I’m fairly confident we’ve all heard the phrases:
“The stars aligned”
“It was written in the stars”
Perhaps you’ve heard them used as if they were a simple idiom, or maybe used by someone who truly thinks the stars had something to do with their good fortune. But what is the underlying meaning of those phrases? That’s what we’ll explore today as we take a closer look astrology.
Last week, as I drove my boys and their friend home from AWANA, they began asking questions about the state of their body after they die. Will they have a body in heaven? Only on the new earth? If they’re a soul while they await their body, will they be able to eat (a question of great importance at this age)? On and on. It reminded me of the importance of discussing these things, and also of the need to revisit topics my husband and I thought we already sufficiently addressed. Kids just need repetition.
In light of that, this week I’m revisiting Jason’s series on the soul and where it *comes* from. There’s a lot of food for thought here, so grab a cup of something warm, and have a think.
-Danielle
In this presentation, John Stonestreet discusses proper Christian posture toward culture. He contends that culture is the water that we swim in, but also asks, “For what are we responsible?” Using the examples of Hans Scholl and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John argues that all believers are Christians and something else. Christians should’nt jump from one Christian bubble to another. Instead, they should take responsibility for aspects of culture that overlap with their life.
In this presentation, John Stonestreet discusses proper Christian posture toward culture. He contends that culture is the water that we swim in, but also asks, “For what are we responsible?” Using the examples of Hans Scholl and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John argues that all believers are Christians and something else. Christians should’nt jump from one Christian bubble to another. Instead, they should take responsibility for aspects of culture that overlap with their life.
In this presentation at the ReThink Conference, Brett Kunkle put forth the argument that Christians need to have better reasons for why they are Christians.
Giving reasons like, “I was raised Christian,” or “God changed my life,” have no impact on the atheist. Furthermore, Christians should avoid giving subjective truth reasons for their belief since experience is not enough to keep faith grounded. Instead, Brett contends that we should be able to state with confidence that, “I’m a Christian primarily because there are good reasons and evidence that Christianity is objectively true.” Objective truth is available to the believer.
In this presentation, Sean McDowell gives a brief overview of the intelligent design movement. He highlights some of the more persuasive evidences for its truth, and begins by discussing the pervasiveness of Darwinism as a worldview and its impact on everyday life. Darwinism ultimately teaches that we are accidental by-products of blind forces in nature and that all life is doomed to die as the universe cools. What a depressing way to look at the world!
Last week we briefly summarized Apologetics for a New Generation, but we wanted to emphasize some of the key aspects of application that the authors cover. While this book covered a broad variety of topics, it was all geared toward reaching young people for Christ. To that end, there were plenty of suggestions on how to apply that toward teaching apologetics to students.
In his book, Apologetics for a New Generation, Sean McDowell put together a team of writers who have a heart to minister to young people. They outline the need for a new approach to apologetics, some ideas for new methods in which to apply these apologetics, and some of the different challenges now facing our culture.
In the first section of the book, the new approach is characterized as relational. In the context of relationship, people build trust without which the application of apologetics falls flat.[1] It is through relationships that the Holy Spirit instills belief and people are drawn to the gospel message.[2] Students should be empowers to be ambassadors of Christ and “agents of transformation to their generation” once these personal relationships have been established.[3]
Jonathan Morrow tackles some of the main points he believes that Christians must understand in their cultural engagement. In 8 Things Christians Must Understand About our Cultural Moment, he opens by explaining that religion should be more than just a preference.
He contends that Christianity is either true or false, and if it is true, Christians should be able to calmly investigate any objections to it that arise. Christianity is able to compete within the global marketplace of ideas. As Christians, we are called to be everyday ambassadors of Christ, and we must understand some key issues within our culture. We must understand that our culture is spiritual but not religious, that pluralism and relativism saturate world views, and that in general, we must be familiar with the pulse of our culture.
I recently watched Do You Believe. Several moments from the movie stuck with me, including one in which the pastor in the film exhorts his congregation. “What does it mean to believe?” he asks. “True biblical belief requires action. So if you truly believe that Christ died so that we may live, it should not only bring you to your knees but also bring you to your feet.” Simply put: your actions should reflect your belief.
This same concept is found in the book of James: “Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:22-25).
Another key moment involves a lawyer warning a Christian that “[the] cross is going to cost you.” Similarly, in the book of 2 Timothy, Paul warns that, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). The persecution you and I experience may not mirror the severity of that of our brothers and sisters’ at the hands of the Islamic State, but if we live boldly in the cause of Christ for any amount of time, we will be made aware of the associated cost.
Our culture abhors clear lines; black and white becomes quite gray. Issues of gender and sexuality are at the forefront of these obfuscated lines today; with a gaining momentum toward throwing out any meaningful distinctions. There are many in the Church that are swayed by these cultural pressures to conform, and struggle to redefine Christian belief in an effort to remain “relevant.”
However, the Church must remember that Christ never stopped drawing clear lines between what God expects and the cultural norm of the day; how can we do any less? It is imperative that we train our children to be courageous in the cause of Christ, to stand for truth, and to declare that truth with boldness, which brings me to my point.
They are watching you.
You are the example that they will first mold themselves after. Your actions should reflect your belief, so that your actions reflect Christ to a lost world, and so that by modeling their values after you your children are in fact modeling their values after Christ. Pray that they would imitate Christ and be brought to their knees and to their feet.