Q&A: Newt Gingrich

The former speaker of the House of Representatives on conservative Christians and politics.

From Eternity to Here

Randy Alcorn says the afterlife is crucial to how we live this one.

Dwelling with God

(Based on a talk given at a gathering of Pioneer Girls and their dads.)

Everywhere you go these days, you see people talking into cell phones: at school, at work, on vacation, even at church. People young and old want to connect, to build relationships in our hectic and hurried society. How else can you explain the popularity of websites such as MySpace.com—where we can reach across the void and tell complete strangers intimate details about ourselves—and television shows such as Cheers and Friends?

One of the things that made Seinfeld so intriguing to viewers a few years ago was the utter freedom the characters had to just burst in on each others’ lives, completely unannounced. They may not have had much of significance to talk about, but George, Elaine, Kramer, and Jerry had access.

But despite all this emphasis in the media on building relationships, most of us struggle to connect with others—it’s America’s rugged individualism run amok. According to a study in the American Sociological Review published earlier this year, the average American now has just two close friends, compared with three in 1985. Those reporting no confidants at all jumped from 10 percent in 1985 to 25 percent—one in four people who are basically isolated. Two decades ago, the share of those who reported having four or five close friends was 33 percent—or one in three. Now it’s only about one in six.

This desire for relationships, though hard to satisfy, is perfectly natural and good. God created us not to be isolated individuals but to have significant relationships with others. God wants us to have good friends. The Bible tells us that the one God himself exists in a relationship of Persons we call the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When God placed the man in the Garden of Eden, he gave Adam a helper, because “it is not good for the man to be alone.”

But God himself dwelled with Adam and Eve in an intimate and joyful relationship, a relationship that was ruptured only by their sin. Genesis 3:8-9 says, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”

Down through the centuries God still asks us, “Where are you?” He wants to restore the relationship people had with him and with each other. In the time of Moses, God told the Israelites to build a tabernacle, a place to worship him. As Exodus 25:8 says, “Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.”

Later, God allowed the temple to be destroyed because of the unfaithfulness of his people. But he never stopped seeking to restore our broken relationship with him. He came to earth as a man, Jesus Christ, so our relationship could be restored. As John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt [literally, “pitched his tent”] among us.”

He came to live the perfect life we had failed to live and to voluntarily die on the cross in our place–in short, to pay for our sins–including the bitterness, the self-centeredness, and all the rest. Then he rose from the dead, guaranteeing our relationship with him.

While we have not seen Jesus face to face as his disciples did, we have God’s promise in the Bible, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” God promises to always be with us. It’s a relationship we can count on. Yes, sometimes it’s hard to relate to God when we can’t see him, smell him, hear him, or touch him. But we can work on that relationship in many ways:

· By praying to him and listening for his voice,
· By reading his Word and obeying what we read,
· By loving and serving our neighbor,
· By spending time with people who also are related to God through faith in Christ.

The Bible calls this last one fellowship, and it’s not restricted to a couple of hours at church every Sunday. We can experience fellowship at home with our families, too. Dads, daughters, moms, sons, and grandparents should help one another grow in their love for Jesus and for each other.

Dads, we all know that building a loving relationship with our daughters is critical in so many ways. Yes, God is gracious and works even when we make mistakes. But we only get one crack at this. Let’s make it count.

Remember, one day, the Bible assures us, we will meet the God of Relationships face to face. Let’s do all we can to bring our daughters with us.

Revelation 21:3-4 says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’”

Rex and the “Air Bears”

Other than wiffle ball, touch football, and an occasional game of H-O-R-S-E, my contact with sports has been mostly limited to spectating. And with the self-promotion of so many athletes today (think T.O. and Kobe) and growing responsibilities with the job and family, my interest has pretty much disappeared like the overpaid “A-Rod” in crunch time.

But quarterback Rex Grossman is changing all that. Coming back from three injury-plagued years, this season Grossman has tossed 10 touchdowns for the 5-0 Chicago Bears, who are suddenly the talk of the NFL. He’s thrown so many bombs to streaking receivers that we might as well call this formerly Neanderthalish bunch the “Air Bears.”

A decorated high school athlete from Indiana, Grossman brought his rocket arm and short (6-1) stature to the University of Florida (disclosure: my alma mater) to learn the craft of quarterbacking under the excitable Steve Spurrier. Grossman performed well, even after Spurrier left Gainesville for the pros, and one year was a Heisman Trophy finalist. Three years ago, the Bears drafted Grossman in the first round, hoping this confident, stocky kid could turn around their moribund offense.

At the end of the first year, with an anemic offense and the season lost, the Bears inserted Grossman into the starting lineup. For a rookie, he played well, but a finger injury ended the experiment in his third game.

The second year, Grossman started well. Trying to rally the Bears against a good Minnesota team, Grossman made a hard cut and dove into the end zone for a touchdown. But Grossman couldn’t jump up and celebrate. The cut, on the unforgiving artificial turf, tore up his right knee. It was Grossman’s third start. Without a solid backup, the Bears’ season, like his knee, was in shambles.

After rehabbing like a maniac, Grossman was ready to resume his career last year. Instead, he shattered his left ankle in a preseason game. It was a crushing setback, but the Bears, now with a dominant defense, kept a roster spot open for Grossman, who again worked hard both mentally and physically to overcome the grisly injury. Grossman didn’t pout and instead continued studying and participating in team activities. The creaky offense, with rookie Kyle Orton at the helm, played conservatively and relied on Chicago’s ferocious defense to win most games.

Toward the end of the season, Grossman’s effort paid off and he returned to the field, beating superstar quarterbacks Michael Vick and Brett Favre in consecutive games. Suddenly it looked as if Chicago had an offense to go with its defense.

The Bears earned a home field playoff game at Soldier Field, and observers wondered how Grossman, who had only a handful of pro starts, would handle it. The answer: Not well. Grossman had a horrendous start, along with Chicago’s defense. But Grossman kept slinging it, and in the second quarter, the offense began to click. Suddenly moving the team up and down the field, Grossman threw for one touchdown and set up two more. But he threw a late interception, and the Bears’ comeback fell short.

Before the 2006 season, no one knew if Rex Grossman had a future in Chicago. Was he injury-prone, or just snake bit? Deciding not to roll the dice another year, Bears general manager Jerry Angelo finally signed a capable backup quarterback, Brian Griese, whose career statistics dwarfed those of any Bears quarterback, including the inexperienced Grossman’s.

During the 2006 preseason, Griese performed like the polished veteran he is, while Grossman (perhaps feeling the pressure) threw some bad interceptions and struggled to move the first-team offense. Whispers that Griese should be the starting quarterback turned into shouts, both in the media and in the stands. Why had the Bears handed the job to Grossman when Griese was clearly better?

One Chicago sports radio talk show host launched a “dump Rex” website. People began to use the B-word: They said Grossman was a bust. The nadir for Grossman came one night when he was booed off Soldier Field in a game against Arizona.

Grossman handled all the criticism with class, agreeing he was not playing well and vowing to get better. Head coach Lovie Smith stood by Grossman, as did the team. Gradually Grossman’s play improved, but the first real test would come when the regular season started.

The Bears’ first opponent was Green Bay, led by the legendary Favre. With the Packers stacking the line of scrimmage to stop the run during the Bears’ first possession, Grossman faked a handoff, rolled out on the bright green turf of Lambeau Field, and delivered a 49-yard strike to a wide-open Bernard Berrian for a touchdown. Just like that, Grossman had served notice that he was the best quarterback on the field and that this team was not going to run a “three yards and a cloud of rust” offense. The Bears, with a suffocating defense and a punt return for a touchdown, cruised to a 26-0 win over the shell-shocked Pack.

Grossman’s many critics, however, were not convinced. They wondered how Grossman would handle the Detroit Lions, who had nearly upset Seattle, the defending NFC champions. The answer? Just fine. Grossman hit 20 of his first 25 passes and threw for four touchdowns (including three to the tight end position, something unheard of since the days when Mike Ditka was not the Bears’ coach, but the tight end). The game wasn’t close, and Grossman was pulled early, now to the cheers of Chicago fans. Observers were starting to call Grossman a “gunslinger” who reminded them of a young Favre.

Next up for Grossman and the Bears were the undefeated Minnesota Vikings, who boasted an aggressive, swarming defense. How would he do this week, and would he get through this, the third game of the young season, without injury? (The Metrodome, remember, was where he had injured his knee two years before.) Facing constant pressure and struggling to make himself heard in the noisy Metrodome, Grossman threw a poor first half interception and failed to get the Bears into the end zone.

But at the start of the fourth quarter, Chicago still held a slim 9-6 lead. Then disaster struck. Near his own end zone, Grossman dropped back to pass. Feeling pressure up the middle, he hurriedly flicked a pass toward running back Thomas Jones in the flat. The ill-advised pass was errant, however, and a defensive back stepped in front, picked it off, and trotted into the end zone. This time it was Grossman who looked shell-shocked, as the Vikings grabbed a 13-9 lead.

Grossman got the ball back and doggedly marched the team back down the field for a field goal. Minnesota, however, answered with one of its own. With just a few minutes left, Chicago still trailed, 16-12. The Bears needed a touchdown, not a field goal, but the Vikings had the ball and time was running out.

Then Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris made a play. Harris knifed (if a 295-pound man can knife) through the Vikings line and blew up an attempted handoff. The Bears recovered the fumble, and Grossman had his chance. First Grossman made a critical third-down conversion. Then, after the two-minute warning, Grossman dropped back, looked defenders off his primary target, and arched a perfect rainbow into the arms of Rashied Davis for a touchdown. Despite erratic play and lots of pressure, Grossman had delivered in the clutch, and the Bears remained undefeated.

The next test? The 3-0 Seattle Seahawks. Grossman fired a couple of touchdowns, moved the offense like a veteran, and let the defense harass the opposing QB into a miserable night. With the game in hand, Grossman again left early, and the Bears won 37-6. Chicago fans began talking about making reservations for the Superbowl in Miami.

The 2-2 Buffalo Bills were next. Grossman and his receivers weren’t their sharpest, but he still managed to throw two more touchdowns (including a beauty off his back foot right in the heart of the Buffalo defense) and a 62-yard strike to Berrian. Buoyed by a resurgent running game and a dominating (and often downright frightening) defense, the Bears settled for a 40-7 win. Grossman, reviled by many just weeks before, is now the toast of the town.

Rex Grossman has persevered through injury, bad luck, and opportunistic (and sometimes mean-spirited) criticism to become the NFL’s second-rated quarterback (behind only Philadelphia’s amazing veteran, Donovan McNabb). Sports Illustrated even profiled this supposed “bust.” Enjoying his newfound (but hard-won) success, Grossman has been quick to credit his coaches, receivers, and offensive line. Remarkably, he hasn’t gloated.

Tomorrow night, Grossman and the “Air Bears” take their explosive act to the desert to battle the disappointing 1-4 Arizona Cardinals. Win or lose, Grossman has proved he’s a winner. As long as he keeps playing, I’ll keep watching. And so, I’ll warrant, will a lot of former skeptics.

A Tale of Two Artists

When Phil Vischer launched VeggieTales, he wanted a faith-based alternative to the Disney empire. A committed Christian, he sought to provide quality children’s entertainment that draws young people (and their parents) closer to God.

Using computer-generated characters such as Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, overt Scripture references, and enough pop-culture references to keep it interesting, Vischer largely succeeded with his Big Idea Productions. With videos (and one big-screen film) telling lessons about “Dave and the Giant Pickle” and “LarryBoy,” Vischer (and others, such as Mike Nawrocki) fulfilled the VeggieTales slogan: “Saturday morning fun and Sunday morning values.”

Unfortunately, a series of financial reverses eventually brought Big Idea crashing down, and it was sold to Classic Media, a secular corporation. And with it went Vischer’s dream to establish a media empire for Christ. However, Vischer keeps his hand in the business, seeking to produce stories with the same combination of quirky humor and commitment to Christian values.

Meanwhile, broadcasters, who must air three hours per week of educational programming for children, are scrambling for content. An executive with NBC came upon Bob and Larry, and decided to contact Phil. Would Vischer allow NBC to broadcast the wholesome VeggieTales video library this fall on Saturday mornings?

This was finally the big time for Vischer. There was just one catch: The overt references to a loving and active God and to Scripture would have to go. We live in a pluralistic society, after all, and wouldn’t want to offend anyone.

“At first we were told everything was 'okay' except the Bible verse at the end,” Vischer writes on his blog. “Frankly, that news really surprised me, because, heck, we’re talking about NBC here. God on Saturday morning? It didn't seem likely. Since we’ve started actually producing the episodes, though, NBC has gotten a little more restrictive. (I think they actually sat down and started watching a few VeggieTales videos. ‘Hey wait - these are religious.’) So it's gotten trickier, and we're having to do a little more editing. More than I’m comfortable with? Frankly, yes.”

It was a tough decision for Phil, and hardly the first time a cartoonist has been asked to compromise in the interest of greater commercial success. Enter Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, which chronicles the adventures of a mischievous boy and his stuffed tiger.

For years the syndicate tried to persuade Watterson to license images from the strip to be used on everything from coffee mugs to T-shirts. Watterson refused, not because he hated money, but because he loved his art. Watterston believes that Calvin and Hobbes live in a particular universe that can only be accessed on its own terms. To plaster the images of Calvin and Hobbes on cheap trinkets would rip them out of their context and dispel the magic that Watterson has created with his strip.

The marketers, for their part, had ample precedent on their side. Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts, allowed Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and Snoopy to appear on every other piece of ceramic and plastic in America, and that decision no doubt has made enough cash registers ring to fit an army of angels with their wings.

Watterson, however, stood firm. There are some things more important than money and influence.

Vischer, facing much the same dilemma (with not just artistic values on the line but also the much-loved spiritual truths inherent in VeggieTales) decided differently.

“I had already committed to helping Big Idea with this, and I really didn’t want to leave them in a tight spot,” Vischer says. “Plus, the new stuff we're coming up with is really fun, and at least some new kids will meet Bob and Larry on NBC, and maybe wander into Wal-Mart and buy a video with all the God [stuff] still in. So it could be better, but overall it’s not a total loss. The new stuff is really cute. You’ll like it.”

Cute? Let’s face it: There are plenty of cute (even wholesome) cartoons out there. What makes VeggieTales stand out from the crowd is not Vischer’s cleverness or the believability of floating vegetables. What makes the Veggies different is their unabashed stand for Christ.

Now that this “big idea” is gone, what do we have left? Call it “Saturday morning fun and Saturday morning values.”