An Atheist's Sincere Question

Read what Christopher Hitchens writes in his book God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.

Imagine that you can perform a feat of which I am incapable. Imagine, in other words, that you can picture an infinitely benign and all-powerful creator, who conceived you, then made and shaped you, brought you into the world he had made for you, and now supervises and cares for you even while you sleep. Imagine, further, that if you obey the rules and commandments that he has lovingly prescribed, you will qualify for an eternity of bliss and repose. I do not say that I envy you this belief (because to me it seems like the wish for a horrible form of benevolent and unalterable dictatorship), but I do have a sincere question. Why does such a belief not make its adherents happy? It must seem to them that they have come into possession of a marvelous secret, of the sort that they could cling to in moments of even the most extreme adversity.

Not all of the details that he gives in the scenario above are ultimately correct about Christianity, but isn't his question concerning religion legit? Hitchens' primary point when writing the above paragraph is that religion is a man-made institution designed to keep people from proper reason concerning the world around them. It looks good on paper, but unfortunately he has erroneously left out (or is blinded to) one key ingredient: the sinfulness of man.

With that being said, it makes me wonder that if Hitchens did not feel the need that ask that "sincere question," would he reconsider his perspective on religion or a particular religion? Maybe not. But maybe.

Christians and the Oil Spill

No one disagrees that the events taking place in the Gulf of Mexico are horrible. And yet the peripheral issues are complex.

Therefore, as Christians, we have to ask ourselves questions about our role in the environment and consult the Bible for answers. Dr. Russell Moore began to explore some of the many questions on NPR's Weekend Edition this past Sunday:

Considering these things, I have to ask: why are Evangelicals are so reactionary? Does it take a catastrophe of eco-system threatening proportions to spark our concern about the environment? Shouldn't biblical commands concerning stewardship be enough?

Still, some people argue that environmental issues are a page out of the liberal agenda. Dr. Moore disagrees. In a recent blog post, he writes, "Some conservatives, and some conservative evangelicals, act as though 'environmentalism' is by definition 'liberal' or even just downright silly. Witness a lot of the evangelical rhetoric across social media on Earth Day a while back: mostly Al Gore jokes and wisecracks about cutting down trees or eating endangered species as a means of celebration.... There’s nothing conservative though, and nothing 'evangelical,' about dismissing the conservation of the natural environment. And the accelerating Gulf crisis reminds us something of what’s at stake."

Let's examine what Scripture says about our role in environmental issues and begin taking necessary action.

Stop Taking Cues From The World

When are Christians going to stop taking their cues from the world?

No. I am serious.

Everything is garbage compared to knowing Christ. It's crap. Paul said that. Preachers call out from the pulpit that what the world offers is garbage and during the last song, while the offering is being taken, tweet from their iPhone "something, something, something, great service; praise the Lord." That's crap.

When Paul said everything, I am sure that he meant everything. Paul didn't mince his words.

So, give your stuff away. Stop justifying buying nice things because "Zacchaeus only gave away half his stuff when he repented. That means he still had half his stuff." That's not the point. The point is that your possessions are crap in comparison to knowing Christ.

Your righteousness is not tied up in what you have or what you don't have. The world says that it is.

Christians, stop taking cues from the world.

Going Green in the 'Hood

This is a great story about one young man who has a dream about making a difference in the community that he loves. And it's not just about "going green"; it's about giving kids something positive to do who otherwise might be doing something negative.

Champ is only twenty-years-old, but he has a big vision. That is exactly what impoverished communities need: young men and women who rise up from inside the community and have a plan to change the negative aspects of their surroundings. These are the people that we affluent Americans need to identify and contribute to both with our time and resources.

How I Get My News

From the generation who who grew up on television, lusts over the iPad, and has watched the Toyota "Swagger Wagon" commercial on YouTube 40-50 times, comes a new way to remain privy to current events. If this technology was available 15 years ago, I wouldn't have had to clip articles from the antiquated newspapers, but rather embed these video into a Microsoft Office 2010 PowerPoint presentation. Dang. My junior-high afflictions were off the charts.

So, here is how I am staying abreast of the ongoing financial crisis in Greece. I am waiting for Episode 3 with almost as much anticipation as the Fringe season finale. Almost.

You Are Small

And this video shows just how small you are.

Even a small understanding of what the video is communicating brings the magnitude of God's transcendence and the beauty of his imminence into light.

Uganda, Rick Warren, and the Media

Rick Warren got himself in hot water with the secular media by not speaking out immediately against Ugandan anti-gay laws. Foreign Policy did a short web piece titled "Rick Warren finally speaks out against Ugandan anti-gay law." They called the incident a hit on his credibility.

Rick Warren posted this video and a brief refutation of the rumors surrounding this topic.

The details aside, I only have one question. How did Rick Warren even get himself in this situation where the media is on his tail so often?

I understand that he is a big spokesperson for the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa and it is his "role to speak out on moral issues" and not his "role to interfere with the politics of other nations." But the media doesn't make that distinction. Especially when you host political debates in your church and pray at presidential inaugurations. I know he said "other" nations, but getting involved in politics is getting involved in politics; in a global world, Uganda's problems become Rick Warren's problems.

The media always misconstrues things; we can all agree on that. I think Rick Warren's conclusions concerning the anti-gay laws in Uganda are correct (although I think some of his reasoning is faulty). It's the quickness of the media to get on Rick Warren that concerns me. I fear he brought at least a little of it on himself.

Foreign Policy claimed this incident hurt Rick Warren's credibility. The fact that Rick Warren had credibility with Foreign Policy to begin with is the root of the problem.

Perspectives on the Prosperity Gospel

Here are two videos that help with an understanding of the prosperity gospel. This corruption of the true gospel is alive and well in our backyard and is exploiting people in poor contexts across the world. Awareness of this false gospel should profoundly impact the Christian's missiological perspective. Take a look.

The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.

America's Got Individualists Who are Partially Blinded to Reality by Narcissism

Yesterday I jokingly posted that America's Got Talent should be called America's Got Weirdos; but today I am reforming.

The show should be called America's Got Individualists Who are Partially Blinded to Reality by Narcissism.

I know the title is a little long to totally catch on, but it all serves a purpose. Let's break it down.

It's no surprise that America has individualists. That is entirely apparent. The American dream is very individualistic. It's about me and what I can get and does not take into account casualties. It is probably what makes the remainder of this post relevant.

Now, "Who are Partially Blinded to Reality by Narcissism" is what I want to qualify. Time and time again on the show America's Got Talent someone takes the stage, gets booed off, and attributes their lack of success to jealously or ignorance. I do not liken them entirely to Narcissus, the handsome Greek mythological character who fell in love with his own reflection, because they are not doomed to stare at themselves for eternity. Rather they wish that others would stare at them. But the reality is that they are no good at singing or dancing or impersonation.

These people are not entirely blinded to reality because they realize that we do exalt individuals in our society, but they just can't understand why no one is worshiping them like they worship themselves. They think they deserve it. So they get up in front of some television cameras, an audience, and some semi-annoying judges, have 46 million Americans watch them be an idiot, get booed, and their ego remains intact. They fully believe that there is something wrong with the rest of the world; it just couldn't be their issue.

America's Got Individualists Who are Partially Blinded to Reality by Narcissism. Catch the fever.

More Than Just the Olympics

Sure, the Olympics are coming up, but the impact China is having on the world extends far beyond a little friendly competition. And in light of today's events and rekindled Olympic security talk, I decided to look at China's world influence a little closer.

• China's recent urban explosion is the largest in history. As PRI's The World shows us, China's urbanization is having an intense impact on the global economy as well the environment
• "Made in China" has lost its meaning. And it's impacting the world's economy. NPR.org gives us a glimpse of how 'Made in China' is Cheap No More.
• While the U.S. is still far and away the biggest military spender in the world, China is accelerating its military growth. NPR.org reports on how this could provide uncertainty for the U.S.
• The Economist: while China is trying to boost its image during the upcoming Olympic games, all the hype may not be enough to make the rest of the world forget about the way the country treats its people.

There are opportunities in China like never before. I urge you to continue to monitor the advances of China. And to pray for its people.