And one last quote from Gilead:

In the matter of belief, I have always found that defenses have the same irrelevance about them as the criticisms they are meant to answer.  I think the attempt to defend belief can unsettle it, in fact, because there is always an inadequacy in argument about ultimate things…..

So my advice is this – don’t look for proofs. Don’t bother with them at all.  They are never sufficient to the question, and they’re always a little impertinent, I think, because they claim for God a place within our conceptual grasp.  And they will likely sound wrong to you even if you convince someone else with them.  That is very unsettling over the long term.

Maybe this is why reading apologetics books tend to make me less sure of my faith, rather than more sure?

  Another quote from the book Gilead:

I feel sometimes as if I were a child who opens its eyes on the world once and sees amazing things it will never know any names for and then has to close its eyes again.  I know this is all mere apparition compared to what awaits us, but it is only lovelier for that.  There is a human beauty in it. And I can’t believe that, when we have all been changed and put on incorruptibility, we will forget our fantastic condition of mortality and impermanence, the great bright dream of procreating and perishing that meant the whole world to us.  In eternity this world will be Troy, I believe, and all that has passed here will be the epic of the universe, the ballad they sing in the streets. Because I don’t imagine any reality putting this one in the shade entirely, and I think piety forbids me to try.

Find your epic in the time you have here.

In East Germany in 1989, it was not safe to speak out against the communist government.  But groups met together in churches, especially at St. Nikolai Church in Leipzig.  In the linked article, Pastor Christian Fuhrer talks about what it meant to lead people to the Gospel and to the teachings of Jesus.  He also made the church a place that welcomed prayer and speech against the communist government. 

This thought to get involved in politics is a thought that Jesus already voiced in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Someone is beaten and lies there, those who beat him are gone, and now two people coming from temple are approaching, are looking the other way and walking away. Jesus says that they are guilty, not because they did not do anything, they did not beat him, but they did not help him. If we just leave the world alone and do not get involved, we are just as guilty as those two, as Jesus said in that parable, who looked the other way and did not want to hear about it. You must get involved, because you are the salt of the earth.

From the church issued forth peaceful protests, including a prayer walk on October 9 where the police and army were ordered to shoot… but didn’t.  Thousands gathered together, bound by a trust that prayer and the words of Jesus were stronger than those who wanted the gathering stopped.

The fact that they [the German people] accepted Jesus’ message of the Sermon on the Mount, that they summarized it in two words—no violence—and the fact that they did not only think and say it, but also practiced it consistently in the street was an incredible development, an unprecedented development in German history. If any event ever merited the description of “miracle” that was it: a revolution that succeeded, a revolution that grew out of the church, remained nonviolent, no broken windows, no people beaten, no people killed—an unprecedented development in German history. A peaceful revolution, a revolution that came out of the church.

Also interestingly, Fuhrer believes that the church be involved in politics, but in a particular way:

…throne and altar do not belong together. That is a huge mistake that the church made during the past century. No, the street and the altar belong together, just as Jesus did not hide in the temple, but was mingling out in the street, in the houses and on the plazas. We as a church must go into the street and let the street come into the church. The church must be open to everyone.

The last thing that strikes me is the power of prayer, even in the face of violence.  I don’t mean to draw parallels between what happened in Leipzig and what might be happening here in the US (all “Declarations” notwithstanding).  I’m just joyful to find an example of how God works and his people can join in.

The most important thing for us was the power of prayer, which is still true today. We are not praying to the air or to the wall, but to a living God. We did not pray for the wall to come down. It was more comprehensive: [We were praying] for peace, justice, and the preservation of our creation. We addressed the very specific needs of human beings in our prayers, and God has blessed those prayers in such a way that nobody could have predicted. We went on, step by step. It got bigger and bigger, and in the end the prayers prevented us from drowning in fear and gave us the strength to face the opposition outside. In other words, more and more protests came from the church and spilled onto the street, combined with the strength that we got from our faith. The fear was very powerful, but our faith was more powerful than the fear, and the prayers gave us the strength to act. That is still the same today.

HT to Richard Beck’s article as a reminder of the story.

The Manhattan Declaration is a recent essay posted by Christian leaders who are asking all Christians to read it and sign it.  I would say it has two main characteristics:

• It is ecumenical.  It calls to Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Christians to join together and sign, and
• It calls for protection for the unborn, disabled and elderly, for the protection of marriage as between a man and woman only, and for the protection of the civil liberties of those who defend the unborn and marriage.

I’m not particularly prone to blogging strong opinions… shouting makes me queasy.  But if you were going to write a manifesto, what would you take a stand upon?  What do you think is the most important issue today – one that you would spend countless hours of effort on?  What would you tell your friends about, ask your pastor to speak about, spend countless hours creating web pages about?

If I were writing a manifesto… If I wanted major newspapers to make stories about it….I would indeed go for ecumenical.  But I would not pick those issues.  The first two I am in complete agreement with, but I still wouldn’t make them my manifesto. 

The third (civil liberties) I actually disagree with.  The authors of the manifesto write:

The nature of religious liberty is grounded in the character of God Himself, the God who is most fully known in the life and work of Jesus Christ.

But I don’t see religious liberty as a grounded in the character of God.  Or religious liberty as something he told his disciples to seek.  In fact, we are told we will suffer for Christ, and not to be surprised (Luke 21). 

What would I put in a manifesto?  Perhaps the things that are most important.  The things the Bible talks a lot about. 

• God is the almighty ruler and creator of the universe
• God desires deep relationship with us, and loves us without measure
• The person of Christ is the source of all healing and right relationship with God
• Once filled with Christ, we are called to love the poor, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and share God’s love.  Doing so, as led by the Holy Spirit, brings redemption and reconciliation.

I wouldn’t put in morality in my manifesto.  Or common good.  Or laws I want to keep or wish I had.  Jesus brings the Kingdom of God.  Why would something else be more important than that?

An alternative manifesto for your consideration: The Jesus Manifesto

Two other views of the Manhattan Declaration, with interesting comments following:

• Scot McKnight
• John Stackhouse

I want to be the kind of person who gives God glory and honor through my actions.  Sometimes this is something I know I need to do, and sometimes it’s something God SHOWS me I need to do.

I had the opportunity to hear Francis Chan speak this morning as part of the Torrey Conference.  The thing about Chan’s talks is that they start, and then they wander, and then they come back and nail the original point, and you suddenly realize God worked the whole thing together.  So his talk was about being a Christian for a long time, and really reading the Bible to understand what it says.  And to then DO the things that it says, but not be surprised if everyone is surprised and disapproving when you do so.  Because, basically, doing what the Bible says isn’t comfortable.  Or safe.  And frankly, it leads to suffering.  Which seems wrong….

And yet, somehow, right.  Especially if you really read the Bible to understand what it says.

And just now I wandered around in Lala.com and re-found Jason Gray’s latest album, and listened to his excellent song, Fade with Our Voices.  Where the lyrics point out this same truth – if worship fades with our voices, then apparently we haven’t quite grasped what worship is.

After all the songs are sung
And our prayers for Kingdom come
Did we bring honor to the words we sing?

Does our worship have hands?
Does it have feet?
Does it stand up in the face of injustice?
Does our worship bow down?
Does it run deep?
Is it more than a song
That fades with our voices?
Does it fade with our voices?

Lord it’s you we long to please
Make our lives a melody
That we proclaim when we live in Jesus’ name

So I’m taking the hint.  God, give me your spirit, so I can make my life a melody that I proclaim when I live by your name.

I’ve never met Vince Antonucci.  I’m not even a friend of a friend.  At some point, a blog post of his was brought to my Google reader, and I’ve been following him for a month or two. 

Vince is starting a church.  On the Las Vegas Strip.  And his desire is to make his church something that people on the Strip who never thought they would go to church… would want to hear more about his church.  So he’s thinking about weeknight services instead of Sunday morning.  Food co-ops, seminars, block parties.

It’s been a great journey to track from my suburban home.  But I was particularly touched by his list of first worship songs.  Since I’m a fan of Needtobreathe and Tenth Avenue North, I decided to check out the rest. 

Most aren’t hymns.  Or overt worship choruses.  I love hymns and worship choruses, and think they have an important place in the church.  But considering where Verve Church is trying to go (and where many of us are), it’s a great list.  Here are a few examples:

Take Me Away (Lifehouse)

this time what I want is you
there is no one else who can take your place
this time you burn me with your eyes
you see past all the lies
you take it all away
I’ve seen it all
and it’s never enough
it keeps leaving me needing you

Typical (Mute Math)

‘Cause I know there’s got to be another level
Somewhere closer to the other side
And I’m feeling like it’s now or never
Can I break the spell of the typical

Amazing, Because It Is (The Almost)

I was so scared of everything you put in front of me
I’ve been marching to every part of me
Just to see,
See
Why you need me to be
The boy you need me to be

Surely We Can Change (David Crowder Band)

And the problem is this
We were bought with a kiss
But the cheek still turned
Even when it wasn’t hit
And I don’t know
What to do with a love like that

I’m Not All Right (Sanctus Real)

I’m not all right, I’m broken inside
And all I go through, it leads me to you
Burn away the pride
Bring me to my weakness
Until everything I hide behind is gone
And when I’m open wide with nothing left to cling to
Only you are there to lead me on.

I’m less of a fan of churches that deliberately play whatever song is popular this week at church.  I am a fan of carefully chosen songs that cry out about loss, brokenness, love beyond ourselves, and redemption.  Visit Verve to learn more and support their ministry.  The full list is posted here.

I read in N.T. Wright’s Following Jesus tonight:

Do you know what the most frequent command in the Bible turns out to be?  What instruction, what order, is given, again and again, by God, by angels, by Jesus, by prophets and apostles? What do you think – ‘Be good’? ‘Be holy, for I am holy’? Or, negatively, ‘Don’t sin’? ‘Don’t be immoral’? 

No. The most frequent command in the Bible is: ‘Don’t be afraid.’

‘Don’t be afraid. Fear not.

Don’t be afraid.’

Whether it’s a response to financial meltdown, media overload, loss of civil religion, or a new health care plan –  whatever change is on the horizon, we respond in fear. Why?  Do we really think God has the power to save us from hell, but not from life? 

Jason Gray is a singer and songwriter.  He has a new album out today, called “Everything Sad is Coming Untrue.” I wasn’t expecting anything in particular when I set it to play on Lala.com.  But the lyrics of the first song pulled me in, and a google search later I came across this great post by Gray about his journey in writing the title song.  Because, it turns out, he ended up writing it five different times. 

The title is a quote is from The Lord of the Rings, spoken by Samwise Gamgee after he wakes up from his ordeal with Frodo. Gandalf speaks to Sam, who has thought Gandalf dead.

    "Well, Master Samwise, how do you feel?"
    But Sam lay back, and stared with open mouth, and for a moment, between bewilderment and great joy, he could not answer. At last he gasped: "Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? What’s happened to the world?"
    "A great shadow has departed," said Gandalf, and then he laughed, and the sound was like music, or like water in a parched land; and as he listened the thought came to Sam that he had not heard laughter, the pure sound of merriment, for days without count. It fell upon his ears like the echo of all the joys he had ever known. 

Frankly, anything that uses The Lord of the Rings as its inspiration is going to be good.  But Gray is thoughtful about what this might mean, “everything sad coming untrue.”  It doesn’t mean that sad things don’t happen.  Or that, in the age to come, we won’t care that they happened.  It means that sad things DO happen in this broken world, but that, in God’s time and in his power, the evil that happens here is run backwards, and what was broken will be made right.  This happens to some extent in the partial kingdom now, and will happen fully at Jesus’ return. 

I like the idea that this one small phrase was so complex that it took Gray five songs to work it all out.  Only two made it onto the regular album – you need to buy the special edition to get the other three versions.  But you can read about the making of the songs, and listen to Part 1 and 2 on his post here.

From Everything Sad is Coming Untrue, Part 2:

Broken hearts are being unbroken
Bitter words are being unspoken
The curse undone, the veil is parted
The garden gate will be left unguarded

Could it be everything sad is coming untrue?
Oh I believe everything sad is coming untrue
In the hands of the One who makes all things new

I’m honored to introduce you to three people. 

The first two are Brent and Dave.  They have created a company called Deidox, and they produce short documentaries on how God is working in the world.  These are awesome 5-minute films about regular people who are determined to put God first.  

As they put it:

Deidox are true stories of how everyday people are being used by God in the world today. Our hope is that these short films will inspire you to realize anew how big and active God is, how He is reaching and changing lives in all countries and using His people to accomplish His work.

Put simply, Deidox are cinematic stories of the modern day Christian journey.

The third person I’d like you to meet is Lindsey:

Back in high school, I had to write an essay on “why God lets bad things happen to good people.” I remember that the “correct” answer was so that the good people could help when others go through struggles.  This seemed silly to me – if there weren’t any bad things to go through, then nobody would need help.

But sometimes I get glimpses of how that right answer is really deeper than that.  That the path of suffering can be a source of strength both in my life and in the life of others.  That has been brought home for me in the life of someone you’ve never heard of.  But I’d like to share his story because it has impacted me, and I hope that his suffering might strengthen you as well.

I found worship pastor C.J. Bergmen through NoiseTrade, an interesting service that allows you to support independent musicians by purchasing their music for whatever you are willing to pay.  I loved his music, and subscribed to his blog.  C.J. and his wife Reneè have had a year marked by suffering, but I want to honor their journey and continued dependence on God and His mercy.  It’s a little hard to figure out how to best share their story, but you can try the posts in this order.  And it isn’t the suffering I’m sharing, so much as their response to it. 

The story is because of suffering… but it isn’t about suffering.

1. The loss of their son right before his birth
2. The journey after the loss
3. The failed adoption
4. Today.

Go buy his album while you’re at it…

And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5