October 2007

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect... (1Peter 3:15)

(Tim) Kevin Bacon and Nicole Kidman star in The Golden Compass due to be released in December. The movie is based on a trilogy by atheist Philip Pullman who, in an interview he gave in 2003, was forthright about the plot at the center of his own story: "My books are about killing God."

My dear brothers and sisters, are we telling the True Story that the Apostle Paul told to the Areopagus? And if we are, is it only being told within the safe confines of our comfy church buildings where no eggs or tomatoes will splatter in our faces? Please pray for me and the souls of our church, that we will tell the Gospel story.

Here's a good take on The Golden Compass, evangelism, and storytelling. (It's the entry titled "Duh.")

(David) Placing authority over a translation of the Word of God in the hands of a commercial entity is no greater warrant for confidence than placing that translation in the hands of the descendants of Ellen White or the Watchtower Society. Pecuniary influences are just as real and baleful as sectarian influences.

I mean, really, if you're going to give a commercial entity control over your translation of God's Word, why not just sell it to Rupert Murdoch?

Translations of the Word of God should not be controlled by those with vested interests in their profits. Nor are arms-length translation committees which, though theoretically non-profit owe their existence and income to the profitability of a given version of Scripture, free from the temptations associated with venality and pride--considerations which pass all-too-easily through non-profit membranes.

(Note from Tim: This post was just contributed anonymously by one of our wisest commenters.) Just now I came very close to having words with a co-worker and I feel as if I must "tell" someone or I'll burst.

This young woman lives with her boyfriend, is pursuing a master's degree and plans to go on to finish with a professional/clinical program while he does something similar.  Then, when they are done with school they will get married and, perhaps, have children when they will both already be in their 30's.   She then explained about how a classmate of hers, who got several awards when they were in school is (said with a sneer), "Doing nothing, she doesn't even have her Associate's Degree".  I said, "Nothing?"  to which my co-worker responded, "She's a (another sneer) housewife."  I asked if this former classmate had any children and yes, she does have one.

I simply replied that, then, she wasn't doing "nothing", was she?  At which point I had to leave the room.

Oh, and my co-worker also volunteers for that champion of women everywhere, Planned Parenthood.  Not surprising, is it?

(Tim) I'm sure I'm not alone in being content to love Jerry Falwell from a distance, Baptist fundamentalist that he was. So I was rebuked by this anecdote from the latest First Things and I repent. What a man.

Richard John Neuhaus writes:

William Willimon, former chaplain at Duke and now a United Methodist bishop, tells about the time he invited Jerry Falwell to speak. He did it on a dare, not expecting Falwell to accept. But Falwell showed up with bells on, so to speak. The Lesbian-Bisexual- Transgendered Alliance demanded Willimon be fired for inviting a man infamous for his "closed-minded, racist, homophobic, self-righteous, incendiary rhetoric." On the appointed evening, the student crowd was baited for bear. One of the first questions was...

(Tim and David) Despite the beauty of Glacier Park demonstrated in the photos we posted here last week, the most interesting picture to come out of our trip to Idaho was the one on the left taken at a 1961 Officer's Christian Fellowship conference at the Country School House in the Shenandoah Valley.

Jim Wilson, Doug Wilson's father, gave us this picture from that conference where he and Dad spoke. According to Mr. Wilson's notes on the back of the picture, the men in front (left to right) are ? (USNA), Don Hidy (USNA), Jim Prout (USCGA), and Bill Shoemaker (USNA). And in the back row are Jim Wilson, Joe Bayly, and OCF leader Cleo Buxton. While Dad and Mr. Wilson were speaking to future officers, 8-year-olds Tim and Doug were busy building dams across a Shenandoah stream.

It was a delight to spend an evening with the Wilsons during the course of the Christ Church Ministerial Conference. We were struck by the graciousness of Doug and Nancy, the warmth of Jim Wilson, and the faith of Nate and Heather Wilson and Luke and Rachel Jankovic.

A couple thoughts on the Wilsons for our readers...