"Christian" Television

Our church has been having a conference called A Call to Discernment put on by Justin Peters.  I was a little nervous when I heard what the topic would be, exposing health, wealth, and prosperity preachers, in part because not all of the groups that believe in faith healing are the same.  Plus, if he was speaking truth without love, it would not be beneficial.  However, I have been impressed with his presentation so far, but maybe that is for a future blog.

This conference made me want to scan the "Christian" television stations last night to see what these "great men of God" were preaching (well, unfortunately, men and women).  What I saw was sickening.  One guy was teaching a prosperity gospel, and it was enough to make you want to turn him in to the Better Business Bureau, Attorney General's Office, or the IRS as a scam against the elderly and poor.  His story is titled Please Don't Repo My Car, and he tells of how he was going through financial difficulty, pledged to tithe, and things turned around.  Sometimes that does happen, and if he had stopped there, maybe it would not have been a bad lesson.  Instead, he talked about how God wants everyone to be rich, and that there is the person of Christ and the principles of Christ.  Many good Christians are living in the person of Christ, but missing out on the principles, which is that God wants all Christians to be rich.  Obviously he has not read the Bible in the way I read it.  Then he proceeds to say that you need to plant a seed like it says in the parable of the sower, and allow that seed to take root so that it will produce financial fruit.  I guess Jesus' interpretation of His own parable was incorrect.  The guy then tells you that he is a $1000 sower, God gave him that task, and so you are supposed to sow your $1000 in this guy's ministry.  Even worse, the target crowd seems to be those who are going through financial difficulty ("even if it is your last $1000").  Mind you, when he sowed his "seed," it was a $20 tithe on the $200 he was bringing in every week.  Much less than $1000.  I guess that he expects viewers to be too stupid to figure that out (and unfortunately, the ones who are sending him money are deceived).

The second guy I listened to also used the parable of the sower, and this one used Jesus' interpretation, but unfortunately, misquoted Jesus.  I guess that he was banking on the fact that viewers would not bother to look up the verse to verify whether it was quoted correctly (I had the Key study Bible handy and looked up the Greek word - he really did not expect that).  He basically was advising people that if they felt something was right in their gut, they needed to allow that thought to take root and produce fruit instead of not taking root, which would lead to giving up.  Now I have read the parable of the sower many times, and I am pretty sure that the ones who do not have roots are unbelievers instead of believers facing opposition in the church from leadership.  I am also pretty sure that Proverbs says that we are to listen to counsel instead of tuning counsel out.  I am also pretty sure that as a teacher of the Bible we are to teach the Bible instead of what Kenneth Copeland says (his source for lessons).  Apparently this guy now allows what Kenneth Copeland says to take root so that it is the fruit coming out of him and therefore God's word.

What is sad is that these guys sounded good.  It was exactly what too many people would want to hear.  They took verses here and there out of context, but the way they interpretted the verses seemed to apply.  I think that there are lessons to learn from this.  First, just because it is on Christian TV does not mean that it is Christian.  Yes, these guys were saying some good things couched in Christian terms.  Yes, there were lots of crosses and Christian music playing in the background.  Yes, the Bible was mentioned.  However, the messages being sent by the first guy was not Christian, and by the second guy was dangerous (although maybe not as heretical).  Second, people in our churches are probably watching these shows, and unfortunately, sending money to these "Christian" television stations.  Third, it is important to teach the truth in our churches, and to make sure that our people know how to read the Bible.  By knowing how to read the Bible, I mean being familiar with evaluating all Scripture in context, not just reading through a passage devotionally or because it is a good story.  Fourth, we need to warn those around us who are being deceived by this type of teaching.  If I am desperate, down to my last dollar, and hearing how to fix it from someone who is a smooth talker and receiving messages from the Holy Spirit, I may be tempted to listen to that type of message if I am not grounded in what I know to be true about the character of God.  

There is much more that can be said about this subject.  These are just two examples from watching an hour of Christian television.  I know that there are people who watch it every day of the week, every moment of the day, and I am concerned that they are being deceived.  What a sad example of attacks against God's faithful!

By Faith, Not by Sight

I have finished reading a book called By Faith, Not By Sight : Paul and the Order of Salvation by Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.  If I had to rate this book on a scale of 1 to 5 for difficulty in reading, I would rate it a 5.  That doesn't mean I wouldn't suggest reading the book.  It just means that the book is really complicated to understand.  Part of that is because it takes Gaffin too many words to get his point across.  It isn't that his thought is profound or complicated or written in a Greek or Latin mindset (such as Edwards or Owens or some of the other great theologians).  It is more because he seems to be a bit disorganized and wastes words apologizing instead of being apologetic.  The book is definitely on a graduate school level, making it a hard read for someone like me who has no desire to go to seminary.  My main critism of the book in this respect is that it is lacking in the passion that it needs for a lay person to want to spend the time to read it, and is a little too textbook-ish.

The overall purpose of the book seems to be to show that Paul valued individual salvation.  It is an attack on the new perspective of Paul that suggests that Paul was not concerned by an individual's experience of salvation.  I purchased the book, in part because it was on sale, but also because I thought that the ordo salutis would be addressed.  However, when Gaffin uses the term order of salvation, he does not mean the ordo salutis that I was thinking of but a more general order really just focusing on the three areas of justification, sanctification, and glorification.  I did not come away learning more about what I consider to be ordo salutis, but I did learn that there is a branch trying to read Paul in a way that is contrary to what I believe.

I think it is important to read books about issues such as this because we must always be ready to give a defense.  I have noticed that it helps me to be able to give a defense by reading how others defend.  Ultimately, any defense needs to depend upon Scripture above all else.  

And the Winner is ...

Actually, I am unable to tell you most, if not all, the winners at the Academy Awards.  To be honest, I didn't know the Academy Awards were taking place last night until last night.  Even if I had known, I don't think I would have watched.  I really do not like the Academy Awards because it is Hollywood choosing "the best" of Hollywood, which usually means movies that are making a statement that society is not quite ready to accept (even though Hollywood is trying to force it on society).  I looked at a list of the winners this morning, and I did not recognize any of the movies except I saw that Sweeney Todd won some category, and Ratatouille was the best animated film (were there any others this year?), and Borne Ultimatum won in some categories.  Those were the only movies that I recognized the names.  Back in the day, it seems that the Academy Awards were more of awards for blockbuster movies, which, I would argue, the public has determined are the best.  Granted, even back in the day they didn't always get it right.  For instance, Gone With the Wind did not win Best Picture in 1939 (and I don't remember what movie did).  Now it is proclaimed as one of the best of all time.  I do not find it surprising that ratings were down this year either.  For months we have been hearing about how the writers' strike was going to result in the cancellation of the Academy Awards, and too bad it didn't.  It seems that it was a waste of TV air space (but isn't most programming nowadays anyway?).  Now all the news programs are talking about the fashions.  Obviously no one cared.  What a waste of breath.

Freedom Writers

I loved the movie Freedom Writers, which is probably not a shock to those who know of my love of working with inner city kids.  Just a warning about the movie -- it is PG-13 mainly because of language, although there is a little violence (just not too bloody).  The language gets pretty bad at times, but anyone who has worked with inner city children and teenagers knows that the language is unfortunately better than you find in real life.  The movie is based on a true story about an English teacher in the Los Angeles area in the mid-1990s who decided to teach in one of the worst schools with the idealistic hope of changing the lives of the children she teaches.  

There are so many things to relate to in the story.  First, it takes a while for the students to trust her.  I know that feeling.  It took quite a few trips to New Orleans before I was trusted.  I probably am only trusted by some because others just see me as a part of society that cannot relate to the plight of persons in the inner city.  I don't know how many times I have been told that I don't understand how it is, and for the most part the person saying it is right.  Second, the lack of value in education and the lack of effort on the part of educators is frustrating to the teacher.  I feel the same way.  An education is so important, especially for those who are in the lower income or at least stereotyped that way, but children are not taught the value of an education.  Instead, those who are interested in education are often made fun of to the point that it becomes necessary to stop valuing education in order to survive.  However, this often leads to death, whether it be physically, death of a dream, or waste of a brilliant mind.  Teachers become disillusioned because of the attitude of the children and children feed off the disillusionment of the teachers.  No one wins and the cycle continues.

The teacher continues to act with determination, patience, and love towards the students.  The story should provide hope to anyone that has the calling to work in the inner city, teachers working in the environment, or those on the outside looking in usually in judgment.  I think that everyone needs to see this movie because it is important to see what is happening in schools even today.  It also shows that if someone who seemed to be secular, outside of the church, is willing to sacrifice that much time, effort, love, and support to impact the lives of a small number of students, how much more should God's people be willing to make some of the same sacrifices to affect those around them, to share the Gospel, to depend on God's love and grace flowing through them to impact the lives of people in need that God places in our path.  We need to stop depending on the schools or one or two individuals or the government to impact and change the lives of our children, but need to start depending on the power and grace of God.

An Unquiet Mind

Recently I read a book called An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madnessby Kay Redfield Jamison.  This book was recommended to me and loaned to me by my pastor.  I can honestly say that I did not understand anything about people who suffer from manic depression (also known as bipolar) before reading this book, although I thought that I knew something about the disease.  Now I realize that I cannot comprehend this disorder because I do not suffer from it.

Jamison specializes in the study of mood disorders, bringing a scientific side to the book, but also suffers from manic depressive disorder.  The story is her memoir about her struggle with the disease, acceptance of the diagnosis, acceptance of necessary treatment, and the professional implications for her.  I had no idea the type of struggle that persons suffering from this disorder go through.  I know that I go through bouts of increased energy and decreased sleep (usually associated with the consumption of too much caffeine!), but I had no idea that persons suffering from this disorder will go through days, weeks, months of little or no sleep.  No wonder the body and mind finally gives out and enters into an extended depression.  The increased energy is often accompanied by increased impulsiveness, which leads to depression when the person realizes the bind that he or she has entered into financially or emotionally.  I know that I have times where I find it hard to concentrate, but to go through years where it is difficult to concentrate long enough to read is unimaginable for me.  

Part of the draw of this book is that it is written so that unscientific minds can catch a glimpse of a world that is difficult to understand.  The first few parts of the book read like Faulkner novel with proper grammar.  Jamison as a writer has the ability to draw you into her story, her life in a way that keeps the reader engaged.  Even the final part of the book that enters more into the scientific aspect of the disease, diagnosis, believed causes, treatments, is not so hard to read that you need a scientific education to understand.  I found the book to be a quick read with very few passages that drag.

The book is not written by someone who professes to be a Christian or lives her life as if she is a Christian.  Some views and lifestyle choices are out of line with my beliefs.  However, I was pleased to find passages against the selective abortion of babies that have the "gene" identified to be associated with bipolar disease and other disorders because of the contribution to society that many with this disorder are able to provide.  This is part of the reason that she is reluctant for scientist to identify the genetic marker for bipolar disease.  I think that it is encouraging to see someone in the scientific community who is able to see that selective abortion is wrong and has the potential of depriving society of some of its diversity, creativity, personality.  Too many in the scientific community promote the eradication of unwanted genes (i.e. Down's Syndrome) because those that do not "suffer" from the disease/disorder/syndrome make the determination that the detriments of the irregularity do not outweigh the benefits to the person or to society.

I definitely recommend reading this book.  It is brutally honest at times, although I thought presented in a tasteful way.  From what I read, Jamison could have shared more details or been more brutal while being honest, but she presented enough detail to get the point across without losing any of her dignity.  She made her life an open book for all to read, but retained some of her privacy while doing it.  After reading the book, I probably know more about the disorder, yet understand less (or realize that I understand less).  I cannot imagine what it must be like to be like to be unable to exercise any self-control.  Also, after reading the book, I don't think I know anyone with the disorder, but maybe since it seems that Jamison was able to hide the turmoil raging inside of herself although having outward manifestations.  The book is educational and enlightening.

Baylor Basketball

I was pleasantly surprised last week as I pulled my Sports Illustrated out of the mailbox and began flipping through the pages.  A little over midway through the magazine was a story about Baylor Basketball.  I guess people had to start taking notice of the success of the team when Baylor beat the Aggies after 5 overtimes.  Even though the game was not televised, it has been the topic of sports conversations off and on  since it occurred.  It will be interesting to see how the season turns out.  Personally, I think that Scott Drew should be coach of the year.  Most coaches would not consider coming to a school that is about to be punished - severely - by the NCAA.  Most coaches would only stay a year or two knowing that recruiting is going to be next to impossible and scholarships few and far between because of NCAA punishments.  However, Drew chose to expand his recruiting options and create a team for the future.  Finally, that patience is paying off and I am as happy for the coach as I am for the school.  Baylor is going to have a hard time hanging on to him I am afraid - I know that if I was looking for a coach this spring when the pink slips are handed out, I would probably put him on my short list.  I am just glad that Baylor Basketball received some good press for a change (even if it did take some of the spotlight away from the girls for a moment - girls who are ranked in the top 10 by the way!).  Maybe the brilliant choice of Drew is a good indicator of what we can expect from our football coach as well.

Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, and Gumbo

Since Mardi Gras fell a little too early this year, I barely had time to get over my Super Bowl excitement and wish that I was down in the Big Easy taking in some parades.

Well, I am pleased with the outcome of the Super Bowl.  That is my best Manning impression of trying to keep my happiness at a calm level.  I have to say that I was less excited about this Super Bowl than I think I was about the one a few years ago that Pittsburg won (and I REALLY did not care who won that one).  I ended up watching only the 4th quarter for the most part.  I did not care a thing about the commercials.  I talked and played with a kid more than I watched.  However, I was glued to the TV for the 4th quarter.  I was very excited to watch Eli lead the Giants in the 4th quarter, and just see the determination that he brought to the field and used to lead his team.  I was disappointed to see how poor a loser Bill Bellicheck (I don't care if I misspelled his name either) proved himself to be by not staying on the field until the end of the game and not congratulating the Giants in any of the post-game interviews that I saw.  I know that if I had to chose a quarterback to lead my team in the last two minutes of the 4th quarter in a game, I would want his last name to be Manning.  

My love of New Orleans has contributed to my love of the Mannings, and today is Mardi Gras.  I celebrated by eating Campbell's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, which was a pretty good gumbo in my opinion.  It could have been a little spicier, but it still hit the spot.  Surprisingly the gumbo is part of the healthy request line, but it tasted almost like the real deal to me (granted the sausage was not the real deal, but it was still tasty).  Maybe tonight I will throw some beads at Lil T to celebrate.  He loves beads!