Why Ask Why?

Raising a two year old is a full-time job.  My respect for parents, especially stay-at-home and single parents has increased tremendously as my daughter has grown older.  I have come to realize that the greatest aspect our job as parents during this stage of my daughters development is to teach her manners and morals. The daily lessons seem to center upon things like saying “Yes sir”, and “Yes Ma am” when speaking to adults, sharing with children, showing patience when told to wait, not yelling or raising your voice, and the all important - be nice to others and do what you are told the first time.  Recently, things have gotten more interesting and at times more difficult as my daughter has learned to express herself.  As she approaches three it seems as if she is entering into the infamous “Why” stage.  I have a nephew who is eleven and is smack dab in the heart of the “Why” stage.  This is a normal part of childhood development (at least that’s what the experts say rather I like it or not! lol).

The questions “why” seems to come as frequently as the commands for good manners and proper moral behavior.  Questions such as “Why do I have to share daddy?” or “Why can’t I have it now mommy?” or “Why is it wrong to point at strangers?”, “Why do I have to be nice to others?” or “Why must I do what I am told?”  These are all very plausible and thought provoking questions if you really consider them.  The normal tendency as a parent is to simply say “because I told you so”.  But when you assess the question our children are asking in a deeper way you realize that there is a deeper quest in their hearts.  I believe that our children, as well as, you and I, are searching for the underlying, unifying principle of objective morality. What I mean by this is that we all are looking for the ultimate justification which undergirds all moral teaching.

Why ask the question why? We ask the question because we assume that there is a foundational, concrete non-subjective reason for all morality.  It is as if we are internally wired with this assumption and the human search is to discover the unshakeable absolute that unites all moral teaching.  But yet many in our society have tried to argue that there is no such thing as moral absolutes.  They argue that each man or woman should simply do what is right in their own eyes.  This concept of relativism has crept into every aspect of our culture, from morals and ethics to art and learning. Everything is merely subjective and all is is equally valid.  Asking “why” ultimately becomes an invalid question, but yet we all still ask, and are hearts are not satisfied with the answer that relativism provides.

But the problem with moral relativism, as I see it, is that there are no grounds to say what is right or wrong if their is no absolute standard.  How can I tell my daughter that being mean to others in wrong, if there is no absolute standard.  What if she decides that “being nice is ok for you daddy, but i prefer being mean.”  What if our children’s response to our ethical teachings is to say, “Mom, Dad, who are you to impose your views of right and wrong onto me? After all everything is relative, even morals, and I will simply do what is right in my own heart.”  This is exactly what this generation is saying to us.  The problem with relativism is that it creates a moral system of chaos.  If there are no absolutes than anything goes.  I can steal from you and should not be punished because, who are you to say that what I did was wrong.  Someone could harm you and never be convicted because, after all you cannot judge me.  Things like racism, rape, and robbery are all individual choices that have nothing to do with the concept of right and wrong.

The fact is, there cannot be a response to the question of “Why” unless there is a God.  There are many approaches to ethics which have been proposed over the years, individualistic relativism, utilitarianism, social-contract theory, but the only approach which provides us with a unifying, concrete foundation for right and wrong is seen in the existence of God.  This approach to ethics, has been called by some, divine command ethics.  It basically teaches that the reason why something is right or wrong is based upon the fact that their is a higher moral agent, than any of us in humanity, who has established a code of ethics which we all must adhere to.

My response to my daughter questions of “Why should I be nice to others daddy?” or “Why should I share my toys?” or “Why should I be obedient when mommy tells me not to do something? is easy, it is because God has command us to live morally and He has told us what is right and what is wrong in the Bible!  Recently a good friend of mine shared with me that his concern for America is that we have stolen the ethics of God, while at the same time tried to remove the existence of God from our society.  The fact is that everything seems to be holding together and working well on the surface and this is because Judeo-Christian morals work.  But if you look underneath the surface our nations moral fabric is falling apart at the seams and is doomed for destruction because their is no answer to the one question all of our children are wired to ask. Our nation is destined for moral chaos, because we don’t have a proper answer to the question “Why”.  If we don’t have a proper answer for the question “why” our children will simply do what feels good in their own hearts.  God help us!

Well I have to go now because my daughter is waking up and I have to get back to the job of raising a morally ground child in the midst of a generation who is trying to stand on the wind.  I pray that I’ll be ready today when she asks me “daddy why?”

Pastor Chris

Why Are There So Many Translations?

Recently, while preparing for our upcoming bible conference,  I received a series of questions concerning why there are so many different bible translations.  Even now as I write this blog I can look over at my book shelf and finding upwards of seven different translations.  As a collector of bibles I own a number of translations ranging from the Interlinear Greek/English New Testament (3rd edition) to the Jerusalem Study Bible to the old faithful King James Version.  Each one is beautiful from a literary perspective and a valuable study tool for my teaching ministry.  All of the translations I have mentioned are considered, by most conservative bible scholars, as trustworthy.  This is not to say that every translation is reliable or should be trusted as a credible account of God’s word.  Bibles like the New World Translations (used by Jehovah’s Witnesses) or The Book of Mormon (used by the Latter Day Saints) should be totally avoided because of their heretical nature. But in order to answer the question more directly let me give 2 simple reasons for the number of different translations:

1. Updates In Language:  One of the major reasons for newer translations is the need to update our bibles to reflect modern day language.  Many people love and swear by the King James Version of the Bible, however many more find it difficult to read.  Words like, thou, smote, whatsoever are simply not used in our modern vernacular and act as impediments to understanding the message of scripture.   Therefore many bible scholars work diligently to make sure there are translations available on the market which use and reflect words that are still in existence, thereby making it easier for the reader to understand the text.  

2. Differences In Approach: Without being overly technical I think that it is important for us to understand what a translation is.  A translation is an attempt to convert the bible from its original language (Hebrew/Greek) to another user language (i.e. english, german, russian or swahili) in order to make it possible for people to get God’s word in their own language.  Now certain translations attempt to translate the bible word for word from the original language to the user language such as is the case for the King James Version or the New American Standard Bible.  While other translations seek to convey the original message, thought for thought, without doing any harm to the text such as is the case for the New International Version.  Both approaches have their pluses and minuses.  Word for word translations are focused solely on staying true to the original text in a didactic way, but are often times awkward in certain passages and difficult to read.  Thought for thought translations are more focused on the reader being able to understand the message being taught in scripture and  although easy to read, they have an added layer of interpretation built into the text because the translator had to make some assumptions about the original meaning of the text in order to update the wording. Neither is wrong they are just different. It is important for you to know what you are getting when you read different translations.  Again word for word like a KJV is focused on maintaining the word order of the original text even if it makes it harder on the reader and NIV is focused on the readers understanding even if it means adjusting certain word order, as long as the heart of the text is not compromised.

All of this can be somewhat challenging to understand, but here is the bottom line.  Most translations are reliable and will give you a pretty accurate reflection of what was in the original.  But my recommendation is to try your best to seek to conservative translations like KJV, NKJV, NASB or NIV. Another tip that I recommend is to read from multiple versions when you are studying.  I often will refer to KJV, NASB and NIV when I am preparing for a sermon.  Different translations are extremely helpful for getting a full picture of the text.   

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How to Witness to a Muslim

As many of you know I am currently hosting a week of radio broadcasts which focuses on understanding Islam.  I have been very concerned about the extremism that I often find in Christian circles concerning this religion.  On the one end of the spectrum are those who are totally passive about the radical differences between Christianity and Islam believing that for the most part both religions are fundamentally the same. On the other end of the spectrum are those who are so paralyzed by irrational fear that although they recognize the stark differences between the two faiths they won’t dare evangelize those beautiful Muslim people who they know lack saving faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior.  My hope is that through my radio program Christians will become more informed and increase in both their courage and compassion as it pertains to witnessing to Muslims.  In my personal experience I have had some success in sharing my faith with those who I love which are a part of the Muslim faith.  I have found most of them to be very reasonable and open to intellectual dialogue.  However, I believe that, like most Christians, many of them do not properly understand what there religion teaches and therefore often argue on the basis of emotion and not doctrinal beliefs or absolute truths.  Even worse is the fact that far to many of them have a totally distorted view of Christianity and therefore fall prey to the stereotypes and false perceptions of popular culture. For me the key to witnessing to a Muslim is to be informed, courageous and loving.  I am convinced that when a Muslim encounters a Christian who possesses a knowledge of the teachings of the Bible, a commitment to the rational interchange of ideas and a genuine desire to see them come to the knowledge of the truth of God’s love they are very reachable.    There is one more thing that I believe is crucial to our effectiveness to understanding how to witness to Muslims and that is the fact that they are a highly relational and community oriented people.  This means that cold tactics like street witnessing or track evangelism typically won’t work when it comes to reaching them with the gospel.  Ideally Christ should be shared in the context of genuine relationships and intimate friendships.  I find the closer the relationship the more open they are to honest criticisms of their beliefs.  Without these sincere connections disagreements can easily escalate to hostility.  My prayer is that more Christians would have the boldness to share their faith with Muslims with whom they share a relationship.  I would also love for some of you to leave comments on tips and recommendations for witnessing to Muslims.  Thanks and let’s keep the conversation going!

Pastor Chris

Should Christians Be Tolerant?

Lately I’ve been watching the political news coverage of the Presidential race.  What I have found to be very interesting is the pressure that is placed upon each candidate to demonstrate the virtue of tolerance.  It seems as if tolerance has become the supreme virtue of our culture.  Don’t get me wrong I see myself as a pretty tolerant person, but I guess my concern is with the unspoken change in the way we define tolerance.  Webster’s Dictionary defines tolerance as the act of enduring opposing opinions.  My personal research shows me that tolerance historically has meant the act of disagreeing civilly with those of opposing viewpoints.  This seems to be something that Christians have promoted and role-modeled very well for the most part.  However, the popular cultures definition of tolerance seems to be accepting and submitting to viewpoints that you personally disagree with or see as being dangerous.  So I guess my question is where is the room for being able to disagree civilly and respectfully. Can I hold on to my convictions and feel that yours are wrong.  Is it intolerant for me to say that Christianity is a better belief system than Islam? Am I being intolerant if I say that homosexuality is wrong?  Am I being intolerant for teaching my congregation to avoid certain Pastor’s preaching because their message is heretical? If I am than I guess I question whether or not we as Christians should be trying to live up to the popular culture’s definition of tolerance. Now I know that these opinions of mine my get me in trouble with some but I am tremendously concerned with the watered down message that I feel far too many Christians are embracing in order to not seem as if they are being intolerant.  I feel that we are called to speak the truth in love and I believe love doesn’t mean that truth has to be sacrificed.  So what do you think should Christians be tolerant? 

Thanks,

Pastor Chris

Daniel’s Protest!

The book of Daniel has always been fascinating to me.  Daniel is one of the most impressive figures in biblical history.  What has always amazed me is that according to the estimates of most historian, Daniel was approximately 15 years of age when he and his fellow Hebrew friends were taken into captivity.  I can’t begin to imagine the emotion of being ripped from your culture, stripped of your God given name and forced into training in a pagan culture, in order to one day serve before the vicious King who ransacked your city. But Daniel and his companions did it well and found amazing ways to be public witnesses of God’s faithfulness and power to the watching world.  Daniel’s enormous impact upon Babylon is impossible to measure.  His strength of character and conviction is demonstrated over and over again throughout the book and ultimately leads two emperors to decree to all the people there was no God in all of heaven but Daniel’s God.  

I am convinced that we can learn so much from the life and testimony of Daniel in our present day. Though this is an ancient book its relevance is clearly seen in light of our present culture. Daniel’s example of courage in the face of great consequences should challenge and convict us all.  It is impossible to even get out of chapter one without being confronted by the extraordinary courage Daniel shows when he decides to protest the Babylonian culture by not eating the King’s delicacies or drinking his wine (Daniel 1:5-18).  His protest was based upon two things. First there were the religious laws handed down by Moses which regulated food consumption an for all Hebrews who truly wanted to live a God honoring lifestyle.  Secondly there was the defilement that Daniel would knowingly be involved in if he drank wine along with the other leaders of Babylon as the praised and worshipped the gods of gold, silver, and bronze (Daniel 5:1-4). Daniel was willing to suffer, sacrifice and ultimately risk his life, if that is what it called for, in order to stand against evil and remain faithful to God.

As I have been studying Daniel’s protest there has been more that a few questions which have arisen in my heart and spirit.  What has spoken to my heart most is both what Daniel protested and how Daniel protested. Daniel’s protest shows his deep humility and great wisdom. I believe the way he protested was just as important as what he protested. I fear that far to many modern day Christians have become so assimilated into popular culture that we no longer resist the King’s delicacies and wine.  And those who do protest often do in a manner that misrepresent God (like blowing up abortion clinics or committing hate crimes against homosexuals). So the primary questions that I have been wrestling with are what things in our popular culture should we be protesting and in what way should we protest so that God can be most glorified.  I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.Â

Hello, From Budapest! How Do You See the Elephant?

Well, folks let me start by saying thanks to all of you who responded to my Larry King question.  Honestly, you all had some really insightful approaches that I hadn’t considered.  Obviously there were no right or wrong answers per se, but I do think that certain responses would work better than others.  I feel that a good response to Larry’s question would contain 3 ingredients.  1. Demonstrate Humility - always remember that any time you are asked a tough question like that you never want to come across as being prideful or arrogant.  You want to do all that you can to show the gentleness and compassion that Jesus did when he encountered sinners.  2. Hold Firm to the Truth - the tough thing about Larry’s question is that it requires you to have to share one of the most difficult aspects of the gospel and that is that those who reject Christ will go to hell.  But as Christians we must remember that  the greatest act of love we can show someone is to give them the truth.  Ultimately, we also have to never forget that we will have to answer to God.  3. Extend the Invitation - any time someone asks you a question regarding your faith you should see it as a wonderful opportunity to invite them to become a Christian.  Our job is not to simply give answers, but to invite people into a personal relationship with Christ.  I think that if we do these 3 things then we have answered Larry’s question in a Biblical manner that demonstrates the love of Christ and potentially leads to his salvation.  Oh yeah, let’s all pray that Larry comes to salvation! Wouldn’t that be a great testimony.  

Well, on to the next difficult question for you to consider.  As many of you know I have spent the past week in Budapest, Hungary (what an awesome city! absolutely beautiful).  I’ve been attending the European Leadership Forum.  I have gotten an opportunity to meet some of my personal favor pastors, theologians and apologists. It has been a time of great intellectual dialogue and transforming time with the Lord.  The primary issue that we wrestled with this week is the question of “Absolute Truth”.  Put another way, is there any such thing as absolute truth.  Some would argue that all truth is relative. What is true for you, may not be true for me.  A classic example of this is often given by those who feel that no religious group has the right to say that their faith is the only true one.  The example goes something like this: Imagine there was a group of blind people who were ask to describe what an elephant looked like based off of touching the elephant.  The first person grabs the elephants tail and says that an elephant is like a hose.  The second person touches the elephants body and says that and elephant is like a wall.  A third person grabs the elephants nose and says that the elephant is like a snake.  The final person grabs the elephants leg and says that the elephant is like a tree stump.  Those who don’t believe in Absolute Truth will argue, that each person has some truth but none of them can say that they are absolutely right.  They argue that this is a great analogy when it comes to religion, God is the elephant, and the blind men represent different religious beliefs.  My question for you is do you believe that this properly describes religion? If not, then what is wrong with this scenario? And how would you respond?

Can’t wait to hear your response - Love Pastor Chris!