Ghost Adventures & Paranormal Television

I've publicly confessed to being a bit of an addict of paranormal activity shows, especially Ghost Adventures (GA), but for what I think are good reasons.

The goal of GA, stated many times during their 8 seasons, is to gather what they think is scientific evidence for life after death from all over the world through their interactions with ghosts, which they understand to be once-embodied humans who now live among us in spirit forms.

Now, I’m the first to acknowledge that their evidence could be faked and the noises they catch could be bugs or animals or people (I have a student who promises me her dad and a friend made the noises recorded here by the GA Crew at the Bird Cage Theater).  However, if you chose to trust the guys on this or other shows, the evidence they've gotten is nothing short of amazing, even jaw-dropping.

I think a Christian should watch this show, not all the time, but a couple times.  Why?  Positively, these shows, if real, give one of hundreds of lines of evidence that prove the Christian worldview is true, namely, that reality is not purely physical, as naturalists / materialists say it is.  Rather, reality is both physical and non-physical.  However, other than entertainment value, that's about where the positive effects of shows like GA end.

If the Christian worldview is true, then these shows don't give evidence for life after death at all (see Hebrews 9:27), but give a lot of evidence for demonic activity--the guys on GA admit they interact with demons regularly.  Shows like GA actually give proof that demons are real, and a real threat to people today, even physically (watch this clip from GA).  This proof should warn anyone watching to stay far away from the occult, or bad things can happen to you (watch the first 9 minutes of this GA video), both from demons and from God who will punish you (see Deut 18:9-14).

Also, since these are demons, we learn from the Bible that these entities are dominated by pride since they are foolishly rebelling against the God they once served in the presence of.  Their pride drives them to bring more attention to themselves, and occult activity, which these shows encourage people to open themselves up to, give them that attention.  I've personally seen how powerful a recruit it is for getting people into "paranormal investigation," a 21st century form of necromancy and divination, which can lead to demonic possession, and even worse.  What could possibly be worse than possession?

Ultimately, shows like GA can have horrendous eternal consequences because it actually attacks the central message of Christianity.  It is a modern day scheme of the devil that Christians should be aware of (2 Cor 2:11) that keeps people from Jesus.  How? By propogating the lie that there is life after death apart from His sinless life, substitutionary death and victorious resurrection.  Jesus in the worldview of GA is completely unnecessary (unless one is attacked by a demon)--no wrath, no hell, you just live on!  I don’t think demons care what you’re deceived with, as long as you’re deceived, and this is a new, powerful tactic they are using.

So, in the end, I encourage you to repent of your sins and entrust the safety of your soul after death to Jesus, not to paranormal investigators who are, I think, getting evidence, but not for life after death.

These are my reasons--take them or leave them!  I hope that helps!  TII!!!

Its The End of the World as We Know It and I Feel...Hot!?!

While many in our culture denounce Christians for hysterically spreading fear-mongering rhetoric about the end of the world, you and I have been bombarded in the media with talk of a coming global apocalypse caused by--are you sitting down?--the "carbon footprint" left by pollution from our cars & homes (insert shriek of horror here!).

As this becomes a bigger topic of discussion in movies and news coverage of the coming elections, many will face this kind of rhetoric in our families, classes and at our jobs. The results can be quite subtle, however, often in the form of a quasi-compassionate, self-righteous attitude as evidenced by accusations like "You aren't going green?" and condemnation for those who aren't obsessed with recycling, or driving a hybrid (Have you experienced any of this?)

After all, they confidently assert, "Almost all scientists believe human-caused global warming is a closed case." Therefore, their condemnation is justified, saying "Everyone knows the danger is real and they aren't doing their part to save the planet!"

But, is that true? Is it really a closed case? Please take 3 minutes and read this article, cut & paste it on to a Word document and file it on your hard drive where you can access it later. It is the truth needed to battle the global warming rhetoric that's so rampant in our day and only getting louder. The opening line says it all: "Nearly 32,000 scientists sign a petition that says they reject the claim that humanity is causing global warming."

Thanks to the Bible, we know how this world is going to end and it's not going to be the result of human carbon emission! It'll be the result of God's wrath against human sin at "the day of the Lord" which "will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare" (2 Peter 3:10). That's real global warming!

Since we know this, Peter goes on to say "live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (3:11-12) and "make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him" (3:14) because "we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (3:13). I want to make sure I'm doing my part to usher in that day! Don't you?

Expelled: The Movie

I am really excited to see the new documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, which opens today!

It's about the scientific establishment's censorship of intelligent design. Watch the trailer here and search youTube for many clips. You can watch an older trailer below. Enjoy!

Christian Homosexual???

Azariah Southworth, host of the popular Christian youth show The Remix (can be seen in more than 128 million homes worldwide and averages more than 200,000 viewers weekly on TBN's JC TV channel) announced yesterday that he's gay, saying:

"This has been a long time coming. I’m in a place where I’m at peace with my faith, friends, family and more importantly myself. I know this will end my career in Christian television, but I must now live my life openly and honestly with everyone. This is my reason for doing this. ... I know I will be cut off from many within the Christian community, and if so, then they didn’t get the point of the life of Christ. I believe by me living my life honestly and authentically now, I am able to be a better person and a better Christian. We all know there are so many other gay people in the Christian industry; they’re just all scared. I was scared, but now I’m no longer afraid."

Rather than deconstructing each phrase, I want to point out something I've been noticing for a while among Christians that happens to be prominent in his statement above, specifically, that in the name of honesty & authenticity we excuse our sin.

While I'm sure this has been very difficult for Mr. Southworth both in his own soul and now in public, the goal in life is NOT authenticity--especially when being authentic or honest means being sinful. Sadly, he will not be "a better person and a better Christian" because the goal of life is to please God (1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 5:9)--something his new lifestyle cannot do no matter how authentic he is.

For the Christian, no matter what temptation you're struggling against (lying, stealing, greed, anxiety, homosexuality, cussing, laziness) it's just that, a struggle! A struggle to do what God wants and not what you want (Romans 7:14-25). He folded in his struggle, and because it's a fold that marks his entire life in rebellion against God this likely proves he was never a Christian to begin with (I John 2:19). I just pray more won't follow his example, but rather keep on advancing in their fight against their own sin (Romans 8:12-14; Galatians 5:24-25; 2 Timothy 2:22).

Which leads me to something else. I wonder, is it as easy in churches to say you're struggling with anxiety as it is that you're struggling with homosexuality? Could this guy have been honest with someone before he "came out," or did he have no where to turn? I don't know. I just know we consider it OK to talk about struggling with some sins, but not others--a phenomena in Christianity that doesn't serve people like Mr. Southworth.

Read more about this here, and if you do, make sure you read some of the comments. You get the obligatory "God loves you just how He made you," which is so deceiving, but what do you think of the "God hates you sodomite" stuff, or the obligatory quoting of Romans 1?

Specifically, I'm asking if it's a godly way to approach a sinner and if it's effective in light of passages like, say, "love your neighbor," Colossians 4:5-6, the end of 1 Peter 3:15, 2 Timothy 2:24-26, Proverbs 12:18, 15:1, 16:21 and 16:24.

Father & Daughter Have Kid...TOGETHER!!!

This world is getting weirder, more confused morally and farther from God's standards (click here and here to read more about this incestuous couple).

Listen to that internal shock of disgust as you read the articles. That is your in-born moral "compass," God's law written on the heart of every human being, Christian or not (Romans 2:14-15), telling you something is wrong though you may not be able to formulate an argument against it just yet. For more on the importance of moral intuitions, click here.

Boys Adrift

Like many, I've been struck by the alarming trends in male development that I've seen not only in society, but also in myself.

Well, I just heard pieces of a fascinating interview of Leonard Sax, Ph.D. on Coast to Coast AM about his new book Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men.

In case you're wondering, the five factors are...
1. Video Games
2. Teaching Methods
3. Prescription Drugs
4. Endocrine Disruptors
5. Devaluation of Masculinity

If you're interested in this topic, read an introduction to the book here and find some interesting articles here.

Christianity & Culture

The blog at New City Church gave one man's opinion as to the top 20 books on Christianity's relationship to culture. Sadly, I've only read three--looks like I've got work to do!

Big Mac vs. 10 Commandments

Americans were found to be more familiar with the ingredients of the McDonald’s Big Mac than the Ten Commandments.

See for yourself here.

Churches, Culture & David Wells

If you're familiar at all with this blog than you know how much I admire Dr. David Wells. I wanted to make you aware of this quote from a recent interview he gave with Mark Dever and 9Marks (which you can listen to here). I think he is right on when he says...

"In our time, understanding our culture takes on an urgency because this culture is so intrusive and so powerful in its capacity to shape our souls and minds that if we are not pushing back from an explicitly biblical, Christian point of view – we are going to get swallowed up."

I could not agree more. The evidence of our getting swallowed up by the culture is all around us -- to our obsession from the business and marketing world with numbers = success, to our idea that excellence = state of the art with no errors, to faithfulness in ministry = productivity, on and on and on!

Like Jonah many of us have been swallowed, and I just pray that we repent so that the grace seen in Jonah 3:1 will be seen in our lives and churches as well.

Author Spends 1 Year Obeying Bible

Author A.J. Jacobs just finished a year-long quest to obey every rule in the Bible--over 700--for his new book The Year of Living Biblically.

Here are some things I found interesting:

"I miss my sin-free life, but I guess I was never sin free. I was able to cut down on my coveting maybe 40 percent, but I was still a coveter" -- sounds a lot like Romans 7.

"...during the experiment I wore a lot of white clothes, because Ecclesiastes says let your garments always be white, and I loved it, so I look like Tom Wolfe now. Wearing white just made me happier."

"I also really liked what one of my spiritual advisers said, which was that you can view life as a series of rights and entitlements, or a series of responsibilities. I like seeing my life as a series of responsibilities. It’s sort of, "Ask not what God can do for you, ask what you can do for God"--nothing like works-righteousness.

"I started the year as an agnostic, and now I am a reverent agnostic. Whether or not there is a God, I believe in sacredness"--the "sacred" without God? Only in our self-centered, create-your-own-religion age.

"I went in really curious, I didn’t go in to mock religion. It was much more a journey to understand."

"One of the lessons of the book is, there is some picking and choosing in following the Bible, and I think that’s OK. Some people call that cafeteria religion, which is supposed to be a disparaging term, but I think there’s nothing wrong with cafeterias, I’ve had some delicious meals in cafeterias. I’ve also had some terrible meals in cafeterias. It’s all about picking the right parts. You want to take a heaping serving of the parts about compassion, mercy and gratefulness—instead of the parts about hatred and intolerance."

To a question about the restrictions of living Biblically, Mr. Jacobs responds "We all talk about freedom of choice, but there’s something very attractive about freedom from choice. Religion provides structure, mooring, anchoring. Should you covet? No. Should you give 10 percent to the needy? Yes. It really structures your life. After my year I felt unmoored, overwhelmed by choice. I have adjusted, but I’m still overwhelmed by choice, as we all are in America."

To read the article in its entirety, click here. My prayer after reading it is that he will be overcome by his inability to be "sin-free" by "keeping the rules" so that his exposure to God's Law will bring him to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ ("the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified [that is, pronounced "Innocent" by God for our sins against Him] by faith" Gal 3:24).

Generation Me

I don't remember where I heard about it, but I just purchased and will start reading Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before by Jean M. Twenge.

Thanks to David Wells and Os Guinness, I have a growing fascination with sociology and how it's insights can help pastors who are seeking to connect the ancient text of the Bible to the modern people of today. I'm really looking forward to this read.

God Trending Away from the West

This article, as well as books like Philip Jenkins' The Next Christendom and David Wells' Above All Earthly Pow'rs make it clear that vibrant, biblical Christianity is leaving the West and showing up in the East and the southern hemisphere.

My favorite line from the article:

"Serious missionary work began in Nigeria in 1842, conducted by a Church Mission Society dedicated to promoting 'the knowledge of the Gospel among the heathen.' In 2007, the Nigerian outreach to America officially began, on the fertile mission fields of Northern Virginia."

For those of us in the West, I can't help but think this trend is evidence of God's judgment upon us. I don't see times getting any easier for us--both from within and from outside the church.

Actress Censored

Actress Kathy Griffin will have her Emmy Award acceptance speech edited (if you don't like what she said) / censored (if you do like what she said) when it airs this weekend.

What did she say? "A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus." She went on to hold up her Emmy, make an off-color remark about Christ and proclaim, "This award is my god now!"

I guess she got the press and attention she craves. Little does she know that no one had more to do with her award than the sovereign King of the Universe, Jesus Himself (Eph 1:11; Col 1:17). And, He is so gracious to those who do things like this to Him, isn't He?

Read the rest of the article here, if you want.

What Hell Would Be Like...

I was captured by the blurb of this article where it said the writer was going to vent about our celebrity obsessed culture (which he didn't, it came across more like he was venting about how celebrity obsessed he is). However, he did have this one interesting line:

"Watching the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards must be like what hell would be like. I can picture Satan chaining me down to a chair in a fiery pit, facing a 108-inch HDTV with surround sound, playing a loop of Britney's [MTV VMA] performance."

It is SO sad that people caricature such a horrible place. Hell will be worse than anything we can possibly imagine. It reminds me of something I heard a speaker say once. I don't remember where I heard it, but it's true:

"For those who repent of their sins and trust Jesus alone to save them, this life is the worst it's ever going to be. For those who hold onto their sins and reject the salvation found only in Christ, this life is the best it's ever going to be."

9Marks Interviews David Wells

I've had this 9Marks interview of David Wells, one of my favorite living authors, on my desktop to read for weeks now, and I'm so glad I waited until now to do so.

I've interviewed many college and young adults' pastors about their ministries with my new job. Time after time all I hear about from them is that I need to make a group where people will connect with each other. Connecting, making friends, fellowship is the most important thing to someone in their 20s or 30s, they say, so this is the main goal of your ministry and the main thing that should fill up your time.

David Wells, thankfully, says

"we have replaced the pulpit not even by a barstool, but by a cup of Starbucks coffee, which speaks of 'human connecting.' And human connecting has become more important to us than our hearing from God."

I felt strange and out of place as I talked with these man because I always saw preaching as the most important aspect of my job (loving people = connecting with them is second), but so many disagreed.

Dr. Wells also says this, which turns conventional ministry "wisdom" upside down too:

"...the results of some important research among formerly unchurched people who then came to church are shocking. When these individuals were asked what they liked about the church, ninety-odd percent said that what was preached was important to them. And almost 90 percent said that they wanted to know what the church believed. They wanted to hear its doctrine. Now that is just the reverse of what the common outreach approach assumes. It assumes people don’t want to know. In actual fact, those who want to come into the church do want to know."

Finally, I loved this line from the interviewer:

"for the local church preacher, 'Show sensitivity to the alienation, the inner angst, the emotional turmoil people feel; yet use all these to segue to the Word of God and the more fundamental measurement of their relationship to him.'"

Transgender Pastors

The United Methodist Church, not the bastion of orthodoxy in ANY way whatsoever, now gets to decide whether Rev. Drew Phoenix, formerly the Rev. Ann Gordon, can remain a pastor in their denomination.

There are some interesting political ramifications to this story too. Read it here.

Premoderns, Moderns & Evangelism

David Wells, in his excellent book Above All Earthly Pow'rs, writes insightfully about the difference between premodern and modern societies and their relationship to God:

"In premodern societies, the sacred was a matter-of-fact part of life; in modern societies, God has been excluded from public life, pushed to the margins of relevance, and made to live out his life, as it were, underground and out of sight" (27).

Why mention this seemingly academic difference? Because when you're witnessing or speaking to a poorly discipled Christian, and they don't understand your Christian commitment, it may be because you're coming across as a premodern to a modern or postmodern person.

For example, if you see the hand of God in every event of your life and you see living a life that is pleasing to Him as most important than you're thinking and acting and interpreting the world as a premodern (which I'd add is closer to the biblical view of life).

However, if God is a kind of after thought in your life, and your personal history as well as world history is interpreted without any thought of God that's more modern and postmodern--and far less biblical, I might add.

Often times, our miscommunication comes from the fact that we're approaching all of life from different eras. We need to know this if we're going to communicate the premodern gospel to modern and postmodern people effectively.

Mohler on Mother Theresa

Dr. Al Mohler insightfully comments on Mother Theresa's religious doubts and struggles here.

The title of the post bottom line's it well: Rest is found when you trust Christ, not your feelings.

USA's Youth Surveyed

Click here to read what one survey found made most American youths happiest.

You might be really surprised.

I was encouraged by this part:

"Less than half strongly believe that their religious beliefs are true and universal and that other religious beliefs are not right (31 percent), while 68 percent follow their own religious beliefs but think that other religious beliefs could be true as well."

Are You unChristian?

I was skimming this article about the evangelistic atheism of the last couple years when I came across this interesting new book coming out in October--unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity...and Why it Matters by David Kinnaman of The Barna Group and Gabe Lyons of the Fermi Project.

In general, while it's hard to argue with Barna's raw data diagnoses, I am quite weary of his "Adaptation," "Contextualization," "Christianity must change or die" prescriptions.