The Slow Suicide of Liberal Christianity

A post by Al Mohler lead me to a review of a book by the daughter of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. In The Close, Chloe Breyer offers her take as a first year seminarian in the Episcopal General Theological Seminary of New York . The book is an eye-opener on the vapid state of modern liberal Christianity, that is somehow seen by Breyer as a virtuous adventure.

One exchange noted by reviewer Rod Dreher offers to me one of the most poignant demonstrations of why liberal Christians just don't get it and in the process are, as Dreher puts it, committing slow suicide.

Our Chloe decides to set up a Bible study for a group of Bellevue patients who are in from Rikers Island, the notorious city prison. She plays a video segment from the Bill Moyers series Genesis. The inmates see Bible scholars agreeing that Genesis gives us plenty of questions, but few answers. Her students don’t get it.

“They’re supposed to be experts, right?” says Tyrone. “So then why are they giving us all this stuff about not having any answers? I mean, it doesn’t take a Ph.D. not to have answers! And if they don’t have any answers, then who does?”

Others chime in with contempt for the equivocating liberal scholars Breyer so admires. Finally, a Muslim convert speaks up. “See, this is what I’m telling you, man. The Koran is the place to go for answers! . . . I became a Muslim because the Koran has the most truth in it. You don’t argue about what it means. You read it, and you know what to do. The Prophet got the word directly from God.”

“Is that right?” asks Tyrone. “Is that how it is? The Koran has more answers than the Bible?” Undeterred, and unable to grasp the significance of the moment, Breyer sets out to teach these poor sinners that the Bible doesn’t have to be taken literally. There are lots of gray areas, she tells them, and they should feel empowered by the fact that they can interpret Scripture any way they like. The inmates are unmoved.

“They want answers, not questions,” Breyer writes. “[T]he more contradictions I point out in the Bible, the more the inmates decide there is no point in wasting their time with a religion that lacks answers.”

Smart cookies, those crooks, who intuitively grasp the worthlessness of Breyer’s baptized sophistries to their broken lives. Their critique is utterly lost on this earnest young woman, who does not know, or perhaps simply does not have the courage or conviction to say to these men, that Jesus is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

She reminds me of the faithless pastor in Ingmar Bergman’s Winter Light, who, when asked by a parishioner terrified of nuclear war for a reason to hope, had none to give him. The anguished parishioner commits suicide. The only consolation any of us might take from the education of Chloe Breyer is that her kind of Christianity is committing slow suicide—except that it is taking who knows how many souls down with it.

The Close natters on for a couple more chapters, but that is where it ended for me—appropriately, because though Breyer misses the point, her experience with the prisoners reveals where liberal Christianity ultimately ends up: not only impotent and ignored, but also in its irrelevance handing people over to false gospels and false gods. The poor, for whom Christ suffered and died, cannot afford the fashionable falsehoods proclaimed by the world’s Chloe Breyers.

How many people will be lost forever through good intentions and intellectual arrogance. Read the whole review and weep for our age.

Your Church Quiz

You scored as Herald Model. Your model of the church is Herald. The organization of the church is much less important than the urgency of announcing the Good News of salvation to all the world. The Holy Spirit moves the individual to belief in Jesus Christ and to do the will of the Father by sharing this message with others. As with other models, the narrowness of this model could be supplemented by drawing on other models. What is your model of the church?

A New Year's Solemn Warning

The following is excerpted from a sermon by John Angell James entitled: A New Year's Solemn Warning.
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This is what the Lord says: "I am going to remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this year!" Jeremiah 28:16

Standing as you now do upon the threshold of another year, and looking with something of curiosity and suspense, if not with anxiety and dread, upon the dark curtain which wisely and mercifully conceals the future from your view, it behooves you in deep seriousness to inquire and consider, not only what may happen—and be prepared for the worst that can happen. For though there is one sense in which we ought not to take "thought for the morrow," there is another in which we ought. It is as much our duty wisely to provide for coming time, as it is to abstain from unnecessary, useless, and distressing worry. Concerning many the decree is fixed, and the sentence gone forth, which was denounced on Hananiah, "You will die this year!" This may be the case with any one of the readers of the present address, and therefore every one of them should seriously reflect upon such a possibility.

This year you may die—for you must die some time—and that time may as likely come this year as any other.

This year you may die—because you have no revelation from God that you shall not.

This year you may die—because you are ever and everywhere exposed to the causes that take away life.

This year you may die—because life is the most uncertain thing in the world, and you have not the assurance of a single moment beyond the present.

This year you may die—because some among your friends and acquaintances have died; and all the liabilities to death still remain for the rest who yet live.

This year you may die—for it is all but certain that many of the readers of this address will die this year—and why not you?

This year you may die, although there is now no indication of approaching death; for many during the past year have been cut off, and many during the present year will die, who may now seem very likely to live—and why not you?

How many, then, are the probabilities that before next new year's day, your place will be vacant in the family, at the scene of your daily occupation, and in the house of God! Ought not this to induce a habit of solemn, pensive, devout, practical, profitable, reflection. Bring home the thought. Take up the supposition, and say, "Yes, it is possible, by no means improbable, that I may die—this year!"

Suppose you should let me, on the ground of this supposition, ask you a few QUESTIONS.

Are you really prepared for your latter end, by being a partaker of genuine faith, the new birth, a holy life, and a heavenly mind? Or are you a mere nominal professor, having a name to live, while you are dead? Are the fruits of a living branch in the true Vine brought forth by you? Do you recognize in yourselves, and do others see in you, the marks of a state of grace? Put the question to your own hearts, ask yourselves, "What am I? Am I a spiritual, heavenly, humble, waiting, working servant of God? Am I really crucified with Christ, dead to the world, ripening for glory? Is there anything heavenly about me? Is my assurance well settled, my joy established, my temper sanctified, my walk consistent? Am I thus ready for death, and like one waiting for the coming of the Master, ready for whatever comes, dressed for action and with my lamp lit?"

Do, with your grave open before you, inquire into this matter. Are you living as you would wish to be found, when the summons comes? Is your soul in that state in which you would desire it to be found when death strikes? Are you, in your devotional habits, your temper, your general behavior, as you should be—with eternity so near? Would you like to look up as you are, just as you are now, while reading these lines, and see your Master at his coming? Would you desire to die—just as you are now?

Is there no part of your conduct as a professor, which, upon the supposition you may die this year, you should alter? Nothing in the family, the closet, the shop, the church, the world—you should amend? What! death so near—and nothing to be done to meet it with confidence and joy?
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Act upon the supposition that this may be your closing year. How appropriate is the admonition of Solomon, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might—for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, where you are going." Whatever is to be done—or ought to be done now. Whatever you can find to do—do it. Look about, and consider what will you wish you had done—in the hour of death! Or if you could look out of your grave after you had entered it, what would you regret you had not done, for your own soul, for your family, for your friends, for the church, or for the world?

What would you do—if you knew for certain this were your last year? Think how you would then act as regards your personal piety. How laboriously you would mortify remaining corruption! How carefully you would watch against sin! How anxiously you would examine your soul, with a view to supply every defect! How regular and earnest would be your prayers! How constant your attendance on all the means of grace! How diligent and strenuous your endeavor after universal holiness! You would say, "O my soul, you have but a few more months to grow in grace, to die to the world, to be fitted for heaven, to do anything for your own eternal welfare, to gain a lofty seat in glory—and will you not be diligent to the very last exertion? Will you not lay aside every weight, and the sin that does most easily beset you—when you are so near the end of your race? Will you be lukewarm, careless, negligent in anything—when so near eternity? Up and be doing!" "Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep," for now is your salvation very near.
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Whether, however, you die this year or not, you must die some year! And compared with the millions of millions of years, measuring eternity by the revolutions of time—what is the longest life, even that of Methuselah, if it could be attained, but a moment, and the twinkling of an eye? Remember the apostle's impressive admonitions, "Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil." Ephes. 5:15, 16. "And I say this, brothers: the time is limited, so from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use the world as though they did not make full use of it. For this world in its current form is passing away." 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
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Remember that though you may not die this year, you must die some time, and therefore never let the subject be long absent from your minds. Live as at the grave's mouth! Die daily! Feel yourself a stranger and pilgrim upon earth! Be ever looking on with faith and hope to the time when you shall die—and go home to God!

Christmas Time is Here

Based on Luke 2:8-20, this mesage reminds us that Christmas is time:

To release our fears
To renew our hope
To recognize the Savior
To rejoice with heaven
To return home different people


MP3 File

A Diagnosis From The Doctor

One of the great influences upon my preaching is Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones, the late, great pastor of Westminster Chapel in London. A few years ago while attending the International Congress on Preaching I had the chance to stand in "The Doctor's" pulpit. Quite humbling.

The legacy of this great Reformed preacher lives on in audio and the best site for these resources is the Martyn Lloyd Jones Recordings Trust.

A new resource found there is a daily devotional including excerpts from the teaching of Dr. Lloyd Jones. The following is a portion from today's devotion.

"There can be no doubt at all that the commonest cause [of misinterpreting the Bible] is our tendency to approach the Bible with a theory. We go to our Bibles with this theory, and everything we read is controlled by it.... There is a sense in which it is true to say that you can prove anything you like from the Bible. That is how heresies have arisen. The heretics were never dishonest men; they were mistaken men.... they have been some of the most sincere men that the Church has ever known. What was the matter with them? Their trouble was this; they evolved a theory and they were rather pleased with it; then they went back with this theory to the Bible, and they seemed to find it everywhere. . . . There is nothing so dangerous as to come to the Bible with a theory, with preconceived ideas, with some pet idea of our own...."

Wise counsel for the living of our days.

A Christmas Classic Corrected...

A Visit from St. Nicholas

A sound broke my slumbers one cold winter’s dawn —
Grief-laden sobs and sighs deeply drawn.
I rose from my bed and searched for the sound.
In a chair by the tree, a stranger I found.
With white hair and beard, and eyes long turned red —
His cheeks glistened wet with the tears he had shed.

“Who are you?” I asked, though somehow I knew.
The things all around him gave me a clue.
Stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
And Christmas cards spilled on the floor by the chair.
My red Santa hat had been thrown at the tree
And Rudolph and Frosty played on TV.
The “spirit of Christmas” filled up the room
But reindeer and tinsel only deepened his gloom.

This had to be Nicholas — his beard left no doubt —
But what brought this on I couldn’t make out.
His red suit was missing, and where was his sleigh?
And why was he here on the wrong winter’s day?
No jelly-bowl belly and no “Ho, ho, ho!”
Something was wrong, and I just had to know.

So “Nicholas,” I asked him, “what’s up with the tears?
They’re hardly a symbol of holiday cheer!
You’re not looking much like a ‘jolly old elf’ —
This morning, it seems, you’re just not yourself.”

He lifted his gaze and the tears left his eyes.
A rage seemed to come as he started to rise.
“My ‘self’ is the problem since someone took me
And made me a someone I never would be.
I came here to visit and saw what you’ve done:
You’ve made me a rival to God’s only Son!”

“The children I’ve asked — they all knew my name.
But Jesus their Savior — none cared that he came.
These stories and specials and movies and songs —
They’re all about me — and that’s simply wrong.
It’s Christ you should think of and worship and praise —
Go to the manger and ponder and gaze.
Forget about me and look to your Savior —
The very best gift of God’s loving favor.”

“How could you do this? How dare you distract
The children’s young minds from this wonderful fact?
A babe born for sinners — what wonder, what joy! —
Please focus their thoughts on God’s little boy!”

“I cried since my giving of gifts had been changed
from a service of love to a practice … deranged.
I’m glad to be seen as a figure of love
But I will not compete with God’s Son from above.”

“I wept most of all when I saw I’d been made
A reason to make little children afraid!
To punish and frighten the ones that keep sinning?
Oh, how that must keep the old Serpent grinning!
Christmas is gospel — grace freely given;
Trust in the Lord and sins are forgiven.”

“So don’t use my name to threaten or plead
The gospel of Christ is just what you need
To change your dear children from naughty to nice
And give them their place in God’s paradise.
Forget me, I beg, if I get in the way
Of Christ and his coming that first Christmas Day.”

The darkness was lifting as light filled the room
And Nicholas faded, along with his gloom.
He’d freely confessed, and did not deny
His place as a servant of Christ crucified.

A dream or a vision? I couldn’t quite tell.
But he’d corrected my Christmas and broken the spell.
And back to my slumbers I slowly returned
And dreamt of the Baby whose story I’d spurned.

Since then the Santas and reindeer are gone
From my mantel, my window, my roof and my lawn.
Instead there’s a manger scene down by the way —
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay —
It’s part of my witness to God’s saving grace
And Nicholas is happy to give Christ his place.

-- Copyright 2005 -- Rev. Jeffrey L. Samelson
Christ Lutheran Church (WELS)
Clarksville/Columbia, Maryland
www.christlutheran.net

Luther on Dirty Diapers

My posting has lagged of late because of fatherly duties, especially in regard to our newborn, Jonathan. Late night feedings and dirty diapers have sapped considerable strength and brainpower. But the following excerpt from the great Reformer Martin Luther offers much needed perspective and incentive to soldier on...

Now observe that when that clever harlot, our natural reason... , takes a look at married life, she turns up her nose and says, "Alas, must I rock the baby, wash its diapers, make its bed, smell its stench, stay up nights with it, take care of it when it cries, heal its rashes and sores... ?

What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is aware that they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels. It says, O God, because I am certain that thou hast created me as a man and hast from my body begotten this child, I also know for a certainty that it meets with thy perfect pleasure. I confess to thee that I am not worthy to rock the little babe or wash its diapers, or to be entrusted with the care of the child and its mother. How is it that I, without any merit, have come to this distinction of being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? O how gladly will I do so, though the duties should be even more insignificant and despised. Neither frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labor, will distress or dissuade me, for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight...

God, with all his angels and creatures is smiling--not because the father is washing diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith.

HT to Tulip Girl for this great selection.

Joseph's Story

A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers...and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. (Matthew 1:1-2,6)

For Matthew, Christmas begins in the star-filled dreams of an old man. Forty-two generations before the birth of Christ, Abraham looked into the heavens and believed the word of God. A word, a promise that one day his descendants would number as the stars and would usher in a blessing that would be for all people. Such was the dreams of an as yet childless Father. But with the birth of Isaac -- the dream was alive. And so it continued...this dream, passed on from father to son, generation to generation, age to age. Matthew traces the dream in the lives of the famous and infamous, recording the names of both sinner and saint, known and unknown. Yet each a vital link in a golden chain. Each a single piece in a heavenly puzzle passed from parent to child. And with each piece the dream grows clearer and brighter. Yet the longer the chain stretches the more fragile it becomes...And now the chain is about to be broken. The dream of Abraham under a starry sky is coming to an end.

Joseph, betrothed of Mary, wants a divorce. Mary is with child. A child not his own. We are not told how much Joseph agonized over his decision. Angry or sad over Mary’s apparent infidelity we don’t know. We can speculate and postulate, but all we are told is that he was a righteous man and had in mind to divorce her. Quietly -- to perhaps spare her shame or to avoid the scandal, but divorce her nonetheless. A marriage entered into with hopes and dreams now to be reduced to smoke and ashes.

But it is not only the hopes and dreams of a young couple that hang in the balance. Generations of the faithful who have nurtured and passed on the dream of Abraham look on in fear as its fragile thread in plucked. A tapestry woven with the toil and tears, the laughter and the labor of all who have gone before slowly unravels as a tired Joseph puts his head upon the pillow to sleep.

Yet God will not let this dream die. This dream cannot disappear in the morning light. So he sends another dream to another man under another starry sky. An angelic messenger with an anxious plea. “Joseph,” the angel speaks his name. “Joseph, son of David.” A gentle reminder of all who have gone on before him. “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Abraham’s dream is finally named. Jesus. Abraham’s night is illumined by the light of one bright star. The Savior. One grand and glorious name that will justify and sanctify all the names and all the generations that have gone before. A name that must be spoken by Joseph.

Forty -- two generations hold a collective breath as God comes in a night vision to ask a humble carpenter to make a place for his Son. A Son who will be Immanuel. God with us. But only, but only...if he is first a child with Joseph. The dream of the ages will only be realized if this man says yes. Yes - God - I will take your Son to be my son. My house will be his house. My name will be his name. Yes, I will save Mary the shame, so that he might save the world. Yes, I will make room in my life -- so that Immanuel might find room in the lives of others. The request is simple. “Will you allow the dream to live on in you?” The implications are staggering. God will come to his world -- but only if he might first come into Joseph’s.

For Matthew this is the drama of Christmas. The drama of Christ’s coming. It is a very human drama. There are no annunciations, no shepherds, no singing chorus of celestial beings, as of yet no wiseman. Save for an angelic voice in a troubled sleep, no assurances are offered to him. No guarantees. As Joseph turns upon his bed, there is only a question. And upon his answer will depend the generations to come.

Have you ever pondered the fact that Joseph never speaks in the Bible? Mary has The Magnificat. Angels sing The Gloria. Even Zechariah the old priest has a voice. But no words pass the lips of Joseph. Someone has dubbed him “Joseph the Silent.” But if he speaks no words, his actions speak volumes. The Scripture says that he awoke determined to do what the angel had commanded him. I sometimes wonder if it was in the middle of the night when Joseph awoke? I wonder if he shook his head and took a walk outside under the heavens. And I wonder if on that very night from a field of stars -- one particularly star shone brighter that all the rest? Well we know the rest of the story... “and he took Mary as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”

For Matthew the Gospel rests upon the response of Joseph to the question of God. One question for one man. One question for every man. It is a question that is placed before each one of us this Advent Season. Amid the hustle and bustle, the hoopla and the hype of this holiday will we allow the dream to live in us? Dare we listen again to the angel’s admonition to not be afraid? To trust God as Joseph trusted? Will we make room in our lives for Immanuel? For God to be with us? Because of the faith of Joseph, Christ has come into his world...but has he come into yours?

HT Brent at Colossians Three Sixteen.

The Santa Slap

Gene Veith over at World Magazine reminds us that the source for today's Santa was anything but a jolly fat man. In addition to his habit of dropping gold into the stockings of the deserving , St. Nicholas of Myra was also a staunch defender of Christ.

Veith writes:

"He was also a delegate to the Council of Nicea in a.d. 325, which battled the heretics who denied the deity of Christ. He was thus one of the authors of the Nicene Creed, which affirms that Jesus Christ is both true God and true man. And unlike his later manifestation, Nicholas was particularly zealous in standing up for Christ.

During the Council of Nicea, jolly old St. Nicholas got so fed up with Arius, who taught that Jesus was just a man, that he walked up and slapped him! That unbishoplike behavior got him in trouble. The council almost stripped him of his office, but Nicholas said he was sorry, so he was forgiven.

The point is, the original Santa Claus was someone who flew off the handle when he heard someone minimizing Christ. Perhaps we can battle our culture's increasingly Christ-less Christmas by enlisting Santa in his original cause. The poor girls' stockings have become part of our Christmas imagery. So should the St. Nicholas slap.

Not a violent hit of the kind that got the good bishop in trouble, just a gentle, admonitory tap on the cheek. This should be reserved not for out-and-out nonbelievers, but for heretics (that is, people in the church who deny its teachings), Christians who forget about Jesus, and people who try to take Christ out of Christmas."

Veith is on to something here. So in the spirit of the True Saint Nick...

ACLU (Slap)
Mega Church Closers (Slap)
Holiday Tree-ers (Slap)
Silent Night Re-Writers (Slap)
Nativity Nay-sayers (Slap)

Anyone else?

One Month and Counting Till "24" Returns!

Jack Bauer


Which 24 Character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

A Christmas Thought

In today’s culture, “the message of what man has to sell takes precedence over the proclamation of what God has to give.”
(Handel H. Brown)

Christmas is ForGiving

Forgiveness is one of the best gifts you can give and receive this Christmas.


MP3 File

Remembering the Reason For the Season

Twas the morning of Christmas, when all through the house
All the family was frantic, including my spouse;
For each one of them had one thing only in mind,
To examine the presents St. Nick left behind.

The boxes and wrapping and ribbons and toys
Were strewn on the floor, and the volume of noise
Increased as our children began a big fight
Over who got the video games, who got the bike.

I looked at my watch and I said, slightly nervous,
"Let's get ready for church, so we won't miss the service."
The children protested, "We don't want to pray:
We've just got our presents, and we want to play!"

It dawned on me then that we had gone astray,
In confusing the purpose of this special day;
Our presents were many and very high-priced
But something was missing -- that something was Christ!
I said, "Put the gifts down and let's gather together,
And I'll tell you a tale of the greatest gift ever.

"A savior was promised when Adam first sinned,
And the hopes of the world upon Jesus were pinned.
Abraham begat Isaac, who Jacob begat,
And through David the line went to Joseph, whereat
This carpenter married a maiden with child,
Who yet was a virgin, in no way defiled.

"Saying 'Hail, full of Grace,' an archangel appeared
To Mary the Blessed, among women revered:
The Lord willed she would bear -- through the Spirit -- a son.
Said Mary to Gabriel, 'God's will be done.'

"Now Caesar commanded a tax would be paid,
And all would go home while the census was made;
Thus Joseph and Mary did leave Galilee
For the city of David to pay this new fee.

"Mary's time had arrived, but the inn had no room,
So she laid in a manger the fruit of her womb;
And both Joseph and Mary admired as He napped
The Light of the World in his swaddling clothes wrapped.

"Three wise men from the East had come looking for news
Of the birth of the Savior, the King of the Jews;
They carried great gifts as they followed a star --
Gold, frankincense, myrrh, which they'd brought from afar.

"As the shepherds watched over their flocks on that night,
The glory of God shone upon them quite bright,
And an angel explained the intent of the birth,
Saying, 'Glory to God and His peace to the earth.'

"For this was the Messiah whom prophets foretold,
A good shepherd to bring his sheep back to the fold;
He was God become man, He would die on the cross,
He would rise from the dead to restore Adam's loss.

"Santa Claus, Christmas presents, a brightly lit pine,
Candy canes and spiked eggnog are all very fine;
Let's have fun celebrating, but leave not a doubt
That Christ is what Christmas is really about!"

The children right then put an end to the noise,
They dressed quickly for church, put away all their toys;
For they knew Jesus loved them and said they were glad
That He'd died for their sins, and to save their dear Dad.

©1986 F.R. Duplantier

Closed for the Holidays?

Tom Ascol over at the Founders Ministries blog offers this "insightful" take upon the Christmas Church Closing Controversy:

One of my first responses is, Can We Do That? Obviously we can, but should we? The rationale being given by "megachurch officials" (don't you love that designation?) is that the decision "just makes sense" in today's hectic world. People are so busy. Lifestyles are so packed full of demands and presssures. Shutting down church on Christmas is just a way of giving people a break.

Of course, a question that begs to be asked is this: If this is sound thinking that is "family-friendly" in December, why not incorporate it at other times of the year? Easter tends to be a big family day for many folks. Perhaps churches should not meet that Sunday either. Then there is Super Bowl Sunday! It is getting harder and harder (so I hear) to make adequate preparations for the big game--and halftime shows!!--if 2 or 3 hours of the morning are taken up with church. Along with cancelling Sunday evening worship services that day, it would sure be convenient (read "family-friendly") to cancel morning worship, as well. The same could be done for Independence Day, Memorial Day, President's Day, Columbus Day, Armistice Day, Pearl Harbor Day (that's today; rats! too late for this year), May Day, Cinco de Mayo, Immaculate Conception Day (tomorrow), Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, Flag Day, Thanksgiving and several others that I am sure simply escape my mind at the moment. In fact, if megachurch officials put their heads together, I bet they could come up with a schedule that would allow people to get by with attending Sunday worship services maybe only twice a year. Since Christmas and Easter are out, what about Halloween and April Fool's Day (assuming, of course, that the witches and atheists won't mind).

Christmas Carol Quiz

You Are "Silent Night"

Silent night, holy night All is calm, all is bright Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child Holy infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace You never forget that Christmas is about the birth of Christ.

What Christmas Carol Are You?

MegaChurch Says NO to Christmas Sunday...

This is a sign that some churches, including Willow Creek Community Church and other mega-churches , will be displaying on December 25th.

Here is the story from NBC5's website:

Members of one of the Chicago area's largest churches will have to find someplace else to go if they want to attend services on Christmas Day.

"The issues were resources," said Willow Creek Community Church spokeswoman Cally Parkinson. Parkinson said resources that would have gone toward a Christmas Day service in the auditorium would instead help the church offer a week of worship, culminating on Christmas Eve. There will also be a special spiritual DVD the congregation will be encouraged to watch at home on Christmas Day, NBC5's Jennifer Mitchell reported. "We really are putting the opportunity to have a service in the hands of everybody who walks in," Parkinson said. "Rather than creating one in a centralized way ourselves."

Parkinson said a few people have contacted the church to complain, but others said the idea works better for their families."I don't really think it's secularizing Christmas," said Jason Peterson, who attends Willow Creek. "I think that a lot of the concept of it is trying to bring Christmas back to the individual families. "Willow Creek has never held services on Christmas Day, except in 1994, when the holiday also fell on a Sunday. That year, only 1,500 people attended services. This year, the church expects at least 50,000 people to attend the eight services that will be offered between Dec. 20 and 24. "You can still be at church Christmas Eve and be with your family on Christmas Day, too," said Kathy Ruzinok, who also attends the church.

Willow Creek is non-denominational, Mitchell reported. It's mission is to reach people who are far from God, hoping alternatives to the norm may do that. "You don't have to experience God in church," Parkinson said. "You can experience God in your living room, and that's what we are giving people the chance to do."

And in a related story from NBC5:

Some of the United States' largest churches will be closed two weeks from Sunday.With Christmas falling on a Sunday this year, they're planning Christmas eve services on Saturday but are canceling their usual Sunday worship schedule. Officials at those churches said the schedule change is meant to be family-friendly.

But critics said closing the doors of the church on the Lord's Day is unthinkable. Fuller Theological Seminary Professor Robert Johnston also objects to redefining Christmas as a family celebration rather than as Christians "celebrating the birth of the savior."

Among the megachurches to be closed on Christmas are the Chicago-area's Willow Creek Community Church; Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Mich.; North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga.; Fellowship Church near Dallas; and Southland Christian Church near Lexington, Ky.

Dr. Johnston gets it right. It is inconceivable to me that Christians would not want to gather on the Lord's Day as Scripture commands and to violate that command on Christmas of all days? We too have a full slate of Christmas Eve services, but we would not think of not having a Christmas Day service at our Church, as well. What better place for the family to gather than in God's house to celebrate the gift of His Son?

CNN has this further information:

Even though the holiday falls this year on a Sunday, when churches normally host thousands for worship, pastors are canceling services, anticipating low attendance on what they call a family day.

Critics within the evangelical community, more accustomed to doing battle with department stores and public schools over keeping religion in Christmas, are stunned by the shutdown.

It is almost unheard of for a Christian church to cancel services on a Sunday, and opponents of the closures are accusing these congregations of bowing to secular culture.

"This is a consumer mentality at work: 'Let's not impose the church on people. Let's not make church in any way inconvenient,' " said David Wells, professor of history and systematic theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a leading evangelical school in Hamilton, Massachusetts.

"I think what this does is feed into the individualism that is found throughout American culture, where everyone does their own thing."

Gabriel: The Advent Question

Do angels ever get nervous? Sure. And I should know.

Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Gabriel. That's right. The One from the Gospels. The one who was blessed to bring the world the Good News that a Savior was to be born. I remember it like it was yesterday. Let me share the story with you. I was standing in the throneroom of God. That's what my name means by the way - The One who Stands in the Presence of God's Glory. So there I was with my fellow angels: Raphael, Michael, Saraguel, Uriel and Remiel - when the Lord spoke my name. Regardless of how many times I have heard it - there is something about having your name called by the voice that sounds like the roaring of mighty waters. "Gabriel! Approach my throne!" Shielding my eyes with my wings I approached God's golden throne. Kneeling reverently before him I answered: "Yes Lord?"

"Gabriel. It is time." I didn't need to ask what time because all of us angels knew that that time was the time that all heaven and earth had been waiting for. It was time to fulfill all the words God had spoken by his prophets so many years before. It was time for Jesus to enter human history. It was time for God's great salvation to be revealed. And I was to be the chosen messenger.

Quite the responsibility. I had had a trial run with old Zechariah the priest. I had been sent to tell him that soon his wife Elizabeth was to have a child. A special son who would prepare the way for the Messiah. But now it was time for the most important message an angel had ever been asked to carry. "Go," He said, "to Nazareth and bring the message I will give you to a young girl named Mary." "Yes, Lord," I said flush with excitement, "Right away!" And just as I was turning to leave God spoke again: "One more thing Gabriel - wait until you receive an answer." "Of course, my Lord," I said and was on my way.

Faster than human thought I winged my way to the small nation of Israel. Ah, Israel. God's chosen people. So blessed; yet so foolish at times. Time and again they tested the Lord and time and again He forgave them. Now after hundreds of years of oppression and pain they were to be the recipients of God's greatest gift. A gift not only for them, but for the whole world. The gift of a Savior. Skimming over Jerusalem, I looked at Herod's temple and his richly ornate palace. Little did these people know what the real trappings of royalty were. No, I thought, the King of Kings would find a much meaner bed than the soft cushions of Herod the so-called Great.

Intent to be about my mission, I turned to the north, to Nazareth. Not much of a town, really. A rough and tumble village, with hilly streets and sidewalks littered with garbage. Host to the rough worldly caravan merchants who travelled the great road of commerce between the Jordan and the Mediterranean, it was looked down upon by many in Israel. Indeed it was the source of much ridicule. The people were quick to say: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Indeed it was a rather ordinary place. But by now I had learned that this is how God always likes to work. Shunning what the world deems important, He delights in using the foolish things of this world for his displays of grace and glory.

It was late in the afternoon, as I approached the tiny cottage where Mary and her parents lived. Her father was still at work and her mother was down in the marketplace buying dinner, so Mary was left all alone. I paused and peered in a small window. The first thought that came to my mind was how young she looked. She must have been only about 15 years old. The flush of childhood was still evident in her rosy cheeks. She seemed to me hardly old enough to have a child at all, let alone this child. I was struck once again by the fact that my God indeed moves in mysterious ways. Mary was shelling peas and singing to herself. The song she sang was a familiar wedding song. For she was engaged to the local carpenter Joseph. A good and righteous man. I would later have a chance to talk to him as well. She seemed so content, sitting there shelling and singing. Little did she know that the message I was about to bring would put her dreams of happiness in jeopardy.

It was time. With my carefully rehearsed greeting in mind, I appeared - as only an angel can in the middle of the room. "Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you!" To her credit, Mary didn't scream. She did, however, drop the basket of peas on the floor and sit back with this rather dumbfounded look on her face. But who could blame her? It isn't everyday an angel interrupts you shelling peas. Indeed how would any of you act if I or one of my fellow angels were to appear in our full glory in the midst of your daily life? It is a good thing that we usually come in more simple garb. Unaware, I think the writer of Hebrews calls it. Anyway, I could see that Mary was greatly troubled by my words, so I tried to reassure her. "Don't be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God." That seemed to calm her down a bit. Then it was time to drop the proverbial bombshell.

"Mary, God has a favor to ask of you." I cleared my throat and began to recite the words God himself had given me: "You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, his kingdom will never end." I finished and looked into those wide eyes and asked: "Will you do God this favor?" Mary looked at me and then softly whispered: "Does He have to ask?" And I smiled at her and replied, "God always asks."

She thought a bit and then asked: "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" God had prepared me with an answer to that one as well. "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God...Nothing is impossible with God."

Then I asked the Advent question again: "Mary will allow God to use you for this purpose? Will you be the mother of God's Son?" This was it the moment of Truth. I saw in my mind's eye all of heaven bending down and looking in on this young girl in this little cottage in this obscure village. I held my breath as did all the angels and saints above. All eternity came down to this one moment. All of the promises that the prophets had made rested upon the answer of this young girl. My wings tightened in anticipation. My palms began to sweat. The silence was almost deafening. Time seemed to stand still. What will she say? I thought. What if she says no? What if she is not willing to risk her marriage to Joseph? What if she is not willing to endure the stares and the whispers. What if she is not willing to let her life be forever changed? Who of us could blame her if she said no?

Then, and if I live forever and I will, I will never forget that moment. She looked at me with eyes so full of love and innocence and said: "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." Mary didn't hear it, but I did. Suddenly all heaven broke loose in the sounds of celebration not heard since the creation. The angels started singing the Hallelujah Chorus. God the Father turned to God the Son and smiled. The Holy Spirit hovered above the whole scene filling heaven with His joy. Back in Nazareth, holding back my tears of joy, I looked one last time at this young girl and smiled. She smiled back and bowed her head in prayer. Taking my cue, I left as suddenly as I had came. With my heart bursting with excitement I winged my way back to the throneroom of God.

Yet I remember thinking as I went that Mary was just the first in a long line of people who would be asked to answer that Advent question. A Christian theologian of another day, Meister Eckhart, once wrote these words: "What good is it to me if Mary gave birth to the Son of God 1400 years ago, and I do not give birth to the son of God in my time and in my culture."

And that is why I am here today. To once again ask the Advent question of each of you this day. Advent, you see, is a time to prepare for the miraculous birth of Jesus into your world - but year to year you can never really predict just when that event will occur in your own life.

Jesus does not enter the world on the stroke of midnight on December 25. Jesus can and will enter your life whenever you allow him to. Just like Mary did. So this Advent I ask each of you again: "Will you let God work through your life this Advent? Are you willing to let his Son be born anew in your life; in your time; in your world?"

Do angels get nervous? You bet. Every time this question is asked of one of you.

You'll Never Look At Christmas Lights the Same Again...

I would venture to say that if you looked at the labels on your Christmas lights you would see that they were made in China. No big deal you think, most of our stuff comes from China anyway right? BUT, do you know who made your lights in China?

Worldserve Minstries provides the answer...

PICTURE THIS! A COLD, DARK PRISON CELL IN THE NORTHERN INTERIOR OF CHINA.
The cell is only 20' by 20' and occupied by 40 prisoners. One of these prisoners is a Chinese underground church pastor in his mid-40s, sentenced to a three-year prison term for preaching the Gospel of Christ. At 5:30 a.m., after being allowed four hours of sleep, a swift blow awakens him to his back from the boot of a communist prison guard. Pastor Stephen is allowed to have one of the two bowls of soup that will be his food for the day including the one small steamed roll he is given each day, he will consume perhaps 500 calories.

Now all 40 prisoners are taken to a room and put in two lines facing each other and forced to kneel. In front of each prisoner is placed a box containing unassembled Christmas lights. The guard viciously barks out the command and Pastor Stephen quickly grabs the empty strings of lights and begins to assemble them. He takes the tiny individual light bulbs and threads the two small metal wires extending from the glass through the plastic holder and bends them into place. Before long, his fingers are raw and bleeding. Then he puts the bulb into the fitting on the string of lights and clamps it into place with his teeth, as prisoners are not allowed tools. His quota for the day - 5000 bulbs. Work will continue for 16 to 20 hours or all night if necessary. If the guards are unsatisfied with the speed or quality of the work, he will be beaten mercilessly. Such is a normal workday for this humble servant of God.

When he is taken back to his cell, he recalls the many verses of Scripture he has memorized and thanks God for His faithfulness in spite of the hardship. Then quietly he begins to sing worship songs he has hidden away in his heart and he begins to pray for the well being of his family. Tears of thanksgiving begin to roll down his face as he ponders how blessed he is to be considered worthy to suffer for Christ. Blessed because he is a part of the underground Church of China - the largest Church in the world, numbering over 80 million believers. A Church that is vibrant and passionate and deep in the things of God. A Church that is paying a great price for this great turning to God with persecution and suffering.

That's right, your tree is probably trimmed by lights made by Christian pastors persecuted for sharing the Good News of the True Light of the World! Check out The Lights of Christmas website for more information and what you can do to support these Chinese pastors and their families.

Do You See What I See?

Advent/Christmas is a Season of Surprise. And our God is a surprising God, who delights in acting in unpredictable and sometimes unbelievable ways. To a group of lonely shepherds huddled on a Judean hillside he came with trumpets sounding and glory a’popping with an unexpected invitation to a birthday party for his son. But when the shell-shocked shepherds arrive they find that the Savior is wrapped in diapers. After the angels, it all seemed so ordinary...so innocent...so tame. Not at all what they expected. Yet rather than being put off by this domestic scene they responded by glorifying and praising God for all that he had done. They were able to see through the circumstances. And for them the ordinary was forever transformed. They would never look at a night sky again without wonder. In the gentle breeze they would always hear an angel song. And in the face of every newborn child, they would see the face of God.

What will you see this Christmas? Will the bright lights and the majestic music sway you? Will you be content to bask in last night’s glory huddled on the hillside trying to catch a glimpse of an angel? Will you strain your ears for an angelic chorus or a newborn’s cry? Someone has written: “We have stayed too long on the hillside, busily trying to imitate the glory and the music of angles, instead of following the shepherds to Bethlehem. Not until we approach that humble manger will we see...”

We often talk about the need to put Christ back into Christmas. But if we are willing to look past the twinkling lights, the glittering tinsel and the sweet carols, we will find that Christ never left. God continues to come to those who will look through this season and find the heart of Christmas. He still comes to those with shepherd’s eyes and ears with unexpected invitations to celebrate. For it is not in the glory but in the ordinary that our Savior still chooses to come. The sights and the sounds are just the ribbons and bows...the outer wrapping. The true gift lies within.

I've Got Mine...Get Yours!

From the Operation: Just Say Merry Christmas website:

"The enemies of Christmas have succeeded in making Christians feel as if we are bad and intolerant to wish someone a "Merry Christmas". This is political correctness run amok. We have reached an all time low point in our nation's history when human sensibilities are elevated above offending Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is long past the time for Christians to stand firm in our faith."



OPERATION: JUST SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS is a campaign designed to encourage Christians nationwide and around the world to PROUDLY proclaim The Christ Child as the center of the Christmas Season once again.

In an effort to help turn the tide, we have created this Christmas bracelet to help emphasize once again that the central focus of this season is the Birth of the Christ Child. It is our hope that by wearing the bracelet you will join us to remind others that to celebrate the true meaning of this Holy Season.....

JUST SAY "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

The cost is only $2.50 (s/h included)

Where Do You Fit In?

Marla over at Always Thirsty has come up with an interesting chart to address what she sees as a potential division in the evangelical community. Using the terms Retro versus Metro, she offers some helpful tags to understanding the debate. While it is always dangerous to put too much stock in categories, I found it an opportunity to place myself on the spectrum. As you can see from what follows, I tend to the Retro side, but have a few Metro leanings and in several places fit neither category.

RETRO	METRO	Doulos
Rural or Small Town	Urban or Suburban	From Midwest, now working in NJ
Challies	iMonk	I read both
ESTJ	INFP	INTP
Left-Brained	Right-Brained	According to tests, I am mixed-brain
Conservative	Liberal	Conservative
Calvinist	Arminian	Calvinist
Quiver Full	Family Planning	2 Sons
Prose	Poetry	Prose
C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity	C.S. Lewis: Chronicles of Narnia	Both are great reads
Homeschool	Public School	Public School, Christian College
Pyromaniac	Tall Skinny Kiwi	Pyromaniac
Think	Feel	Think
Sola Scriptura	God Revealed in Many Ways	Sola Scriptura
Apologetics	Testimony	Both
Puritans	Mystics	Puritans
God the Father	Jesus	Trinity
Isolate	Integrate	Integrate
Past	Future	Past, Present, and Future
Gifts of the Spirit: NO	Gifts of the Spirit: YES	Yes, with some reservations
Words	Pictures	Word Pictures
Criminal Justice	Social Justice	Both
Proverbs	Psalms	Epistles
Amy's Humble Musings	(vacancy)
Historic Reformation	New Reformation	Historic
Older	Younger	Middle Age
Patriotic	Global	Patriotic
Women: Traditional	Women: Egalitarian	Traditarian
Rant	Brood	Brood
Do	Dream	Dream about Doing
Reformed	Emergent	Reformed
Theologically Correct	Relationally Relevant	Theologically Correct
Psychology: NO	Psychology: YES	Has its limited uses
The Thinklings	The Boar's Head Tavern	Neither
ESV	The Message	ESV
Certain	Open	Certain
Catholics: NO	Catholics: YES	Those with saving faith
Sermon	Conversation	Sermon
Truth	Love	Speaking the truth in love
Hymns	Modern Music	blended
Craftsmanship	Technology	Technology
Literal	Metaphorical	Contextual
Harry Potter - NO	Harry Potter - YES	Yes
PC	Mac	PC