Dear friends,
I’m back from Cambodia. For all of you that prayed I want to give a heart-felt thank you. During this trip, I joined three other missionaries (one from Australia, one from Nepal, and an American missionary living in Thailand) in teaching the Simply the Story workshop to national pastors, missionaries, and Bible school students.
Although there has been significant church growth over the past 20 years, Cambodia is still a Buddhist nation recuperating from the horrific communist bloodbath that took place under the leadership of Pol Pot between the years 1975-1979. During this time Pol Pot’s regime literally killed off the nation’s intellectuals and sought to create a society composed of nothing but rural farmers. Pol Pot’s extreme brand of communism brainwashed the people into suppressing individuality and downplaying critical thinking. When you combine the twin factors of Buddhism and Communism (both of which downplay individuality and critical thinking) with a historically reserved people and, to top it off, translation difficulties, teaching the value of telling stories and formulating discussion made for a very challenging task.
But the Word of God prevailed!
One by one the workshop attendees began to come alive to the Word of God. Even some that were skeptical in the beginning came around towards the end. By the end of the second week, we left a core group in place committed to telling Bible stories, and teaching others to do the same.
Here are two examples:
When the story of Namaan was presented (2 Kings 5:1-27), one young Cambodian man was touched by the fact that Namaan’s servant, who was an Israeli that had been captured by the Syrians (remember that Namaan was a commander of the Syrian army), instead of being bitter towards Namaan, the girl told him about Elisha the prophet so that he could be healed of his leprosy. Seeing in this story a lesson about forgiving enemies, the man stood up and said, “My grandparents were killed by some of Pol Pot’s soldiers and for so many years I was bitter and only wanted revenge, but since the talk about the war crimes tribunals over the past few years, I’ve learned that I need to forgive. Learning this story validates the decision that I have made and I hope that we as a people can learn from this servant girl’s example.”
The second example came during the second week. A Filipino missionary that was new to the country was sitting in a small group listening to the story of Jesus being rejected by his hometown (Mark 6:6-6). The storyteller was a workshop attendee. One of the things that this workshop does is it gives people a chance to get their feet wet in telling stories and formulating discussions. Although I felt that the storyteller in this case was grossly underprepared, it didn’t matter to this man. When it came out in the story that Jesus was rejected not only by his hometown, but also by his family, the man went off to the side and wept. It turns out that this Filipino man had also been rejected by his family. From the story he learned that although Jesus did everything he could to reach his relatives, He didn’t let their rejection of Him stop Him from moving forward in His ministry. Another life touched by the power of God’s Word!
Such is the beauty of stories. One of the things that I’ve learned throughout this process is that it’s very easy to botch a sermon (Yes, I’ll admit. I’ve botched a few sermons over the years), but if I focus my energy on telling a story, and I’ve made sure that my listeners have heard the story enough so that they are sure to remember it after they leave, then the story itself will continue to teach the people long after I’m gone.
I’ve read so many books over the years that have tried to teach me how I as a missionary need to make God’s Word relevant to the people I minister to. Now I’m wondering why I read all those books. The very idea that I, a minister of the gospel, need to make God’s Word relevant is based off a faulty premise. As if God hasn’t already made His Word relevant! As if God when He wrote His Word didn’t have every single culture or type of audience in mind (and, yes, that includes a postmodern audience).
No, I don’t need to make God’s Word relevant. God has already done that! My job is to tell the stories He has placed in His Word, tell them accurately, and let the stories become the teacher. I have a feeling that God’s Word is a much better communicator than I’ll ever be.
Think about it,
Aaron
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Off to Cambodia!!
Dear friends,
Rhiannon and I are enjoying our time in Farmington, New Mexico. Since we've been here, I've had invitations to speak in four different churches. Just the other day we were meeting with a pastor of a good sized church here in Farmington. It was about 20 minutes before the mid-week service began and I was sharing with him the power of taking simple Bible stories and anchoring messages from the stories (as opposed to beginning with pre-existing points and taking bits and pieces from several stories to prove the points). The pastor was so excited that he immediately introduced me to his son, the youth pastor of the church, and asked me to take the youth service for the evening.
Normally, not having time to prepare a message would have rocked my boat, but since I already had several stories in my repertoire, all I had to do was pick one. I ended up telling the story of a leper that was healed by Jesus but disobeyed His orders to not tell anyone about what had happened. The story is found in Mark 1:40-45. After I told the story, I was able to throw out questions to the youth group to make them think about what the story teaches about grace, healing, the character of Jesus, how we should treat others, and, ultimately the price of disobedience. I could tell the young people were blessed, which in turn blessed me because I don't get a chance to speak to young people very often.
Next stop: Cambodia!!
I've been to Cambodia three times in the past. One of those times my wife was with me. To give you a brief history. From 1975-1979 the Cambodian people suffered under the brutal regime of Pol Pot, one of the most cruel dictators in human history. Millions of people were relocated from their homes and forced to live in agricultural communes. Those deemed as a threat to the regime, like intellectuals and Western sympathizers, were tortured and killed. By the end of the nightmare, somewhere around 2 million people were killed, which is why the words "killing fields" are often used to describe the tragedy of Pol Pot's rule.
But thanks be to God, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ has grown exponentially since that awful time period! Shortly after my wife and I arrived in Farmington, New Mexico I was invited to Cambodia to join a team of three other men who will be teaching the "Simply the Story" method to missionaries and national pastors throughout the country. The format will be the exact same format used when my wife and I went to Thailand in November. To give you an idea of the power of this workshop, I'd like to share a report from a missionary in Thailand about what happened as a result of the last trip that we took. Shortly after the workshop, some Karen Bible School students decided to cross the border into Burma and put into practice what they had learned. Here is what happened:
I count it an honor and a privilege to have played a small part in this. Please pray that God will do similar things as a result of the Cambodia workshop. I'll be out of the country from February 6th-24th.
I can't wait to give you a positive report when I get back!
While there is still time,
Aaron
P.S. If you would like to make an online contribution to our ministry, please go to my website.
Rhiannon and I are enjoying our time in Farmington, New Mexico. Since we've been here, I've had invitations to speak in four different churches. Just the other day we were meeting with a pastor of a good sized church here in Farmington. It was about 20 minutes before the mid-week service began and I was sharing with him the power of taking simple Bible stories and anchoring messages from the stories (as opposed to beginning with pre-existing points and taking bits and pieces from several stories to prove the points). The pastor was so excited that he immediately introduced me to his son, the youth pastor of the church, and asked me to take the youth service for the evening.
Normally, not having time to prepare a message would have rocked my boat, but since I already had several stories in my repertoire, all I had to do was pick one. I ended up telling the story of a leper that was healed by Jesus but disobeyed His orders to not tell anyone about what had happened. The story is found in Mark 1:40-45. After I told the story, I was able to throw out questions to the youth group to make them think about what the story teaches about grace, healing, the character of Jesus, how we should treat others, and, ultimately the price of disobedience. I could tell the young people were blessed, which in turn blessed me because I don't get a chance to speak to young people very often.
Next stop: Cambodia!!
I've been to Cambodia three times in the past. One of those times my wife was with me. To give you a brief history. From 1975-1979 the Cambodian people suffered under the brutal regime of Pol Pot, one of the most cruel dictators in human history. Millions of people were relocated from their homes and forced to live in agricultural communes. Those deemed as a threat to the regime, like intellectuals and Western sympathizers, were tortured and killed. By the end of the nightmare, somewhere around 2 million people were killed, which is why the words "killing fields" are often used to describe the tragedy of Pol Pot's rule.
But thanks be to God, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ has grown exponentially since that awful time period! Shortly after my wife and I arrived in Farmington, New Mexico I was invited to Cambodia to join a team of three other men who will be teaching the "Simply the Story" method to missionaries and national pastors throughout the country. The format will be the exact same format used when my wife and I went to Thailand in November. To give you an idea of the power of this workshop, I'd like to share a report from a missionary in Thailand about what happened as a result of the last trip that we took. Shortly after the workshop, some Karen Bible School students decided to cross the border into Burma and put into practice what they had learned. Here is what happened:
I didn't get out of the (name of the camp omitted) until later in the evening, then a trip down to (name of the camp omitted) where I had a chance to speak with (name omitted) regarding his STS usage during the December evangelism campaign. (name omitted) is just recovering from Malaria, so you may want to keep him in your prayers.
Anyway, (name omitted) said that he and (name omitted) took 15, 3rd year students and went to 3rd & 5th brigade which covers 20 villages. I've been to 5th brigade and it is a heavy war zone. He shared of one very close call where Junta troops attacked the village just as they left from ministering STS.
These area's are heavily Animist and reluctant to the gospel. (name omitted) did say roughly 2 dozen adults received Christ as a result of STS. He said there were so many children acknowledging Jesus that they promised to return to the villages this March after Bible school graduation and try to disciple them.
They had several invitations to return to the villages as the leaders want to hear more of this "Jesus". Doesn't that just sound like the days of ACTS?
I count it an honor and a privilege to have played a small part in this. Please pray that God will do similar things as a result of the Cambodia workshop. I'll be out of the country from February 6th-24th.
I can't wait to give you a positive report when I get back!
While there is still time,
Aaron
P.S. If you would like to make an online contribution to our ministry, please go to my website.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Finally the media tells the whole story
Some friends sent this video to me. It's the most truthful presentation I've seen yet on the biggest obstacles to peace in the Middle East. It also confirms what I've written in my book "Alone with a Jihadist." I was floored that a major media outlet in the U.S. reported on the 100 Arab homes that are demolished in East Jerusalem every year. This has been going on for the past 40 years and very, very few Americans know about it. The report only mentions last year, but according to an Israeli human rights organizations ICAHD, which stands for Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions, it happens every year. Still, I didn't think a major U.S. media outlet was ever going to report that. Guess I was wrong.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4752349n
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4752349n
Monday, January 26, 2009
A review of Crime and Punishment
I started a tradition a few years ago of reading one classic novel a year. Some of the novels I've read over the past few years include Charles Dicken's David Copperfield, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and John Knowle's A Separate Peace. This year I chose Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.
For years I've heard that not only was Dostoevsky a Christian, but he is also considered one of the greatest novelists of all time. To be labeled a classic novelist puts a person in a pretty elite class, but in this case the label isn't wasted. Crime and Punishment delivers.
The story is about a brilliant, but conflicted student striving to make his place in the world but is constrained by his impoverished background. The main character Raskolnikov develops a theory that the world is divided into two classes of men, inferior and superior. According to the theory, the superior class (which is an elite group of extremely rare individuals) isn't subject to the same laws as the inferior class because the superior class is able to contribute to society in ways that the inferior class can not by virtue of their intellect.
Early on in the novel, Raskolnikov decides to put his theory to the test by murdering a despised pawnbroker. Raskolnikov figures that the cynical, vile woman is a drain on society and, after all, her money and possessions can also be used to feed a lot of poor people. Since Raskolnikov is one of the superiors, his moral judgment is also superior, which makes him above the law. Throughout the novel, Raskolnikov fancies himself in the same category like a Napolean Bonaparte or a Russian general that makes a siege on a city for nationalistic interests. He figures that if generals can lay sieges on entire cities, killing whomever they please, for the purpose of advancing human civilization, then why can't he murder a useless old pawnbroker?
Herein lies the genius of the book. Crime and Punishment was published in 1866. Woven throughout the book are characters that represent the major ideological movements of his day--including capitalism and communism. By creating characters that intellectualize to the point of near insanity, Dostoevky virtually predicted the Cold War about 80 years ahead of its time. Even more importantly, he revealed the moral bankruptcy of people that spend too much time intellectualizing and not enough time mixing with real people with real problems.
Throughout the novel I kept asking myself if there was any hope for Raskolnikov? Will this young man finally see the error of his ways and repent? When is this guy going to get off his intellectual high horse and face up to the fact that he committed a horrible crime? Will Raskilnikov forever remained imprisoned in his own thoughts?
The answer may surprise you.
Read it and let me know what you think.
For years I've heard that not only was Dostoevsky a Christian, but he is also considered one of the greatest novelists of all time. To be labeled a classic novelist puts a person in a pretty elite class, but in this case the label isn't wasted. Crime and Punishment delivers.
The story is about a brilliant, but conflicted student striving to make his place in the world but is constrained by his impoverished background. The main character Raskolnikov develops a theory that the world is divided into two classes of men, inferior and superior. According to the theory, the superior class (which is an elite group of extremely rare individuals) isn't subject to the same laws as the inferior class because the superior class is able to contribute to society in ways that the inferior class can not by virtue of their intellect.
Early on in the novel, Raskolnikov decides to put his theory to the test by murdering a despised pawnbroker. Raskolnikov figures that the cynical, vile woman is a drain on society and, after all, her money and possessions can also be used to feed a lot of poor people. Since Raskolnikov is one of the superiors, his moral judgment is also superior, which makes him above the law. Throughout the novel, Raskolnikov fancies himself in the same category like a Napolean Bonaparte or a Russian general that makes a siege on a city for nationalistic interests. He figures that if generals can lay sieges on entire cities, killing whomever they please, for the purpose of advancing human civilization, then why can't he murder a useless old pawnbroker?
Herein lies the genius of the book. Crime and Punishment was published in 1866. Woven throughout the book are characters that represent the major ideological movements of his day--including capitalism and communism. By creating characters that intellectualize to the point of near insanity, Dostoevky virtually predicted the Cold War about 80 years ahead of its time. Even more importantly, he revealed the moral bankruptcy of people that spend too much time intellectualizing and not enough time mixing with real people with real problems.
Throughout the novel I kept asking myself if there was any hope for Raskolnikov? Will this young man finally see the error of his ways and repent? When is this guy going to get off his intellectual high horse and face up to the fact that he committed a horrible crime? Will Raskilnikov forever remained imprisoned in his own thoughts?
The answer may surprise you.
Read it and let me know what you think.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
An open letter to the black church
On behalf of white evangelical Christians everywhere, I’d like to congratulate the black church for a well-deserved victory. The election of Barack Hussein Obama as the first African American president of the United States is a watershed moment not only for America, but also for oppressed people everywhere.
I’m 30 years old, so I wasn’t around during the decade of the civil rights movement, but here is what I’ve heard. At a time when your people were considered less than human by mainstream America, you chose to love your oppressors. You faced the dogs and the fire hoses. You refused to ride in the back seat of buses. You walked into segregated schools with your heads held high. You sang in mass to the tune of “We Shall Overcome”—and overcame you did.
My message to the black church is simple, but urgent. To my fellow black Christians I’d like to say thank you and please. Thank you for winning the struggle for civil rights but please, oh please, do not give up your non-violent heritage that made it possible. In a world where the very presence of nuclear weapons puts the human race in jeopardy, if there ever was a time for the message of non-violence to reclaim its rightful place in American history, that time is now—and you’re the ones that can make it happen!
The irony is now that you have a man commanding the most powerful military in the world, the temptation is all too great to forget that, unlike the American revolution where victory came at the barrel of the gun, your victory came not by the power of might, but by the power of right. Your victory is a victory that came not from violence, but from non-violence.
Last year I was struck by the irony of hearing a speech by John McCain praising Dr. King for his life and legacy when, as I recall, it was Dr. King who said, “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government.” Dr. King was the most vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy in his day and yet how often is he praised for his courage to face down his own government?
This year I’m struck by another irony. In a blog post entitled “The forgotten heart of King’s dream,” author Greg Boyd points out that every year he and his wife attend the annual Dr. Martin Luther King breakfast. This year the keynote speaker was four- star general Colin Powell. In Powell’s speech, he attributed the greatness of America to the greatness of our soldiers throughout history, and even equated soldiers today with Kings call to service. Colin Powell is perhaps one of the most honorable men to ever grace the U.S. military, and of course there are many honorable men and women serving in our armed forces today, but isn’t it ironic that a message praising U.S. military might would be given at a service commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King?
All of the evidence from his books, speeches, essays, and sermons suggests that Dr. Martin Luther King believed that violence never achieves lasting solutions. Dr. King taught that non-violent redemptive love is the most powerful force for good in the world—especially when directed towards one’s enemies. We all seem to know intuitively that Dr. King changed the world for the better, but few today seem to pay much attention to how he changed the world. Since September 11th, King’s values of loving the enemy and turning the other cheek are now viewed as hopelessly naïve by mainstream American culture—including by many in the black church.
As a lifelong member of the Pentecostal/charismatic tradition, I consider the historic shift of much of black Pentecostalism from pro-peace to pro-war to be nothing short of tragic. I have a hunch that the influence of Christian Zionism has a lot to do with this, but regardless of the reason, it’s high time for black Pentecostals—and the black church everywhere—to reclaim it’s non-violent heritage.
American Christianity as we know it today is in desperate need of a reformation. For the first three hundred years of Christian history, followers of Jesus were thrown to the lions because they renounced the sword and embraced the cross. The vast majority of American Christians today have forgotten this. Who better to remind us than you? The media may mock you. The world may laugh at you. But one thing you can know for sure. If you can once again bring non-violence to the forefront of the American psyche, there’s a white boy from Jefferson County Missouri cheering for you every step of the way.
Aaron D. Taylor is the author of “Alone with a Jihadist”, scheduled to be released in mid 2009. Aaron can be contacted at fromdeathtolife@gmail.com
I’m 30 years old, so I wasn’t around during the decade of the civil rights movement, but here is what I’ve heard. At a time when your people were considered less than human by mainstream America, you chose to love your oppressors. You faced the dogs and the fire hoses. You refused to ride in the back seat of buses. You walked into segregated schools with your heads held high. You sang in mass to the tune of “We Shall Overcome”—and overcame you did.
My message to the black church is simple, but urgent. To my fellow black Christians I’d like to say thank you and please. Thank you for winning the struggle for civil rights but please, oh please, do not give up your non-violent heritage that made it possible. In a world where the very presence of nuclear weapons puts the human race in jeopardy, if there ever was a time for the message of non-violence to reclaim its rightful place in American history, that time is now—and you’re the ones that can make it happen!
The irony is now that you have a man commanding the most powerful military in the world, the temptation is all too great to forget that, unlike the American revolution where victory came at the barrel of the gun, your victory came not by the power of might, but by the power of right. Your victory is a victory that came not from violence, but from non-violence.
Last year I was struck by the irony of hearing a speech by John McCain praising Dr. King for his life and legacy when, as I recall, it was Dr. King who said, “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government.” Dr. King was the most vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy in his day and yet how often is he praised for his courage to face down his own government?
This year I’m struck by another irony. In a blog post entitled “The forgotten heart of King’s dream,” author Greg Boyd points out that every year he and his wife attend the annual Dr. Martin Luther King breakfast. This year the keynote speaker was four- star general Colin Powell. In Powell’s speech, he attributed the greatness of America to the greatness of our soldiers throughout history, and even equated soldiers today with Kings call to service. Colin Powell is perhaps one of the most honorable men to ever grace the U.S. military, and of course there are many honorable men and women serving in our armed forces today, but isn’t it ironic that a message praising U.S. military might would be given at a service commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King?
All of the evidence from his books, speeches, essays, and sermons suggests that Dr. Martin Luther King believed that violence never achieves lasting solutions. Dr. King taught that non-violent redemptive love is the most powerful force for good in the world—especially when directed towards one’s enemies. We all seem to know intuitively that Dr. King changed the world for the better, but few today seem to pay much attention to how he changed the world. Since September 11th, King’s values of loving the enemy and turning the other cheek are now viewed as hopelessly naïve by mainstream American culture—including by many in the black church.
As a lifelong member of the Pentecostal/charismatic tradition, I consider the historic shift of much of black Pentecostalism from pro-peace to pro-war to be nothing short of tragic. I have a hunch that the influence of Christian Zionism has a lot to do with this, but regardless of the reason, it’s high time for black Pentecostals—and the black church everywhere—to reclaim it’s non-violent heritage.
American Christianity as we know it today is in desperate need of a reformation. For the first three hundred years of Christian history, followers of Jesus were thrown to the lions because they renounced the sword and embraced the cross. The vast majority of American Christians today have forgotten this. Who better to remind us than you? The media may mock you. The world may laugh at you. But one thing you can know for sure. If you can once again bring non-violence to the forefront of the American psyche, there’s a white boy from Jefferson County Missouri cheering for you every step of the way.
Aaron D. Taylor is the author of “Alone with a Jihadist”, scheduled to be released in mid 2009. Aaron can be contacted at fromdeathtolife@gmail.com
Sunday, January 11, 2009
An atheist praises Christian missionaries in Africa
I remember when Rhiannon and I were living in Senegal we always got a laugh at the foreign exchange students that would come to Senegal to learn the culture. Nearly all of them followed the liberal academic consensus that Christian missionaries are guilty of cultural imperialism. One day we met a Nigerian Christian girl that was taking a class with these students and she openly challenged them by saying that she was an African Christian and that she was glad that the missionaries came and evangelized her people. The irony in all of this was that here these students were criticizing Christian missionaries for our supposed "patronistic" attitude towards other cultures and worldviews and yet they refused to listen to the cultural perspective of an African Christian. Here was an African Christian speaking highly of Christian missionaries and somehow, these students still didn't get it!
Here is an author that actually gets it. You can read the article here.
What makes this even more astounding is the author is an avowed atheist!
I guess this shows that intellectual honesty can truly come from bizarre places sometimes.
Wouldn't it be nice if everyone were this honest?
Here is an author that actually gets it. You can read the article here.
What makes this even more astounding is the author is an avowed atheist!
I guess this shows that intellectual honesty can truly come from bizarre places sometimes.
Wouldn't it be nice if everyone were this honest?
Friday, January 09, 2009
Question: Do I need to get re-baptized if I rededicate my life to Christ??
Question:
Hi Mr. Taylor, Greetings in the name of Jesus .
I would like to ask you a question on baptism, but first I will explain a brief history of conversion.
In 1996 I believe, I went to church and listened to a reverend preach during a crusade and if I remember correctly he asked the congregation a question about being saved, I stood cause I knew I wasn't at the time. After, we prayed the prayer of repentance and repeated Romans 10:9: 'that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved.
Days later I was baptized, spent time in the church for a number of years but , have backslided and now I have repented and I believe I have fully surrendered my heart to God and want to serve him. The Bible says one Lord , one faith , one baptism and in rev, it says repent and do thy first works.
I think that I may not need to be baptized again, but, if I did not mean it or had fully surrendered to God before immersion the first time, should I be baptized again? I always believe that Jesus was the son of God but was God in the flesh is this also correct?
I thank you
so much for your time and answering,
May God Bless All
John
Answer:
In principle, normally I wouldn't recommend getting baptizing again, but after reading the very last line of your question, I suggest that you get baptized again. Here is why. I don't believe that a person can truly be saved without acknowledging that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. Believing that Jesus is the Son of God is not enough because unless Jesus is fully God and fully man, then His blood doesn't qualify to be the atonement for the sins of the world. Please refer to one of my previous posts Why the deity of Christ matters. My suggestion is that you solidify in your heart that Jesus is God in the flesh. And once you've done this, you can be baptized into the fuller revelation of who Jesus is.
May God bless you as you commit your life to Christ fresh anew!
Hi Mr. Taylor, Greetings in the name of Jesus .
I would like to ask you a question on baptism, but first I will explain a brief history of conversion.
In 1996 I believe, I went to church and listened to a reverend preach during a crusade and if I remember correctly he asked the congregation a question about being saved, I stood cause I knew I wasn't at the time. After, we prayed the prayer of repentance and repeated Romans 10:9: 'that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved.
Days later I was baptized, spent time in the church for a number of years but , have backslided and now I have repented and I believe I have fully surrendered my heart to God and want to serve him. The Bible says one Lord , one faith , one baptism and in rev, it says repent and do thy first works.
I think that I may not need to be baptized again, but, if I did not mean it or had fully surrendered to God before immersion the first time, should I be baptized again? I always believe that Jesus was the son of God but was God in the flesh is this also correct?
I thank you
so much for your time and answering,
May God Bless All
John
Answer:
In principle, normally I wouldn't recommend getting baptizing again, but after reading the very last line of your question, I suggest that you get baptized again. Here is why. I don't believe that a person can truly be saved without acknowledging that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. Believing that Jesus is the Son of God is not enough because unless Jesus is fully God and fully man, then His blood doesn't qualify to be the atonement for the sins of the world. Please refer to one of my previous posts Why the deity of Christ matters. My suggestion is that you solidify in your heart that Jesus is God in the flesh. And once you've done this, you can be baptized into the fuller revelation of who Jesus is.
May God bless you as you commit your life to Christ fresh anew!
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Who would Jesus bomb? A serious Christian response to the crisis in Gaza
A wise man once said, “The first one to plead his cause seems right until his neighbor comes and examines him.” That wise man was Solomon and the saying comes from the book of Proverbs, a book respected as the Word of God by both Christians and Jews alike. As an evangelical Christian born and raised in the charismatic movement, I grew up hearing only one side of the Israeli/Palestinian story, primarily the Israeli side. I always assumed that God gave the land to Jews and if the Palestinians don’t like it, well, they can sit on a tack, because everyone knows that Palestinians are the devil.
Sunday school songs aside, what’s happening in the Gaza strip is serious. That’s why we need a grown-up Christian response. Sadly, that’s exactly what’s lacking in this crucial hour.
So here goes.
I believe that Israel has the right to exist in safe and secure borders. I also believe that Israel has the right to defend itself. I understand the sentiment of President-elect Obama when he says that if rockets were being fired at his home while his two daughters were asleep, he would do everything he could to prevent it. I believe Hamas is a terrorist organization that espouses an ideology diabolically opposed to freedom and progress. I despise the fact that they persecute my brothers and sisters in Christ living under their thumb and, of course, firing rockets indiscriminately at civilians is never justified. Period.
So is Israel justified in their heavy- handed approach towards the citizens of Gaza? Judging by the fire breathing on both sides of the debate, I don’t see a consensus on this one coming any time soon. As for my fellow Christians, we can debate the subject until Jesus comes back and the debate will have largely missed the point. Sure Israel may—or may not—be justified in their aerial bombing campaign and subsequent invasion of the Gaza strip, but that question alone shouldn’t determine the proper Christian response. Why? Because Christians are called to live by a higher standard than what’s merely justifiable.
Jesus would have been completely justified in slaying the bloodthirsty Romans of His day. The crimes that the Romans committed against the Jews were every bit as bad, if not worse, than the crimes Palestinians commit against the Jews today. But when Jesus hung on the cross, He showed the world that there’s a higher law in God’s moral universe than brute justice. And that law is mercy. When it comes between following the suffering redemptive love of the cross and the enemy crushing way of the sword, Christians are supposed to choose the cross—at least that’s what Christians used to believe.
No I don’t think that followers of Jesus would be prudent to impose New Testament standards on non-Christians, but what I find particularly odd is that when Palestinian Muslims embrace Christianity (like the case of Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas leader who recently made his testimony public) we expect them to embrace a new attitude towards their former enemy Israel. We expect them to love, bless, do good to, and pray for their enemies—like Jesus says to do. But when an Israeli Jew embraces Jesus as Messiah, most of my Christian friends don’t expect them to be less militant towards their Palestinian neighbors but more militant. We expect them to fight for their land and liberty even if that means that on the other side homes are demolished, land is confiscated, Palestinians participating in non-violent demonstrations are either tortured, imprisoned, or assassinated (this happens all the time in the West Bank by the way) and, as in the case of Gaza, women and children are denied food and medicine for years on end.
My Christian friends would say that problems in the Middle East would be solved overnight if every Jew and Palestinian would simply confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Without meaning any disrespect to people of other faiths, as a Bible believing Christian, I’m compelled to agree. But here is where the argument falls apart when the wrong people use it. Some of the same people who use this argument are also the ones bombarding the White House with e-mails urging our Secretary of State to let Israel fight. They never seem to ask themselves the question of who would Jesus bomb? What a shame that is! Because how can we as Christians say that the world would be a better place if everyone became one of us when we’re the ones cheering when the bombs go flying?
Sunday school songs aside, what’s happening in the Gaza strip is serious. That’s why we need a grown-up Christian response. Sadly, that’s exactly what’s lacking in this crucial hour.
So here goes.
I believe that Israel has the right to exist in safe and secure borders. I also believe that Israel has the right to defend itself. I understand the sentiment of President-elect Obama when he says that if rockets were being fired at his home while his two daughters were asleep, he would do everything he could to prevent it. I believe Hamas is a terrorist organization that espouses an ideology diabolically opposed to freedom and progress. I despise the fact that they persecute my brothers and sisters in Christ living under their thumb and, of course, firing rockets indiscriminately at civilians is never justified. Period.
So is Israel justified in their heavy- handed approach towards the citizens of Gaza? Judging by the fire breathing on both sides of the debate, I don’t see a consensus on this one coming any time soon. As for my fellow Christians, we can debate the subject until Jesus comes back and the debate will have largely missed the point. Sure Israel may—or may not—be justified in their aerial bombing campaign and subsequent invasion of the Gaza strip, but that question alone shouldn’t determine the proper Christian response. Why? Because Christians are called to live by a higher standard than what’s merely justifiable.
Jesus would have been completely justified in slaying the bloodthirsty Romans of His day. The crimes that the Romans committed against the Jews were every bit as bad, if not worse, than the crimes Palestinians commit against the Jews today. But when Jesus hung on the cross, He showed the world that there’s a higher law in God’s moral universe than brute justice. And that law is mercy. When it comes between following the suffering redemptive love of the cross and the enemy crushing way of the sword, Christians are supposed to choose the cross—at least that’s what Christians used to believe.
No I don’t think that followers of Jesus would be prudent to impose New Testament standards on non-Christians, but what I find particularly odd is that when Palestinian Muslims embrace Christianity (like the case of Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas leader who recently made his testimony public) we expect them to embrace a new attitude towards their former enemy Israel. We expect them to love, bless, do good to, and pray for their enemies—like Jesus says to do. But when an Israeli Jew embraces Jesus as Messiah, most of my Christian friends don’t expect them to be less militant towards their Palestinian neighbors but more militant. We expect them to fight for their land and liberty even if that means that on the other side homes are demolished, land is confiscated, Palestinians participating in non-violent demonstrations are either tortured, imprisoned, or assassinated (this happens all the time in the West Bank by the way) and, as in the case of Gaza, women and children are denied food and medicine for years on end.
My Christian friends would say that problems in the Middle East would be solved overnight if every Jew and Palestinian would simply confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Without meaning any disrespect to people of other faiths, as a Bible believing Christian, I’m compelled to agree. But here is where the argument falls apart when the wrong people use it. Some of the same people who use this argument are also the ones bombarding the White House with e-mails urging our Secretary of State to let Israel fight. They never seem to ask themselves the question of who would Jesus bomb? What a shame that is! Because how can we as Christians say that the world would be a better place if everyone became one of us when we’re the ones cheering when the bombs go flying?
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Can Viagra bring down Bin Laden?
I came across a serious, yet hilarious column the other day written by conservative commentator Cal Thomas. In the column, Thomas shares a story about how CIA operatives in Afghanistan have actually used Viagra to win the hearts and minds of Afghan tribal warlords--and they are giving away useful information regarding the whereabouts of Taliban militants as a result!
You can read the article here.
Oh how I wish this column had been written while I was writing my book "Alone with a Jihadist"! What a great example of nonviolence in action. If only the vast majority of Christians in America could free their minds to think more Biblically, we might just conclude that violence isn't the only way to solve problems.
All hail the King of Peace!
You can read the article here.
Oh how I wish this column had been written while I was writing my book "Alone with a Jihadist"! What a great example of nonviolence in action. If only the vast majority of Christians in America could free their minds to think more Biblically, we might just conclude that violence isn't the only way to solve problems.
All hail the King of Peace!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Why the deity of Christ matters
There are many things that I love about Christmas. I love the cookies, the Christmas trees, and waking up early to open presents. I love the extra time with the extended family, seeing people that I don’t normally see throughout the year. I love all those things, but what I love the most about Christmas is it’s the one time of the year where even non-religious people find within them the desire to sing about the God who came to earth in the form of a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. Often during this time of the year I wonder how so many millions of people can sing songs like “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “Joy to the World” without considering the meaning of the words they are singing. Today on this Christmas day I’m going to ask you to do just that.
About six weeks ago, I was flying over the Pacific Ocean when a very nice guy about the same age as me decided to engage me in conversation. In the beginning it felt like I was talking to a fellow missionary and we were encouraging each other in our respective faiths, but not too long into the conversation I realized I was talking with a Jehovah’s Witness.
Let me say first that I have a lot of respect for Jehovah’s Witnesses. When I was in Senegal my wife and I, along with our faithful disciple Jean Pierre, used to go every week to the university to distribute Christian literature. One of the questions people often asked us is “Are you Jehovah’s Witnesses?” That my wife and I would be mistaken for Jehovah’s Witnesses speaks powerfully to the dedication that many people in this movement have for their cause. I also admire the fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses stand for their convictions. Even though it’s culturally taboo to knock on doors, they still do it. Even though American culture praises people that vote, celebrate the holidays, and serve in the military, Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse. Regardless of whether one agrees with these positions or not, that takes grit. They genuinely don’t care what others think about them—and I deeply admire that.
Even on the linchpin subject of “Who is Jesus?” Jehovah’s Witnesses are light years ahead of the vast majority of people in our culture that take their theological cues from books like “ The Da Vinci Code” and “Embraced by the Light.” Jehovah’s Witnesses will tell you that all things were created by Jesus, through Jesus, and for Jesus. They’ll tell you that Jesus holds everything together. They’ll even tell you that Jesus is the exact representation of who God is. All of these statements are Biblical truths. But even though they have a very high view of Jesus, in Kingdom Hall thinking, Jesus is still a created being, not God Almighty. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but they stop short of saying that He is God.
So why split hairs over a technicality?
Shortly after I got home from my trip, I called my good friend Dianne Kannady with Riches in Christ Ministries (http://www.richesinchrist.com). Dianne is one of the best Bible teachers that I know, so I decided to pick her brain for a few minutes about a question that had been nagging at my mind since the start of my dialogue with Nick (We’ve been corresponding with each other ever since). If you read the Book of Acts, one thing that you will notice is that more often than not, when Peter or Paul preached the gospel, they emphasized the humanity of Jesus when discussing His resurrection and His ability to forgive sins and grant eternal life (See Acts 2:22, 13:38). The question that had been gnawing at my mind is this: Since the Book of Acts records sermons that Peter and Paul preached where the deity of Christ isn’t explicitly mentioned, and we know that some of the people that heard their messages believed and were saved, how important is it then for someone to believe in the deity of Christ to be saved?
Dianne wasted no time in getting to the point. Here is a summary of what Dianne said to me. On this Christmas day, I think we all need to be reminded of these truths.
1. The Bible teaches that one of the primary points of deception, especially in the last days will be on the subject of the identity of Jesus. Many people will preach a different Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4, I John 4:1-3)
2. There are two traps that people tend to fall into when it comes to the identity of Jesus. One error is to undermine His deity. The other error is to undermine His humanity.
3. The sermons recorded in the Book of Acts are merely a synopsis of what was said, not necessarily the sermons in their entirety.
4. Peter and Paul didn’t necessarily have to emphasize His deity in their sermons. That Jesus claimed to be God was already a given. That was why He was put to death. In Jewish law, there were only a few crimes punishable by death, and one was blasphemy.
5. When Jesus claimed to be the “Son of God” the Jewish people of His day understood Him to be saying, “I am God.” In the language of their times, they didn’t distinguish between “God” and “Son of God.” (John 5:18, 10:33-36)
6. If Jesus isn’t God, then His blood doesn’t qualify to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world.
As true as the first five points are, it was Dianne’s last point that grabbed me in the gut. How easy it is to forget that essential truths of the gospel are all connected! You can have a beautiful glass of water, but if there is just one drop of arsenic, then the whole glass is poisoned. So it is with essential doctrine. If the deity of Christ is in any way undermined, then the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is undermined as well—and down goes the house of cards. If Jesus isn’t God, then He doesn’t qualify to be our Savior either. God says in His Word, “I, even I, am the Lord, And besides me there is no Savior” (Isaiah 43:11). This explains why the Apostle Paul used the terms “Jesus”, “God”, and “Savior” interchangeably (especially in the Book of Titus). You can’t have one without the other.
The central truth of the entire Bible is this: Only God can save. As tempting as it might be to attribute our salvation to anything other than God Almighty bearing the sins of the world in His own body on a tree, we must resist! As my friend Dr. Eddie Hyatt pointed out in a recent editorial, Jesus didn’t say that He would build His Church on the foundation of His moral teachings (as important as His moral teachings are). He told Peter that He would build His Church on the revelation of Who He is (Matthew 16:18). Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).
Although words like “doctrine” and “orthodoxy” are out of vogue with our postmodern culture, I would like to encourage you to take some time today and reflect on the claims that Jesus made about His identity. The doctrine of the deity of Christ matters whether we like it or not. It matters for the world and, according to Jesus, eternal destinies are determined by whether people believe His claims or not.
Lastly, to my fellow believers out there, I would like to encourage you to “Earnestly contend for the faith which was once and for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) Don’t let culture shake you from your faith in who Jesus is and what He came to do for you—no matter who is doing the talking! And to everyone reading this, believer and non-believer alike, I’d like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
With lots of love,
Aaron
About six weeks ago, I was flying over the Pacific Ocean when a very nice guy about the same age as me decided to engage me in conversation. In the beginning it felt like I was talking to a fellow missionary and we were encouraging each other in our respective faiths, but not too long into the conversation I realized I was talking with a Jehovah’s Witness.
Let me say first that I have a lot of respect for Jehovah’s Witnesses. When I was in Senegal my wife and I, along with our faithful disciple Jean Pierre, used to go every week to the university to distribute Christian literature. One of the questions people often asked us is “Are you Jehovah’s Witnesses?” That my wife and I would be mistaken for Jehovah’s Witnesses speaks powerfully to the dedication that many people in this movement have for their cause. I also admire the fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses stand for their convictions. Even though it’s culturally taboo to knock on doors, they still do it. Even though American culture praises people that vote, celebrate the holidays, and serve in the military, Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse. Regardless of whether one agrees with these positions or not, that takes grit. They genuinely don’t care what others think about them—and I deeply admire that.
Even on the linchpin subject of “Who is Jesus?” Jehovah’s Witnesses are light years ahead of the vast majority of people in our culture that take their theological cues from books like “ The Da Vinci Code” and “Embraced by the Light.” Jehovah’s Witnesses will tell you that all things were created by Jesus, through Jesus, and for Jesus. They’ll tell you that Jesus holds everything together. They’ll even tell you that Jesus is the exact representation of who God is. All of these statements are Biblical truths. But even though they have a very high view of Jesus, in Kingdom Hall thinking, Jesus is still a created being, not God Almighty. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but they stop short of saying that He is God.
So why split hairs over a technicality?
Shortly after I got home from my trip, I called my good friend Dianne Kannady with Riches in Christ Ministries (http://www.richesinchrist.com). Dianne is one of the best Bible teachers that I know, so I decided to pick her brain for a few minutes about a question that had been nagging at my mind since the start of my dialogue with Nick (We’ve been corresponding with each other ever since). If you read the Book of Acts, one thing that you will notice is that more often than not, when Peter or Paul preached the gospel, they emphasized the humanity of Jesus when discussing His resurrection and His ability to forgive sins and grant eternal life (See Acts 2:22, 13:38). The question that had been gnawing at my mind is this: Since the Book of Acts records sermons that Peter and Paul preached where the deity of Christ isn’t explicitly mentioned, and we know that some of the people that heard their messages believed and were saved, how important is it then for someone to believe in the deity of Christ to be saved?
Dianne wasted no time in getting to the point. Here is a summary of what Dianne said to me. On this Christmas day, I think we all need to be reminded of these truths.
1. The Bible teaches that one of the primary points of deception, especially in the last days will be on the subject of the identity of Jesus. Many people will preach a different Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4, I John 4:1-3)
2. There are two traps that people tend to fall into when it comes to the identity of Jesus. One error is to undermine His deity. The other error is to undermine His humanity.
3. The sermons recorded in the Book of Acts are merely a synopsis of what was said, not necessarily the sermons in their entirety.
4. Peter and Paul didn’t necessarily have to emphasize His deity in their sermons. That Jesus claimed to be God was already a given. That was why He was put to death. In Jewish law, there were only a few crimes punishable by death, and one was blasphemy.
5. When Jesus claimed to be the “Son of God” the Jewish people of His day understood Him to be saying, “I am God.” In the language of their times, they didn’t distinguish between “God” and “Son of God.” (John 5:18, 10:33-36)
6. If Jesus isn’t God, then His blood doesn’t qualify to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world.
As true as the first five points are, it was Dianne’s last point that grabbed me in the gut. How easy it is to forget that essential truths of the gospel are all connected! You can have a beautiful glass of water, but if there is just one drop of arsenic, then the whole glass is poisoned. So it is with essential doctrine. If the deity of Christ is in any way undermined, then the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is undermined as well—and down goes the house of cards. If Jesus isn’t God, then He doesn’t qualify to be our Savior either. God says in His Word, “I, even I, am the Lord, And besides me there is no Savior” (Isaiah 43:11). This explains why the Apostle Paul used the terms “Jesus”, “God”, and “Savior” interchangeably (especially in the Book of Titus). You can’t have one without the other.
The central truth of the entire Bible is this: Only God can save. As tempting as it might be to attribute our salvation to anything other than God Almighty bearing the sins of the world in His own body on a tree, we must resist! As my friend Dr. Eddie Hyatt pointed out in a recent editorial, Jesus didn’t say that He would build His Church on the foundation of His moral teachings (as important as His moral teachings are). He told Peter that He would build His Church on the revelation of Who He is (Matthew 16:18). Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).
Although words like “doctrine” and “orthodoxy” are out of vogue with our postmodern culture, I would like to encourage you to take some time today and reflect on the claims that Jesus made about His identity. The doctrine of the deity of Christ matters whether we like it or not. It matters for the world and, according to Jesus, eternal destinies are determined by whether people believe His claims or not.
Lastly, to my fellow believers out there, I would like to encourage you to “Earnestly contend for the faith which was once and for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) Don’t let culture shake you from your faith in who Jesus is and what He came to do for you—no matter who is doing the talking! And to everyone reading this, believer and non-believer alike, I’d like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
With lots of love,
Aaron
Friday, December 19, 2008
What's wrong with this quote?
I just got back from Dakar Senegal this morning. Had an awesome time for the past three weeks breaking new ground for the Kingdom of God in West Africa.
And then I come home to this in my e-mail box.
First read this article here.
Now let's zero in on the quote
Remember that this is coming from a Muslim leader in a country that throws people in prison (and sometimes worse) for converting to another faith.
Anybody else but me see a problem with this logic?
Can somebody say Duh?
And then I come home to this in my e-mail box.
First read this article here.
Now let's zero in on the quote
"When people respond positively (to missionaries), it is when they don't have their full freedom," said Yssef. "Once they recover their normal health and situation, they recover their ability to decide."
Remember that this is coming from a Muslim leader in a country that throws people in prison (and sometimes worse) for converting to another faith.
Anybody else but me see a problem with this logic?
Can somebody say Duh?
Monday, December 08, 2008
Oh the joys of traveling!
I'm writing this post in a hotel located in the very southwestern corner of Senegal, a country located at the westernmost tip of Africa. My wife and I lived here for about a year and a half in 2003 and 2004. During that time we led a young man to the Lord named Jean Pierre Coly. Since my wife and I left in 2004, Jean Pierre has went on to do great things for God in this country. Much of his ministry is focused on equipping pastors and evangelists in the southern part of the country with tools for evangelism, which is right in line with a direction our ministry has taken since we've moved back to the States. Today my wife and I co-taught about 60 people today ranging from pastors, elders, missionaries, to new converts. Our teaching on how to share God's Word to illiterates using simple Bible stories was very very well received. In that we rejoice!
But the journey getting here hasn't been as pleasant.
For starters, my father in law came with a team of six other people to meet in Dakar (the capital of Senegal) so they could travel to a country in the north together ( name omitted for security reasons). While Eliot and the team of Americans traveled to the North, Rhiannon and I stayed back in Dakar. During this time Rhiannon got very sick and I had to take her to a nearby clinic to calm her stomach. The team was in the North African country for four days and they were supposed to arrive back at the Dakar airport at 9:00 P.M. Well, the plane didn't arrive till 2:00 a.m. and for some bizarre reason, the workers at the airport didn't put their bags on the conveyor belt till 3:30 A.M. None of the team spoke French and neither was I allowed to go inside to help them. (I'd like to give my sincere thanks to my good friend Ralph Bowen who waited with me that night.)
Two days later Rhiannon, Eliot, and I flew to the town of Zinghinshour but when we arrived we discovered that our bags were left back in Dakar. We were told that we wouldn't be able to pick them up till the next morning at 10:00 A.M. Although it was inconvenient spending a day without basic necessities, we were glad that our bags actually did arrive the next day.
But wait, the drama doesn't stop there. We put our bags in a taxi and when the taxi got back to the hotel, the taximan wasn't able to open the trunk. The man had to go to a locksmith to open the trunk of his car so he could retrieve our bags. To top things off, I got locked in the bathroom in our hotel room last night. It was bizarre. I don't think that's ever happened to me before.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because today at the conference I issued a challenge for the pastors and evangelists that were present to use the training that they received at our seminar to share the gospel in at least one new village over the next year. Eight people raised their hands and made the commitment, and judging by what I know about the character of the people that raised their hands, I believe they are actually going to do it. What if as the result of our coming here this month, eight new fellowships are planted next year? Would it all be worth it? I think so.
Think about it. What's a few hours of inconvenience compared to the possibility of just one soul spending an eternity in heaven? The Apostle Paul said "For our light affliction is working in us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Paul was beaten, stoned, and shipwrecked for the sake of the gospel. What's a few hours of lost sleep compared to that? Or a few minutes locked in a bathroom?
I don't know about you, but sometimes I think that if Paul's affliction was light, I'd hate to see a heavy affliction! Now that I think about it, what does that tell us about the affliction that Jesus suffered for us on the cross? The affliction that Jesus suffered for us on the cross makes Paul's affliction look like cotton candy. Yet Jesus willingly suffered for us so that we could have eternal life.
May we all learn to imitate Jesus in the way of self sacrifice, even if the sacrifice is little; it's the heart that counts.
Until next time,
Aaron
P.S. Quick update. I'm back home now. Rhiannon got sick a second time in Guinea Bissau. And then just before we flew back to the U.S. from Dakar we were in a vehicle that ran over a curb and the impact was so hard that my father in law accidentally belted Rhiannon on her side and knocked one of her ribs out of place. We were really under attack this trip!
But the journey getting here hasn't been as pleasant.
For starters, my father in law came with a team of six other people to meet in Dakar (the capital of Senegal) so they could travel to a country in the north together ( name omitted for security reasons). While Eliot and the team of Americans traveled to the North, Rhiannon and I stayed back in Dakar. During this time Rhiannon got very sick and I had to take her to a nearby clinic to calm her stomach. The team was in the North African country for four days and they were supposed to arrive back at the Dakar airport at 9:00 P.M. Well, the plane didn't arrive till 2:00 a.m. and for some bizarre reason, the workers at the airport didn't put their bags on the conveyor belt till 3:30 A.M. None of the team spoke French and neither was I allowed to go inside to help them. (I'd like to give my sincere thanks to my good friend Ralph Bowen who waited with me that night.)
Two days later Rhiannon, Eliot, and I flew to the town of Zinghinshour but when we arrived we discovered that our bags were left back in Dakar. We were told that we wouldn't be able to pick them up till the next morning at 10:00 A.M. Although it was inconvenient spending a day without basic necessities, we were glad that our bags actually did arrive the next day.
But wait, the drama doesn't stop there. We put our bags in a taxi and when the taxi got back to the hotel, the taximan wasn't able to open the trunk. The man had to go to a locksmith to open the trunk of his car so he could retrieve our bags. To top things off, I got locked in the bathroom in our hotel room last night. It was bizarre. I don't think that's ever happened to me before.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because today at the conference I issued a challenge for the pastors and evangelists that were present to use the training that they received at our seminar to share the gospel in at least one new village over the next year. Eight people raised their hands and made the commitment, and judging by what I know about the character of the people that raised their hands, I believe they are actually going to do it. What if as the result of our coming here this month, eight new fellowships are planted next year? Would it all be worth it? I think so.
Think about it. What's a few hours of inconvenience compared to the possibility of just one soul spending an eternity in heaven? The Apostle Paul said "For our light affliction is working in us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Paul was beaten, stoned, and shipwrecked for the sake of the gospel. What's a few hours of lost sleep compared to that? Or a few minutes locked in a bathroom?
I don't know about you, but sometimes I think that if Paul's affliction was light, I'd hate to see a heavy affliction! Now that I think about it, what does that tell us about the affliction that Jesus suffered for us on the cross? The affliction that Jesus suffered for us on the cross makes Paul's affliction look like cotton candy. Yet Jesus willingly suffered for us so that we could have eternal life.
May we all learn to imitate Jesus in the way of self sacrifice, even if the sacrifice is little; it's the heart that counts.
Until next time,
Aaron
P.S. Quick update. I'm back home now. Rhiannon got sick a second time in Guinea Bissau. And then just before we flew back to the U.S. from Dakar we were in a vehicle that ran over a curb and the impact was so hard that my father in law accidentally belted Rhiannon on her side and knocked one of her ribs out of place. We were really under attack this trip!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The world must act now to stop genocide in Burma!
Soldiers entering villages and killing people on sight. Landmines blowing pregnant women to smithereens. There’s no way this is really going on. The world would never tolerate this. How come I haven’t heard about this before? These were the words flashing through my mind as I watched the fourth installment of the Rambo franchise 10 weeks ago. The film portrays the brutal ethnic cleansing campaign in Eastern Burma targeting the Karen people, a situation that is every bit as bad as what’s happening in Darfur (Some argue that it’s worse) though frightfully few people know that it’s happening. Little did I know that in just eight short weeks, I’d actually be standing on the same soil as the Karen people, talking with victims of the junta’s atrocities and listening to their stories.
My wife and I are freelance Christian missionaries. In a nutshell, we travel the world and look for ways to share our faith and/or help people in practical ways. About a week after I saw the Rambo movie, I met a missionary at a conference in Texas that lives in Thailand and works among the Karen people living in refugee camps along the Thai/Burma border. At the conference an invitation was given for volunteers to go to Thailand and teach an oral communications workshop at a Karen Bible School. At the time my wife and I were already scheduled to spend three weeks in Brazil in November, so we didn’t think we would be able to make it. Within three weeks the door we had to travel to Brazil was slammed shut—providentially I think—and we were able to credit our tickets to travel to Thailand instead.
While in Thailand we spent six days at a Bible School with Karen pastors in training. Many of the young men and women had been driven out of their homes when they were little children. Some told us stories about their home villages being burned to the ground. Others were too young to remember life outside of the refugee camp, but longed to return to their homeland nonetheless. The constant theme we heard over and over was that the junta troops are continuing to systematically drive Karen people out of their villages and are placing landmines in the villages to keep the people from coming back. Many of the people fear that if the world doesn’t act soon, there will be a final campaign in 2010 that will wipe their people off the map forever. That’s the year the Burmese government has given the Karen National Liberation Army an ultimatum to lay down their arms—or else.
Speculation aside, here are the facts:
• In Eastern Burma, the military regime has destroyed, burned, or relocated over 3,000 villages;
• At least one million refugees have fled the country;
• An additional million people remain inside the country as internal refugees. They face abuse in the forms of rape, torture, extortion, and murder. Many are also forced into forced labor for government projects and army
campaigns – a modern form of slavery;
• The military junta in Burma has recruited more child soldiers than any other country in the world – up to 70,000;
• Sexual violence is used as a weapon of war in Eastern Burma, terrorizing thousands of women and their families;
• The United Nations Security Council has remained shamefully silent in the case of Burma, even though it has passed many resolutions on other countries in similar situations;
• The longer the UN Security Council remains silent, the more people will die.
Amazingly, we were able to go into Burma and visit a camp for internally displaced people. Though the camp is comprised of 820 people, the week before we arrived 87 new Karen entered the camp after the junta attacked their village and planted landmines to prevent the people from returning to their homes. This tells me that the killing is not only ongoing, it’s worsening. History shows that when brutal regimes are denied the money and the weapons to carry out their atrocities, the people are able to rise up and take back their country. The U.N. must play a crucial role to make this happen.
You and I can make that happen. Go to http://www.uscampaignforburma.org and sign the petition to tell Ban Ki Moon to pass a resolution to stop the genocide in Burma. The clock is ticking. God have mercy on us all if we stand by and do nothing.
My wife and I are freelance Christian missionaries. In a nutshell, we travel the world and look for ways to share our faith and/or help people in practical ways. About a week after I saw the Rambo movie, I met a missionary at a conference in Texas that lives in Thailand and works among the Karen people living in refugee camps along the Thai/Burma border. At the conference an invitation was given for volunteers to go to Thailand and teach an oral communications workshop at a Karen Bible School. At the time my wife and I were already scheduled to spend three weeks in Brazil in November, so we didn’t think we would be able to make it. Within three weeks the door we had to travel to Brazil was slammed shut—providentially I think—and we were able to credit our tickets to travel to Thailand instead.
While in Thailand we spent six days at a Bible School with Karen pastors in training. Many of the young men and women had been driven out of their homes when they were little children. Some told us stories about their home villages being burned to the ground. Others were too young to remember life outside of the refugee camp, but longed to return to their homeland nonetheless. The constant theme we heard over and over was that the junta troops are continuing to systematically drive Karen people out of their villages and are placing landmines in the villages to keep the people from coming back. Many of the people fear that if the world doesn’t act soon, there will be a final campaign in 2010 that will wipe their people off the map forever. That’s the year the Burmese government has given the Karen National Liberation Army an ultimatum to lay down their arms—or else.
Speculation aside, here are the facts:
• In Eastern Burma, the military regime has destroyed, burned, or relocated over 3,000 villages;
• At least one million refugees have fled the country;
• An additional million people remain inside the country as internal refugees. They face abuse in the forms of rape, torture, extortion, and murder. Many are also forced into forced labor for government projects and army
campaigns – a modern form of slavery;
• The military junta in Burma has recruited more child soldiers than any other country in the world – up to 70,000;
• Sexual violence is used as a weapon of war in Eastern Burma, terrorizing thousands of women and their families;
• The United Nations Security Council has remained shamefully silent in the case of Burma, even though it has passed many resolutions on other countries in similar situations;
• The longer the UN Security Council remains silent, the more people will die.
Amazingly, we were able to go into Burma and visit a camp for internally displaced people. Though the camp is comprised of 820 people, the week before we arrived 87 new Karen entered the camp after the junta attacked their village and planted landmines to prevent the people from returning to their homes. This tells me that the killing is not only ongoing, it’s worsening. History shows that when brutal regimes are denied the money and the weapons to carry out their atrocities, the people are able to rise up and take back their country. The U.N. must play a crucial role to make this happen.
You and I can make that happen. Go to http://www.uscampaignforburma.org and sign the petition to tell Ban Ki Moon to pass a resolution to stop the genocide in Burma. The clock is ticking. God have mercy on us all if we stand by and do nothing.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Live from Thailand it's Tuesday Night!!
As I write this letter, I’m sitting at a Bible school in Western Thailand, just a few miles from the border of Burma. Rhiannon and I have just finished assisting a five-day workshop designed to teach tribal Christian leaders how to communicate the gospel to illiterate people using the stories of the Bible. A handful of students are watching the film “God’s Story” and sitting next to me is the director of the Bible School explaining the plight of the Karen people.
For those of you who haven’t seen the latest Rambo movie, let me first say that I absolutely do not recommend watching this film, especially if you have a hard time looking at blood, because it’s probably the most violent movie you’ll ever see. The film portrays in graphic detail the suffering of the Karen people and how the Junta troops in Burma are systematically attacking villages, killing people indiscriminately, and then planting land-mines so the people can’t return to their homes. Those who escape alive usually spend years hiding from the troops scraping out a meager existence from the land. The fortunate ones end up in IDP camps (camps for Internally Displaced People) near the Thai border and the even more fortunate ones escape to Thailand and end up in one of three camps for Karen refugees—which is where we are at right now.
Some of the students that we’ve taught this week have seen their parents killed. Others are separated from family members still living inside Burma. All of them are living in dire poverty, spending their lives in a refugee camp with little contact with the outside world (including Thailand), having little opportunity to determine their future.
And yet they continue to sing! The thing that touches me the most about the Karen Christians is they are probably some of the most beautiful singers in the world. The other day we visited a home for injured veterans of the Karen National Liberation Army. The room was filled with men whose arms and legs had been blown off, and yet their existence (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) is devoted to singing and praising God. Though they live off of handouts from the outside world, these men are in no way spiritually poor. I think that we in the West have a lot to learn from these Karen brothers in the Lord.
Yesterday we actually crossed the river into Burma and visited an IDP camp that’s hidden from the rest of the world. The people live on donated rice and yellow beans (and the occasional fish or vegetable). Every family gets one cup of yellow beans a month, which is about a half a teaspoon a day for a family of four. Imagine that! Thanks to your giving, Rhiannon and I were able to contribute significantly towards purchasing 17 large bags of rice and one large bag of yellow beans, plus a bag of chili peppers. (A side note, for $60 a month, we could double the amount of beans the camp receives) The team asked me to give a gospel presentation using a multi-colored soccer ball, something I was glad to do. Five people raised their hands to accept Jesus as Savior.
All in all it was a very fruitful week. The students displayed keen insight into the Scriptures and even though Rhiannon and I were here as teachers this week, I think I learned just as much from the students as they learned from us. That again, is the beauty of the Simply the Story program. With Simply the Story, the teacher tells the Bible story and then explores the story together with the listeners, inviting participation. That way everyone learns together. Isn’t that what the Kingdom of God is all about? People from different races and walks of life loving each other and mutually encouraging each other in their faith?
You may be reading this and think, “But Aaron, I’ll never be able to go across the world and experience another culture like you do.” That may be true, but what about the town or city that you live in? Is it possible that God may want to break down racial walls in our own backyards?
Something to think about.
While there is still time,
Aaron
P.S. Please pray for us as we travel to Senegal and Guinea Bissau next week. We’ll be leaving for this trip about 6 days after we get back from Thailand. Only this time, we’ll be teaching the STS method solo, just enough to wet the pastors’ appetite so that we can come back and do something more official next year.
P.P.S. If you’d like to make an online donation to help cover the costs of our trip to Africa, please go to http://www.greatcommissionsociety.com
For those of you who haven’t seen the latest Rambo movie, let me first say that I absolutely do not recommend watching this film, especially if you have a hard time looking at blood, because it’s probably the most violent movie you’ll ever see. The film portrays in graphic detail the suffering of the Karen people and how the Junta troops in Burma are systematically attacking villages, killing people indiscriminately, and then planting land-mines so the people can’t return to their homes. Those who escape alive usually spend years hiding from the troops scraping out a meager existence from the land. The fortunate ones end up in IDP camps (camps for Internally Displaced People) near the Thai border and the even more fortunate ones escape to Thailand and end up in one of three camps for Karen refugees—which is where we are at right now.
Some of the students that we’ve taught this week have seen their parents killed. Others are separated from family members still living inside Burma. All of them are living in dire poverty, spending their lives in a refugee camp with little contact with the outside world (including Thailand), having little opportunity to determine their future.
And yet they continue to sing! The thing that touches me the most about the Karen Christians is they are probably some of the most beautiful singers in the world. The other day we visited a home for injured veterans of the Karen National Liberation Army. The room was filled with men whose arms and legs had been blown off, and yet their existence (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) is devoted to singing and praising God. Though they live off of handouts from the outside world, these men are in no way spiritually poor. I think that we in the West have a lot to learn from these Karen brothers in the Lord.
Yesterday we actually crossed the river into Burma and visited an IDP camp that’s hidden from the rest of the world. The people live on donated rice and yellow beans (and the occasional fish or vegetable). Every family gets one cup of yellow beans a month, which is about a half a teaspoon a day for a family of four. Imagine that! Thanks to your giving, Rhiannon and I were able to contribute significantly towards purchasing 17 large bags of rice and one large bag of yellow beans, plus a bag of chili peppers. (A side note, for $60 a month, we could double the amount of beans the camp receives) The team asked me to give a gospel presentation using a multi-colored soccer ball, something I was glad to do. Five people raised their hands to accept Jesus as Savior.
All in all it was a very fruitful week. The students displayed keen insight into the Scriptures and even though Rhiannon and I were here as teachers this week, I think I learned just as much from the students as they learned from us. That again, is the beauty of the Simply the Story program. With Simply the Story, the teacher tells the Bible story and then explores the story together with the listeners, inviting participation. That way everyone learns together. Isn’t that what the Kingdom of God is all about? People from different races and walks of life loving each other and mutually encouraging each other in their faith?
You may be reading this and think, “But Aaron, I’ll never be able to go across the world and experience another culture like you do.” That may be true, but what about the town or city that you live in? Is it possible that God may want to break down racial walls in our own backyards?
Something to think about.
While there is still time,
Aaron
P.S. Please pray for us as we travel to Senegal and Guinea Bissau next week. We’ll be leaving for this trip about 6 days after we get back from Thailand. Only this time, we’ll be teaching the STS method solo, just enough to wet the pastors’ appetite so that we can come back and do something more official next year.
P.P.S. If you’d like to make an online donation to help cover the costs of our trip to Africa, please go to http://www.greatcommissionsociety.com
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Dialogue--Should Christians use politics to achieve moral ends?
The following is an e-mail I received from Pastor Tim, a friend of mine who pastors a very radical church in Fort Leonard Wood Missouri. Tim's son, Levi O Brien was one of the main characters in the popular film, Jesus Camp. After the quote, you'll see my response. I've given Pastor Tim an invitation to dialogue on this, and of course as always, talk amongst yourselves!!
Amen! Amen!
Thank you for sending me this. My only caveat would be is that I do see a role for the church for advocacy in addressing structural injustices that perpetuate poverty. I would agree that even this role, however, is a secondary role. The problem with the religious right is that it seeks to address private morality issues through legislation (like gay marriage and abortion) when, if I'm understanding Scripture correctly, it's not necessarily the role of the church to try to force those outside our ranks to adhere to these standards. The Church is to be an agent of grace, not condemnation. When it comes to social morality issues however, like addressing labor and wage issues, I think the Church can play a political advocacy role in addressing these issues, much like the Biblical prophets did (e.g...Woe to you who write unrighteous decrees that rob the needy of justice). Even this, however is secondary to preaching the gospel and addressing issues of exploitation and greed from the pulpit of our churches.
Aaron,
In light of recent events, I thought you would enjoy this. Like I think you have been saying, the Church's main impact on the world is its own spiritual transformation, not its impact upon politics.
Tim
_____________________________________________
From: Hassett, Dan CIV USA TRADOC
Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 10:35 AM
To: Obrien, Timothy M MAJ RES USAR TRADOC
Subject: Option for Evangelicals (UNCLASSIFIED)
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
from his FOX News bio: Cal Thomas is America’s most widely syndicated op-ed columnist, appearing in more than 600 national newspapers. Thomas is the author of more than 10 books, including, "Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That Is Destroying America" co-authored with Bob Beckel.
Thomas is FOX News political contributor who joined FOX News in 1997. He also appears as a panelist on "FOX News Watch."
Thomas is a 40-year veteran of broadcast and print journalism. He has worked for NBC News in Washington, D.C. and hosted his own program on CBNC that was nominated for a Cable ACE Award in 1995. Thomas is a graduate of American University.
He makes some good points in this column:
When Barack Obama takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, he will do so in the 30th anniversary year of the founding of the so-called Religious Right. Born in 1979 and midwifed by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, the Religious Right was a reincarnation of previous religious-social movements that sought moral improvement through legislation and court rulings. Those earlier movements — from abolition (successful) to Prohibition (unsuccessful) — had mixed results.
Social movements that relied mainly on political power to enforce a conservative moral code weren’t anywhere near as successful as those that focused on changing hearts. The four religious revivals, from the First Great Awakening in the 1730s and 1740s to the Fourth Great Awakening in the late 1960s and early ’70s, which touched America and instantly transformed millions of Americans (and American culture as a result), are testimony to that.
Thirty years of trying to use government to stop abortion, preserve opposite-sex marriage, improve television and movie content and transform culture into the conservative Evangelical image has failed. The question now becomes: should conservative Christians redouble their efforts, contributing more millions to radio and TV preachers and activists, or would they be wise to try something else?
I opt for trying something else.
Too many conservative Evangelicals have put too much faith in the power of government to transform culture. The futility inherent in such misplaced faith can be demonstrated by asking these activists a simple question: Does the secular left, when it holds power, persuade conservatives to live by their standards? Of course they do not. Why, then, would conservative Evangelicals expect people who do not share their worldview and view of God to accept their beliefs when they control government?
Too many conservative Evangelicals mistake political power for influence. Politicians who struggle with imposing a moral code on themselves are unlikely to succeed in their attempts to impose it on others. What is the answer, then, for conservative Evangelicals who are rightly concerned about the corrosion of culture, the indifference to the value of human life and the living arrangements of same- and opposite-sex couples?
The answer depends on the response to another question: do conservative Evangelicals want to feel good, or do they want to adopt a strategy that actually produces results? Clearly partisan politics have not achieved their objectives. Do they think they can succeed by committing themselves to 30 more years of the same?
If results are what conservative Evangelicals want, they already have a model. It is contained in the life and commands of Jesus of Nazareth. Suppose millions of conservative Evangelicals engaged in an old and proven type of radical behavior. Suppose they followed the admonition of Jesus to “love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison and care for widows and orphans,” not as ends, as so many liberals do by using government, but as a means of demonstrating God’s love for the whole person in order that people might seek Him?
Such a strategy could be more “transformational” than electing a new president, even the first president of color. But in order to succeed, such a strategy would not be led by charismatic figures, who would raise lots of money, be interviewed on Sunday talk shows, author books and make gobs of money.
Scripture teaches that God’s power (if that is what conservative Evangelicals want and not their puny attempts at grabbing earthly power) is made perfect in weakness. He speaks of the tiny mustard seed, the seemingly worthless widow’s mite, of taking the last place at the table and the humbling of one’s self, the washing of feet and similar acts and attitudes; the still, small voice. How did conservative Evangelicals miss this and instead settle for a lesser power, which in reality is no power at all? When did they settle for an inferior “kingdom”?
Evangelicals are at a junction. They can take the path that will lead them to more futility and ineffective attempts to reform culture through government, or they can embrace the far more powerful methods outlined by the One they claim to follow. By following His example, they will decrease, but He will increase. They will get no credit, but they will see results. If conservative Evangelicals choose obscurity and seek to glorify God, they will get much of what they hope for, but can never achieve, in and through politics.
(c) 2008 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
Dan Hassett
USAMPS DOT
ITDD editor
Lincoln Hall, Rm. 2647
Fort Leonard Wood, MO 65473
(573) 563-7245
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Amen! Amen!
Thank you for sending me this. My only caveat would be is that I do see a role for the church for advocacy in addressing structural injustices that perpetuate poverty. I would agree that even this role, however, is a secondary role. The problem with the religious right is that it seeks to address private morality issues through legislation (like gay marriage and abortion) when, if I'm understanding Scripture correctly, it's not necessarily the role of the church to try to force those outside our ranks to adhere to these standards. The Church is to be an agent of grace, not condemnation. When it comes to social morality issues however, like addressing labor and wage issues, I think the Church can play a political advocacy role in addressing these issues, much like the Biblical prophets did (e.g...Woe to you who write unrighteous decrees that rob the needy of justice). Even this, however is secondary to preaching the gospel and addressing issues of exploitation and greed from the pulpit of our churches.
Friday, November 07, 2008
Dear Mr. Obama
The following is a letter that I've sent today out to President Elect Obama. I also sent the same letter to my congressman, Russ Carnahan.
I also sent a letter to both men urging them to ban partial birth abortion. I'd like to urge my readers to do the same. Remember that these men work for us! This is how we serve as a prophetic witness to speak truth to power. We write to them.
Dear President Elect Obama,
First of all, I’d like to congratulate you on your win to the White House. That our nation elected the first African American president is truly historic and as an American citizen, I’m proud that our nation has taken this historic step undoing centuries of oppression and injustice towards our nation’s black citizens.
You have said you want to unite us as a nation. An excellent place to work for such unity would be for you to put your full support behind the Democrats for Life initiative known as the Pregnant Women Support Act (its goal is to reduce abortion by 95 percent over a 10-year period).
This bill would:
• Establish a toll-free number to direct women to places that will provide support during and following their pregnancy.
• Provide child care to low-income and student parents.
• Provide parenting education in maternity group homes.
• Make the Adoption Tax Credits permanent.
• Ensure that pregnant women are not denied health care by insurance companies and that coverage is continued for newborns.
• Codify the regulation that extends coverage under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to low-income pregnant women and unborn children.
• Increase funding for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program.
• Provide grants to institutions of higher education to fund pregnant and parenting student services.
• Provide new mothers with free home visits by registered nurses.
All of these measures would help fulfill the pledge made in the 2008 Democratic Party platform, which “strongly supports a woman’s decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs.”
I urge you to take moral leadership in this matter.
Sincerely,
Aaron Taylor
11/08/08
I also sent a letter to both men urging them to ban partial birth abortion. I'd like to urge my readers to do the same. Remember that these men work for us! This is how we serve as a prophetic witness to speak truth to power. We write to them.
Stop the violence in the Congo!
I received this e-mail from the local Amnesty International group here in St. Louis. I wasn't able to get through, but I'll be sure to try again later.
To all my fellow Christian brothers, small actions such as this is part of our prophetic duty to speak truth to power. Every little bit helps.
This isn't really an Amnesty action, but it could be. I hope you will all consider doing this in addition to anything you are doing on this issue already. The situation in the eastern DRC has deteriorated rapidly recently. I don't have much faith that it can be stopped, but we have to try.
Jason
Stop the Violence in Congo
Dear Friend,
The renewed rebel offensive in the eastern Democratic Republic of the
Congo threatens to return the region to all-out war and has already
displaced at least 200,000 additional civilians. The UN mission in Congo
(MONUC), while the largest UN mission, is not able to protect civilians
from atrocities without immediate reinforcements.
Call Secretary Rice and tell her that you want stopping the violence in
Congo to be a priority during her final days in office: (202) 647-5291.
The ten-year war in eastern DRC led to the deaths of 4.5 million people,
as well as tens of thousands of rapes before a peace agreement supported
by the international community halted much of the violence. That peace is
now breaking. The international community must reinforce MONUC and
urgently deploy the diplomatic resources necessary to save the peace
agreement and prevent a war that will again lead to mass death,
displacement, and rape of civilians.
The international community is beginning to mobilize. France and Britain
have sent their highest-ranking officials to the region. Unfortunately,
despite her earlier efforts to end violence in Kenya, the U.S. Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice has not engaged on a comparable level in the
DRC and her efforts are needed.
Secretary of State Rice's efforts were critical to ending the violence in
Kenya earlier this year. Her efforts are needed today in Congo.
Call Secretary Rice and tell her that reinforcement of the UN Mission and
high level diplomacy are needed to ensure the safety of civilians in the
DRC.
Take Action Now:
Call Secretary Rice's office at (202) 647-5291 and tell her that:
* you want stopping the violence in Congo to be a priority during her
final days in office
* reinforcement of the UN Mission and high level diplomacy are needed to
ensure the safety of civilians in the DRC
To all my fellow Christian brothers, small actions such as this is part of our prophetic duty to speak truth to power. Every little bit helps.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Hurray for Richard Land!
I was going to write a post with a sample letter to our newly elected president, but this provides a much better example of what I'm talking about.
Richard Land is the President of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and one of the most influential voices in what is known as the Religious Right.
I want all of my readers to read a letter he wrote to President Elect Obama yesterday entitled Abortion Reduction is the Key to Common Ground.
Something that is not mentioned in the letter is that Obama was the key person pushing for these reforms within the Democratic Party, so what Land is doing is holding Obama accountable to the promises that he's already made, which is something that all of us can do.
Remember that advocating for life doesn't stop on November 4th. We live in a democracy. Any one of us can also write a letter to our congressmen and our newly elected president.
Thank you Mr. Land for holding our newly elected president accountable. Let's hope that more will do the same.
Richard Land is the President of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and one of the most influential voices in what is known as the Religious Right.
I want all of my readers to read a letter he wrote to President Elect Obama yesterday entitled Abortion Reduction is the Key to Common Ground.
Something that is not mentioned in the letter is that Obama was the key person pushing for these reforms within the Democratic Party, so what Land is doing is holding Obama accountable to the promises that he's already made, which is something that all of us can do.
Remember that advocating for life doesn't stop on November 4th. We live in a democracy. Any one of us can also write a letter to our congressmen and our newly elected president.
Thank you Mr. Land for holding our newly elected president accountable. Let's hope that more will do the same.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Thoughts and clarifications--let's still love each other!
I’m writing this on the fly. So here goes. My post entitled “I’m a pro-life Christian, that’s why I’m voting for …??” has generated some passionate debate and has obviously stirred some raw emotion in a lot of people. Some have written me and/or commented that just because I feel that a person can be a genuine, bona-fide, Spirit-filled, born again Christian and vote for Obama, that somehow means I’ve either backslidden or I’m one of the “elect that’s been deceived.” Others feel that I’ve taken a condescending attitude towards McCain supporters, as if I somehow feel that my world travels allow me to sit on an intellectual high horse and stare my nose down at everyone else. Looking back at what I’ve written, I can see why some would feel that way. The truth is I’m still figuring a lot of things out as to how to live a Christ-like life, caring about the things that He cares about, confronting important issues head-on, and speaking the truth in love. Jesus was an activist par excellence for the poor and the downtrodden (more on that in another post) but He was also able to speak truth to power in such a way that He stayed above the fray of partisan politics. That’s how He could have a Herodian and a Zealot as part of His apostolic team—without the two killing each other! I haven’t quite figured out how to speak my mind the way that Jesus did. I invite all who love me and care for me to pray that I’ll have the mind of Christ in all matters—especially when it comes to when and how to speak my mind. I also invite you to examine my entire life and ministry before making personal accusations against my motivations and character.
Some feel that I’ve lost my moral bearings because I believe that Christians should expand their definition of what it means to be pro-life. Others have said that I’ve downplayed abortion as an important issue, so let me clarify. I believe that when it comes to how Christians are actually supposed to live and the values that we are supposed to espouse in the Body of Christ, we always, always, always, always, always, must side with life over death. So, if a 14 year old girl comes up to me and tells me she’s pregnant but fears that if her father finds out then he’s going to molest her and kill her, because of my conviction I’m going to have to tell her “I’m sorry, but as a Christian I can not counsel you to have an abortion.” If a married woman suspects that if she keeps a pregnancy, then her husband is going to make the child’s life a living hell (use your imagination), then I’ll still have to say “I’m sorry, but I can not as a Christian counsel you to have an abortion.”
When it comes to preaching an ethic of life and living an ethic of life on the part of a Christian, I believe that Christians should always side with life, and yes, that includes other areas besides abortion. From the womb to the tomb. That’s what I mean by a consistent ethic of life. I realize there are a lot of Christians that disagree with me that the term “pro-life” should extend to issues such as war and the death penalty. I haven’t laid out my case for that, so I don’t expect the bulk of my readers to understand. For many, it's a perspective they've never heard. All I’m asking for right now is to give me a listening ear, be patient, and after I’ve made my case, decide whether you agree with it or not, and then embrace me as a brother if you continue to disagree.
Here’s where things get difficult. It’s one thing to say that I as a Christian must always choose life in matters of my personal behavior and how I would counsel others to live. It’s quite another thing to say that I as a Christian have a Biblical mandate to translate these convictions into public policies that force others to agree with my convictions. My point is that the values that Jesus lays out for the Body of Christ don’t necessarily translate into public policy without nuance and ambiguity—and neither were they intended to. That’s why elections are usually about choosing the lesser of two evils. One can not translate the values of Jesus into public policy without a considerable degree of compromise.
Take for example the issue of abortion. Some have written me and said that John McCain believes that humans are entitled to human rights at the moment of conception. Actually, that’s not completely accurate. John McCain favors abortion in the case of rape or incest. Apparently John McCain doesn’t believe that a baby conceived as a result of rape is entitled to human rights. Why not? Maybe he feels that it’s wrong to put a rape victim through the emotional pain of childbirth. Maybe it’s a political compromise. I don’t really know. Obama on the other hand is the first democratic candidate that has actually made it a part of the Democratic party platform to institute policies aimed at reducing abortions. Is he sincere about that? Maybe he is. Maybe he’s not. A sincere Christian can go to the polls and ask himself or herself a question. Is my vote about making a moral statement or is it about actually saving human lives? Some say that from a purely pragmatic point of view, given that conservatives already have a majority in the Supreme Court and haven’t overturned Roe V Wade (and even if they do, abortion will still not be illegal) that the best way to save unborn babies is to elect someone who will institute policies to make it economically feasible for a woman to keep her child.
That’s a legitimate, honest debate and I don’t think that Christians should slander each other for whichever decision they make in this regard. And neither do I think that Christians should blindly believe every single forwarded e-mail because a candidate doesn’t toe the party line on a narrow set of issues.
So why have I decided to write about this? Because I’m bothered by the fact that so many Christians are questioning other Christians’ salvation based on how they vote. This is a serious error, and given the way some have responded to my post, it’s a pervasive error. We all say that “God is neither a Republican or a Democrat” until it comes right down to it and we actually meet a Christian on the other side of the political aisle. That’s when the gospel all of the sudden becomes faith in Jesus + vote for John McCain. I thank God that my pastor hasn’t fallen into this error, but that’s the way it is in many churches. And that’s also the way it is beneath the surface even if it isn’t necessarily lambasted from the pulpit. There are a lot of sincere seekers out there that feel they can’t join an evangelical church for fear that they’ll be mocked and slandered if they don’t toe the party line. While we’re busy slandering each other for our political opinions, babies are dying and people are going to hell. And that’s not okay with me.
I haven’t said all that there is to say, but I hope this is enough to create an atmosphere of grace for Christians to disagree on important issues without fear of slander and personal attacks.
Stay focused on Jesus!
Aaron
Some feel that I’ve lost my moral bearings because I believe that Christians should expand their definition of what it means to be pro-life. Others have said that I’ve downplayed abortion as an important issue, so let me clarify. I believe that when it comes to how Christians are actually supposed to live and the values that we are supposed to espouse in the Body of Christ, we always, always, always, always, always, must side with life over death. So, if a 14 year old girl comes up to me and tells me she’s pregnant but fears that if her father finds out then he’s going to molest her and kill her, because of my conviction I’m going to have to tell her “I’m sorry, but as a Christian I can not counsel you to have an abortion.” If a married woman suspects that if she keeps a pregnancy, then her husband is going to make the child’s life a living hell (use your imagination), then I’ll still have to say “I’m sorry, but I can not as a Christian counsel you to have an abortion.”
When it comes to preaching an ethic of life and living an ethic of life on the part of a Christian, I believe that Christians should always side with life, and yes, that includes other areas besides abortion. From the womb to the tomb. That’s what I mean by a consistent ethic of life. I realize there are a lot of Christians that disagree with me that the term “pro-life” should extend to issues such as war and the death penalty. I haven’t laid out my case for that, so I don’t expect the bulk of my readers to understand. For many, it's a perspective they've never heard. All I’m asking for right now is to give me a listening ear, be patient, and after I’ve made my case, decide whether you agree with it or not, and then embrace me as a brother if you continue to disagree.
Here’s where things get difficult. It’s one thing to say that I as a Christian must always choose life in matters of my personal behavior and how I would counsel others to live. It’s quite another thing to say that I as a Christian have a Biblical mandate to translate these convictions into public policies that force others to agree with my convictions. My point is that the values that Jesus lays out for the Body of Christ don’t necessarily translate into public policy without nuance and ambiguity—and neither were they intended to. That’s why elections are usually about choosing the lesser of two evils. One can not translate the values of Jesus into public policy without a considerable degree of compromise.
Take for example the issue of abortion. Some have written me and said that John McCain believes that humans are entitled to human rights at the moment of conception. Actually, that’s not completely accurate. John McCain favors abortion in the case of rape or incest. Apparently John McCain doesn’t believe that a baby conceived as a result of rape is entitled to human rights. Why not? Maybe he feels that it’s wrong to put a rape victim through the emotional pain of childbirth. Maybe it’s a political compromise. I don’t really know. Obama on the other hand is the first democratic candidate that has actually made it a part of the Democratic party platform to institute policies aimed at reducing abortions. Is he sincere about that? Maybe he is. Maybe he’s not. A sincere Christian can go to the polls and ask himself or herself a question. Is my vote about making a moral statement or is it about actually saving human lives? Some say that from a purely pragmatic point of view, given that conservatives already have a majority in the Supreme Court and haven’t overturned Roe V Wade (and even if they do, abortion will still not be illegal) that the best way to save unborn babies is to elect someone who will institute policies to make it economically feasible for a woman to keep her child.
That’s a legitimate, honest debate and I don’t think that Christians should slander each other for whichever decision they make in this regard. And neither do I think that Christians should blindly believe every single forwarded e-mail because a candidate doesn’t toe the party line on a narrow set of issues.
So why have I decided to write about this? Because I’m bothered by the fact that so many Christians are questioning other Christians’ salvation based on how they vote. This is a serious error, and given the way some have responded to my post, it’s a pervasive error. We all say that “God is neither a Republican or a Democrat” until it comes right down to it and we actually meet a Christian on the other side of the political aisle. That’s when the gospel all of the sudden becomes faith in Jesus + vote for John McCain. I thank God that my pastor hasn’t fallen into this error, but that’s the way it is in many churches. And that’s also the way it is beneath the surface even if it isn’t necessarily lambasted from the pulpit. There are a lot of sincere seekers out there that feel they can’t join an evangelical church for fear that they’ll be mocked and slandered if they don’t toe the party line. While we’re busy slandering each other for our political opinions, babies are dying and people are going to hell. And that’s not okay with me.
I haven’t said all that there is to say, but I hope this is enough to create an atmosphere of grace for Christians to disagree on important issues without fear of slander and personal attacks.
Stay focused on Jesus!
Aaron
Monday, November 03, 2008
Taking the heat. This might clarify.
I've taken some real heat for my last post. Some feel that I've downplayed the abortion issue as if it's not important. Not true! I think the abortion issue is very important. One of the things I'm trying to say is that when it comes to this issue, it's not necessarily black and white the best way to save babies. I argued that overturning Roe Vs Wade will not make abortion illegal and even if abortion does become illegal, making it illegal isn't necessarily going to save babies. Voting for a traditional pro-life candidate definitely makes a moral statement, but from a pragmatic point of view, it might not be the best way to save lives. There are some people that feel that Obama's policies regarding economically depressed mothers will actually save more lives than a theoretical vote declaring that abortion is wrong. That's a moral argument that I feel Christians can honestly disagree on without maligning each other.
Here's an article that sheds some light on the issue.
http://www.sojo.net/blog/godspolitics/?p=3409
May we all work together to build a culture of life!
Here's an article that sheds some light on the issue.
http://www.sojo.net/blog/godspolitics/?p=3409
May we all work together to build a culture of life!
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