Sunday, September 23, 2007
Last Post
Alas, this will be my last post on this blog. Why, you may ask? Because wordpress.com is better, that's why. All my past posts have been moved to http://mlindstedt.wordpress.com
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Mars Hill Bible Church "Theology"
I am struggling to find any value in Mars Hill Bible Church's statement of "theology." The main reason is because it does not say anything. I also noticed this when I read Velvet Elvis, a book by Mars Hill's pastor Rob Bell. There is so much flowery language in the statement that I feel nauseous after reading it:
When we begin to describe what we believe about God, we discover that he's been
writing a story of hope and redemption for all the world, and we have a role to play in this story.
We believe the Bible to be the voices of many who have
come before us, inspired by God to pass along their poems, stories, accounts,
and letters of response and relationship with each other and the living God. These words have been used to describe God and his character for
thousands of years, and we call this theology. Theology is one of the
best ways we can come to know and love God; it is also how we understand who God
calls us to be and what he calls us to do. Theology comes from the Greek words
"theos" and "logos." Theos means God, and logos means word. Words about God.
Theology is "words about God?" Wow, it does not get much more shallow than that. I cringe when I see people diminishing God so much. It is painful.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Suing God?
I am not sure whether to laugh or cry at this story from CNN.com
"LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) -- A legislator who filed a lawsuit against God has gotten something he might not have expected: a response.
State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha said he sued God last week to make a point about frivolous lawsuits.
One of two court filings from "God" came Wednesday under otherworldly circumstances, according to John Friend, clerk of the Douglas County District Court in Omaha.
"This one miraculously appeared on the counter. It just all of a sudden was here -- poof!" Friend said.
State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha sued God last week, seeking a permanent injunction against the Almighty for making terroristic threats, inspiring fear and causing "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."
Chambers, a self-proclaimed agnostic who often criticizes Christians, said his filing was triggered by a federal lawsuit he considers frivolous. He said he's trying to make the point that anybody can sue anybody.
Not so, says "God." His response argues that the defendant is immune from some earthly laws and the court lacks jurisdiction.
It adds that blaming God for human oppression and suffering misses an important point.
"I created man and woman with free will and next to the promise of immortal life, free will is my greatest gift to you," according to the response, as read by Friend.
There was no contact information on the filing, although St. Michael the Archangel is listed as a witness, Friend said.
A second response from "God" disputing Chambers' allegations lists a phone number for a Corpus Christi law office. A message left for that office was not immediately returned Thursday.
Attempts to reach Chambers by phone and at his Capitol office Thursday were unsuccessful."
"LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) -- A legislator who filed a lawsuit against God has gotten something he might not have expected: a response.
State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha said he sued God last week to make a point about frivolous lawsuits.
One of two court filings from "God" came Wednesday under otherworldly circumstances, according to John Friend, clerk of the Douglas County District Court in Omaha.
"This one miraculously appeared on the counter. It just all of a sudden was here -- poof!" Friend said.
State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha sued God last week, seeking a permanent injunction against the Almighty for making terroristic threats, inspiring fear and causing "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."
Chambers, a self-proclaimed agnostic who often criticizes Christians, said his filing was triggered by a federal lawsuit he considers frivolous. He said he's trying to make the point that anybody can sue anybody.
Not so, says "God." His response argues that the defendant is immune from some earthly laws and the court lacks jurisdiction.
It adds that blaming God for human oppression and suffering misses an important point.
"I created man and woman with free will and next to the promise of immortal life, free will is my greatest gift to you," according to the response, as read by Friend.
There was no contact information on the filing, although St. Michael the Archangel is listed as a witness, Friend said.
A second response from "God" disputing Chambers' allegations lists a phone number for a Corpus Christi law office. A message left for that office was not immediately returned Thursday.
Attempts to reach Chambers by phone and at his Capitol office Thursday were unsuccessful."
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Twisted Perspective
I came across a disturbing quote today while reading the sports section of the Daily Herald. Columnist Mike Imren, writing about O.J. Simpson's "fall," wrote:
Most troubling about all this is
how one man could go from being so beloved nationally
to being this horrifying human being.
Was Simpson fooling us back in the day
Was Simpson fooling us back in the day
by pretending to be a good guy?
Were we celebrity-gawking gullible?
Or was he good back then before becoming evil?
The wider question is,
The wider question is,
do all of us have some dark place deep inside that,
if lucky,
we successfully suppress?
Mr. Imren's words represent a major flaw in American thinking. We see stories of people like O.J. Simpson and are appalled that a human being cold be capable of such evil. But should we be? No way! We don't just have a "dark place inside;" we are thoroughly evil by nature without Christ. And living a life free from evil has nothing to do with luck, but it has everything to do with grace from an Almighty God. No one can "successfully suppress" evil by their own power. It takes acceptance of Christ's sacrifice in order to set us free from our bondage. That is the heart of the gospel. It is sad to me that this sort of thinking is so rampant in our culture. There is much work to be done brothers and sisters.
Sons of Korah
I had the privilege of hearing the music group "Sons of Korah" play twice this week. I heard them on Sunday at First Baptist Church of Wheaton and on Monday in chapel at Wheaton College. They really are a unique group, one of the few Christian groups that actually gets it right. They write music to the Psalms, so their music is literally straight out of the Bible. you can follow along in your Bible instead of staring with eyes glazed at a screen.
The group has a website: http://www.sonsofkorah.com/. It is worth checking out.
The group has a website: http://www.sonsofkorah.com/. It is worth checking out.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Remembering 9/11
As I walked from breakfast to my Geology lab this morning, I was greeted by probably thousands of miniature United States flags that had been stuck in the ground overnight. The flags represent each life that was taken in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, six years ago today. It was a powerful reminder of that horrific day, one that has left me thinking about how precious life is.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was on my way to school when the first plane flew into the World Trade Center. We were waiting to turn from East Loop onto Naperville Rd in Wheaton, with Klove playing in the car. They said that a plane had crashed into the WTC, but the information was sketchy at that point. As we got closer to school in St. Charles, we learned of another plane crashing into the other WTC tower, but the info was still not very clear as to the size of the planes. It was with this knowledge that I went through the school day. It was a weird day, it seemed as though my teacher was in and out of the classroom more than usual, but i did not really give it a second thought.
It was not until after school on the car ride home that I learned about the Pentagon had also been hit, and that another plane had crashed in Pennsylvania. The news reports were now very clear that the events had been acts of terrorism. When I we got back to our spacious (notice the sarcasm here) apartment in Wheaton, I turned on the TV and saw the devastation replayed over and over and over again. Those images will be burned in my mind forever. I remember thinking 'What on earth would cause someone to do something like this?" As the death toll rose and we learned who was behind the attack, the range of emotions that I was feeling was quite remarkable. In one moment I would feel deep sadness for the families of those who died, and in the next would feel anger towards the evil men behind the attacks.
9/11 is a day that causes an interesting paradox. In one sense, I will never forget what I saw and felt on that day, but then again I need to be reminded of those feelings every year on the anniversary. What 9/11 has taught me, more than anything else, is that we live in a fallen, broken world that needs Jesus. Jesus came to restore all things to God's original intent. As a Christian, I feel a weight of responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission and "make disciples of all nations." 9/11 is a reminder of just how far short we fall, because it is not just Islamic militants who perform evil in this world. It is everybody. Everybody needs to hear and experience the love of Christ. So we better get started , eh?
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was on my way to school when the first plane flew into the World Trade Center. We were waiting to turn from East Loop onto Naperville Rd in Wheaton, with Klove playing in the car. They said that a plane had crashed into the WTC, but the information was sketchy at that point. As we got closer to school in St. Charles, we learned of another plane crashing into the other WTC tower, but the info was still not very clear as to the size of the planes. It was with this knowledge that I went through the school day. It was a weird day, it seemed as though my teacher was in and out of the classroom more than usual, but i did not really give it a second thought.
It was not until after school on the car ride home that I learned about the Pentagon had also been hit, and that another plane had crashed in Pennsylvania. The news reports were now very clear that the events had been acts of terrorism. When I we got back to our spacious (notice the sarcasm here) apartment in Wheaton, I turned on the TV and saw the devastation replayed over and over and over again. Those images will be burned in my mind forever. I remember thinking 'What on earth would cause someone to do something like this?" As the death toll rose and we learned who was behind the attack, the range of emotions that I was feeling was quite remarkable. In one moment I would feel deep sadness for the families of those who died, and in the next would feel anger towards the evil men behind the attacks.
9/11 is a day that causes an interesting paradox. In one sense, I will never forget what I saw and felt on that day, but then again I need to be reminded of those feelings every year on the anniversary. What 9/11 has taught me, more than anything else, is that we live in a fallen, broken world that needs Jesus. Jesus came to restore all things to God's original intent. As a Christian, I feel a weight of responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission and "make disciples of all nations." 9/11 is a reminder of just how far short we fall, because it is not just Islamic militants who perform evil in this world. It is everybody. Everybody needs to hear and experience the love of Christ. So we better get started , eh?
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