journey in developing the christian mind

Hammock - Capturing Natures Beauty in Song

2009-04-02T12:19:00.005-05:00

If God is the most creative being then you think that Christian's would have a leg up on that market. You would think that Christians would be creating the most beautiful art or composing the greatest music. You would think that Christians would be influencing the culture instead of being influenced by it.

My favorite band of all time is an icelandic band called Sigur Ros. And no other band, in my opinion, captures the very essence of our creator then the music they put out. In fact my heart and my mind is moved more by God through their music then any Christian music that is out there. That's kind of crazy considering the fact that Sigur Ros sings in Icelandic and I can't understand a word they are saying. Why is that? Because Sigur Ros tries to capture the majesty of their Icelandic landscape in everyone of their songs. Romans 1:20 tells us that God has clearly revealed himself through his creation. Thus if you sing about creation, you sing about God.

That's where Hammock comes in. Hammock consists of Andrew Thompson and a guy named Marc Byrd (Marc wrote the song 'God of Wonders'... you have sang it at youth group before.. trust me.. it was probably played after 'In the Secret'..its that big). These guys, moved by the music of Sigur Ros, came together and said can we make this type of music from a Christian perspective? Using the Southern American landscape as their inspiriation they have been showing people the creator using no words at all. Making God's invisible qualities clearly seen by what they write. The point of their music isn't for you to get up and sing but its for you to stop and reflect on our Savoir. Using music to have us stop and know that he is God.

The Video is from Hammocks latest album Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow and the song is called Mono No Aware

From Doubting Thomas to Doubtless Thomas

2009-02-26T13:00:00.002-06:00

As most of you all know out there in bloggerland I am addicted to the T.V. Show LOST. By addicted I don’t mean that I just have to watch the show ever Wednesday night, but that while this is running my whole week is in anticipation for the next week’s episodes. I listen to three different Lost podcasts, read and theorize on discussion boards, and even watch old episodes that could shine some light on the one I just saw. So there is my confession and as the saying goes confession is good for the soul.

Why the all of a sudden admission of my nerd fetish with this show? There was an episode last week called “316” which was filled with themes of faith, salvation, sacrifice and redemption. However, there was a conversation that Benjamin Linus had with the hero of the show Jack Shepherd who represents science, reason and the need of evidence to be the foundation for any truth claim. Ben shared the story of the Apostle Thomas who is best known for doubting Jesus’ resurrection.

The Gospel of John records the story. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples behind a locked door (I will talk about the significance of the lock door later). All of the disciples where there except for Thomas. When Thomas returned the disciples declared to Thomas the great news that they have seen the Lord. However, Thomas was skeptical. He said "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." I identify a lot with Thomas. See Thomas wasn’t into this whole idea of “blind faith.” Thomas believed that if Christ was really powerful enough to be raised from the dead then he could be able to provide evidence of that.

Somewhere in the 2,000 years of Christendom we have abandoned this idea of certainty. We have turned faith into a blind leap like Indiana Jones stepping onto an invisible bridge saying “I Can’t see it, touch it, or know with certainty that it’s there, but I put my whole life on the line for it.” At churches there seems to be a coat rack and a brain rack as you enter in the doors. Check your coats and your brains and the door because you won’t need either while you are in doors. It’s no wonder that Neo-Atheist Richard Dawkins see faith as “the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.”

We somehow have created this dichotomy between our heart and our mind. I heart can believe while our mind doesn’t understand. Imagine though, if your mind confirmed what your heart believed? Would that transform the way that you lived your life? Would that transform the church? After Christ death the disciples gathered in the upper room and they locked the door. Why? Because they thought they were next. They were afraid. However after they had seen the reason Lord, that door became unlocked and they went out into the streets and declared the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all but the Apostle John died a martyr’s death. The Apostle Thomas became one of the greatest evangelists of the early church proclaiming the gospel in Persia, India and possibly China. Doubting Thomas turned into Doubtless Thomas and he gave his life for the Gospel. Thomas was transformed when his mind confirmed what his heart believed. If you have stumbled on here and you have questions about your faith, then I commend you. You are not alone. However, just like what Ben said Jack on LOST, “sooner or later everyone is convinced.” Rather it be in this life or the next you will be convinced.

What is Apologetics?

2009-02-12T12:00:00.004-06:00

Last week at K-Life we asked some of our kids what Apologetics means and we got a variety of answers. Some of these replies were “a hit song by One Republic,” “the history of the war god Apollo,” and “the science of being sorry.” Although some did answer correctly, we were surprised on how so many of our students haven’t even heard of the word Apologetics. Now I consider myself pretty down to earth so I came into the assumption that not everyone would have a particular knowledge of the arguments within apologetics, but to have little understanding of the nature of this branch of Theology was disheartening. So what is the purpose of Apologetics and where does its purpose lie within the spectrum of theology?

There are three components of theology. The first one is Polemic Theology. The word polemic comes from the Greek word polemikós which means “to war.” Polemic Theology is then theology which is done in a warlike manner speaking against those whom you disagree with. This type of theology is done inside of the church, usually done in showing the error of thought or doctrine towards another believer or another denomination. Sadly this type of theology has been prevalent the majority of church history and has done more the divide the body of Christ than unite it. However, this type of theology is important when heresy is entering to the church and dividing it. The second type of theology is Irenic Theology. Irenic Theology is the opposite of Polemic because it is theology that is done peaceably. It accurately represents all views and doctrines even when you oppose them. This is the type of theology that I use most often when I teach. That doesn’t mean that you don’t study the “holes” and problems with a particular system of beliefs, but you have to accurately represent that branch of theology. The last branch of theology is Apologetics. We get the word Apologetics from the Greek word apologētikos which means “suitable for defense.” And that is exactly what Apologetics is, it’s theology that is done to defend the faith against those who oppose outside of the Church.

Peter tells us in his first letter to “…always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you..” (1 Peter 3:15). Skeptics out there bring up really good questions. If we don’t have the original manuscripts of the Bible, how can we trust we have and what it says about Christ and God? If God is good then why is their evil, and is that God really worth worshiping? These are great objections that dive into the heart of Christianity. And as the great Apologetic Norman Geisler said if we can’t answer these questions “then we may as well believe in fairy tales.” The truth is we have some great answers to these questions. The problem that arises though, do you know them? Do you even know of a book that you can use a resource when these questions come. Because all too often, I know of students who get sheltered their whole life from opposing views, but when they go to college and they experience the full force of these arguments. These students don’t know that we have great answers in response.

Want a great Apologetic resource book? Then check out Norman L Geisler’s “When Skeptics Ask” as well as Lee Strobel’s “A Case for Christ.”

Chad After Dentist

2009-02-10T15:06:00.001-06:00

Do yourself a favor. Watch "David After Dentist" youtube first... then watch this parody!! hilarious!

The Audacity of Truth

2009-02-03T11:30:00.001-06:00

Consider these facts:

- 1 out of every 5 people in the world is Muslim

- In 1990 there were 30 mosques in the United States. Now there is over 3,000.

- 67% percent of the world's population does not identify itself as Christian.

I read those facts in a book I am currently reading called "The God Conversation" by J.P. Moreland. And reading those facts got be thinking. If nearly 70% of the world's population does not identify themselves as Christian, and as Christians we claim to have the truth in Jesus Christ; then essentially what we are saying is that 70% of the world has got it wrong. And to me, to say that 70% of the world is in error feels a bit arrogant.

In college I lived in a fraternity house, and in that house I was known as the "Christian boy." So what usually ended up happening is that when someone wanted to engage in an open dialogue with a Christian they came knocking at my door and I loved it. I love engaging in conversation about worldviews. There was one night, however, that the question was brought up "How can you as a Christian claim that you have the right truth, and all others are wrong?" Which is a great question, but it's a hard one to answer especially in our increasingly relativistic culture. In fact this particular conversation sparked interest with almost everyone on my floor that came into my room to listen in on our conversation. Well have you ever had an entire room turn against you? It's scary. Especially when everyone, including other Christians, are yelling at you because of your stance of "Jesus is the way the TRUTH, and the Life" and that no one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6) like they were me that night.

That is when I found out that the Christians audacity of truth is not popular. Instead what is more accepted is an "all roads lead to God" sort of belief. In fact it was the great theologianate (that's sarcasm) Oprah that said while doing a show about Islam "then it is clear that Islam is just another one of the many ways to get to god." And it's not a surprise that people believe this. I will be honest and say, I wish that it were true. However there are two thoughts that I want us to consider when it comes to the "all roads lead to God" analogy.

Thought 1 - What Would Key Figures of these Religions Say?
If you told Moses, Jesus, Mohammad, or Buddha about this mountain top theology how would they respond? Did they view their religious systems as just one of the many paths that lead to God? Hardly. Jesus said that no one gets into heaven except through him. Buddha would say, there might or might not be a god, but the issue is enlightenment. Mohammad claimed that Gabriel came and spoke to him and gave Allah's final and definitive word to man. In fact, according to the Islamic belief that salvation is only found through a complete surrender of your life to Allah and to be a true follower of Allah you have to declare "There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is his prophet." So two of the most influential religious leaders, Jesus and Mohammad, would both say the mountain top analogy is invalid.

Thought 2 - What about the Contradictions between the Religious Beliefs?
If you do a study of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism it won't take you long to discover that they disagree on key issues. Let's take a look at the nature of God for example. Christianity says that God is Trinity, Islam sees the nature of god as one, Hindu believes in over 300 million Gods, while Buddhist do not necessarily acknowledge a deity. How can each of these views lead to God when they don't even agree on the very nature of God? Not only do they not see eye to eye on the essence of God but they don't even agree on how you are saved. Islam says you have to confess to Allah and live a life according the Koran and if your good deeds out weigh your bad then you will go to heaven. Buddhist say you mediate until you reach a point of nothingness, an enlightenment that they call Nirvana. And lastly Christians say, God sent his Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world, that if you believe in him then his righteousness is transferred to you and your sins are transferred to him. So we see at the very core beliefs these religions do not agree with one another and see totally different ways to God.

The reality is between the atheist and the theist, Christian or Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist; One of these worldviews has the Audacity of Truth on their side. Only one can have the truth claim but which one is it? This should be a serious question that everyone should ask themselves. Am I a Christian because of my up bringing and circumstance or am I a Christian because I KNOW it be true? Keep joining us on this journey of developing the Christian mind!

the ideas in this article are reflections from my reading of "The God Conversation" by J.P Moreland and Tim Muehlhoff

Who I am listening Too

2009-02-03T10:23:00.002-06:00

I have just recently bought Bon Iver's debut album "For Emma, Forever Ago" and I can not stop playing this album. Then I heard the story behind the album and I became even more intrigued. To write the songs for this album Justin Vernon (the man behind Bon Iver) went out to his Father's cabin in the woods of Wisconsin with a desire for isolation and reflection. With guitar and pen in hand he wrote down the aching of his heart. The result is a very simplistic, rustic album as Justin is vulnerable with his listeners as he shares his pains and struggles. Songs "Flume" and "Re:Stacks" are part of the albums heart and soul almost taking you to the !Wisconsin Cabin. "Skinny Love" as by far the song with the most commercial appeal while "Wolves (Acts 1 and 2)" builds to an epic end. The final word is this. If the ideal of great music for you is an acoustic guitar and a microphone, then you are missing out on one of the greatest, most intimate albums out there.

Greatest Show Ever!!

2009-01-28T23:49:00.003-06:00

Ok, I just got to say this. If you watch TV yet you are not watching this show, you are watching inferior television. Seriously this show is that good. I just got done watching the third episode of Season 5 titled "Jughead" and this show is really taking off. Sure, I have no idea what is going on with time and space jumps, a man who never ages and is "very old" (thanks for the revelation Juliet.. but be a little more descriptive next time) but this show has got me!

Yes, it is great to have "24" back and the Office is still sort of funny, but I am just glad that LOST is back!

You addicted to LOST like I am and the next Wednesday just can't come soon enough? Then check out Jay and Jack Lost podcast on itunes. Very entertaining and very good! Also the Official Lost Podcast is AWESOME, but they dont update it as much!

NAMASTE!

2009-01-15T00:15:00.003-06:00

I just got back from seeing the film Valkyrie with my fiance and the movie really got me thinking. For those of you who have seen the movie you know that the movie is based upon a plot by German officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and reclaim Germany. The majority of these officers were forced to join the Nazi regime and do not associate themselves with the ideology of the party. So they decided to change the culture they lived in. They decided to be counter-cultural.

During movies I have a bad habit of trying to put myself in the character's situation and wonder if I would react in the same way. (However, I mostly do this during Superman movies) So I put myself in Tom Cruise's character Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and thought would I be able to risk my life to try to change a culture that I knew was going in the wrong direction?

You know as Christians we are called to live counter-cultural. It is so evident to me as I read the newspapers and I watch TV that our country is embracing a new set of values. Living life from the Christian Worldview is being seen as outdated, and in some circles, out right dangerous. Our country is starting to believe, if we can just distance ourselves from our embarrassing Religious past, then our country will be better and brighter then before.

When watching the movie I didn't have to imagine what it would be like in Colonel Stauffenbergs shoes because I think I am in his shoes. Now I am not saying that we are living in Nazi Germany, and I am definitely not implying we need to go to such great lengths to change the cultural. However, I do wonder if I am willing to die to myself, and put my popularity and acceptance on the line to stand up for what I know is right based on my Christian worldview? Operation Valkyrie, are you in?

Question 5 - Whats One or More Primary Sources for Christianity (outside of the Bible)

2008-12-18T14:42:00.000-06:00

#5 What’s One or More Primary Sources to Prove Christianity?
This is a really good question and I am glad someone asked it. And obviously I can’t just spend 5 minutes on this to answer this question. Like I have told you it took me 2 years of studying and reading until I came to the conclusion that the best explanation for all the evidence is Christianity. But let me give you some examples..
The Bible is a unique book because it deals with Upper Story and Lower Story events. Upper story is the ethereal, supernatural aspects of the book that you can study but you cannot prove. For example the existence of Angels, God Creating the world, Jesus Christ Sacrificial atonement, etc. Lower Story are things you can study and prove to be true or false. Things like kings in power during a certain era, cities that have existed, geography, etc. Things you can study through Science and Archeology. And let me just give you a few examples of how this has been used.
I talked about a month ago how we can come to the conclusion that God created the universe through scientific study, but let me give you another study that I didn’t talk about. Now I think this is really cool but it might be over some heads so let me explain this. Astrology is an interesting science because it is the only science that actually lets you observe back in time. Astrology of course is the science of studying and looking at stars. And the distance a star is from the earth is measured in a light year. Meaning, traveling at the speed of light, that is how long it takes for that to be visible from our planet. Take the Big Dipper for example. The Big Dipper is a constellation with the closes star to us is 86 light years and the farthest is 360 light years. So when you look at the big dipper you are looking at stars the way they were 86 years ago.. You are actually looking back in time.. Your mind is blown isn’t it. In all actuality when you look at the stars in the sky there are several of those stars that have already supernova and no longer exist. So you are looking at a light that is actually not there. So the theory is. The farther the star you see the farther back in time you look. What scientists have found when they look farther back through the stars is the existence of not 4 but 11 dimensions... This is what I mean. We operate in 4 dimensions... Height, Length, Width and Time. Those are the 4 dimensions that we operate in... Scientist have discovered 11 dimensions with no explanation of them. Now think of this of the existence of God... This is cool. If God does exist that means that he can operate in not just 4 dimensions but in at least 11…. See there is so much that people say are impossible, like How can God be both 1 yet three at the same time? How can go be sovereign yet give man a choice? There are all of these “mysteries” out there that we cannot understand because we view them in 4 dimensions but God, based on science, has the ability to operate in at least 11… That’s pretty cool!
Alright any of you confused? Good deal! But let me say it like this…. Neither Science nor Archeology has disproven the Bible… Let me explain that again, neither Science nor Archeology has disproven the Bible in fact and that includes Evolution. Listen I do not believe in Evolution, but that’s not because I am Christian and I have to, I believe the Theory itself is fundamentally flawed, but even if it were true. Even if evolution was true, it doesn’t disprove the Bible. It is possible to be a Christian and believe in Evolution. But that is a different story for a different day….
Let me give you an example from Archeology... It was long believed that the Bible contained an error in Daniel 5. Daniel 5 talks about the invasion of the Medo-Persian Empire of Babylon and the Bible says that the King of Babylon at the time was Beltshazzer. However, all historic texts tell us that the King at the time of the fall of Babylon was King Nabonidus... So atheist and agnostics would use this and say, look your Bible is Wrong... Your precious inerrant Bible is wrong… That is until 30 years, when an archeological dig made a discovery and they found writings that said, 10 years before the fall of Babylon King Nabonidus got tired of being King so he gave the empire over to his son…. Beltshazzer…. So Nabonidus was still in power but Beltshazzer was the one ruling.. And you want to know something cool…. Because the Bible has proven to be so reliable.. Archeologist now uses the Bible and studies it and they know, where the Bible says something is… Start digging…

Question 4 - Should the Church Be More Focused on Outreach or Personal Growth?

2008-12-18T14:41:00.000-06:00

#4 Should the Church Be More Focused On Outreach and Serving OR Christian Fellowship and Personal Growth?
Simple answer, the Church Universal and the Church Local should be about all of these. The Church should be about outreach (the Great Commission) Serving the less fortunate as well as enjoying one another in fellowship and sharpening one another so we grow in our faith. You have to find that balance. And the hard thing is finding that balance.. You find churches that are really good at the fellowship and focus on inner doings of the church. The problem with that is that church becomes no more than a social club and has no impact on the outside world. Then you have a problem the other way, where you get people who focus so much on Serving God that it replaces sitting still and Knowing God. It is that balance that all churches should be a part of. That is why, Ephesians tells us, that God has giving people spiritual gifts. Gifts that they can give to the church. There are those who are gifted with service they should serve, those gifted in evangelism, they should be about outreach. There are those gifted in Teaching, they should feed the flock. There are Encouragers who should build up others and Pastors who oversee these ministries. This is why Paul gives the analogy that just has a body has many parts that do different functions but they all serve the body the church has many different parts and functions but it’s all for the purpose of building of the Church. That is why God has give you each a gift, for the purpose of not building you up, but the church so when you do not exercise your gift it is not you who suffer it is the body of Christ.

Question 3 - Is it Against the Bible to be Wealthy

2008-12-18T14:40:00.002-06:00

#3 Is it Against the Bible to be Really Wealthy
To answer your question simply, no it is not against the Bible to be really wealthy. There are many characters in the Bible that God has blessed with wealth that is folks like Abraham, Job, King David etc. So no it is not against the Bible to be wealthy, but I would say the Bible definitely warns us about becoming wealthy. The Story that comes to mind is a parable that Jesus told in Luke 16 about the Rich Man and Lazarus. So there was the belief then, and believe it or not it’s still around, that God blesses obedience with wealth. That the more spiritual you are then the more wealthy you will become. That was the belief during Jesus time as well. So to counter that Jesus tells the story about a Wealthy Man who died and a man named Lazarus who was covered with sores who had no money and the best he could do was eat what feel from tables. It has this image of a dog eating the scraps.
Now if Jesus asked his listeners who would make it to the kingdom they would say, “Obviously the Rich man, because God has blessed him with possessions and prosperity and has cursed Lazarus with sickness and poverty because of his disobedience.” However as Jesus tells the story it is revealed that the Rich man went to Hades and Lazarus went to Paradise. Jesus is quick to say, it’s not rather you are rich or poor, it’s your heart that I care about… And the problem that usually that is associated with wealth is that the wealthy usually forget where they get their blessings. It’s easy to say, I am wealthy because I worked hard and I earned it and I got to where I am because of my own boot straps. It’s hard to say, I am wealthy because God has given me gifts and he has given me this wealth to do good. Do you see the difference? I will say this, if God has blessed you with wealth he has done it for a reason, and that primary reason should be to give back. Because missions cost money, and ministries cost money. If there were not the “wealthy” to support these ministries then these ministries would not happen. Here at K-Life, we totally rely on donations. We need support to run. And if we don’t get financial support then we have to close our doors and there will be no Tulsa K-Life. That is just a reality.
So in recap, no it’s not wrong or against the Bible to be wealthy. However when your love for your wealth replaces your love for the Lord and for his business then you are in trouble. Will you be able to say as Job did, when his wealth and his family was stripped away from him, “The Lord Gives and he takes away.”

Question 2 - What does the Bible say about Relationships before Marriage?

2008-12-18T14:40:00.001-06:00

Question #2 – What does the Bible say about Relationships before Marriage?
Now I am assuming the person who asked this question is talking about dating relationships. That is at least how I am going to answer it. Now I am going to be honest and say that the Bible is relatively silent on the issue of dating and the reason why that is because dating did not really occur at this period of time. The marriage custom at the time was that when a child got to the age of puberty, commonly 13 for boys and 12 for girls, the Father would find a bride for his sons. So this meant that if I had a son once he reached 13 I would begin looking to find a girl of 12 or older and would ask her father to arrange a marriage. Most didn’t get married until they were 16-18.
So then what does this mean for Christian dating? There are a ton of great Books out there that take principles found in the Bible and apply them to our 21st century custom of dating. What is my stance? Now this is just my opinion, but I didn’t date in High School. Why didn’t I date? I will just be honest with you, I didn’t date because I have these things called hormones and during your High School years they seem to be firing at an exponential rate. So to put it bluntly, I didn’t date because all I wanted to do with a girl in high school was to make out them. I am just being honest! Since my only motivation to dating was to gratify a physical desire, that is called lust. 1 Timothy 5:2 says “Treat older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” And until I was ready to see that girl I took out as a sister of Christ and it was my responsibility to treat her with absolute purity. So no, I didn’t start dating until I was at a point where I could date someone with the intent of it going to marriage.
Well then how do you get to a point where you learn to get along with girls? Although I did not have a girl-friend, I had many friends who were girls. I learned to interact with girls, how to talk to girls, and learned quickly that girls solve problems and think differently than us guys do. I think everybody should have friendships with the opposite sex. Now that is just my opinion. But that is what I believe.
And just a little side note, let me just vent for a second. Let’s talk about this word Love for a moment. Meredith and I were talking today about friends we have known who have just rushed into marriage under the impression that they were “in love” and got engaged after only 4 or 5 months of dating married just 4 months later and divorced 1 or 2 later…. When I was your age I bought into the fact that love was a feeling.. I am here to tell you that love is not a feeling.. Love is a commitment. When you tell somebody you love them, what you should be telling them is no matter what the circumstances are, no matter what changes, I will always be here. I will always be at your side. And I certainly believe that. Don’t go dropping that L-Bomb because you feel a connection with somebody.. Only drop it if you are willing to make that commitment. Alright I feel better.

Question #1 - How Can We Tell the Difference Between God's Desire and Our Own Desire?

2008-12-18T14:28:00.004-06:00

A few weeks ago at K-Life we took the time to answer some of the questions that you are asking. Here are the answers to those questions that you asked on Q and A night as well as some answers to questions that we did not have enough time to address.

Question 1: How can We Tell the Difference Between God’s Desire and Our Own Selfish Desire?
That’s a great question. You know there is a popular Christian cliché out there that when someone asks you “Hey can you take on this role at church or can you do this job” that a good Christian has to answer with, “Yea Let me Pray about that and I will get back to you.” You know you hear that all the time and essentially what they are saying is, “Let me see if it’s God’s will or not.” Now praying during for a big decision is a good thing and I am not down playing that, but seriously how do you know if God is leading you in a direction or not?
Another way that people ask this question is “What is God’s will for my life?” Does God want me to be a doctor, a pastor, which college does he want me to go to, does he want me to date or marry this girl or guy? And I hear that all the time but I am here to tell you that question is the wrong question to ask because God is not going to tell you… God is going to lead you on a journey but he is not going to tell you where to step. So the question that you should be asking is not “What is Gods will for my life” but the question is “What is God’s Will?” And that question is much easier to answer because God’s will is clearly stated in his word. This may seem like a dumb example, but to ask a question, is it’s God’s will for me to go out and drunk tonight you know from the Scriptures it is not and therefore if you go out and drink you are then acting outside of God’s desire for your life. Does God want me to date this non-Christian boy? Easy No he does not want you to be yoked with a non believer because he will more like bring you down then you bring him up.
But what about big decisions? Colleges, professions, marriages? How do I know God’s Will for my life then? Now this is my opinion, but I don’t think it matters to God what University you go to and what job you do, as long as you continue to do his will and that is live a life of holiness and be about the expansion of the kingdom of God. And whatever direction you Go that is God’s will for you. If he did not want you to go there then he would of shut the doors and had you go a different route. I see too many Christians on the sidelines because they are trying to figure out “God’s perfect plan” instead of going out there and getting in the game. God will honor that more than anything. So to answer your question, how do we know God’s desire from our own selfish desire? If it goes against the word of God and you still want to engage in it then that is your sinful nature and your selfish desire. However if it goes according to his word then God has give you gifts and a passion and your desire then lines up with God’s desire.

Yo Gabba K-Life

2008-12-09T11:03:00.002-06:00

Why are you a Christian?

2008-12-01T12:13:00.001-06:00

I am not a Christian because I grew up in a Christian home located in white suburbia in the belt buckle of the Bible belt. Although that is certainly true. No, I am a Christian because I believe the evidence supports it, and unless I am convinced by overwhelming evidence to counter my belief I cannot change. However, I have not always stood on such assurance. In fact my Christian journey has been a progression of spiritual ignorance to intellectual agnosticism to resting on theistic certainty.

“Why am I a Christian” is a question that everybody should ask themselves. Now, I am not suggesting a “question everything” or “the only thing you need to know is that you know nothing” mentality. However, I am suggesting that if we make some audacious claims like there is a God who created all things and that only through the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ can you be saved; we better have reasonable evidence to support those claims rather than the traditional “the Bible says, I believe it, and that settles it” creed. And you know what, this kind of thought has invaded the church today. We have forgotten Romans 12:2 that says, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Instead we are being transformed by the renewing of our emotions. That spiritual transformation for us is experience and if I can just get my emotional fix then I can be a better Christian.

We share the gospel now by appealing to the senses, that if we can guilt somebody of their actions, or if we play the right music and use the right voice fluxation, then we can move somebody into this ethereal state and then they will believe. In other words if we can create some sort of burning in their bosom then they will receive the Gospel. And if we look how the gospel was spread, particularly how Paul preached, Paul did not once resort to emotion for belief in Jesus Christ. No you see as in Acts 17:2 tells us, “As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he REASONED with them from the Scriptures, explaining and PROVING, that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”

Some Reason, we live in a day where the blinder the faith that a person has the more spiritual that they are. The phrase that fills our congregations is “Ask me how I know he lives he lives in me.”

I spend my summers working with teenagers at a Christian summer camp called Kanakuk out in Shell Knob, Missouri (Yes it does exist, Google map it if you don’t believe me). I was talking to some of our oldest guy campers about the importance of developing the Christian mind and I asked them a simple question. “How many of you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ?” Of course, as good Christian boys, they answered that they did. We then discussed why the resurrection was so essential in Christian theology and without the assurance of it we have no hope in what Christ said was true, that our sins truly are forgiven, and we have no hope for our very own resurrection. After developing the case for the doctrinal necessity of the resurrection I asked them a question I don’t think they ever heard before. “Why do you believe the Resurrection is a true historical event?” You ever seen 50 teenage boys silent? Me either up to that point.

The truth is they never asked themselves that question. They have been spoon fed their Christian beliefs their entire life by their parents and their churches and they haven’t learn to think for themselves. These were the answers that some of them gave me.
“I know he leaves because I have experienced him.”
“It’s a matter of blind faith. God cares about faith more than evidence.”
“I just have a gut feeling in my heart that it’s true.”
“It’s essential for salvation so it has to be true.”
You can see from these answers that their foundation for the reality of the resurrection rests on feelings, emotions, and hypothesis. This is crazy to me, because if the corner stone of Christianity is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the most popular apologetic is, “Ask me how I know he lives he lives in me.” The truth is that they might believe that in their heart for a season but the heart cannot truly accept what the mind rejects. It’s time that we fix this dichotomy that we have created between the heart and the mind.

What happens to these kids when they go to college and they walk into a philosophy, biology, or an ethics class and they are confronted with a professor whose ideology believes that if we get rid of religion then we get rid of all the world’s problems and he attacks them on their beliefs? I tell you what would happen, you would have kids who have never thought critically about their faith begin to question everything they have ever been taught about their faith and you would have 80% (stat varies from 70% to 90%) of incoming freshman leave the Christian faith by the end of their freshman year, just like we do now.

That good news is that as Christians we have answers. I love this quote by J.P. Moreland that says, “faith is not belief against the evidence but according to the evidence.” We need to learn to reclaim the mind for Christ in our youth. We need to teach them to love their Lord the God the way Jesus commanded us too and that is with our “heart, soul and mind” (Mathew 22:37). That is the purpose of Tulsa K-Life and the Tulsa K-Life blog. To be an online community that is dedicated in the developing of the Christian mind in our youth so that when they are asked the tough questions that they can stand firm on the evidence.

Welcome to the Tulsa K-Life Blog Page

2008-11-21T11:33:00.000-06:00

Welcome bloggers! This is the new Tulsa K-Life blog site! The official blog of Andrew Munneke and Tulsa K-Life. The goal of this blogsite is to be an extension of Tulsa K-Life. It will be a candid look at life, faith and our Christian journey as go along for the ride! Thanks for visiting this site!