Scott Freeman

I’m no prophet and make no claims to be. I’m not even a skilled prognosticator. If I was I’d be playing the horses.

However, there is no doubt that there is a coming tidal wave of issues that intellectually honest and sincere Christians will face in the future if not already. And surely many of us are confronting these topics in the here and now.

And these issues will make many of our previous issues look as ridiculous as so many of them are. So this list is not that of issues that will appear out of the blue but will gain steam and momentum in the years to come. In other words, these issues are already among us.

Before I begin the list let me emphasize two points:

First, I am not taking a position on any of these issues. I am merely stating that what might be settled in our minds may not be settled in the minds of people coming after us. In the future I will talk about each of these but not today.

Burying our head in the sand and pretending they aren’t really issues at all will serve no benefit for the kingdom. Nor will drawing our line in the sand and proclaiming that there is no need to deal with these issues because everything is already settled. We must be engaged, honest, questioning and concerned enough with the thoughts of others that we are willing to wrestle with tough issues.

Secondly, these are in no particular order. I make no claims as to which will consume the most of our energy.

Again let me re-state. I’m not taking a position on any of these issues nor am I stating that they should be issues. I am merely stating that we, as Christians, must be prepared to give an answer for the hope that we have. And that means meeting people where they are. In the coming months and years, this is where we will meet them.

10. Evolution and other issues of science. As the evidence seems to mount lending credence to the theory of evolution we must prepare for a greater conversation on such issues. Repackaging Creationism under the designation “Intelligent Design” fools no one and brings the conversation to a grinding halt.

9. The nature of Truth. Must the Bible be viewed solely as Propositional Truth? Is the rejection of PT mean strictly an embrace of Relativism or is there nuance?

8. Fellowship with Mormons and other “fringe” Christian groups. As the LDS gains mainstream respectability and a public backing away from much of their questionable doctrine our working relationship with these groups will come into greater need for discussion.

7. Biblical Inerrancy. The question of whether or not the trustworthiness of Scripture hinges upon its inerrancy will become more central in the coming years.

6. Bio-ethical Questions–Cloning, stem cell, etc. must be wrestled with from a Judeo-Christian perspective.

5. Homosexuality–Studying the issues anew, grappling with how to receive someone who is LGBT, and what Christ commands of us is imperative, regardless of how uncomfortable the topic is for many.

4. Gender Issues–What does the Bible truly say about the role of women? Are they second-class citizens when it comes to areas of service and leadership or is there a more progressive hermeneutic that demands something more egalitarian?

3. The Nature of Salvation–Questions of hell, heaven, and a new earth will become increasingly important as we wrestle anew with some problematic passages of Scripture.

2. What Is Church?–As we see the growth of non-traditional services and meeting places, and as many places of worship become decentralized the question of what it is we are called to do and be will increase.

1. The Atonement–Which is it: penal substitution, Christus Victor, ransom, or some mixture of the above? Or none of the above?

Note: I know that I didn’t include Open Theism which probably should be on this list.

What are your thoughts with these 10? What do you think should be added?

It’s time again to crank up the Blogger Bowl again. I’m looking to bounce back and vindicate myself after such a pitiful showing last season.

This league this year will be a high octane league. Major points scored. If you are interested leave a comment.

Draft time is August 28th at 9:30 Central.

…what would you ask?

I include these two works in one entry for two major reasons:

1. I procrastinated in writing about Lewis’ Preface to the point in which I had finished Perelandra
2. Preface is essential in understanding Lewis’ motivation for writing Perelandra.

A Preface to Paradise Lost

Prior to reading this academic work I thought that a good judge of the merits of this book would be whether or not Lewis could stir within me the desire to read Milton’s famous work. Although he failed in that regard, however, the book does possess some tremendous insight and value that goes beyond Paradise Lost itself.
Lewis begins by giving an in-depth introduction to the genre of Epic literature. If you have a love for Epic poems than Lewis’ description of Primary and Secondary epics, the technique of repetition and the transition from the individualistic style of Epic during the early period of writings such as Beowulf to the more grand epic brought in my Milton, et al then this book would be a worthwhile read.
In addition, Lewis hits on some themes that play a large role in his writings, most notably that of Hierarchy. As evidenced in the comments to Out of the Silent Planet and JTB’s observations Lewis is a tremendous proponent of order and hierarchy and that plays into his writings.
The greatest impact of this work when considering my intent to read through Lewis’s writings is the impact and influence that Paradise Lost had on his next work.

Perelandra
Readers of Lewis’ first entry in this science fiction trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet, would have to wait for several years before Ransom and Weston marked their return.

In this work, Ransom is dispatched to Perelandra (Venus) for some mission that at the outset is not fully explained to him. He knows that the Maleldil (devil) of this world has his eyes set on expanding and imagines being used in a divine plan to prevent that.

Perelandra is a beautifully written book, almost pitch-perfect in its tone and prose. It would be one of Lewis’ favorite writings. The book imagines a Paradise Kept, where Adam and Eve resisted the Evil One. This book is a re-imagining of that dark day. However, this time the results are quite different.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot in and of itself because I encourage everyone to pick this book up (after OOTSP, of course) and enjoy first-hand the rich telling of this story. However, it is important to note the themes that are prominent through the book. Again, Lewis sees a natural order of things in the universe. For good or bad, there is a hierarchy in Lewis’ mind that informs his writing.

In addition, this isn’t straight forward science fiction. There is a deep element of religious allegory and meaning to his work. The theology is thinly veiled and powerful in its resonance.
Read this book.

‘But this is very foolish,’ said the Un-man. ‘Do you not know who I am?’

‘I know what you are,’ said Ransom. ‘Which of them doesn’t matter.’

‘And you think, little one,’ it answered, that you can fight with me? You think He will help you, perhaps? Many thought that. I’ve known Him longer than you, little one. They all think He’s going to help them — till they come to their senses screaming recantations too late in the middle of the fire, mouldering in concentration camps, writhing under saws, jibbering in mad-houses, or nailed on to crosses. Could He help Himself?’ — and the creature suddenly threw back its head and cried in a voice so loud that it seemed the golden sky-roof must break, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.’

And the moment it had done so, Ransom felt certain that the sounds it had made were perfect Aramic of the first century. The Un-man was not quoting; it was remembering. These were the very words spoken from the Cross, treasured through all those years in the burning memory of the outcast creature which had heard them, and now brought forward inhideous parody; the horror made him momentarily sick.

Grade: A

Is there a better message than this?

Evening: Psalm 46:1-11

1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,

though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;

3though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

Selah

4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy habitation of the Most High.

5God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;

God will help it when the morning dawns.

6The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;

he utters his voice, the earth melts.

7The LORD of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

8Come, behold the works of the LORD;

see what desolations he has brought on the earth.

9He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;

he burns the shields with fire.

10″Be still, and know that I am God!

I am exalted among the nations,

I am exalted in the earth.”

11The LORD of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

…but you won’t find anything catchier. I defy you to listen to this and not go around the rest of the day singing “Chocolate Rain.”

And then if you could explain to me why I love it so much that would be great.

If you aren’t watching these videos you are missing out. For those who weren’t weaned on classic 80s videos consider this a crash course. For those of us who were, relive the good ole days.

This is Tony Carey with his lone hit, A Fine, Fine Day. Classic.

One of the first things I like to do in the morning is to read my daily Lectionary readings. If you have never experienced the joy of the Lectionary as a part of your daily regimen then consider starting.

You can go here and add it to your RSS reader.

Or you can add the link on your toolbar.

What better way to spend your daily devotional study time then with a morning psalm, a reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, a reading from a gospel, a reading from the Second Testament and an evening Psalm. Add it to your daily routine and you will be blessed.

In yesterday’s reading I picked up on something that I had always just skipped over before. One of my joys of studying scripture are the “duh” moments I get when I see something for the first time that has always been there. Yesterday’s moment was in Mark 4 when Jesus calms the storm.

In verse 38 the apostles roust Jesus from his sleep and say “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

I had always just skipped over that portion and focused on Jesus’ rebuke for their not having enough faith in verse 40 without paying attention to the heart of their question: “Jesus don’t you care?”

At the heart of their struggle and fear is not just that they might die in this storm but that this teacher doesn’t really care. Such a stark, honest and naked question. And, interestingly, a question that Matthew and Luke omit in their version of the story.

Often times we mistake the silences from God in the midst of life’s storms to be an indicator of His true lack of care. As if God is notoriously absent in the midst of our pain. Or simply inattentive. But we can see in Jesus’ directive to the wind and the waves a message to us as well: “Peace, be still.”

It’s hard in the midst of the calamity and uncertainty to be immovable. To truly stop and be still. To allow the waves to crash around us and permit the wind to buffet our bodies. But it’s when we allow Him to transform us and shape us into the true calm in the storm that we have the Peace and the Presence that we so long for.

I needed to see that yesterday. God is good.

Where I am the only one left in the world who hasn’t read a single Harry Potter book.

Seriously, am I the only one left? Are there any hold-outs left to form some kind of disaster plan when these people take over?

And for those of you who have read it, what am I missing?

A pic taken on our vacation while we were in ‘Bama. And yes my legs are that white.