I thought about flying down to San Antonio to see if I could turn in my 9th edition The Macintosh Bible, but I suspect only the Mac faithful would think of it as a holy text.

Turns out this started back in 2005, and that year it made a big media splash, with Tucker Carlson of MSNBC both reporting on the story and debating a bit with the then president of Atheist Agenda, Thomas Jackson.

This year it seems that several folks took umbrage at this little annual parlor trick, from feminist groups to Muslims to Christians, and protests  and protesters made their presence known in the area. That made the news, and there wasn’t much else happening today, so this tempest in a teapot story made it all the way from Texas to my radio in California.

The best suggestion I’ve heard about how to respond came from Keith Mitchell, one of the elders at PACC, who said we ought to trade Bibles for porn. No doubt someone somewhere in the country, perhaps even in Texas, is already doing that.

But what I found most curious is that people would willingly give up light to receive darkness. Most people, it seems to me, are trying to find their way out of the dark, not descend more deeply into it. Of course my perspective may be skewed by the fact that I’m a preacher, but don’t you find it the same?

In the 2005 interview with Mr. Carlson, Mr. Jackson said they thought of it as “…trading something that’s very, very bad [a Bible] for something that’s only moderately bad [pornographic material].” Apparently even his goal was to move people toward more light, but if so this really is a case of the blind leading the blind, about which Jesus said, “And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

When that happens, we’ll be here with a rope, ready to pull them both out into the daylight.

There’s a reason people aspire to be rock stars.  Who else gets the adoration they do?

But all that rock star worship is but a pale reflection of what heaven will be like.  God of course, being Who He is, is worthy of some serious worship.

So why aren’t our church services as worshipful as rock concerts?  I think not being face to face has something to do with it.

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Cor 13:12).”

Imagine being in the same space, “face to face with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who loves me so.”

What do you think about being face to face with Jesus?

Power of One

Why do 97% of the customers reviewing To Save a Life on movietickets.com give the film a four to five out of five-star rating? While not a perfect film, its rich content makes it easy to forgive minor flaws. I found it so compelling that even after a second viewing, my entire body ached from the white-knuckle dramatic tension.

For starters, this low-budget indie film isn’t an embarrassment of sentimental dreck, as many “Christian” films are. In the words of one reviewer, “The production values are the best and least cheesy since The Passion and the music is great.” Moreover, instead of the usual one-dimensional, perfect Christians, we see characters in a range of commitment levels, including agnostic, seeker, holier-than-thou, and in-name-only, although a few but growing number are genuinely transformed by Jesus. Such sophistication was summarized by a reviewer, who said, “Everyone needed to be rescued from something, not just the loners.”

For me at least, and I suspect for many of us, the core issue of the film resonates: when I mistreat (snub, ignore, put down) another person, the consequences can be dire for both of us. I can become callous and/or guilt-ridden, and the other person can suffer pain to the point of taking their own life, possibly along with others’. The power of one is clear: “If every school could have their own Jake Taylor…this generation could be amazing,” says another reviewer.

For parents and teachers, the very edginess of this not-dumbed-down effort makes the message credible, and breaks open the opportunity for conversation with kids and peers. It can be hard to watch some of the grittier scenes with kids; the PG-13 MPAA rating is well-earned. The drinking/drug scenes are happily raunchy, the dance/bedroom sequence undeniably sexy, the death montage intense, and so on, but there’s nothing gratuitous about it. As one reviewer said, “Don’t send your kids to this movie…take them!”

Other reviewers commented: insightful, worldview-changing, authentic/realistic, accurate yet exhausting, entertaining, worth owning/viewing multiple times. “Trusting God doesn’t automatically make everything turn out better.” Challenging, unsugar-coated message of inclusion and anti-hypocrisy clarifies life priorities with an unexpected depth that applies across age groups. Evokes a range of emotional responses, but not in a way that feels overly manipulated. Offers hope within hopelessness as personal flaws reveal God’s love and grace. An important message, but not a “feel good” movie.

See it, share it, live it. And comment on it!

The promise of eternal life is something many Christians long for and sing about. But in looking forward to a new tomorrow, they often overlook the power they possess to deal with a very ugly today.

The Twilight story roots characters in the present world while illustrating the difficulties of living forever. The Cullen vampires are incredibly healthy (immortal), wealthy (years playing the stock market), wise (endless school and travel), and gorgeous. They are billed as heroes because unlike most vampires, they have chosen to eschew human blood. They hunt less tasty animals instead. Clearly, it’s a noble struggle on behalf of humanity, but is restraint enough of a cause? When you can live forever, what do you live for?

Only one of the Cullen family answers to a higher calling. Carlisle is a doctor who derives great satisfaction from treating humans although it took a lot of passion to sustain a career that constantly appeals to his appetite. The rest of the Cullens, however, could rightly be called “bloodsuckers,” since they live in society but don’t give back to it.

With their talents, they could do so much good in the world, or even in their own school. Instead, we find them cloistered together around a small cafeteria table, talking only to each other, wasting their resources on the frivolous pursuits of fast cars and perfect clothes. Utterly bored to death, but unable to die.

Followers of Jesus are called to so much more than living for tomorrow. What do Christians live for today? What did Jesus live for?

Surely you’ve seen couples together at restaurants, busy with their own cell phones or laptops.  And at a musical in San Francisco, I saw friends sitting side-by-side in their theater seats, gaming on their own Nintendo DS’s.

Are we really present with anyone, anymore?

Even if we make personal choices to leave technology at home, it’s blasted at us from all sides.  I was most disappointed when the gas station I frequent chose to install TV screens at every pump.  Talk about a captive audience!

Technology’s inexorable encroachment on every part of our lives seems inevitable.  And yet…

One day I went to the gas station, and the TVs were gone.  No one seemed to miss them.

And in my heart there is still much rejoicing every time I go to fill up my car and see the absence of gas pump TV.

If people can find it in themselves to turn back the tide of technology, even in a small way, perhaps people will find it in themselves to repent of greater things.

As the song from Godspell says, “Turn back, O man, forswear thy foolish ways.”

What gives you hope?

(Somehow something got disconnected, so when I watched my tape, all I got was video. What a time to not be able to hear what was said!)

Over the next couple of days Serena released statements, eventually including an apology, but in my mind she was at least a day late and a dollar short. Her outburst had a lasting impression I would not expect from one of “the most prominent female Christian athletes of all.”

(Some would argue that Serena got treated unfairly since Roger Federer cursed at the chair umpire and wasn’t similarly penalized, but he was sitting in his chair, not menacing a linesperson with a tennis racket.)

Thinking on speech-related issues reminds me of the criticism House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received when she and House Majority leader Steny Hoyer wrote, “Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American.” Apparently some people think the 1st Amendment gives them the freedom to speak in such a way that deprives others of the freedom to speak. Go figure.

Our Summer Group discussed James and taming the tongue. Obviously this is a hard lesson, but James 1:19-20 has much wisdom for situations like these:

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

How would things be different if we were more eager to listen to others rather than ourselves?

But that is exactly the kind of message from God some people desire. Recently, even non-Christian friends of mine seemed a bit wistful for something like God’s proverbial lightning bolt to offer clarity regarding job situations, relationships, etc. (Limited guidance gratefully accepted.)

I find it curious that some people covet God’s omniscience, but totally disregard the message God actually has for us (e.g., John 3:16). Aren’t eternal consequences something to be reckoned with?

Just who do we think God is, anyway?

(Disclaimer: this post, like all of our posts, is the work and opinion of the author, not the church.)

Since this blog is about Worldview, I’m compelled to say that in my view, the world has become far less attractive in the past few years.

Not on God’s part, of course, because he is the ultimate artist, but mankind has uglied the place up, and one of the chief contributors to this blight on the beauty surrounding us is Toyota, whose Prius spoils the landscape seemingly everywhere.

My wife, whose aesthetic senses are very well developed through decades of international travel to evaluate temporary living environments (also known as hotels), can barely stand to look at the things. But because she lives in an area where people have the weird idea that driving a Prius is a good thing, she is forced to look at them over and over.

Last Friday we were driving home from dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant when she noted three of the offenders in a short space. “Yes,” I said, “there are a lot of them around.” We were less than two blocks from our house at the time, and she said, “I’ll bet we’ll see 10 of them before we get home.”

“Impossible!” I said. And we immediately started counting.

“There’s one. There’s another. There’s one more.”

“Here comes one.”

“There’s one – that makes five.”

“Six. Seven.”

“There’s one over there. Eight.”

Just as we reached our street corner we met number nine, and as we turned into our driveway we saw the Prius belonging to our neighbor across the street parked in his driveway. Ten.

Clearly this ugliness has become desireable, since the new Honda Insight looks alarmingly like the new Toyota Prius III. People apparently don’t care that they are making the place look terrible, as long as they can save a few dollars a year in fuel costs and get the social recognition that comes with driving a car that looks like every fifth car on the road.

In an interview with Luke Wilson, he noted that a lot of folks in Hollywood, who apparently are more conscious of status than anything else, drive a Prius and fly private.

I’m in favor of being a good steward of the place God has given us to live (Earth), but in my view that means helping keep it beautiful as well as helping keep it clean. If you insist on driving some kind of gasoline powered car, do the earth and my wife a favor, and at least get one that adds to the beauty of this marvelous planet.

And if you really want to be good to the beauty of the earth and the environment, buy a Tesla.

Yesterday, I planned to stay home and get things done around the house. Let the kids OD on Star Trek reruns for a change. But toward the end of the day, my 12-year-old son got an attack of the whines. “Let’s get out of the house. I need to get out of the house and go DO something!” Oh really?

Today, I planned a day of errands, mostly to get the same son prepared for his backpacking trip next week. We were away from home for hours as we attempted to get Boy Scout medical forms signed by doctors; purchase hiking pants, neoprene socks, freeze-dried dinners, walking sticks, and duct tape from a variety of shops; sign up for swim lessons at the desired pool; have a Chipotle’s lunch to revive our flagging energy; squeeze in a haircut for my daughter; and reward everyone with a stop at the library and the pizza shop.

Guess who had this to say at several points along the way: “Let’s please go home. I just wanna go hooooome.”

Even when we get what we wish for, it’s rarely what we truly want. There’s always something more, better, different, and just slightly out of reach that would make us perfectly happy — right?

Today, I checked into the Cardiology department for an EKG. Again, just a routine procedure, not for any particular concerns. Easy peasy. I’m laying there, with these glued tabs all over me, and wires connnected to the stickers. I was totally comfortable. Truly. Until she said, “Now don’t move!” Huh? Why can’t I move? I need to move. I really, really need to move, and now. Okay, at least I need to breathe, and deeply.

The good news is that I did control myself in these two instances, not breathing and not moving, at least enough that they only had to repeat one x-ray of the four they first took. But what made me feel so compelled to breathe and move when just before I wasn’t even thinking of those things?

And what does that say about my ability to live under national law, God’s law, any law?