Northern Lord vs. Southern Lord

Creating an Ideal World: Adventist Futurism

2009-07-10T12:17:00.017-04:00

What would an ideal world be like? How would you bring it about? Before anything can be achieved it has to be envisioned first.

Computers, spacecraft, the Internet--the list goes on and on--first had to be conceived before they could be invented and perfected. As unlikely as it seems, had Jules Verne never written From the Earth to the Moon (1865) which depicts a rocket launch from somewhere in Florida, no one would have gotten the idea to make that vision come to pass a hundred years later.

What is not being done now that could improve the world beyond recognition? There must be something that either has to be added or removed before a new reality could take place. We could wait for it to come into existence on its own. While not impossible, perhaps implementing a think tank of sorts to bring about an ideal reality might achieve more than simply waiting for something that may take millennia, or perhaps may never take place.

We should pool our best minds from every nation and work towards an approach to perfecting reality in as little time as possible.

I'm reminded of the vision of Isaac Asimov in his Foundation series (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation.) In order to avoid a long decay into barbarism, efforts were implemented to shorten the decay of the galactic empire to only 1,000 years. Why can't something similar be done to solve the major problems of our present reality?

What are some of the greatest challenges to an improved reality? Eliminating war, poverty and hunger are the first things that come to mind. Others might be providing education, medical care and a place to live to everyone on our planet. The third phase would be addressing environmental problems, managing natural phenomena such as hurricanes and earthquakes. Finally, the greatest gift we could give our world reality would be to take measures to move beyond our sometimes fragile planet and seed the known universe with our people, our technology and our dreams.

One possible approach might involve a little-known group of people. It's as if they had almost been kept a secret from the rest of the world for some grand vision of enhancing reality. Adventists are some of the most educated people in the world because they have higher education and progress as one of their cardinal principles. Adventists may very well be some of the most wealthy people in the world when you factor in of all their collective capital. Next to the Catholic church Adventism is the richest church in existence. This is not a widely-known reality. It would be easier for a future-oriented think tank to rise out of the Adventist Futurists than from any other traditional body.

Tap into the unknown power of your mind and literally create an ideal world.

We're here for a special God-given purpose: to better the world.

For a related post please consult Adventist Futurism.

Great Controversy Prophecy Is on the Verge of Taking Place

2009-07-07T14:41:00.008-04:00

Only an avid reader of Ellen G. White's Great Controversy would find this headline in today's New York Times astounding:

Pope Urges New World Economic Order

The lead paragraph is like a swim in a cold ocean:

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday called for a radical rethinking of the global economy, criticizing a growing divide between rich and poor and urging the establishment of a “world political authority” to oversee the economy and work for the “common good.”

Another paragraph contains a reference to labor unions which Ellen G. White also was wont to attack:

Indeed, sometimes Benedict sounds like an old-school European socialist, lamenting the decline of the social welfare state and praising the “importance” of labor unions to protect workers. Without stable work, he notes, people lose hope and tend not to get married and have children.

It seems that Ellen G. White did have a window into the future after all.

Yoko Ono Adventist Society

2009-06-27T17:06:00.014-04:00

Most people know little about Yoko Ono's art credentials before she met Beatle John Lennon. She was a conceptual artist and had exhibits in important museums when the Beatles were just starting out.

Recently I finally caught up with some of her Fluxus art creations at the Guggenheim's The Third Eye Exhibit in New York City. Until I actually saw the art work side-by-side with John Cage's conceptual scores and La Monte Young's Meditation room environments did it finally hit me that she was a respected avant-garde artist. I, of course, had enjoyed her conceptual art from what little I was able to see and hear of it via excerpts from the book Grapefruit and her collected works sampler, the six-CD Ono Box. But it was the inclusion in a major art retrospective that finally completed the journey for me.

What, if anything, does Adventism have to do with Yoko Ono? Nothing just yet. Or, if anything, there exists a conceptual connection that, in itself, is bound to create such a link. Anything is possible and it is my hope that Ms. Ono may one day contribute her unique gifts towards making Adventist Christianity, or Christian Adventism, as cutting edge as her art and music have been.

A google search of "Yoko Ono" and Adventist turned up an article in the Takoma Park Voice that contained a wonderful performance art description of Ono's work in the Takoma Park area. The Takoma Park area is where the General Conference Headquarters of Adventism are located, as well as one of its largest churches, The Sligo Seveth-Day Adventist church. The google search also produced too many other web sites that time does not permit me to explore. So perhaps there is a six-degrees-of-separation connection between Yoko Ono and Adventism after all. Please consult: The Takoma connection to Yoko's "Wish Trees" of the world .

The power of positive thinking and the law of attraction have come to be stabilizing filters through which I make sense of my life for three years now. It's amazing for me to find echoes of both these methodologies in the art and music of Ms. Ono and--through her influence--in the lyrics and music of John Lennon, her deceased husband.

From a spiritual point of view I find examples of the power of positive thinking in the Psalms and in the work of Ellen G. White both of which impart untold blessings to my life on a daily basis.

There is, at least, one member in this conceptual Yoko Ono Adventist Society. No doubt this post will bring others out of hiding.

Should You Believe in Evolution Against All Hope?

2009-06-27T16:58:00.000-04:00

I've believed a bit in evolution through the years what with science being something I was taught to respect. I was smug in by belief until I realized that believing in evolution would mean that God uses death to accomplish ever-evolving life.

I guess I can't fully believe in six literal days of creation either although if God had wanted to he, no doubt, could very well have created our world in six days. He can certainly destroy it in less time if he wanted to.

So I don't know what to believe regarding how we all came to be, but I, nevertheless, hang onto my belief in God because it makes me a better person than a life without God. I don't know the mysteries of life and its beginnings, but somehow that's not so important to me.

I will continue searching for an answer, but will not despair if I never find one. I ask God to sustain me as I continue my search for an answer to this vexing question. Perhaps I'll find that the answer will be the simplest one of all.

Automatic Light

2009-06-15T12:32:00.002-04:00

"The Lord is my light and my salvation." -- Psalm 27

I've been focusing on these words ever since yesterday as I sat by the pool and I would like to make them automatic thoughts to counteract anything less than ideal that may unsuccessfully try to assert itself.

Three Years of Theology Put to Good Use

2009-05-31T16:07:00.006-04:00

Today I preached a simple sermonette about The Challenges of Righteousness by Faith during the Ten Days of Prayer seminar at the church I attend. I hope it did someone good. The pastor's wife commented after the service that it was a lovely talk. She encouraged me to put together another one. I told her I'd rather keep on presenting the same sermon with variations each time. She smiled and said that wouldn't be as interesting.

It was a blessing for me to have been asked by the pastor and to have given the 20-minute meditation on a subject that is important to me. It is why I remain a Christian as well as continue being interested in the Seventh-Day Adventist church. It was in the Seventh-Day Adventist church that I found Christ and the message of Righteousness by Faith. My ministry is to share this passion with others in church, especially those who may have legalistic leanings.

Future Sin

2009-05-15T14:20:00.002-04:00

I don't know about you, but the more I think of sin as a concept, of past sins, unconfessed sins, theoretical sins, etc., the more I want to sin. I'm even taking a risk by writing about sin. Even when you do sin it is better to confess your sin to God and then quickly move on. Why cry over spilt milk, as it were? Why frown about the vase that broke and cannot be repaired? Pick up the broken pieces, throw them out and then move on with your day, and with your life. Of course, I am not saying there is no such thing as sin. It would be nice if that were the case. It is obvious that there is something wrong in one's behavior from time to time. However, it is not healthy to dwell on the imperfections of sin.

Do more than just put it out of your mind. If anyone starts talking about Sin or sinning just excuse yourself and remove yourself at once from their presence. That is unless they have asked you to help them because they are weighed down by the burden of sin. You would be sinning again if you were so unconcerned about a fellow human being who is asking you for help.

There are so many worthwhile and useful things you could be doing with your life than dwelling on your sins, past or future. It is better to focus on a more loving version of yourself, a more grateful one, a more ideal one which will, hopefully, bring you closer to that reality.

Even better yet is to focus on Christ, his words, other ideal realities and these exalted realities may very well become your own reality, as well.

What to do with Sin? Leave it alone, in both word and deed. Take a breath of fresh, sinless air, and start enjoying your life today.

Christianity 3001 A.D.

2009-05-08T11:03:00.004-04:00

What will Christianity look like in 500 or 1,000 years? While Christianity can still be integrated into past manifestations of its history, no matter how modern or contemporary it has become or is becoming, it is not necessarily a given that the distant future of this religion will be as recognizable as its past has been.

Some of the realities that may well come to pass in the future will, no doubt, also have their impact on Christianity. Some of these are briefly described below.

Christian cyborgs - A cyborg is a being that is composed of both cybernetic as well as organic components. To a limited extent cyborgs already exist today as technology works wonders with those who have had limbs amputated due to war, disease or other mishaps. When a future individual becomes more cybernetic than biological--perhaps some even out of choice--how would this reality impact its experience as a Christian? In such a case the person in question would be more a work of man than a work of God. Of course, it would still be God who gave humans the knowledge to enhance or refashion one of his creatures. Would cyborgs be the only ones who could share their faith with other cyborgs? How would they fit in when worshiping among biological Christians? Might not the ultimate symbol of their acceptance into the community of believers be a painting of Christ washing the feet of a Cyborg apostle at the last supper? Paul's familiar text about there not being neither slave nor freeman, Jew nor gentile, male nor female, may very well one day include, neither biological person nor cyborg. All are one in Christ.

Christian A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) Entities - Some may scoff at the mere mention, but keep in mind that earlier generations had similar attitudes toward in-vitro humans, as well as the still-forbidden cloning of human beings. If one day A.I. persons can pass for human or accomplish most human activities except anatomical reproduction of offspring, how would Christianity deal with these seemingly improbable humans? They would be perhaps one of humanity's greatest scientific accomplishments. Already one can carry on conversations with proto-humans via computer that sometimes jars one's mind as how human they appear in their thought patterns and approaches. If free-will is built into these A.I. Christians, might they not also seemingly want to relate themselves both to the God of its human creators and to their designers themselves? Could these A.I. Christians also be considered one in Christ?

Interplanetary/interstellar Christians. These are not so unlikely as one might think. In a hundred years or less, when Christians are born on Mars or the moons of the gas giants, how would they relate to their savior who will not only come for those he originally promised to retrieve at the end of Earth's history, but to their off-world descendants who also have a hope in the return of Christ. Centuries later when humanity leaves its solar system behind, what will Christ's return to Earth mean to those who are light years from Earth?

Close to the Edge of Christianity

2009-04-28T13:00:00.003-04:00

How far afield can one live and still be considered a Christian? How close to the church's standards of whatever denomination you find yourself a part of do you have to adhere to and still feel part of the inner group? Each person has to answer that for themselves. Of course, sometimes what you feel is appropriate may not be in tune with what most of your church group agrees with.

I've visited churches or spoken with members off-site who feel that the New Age movement is acceptable to Christians of a specific faith. Others feel that believing devoutly in God can be held side-by-side with a strong belief that humanity is a product of evolution. Still others believe that they can live with someone out-of-wedlock and still find it all right to be active in their local church group.

I am in no way making any value judgments on any of the cases I cite here, but I wonder just how close to the edge of Christianity one can go and still enjoy an authentic relationship with Christ and with other Christians?

Of course, if ever one feels that one is no longer a part of or accepted by a certain group, there are other groups to choose from. The problem arises when one is convinced that there is only one group that gives one true satisfaction when approaching God or Christ. In that case one can try other congregations within the same banner church that one just has to hold onto.

Through the years I have encountered--either in print or through social contacts--people who dabbled in some unusual areas while still considering themselves Christians. Some of these are now considered less shocking than they may have been years earlier. No vital organism, Christian communities included, stays static for very long. If it does it risks experiencing a gradual death.

How dynamic is your church or how alive is your Christian experience? What could you do without going over the edge to ensure that your Christian experience or group-involvement is constantly progressing for the better?

Holy Spirit Does It All

2009-04-28T11:40:00.004-04:00

In a recent http://www.spectrummagazine.org/ post, Gift of Prophecy in Israel and the Church I posted the following:

"'. . . forgetting that their salvation ultimately depends on God’s Spirit at work throughout the church and the world.'

Thank you for your meditation and especially for this quoted thought. We can try to do this or that: pray, read the bible, share our faith, and serve those in need. How easy though, it is to make these experiences less than well-intentioned. Sometimes we think that we're buying our salvation by engaging in these life-giving activities.

Like you say in the above-quoted thought, it is the Spirit who is ultimately responsible and brings about every phase of our salvation. We need to learn to recognize his presence and marvel at his supernatural ministry in our lives."

Posted by: Raul Batista (not verified) 21 March 2009 at 12:07

Adventist Christ?

2009-04-08T10:50:00.011-04:00

Christ belongs to everyone who accepts him as his personal savior. What I'm referring to is, perhaps, the version of Christ that the Adventists conceptualize. It's safe to assume that the painting on the cover of Steps to Christ was done by an Adventist artist in the tradition of Harry Harrison and others. If not, it is a Christ that the publishers of this seminal classic feel comfortable with.

I'm also thinking about the lifestyle that Adventists live, e.g., healthy, charitable, Sabbath-oriented, that colors the version of Christ that Adventists believe in.

Some other Christians might feel comfortable inviting Christ to a wedding with dancing or drinking. Others might feel very comfortable inviting Christ to the movies or the theater to see a play with them about modern concerns. Other Christians might feel comfortable inviting Christ to a major casino with Las Vegas type shows. The list goes on and on.

The Adventist Christ tends to be a very strait-laced one. Ellen White says that Christ never joked around or was flippant at any time. Of course, if he saw something naturally humorous, the Adventist Christ could very well chuckle, but not engage in uproarious laughter. What could be so funny that would make the King of Kings laugh non-stop for several minutes? Nothing I'm afraid. Divine humor, if it exists, is very seldom in play.

Have Adventists remade Christ in their own image for better or for worst? Let's pray that we don't change him more than is necessary. Let's pray that we don't envision Christ in ways that make him less desirable to those just learning about him.

I prefer to think of a Christ that is forever smiling and sitting by my side as I live, and breathe, and, yes, laugh.

"Progressive Adventism" Blog (by Julius Nam) has Ended

2009-03-27T22:55:00.007-04:00

The following lengthy quote was excerpted from the final post which can be found at Progressive Adventism Blog. I am quoting it here because Julius Nam's web ministry meant a lot to me especially when his blog first appeared. I always assumed his blog was going to exist until Christ came or until something better came along. Perhaps something better has come along.

Thank you, brother Nam for the time and all the work that went into what will always be in my fondest memories. May God bless you and may we meet some day when blogging is no longer necessary.

"I [Julius Nam] continue to envision our [Adventist] community:

as one of doers of God's love and compassion, and transformers of lives, communities and societies toward justice and peace

as one that affirms the presence and reality of God in diverse and plural expressions of humanity, even as we affirm the Oneness and Ultimacy of Truth in God, in Jesus

as one that takes Scripture very, very seriously and obeys its high call for sanctified and sanctifying living, even as we disagree on some of its specific applications,

as one that affirms the visionary, prophetic ministry of Ellen White and the amazing gift she has been to us, even as we disagree on the continuing utility of her specific statements and teachings,

as one that is humble, confessing our fallenness and inadequacies, depending fervently and radically on God

One note about the issue of sexual/gender identity equality:

I continue to believe and affirm the need for deeper study and dialogue in the Adventist church on the question of sexual identity. Clearly, the issue of sexual identity is not at the heart of the Gospel, but ... the issue of justice is. And I'm convicted that God's high call for righteousness includes in our time to recognize the full humanity, dignity, and equality of bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgendered children of God for the way God made them--both in society and in our church community.

Yet, I recognize that the prevailing understanding of justice in Adventism differs widely.

So, I'm committed to working through these issues with prayer, communal study of Scripture, patience, and most of all, compassion for and trust in each other who make up the Body of Christ. It may indeed be that I am completely wrong on this and many other matters. But that is why it's all the more important for me to remain committed to a process of learning and dialogue--to be held accountable by my community--all the while asking God for wisdom, patience and humility.

I seek your prayers as I seek to discern for myself what it means to be courageous, and not stubborn, what it means to be patient, and not cowardly, what it means to defer, and not avoid, what it means to obey, and not merely comply, what it means to be prophetic, and not be narcissistic, what it means to follow Christ."

May each of us follow Christ as the Holy Spirit leads us.

Jacob's Time of Trouble Happens in Your Mind

2009-03-27T21:57:00.003-04:00

Before the sun set today I realized that during the past four years, especially this last year, I have been experiencing the long-awaited Jacob's time of trouble. Most of it is occurring in my mind. Some events, of course, happen around me or to me personally or to my loved ones.

This special time of testing, of doubt and of soon-to-arrive victory happens in my quiet moments. The Shaking has been trying to shake me loose, but I hang on by the power of God. The Latter Rain of the Holy Spirit has been falling since last spring.

Jesus' coming is only years away.

Jesus' coming is only months away.

Jesus' coming is only days away.

I believe Jesus Christ is coming back within my lifetime to take me with him. He's coming back to take my loved ones and all who believe in his name with him, as well.

The Second Coming of Christ is practically here. The Waiting is almost over.

The Challenges of Righteousness by Faith

2009-03-13T10:42:00.013-04:00

What challenges you might ask? Righteousness by Faith (Justification by Faith) can only be thought of as a good thing. Why speak of any challenges?

Basically we are saved by faith through grace and not of ourselves lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8) . To balance this and not slide into so-called "cheap grace", some bring up James' advice about grace without works being dead. (James 2:17)

Morris Venden tells us that the only two (or four) activities we can engage in that open the way for righteousness by faith to kick in are:

Spending time at the feet of Christ through bible study and prayer
Working with Christ through service for others and sharing our faith

Some might feel that the actual time and effort invested in all of these may seem like works themselves. It is important to focus on the fact that prayer and bible study are means to an end. The end is a relationship with Jesus Christ who saves us by his grace.

The service and sharing of our faith are the results of a genuine relationship with Christ. This brings us to the challenges I have alluded to before.

If you spend time in prayer and bible study, but don't share your faith, are you then not saved? Some have suggested that something is wrong in your faith experience if you only nourish yourself, but don't nourish others. While it is relatively easier to sit down with your bible or kneel in prayer at the beginning of each day, going about the sharing of your faith is not as effortless. You have to find the people to share your faith with. You have to have something to say to them that is appropriate so you don't turn them away by any heavy-handed approaches. You have to follow up, give them bible studies, invite them to your church or to evangelistic meetings. It gets more and more complicated.

Tending to the needs of others can be as difficult, but perhaps easier than sharing your faith. You can, for example, contribute to mission fields, charities, etc., and by your means help those in need. If you have more time than money, you could volunteer your time and help out in soup kitchens, or similar groups that benefit those in need.

I would say that just as it is difficult to actually find time for Christ for prayer and bible study, but essential, so it is equally difficult (perhaps even harder) to share your faith with those in need of the good news of salvation.

All of these activities, both the faith-related ones (prayer and bible study) and the works-related ones (service to others and sharing your faith) are impossible for the natural man or woman. These experiences or activities are gifts of the Spirit if they are the genuine article.

Therefore, the only thing you can do is ask God to give you the free gift of his Holy Spirit and he will move you to will (choose) and to do of his own good pleasure (Luke 11:13 and Ezekiel 36:26,27).

Ask for the Spirit of Christ, wait for him to transform and motivate you to seek the relationship with Christ. Look for the change in your life as you read your bible daily and kneel in prayer for divine blessing. Look also for the spontaneous and supernatural change in your life that leads you, out of gratitude, to help those in need and to share your faith with others as the Spirit leads you.

Remember the Future

2009-03-05T13:50:00.007-05:00

The future wasn't supposed to be like this. There was supposed to have been only one great depression. Technology was supposed to have made it easier for humanity to pursue the finer things of life: research, space exploration, learning, altruism, and an endless stream of marvelous approaches to life.

There are, of course, different visions of the future. Not all Sci-Fi writers or futurists painted a golden futuristic age. There are enough possible dystopias to go around as far as those who like imagining negative visions of the future. The dismal world imagined in the Matrix film series is only one example of the worst possible vision for humankind. Might not the current obsession with experiencing reality via social network sites, as well as virtual reality programs such as Second Life, not be as close an attempt to live in the alternate reality of the world-within-a-world that is force fed into the minds of the sleeping masses of humanity that the Matrix films present?

Hopefully, things will return to normal in a year or two--or ten. If things continue the way they are now, and we somehow grow to accept that the future turned out quite differently than we imagined it would be, then how nostalgically we will long for the imperfect past of the 1960s or 1990s and their relatively golden prosperity.

Some religious individuals are gleefully celebrating that things are getting worse. They believe that the final prophecies are coming true and that a new order of things will be ushered in, after the grim realities that are just beginning to come to pass take their expected course. They believe that after the darkness seems to be gaining the upper hand, then the light of the new kingdom will make any momentary darkness worthwhile.

I, for one, have never been able to rejoice when bad things take place, no matter what good might come of it. I hope and pray that we can all continue living our lives of progress, plenty and possibility. In the mean time, I will keep my eyes fixed on the being that engineered all of reality, good or not-so-good. In the final analysis, whatever happens next year or next century is what he allows.

In the meantime, enjoy every breath, every ray of sunshine, every fragrant flower. These are gifts in good times and bad ones that God has blessed us with.

Mysteries of the Second Coming

2009-02-25T23:06:00.011-05:00

Alternate titles: Radical Second Coming, Second Coming Re-Conceived

The first coming was not what the remnant thought it would be. Why does the second coming have to be what the remnant people are so dead sure it will be? The prophecies were misinterpreted the first time. How can you rule out that the same thing won't happen a second time?

What if Christ comes and, somehow, those who are looking for his coming miss it altogether?

The first time Christ didn't come to free the Jews from Roman bondage, but rather from bondage to sin. What if Christ comes not to Earth, but leaves from Earth? What if Christ has been here living among us for 2,000 years. Then it could be said that he "comes quickly" because he never left us?

When he leaves it will be with those who, mistakenly, have awaited his coming from the skies. The first time he came from the Earth. Why can't he also come from the Earth the second time?

Reinterpret all the prophecies of the last 2,000 years and see how this new way of looking at Christ's second coming fits into the picture.

Disclaimer: This is only meant as a "what if" scenario. I am not suggesting that Christ will not come in the clouds and that every-eye-shall-see-him, will not take place.

The Million-Year Sabbath

2009-02-20T16:58:00.005-05:00

As a child I once had a nightmare that all the days of the week were Sabbaths. The Sabbath was not so bad, but it wasn't as fun as, say, Sunday morning. Sundays seemed to last forever.

These days, however, I look forward to the Sabbath and wish that every day was a Sabbath. Yes, there are things I miss doing on the Sabbath, but I'm realizing that they are becoming less and less important.

The only two things that I would miss if the Sabbath were an everyday thing would be working and buying. You can't very well live without those two activities.

During the past four years I have toyed with different names for my interest in a longer Sabbath day. Originally I thought of a conceptual Sabbath which would last from sunset on Friday and not end until Sunday sunrise. The busy nature of living in the material world suggested another approach, the Seven Minute Sabbath which could be observed at any point throughout the week. The Eternal Sabbath was a term for a Sabbath day that never started or ended. It simply was.

Even a good thing has to end sometime so it can begin again. For this reason I've come up with the concept of the million-year Sabbath. The only place we can keep such an impossibly long Sabbath is in the New Earth where, in theory, we wouldn't need to buy or earn a living and no activity would be inappropriate to engage in during the million-year-long Sabbath.

In the meantime enjoy the Sabbath and imagine it's going to last a million years.

The Evolution of God?

2009-02-14T10:03:00.012-05:00

My God is not a God of death; he is a God of life. However, since the creators of sophisticated robotic medical equipment are responsible for faulty product if something disastrous should occur, can our God be held liable for the death we see all around us since time began?

Yes, it is true that our God created all things perfect, but since he allows--for a variety of complicated reasons--for things to go on as they do, then, in a way, he has to take responsibility for the imperfections of our otherwise perfect world.

Let's face it, if God wanted to stop all pain and death right now, he could. God's hands are not tied. There must be valid reasons why so many negative realities continue to exist. Let's try to analyze what some of them might be.

Some conservative Christians believe that God allows the controversy between good and evil to continue to protect man's free will. Conservatively speaking, you have to admit that 6,000 years is ample time to show that God offers humankind his way or the other fellow's way.

Progressively speaking, however, we are not talking about 6,000 but millions of years for this cosmic struggle between good and evil to have been resolved.

This brings us to the subject that the title hints at. Does God bring about life, humankind's life specifically, through the death that is essential for natural selection and the survival of the species? It is, after all, only the strong that survive to procreate and pass on their genes to the next generation. How can a God of love possibly be responsible for a system that uses death in order to bring about life and complex organisms?

The Bible account is very simple: God creates all of our reality in six days and rests on the seventh day. For those who have a problem with such simplicity, then the only other option is that God used evolution, and before that--the Big Bang--to create our world and the cosmos. Because this would make God the author of death--and life--such a paradigm is not consistent with a God of love.

The third possibility we will not focus on very much other than to state, for the occasional agnostic who may wander in by chance, that evolution, life, death, etc., have nothing whatsoever to do with God, only with humankind.

So where does that leave us? Perplexed? Frustrated? Despairing? Not at all; there is a fourth explanation. We all think this is all happening to us. This dream called life, death, rebirth. The incredible reality is that we are dreamers twisting and turning--sometimes smiling and laughing--through a long dreamlike state called life and death. One day we will awaken and learn who God really is and why all this death and life and rebirth were necessary.

Until then, look to God and worship him for the hour of his judgment has come.

Mountain-High Christianity and Reality

2009-01-22T20:38:00.005-05:00

On my way to prayer meeting last night I claimed my travelling promises. The first was for God's protection. Then I prayed for the blessing of the Holy Spirit. Next I prayed Matthew 6:6 about "seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (by faith) and that God would provide all the other things I needed. Finally, I prayed the prayer of Jabez: "Oh that you would bless me and increase my borders. Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I may be free of pain." And God granted his request.

Usually I turn on the radio, National Public Radio or the classical music station and enjoy the fading light. Last night, however, I started singing hymns but not just cut-and-dry like you sing them in church. I imagined myself a distant descendant of Maria Callas who never sang an aria in concert the same way on any two performances. Each note was lovingly caressed or interpreted. When I felt like inserting a grace note I did. When I wanted to change the key slightly before returning to the familiar key, I went ahead and enjoyed the non-standard approach to singing hymns. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed that first hymn. They were all hymns in Spanish as I was heading to Spanish prayer meeting at my local Adventist church.

It was the first time that I really enjoyed singing hymns as I traveled back to my neck-of-the-woods after having worked my eight hour day. One hymn effortlessly melded into the next and I knew something strange was happening. Singing hymns was what I most wanted to do. It actually produced a pleasant state of awareness. Boredom was the farthest thing from my mind. How easy it was to capture a spiritual high, simply by singing hymns, but singing them with such feeling and awareness.

When I arrived in church I shared my wonderful song fest experience after the officiating elder asked if anyone had a special testimony. Requests for special prayer came and went and I offered my request for difficult neighbors. I, unfortunately, had not thought of whether my neighbors needed God's blessings in spite of their unpleasant behavior. The elder made me realize my one-sided approach to prayer requests. When it came time to pray with my payer partners I remembered my neighbors and asked that God would help them and that he would help me as well as far as the slamming doors and occasional running marathons they seemed to enjoy in the passage just outside my front door. I asked God to take control of the situation and to provide a solution to the noise and bizarre behavior of my young neighbors.

After the evening meditation had come and gone, I was asked to offer the final prayer. Normally, the thought of praying in public, especially in Spanish, unsettles me, but this time I spoke as confidently and as sincerely as I've ever prayed in a long while.

Something was happening that was different from what I normally feel in a prayer meeting or during my ride home. A strange lightness of being, a closeness to God, and something else, a forgetfulness of self, were making themselves felt as never before.

Once home I read the Spirit of Prophecy and just couldn't put it down. When it was finally time to retire, I thanked God for hours of spiritual introspection like nothing I had experienced for many years.

The next day during a staff meeting, something didn't click and I was too facetious with others during the appropriate time in the meeting for informal remarks, but unfortunately my comments were inappropriate and I realized it, but said nothing further in order to save face. The afternoon sun was spilling its cheerfulness on me as I walked to my car and wondered how I could have been so thoughtless to have made such an off-color comment without any premeditation on my part.

Instead of singing more hymns I reached for my electronica CD deep in the glove compartment and let synthesizer rhythms and vague whisperings of "walking on thin ice" transport me to a secularized cinema-like drive home.

What a change from yesterday. How easily a mountain top experience becomes a living-in-the-real world drive home.

Oh well, it was wonderful while it lasted and I look forward to everything falling into place again very soon. Perhaps one day soon I'll sing and pray and read my bible non-stop from morning till evening time and leave everything else behind.

The Gods of the Internet Age

2009-01-12T19:24:00.010-05:00

I love reading the Bible, especially the New Testament. However, when I read it I sometimes realize that the only reason I believe in its spiritual realities is because they appear in its pages. Yes, I see a change in my life from when I didn't read the Bible. But it still strikes me as amazing that aside from the Bible there is no accounting for all this talk of God, Christ, and the spiritual life.

Others believe in the realities the Bible speaks of because they heard it from others and were convinced by the account of the people who spoke to them about it.

Of course, other religions, e.g., Hindus, believe their religious tradition because it's mentioned in their religious texts.

The printed word continues to exert influence. Entire movements have begun simply because someone put words on paper.

What kind of movements might yet come into being, not because someone writes about them, but because a computerized program creates that new reality? So many people's lives revolve around the Internet and its labyrinthine realities. What's to stop some of them from choosing a life based on Internet realities?

Welcome to the transcendent worlds and realities of the Internet and their effects on people's lives.

The Best Temptation of All: Eternal Life

2009-01-04T19:50:00.005-05:00

The person who is tempted on a daily basis and gives into temptation because it is his daily choice is really not being tempted at all. For the Christian, however, who is tempted from time to time by a specific alluring desire, the concept of temptation is very real.

What's especially difficult to endure is when temptation comes when least expected. Sometimes a Christian does not go looking for temptation; it comes to him or her. At the time the temptation comes the shock value of being tempted by a specific allurement may leave the Christian unprepared. Only through a merciful turn of events can the temptation be sidestepped until there is time to pray and fortify oneself with the word of God.

Perhaps one is tempted to think that one's faith experience is false since temptation almost got one where it would have hurt the most. However, the best solution is to chalk it up to the mysteries of the Christian life and not decide that one's desire to follow Christ is somehow not sincere. Temptations come and go. We need to live through them and not get discouraged.

It also is unrealistic to live in fear of temptation and to lock yourself in your home so as never to be tempted. Christians are not called to be hermits. Of course, depending on your particular set of temptations, you may have to change your daily routine. But, again, don't live in constant fear of running into an old friend, or of accidentally finding yourself in the chocolate aisle at the supermarket when you had purposely avoided that aisle so as not to be tempted with your old chocolate addiction.

Remember that no temptation is worth giving up the hope of eternal life.

The phrase "the best temptation of all" was coined by Richard Baskin in "Welcome to L.A."

Does the Bible lead many astray?

2009-01-02T20:19:00.006-05:00

Herold Weiss: The Bible has led many astray.

Ouch! Some things are better thought but not actually written out. The examples you mention are tragedies. To fault the Bible for causing those tragedies seems to express a negative opinion of the Word of God. People lead themselves astray. The Bible is a book of life, and specifically the New Life in Jesus. Your words make it seem more like a book of death. And that sounds very ugly.

While I found your reflections on the Sabbath School lesson challenging, ultimately, I received very little spiritual blessing from your words.

With so many things wrong with the Bible, as you express them, one would wonder why bother reading it at all.

In spite of the problems with the Bible and with its track record of leading "many astray" I intend to continue reading my Bible. I pray it won't lead me astray. In fact, I have found that since I've been reading it during the past four years--in spite of some ugly passages about genocidal massacres and lakes of fire--the effect it has had on my life is far from leading me toward the dark side. Instead, it has lead me toward the light. And for that I am grateful. Peace.

Living with Jesus

2008-12-20T15:58:00.007-05:00

Simple words? Perhaps they are for those who have long enjoyed the experience of focusing on Jesus and not on anyone else or on anything else. However, for most people living with Jesus is either not attractive or if it is something to be desired, it is not as easy as simply saying the words three magical times.

We can only live for or with Jesus if he comes to us and makes his home with us. Day after day I find myself asking him to come and live inside me. I think that's what I want although I'm not sure if once he comes and stays with me, I'll realize it or even if I will find that it's what I thought his constant presence would be like.

The nicest compliment anyone could ever give me would be to say that I reminded them of Christ. I'm not sure I could handle such a compliment. I have a hard enough time handling compliments of any kind. That one in particular would probably break any Christ connection I may someday have.

Now that I think about Christ-like people I've met, my mind comes to one particular pastor who was the kindest and most devout person I ever met. I would mention his name, but I think it best not to do so in case he's reading this and by my stating such an opinion it would either send him to his knees or would sever the Christ connection for a bit until he confessed his sin of spiritual pride.

Perhaps it is better not to think so much about whether or not one is Christlike. Better to think how unChristlike one has been and how we are in dire need of his transforming grace to make us not self-conscious about our Christlikeness, but obsessed with Christ and fellowship with him.

Suddenly I think of Christ on Earth and what he thought of himself. Did he consciously think about wanting to become more Godlike? Did he see God in himself? Did others tell him that he was the most Godlike person they had ever met? I think not. Jesus was probably not self conscious about things like that. He might have lived his life as naturally and as unself-consciously as we live our lives. For him to have lived it otherwise is unrealistic. Jesus was as sane as you or I. He didn't think more of himself than he had to. We should do the same.

(I wonder if the Adventist Review would be interested in an article like this one? It sounds so safe and non-controversial. I've often wanted to write an article for the Review, but I can never quite leave out controversial bits and pieces. Now that I've proofed it I realize that I'm probably incapable of writing an article that would fit the mold. So much for my passing desire to write for the Adventist Review.)

Christianity is mystical, by nature

2008-12-14T19:23:00.010-05:00

Other words instead of mystical might be transcendent, otherworldly, mysterious. Ellen White used the word mystic* to describe the ladder in Jacob's dream that reached from Earth to heaven. I feel comfortable then, using a word that some traditional folk might not like to use about Christianity.

What I mean is that it takes a lot to believe in all these non-tactile realities and historical occurrences. Rationally speaking it makes no sense. But reason is not always the most important reality in the world; or it need not be.

This dawned on me as I drove home in a cool afternoon without any cares in the world. This was in spite of the fact that I had just spent $900 to have new wheels put on my car and other automobile expenses. Where was I going to get that money to pay down the credit card bill? I didn't care. I would let God take care of that essential expense. Worrying about it was not going to pay it off any faster. God knows I had to have those tires and the other parts that were defective. He knows, also, that I need to find the funds to pay off this negative cash flow expense.

Back home, I spent what I thought was going to be only 30 minutes reading about the Christian life, but I got so engrossed in the experience that when I looked at the clock, almost two hours had come and gone. I wanted to continue reading more of Steps to Christ, but I realized that I had other things to do before Sunday became Monday morning.

I had been invited to a Christmas party--the only one this year so far. I was unsure of whether to go as there was going to be alcoholic drinks there and other non-Christian influences that may or may not turn out to be deleterious to my experience. I prayed about it and decided that that was one party that I was better off not attending. Now, it might have turned out just fine, but I felt moved not to take a chance. Instead I spent the afternoon reading and meditating about God's amazing grace. That defies reason in most people's minds. I does in mine.

There's no other explanation other than that Christianity is mystical. How else to account for spending good quality time on a Sunday afternoon reading Steps to Christ when so many other things beckoned?

* mysterious: having an import not apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence; beyond ordinary understanding; ". . . someone who believes in the existence of realities beyond human comprehension wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Making Sense of Life

2008-12-12T14:06:00.009-05:00

Lately I've been reading about whether it's possible to see life as both the outcome of evolution and God. Or rather, whether it's possible to believe in evolution and still believe in God.

No Christian wants to let go of God altogether by embracing evolution as the only explanation for our presence on Earth.

As I read about and ponder these polar opposites, I sometimes look out on civilization and am amazed if only evolution is the explanation for the reality of the human brain. If that's the case, it defies explanation that so much complexity was the result of millennia of humankind's efforts. Our technological and cultural accomplishments are truly mind-boggling. Our potential for future achievements are equally astounding.

If God is responsible for evolution, then he is, alas, not the kind creator of the Bible. Evolution is successful only though violence and death. In no way can a committed Christian attribute these to God in spite of the fact that some Bible texts seem to attribute death and destruction to God under certain extreme situations, e.g., the Flood story and the final destruction of the impenitent.

What then to do about the conflicting demands of faith versus evolution? Would further study and reflection about evolution as the answer to our origins draw one closer to the God of the Bible or away from him? Unfortunately or fortunately, I find that the more I study about evolution and its survival-of-the-fittest motif, the more I want to get closer to God as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. I need to suspend belief in the evidence of evolutionary history as that is the only way to continue believing and benefiting from a life time of approaching the God of the Bible.

I'm not saying the world was necessarily created in 6,000 years. I'm not saying that life isn't filled with too many mysteries to completely solve. I'm not saying I've finally arrived at the best situation that will resolve all these perplexing theories and their competition for my attention.

What I am saying is that I want to continue believing in God. Even more importantly, I want God to continue believing in me. The reason for this is that only as God continues believing in me will he continue helping and blessing me. For these realities I am very grateful. If only evolution were as kind then I'd love it in all its benign aloofness.