I wasn't really looking for this book. It found me. I had another title by Piper in mind when I casually strolled into the garage sale that day. Two dollars? Really? At a garage sale? Oh well, if I were to buy it on Ebay for a quarter, I would at least pay that in shipping. Why not?
Turns out, it was what I needed.
I love to think. That doesn't make me smart. It is just a natural part of me. Sometimes I think that I think too much. I have even had people tell me that I think too much!! Sometimes it is frustrating because I don't have all of the answers that I THINK I need NOW!
In the times in which we live, there is often discouragement for the thinking Christian. I have asked questions to my elders and spiritual superiors only to get a: you don't need to worry about that-it doesn't matter. That answer is like sandpaper to the thinking soul. If it doesn't matter, then why doesn't it matter?
In addition, there can often be resistance to the teaching of doctrine. Doctrine is said to divide and not really matter. I appreciate Piper's response to this issue. He relates that what he has learned by thinking tough issues through is a deeper understanding of who God is, thus cultivating a deeper love for Him. Just because something doesn't make sense to our human thinking doesn't mean that we should attempt to discard or discredit it. That's what this whole book is about. Thinking about the wisdom of God, not the wisdom of man. Discarding the man-made ideas that we have about God and simply believing what He says.
The other important topic that Piper touches on is what it means to "receive Christ." He insists that we must make clear what that actually means:
There are so many people who say they have received Christ and believed on Christ but give little or no evidence that they are spiritually alive. They are unresponsive to the spiritual beauty of Jesus. They are unmoved by the glories of Christ. They don't have the spirit of the Apostle Paul when he said, "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all thinks and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ." (Phil 3:8) This is not their spirit, yet they say they have received Christ. It looks as though it is possible to "receive Christ" and not have Him for what He is.
I have the personal opinion that this is a BIG problem in our world today. We were raised in the church, but have no idea what saving faith really means. We can go door to door and present facts to people and pray with people, but that doesn't guarantee that that they really get it. Piper talks about the nature of saving faith as one that demands more than facts as a ground. He explains it as not merely receiving the facts of the old, old story, but also receiving Christ Himself:
..as the one who died for us and rose again, and is infinitely glorious, wondrously beautiful, and supremely valuable. Therefore the grounds of such faith must be the spiritual sight of such glory and beauty and value.
and..
Because our hearts now see Christ as infinitely valuable, our resistance to truth is overcome. Our thinking is no longer the slave of deceitful desires, because our desires are changed. Christ is now the supreme treasure.
Piper goes on to establish why the relativism of today's religion is absurd. This is where the ability to think logically becomes of the utmost importance. It also seems to be the crux of the matter in the book: who are we going to trust in, ourselves or God? And in the matter of thinking, who does our thinking serve and glorify? Ourselves or god? And how did Jesus respond to the relativists of His day? (Matthew 21:23-27) In order to not only refute relativism, but also to detect it in our own ideas, thinking deeply about God is imperative. I loved the visual picture that Piper gave to bring thinking and logic into the process of salvation:
A logical presentation of the gospel of Christ is like wire along which the electricity of spiritual power runs. Wires do not make the lights go on; electricity does. But in the providence of God, electricity runs through wires. And in the design of God, the use of our minds in knowing, ordering, and presenting the truth of Christ is the normal way that the eyes of the blind are opened and belief in Jesus in awakened.
I can testify in my own life that thinking through hard doctrines and Biblical truths has drawn me closer to Christ. I can't explain it, especially because I don't understand all of it. But I know that God's word is so very alive. And beautiful. Maybe in a way, it has given me the wisdom to simply let go and let God be who He is rather than who I want Him to be, or what seems fair or right to me. I believe that is what careful study of the word can do for us. And in the process, it makes us more dependent on Him. It opens our eyes to the richness, beauty, and worth of Jesus. I recommend this book for all of you thinkers out there. It will encourage you to continue to think, but about the wisdom of God, not ourselves. I recommend it for those who don't like to think deeply. It can simply give insight and maybe an appreciation for those who do.
Showing posts with label book Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book Reviews. Show all posts
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Book Review: Slaughter of the Dissidents by Dr. Jerry Bergman
1. True or false: The reason there are not many highly educated scientists that believe in intelligent design is because the smarter you are the more you realize that evolution is true?
2. True or false: Highly educated proponents of Intelligent Design do not have papers published in peer-reviewed journals, nor do they teach at the college level and hold Doctorate degrees?
3. True or false: It is impossible to prove Intelligent Design beyond a reasonable doubt, therefore it must be false?
4. True or false: It is impossible to prove Darwinism beyond a reasonable doubt, so it must be false?
5. True or false: Darwinism has become the new religion of scientists and anyone who dares challenge it shall be ridiculed and asked if they believe the earth is flat?
Interesting quiz eh? It may seem like a strange way to start out a book review, but it does illustrate many of the points that Dr. Jerry Bergman is trying to make in his book Slaughter of the Dissidents.
I greatly appreciated this book because it promotes something that I believe is quite important, and often overlooked--intellectual honesty. It is not a book that is meant to convince you of either Darwinism or Intelligent Design, but rather, it is a book that documents the attitudes of some who dogmatically defend Darwinism, and the struggles of being a scientist who looks critically at the evidence.
First, let me begin by making clear that of all of the scientist that were scrutinized by their peers in this book, none of them were attempting to TEACH Intelligent Design. All of the professors and teachers (without exception) were simply encouraging their students to look critically at the information presented on evolution and decide whether there was a scientific basis for question. Many of the scientists in question never publicly announced a religious belief, and yet others were simply fired or denied their Doctorate degrees based on the religion that they chose to identify themselves with--regardless of what they believed about evolution or science.
Dr. Bergman has done the community a great service by documenting these cases in order to show the mindset of dogmatic Darwin defenders. In response to question #1 the answer is FALSE. It is quite apparent that many scientists who doubt Darwin's theories stay "in the closet" in order to maintain their careers and quite possibly, their sanity. In some institutions, there is a unified push by the science faculty to not award degrees or supply jobs to anyone who is not in total dogmatic agreement with Darwin's theories. The answer the question #2 is FALSE. Many of these scientist have produced more peer-reviewed articles than most of their cohorts, yet they do not dare submit an article promoting Intelligent Design because they know that it would be committing career suicide.
The real crux of the argument, however comes down to questions 3 & 4. This is where the whole idea of intellectual honesty comes in to play. Of course, both of the answers are FALSE. However, there is partial truth there. Neither one can be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt. In that case, it would be logical to call them both "theories" and present them as such, and allow people to draw their own conclusions. Why would anyone have a problem with this? Of note again, is the fact that Intelligent Design was never taught in any of the classrooms of the mentioned teachers, the students were are taught evolution and asked to think critically about the issue. But to answer my own question, (why would anyone have a problem with this?...) it is because Darwinism does have it's problems, and critical thought on the issue would breed many who challenge the scientificreligion establishment. It seems absurd, because whole point of science is to ask questions and find ways to establish answers.
The answer to question #5 is TRUE. How do I defend this? Because looking at the cases presented in this book, it would be simple to conclude that freedom of speech does not exist in certain classrooms. Let me illustrate. A teacher is told that he may NOT teach his pupils that the incredible complexity of life could possibly indicate a designer, yet an atheist teacher is allowed to teach his students that there is absolutely nothing out there and that there was mostly assuredly not a creator or a God. And both of these are upheld by the court. I appreciate the following honest quote from chapter 1 of the book where Kevin H. Wirth describes the context for discrimination that occurs:
2. True or false: Highly educated proponents of Intelligent Design do not have papers published in peer-reviewed journals, nor do they teach at the college level and hold Doctorate degrees?
3. True or false: It is impossible to prove Intelligent Design beyond a reasonable doubt, therefore it must be false?
4. True or false: It is impossible to prove Darwinism beyond a reasonable doubt, so it must be false?
5. True or false: Darwinism has become the new religion of scientists and anyone who dares challenge it shall be ridiculed and asked if they believe the earth is flat?
Interesting quiz eh? It may seem like a strange way to start out a book review, but it does illustrate many of the points that Dr. Jerry Bergman is trying to make in his book Slaughter of the Dissidents.
I greatly appreciated this book because it promotes something that I believe is quite important, and often overlooked--intellectual honesty. It is not a book that is meant to convince you of either Darwinism or Intelligent Design, but rather, it is a book that documents the attitudes of some who dogmatically defend Darwinism, and the struggles of being a scientist who looks critically at the evidence.
First, let me begin by making clear that of all of the scientist that were scrutinized by their peers in this book, none of them were attempting to TEACH Intelligent Design. All of the professors and teachers (without exception) were simply encouraging their students to look critically at the information presented on evolution and decide whether there was a scientific basis for question. Many of the scientists in question never publicly announced a religious belief, and yet others were simply fired or denied their Doctorate degrees based on the religion that they chose to identify themselves with--regardless of what they believed about evolution or science.
Dr. Bergman has done the community a great service by documenting these cases in order to show the mindset of dogmatic Darwin defenders. In response to question #1 the answer is FALSE. It is quite apparent that many scientists who doubt Darwin's theories stay "in the closet" in order to maintain their careers and quite possibly, their sanity. In some institutions, there is a unified push by the science faculty to not award degrees or supply jobs to anyone who is not in total dogmatic agreement with Darwin's theories. The answer the question #2 is FALSE. Many of these scientist have produced more peer-reviewed articles than most of their cohorts, yet they do not dare submit an article promoting Intelligent Design because they know that it would be committing career suicide.
The real crux of the argument, however comes down to questions 3 & 4. This is where the whole idea of intellectual honesty comes in to play. Of course, both of the answers are FALSE. However, there is partial truth there. Neither one can be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt. In that case, it would be logical to call them both "theories" and present them as such, and allow people to draw their own conclusions. Why would anyone have a problem with this? Of note again, is the fact that Intelligent Design was never taught in any of the classrooms of the mentioned teachers, the students were are taught evolution and asked to think critically about the issue. But to answer my own question, (why would anyone have a problem with this?...) it is because Darwinism does have it's problems, and critical thought on the issue would breed many who challenge the scientific
The answer to question #5 is TRUE. How do I defend this? Because looking at the cases presented in this book, it would be simple to conclude that freedom of speech does not exist in certain classrooms. Let me illustrate. A teacher is told that he may NOT teach his pupils that the incredible complexity of life could possibly indicate a designer, yet an atheist teacher is allowed to teach his students that there is absolutely nothing out there and that there was mostly assuredly not a creator or a God. And both of these are upheld by the court. I appreciate the following honest quote from chapter 1 of the book where Kevin H. Wirth describes the context for discrimination that occurs:
"ID is not a conventional religion and thus is not a paradigm in the case of religion. Rather, it is a point of view based on philosophical and empirical arguments. The purpose for ID is to provide answers to the same questions for which the evolutionary paradigm is said to provide answers. That is, the design theory and naturalistic evolution are two conflicting perspectives about the same subject. Admittedly, if ID arguments are plausible, they do lend support to the metaphysical claim of some conventional religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. However, as Justice Powell wrote in his Edwards concurrence, "a decision respecting the subject matter to be taught in public schools does not violate the Establishment Clause simply because the materials to be taught happens to coincide or harmonize with the tenants of some or all religions"....if a point of view is religious because it's plausibility lends support to a religion or religious point of view, then we would have to conclude that naturalistic evolution is as much a religion as ID, for it lends support to some non-theistic and anti religious perspectives recognized as religion by the court. "
The real problem lies with the accusation that all proponents of intelligent design arrive at their conclusions based solely on faith. Admittedly, many come into learning about such things with some type of presupposition, yet we cannot assume that this clouds the view of every ID scientist out there. Many started off as either atheists, or scientists who believed in Darwinism and were converted to the other side of the argument after studying the evidence. Intellectual honesty makes an exit when we allow the teaching of one theory while not allowing students to think or speak critically of it. Page 363 of the book holds this quote from a University of Michigan law school graduate concerning those who pursue a career in science:
I do recommend this book for people who fall on both sides of the debate. I think it helps to dispel the myths and untruths created by the media concerning such issues. Hopefully, it would give insight to those who would use demeaning criticism (such as in question #5) and create a healthier debate.
Hopefully.
You can't rationally decide whether you are on the right road unless you are willing to consider the possibility that you are on the wrong road. ~ Philip Johnson
Now that is honest.
If you gingerly raise scientific question about evolution you will be denounced as a creationist nut, your life will be turned upside down, and your employers will be hounded. You will probably be fired and certainly have to hire a lawyer. Now let's take a show of hands: Any Darwin skeptics? Good. Evolution has been proved again.
I do recommend this book for people who fall on both sides of the debate. I think it helps to dispel the myths and untruths created by the media concerning such issues. Hopefully, it would give insight to those who would use demeaning criticism (such as in question #5) and create a healthier debate.
Hopefully.
You can't rationally decide whether you are on the right road unless you are willing to consider the possibility that you are on the wrong road. ~ Philip Johnson
Now that is honest.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Book Review: unPLANNED
Abby Johnson loves women. As a former clinic director for Planned Parenthood, she spent several years of her life devoted to providing low-income women in the Houston area medical care. She loved what she did. Abby was well versed in the "talking points" established by planned Parenthood: "Our mission is to decrease the number of abortions needed through education" "Planned Parenthood saves lives of women who can't afford to pay for health care." Abby had counseled thousands of women in their options for dealing with unplanned pregnancies. She had counseled several women that abortion was a safe medical procedure to remove unwanted fetal tissue that felt no pain.
Over time, Abby began to doubt that Planned Parenthood's goal were what they said they were. After being chided by her boss to increase revenue by decreasing the low-cost medical care and increasing the lucrative abortions, she began to doubt the bottom line. Her world was rocked one day in September of 2009 when she was asked to assist in an ultrasound-guided abortion. The opening chapter of the book describes in painful detail the horror she experienced as she watched the tiny child struggle to flee the pain of the cannula that was about to suck it into the the suction canister. That moment was a breaking point for Abby, and now, she tells her story. Here is an excerpt from the hearbreaking chapter:
"What was in this woman's womb just a moment ago was alive. It wasn't just tissue, just cells. That was a human baby-fighting for life! A battle that was lost in the blink of an eye. What I have told people for years, what I believed and taught and defended, is a lie."
unPLANNED gives a look into the world of the abortion industry from both sides of the fence. Abby gives insightful looks at skewed thinking in both the pro-life and pro-choice camps. Her amazing story begins with her decision volunteer and takes you through an unforgettable journey of friendship, heartbreak, betrayal, law suits, and healing. It also does a great job a showing the true colors of a company that claims to be in the business of saving lives. I recommend this book to anyone who really wants to understand the truth in the Planned Parenthood issue. I recommend it to those not wanting truth, but I doubt they will take the risk of reading it.
http://www.amazon.com/Abby-Johnson/e/B004APM036/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Over time, Abby began to doubt that Planned Parenthood's goal were what they said they were. After being chided by her boss to increase revenue by decreasing the low-cost medical care and increasing the lucrative abortions, she began to doubt the bottom line. Her world was rocked one day in September of 2009 when she was asked to assist in an ultrasound-guided abortion. The opening chapter of the book describes in painful detail the horror she experienced as she watched the tiny child struggle to flee the pain of the cannula that was about to suck it into the the suction canister. That moment was a breaking point for Abby, and now, she tells her story. Here is an excerpt from the hearbreaking chapter:
"What was in this woman's womb just a moment ago was alive. It wasn't just tissue, just cells. That was a human baby-fighting for life! A battle that was lost in the blink of an eye. What I have told people for years, what I believed and taught and defended, is a lie."
unPLANNED gives a look into the world of the abortion industry from both sides of the fence. Abby gives insightful looks at skewed thinking in both the pro-life and pro-choice camps. Her amazing story begins with her decision volunteer and takes you through an unforgettable journey of friendship, heartbreak, betrayal, law suits, and healing. It also does a great job a showing the true colors of a company that claims to be in the business of saving lives. I recommend this book to anyone who really wants to understand the truth in the Planned Parenthood issue. I recommend it to those not wanting truth, but I doubt they will take the risk of reading it.
http://www.amazon.com/Abby-Johnson/e/B004APM036/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Book Review: Son of Hamas
First let me say this: I am usually not a fan of spy thrillers. It just so happens though, that this one is true. I really loved this book. Because of the nature of the topic, it was tough for me to read at times.
Mosab Hassan Yousef is the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, one of the seven founders of the Hamas organization. You might have already guessed that he lived his entire life amongst considerable danger and violence. But what I didn't expect was a rich tale of Palestinian family life. On some level, I found myself really liking his father (despite of what he promoted or tolerated.) This book put a human face on those we consider to be the enemy. The depth of the book comes from the author's experiences living a life that most of us only hear about. He gives a non-spun perspective of political figures and devastating decisions made by leaders such as Yasser Arafat.
On the family path to become a terrorist, Yousef is captured by the Isaeli security forces. After a less than comfortable stay in an Israeli prison, he is offered the opportunity to work for the Shin Bet as a double agent taking out suicide bombers in his Father's organization. As the story continues, Yousef meets Christian friends and is given a Bible. Throughout the book you can see the evolution of his heart from a terrorist into a born again believer in Jesus Christ. Even before he could accept the fact that Jesus was God, he saw God changing his heart through His Word. He had a love for Christ's teachings for some time before he actually became a Christian. Killing became unthinkable. Forgiveness became natural.
The thing that I liked most about this book (and actually surprised me most) is that it deepened my compassion for Palestinian people who are caught up in the hatred and heated emotion of terrorism. Not compassion in the sense that I believe that terrorism is ever the answer, but compassion for the very hearts of these people. Yousef's father is a very passionate man who loves Allah with an impressive devotion. Surprisingly enough, he is not a violent man. Should he come to a relationship with Jesus, he would be the kind of man all of us would likely look up to. It is encouraging to think how God can use Yousef's story to reach a seemingly unreachable people.
Yousef concludes the postscript of the book stating: "Truth and forgiveness are the only solutions for the Middle East. The challenge, especially between Israelis and Palestinians, is not to find the solution. The challenge is to be the first courageous enough to embrace it."
Jesus is the answer.
Mosab Hassan Yousef is the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, one of the seven founders of the Hamas organization. You might have already guessed that he lived his entire life amongst considerable danger and violence. But what I didn't expect was a rich tale of Palestinian family life. On some level, I found myself really liking his father (despite of what he promoted or tolerated.) This book put a human face on those we consider to be the enemy. The depth of the book comes from the author's experiences living a life that most of us only hear about. He gives a non-spun perspective of political figures and devastating decisions made by leaders such as Yasser Arafat.
On the family path to become a terrorist, Yousef is captured by the Isaeli security forces. After a less than comfortable stay in an Israeli prison, he is offered the opportunity to work for the Shin Bet as a double agent taking out suicide bombers in his Father's organization. As the story continues, Yousef meets Christian friends and is given a Bible. Throughout the book you can see the evolution of his heart from a terrorist into a born again believer in Jesus Christ. Even before he could accept the fact that Jesus was God, he saw God changing his heart through His Word. He had a love for Christ's teachings for some time before he actually became a Christian. Killing became unthinkable. Forgiveness became natural.
The thing that I liked most about this book (and actually surprised me most) is that it deepened my compassion for Palestinian people who are caught up in the hatred and heated emotion of terrorism. Not compassion in the sense that I believe that terrorism is ever the answer, but compassion for the very hearts of these people. Yousef's father is a very passionate man who loves Allah with an impressive devotion. Surprisingly enough, he is not a violent man. Should he come to a relationship with Jesus, he would be the kind of man all of us would likely look up to. It is encouraging to think how God can use Yousef's story to reach a seemingly unreachable people.
Yousef concludes the postscript of the book stating: "Truth and forgiveness are the only solutions for the Middle East. The challenge, especially between Israelis and Palestinians, is not to find the solution. The challenge is to be the first courageous enough to embrace it."
Jesus is the answer.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Book Review: Crazy Love Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan
A while back I shared with you my thoughts on a book called Already Gone authored by Ken Ham. I felt that Ham had a small piece of the puzzle of figuring out why so many leave the Christian Church as young adults, but that he wasn't grasping the whole story. I think I am about to present to you the rest of the story!
Crazy Love is an amazing book. It is not a "feel-good-about-yourself" kind of book. It is a book that challenges the very heart of the believer. If you are looking for something to lift you us and tell you that you are on the right track, opt for something else to read! If you are looking for something that will take you deeper into relationship with Jesus Christ and challenge you to become all that Christ desires of you, read on!
Over the past year I have had conversations with several people of several religious persuasions about topics like politics, religion, etc. One thing that I have noticed is that no matter how sincere your political opinion, it is sure to anger someone! That is because what we argue is merely opinion. It is of ourselves. When we talk about religion, it can be much of the same. Sharing opinion rarely makes an impact. Sharing God's Word has a much greater advantage! Why? Because we, as Christians, need to realize that God's Word is the only truth we can claim as absolute! When we insist on adding our opinion or perspective to it, it can off as unloving. Does that make holding an opinion wrong? Certainly not! Does it make attempting to share principles of God's Word to make a deeper impact on the life of the believer wrong? Certainly not! There is a time and place for all of that.
BUT, I ask you: why does that world look at Christians as hate mongers and intolerant? We can certainly say that it is because they are blinded to the truth that we know. We can say that. It would make us feel much better about ourselves. Right? But we do need to ask ourselves, it that what it is really about? Feeling better about ourselves? Truly it is not. Crazy Love challenges the idea that we are the "good soil" that Christ talked about in the parable of the sower. If we truly are the good soil, then why is God's Word being "choked out" in America today? Maybe we need to consider whether or not the message that we are conveying is truly one of love and self-sacrifice that Christ calls us to.
I challenge everyone to read this book. Read Chan's profiles of "lukewarm people" in contrast to people who are truly head-over-heels in love with God. I will not lie to you and say that I felt good after reading this, but I will say that it has changed the way I look at my relationship with God, and I pray that it will make a greater impact on those around me who need Jesus.
Crazy Love is an amazing book. It is not a "feel-good-about-yourself" kind of book. It is a book that challenges the very heart of the believer. If you are looking for something to lift you us and tell you that you are on the right track, opt for something else to read! If you are looking for something that will take you deeper into relationship with Jesus Christ and challenge you to become all that Christ desires of you, read on!
Over the past year I have had conversations with several people of several religious persuasions about topics like politics, religion, etc. One thing that I have noticed is that no matter how sincere your political opinion, it is sure to anger someone! That is because what we argue is merely opinion. It is of ourselves. When we talk about religion, it can be much of the same. Sharing opinion rarely makes an impact. Sharing God's Word has a much greater advantage! Why? Because we, as Christians, need to realize that God's Word is the only truth we can claim as absolute! When we insist on adding our opinion or perspective to it, it can off as unloving. Does that make holding an opinion wrong? Certainly not! Does it make attempting to share principles of God's Word to make a deeper impact on the life of the believer wrong? Certainly not! There is a time and place for all of that.
BUT, I ask you: why does that world look at Christians as hate mongers and intolerant? We can certainly say that it is because they are blinded to the truth that we know. We can say that. It would make us feel much better about ourselves. Right? But we do need to ask ourselves, it that what it is really about? Feeling better about ourselves? Truly it is not. Crazy Love challenges the idea that we are the "good soil" that Christ talked about in the parable of the sower. If we truly are the good soil, then why is God's Word being "choked out" in America today? Maybe we need to consider whether or not the message that we are conveying is truly one of love and self-sacrifice that Christ calls us to.
I challenge everyone to read this book. Read Chan's profiles of "lukewarm people" in contrast to people who are truly head-over-heels in love with God. I will not lie to you and say that I felt good after reading this, but I will say that it has changed the way I look at my relationship with God, and I pray that it will make a greater impact on those around me who need Jesus.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Book Review: Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye by Ellie Phillips, DDS
Those of you who know me know that I hate the dentist. I have had bad experiences since I was a child. Over the past year and a half, I have shelled out over $3000 in dental treatments for Emma and I alone! One thing that struck me as funny was that my dentist never tried to teach my daughter anything about caring for her teeth. He has never discussed prevention with us. I think that the prevailing attitude among dentists is that if you are born with the "bad genes" like Emma and I, there is nothing you can do to prevent problems.
Again, those of you who know me know that I am all about prevention. I read everything I can get my hands on when it comes to the health of my family! I want to thank my friend Suzanna for loaning me this book!
Ellie Phillips is an English-born dentist with over 30 years of experience. She has a passion for preventative dentistry. She says that early on in her career she continually questioned those in her field about how we can prevent dental problems. She usually met with silence, or just the response that "you can't prevent it." I am thankful that she decided not to accept this for an answer. Over her many years of experience she has developed a system of oral care that she recommends to all of her patients. For the most part, those who follow her program never need much more than a "coach." This is because they do not seem to suffer from the same amount of issues that the rest of us do. The answer seems to lie in the pH of our mouths. If your mouth is acidic your enamel erodes faster and leaves you prone to caries then cavities. With a combine program of specific rinses and toothpastes combined with regular consumption of xylitol, Dr. Phillips claims that you can reverse caries and enjoy good dental health forever.
Emma and I have been following her program for approximately 3 weeks now. While much damage has already been done in my daughter's mouth, I have to say that for the first time I actually have hope that we can prevent further problems! Emma loves the mouth rinse and the xylitol mints! She also loves the granular xylitol mom bought at the healthfood store. I am so amazed that something so simple and enjoyable can be such a great help. Stay tuned. The results remain to be seen. BUT I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who has problems with cavities. below is a link to Dr. Ellie's blog page for more information:
www.askdrellie.com
Again, those of you who know me know that I am all about prevention. I read everything I can get my hands on when it comes to the health of my family! I want to thank my friend Suzanna for loaning me this book!
Ellie Phillips is an English-born dentist with over 30 years of experience. She has a passion for preventative dentistry. She says that early on in her career she continually questioned those in her field about how we can prevent dental problems. She usually met with silence, or just the response that "you can't prevent it." I am thankful that she decided not to accept this for an answer. Over her many years of experience she has developed a system of oral care that she recommends to all of her patients. For the most part, those who follow her program never need much more than a "coach." This is because they do not seem to suffer from the same amount of issues that the rest of us do. The answer seems to lie in the pH of our mouths. If your mouth is acidic your enamel erodes faster and leaves you prone to caries then cavities. With a combine program of specific rinses and toothpastes combined with regular consumption of xylitol, Dr. Phillips claims that you can reverse caries and enjoy good dental health forever.
Emma and I have been following her program for approximately 3 weeks now. While much damage has already been done in my daughter's mouth, I have to say that for the first time I actually have hope that we can prevent further problems! Emma loves the mouth rinse and the xylitol mints! She also loves the granular xylitol mom bought at the healthfood store. I am so amazed that something so simple and enjoyable can be such a great help. Stay tuned. The results remain to be seen. BUT I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who has problems with cavities. below is a link to Dr. Ellie's blog page for more information:
www.askdrellie.com
Monday, May 17, 2010
Book Review: Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can do to Stop it.
Okay, first I have to admit that I started reading this book thinking I would not like it. I cannot say that I agreed with every conclusion that the authors reached, but I do have to say that it was well researched and made a little bit of sense.
The authors surveyed 22,000 people from "evangelical" families who, in their 20's, have abandoned church for one reason or another. It then breaks the groups down into the ones who have said that one day they will return (probably when they have kids) and those that never plan to return. They asked a series of questions to determine why. Overwhelmingly, the answers leaned toward the lack of Biblical authority being taught in churches today. Children go to school and learn what science calls "fact" and then they go to church and learn "stories" of creation, floods, etc. It isn't hard to see why children cannot connect the two worlds. The authors contend that when you take the very first pages of scripture and say "This doesn't necessarily have to be taken literally", then you set children up to take what they want from scripture and leave the rest behind for the "fundamentalists." Why are we losing this battle? Well, I don't come to the EXACT same conclusions as the authors, but I personally think they are on the right track. Or maybe just the right part of the track. Or maybe just somewhere on the track.
I have to begin by saying where I depart from the author's point of view. The statement is made that there are "strong" Christian people who are leaving the fellowship for one reason or another. I have to say that I do not agree with this. Of the top 10 reasons the author lists for Christians leaving church, half of the reasons showed that the people were more concerned about relationships with people rather than coming to church to worship God. Reasons like: boring services, hypocritical people, legalism, too political, etc. A couple of the reasons had to do with distance from home. One of the reasons that floored me was "the Bible isn't relevant/practical" and "not relevant to personal growth." Really? And they are calling these people strong Christians? I am going to stick my neck out here and say this: if you find the Bible irrelevant or do not find fellowship with God's people important, then maybe you should ask yourself what salvation really means. Or better yet, have I truly made Jesus Christ LORD of my life? I would venture to say that the root problem is bad doctrine. If you attend a church where teens are leaving by the dozens and living worldly lifestyles, then maybe it is time to look at all-around doctrine....not just Genesis. Consider Romans 6:20 "In those days, you were slaves of sin, you weren't concerned with doing what was right." The days that Paul refers to are the days before our eyes were opened by the Spirit of God and we were freed from the bondage of sin. Paul calls believers "slaves to righteousness." How can we be followers of our Lord when we don't even find his teaching relevant? Scriptural authority should be a given to those of us who are justified by faith. God's Word should hold authority over our lives!
That being said, I do think that teaching the science behind creation is important to know. Not to "prove" to ourselves that God and science can co-exist. If we have faith in God we already know this to be true. The reason I believe that kids should have this knowledge has to do with the age we are living in. The author does make the point that we are no longer living in a society that values faith, but rather knowledge. I have seen over and over again in conversations with people, that society no longer believes that a person who holds a creation viewpoint can be knowledgeable about science. If our children are to go into the world and preach the gospel in this day and age, they are going to meet with some tough questions. Would it not be better for them to know how to answer them? I have often said that there is so much evidence out there for intelligent design that is consistently overlooked, and deliberately ignored. I have noticed that when I talk with unbelievers (especially those who are college educated) that the very first thing they attack these days is the Scriptural account of creation. These arguments are followed by "the Bible isn't meant to be taken literally..." The truth is, there is just as much (if not more) evidence out there that we were designed than evidence that we evolved.
One difference that the authors and I hold are WHO should be teaching this. They believe that our Sunday Schools have desperately failed, yet they believe that we should simply re-vamp the materials that we are using to teach. I tend to scratch my head at this, because I do not believe that it is the church's responsibility to give our children a "Christian education." I firmly believe that this is the parent's job! They do touch on this fact in the book, but in keeping with modern times, they do not hammer it home. They simply believe that fathers might shirk this responsibility (and most often they do) so we should leave it up to the Sunday school teachers. I am here to say this: churches NEED to encourage and equip parents to teach their children Scripture! Too often, we just say: well, some of these kids don't get this at home so we need to provide it here. They need to encourage, encourage, and keep encouraging until we wake up. We have so many great programs in our churches these days that we tend to think we can just drop our kids off at Sunday School and that is all the Christian education they need. That, my friends, is where we are losing them! Children not seeing authentic faith in their parents. Parents who do not find reading the Bible together with their families important. It is so easy to "disconnect" Scripture from daily life when our parents have done the same. It becomes abnormal to us to see a family sitting and reading the Bible together, and normal to see them sitting in front of a TV! We need to attack the notion of church being just a building where we come to worship! Families who worship together at home are families that model Biblical Christianity to their kids. We, the Body of Christ, are the church.
The book states that statistically Sunday School programs have been a big failure. Again, I agree. But I have to say the the BIGGEST problem that I see in churches today is a focus on programs to teach the flock rather than simply encouraging true Godly living within families. UGH. Okay, let me explain. I will begin with a quote from the book:
"In other words, an increasing level of activities did NOT predict an increase love for God. Church activity alone made NO direct impact on a growing heart....it was a flat line--and a stunning discovery for us."
That doesn't stun me. Seriously. Does it surprise you? We can be signed up for every program, attend Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday evening and still not be living it out in our homes. In a nutshell: we need to search our own hearts before we endeavor to make a difference in the hearts of our kids. I know that I fall short in worship in the home. I see that and want desperately to change it. My hearts desire is for my kids to walk in truth. I will repent of this and allow the Lord to change my heart. I cannot expect them to be what I am not.
The authors surveyed 22,000 people from "evangelical" families who, in their 20's, have abandoned church for one reason or another. It then breaks the groups down into the ones who have said that one day they will return (probably when they have kids) and those that never plan to return. They asked a series of questions to determine why. Overwhelmingly, the answers leaned toward the lack of Biblical authority being taught in churches today. Children go to school and learn what science calls "fact" and then they go to church and learn "stories" of creation, floods, etc. It isn't hard to see why children cannot connect the two worlds. The authors contend that when you take the very first pages of scripture and say "This doesn't necessarily have to be taken literally", then you set children up to take what they want from scripture and leave the rest behind for the "fundamentalists." Why are we losing this battle? Well, I don't come to the EXACT same conclusions as the authors, but I personally think they are on the right track. Or maybe just the right part of the track. Or maybe just somewhere on the track.
I have to begin by saying where I depart from the author's point of view. The statement is made that there are "strong" Christian people who are leaving the fellowship for one reason or another. I have to say that I do not agree with this. Of the top 10 reasons the author lists for Christians leaving church, half of the reasons showed that the people were more concerned about relationships with people rather than coming to church to worship God. Reasons like: boring services, hypocritical people, legalism, too political, etc. A couple of the reasons had to do with distance from home. One of the reasons that floored me was "the Bible isn't relevant/practical" and "not relevant to personal growth." Really? And they are calling these people strong Christians? I am going to stick my neck out here and say this: if you find the Bible irrelevant or do not find fellowship with God's people important, then maybe you should ask yourself what salvation really means. Or better yet, have I truly made Jesus Christ LORD of my life? I would venture to say that the root problem is bad doctrine. If you attend a church where teens are leaving by the dozens and living worldly lifestyles, then maybe it is time to look at all-around doctrine....not just Genesis. Consider Romans 6:20 "In those days, you were slaves of sin, you weren't concerned with doing what was right." The days that Paul refers to are the days before our eyes were opened by the Spirit of God and we were freed from the bondage of sin. Paul calls believers "slaves to righteousness." How can we be followers of our Lord when we don't even find his teaching relevant? Scriptural authority should be a given to those of us who are justified by faith. God's Word should hold authority over our lives!
That being said, I do think that teaching the science behind creation is important to know. Not to "prove" to ourselves that God and science can co-exist. If we have faith in God we already know this to be true. The reason I believe that kids should have this knowledge has to do with the age we are living in. The author does make the point that we are no longer living in a society that values faith, but rather knowledge. I have seen over and over again in conversations with people, that society no longer believes that a person who holds a creation viewpoint can be knowledgeable about science. If our children are to go into the world and preach the gospel in this day and age, they are going to meet with some tough questions. Would it not be better for them to know how to answer them? I have often said that there is so much evidence out there for intelligent design that is consistently overlooked, and deliberately ignored. I have noticed that when I talk with unbelievers (especially those who are college educated) that the very first thing they attack these days is the Scriptural account of creation. These arguments are followed by "the Bible isn't meant to be taken literally..." The truth is, there is just as much (if not more) evidence out there that we were designed than evidence that we evolved.
One difference that the authors and I hold are WHO should be teaching this. They believe that our Sunday Schools have desperately failed, yet they believe that we should simply re-vamp the materials that we are using to teach. I tend to scratch my head at this, because I do not believe that it is the church's responsibility to give our children a "Christian education." I firmly believe that this is the parent's job! They do touch on this fact in the book, but in keeping with modern times, they do not hammer it home. They simply believe that fathers might shirk this responsibility (and most often they do) so we should leave it up to the Sunday school teachers. I am here to say this: churches NEED to encourage and equip parents to teach their children Scripture! Too often, we just say: well, some of these kids don't get this at home so we need to provide it here. They need to encourage, encourage, and keep encouraging until we wake up. We have so many great programs in our churches these days that we tend to think we can just drop our kids off at Sunday School and that is all the Christian education they need. That, my friends, is where we are losing them! Children not seeing authentic faith in their parents. Parents who do not find reading the Bible together with their families important. It is so easy to "disconnect" Scripture from daily life when our parents have done the same. It becomes abnormal to us to see a family sitting and reading the Bible together, and normal to see them sitting in front of a TV! We need to attack the notion of church being just a building where we come to worship! Families who worship together at home are families that model Biblical Christianity to their kids. We, the Body of Christ, are the church.
The book states that statistically Sunday School programs have been a big failure. Again, I agree. But I have to say the the BIGGEST problem that I see in churches today is a focus on programs to teach the flock rather than simply encouraging true Godly living within families. UGH. Okay, let me explain. I will begin with a quote from the book:
"In other words, an increasing level of activities did NOT predict an increase love for God. Church activity alone made NO direct impact on a growing heart....it was a flat line--and a stunning discovery for us."
That doesn't stun me. Seriously. Does it surprise you? We can be signed up for every program, attend Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday evening and still not be living it out in our homes. In a nutshell: we need to search our own hearts before we endeavor to make a difference in the hearts of our kids. I know that I fall short in worship in the home. I see that and want desperately to change it. My hearts desire is for my kids to walk in truth. I will repent of this and allow the Lord to change my heart. I cannot expect them to be what I am not.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Hitler's Cross
Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to share the Gospel with a man who is a professing atheist and a Marxist. This was a man who was not foreign to the Good News of Jesus. He had grown up in church and had a general idea of selected scripture. It was quite a learning opportunity for me. We arrived at an impasse , but we both walked away understanding each other's perspective. In the end, I found the source of his worldview very disturbing, yet all too common these days.
It seems that Carl Marx has become quite the hero in liberal education. There are many out there who knowingly, or unknowingly embrace his teachings. Socialism has become the "buzz word" since the election of President Obama. I have talked with people who partially (and sometimes unknowingly) embrace socialism. I have talked to those who laugh off the idea that we are headed for socialism as "Republican hysterics." Now, I can say that I have spoken with someone who truly embraces socialism for what it is and is not ashamed to admit it.
A few days ago, I began reading Hitler's Cross by Erwin Lutzer. I had always wondered what it took to convince a whole nation to follow after such a demonic leader. Lutzer does a good job of putting the process of acceptance into perspective. Hitler knew that his best chance to win the hearts of his people would come in a time of economic devastation. At the time, German economy was at it's worst and the people were starving. It seemed a ripe time for someone who desired to be "savior" to rescue his people. To quote Lutzer: "The people yearned for a leader who would do for them what democracy could not." Hitler was a good political leader. he revived the failing German economy in a span of 5 years. He brought crime under control. He created great social programs like his "Strength through joy" program, which gave millions of Germans vacations that they could not otherwise afford. Hitler did so much to appeal to the outward wants and needs of a nation. However, Hitler was obviously very devious and his motives impure.
To quote Lutzer again: "If he had died before World War ll, one historian mused, he would have gone down in history as "Adolph the Great, one of the outstanding figures in German history."
We all know the end of the story. Hitler purges Germany of the "impure" Jews while focusing his rage on anyone who would dare oppose him. His intention was to disassemble the church and place himself in supreme authority over everything. He banned crucifixes and Bibles from churches and ordered them replaced with swastikas and copies of Mein Kampf. Any preacher who dare preach the Cross of Christ would share the fate of the Jews in the concentration camps. Hitler was a man deeply entrenched in demonic activity.
We think to ourselves "that could never happen in the United States." Yet we have the ACLU who's determination is to stamp every symbol of Christianity from our society. No nativity scenes, no Christmas carols, no mention of Jesus Christ in schools, under the penalty of legal action. One of the things that my socialist friend shared with me is his belief that religion is the cause of all of the world's problems. (not too far from the truth) But more disturbing than that, he believed that if we allowed religion to continue that we would never have peace. In his mind, the only way for people to achieve true peace, we must be a socialistic society void of all faith in God. He was not shy about his opinion. He did not try to hide it or candy coat it. Fortunately, I do believe that his opinion is still in the minority, but I wonder---for how long? When the "Hate Crimes" bill passed, it (in effect) made it possible to criminally charge someone for preaching the Gospel. You might think this is far-fetched, but consider this scenario: a mentally unbalanced man attends a church service where a pastor teaches on the sin of homosexuality. He twists it in his head to believe that he needs to take action against homosexuals and commits a violent crime. This would set the pastor up for fines or imprisonment because his teachings "inspired" the act.
Approximately half of our society believe that pre-born children are not, in fact, children. Obviously a majority of the people believe that the government can better care for them financially than they can for themselves. ( I say obviously because of who we elected as our leader) We live in an era of irresponsibility. We think it would just be much easier if the government would provide for us what is too hard or expensive to provide for ourselves. We are setting ourselves up for destruction. I recommend Hitler's Cross to EVERYONE! It should be required reading at college and high school levels. We need to learn the mistakes of history...because right now it looks like we may be destined to repeat them.
It seems that Carl Marx has become quite the hero in liberal education. There are many out there who knowingly, or unknowingly embrace his teachings. Socialism has become the "buzz word" since the election of President Obama. I have talked with people who partially (and sometimes unknowingly) embrace socialism. I have talked to those who laugh off the idea that we are headed for socialism as "Republican hysterics." Now, I can say that I have spoken with someone who truly embraces socialism for what it is and is not ashamed to admit it.
A few days ago, I began reading Hitler's Cross by Erwin Lutzer. I had always wondered what it took to convince a whole nation to follow after such a demonic leader. Lutzer does a good job of putting the process of acceptance into perspective. Hitler knew that his best chance to win the hearts of his people would come in a time of economic devastation. At the time, German economy was at it's worst and the people were starving. It seemed a ripe time for someone who desired to be "savior" to rescue his people. To quote Lutzer: "The people yearned for a leader who would do for them what democracy could not." Hitler was a good political leader. he revived the failing German economy in a span of 5 years. He brought crime under control. He created great social programs like his "Strength through joy" program, which gave millions of Germans vacations that they could not otherwise afford. Hitler did so much to appeal to the outward wants and needs of a nation. However, Hitler was obviously very devious and his motives impure.
To quote Lutzer again: "If he had died before World War ll, one historian mused, he would have gone down in history as "Adolph the Great, one of the outstanding figures in German history."
We all know the end of the story. Hitler purges Germany of the "impure" Jews while focusing his rage on anyone who would dare oppose him. His intention was to disassemble the church and place himself in supreme authority over everything. He banned crucifixes and Bibles from churches and ordered them replaced with swastikas and copies of Mein Kampf. Any preacher who dare preach the Cross of Christ would share the fate of the Jews in the concentration camps. Hitler was a man deeply entrenched in demonic activity.
We think to ourselves "that could never happen in the United States." Yet we have the ACLU who's determination is to stamp every symbol of Christianity from our society. No nativity scenes, no Christmas carols, no mention of Jesus Christ in schools, under the penalty of legal action. One of the things that my socialist friend shared with me is his belief that religion is the cause of all of the world's problems. (not too far from the truth) But more disturbing than that, he believed that if we allowed religion to continue that we would never have peace. In his mind, the only way for people to achieve true peace, we must be a socialistic society void of all faith in God. He was not shy about his opinion. He did not try to hide it or candy coat it. Fortunately, I do believe that his opinion is still in the minority, but I wonder---for how long? When the "Hate Crimes" bill passed, it (in effect) made it possible to criminally charge someone for preaching the Gospel. You might think this is far-fetched, but consider this scenario: a mentally unbalanced man attends a church service where a pastor teaches on the sin of homosexuality. He twists it in his head to believe that he needs to take action against homosexuals and commits a violent crime. This would set the pastor up for fines or imprisonment because his teachings "inspired" the act.
Approximately half of our society believe that pre-born children are not, in fact, children. Obviously a majority of the people believe that the government can better care for them financially than they can for themselves. ( I say obviously because of who we elected as our leader) We live in an era of irresponsibility. We think it would just be much easier if the government would provide for us what is too hard or expensive to provide for ourselves. We are setting ourselves up for destruction. I recommend Hitler's Cross to EVERYONE! It should be required reading at college and high school levels. We need to learn the mistakes of history...because right now it looks like we may be destined to repeat them.
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