The Island

Holiday movie watching suggestion.

This week I stumbled upon a gem of a film.  The Island, starring Pyotr Nikolayevich Mamonov as Father Anatoly, is a Russian film about a haunted man finding himself a resident of an isolated Russian Orthodox monastery.  Gifted with prophecy and discernment, he carries out his humble duties at the monastery stoking the ever hungry coal burning boiler and taking in pilgrims in search of physical healing and other miracles.

Mamonov in real life is a rock musician and actor whom had converted to Christianity in the 1990's and now resides in a tiny village.


Although the soundtrack is in russian, it is subtitled in english.


You can watch it free in low res on YouTube here or if you have a Netflix account you can watch it here.


Want the dvd?  You can purchase it here.

Why Us? - Best written critique of Evolution in our times. (IMHO)

James Le Fanu, author and medical doctor among his many life accomplishments, has won a prominent place on my book shelf in defense of non-Darwinian world-view.  A master with words and logic, James invites you to dare think outside the restrictive Darwinian box and face the truth like a man (or woman).  This work is a beautifully illustrated and written direct attack on some of the most fundamental assumptions of modern biology and all of it's relevant disciplines.

Audio Book Pick

Peter Hitchens, brother of Christopher Hitchens, converted to Christianity after seeing firsthand the results of atheism's effect on society while working as a foreign news corespondent in the former USSR before the fall of the Iron Curtain.  Peter lays out the thesis of his latest work in this video.

Although Peter's accent took some getting used to for a "Yank" like myself, I would recommend the audio version of the book to get the full effect of Peter's timely message.
At the least, it's an encouragement to us that feel downtrodden at times by the scope and intensity of attacks on our faith to see such a prominent figure stepping out and defending Christianity.  At best, it is another salvo of truth against the enemy of all souls.

Inception

Inception - an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events.

My son Andy and I made time to go see the new Sci-fi thriller Inception Saturday night.  Having only read one review from Wired.com I was intrigued enough to shell out my dough for the ticket.  And, I'll say it is more than I thought it would be.  A central theme of the movie is planting an idea in ones mind through a dream.  Technology is used to do a Vulcan like mind meld and allow the team of thieves to interact with the target's lucid dream and eventually steal his secrets.  This all should sound familiar to those whom have had similar spiritual experiences.  Ideas are being "planted" like seeds all the time in our minds, and not always from our fellow humans.  No, not aliens folks, I'm not that wacky... yet.  It is most often very mundane. Advertising is the commercial practice of mind seeding for example.  Much research has been done over the decades in subliminal communications in one form or another.  It goes right down to the arrangement of product on the shelves, isles, color of packaging etc etc.  The gambling industry tries to make you feel rich before they take your hard earned money.   Automotive manufacturers show how you will become free, important, safe, cool and attractive in their product.  Advertising, politics, war, all use deception to win over their targets.  Inception by Deception.

Scripture has some good advice for that garden of the mind;

Php 4:8  Finally, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things. 

A practical defense of the bombardment our minds take each day by our society is to 'displace' those seeds of deception by purposely thinking on good things.  First, know who you are in Christ.  Remember your identity, your heritage and future.   Nothing can beat eternal life.  Now that you have a good perspective, scrub away your mind with Bible study, prayer and meditate throughout the day on the things of God.  You'll be surprised at how even the common things in life contain some profound insights into the realm of the Eternal.

Interesting follow up article on wired.


 

Something just isn't right here.

Ever have that gnawing feeling that just won't go away?  That something just doesn't "feel" right.  It could be an everyday and common business transaction or a light conversation with someone you've known for years or even a perfect stranger.  It could be a series of seemingly unconnected events spanning years that suddenly point to something, a conclusion you have never considered, nor wanted to.  Or, something totally out of the blue.  A contempt for someone you know absolutely nothing about.  He or she could be the most likable gal or guy anyone has met including you.  But there it is, an angst about a person you can't trace to anything he or she has said or done by yourself or anyone else.  Or conversely, it is something said in jest or sincerity that piques your conscience, jabs at your heart.  A warning that what your seeing or hearing has roots that go deep.  The intellect kicks in right about here and says "there is no rational reason for you to feel this way".  Quickly you come to a conclusion that you have "issues" that need dealt with.  Maybe your just jealous.  That all common, awful rotten manifestation of the heart that can ruin a man.

  O! beware, my lord, of jealousy;  It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock.  The meat it feeds on.

~William Shakespeare, Othello

But then, you ask, "why would I be jealous of someone I don't know?"  "Am I insecure?"  (Whatever that means)  "That could cause feelings of being threatened....."  (from what?)  No man knoweth his own heart better than himself beside God alone.  "If jealousy, then kill it" you say.  You know your just as weak as the next person,  the Spirit has taught you this.  The only way to deal with the flesh is to deal whatever it tries to bind you with a death blow.  Self sacrifice.  Everything has to go on the line.  In the world, it would call for war, competition, "hard work" to mend those pangs of inadequacy and overcome the foe to prove your superiority.  Sports is the "soft porn" of this prideful way.  But in the Kingdom, fear, humility and faith are the rule.  There is no glory in man there.

Welcome to the realm of doubt, paranoia and the walk by faith alone.  Every Christian should feel this state of mind at one time or another or they are impostors.   The true Christian walk isn't all feel good honey sweet blue sky Joel Osteen kind of way.   If you feel a little uncomfortable around these kind of people don't be discouraged.  God doesn't enjoy "clanging cymbals" either.  He puts them in the same category with lukewarm water.  Rather, it's often more like hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, and that enemy in your face and in your nostrils is you. Once you put that "gut" feeling through the filter of self examination and prayer, maybe even seeking out godly advice from a trusted brother or sister, and you have a clear conscience, you have yourself a bona fide mystical experience.   Now is the time the opposition begins it's work.  The hidden truth has just now been exposed and the enemy of souls is never happy to have his dirty work known.  You will be a target.  And the very tests you put yourself through will be used against you.  You will be accused of jealousy for example, insecurity or any number of psychological  nonsense.  If you've already been there you can have confidence.   If not, if it was overlooked, you can stop and reconsider before moving on to the next step of faith.   It's about to get messy.

Collimation

One of my rediscovered interests has been astrophotography.   I have been enjoying the process of learning the intricacies of digital photography and telescope operation all at once.  It has been a lifelong love of the skies that I have been encouraged to return to my childhood hobby.  There is something more awe inspiring about seeing those familiar celestial objects in real life rather than relying on someone else's work.  For me, it's parallels my Bible study in quality time with the Lord.  I think He likes those of faith who want to look at His handiwork up close, with eyes that see them for what they really are.  Not just glowing balls of gas or pock marked dead planets and moons, but works of wonder reflecting the majesty and glory of it's Maker.  But with untrained spiritual eyes we see things rather fuzzy and out of focus.  The beauty is blurred by crooked thinking and ideas born of this world that cause the light to be deflected from it's intended destination, hence the full impact of that information, that picture is lost.  Thats why the astronomer needs to collimate his instrument of exploration, the telescope, and why the theologian needs to align his heart and life with the source of all light, God.  Look at these two images closely and you will see distortion caused by poor collimation.  Imagine how much better they will be with a little collimation.  Next week.

Update 7-5-10 Post collimation with laser device.

Flight to Heaven

Captain Dale Black, retired commercial airline pilot and survivor of a tragic airplane crash when he was 19 years old, goes public after forty years with his new book Flight To Heaven.  If you have listened to or read other accounts of near death experiences and were left with doubts about the credibility of those stories, this one will be different.  I would recommend purchasing the audible version here and listen to Captain Black read his story to you himself.

I felt this account was most helpful in reassuring the Christian that there truly is a better place after this life and it won't be totally unfamiliar apparently.  Along with his experience, you will hear the salvation message clearly explained so if you have friends or relatives that you want to present to the Lord, this would be an ideal resource for you.

The Atheists Among Us

While perusing Hulu.com for anything worth watching while waiting for my last stint of night shift for the week, I ran across a book review recorded in San Francisco last March that piqued my interest with the title: In the Land of Believers: An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey Into the Heart of the Evangelical Church.  My first reaction was disgust at the revelation this author had the temerity to sneak into Jerry Falwells church and pose as a believing Christian for two years merely to make a name for herself among her atheist peers and write a book about "those" people.  Made my skin crawl.  But, I continued to watch Gina Welch as she discussed her book with the interested left in the "Bay" and I began to soften my attitude.  Gina seemed somewhat contrite about the experience and expressed a desire to be a bridge builder between the Evangelical Church and the Atheist Left of the Intelligentsia.   Whether that is at all possible remains to be seen but like any good ole 'Falwellite' would say' "everything has a purpose".  Gina may be unwittingly a key part of a plan she doesn't believe in.  Yes, God does have a wonderful sense of humor.  Gina is teaching Creative Writing at George Washington University.

Signature in the Cell

With the recent news from the J. Craig Venter Institute, regarding the announcement of the success of the manufacture of synthetic life and the myriad of problems coaxing a host cell to "boot up" a synthetic DNA molecule, science is reaffirming the complexity of life and the incredible design of even the simplest of cell.  In Stephen C. Meyer's latest work, Signature of the Cell, a case for design rather than random mutation and natural selection (Darwinism) is meticulously laid out.  DNA, the source of the incredibly precise information contained within every cell in every living thing and directing the manufacture of every function of life, bears all the appearance of an intelligent designer.  A prediction of further complexity and design to be found by the researchers in genomics is now expected using the scientific model of Intelligent Design or otherwise known as ID.  Rather than considering the information contained within DNA as accidental as in Darwinism and therefore couching new findings in that paradigm,  ID presumes design and attempts to understand the mechanisms in that light.  It promises to open new vistas in biological sciences Darwinism fails to envision.

Recent links:
Discovery Institute: Dogmatic Signs

Synthetic Life

In the news this week the J. Craig Venter institute  announced the creation of the first synthetic DNA cell.  If your worried we're going down a perilous path your not alone.  

Full length video here.

Remembering the Future

Remembering what? The future you say? Are you daft man? ....Yes, remembering the future is the thesis of my recent studies.  In an uncanny way, my interest has been focused on randomness, the Arrow of Time, particle physics, casting lots, prophecy, cellular biology, brain function, astrophysics, the lottery, a little parapsychology and last but not least, Christian theology.  It has been a dizzy ride spanning decades, punctuated by life's crossroads, but always returning to the next question.  It seems everyday something new comes to my attention that is relevant to... I haven't quite grasped that yet to be honest.  But here is partly what I have so far.

We are designed not only to perceive memories but also the future.  Recent brain research has discovered the same brain functions used in our memories is also used in imagining the future.  The "hard" sciences try to grasp, as well as it can, the future through probabilities.  They can get you in the right neighborhood and even have computer models for weather that are accurate out to 12 days or so.   But, they can't literally "see" the future like the prophecy that is found in scriptures, but rather give you a number.  You can make pretty impressive charts from these numbers, but that isn't literally the future your looking at, it's just a guess.   A guess based upon the past, or those law-like things we can find in the past.  If the future holds something new and seemingly disconnected to any law we can identify today, then you are outside the help of science.  The future is real though as we all find out every moment of the days of our lives.  Time, in the end, is a perception more than a "thing".   Although it is treated as a dimension in physics, it's true nature is still a mystery.

I believe that the future has already happened.  With Relativity, we know time is fluid and the point of reference depends on your location within a gravity field or your speed relative to something else.  The faster you go, the more everything else speeds past you into the future. The very fact that time can be slowed to a crawl in an intense gravity field or traveling near the speed of light shows that the future is no different than the present or past in nature.

Prophecy, interestingly, is often written in the past tense in scripture.  We know the past is fixed, although knowledge entropies over time and becomes much like the mystery of the future given enough... time.  Therefore, the future must be fixed also.  If your one that doesn't believe in scripture or prophecy, that doesn't matter.  Truth is true whether you believe it or not.  We add or take away nothing by our knowledge or ignorance of it. Why then the fuzzy, random nature of the future?  Or is it just a perception that it is random and "fuzzy"?

Consider Ecclesiastes 1:9-11  "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. "

I can hear you protest, "but that isn't what Solomon meant, that time is fixed and repeats itself..."  That is exactly what he meant.  Time, history, future or however you conceive it, is already finished. Interesting isn't it that our brains are wired to treat the past and the future the same?  Solomon wasn't a brain scientist, but he knew this already.  More on this hopefully later.

Update: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/01/timelike-entanglement/

Update: Time is an illusion?

"Don't rock the boat"

I can't recall anyone telling me "don't rock the boat" in those very words, but I certainly have been "encouraged" not to be quite so passionate about my beliefs and convictions over the years.  It's a lonely life indeed being a non-conformist, even if you are pretty considerate about it.  Age does temper one's methods in non-conformity but it's still unsettling to the status quo and you once again find yourself peering through the fence at the game. Try to be a conformist for comforts sake and you'll find yourself a miserable man.  You could find yourself in the belly of the fish of depression.  You were made to be different, that's the lot you have been given, that's it, no more quibbling about it......  Age also brings humility after countless lessons of failure.  You know, those times when you were fulfilling your "calling" as a non-conformist and you find yourself on the wrong side of the truth, ugh, hate that when it happens.  After years of scouring by the streams of life you find yourself just another smooth stone amongst all the other.  To God however, you're now a perfect weapon for the take-down.

Chance and Reason

Among some benchmark works valuable in assessing the new science of Intelligent Design is David Bartholomew's God Chance and Purpose. Mr Bartholomew was Emeritus Professor of Statistics at the London School of Economics and Political Science along with a long and impressive list of accomplishments.  He is also a Methodist preacher.  In his latest book, Mr Bartholomew convincingly lays out the argument for chance being part of God's creation.  From the laws of statistics used everyday in science and industry, he demonstrates that any model for Intelligent Design has to grapple with the "reality" of randomness or chance found in nature.  Addressing Dr. William Dembski's contributions to Intelligent Design, namely the theorem of Specified Complexity (see my article) David finds some concerns in what he describes as circularity in Dembski's method.  Dr Dembski answers those concerns here.  I agree with Dembski that any theology that is in discord of the plain teaching of scripture is suspect.  Dembski's accuses Bartholomew of being an advocate of what is known as Open Theology which is more liberal than traditional Arminianism.  Although I'm not interested in getting in any arguments about Predestination and Arminianism,  I agree with the predestination camp that believes God knows everything, even the future.  If God isn't aware of the future, then it would negate all prophecy.  At the same time however, I believe chance and randomness are also "true" in our sense and experiences.  It's demonstrable characteristics show us that it is real.  But if the arrow of time, the nature of time to be one-way or irreversible in our experience, shows us that the past is fixed, then why not the future also?  Why would the future be any different than the past?  Chance would then be merely an illusion,  a veil that only prophets are given a peek through occasionally.   We know, through real prophecy found in the scriptures, that information can flow from the future to the past and then to us in the present.  One of the interesting studies I am pursuing is the ancient practice of casting lots.  It is mentioned not only in the Old and New Testaments but also in extant writings of the surrounding cultures.  More on all this in the next post.  

Specified Complexity

Those two words will be in the public eye in the coming months as the debate continues between Darwinist evolution and the new emerging science of Intelligent Design.  ID, far from being a religion, is the new kid on the block in biology.  While Darwinists tinker and play with their new found toy DNA molecule, thinking it's just another accident of a blind meaningless world, the Intelligent Design scientists are hard at work formulating a rock solid argument for the design hypothesis through a testable model called Specified Complexity.  In The Design Revolution , author William A. Dembski, a mathematician and philosopher and just one of the leading advocates for Intelligent Design, meticulously covers the thesis of this cutting-edge science.  Mr Dembski has been churning out multiple books on the subject before and since the Design Revolution.  As science begins to formulate that innate ability for intelligent minds to recognize the work of other intelligent minds, we find ourselves on yet another crossroads in society.  While materialism has dominated the mindset of the western world for the last 150 years much to the credit of Darwinism, Intelligent Design, instead of the materialistic Darwinism, has finally grasped the significance of the recently discovered and unexplainable "code of life" found in the DNA molecule.  I became breathless by the revelation that we are looking at something most holy and precious scribed on every cell within our bodies.  Like the loving handiwork of a much loved grandpa in his workshop, that handmade object from the past connecting us to the unknown inner lives of our ancestors, the "work" inscribed on a molecule is from the very Person who waits for us at the door of eternity.  Science is finally returning to it's "first love", " thinking God's thoughts after Him."

I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are marvelous and my soul knows it very well.  My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret and skillfully formed in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my embryo; and in Your book all my members were written, the days they were formed, and not one was among them.  How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

Psalm 139:14-17

TED

We all have our favorite hangouts on the web like Facebook or Hulu.  I found another place I like to visit frequently for video content - TED.  TED.com has new "talks" every week limited to an easy 18 minutes in length.  Although largely left leaning politically and ideologically, there are lots of fascinating subjects covered that are more up-to-date than anything else on the net.  You'll hear from the scientists and other pioneers as they open their worlds to us.  There is even a special section for those like myself who want to discuss religion.  If your a life long student and want to keep up with the latest in a wide variety of research, I highly recommend visiting TED.

Intelligent Design

I like following the ongoing debate between the ID'ers and staunch Neo-Darwinists.  On the one hand, are the Mr Obviouses with the pictures and video clips and on the other are the Evolution-is-a-fact-and-dont-bother-me-with-the-evidence establishment that owns our government, museums, public education, media, the Catholic church, your local grocery store and any hope you may have of dignity as a human.  It's a fascinating study in human nature, especially on the side of the evolutionists who have become very sensitive to say the least of any scrutiny of their bully pulpit.  It's a win at any cost of intellectual capital war for the Neo-Ds it seems.  To see all those little molecules lining up like little soldiers to do their jobs in the animated clip of cellular processes the "other side" has come up with makes it so obvious that there is something more than blind natural selection/random mutation going on here.  It has to be embarrassing trying to defend the argument that the molecular electric motor found in the flagellum of bacteria is just a product of chance.  There is a mountain of evidence on the ID side of purposeful design found in all life and the only snobbish argument the Neos can come up with is a "faulty" design feature they occasionally find in animal life.  They seem to take great pleasure poking fun at the straw-man god they imagine 98% of us believe in.  I am always amazed at the ignorant statements coming from these followers of the Bearded-Man-who-thought-cells-were-blobs-of-protoplasm, like "man will surpass the design found in nature someday".  We have barely scratched the surface of the micro and macro creation we live in and they make these incredibly stupid remarks.  Here is a prediction.  Not too far in the future it will be discovered that rather than random mutation being the mechanism whereby positive change is invoked in biological systems, smart molecules have been programmed to monitor the environment and make changes accordingly.  There will be found an anticipatory nature in molecular biology that cannot be explained away by the throwing of Darwinian dice.  Now that's what we all know as Intelligence.

Resources:

Signature in the Cell Discussion (audio)
The Inner Life of a Cell animation 
CS Lewis Society

The Irrationality of Truth

'Truth is stranger than fiction' an old saying attributed to Lord Byron in his epic poem Don Juan (1819-1824), turns out to be more than just a passing observation of some of the ironies of life but a foundational scientific principle discovered in the way the human brain processes reality.  The diagram to the top right is illustrative of the way the sight perceives relative sizes.  Compare the sizes of the center circles.  Which of the two are smaller and larger?  Now measure each one and you'll see , as you probably expected, they are both the same size.  Our perception will still see them as different sizes even after we gained this 'truth' because of a trait in our brains called relativity.  This isn't the Einstein relativity but that of social science such as found in Behavioral Economics.[1]  Are Christians immune to these misperceptions?  Not at all.  We're all 'wired' the same whether we believe and trust in God or not.  The difference lies in how we judge what the truth is.  Whether we trust our eyes (mind) or an external standard.  The same is true in understanding our Christian walk.  Is scripture our standard, the rule of our life experiences and opinions or do we have more faith in our own understanding.  The knowledge that our perception is fallible as demonstrated here should bring us to the conclusion that we can't always trust our eyes let alone our understanding.

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." 2 Corinthians 10:12

 Paul knew the limitations of human perception as well as anyone else and saw how it could divide the church.  It's a powerful force in our lives today as it was in Israel in New Testament times. Put a 'Dr' in front of your name or have a British accent and you become an authority.  But God rarely uses these types as we see in this letter to the Corinthian church;

"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence." 

1 Corinthians 1:25-29

 There is a temptation within the church to overlook the ignoble,the common.  It's only natural for us to esteem those smarter, richer and better looking, we're 'wired' that way.  But the deep wisdom, that other-worldly knowledge turns everything upside down.  It seems irrational, but in fact is Truth.  God uses the weak things to show us not to depend on the ordinary but to see the world the way He does.

Additional resources:

Dan Ariely asks, Are we in control of our own decisions? 

Keith Barry

Notes:

1. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

The Placebo Effect

Placebo

Latin - I shall please

For many years I have wondered about the mysterious phenomenon called

the Placebo Effect.  The term coined by Henry K. Beecher in 1955, describes an ability for the mind to initiate the process of healing without aid of pharmacological or surgical procedures.  Often viewed as a nuisance in modern medicine due to its masking of the true effectiveness of a drug or procedure, it is now gaining a new scrutiny in science.  Among the recent discoveries is a new subset of placebo effect called conditioning.  This new effect was observed in rats given a immune suppressive drug and saccharin sweetened water to condition the brain to associate the drug to the taste of the sweetened water.  When only the sweetened water was given later, the reaction was identical.[1]  In other words, the rat doesn't have the ability to consciously believe in the treatment but nonetheless receives the desired effect from just a placebo.  This shows that the placebo effect is biological rather than psychological, unless there is a rat psychologist out there to argue the point.  But even given this new discovery, it's still mind boggling to think the brain can assemble the resources the body needs to alleviate pain and even shrink tumors from... what?  Mimicking the effects of a drug even weeks after it was administered  is hard to explain simply in physical or biological terms given our limited knowledge of the processes in the brain we call 'belief'.  And just what are we 'conditioning' in the brain?  And, where are the lines crossed between biological and psychological?   Even if we do reduce the entire process down to a complex sequence of chemical and molecular interactions, we are still left with the awesome question of why does our body have this innate ability to heal itself?  Could it be a remnant of something from our distant past?
You know this implies those little molecules have some 'intelligence' built into them with an 'awareness' of their environment and the ability to carry out their little part in the big task of healing in coordination with other little molecules.  What do they make to mimic a compound that doesn't naturally occur in the body?  I suppose that will be discovered someday but it still will be incredible.  To the molecule, it wont be anything new in it's repertoire.  It goes about doing it's 'thing' all the time.  For, what is healing other than building or rebuilding or tearing apart and disposing?  The computer at it's most elemental level is just a whole bunch of switches turning on and off.  And yet look at what it can do even at a order of complexity far less than that of our own biology.  What initiated or commanded all those molecules to work on this project?  We can watch it all happening but it still doesn't explain why.  In other words, there has to be something outside the physical directing and coordinating these processes.  Whether we say that the system intelligence is innate or resides invisibly outside, it still has to be there. 
So it seems the more we learn of this uncanny phenomenon, the more questions arise.  At the same time however, it does give credence to the faith community which drives atheists crazy.  Which brings us to a story found in the Bible.  In the Pentateuch, Numbers 21:4-9, the children of Israel are in the wilderness after the miraculous deliverance from Pharaoh. 

And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. Numbers 21:4-9

Could it be the placebo effect is an echo of this miracle?  I find it ironic that the symbols of medicine such as that above,  the Caduceus, recall the event we just read in the Bible when medical science is about as far from it's roots in faith as it has ever been, but still uses the symbol of the serpent on the pole.  And the thorn in the proverbial side of medical science is the placebo effect.  Does God have a sense of humor or what?

Notes:

1.  Scientific American - February/March 2009 - Cure in the Mind

Available sources not noted or used in this article:
Placebo Effects: Understanding the mechanisms in health and disease
The Placebo Effect: An Interdisciplinary Exploration
The Placebo Response and the Power of Unconscious Healing
The Placebo Effect and Health: Combining Science and Compassionate Care
Extreme Healing - a National Geographic presentation

Repentance

  He gives snow like wool; He scatters the hoarfrost like ashes. He casts forth His ice like crumbs; who can stand before His cold? Psalm 147:16-17

Not too long ago, my son Andy shared a link on Facebook to an essay about the cold.   Jason Peters eloquently lays out the love we northerners (those born into it) have for cooler weather and even enjoy the months of winter for it's beauty and clean look.   I can't count the times, while crossing a windswept parking lot near the midnight hour, cold wind and sometime sleet or snow stinging my face, I've thought of Psalm 147:17.  I remember the first time I had read this scripture and how it struck me that I hadn't thought of the cold as His cold.  He can make it so cold, even I, the toughened old northerner wouldn't be able to "stand" for long.  Now, instead of grumbling about the cold, I can see it as a message, a lesson.  What are those lessons?  If you've felt utterly undressed in the cold wearing your finest winter gear, you would know.  In this season of Lent, I think it's important to be thankful to God's cold that brings us to repentance.  We are "naked" before Him.  There is nothing we can hide.  It is better to feel His cold and know this.  And acknowledge our sins before Him.  And He will cloth and warm us with His Grace.

"As for me, God willing, I shall walk through the cold on such northern days as this—that I might be its earnest and deserving pupil."  Jason Peters

 Books written by Jason Peters: Wendell Berry: Life and Work (Culture of the Land)

A Serious Man

This long weekend, I 'stumbled' across a movie that will probably be misunderstood by our non-Jewish culture but may be insightful for Christians.  A Serious Man by Joel and Ethan Coen is a slice of Americana most of us have been oblivious of, weaved into the dark humor of the newest Coen brothers film.  Understood to be loosely a modern parallel to the Biblical book of Job, the world falls apart around the protagonist, a presumably righteous man, and is pushed at times to the edge of his sanity while three Rabbis (friends) are of no help.

The spiritual key to understanding the film in my opinion is the desire of those that love God (Hashem) to know His leading in their lives.  We follow Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) through his humorously bad string of circumstances in a quest to find out what it all means for him and we're left with the epitaph "Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you."(Rashi) 

Larry fumbles his way through long enough it seems to have passed the test of a Serious Man (mensch) and then lets his guard down and takes the monetary bribe from one of his students to pay an expensive retainer fee from his attorney.  Immediately he receives a call from his doctor with bad news about a recent x-ray and the film ends at his son's school where an approaching tornado is bearing down on them while the schoolmaster fumbles with the keys to the basement door. This is not good. 

The film is rated R for language and some brief nudity but I fast forwarded and still enjoyed most of it without too much offensive content.

Link to trailer here.

A really well written and comprehensive review here.

Life in HD

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.  1Co 13:12

The scene opens on a dusty street in an old western town with the sun low in the afternoon heat.  The camera pans to a closeup of a unshaven ruddy face of a man with a stub of a cigar hanging from his mouth, unlit, eyes squinting in the light and dust swirling.  The background music sets the mood to a lonely place lost in time, perhaps never.  A mystery is about to be laid out on the screen we've thought about before, somewhere, sometime.

But we know none of this is real, but a facade, a creation of mind, an assembling of a story as the author saw it.  This is just... make believe.  Do we really understand this as just pure fiction?  Does our mind really have that clear separation of the real versus virtual?  Or, do our memories blur the facts of the past events at times at a subliminal level?  The famous actors will tell you of the countless times people have approached them and believe they are actually the characters they portrayed.  Seeing them out of character confuses them for a moment.  A brief feeling of disillusionment ensues when they realize "he really isn't that tough and reliable man in the movies, he's just an ordinary man like myself".  But the persona lives on in their minds, they fell in love with it, identified with it, even modeled their lives after it. 

Such is the state of mind of our playwright culture.  Unable to discern truth from error, fiction from fact, dreams from personal history.  Even science is under its spell because the scientists themselves have been raised in the same environment.  They tend to follow their faiths, rather than the facts alone.  A perfect example of this is the recent scandalization of the climate data governments have so long been touting as irrefutable evidence of man-made global warming.  There is some disillusionment going on right now in the earth sciences.  Good.  Hopefully careers will be ruined for those who smugly rejected any challenge to their theories.  A lot of damage has already been done by these self-proclaimed prophets of doom.  Many have drunk their kool-aid unfortunately and are still mindlessly following the mantra. Hopefully we're on the other side of this now though with the public becoming more cynical of the message of impending disaster if they don't tow the line and live "green".  Or, pay their government for the 'privilege' of barbecuing steaks on their open grills or opening a can of pop (soda) or any of a long ridiculous list of everyday living 'infractions'.  One would get the impression these folks just don't want anyone else around (except for themselves of course).  One of the Super Bowl ads, the Green Police, was a little too close to possible reality for some.

 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2Ti 3:7

But all this is just the tip of the iceberg.  Below the waterline is the rot of culture that will someday culminate in total collapse.  "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;" Rom 1:28  It certainly doesn't sound like the Utopian world some believe is in our future.  According to scripture, things are going to get a lot worse before the end, not better.

 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2Ti 3:1

You can put a face to this scripture these days.  If you're at all connected with current events,  the following  will stun you;  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 2Tim3:2-4

Is there any hope left for mankind then?  Yes.  Even in the midst of these perilous times, there is a message that will endure to the end.  It's a way out of the inevitable, a key to the door of a bright future.

Wings and Things

Just read in our local paper chicken wing prices are soaring.  Up to $2.11 per pound over the $1.50 from last year.  From what I've seen, it looks like the trend will continue until the cardiologists go on Oprah and let us know they aren't so good for us.  So here's my prediction.  Wings will become a commodity and traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.  Imagine, those delectable little pieces of gold being traded right along side of all those traditional farm products such as wheat, soy and pork bellies.  Pork bellies?  eeewww!  Anyways, to give you a peek into the future of the Wing market, I've assembled some graphs, charts and photos you'll be seeing in your Sunday papers sometime in the near future.  You'll note that they will begin to sell wings by the barrel instead of by the case, that's how valuable these babies will become.  Who would have ever imagined those once rejected appendages would become the most prized part of the bird.  I'm partial to right wings myself. 

Sportsianity III, a conclusion

Like no other pastime in American culture, sports takes the front seat in defining the American mindset.  The competitive spirit reigns in our homes, places of worship, politics, workplaces and institutions of learning.  What is the 'competitive spirit'? According to Greek mythology;

the name of a goddess: Eris ( ris ). The usual translation of this word is strife. And she is, Hesiod tells us, the daughter of Night, hateful strife that gave birth to painful toil. . . famine and fearful sorrow, fighting, battle, murder, slaughter, quarrels, lies, disputes, lawlessness and ruin. . . . (226-232) [1]

And later on in Greek mythology;

But in a later poem, the Works and Days, which deals with the life of the small farmer, Hesiod has second thoughts; he revises his mythology. There was, after all, he says, another daughter of Night, the elder one; she too is called Eris, and Zeus himself has set her in the roots of the earth: She is much kinder to men. She stirs up even the shiftless men to work, for any man grows eager to work when he sees his neighbor, a rich man who is keen to plough and sow and put his house in order; neighbor vies with neighbor in the race for wealth. This Eris is good for men. And potter competes with potter, craftsman with craftsman; beggar is jealous of beggar and bard of bard. (19-26)[1]

The good and the bad competition (Eris) idea still pervades our culture today in sport and war.  The Greeks were not unique in this worldview but certainly the most historically complete.  In contrast to this worldview, Jesus taught a radically different response to man's natural desire to dominate their sphere of influence through some form of conflict.  Demonstrating that servitude by washing the feet of His disciples and ultimately  allowing His crucifixion.  And how can we forget the imperative from Zechariah 4:6 "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of Hosts."

Christianity, or more specifically Biblical Christianity, turns on it's ear normal human reaction to stress or challenge.  It teaches us a strength through faith rather than by self reliance.

Muscular Christianity teaches that men in particular "were not truly Christians unless they were healthy and 'manly' (a term used to connote strength, endurance and other stereotypically male attributes)."[2]
Scripture cited for it's justification were Mark 11:15 where Jesus cast out the money changers and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, it's context fornication, not body building.  Both interpretations a stretch of the context to say the least.  And Jesus is no longer portrayed as in the scripture found in Isaiah 53:3 as a man of sorrows and rejected and despised but "...a Christ who they {men} could respect... one who was 'no gentle visionary', but rather, 'a Person whose dominating trait is force."[2]
Naturally, if one believes Jesus was a 'mans man' muscular, handsome, the outdoors type and would love to play a game of backyard football with His buddies, then He wouldn't be so 'despicable' or 'rejectable' after all.  This was and is the Jesus of the muscular Christianity movement.

It's genesis was in the late 1800's where familiar organizations were born such as the YMCA and the Rough Riders of Teddy Roosevelt, until just after the first World War when those men that spent their tour of duty in the bloodbath saw this form of Christianity for what it really was, brought home a disillusionment of a church that endorsed a so called 'holy warfare'.  That disillusionment spread throughout society marking the beginning of a return to what was called neo-orthodoxy.  The church tried to return to it's roots but trust in it's leaders, who fell under the spell of modernity and social relevancy, was lost.  The church was no longer the leader in defining the nature of our society.  Sports was no longer a means to get in manly shape for service to God but became once again a religion in it's own rite.  But, muscular Christianity was not totally dead, but moved to the backwaters of independent churches until the 1950's with the resurgence of fundamentalist evangelicalism in preachers such as Billy Graham, where sports were reintroduced as a godly endeavor.  The competitor's creed of competing for the pleasure of God flies in the face of His own words to love your neighbors.  It's Orwellian logic to say by beating my opponent I am loving him.  But this logic is prevalent in our pulpits, most all of them.  It truly is 'another gospel'.  No wonder we raise one confused generation after another with this kind of doctrine that teaches on the one hand to turn the other cheek and then in our gymnasiums attached to our sanctuaries we tell them to win by hitting the hardest.  Would our society admire our finest Christian men and women if they were losers in their beloved sports?  I think not.  Then, we are shocked and dismayed when this competitive spirit shows up in our missions board or other committees and arguments break out, relationships are damaged sometimes beyond repair, churches split over who has control of the pastor.

I think it's time for the church to reassess it's primary role and that of sports in our society.  And Christ-likeness to be measured from Biblical norms, not the imagination of overly zealous social gospelers.  Don't you?

Addendum:  I'll be adding sources that refute the theology of sports in Christian doctrine from time to time here.

 Psalm 147:10-11  He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Notes:[ ]

1. Always To Be Best: The Competitive Spirit in Ancient Greek Culture Dr. Bernard Knox,The Professor John C. Rouman Classical Lecture Series  At the University of New Hampshire, Durham, October 13, 1999 - PDF

Muscular Christianity: Manhood and Sports in Protestant America, 1880-1920, Clifford Putne

Update: 9-26-10 from New Your Times article regarding Bishop Eddie L. Long

"He also adopted what has become known as “muscular Christianity,” a male-dominated view that emphasizes a warriorlike man who serves as the spiritual authority and protector in a family. His books on relationships suggest that men get in touch with their inner “wild man” and channel their fighting instincts into taking responsibility for their lives."

The Social Gospel

 This Sunday our church showed a video from the national headquarters kicking off a 20 million dollar ad campaign aimed at  "18- to 34-year-olds who are seeking spiritual fulfillment".  Like all the other campaigns the United Methodist hierarchy dreams up, this one also is devoid of the central message of the Gospel as found in scriptures but instead presents the old "Social gospel" i.e. "another gospel" that most of serious Christiandom has seen for what it is;  Christless and human centered.  Not once will you hear the name of Jesus in these campaigns, but rather how the 'church' will fulfill their 'wantings' for spiritual things.  I have news for the hierarchy, the world doesn't give a (fill in here) about the church, other than blaming it for all the ills of mankind.  You can solve all their scourges and sufferings but if you don't tell them about sin, repentance and Jesus using real, understandable words from the scriptures, they will think Allah or Buddha or whatever deity or 'force' helped them out using you as the facilitator. If the United Methodist Church is going to survive, we need to get back to promoting Jesus as savior not the UMC.

I went to the trouble to make a transcript of the video ad since the home web site umc.org didn't provide one for us that need to examine the content more closely.  I would provide a link to the video but I'm not sure about the copyright issues with it yet.  Transcript follows;
 
"What if we rethink church.
What if church was less about Sunday, and more about the other days of the week.
What if church wasn't just a place we go, but something we do.
A menu of adventure.  An active verb instead of a noun.
What if church wasn't just a building, but thousands of doors, each of them opening up to a different concept or experience of church.
So that whoever knocks might find a journey of their own.
What if church was the way church was in the beginning.
Outbound.  Unbound.  Active. 
Human beings from completely different worlds united by common purpose, experience and belief.
Creating real solutions for their daily lives.
What if church looked at itself with seeker's eyes, recognizing that even the smallest step through one of our doors is an act of courage.
A moment of vulnerability. 
That solving a secular need can lead to spiritual interaction.
That social relationships can offer opportunities for discussions of faith.
And provide inspiration for discovery.
And that for a skeptical world actions often do often speak louder than words.
What if church was more of a out of church experience, an opportunity to prove what we say we believe with our lives.
Then,  perhaps someday could be a day of rest and reflection on all that we have accomplished Monday.  through Saturday.
What if, we rethink church.  Not in terms of what it is, or what it could be.

And what if we can convince the world to do the same.
Together we can open hearts, open minds and open doors.
The people of the United Methodist Church."

Sounds impressive and has a good ring to it, but if you look more closely, you'll see the glaring omission and the substitution "spiritual" for Christ.  Notice "we can open hearts" not the Holy Spirit.  "So that whoever knocks might find a journey of their own."?  I remember Jesus knocking in the scriptures but I don't remember everyone having their "own journey".   I do remember only One Gate, One Path, One Faith, One Baptism, One God, One Church.  What good are the works if the doctrine is all screwed up?  You tell me.  This is fill-in-the-blank theology and it stinks to high heaven.  Maybe we all should "rethink" our position in this organization, stand up and say what needs to be said.

Sportsianity II

I have slowed my posting schedule in order to devote more time in finishing Clifford Putney's work Muscular Christianity.  True to my past experiences with the providential hand of God on my life and interests, this source has proved invaluable.  Hopefully, I will be able to contribute to the understanding of the battle that exists between Christians of different cultural backgrounds and find the common ground in the scriptures.

Sports, as I have discovered once promoted as a means to invigorate the underused bodies of Christian men in the last century, has now become a secular religion in it's own rite.  Bearing all the trappings of ancient pagan religions who's view and use of the human body in worship of multiple deities resulted in the Games that destroyed the same for pleasure.

I will show some gross misinterpretation of scripture that opened the door to countless tragic social injustices within the church, elevating outward appearance over the inward man that we are still to this day paying the price for.  Shocking as it may be to some, there will be no competition in the Kingdom of God.

Sportsianity and the Church

Now this is going to be controversial to some, but I would like to examine the role of sports in our evangelical churches today.  We can all admit that the competitive mindset has overtaken our Christian culture for as long as anyone of us alive can remember and we've all had some negative or positive experiences with it in our lives so it is important to discuss.
I picked the title to pique interest and hopefully promote some dialog.  The term "Sportsianity" has been used before but doesn't seem very popular yet whereas "muscular Christianity" (Wiki) has historical roots from the 19th and 20th century..  It's a derogatory word describing the melding of competitive sports and Christian beliefs, hence 'Christian Athletes'.  Secular authors have had their say on the subject and it's time for us to examine ourselves in this matter.  Some viewpoints here and here.  The Fellowship of Christian Athletes webfca.com has its own creed and I'll reproduce it here for discussion.

I am a Christian first and last.
I am created in the likeness of 
God Almighty to bring Him glory.
I am a member of Team Jesus Christ.
I wear the colors of the cross.

I am a Competitor now and forever.
I am made to strive, to strain,
to stretch and to succeed
in the arena of competition.
I am a Christian Competitor
and as such, I face my challenger
with the face of Christ.

I do not trust in myself.
I do not boast in my abilities
or believe in my own strength.
I rely solely on the power of God.
I compete for the pleasure of
my Heavenly Father, the honor of Christ
and the reputation of the Holy Spirit.

My attitude on and off
the field is above reproach -
my conduct beyond criticism.
Whether I am preparing,
practicing or playing;
I submit to God's authority
and those He has put over me.
I respect my coaches, officials,
teammates and competitors
out of respect for the Lord.

My body is the temple of Jesus Christ.
I protect it from within and without.
Nothing enters my body that
does not honor the Living God.
My sweat is an offering to my Master.
My soreness is a sacrifice to my Savior.

I give my all - all of the time.
I do not give up. I do not give in.
I do not give out. I am the Lord’s warrior -
a competitor by conviction
and a disciple of determination.
I am confident beyond reason
because my confidence lies in Christ.
The results of my efforts
must result in His glory.

Source: fca.com

 This creed is emblematic of the general viewpoint that sports are inherently Christian in nature and to be promoted at every level in the church and Christian societies.  But this wasn't always true.  The early Roman church for example was the victim of their society's lust for sports and entertainment.  There was also a period between the 1920s and 50s where the Protestant Evangelicals sought to distance themselves from the sports mindset.

It is apparent that this is a vast subject and is not easily treated in a short essay.  There is already some discussion at the academic level and there seems to be a growing awareness that 'something has gone awry' with our wholesale acceptance of the competitive spirit in our sanctuaries.  Methodism historically was against allowing sports into church activities when it was introducing the 'holiness movement'.  Now, we as a church and secular society meet in our living rooms on Super Sunday in similar fashion rooting for our team.  The refreshments may be different, but the spirit is the same.

The theology of 'Hyper muscular Christianity' found in some of Mark Driscoll's teaching including a statement "Jesus is a pride fighter with a tattoo down His leg, a sword in His hand, and the willingness to make someone bleed.  That is a guy I can worship...I cannot worship a guy I can beat up." is a natural progression to the philosophy of physical dominance found in most of our churches today that effectively teaches "Only those with strong bodies are good Christians."  or  "Only the strong will inherit the Kingdom of God."  Of course, anyone with a minimum of Biblical understanding knows the scripture teaches much the opposite.
Being 'strong in the Lord' may look like being a total loser to the world, and often does.

Muscular Christianity: Manhood and Sports in Protestant America, 1880-1920

Moral Fortitude

Ever find your self waffling on a decision you made?  Don't feel alone, you're in good company.  We are often tempted to hold out for more information before making difficult decisions in life but that is a luxury we don't always have.  There are times when the long awaited decision has to come to culmination.  Providence often works this way, slowly painting us into that proverbial corner until we have "no choice" but to jump for the door.  To the observer, it may look like you may be overreacting or are even being foolish.  But only you are walking in your shoes, so you have to go by your own conscience or "heart" as some translations in the Bible put it.  But can we trust our conscience as a guide?
A popular Christian author and speaker was teaching on this subject this week and it was very well timed for me I must admit.  His text was from 1 John 3:19-22.  It has always been a difficult passage for me to fully understand.  'Our hearts can be assured knowing if our heart accuses us we can know God is greater than our heart.' (My paraphrase)  It always sounded like circular logic and commentaries rarely helped all that much.  So, here is the way I parsed this scripture after hearing his messages and some more thought on my own:

1.) 3:19 "..we shall know that we are of the truth.."  IF;
2.) 3:20 we believe that God is the creator of our conscience and knows all things in it and whether our guilt is based on truth or error.  If we in faith believe God will ultimately guide our heart through His truth... THEN;
3:) 3:21 having examined our conscience under the light of His Truth and finding no more reason for guilt then we'll have confidence again... WHEN;
4.) 3:22 we see our prayers answered and our faith is expressed by obedience to those things that we know pleases God, namely loving our brother.

Sounds more like a process then merely a statement doesn't it?  So the acid test is love.  That's where gross misinformation can happen though.  A lot of people think love is always warm and cozy, furry and soft, comfortable, non-invasive, uncontroversial, tolerant, convenient.  But Biblical love is at its most recognizable being sacrificial.  I was struck by the total absence of outside counsel to be sought as in Proverbs 11:14,15:22 and 24:6 in this passage.  In the end, the decision is ours.