Yes, We're Closed for Christmas.

I have been hard at work trying to fill my boss' shoes while he's been out of the country on a 3 week mission trip. A poor excuse for neglecting my blog and you, my readers? My bad. It is what it is.

BUT I AM FUMING MAD and finding the time to post about this. I just got my eMail from Terry Eastland - Beyond the News, and against my better judgment, I am responding while still rife with anger.

Mr. Eastland, you just don't get it. To cancel church would be at least a bit strange. To prioritize the world over the Lord, heresy. But, there is more going on here than you realize.

I have attended North Point Community Church for 4-1/2 years now and am completely amazed at the transformation that has taken place in my life. The fruit that is evidence of God's work is ripe and beautiful (this angry rant notwithstanding). Further, the work that He is doing and has done in the lives of so many who regularly attend is rich to say the least.

This great work is not accomplished without a price.

It takes nearly 1800 volunteers to turn our building into a vibrant, welcoming community of believers that fulfill the mission, the Great Commission, expressed in Christianese as "to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ". 1800 people volunteer strategically, to create environments for each age group that tear down barriers between God and the lost. Consequently, thousands of the lost return enough times for the message to stick.

Many of them go on to a 12 week "Starting Point" class tackling their questions and objections to Christianity, where many, like me have been saved. But true Biblical transformation really happens in the 7 to 10 member community groups (currently about 8,000+ people in hundreds of groups) who meet weekly for Bible study, accountability, and prayer. They would continue to thrive even if our church closed every Sunday from now until rapture.

Matthew 5:23-24 stresses the importance of reconciliation with others, family in particular, before making an offering - God states it (as I paraphrase it) "Don't try to come to me and get all mushy about your relationship with me if your heart is still hardened against those around you - love Me by forgiving others, then come make your offering." How can we be right with God (other than our justification through Christ) with malice in our hearts against His children?

Every year, our church (little c) has a communion celebration on Friday before Christmas and each year we have been closed that Sunday to let those 1800 people go to another church or city to be with their family and nourish the goodwill toward men in person. Volunteering here at NPCC is a serious commitment. The staff wants us to guard ourselves against neglecting our families because of sin, addiction, work, hobbies, even excessive service behind which many "church people" hide.

This is not a "day off" for those who only go to church twice a year, sir. This is a day off that we have been given every year because voluteering is not an add on here. Community groups, volunteering and participation are our church. We, sir: you and I and all those who do good works ("which God prepared in advance for us to do." are the body of Christ - we are the Church (big C).
Are those "megachurches" celebrating Christmas on a different day? How many of their members are in community as iron sharpens iron? Tens of millions of people attend church on 2 days a year. The sad fact, though, is that they think they can put God in a box as an activitiy that they do once a week or twice a year, the Almighty at their beck and call. There is the real sadness. Where's the outrage over that?
Since when has attendance been an indicator of spiritual maturity?! We seek this end by encouraging them to participate with God, to invite Him into their daily life, beyond Sunday and with accountability. How have we missed the mark? Do we seek to fill empty pews with empty hearts who show up for piety's sake or to fill empty hearts with the fullness of God who lives in them the other 363 days of the year?

in Christ, who is our peace and has destroyed...the dividing wall of hostility...
Aarron

P.S. Where in the Bible does it say there is a specific day to celebrate Christmas?

Vini, Vidi, Bloggi in Nomini Dei - GBC 2K5

I Came, I Saw, I Blogged in the Name of God

As I failed to mention adequately in my previous GBC2K5 post, I met a whole host of engaging and godly people. While I had previously read some of their work, there were many who I should have been reading the whole time. Those I had read included: Evangelical Outpost, Blogotional, Hugh Hewitt, and Skyepuppy (see my Blogroll in the sidebar).
Because there were so many great breakout groups to attend, I was forced to meet some terrific writer/thinkers like LaShawn Barber, left, next to me and Hugh Hewitt. [Insert sympathy here...]
LaShawn cut her teeth in journalism by writing OpEd pieces for her local paper, little knowing that it would turn into a career marked by TV and radio appearances, great acknowledgement and awards from her peers, and a ranking on the top end of the blogosphere not only in readership, but also substance. All that, and she's still a humble, approachable Blogstar... Impressive.

The otherwise nameless and mysterious "Skyepuppy"...

Now I Know...

Among those who I should have been reading all along were Mere-O's Matt Anderson, JMR, The A-Team, LaShawn Barber (all listed in my Blogroll in the sidebar), a curious fellow from "Another Think" who wrote a wise follow-up here.
Roger Overton (not pictured) and Amy Hall (pictured, right) were proof that Christian academics need not be boring. I will read the A-Team blog as often as I can carve out the time. Lores Rizkalla (center), blows the theory that an intelligent and opinionated woman who loves Christ is not much to look at, and vice versa. Humble, too, her blog is called "Just a Woman". First in the same photo, on the left, is DJ Chuang, a very cool, self aware, emergent thinker and graduate of Dallas Theological's Masters program. (One more reason we like him!)

He and I see quite eye to eye on some matters of "Christian Blogging". Read all of these folks often.

I travelled three time zones away to meet BRelevant, who works a literal 3/4 mile from where I live, and was given a book in my welcome kit by one of the most clever men I know and also attends/"enhances" my church. Small world? Nah, big God. The Harps were a pleasure to meet. Stacy and her "Isn't He Cute" husband, Randall, who blogs at Wrap Music. We got to hang out after GBC2K5 and really enjoyed each others' company. She's in my blogroll... twice!

Also...

I met Alex Jordan and Charlie Lehardy, from Sword and Spirit, but more importantly, Another Think, which all ought to be read by more people. Here they are at a Mexican restaurant (Mexican food, in L.A.? Really?!), after the conference was over. It was great to hang out and get to know everyone - makes it more personal when you read their stuff, doesn't it?

My host

My best friend Peyton, a.k.a. Solomon Jabby, graciously hosted me for the weekend while at GBC2K5, at his home in Lomita. But there were conditions: “You have to go surfing with me on my extra longboard, you have to come to church with me Sunday night [which rocked], and you have to attend my baptism - in the Pacific-frickin-Ocean!!!”

Before and after...
BeforeAfter

As you can tell from the photos I took, I was happy to attend his baptism. But, on the way from surfing to baptism, we met a really nice lady...by 'accident'. She was trying to get into my lane, but I hadn't left the lane yet, so she met with significant resistance from the rear wheel of my rental car [Thrifty rocks for the PT Cruiser upgrade!]. I thought, "I bet she wouldn't feel so bad if we at least took a commemorative picture." We posed for a post accident photo-op that, I think, may have lifted her spirits - see, she's smiling! Besides, it was but a fleshwound... Did I mention that later that day we got a flat tire on the way back from the beach?! Blogging, not just an addiction, an adventure!

Seasoned with Salt:

The Bible tells Christians to be decent and kind in their conversations (Biblese: "full of grace, seasoned with salt" [Col. 4.6]). While we discussed over the weekend the many potentials Christians have via the blogosphere, we also talked about how to maintain appropriate tone - an issue with which I struggle often in our blog. As believers, we are commanded to be good ambassadors for Christ, "representing the brand" as we do in a commercial sense for the companies that employ us. As Christian Bloggers/Blogger Christians, we force ourselves into public accountability among believers and non-believers alike. What this does for our need to make wise choices and treat others well is what millions of years and megatons of pressure can do for simple carbon. Our hope and duty now is to shine with the brilliance and clarity of such a fiery diamond, bearing the best witness we can of the God we call "Savior".
While I also took away many great "nuggets" on blogging, the most important flowed from what I already knew - "less is more". Over time, I must cultivate my knowledge / expertise on a select handful of subjects in great depth, while increasing superficial knowledge of a vast many in breadth. Hugh Hewitt's words ring in my head: "peoples' attentions are up for grabs" and will go to those they trust as experts on the subjects they seek. I thank you for letting me share my little expertise for now and trusting me to grow wiser in the future. I encourage your questions and accountability when I am "off base". A blog is a living conversation over a long period of time magnified by the size of the internet. Let's converse.

All in all, it was a great trip, an enjoyable conference, and an overall encouragement. Thanks to Hugh Hewitt for broadcasting live at Biola during GBC2K5 and for being so approachable, regardless of his celebrity status. Thanks also to Mark Johnson from Walden media for sharing such great material from the upcoming "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe", which opens a day early (December 8th), if you know the right people...

Translate this...

A commonly used fallacy regarding the Bible's inerrancy is "The Bible has been translated so many times over so many years, you can't trust it because it's changed." (This fallacy has changed so many times over so many years, I don't even think I've got it right.

One of the problems with debate using this as a starting point is that it neglects the fact that over the years, the Bible has been translated many times, but always from the same source documents. If you were to translate the Gettysburg Address into Japanese a hundred years ago, you would have an accurate translation for that time. But, if we look at the changes in meaning and context of the Japanese language over the past hundred years, we would find many words that are no longer in use or have different meanings. When a word no longer means what it was used to mean, translators must use a "substitute word", or different word/phrase that better befits the author's original intent.
Would it be wiser to translate the original Gettysburg into modern Japanese or translate the translation into more modern terms? The latter could lead to changes that would "warp" the original intent, a la our above fallacy, causing subsequent "warping" of future translations. In studying the origninal Gettysburg and late 19th century American English we could more wisely make intelligent contextual choices for the 21st century translation.

Are not these the steps taken to translate the Bible into KJV, New KJV, NIV, NAS, Message editions? Original text to 17th c language, original text to 20th century language, not the alleged translation to translation to translation transmogrification... Am I wrong?

The study of words and cultures is essential to understanding the orignal intent of the Bible. If all we had today were translations of translations of translations to serve as our holy book, the veracity of the Bible would be reduced to the reliability of the childhood game of "telephone" where a secret is whispered, person to person, around a circle until it becomes something entirely different from its original state. We are fortunate to have scholars who deliberately and fearfully copied our Text over hundreds of years and to have copies of manuscripts decades apart that demonstrate the otherwise surprising lack of change from copy to copy.

In short, the original text has not changed, only the cultures and languages have required new, more temporarily relevant representations of the originals. The word of God stands as it always has. We are the ones who have moved.

For an interesting look at some archaelogocal findings that are supported by Biblical text and support Biblical claims, check this out.. And I highly recommend checking out some of former punk rocker Rob Bell's work, especially his reading list and anything he has to say about Old Testament culture.

Coming this week...

If all goes as I have planned, this week I will finish my GBC post, complete with photos, and we will discuss the authority of scripture. For those out there who do not consider themselves "Christian", "authority" is used here to mean "Is the Bible true?" and "What makes you so sure?" Since this is a rather large category of discussion, it will require I narrow down this week's post(s) to something a bit more specific. Fair enough. Looking forward to this week. Life is getting back to "normal", which soon will be a new normal for me.

Perhaps I need to create a personal weblog to keep y'all up to date...

For now, check things out next door at A Life Unfettered.

Food for thought this week:
Chew on this in small bites - from a clearly Christian standpoint (read: non-Christians may find this a bit dull, though well written). Mark Daniels is a pretty smart fella. (Did I mention he's good looking, even though not voted Best Looking at God Blog Con?)

Grace and peace. A.

God Blog Con, the Rest of the Story...

Coming soon:

• The second half of my post on God Blog Con, 2005.
• Photos from GBC
• Photos of my trip to the beach, including this one, of the very nice lady who introduced herself to me “by accident”.

She was in a bit of a hurry to an aerobics class, while we were heading to the beach for my buddy, Solomon Jabby’s baptism. I insisted on a souvenir photo. I think it brought her spirits up...

But for now...

Guess who was voted "Best Looking Guy at GodBlogCon 2005"?

Now, everyone who was there was pretty well set on either Matt Anderson
or the dashing, young Joshua Claybourne, both may well be close to as good looking as I. When brought to a preliminary vote though, it came down to myself and David “Jollyblogger” Wayne. But, somehow, a surprise, grassroots fueled, 11th hour surge propelled a wily, shine-headed, upstart from Atlanta to the top of the pile!

Thanks to y'all who supported. Thanks to y'all who continue to support via readership and referral. Thanks, also to Stacy for the contest!

Grace and peace.
A

Islam and Christianity - Tolerance?

*** I know it's two weeks late, but I promise I will get the other half of GBC posting up, including photos, very soon...***


That being said...

My understanding of tolerance is from an absolute, not relativistic, point of view, i.e., "I may not believe what you do, but I will fight for your right to believe it, while not concurrently elevating a relative truth to the same level of what I believe to be an absolute."

In examining any religion, philosophy, or point of view, it has been stressed to me that we first "go to the source" before forming an opinion. That is to say, don't always judge a faith by its followers, you may be following the freaks. We need not form opinions of Islam via the radicals of 9/11, nor Christianity via David Koresh. Fair enough?

I am not claiming to be an expert on Islam, but I am concerned that while I have never referred to Christianity as a "religion of peace" there are many who frequently refer to the Muslim faith as such. If there is anyone out there who can help me to understand this better, please comment. I'd especially like to hear from those faithful to the Qu'ran.

As Dennis Prager often says, "Clarity is more important than agreement." While he and I may disagree on the claims of Jesus' divinity, I think he is wise to live life from the standpoint that while we may not agree, I would rather be clear on that on which we disagree.

Please, read this article over, and comment as you feel led. This is an important dialogue that needs to be approached from a non-adversarial standpoint. Tell me what I'm missing here - I'm not purporting to be an expert. Forward this link to your Muslim friends and ask them to widen my scope.

J. Grant Swank article (Hat tip: Stacy Harp.)
(Apparently, Swank has written extensively on Islam, but I would like to hear from those who know the Qu'ran in Arabic and have been trained from an Islamic point of view.)
Thanks...

Godbloggers Unite - Day 1.5 of GBC 2005

My previous post on GodBlogCon 2005 was certainly tainted with cynicism. For that, I apologize. Private discussions and criticism would have been and will still be a better method of affecting change in what happened. More importantly, I must not allow one or two things with which I disagreed to overshadow the enormously positive, creative, and Godly conclusions and beginnings that have spawned from this meeting of the minds.

Therefore, I would like to more loudly express my thanks to JMR. The Torrey Honors Institute is his department and was responsible for brining GBC to Biola, Matt Anderson (whose team and individual work did "all the heavy lifting" to make this possible. Thanks to Biola, a wonderful concept and campus. Further, I would like to pass on my thoughts of what went well and some opinion that may stir up response and/or critique. ( Matt, can we get a new icon for GBC2006 soon, or do we have to wait for the new site first?

Setting The Record Straight: Ups and Downs of GodBlogCon2005

John Mark Reynolds gave an astounding dissertation with phenomenal understanding of “Old Media” vs. “New Media” a “To Hell Powerpoint” flare. Beyond that, I am not the man to comment on “opening night”. Clearly, this is a far more educated mind than I carry around in my wee cranium. His understanding of the possibilities we now hold in our keyboards, hearts, and minds is possibly unparalleled.

Blogotional mediated a wise panel of Andrew Jackson, Joe Carter, and David Wayne. I enjoyed their discussion immensely, with one caveat. The questions asked about the nature of blogging and whether it takes time away from family, work, etc., really seemed to be irrelevant in some ways – blogging is merely an additional mode of expression. As creative or critical writing, painting, and music are modes of expression, so goes the blog. Does that make sense? (I know, I should have piped in during the discussion.

Some of us are gifted enough to play a musical instrument on a level that affords us a professional income. Others are not that gifted and yet, are payed exorbitant amounts of money, regardless. Still others, merely enjoy playing that instrument as a mere divertissement, getting together with friends once or twice a week to play for playing’s sake. If this gets in the way of our family, career, friendships is more a matter of discipline and priority, not something contained in the nature of the instrument that fills the time in question. If your jam sessions with the jazz quintet are cramping family life and making you late for work, something other than your musical ability and jam sessions is out of whack. N’est-ce pas?

Though Andrew Jackson and I disagree on issues of anonymity a bit, he is spot-on about the “crisis in community” dwelling in the Church today. My contention, Andy, is merely that some people need to hide behind anonymity until they feel they are welcomed into what could otherwise be a “hostile environment”. It has been shown that some temperaments need to approach community more slowly than others. Not all can dive in with the aplomb of an Aarron Pina or an Andrew Jackson. Am I being fair? You have clear moral authority to rebuke me if I'm wrong and I thoroughly agree with you regarding the annoyance anonymity sometimes creates.
John mediated well, and is nonetheless, in my opinion “a bag of wit”. Read him and the aforementioned panel members often. Joe Carter is quick as a whip. Period.
Jackson also contends that all pastors need to blog. For too long, a handful or more of these “spiritual leaders” have had a marginal strangle hold on the information their congregation receives – some don’t want “their people” to be exposed to other opinions. MP3 messages, “listen online” sermons, and podcasting could all be considered “GodCasting” and have what Hewitt and Joe Carter consider the equivalent of Luther’s 95 theses nailed to the door at WittenBlog. Freedom of thought and theology through the blogosphere can be carried out by God using the blogs as a medium. Quite poignant. Dead on.

Further posts will roll on. I know this is ancient history for many who have been down my blogroll, but I'm ahead by three hours on the East Coast, and yet, behind a few days because of travel time, jetlag, and other full time commitments. I do welcome feedback and critique, both public and private. Thanks again for hosting us. Photos to follow, too.

Cheers,
Aarron

***UPDATE*** Please check out our recent interview with the guys from XXXChurch.com on porn and the Church at A Life Unfettered, and blogroll this one, please. This is a cause very near and dear to my heart. My thanks to JMR for being outspoken on matters of purity vs. porn in a culture that prefers to keep it a "dirty little secret" as attractive as the women are at Biola, they were very tactfully and thoughtfully dressed.

(Can anyone tell me who I'm quoting and if I am correctly doing so when I say "There are two problems with the devil, giving him undue attention and ignoring him.")