Upcoming Review: Just War as Christian Discipleship

I got a copy of Just War as Christian Discipleship: Recentering the Tradition in the Church rather than the State by Dr. Daniel Bell Jr.  Dr. Bell was my Christian Ethics professor and faculty adviser when I was in seminary.  I thought I would review his book.  I quickly flipped through the book yesterday, and it seems to be very similar to the lectures we had concerning Just War.

Flashforward and Free Will

Flashforward is one of my favorite shows on TV.  I love it.  So, I decided to read Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer, the book which the show is based off of.  As I was reading, one of the conversations in the book jumped out to me. Before I continue, I need to make a small disclaimer: I am not a physicist.  I don’t really understand some of these concepts.  I’m looking at the theological implications here.

Dr. Lloyd Simcoe is holding a press conference, in which he explains that an experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is responsible for the flashforward.  Dr. Simcoe explains to the reporters the theory of spacetime proposed by Hermann Minkowski.  During this discussion, spacetime is compared to motion-picture frames being stacked up and ‘now’ is the frame that is currently illuminated.  The beginning and the end, the past and the future, as well as everything in between are already set in stone.  Dr. Simcoe then goes on and  gives his theory regarding visions people experienced during the flashforward and how, in his opinion, the future is set in stone.  This raises a question from Bernard Shaw, a reporter.  Below is the exchange between Dr. Simcoe and Bernard Shaw:

“You are saying the future is as immutable as the past?” said Shaw, looking more dubious than he usually did.

“Percisely.”

“But, Dr. Simcoe, with all due respect, that doesn’t seem to make sense.  I mean, what about free will?”

Lloyd folded his arms in front of his chest.  “There’s no such thing as free will.”

“Of course there is, ” said Shaw.

Lloyd smiled.  “I knew you were going to say that.  or more precisely, anyone looking at our Minkowski cubes from the outside knew you were going to say that – because it was already written in stone.”

“But how can that be?  We make a million decisions a day; each of them shapes our future.”

“You made a million decisions yesterday, but they are immutable – there is no way to change them, no matter how much we might regret some of them.  And you’ll make a million decisions tomorrow.  There’s no difference.  You think you have free will, but you don’t.”

“So, let me see if I understand you, Dr. Simcoe.  you’re contending that the visions aren’t of just one possible future.  Rather, they are of the future – the only one that exists.”

“Absolutely.  We really do live in a Minkowski block universe, and the concept of ‘now’ really is an illusion.  The future, the present, and the past are each just as real and just as immutable.

(Sawyer, 133)

In the book, it turns out the future is not set in stone.  One person who had a flashforward ended up committing suicide, while another prevented his own murder.

I look at this through a Christian lens, specifically a Lutheran lens.

Article XVIII: Of Free Will.

Of Free Will they teach that man’s will has some liberty to choose civil righteousness, and to work things subject to reason. But it has no power, without the Holy Ghost, to work the righteousness of God, that is, spiritual righteousness; since the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, 1 Cor. 2:14; but this righteousness is wrought in the heart when the Holy Ghost is received through the Word. These things are said in as many words by Augustine in his Hypognosticon, Book III: We grant that all men have a free will, free, inasmuch as it has the judgment of reason; not that it is thereby capable, without God, either to begin, or, at least, to complete aught in things pertaining to God, but only in works of this life, whether good or evil. “Good” I call those works which spring from the good in nature, such as, willing to labor in the field, to eat and drink, to have a friend, to clothe oneself, to build a house, to marry a wife, to raise cattle, to learn divers useful arts, or whatsoever good pertains to this life. For all of these things are not without dependence on the providence of God; yea, of Him and through Him they are and have their being. “Evil” I call such works as willing to worship an idol, to commit murder, etc.  They condemn the Pelagians and others, who teach that without the Holy Ghost, by the power of nature alone, we are able to love God above all things; also to do the commandments of God as touching “the substance of the act.” For, although nature is able in a manner to do the outward work, (for it is able to keep the hands from theft and murder,) yet it cannot produce the inward motions, such as the fear of God, trust in God, chastity, patience, etc.

(Book of Concord, Article XVIII)

I firmly believe that we have free will.  Does God know what we are going to do before we do it?  Yes.  I believe that God is omniscient.  But, God allows me to make a decision.  Example:  God knows before hand that I will lie to my wife to avoid getting in trouble (FYI, this never works), but God does not will me to lie to my wife.  Why?  That would go against God’s character.  God is love.  Because of that, God doesn’t want me to lie to my wife because lying does not show love.  I have a choice.  I can chose to lie or I can chose to tell the truth.

*     *     *     *     *

Sayer, Robert J.  Flashforward.  New York: Tor, 1999.

Why Christmas is on December 25

Biblical Archeological Review has an excellent post on the origin of Christmas and how Christmas became associated with December 25 (Spoiler alert: It’s not because of a pagan holiday).  It’s well worth the read.  If you chose not to read the article, see the bold, red text.

Jesus or Terminator: I’ll Be Back?

Umm…since when did Jesus speak like the Terminator?  I don’t recall Jesus ever saying he would return in this way.  Come again in glory, yes.

Ok, so I just had to check out this Team Jesus USA thing.

Mission

1. To go anywhere, To do anything to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. To continue the great commission.
3. To use the power of agape love to win souls.
4. To finish the work as a team that God pre-ordained for our lives in our generation.
5. To sacrifice everything and anything to please our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
6. To operate in the power that Jesus Christ gave the disciples to do the work effectively.
7. To be all things to all men to win some.

Ok, 1 and 2…understandable, although the second part of 1 does sound like works righteousness.  Everything thing else is works righteousness.  I feel dirty just looking at their website.

Immanuel

Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.  And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.  But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).  When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Today we hear the story of the call of Joseph.  Joseph is unique in that very little is mentioned about the man who was the earthly father of Jesus.  Yes, we have the figure of Joseph in our nativity set.  Some churches even cast someone to play the part of Joseph, but he’s often treated as an extra.  We know more about Santa Claus than we do about Joseph, and Santa Claus does not exist except in the imaginations of millions of children around the world.  But here’s a shocking bit of information, although it is something we all know.  This passage is not about Joseph.  At its heart, this passage is about Christ.

Immanuel.  God with us.  This is a common theme throughout both Judaism and Christianity.  Throughout the whole of salvation history, God has been a God who has come down to meet us where we are.  In fancy theological terms, we call this a theophany.  This is what makes the Lord God unique.  The Lord God comes to meet us where we are.  No other god comes down to meet with and walk amongst his people.  Sure the Greek gods came down from Mt. Olympus, but it wasn’t for the same reason and the Lord God.

The Spirit of God hovered over the waters of creation.  God came down and walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  God came down and guided his people out of Egypt as a pillar of smoke during the day and as a pillar of fire during the night.  God came down to Mt. Sinai to give Moses the Ten Commandments.  God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit during our baptisms.

And then there is the ultimate act of Immanuel, the birth of the Christ Child.  God became truly human and took on the full weight of human sin, died, and was raised from the dead after three days.  God comes and meets us where we are.

Sometimes Immanuel meets and exceeds our every expectation; God showing his power to provide for his people.  And then there are the times in which Immanuel is everything but what we expected; God sending of his Son to a carpenter and his wife to be, not to powerful leader.

This is something that is often overlooked especially during the Christmas season.  For the most part, we fall into one of two camps.  There’s the “me” group, mainly focused only on what they are getting for Christmas.  And there’s the “gotta-get-it-done group” which focuses on cleaning the house, wrapping the gifts, baking the cookies, etc.  In other words, they have to get it done before company arrives.  Very few people take the time to really think about what the Christmas season is really about.  Very few people think about the ultimate gift God gave us out of pure love.  This gift of God, God’s only Son, Jesus the Christ, is the one to save his people from their sins.  Notice how God works to save his people.  It’s not from up high in heaven.  God becomes human.  Immanuel.  There’s one passage that so completely sums up this ultimate gift of God and it’s one we all know by heart.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

For us as Christians, this season is about hope, anticipation, and preparation.  Not only do we prepare for and anticipate the Christ-child, we also prepare for and anticipate Christ’s second coming.  We prepare for and anticipate Immanuel.  That is the true meaning of Christmas, the hope and promise of salvation brought by Immanuel as a free gift of God.

Recent Lack of Posts

Ok, I know, I’ve been awful at posting here lately.  Things are absolutely insane and will probably continue to be until the end of the year.  The senior pastor of the church I work at is pretty much gone until Christmas Eve and the associate pastor is on active duty until the end of September, so that leaves me.  Hopefully things will ease up in the new year.  Bear with me, my New Year’s resolution is to post more.

Paedo vs Credo Baptism

There has been a recent string of threads on Theologica concerning baptism: is baptism necessary for salvation? and is infant baptism (paedobaptism) or believers’ baptism (credobaptism) the correct application for the sacrament.  I clearly fall on the paedobaptism side.  I firmly believe in infant baptism.  Although, and you won’t have to push me hard on this one, infant baptism was not the norm until about the fourth century CE.

There is a long standing debat within my family as to which of my baptisms (yes, you read right…that’s baptisms…plural) is the valid one.  Some back history.  I was baptized as an infant in the Catholic Church (this is affectionally referred to as my “Christneing” by my family).  I was also baptized in the Baptist Church when I was a teenager.  Like I said earlier, I’m a paedobaptist, so naturally, I affirm my first baptism as the valid one and refer to the second one as an “affirmation of baptism in which I was dunked” (or my second bath that day…just depends on the response I want to provoke).

The problem I have with credobaptism is it sometimes comes off as being a work, something we do in an attempt to earn salvations rather than something God does to us.  Example:  I can remember going to visit my parents church after my first year of seminary.  My mother was telling me of a trip she and some members of the church took to Mississippi to help with the hurricane relief.  She said that one person was so moved by the trip that he had to be baptized again…for the third time.  I arched my eyebrow and asked if the first two didn’t take?  Not a wise move on my part because I was at a reception for this person and he heard me.  I think I offended him…just alittle.  At least I didn’t offer to give him a true “third baptism” (note: that would have involved a cinder block, rope and a river…you get my drift).  This man turned baptism into a work and comepletely did away with God’s grace.  Or God’s grace wan’t enough.  Either way, soemthing very wrong happened.  I partially blame the pastor.  He should have told this paishioner, “Hell no!”

The point I’m making is this, either we “acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sin” or it’s not.  Either baptism is a means of grace or it’s a work.

His Dark Materials

So I just finished the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman.  I have to admit, I wasn’t really impresses with the series as a whole.  I thought the first book was pretty good, but the second and third books went downhill fast.  I thought the third book just ended.  I was expecting more than a chapter for the “final battle”.  There was all this build-up to nothing.  The whole thing withFather Gomez was a big let down.

As a Christian, I wasn’t bothered by what Pullman wrote.  In fact, I was kind of puzzled.  I know that it was a fantasy series.  I’ve read lots of fantasy books in my life, but these had me scratching my head.  Things like Dust, dæmons/souls, , the land of the dead, and angels are not necessary for a fiction book.  Several good fiction books don’t have these things.  They aren’t even needed for a criticism of Christianity or religion in general.  But here they are in this series.  I have to wonder why.  I might be missing something here though.

Blogging Through ‘The Genesis Enigma’-Part 1

The next book in my Blogging Through series is The Genesis Enigma: Why the Bible is Scientifically Accurate by Andrew Parker.  Andrew Parker is a Royal Society University Research Fellow at Oxford University, and one of the eight “Scientists for a New Century” selected by the Royal Institution (London).

From the inside cover:

Andrew Parker is known by many as the scientist to best explain biology’s Big bang theory of the diversity of life that emerged during the Cambrian period (542 to 488 million years ago).  Now he has a powerful, prodond, and more personal discovery to report.  Simply put, he has found the divine withing the confines of scientific thought.

Sounds interesting.  Like I did with Fabricating Jesus, I will be blogging about the book as I read throug it.  Feel free to comment.

Today’s Ultrasound Excitement

So if you’ve not been following, or are new, my wife is about 21-weeks pregnant.  We went in to have our big ultrasound done today.  Everything is looking good f0r both mom and baby.

Oh, and we found out…it’s a girl!!! (For those keeping score, I guessed it )  Acutally, I would have been just as excited if it was a boy. 

It is really is a miracle.