Monday, October 31, 2011

Resource Review: The Trouble with Paris


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What if you're living in the wrong reality?

Doesn't everyone want the good life these days? Our shopping mall world offers us a never-ending array of pleasures to explore. Consumerism promises us a vision of heaven on earth - a reality that's "hyper"-real. We've all experienced hyper-reality: a candy so 'grape-ey' it doesn't taste like grapes anymore; a model's photo so manipulated that it doesn't even look like her; a theme park version of life that tells us we can have something better than the real thing. But what if this reality is not all that it's cracked up to be? Admit it, we've been ripped off by our culture and its version of reality that leaves us lonely, bored, and trapped. But what's the alternative?

In The Trouble With Paris, pastor Mark Sayers shows us how the lifestyles of most young adults (19-35) actually work "against" a life of meaning and happiness to sabotage their faith. Sayers shows how a fresh understanding of God's intention for our world is the true path to happiness, fulfillment, and meaning.

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Paperback Book, 224 pages
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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Bible: Fiction or Nonfiction?


University is an amazing institution where the minds of the future can be shaped and moulded. As a university student, I was exposed to many different types of theories and philosophies. One of those philosophies was post modernism, which is the belief that there is no absolute truth, but there are actually many different truths which are socially constructed. As a student who did not believe in the teachings of the bible, I found this philosophy compelling as it seemed inclusive and tolerant, blowing ‘narrow minded Christians, Muslims, Modernists and so on, out of the water.

My post modernism shaken

Midway through my university studies, I started to question the philosophy of post modernism. My mind dabbled in the possibility of their existing absolute truth and meaning. So, naturally, I asked the question, ‘how can all belief systems (including atheism) be right’ if there is such a thing called absolute truth? Thus, I came across the bible, which teaches that:
  • The world was created by one God, who loves us and wants to have a fulfilling relationship with us,
  • However, we have all rejected him and now suffer the consequences of death and suffering.
  • God became a man named Jesus, lived the perfect life, experienced the turmoils and trails we face, and died on the cross to pay for our rejection,
  • Jesus was resurrected and now reigns as King of the universe, and will return to recreate everything, judge the world and save those who trust in him.

Learning these biblical teachings and becoming regenerated by the Holy Spirit, my post modern understandings were shaken and eventually made completely obsolete, as the teachings of the bible were clearly absolute in nature.

How can the world still neglect the bible?

So if the bible is absolute in its teachings, then what place does post modernism have in our society? Strangely, post modernism, and every other counter argument to the bible, continues to thrive even though it’s contradicted by the bible. A driving force against the bible is the notion that the scriptures cannot be trusted as it is an unreliable text, full of historical errors and contradictions. This was one of the hurdles I tackled on my path to Christianity, which I found in the end, a rather facetious counter argument.

The claim that the bible is unreliable text due to the amount of errors and contradictions in it, is a rather laughable counter argument. Biblical textual criticism is the field of study where scholars compare the many New Testament manuscripts dating back to the Early Church period. Most critical biblical scholars are in agreement, that the bible is a reliable historical document which holds absolutely no damaging contractions, as claimed by some. The contradictions that seem to be evident are possible minor changes in words, which have occurred over time.

 

An immensely helpful article was written about five years ago, titled Misanalyzing Text Criticism--Bart Ehrman's'Misquoting Jesus'. This article was authored by two of the world’s most leading textual and biblical scholars, Professor Ben Witherington III and Professor Daniel Wallace. The article is a response to another textual critic named Professor Bart Erhman, who has created a stir with some of his most recent publications, claiming that the bible is a fabrication, full of historical errors. Both Witherington and Wallace expertly dismantle Erhman’s arguements. I recommend you read the article as I will do this field of study a massive disservice if I try.


Where to from here?

After examining the evidence, I came to the conclusion that the bible is God’s word, in perfect agreement within itself and a reliable historical document, detailing the work of God in his creation. I endorse the endeavour of examining the historical and biblical evidence for yourself. To many of us, including myself, can be indifferent, ignorant or hold an incorrect bias to the field of biblical textual criticism, and as a result, completely miss the enormous claims of scripture. Please don’t fall into this trap, as there is a great and loving God who is communicating with us through his scriptures.

So I leave you with this question – are you listening to God? Or, have you closed your ears and minds to God because you are taking someone’s else’s word for it? 

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Stuff! Are you all about it?

Take a look at your life for a moment and think, if someone was to watch me for a day, what conclusion would they draw from their observations? I am not speaking moralistically as such, but rather, what do you value most in life? What or who are you living for?

Now, watch this compelling video. It was produced by Annie Leonard (The Story of Stuff):





At this point, I am not sure whether I necessarily share the same spiritual views as Annie as I don’t know her personally. However, she raises an interesting point – we live in a society that is enslaved by the machine of consumerism! Our lives are consumed with consuming more stuff, which is an empty and destructive pursuit.

Am I saying that buying stuff is against God? No, but I am trying to push forward a point. Why not let Jesus, God incarnate, creator of the Universe speak for himself. Jesus said: “Where your treasure is, that is where your heart lies also” (Matthew 6:21). Then latter in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field (Matthew 13:44). The issue isn’t with buying stuff, but rather, what is at the centre of your life? Do you live and work simply to buy things, which brake or rust and are worth nothing in the end anyway? Is consumerism is what life is all about or is there a deeper more fulfilling meaning to life?

The answer is simple, and Jesus stated it in the verse above. The kingdom of heaven basically is God’s people living in perfect relationship with him. Jesus likens it to a treasure, the most valuable thing in the entire world. It is so valuable that life is meaningless without it. God created us to know, love and enjoy him, and vice versa – this is the treasure. A life without God is essentially meaningless.

Life does not need to be this way. Our rejection and denial of God can be done away with through Jesus, God in human form. You don’t have to live enslaved by consumerism anymore and you can now live for the most valuable treasure in the world – God!

So, what will you place as the treasure of your life? Will it be that stuff you bought that will only break within the next few weeks, or would you prefer a fulfilling relationship with God?