Finding Our Heart

In his 1981 book The Way of the Heart, Henri J. M. Nouwen writes about the theology of compassion thus:

“It seems that the darkness is thicker than ever, that the powers of evil are more blatantly visible than ever, and that the children of God are being tested more severely than ever. During the last few years I have been wondering what it means to be a minister in such a situation. What is required of men and women who want to bring light into darkness, ‘to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captive and to the blind new sight, to set the down trodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour’ (Luke 4:18-19)? What is required of a man or a woman who is called to enter fully into the turmoil and agony of the times and speak a word of hope?”

Nouwen has expressed my worry as a Christian better than I could.  For years I wondered, ‘How can I impact the lives of others about me?’ How can Christians show the love of Jesus Christ to the world—particularly to believers and unbelievers?  Do we need to become ascetics and live in the mountains and caves?  Can we not live in the world—among the humdrum of society with families, jobs, different economies of scale, and with the latest development in technology and science—and make a difference? 

As Christians, we know the Bible says, “we live in the world but not of this world.”  A simple fact, yet as a Christian I grappled with this biblical truth and pronouncement.  I have been working in the Superior and Appeal Courts of Ontario where the rights to homosexual marriages, religious pluralism, and faith in materialism are grounded.  In the light of the New Atheism, secular humanitarianism, and humanism, how can I show the uniqueness of Christlikeness as a Christian?

After I graduated from Tyndale Seminary, Toronto, with an MDiv in Education in 2001, starting an overseas education ministry was the last thing on my mind.  I simply loved to teach and desired to write.  A job as a Christian Educator with an emphasis on adult education seems ideal for me.  In fact, I was sure that was my calling.  I attended seminary with that in mind.  But God had other plans for me.

What about you? What is troubling you? What upsets you? What are you passionate about? Because I have been passionate about educating and serving the poor or underprivileged, I have been led in that area. So this is what CREM is all about. It is the results of one’s passion about helping to right a wrong in society or the world. Each of us can do a little. Do you not agree? Let our small individual efforts be added against the world’s wrong and evil; against the world’s injustice and unfairness. What do you think?

Is It Dangerous To Think Post Modernism New?

Here is a popular view which I picked up from the internet: “Postmodernism focuses on the relative truths of each person. In the postmodern world, understanding, interpretation is everything; reality only comes into being through our interpretations of what the world means to us individually.” There is so much talk still about postmodernism along with articles on the subject, many speak of it as a definite new age or new times our modern societies are experiencing. But is this really so?

In the book of Judges the Bible says, “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes,” (Judges 17:6; 21:25, NASB). This means that at times whatever was true for the Israelites, they did it. They forgot all about the signs and wonders God performed in freeing them from Egypt and while they roamed the desert. After Joshua died, God allowed the people kings who would act as agents of the divine will (Judges 2:16, NASB). Repeatedly, we see the people doing evil acts against God. He then punishes or disciples them; they thereafter repent and seek forgiveness. Following this, through the leadership of another judge—raised by God--forgiveness was granted. When the Judge dies, the people returned to living sinful lives. The cycle repeated itself.

Postmodernism, says Dr. William Lane Craig in his book, Reasonable Faith (pg. 18), “is a myth.” He says, it “is one of the craftiest deceptions that Satan has yet devised.” You see, postmodernism (post-modernism or after modernism) is leading us to believe that modernism is over. But Dr. Craig says that is untrue. In modernism or in the age of modernism humanity used reason and science to deny the supernatural. So anything we cannot prove with our five senses is left to “a matter of taste and emotive expression.”

Today atheism, agnosticism and general skepticism are alive and well. So if we think modernism is over, Satan wants us to put aside “our best weapons of logic and evidence” in defence of the gospel, according to Dr. Craig. As Christians, the Bible tells us that no matter where we are “put here for the defense of the gospel,” (Phil. 1:16, NIV). We are also supposed to “knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments,” (2 Cor. 10:4, NLT). So we need to know what is happening in our societies and neighbourhoods and families and respond reasonably and appropriately without fear and to do so “with gentleness and respect” (1 Pet. 3:15).

Do You Want to be a Winner or Loser?

Phil 3:8 says, “ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” 

Everyone wants to win. No one wants to lose. Here is a hopeful information which is the truth: “…God our Savior… wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:3-4).

Society looks well and favourably on winners and looks down on losers. But society judges the winner by standards not in line with the Bible. Winning is often materialistic or related to materialism. Winning is often when people display glory for themselves but according to the Bible the glory should be given to God. All praises must be offered up to Him.

The apostle Paul gives us a good example in Philippians 3:8. Paul considers himself a winner as he has submitted his life to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. Paul has gained (1) knowledge of Christ; (2) righteousness of Christ and (3) the fellowship of Christ.  He was an educated Pharisee and despite his position. He had a great reputation as a scholar (Acts 26:24). He was proud of his Jewish heritage.

But later as a child of God he learned not only historical information about Jesus Christ; but he then had a personal relationship with the Lord as all practicing Christians do. Paul was spiritually bankrupt as a Pharisee, though righteousness was his goal then; but submitting to Christ as his Lord, he got rid of self-righteousness as a Pharisee and got the righteousness of Christ (1 Cor. 3:9). He also got fellowship with Christ as he prayed and obeyed Jesus in his Christian Walk (Phil. 3:10-11).

So what must we do if we want to be a winner? The Bible says, ‘for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom. 10:13).’ How then being saved makes us winners and not losers? When we are saved we are winners as we have eternal life with Christ; without salvation, we are losers as we have eternal death.

Can God Make Mistakes?

A few days ago, I have listened to a news station that interviewed an author of a new Bible with helps, who said that some of the Bible is in error. This author is well-known and taught Sunday school for more than 25 years. In his Bible with commentaries, he stated some of the errors of the Bibles so in summary he says the Bible is God’s Word but there are some parts that are fallible and others not—some parts with errors and other parts true.

But here is the problem we face. It is a problem in logic and later common sense.

God cannot err;

The Bible is God’s Word,

Therefore the Bible cannot err.

This is basic logic. So what is this author talking about? Once we are certain the integrity of the initial writings or Scriptures are intact as well as its copies, then there ought not to be any errors found. Scholars and Biblical researchers for years have proven the correctness of the Bible and the copies found, so what are the errors this well-known author is talking about.

He mentioned that the Bible is wrong about its view on homosexuality. He has plainly stated that he sees nothing wrong about people being gay naturally and that homosexuality is not a sin. So he is saying the apostle Paul is in error in (Romans 1:26-27, NIV):

^"26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

We have to be careful of the individual Bibles written; we have to be careful of those special Bibles written by a popular pastor or prominent public figure claiming to be a Christian. Then, such a popular person putting their individual interpretations of God’s Word, is dangerous.

Because of the author’s popularity, our children—young people and teens—can be fooled. Many adults who do not have knowledge will be fooled. In (Hosea 4:6, NASB), the Bible says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  “The Bible advises, “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;” (1 Thess. 5:21, NASB).   

Why Should I Be Good?

To answer this question we have to keep in mind people have different meanings of “what is the good or what goodness is?” ‘Why should I be good?’ is an ethical question.  It implies that an appraisal has to be been done by myself and or others of my behaviour.  This appraisal would determine the right things I have done, thought, or felt.  From this, we can therefore formulate the moral law. Therefore there must be a lawgiver.  To refer to “the right things,” I am suggesting there are ‘wrong things’ too.  For how can I affirm one, unless I believe that the other exists?  The next challenge is what is right for me, may not be right for another person. This is the attitude the world is pushing and even doing so to our children in high schools and youths attending colleges or universities.

Ethics, according to The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, is “the general study of right action” which “concerns the principles of right and wrong that govern our choices and pursuits.” (p. 286).  The German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, as explained in A Brief History of Western Philosophy, says, “the only thing that is good without qualification is good will” (Kenny, A. p. 270).  He says to act with duty is to exhibit this good will. Still he has not said what good means and by what standards are we to judge it.

Duty implies purpose.  This purpose is beneficial to both the individual and others.  Purpose seeks peace and activates goodness.  It motivates us to fulfill our natural duties in agreement with the moral law.  Now which moral law is Kant talking about? For if morality is different for different people then Kant maybe referring to some moral law that might be universal or accepted by all people. But here we have two ideas: (1) a moral law that is different for different people and (2) a moral law that is accepted by all persons. Now we have to wonder how did this moral law came about, for all people. Also we still have to be clear on how moral laws for different groups of people or different cultures or religions come about. 

Clearly we have a problem here. We have a problem of different standards. Can all these standards be right? Should there be one universal standard of right and wrong? Who will decide on these standards? God? What about people who do not believe in God? Whose standards will they accept or live by? Can we have goodness or can a person be good without God or belief in God? Who is to judge or decide on this question? Clearly there are many activities that are right for a Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Zoroastrian or Jew that vary. There are some that are common like “don’t steal;” “don’t kill” and so on. So how can we deal with the problem in society? How can we truthfully be fair to all people—no matter their country, class or creed? This question every individual has to deal with for it is real. So the question is not only, “Why Should I Be Good?” It is also, “How Can I Be Good?”

For me as a Christian it is simple. Be Christlike. The Bible says, "Imitate God," (Ephesians 5:1). The apostle Pauls says, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ," (1 Cor. 11:1). The Bible is God's Word, (2 Tim. 3:16). God's Word cannot be broken (John 10:35). But others will disagree of course.

Pain, Suffering, and Euthanasia

Do we have the right to end our own lives? Should doctor assisted suicides be made law? I read a flyer recently where it is doctor assisted suicide was legal on one country—even for teenagers. I was shocked. Now everyone gets pain; we all suffer to varying degrees; and some of us suffer so much pain daily in sickness that we just cannot take it anymore. We cannot move any of our limbs and we feel like vegetables and forever being attended too. I should not personalise or generalise this at all for I personally never had such experience. Good God I pray I don’t.

Such persons living with extreme pain and can’t go to the washroom by themselves or feed themselves often, according to many reports wish to die. But the argument continues even today. Do we have the right to end our own lives? Should doctor assisted suicides be made law? Some argue it is their own lives and bodies and they have free will so it is their right. Another view is that God created and gave life and human beings have no right to take lives. It is a matter for Him who gave and sustains life.

The thing that is most troubling is that many of us argue that it is wrong to take make euthanasia legal in some circumstances. But we argue this view often are not in daily pain and have to live our lives dependant on others. What is life? What is the meaning of life lived in this fashion. It is interesting to have the views of others. How does salvation work here? What then of the view of Karma? Feel free to share below.

God called But No one Answered

Is it our nature to be good or evil? Why is disobedience so easy? We get a little knowledge and we have pride; we discover a natural law and can heal some diseases, we no longer need God; we can replace organs and found remedies to many sicknesses and we replace science and medicine along with technology with God. We begin to question with cosmology whether or not God exists. We feel we have the right to choose and this choice depends on the person choosing.

God says, “I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen. And they did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight,” (Isaiah 66:4). This message is true today as it was at the time Isaiah stated it. God is passionately concerned about us. We humans are bent on doing evil. God wants all of us to be with Him in heaven. But the waywardness in Genesis is seen daily. Pride and disobedience.

Again in Ezekiel 18:23, 31-32, God asks, “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked? … Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies… Therefore, repent and live.” God truly wants all of us to be saved and have eternal life with Him.

But our hearts are so evil and tend easily to sin rather than to do good. Pop-psychology likes to say that everyone is basically good. That is our nature; but the Bible tells us differently. 

Too Busy To Go To Church

Recently one of the four horsemen of atheism, popularly called New Atheism, died. Many Christians prayed for him while he was ill and many had liked and admired him although they disagreed with him. The persons I come in contact with who said either they are atheists or agnostics, don’t see the value of church in society. Many friends who say they are Christians, are too busy to go to church but state that they regularly watch and contribute to a Television Ministry.  But should these ministries replace church attendance or should they be additional channels to help us build and feed ourselves?

Though theism or the belief in God is on the rise, the horsemen and sceptics continue in their work of publicly giving arguments why society does not need church or religion. One reason that many believers have held on to and use is that “they are too busy.” Our jobs now have us working on Sundays and some 24/7 that our financial needs make it easy for us to say, “we are too busy for church.” We need money for food, clothes, housing, education, medication, and all key services. Who can tell a believer or any individual, “make time for community worship!” in the face of an employer insisting work on Sundays or at other times where there is Bible study or prayer meeting?

Are you too busy for church? Have the sceptics given you sufficient arguments and reason to forget community worship?

The Reason for the Season

We have focussed so much on the material and monetary benefits of Christmas time that it seems we have lost the knowlege of the real reason for this season. Christmas is supposed to be the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Surely now there were pagan celebration around this time of the year, but the name Christmas Holidays points only to the joy of the birth of Jesus Christ.

This is sad. Without Jesus Christ we have no salvation, no empowerment by His Holy Spirit to achieve true success in life. The Bible tells us that "we" can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. Since through him all things were made and in him we have life everlasting.