North/South Face Off

Just finished my annual State of the Church address. I have been studying about the rise of Global South Christianity. Although the state of the Western Church is a bit discouraging, the State of the Church in the world is quite exciting.

Philip Jenkins makes several notable observations in his book, The New Faces of Christianity. He talks a great deal about the contrast of simple, believing Global South Christians and complex, educated Northern Christians. The contrast, in many ways could simply be unbelief vs. belief.

In a world where the words of Jesus take on great importance for everyday survival, he says, "The practical consequences are all too clear if we contrast the teeming congregations of Africa and Asia with the empty churches of post-Christian Europe. In the words of the Magnificat, God has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty." (p. 186)

An interesting contrast for Northern Christians vs. those Christians in Asia, Africa, and South America, where manifest evil and demons are still forces to be reckoned with. "Modern optimism (of the North) means that angels remain quite acceptable to popular belief, while giving credence to demons raises doubts about one's sanity." "Yet the further Christianity moves from ideas of evil (in the North), the less intelligible doctrines such as salvation and redemption become; salvation from what?" (p. 184)

And while we are thankful for science and medicine in the West, it has become a ready excuse for unbelief. "For most Europeans and Americans, healing is a secular, medical function, and has long been so." (p. 185)

It is good for us to think about these things, trying to see them from the perspective of people who live amongst great evil and come from cultures that have lived this way for centuries. The rise of Christ in these nations gives them hope that evil can, in fact, be overcome. While we have some good things to teach them, they also have much to teach us.

An Honest and Good Heart

I often post our Exhortations and Meditations in this place. I thought I would give you our entire Liturgical form here so you can see how we do this in our church.


CALL TO WORSHIP
Minister: Let us Worship the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

SCRIPTURE OF PRAISE
Luke 9:1-2 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

PRAYER OF PRAISE
Minister: Our Father in Heaven, we praise Your Name, for it is great and mighty to save and to heal. We thank You that Your Word has gone out to the ends of the Earth, proclaiming freedom to captives, dispensing with the authority of the devils, curing men of all manner of diseases and announcing the peace of the kingdom of God. We thank You that though we were sick and dead in our sins, You have made us healthy and alive in Christ. Though we were blind, we now see Jesus. Though we were deaf, You have given us ears to hear His Word. Glory be to God in the Highest. Amen.

HYMN OF PRAISE-Psalm 47- All Peoples, Clap Your Hands for Joy-Cantus Christi 87

EXHORTATION
Luke 8:4-5 4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 5 A sower went out to sow his seed

That seed is the word of God. There are people who hear this Word who do not really hear it. The devil comes and takes away the Word out of their hearts before they even have time to believe and be saved. Other people hear this Word as if they were a wee bit of soil on a rocky spot. When they first hear the Word of God, they receive it with joy. But since they are on rocky ground, they have no root. They believe for a short time but as soon as some difficulty or temptation comes their way, they fall away.

There are other people who seem to be in good soil. But the soil is also sown with weed and thorn seeds. They get along for a time but eventually they are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

Some hear the word as if they were good ground, well prepared. They have an honest and good heart. They hear the Word and keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. (Luke 8:16-17)

Dear Saints, be careful how you hear the Word of God. If you hear Jesus and have the Word of Life, then more shall be given you. More Word. More life. But if you do not hear and obey, then even what you think you have, which really isn’t much after all, will be taken away from you.

So, come to Jesus, honestly, with an honest and good heart. Honest because you are man, woman or child and He is God. Good because Jesus takes your faith in Him and reckons it as righteous. So, let us confess our sins, seeking Christ.

SCRIPTURE OF CONFESSION
Luke 8:5-7 and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Minister: Our Father, we confess to You that there are those in Your Church who do not really believe as they should. They have embraced Your Word but are unwilling to let go of the pull of the world. Our Father, we renounce the world and its desires, taking up our crosses and following Jesus. May we look to Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Our Father, prepare our hearts now and ever, to be good and honest soil, ready to receive all the Words of Jesus, to hold them dear, and to keep them until He returns.

Unison: O Lord God, who sees that we do not put our trust in anything that we do; mercifully grant that by Your power we may be defended against all adversity and temptation, through Christ our Lord. We confess our individual sins to You now. (Silent Confession)
Minister: O, Father, we thank You for hearing and forgiving us through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Minister: Rise up, O Saints of God, Forgiven in Christ Jesus.

SCRIPTURE OF ASSURANCE
Luke 8:8-10 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? 10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God:

ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Dear Saints, those of you who hear the Word of God and seek the Lord Jesus Christ in Spirit and Truth, are the good soil. May you fruit bear 30, 60 and 100 fold. The Lord Jesus is your Lord. In Him, you are forgiven. So, come and worship Him now. Amen.

Warmly Cooling

I'm a bit of a skeptic. I fashion myself a throwback, perhaps all the way back to the medieval age. Or at least back to when men were men, women were women and the weather minded its own business. So, being skeptical is not necessarily throwbackish. Perhaps, as a profession, skepticism is more modern. So perhaps, I am modern, really, in an old fashioned sort of way.

Whence comes all this confusion? Its the weather, I tell you. I can't help it. I remember as a child in Southern Idaho when my winters were long and cold. I used to spit on the wood shed and try to touch the spit as fast as I could to see if it was frozen yet. At -20 F, it would freeze before I touched it. But I hadn't remembered a winter like that for many, many years and now that I am old enough to say things like, "Twenty years ago...", well I suppose I know what I'm talking about. It is definitely getting warmer.

Sure, I was skeptical about global warming, too, until this so-called winter. It was in the 60's and 70's during Christmas break. The flowers were coming up, the Iris's blooms were starting to unfold. It was Spring in December. Global warming was a fact and my skepticism had been undeniably erased by the mere force of brute facts. Facts, I tell you, sure, solid, facts.

So, it was no wonder when I looked out this morning and saw the sun shining that I knew that I had made the correct, reasonable, scientific choice. In fact, since it is so warm, now, I don't even have to start my car five minutes early and let it run so my hands don't freeze on the steering wheel. I'd probably do it if it was cold. But it is nice that it is so warm so I don't have a personal moral dilemma about warming up my car.

Anyway, I headed off to work this morning thinking these great thoughts. What a shock to my system as I walked out the front door. The calm air, the blue sky and the bright sunshine were being selfish, deceitful perhaps, almost liars. They looked so warm and inviting from inside my cozy home. Arctic blastedness! Not so. I wheeled back into my house with an astonished look on my face and headed over to the computer to check the weather. Five degrees! What! On my globally warm Tuesday?

I had time to rethink it all NOW. Good thing I had time to do so, while the car warmed up. Global warming? Pshah!

Got to work and found this article. Peace of mind.

Better than the Witch Doctor?

In The New Faces of Christianity, Philip Jenkins makes a compelling case for the dramatic shift of Christianity around the globe. In fact, he does not have to ‘make a case’ for it at all. The facts are evident for all to see and our role in this is simply to recognize ‘what is’ or not. There are many startling aspects in what is occurring. How we view this depends largely on our view of what God is doing in history.

Much of the rise of Christianity in the global South is occurring among Pentecostals and Charismatics. Those of us with the mature Christian faith of North America may object to the growth of the church in this way. It does not fit our paradigm as to what the modern or mature church ought to be. One aspect of this dynamic growth in the church has been an emphasis on a ‘health and wealth’ gospel. That form of the gospel resonates strongly with a large portion of the world that is sick and poor. They need health and wealth and they are increasingly looking to Jesus to bring it to them.

While I am no proponent of this form of peddling Jesus to the masses, especially in its radically materialistic form here in the States, via the format of the The Blasphemy Network (TBN), I am glad to see the gospel of Jesus preached to those who need His message of salvation.

Tell me, what is worse, North Americans who have a solid, orthodox faith, without any outlandish aspects, who also do not think that prayer, and by implication, Christ, has anything to do with their health and wealth? Or, global South Christians who are still culturally young in the faith, who take the many words of Scripture on this subject, as if God actually meant them? Is it that their doctrine is wrong? Or is it merely an imbalance? Perhaps the expression of a childlike faith? The Scriptures require us to have this kind of faith. It must always be childlike. That is, truly trusting. But it must not stay childish. We must grow up in our understanding of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But could we North Americans not use some balancing of our own in this area?

I am not charismatic. Nor will ever be. I was once, or tried to be, but I failed or did I succeed? I often tried to speak in tongues, but also prayed that God would not let me do so, unless it was real. I never did. And a stint in YWAM in the mid-80's, along with a lot of other goofy stuff, cured me of any charismatics leanings.

I believe the miraculous sign gifts to the church have ceased. Although, after reading Jenkins’ books, it is somewhat difficult to write that sentence. But even the testimony of the early church fathers showed that miracles gradually dissipated from the church over the course of a few hundred years. However, God does not cease to do remarkable things. He makes the sun come up each day. He puts food on my table. He gives me a healthy body. While I can tie these blessings to seemingly scientific data (if I try hard), I must retain the proper view that these blessings occur because they are wrought by the hand of the Governor of Providence. In that sense, they are miraculous.

Global South Christians live in a world where daily survival requires them to have a vibrant faith. Faith in the God who providentially governs daily circumstances is more than just an idea to them. It is no wonder that a health and wealth gospel is appealing. Instead of wagging our heads about this, we should consider this a manifestation of a truly Trinitarian faith. It is anti-Gnostic, and that is good. Consider this quote from Africa, “If the gospel you are preaching does not speak to human needs, it is useless. It cannot compete with the witch doctor and the gods.”

You see, they believe that worshipping the ancestors has real power. They need a power that is stronger and Jesus is it. Granted, we have some syncretism to deal with, some muddy waters to clear out, some false doctrines to clean up. But this is not unlike the issues facing the early Christian Church. We best roll up our sleeves and get at it.

Communion Meditation-Wash Up!

It is good to prepare ourselves for many things. It is unthinking of us and haphazard to just show up. We do this sometimes but to our shame. Sometimes circumstances beyond our control require us to ‘just show up,’ but that should be the exception, not the norm. Some people have a penchant for showing up for just about anything and seldom seem as if they have given even a moment of forethought to the event. They really like that song, “Just as I am.” It has some merit but should ‘just as you were’ perpetually be ‘just as you always are?’

It would be bad manners to come to a meal unprepared. This is true of the most ordinary meals. Wash up, tuck in your shirt, wait for the ladies to sit down. But how much more so for a special occasion? A Thanksgiving feast, the Christmas dinner, an important birthday. Then, the preparations should be even more elaborate. Put on some nice clothes, decorate the room, make sure to ask questions of Suzy on her birthday. We should be constantly looking forward and arriving at places with a sense of preparation, ahead of time, not twenty seconds before or twenty seconds into it.

What we do here, at the Lord's Table, is of the highest importance. We seem to have to use our ordinary meals and special days to inform us how to act here. Really, we should be thinking much better about how to act here and practicing on improving this, so that we know how to act out there.

We ought to come to this meal having prepared. That is the purpose of our service, to prepare us. We go through many steps and think about many things. The right clothes, the right thoughts, the right expectations, the right attitude. And of course, none of this should be on the outside only but what we see on the outside should reflect the reality of what God has done on the inside.

Are you prepared? Did you wash up? Are you minding your manners? If so, then wonderful, we’ll pray and eat presently. And if not, then why not? We gave you plenty of time before calling you to supper. There now, I don’t say that to depress you. Let’s not have any long faces. Sit down and eat anyway. The food is good. The fellowship is splendid. Perhaps the goodness of the meal will make you think more of it the next time you come here to eat. Welcome all.

Septuagesima

You’ll notice on our bulletin that this is Septuagesima Sunday. Some of you may hear a similarity in that word to the Septuagint, which was the Greek translation of the Old Testament by the 70 Jewish elders. Septuagesima, seventy days. Strange name, not exactly sure of its historical use but we can let it help us to think like Christians. Some say that it refers to the approximate number of days to Easter. Others to the 70 years of Babylonian exile. Some early Christians began some form of fasting 70 days before Easter. Whatever the exact origin of the word, the dates are clear. It is to be placed three Sundays before Lent or nine Sundays before Easter.

Why do I bring it up here? The main reason I want to discuss it is to point out how differently we think today. Rarely, do we count our days by our religious holidays. If we do so at all, it is because we are just now learning to do so. We think in terms of school years, semesters, Labor Day and Memorial Day, July 4. I know that I do. Our school year runs from Labor Day to Memorial Day. It’s not sinful to do so, per se, but something strikes me as particularly non-Christian about it. It also strikes me as odd that modern day Christians, some Presbyterians at that, object to the keeping of a church calendar. They do so, expressly exchanging it for a secular calendar. There is no other calendrical choice. But the government does not govern time, the Heavenly Governor does.

Also, I want us to think in terms of preparation. We ought to prepare for seasons just like we prepare ourselves for Church. Some of you say, “But I don’t prepare myself for Church.” Well, that is the problem.

Of course, Church should prepare us. Something happens here that changes us and makes us fit for God’s kingdom, battling with the devil, and persevering unto the end. Something analogous occurs when we go to be a guest at someone’s home. We do not come disheveled, exhausted looking or sounding, and all out of sorts, even if we think we need the fellowship and the meal to encourage and nourish us. We make sure we are in a fit condition to enter their house. We talk to the children ahead of time about having good manners. We remember the house rules of our host.

Some of you do not prepare at all to enter the Lord’s house. You do not think about His house, His rules, what trouble He’s gone through to invite you here, what the meal cost, or what a blessing you should be to Him when you get here. Basically, you have shown bad manners. So, come expecting supreme fellowship, consolation for your soul and body. But come, also having prepared your soul and body so that you can be a blessing to Jesus and His body, the saints.

Start thinking about Sunday on Saturday. Prepare your heart and home before you come to church. And then the fellowship, worship, and meal will be an even greater blessing to you. Think more highly of others, your fellow saints and Your Lord, than you do yourself. Where will this take you? I don’t know exactly, for you, but hopefully, we can all learn from this and make some important changes.

A Titch of Aceticism

The Reformation was an attempt to reform that which had got bent and out of shape. The Church, the Roman Catholic Church, had become a bloated and ill looking bride. The stated goal of our Lord is that she be without spot or blemish or any such thing. The spots must go. The blemishes, too.

It is interesting that modern day Protestants, perhaps especially we Presbyterian types, see the shadow of Rome looming over many Christian practices. Every attempt at a modern Reformation, even say back to what our Reformers taught and practiced, is seen as another step ‘back to Rome.’ This might include the church calendar, a formal liturgy, robes for ministers, baptizing and communing children, or even regular fasting.

Many of us grew up with RCatholics eating fish on Friday, thought it was weird, and couldn’t even get an answer from our RCatholic friends as to why they did so. Just do, that’s why. But it really isn’t that weird.

I sit here with a fat belly from another lunchtime feast. Food is plentiful in my part of town and I greet it gladly. But I do not want it to be my god, my own personal Buddha to carry around with me. I ought to remind myself often that God is my God, not wealth, not pleasure, not food. What is wrong with eating some simple fare, regularly, to show myself that I can, to focus on the Lord’s goodness, to put down the flesh’s ever-present demands? I’m no Gnostic but what is wrong with a titch of asceticism now and then? Is there no truth in abstaining, even for a season, for the purpose of prayer?

We have not yet put anything like this in practice in our church but I see no biblical reason why it would not be a healthy and wise practice, especially if we insist on the glory of feasting on the Lord’s Day, especially if we practice the principle, not just our own favorite method. Live simply. Eat simply. Rule the flesh. Do not let it rule you.

Feasting on the Lord’s Day. That’s the real rub. Many stodgy Sabbatarian types get it all backwards. Sunday is the fast day. Perhaps that is not what their text books say. Just their voices. Just their faces. Perhaps they don’t abstain from food. Just joy. Don’t do this. Don’t do that. Put on a long face.

Stop! Not so! Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday. We get to go to church to eat with Jesus and His friends that day. We have the whole day, with an empty agenda, to do whatever the Lord would have us do, with family, with friends. What joy!

But Augustine was not in Rome. “And yet, if any one were to think that the Lord’s Day should be appointed a day of fasting, in the same way as the seventh day is observed by some (the Roman Church of AD 396) such a man would be regarded, and not unjustly, as bringing a great cause of offence into the Church.” (Letters of St. Augustine, Letter XXXVI, AD 396).

His point here is that the Lord’s Day should be a feast day and not a fast day. He proves both points for us. Fasting is allowed and even good. Fasting on the Lord’s Day is an offence to Christ’s Church.

Is this Catholic? I hope so. Is it Roman? Nope. Not in a thousand years.

Hope for Latin Students

Can you imagine St. Augustine having trouble with his Latin? He did.

"Now here I used the word "cupi:" will you tell me whether it should be "cupi" or "cupiri?" And I am glad this has come in the way, for I wish you to instruct me in the inflexion of this verb "cupio," since, when I compare similar verbs with it, my uncertainty as to the proper inflexion increases. For "cupio" is like "fugio," "sapio," "jacio," "capio;" but whether the infinitive mood is "fugiri" or "fugi," "sapiri" or "sapi," I do not know. I might regard "jaci" and "capi" as parallel instances answering my question as to the others, were I not afraid lest some grammarian should "catch" and "throw" me like a ball in sport wherever he pleased, by reminding me that the form of the supines "jactum" and "captum" is different from that found in the other verbs "fugitum," "cupitum" and "sapitum." As to these three words, moreover, I am likewise ignorant whether the penultimate is to be pronounced long and with circumflex accent, or without accent and short." (Letters of St. Augustin, Letter III, to Nebridius, AD. 387)

A Lamb-killed Dragon

"China's moment of its greatest achievement-and of the most benefit to the rest of the world-may lie just ahead. That moment may occur when the Chinese dragon is tamed by the power of the Christian Lamb." (Jesus in Beijing, D. Aikman, p. 292)

New Faces of Christianity-Philip Jenkins

More Jenkins Quotes

"Between 1900 and 2000, the number of Christians in Africa grew from 10 million to over 360 million, from 10% of the population to 46%."

"By 2050, we can predict, there should be around 3 Billion Christians in the world, of whom only around one fifth or fewer will be non-hispanic whites."

Quoting African belief in the integrity of Scripture, "We do not have the same problem about the Bible as white people have with their scientific mentality."

"Only in the 1960's did Bible reading acquire its exalted status among Latin America's lay Catholics, while the massive growth of Protestant and Pentecostal communities begins in the same era. Today, though, Latin American nations-above all, Brazil-are among the world's greatest producers and consumers of Bibles."

One more on the supreme place of the Bible in these cultures. "As in the first Christendom of medieval Europe, the shift from orality to literacy gives an enormous symbolic power to the written text, to the Book, which in many cases might be the only book in a given household. In much of modern Africa, even many pastors might not own any books except a Bible."

New Faces of Christianity-Philip Jenkins

From Here to Timbuktu

Jenkins' basic thesis is that Christianity is rapidly going south, the Global South. This expansive growth seems to bother both conservative and liberal Western Christians. It bothers the libs because Southern Christianity is well, conservative, or what might be called by American liberals, fundamentalist. Mainly speaking, southern Christians are opposed to homosexual lifestyles, ministers, and practice. Many are also opposed to ordaining women and have a deep sense of the integrity and authority of Scripture. In all of these issues, they think they have the Bible on their side.

American conservatives, although they have more in common with southern Christians, may also be a bit bothered. Southern Christianity in China (not in the south but it is), Brazil, and Africa is full of Pentecostals, healing, miracles, charismatics. This does not fit well with a stodgy, informed Presbyterianism. It may not fit well with modern American Baptists either. But the church is exploding in these areas. They ARE Christians. God is doing something really huge, perhaps bigger and more meaningful in a shorter timeframe, than anything globally that He has done thus far. How will we view this?

"By 2025, Africa and Latin America will vie for the title of the most Christian continent. A map of the statistical center of gravity of global Christianity shows that center moving steadily southward, from a point in norhtern Italy in 1800, to central Spain in 1900, to Morocco by 1970 and to a point near Timbuktu today."

Calvin Said It

Yesterday, after school, Calvin, Rick Davis, and myself were sitting in my office prior to heading home. Calvin got to go to school today because he has now finished over one hundred pages of Alpha Phonics. Usually, he is just a Friday boy but some weeks, when he finishes another twenty-five pages, he gets to be a Monday and a Friday boy. So, Monday boy is gazing at my books. I've got a few, not expansive. The office is largeish and most of two walls are taken up with my books. I suppose to a five year old, it looks like a library.

Calvin starts off the conversation with Mr. Davis.

"Dad has a lot of books."

"Ya, he sure does."

"When Dad dies, I'm going to take over."

Precious.

Covenant Succession.

Just hope there are no thoughts towards my early retirement.

Communion Meditation-God is Here

Dear saints, I hope we have learned two things from our sermon on Moses. The first is for you. The second is for your elders.

First of all, you have been brought near the Rock of Christ. The blessings are about to flow. Though You are in the wilderness and thirsty, you are not in danger of perishing. Blessed are all those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. And the righteousness of God is revealed in your midst. Be glad that you are hungry, for God provides a meal. Be glad that you are thirsty, for there is water and wine in abundance for all.

Because this is true, you must learn not to complain and grumble. You can let the Lord know that you hunger and thirst but do so in faith not doubting His provision. Look upon the food of God’s sustenance. The Rock has poured forth and food and drink are here in abundance. We are not just speaking of spiritual food and drink. God has amply supplied your every need. AND He even provides for your spiritual needs. He feeds you body and soul. What complaints can you make to Him? Are you still hungry? Then come and eat. Are you still thirsty? Then, come and drink, and be ye filled.

And the second thing we, your elders, must learn, is faith. Not faith in you, the people, but rather, faith in God on your behalf. We must implore Him to meet you in this place, feed you and nourish you. And we must not grow weary in this, our task. Do not grumble. But if you do, we will talk to Jesus for you, asking Him to flow over you in abundance of the Holy Spirit. Do not doubt that God is here among us. But if you do, we will remind you that He is near and therefore you must come to Him and dine and drink. Stop your doubting. Believe God. But if not, believe us. God is here. Come and eat.

Finishing Faith

The essence of being a Christian is living by faith. We are to be people who see by faith and not by sight. This is an odd thing to say. How can we see what we cannot see? For faith is the essence of things not seen. But we are to see something. What is it? We are to see Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. And even seeing Jesus is a metaphor because we do not really see Him but we do see Him with eyes of faith.

Now, to say that He is author and finisher is saying a lot. We do not only see Him for salvation. We must see Him for that. That is our first duty. We realize that we cannot save ourselves and so we look to Him for salvation. We believe that He has come, represents the Father on our behalf, calls us to union with Himself, sends the Holy Spirit to be with us always.

But then, He is the finisher of our faith. What does this mean? It means that He is always there. It means that we are to see Him in every area of life. Every doubt, every struggle, every sin, every need, every joy, namely everything and every event is part of what Jesus is finishing in us. We must do it all by faith. When we sin, we must look to Him in faith. When we do well, we must give Him credit in us by faith.

Sometimes you complain and grumble about the life the Lord has given you. Stop doing that and look to Jesus in faith. Sometimes you are discouraged in hard times. Look to Jesus and be encouraged. Sometimes you sin outright, even blatantly. Stop, look to Jesus for forgiveness. Sometimes you do not trust Him to provide for you needs, even though He said that He would. Stop worrying and being anxious and look to Jesus in faith.

We should confess our unbelief. Lord, we believe, help our unbelief, and then expect that Jesus will build us up to believe in Him to finish our faith.

Reformed Ranglers

In my recent studies, one fact has revealed itself very clearly to me. I don't particularly like it but there it is. We, the Reformed Christians of the world, are a stunningly huge minority. This is true, even if we factor in all forms of Anglicanism into the mix. To which, I reckon, a whole lot of my TR brothers would strongly be opposed. But, for the sake of argument, let us say that the Anglicans, all forms of Presbyterians, and Reformed Baptists are among the Reformed. If we count them ALL as in OUR camp, then, compared to the worldwide church, Catholic, we are still a small minority.

Worldwide, the Roman Catholic church continues to grow. In Africa and South America, the Pentecostal Church is exploding. In China, house churches, mainly under five main groups, are expanding dramatically. Many of those, to the tune of tens of millions, in the Chinese house church movement are some form of Pentecostal or charismatic.

What are we to make of this? Do we rejoice? Do we lament? I dare say, in our own Reformed camp, we probably do neither. I am not sure we even care. We Reformed folks have a tremendous heritage. We really do have a fabulous set of systematics. Many of our churches have a highly developed biblical liturgy. Some are even teaching, expecting and enforcing godly Christian behavior. This is good. But what is our role regarding the rest of the world? Are we to merely bury our talent, the great understanding of biblical doctrine that we have inherited from the likes of Calvin and his many successors? Or, shall we simply continue to rangle over ridiculous internal squabbles? How will we ever bless the rest of the world (and they need it so badly), if we cannot even be a blessing to the brothers and sisters in our own family. It is shameful.

God loves doing things in an ironic way. I think the growth of the church, the way that it is currently growing worldwide, is a cosmic farce. God is making fun of us. He is using the base things of the world to confound the wise. We have our suped up Nascars ready to go but would rather use them in our own sadistic crashup derby than get them out and make a go of it on the track. Meanwhile, the churches militant in South America, Africa and China are all driving Ford Fiestas and they are kicking our butts!

America Alone?

I just finished Mark Steyn's, America Alone. This is a fine book and should be read by all who want to get a grasp on what is happening, religiously, in Europe. He boils the whole mess down to two main issues. Fruitfulness and will. In Europe, white people don't have babies, and Arabs do. More specifically, Christians don't have babies and Muslims do. The ethnic makeup in Europe is changing and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The most popular baby name in Europe will continue to be Mohammad. The fact is that the European nations are being invaded, there are no arrows in the quiver to defend her, and this bodes ill for the West, as we know it.

Although this is a terrific book, it is depressing. Steyn does offer some solutions to this dilemma. He is trying to give European and American politicians a wake up call. But it is clear that these solutions will not be followed. The powers that be have crafted a view of the world that is utterly powerless against such a natural invasion.

Having depressed myself sufficiently with Steyn, I moved on to two other books that are as encouraging as Steyn's book is discouraging. Jesus in Beijing by David Aikman is an account of the growth of the Christian Church in China. It is quite stunning. Europe as a Western, and by historic definition, a Christian force, is in trouble. Christianity, itself, is not. The Church continues to grow and flourish. The example of what God has done in China while Europe was gearing up to commit suicide, is a lesson we all should note. It strikes me as divinely ironic. As a WASP, I have reason to be discouraged. As a Christian, where all my first allegances should lie, I am greatly encouraged.

The Next Christendom by Philip Jenkins is perhaps even more powerful. Amerca's people are also darker. Latinos from Mexico, central America and even South America continue to stream across the border. Our national media, and perhaps especially many conservatives, continue to paint this as a very sad and dangerous situation. But many of these people are Christians. While the face of the country is changing dramatically, what does this mean for the growth of the kingdom of God?

Perhaps we should not be so interested in protecting our national borders as we are in seeing the kingdom of God in Christ expand to the very ends of the earth. We were once that 'ends of the earth'. But now the church is expanding in dramatic fashion in Africa and Latin America, what Jenkins calls, Southern Christianity. By mid-century, the greatest centers of Christian population will not be in Europe. In order, the masses of Christians will reside in the USA, Brazil, Mexico, Phillipines, Nigeria, Zaire, Ethiopia, Russia, China and Germany. No Britain, no France, no Italy. But imagine a billion Christians in Africa by 2050, another billion in Latin America, perhaps another billion in Asia, and you begin to get a very encouraging picture.

God is doing something big and for the most part we are missing it. Or at least, just not paying very close attention. We need to look at this situation with new eyes, embrace what God is doing and figure out how to be participants in this new Great Conversation. If we don't, we will simply get swallowed up by this glorious brown wave and be another footnote of history.

The Lord's Prayer-Our Father

We ought to pray the Lord's prayer, if for no other reason, than to begin it. For it begins so wonderfully, Pater, Father. In english we say 'Our' first. Not so in the Greek. Father comes first. The beginning of this prayer says much. We speak to God as Father. Not just any father, not somebody's father, but Our Father. Is this not wonderful?

I understand for some of you that it is NOT wonderful. You cannot imagine the joy, fear, reverance, strength, kindness, mercy, grace, gladness, and peace of father. Maybe only fear and strength stand out to you. But that is not our God, that is not our Father.

Our Father is the prodigal's father. He watches for such wretched sons and daughters as we are to return from our revels. He longs to grant forgiveness and with forgiveness reconcile us to Himself. To say Father is to admit that He is over us and that we are at His mercy. But we also appeal to His mercy for He is Our Father. Mercy is His business. Where sin abounds, even among God's children, grace does much more abound. So, when we sin and know that we have done ill, we should not shrink from God, but run to Him. He is Father. He is safety.

When my children were young, I often played Tiger with them. I would chase them, growling, roaring, pawing, scratching. They knew that I was father but they were also afraid of Tiger. At around 18-24 months old, the children could not quite grasp how much was just fun and how much was really dangerous. Sometimes, when Tiger dad was exceptionally effective, the toddler child would be terror stricken. This is where we begin to understand father from a child's perspective. What is a terrified child to do? To run is too scary. Tiger will catch me from behind. To stand still means instant death. Perhaps dad really is Tiger and will kill me. But, maybe, Tiger really is dad and will save me. After this complex thought process the child makes the right decision. Run to Tiger. Run to dad. Run to father.

It is only when we will not say Our Father, that we must tread in real fear of Him. Jesus said, Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. (Matt 10:32-33)

If we will not call God Our Father, then we deny true brotherhood with the Son and Jesus will not vouch for us before the Father. When we pray Our Father, we make ourselves out to be brothers and sisters of Jesus. This evokes God's pleasure towards us just as He is always pleased with His beloved Son.

Praying Gambler

Okay, Calvin is at it again. This time, sister Leah was the object of his spirituality. My lovely wife, Katie, chanced by the bedroom door just in time to see Calvin praying up a Backgammon storm. She, and I must say me, too, are still not sure what to make of this. She had another talk with Cal about praying. She suggested to him that praying for the right numbers to put his sister on the bar was perhaps not the best use for prayer.

He listened respectfully and then made a request, "May I just pray about it one more time?" His wise mother replied in the affirmative.

Our Calvinist begins, "Heavenly Father, thank You for this day. May I please roll a four and a one." Roll the dice. Four and One.

No kidding.

Newly Resolved

For the three of you who regularly visit this site. Thank you! I've got news for you. I'm making a sort of New Year's resolution. As I am not very good at that sort of thing, I suppose the result will be disastrous. However, since there are only three of you who read this blog, then the disaster will be fairly well contained.

Here's the New Year's resolution. I plan to actually make posts on this blog. Go figure. Part of my reluctance to blog much is that I am not certain that I have much to contribute to the Great Conversation. However, I am old enough, now, pert near 42, that I am now under the delusion, that having made it to 42, almost, that THAT fact qualifies me as a contributor.

Don't you remember how your grandpa figured that he qualified for the very same reason? But when you were fifteen or sixteen, it seemed a ludicrous qualification. You didn't have time to listen to grandpa and didn't really care to. But when you are 42, like I almost am, and Grandpa has long since passed on to meet his Maker, the wisdom of age seems a bitter loss. If I could only listen to him NOW.

So, styling myself a grandpa wanna be, and in a sincere effort to raise my blog readership to 4, I intend on posting regular entries. At least two per week.

Quick, go tell your friend!

The Power of Prayer

Our five year old Calvin was playing Backgammon with his mother today. He noticed that a two would put her on the bar. Before he rolled the dice, he solemnly closed his eyes and said "Heavenly Father, please give me a two."

My wise wife then gave Calvin a short lecture on prayer, praying for important things, not making light of God’s providence and such good motherly advice.

After nodding respectfully, Calvin promptly rolled a two.