Unavoidable...Nietzsche? The Bible? The inquisition...

It is interesting to notice how right Nietzsche was when he said that we have not gotten rid of God until we have gotten rid of grammar.  How right he is.

Man is always engaged in writing God out of the picture, erasing his signature from his own painting and scrawling our name where his used to reside.

Fyodor Dostoevsky predicted that at first art would imitate life, then life would imitate art, and finally, that life would draw the very reason for its existence from art. 


This perpetually egotistic struggle is apparent in our daily walk.  


Consider the latest slogan on a Jeep commerical:  "The things we make, make us"


or the new PC taboo--  Merry C*****mas!

Yet, we have replaced this with "Happy Holidays"  mostly unaware that the word holiday comes from two words "holy + "Day"...  It is a bit satisfying to know there is a large group of people out there determined not to acknowledge God, and who are grinning as they are saying "Happy Holidays" because they think they have written God out of the picture!

Nietzsche, a brilliant and truly honest atheist, understood the nearly unavoidable nature of the divine.  He also correctly predicted that where and when God was obliterated, mankind would reap unfathomable and catastrophic consequences.  I suppose a brief look at the massive destruction of life in the last century would confirm this sentiment.

I have included a few idioms that you probably hear at least one a day that have biblical roots.  This list is of course not exhaustive, but representative of the truth of which Nietzsche spoke.  (go the extra mile, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, wolf in sheep's clothing, ashes to ashes, fly in the ointment, straight and narrow etc)   Man must intentionally labor in our attempts to avoid God, if we do not wipe the slate clean, he still clings to us undaunted, but where man succeeds in his selfish endeavor to purge the divine influence, there we shall find obliteration the likes of which is unparalleled.

Remember this: many may argue that the history of the Church is dark and oftentimes evil (think inquisition, crusades. etc) and they are right, do not seek to deny this incontestable truth.  However, it is estimated that in the entire 500 year span of the various inquisitions about 6,000 people were killed.  This atrocity, which is surely was, is used against the Church over and over again.  Obviously there is guilt in this terror, but it can be certainly shown that it was in direct contradiction to the teachings of the Bible, an abhorrent rebellion of thought and deed towards the scriptures that the Church attempts to uphold.  (There are exaggerated claims of 100,000 deaths during the time by those who seek to discredit the Church, even if we allow these vulgarly overstated numbers it would still be a drop in the bucket compared to crimes against humanity motivated by atheistic ideology.  Furthermore, one only needs to show one injustice on behalf of the Church to "discredit" it in one sense.  Yet, that is the witness and testimony of those of faith in Christ, that we are sinful, in error, prone to mistakes and in need of help.  The world does not need to exaggerate the darkness of those in the Church, we stand in acknowledgement of our own condemnation having fallen short of the Glory of God.  Our hope is in Jesus, who has atoned for our wrongs, we humble ask for forgiveness for the wrong we have done, no one needs to convince us of that which we already know!

 Rather, redirect the inquiry to the history of the world where God was effectively "gotten rid of" and you will see a darkness the likes of which the Church has never seen.  In the places and times were the Church was erased from influence and service the world has experience bleak abomination.  Stalin tripled Hitlers death toll of 6 million, and Russia is still unearthing graves.  Hitler systematically marginalized the Church and where it did not cave towards complacency and endorsement of his reign, it was obliterated.  Stalin was chosen for his intense hatred of all things religious and killed over 300,000 priests in less than a year.

6,000 deaths from misguided Churchmen over a period of 500 years hardly compares to the utter genocide and annihilation that Hitler and Stalin unleashed on the world during the mid 1900s.  Furthermore, the deeds of these monsters were consistent with their ideology.   The lethal purging they committed was undeniably in line with the spirit that animated them.  On the other hand, the Churchmen who perpetrated the crimes of the inquisition were in direct opposition to that which they claimed to be true.

The dichotomy here hardly requires explanation.

Don't be distracted by the valid attacks on the dark periods of the Church and don't deny the truth.

But be prepared to redirect the questions:
                   What about the atrocities committed by non-Church entities? (in a short period of time)
                   add the death toll of these guys vs the death toll of 500 years of inquisition!
                   not comparable.
Also ask: were the actions of the inquisitors consistent with the bible?  no
Were the actions of these viscous dictators consistent with their mother ideologies: Fascism, etc -YES!

• Pol Pot
• Stalin
• Hitler
• Mao Zedong
• Mussolini 
• Franco
• Saddam Hussein

Etc...there are many more...

Be careful, the divine influence is nearly everywhere, and if you find a place where it has ceased to exist....well the words of Monty Python are fitting:

"Run Away!"

Self-Esteem addicts...

I have been talking about this topic for years.  One of the reasons I am concerned with this issue is because of the behavior of the students I teach.  There is a question on one of the assignments that asks: "Who is your hero, and why?"
-7 out of ten reply:  Me!(Themselves, not me, just so you are not confused!!!) and then they spend the rest of the essay boasting!

Wow, this overwhelming sentiment has certainly opened my eyes to the mental status of our youth.  Furthermore, (so that we are clear) I work with the high school dropout population in South Los Angeles - Therefore, the boasting certainly does not correlate with academic excellence.

This article is amazing, and I could not have said it better myself so please read it!

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/254092/self-esteem-and-character-dennis-prager?page=2

Thanks, and coming soon. Post-modernism in the Church: The Great Knockoff

Peer-less parenting

Please get one thing straight.  Somehow, someway, along the way parents have been tricked into thinking that peer interaction is good for kids/youth merely for its own sake.

 I don't quite know how this came to be but I have a few reflections that might make you think twice about sending your kids/young adults off to play with their friends.

I am not saying that peer interaction is inherently bad, but it should not be embraced across the board as a universally accepted good parenting technique.  Peer interaction CAN be healthy, if closely monitored and limited!

Parents often think that what kids 'want' is good for them and most parents are unwilling to be unpopular with their offspring and so they cave.

Here are a few things to consider:

Here is a quick little reminder about "mob mentality" or herd mentality, etc.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mob-mentality.htm

There is dichotomy that emerges in this debate or peer interaction that is astounding.  Many teens, parents, psychologists etc. find that "peer pressure" leads to much of the trouble teens face.  However, parents still somehow feel that peer interaction is essential to a child's healthy development.

Is it to blame for bad behavior or is it recommended procedure?

 Are we meant to be schizophrenic about this topic or can we attain a decent level of consistency.

Did you know that the 3rd leading cause of death among young adults is suicide (Ages 10-25) in the US.
In Montana suicide has reached 2nd place in cause of death

.http://www.krtv.com/news/suicide-is-2nd-leading-cause-of-death-for-mt-youth/

A mom talks about her 19 year old son " Twelve hours later, after spending the night drinking with friends, he took his own life." (bold italics mine)


This tale is an all too common one... teens have suicide clubs and suicide pacts together!  Look out parents!

Many suicides are induced by intense bullying -- one of the great facets peer interaction has to offer.

Here are some other great things peer interaction has to offer--- a virtual "must have" for teens list:

The top ten things Teens most likely will NOT get/do alone (some are virtually impossible!)--

and therefore MUST be allowed peer interaction for the following to occur...

1. STDs
2. Initiated into a Gang
3. Raped
4. Pregnant
5. Bullied
6. drunk...someone has to buy boos for them! (Assuming the parents are not the supplier!)
7. loaded...raves, parties, etc.  You gotta have a buddy to supply (Assuming the parents are not the supplier!)
8. get caught up in mob mentality
9.  influenced by peer pressure
10. into a fight...

I would like someone to give me a "top ten" benefits to peer interaction.  I would venture a guess that the list would be pretty meager.  (Perhaps getting the most up to date gossip is one...)

Send your youth to volunteer at a senior center, library, YMCA, or something of that nature.  Even for younger kids, peer interaction is a bad idea!  Have them spend time with grandparents, or older siblings who are good people, because we have all seen the effects kids have upon each other-kids are brutal to each other, merciless and cruel from an early age.  Unfortunately this reality doesn't get better amongst teens!

Sports are also a great option if you can affirm the coaching and supervision! -Nothing will be perfect, but a supervised, intentional activity has a far greater chance of success than just hanging out.

For the most part, peer interaction should be limited, closely supervised, and balanced with other relationships   that have a chance at producing a good influence, rather than an almost certainly negative impact from generic peer interaction.

Parents: question the motivation you have for putting a value upon peer interaction?  It is because society has programmed us to believe a certain lie about kids really NEEDING this for growth?  Because when you confront the facts of the matter, there is much risk without the possibility for much reward!  You stand to lose a lot through peer interaction, but as you step back and do the math, there is little, if any to gain!

Youth need to be exposed to good role models, and influenced by people making good life decisions, and exposed to wise people who are choosing positive life decisions.  These qualities are hard to find among young people, if not impossible!

So think before you buy into the modern mentality that places such a premium value on peers getting together.
Do you remember how you learned your first bad words, the dirty stuff about sex, and got into the most trouble?  Probably with friends!

Summary: peer interaction, even among smaller kids is OVERRATED, to say the least. It should be limited, supervised, and intentional.  Kids/youth should be exposed to relationships and not isolated of course. But these relationships should be intentional and focused.

Parents don't risk it, there is NOTHING to gain!

DO NOT JUDGE! O, wait, thats a judgment...hmmmm

How many times have you heard folks say things like this:  "You should not judge!", "It is wrong to judge!"?

-We must, especially as Christians, be careful of embracing these obviously contradictory assertions.  Chesterton speaks brilliantly about the lack of logic surrounding this type of reasoning in a section of his book "Orthodoxy"  often referred to as the "New Rebel"

"The new rebel is a skeptic, and will not trust anything… therefore he can never be really a revolutionary.  For all denunciation implies a moral doctrine of some kind… Therefore the modern man in revolt has become practically useless for all purposes for revolt.  By rebelling against everything he has lost his right to rebel against anything… "


-The same critique o f logic, or lack thereof, can be applied to the category of judgment.  Just as soon as you have condemned judgement as wrong, immoral, or inappropriate,  you have cut off the branch on which you were sitting and have now fallen to the ground, but are still shouting advice!


-If you follow the logical integrity of your argument that "it is wrong, or you should not judge" you have just denied yourself the right to make that statement, therefore rendering the line or thought impotent.  


It is therefore of much greater consideration to figure out the nature, or character of HOW we are meant to judge,  since the act of judgment is blatantly unavoidable,  and therefore the act itself cannot be wrong- because as Chesterton reminds us " all denunciation implies a moral doctrine".  Basically, you cannot use moral doctrine to denounce that moral doctrine exists!  Yet,  to a great extent many are stuck in this fallacy.  In the Church we have been conformed to the worldly values of "addiction to universal tolerance" and "judgment-abstaining" (even though both are judgmental moral doctrines themselves).  I hear all the time from Christians" It is not for me to judge" YES IT IS!  Yet, Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6 that "we will judge ANGELS, how much more matters of this earth!"


As I stated before, judging cannot be avoided,  so now we move to the real question.  It is no longer "should I judge?"  but it becomes this: Since I cannot avoid judging I will ask right question:  "how should I judge?"  Now we have come to the heart of the matter!  Let Jesus redirect our inquiry:  He concedes that we will judge, but concerns himself with the standard, or character of that judgment.  Judge with mercy.


There is such overwhelming evidence in the scriptures about making judgments, it is hard to see how we have come to value abandoning the practice altogether!


Consider the qualifications for leaders in Timothy and Titus.  


Titus chapter one says a leader must be able to teach SOUND doctrine and refute unsound teaching.  This implies that there is both sound and unsound doctrine and teaching, and leaders must be able to judge between the two, in order to teach the proper kind, and refute the improper kind... and Timothy cites a good teacher, among other qualifications!  This implies there are bad teachers, and bad lessons.  Those choosing the leaders must judge the quality of the teacher and his doctrine, and the teachers themselves must be able to judge the error of bad teaching in order to confute it....


The story goes on and on...the entire canon of the New Testament is rife with judgment and moral doctrine.  It cannot be merely just dispensed with or suspended because we are worried about offending people, political correctness, or just being nice!  


Therefore, equip yourself to make judgments with proper character to them.  Towards each other with mercy, so that you may be shown mercy.  And towards truth claims, teachings, doctrine etc, with a trained eye to discern truth from error, the unsound from the sound, or else this fate may await:


Paul says in Colossians 2 "I say this in order that no one may delude you with beguiling speech."  
---Why would he say this?  Because they were being deluded with beguiling speech: a judgment!


"See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. "


-Judgment....again...


 Romans 1 "they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools" -Well I do believe he is making some judgments here... why have we decided to adopt the worldly value of not judging when it is so obviously not a scriptural principal.


-And more judgment...  When you abandon your right to judge, you abdicate a gift that God is calling you to use when in Romans 12 Paul says : Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed (how????) by the renewing of your mind!


So judge, but judge with mercy.  And prepare yourself to judge matters of truth lest your practice of intense neutrality causes you to be led astray!


 Please avoid the amoral vacuum of tolerance, it is not what it appears! Because after abdicating your God-given right to judge a certain matter, you will have found you are left with no vehicle by which to judge any matter, and that is a dangerous place to be...  


Alexander Hamilton's idiom holds true: 


"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything"

Parental Warning: Explicit Content

Here is a laconic message to parents:

IF your kids behave better with other people than they do with you, then YOU are losing the battle as parents!

Kipling

Great and prophetic poem here...


•  Background
Published in October 1919 when the poet was 53 years old, "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" has proved enduringly popular, despite the fact that copybooks disappeared from schoolrooms in Britain and America during, or shortly after, World War 2. A copybook was an exercise book used to practice one's handwriting in. The pages were blank except for horizontal rulings and a printed specimen of perfect handwriting at the top. You were supposed to copy this specimen all down the page. The specimens were proverbs or quotations, or little commonplace hortatory or admonitory sayings — the ones in the poem illustrate the kind of thing. These were the copybook headings.


Here is an example...  "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" Santayana


See if you can grasp what he is saying... ask yourself: What is the moral of the story?

http://www.kipling.org.uk/poems_copybook.htm

Avatar (and other pop-culture phenomena) through Shallow Hal goggles...

I am sure if you are reading this you have seen the movie Avatar because if you are reading this, you are alive, and I am fairly certain that every living soul has seen it!

 (Although there are other issues involved with this movie, at this point I am not even going to address the complex topics of depression and suicide this Utopian monolith has generated.  See below
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1242409/The-Avatar-effect-Movie-goers-feel-depressed-suicidal-able-visit-utopian-alien-planet.html)

I am not trying to pick on Avatar, I am merely using it as an example.

-However, I am going to see if I can put the Tony Robbins-Shallow Hal blessing upon you.  Basically the self-help guru puts a special trance upon Jack Black in the movie whereby 'Hal's visual perception of people is based upon the content of their character rather than physical beauty. It is worth mentioning here that men are racist when they judge another man "by the color of their skin" and not "by the content of their character (Martin Luther King Jr).

Yet I propose to you that we employ this blatantly racist value system when it comes to pop culture, media, music, movies, books, philosophy etc. We need the Shallow Hal Goggles...
-We find it is wrong to judge a man based upon external appearance only, yet we are quite content to do this as we evaluate other things that we embrace in our life.

-Essentially Hal sees inner beauty only.  His friend sees this a curse, but Hal realizes in the end that is is far more reliable a tool when assessing the value of a person. (Sorry to spoil- this is a great film, and a borderline miracle that is was ever made in Hollywood)

Nevertheless, I challenge you to don your Shallow Hal Goggles when you are participating in pop-culture entertainment, or any media for that matter. Upon further investigation through lenses tuned to see through the external to the heart of the subject much of what has deceptively dazzled our eyes looks quite ugly under the microscope that exposes the content of its character.    

-When you focus on Avatar in this new way, you will find that it does not look nearly the same as it did during previous viewing.  You might come to find that what you once viewed as stunningly beautiful has a character hidden beneath that exposes ugly propaganda, recycled cliches, and it should be insulting to you that the makers don't consider you perceptive enough to see through the chicanery.  They have rightly estimated that if they dress up something devoid of any real character or moral value in pretty enough clothing,  breathtaking CGI, and 3D imagery you will be so distracted by the visual presentation that you will toss your Shallow Hal Goggles aside, grab those 3D glasses and sit back and be hoodwinked by "something shiny"!  You should be angered at the insult to your intelligence, and you should be diligent to ensure you are never again lulled to sleep through the subtle guile of visually stimulating propaganda.

-Do not forget that Adolf Hitler pulled this trick upon the German people prior to WWII with Cabarets; these were exquisite song/dance clubs intended to slip sleeping pills into the minds of the people through visually stimulating entertainment.

Beware of who and what you are allowing to power down your mind while they entertain you!

I am not saying that Avatar is Nazi material, or that is it racist, what I am saying is that everything has an agenda, however subtly or overtly it is conveyed.  Aesop has been right all along... there is a moral to every story and we need to figure out what that is before we can dismiss it as harmless or merely entertainment.

After each of Aesops stories he adds an italicized quote revealing the true nature and moral of the story.

Try this the next time you hear a song, read a book, or watch a movie.  After you finish write down the moral of the story... you will be surprised at the outcome!

Bookshelf

Here are some of my top picks for books in various categories. 

This list is by no means exhaustive and I will ad to it when I can.

Young Adults:

• Do Hard Things. by Harris Brothers
• Be Intolerant: because some things are just stupid. By Ryan Dobson
• Jesus Among Other Gods (Youth Edition). by Ravi Zacharias
• Lose Your Cool- Zach Hunter
• Stick and Stones-Ace Collins
• The Road to Whatever - Currie
• Simple Little Words- Cox/Perrodin

Marriage help:

• Saving your marriage before it starts- Les and Leslie Parrot (guys read the "feeling conversation vs problem solving conversation" part!
• A Severe Mercy - Sheldon Vanauken
• As for me and my house - Walter Wangerin Jr
• Two Part Invention - Madelin L'engle

Authentic following of Jesus:

• The Outward Bound - Vernard Eller
• The Authentic Witness- Kraus
• Living in Christian Commnity- Art Gish
• The Cost of Discipleship- Bonhoeffer

Apologetics:

• Mere Christianity -CS Lewis
• The Everlasting Man - Chesterton
• Pensees- Pascal
• There is a God - Flew
• The Wonder of the World - Varghese

Ethics/Philosophy

• Ethics - Bonhoeffer
• Pensees- Pascal
• Meaning - Pelanye
• Crime or Disease - Flew
• What does it all mean - Nagel
• a great short easy intro to philosophy!

Athiesm:

• A Shattered Visage - Ravi Zacharias
• The End of Reason- Zacharias
• The Rage Against God- Peter Hitchins

Evolution/Intelligent Design debate:

• DVD: Expelled- Intelligent Design vs Evolution
• Darwins God -Hunter
• Darwins Black Box-Behe
• Darwins Proof-Hunter
• Fingerprints of God - Ross
• Creator and the Cosmos- Ross
• Signature in the Cell- Stephen C Meyer

Prayer:

• Letters to Malcom - Lewis
• Prayers- Quoist
• God Talk - Tucker

The Holy Spirit-

• The Go-Between God- John Taylor
• Heaven Help us - Ketcherside

Great Books period:

• The God Who Smokes -Tim Stoner
• phenomenal story a must read!
• The Ball and the Cross - Chesterton
• An absolutely brilliant roller coaster
• The Gospel According to Starbucks - Len Sweet
• especially if you like coffee
• The Call - Os Guiness
• A Profoundly personal plea to answer the call of God on your life 
• Intellectuals - Paul Johnson
• a must read for anyone reading or listening to modern gurus like: Marx, Sartre, Rousseau etc!
• The Death of the Custodian - Ketcherside 
• Dont miss the forest for the trees on this one!
• The Screwtape Letters -C.S.Lewis
• Anything by Lewis is worth reading several times
• Ordinary Men - Browning
• story of the final solution in Poland

Theology/other:

• Orthodoxy by Chesterton
• Priests to Each other - Marney
• The Christian System- Campbell
• Creed or Chaos- Dorothy Sayer

History:

• Any of the Books in the series by Will and Ariel Durant
• modern Times - Paul Johnson

Stories:

• Watership Down - Richard Adams
• The Lord of the Rings - Tolkien
• The Chronicles of Narnia- Lewis

Biblical Commentaries:

• William Barclays entire commentary on the NT

I am going to do a movie list soon as well! Thanks

Inception

Here is my first Blog ever.  Thus far I have enjoying customizing my site, quite an interesting process.  I am sure this is useful for me to capture my thoughts and I hope someone else may benefit from my musings as well!