Becoming Mature

This podcast was recorded shortly after Sept 11, 2010. As the day drew closer, a Florida pastor made the headlines with his promise to burn the Koran in protest. Then he said he wouldn’t. Then he said he would. Then others said if he didn’t they would. Everyone from the president on down has weighed in on this issue. But what is the biblical response. If we can’t trust the world to help us think this through…and we can’t…then we must seek supernatural revelation to help us know, not only what is right and wrong, but why it is right or wrong. 

So Joel and I batted this topic around and I hope your thinking will be more enlightened for the time spent with us.

This podcast was recorded shortly after Sept 11, 2010. As the day drew closer, a Florida pastor made the headlines with his promise to burn the Koran in protest. Then he said he wouldn’t. Then he said he would. Then others said if he didn’t they would. Everyone from the president on down has weighed in on this issue. But what is the biblical response. If we can’t trust the world to help us think this through…and we can’t…then we must seek supernatural revelation to help us know, not only what is right and wrong, but why it is right or wrong. 

So Joel and I batted this topic around and I hope your thinking will be more enlightened for the time spent with us.

Today Joel and I are tackling a subject that is often discussed but never, it seems, resolved. That is the question of alcohol. I’ve found this to be a hot topic where ever I’ve been because, on the one hand most see the dangers of alcohol and on the other there is no direct prohibition against it. So what are was a believers to think?

Part of the problem, I think, is the inability of many to ask the right questions. If you ask the right questions, there is no guarantee that you’ll arrive at the right answers, but if you ask the wrong ones, then it’s nearly certain that you’ll be misled.

So Joel and I approach this subject with the prayer that we’ll not only ask the right questions, but also draw conclusions strictly from the word of God so that may follow along and examine the evidence for yourself. So if you have ever wondered about this topic, or know someone who has (and by the way, that’s nearly all of us) then stay tuned for this lively discussion.

Well today, we have something different. I have the distinct privilege of serving as the senior pastor of Jenison Bible Church, in Hudsonville, MI. This church is special in many ways, but one way is that it’s only had four pastors in it’s 39 year history, including the one who planted the church and myself. That’s pretty amazing when you consider that the average tenure of a pastor today is less than two years.

The first pastor after the church was planted was Lee Buer who served here for over 15 years. He left here to serve at Grand Rapids School of the Bible and Music. After that he headed up Rural Bible Mission for many years. Now in the providence of God he has returned to us as my associate pastor. He is a man of vast experience and much learning and I consider myself exceptionally blessed to have him here serving with me.

Well, last Sunday night Lee and I held a question and answer session with the congregation of Jenison Bible church concerning the topics of death and eternity. This was so well received that I thought you might find it profitable to sit in on the conversation as well.

So sit back and be prepared to laugh and to think as we delve into what the Bible has to say on this important subject.

Today Joel and I issue an apology. That’s right, an apology. Of course, what we mean by that and what you might be thinking are two very different things. Like all languages, English has words do double, triple, quadruple duty and more. The same is true of the word apology. It can mean an admission of error or an expression of regret. Or it could be used to describe a poor substitute for something, as in “he is a poor apology for an actor.”

But the word has at least one other meaning as well. It can be used to express a formal justification for something. So an apology in this case would be a defense of our podcast. IOW, why is it that we feel to publish this podcast at all? And the answer lies in our ability or lack of it to know things as they really are apart from God’s revelation.

Now in making this apology or defense of our conversations, Joel and I have to discuss some philosophy. But don’t let that word scare you off. I think you’ll find our treatment of some of our fundamental presuppositions to be easily attainable.

So keep listening for a discussion that deals with our whole reason for publishing, our presuppositions, how it affects what conclusions we draw, and why we feel you need to share these basic assumptions as well.

This episode Joel and I are talking baseball and celery. Mostly baseball but there is some celery thrown in just for good measure. Now if you don’t like baseball or know little about it, I hope you’ll keep listening because the subject really isn’t baseball per se, but is just the background for the larger topics of honesty, broken promises, hero worship, confection, and much more.

So keep listening for a discussion that is applicable to games in particular and life in general.

Today Joel and I address the unhappy topic of the disaster in Haiti. As with any natural disaster, there has been much public speculation trying to answer the question, "Why?" We as humans have an inherent need to understand our world. In many ways, this is positive. But what do we do when the unexplainable comes along. Oh certainly, geologists can provide technical, materialistic answers as to the physical causes of the earthquake. But ultimately that leaves us empty. Because God has created us as both material and immaterial beings, a simple materialistic answer only satisfies part of us. Ultimately we want to know, "Where was God in all this?" Was this really the wrath of Gaia or a result of a pact with the Devil?

Stay tuned as Joel and I disuse the biblical evidence about what can and can't be known.

Our conversation today revolves around the latest blockbuster movie by James Cameron. It's the most expensive film ever made and it's getting a lot of buzz. I'm speaking of course of Avatar, the 3d sensation that employs the latest technology to present to movie goers and entirely new experience.

But what about the message of the film? As thoughtful believers we should recognize that no film is morally neutral, but instead conveys a message whether intended or not. So in this episode, Joel and I discuss the presuppositions and plot devices of Hollywood's latest offering.

The Finns have declared high speed Internet to be a legal right. The French have declared Internet access (any speed) to be a basic human right.

In the United States, we have been raised with the idea that we are endowed by our "Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

An unalienable right is a right that can't be surrendered by a citizen to the government. Unalienable rights are the result of natural law and therefore can't be transferred from one person to another, rights which cannot be given away or abandoned.

But what does the Bible say? If it is indeed all that is necessary for faith and life, one would expect an extended discussion on the topic in its pages. Surprisingly there is none. As far as I can tell, the concept of rights is an entirely fabricated human construct which is found no where directly in Scripture.

Joel Williamson (Prof of OT at Calvary Theological Seminary) and I converse about the issue of rights. Our conversation is an extension of this earlier blog post.

The Good News of Jesus Christ has been the foundation of the church since its inception. This foundation, however, has constantly been attacked for the same amount of time. In this episode, two different distortions of the Gospel are examined. While the two movements discussed are completely different, they have this in common: they move the center of the Gospel from eternity to this world.

The first is the Nazareth Manifesto. There is an excellent article on this movement listed in the reference section of this post by Mark Newell. In fact, I'm borrowing the title for this podcast from Newell. In our conversation Joel and I call this the Nazareth Movement since this really is a theological movement based on this "Manifesto."

The second is the prosperity gospel. You can find more information about this movement including the video to which Joel and I refer in this blog post: Stealing in the Name of the Lord: Our National Export.

As in previous episodes, my conversation today is with Joel Williamson, Prof of OT at Calvary Theological Seminary.