Apologetics

Today I am going to introduce apologetics. An apology is a defense (Greek "απολογία" or "speaking in defense"). Apologetics is the study or practice of making a defense for something. It can apply to anything. There are Muslim apologists, evolution apologists, Mormon apologists. Any position that can be defended can be apologized. The church was commanded by the apostle Peter to "always be ready to make a defense (απολογία) to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). If you are like me, and most Christians/church-goers, I would imagine that this concept is not one you have given much thought to in the past. Make a defense? Either you believe or you don't believe. What is there to defend? The Holy Spirit has to do the work. If I get attacked, vengeance is the Lord's. Right? Wrong.

Paul tells us that "faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1, KJV, emphasis mine). Faith is NOT wishful thinking. It is a substantive conclusion based on strong evidence. Many in the church fall away quickly at the first hint of persecution or even upon having been made uncomfortable because they do not understand this concept. The core principles of Christian faith are absolutely based on hard empirical evidence, not on "blind faith", and not on just the words of some book either. The Bible is extremely helpful in coming to a working knowledge of God because it reveals who He is to us. But how do we know the Bible is true? What if you try to witness to someone and they simply say, "I don't believe your book." Does that shut you down? The good Christian apologist would get excited at that statement, not discouraged. Because now you get to lead them through the hard science that proves quite conclusively the existence of God, some aspects of what He is like, that the Bible's accounts are historically and empirically verifiable, even up to the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead, and that all of nature essentially points to God.

This sounds like pie in the sky if you grew up in Sunday school and were taught "Bible stories" and you believe because your parents believed and it's just the thing to do in your community. I would argue, however, that you do not know what the real Christian life is like if you come from this perspective. I'll admit that I am slowly learning. My world has been widened substantially in the past few years as I have learned much more about what Christians go through every single day in many other countries. I would suggest a book to you. Read it with an open mind, whether you are a believer, a seeker, or a skeptic. It is called Tortured For Christ by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand. You can even get a free copy mailed to you, absolutely no obligation. It is an autobiography of Pastor Wurmbrand, about when he, and many other Christians, were tortured (and many killed) in Romania at the hands of German Nazis (1941-1944) and then Soviet Communists (1944-1966). In 1966 he and his family were politically ransomed out of the country and allowed to come to the United States. Here he started an organization called Voice Of The Martyrs, an entity that raises funds and awareness around the world for persecuted and tortured Christians. This book is not for the weak-stomached. Apparently he wrote another one as well that is even more graphic than this one. He describes in disgusting detail exactly what happened to Christians and their families in these persecutions and in prison. I would encourage you to look into these very real stories of people in countries all around the world who are tortured for their faith every day. For a few more examples of Christian persecution worldwide, click here.

Why is this important? We were talking about apologetics. Yes. We were. And we still are. People are tortured and killed every day in the name of Jesus Christ. Why would they allow themselves to be treated in such a way? Why not just "renounce" their faith, as they are told would spare their lives? The answer is: because these people know that what they believe is the truth. The absolute truth. The no grey-areas truth. Their faith is rock solid because it is based on fact, not some 2000 year old fiction.

Hell (Part 1) - Introduction

In the marketplace of ideas in our culture today, the idea of hell is a hot topic. The word is used in so many contexts as to render it virtually meaningless. As an expletive, it is used incorrectly in the grammatical sense. As a threat, it is ambiguous and generally ineffective. It is hard to tell someone seriously to "go to hell" when you're not quite sure what you mean by it or if you even believe it exists. It is a term borrowed from an earlier day (mid 19th century) when hellfire and brimstone bellowed from the pulpits, and it was so effective for a short time that it caught the public eye, and more importantly, it showed up on the radar of detractors who ridiculed the idea. They ridiculed it so effectively that it is now a byword used only by religious wackos and by people who want to add some "umph" to their statement, and, of course, by comedians, comic strip writers, and is used comically by atheists who are debating religious wackos. Most others do not seem to consider it worth much thought.

As an aspect of the afterlife (its original context), it is misunderstood, miscommunicated, and sometimes thought of as foolish and old fashioned, dogmatic, and often as a fear mechanism used by some churches to control the behavior and finances of the weak minded. It has been touted like a club by the church in the past. It has been ridiculed like a court jester by many popular sources. Images of caves aflame and a mischievous goat-hoofed and horned red dude with a pointed tail and a pitchfork have been ingrained in our minds from youth by cartoons, comic strips and movies.

Proverb of the day - 4/7/2011

Today is April 7, 2011. Today's proverbs come from chapter 7.

This one, much like chapter 5, is a narrative. It was obviously written all at once. It is not broken up into little two-liners like many of the proverbs.

It starts with, like the beginning of chapter 5, the teacher imploring his sons to listen to him, to keep his words with them at all times. He commands them to memorize his teachings and have them physically around at all times, as well as in their hearts. He leaves no way out here. You have no excuse for folly or foolishness if you do these things. You will be constantly reminded of what is wise, what is right.

His story starts in earnest in verse 4. I really encourage you to read this one on your own. It's beautiful in style, in narrative, and in truth. I want to emphasize as well that the Bible uses the words adulteress, harlot, prostitute, etc. almost interchangeably. Also, it can have a much deeper symbolic meaning than just a woman who sleeps around. I'll do a post on that concept one day and link it here. The nation of Israel is referred to as a harlot tons of times in the Old Testament (and then possibly again in Revelation, if that's not speaking of the church itself). The Bible uses the prostitute idiom with Israel to make the connection between unfaithfulness in marriage and unfaithfulness to God, i.e. straying from the path, following "false gods" (not necessarily little wooden statues). Israel did these things, and was called a harlot several times by God through the prophets. In Exodus 34:10-27, which historically takes place right after Israel is freed from Egypt and has assembled in the desert at Mount Sinai, is one of the binding covenants that God makes with the nation Israel. In Ex 34:14-15 He clearly warns Israel not to follow other gods, and calls that act "playing the harlot". In short, don't take this chapter in Proverbs only to be about an adulterous woman. It is also about straying from wisdom to folly.

That said, the story begins with a man looking out his window over the city in the evening and spies a young man walking by the corner to an adulteress's house. The description of her in Prov. 7:10-12 is that she is dressed as a harlot, cunning (mischievous and street-smart) of heart, boisterous (a loud mouth), rebellious, and then it says, "her feet do not remain at home." This is not meant to say that women can never leave the house. Read Proverbs 31 to dispel that. It means she gets around. Vs. 12 says she "lurks at every corner". All this the man saw from his window. Then he saw her approach the young man, grab him and kiss him passionately and he overheard her say to him: Proverbs 7:14-20. She basically says, I'm ceremonially clean, I searched you out and found you, I have covered my bed in perfume, my husband is away for a month, come and let's have sex all night.

Proverbs 7:21
"With her many persuasions she entices him, with her flattering lips she seduces him."


It describes the young man following her to her house "as an ox goes to the slaughter", and other colorful idioms.

The story ends (the moral) with a stern warning to the teacher's sons not to let their hearts turn aside to her ways. This is another indication that what we're talking about here is not just a one-night stand with a prostitute. People did that kind of thing all over the Old Testament (not to minimize it at all, fornication and adultery are serious sins and were capital crimes in the laws of Israel). What he's teaching them through this parable is to not wander after worldly things that entice you into sin. More distressing than the prospect of STDs and baby-mama-drama and judgment by the elders at the gates is the prospect of these young men's hearts turning away from wisdom. The teacher is more concerned about their hearts going astray than he is about them sinning. There is a huge difference between sinning and falling into sin. One is an occurrence, the other a lifestyle. When your heart turns aside to sin, and you "stray into her paths", the result is Proverbs 7:26-27.

26-27
"For many are the victims she has cast down, and numerous are her slain. Her house is the way to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death."


Be encouraged though. Although Romans 3:23 says that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (specifically meaning that they fall short of the standards necessary to enter God's glory, which is heaven), John 3:16 states that if you believe in God's only Son, Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah of the Jews and the Gentiles, you "shall not perish, but have everlasting life." God made it possible for us to escape the consequences of our sin, if we will acknowledge that Jesus is the Lord of our lives, and turn away from the adulterous woman and walk straight on the path once again. The gospel is that simple.

Solomon in this proverb encourages his sons to not turn aside to wickedness. Unfortunately it is the human condition that all of us do turn aside to the enticing woman, sin. God provided a way out for us, so that no matter what we have done, we can walk away from it (repent) and enter into his glory all the same, through Jesus Christ. 

Proverb of the day - 4/5/2011

Today is April 5, 2011. Read Proverbs chapter 5, if you haven't already. Most chapters of the Proverbs are not as cohesive as this one. The entire chapter stems off of a single thought: being enticed by an adulteress (literally, "a strange woman" who is not your wife). The proverb starts out there, and then gives several sound reasons why you should not get involved with a "strange woman". I'll outline this one for you because it is all one thought.

  I.  Teacher implores students to listen to him - Proverbs 5:1-2, 7

II.  Description of an adulterous woman - Proverbs 5:3-6
       A. She's a smooth talker (Prov. 5:3)
       B. She's a fraud and a backstabber (Prov. 5:4)
       C. She's destined for Sheol (hell) (Prov. 5:5)
       D. She doesn't think. She has no idea what she's doing, no direction to her life (Prov. 5:6)

III.  Advice to stay away from an adulterous woman and always be satisfied with the wife of your youth -    Proverbs 5:8, 15, 18-19

IV.  Reasons to stay away from an adulterous woman - Proverbs 5:4-6, 9-11, 21-23
       A. She's a backstabber (Prov. 5:4)
       B. She's destined for Sheol (hell) (Prov. 5:5)
       C. She doesn't think. She has no idea what she's doing, no direction to her life (Prov. 5:6)
       D. The blessings that were meant for you will be given to others (this is a divine and natural judgment) (Prov. 5:9)
            1. Your power and sway will be given to strangers (Prov. 5:10)
            2. Your possessions will be given away to people you don't know or like (Prov. 5:10)
       E. Your flesh and body will be consumed and you will suffer (this sounds an awful lot like an STD, they are not new on the scene) (Prov. 5:11)
       F. You will regret it later (Prov. 5:12-14)
       G. God is watching everything you do and will judge you accordingly (Prov. 5:21-23)

Proverb Of The Day

If you do not currently read selections out of the Bible each day, I encourage you to do so. It can have amazing benefits. Spiritual benefits aside, it is regarded as a classic literary masterpiece and is studied in many schools as such. The Bible is not even figured into the New York Times Bestseller list anymore because it aways comes in at number one, every year, since the list was invented. It is by far the most popular book in the world. If that's not enough for you, it is also the book upon whose precepts, laws, wisdom and teachings Western Civilization (and especially the United States of America) are built. If you want to understand your culture, society, laws and times (even if you are totally non-religious), then read this book.


Also, if you don't get a lot of time to read, you should find/make some. Reading is incredibly good for your mental and emotional health. If you only have a few minutes a day, why not start with the Proverbs One-A-Day plan? The "book" of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings which has been organized over the years into 31 chapters, the longest of which is 36 verses in length (a non-Biblical equivalent would be about a page, probably less). The 31 chapters fit nicely into most of our American calendar months.  I try to read a chapter a day, the chapter corresponding to the day of the month (i.e. chapter 1 on the 1st, chapter 2 on the 2nd, etc.). It is filled with some of the best common sense wisdom for life I have ever found anywhere. In fact, the Bible purports that the guy who wrote the Proverbs, King Solomon, was the wisest man who ever lived (1 Kings 3:5-12). 


While not everything in the book seems immediately relevant to today's situations at face value, the proverbs speak timeless truths about God, about the world and the ways in which it works, about humanity, and about good, evil, wisdom and foolishness. There's a lot to chew on in each chapter. I will jot down some of my thoughts here about the Proverbs that stick out to me each day that I get a chance. 

Proverb of the day - 3/27/2011

Today's proverb is Proverbs 27. It has a lot to say about close friends, lending (surety), keeping a good name, and shrewd management of your possessions. It's 27 verses long and takes about a minute and a half to read (if you read slowly enough to try to understand it).

Proverbs that stuck out to me today (and this will change every time you read it, based mostly on the context of what's going on in your life at the time, and sometimes on the Spirit's leading):

Proverbs 27:5

"Better is open rebuke than hidden love."

This one jumped out at me because it contrasts "open rebuke" and "hidden love". Open means obvious. Hidden means, well, hidden. The two are natural opposites. Rebuke and love are not necessarily opposites, however. In fact, there are many proverbs relating to this question. A wise man should be able to accept an honest rebuke and learn from it. Defensiveness is the territory of fools. It is saying that if you openly love someone, you will openly rebuke them. This is better than hiding your love from them or for them. Hidden rebukes are for hidden love. Open rebukes are for open love. True love (between spouses, friends, significant others, etc.) should be meted out with honesty. If you can't be honest about a person's shortcomings, tell them what they are doing that is wrecking their lives or the lives of others, then your love for that person may not be as honest as you think. It is no coincidence that married couples get in the worst arguments. Brutal, blatant, open honesty is a natural attribute of love.

Cristophany in Exodus 14 and 24

I wanted to talk a little bit about Christophanies today. If you are totally ignorant of what a Christophany is, you can read this sickeningly basic primer. It is an appearance of Jesus Christ (or The Lord) on earth outside of the bounds of His historical physical life (in the Old Testament). Note that this does not include any appearances after His resurrection. He was raised bodily, not just in spirit.

Note that not all scholars agree that these appearances are the pre-incarnate Christ, but many do, and I tend agree with them. Many Christophanies are denoted by the use of the term "the Angel of the Lord" (malach elohim in Hebrew) to portray Christ, while at other times the term “an angel of the Lord” is used to portray angels or other beings. The word Malach in Hebrew, although translated into English as “angel”, actually means “messenger”. The title itself means "Messenger of God". That could, quite honestly, refer to a lot of things. Thus you do not necessarily get that these appearances are Christ simply from the title given Him. 

The most important element in recognizing a Christophany for what it is (seeing that the text is referring to Christ and not an angel or other being) is to look at the text surrounding the appearance, the context. Never read just one Bible verse. If you do, you can come up with all sorts of weird stuff (much like journalists twisting the words of the people they interview by taking them completely out of context). When the text is talking about the pre-incarnate Christ, the being (malach) referred to is attributed things which we know from elsewhere in scripture only apply to God. Following are some examples of this (this list is by no means exhaustive):

Proverb of the day - 3/23/2011

Today's Proverb is Proverbs 23. This chapter has a lot to do with discipline, gluttony and alcohol. It promotes discipline, shuns gluttony (of food or riches or any other object) and condemns drunkenness. As to gluttony, in verse 2 it goes so far as to suggest cutting your own throat rather than coveting a rich man's food or possessions. Who knew that was in the Bible? As to alcohol, the Bible nowhere condemns drinking alcohol, no matter what you have heard. Jesus drank wine (Luke 7:33-34). God commanded the Israelites to drink at their feasts and ceremonies. The Bible does not condemn drinking, but it does condemn becoming drunk and gives many practical reasons why.  Here are some verses that stood out to me (quoted from the New American Standard Bible, NASB):

23:4-5:

"Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies towards heaven."

What this is saying is that you shouldn't kill yourself to get rich. After Pro 23:1-3 which come before it, which is a warning against coveting or desiring the deceitfulness of money and things, this is very practical advice. Notice that it does not say "Do not work to gain wealth" or even "Do not work hard to gain wealth". Hard work is commanded and expected in the Bible (Pro 6:6-8, etc.). But the reasons have to do with common sense and wisdom, not with hoarding. You may have to weary yourself to get out of certain dire financial situations, such as to get out of debt, or to save for a house, but these things are not "to gain wealth". More than your behavior, this proverb warns against the intent. The Bible nowhere condemns the wealthy, but it condemns those who are selfish with what they have, and those who have made money or things into an idol.

Proverb of the day - 3/21/2011

Today is March 21. I read Proverbs 21 this morning before work and several verses stood out to me. I will list them below and then maybe expound on a couple of them, but at the very least, here is a sampling of what you will find in this book. These quotations are taken from the New International Version (a particular English translation of the Bible).



21:5 - "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."
  This one stood out to me because lately I have been on a quest to free myself from the bonds of idleness. There are a lot of things I want to do with my time but I never do them. Writing this blog is one of those things. Also, I am going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University right now. It's all about hard work to get to where you want to be. I'm starting to get the point. While my family is not poverty stricken at the moment, a few diligent plans here and there would definitely be a huge pick me up for us.


21:8 - "The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright."
  This one you could easily pass over because of the archaic wording, but it is communicating some very important truths. This verse tells you straight up how to tell if you are being conned. It says that there is a connection between a person's behavior ("way") and their intentions. Intentions we cannot see, but behaviors we can. This is common sense in a way. You don't hire someone who will not look you in the eyes, or who has a shifty or devious look about them. They are connected to guilt in some way by this verse. Guilt for possibly ripping off previous employers or (in my neck of the woods) not being legal to work in the United States. When people become defensive of various things, there is generally guilt involved. However, good standing in the community, a kind of objective "uprightness" is what screams of an innocent and worthy character. An upright business man would not hire a shifty worker, much like a crook would not solicit an upright neighbor to join him on a bank heist, for fear of being turned in. Upright and innocent are irrevocably connected, as are deviousness and guilt.