The Spread of the Gospel vs. American Security

It's been a little while since I've written anything about politics. I don't usually get any responses when I do. Still, I wanted to share my thoughts on two speeches given over the last week: Dick Cheney's speech defending the Bush administration's foreign policy at AEI and President Obama's "new beginning" of American foreign policy speech from Cairo University in Egypt.

I have a transcript of Cheney's speech. However, I currently can't find a link. Cheney talked about his experience on 9/11: "I've heard the occasional speculation that I'm a different man after 9/11. I wouldn't say that. But I'll freely admit that watching a coordinated, devastating attack on our country from underground bunker at the White House can affect how you view your responsibilities."

He goes on..."Suppose that on the evening of 9/11, President Bush and I had promised that for as long as we held office - which was to be another 2,689 days - there would never be another terrorist attack inside this country...it would have seemed a rash and irresponsible thing to say...Of course, we made no such promise. Instead, we promised an all-out effort to protect this country."

Later in the speech, he defends the necessity of the interrogations at Guantanamo Bay and concludes, "For all that we've lost in this conflict, the United States has never lost its moral bearings."

Earlier today, Obama gave a much different speech. This one I have a link to: http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/06/04/obama.anewbeginning.pdf

He never uses the word "terrorist", but uses the word "peace" 29 times. He quotes the "Holy Koran" several times as well, but also quotes the Bible and Talmud. He praises Islam for advancement and defends America. He identifies himself as a Christian, but also his dad's Muslim heritage (funny he didn't talk about that during the election).

Overall, it was an unprecedented, idealistic, but compelling speech. His main points were that extremists cannot spoil peace unless the majority allows this by indifference and that we need to forget the past and pursue peace starting now, both in American and Israeli relations with the Muslim world. Idealistic? Yes. Does he praise Islam more than I'm comfortable with? Yes. Will his foreign policy be good for the world? Good for America? That remains to be seen. Is it good for global missions?...What?

That's a question one doesn't hear too often anywhere in the country. Recently, in a conversation on torture with some Christian friends, I brought up that the Bush administration's policies could hinder the worldwide spread of the gospel. The response was rolling eyes. Yet, as a Christian, I recognize that this is of vastly more importance even than American security or supremacy. As I found out in Morocco, most of the Muslim world associates Christianity with America and vice versa. So, when America wages war, they see it as Christianity waging war (not to say that some wars aren't necessary to prevent ongoing oppression or genocide). When they hear that America tortures, just as they do, they believe there is nothing special about Christianity or the God-man on whom it is based.

VP Cheney makes some good points in his speech. I do not judge him or the Bush administration for making very difficult decisions. Still, my first allegiance is to the Kingdom of God, in which the ends never justify the means and torture (yes, waterboarding is just that) is simply wrong.

I have many disagreements with President Obama. Still, his speech today was good for the cause of the glory of God, especially to the Islamic world. Call me liberal if you want, but I will always be all for that.

Thursdays With Cory (Four Weeks In)

So Cory and I have made it past the two-week point; that's always good. I believe we've met now five times, each has been more encouraging than the one before. He is continuing to grow in his knowledge and relationship with the Lord. We talk about everything from trusting God to baseball (wait, that sentence reminds me of something). We have been building a solid friendship, rooted in the grace of our Lord, and it has come naturally. I hope and pray that he will open up to me more about his past. I have spoken with Men of Valor staff, and there may come a time to confront his past, but for now, I am building a foundation and patiently showing him God's unconditional love through my own. Please continue to pray for him...and I. Thanks. (shortest post ever)

My Theory Has "Ben" Confirmed

Some of you may remember my hypothesis about music and Bens. I had the privelage to see two of the aforementioned Bens play within the last week.

First, I went to the opening night of the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis. It was my third time to attend the festival and my third time to see Ben Harper (2nd time to see him at the Festival). He was with his new band, Relentless 7 (though I only counted 3), this time. They played mostly new stuff, which is awesome. Of course, there's no doubt that he is the man and anything he's a part of is amazing (hello, his name is Ben). I recommend the new album, "White Lies for Dark Times."

Ben Harper & Relentless 7

Three nights later, after my final seminary class of the semester, I wandered down to the Ryman where Death Cab for Cutie, fronted by Ben Gibbard, was to play. I bought a 7th-row ticket from a local scalper at less-than-Ticketmaster price and enjoyed the show by myself. It was the first time I had seen Death Cab or Ben Gibbard and they sounded great. You can always tell a good show when you want to keep listening to that band/artist's music the next day or week. It was the 2nd time I attended a show by myself (such an "emo" thing to do); the first time was Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken almost a year ago to the day of this show (May 1/May 3). It was also my first time seeing a show at the Ryman (formerly the Grand Ole Opry) and the acoustics sounded great. I'm just repeating that; I don't know enough about music to know what that means, but the band did sound really good, real crisp. (I'm about as good at describing that as I am at describing wine.)

Death Cab for Cutie

So my hypothesis that all Bens excel in music has been tested and so far it is passing. Perhaps I have discovered a new scientific law.

Book Review: The Prodigal God

Timothy Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan, and author of The Reason for God. Time Magazine is heralding Keller as a 21st-century C.S. Lewis, and Reason for God (which I have yet to read) is presumably his Mere Christianity. Billy Graham said that Keller "is leading a generation of seekers and skeptics toward belief in God."

His follow-up book is The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith, of which he spoke when Chelsea and I saw him at Christ Presbyterian here in Nashville. Keller said then, and repeated in the introduction, that he has seen more people encouraged/enlightened by this passage (Luke 15:11-32), when the true meaning of it was explained, than any other text. The word "prodigal" does not mean one who has run away, as we often think, but is defined, "recklessly extravagant" or "to spend until you have nothing left". With that in mind, a better title for the parable (the title was not given by Luke, but developed somewhere in church history) would be "The Prodigal God". Or, since the parable is just as much about the elder brother as the younger, "The Parable of the Two Lost Sons".

Keller explains that the point of Jesus' parable was to show, through the two sons, two different ways one could be alienated from God. This would have been a shock to his audience, a group of Pharisees, for they assumed that they could attain the Kingdom of God by living as good as possible. We usually think of the parable as having a happy ending...the younger sons returns home to a feast. The story doesn't end there, but on a sad note, the elder brother refusing the Father's invitation to the feast. So the younger brother enters the Kingdom while the elder misses out "not in spite of his goodness, but because of it" (35).

The moral of the story, then, is that no one can be good enough to make it into heaven; we can only get there by the "lavish prodigality of God's grace" (24). Keller explains that our churches today are full of elder brothers, those who think they deserve the Father's love and look down on the younger brothers the Father would run to while they are still a long way off (Luke 15:20). He questions whether churches are preaching the same message Jesus did, considering his ministry consistently attracted younger brothers.

The best part is that Jesus intentionally leaves a character out of the parable. To illustrate this, Keller tells a story of a man whose little brother is MIA in the Vietnam War. The older brother travels to Vietnam and searches the jungle to find his lost younger brother. Soldiers on both sides did not hurt him, for they respected his committment and referred to him simply as "the brother." Keller writes, "This is what the elder brother in the parable should have done; this is what a true elder brother would have done. He would have said, Father, my younger brother has been a fool, and now his life is in ruins. But I will go look for him and bring him home. And if the inheritance is gone--as I expect--I will bring him back into the family at my own expense. The character Jesus intentionally leaves out is Himself, the true elder brother (see Romans 8:29, Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:6). Jesus the elder brother went not to another country, but from heaven to earth, taking on flesh and dying on a cross.

"Mercy and forgiveness must be free and unmerited to the wrongdoer. If the wrongdoer has to do something to merit it, the it isn't mercy, but forgiveness always comes at a cost to the one granting the forgiveness" (83).

Thursdays With Cory

(The name of this post doesn't fit with the seriousness of it, but the name came to me naturally and it was too clever not to use. For those not familiar, it's a reference to the best-seller Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albon.)

I suppose I should start by explaining what happened with Darrell Woodard, the young man I was previously mentoring with Men of Valor prison ministry. A few months ago, as I was preparing for our third visit, I got a voicemail that Darrell had made parole and been released. I later found out this happened the day after I had visited him, and was completely unexpected. To some extent, I am happy that he was released, but part of me is disappointed that he did nto spend more time in the Jericho Project. Hopefully he was encouraged in our two visits. I trust that the Lord ordained out visits long ago for a purpose, though I'm not sure I will ever know what.

Less than two hours ago, I met the young man I will now be mentoring. As you probably guessed, his name is Cory. He is white, thin, slightly taller than me, has a thin gotee, talks with a deep southern accent and loves the Indianapolis Colts. He also loves his fiance Kayla and their 14-month daughter, Nyomi, and his older and younger brothers; he had pictures of all four in his Bible.

Cory especially loves the Lord! This is obvious when he talks about his walk, when you see his marked up Bible, when you hear the power in his prayer. Not one part of me doubts whether Cory loves God and understands the gospel. If you haven't spent time with him, though, you may not believe me after the next paragraph.

Cory is in prison for manslaughter. The story he told me was that he and his dad were in an argument that turned into a fist-fight. His dad, who was drunk, then pointed a gun at Cory's chest. Cory slapped it out of his hand and when his father went to pick it up, he slipped and accidentally shot himself. This story is possible, but seems as far-fetched to me as it does to you, and did to the jury.

When I heard the story, I was schocked. I did not convey that I believed him or didn't. What I think doesn't matter, but I fear that if he is lying, he cannot receive healing. I plan to speak to the counselors at Men of Valor of how to handle this before proceeding. Please pray for me, for Men of Valor staff and for Cory.

Cory went on to tell me that was a turning point in his spiritual life. He explained that it began a process of renewal with his Heavenly Father. In a sense, he lost a father but gained a Father. He lost his freedom, but gained freedom from sin and shame. In speaking of his current situation, being locked away from his life, a fiance and daughter he loves, two brothers who continue to abuse drugs to Cory's dismay and a mother who is being treated badly by her boyfriend, he quoted James 1:2-3 and Psalm 30:5.

By God's grace, and in view of my need of it, I do not stand in judgment of Cory. Actually, as the name of the post implies, I believe I will learn a great deal from him. I end with the example Jesus tells Simon the Pharisee:

"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." (Luke 7:41-48 ESV)

Praise God that Cory's sins are forgiven in Christ! His debt has been cancelled, and for this he loves God much.

A New Hope

When you're still mourning, it sneaks up on you.

The Cubs' opening day is Monday.

I read on the Cubs' website that one fan said last year was too perfect to be the year, with it being the 100th anniversary and all. He said he didn't believe it could be the year until Carlos Zambrano's no-hitter. (Z will face the Astros who were subject to said no-no on Monday.) Many would have said last year was the perfect year. Whether perfect or too perfect, it didn't happen. You can't script the game of baseball to make something happen or not happen. If you could it would cease to be baseball; it would be professional wrestling, or possibly the NBA.

This year is the same as last. A fresh start. Sure, some of the personnel is different. I fear the Cubs will especially miss Mark DeRosa. Still, the Cubs have a stacked pitching staff (the rotation is undeniably stronger than last year's when you consider the swap of Jason Marquis for Rich Harden), a packed lineup (again, stronger than last year's when you swap Milton Bradley's offense for DeRosa's and consider that he, Micah Hoffpaiur, Mike Fontenot and newly acquired Aaron Miles have been hitting the cover off the ball in spring training) and a solid bullpen (Carlos Marmol and Jeff Samardzja will only get more dominant, plus Kevin Gregg). Overall, they appear to be the strongest team in the National League. Therefore, in my opinion, they are the most likely club to win the NL pennant. That being said, time will tell if they can mesh as a team and how they'll be affected by injuries. And at this opint, I don't even want to talk how they might handle pressure in the playoffs.

Maybe this is our year. Maybe. Here's to hope, renewed as of Monday 6:05 CT.

The Unexpectedness of Madness

The first round of the NCAA Basketball tournament is already past. My Illini gave an all-around pathetic performance for the first 37 minutes of their loss to Western Kentucky. Still, there is much to be excited about. I called the biggest upset of the tournament, 13-seed Cleveland State (see below) handling 4-seed Wake Forest, though it hardly made up for all the close games I missed in my bracket. I love March Madness. I have kept quiet about it on the blog, but I have been pretty closely following college b-ball this year, thanks to having DVR and a phone I can check scores on.

I love March Madness partially for nostalgia. I remember watching tournament games in the weight room and shop in high school, then coming back from track practice and watching games the rest of the night until late. In college, I remember coming back from class and watching games in Barton 1 or Barton 12, sometimes at the fraternity house. I remember the drawing up brackets and drawing for teams out of a hat. I even associate certain foods with the tournament. For whatever reason, I have memories of consuming girl scout cookies and sunflower seeds (not necessarily together) during tournament past.

But I love the tournament more for the intangible unexpectedness. What is this? In past years, it is Santa Clara and George Mason (and Cleveland State?) becoming synonymous with Cinderella. It is relatively unknown individuals like Bryce Drew and Stephen Curry becoming household names. But I can't say what or who to expect this year. I can say to look forward to the unexpected.