors advised her the pregnancy could be dangerous, but she exercised her freedom of choice and now, 20-some years later, the outcome of that choice is her beauteous Heisman Trophy winner son, a chaste, proselytizing evangelical.
Pam Tebow and her son feel good enough about that choice to want to tell people about it. Only, NOW says they shouldn't be allowed to. Apparently NOW feels this commercial is an inappropriate message for America to see for 30 seconds, but women in bikinis selling beer is the right one.
Here's what we do need a lot more of: Tebows. Collegians who are selfless enough to choose not to spend summers poolside, but travel to impoverished countries to dispense medical care to children, as Tebow has every summer of his career. Athletes who believe in something other than themselves, and are willing to put their backbone where their mouth is. Celebrities who are self-possessed and self-controlled enough to use their wattage to advertise commitment over decadence.Read the whole thing. Or see my previous post where I offered a similar critique of the antagonistic response to Tebow's commercial from some pro-choice circles.You know what we really need more of? Famous guys who aren't embarrassed to practice sexual restraint, and to say it out loud. If we had more of those, women might have fewer abortions. See, the best way to deal with unwanted pregnancy is to not get the sperm in the egg and the egg implanted to begin with, and that is an issue for men, too -- and they should step up to that.
HT: Josh Harris
January 31, 2010
Matt Chandler: Suffering Well
A fair-minded and gracious Associated Press article on Matt Chandler's ongoing struggle with brain cancer. This is the first time I've been able to read about the severity of Chandler's Thanksgiving Day seizure and associated brain cancer. Here's an excerpt:
Thanksgiving morning, a normal morning at the Chandler home.And another:The coffee brews itself. Matt wakes up, pours himself a cup, black and strong like always, and sits on the couch. He feeds 6-month-old Norah from a bottle. Burps her. Puts her in her bouncy seat.
The next thing Chandler knows, he is lying in a hospital bed.
What Chandler does not remember is that he suffered a seizure and collapsed in front of the fireplace, rattling the pokers. He does not remember biting through his tongue.
He does not remember his wife, Lauren, shielding the kids as he shook on the floor. Or, later, ripping the IV out of his arm and punching a medic in the face.
On Dec. 15, Barnett shares the pathology results with the Chandlers. Tumors are designated by grade — with Grade 1 being the least aggressive and Grade 4 being the most.Read the whole thing.Chandler's tumor is a Grade 3.
The average life expectancy in such cases, Barnett says, is approximately two to three years. The doctor says later, in an interview, he believes Chandler will live longer because of the aggressive surgery, treatment and Chandler's otherwise good health.
HT: Matt Perman via Justin Taylor
January 28, 2010
Future Sovereign Grace Albums
Bob Kauflin gives a glimpse of the albums Sovereign Grace Music hopes to produce:
1. Alli en la Cruz (May 2010)
2. Walking with the Wise (June 2010)
3. The Gathering (Nov. 2010)
4. Risen (Feb. 2011)
5. Jesus is Able (release date TBD)
See his post for details.
January 27, 2010
CBS Stands By Pro-Life Tim Tebow Ad
Several years ago, CBS rejected Superbowl ads from MoveOn.org, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the United Church of Christ, which advocates gay rights. So their decision this year to run a Focus on the Family sponsored ad featuring former Florida Gator football star Tim Tebow and his mother (who was encouraged to abort Tim due to pregnancy complications) has naturally raised a few eyebrows.
CBS has acknowledged that it has changed its policy with regard to issue advertisements in the Superbowl. And they've assured all critics that the Tebow commercial has been fully vetted:
A CBS spokesman said the Tebow commercial was subjected to the "full standards process that all ads go through" and accepted only after the script was reviewed.The development is interesting in light of NBC rejecting a (similarly positive) pro-life ad last year that depicted Obama as an unborn child:
I'm glad CBS is sticking by the commercial. But I don't think we should conclude that CBS is necessarily being more virtuous. Economics may be the more dominant factor. As the LA Times recently explained:
CBS' decision on the Tebow ad comes as networks and TV stations have struggled for revenue amid a weak advertising market. Until recently, networks were routinely able to command higher rates each year for Super Bowl commercials, but that ended with the recession. CBS has been selling 30-second spots in the Feb. 7 Super Bowl for about $2.7 million each -- slightly less than NBC was able to command for last year's game -- and still has some advertising time left to sell.General Motors, Pepsico and Fedex are all staying away from the Super Bowl, according to a study by ad researcher TNS Media Intelligence. The upshot? Maybe I missed it, but has a pro-abortion-rights group sought to sponsor a gentle, gracious, issue-oriented Superbowl ad in support of their message? That might be a better strategy for them, rather than simply condemning CBS's legitimate business decision to air a tasteful ad about a mother's decision regarding her son. (And after all, who are the champions of a woman's right to choose?)
January 26, 2010
Suffering & Sovereignty of God Conference
Chris Donato and Keith Mathison have (more or less) live-blogged the recent Ligonier conference on suffering and the sovereignty of God (which ran from Friday - Saturday this past weekend, and featured R.C. Sproul and Derek Thomas).
Speaking of Ligonier Conferences, on March 26–27, 2010, Ligonier Ministries will host a West Coast Conference in Los Angeles, Calif. Michael Horton, John MacArthur, Peter Jones, and R.C. Sproul will come together "to examine many of the popular misunderstandings of the gospel in our day and seek to equip evangelicals to stand firm with the good news delivered once for all to the saints". I look forward to live-blogging the event (provided Chris and Keith haven't put me out of business).
Early-bird registration ($89) runs through January 29.
