Think you're good without God? Define "good"!

Last Sunday Pastor Allen held up the front page of the Arizona Daily Star on which this photo appeared. A group of skeptics purchased this bulletin board to tout their unbelief. Ironically, it replaced a bulletin board previously sponsored by a Christian group. For the whole story, you can go here.

One of the problems with such assertions (we can be good without God) is that when one denies the existence of a transcedent, over-arching authority, there is no means left by which to define that which is "good." Philosophers have struggled with this over the ages. Epicurus, Hobbes, Rousseau, Mill, and others who hated the notion of God, usually defined good as that which is "pleasurable, desirable, natural, expedient," and so on. The two problems with this are: (1) this is personal and subjective, not universal and objective; (2) what happens when my notion of "desirable" conflicts with someone else's?

C. S. Lewis dealt with this in the first chapter of Mere Christianity, when he pointed out that everyone seems to have this inbred notion of what is "fair," but non-theists want to pretend that they made this up by themselves. What they can't answer is the question, "Does good exist at all?" And if so, then by what standard is it determined? And (most importantly) where did this notion even come from?

Atheists such a Christopher Hitchins try to dodge this question by referring to "commonly held societal defintions" of good and evil. But this neither accounts for differences between what some cultures accept and others don't, or for why there are some notions that are abhorrent to all cultures. As for understanding the latter, we as Christians may refer to Romans 1:

17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
,
"Without excuse" is a scary place to be if one thinks one can be good without God, and then falls short in even the slightest degree.

Happy Rodeo Days!

One of those unique Tucson oddities that is so hard to explain to outsiders is Rodeo Week. And God has blessed us with another Rodeo Week of great weather this year! I did something I've never done before yesterday. I actually watched the Rodeo Parade on TV!

But Wednesday was even better. I happened to be at one of Tucson's "hidden treasure" Christian Schools, Chapel in the Hills, in Southwest Tucson (Mission Road and Irvington area). This delightful preschool through fifth grade campus is eighteen years old and is under the capable leadership of Michelle Morales. Like many Tucson schools, they celebrated Rodeo Week with outdoor games of their own. Pictured above is a young man getting set to rope a "steer." An experienced cowboy (a grandpa) was on hand to show young cowboys and cowgirls "the ropes" of calf roping.

Like many Christian schools, Chapel in the Hills attracts families with little or no church affiliation. After the outdoor games, I was able to speak briefly to the parents about how to use the tax credit scholarships to keep their children in Christian schooling. They were attentive, asked good questions, and took all my literature! Besides the nuts and bolts of how thr tax credit works, my basic message was: "You have made a thoughtful and self-initiated choice of where to send your child to school. Keep making those choices actively, because they're your kids, not the government's. And the advantage of schools like Chapel in the Hills? They are safe, high-achieving, and inspiring!

God's Providential Care

You have probably already noted that I am a fan of Ravi Zacharias. I always like finding the sources of the illustrations Pastor Allen uses in his sermons. It makes for a great reading list! I found that the story he told Sunday comes from the book, Walking from East to West, one I have't read yet.

For those who may have missed it here is the story:

"I was ministering in Vietnam in 1971, and one of my interpreters was Hien Pham, an energetic young Christian. He had worked as a translator with the American forces, and was of immense help both to them and to missionaries such as myself. Hien and I traveled the length of the country and became very close friends before I returned home. We did not know if our paths would ever cross again. Seventeen years later, I received a telephone call. "Brother Ravi?" the man asked. Immediately, I recognized Hien’s voice, and he soon told me his story.

Shortly after Vietnam fell, Hien was imprisoned on accusations of helping the Americans. His jailers tried to indoctrinate him against democratic ideals and the Christian faith. He was forced to read only communist propaganda in French or Vietnamese, and the daily deluge of Marx and Engels began to take its toll. "Maybe," he thought, "I have been lied to. Maybe God does not exist. Maybe the West has deceived me." So Hien determined that when he awakened the next day, he would not pray anymore or think of his faith.

The next morning, he was assigned the dreaded chore of cleaning the prison latrines. As he cleaned out a tin can overflowing with toilet paper, his eye caught what seemed to be English printed on one piece of paper. He hurriedly grabbed it, washed it, and after his roommates had retired that night, he retrieved the paper and read the words, "Romans, Chapter 8." Trembling, he began to read, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. … For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:28,38,39).

Hien wept. He knew his Bible, and he knew that there was not a more relevant passage for one on the verge of surrender. He cried out to God, asking forgiveness. This was to have been the first day that he would not pray; evidently God had other plans.

As it were, there was an official in the camp who was using a Bible as toilet paper. So Hien asked the commander if he could clean the latrines regularly. Each day he picked up a portion of Scripture, cleaned it off, and added it to his collection of nightly reading.

Then the day came when, through an equally providential set of circumstances, Hien was released from prison. He promptly began to make plans to leave the country and to construct a boat for the escape of him and 53 others. All was going according to plan until days before their departure. Four Vietcong knocked on Hien’s door and said they had heard of his escape. He denied it and they left. Hien felt relieved, but at the same time disappointed with himself. He made a promise to God—fervently hoping that God would not take him up on it—that if the Vietcong returned, he would tell them the truth. He was thoroughly shaken when only a few hours before they were to set sail, the four men returned. When questioned again, he confessed the truth. To Hien’s astonishment, the men leaned forward and, in hushed tones, asked if they could go with him!

In an utterly incredible escape plan, all 58 of them found themselves on the high seas, suddenly engulfed by a violent storm. Hien cried out to God, "Did you bring us here to die?" But then he said to me, "Brother Ravi, if it were not for the sailing ability of those four Vietcong, we would not have made it." They arrived safely in Thailand, and years later Hien arrived on American soil where today he is a businessman."

Meet Kelly Clark

I hope you are enjoying the Winter Olympics as much as I am!

In his sermon last Sunday, Pastor Allen told the story of U.S. snowboarder Kelly Clark. Here is her comment about the difference knowing Christ has made in her sport:

"That kind of freed up my snowboarding. All of a sudden I was enjoying myself and having more fun than I had before. I was free to do it part from having to do it."

In the photo you can see her "Jesus" snowboard. She also has a sticker on her snowboard that says "Jesus, I can not hide my love."

More from Tertullian

In his message Sunday, Pastor Allen mentioned this quotation by third century theologian Tertullian: "See how (these Christians) love one another."

Tertullian was a prolific writer, so I thought you might enjoy reading a few of his other most quotable statements here.

First, the actual context of the quotation above was that Tertullian was contrasting Christians with their critics. Here is the full quote:

"Look," they say, "how they love one another" (for they themselves hate one another); "and how they are ready to die for each other" (for they themselves are readier to kill each other)."

The blood of the martyrs is the seed [of the Church].

For reason is a property of God's, since there is nothing which God, the creator of all things, has not foreseen, arranged and determined by reason; moreover, there is nothing He does not wish to be investigated and understood by reason.

Indeed for us murder is forbidden once and for all, so it is not permitted even to destroy what is conceived in the womb. To prohibit the birth of a child is only a faster way to murder; it makes little difference whether one destroys a life already born or prevents it from coming to birth. It is a human being, who is to be a human being, for the whole fruit is already present in the seed.

If I give you a rose you will not disdain its creator.

The truth is, the human race has always deserved ill at God's hand. First of all, as undutiful to Him, because when it knew Him in part, it not only did not seek after Him, but even invented other gods of its own to worship; and further, because, as the result of their willing ignorance of the Teacher of righteousness, the Judge and Avenger of sin, all vices and crimes grew and flourished.

It's a thoughtful day...

Thank you to Pastor Allen for affording us the opportunity to enter into a period of Lenten reflection (and fasting) last Sunday. Depositing our repentance lists and fast intents in the pot on the altar is a physical way we can express the invisible work of the Holy Spirit within us.

This is the traditional gospel reading for today:


Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

Jesus said, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

More history from which to learn

Pastor Allen loves to use military imagery in his sermons, and the allusion to the Battle of Thermopylae in last Sunday's message was a stirring one, indeed. For those who need more "back story," here is a brief summary, abridged from Wikipedia:

"In August 480 BC, Leonidas set out to meet Xerxes' army at Thermopylae, where he was joined by forces from other Greek city-states, who put themselves under his command to form an army between 4,000 and 7,000 strong. This force was assembled in an attempt to hold the pass of Thermopylae against a massive Persian army of between 80,000 and 290,000 men-at-arms who had invaded from the north of Greece under Xerxes I. Xerxes waited 4 days to attack, hoping the Greeks would disperse. Finally, on the 5th day they attacked. Leonidas and his men repulsed the Persians' frontal attacks for the fifth and sixth days, killing roughly 20,000 of the enemy troops and losing about 2,500 of their own. At that point Leonidas sent away all Greek troops and remained in the pass with his 300 Spartans, 900 Helots, and 700 Thespians who refused to leave.

The small Greek force, attacked from both sides, was cut down to a man except for the Thebans, who surrendered. Leonidas was killed, but the Spartans retrieved his body and protected it until their final defeat. The tomb of Leonidas lies today in the northern part of the modern town of Sparta. Additionally, there is a modern monument at the site of the Battle of Thermopylae, called the "Leonidas Monument" in his honor. It features a bronze statue of Leonidas. A sign, under the statue, reads simply: "Μολών λαβέ" ("Come and get them!") which the Spartans said when the Persians asked them to put down their weapons."

Pastor Allen drew a parallel between this small force and the 300 Israelites with Gideon (see Judges 6-8). Certainly the admonition for us to be courageous against the works of darkness in our time is relevant. And we do seem as outnumbered as the Greeks were by the Persians, and as Gideon's troops were by the Midianites. But there is one important difference. Leonidas's 300, trusting in their own strength, were destroyed. But Gideon's 300, trusting in the strength of Almighty God, prevailed.

May it be ever so among those who name the name of Christ.

Looking backward and forward

Pastor Allen has mentioned this book several times in recent sermons at Dove Mountain. It was also mentioned here at this blog last November 8. In this week's sermon, it was the source of the compelling story Pastor Allen told about the "deep savagery of much of 18th century England," and the subsequent reforms which can be traced to spiritual renewal and conversion.

What was striking in the sermon, of course, were the parallels to today's American culture. The specific sins which Pastor Allen read about in 18th century England are certainly abroad in our times here in the U.S., and there were audible agreements being voiced among the congregation as he read the list.

Pastor Allen is well-read in history, and we should be grateful that he brings so much of the past into his messages. But the point is for us to apply the lessons we learn from the past. In this case, England would have sunk further into debauchery of all kinds had its people not heeded the message of the gospel and repented. For our purposes, it is not relevant that England has since sunk back even further into sin. In many respects, it is merely following the lead of its offspring, the United States, the international distributor of Hollywood-controlled American culture.

On a side note, I will mentioned that in telling this story, Stott is quoting from an older work, entitled England before and after Wesley: The Evangelical Revival and Social Reform, by historian J. Wesley Bready. At Amazon.com, I learned that this book has been out of print for some time, and only rare copies are for sell by private owners at a high price.

Now, this is not necessarily the result of a conspiracy (at least not a conscious one), but with the currently fashionable disregard of history, we should be thankful that writers like John Stott (and preachers like Allen Cooney) have done the research for us, keeping these stories alive to inspire us to action in our time.

Let's show our appreciation by praying for revival and practicing repentance of national sins in our individual lives.

Saluting Maddy!

Congratulations to our own Maddy Cooney, younger daughter of Pastor Allen and Mrs. Huntley Cooney, who has been selected for participation in the Air Force Academy's Summer Seminar in June. The Academy calls this seminar "a unique opportunity for high school juniors going into their senior year to see a realistic picture of what cadet life is about."

When asked why she chose to apply for this program, Maddy said, "I am going to AFA's SS (Air Force Academy's Summer Seminar) because I think I want to attend the Academy. This will help me to determine if the Academy is the right place for me to be. I want to go to the Air Force Academy because I want to fight for and protect the people and ideals of America. The Academy will challenge me physically, academically, emotionally, and spiritually and making me into the best person I can be; ready to fight for the country and for God."

Maddy then added, "I would rather drop bombs on the enemy than shoot at them." She then suggested my title for this blog could be "Death from Above." I think that was influenced by her dad.

Jesus Among Other Gods

I mentioned this book yesterday, and today I want to share a few other of my favorite quotes here. Unlike yesterday's quote, these are all in Ravi Zacharias's own words.

For those who say Christians are forcing their beliefs on others:

"One of India's leading 'saints' Sri Ramakrishna, is said to have been for a little while a Muslim, for a little while a Christian, and then finally, a Hindu again, because he came to the conclusion that they are all the same. If they are all the same, Why did he revert to Hinduism? It is just not true that all religions are the same? Even Hindusim is not the same within itself. Thus, to deny the Christian the privilege of propagation is to propagate to him or her the fundamental beliefs of another religion."

On the origin of ethics:

"Not one proponent of evolutionary ethics has explained how an impersonal, amoral first cause through a nonmoral process has produced a moral basis for life, while at the same time denying any objective mroal basis for good and evil. Does it not seem odd that of all the permutations and combinations that a random universe might afford we should end up with the notions of the true, the good, and the beautiful? Why call anything good or evil?.....Objective moral values exist only if God exists."

On the futility of modernism:

"The surest evidence that evil is not the enemy of meaning is this inescapable existential reality: that meaninglessness does not come from being weary of pain but from neing weary of pleasure. This obvious truth is conspicuously absent in the arguments of skeptics. It is not pain that has driven the West into emptiness; it has been the drowning of meaning in the oceans of our pleasures. Pleasure gone wrong is a greater curse than physical blindness. The blindness to the sacred is the cause of all evil."

I hope these quotes tantalize you into taking a look at the whole book. I recommend it.

The Return of the Prodigal

One of the book clubs I belong to (yes, there are four!) just finished Ravi Zacharias's Jesus Among Other Gods: the Absolute Claims of the Christian Message. The subtitle tells it all: the Christiam message is unambiguous about the identity of Christ. Postmodernism tolerates eveything but its own absolute claims, and the certainty of Christ's lordship stands in direct contrast.

In the last chapter, Zacharias tells a moving story about Catholic scholar Henry Nouwen, who had a deep fascination with Rembrant's The Return of the Prodigal Son (above). When Nouwen was finally able to see the original, he sat gazing on it for four hours! Here are Nouwen's thoughts about this remarkable painting:

"And so there I was; facing the painting that had been on my mind and in my heart for nearly three years. I was stunned by its majestic beauty. Its size, larger than life; its abundant reds, browns, and yellows; its shadowy recess and bright foreground, but most of all the light-enveloped embrace of father and son surrounded by four mysterious bystanders, all of this gripped me with an intensity far beyond my anticipation. There had been moments in which I had wondered whether the real painting might disappoint me. The opposite was true. Its grandeur and splendor made everything recede into the background and held me completely captivated.

Rembrandt's embrace remained imprinted on my soul far more profoundly than any temporary expression of emotional support. It has brought me into touch with something within me that lies far beyond the ups and downs of life, something that represents the ongoing yearning of the human spirit, the yearning for a final return, an unambiguous sense of safety, a lasting home."

We all share this longing for a "lasting home." In Christ we have been provided that hope! Thank God for Rembrandt, and his ability to portray the fulfillment of this hope!

Reviewing the Stones

Since Pastor Allen first introduced the five stones way back in late October, I thought it would be good to review them briefly today. His sermon this past Sunday was on stone #2, proclamation (or evangelism).

1. Prayer
2. Evangelism
3. Bearing witness to the Truth
4. Protesting and resisting
5. Demonstrating