The dangers of unprotected sex have never been more eloquently spelled out in this Australia video. Pastor Dave Ravell of Journey Church in Australia gets the credit for alerting me to this one. Watch it HERE.
3W Series: Reading the Bible in the 21st Century (Part 2)
COMMON ATTACKS ON THE BIBLE (from the Skeptics)
In part one of our series, we looked at N.T. Wright's thoughts in "Scripture and the Authority of God,"and examined how the Bible is the Word of God that points to the Word of God--Jesus. It is an inspired, Holy book, but it is also challenging to interpret the Bible correctly. One one hand, it is often more difficult to reach the original meaning of the text than some Christians would like to believe. On the other hand, the Bible is not all over the map--as some secular people would like to claim. There is such a thing as orthodoxy, but we must realize that it is Christ we worship, not the Bible text.
Today, we look at some common misconceptions or "misreadings" of the Bible from the Left (Liberal Protestants or secular people and academics). Let's not use the word "Liberal or Conservative." Let's call this the skeptical view of the Bible. And when we discuss the "conservative" or "fundamentalist" view of the BIble, let's call it the "uncritical" view. More on that later.
The SKEPTICAL VIEW has mainly been influenced by modern, enlightenment and post-enlightenment thinking. It would suggest that what we've learned from science, history and technology can lead us to logically believe that the Bible is just a book: not perfect, not infallible, and certainly not written by God. Some common, but wrong beliefs of the Skeptics are these:
1) The claim to "objectivity" or to a "neutral" reading of the text is possible for the modern, scientific mind. In other words, we skeptics can read the Bible without any prejudice, while Christian believers read it with an agenda.
2) The claim that modern history or science has "disproved the Bible" or made some of its central claims redundant, undesirable, or unbelievable.
3) The "cultural relativity" argument. "The Bible is an old book from a different culture, so we can't take it seriously in the modern world."
4) Rationalist rewritings of history, which assume as a fixed starting-point what the Enlightenment wanted to prove (that, say, some aspects of the story of Jesus "couldn't have happened") but has not been able to.
5) The attempt to relativize specific and often-repeated biblical teachings by appealing to principles like "tolerance" or "inclusivity." In other words, putting enlightenment thoughts and modern-day political agendas into the Bible's meaning.
6) Making biblical teaching on some topics seem unreasonable (like slavery, or women's issues) in order to discredit other parts.
7) Putting political meanings over religious ones after reading the text.
8) Suggesting that the New Testament picks and chooses what it wants to use from the Old Testament in a way that is non-sensical.
9) The claim that the New Testament writers did not think they were writing Scripture so as to make the Bible less authoritative (Remember, the authors didn't know they were writing "the Bible" as we know it today, but they did believe their teachings carried authority for the church).
10) Pointing out that the church took a while to settle on the precise canon (books of the Bible), and then elevating books and writings that were not chosen for inclusion.
11) A skin-deep-only appeal to "contextual readings."
12) The attempt to reduce "truth" to "scientific" statements on the one hand, or to deconstruct it altogether on the other.
These are some of the talking points that skeptics use against the Bible. While it's true that sometimes Christians have read the BIble in a simplistic way divorced of context (we will discuss that next time), skeptics have gone to the other extreme and made it seem like there is no cohesion or objectivity in the Bible or orthodox Biblical studies at all. This comes out in a variety of ways: In the teachings of many seminaries, in the scholarship of many skeptical academics, in popular books like the Da Vinci Code or Reza Aslan's new book on Jesus that is causing controversy, and in cover stories of Time Magazine, Newsweek, and other popular publications ("Who was Jesus?" ).
There is an attempt (believed by some, intentionally skewed by others) to show that the Bible and Christian theology is really stacked on a house-of-cards. Once you examine the history, archeology, anthropology, and textual issues, you can begin to see that the whole thing is fabricated, non-sensical, pre-modern, and inconsistent.
Many-a-friend-of-mine, lost their faith in the Bible in the Bible or Religious Studies department of a Christian college, university, or seminary. The message that they got was that "this is a book like any other, except that this one is more dangerous."
Others felt so attacked in their Christian university or seminary, that they gave up on the life of the mind entirely; or at least came to distrust academics and secretly fear that the Bible can't be defended. Often times these seminaries and Bible colleges that plant doubt and skepticism will assign books that are aligned with the 12 steps above. So, when studying the Historical Jesus, you will get assigned John Dominic Crossan's skeptical work on Jesus, but no one will even mention that N.T. Wright's 3 Volume Christian Origins and the Question of God is also an option.
I saw this happen many times.
The skeptical mind is not as clever as it thinks it is, as N.T. Wright points out. But he also has some warnings for non-critical readers of the Bible such as Fundamentalists, who are, themselves, a product of modernity and the skeptical mind--although they don't realize it.
That will be a good point to follow-up on in Part 3.
PREVIOUSLY:
Introduction to the Series: "Reading the Bible in the 21st Century" is here
Reading the Bible in the 21st Century Part 1 is here.
Why Are We All So Stressed Out?
It was in New Zealand, that Jamie and I realized we were losing our minds and bodies. We had been living in an apartment complex with 30,000 people in Hong Kong and raising our child in the concrete jungle of Asia's most exciting city. Now in New Zealand, we were watching our son Marco step on grass for the first time. He was 3 years old.
We began to wonder what the effect was on our bodies to be living in a place where there is very little green space, constant noise, and non-stop stimulation. As we felt our blood pressure and stress levels go down in New Zealand and Australia, we wondered, "Are our brains and bodies constantly under stress from our environment and we don't realize it? Is that possible? Sub-conscious stress?" Anytime we traveled to more rural places in Asia-Pacific, we felt our bodies and minds change. What was going on?
Shortly after that, I read a study which showed that, sure enough, the human body is not really wired for urban living. The sounds of subways, traffic, construction and everything else causes stress on the brain. These are artificial, man-made sounds and the brain doesn't receive them well. On the contrary, when people hear natural sounds-- the sounds of birds chirping, the wind blowing through the trees, and other sounds of nature--the brain actually relaxes.
And then, a short time later, another study came out that explained that the brain needs 20 minutes of meditation, or silence a day. Scientists had discovered that just as the brain demands sleep, it also demands silence or meditation where all extra noises and distractions are blocked out. The people who did this were far healthier than those that did not. How interesting that the Bible is full of suggestions that we pray. It turns out we are wired to pray for the sake of our bodies alone.
Since then, many studies have come out that verify all these findings. One recent study said that anyone walking through a forest for 10 minutes will have their blood-pressure and pulse lowered. Putting yourself in a natural setting (no buildings, no manufactured things--just nature) puts your body at ease. Another one in 2008 studied Buddhist monks and found that their meditation brought them to levels of calm and peace that couldn't be attained by people practicing meditation for a short period of time. Even when test groups concentrated on peaceful thoughts, they couldn't match the level of relaxation of those who practiced it regularly. Meditation and the relaxation of the mind and body is something that can be developed like muscles from working out. The body and brain want to tune out everything other than nature and quiet for much of the day.
Nowadays, I feel it very clearly. We live in Germany, not far from lakes and parks. And much of Europe is actually pretty rural and made up of small-towns; more so than the United States or Asia. Nature doesn't seem as far away, and walking through parks, mountains, or woods seems to physically make us all feel better. We love our bike rides now.
Our modern world is full of anxious people. Anxiety problems, stress-related illnesses, mental illness and depression are not just a Western problem, they are on the rise everywhere that the world is urbanizing. The more we leave nature behind, the more we are placing ourselves in artificial, high-stress environments that over-stimulate us with unnatural sounds and sights.
Now, with the rise of the internet (laptops, cell phones, i-pads, etc), much of the world is plugged into constant stimulation all of their waking hours. Working at a computer terminal, the sound of an email coming in on your phone as you walk, the time spent watching videos or shows on our laptop--all of it is draining on your mind and body. Every day we discover a new app, or a new gadget that further embeds us deeply into the artificial world--and away from nature. We go to sleep at night with our cell phones by our side simulating the sounds of crickets or waterfalls so that we can sleep.
For most of human history, the average person knew and had contact with very few people--under 120 and in many cases, much less than that. Today, we probably see or interact, or hear the voices, or see the images of many more people than that each day. How many faces did I see on my laptop today? How many names and images passed by me on Facebook? How many people did I pass on the street today? How many people did I write emails to today? More than most humans would have been exposed to in months or years throughout much of human history. The world has been overwhelmingly rural until the 1980's. Even the cities of the past (much smaller and less interactive than today's cities) are nothing compared to the kind of stimulation we feel in a small or mid-size city in the 21st Century.
Are we wired for this? I don't think we are. Urbanization is extreme (with 60% of the world's people living in cities now), but the virtual world is completely engulfing our minds and our nerves. All of our clever gadgets don't save time, they just create more time that we then fill with Angry Birds or Pinterest. These things are great: free phone calls and Skype, seeing video of your grandkids school play immediately, having GPS in your car. But all of that requires excessive artificial stimulation. It takes us toward man-made contraptions, makes us dependent on them, and fills every second of our day.
Is this how we should live? Probably not if we want to stay healthy. Rates of mental illness and depression are almost non-existent in tribal societies and cultures that are still living in nature. (And interestingly tribes that are moved to the man-made world like the Native American Indians, the Australian Aboriginals, and the Bushmen of the Kalahari suffer deep depression). The modern world is what it is. We're not going to get rid of it. And actually cities continue to be the most eco-friendly and innovative way for humans to live (Yes, you heard that right). Cities maximize land usage, spur innovation, and raise living standards. Urbanization leads to progress, less disease, and more economic opportunity. This has been well-establsihed now too. But it also has a cost and it leads to a world detached from silence and from spiritual things.
It's interesting to notice how often Jesus leaves people and over-stimulating environments to pray. Isolation was good in his view. Silence was good. Like most of you, I am greatly enjoying this technological revolution. Recently, I started using the Glo Bible on an I-Pad and that has been great fun. And like many of you, I love cities. I love the dynamism, the mix of cultures, the diversity, and the innovation that cities bring. I don't wish for a world without urbanization or technological advancement. I'm not a Luddite. I'm a city-kid through and through. Any city, anywhere.
However, there is something soul-killing, stress-inducing, and excessively artificial about our modern lives. And it is really starting to show in our societies. Our lives may be enriching and even invigorating, but they are rarely peaceful. Even our church services are rarely peaceful--every second filled with songs, sermons, announcements, and entertainment. The air we breathe is mostly polluted. The food we eat (even if you are a Veg), is filled with chemicals. Our water is not really pure. Our Oceans are often not very pure anymore. And the physical and mental illnesses we are suffering from can so often be linked to man-made things. We don't realize that we are forgetting what grass feels like. Like the proverbial frog in the kettle who doesn't realize he's getting boiled to death as the temperature slowly goes up; everyday we are adopting more of the new, modern stuff, and slowly disregarding the old stuff--and we don't even realize it. We all sit too much, for instance. The body was not meant to sit as much as we do in the modern world, and excessive sitting is like smoking cigarettes for your body. It's unhealthy. Think of what life was like in the previous centuries. Who could sit down as much as we do? Are our bodies made for this?
I wonder if kids today know what it's like to build a fort? To ride their BMX for hours down dusty paths? Do they know how to play army utilizing nothing but their fingers and their imagination? I grew up in San Francisco and my childhood memories are filled with nature. The trip to the deli where they had Astroids required a bike ride, and the bike ride was more fun than playing Astroids. We've noticed (and perhaps many of you parents have too) that our child is actually happier on days when we forbid him from using computers or any tech gadgets.
I'd like to make sure my family doesn't get overloaded by the noise of the 21st Century as we all continue to adopt new technologies. I think we are going to have to make a conscious effort to go out into the wilderness and seek God through silence. Because it's not going to happen otherwise. Prayer has always been recommended as part of the life of faith. But in the near future, whether you are religious or not; prayer may be the only way that we can stay sane and still live on this increasingly artificial planet.
Summer Budapest Lectures Go International!
Sorry for the lack of posting recently. I've been having problems with all of my computers--my ancient desktop, my phone, and my laptop. I've often found that I'm having problems getting online or posting things. Hopefully that is all cleared up now and posting can be more regular. We will be continuing our series on "Reading the Bible in the 21st Century" in the coming weeks.
This past week, Ken Oldham, Titus Oldham, and I were in Budapest, for the summer Budapest Lectures. We are having this event four times a year (starting this past January) and it has gotten off to a great start in 2013.
There were many things we wanted to do with the Budapest Lectures:
1) Enter into a partnership with the Church of God in Hungary which is taking the stage and doing some wonderful, forward-thinking, dynamic ministry.
2) Model a new way of partnership with a CHOG country (the 3W-Hungary CHOG Budapest Lectures partnership is unique).
3) Provide a hub of constant learning, training, and encouragement in the Europe/Middle East region. Budapest is in Central Europe, an inexpensive city about 2 hours away from every country we work in.
4) We wanted to surround the young Hungary Church of God with some of the best leaders and mentors the Church of God has to offer.
5) We wanted to give Next Generation leaders (under 45) a stage upon which they could impart the knowledge they have learned along the way.
This past week was the first Budapest Lectures that went international (as they are intended to do). We had 3 guests from Bulgaria plus David Simpson (3W) join us. It was a great time. We had a wonderful speaker--our youngest ever---Ken Oldham (3W Egypt), and this continued to expose the Budapest Church of God congregations to great teaching, international connection, and emotional and spiritual support. It really is a win-win for everyone.
Ken Oldham is a great teacher and has a lot to offer any pastors wanting to learn about ministry and managing a church. Ken's also a great organizer. One of his tasks was to prepare to take over the organization of the Budapest Lectures from me. He will be joined in that effort by Daniel and Christy Kihm when they arrive on the field shortly in The Netherlands. Ken did a great job of taking notes and preparing to take over these duties in the coming months.
The Lecture Series is off to a good start. Rainer Klinner (Germany) kicked it off in the Winter of 2013. Greg Wiens (Healthy Growing Churches) spoke in the Spring, and Ken Oldham has now completed the summer lecture. We're looking forward to having Gary Kendall, Tom Planck, 2 Russian pastors, and many others join us in the upcoming lectures. And this is just the beginning.
Last but not least, it was wonderful to have Titus join us. He was a great traveler, never complaining despite all the meetings and the heat, and he's just a great, young man.
If your church is interested in helping to support the Budapest Lectures, please let us know.
Ken and Titus overlooking the beautiful city of Budapest, home of the Budapest Lectures.
3W SERIES: Reading the Bible in the 21st Century (Part I)
We begin our 3W series on Reading the Bible in the 21st Century today. We invite you to learn a little bit about the Bible and how it can be read in a relevant way even in the 21st Century. We especially want to invite those of you that do not read the Bible regularly or that are not Christians and have always wondered, "What is the deal with this book so many people are hung up on?" This will be based on the work of two very solid Biblical Scholars that are intimately familiar with the complexities of the text: N.T. Wright and Scot McKnight.
THE BIBLE
The Bible is obviously the Holy Scripture of Christianity. What Christians call the "Old Testament" are the Hebrew Scriptures (the Tanak) of the Jewish Faith. Christianity includes the "New Testament" which chronicles the life of Jesus and his Early Followers.
The Bible is not meant to be read as a novel (as one continuous story from one author), nor is it like a textbook. Instead, the Bible is made up of many different kinds of books. And within those books are even different kinds of writings: Poetry, proverbs, history, biography, letters, prophetic books, and apocalyptic books. It's important to look at each part of the Bible in the right context as opposed to reading it like it is one novel or encyclopedia--in one genre.
There is an over-arching story that brings all of the writing in the New Testament together, and that is the story of God's creation, man's rebellion, and the redemption, renewal process being ushered in by Jesus Christ whose death and resurrection are the climactic moment in the Christian Scriptures.
THE CHALLENGE OF READING THE BIBLE
One of the challenge of reading the Bible is that it can be easy to read into it what you want to read into it. This is a concern for scholars and pastors alike (or it should be). We do not want to form our opinions and then find Scriptures to support our personal opinions, but we want the text to speak for itself and for God to speak through it. This can get very subjective, so that's why both Wright and McKnight wrote their books.
Wright says, "Almost all Christian churches say something in their formularies about how important the Bible is. Almost all of them have devised ways, some subtle, some less so, of ostentatiously highlighting some parts of the Bible and quietly setting aside other parts."
Ouch! Yes, that can be easy to do. That's why it's important to read the Bible on the Bible's terms. Wright elaborates:
Some Christians seem to regard the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, as equally authoritative and valid--even though Jesus himself, according to the gospels themselves, seems to have set aside the food laws and posed severe questions about the observance of the Sabbath; even though Paul is shrill in his insistence that the ancient command to circumcise male children is no longer relevant for followers of Jesus, and even though the the Letter to the Hebrews makes it abundantly clear that the detailed regulations about the Temple and the sacrifical system have been made redundant by the single sacrifice of Christ, the great High Priest. Other Christians, meanwhile, have taken Paul's saying that "Christ is the end of the Law" as giving them cheerful permission to ignore anything and everything in the Old Testament. Is there a way through this problem? The Bible itself declares that all authority belongs to the one true God and that this is now embodied in Jesus himself. The risen Jesus, at the end of Matthew's gospel does not say, "all authority in heaven and on earth is given to the books you are all going to write," but "All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me."
Christians have always treasured Scripture, but initially, there wasn't one cohesive, nicely packaged Bible as their is today. Instead, the Scriptures were memorized, transmitted orally and eventually written down. Extremely intelligent men like Origen, John Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther and Calvin helped the church look at the ancient texts in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic and helped the church to come up with a trustworthy interpretation of this Scripture. There were disputes (some Scriptures are not found in the Protestant Bible, but are found in the Roman Catholic Bible and Eastern Orthodox BIble)---but these disputes about the Scripture are pretty minor in the big scheme of thing. The overall Christian story and the purpose of the books has been pretty much settled for 2 thousand years. It might not seem that way from turning on the TV, but it's true.
SOME CONFUSION
Initially, the ideas of those smart men were so respected that they helped establish the tradition of how we read the Scripture. But in time, the Christian Church's were making the Bible too inaccessible to the average person. Interpretations were getting warped, so there was a need for correction. With the advent of the printing press and higher literacy rates, people began to read the Bible for themselves instead of hearing it read by priests.
For Protestants this was a great moment. Everyone had access to their own personal Bible. Martin Luther was a key reformer in this area and the concept of "Sola Scriptura" was born; meaning "scripture alone," instead of traditions totally controlling the meaning of the Bible. Eventually, this would become important to Roman Catholics as well.
Actually, the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox had good reason for being concerned at the idea of everyone having access to the Scriptures. It sounds good, but one possible problem is that you can end up with everyone interpreting the Bible however they want. And that is what has happened.
For the most part, the many denominations and movements that came out of this period of Scriptural Freedom still held to Orthodox Christian beliefs that the disciples and early fathers would have approved of. But it did become pretty messy in time and this is why the books of Wright and McKnight are important. Because some Christians have forgotten that there are rules to reading Scripture. Meanwhile, on the other side, some Christians and secular scholars have remembered some of the key rules and principles, but then taken that too far. Thus the Bible Wars are born. Wright hits upon this:
Simplistic affirmations ("the Bible says") on the one hand, and counter-affirmations ("You read the text naively; we read it in context, and that changes everything") on the other, only get in the way of serious debate."
So how can you really figure out what the Bible is saying? Is it easy or is it hard? What kind of mistakes are being made? How do we correct it?
All of this will continue to be explored in Part II of this 3W Series: "Reading the Bible in the 21st Century."
Introduction to the Series: "Reading the Bible in the 21st Century" was here.
Oldhams Visit Berlin
Tomorrow we have some very special visitors coming to Berlin. The Oldhams will be visiting us in Berlin. Ken, Titus and I will be heading to Budapest for the Budapest Lectures (summer edition) at the end of this week. Meanwhile, Keli, Zeke, and Grace will be staying in Berlin with Jamie and Marco. Then next week, we will all be here together giving the Oldhams a much needed vacation and hopefully encouraging them. Kelley and Rhonda will be back from German Teen Camp and it should be a great time. Here is a special message from the Oldhams:
Hello supporters...
Thank you for your concern and prayers for us over the past several weeks. We have tried to respond to each email or message that we have received, but if we haven't responded to you, please know that we have sincerely appreciated your encouragement.
We have continued to be at peace and to be safe here in Cairo; however, we have not been able to do much ministry in the last few weeks due to continued demonstrations in the areas where we would normally be meeting, and/or interrupting the route for those who desired to participate. Though safe, it has been a bit of a "house arrest" feeling here due to the possibility of demonstrations and "anti-American-government/media" sentiment. Please note the focus of this frustration; we have had several Egyptians go out of there way to express their appreciation of us or our family being here, they're just not happy with the government or the media for one reason or another. We avoid demonstration areas, but trouble can spring up anywhere at this time. We have been able to go out during the day, we are careful to come back before the evening, and when we do go out, it is in limited areas.
Titus and Ken had been scheduled to participate in the Budapest Lectures, July 25-30; however, it is not a good time to leave Keli, Grace, and Zeke at home in Cairo alone as many of the Egyptian Christians we serve have relocated to the coasts for the summer, and most of our expat friends either left at the start of summer or have been subsequently evacuated in the last few weeks. As a result, Global Missions has given us permission to retreat to Germany for a few weeks; they have given us permission to leave any time we feel threatened--that is not the case in this instance, but we could use the break!
Thanks to a gift from Ohio ChoG ministries, our family will fly from Cairo to Berlin on Tuesday, July 23. We will stay with the Nachtigalls and have the opportunity to visit with them and the Phillips family; this time with our 3W teammates in Berlin will help us all breathe a little easier--literally and figuratively :) From there, we can keep in touch with the leaders in Egypt via e-mail, and we will continue to monitor the events in Cairo as the interim government continues to move the country forward. If all is still well, we will return by August 9 and prepare to jump back into several different ministry opportunities planned throughout August. School is set to start on August 19, and that date has not been changed.
We hope to have the July newsletter out at the end of the month, and there should be some Berlin and Budapest pictures to share with you.
Thanks again for your prayers and support. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
Hope you're having a great summer...
Ken & Keli Oldham
Interview with 2013 3W Intern Jessica MacDonald
This summer we had the privilege of having Jessica MacDonald of Fairfax Community Church in Fairfax, Virginia serve as our 3W Summer Intern for 2013. Jessica lived with us, served alongside Rhonda Philips at Neustart working with women caught in sex trafficking, attended the "Global Fellowship Weekend" by visiting the church plant in Arco, Italy, and attending some classes at Fritzlar Bible College.
Jessica is a student at the prestigious college William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She is interested in neurology, French, and Arabic. We know the Lord has great plans for her life. Jamie and I sat down with her to ask her about her experiences this summer.
3W: Where do babies come from?
Jessica: A cabbage patch.
3W: Okay, J-Dawg, tell us about yourself and where you are from?
Jessica: I'm from the Washington D.C. area.
3W: You are a college student at a very prestigious school, which means you are very smart. What are your main areas of academic interest?
Jessica: Definitely languages, French and Arabic are the primary ones. Definitely the sciences, I started out thinking I was going to be a chemistry major. Then I switched to neuroscience because I was interested in psychology and how the brain works, and then I thought maybe I would go back to biology which I had thought about doing in high school because I also do love that very much.
3W: What were your impressions of the city of Berlin?
Jessica: I love it. I want to live here. It's very cool. Very clean. Although the people are a little more closed off, i didn't feel like I was a stranger. I adapted easily to it. I love that it has a feeling of newness, and an urban vibe to it. It's an interesting mix because it can feel fast-paced, but since there's nature everywhere, you get the feeling you can relax.
3W: What were your impressions of Neustart Cafe?
Jessica: It was really nice. It was really hard picturing it before I came. I tried to describe it to my friends, but I didn't even understand it very well. (I knew) it provided a safe space for some of the prostitutes in the city, but I didn't have a mental image of what it looked like or what I would be doing. The first day was kind of challenging because a lot people were speaking German. There are different people every day, so sometimes there are more English speakers, sometimes there are Hungarian speakers.
But as I kind of eased into it and got to know the other workers better and got to develop relationships with some of the women better, it was really nice. Even though a lot of the stuff was heavy, and shocking to some people, I always had fun. The way I gauged it was as I was telling my friends, "This woman is a heroin addict, she got robbed, but don't worry, she's okay and she's really sweet." I never felt in any danger which was a big factor.
3W: You did something special there?
Jessica: I painted the women's nails. Rhonda and I were in the office and I found this little manicure-box of nail polish--and I said, "Is this yours?" And she said, "We do it for the women sometimes." And so I said, "I want to help." That helped me feel more comfortable there especially as I tried to learn more conversational German. I could speak about their families and what they like to do while we were having a little spa time.
3W: How was working with Rhonda?
Jessica: Super. She is my babushka. Momma Rhonda.
3W: How did you feel about Italy?
Jessica: It was pretty spectacular. It was cool being in a new culture. the sights were really pretty. I loved swimming and going to the lakes and beach. The church at Arco was quite an experience. Especially just following along as they are preaching in Italian and I do pick up a couple of things. I don't think I've ever had an experience like that where I didn't know the language and had to pick up little details and really on the translation. I loved doing worship in Italian (they had the words up on the screen), so I could feel it out.
3W: Then you had the opportunity to hang out with the students at Fritzlar? What did you think of the students and the school?
Jessica: It was so nice hanging out with kids my age. It was good to challenge myself with the language barrier and in other ways. Breaking bread together, sitting in class together, and joking around, you don't have to understand each other to get along.
3W: What was it like having a 10 year old brother for the summer?
Jessica: It was interesting. I don't have any younger siblings. It was fun. Except one time when I hit him in earnest because I was not having it, and I thought this is what i would do to my brothers, but I thought, "I'm not related to him." But then later, I disposed of 6 bugs and he wasn't mad anymore.
3W: You redeemed yourself. What's your big take-away from this experience?
Jessica: That it's okay to have lots of Christian friends that I get along with. That it's okay to focus on my personal relationship with God and let that direct me with in my relationships with other people.
Growing into my faith as an adult and getting past all of that childhood suppressing stuff, like you can't be angry at God or have problems, or put on a facade.
3W: So you feel like you found some spiritual freedom in this experience an in your Christian faith?
Jessica: I'm coming into adulthood and finding my own faith.
3W: What's the most awesome thing about hanging out with Patrick?
Jessica: The first weeks, when it was just Jamie and Marco and I were awesome. But I learned how to impersonate you and I'm getting ready to take your place. It's okay that you are here, but I'm going to take you out. (Singing L.L. Cool J together): "I'm going to knock you out, Mama said knock you out."
Whenever I say something funny you affirm me with a fist-bump.
3W: You are very funny! But I am ready to to put you on the plane. Alright J-Dawg. Peace, and respect. Ali G "Respect."
Is There a Problem with Taking the Bible Literally?
Whenever I hear someone say that they "take the Bible literally word for word," it's a dead give-a-way that the person doesn't speak any foreign languages. That's because if you speak a foreign language (and take time to think about it), you'll quickly realize that not all ideas, phrases or words can be translated into another language. Languages are linked to particular world-views (and form them). Languages have different sensibilities completely. Humor and drama can all be very different based on the language.
During the Egyptian Revolution, it was pointed out that Hosni Mubarak in his last speeches was using a bizarre form of Arabic and phrasing that a lot of Middle Eastern tyrants fall into when speaking to the lower masses. This was not at all evident to those of us watching the subtitled version or hearing the translation on CNN.
In Chinese, the way they articulate and write numbers is what gives them an advantage in fast calculation and math (it's not because Asians are inherently smarter than Africans or American).
In Spanish, there are certain phrases and songs which are hilarious that when translated into English totally lose their humor. "He falls on me like a rock" is much funnier in Spanish than in English. The song:
"The Cayman is leaving
The Cayman is leaving
The Cayman is leaving for Baranquilla
An old man and an old woman went to play football
The old man looks at a girl
the old woman scores a goal"
...is much funnier in Spanish.
Now consider that the Bible is in Hebrew (quite a unique language with tons of layered meanings), Aramaic, and old Greek (another highly expressive language). These languages are very distant from Spanish, English, and Chinese. The worldviews are radically different as well. The grammar, the syntax, the humor, the poetry---it's all different. How do we truly understand Genesis, or Song of Songs, or Hebrews? And then consider that English actually has an easier time getting an "accurate" Bible translation than many other global languages.
At this very moment, somewhere in the world, some Bible translator is translating the Bible into a new language and is stuck having to figure out how to write/translate the concept of sand or snow to a remote tribe that may not know what that is. And that would be an easy concept. There are much harder examples.
Dave Brunn who translated the Bible for tribes in Papua New Guinea explains in a recent interview in Christianity Today.
CT: Why do English-speaking evangelicals face so much tension around this issue?
DB: Part of the tension is due to a limited, incomplete view of translation. I don't question anyone's motives. They are all driven by a desire to protect the faithfulness and accuracy of God's Word as it is translated into English or another language.
But it is a little bit dangerous to raise discussion of Bible translation to the level of doctrine. Obviously, there are key doctrines, such as the Virgin Birth and the deity of Christ, that we must protect very carefully. But the Bible does not give instructions on how to translate a message from one language into another.
CT: How has your experience in Papua New Guinea shaped how you see the current debates about English translations?
DB: When I first went to Papua New Guinea, I was committed to translating God's Word as faithfully and as accurately as possible. I thought I had a good idea of what that meant, but I quickly realized that I had oversimplified the actual task of Bible translation. I heard people articulate proposed standards for faithfulness and accuracy. But I found that many of those standards are based on English grammatical features that do not exist in Lamogai or many other languages. So, if those standards are really God's universal standards, then Lamogai would automatically be disqualified from having a faithful and accurate translation.
A lot of people don't realize that since English and Koine Greek are both Indo-European languages, the degree of accuracy that we have in our English New Testaments is largely due to the fact that the translators were working with languages that are part of the same family, albeit as distant cousins. Translation into English is not easy, but there are many more difficulties faced by those translating into unrelated languages—difficulties that those translating into English would never imagine.
Does this mean that it is hopeless to find accurate meaning in the Bible? Not at all. Now one can appreciate some of the repetitive parts of the Bible (like the 4 Gospels) making the essentials of the Faith very clear. But what it does mean, is that we should have a lot more humility when claiming that we fully understand the Word of God. The written Scriptures, unlike in Islam, is NOT meant to be the ultimate authority and deified;. even though that's what a lot of Evangelical Christians now proclaim. We do not worship the Bible text, we worship Jesus Christ and everything in the Bible points toward him. The Bible is not meant to stand alone. It is surrounded by the guidance and presence of the Holy Spirit, Christian tradition, and Jesus Christ himself.
These matters are confusing so coming up at the Three Worlds Diary we are going to be starting a new series entitled: "Reading the Bible in the 21st Century" taking a look at two books that help to flesh out these complicated ideas. The first is "The Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today" by N.T. Wright. The second book is "The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible." by Scot McKnight. I tried to choose two very respected, middle-of-the-road scholars that have written clearly no the issue and would be listened to by the majority of people reading--but it's never easy to find a name everyone agrees on. I think you can do no better than these 2 men if you are looking for clarity. Gordon Fee's "How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth," is also a good one. But we shall focus on these two relatively recent releases by two excellent writers.
Between these two books, we hope to illuminate some of these issues that can get so controversial and divisive. Enjoy it. It will be interesting. I hope you'll join us by regularly checking in at: http://three-worlds.com/diary/
What to do with the Muslim Brotherhood?
Upon seeing the recent events in Egypt, the question now lingers, "What to do with the Muslim Brotherhood?" Since they cannot govern well and obviously want an Islamic Theocracy, it would be nice if Egypt started over and kept them off the ballot box next time. However, that may not be so easy nor might it be wise. It won't be easy because there are other groups that can take up the mantle and have not been banned, and the MB could fracture into different Islamic parties that want to be in the political process.
If the parties are banned altogether, it plays into the suspicion that the Islamic parties have, which is that democracy should not be trusted and the system is rigged against them. Consequently, there could be violent rebellion. But if they are included, technically an Islamic Theocratic party could win--or there could be quite the bloody war between various splintered parties. But there's a lot more to consider.
Morsi and the MB ended up running the Egyptian economy into the ground, past the point of no return. They acted like a closed, secretive organization and alienated just about everyone in the whole country. Can this even be considered a political party? Or was it a group of MB insiders doing their own thing--no matter what the cost to the Egyptian people. Could Egypt have lasted much longer under their leadership? They were burning through Egypt's reserves, not delivering bread and fuel, and scaring away foreign investors by the hoard. How could this have gone on for 3 more years unchecked?
Complicated questions, but here are some articles wrestling with the issues, but coming from different angles.
Here's some articles and comments that offer a glimpse at the tricky way forward.
Hazem Kandil via the London Review of Books defends the ouster of Morsi and argues that this is part of a long revolutionary process the Egyptians are embarking on.
David Brooks of the New York Times argues that Islamists should not be allowed anywhere near the government of any country if people want that country to work.
Daniel Larson at the American Conservative is against rigging the system against Islamists in Egypt.
Daniel Levy at Al-Jazeera distrusts the Egyptian military and felt that it was too early to pull the plug on Islamic groups in Egyptian Politics.
And a very helpful article from the New Republic about things to think about and not think about regarding the latest developments in Egypt. A "road-map for backseat drivers."
Revolutions always take surprising twists and turns--and usually last a lot longer than we would like. Keep praying for Egypt and all of our friends there.
Some Thoughts on Dying...and Living
A few weeks ago, I went to the doctor and he was pretty alarmed at what he saw. So while in the U.S.A. on a brief business trip, I visited my American doctor and he was pretty alarmed too. I've had a pretty busy schedule so getting more tests and follow-up has not been easy. But today, I went and the specialist looked at me and said he feels that I am going to be fine. Obviously, I will continue getting tested and will be careful, but he really feels it's okay.
Both Jamie and I are always prepared for the worst. Having parents die of cancer before your very eyes when you are young (and they are young) makes you lose that sense of immortality pretty quickly. Every day is a gift and can't be taken for granted.
I've nearly died 4 times in my life. The first time was when I was an infant and was abandoned and nearly starved to death in a Costa Rican orphanage. I don't have memories of that, my body and my subconscious do. Near starvation and abandonment leaves an imprint on you no matter what age that it happens.
Then there was a second time when I was 16 and went flying off a freeway in Oregon, spun around in front of traffic and ended up in the middle divider---the car totaled (Sorry Dad!). I narrowly missed a lot of cars and fortunately did not kill anyone; but I survived--and remember feeling an incredible sense of peace and calm as the car was airborne and flipping around. No shaking, nothing. Just calm.
The third time was in New Haven, Connecticut. There was a very dangerous bridge that we had to cross every day called the "Q Bridge". Connecticut drivers are some of the fastest drivers in the USA (if not the fastest). And the freeway infrastructure around New York City is some of the worst, including New Haven. Everyday we had to merge onto a bridge at top speed, and had about half a mile to move over 4 lanes to our exit. The bridge bent at the middle so you were blind for the second half of that half mile on the bridge. I think they have since improved it.
One day on my way home from school, I sped onto the bridge (as you have to), and made my way across the high speed traffic into the 4th exit lane. But as I reached the 4th lane, the "blind" half of the bridge was now visible, and there was a car parked--totally still--in that 4th lane.
I slammed on the breaks as I was headed straight for the parked car. The car literally screeched to a halt with about 1 inch to spare. I felt a sense of relief and amazement that I had actually been able to stop...and then I looked in the rear-view mirror. A full semi-truck was speeding right at me also trapped in the right lane. I'll never forget the image of that semi-truck barreling down on me.
There was literally no way out. Both my car and the other car were completely motionless. As I looked in the mirror, I remember thinking "This is the end of life." And I felt totally calm and peaceful. I wasn't even afraid of pain because it was so obvious there would be no surviving this crash. It was just obvious it was over.
Miraculously, the semi-truck slammed on his brakes and he too stopped one inch or so from my bumper. The grill was enormous in my back window. It looked like an overly-fake scene out of a TV show. Something you might see on CHIPS or Starsky and Hutch. It was unbelievable! The next thing I remember is the semi eventually pulling out and yelling down at me. I quickly followed on his tail wanting to escape the death lane. And as I drove past the car that had parked in the middle of a bridge, there was a guy just calmly sitting in there (trying to commit suicide perhaps?). I wanted to kill him, to be honest, but I gunned past him to get off on the exit and avoid the crazy high speed "Q" traffic. There was no way to get out and chat or see what was wrong. It's just not possible on that bridge. You speed by or you die--especially on the blind turn. I still wonder what that guy was doing. He could have died, I could have died, and maybe he died a few minutes later! You can't park in that lane on that bridge and survive.
The fourth time I nearly died was in a hospital in Hong Kong. My medical incident there was one of the "two worst cases" my Doctor had seen. When i went in to the operating table, I remember saying "goodbye" and thinking it was the last time I would ever see Jamie. It was sad but the situation was so obviously grave, I just knew I needed to be on that gurney if I was to survive at all. The only reason I had gone to the hospital (amidst a lot of pain) was because as I was lying in my bed in pain, a small bird came against my window and knocked up against it. The same exact thing happened the morning my mother died, as I sat by my window those first few hours without her. (Some Africans believe a bird will always find you after someone you loved has died). So I went to the hospital and they rushed me into the operating table... And I felt totally calm and peaceful. The doctor said I was 2 hours away from dying. Had he left his shift, like he was supposed to, I might not be here. Instead, at midnight, I had the operation. After that i took another turn for the worst and it was touch and go again. It was a couple of weeks before I left the hospital and several months before I was free of pain, but I made it.
And then there have been the last few weeks--of wondering if there was something really bad going on inside of me. Although perhaps not as grave as these other incidents, I still thought a lot.
These moments of near-death have been blessings to me. A reminder that life is fragile, that every day is a gift, and that we have to make life count. Those are cliches, but it's amazing how very true and profound those thoughts become when you really are facing death. Another cliche: You are not worrying about your stock portfolio or your job when you are dying. You are thinking of your family and friends.
But for me, I ask myself other questions: "Did I take enough chances in life?" "Did I gain some humility and perspective about my place in this universe? "Does my life have congruity?" "Does life seem fair?" And "Did I love people well enough?" Two bigger questions: "Was I a good husband?" "Was I a good Father?"
And the biggest question of all: "Do I really believe in my faith in the darkest times?"
The answer to that last one is always "Yes." And I think that is always why I find a sense of calm and peacefulness in these close calls. I can't say I got it right in life. I can't say I don't have any regrets. I can't say I've loved as much as I've been loved. I wish I could. Regrets? Unlike Frank Sinatra, I have many.
But I can say that I believe in this amazing faith of Grace. And from there, everything else can be handled.
I do think there are many greater tragedies in life than death: Never growing up, being conquered by anger, failing to take chances, wallowing in bitterness, not laughing, not growing up and maturing, never finding your meaning in life, not learning your limitations, and not loving people selflessly. These and many other things are worse than death. But while we are alive, we always have the chance to find redemption and renewal.
I'm not a country music fan, but I love this song by Tim McGraw, and the message is so profound. Listen to it and live like you were dying.
(Version 1 plays in the USA)
(Version 2 has lyrics)
(Version 3 works outside of the USA)
***
"and I loved deeper
and I spoke sweeter
and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying
and he said "Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying."
