FocalElement

re:Wilsons

2008-08-21T14:12:00.000-04:00

For those interested, I now have a new blog at: http://rewilsons.wordpress.com

Life is BUSY

2006-10-12T13:39:00.000-04:00

So, you figured me out.

At one point, blogging was on the back burner, but now it has been move to that corner of the refrigerator where things just sit for years...sorry about that.

Maybe one of these days I will get it started again, but until then you can keep tabs of the Wilson family at kywilsons.blogspot.com and hunsingermainevent.blogspot.com. You can also check us out at MySpace.com of Facebook.com.

Much love and hasta la vista baby

"But What About...Jesus as Myth?"

2005-09-07T14:31:00.000-04:00

Back in the day, my good friend G.D. brought up a very important question for us to investigate. Her inquiry focused on who Jesus claimed Himself to be. Did Jesus ever claim to be God? Did Jesus ever say He was the Messiah? What exactly did Jesus say about Himself?

Well, as time permits, I will be looking into the Bible to provide answers to just that question.

My method will be as follows:

In answering this particular question, we will be focused in on the words of Jesus of Nazareth, as written in the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Gospel of John will be, largely, the focus of our discourse, and the principle book we will be looking at.

Keep in mind, however, that though we are focusing on the word Jesus spoke, we are not, by any means, implying that the accounts of Jesus' teachings and miracles are superior to the rest of the Bible. The Old and the New Testament are fully and equally inspired by the Holy Spirit from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible is inerrant and infallible, without defect and a complete account of the written revelation of God. That might step on some of your toes, and I can field questions on that if you like, but I will not budge on that absolute truth.

So, get ready for some great threads and, hopefully, some quality discussion. I have been fighting to be more diligent in writing and I hope to post at least a couple of times a week as we press onward.

Let me begin with a passage from the Bible, posted without comment, for you to read and to process:

John 8:49-59

Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."

The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, 'If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.' Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?"

Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, 'He is our God.' But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad."

So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."

So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

This passage is HUGE, read it and think about it. In fact, read the entirety of John, that can be your homework for the next two days. I look forward to more discussion!

Thoughts on Hurricane Katrina

2005-08-31T17:03:00.000-04:00

As I find myself watching the news, trying to wrap my mind around what has happened in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, I keep wondering about the thousands upon thousands of people who are now destitute, homes and families torn and scattered in city and country streets.

I wonder, what kind of real answers does our culture offer to these people? With a society that revolves around the highs and lows of Wall Street and the gas pumps, idolizes vapid people on Hollywood screens because they have attained wealth and fame, that has built an opulent house of golden cards, calling it "the good life" and "the American Dream," what will that culture have to offer these people?

People on the news and around the country are struck with the thought..."what would I do if that was me?"

God, in His providence and His sovereignty, has a way of making His points with enormous exclamation points. Did we learn anything from the tsunami on the other side of the world? Will we learn anything from the hurricane in our backyard?

What will it take for us to realize that our things, our dreams, even our families, are not our hope? We cannot count on any of these things. We cannot count on our science or that our homes will not burn down while we are at work.

All we can trust in is Him who is sovereign over hurricanes, who brings healing and mercy after destruction. All we can cling to is Him who created us in His image and, though we have fallen and seek all our lives to worship ourselves while despising Him, sent Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for our sins, bringing forgiveness and ushering us into fellowship with God.

What will it take for you to repent and turn to God, so that your sin may be wiped out and you might be redeemed and made holy? What will it take?

Jonathan Edwards: A Salute

2005-08-25T19:28:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite courses this semester, if you tied me down and forced me to pick, is a class focused on the life and theology of Jonathan Edwards. It is an incredible class, taught by Dr. Tom J. Nettles, a hilarious and brilliant historian with a deep regard for our holy God.

The first reading we were assigned for class was the entirety of the Founder's Journal looking at Edward's life and, specifically, the influence he has had on the Baptist Denomination. While the second article, chronicled Edward's massive influence on Baptist Theology, is excellent, I particularly want to recommend Dr. Nettles article entitled "Jonathan Edwards: An Appreciation" with the hope that those unfamiliar with Edwards would become familiar with Edwards, catching his passion and delight in the supreme excellency of our God.

For those of you unfamiliar with Christianity, I delightfully point you to Edwards knowing that reading him will help to shed light on many of your misgivings. The article is not long and I would kindly recommend it to you, for your consideration and response.

For the Entire Journal:
http://www.founders.org/FJ53/contents.html

Oren Martin's Thoughts on the Trinity

2005-08-23T18:51:00.000-04:00

I might as well warn you now, Monday - Wednesday are my crazy school days when I just don't have the luxury of writing much for the blog. So, I am going to reward those of you who faithfully check the site every day, not just when I send emails, by pointing you to some outstanding thoughts and insight from people I have great respect for.

Today my recommendation is for you to go and check out Oren Martin's thoughts on the Trinity, a tremendously neglected foundational doctrine in the church. It is short and sweet and you will enjoy it tremendously.

"But What About...Terrorists?"

2005-08-20T14:49:00.000-04:00

In response to my two posts about the trustworthiness of the disciples and the reliability of their accounts of Jesus' teachings and the resurrection, I received a couple of inquires that demonstrated a bit of confusion regarding the nature of the disciple's martyrdom.

Evidently, whenever the idea of dying for what one believes is mentioned in our culture, the gut response is, "But what about terrorists who die for what they believe?" I want to clarify the distinction between the disciples and terrorists, using that distinction as a jumping off point for us to see how the nature of Christianity and the resurrection distinguish Christianity from the other religions in the world.

Every time we turn on the news we hear reports and see vivid images of terrorism throughout the world. Few nations, if any, have not been scathed by the terror waves of the past decade (though terrorism has existed for much longer than that, mind you). We see photos of burned out vehicles, bloody sheets covering mangled souls, soldiers patrolling the streets and subways, menacing men with cold eyes staring out of the television screen with hatred in their eyes. The people that perform such horrific acts of terror hold deep religious convictions that motivate their destruction. They are devout, passionate, and zealous extremists who deeply believe what they are doing is for their god, Allah.

I can see why people might be quick to confuse zealous men who are not afraid of death with other zealous men who were not afraid to die following the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. If you were to think about it from the perspective and terms I just used, it would be difficult to make the distinction and easy to label all zealous men "fundamentalists" and write the entire group off as divisive, dangerous, nut jobs.

However, should your consideration stop following such a brief analysis, you would be making a grievous and foolish assumption that could not be more wrong.

Terrorists have deeply held convictions in the teachings of the Koran that they believe to indicate that simultaneously murdering infidels and subsequently dying is a tremendously Allah glorifying act of Jihad, or Holy War. They believe deeply that they will reap rewards and honor in the afterlife for such actions. Obviously, they are not lacking in belief or the willingness to live out what they believe, but they do lack truth in what they believe (see articles listed below).

The Disciples were markedly passionate men, full of zeal and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. They too were men who were willing to die for what they believed to be the truth and they did. The tremendous distinction between these men and the terrorist mentioned above is that the disciples had truth on their side. Where the terrorists are willing to murder innocent people and die for their cause, the disciples died as martyrs, tortured and humiliated for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Terrorists' belief is incredibly strong; however, they have no evidence or reasonable cause to believe in the religion for which they die. The Disciples of Jesus are a stark contrast to the terrorist when it comes to Truth being on their side. As eyewitnesses of the gospel, of Jesus' perfect life, His miraculous ministry, His death for the sins of those who believe in Him, and His resurrection from the dead, the disciples were martyred for what they personally knew, with absolute certainty, to be true.

In a culture where tolerance (read "immediate concession of all beliefs") is the highest virtue (read "the only acceptable rule of absolute truth"), there is great pressure to dismiss claims for ultimate truth without second thought. My desire for all of us is stop getting scammed by a philosophical system that is self-defeating and creating a huge number of spineless, thoughtless people. Instead, think deeply and seek to understand truth claims, be intelligent and don't fall for such nonsense.

Realize how tremendously important it is that Christianity is founded on the testimony of a group of men who were with Jesus throughout the course of His ministry, witnessed His death, saw Him resurrected, and died because they refused to deny Jesus Christ. If it is true it has tremendous implications for all of us; so, with so much on the line, be certain to think deeply and seek out answers for your questions in the Bible, the foundation of the Christian faith.

And, speaking of the Bible, soon we will be taking a look at what Jesus of Nazareth had to say about Himself. Did He ever say He was God? The Messiah? Did He ever say anything about Hell? What did He say about us?

Articles:
James White. "Examining Muslim Apologetics"
Part 1 - http://www.equip.org/free/DM822-1.htm
Part 2 - http://www.equip.org/free/DM822-2.htm
Joseph Gudel. "A Post 9/11 Look at Islam"
http://www.equip.org/free/DI911.htm

Class Has Begun!

2005-08-16T10:49:00.000-04:00

Hey all, I have great news for most of you. I have started up classes full time for the semester here at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Besides my learning some new things to share here at Focal Element, that means that my course loud will force me to become a more concise blogger.

I am so awful at making a quick point because a couple of paragraphs just does not suffice to ask important questions and provide adequate answers, but it looks like I am going to have to make it happen.

So, congratulations to you! When you check my blog every day or so, instead of occasionally finding a 6 page essay, you will find threads that you don't have to rearrange your schedule to read.

I look forward to the new relationship with you, my readers, due to the change...but don't worry, I don't plan on wasting your time or mine with blathering blogs about insignificant bologna.

“So What About…the Disciples” (Part 2)

2005-08-08T16:23:00.000-04:00

You probably are aware by now, but I love to discuss philosophy, religion, and cultural issues (among other things)…but what you may not know is that I really enjoy watching movies. My wife and I have a habit of having a movie night every week, which is a wonderful opportunity to just relax with each other and be entertained.

And so, with plans for a fun date night in mind, we decided to pick up a copy of Alexander to watch last night. Generally speaking, the two of us are really easy on movies and can enjoy just about anything…and then there was Alexander. It was awful friends, the worst movie I have ever seen, bar none. I don’t know why we suffered through the entire thing, but at the end of the movie I discovered a single, solitary pearl that provides an insightful illustration to our look at the disciples of Jesus Christ.

The action in the movie is framed around Ptolemy, one of Alexander the Great’s generals, recording the history of Alexander’s life, dictating the glorious tale to his scribes after the warrior king’s death. In the last scene, the aged general tells of Alexander’s death, revealing the shocking truth that the generals did conspire to poison Alexander at a great celebration banquet. Just as Ptolemy finishes revealing the truth about Alexander’s murder, he ceases to tell the story and commands his scribe to destroy what he has just written. Once the scroll is discarded, Ptolemy changes the end of the story, suppressing the truth of Alexander the Great’s death to save face for himself and his bands of conspirators.

As I flipped channels, trying to find something to effectively wash the aftertaste of Alexander from my mouth, I thought how appropriate the final scene was in helping us to better understand the disciples of Jesus.

You see, Alexander’s generals had much to lose had the truth been revealed that they had murdered the great king. They would have risked sacrificing the great wealth they amassed over the course of their conquest, their authority to govern the territories they acquired following the death of Alexander, and their great quest to be remembered and glorified as heroes would have been spoiled, leaving a legacy of betrayal rather than glorious conquest. The generals were certainly not lacking a motive to suppress the truth.

As we look at this group of Macedonian conspirators, can we see a glimpse of the disciples of Jesus Christ? Are there any motivations for deceiving people about their leader’s deaths that the two groups of “disciples” might have held in common? What did the apostles stand to gain by adding to the teachings of Jesus and proclaiming His resurrection from the dead? Let us see what we can discover by taking a look at Jesus of Nazareth’s disciples.

Unlike the generals in Alexander, the disciples did not grow wealthy as they followed Jesus in his ministry throughout Israel. In fact, when sent to preach to the Gentiles, He instructed them to “take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics” (Luke 9:3). They lived a sparse life, reaping no financial benefit from their allegiance to Jesus.

As for power, the disciples did become the leaders of the church following the crucifixion of Jesus. They held the authority of governing the young church and, as apostles, were in charge of administrating the care of widows and orphans (Acts 6:1-6), sitting in judgment over doctrinal disputes (Acts 11:1-18), and working to continue the spread of the gospel throughout the world. Is it possible that their leadership in the spread of Christianity was enough for them to create a conspiracy?

What about the quest for glory? The disciples are venerated by the Catholic Church as Vatican appointed saints and they are deeply respected by Protestant Christians as the founders of the church, but were they really out on a quest for their own glory? Again, the fact that they were leaders and respected greatly could be used to support such accusations, but it is not likely in light of the great weight of scripture in which Christ is exalted and the disciples are described, by their own hand, as almost a group of bumbling fools who just cannot seem to get anything right.

Would glory hungry men be so willing to deface themselves in narratives and letters written to spread Christianity? One would think men with an alleged propensity for fudging the truth to their own advantage would do a little more to save face.

(By my way of thinking, there does not appear to be much evidence that would indicate the disciples had compelling motives to conspire together about the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth; but, in the eyes of many a conspiracy theorists it is a viable hypothesis, so why don’t we continue to see how it plays out?)

For more insight, let us attempt to uncover if there really was something to gain by upholding the conspiracy? You see, the generals would have lost everything if they had revealed the truth of Alexander’s death and so it is logical for them to suppress the truth. Could the same be true for the disciples? Is it really logical to think they would have suppressed the truth throughout their lifetimes? What did they stand to lose?

Unlike the generals, who gained everything from their deception, it was the disciple’s so-called deception that cost them so much in the end. “How so?” you ask; let us investigate further.

Following the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Jewish leaders in Israel began a massive persecution of the followers of Jesus Christ. Their efforts were spearheaded by Saul, a zealous man who “was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3). Saul, later known as Paul after a miraculous conversion (Acts 9:1-19), was but the first of many leaders of many peoples and nations who persecuted the Christians. Throughout the history of Christianity, even to this day, in many parts of the world, believing in Christ and seeking to make him known is equivalent to signing your death warrant (see www.persecution.com for more info).

While the disciples did serve as the leaders of the young persecuted church, their “power and glory” were nothing compared to that of Alexander’s generals, who lived in the lap of luxury, leading vast portions of the known world, revered as heroes throughout all of the Greek Empire.

For the disciples, it was a totally different story.
They served as the leaders of a church numbering maybe 4,000 people after the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). The church was immediately persecuted by the Jews and Christians were driven out of the region, away from their homes and many of their friends and families. As sojourners and exiles in foreign lands, Christians were subjected to more persecution and suffered greatly (see most of 1 Peter). Rather than life in the lap of luxury, the disciples were living under the constant threat of violence, with no army to protect them. They were constantly faced with imprisonment, beatings, verbal abuse, and death. So far, it would seem, this whole conspiracy thing has not worked out in favor of the disciples.

And it gets worse, much worse.

As the leaders of the church the disciples were missionaries and, as the church grew older, spread across the Middle East (even returning to the dangers of Jerusalem), Africa, Asia, and Europe to be on the front lines of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. They were surrounded by people who were not Christians, were not in the church, and who were hostile to the disciple’s message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the need for repentance and salvation.

(Sounds like an uncomfortable life to subject yourself to…especially for an elaborate conspiracy they would have known to be false.)

I doubt if any sane men would go that far for a lie, but these disciples went much further than that…torture and death. Ten of the eleven original disciples died as martyrs; they died because they preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ and they refused to recant.

So, they died horrific deaths as martyrs for a cause, as the theory goes, they conspired to create. James, for example, was thrown headlong from the top of the spire of the temple in Jerusalem while preaching the gospel to those gathered below. He landed, legs broken, and was finally beaten to death with a club. All he had to do was recant; all he had to do was reveal the “conspiracy.” He would have lived; they would have probably let him go free; he chose to die, but for what? For a lie? An elaborate conspiracy? Or did he, and the others, die because they could not lie about the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

What do you think? I will let you be the judge, having heard the facts. Did the disciples have motive to endure what they did for the sake of the gospel? Would you be willing to die such a death for anything? For your wife? Husband? Children? Grandchildren? Girlfriend? What about for a conspiracy? Would you go to your grave in the arms of a torturer for something you knew to be false?

The resurrection demands a response…do you know what those demands are? Have you ever read the Bible to find out? Have you ever read the Bible knowing that the teachings of the disciples are supported by their own gruesome deaths? If not, I would strongly recommend that you do…it is the most important thing you will ever do.

Not convinced yet? Still think that the generals and disciples could have been cut from the same cloth? Let me know what you think. Tell me what I am not seeing. I look forward to hearing your feedback and addressing whatever is on your mind. Drop a comment or shoot me and email at focalelement@gmail.com.

Recommended Resources:

New to the Gospel and Christianity?
John Piper. Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ. (Link to e-book) http://www.desiringgod.org/library/onlinebooks_index.html#seeingandsavoring

Want to know more about what the resurrection means to God and to us?
John Piper. The Passion of Jesus Christ. (Link to e-book)
http://www.desiringgodstore.org/store/index.cgi?cmd=view_item&parent=&id=422

Modern persecution of Christians?
www.persecution.com and www.gfa.org

"But What About...Jesus' Disciples?"

2005-08-04T19:15:00.000-04:00

At first, it might seem odd that I would begin looking at the “so what abouts” of Christianity by looking at the followers of Jesus, rather than at the man Himself. You might be thinking, “Lee you putz, you’re way off the mark. I want to know if Jesus really was who He said He was; I want to know how a loving God can send people to hell, if there even is a hell; I want to know ____________________ (fill in the blank); so why are you talking about the disciples?”

Not so fast friends, in order to get to those critical issues, we must recognize that the vast majority of what we know about Jesus and His teachings come from what the disciples tell us in the Bible.

“Ah hah!” you say, “Why didn’t Jesus just write the New Testament Himself? Why didn’t He just write everything down on paper and cut out the middle men?” In John, Jesus speaks to the Jewish leaders saying, “If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not deemed true” (John 5:31). We never believe what someone says about themselves when the content of their message is outside the realm of our normal experiences; they are considered to be either a liar or a lunatic.

Let me provide an illustration. Imagine finding yourself in Spain in 1492 and receiving a letter from Christopher Columbus. In his letter he describes a New World he has discovered and the nations of “savages” that inhabit it. In all likelihood, you would probably think that he was basically a lunatic if you did not see any proof to back up his outlandish claims. Now, what if, instead of just writing a letter himself, he sent a boatload of “savages” back to Spain, the likes of which no one had ever seen before, to tell people about this New World and the story of their encounter with Christopher Columbus? Would you believe the message then? Of course!

Essentially, in choosing the disciples and sending them to spread the Christian message, the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection from the dead for the forgiveness of sins for all who believe in Him was communicated with the same kind of credibility and impact illustrated above.

(You are not convinced yet are you? You are thinking that if this is all the support I have, I am skating on thin philosophical/spiritual ice…just wait, keep reading, you’ll see)

Could it be possible that the disciples banded together and intentionally conspired to create Messianic Jewish Mythology by adding to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth? What if they turned Jesus into a First Century urban myth? That could be feasible, couldn’t it? No, as you will see, it is not reasonable and, if it were true, it would go down in history as one of the dumbest things any group of people has ever conspired to do.

“Whoa buddy, strong words”…maybe so, but I am absolutely certain that they are accurate.

Let me paint a picture for you and help you to see what I mean.

The disciples of Jesus were normal Jewish men. The group included fishermen, a tax collector, a couple of Jesus’ brothers (who were probably also carpenters); really, they were a bunch of average guys who were compelled by something about Jesus to respond to His statements that they should follow Him. They spent several years being taught by Jesus and going from town to town sharing that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” and, according to Biblical accounts, enabled by Jesus to perform some miracles themselves (Matthew 10: 1-10).

Additionally, in the Bible, these Jewish men wrote in a very self effacing manner, speaking of their own sinfulness and rebellion, of their own struggles with fear, pride, self-centeredness, downright stupidity, and many others. If their intention was to conspire together for their own benefit, why would the writers of the New Testament write of so many times in which they behaved stupidly, did not understand what Jesus was teaching them, and denied Christ (Matthew 26:30-35, 69-75)?

But still, it might be reasonable to think that a group of people might be willing to take a couple of blows to their ego for the sake of fame and fortune…so let us see if there is any evidence that would demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that the disciples were trustworthy in their accounts of Jesus Christ.

Now, if the story stopped with Jesus staying in Israel to live out the rest of His life while the disciples went out with these extraordinary and miraculous powers, there would be plenty of room for concern that there was some sort of conspiracy, but the story does not end there…it is, in fact, barely even begun.

The disciples, when Jesus was crucified, recoiled in fear and all but John went into hiding (John 19: 26), but a group of people who were very much afraid experienced something that completely changed them. But things really get difficult for this “band of conspirators” when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The write of Jesus’ horrific death, burial by a man named Joseph, seeing the empty tomb on the third day, and then having encounters with the risen Christ.

It is that Good News that the disciples began to teach throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe. It transformed them from frightened and defeated people to a band of men willing to die the most horrific deaths their persecutors could devise for them. What eventually awaited 10 of the 11 remaining disciples (after Judas, Jesus’ betrayer, committed suicide) was to die horrific martyr’s deaths. The disciples died brutal deaths: plunging from the top of the temple in Jerusalem only to be beaten to death with a club, crucifixion, crucifixion upside down, hug from a cross and skinned alive, beheadings, stoned to death, and speared to death…all while refusing to deny the resurrection and Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Will a group of people who conspired to deceive the world follow through with such a plan? Can men who have hidden Jesus’ dead body endure torture for a lie? Never. You see, people will most certainly die for something they passionately believe in (Islamic terrorists), but people do not endure what the disciples suffered for something they know to be a lie.

I don’t know about you, but I can think of no other explanation than they encountered the resurrected Christ and their lives were drastically changed. And, we would be remiss to neglect to realize that, if Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, as evidenced by the disciples, should not our lives be fundamentally changed as well? I think so.

I look forward to hearing your responses, feel free to leave comments about anything you want, any question that you have. Let me know if you have a possible alternative to explain the disciple’s actions after the death of Christ…I would love to hear it.

For more reading:
“The Martyrdom of the Apostles.” Grant R. Jeffrey. http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/martyrdom.html

Case for Christ. Lee Strobel
Mere Christianity. CS Lewis
When Skeptics Ask. Norman Geisler and Ronald Brooks
Fox’s Book of Martyrs.

"But What About..." (Common Questions on Christianity)

2005-08-03T19:04:00.000-04:00

Whenever truth claims are made by a particular worldview, three words almost instantaneously spring forth from the listener’s mouth, “but what about…” It happens to everyone who asserts they have the answer to important questions; it is like a known unknown. You know the first three words are coming, but you don’t know exactly what is going to follow them.

Part of being a thoughtful believer in any worldview is hearing those “but what abouts” and responding with an adequate answer. Many times it means we must admit, “You know, I never thought about that, let me look into it” and then following up on our word.

If we are going to be deep thinking and responsible in upholding a particular worldview as true (and all worldviews, by definition, elucidate a particular system of truth), then we should set out to think through what we believe and be ready to answer for what we are professing. We should try to think critically and, in the process, figure out what the “but what about…” is likely to be followed by in terms of objections.

So, thanks to the faithful commentating of g.d and her honesty regarding her misgivings of the Christian worldview, I am going to do a miniseries covering the “but what abouts” of Christianity (if you have not been keeping up with her comments to my threads, you are missing out on the dynamic interactive “underground” of focalelement.blogspot.com).

Try not to hold your breath until tomorrow, as tempting as it might be, going without oxygen for 24 hours is rumored to cause varying degrees of health risk.

I will be starting with a look at the disciples of Jesus Christ…were they the beginning of a vast conspiracy that turned the man Jesus Christ into a legend as some now believe? Or were they fishermen whose lives were transformed by the Son of God and who went forth to preach and teach about Jesus Christ?

I look forward to looking into the answer with you all tomorrow. Keep in mind that, if you have a question to ask, you can post it as a comment here on the blog (just simply click on the “0 Comments” link at the bottom right corner of the thread) or feel free to email the question to focalelement@gmail.com.

Second Post: Worldview ***READ PREVIOUS

2005-07-27T17:19:00.000-04:00

(Continued from Previous Post)

***If you have not had the opportunity to read the previous post, you will probably want to take a few moments to do so and ponder the questions posed at the end of the thread.

Having taken some time to ponder those two questions, you have taken the first steps in beginning to understand what you believe and why you believe it.

Through examining the most influential sources of your own worldview, you have, perhaps for the first time, examined the structural integrity of your beliefs. You have, symbolically speaking, taken a moment to walk around the house you live in and examine the foundation for potentially dangerous weaknesses. You are able to make repairs on the foundation to save your home; or, as you might find necessary, you can lay a new foundation and rebuild your home before it collapses.

(If I’m talking to you right now, congratulations on averting a near disaster)

You might be thinking…”why in the world is this guy talking about a house?” but the simple point is that most people running around in this world do not really know why they believe what they believe. Most people base their entire lives, all of their decisions, thoughts, passions, their most strongly held convictions on a worldview that is inherently dangerous because their beliefs are determined solely on the basis of what feels like the truth and, therefore, in their minds must be true.

Forgive me for asking so many questions, but would you vote for a president who said in debates that his platform was based on what just felt right to him? Would you hire a babysitter who felt they could do a good job, even if they had no experience whatsoever with childcare? Would you allow your neighbor to bulldoze your home because they felt like having a new swimming pool? Absolutely not! You demand to have explanations, to deal with facts, reasons, proof, evidence, and a mere feeling is not sufficient (I emphasize mere as a means of pointing out that feelings in and of themselves, apart from sound reasons and truth, are not adequate). You want them to answer your question of “WHY?” with an answer that has some meat to it, an answer that you can stand behind and support intelligently and passionately.

So why then is it that so many people live their lives with that kind of mentality? Why is it that people are living the unexamined life? Why are people willing to have their feet firmly planted in mid-air…upholding a worldview that is not built on even the semblance of a firm foundation?

There really are a tremendous number of answers to that question, more than I could even begin to list. I will say, however, that we must first begin with ourselves, by accepting responsibility for our own beliefs and our own faulty worldviews. We must be willing to confess that we have made the same mistakes; I certainly did for the first 18 years of my life, and rectify those mistakes by pursuing truth at all costs.

So where exactly do you start in trying to figure out the truth? To discover which worldview is the right worldview? To know which worldview provides the clarity we need to see God, the world, ourselves, death, and answer all the big questions?

I will tell you openly and honestly that I have found that the answer is found in Jesus Christ and in the very Word of God, the Bible (now don’t run off and get your feelings hurt because I said something you might not like very much).

Some of you might be thinking that I have, after all of my discussion of examining our belief systems to ensure that they are legitimate, reasonable, and provide clarity regarding the world around us, hopped a train to “Nutty Zealot-ville” and contradicted myself. You might be confused by the thought that it is impossible for the Christian worldview to be grounded on anything but purely desperate, unfounded, insupportable, unreasonable faith. If you find yourself distracted by the fact that I am a Christian and profess Jesus Christ to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life, you have allowed your intolerance of Christianity and prejudice against Christians to allow you to dump a lot of your own personal baggage onto a very important conversation.

Don’t miss the point of this thread friends…I want you to examine what you believe with a critical eye, looking for the flaws; then, I want you to thoroughly look at other worldviews with the same critical eye; and I want you to press on in asking the difficult questions about the different worldviews that exist in the world. Finally, I have offered up my own Christian worldview to your ferocious examination, as I have challenged you to do all along.

As always, I leave with a closing exhortation to think deeply and critically about what you believe; and, since I have offered it up as truth, think critically about the Christian worldview. The place to start with that is, of course, the Bible, and I would recommend looking to the life of Christ in the Gospel of John to begin with and then reading the book of Galatians.

I have exposed myself and what I believe to your brutal criticism and analysis, and I would love to face the business end of your thoughts…so feel free to post comments or email me (focalelement@gmail.com) and I will do my best to answer for the worldview I profess.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, know that I sincerely appreciate it and it is a great reward to know that you read it.

If you don’t have a Bible, I recommend using the ESV translation… (http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/)

Bible Study Resource Links:

*** www.desiringgod.org *** - Incredible Bible Teaching
www.cri.org - Christian Research Institute
www.gospelcom.net

Worldview Resources

www.christianworldview.com
www.breakpoint.org

The First Post: Worldviews ***UPDATED

2005-07-20T14:26:00.000-04:00

Before I explain the name or purpose of this blog, I am going to hop into the thick of things and write an article over the next week or so with the purpose of looking at some critical issues that deal with philosophy and a Christian worldview. Basically, I want us (yep, you have to think through this with me and take a little time for introspection) to aim our critical eyes at the impact that secular, cutting edge philosophy has as it trickles down through an intellectual hierarchy in place in the American education system.To be very basic, philosophy is the analysis of the way things are, it is "the critical analysis of fundamental assumptions or beliefs" (dictionary.com). Everybody with a brain is, by nature, a philosophical being. Whether we are consciously aware of it or not, we all think and we all utilize philosophical methods to develop an understanding of the world we live in (also know as a worldview).

Your worldview could be compared to the lens on your camera…if the lens is cracked, smudged, or fogged up, the result is a photograph that does not accurately reflect the image you were attempting to capture. You may think “who cares, maybe the photo is cooler after the distortion?” Well, that may be true for pictures that don’t really matter, but what happens when you’re looking at your wedding photos, the picture of your first born son in the arms of your beaming wife, the images of important world events on the front page of the newspaper? The important things require a crystal clear lens, just like the important life issues demand a clear worldview…a worldview that provides the right answers about God, morality, human nature, and death (just to name a few).

So, we need to uphold a worldview that provides answers with clarity…but how do we begin to figure out whether our worldview provides the clarity we need? Well, the complete answer is way outside the scope of this particular blog thread, but there are many books and future threads to come that will shed more light on the larger issue (see end of thread for a recommended book list). For today’s purpose, we want to begin examining our worldviews by answering two simple questions that shed light on our understanding of the world …."Who or what was most influential in the development of your worldview?" and "Would you be willing to bank your life on the trustworthiness of that influence?" Can you answer both of those questions? Most people can, in a general way, explain their basic beliefs about the world...but, in all likelihood, they have probably not taken the time to really reflect on where their worldview came from or how valid the source is. The point is this...if you do not have a dependable foundation for your worldview, then how can you trust what you uphold as truth? Maybe it is time to think through those two important questions.

(Possible answers to get the juices flowing could include: school, parents, friends, personal contemplation/exploration, etc…and you can figure out the rest)

TO BE CONTINUED…

Be encouraged to take some time to chew your answers and I would love to encourage conversation through posting your comments below or, if you prefer, email focalelement@gmail.com)

Book List:

James W Sire. The Universe Next Door
Ronald Nash. Faith & Reason.
Ronald Nash. Life’s Ultimate Questions.
CS Lewis. Mere Christianity.
D.A. Carson. Practically anything he has written
Albert Mohler Jr. Commentaries posted at www.albertmohler.com

Honeymoon

2005-07-14T17:55:00.000-04:00

My wife and I went to Maui on our honeymoon and our first lunch by the beach was at Cheeseburger in Paradise, where we shared a quite tasty pina colada in a pineapple. We had a blast and it was a beautiful, relaxing, and adventurous week.