Something to Talk About

2007-06-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

Immaculee Ilibagiza
Left To Tell

Part 1

Part 2

Immaculee Ilibagiza
Left To Tell

2007-05-25T01:38:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

2007-04-22T23:06:00.000-07:00

Larry Norman
Happy Birthday My Brother!

2007-03-05T22:29:00.000-08:00

Andrae Crouch & CeCe Winans

2007-02-27T22:09:00.000-08:00

Finding God in the Other

Samir Selmanovic - FaithHouse Manhattan
click on link

2007-02-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

Encounter Point
great point of view . . . the true Heart of God

2007-02-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

The Tune
Larry Norman

2007-02-16T23:44:00.000-08:00

Something To Think About
islam in america

2007-02-09T21:47:00.000-08:00

OUR DEEPEST FEAR

"Our deepest fear is NOT that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, NOT our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?'; Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel unsure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us, IT IS WITHIN EVERYONE! As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

- Nelson Mandela

This really spoke to me as I read it. Read it again and again until it gets into your very being. Allow it to build your self-confidence. May God bless you today!

Love, Tammy Faye

Without a doubt Tammy Faye is one of the Great Women of God that this generation has seen.
It truly is never over until it is over.

2007-01-30T10:39:00.000-08:00

Juan Mann - One Love
this is the one that started it all . . .

2006-12-31T00:53:00.000-08:00

Stephen Baldwin Brings Back Some Old-Time Religion— with a Book and Reality TV

September 05, 2006 - By Kimberly Maul

The Unusual Suspect: My Calling to the New Hardcore Movement of Faith

The youngest Baldwin brother has taken a path his famous siblings are hardly known for: passionate, loudly voiced religious beliefs and conservative political leanings. Now Stephen Baldwin, a Republican—no relation there between him and old-school liberal, big brother Alec Baldwin—is speaking out with a heartier mission than ever, with The Unusual Suspect: My Calling to the New Hardcore Movement of Faith.

Warner Faith will release the book on Sept. 19. Stevie B., as he likes to call himself, is known for his role in The Usual Suspects, Bio-Dome and two seasons of Celebrity Mole. But after he turned to Christianity soon after Sept. 11, 2001, the actor’s focus shifted. He eventually founded Livin’ It, a tour featuring extreme sports and well, extreme evangelism. It has spawned DVDs, books and a clothing line. “My ministry is motivated to hopefully change the way the youth culture thinks about what it means to be a person of faith,” Baldwin said. He mentions hardcore music, extreme sports and “gnarly” people as means that separate his ministry apart from other Christian programs. And “the same goes for the book,” the actor-cum-preacher told The Book Standard recently.

The Book Standard: Why did your book come about?

Stephen Baldwin: I’m so blown away with the experience that I’ve been having in this connection that I’ve made to God, that I thought it would be fun to put it into my own words. Also, it was the perception of many of my friends and family that it might bless some others.

TBS: Are you hoping Christians will read the book or were you writing for people who don’t share your beliefs?

SB: Well, it’s really for everyone. My prayer for the book is two-fold. I pray that people who don’t have a relationship with God will close the back cover of the book and say, “If this guy, for who he is and where he’s from and what he’s experienced so far, if he’s having this much fun in his walk of faith, then maybe I might become willing to consider it.” I tell people all the time, when God called Stephen Baldwin potentially to faith, he didn’t want me to stop being Stephen Baldwin, he just wanted me to stop sinning to the best of my abilities. So that’s one thing. And then for the Christians who read the book, the thing that I wanted, hopefully, is [to ask] are they sure that they are following their true calling? Have they gone through a certain process of really going into prayer and reading the Bible and going before God and saying, “What is your will for my life?” Because that is what I did and the answer freaked me out in a very positive way.

TBS: Would you classify The Unusual Suspect as an autobiography or more of a religious book about Christianity and the “hard-core” movement that you associate with?

SB: Well, I jokingly call it “The Gospel According to Stevie B.” I said some things in the book that I’m getting a lot of flack about—people are saying, “Well you can’t talk about sex and you can’t talk about this.” Well, as long as it’s sex with your wife and as long as it’s within a decent taste [it’s ok]. I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired of the Christian movement being so stuffy and farty. The whole thing’s gotta relax. It’s the reason why people are so against it here in America.

TBS: How do you feel about the media fixating on things like your “bringing God into your marriage,” which is what the media calls “threesomes with God”?

SB: The media is usually trying to sell something, whether it’s a newspaper, magazine or whatever. I’ll be honest with you. Don’t think that I didn’t know when I was writing the book with Mark Tabb, that there were moments when I looked at him and said, “Should I say that?” And he went, “Go for it!” Meanwhile, he’s not the one that’s going to get beat up in the media. For me, I’m interested in sharing my experience, being who I am, hopefully not getting in too much trouble in the process, although that’s a little bit of fun now and again. So, that’s part of where I’m coming from in the book, part of what I’m doing. I’m trying to shake it up a little bit without getting out of hand.

TBS: How has your family reacted to your outspokenness about your faith?

SB: Everybody’s been pretty cool so far. Again, that’s because I don’t sit there and beat anybody over the head. I don’t know which Christian leader said this—gosh, I hope it wasn’t Jesus, I should know that is what I’m saying—“As often as you can, preach the gospel. And when absolutely necessary, use words.” I know that’s a bit of a cliché, but I really believe that walking the walk to the best of your ability as opposed to talking that talk, unless when it’s necessary. I have been outspoken, but in certain Hollywood situations or in social circles, I know when I walk in a room that everybody’s thinking, “Oh there’s the Jesus freak.” And my response then, in my heart is “Amen! You’re right! Absolutely!” And I don’t apologize for it. At the same time, when I’m standing there, people come up to me and they’re curious because somewhere in their hearts, most people are searching. And they want to have that satisfaction in life. They want to be absolutely certain that who they are and where they are at answers the question “What’s life all about?” And for me, I’ve found that answer. It’s an exciting time for me. And that’s about to becoming very exemplified in a new VH1 reality show I’m doing later this year.

TBS: What will your new VH1 reality show be about?

SB: I met with the president of VH1 recently to pitch him another reality concept for a show and I was there with my manager and my producing partner and this gentleman started asking me questions about my walk of faith and what I’m doing. I’m in there for one thing and I came out of there—this is six months ago—entertaining the notion of doing Stephen Baldwin as a reality show about launching my own ministry for next year. It’s a done deal, the show’s going forward. But we don’t know what the name of it is going to be or anything like that. So, right now it’s kind of in development. It’s exciting too to do a kick butt rock-and-roll ministry concept for VH1.

TBS: What will the ministry that will be the focus of the show be like?

SB: It’s going to be Living’ It on steroids, basically. It’s going to be an arena tour and it’s just going to be really a production that will be similar to Tony Hawk’s skate tour, with some really kick butt Christian rock-and-roll bands. A lot of the Christian festivals today have an element of hardcore, but even that is in the minority. With this tour, called the Uprising Core Tour, I want it to be this thing that is legitimate to the street and can compete with Ozzfest or any of that stuff. I want it to be something where kids who are believers or nonbelievers can come to an arena and can have an entertainment experience that is just as fun as the other stuff out there, but you’re going to get this positive message somewhere in the experience.

TBS: What was your favorite movie to work on in your past?

SB: Underneath it all, I’m really quite a goofball. With that in mind, The Flintstones was really the most fun I had on a movie. It was just a blast. Barney Rubble, in my youth, was one of my heroes, so obviously the opportunity for me to recreate that on that kind of a scale and make it believable was very challenging. I can’t tell you the number of kids every month that stare at me on line at a Stop & Shop and they’re kinda looking at me from the corner of their eye and when the mom or somebody says, “Oh, he’s an actor.” I’ll say, “Have you seen The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas?” They just flip out. It’s just the cutest thing.

TBS: Do you regret any of your movies?

SB: Well sure, there were some pictures [I regret]. What I pride myself on, as far as the choices I’ve made in my career, is that I met the director, I met the writer, I met the producers and what initially seemed like a really good effort, didn’t always come out that way. I’ve been very blessed. I’ve made over 60 movies in a little over 15 years and I’ve done way more work. I’ve been very fortunate to succeeded as much as I have. I joke around and I tell people, when I was growing up, I should probably still be on a lifeguard stand somewhere on Long Island. God’s been very good to the Baldwin family and I consider it a blessing. For me, sure, there’s probably two or three of those suckers in there that in retrospect, I might not have done. But it all happened for a reason, so I’m cool with it.

Move over George Bailey . . .

2006-12-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

The is a lot of "things to talk about" in this film. You got to love Sly. The greatest film I have seen since The Nativity Story. Rocky has had a "Wonderful Life" too. 10 thumbs up!

2006-12-19T23:41:00.000-08:00

Wise Men Still Seek Him!
The Nativity Story

10 thumbs up!

2006-11-27T21:45:00.000-08:00

Ted Haggard's Thanksgiving

By Deborah Anderson - The Vashon Loop

It was a tough call at election time whether Ted Haggard’s gay affairs or Sadaam’s death sentence were going to be the pop culture swing vote. I feel really sorry for poor old Ted.

Really I do.

For those of you who see yet another Christian clergy taking a dive on walking the walk as the excuse to bow out of being a part of a faith community, let me let you in on a secret. Clergy sexual misconduct is as common as kids learning to ride a bike. If the protestant church ever truly reveals it’s occurrence, it’s going to make those Catholic priests with their little boys look like teacher of the year. Really.
There was a time when I thought if I’d heard one more minister confess his insincerity in service or sexual addiction, I was going to encourage everyone to play golf on Sunday. It’s just so annoying. I mean, for heaven’s sake, Grace is one of the all time gifts of eternity. Why on earth would a person spend all that time in church meetings and never actually get to enjoy the privilege of the freedom, peace, joy, love and sheer fun and adventure that comes from walking the Christian walk?
Actually, there’s a very important study that was done that showed that most pastors were not in the ministry because of God, but because they enjoyed being worshipped. They weren’t very good at social intimacy and being a pastor gave them the distance from that little skill they needed. So what?

So, pastors’ screwing up (pun intended) is no reason to ignore God and all the blessings God bequeaths us. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater is silly. Rabbis and Imams are just as human. In fact, God’s biggest challenge has been getting the message of love and forgiveness to the laity despite the fact that some of his highest profile ambassadors are really bad at representing God’s message.

As you push back from the Thanksgiving groaning board and prepare for the race to the New Year, may I make one suggestion (Why , of course, Deborah. Please do. I heard you say)?

Make this the season you rediscover God. Knowing you are loved by God is the best present anyone can receive. We celebrate two great truths about God in the next six weeks. First of all, that God will always protect us and supply our needs. If you’re in a time when you doubt that truth, look for the eight days worth of oil in your life.
Secondly, you don’t have to do a thing about earning God’s love. It’s a free gift. All you have to do is acknowledge it. Say yes to being in a relationship with God. That’s the starting point. This season is a time of faith renewal. Share the love God has poured on you with others. Pray for those who stumble. Ignore those who would take you out of God’s love and care. Take time each day to deepen the faith you have.

And to start with, Happy Thanksgiving.

2006-11-17T19:46:00.000-08:00

An Absence of Awe
By Chris Seiple
President of the Institute for Global Engagement
November 1, 2006

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance of the Jews will arise from another place…who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

Esther 4:14

Next week we Americans will go to the polls and vote amidst uneasy and trying times. Abroad, the world appears to be going to hell-in-a-hand-basket. From nukes in North Korea and soon Iran, to the seeming morass of Iraq, to the threat of terrorism, we are physically threatened.

At home, both political parties provide simplistic positions to motivate their base while avoiding complex issues. Indeed, among the people I talk to, Republicans are repulsed by their leadership’s inability to speak clearly on torture, to be honest about Iraq and Congressional scandals, and to spend taxpayer dollars responsibly; while Democrats are disgusted by their leadership’s inability to provide a viable alternative. The result is two parties defined against each other — instead of by what they are for — serving no one, not even themselves.

It is no wonder that perceptions of America abroad, and American perceptions of politicians at home, are at all time lows.

Yet Christians belong to both parties, and are therefore a part of the problem. Is it possible that we Christians, who are called to a “more excellent way,” can set a different tone for our country — individually and corporately — no matter our political differences?

I think the answer is yes. But we have to overcome our “absence of awe” for God and the way He works his will in human affairs. This absence is often particularly evident in our conduct toward one another in political life — a conduct that loudly proclaims that we feel we are the center of the universe and that we are more important than our neighbor.

If Christians who happen to be Americans are called to love their neighbor during this election season, then we must forge ahead by recovering our awe for the living God of history, and the gifts He has given us, especially the stewardship of our democracy. Fortunately, God provides some principles for living shrewdly amidst geopolitical complexity and local politics through the example of Esther.

Esther, a Jewish orphan in exile, grew up in Persia (Iran) during the 5th century B.C. Raised by the devout Jew, Mordechai, she won a national beauty contest as a young woman and became the wife of King Xerxes, and Queen of Persia. However, the King’s senior advisor became angry with the Jews because of Mordechai’s devout example. He then planned, and won the King’s approval for, genocide against all the Jews throughout Xerxes’ Middle East kingdom. Esther shrewdly used her influence to not only defeat the advisor, but protect and preserve — through the rule of law — her minority faith’s right to worship freely.

This remarkable result hinged on Mordechai’s challenge to Esther (cited above). Christians can interpret and apply this challenge in one of two ways. The first manner is selfish, focusing only on that famous phrase, “for such a time as this.” By considering this last part of the verse in isolation, Christians over-spiritualize allegedly unique moments, seeing what they want to see. As a result, any collection of coincidences becomes an opportunity to see God’s hand of validation — from our desire for parking spaces to personal prosperity to our political positions. The created, not the Creator, is the point of reference.

The second interpretation is not afraid to claim the phrase “for such a time as this,” but it does so only in the context of Mordechai’s admonition at the beginning of the verse: If not you, Esther, “deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place...”

Interpreted in its complete context, the Creator is now the point of reference. God will provide for the Jews ... because He can. God is sovereign. He does not need you, Esther, but this is a chance for you to be obedient. Esther, this is a chance for you to steward the gifts and opportunities that God has given you for His sake, not yours.

Esther understands the moment, and moves intentionally against the policy of genocide. Curiously, she does not organize a simplistic advertising campaign that misconstrues the facts or insults the opposition.

Instead, Esther fasts.

She waits upon God for wisdom and discernment. With the resulting peace, and insight, she tricks the King’s advisor — who considers the moment as “such a time” for his own political gain — into moving too quickly. He hangs himself politically, and then is hung by the King for his treachery.

Most intriguing about this account is the fact that the name of God is not mentioned once in the entire book of Esther. It doesn’t need to be. His name is revealed and revered not so much by what Mordechai and Esther do — or even say — but in how they do it. His voice still speaks to us today through their character, through their relentlessly redeeming example of faithfulness, humility, and obedience.

It is a voice that we Christians would do well to remember as we consider the example we set for each other, and the world:

The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars ...
The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert…
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare.
And in His temple all cry, “Glory!”
...the Lord is enthroned as King forever. (Psalm 29:4-5, 7-10)

Does the living God of history speak through your example? Do your words and actions reflect a profound awe for the Creator of the universe? Is your life, to the best of your human ability, an honest attempt to be obedient — where “such a time as this” is reverentially revealed in every moment of a life humbly spent seeking the face of God? Is He the point of reference, not you?

Or, is “such a time as this” a chance to validate your political position, as well as your latest efforts to gain wealth, prestige, and influence?

There are no easy answers and, truth be told, most of us, beginning with me, spend the majority of our time validating our selfishness.

So here’s a suggestion for my fellow American Christians: fast.

Sometime before the election, find the time to fast, and seek the face of God. As you fast, listen for His voice. Seek wisdom and discernment about how best to love your neighbor in these complex and divisive times, as you also steward that gift from an awesome God that is your American citizenship.

China will never be the same . . .

2006-11-14T15:03:00.000-08:00

In Their Own Words . . .

2006-11-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

"Why I Chose Jesus"
by J. Dudley Woodberry and Russell G. Shubin

A survey of Muslim-background believers gives the Christian community an opportunity to hear what fellow Christ-followers found attractive in Christ-centered faith.

THE SCOPE OF ISLAMIC INFLUENCE on the world seems to be growing. Images of Islam are increasingly prevalent. Nine states in Nigeria, Africa's most populous statehave just adopted Shariaor Islamic law. Public demonstrations of devotion in Islam can be seen throughout the world. Given the dedication evidenced by faithful public prayer, one may not be unwarranted in presuming that both satisfaction and allegiance run high. Yet, in nearly every corner of the world, even in nations that have an overwhelming Muslim dominance, people from Muslim backgrounds are coming to faith in Christ. Exact figures are elusive. In some areas a shift of allegiance to Christ is happening on a fairly grand scale, with bold, public professions of faith. In many other places, believers in Christ live very low-key lives, using great discretion as to whom they disclose their faith commitment. Increasingly prevalent are the small, secret groups of a few faithful followers that meet on a regular basis, sometimes not disclosing their new-found faitheven to their family.

Between these two extremes, followers of Isa (the Qur'anic name for Jesus) meet and worship in a variety of other contexts and worship in a number of different forms. These quiet practitioners, as well as the prevalence of governments predisposed against any shift in religious affiliation, make it difficult to state definitively how many have proclaimed new-found faith in Christ. The centerpiece of their faith, however, is the same. They havewhether one by one or family by familybeen drawn to the God-man Jesus Christ. And for their spiritual direction, they have found one book that stands out above all others: the Bible. And more than any other portion of scripture, these believers are attracted to the Sermon on the Mount.

One Javanese man who read the whole Bible echoes the thoughts of many about the Sermon on the Mount, saying, "If the life of a Christian is like that, I wanted to become a Christian." The fastest growing religion In a number of respects, Islam actually is growing faster than Christianity. Islam's growth rate of 2.15 percent annually does exceed Christianity's rate of 1.45 percent. It is worth pointing out, however, that 96 percent of the growth of Islam is attributable to biological growthchildren born into Muslim families. Islam is flourishing in parts of the world where population growth is high. Christianity, increasingly decentralized, has its traditional base in parts of the world where population growth is quite slow or has come to a standstill. Thus, the overall trends do show Islam growing faster than Christianity.

Conversion growth is where you find quite a contrast. According to figures presented in the 2000 edition of the World Christian Encyclopedia, each year some 950,000 people convert to Islam from some other persuasion. Christianity, by contrast, sees some 2.7 million each year shift their affiliation to Christianityand presumably their allegiance to Christ from some other religion. But a broad pattern is obvious: people that live in Muslim-dominated lands pay a heavy price for placing their faith in Christ. Family members, in particular, can exert tremendous pressure on a new believer. The place of persecution is considered at more length later. Suffice it to say that the believer from Jordan who was permanently cut off from his family is not really an extreme example. His father had recently died. He was informed that he, too, was considered dead. When we consider the price that is frequently paid by those who have come to faith in Christ, a natural question comes to mind:

What was it about Jesus or the Christian faith that they found to be sufficiently compelling, making them willing to pay such a heavy price? What has God's Spirit used to reveal to them that He is worthy of following, regardless of the price?

The question is really quite simple, but relevant for the missionary and the common devotee of Jesus alike. During the past ten years, an extensive questionnaire compiled at Fuller Theological Seminary's School of World Mission has been filled out by some 600 Muslim-background believers (or those who knew them well). The results provided here are drawn from a representative sample of 120 of those surveys. The respondents are drawn from 39 countries and over 50 ethnic groups. They provide a broad window into the hearts and minds of those who have turned from Islam to Christ. In a number of cases, the responses surveys substantiate what missionaries have often thought. In other cases, what these new believers have found compelling is somewhat unexpected and eye-opening.

Most frequently, there is a healthy sense of awe as one gains first-hand appreciation of the tools the Spirit has used to draw people to faith in the crucified and risen Savior. What follows is essentially a summary reportan opportunity to let the heart of the convert be heard. An effort has been made for it not to be why they should or ought to have been drawn, but rather why they say they were drawn. Most of the prominent factors for conversion are interrelated. At times, people would express a great number of these subjects as factors in their conversion. In the end, they serve as complementary components that contribute to making a relationship with Christ irresistible. A sure salvation It is an issue that touches on a longing concern for much of humanity. The question of one's eternal destiny haunts many who long for the hope of heaven and the sure knowledge that they have been saved from the penalty of their sins.

The Qur'an states that salvation belongs to "those that believe and do deeds of righteousness, those are the inhabitants of Paradise, there they shall dwell forever."

1 Yet it also states that God forgives whom He wills and chastises whom He wills.

2 In practice, then, the sure hope of salvation looms at least a bit elusive for many, even the most devoted Muslims. One Indonesian woman was taught in her Islamic family that the bridge to heaven was as thin as a piece of hair. This tradition is found in the canonical collection of the activities and sayings of Muhammad (the hadith). Even good deeds, she was taught, would not assure her of crossing safely into Paradise. This hair-thin bridge was difficult and dangerous to cross. For her, a key factor in coming to faith in Christ was the realization that she could not save herselfonly the blood of Christ could redeem her.

A West African woman wanted to know for certain at the point of her conversion that her sins had been forgiven and washed away. When a Persian émigré to the United States was asked if Christ had given him freedom from fear, he said, "Oh yes, I feel more forgiven, more assurance of forgiveness." For these and others, what they have found in Christ is an eternal, secure refuge. An Egyptian man stated more broadly and unequivocally that the main attraction of Christianity for a Muslim is the assurance of salvation. A Javanese man said simply, "After I received Jesus, I had confidence concerning the end of my life." Jesus While Christ is the clear centerpiece of the new-found faith of all Muslim converts, in some respects the person of Jesus can be recognized as the particular cause and most persuasive attraction. Simply put, Christ's character is frequently seen by the Muslim as overwhelmingly attractive. A Pakistani immigrant to the United States was particularly attracted by Christ's refusal to retaliate when maltreated. This man notes that "he bore it, he never retaliated." Even though almost all Muslims believe that Christ was not crucified,

3. the Qur'an certainly accepts His opponents' intention to kill Him and His willingness to die thus. So the report of a Persian who says he was attracted to Christ before he was attracted to Christianity is not an anomaly for Muslims. Christ is revered in Islam. There are a number of passages whose meaning is disputed, but Christ is, at minimum, seen as a prophet.

4. A West African man was drawn by the humility of Christ and the revelation that Christ was not tainted by sin. Though it often goes unmentioned, Christ is portrayed in the Qur'an as being without fault.

5. Muhammad, in contrast, is told to ask forgiveness for his sins.

6. When asked what particular teachings of Christianity attracted him, an Egyptian man stated simply, "the crucified Messiah." A holy book: the power of the Bible The Torah, the Psalms (Zabur) and the Gospel (commonly understood as the New Testament) are all revered by Muslims as holy books. Though many are unfamiliar with the content of scripture, they find it quite compelling once they begin to read. For one Lebanese Muslim, Christ's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount was most instrumental at the point of his conversion. A North African believer was touched by Christ's love for the poor, the downtrodden, the outcast. Another man was attracted by these qualities in Christ's followers.

He saw Christians as the only people who care deeply about justice for the poor and oppressed. Then you will know the truth. Others have finally found in the Bible a truth that they found to be plausible. In searching the Bible, one Pakistani believer found answers to many questions that had concerned him. After his appreciation for the Bible grew, he felt he had been deceived by those who taught him that the Bible had been corrupted. A North African found in the Bible teaching that was plausibly the truth, and it satisfied him intellectually. An Egyptian who came to faith in Christ found that the Bible helped him see the true character of God. He had growing doubt about the Qur'an, but the Bible, he said, was "powerful and satisfying."

Similarly, an Iranian says, "The Bible makes sense, it is reasonable and logical; it is relevant and not culture-bound." I have had a dream For someone who has not had extended exposure to Muslim-background believers in Christ, probably the most striking surprise is the powerful role that dreams and visions have played in drawing people to Jesus. Though dreams may play an insignificant role in the conversion decisions of most Westerners, over one-fourth of those surveyed state quite emphatically that dreams and visions were key in drawing them to Christ and sustaining them through difficult times.

Rick Love, International Director of Frontiers, has recognized the pattern as well. He writes that, "Just as God used a vision to convert Paul, in like manner He reveals Himself to Muslims through dreams and visions. Just as God prepared Cornelius to hear the Gospel through a vision, so God is preparing a multitude of Muslims to respond to His good news."7 One believer from Guinea recounts the dream of a figure whom he later believed to be Christ. The figure was in a white robe, calling the man to come to Him. In a related dream, he recalls that the same figure's arms were extended, beckoning him.

Dreams of this type have become recognized as a pattern of work among Muslims. Though there are variations, Christ appearing in a white robe is a recurring image among those who have had dreams and visions. Similarly, a Muslim Malay woman was drawn by a vision she had of her Christian parents who had died. She saw them rejoicing with others in heaven. Jesus, appearing in a white robe, said, "If you want to come to me, just come." Feeling that she had tried her entire life to reach God without success, she now saw God initiating the effort to reach her through Jesus. A convert from the Middle East who had been afflicted with severe headaches was lying on his bed after having prayed for his sick son. A man with a beautiful, peaceful face appeared. Dressed in white, the figure walked to the head of the man's bed and touched him three times on the head.

The next morning his headaches were gone. His son, too, was fully healed. Understandably, he now recounts with confidence, "I believe in prayer in the name of the Christ." The great majority of dreams seem to fall into one of two broad categories. The first could be considered the preparatory dream. Like Christ appearing in a white robe, the vision confirms thoughts or conversations one has been having about Christ or the Christian faith. The second could be called the empowering dream. Here the dream or vision commonly gives the believer strength in the face of persecution. Short of persecution, it may embolden believers, strengthening the nature of their witness. Preparatory. One Sunni woman from the Arabian Peninsula had a figure appear to her in a dream, telling her to visit a Christian woman she knew. The figure, who she was later convinced was Christ, told her this woman would teach her. Prior to his conversion, a Persian man had a vision. In it, he was falling in darkness over a cliff and was saved by a light holding onto his back. In a fascinating twist on God's use of dreams and sleep, one Algerian recounted how she heard her sleeping Muslim grandmother say, "Jesus is not dead. I want to tell you He is here."

A West African man recounts a succinct, yet powerful vision he had prior to conversion. He saw a devout Muslim in hell and a poor Christianwho couldn't afford to give almsin heaven. A voice explained to him that the difference was belief in Jesus. Empowering.

A North African believer found the needed strength to face his imprisonment from a dream he had while imprisoned for his faith. In it, he saw thousands of believers pouring through the streets of his city, openly proclaiming their faith in his restricted country. While in prison, he was tortured, suspended upside-down naked for hours, beaten with electrified rods and repeatedly threatened with execution. His vision of a day when people of his country would openly proclaim their faith in the streets gave him great strength to persevere through this most difficult time. Encounter. Though not strictly a dream or a vision, a number of Muslim-background believers have had a significant supernatural encounter that was instrumental in drawing them to Jesus.

One Egyptian Muslim was reading the Injil (Gospel), when he came to Luke 3, where the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. God said, "This is my son, in whom I am well pleased." As he read those words, a stormy wind broke into his room. A voice spoke to him saying, "I am Jesus Christ, whom you hate. I am the Lord whom you are looking for." He recalls that he "wept and wept, accepting Jesus from that time." Whatever personal perspective one has on dreams and visions and the Christian walk of faith, it is difficult to consider engaging in ministry to Muslims without a recognition of and an openness for God to continue drawing people to Himself through what may be viewed as unconventional means.

The greatest of these is love By far, the reason found most compelling for the greatest number of Muslims who have turned to Christ is the power of love. Like Paul, many a believer from a Muslim background has found that "the greatest of these is love." Nearly half of all Muslims who have made a shift of faith allegiance have affirmed that the love of God was a critical key in their decision. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. Love's attraction could be simplified into two subcategories. The first is love by example. One Jordanian believer attributes his conversion to "the unconditional love and the aura of peace and contentment" that he saw in his Christian friend. An Arab émigré to France, describing the friendliness of her Christian acquaintances, says they "radiated the beauty of Christ." These friends, who had emigrated before her and given their lives to Christ prior to her arrival, prayed that God would answer her prayers for a job. She says she has been amazed at how "the Lord has continued to answer prayers."

This young Sunni Muslim woman saw a kindness and experienced an intimacy with her believing friends that made her believe that God, too, could be her friendand give her eternal life. Admittedly, it is difficult to separate the example of love demonstrated by believers and the witness of scripture, testifying of a God of love. God's love. A second category of love is that which is demonstrated directly by God and evidenced in scripture. One Bengali man says he was "subdued by the revelation of God's great love, his own sinfulness, and Christ's great sacrifice for him." A West African from Gambia explains simply that "God loves me just as I am." He described his experience in Islam as "rigorous submission to God." He sensed an inability to please God. Though he was stoned for his faith in Christ, he remains faithful to his new life in Christ. The love of God is particularly poignant for Muslims who may have been suppressed by other Muslims. One Shi'a man was attracted by the truth that "God loves all people"and that he was personally loved and protected by God.

Similarly, a West African was surprised by God's love "for all people of all races, including enemies." His experience in Islam convinced him that Arab Muslims are racist towards Black Africans. Sadly, he described Islam as a "tool used by Arabs to oppress non-Arabs." I have called you friends: relationship with God For some 10 percent of Muslim-background believers, the particular attraction of a relationship with God was the strongest apparent factor in their conversion. The Algerian émigré mentioned earlier was taken by the fact that God could be a friend and a father. Similarly, a North African convert was drawn by the opportunity to have a direct relationship with God. What he felt he lacked in Islam was any proximity or nearness to Godthere was no possibility of walking together with God. In Christ, he stated that a very strong attraction was a direct relationship between the Lord and the people. In a sense, the veil of separation had been lifted. An Egyptian believer stated two compelling reasons for his attraction to Christianity: being adopted as God's son and the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. This reflects positively what one Indonesian states negatively about Islam: "God is universal and has no family. There was no way of knowing what God was like."

North American evangelicalism has been criticized for its emphasis on the experiential, the personal. In light of the testimony of this cross-section of Muslim-background believers, the opportunity for access and relationship to God is not an appeal unique to North Americans. Instead, one lesson from this cross-section of fellow Christ-followers from a Muslim background may be the universal appeal of what has been called a Divine romance: Christ's love for His Church and His desire to commune with those whom He has called His own. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake Some refer to it as the eighth beatitude. Others consider it more simply the by-product of living out the preceding beatitudes. However you view it exegetically, in practice it is clear that those who are coming to faith from within the Muslim sphere are much more likely to be intimately acquainted with persecution than those from the Western world. A West African believer was burned and stabbed by his own family. Though he was not killed, his family now considers him to be dead. Though the physical suffering is great, the psychological wounds that are inflicted on those who have been counted as dead may be underestimated.

A North African man found it difficult to overstate how traumatic it was for him as he was rejected and beaten and left homeless. Sadly, the national church did not accept him either. B. Condit After his conversion, one Lebanese Muslim lost all of his teaching and professional privilegesand eventually was murdered. Other professionals, who had grown accustomed to some degree of esteem, are set back by the disdain they experience as a result of choosing to follow Christ. "Traumatizing" was how an observer described one Arab North African's experience of being arrested, interrogated and held by police for two days. For those who have been subject to persecution on the basis of their ethnicity, the persecution for their new-found faith comes as less of a surprise and actually serves to confirm their decision to leave their former faith. The North African who found Christians to be the only non-racist people he knew was intimately acquainted with severe persecution. His brother and several close friends have been murdered.

A West African man had his house burned and he was chased by people who were attempting to kill him and his family. A fisherman from the Philippines expressed an increase in persecution, with people stealing his boat, cutting his nets and tormenting his children. Yet, an observer notes, "he is not shaken." This steadfastness in the face of persecution illustrates, at least in part, the role that persecution has played. If it does not actually spur numerical growth, it certainly seems to spur the growth of the soul, creating, so to speak, bigger Christians as a result of difficult, even horrendous treatment by the majority Muslim community. In the face of persecution, the comfort of scripture has provided profound help in time of need. One Javanese brother found courage to face persecution in Matthew 5:11: "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake." The teaching of Christ reoriented his perspective and he began instead to consider it a blessing. He noted that it was the exposition of Matthew 5:11 at a church service that was instrumental in his coming to Christ.

An Egyptian believer received similar comfort from scripture when he was being spit on and suffering death threats. The taunters told his younger brother he was an infidel. Yet, when he read the Gospels, he felt the love of God, sensing the presence of Jesus. A contrast to the Qur'an, he found the Gospels powerful and satisfying. God is at work In this relatively brief look at what God is doing in a very large cross-section of humanity, we see His heart being conveyed in dramatic ways. Christ's hand is extended to Muslims in a way no less sincere than His hand has been extended to you. We don't appreciate being known for our worst manifestations. Muslims, too, ought to be given the benefit of the doubt. Many are seeking to follow God as best they understand Him.

Sincerity may not be the measuring rod for truth, but sincerity of heart is a critical foundation for a life of saving faith in Christ. Dreams and visions may have been used by God in part because there is a dearth of flesh-and-blood witnesses for Christ willing to articulate and demonstrate the power of the Gospel in person. If nothing else, the preceding testimonies of these witnesses for Christ show that God is at work. Apparently, when Muslims do have an opportunity to see the love of Christ revealed in all its fullness, they are finding a life with Christ quite compelling. After all, grace does have an irresistible quality to it.

This is no time to "shoot our wounded"

2006-11-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

My Dear New Life Church Family
November 5, 2006

I am so sorry. I am sorry for the disappointment, the betrayal, and the hurt. I am sorry for the horrible example I have set for you.

I have an overwhelming, all-consuming sadness in my heart for the pain that you and I and my family have experienced over the past few days. I am so sorry for the circumstances that have caused shame and embarrassment to all of you.

I asked that this note be read to you this morning so I could clarify my heart's condition to you. The last four days have been so difficult for me, my family and all of you, and I have further confused the situation with some of the things I've said during interviews with reporters who would catch me coming or going from my home. But I alone am responsible for the confusion caused by my inconsistent statements. The fact is, I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem.

I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I’ve been warring against it all of my adult life. For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom. Then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach.

Through the years, I’ve sought assistance in a variety of ways, with none of them proving to be effective in me. Then, because of pride, I began deceiving those I love the most because I didn’t want to hurt or disappoint them.

The public person I was wasn’t a lie; it was just incomplete. When I stopped communicating about my problems, the darkness increased and finally dominated me. As a result, I did things that were contrary to everything I believe.

The accusations that have been leveled against me are not all true, but enough of them are true that I have been appropriately and lovingly removed from ministry. Our church's overseers have required me to submit to the oversight of Dr. James Dobson, Pastor Jack Hayford, and Pastor Tommy Barnett. Those men will perform a thorough analysis of my mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical life. They will guide me through a program with the goal of healing and restoration for my life, my marriage, and my family.

I created this entire situation. The things that I did opened the door for additional allegations. But I am responsible; I alone need to be disciplined and corrected. An example must be set.

It is important that you know how much I love and appreciate my wife, Gayle. What I did should never reflect in a negative way on her relationship with me. She has been and continues to be incredible. The problem was not with her, my children, or any of you. It was created 100% by me.

I have been permanently removed from the office of Senior Pastor of New Life Church. Until a new senior pastor is chosen, our Associate Senior Pastor, Ross Parsley, will assume all of the responsibilities of the office. On the day he accepted this new role, he and his wife, Aimee, had a new baby boy. A new life in the midst of this circumstance—I consider that confluence of events to be prophetic. Please commit to join with Pastor Ross and the others in church leadership to make their service to you easy and without burden. They are fine leaders. You are blessed.

I appreciate your loving and forgiving nature, and I humbly ask you to do a few things:

1. Please stay faithful to God through service and giving.

2. Please forgive me. I am so embarrassed and ashamed. I caused this and I have no excuse. I am a sinner. I have fallen. I desperately need to be forgiven and healed.

3. Please forgive my accuser. He is revealing the deception and sensuality that was in my life. Those sins, and others, need to be dealt with harshly. So, forgive him and, actually, thank God for him. I am trusting that his actions will make me, my wife and family, and ultimately all of you, stronger. He didn’t violate you; I did.

4. Please stay faithful to each other. Perform your functions well. Encourage each other and rejoice in God’s faithfulness. Our church body is a beautiful body, and like every family, our strength is tested and proven in the midst of adversity. Because of the negative publicity I’ve created with my foolishness, we can now demonstrate to the world how our sick and wounded can be healed, and how even disappointed and betrayed church bodies can prosper and rejoice.

Gayle and I need to be gone for a while. We will never return to a leadership role at New Life Church. In our hearts, we will always be members of this body. We love you as our family. I know this situation will put you to the test. I’m sorry I’ve created the test, but please rise to this challenge and demonstrate the incredible grace that is available to all of us.

Ted Haggard

Dear Women of New Life Church
November 5, 2006

I am so sorry for the circumstances that have led me to write this letter to you today.

I know your hearts are broken; mine is as well. Yet my hope rests steadfastly in the Lord who is forever faithful.

What I want you to know is that I love my husband, Ted Haggard, with all my heart. I am committed to him until death “do us part.” We started this journey together and with the grace of God, we will finish together.

If I were standing before you today, I would not change one iota of what I have been teaching the women of our church. For those of you who have been concerned that my marriage was so perfect I could not possibly relate to the women who are facing great difficulties, know that this will never again be the case. My test has begun; watch me. I will try to prove myself faithful.

I love you all so much, especially you young women—you were my delight.

To all the church family of new Life Church—Ted and I are so proud of you. You are all we hoped you would be. In our minds, there is no greater church.

As you try to make sense of these past few days, know that Ted believes with all his heart and soul everything he has ever taught you, those things you are putting into practice. He is now the visible and public evidence that every man (woman and child) needs a Savior.

We are grateful for your prayers for our family.

I hold you forever in my heart,

Gayle Haggard

You got to give Madonna a lot of credit

2006-11-01T22:04:00.000-08:00

Madonna Releases Statement Explaining Crucifix Scene From Confessions Tour

As Madonna's Confessions Tour comes to an end in Japan this week, the artist has released a statement regarding the much talked about Crucifixion scene.

"I am very grateful that my show was so well received all over the world. But there seems to be many misinterpretations about my appearance on the cross and I wanted to explain it myself once and for all. There is a segment in my show where three of my dancers "confess" or share harrowing experiences from their childhood that they ultimately overcame. My 'confession' follows and takes place on a Crucifix that I ultimately come down from.

This is not a mocking of the church. It is no different than a person wearing a Cross or 'Taking Up the Cross' as it says in the Bible. My performance is neither anti- Christian, sacrilegious or blasphemous. Rather, it is my plea to the audience to encourage mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole. I believe in my heart that if Jesus were alive today he would be doing the same thing.

My specific intent is to bring attention to the millions of children in Africa who are dying every day, and are living without care, without medicine and without hope. I am asking people to open their hearts and minds to get involved in whatever way they can. The song ends with a quote from the Bible's Book of Matthew 'For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you took care of me and God replied, Whatever you did for the least of my brothers...you did it to me'. Please do not pass judgment without seeing my show."

You are missed my friend . . .

2006-10-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

"Today General Jackson lost his left arm and I lost my right"
Robert E. Lee

Quest for God

2006-10-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

Shooting from the Heart
David Kuo

Anne Rice's inspired and moving novel, 'Christ the Lord,' will become the print equivalent of 'The Passion.'

There is so much that needs to be said about Anne Rice’s new work, "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt." As a work of narrative fiction, it is deeply moving. Her portrayal of a seven-year-old Jesus grappling with the mysterious stories of his birth and the even more mysterious powers he seems to possess manages to animate his humanity in heartbreaking ways. This fictional boy--who lies on his back and looks at the clouds, who misses his friends, who tries to understand the brutal world of Roman and Jewish conflict in which he lives--seems wholly believable as the child Jesus. The woven story is almost too perfect. Such is the writing that it is easily imaginable that young Jesus wished for snow and that it appeared. Yet it is the very revelation of this humanity that magnifies the reality of his future betrayal, torture and crucifixion.

At points this makes the book hard to read.

Rice's portrayal of historical Palestine circa the year 20, where she believes the young Jesus to have come of age, is gripping. Lawless hordes rape, pillage and terrorize in the name of bringing freedom to the Jews. Roman soldiers arrive to quell uprisings--killing and crucifying the innocent alongside the guilty--all in the name of efficient peacekeeping. Man, it seems, hasn’t changed very much in 2,000 years.

The final 15 pages of the book are the "Author’s Note." It is poorly titled. It is really a believer’s testimony of conversion. Rice writes about how her earlier works “reflected my guilt and misery in being cut off from God and from salvation, my being lost in a world without light.”

She writes, “I wrote many novels without my being aware that they reflected my quest for meaning in a world without God.” Things changed for her in the early 1990s when, she says, “I stumbled upon a mystery without a solution, a mystery so immense that I gave up trying to find an explanation because the whole mystery defied belief. The mystery was the survival of the Jews... I couldn’t understand how these people had endured as the great people who they were. It was this mystery that drew me back to God. It set into motion the idea that there may in fact be God.”

Note that she doesn’t say, “It set into motion the idea that there may in fact be a God.” She says, “there may in fact be God.” The last few hundred years of Western thought are the first years in human history where God’s existence has been questioned. Up to this point in time it wasn’t a question of whether there was a God but which god or goddess or gods were real. And this is Rice’s point. She wanted to know whether there was G-d: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Jehovah, I AM, God. She found her answer in a seamless story that extended from Adam to Jesus. In her search she found a sort of theological orthodoxy. This is a conversion story on the level of Augustine--or, perhaps, is a modern literary equivalent of Saul’s conversion from persecutor of the early church to Paul, the apostle who met the risen Christ on the road and spent the rest of life proclaiming Jesus as Lord. Is my comparison too drastic? I don’t think so. Anne Rice was a daughter of darkness.

She sold 136 million copies of books that explored the darkest realms of the spiritual world. She dressed all in black. She glorified the night and her atheism. But look at pictures of her now. See the smile. Look most of all at the sparkle in the eyes--at the light. It isn't the Bible, but it is inspired by God.

Anne Rice met in Jesus everything she’d been looking for.

She writes in the last page of her note, “I offer this novel with love to my readers who’ve followed me through one strange turn after another in the hope that Jesus will be as real to you as any other character I’ve ever launched into this world we share. After all, is Christ our Lord not the ultimate supernatural hero, the ultimate outsider, the ultimate immortal of them all?” I predict this book will become the print equivalent of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." Great debate will be sparked by Rice’s skewering of what passes for New Testament “scholarship” these days as "assumption based upon assumption based upon assumption." Millions who have followed Rice’s adventures through the darker realms will follow her now towards Jesus.

There will be a lot of controversy there as well. Many of those whose faith has been shaken by "The Da Vinci Code’s" fiction will find it bolstered by "Christ the Lord." And then there will be the enthusiastic embrace of believers everywhere who will find in these pages a glimpse of who Jesus might have been. I hope that Ms. Rice returns home as quickly as possible so she can finish her next volume on Jesus, and the one after that. I know that these are novels, but I sense in them something holy. "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" isn’t the Bible, but it is inspired by God.

Christianity Today's Weighs In

2006-10-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Top 50 Books that S haped Evangelicals
Landmark titles that changed the way we think, talk, witness, worship, and live.

[ click here ]

As Selected By . . .

Miriam Adeney, Phyllis Alsdurf, Leith Anderson, Jeanette Bakke, Bruce Barton, Darrell Bock, Tony Campolo, Joel Carpenter, Charles Colson, Cindy Crosby, Andy Crouch, Lane Dennis, Mark Galli, Gary Gnidovic, J. Lee Grady, David Gushee, Stan Guthrie, Mimi Haddad, Collin Hansen, Archibald Hart, Gary Haugen, Michael Horton, James Houston, Al Hsu, R. Kent Hughes, Alan Jacobs, Greg Jao, Jerry B. Jenkins, Todd Johnson, Craig Keener, Douglas LeBlanc, Anne Graham Lotz, Timothy C. Morgan, Rebecca Manley Pippert, Michael Maudlin, Gerald McDermott, Robertson McQuilken, Al Mohler, Rob Moll, Richard Mouw, David Neff, Mark Noll, Ted Olsen, Roger Olson, Richard Ostling, J. I. Packer, Richard Pierard, Patricia Raybon, Haddon Robinson, James Calvin Schaap, Luci Shaw, Ron Sider, James Sire, Howard Snyder, Russell Spittler, John Stackhouse, Agnieszka Tennant, Madison Trammel, Jim Wallis, James Emery White, John Woodbridge, Philip Yancey.

The High Price of Freedom

2006-10-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

A Moscow Murder Story
By Anne Applebaum

Monday, October 9, 2006 - Washington Post
A Small Corner of Hell - most recent book

She wasn't charismatic, she didn't fill lecture halls and she wasn't much good at talk shows either. Nevertheless, at the time of her murder in Moscow Saturday, Anna Politkovskaya was at the pinnacle of her influence. One of the best-known journalists in Russia and one of the best-known Russian journalists in the world, she was proof -- and more is always needed -- that there is still nothing quite so powerful as the written word.

The subject of Politkovskaya's writing was Russia itself, and in particular what she called Russia's "dirty war " in Chechnya. Long after the rest of the international press corps had abandoned Chechnya -- it was too dangerous for most of us, too complicated, too obscure -- she kept telling heartbreaking Chechen stories: The Russian army colonel who pulled 89 elderly people from the ruins of Grozny but received no medals, or the Chechen schoolboy who was ill from the aftereffects of torture but could get no compensation. A hallmark of her books and articles was the laborious descriptions of how she tried, and invariably failed, to get explanations from hostile and evasive Russian authorities. At the same time, she had no patience for the fanatical fringe of the Chechen independence movement either.

Over the years Politkovskaya won scores of international prizes. At home she was threatened, arrested and once nearly poisoned by the same Russian authorities who refused to respond to her questions. The only official acknowledgment of her status was backhanded: In 2002, when Chechen rebels stormed a Moscow theater, she was called upon to help negotiate the release of hostages. She failed to keep them alive, and now she is dead too.

Politkovskaya was not, it is true, the first Russian journalist to be murdered in murky circumstances since 2000, when President Vladimir Putin came to power. Among the worst crimes -- all, of course, unsolved -- were the murders oftwo provincial journalists from the city of Togliatti, probably for investigating local mafia; of Paul Klebnikov, the American editor of Forbes magazine's Russian edition, probably for knowing too much about Russia's oligarchs; and of a Murmansk television reporter who was critical of local politicians.

Nevertheless, Politkovskaya's murder marks a distinct turning point. There was no attempt to disguise the murder as a theft or an accident: Her assassin not only shot her in broad daylight, but he left her body in the elevator of her apartment building alongside the gun he used to kill her -- standard practice for Moscow's arrogant hit men. Nor can her murder be easily attributed to distant provincial authorities or the criminal mafia: Local businessmen had no motivation to kill her -- but officials of the army, the police and even the Kremlin did. Whereas local thieves might have tried to cover their tracks, Politkovskaya's assassin, like so many Russian assassins, did not seem to fear the law.

Of course if this murder follows the usual pattern in Russia, no suspect will ever be found and no assassin will ever come to trial. But in the longer term, the criminal investigation isn't what matters most. After all, whoever pulled the trigger -- or paid someone to pay someone to pull the trigger -- has already won a major victory. As Russian (and Eastern European) history well demonstrates, it isn't always necessary to kill millions of people to frighten all the others: A few choice assassinations, in the right time and place, usually suffice. Since the arrest of oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky in 2003, no other Russian oligarchs have attempted even to sound politically independent. After the assassination of Politkovskaya on Saturday, it's hard to imagine many Russian journalists following in her footsteps to Grozny either.

There are jitters already: A few hours after news of Politkovskaya's death became public, a worried friend sent me a link to an eerie Russian Web site that displays photographs of "enemies of the people" -- all Russian journalists and human rights activists, some quite well known. Above the pictures is each person's birth date and a blank space where, it is implied, the dates of their deaths will soon be marked. That sort of thing will make many, and probably most, Russians think twice before criticizing the Kremlin about anything.

And there is, at the moment, a lot to criticize. With crises brewing in Iran, Iraq and North Korea, few have had time to notice the recent escalation of the political dispute between Russia and Georgia, or to ponder the political consequences of Europe's increasing reliance on Russian gas, or to worry much about minor matters such as the deterioration of press freedom in Russia. Critics of Anna Politkovskaya's writing did complain, on occasion, that her gloom could be overbearing: She was one of those journalists who saw harbingers of catastrophe in every story. Still, it is hard for me not to write about her murder in the same foreboding tone that she herself would have used. It is so much like one of the stories she would have written herself.

applebaumanne@yahoo.com

They will know we are Christians by our love ...

2006-10-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

Marie Roberts is invited guest at first Amish funeral
By BARRY WIGMORE

In a ceremony made more heartbreaking by its centuries-old simplicity, four little girls were buried yesterday as the Amish of Pennsylvania turned the other cheek.

With television and newspaper cameras kept at a distance, and police helicopters enforcing a no-fly zone overhead, one of the few non-Amish guests invited to the funeral of seven-year-old Naomi Rose Ebersole, the first little girl to be buried, was Marie Roberts, the killer's wife.

With tears in her eyes, Mrs Roberts sat in the back of one of the 34 black horse-drawn carriages that were part of the funeral cortege behind Naomi's horse-drawn hearse.

On the way from the church to the hilltop cemetary, the procession passed Mrs Roberts' home where her husband, Charles, loaded up his guns before heading for the little village school on Monday.

As usual in times of crisis, the deeply-religious villagers of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, turned inwards for support yesterday with prayers before, during and after each of the three ceremonies.

Like the other three children who were buried - the oldest, Marian Fisher, 13; and sisters Mary Liz Miller, eight, and Lena Miller, seven - Naomi was laid to rest in a simple wooden casket, narrow at the head and feet and wider in the middle.

All the children were dressed in a traditional white burial gown with a cape and a white prayer-covering on the head.

Each ceremony was attended by around 500 mourners. Services were also held throughout the day for non-Amish mourners at a church in the nearby town of Correyville.

The funeral of a fifth girl, Anna Mae Stoltzfus, 12, is being held on Friday.

As Marian Fisher was buried yesterday, it was revealed that she had bravely begged Roberts to kill her, but release the other children he held at gunpoint.

Leroy Zook, had seven close relatives in the school when Roberts broke in: his wife, two daughters - one of them the teacher - two daughters-in-law, and two baby grandchildren. All escaped unharmed.

Standing in the drive of his family farm, Mr Zook, wearing braces and a straw hat with a black paper band around the brim, said: `The oldest girl there, Marian, she said, "Shoot me, and leave the others alone." But he ignored her.' �

Mr Zook was among the many Amish villagers who also rallied behind Mrs Roberts and her three children.

Within hours of the shootings, it emerged yesterday that a neighbour knocked on the Roberts family's door to pray for them and extend forgiveness.

Another neighbour, Daniel Esh, a 57-year-old Amish artist and woodworker whose three grandnephews were inside the school during the attack, said: `I hope they stay around here. They'll have a lot of friends and a lot of support.

Community leaders said that Mrs Roberts and her children may even receive money from a fund established to help victims and their families.

Although the Amish do not usually accept help from outside their community, even shunning social security payments, Kevin King, executive director of Mennonite Disaster Services, an agency managing the hundreds of thousands of dollars already sent in, quoted an Amish bishop: `We are not asking for funds.

In fact, it's wrong for us to ask. But we will accept them with humility.

Meanwhile, police said the truth about the reason for Roberts' mad rampage probably died with him. In a brief phone call to his wife seconds before opening fire on his victims and then killing himself, Roberts said he was tortured by memories of how he had molsted two girls, aged four or five, 20 years ago when he was 12.

But the girls, now in their mid-20s, told police they were 'absolutely sure' that he had NOT molested them.

State police spokeswoman Linette Quinn said: `We will continue to investigate and try to determine what other motive there may have been.' � Also yesterday, a six-year-old girl, one of the five critically-injured survivors of the attack, was taken off life-support after her family was told she was brain-dead.

Dr Holmes Morton, who runs a clinic for Amish children, said the girl's family wanted to take her home to allow her to die in peace, surrounded by her loved ones.

Dr Morton said: `These families want to be left alone in their grief and we ought to respect that.

Author Gertrude Huntington, who has written a book about Amish children, said: `The people know their children are going to heaven. They know their children are innocent. And they know that they will join them in death.

The hurt is very great. But they don't mix hurt with hate.

In Awe of the Amish

2006-10-07T20:37:00.001-07:00

Incredible Forgiveness - Ann Curry, NBC anchor

Today, with tears in his eyes, a minister described to me seeing an Amish mother embalming her 13-year-old daughter Marian, who was shot in the forehead at the school.

She was carefully and lovingly dressing her girl in white, even putting the cotton in her nose.

All around the family watched, crying softly, even the little children, who listened as their grandfather told them not to hate the gunman who did this.

"Forgive," he was instructing them... "forgive, as God forgives us..."

Reverend Rob Schenck, called it the most powerful moment in all his 25 years as a minister.

This forgiveness seems especially incredible, coming on the same day the coroner is being reported to have counted almost 20 bullet wounds in the body of a 7-year-old girl.

An Amish woman told me perhaps the good that might come of this tragedy is . . .

"We can tell people about Christ and actually show you in our walk that we forgive, not just say it, but in our walk of life. You know you have to live it, you can't just say it. "

I realize I did not know what forgiveness was until now.

===================================================================================

On Amish Forgiveness
by Larry Lilly - Bearean Baptist Pastor - Friday October 6, 2006

Most of us have been moved to the depths of human grief at the brutal murder of five Amish girls while they were in the little one room school house in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. I wept when I heard and read about. Nickel Mines is about 20 miles from my home town and I have driven through the area many times. In those days I usually had a few religious out of context names for the horse and buggies that held me up as I tried to drive like a maniac. (Joyce's words).

One headline proclaimed that the Amish community was taking up money for the family of Charles Carl Roberts, the murderer of the children. The article stated that the community was going to great lengths to let his survivors know they wanted the wife and children to continue living in the community and they had no hard feelings toward them. And furthermore, they had forgiven Charles Roberts.

The Amish are descendents of the Anabaptists, as are more modern Baptists. The Anabaptist were not the 'radical wing' of the Reformation but antedated the Reformation by at least fourteen hundred years. It struck me that the fundamental difference between the Old Order Amish and my style of Baptist is not the 1850 clothes, or the quaint customs such as horse and buggy, no electricity or other modern conveniences, but something far deeper than outward appearance.

The difference is expressed in an ABC News piece by Charles Gibson. He quotes Mid wife Rhita Rhoads who was present for the birth of two of the five murdered girls:

"If you have Jesus in your heart and He has forgiven you, how can you not forgive other people?"

Anybody want to take on the question?

I assure you that over long years I have heard every reason on earth for refusing to forgive those who trespass against us. (Is murdering five children of your group a mere trespass)?

I for one believe that a revival of true forgiveness in our Christian groups would spark a revival of faith such as the world has never seen.

All Christians give lip service to the command of Jesus to forgive. When we begin to practice this forgiveness from the heart, the world will stop for at least a few minutes in wide eyed wonder proclaiming, "We have never seen it like this before."

So, how are you doing in the area of forgiving those who have trespassed against you? Most of the slights committed against us are trivial in comparison to the Lancaster County slaughter. Could it be that these 'strange' people have a better grip on the teaching of Jesus than we religious sophisticates?

WWJD-Revisited

2006-10-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church
Eyewitness Accounts of How American Churches are Hijacking Jesus, Bagging the Beatitudes, and Worshipping the Almighty Dollar

By Becky Garrison - Josey-Bass, 2006 - Interview from the current issuue of Wittenburg Door

THE WITTENBURG DOOR:
What has happened that has allowed a specific form of Religious Right evangelicaldom to co-opt Christianity in America?

BECKY GARRISON:
For this answer, I'm going to defer to Jimmy Carter 'cause he's the one with the Nobel Peace Prize and I'm lucky if I get something decent inside my Cracker Jack box. His latest best-seller Our Endangered Values was invaluable as I was prepping the final copy for my book. He talks about how in the past there was always this degree of respect among former Presidents, citing examples where the first George Bush was once a political adversary of both Carter and Clinton, these men have since become friends. You got the sense that at the end of the day, the partisan boxing gloves would came off and everyone could go out for beers—or Grape Nehi if you're Southern Baptist like Jimmy. But these days it does seem like our leaders are more likely to take said beverage and dump it over their enemy's heads, and for good reason, this ideological shift concerns peaceful people like Carter. The fact that Jimmy of all people decided to take fellow President W out to the woodshed for a public whupping speaks volumes.

DOOR: Haven't we always expected our political leaders to play the God game?

GARRISON:
If an American politico wants to get elected, they've got to profess at least some semblance of a belief in God. But it does strike me as odd that the Moral Majority was founded in 1979 to oppose Jimmy Carter, the first self-professed Evangelical we've had in the White House. I guess Jimmy C. didn't pray to the Right God. And while The Wittenburg Door has been duly documenting the Religious Right's smarmy moves over the past, it seemed that previous Republican Presidents were able to kow-tow to this constituency without buying into their beliefs. But not only has Bush Jr. gone on record by stating that J.C. is his favorite philosopher, but somehow he really buys into their agenda and believes that he's been anointed by the Almighty and been given permission to supplant the will of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with the initiatives of Rove, Cheney, and the Religious Right—even when said proposals appear to contradict the Gospel teachings. This is a pattern we've seen before—take the Salem witch trials, Prohibition, the McCarthy hearings. Amazing what can happen when religious fervor is allowed to run amuck. But heck, as a satirist, my take on history is going to be naturally skewed by my smart-ass sensibilities. Hence, I would refer faithful readers to Richard Whitman Fox's excellent book, Jesus in America for a full-blown romp of how the J-Man has been depicted throughout history.

DOOR: So what's this mean?

GARRISON:
While this is a scary time for America, it's the perfect time to be a religious satirist! One of the main reasons I wrote Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church is that during the 2004 election, I found myself embarrassed to call myself a Christian. I'm a pre-natal Episcopalian—my late father was a priest—so I've been a Christian my entire life. But I can't stand to see what those on both sides of the fence who proclaim to be Christian are doing these days. For starters, let's compare the Bush budget to the Beatitudes and see how they stack up. Looks to me like Dubya and Jesus are preaching two contradictory messages here. But then you have some progressive religious leaders, who keep sending out literature blasting Bush's budget using some venomous language that makes me wonder if they have any intention to try to put into practice the Greatest Commandment to love all of humanity, including one's political enemies.

DOOR:
Some of our more liberal readers are probably thinking you're being a wuss, suggesting we act all lovey dovey and blow Bush a kiss while he blows off the Beatitudes.

GARRISON:
Hell no. Loving your neighbor doesn't mean you should turn a blind eye to bad behavior. By all means, examine the policies advanced by politicians who claim to be speaking for Christ to see if their pronouncements reflect the Gospel truth or the whims of those who are bankrolling their campaigns. But here's my thing. We got to start praying about how to frame the discussion, so we're homing in on the policy and not the person. Disagree with what they say but continue to love them as brothers and sisters in Christ.

DOOR:
So—how have the Religious Right and Republicans come to corner the market on religious discourse in this country?

GARRISON:
As I am no yellow dog Democrat, I would direct our faithful readers to Rabbi Michael Lerners' book The Left Hand of God for a good rundown of how the Democratic Party lost all the spiritual capital it built during the civil rights movement. But it does seem to me that in recent years, the Democrats keep rolling over and playing dead and the progressive Christians never call them on the carpet. I found it pretty pathetic that during the 2004 Presidential election, we had to pick between two rich Ivy Leaguers, both of whom at least initially supported the War in Iraq. Granted, here were some differences—one had no moral backbone and the other was an All-American Jesus-Jumper.

DOOR: Um, "Jesus-Jumper"?

GARRISON:
The real tragedy to me here was the fact that too many religious leaders chose to align themselves with a particular party platform rather than asking why neither political party was paying any real attention to the teachings of Christ when it comes to issues like poverty and the environment. What happened to the high ground the church had when it preached against evils such as slavery and demanded civil rights for all of God's children? I have a real hard time watching some of the BS that happens every Martin Luther King day. You have hyper conservatives talking the talk while passing legislation that enslaves the very people MLK was trying to set free. And on the other side, how come I didn't hear any progressive clergy criticize Hillary Rodham Clinton when she let it rip and played "plantation politics" this past Martin Luther King Day? Or when she played the Jesus card by using the story of the Good Samaritan to rail against the Republican-backed immigration legislation by suggesting that the Samaritan and Jesus were both illegal aliens, this despite the fact that they hailed from Samaria and Nazareth respectively? Did they go easy on her because she was the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination and they wanted to ensure their place at the political table?

DOOR: What has been the result?

GARRISON:
Too many Christians seem to be confusing acceptance of others with approval of their position. Turn on the TV and all too often, you'll see religious leaders affiliated with both political parties engaged in an unholy war of words. The question remains—how do we as Christians respond to social injustices in such a way that Christ's love reigns supreme? Along those lines, how can we proclaim the prophetic truth without becoming a pawn to either political party? After all, shouldn't our beliefs be rooted in the Gospel and not based on the Democratic or Republican Party platforms?

DOOR: Why do so many Christians work to topple the wall that separates Church and State?

GARRISON:
I have NO clue why Dobson & Co. want to re-enact history Puritan-style by imprinting their version of Christianity on our pluralistic nation. Any Christian who starts going into this "we're a godly Christian nation" spiel ought to re-read their history books especially that bit about Jefferson talking about creating a wall of separation between church and state. Methinks many of our Founding Fathers would probably fall into the more Unitarian camp if they came back to earth today. Also, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see anything in the Bible addressing the issue of partisan politics. In fact, Jesus makes it pretty clear that we are to render under Caesar that which is Caesar's and render under God that which is God's—see Matthew 22:17-21. That's not to say that Jesus turned a blind eye to the social injustices of his day. No siree. But once again, I'm a religious satirist, not a political science professor. For those readers, who are into this kinda stuff, I recently interviewed Alan Storkey, a way cool British political theorist and author of Jesus and Politics and we discussed this subject in depth.

DOOR:
All right then, why shouldn't groups like Focus on the Family and others spend millions to get their man named to the Supreme Court? That comes under the Free Speech stuff in the Constitution, right?

GARRISON:
Just because you can say something under the first amendment doesn't mean it's a good idea. Again, I would ask these guys to stop twiddling with their WWJD bracelets long enough to contemplate what exactly what their Lord and Savior would do here. For starters, these groups focus on abortion and homosexuality instead of those issues that really concerned Jesus. Also, isn't Jesus about opening up the Kingdom to all? And it seems to me that these guys expend a lot of muscle and money in their role as the gatekeepers to ensure that only the holiest can enter. Can I make a modest proposal?

DOOR: Would it matter if we objected?

GARRISON:
Now that Pat Roberston has been banished from The Promised Land, can we treat all these dudes like the crazy uncle that we put in a corner at family gatherings and politely ignore him when he starts to drool and ramble incoherent thoughts? And if a reporter says something to the effect of, "And now for a comment from the Christian community" and they put on another rerun of Falwell's Follies, well, then, call and complain. Say, "I'm a Christian and these dudes don't speak for me. Can you at least try to get some diversity here on the airwaves?" And while we're at it, how about if we move The 700 Club to the Cartoon Network where it truly belongs? OK. End of rant. I'll go back to my corner now.

DOOR:
Why do you say in your book that Hazel Motes in Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood is one of the best commentators on modern Christianity in recent memory?

GARRISON:
Motes recognizes Christian hypocrisy when he sees it and calls it on the carpet. Unfortunately, rather than engage in a search for the real Jesus, his solution to the inconsistencies he sees with the Christian faith is to form the "Church of Christ Without Christ." He describes this church as "peaceful and satisfied"—a place where the lame don't walk, the blind don't see, and what's dead stays that way. Walk into many contemporary churches, especially those of the Osteen orientation, and you'll see a church modeled on Motes' message. When we as Christians go against the teachings of Christ, we end up with a sanctuary where the risen Christ is taking a dirt nap and the Church is devoid of any power to live out the transformative message of the Gospel. And like Motes, we end up dead and blind and found wandering around aimlessly along some seemingly deserted road.

DOOR:
In your opinion, what can normal Christians do to bring about a change in the religious discourse in this country?

GARRISON: First off, define normal.

DOOR: We're asking the questions this time—remember?

GARRISON:
Sorry. As I note throughout my book, Jesus was one helluva radical rule-breaker and love-maker. I have to wonder how most churches would react if Jesus and his crew set foot inside their sanctified stained glass sanctuary and began to preach His Word. Sounds to me like a remake of Monty Python's Life of Brian. During the 9-11 recovery effort, for a few brief moments, I saw the church really become the Church for the first time in my life. In the words of Swiss theologian Emil Brunner: "The Church exists by mission, just as a fire exists by burning. Where there is no mission, there is no church." But now churches act like 9-11 never happened and they're back to their usual playing politics instead of preaching and living out the Word. What happened to the Kingdom that I saw unfold before my very eyes? In my reading of Brian McLaren's works in preparation for both my book and my interview with him for The Wittenburg Door, he touches on how we're in a transition period. We've had experiences where we've seen glimpses of the kingdom that keep trying to break out but now it appears as though there's just darkness ahead. While some may be terrified in the dark, I take comfort in the fact that I've met fellow seekers who find themselves in the same predicament. In researching my book, I was surprised to learn just how close many Christians are when it comes to issues relating to the environment and hunger. So, instead of fighting each other over the hot button issues focusing on personal morality—surprise, surprise—why not come together as brothers and sisters in Christ and start to seek out areas where we can find common ground? For example, in my work with Habitat for Humanity, I've seen how doctrinal differences can be broken down as we all pick up a hack saw or a screw gun and work together to give a family in need a home. So, what I'm talking about is doable—if we have the will.

DOOR: Big IF, sister.

GARRISON:
I admit this ain't easy. Throughout my book, I keep emphasizing the need for prayer and discernment 'cause I know when I get into trouble, it's usually cause my prayer life is in the toilet, so to speak. So, instead of preaching and protesting, how about if we all start doing a bit more praying? And I don't mean prayers like "Please help my religious enemies to come around to my way of thinking," "Please pray for—insert Wallis or Falwell depending on your political leanings—because he's such a godless heathen," or "God, do you mind blessing my agenda so that through You, I can do my will?" Instead of such self-serving nonsense, how about if we all come together and recite the "Our Father?"

DOOR: Oh, you cock-eyed optimist...

GARRISON:
I know what I'm talking about is difficult. That's why I re-read C.S. Lewis' The Four Loves before I started writing Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church because I felt I needed a refresher course here. What Lewis reminded me was the more Christians can learn to mirror the love of Christ, who loved all humanity—even his enemies—then the more the church will truly reflect the body of Christ. When I interviewed Miroslav Volf, (The Wittenburg Door, January/February 1999) he reflected, "The 'enemy' ought to be loved, his or her enmity notwithstanding. There is a whole way of life and a whole theological program contained in that simple command." Pick up his latest book Free of Charge if you want a book that's one of the best things I've read in recent memory focusing on forgiveness. For me as a religious satirist, it can be hard as hell trying to live a life shaped by radical love, where I'm required to follow the Greatest Commandment, which is to love all humanity, including people that really get under my skin and drive me nuts. But that's exactly what the early Christian church did. Despite threats to their own lives, they cut across the various hierarchical lines that divided people. These early believers did not seek to dominate the political establishment or maintain the status quo; rather their goal was to spread the universal love of Christ. In doing that, they transformed the world. Lest we think this can't be done, Martin Luther King proved otherwise. And in today's politically divisive climate, I would dare to do likewise.

Is Fear the Correct Motivation?

2006-10-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

Is the 'Last Christian Generation' upon Us? - Tim Timmons

RAJPUR, INDIA -- The crisis is feared by most Christian parents, analyzed within every Christian educational institution and being discussed at every Christian leadership conference. The crisis? There is a prevalent belief that this is the last Christian generation!

The question is posed, “Are our kids embracing true Christianity?” Josh McDowell expresses this concern in his latest book,The Last Christian Generation, “But most admit to a fear, deep down, that their kids, having been raised in Christian families and having spent their childhood and teenage years in the church, will, nonetheless, walk away unchanged. They fear that they are the last Christian generation and that their children will depart from the true faith. That fear has become a reality.”

There are two primary responses to this growing fear that Christianity is losing its youth. FIRST — The need for a true revelation. It’s as if somehow we might be able to rearticulate Christianity into a more palatable, more understandable belief system. I disagree with this as an effective answer. We don’t need another “Christianity 101” course. What is needed is a true revolution and this can only occur through a person — Jesus. SECOND — Proponents express the need to communicate with a different methodology in order to resonate with the postmodern youth. With this I do agree, but this is simply answered by practicing one thing — authenticity.

Unfortunately, I believe all attempts to save Christianity or to repackage it so that the youth or postmoderns will be able to resonate with it, tends to miss the point. The real resonating power that can and will transform lives — young and old, old-fashioned or postmodern — is Jesus, simply Jesus. I share the same fears of Paul when he said, “I am afraid, just as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, that your minds might be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” This is not a devotion to the theological systems that have been wrapped around the name of Jesus. This is a devotion that is focused on simply Jesus—Jesus plus nothing. To add on to Jesus makes Jesus something or someone else and drifts into the spirit of anti-Christ (literally, anything that is “instead of” Christ).

THE MENTORING MODEL
In the midst of all of the debate within Christianity, there is a greater generation on the horizon — pure, authentic and more powerful than Christianity could ever be. You see, on the positive side, the religious system of Christianity has reformed a lot of people and communities, but it has never been able to transform anyone.

This greater generation that is emerging while the “last Christian generation” is upon us is what I call the 21st Century Jesus movement. But more pointedly, it is a dramatic return to the first Jesus generation as Jesus taught those early disciples.

Two weeks ago we traveled into northern India. Mike Buskey (a businessman and friend) and I saw and experienced something more unique than we had ever imagined. We saw something you only read about in the Gospels. It was as if we had been parachuted into an “upper room” meeting with Jesus’ disciples in the first century and had the opportunity to interview them while Jesus was out of the room.

Now, picture this. We are having dinner with eight young men, all Buddhists, who are being mentored/discipled to follow Jesus. I’ve never seen anything like this. These young men are taught daily the principles and teachings of Jesus by their mentor in a family setting at the House of Peace where they live together. The difference in this setting is that they not only learn Jesus’ teachings, but also apply them in a most remarkable way.

Just as the early disciples of Jesus spent several years learning from the Master, Himself, these young men are doing the same. They are truly followers of Jesus. This is the most unique discipleship dynamic seen in modern times. Eight young Buddhists are being mentored in the teachings and principles of Jesus. After a minimum of 5 years in this process, the eight men have been named Mentors. These men, in turn, walking two-by-two are mentoring 2-3 “mentees” in the same way.

In fact, the Tibetan government and the Dalai Lama have honored these four pairs of disciples. They have been awarded the position of ambassadors. They were named Ambassadors to the Poor in the Spirit of Jesus of Nazareth.

Now, as the word spreads about what is happening with these young men, several other nations want to do the same thing in their countries. You see, these young men were broken men in society, but now are healing agents for their people. What is needed now is a second House of Peace where internationals can come and be mentored in the same manner and take the process back to their respective countries.

It’s important to note that this mentoring approach materialized when a “Christian missionary” was moved by the Lord to cease from trying to “convert” the people out of their Buddhist culture into a “Christian” culture. He found that genuine conversion is not cultural, but personal. Furthermore, conversion is not generated by a class, a sermon or a “Christian” church service, but only by a personal encounter with Jesus and His Spirit’s work in the heart.

THE LOVE-IN-ACTION MODEL
Coupled with this amazing transformational mentoring process is the love that has been expressed by building housing for an entire Tibetan settlement in Rajpur, India. Forty quads (160 homes) for the poor Tibetan families to resettle into their own community was constructed in love and given to the Tibetans with no strings attached whatsoever. It is a remarkable, tangible act of love for these dear people — all in the name of Jesus. They are enthused, grateful and empowered by what has been provided for their families and they are well aware of the Jesus connection. Discipleship is occurring within the settlement, too. And, a few have even been baptized in the name of Jesus.

Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim or Christian must be seen as cultural, religious backgrounds. Not one of these cultural backgrounds must be forsaken in order to be a follower of Jesus. Jesus trumps it all! He is all-inclusive and isn’t owned by Christianity. I love what Brian McLaren wrote in A Generous Orthodoxy, "I must add, though, that I don't believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (not all?) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu, or Jewish contexts. This will be hard, you say, and I agree. But frankly, it's not at all easy to be a follower of Jesus in many 'Christian' religious contexts, either."

I believe it all comes down to the power of personal transformation through Jesus. Two words that continue to change individuals, families, communities and countries are Jesus’ words — “FOLLOW ME!” A watchword of the 21st century Jesus movement as the first Jesus generational process returns is followship. No amount of religious teaching, educational modules, political discourse or cultural traditions has ever been effective in changing a person’s heart. Transformation comes through life on life — through a person. His name is Jesus! He is the reason for the positive transformation in the lives of wayward, broken boys among the Tibetans. He is the reason for international leaders seeking in Him the peace, love and hope for themselves and their nations.

2006-09-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

Every Knee Shall Bow . . .
Sting meet the King

He's one of pro wrestling's most recognizable faces, but his greatest battles happened outside the ring as he fought to regain his family's respect, and challenged an industry known for pushing the envelope.

Torn between good and evil, one man stands accused of betraying his closest friends. The hurtful distrust pushes him into a year of silence and a life of mystery. In the dark corridors he then roams, appearing in an instant with the cool wrath of a modern-day vigilante. With his face painted in black and white, he dons a sleek black bodysuit engulfed by his trademark scorpion logo. He watches from above and swings from the rafters. He suddenly appears in the middle of a large crowd, wielding his black bat, pointing it at his next victim. In a heartbeat, he disappears, and suddenly, it's too late...you've been stung by the man known as Sting.

Welcome to the world of Steve Borden circa 1998.

The professional wrestler was enjoying the fruits of 13 years of hard labor in the squared circle. One of the industry's original superstars, Sting (Borden's in-ring persona), had grown to heights of popularity matched only by big name performers such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Bill Goldberg and Stone Cold Steve Austin. But away from wrestling, Borden was facing a battle unlike anything he'd ever encountered in the ring. He was fighting to keep his marriage to wife Sue from falling apart, and fatherhood amidst the circus lifestyle had not always been a priority.

Well before Borden's conversion in August 1998, he was known as one of the good guys in the business. Never over-the-top or obscene with his wrestling character, he maintained a high level of integrity despite the industry's downward turn.

As a longtime activist for such charities as Make-A-Wish and the Starlight Foundation, Borden had developed a strong, healthy connection with his young fans. Sting was considered an outstanding role model, yet he knew his performance at home wasn't hitting the mark.

"Fourteen years of being a wrestler and being away from my wife and my children took its toll," Borden said. "We went through some really rough times. Everything on the surface seemed to be great, but at one point, I felt like I was losing my family."

Borden was not oblivious to the gospel message, but in fact had been running from God for the better part of two decades.

His salvation experience was the culmination of years of prayer and one-on-one witnessing by his younger brother Jeff. As high school athletes, the Borden boys were local high school sports heroes. The brothers often hosted big parties for the popular set around town, but that all changed when Jeff was dramatically converted at an Easter musical he was attending with his future wife.

Things were also changing for Steve, who was newly married and competing as a professional bodybuilder. In 1985, while managing the health club he owned, Borden was lured into the wrestling business. After working through all of the hot territories, he landed with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), which eventually evolved into the Atlanta-based World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

"We were suddenly separated geographically, but being two brothers that were sort of attached at the hip growing up, there was still this connection," Jeff explained. "I didn't know this, but Steve was watching us, our children and our marriage. He always had a craving to talk. We would get off to side when nobody else was around and he would ask more questions. He was always hungry."

Around 1997, God began placing people in Steve's path who challenged him to take a deeper look inside. Encounters with fellow wrestlers Marcus "Buff" Bagwell, Marc Mero (a.k.a. Johnny B. Badd) and "Milliondollarman" Ted DiBiase set the stage.

Borden got his hands on a copy of DiBiase's autobiography, Every Man Has A Price, and devoured it. In the book, DiBiase recounts his journey from wrestling bad boy to new man in Christ.

"(Steve told me) he had never sat down and read a book cover to cover," DiBiase said. "He couldn't put my book down because there were so many similarities in that book that he identified with. I just began to gently, on a weekly basis say, 'Hey, Stinger, how's it going buddy?' And he knew what I meant."

Borden also considers a story that Marcus Bagwell related to him as a defining moment.

The story was from Bagwell's pastor, who had asked his church members to imagine they were flying on a jumbo jet that suddenly began plummeting to the ground. The pastor then asked the congregation members what they would do. Most said they would ask for forgiveness and make sure they were ready for eternity. The pastor then asked his church to imagine that the pilot somehow managed to steady the plane and land safely.

"That's when the real question came," Borden recalled. "Would you remember that you'd begged God to forgive you? Would your life change? Would you develop a relationship with Christ? Or would you just fall back into your wayward ways? At that point I said to Marcus, 'That's enough, let's talk about something else.' It had gotten a little too stiff for me at the time. But it really made me think."

In another incident at a hotel lobby in Orlando, Fla., Borden met a music minister named Simeon Nix and two of his associates. Nix, a friend of DiBiase, was familiar with Borden's plight and boldly asked him if he knew where he would spend eternity should he die that day.

"For some reason, the way he said it, I really thought about it," Borden said. "He could tell I was stumped. The answer was unclear. He asked if he could pray for me right there in that hotel lobby. These guys put their hands on me and started praying right in the lobby with people walking by. I was sweating bullets. I was nervous, and I was embarrassed."

Various times during the next year, Borden asked for God's forgiveness, including at a Promise Keepers rally in the L.A. Coliseum with 30,000 other men. But for some reason, it wasn't until a year later when he felt Christ had truly saved him.

"I felt all of a sudden, at that moment, that the Spirit was there," Borden remembered. "I just felt forgiven and cleansed and it was an incredible experience. I accepted Jesus Christ into my life and that was a long time coming. It should have been a long time ago."

When Steve Borden became a Christian, he was at the height of his fame as a professional wrestler.

Often tabbed as "the franchise" within WCW's ranks, Borden was suddenly faced with the challenge of living a life of integrity inside an often immoral and cutthroat industry. But first, he had to share the news with his longtime wrestling friends.

Individually and in small groups he shared his newfound faith with them all: Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Lex Lugar, Scott and Rick Steiner, and Eric Bischoff, to name a few.

"I know the guys so well and it's a real touchy situation," Borden admitted. "They all know that I've changed. For the most part, everybody has accepted it. They know me and I think respect me for who I am and what my choices are now and the integrity that I have in certain situations. There are really only one or two that just don't understand it and love to talk behind my back, but that's OK. I can deal with that."

Two years after accepting Christ, Borden was still actively involved with WCW. This caused many to question how a believer could remain in a business that often defies Christian values.

"I think God allowed him to stay in order for his testimony and the strength of his walk to be developed," Jeff said. "What would you do if you were the guy who did not know God, you became famous as a wrestler and you became a believer? Are you going to espouse that you would become super Christian immediately and go walking in there and tell Ted Turner 'Hey, I'm a Christian now!' and be a mighty man of God? Fact is, my brother is growing and things are happening. Things are happening in his life and you can see it."

These days, Borden wonders about his future. He openly disagrees with the industry's continuous pushing of the envelope.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm standing alone," he explained. "Being a Christian makes it really hard. I've been around long enough that if I don't feel comfortable with something, I just won't do it. The moment that it does start to go too far and it just continues and I don't see any change, then I'll have to bow out."

Borden is already making preparations for life after professional wrestling. After a recurring role in Hulk Hogan's syndicated action series "Thunder in Paradise," Borden caught the acting bug and took several weeks of dramatic acting classes. He went on to co-star in the independent film The Real Reasons (Men Commit Crimes) and most recently starred in the TNT made-for-TV movie Shutter Speed.

"I would love to get into acting and I'd love to have some opportunities," Borden said. "But I'm always going to stand up with integrity. The roles are just going to be right or I'm just not going to do them. If it doesn't happen and if I don't become an actor or if this movie isn't successful and the phone never rings again, I'm going to be OK. I'm going to survive."

Both in the wrestling ring and in real life, Borden has proven to be a survivor. But with this second chance, he wants to do more than just survive. Borden is determined to make up for lost time with his wife, Sue, his two boys, Garrett (9) and Steven (7), and longs for a fresh start with newborn daughter, Gracie.

"For a long time, wrestling came first," Borden said. "But now, it's God first, and then my wife and children. They're first, and they're always going to be first. I'm glad my life changed the way it did, and now my life is better than it's ever been."

2006-09-27T12:54:00.001-07:00

Nicholas Roland Burt - 1949 - 2005
click here

Just a reminder that today is Nick Burt's Birthday!

I could have never planned for the whole that his loss has left in my heart
. . . I think of him several times a day.

Today, September 27, 2006 there was a bridge dedicated in his honor in
Pittsburgh. A train travels across this bridge on a daily bases bringing
supplies and material to Pittsburgh . . . Supporting the people and the
economy of Nick adopted home.

How fitting that it would be a "bridge". Nick was a bridge for so many of
us. Connecting us with China, with each other and with our God.

A more fitting tribute I could not conceive.

Godspeed dear friend . . . You are gone but never forgotten . . .

What will we do friends with the deposit of God's Spirit within you.

Shalom,

Music: Such a Gift

2006-09-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

Modern Times
Bob Dylan

This is a wonderful collections of tunes from the one and only . . . It is nothing new but Bob is the real deal. Truly a poet.

This new project is one of his best since Slow Train, Saved, and Shot of Love.

Enjoy . . . even some shades of Leon Redbone are thrown in for good measure.

2006-09-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ambassadors of Hope - Robert A Seiple
InterVarsity Press

Here is yet another great book that I would say is a must read for anyone who wants to see change in our world.

As past president of World Vision, and the founder of the Institute for Global Engagement Mr. Seiple provides a unique, honest, and hopeful perspective on what it will take to survive as we move forward.

This book speaks especially to Christians . . . true Followers of Christ and affirms and establishes the truth that you and I . . . the People of Faith should be the leaders in both individual and corporate reconciliation.

The following Principles of Engagement sum it up very nicely . . .

KNOW HIM

Know your maker — seek to understand His heart and make His passions yours. Know your faith at its deepest and richest best, and enough about your neighbor's faith in order to respect it.

Sense God's timing. Practice patience. Be brave enough to engage without excuse, strong enough to refuse recklessness.

KNOW YOURSELF

Understand your strengths — and weaknesses — and how they impact your relationships.
Do no harm.

Cultivate the characteristics of the Biblical metaphors for Global Engagement: the street-wise common sense of the snake, the gentle humility of the dove, the wise statesmanship of the ambassador.

Pray for the full armor of God. Be transparent, predictable, accountable, and responsible. Make hope tangible in the present. Take no credit. Give away learnings. Act incarnationally and establish the worth of the Gospel so that the truth might be revealed.

KNOW HIS WORLD

This is God's world. He is deeply in love with it. We "plant and water," He brings the increase. We "prepare the horse for battle; but victory rests with the Lord." Let God keep score.

Know history — political and cultural, yours and theirs. Know all of the questions, not just some of the answers. Understand geo-political complexity and local nuance. But realize that God is already there ... recognize that the adjective "intractable" is an insult to a sovereign Lord.

Pray over the land. Pray for discernment to take place, for wisdom to reveal itself. Pray with intentionality. Pray specifically for key individuals involved.

Find partners who has been trustworthy, credible, persevering, and relevant? Build relationships that endure. "Whoever is not against us is for us." Remember, the Commandment to love was given before the Commission to go.

Act comprehensively. What is the art of the possible? Put yourself in everybody else's shoes … Develop a policy and a supporting strategy around objectives formed in faith. Continuously reassess both policy and concomitant strategy.

And remember: global engagement has a face. A difference is made, a plan is enacted, a transformation takes place one life at a time ... a life already made in the image of God.

2006-09-25T04:26:00.000-07:00

The Lie of Multiculturalism
by Sam Hall

The first premise of Multiculturalism: Liberalism reigns; the second premise of MC: all cultures are created "wonderfully equal" - at worst a lie; at best an error. The chief lie of multiculturalism is that all societies/cultures should be considered equal. Any thinking person would readily see that the culture that countenances terrorism, oppression of women and minority groups; e.g., Sudan, Malaysia, etc. should not be considered on a par with our culture of respect for individuals, for the law and property, for due process, for recognition of achievement, for freedom of expression, etc. It's as ridiculous as comparing the culture of the headhunters of Irian Jaya with that of the USA. Or even of the culture of present-day Romania where tens of thousands of orphans are ignored, disposed of, maltreated; ask Denise Van de Walker if that culture is = to ours. Yes, it is unique; yes, it has a history hundreds of years older than our--but it has decayed far below its former glory.

Likewise, the culture of Mexico, even with the richness of its art and work ethic, etc,., is inferior to ours. Why do you think 12 million of them have come illegally to our country?

Because our culture offers hope, because the beliefs of our people at large, the institutions and systems of America are superior. To continue to allow unrestricted access to our country "because all other cultures are equal" will eventually drown us in a sea of mediocrity, aimlessness and lawlessness. It will sap our vitality, drain our resources, and our values. Yes, we can allow some, but not all who want to get in our country. Would you allow every homeless person to take up residence in your house and sit at your table? Of course not!

Otherwise, the resources, objectives, institutions of your home would be dissipated and pressured to accommodate these unfortunate people. Yes, they are created equal, and in the eyes of God (and Christians should likewise) they are equal. But you exercise controls; you've brought Amah into your home, under your system of values.

Liberal professors and their supporters suppress the ability of society (individuals and groups) to counter their doctrine because of the "D" word--the fear of being accused of discriminating. Without discrimination (one can almost not think this word much less utter it) and discernment we are lacking the greatest God-given gifts and cannot seek any truth.

Should we as Christians be afraid of cultural differences? Only if they are evil and destructive to individuals, families, society. Hearing Hugo Chavez rant against our President in UN while much of the audience laughed made me see red. It wouldn't have made any difference if it had been Clinton or Carter; the audacity and disrespect by the representatives of these different countries (and cultures) against my country shows the smallness of their visions, their disrespect for others (including the host country), their hatred for cultures above them, etc.

Does this mean that there are no racist Christians - "black, white, yellow, red" etc? No!

Multiculturalism is axiomatically untrue in so many of its premises and conclusions: for example, societies are no more equal or good in all their parts than individuals are; in comparative multicultural assessments only positives are discussed (except for Western Civ.); artifacts/objects are presented as good in themselves without objective context; ethical differences are relativized; failures in development of economic, medical, applied science are presented as strengths.

This past week, it was reported that a teacher in SC was fired, harassed, harangued, etc because she (Euro-American) had African-American students in middle school who used the foulest of language which was disrespectful of everybody and everything - "MF this and that", etc - and the school administrators (principal was African-American also) defended it as, you got it, muticultural. It's just their culture to talk that way, on and on and on. This is the lie of multiculturalism. I don't want it, and I don't think you do, either.

Sam

Who Speaks For God?

2006-09-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

Religion and the Racist Right - Michael Barkun /
University of North Carolina Press

For the greater part of my life I have been trying to understand exactly how people, who claim to be Followers of Christ, are often those who are the most uncomfortable with people who are different than they are. Racial difference, Cultural difference, Gender difference, Religious difference, the list goes on and on. We just are plan uncomfortable and more often then not fearful of anyone of any perspective that is not ours . . .

The question I did not understand was how so much of this posturing was done in God's Name. I saw, and still do not see, nothing in the Bible nor does anything from the Holy Spirit speak to my heart that would even remotely lead me to believe that God has a favorite.

Religion and the Racist Right - traces some of the roots of racism and how religion has been impacted and vice versa. This book traces the development of British-Israelism and its transformation into Christian Identity here in the United States.

While a very small fraction of our population would ever embrace the extreme positions that these men preached such as the existence of a Pre-Adamic race, Demonization of the Jews, Inferiority of non-white people, etc., it is clear to me how some of these assumption have become a part of the fiber of DNA of our current and past white culture.

For me personally it helps me understand some of the folks in my personal history . . . not that I agree in the slightest but it helps me understand . . . . the only way for us to value one and other, the way Jesus values us, is to understand why we have the limp or the "thorn in the flesh" that we have.

Having been raised in the center of the Protestant / Fundamentalist / Pentecostal era I know and was subjected to the teaching of many of the names and denominations who have been, throughout history, on the fringes of this line of thinking.

One of the major issues that face Anglo / Saxons in the future coming to grips with how it feels to be in the minority. What kind of future we want for our children and our society.

Christians, True Followers of Jesus, should be on the forefront of this conversation . . . Leaders in reconciliation . . . but often times we are the ones who are creating and maintaining the divisions.

We can never move forward until we come to some understanding as to how we got here.

This book will give you insights into some of the extreme religious foundations of our modern society and how that warped thinking has diffused down to the mainstream.

Pressing On!

2006-09-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

Winter in New York City