In a recent post I related a comment and series of questions an anonymous poster left on one of my blogs. I asked you how you might respond. (Thank you, all, for the hundreds of responses you gave me! :-) ) Well, I don't lift my words up as the perfect response by any means, but I thought I'd share what I wrote. Here it is:
Dear Anonymous,
It all depends on your worldview and whether or not you believe there is absolute truth. If religion is simply a product on the market like shampoo, then who's to say one brand is better than the other. Only a salesman who is trying to sell you his brand, but in reality, many are just as good as others. It appears that faith to you is this--it is something to make you happy.
My worldview is that there is only one Creator God--only one God who created the world, and only one way to know him--through Jesus Christ. If we don't put our faith in Jesus then our sins will eternally seperate us from God. If we accept the gift of Jesus, then we will know God and be safe forever. I want all people to know God and be safe forever. It is that simple.
It is also not correct to call these "my beliefs" as if they were my idea or originated with me. Everything I believe or teach comes from the Bible, which I believe comes from God. So, it is not me placing my personal thoughts or beliefs on them, but it is propogating the message of the truths that God gave to us.
You said that faith is the most important thing one can carry with them... faith in what? Faith is only as good as what it is attached to. If someone has faith in the Titanic to bring them safely across the Atlantic, their faith isn't going to help them when the ship hits the iceberg and sinks. What is important is the One to whom our faith is attached.
If we say that all religions are good, then we are basically heading towards atheism, because the teachings and claims of all religions are not compatible--it is impossible for them all to be true. I believe in Jesus Christ because I heard his message and I believe God revealed this to me.
The message of Christ is grace, not works. It is not us reaching up to God, but God reaching down to us. I believe this is unique to Christianity and demonstrates a God who truly loves and values us--despite our pride, selfishness and sin.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
How Help can Sometimes Hurt
Did you see this article on CNN.com? I wish more of us would understand these dynamics. I witness this stuff first hand as The Location is not a lot unlike Haiti.
You can read the article here.
You can read the article here.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Responding to Anonymous
On another blog I manage to ask for prayer for an unreached people group, I got the following message from Anonymous...
"Reaching out to X people"? In what way? Is there something wrong with the original religion that the X people have always carried, that is part of history? No disrespect AT ALL to ANY RELIGIONS out there, NOT AT ALL, I have faith myself, I think faith is the upmost important thing one can carry along with them in their life, so my question I guess is, why feel the need to place your personal thoughts, beliefs, and values on others if you are happy with your faith?
I don't want to get into a debate at all, but I do feel a response is appropriate. I have responded by saying some things, but I want to know what YOU would say. How would you respond to Anonymous?
I look forward to your input. Thanks!
"Reaching out to X people"? In what way? Is there something wrong with the original religion that the X people have always carried, that is part of history? No disrespect AT ALL to ANY RELIGIONS out there, NOT AT ALL, I have faith myself, I think faith is the upmost important thing one can carry along with them in their life, so my question I guess is, why feel the need to place your personal thoughts, beliefs, and values on others if you are happy with your faith?
I don't want to get into a debate at all, but I do feel a response is appropriate. I have responded by saying some things, but I want to know what YOU would say. How would you respond to Anonymous?
I look forward to your input. Thanks!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Guerrilla Lovers
My friend Vince Antonucci wanted me to relate to you that his new book, Guerrilla Lovers, just came out! Vince is also providing all kinds of cool guerrilla loving resources for individuals and churches at http://www.guerrillalovers.com/.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Marked Man
I know about five foreigners who have been kicked out of The Location because of Christian witness since the time I first moved here. All five of them worked in the same province. Some of them are back in The Location in different provinces. Some are gone indefinitely. But all of them ran into problems in the same area.
This area is the hotbed of opposition to Christians in The Location. This is also where VK was arrested and jailed for "human trafficking." Though he was released briefly, he was re-arrested and put back into prison. He remains there to this day.
What I've just learned today, is that I have been named.
I suspected this was the case after VK named my worker and my worker and I were called into the police together. I was away so he went without me. Since I've been back I haven't yet been called in. But I've been told that my name is now "loud" in that province. And I've been warned to lay low for a while.
VK's arrest is completely unjustified and he should be released immediately. At the same time, he did several things he could have done differently that would have completely avoided this whole situation. VK made three major mistakes: One, he lied to us about the people he was sending to work with us. One of them was not one we wanted. Two, he disrespected his village headman by sending one of the young men even though the village headman refused to sign that man's documents, which would allow him to go. Three, he announced openly at his church and elsewhere that these two young men were "going to study the Bible." We had told him to emphasize that they were going to work. We told him about the Bible studies we do, but there was no need to mention it to anyone else. Apparently VK thought he could get away with it and that it would impress others in his church.
Pray for VK. Pray also for me and my family. I need to remember that it could all end any day and that we might be called someday to walk away from everything here in The Location.
This area is the hotbed of opposition to Christians in The Location. This is also where VK was arrested and jailed for "human trafficking." Though he was released briefly, he was re-arrested and put back into prison. He remains there to this day.
What I've just learned today, is that I have been named.
I suspected this was the case after VK named my worker and my worker and I were called into the police together. I was away so he went without me. Since I've been back I haven't yet been called in. But I've been told that my name is now "loud" in that province. And I've been warned to lay low for a while.
VK's arrest is completely unjustified and he should be released immediately. At the same time, he did several things he could have done differently that would have completely avoided this whole situation. VK made three major mistakes: One, he lied to us about the people he was sending to work with us. One of them was not one we wanted. Two, he disrespected his village headman by sending one of the young men even though the village headman refused to sign that man's documents, which would allow him to go. Three, he announced openly at his church and elsewhere that these two young men were "going to study the Bible." We had told him to emphasize that they were going to work. We told him about the Bible studies we do, but there was no need to mention it to anyone else. Apparently VK thought he could get away with it and that it would impress others in his church.
Pray for VK. Pray also for me and my family. I need to remember that it could all end any day and that we might be called someday to walk away from everything here in The Location.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
