Conservatism, Extremism and the Bigoted Left

[Times columnists] Blow and Rich should consider the wisdom of America’s greatest President, Abraham Lincoln (a Republican, no less!): The hen is the wisest of all the animals because she never cackles until her eggs are hatched.

The battle over the ideas and convictions that should shape our country should never include in its ranks those pathetic souls on either extreme whose malevolence, whether racial, ethnic or ideological, inspires their political conduct. But Charles Blow and Frank Rich should beware of cackling too soon.

By Rob Schwarzwalder

Holy Subversion

Allegiance to Christ in an age of rivals.

By Trevin Wax

CT Bible Study: The Mind Under Grace

©2010 Christianity Today International ChristianBibleStudies.com

Scripture: Romans 3:21–26; Colossians 1:15–23; 2 Timothy 3:10–17;
2 Peter 1:16–21
Based on: “The Mind Under Grace,” by Darren C. Marks, Christianity
Today, March 2010

The Mind
Under
Grace

Modern evangelicals tend to choose
experience over theology. We need both.

Doctrine is not a four-letter
word, though you might
think so judging by how the
larger culture and some evangelicals
respond to it. Darren C. Marks says,
“The word conjures in the modern mind a
string of negative images: The Inquisition. Boring professors debating
the number of angels on the head of a pin. Bloggers arguing
endlessly while the church flags in relevance in the once-Christian
West. Doctrine is a bludgeon, a curiosity, a rearranging of the deck
chairs while the ship sinks. Vibrant Christians want little to do with it,
and instead focus on spiritual disciplines, works of mercy, and
authentic Christian living. Doctrine belongs to the past, when it was
used mainly to divide believers.”
Is this a fair summary, or have contemporary Christians missed a key
building block of a faithful life? And if we have, how do we reinvigorate
our theological knowledge while keeping our spiritual hearts
warm? How do we nourish both head and heart to the glory of God?

Part 1 Identify the Current Issue
Note to leader: Provide each person with “The Mind Under Grace” from
Christianity Today, included at the end of this study.
Far from being a boring distraction that potentially divides us and diverts us from the “real”
kingdom work of spiritual growth and practical ministry, doctrine is what keeps us on track.
After all, if we say we just want to worship and serve Jesus, the question immediately arises:
Who is Jesus? Doctrine, which Darren Marks defines as “settled theology,” is liberating. We
don’t know who God is apart from doctrine; we don’t know who we are apart from doctrine.
Without doctrine, we just face a lot of unorganized data points with no sure way to order
them.
“Is it possible to live out discipleship without a good measure of heady doctrine?” Marks
asks. “I see doctrine not as a boundary but as a compass. Its purpose is not to make
Christians relevant or distinctive but rather to make them faithful in their contexts. Doctrine
is a way of articulating what God’s presence in the church and the world looks like.”
So how do we encounter doctrine in such a way that it serves as a compass to keep us going
in the right direction without sidetracking us into thickets of theological irrelevance? And
how do we know what we think we know? This study puts the discussion on solid footing:
God’s Word.

Discussion Starters:
[Q] Do you like thinking about doctrine? Why or why not?
[Q] What makes a doctrine good or bad, helpful or unhelpful?
[Q] If we believe the Bible is God’s Word, why do we need doctrine?
[Q] What is the difference between us interrogating Scripture and allowing it to
interrogate us?

Part 2 Discover the Eternal Principles

Teaching Point One: Doctrine must illuminate Christ as Lord.
Friedrich Schleiermacher was a 19th-century thinker who elevated spiritual experience
over theology because he believed doctrine caused more problems than it was worth. Marks
says, “We find his influence unwittingly embedded in our church leadership, our seminaries,
and our theological faculties. A theology grounded in experience ultimately fades
into soft moralism, humanism, or, in the unique case of American Christianity, a civic
religion wherein God and country are easily confused.” This scriptural passage, however,
encourages us to ground our theology in Jesus Christ, Lord of creation and Lord of the
church. Read Colossians 1:15–23.

[Q] What does this passage tell us about theological attempts to understand God
apart from Jesus?

Leader’s Note: Theology means “ the study of God.” Ideally we study
God not only to know about him, but to know him. Verse 15 gives us
an amazing statement: Jesus is “ the image of the invisible God.” I f we
want to have solid and relevant theology that teaches us about God
and helps us to know him, then it must primarily elucidate who Jesus
is, because Jesus shows us who God is. See 2 Corinthians 4:4 and
Hebrews 1:3 for similar expressions.
[Q] What does this passage tell us about our attempts to understand our world apart
from Jesus?
[Q] How did Jesus “reconcile to himself all things,” according to verse 20? What
does this imply about our current situation?

Leader’s Note: The Quest Study Bible says, “When Adam and Eve
fell, their sin brought disorder to all of creation. Redemption involves
not only making forgiveness available to human beings, but also
making peace with the entire cosmos. Through Christ’s sacrifice, all
things are restored to God. Unfortunately, this does not mean that all
people will believe in Jesus, but it does mean that God’s creation will
once again submit to him.”
[Q] Verses 21–23 have past, present, and future aspects. What has Christ done, and
what are we to do?

Optional Activity: Recording answers on a whiteboard or poster
board, as a group list the descriptions of Jesus found in this passage and
rephrase them in your own words. Then find another verse or passage in
Scripture that amplifies each point. How does each description help us
understand him better? For example: “before all things” = “Jesus came
first in time, as John 1:1–2 and John 8:58 indicate. By this we know that
Jesus existed before he was born of Mary and is a supernatural figure of
immense age and wisdom.”

Teaching Point Two: Proper theology begins not with our desire but
with our need.
Truth must come before relevance, because truth is always relevant. “Schleiermacher
began with internal experiences of God and built theology around those experiences,
reconfiguring doctrine as needed,” Marks notes. “He assumed that by starting with
ourselves and our desires, we would glimpse a purer vision of God and perhaps a more
relevant church.” Our human-centered attempts to cater to our spiritual feelings are
doomed to fail because feelings are poor guides to understanding the enormity of the
human condition. Read Romans 3:21–26.

[Q] According to this passage, where does righteousness come from and how does it
come? What role do our works have in our righteousness before God? What relevance
do these facts have for locating the starting point for our theological experience?
[Q] How does the Bible describe our sinful state (v. 23)?
• What are some implications for us in developing trustworthy doctrine?
• So how do we flawed humans deal with this fact?
[Q] What does this passage say about our desires, experiences, and needs?

Teaching Point Three: Orthodox doctrine and orthodox living go
together.
People such as Schleiermacher have created a false dichotomy between orthodoxy
(right belief) and orthopraxy (right practice or living). The two belong together, but in
the proper order, says Marks. “Many complain that the church has become incapable
of cultivating Christian habits in its people. No wonder, when for so many the starting
point is not God but spiritual experience. How can we sustain any spiritual growth if it
is grounded in something as transitory as what we feel, individually or corporately?” The
apostle Paul told Timothy that for a balanced and fruitful life we need both, but that they
need to be in the proper order. Read 2 Timothy 3:10–17.

[Q] In verses 10–11, list the elements of Paul’s life and ministry that the apostle
highlights.

Leader’s Note: Teaching … way of life … purpose … faith … patience …
love … endurance … persecutions [twice] … sufferings.
• Which have to do with orthodoxy, and which with orthopraxy?
• How do you see these elements working together in Paul’s life? In yours?

[Q] As demonstrated in verses 12–13, the logical result of orthopraxy can be
persecution. Why do you think that is?
• How does this compare and contrast with Schleiermacher’s emphasis on
plumbing our spiritual experiences for direction?
[Q] What does verse 14 say about how we are to learn doctrine?
[Q] What practical things should biblical doctrine lead to (v. 15–16)?

Teaching Point Four: God’s Word and God’s Spirit help us to avoid
doctrinal error.
Read 2 Peter 1:16–21.

[Q] In verses 16–18, Peter the apostle describes the ministry of the apostles as
witnesses of Christ. We, however, have no one who saw Jesus minister on this earth.
Given this lack, how do we avoid doctrinal error?
Peter says the church has “the word of the prophets made more certain.” In other words,
the meaning is clearer, making correct doctrine more likely and growth in knowledge
possible (v. 19). Arriving at good doctrine requires a disciplined journey.
[Q] What are we told to do with this word? How do we accomplish this?
[Q] Peter explains why the word is reliable for such a purpose (v. 20–21). How can
we hold our theology and doctrine up to God’s light?

Part 3 Apply Your Findings
Doctrine has gotten a bad rap in both the culture and the pews. Fearing both dissention and
irrelevance to people’s “real” needs, we soft-pedal our beliefs or simply assume that what we
believe is crystal clear to everyone. We are not prepared to do the hard but necessary work
to understand our beliefs and allow them to guide our steps. Instead, we think that our
spiritual experience is the starting point for our theology.
“The decreasing lack of interest in core Christian beliefs is due in part to church leaders who
chase after relevance over substance—focusing on the feeling that something is meaningful
rather than the truth that something is meaningful,” Marks says. “It is also due to church
members who imagine that their experience is the touchstone of truth about God, rather
than learning to evaluate their experience in light of Scripture and theology.”

So to overcome these problems we must take a mature, biblically informed view of Scripture and
theology. We must ensure that our doctrine illuminates Christ as Lord. We have to acknowledge
that theology begins not with our desires, which are changeable and tainted with sin, but with
our need as those who fall far short of God’s glory. We must recognize, however, that there
can be no dichotomy between our doctrine and our lives, and that the former serves as the
foundation for the latter. Finally, we can guard against doctrinal error by maintaining a proper
focus on the Word of God as given to us by the Holy Spirit.

Action Point: Discuss with your group who they believe are the greatest
theologians in church history (such as Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Aquinas).
Ask for the thoughts of members on the unique contributions of each
theologian.

Leader’s Note: Ask each member to bring a short report to the next meeting
on his or her favorite theologian. In the report (no more than one page),
have each describe the times in which the theologian lived, key theological
emphases, and continuing relevance for today.

— Stan Guthrie is author of Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends
for the 21st Century and of the forthcoming All That Jesus Asks: How His
Questions Can Teach and Transform Us (Baker). A CT editor at large, he
writes a column for BreakPoint.org and blogs at stanguthrie.com.

Recommended Resources
¿ Check out the Bible studies on Theology at: ChristianBibleStudies.com.
¨ Bringing Theology to Life: Key Doctrines for Christian Faith and Mission, by Darren
C. Marks (IVP Academic, 2009). A guide to classic Christian doctrines and theological
reflection on them.
¨ The Blackwell Companion to Protestantism, Alister E. McGrath and Darren C. Marks,
editors (Wiley-Blackwell, 2006). Examines the history, present, and future of the movement.
¨ Magnifying God in Christ: A Summary of New Testament Theology, by Thomas Schreiner
(Baker Academic, 2010). Summarizes the key New Testament doctrines.
Christianity Today Bible Study
¨ Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin (Hendrikson, 2007). The classic
work, profitable for Calvinists and Arminians—or those who don’t know what they are.
¿ “Between Two Worlds,” the current and erudite blog of Justin Taylor, takes an irenic
but undeniably Reformed look at current issues in theology; http://thegospelcoalition
.org/blogs/justintaylor/.
¿ “Theology in the News,” a biweekly commentary on contemporary issues by Collin
Hansen, is available at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/features/opinion/columns
/collinhansen/.

I apologize for the formatting problems with this study, which is available for your private use. If you would like to use it in a group, please purchase it at the CT Bible Studies website.

Podcast: Art and the Church

How and why they go together: essays by Eugene Peterson, Lauren Winner, Jeremy Begbie, and more. A discussion between Books & Culture editor John Wilson and yours truly.

You can subscribe to this podcast in iTunes.

Chicago Does Socialism

Each time Obama prevaricates, we grant him an exemption because of his lofty rhetoric about bipartisanship and his soothing words about unity. Only later do we notice that in retrospect each untruth is part of a pattern of dissimulation.

By Victor Davis Hanson

The VAT Cometh

We are now $8 trillion in debt. The Congressional Budget Office projects that another $12 trillion will be added over the next decade. Obamacare, when stripped of its budgetary gimmicks — the unfunded $200 billion­–plus doctor fix, the double-counting of Medicare cuts, the ten-six sleight-of-hand (counting ten years of revenue and only six years of outflows) — is, at minimum, a $2 trillion new entitlement.

By Charles Krauthammer

Obamacare Dystopia

Right now the future lies somewhere between the certainty of decline and the probability of catastrophe. What can stop it? Not a lot.

By Mark Steyn

Repeal and Replace

Of course, the White House anticipates that the American people will learn to love this bill so much that repeal will soon become politically impossible. In their view, seniors will learn to love the cuts to Medicare, small business owners will learn to love the employer mandate, and we will all learn to love the 16,000 IRS agents who will soon be enforcing all the new taxes and mandates.

By Sen. John Cornyn

Stupak: From Prolife Groups' Hero to Villain 'in a Nanosecond'

Groups say executive order is not enough, and will campaign against the Michigan Democrat they had promised to support.

By Tobin Grant

Whose Submission?

The following article is located at: http://www.booksandculture.com/articles/2010/marapr/whosesubmission.html and is used with permission.

A Muslim-Christian dialogue.

Between Allah and Jesus
What Christians Can Learn from Muslims
Peter Kreeft
InterVarsity Press, 2010
184 pp., $16, paper

By Stan Guthrie

It is November 22, 1963. Three luminaries—John F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley, and Clive Staples Lewis—have just died and will soon commence a great debate about issues of ultimate significance. In the first line of Peter Kreeft's classic 1982 book, Between Heaven and Hell, JFK asks, "Where the hell are we?" Reading the prolific Boston College philosophy professor's latest work, Between Allah and Jesus: What Christians Can Learn from Muslims, I had a similar reaction.

This book seems to stand the earlier one on its head—or at least its spine. In Between Heaven and Hell, Lewis the Christian apologist asks penetrating questions and steers his nominal Catholic and liberal intellectual compatriots toward the truth of Christ. In Between Allah and Jesus, however, it is the Muslim protagonist who serves as the primary light-bearer in religious matters, who usually gets the last word and exposes the prejudices and logical fallacies of the Christians around him.


This character's name is 'Isa (the Muslim name for Jesus). Just as Lewis the Oxford don served as a representative for Christ, so 'Isa the college student can be seen as one of "the least of these," a stand-in for the Lord. In several instances, 'Isa even claims to be a better Christian than his Christian foils. Further, 'Isa's nickname is Jack, which of course happened to be Lewis's nickname, too.

So, where are we with Between Allah and Jesus? More important, where is Kreeft headed?

Like Kreeft's Lewis, the Muslim "Jack" is a voice of reasoned religious debate—even presenting a variation on the famous "trilemma" argument for Muhammad. He passionately discusses submission to God, the evils of abortion, and other issues with a cast of less well-formed Christian characters. There's Libby, the liberal Christian; Evan, the intelligent but emotionally cold fundamentalist evangelist; Father Heerema, the Jesuit professor who seems to come closest to speaking for Kreeft; and Father Fesser, the liberal priest.

In the introduction Kreeft openly admits his approach:

I have unfairly "stacked the deck": I have made 'Isa a very smart and articulate Muslim, an "idealized" Muslim (though he has conspicuous social and psychological faults of insensitivity and bluntness), while I have made the Christians, especially Libby, less than flawless Christians.
Kreeft does this to highlight a trait that he sees more in Muslims than in Christians—"spiritual toughness" or "strength of will." And indeed 'Isa seems more confirmed in his beliefs than the Christians do in theirs. 'Isa outspokenly critiques the decadent West, condemns abortion as evil, and matter-of-factly believes that societies should base their laws on the Qur'an.

'Isa says that the core of all true religion is surrender (in Arabic, islam) to God. "Because I am Allah's slave," he tells Libby in the chapter about surrender, "I am not the slave of any man or woman, or any society or culture, or any ideology or philosophy, or any drink or drug, or any thing at all. I am totally free because I am totally Allah's slave. That is the proudest boast of any Muslim: to be Allah's slave." Such words resonate with serious Christians, who experience freedom as faithful bond-slaves of Christ. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes."

Much of Between Allah and Jesus offers such resonances between biblical and Qur'anic faith. Kreeft suggests that Christianity and Islam face common enemies—sin, Satan, and secularism, for starters. Might Christians and Muslims find common cause in the current culture wars?

Kreeft's book is a strong encouragement to look past our theological differences, create bonds of friendship and trust, and work together for the common good. The dialogue begun at Yale in 2008 among Christians, Muslims, and Jews helpfully illustrates this spirit. Many of 'Isa's arguments, in fact, such as his descriptions of men's and women's roles, could have just as easily come from the mouth of a conservative Christian, suggesting how much common ground there might be moving forward.

When questioned about violence and terror done in the name of Islam, 'Isa deflects critics by saying the perpetrators are not acting as good Muslims—and he points out that Christians did much the same when they had the opportunity. Yet there is no wrestling with problematic Qur'anic texts, such as Sura 4:89: "But if they become those who deny (Faith), catch them (by force) and kill them wherever you find them; And do not take friends or helpers from their groups."

'Isa says that the cause of Muslim violence is not the Qur'an but bad people, and Father Heerema also praises the Muslim holy book. If their take is accurate, then such passages need explanation. Christianity's book and history have faced much scrutiny over the years. Why not Islam's? Whitewashing Islam's troubling elements is no way to advance real dialogue, which must be based on truth.

Nor do Kreeft or his characters acknowledge the centuries-long persecution and abasement of Christians and Jews living in Muslim-controlled lands—abuse done in the name of Islam that continues to this day. Kreeft muses that perhaps the next St. Paul will be a Muslim. He fails to consider that perhaps the next Paul was a Muslim—before being martyred as an apostate.

While there are countless examples, I am thinking particularly of Zia Nodred, a blind Afghan linguist and Bible translator who was murdered in 1988 for his allegiance to Christ. "I have calculated the cost," Zia said when warned that his life might be in danger, "and am ready to die for Christ, since he has already died for me on the cross." Now that's spiritual toughness.

In Kreeft's commendable attempt to help Christians see Muslims as our neighbors rather than as the Other, Between Allah and Jesus blurs some vital theological distinctions. No, the author does not dispute that Islam's Trinity-denying unitarianism contradicts God's revelation. But ultimately he doesn't see it as much of a problem.

"I believe General God is issuing new battle plans today," Father Heerema tells 'Isa, Libby, and Evan after a multifaith ministry to homeless people. "I think he's trying to weld us together. Perhaps that's why he's letting us become less insistent about our old categories, about the old divisions among us."

Father Heerema takes pains to assure 'Isa he is not trying to convert him. Why not? Respectful dialogue should not preclude respectful witness between members of the world's two great missionary faiths. Are those who risk life and limb to share the gospel with Muslims misguided? Kreeft doesn't say. Kreeft's characters, however, repeatedly indicate that relationships come before theology. In the chapter on Jesus and Muhammad, we have this exchange between 'Isa and Father Heerema, starting with the Jesuit:

"I think an agreement about motives is an even deeper agreement than an agreement about theology. Jesus and the Pharisees had the same theology, but very different motives, very different states of soul.
"You are saying that religion is far more important than theology.
"Yes. Theology is the road map; religion is the journey."
So where the heaven are we? The difference between Christians and Muslims on Christ's identity—God Incarnate or simply another human prophet—is presented as real and regrettable, but hardly decisive. Father Heerema says 'Isa can get to heaven based on his surrender to the God of Abraham, whatever his misunderstanding of Jesus. But understanding who Jesus is and what he has done for us in his death and resurrection (both of which Muslims deny) is not theological frosting that some of us can do without. It is the cake. Islam sees itself as a path guiding us out of ignorance. As Sura 1 prays, "Guide us to the Straight Path." In contrast, Jesus said, "I am the Way." In Islam the Word is a text; in Christianity, a Person. This Person is the sine qua non of our salvation.

Putting the focus on our submission, as Kreeft does, rather than on Christ's submission, risks making religion all about our futile efforts to please God. Our inability to do so as lost, helpless sinners is the reason Jesus had to die, and why salvation must be by faith. No amount of striving—whether by Muslims, Christians, Jews, or atheists—can do the job. Only Christ can. Since Kreeft is searching for spiritual toughness in this book, one wishes he could have shown more of it on this point.

When Between Allah and Jesus ends, 'Isa, who lives suspended between heaven and hell, is no closer to his namesake. Well, that's not strictly true. While confirmed in his Islam—after all the arguments and counter-arguments, speaking and listening—he does seem closer to his flawed friends who also bear Christ's name. And where relationship exists, deeper understanding may follow.

Dialogue may not be everything, but it's a start.

Stan Guthrie is an editor at large for Christianity Today and author of Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century. His book All that Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us will be published by Baker this fall.

Copyright © 2010 by the author or Christianity Today International/Books & Culture magazine.

Out of Context

Debate over 'Camel method' probes limits of Muslim-focused evangelism.

By Ken Walker

CT Bible Study: Service Rooted in Grace

©2010 Christianity Today International ChristianBibleStudies.com
Used by permission.

Scripture: Psalm 46:1–11; 51:1–6; Luke 10:38–42; James 1:19–27
Based on: “Born Again … Again,” by Chris Rice, Christianity Today,
March 2010

We cannot change the world without changed hearts.

Evangelical Christianity has long
been a faith for activists. From
William Wilberforce to Chuck
Colson, Bible-believing Christians
have sought to change the world for Christ through
works of evangelism, ministry to the poor, and cultural engagement. We
have aggressively used the tools of modern technology and marketing
to confront people with the gospel and its implications in all of society.
Such activism undeniably has blessed the needy and opened hearts to
God’s message.

However, there is an unavoidable downside to all this activism:
Sometimes we have become so caught up in changing others that we
neglect our own hearts. Driven by our kingdom-inspired visions, we
become blind to our own failings. Such blindness, which doesn’t come
upon us all at once, makes us forget who we are—sinners saved by
grace—and, more importantly, who God is. It is a blindness that also
makes us deaf to his transforming voice. No longer close to our Savior,
we plunge on, not noticing the people we trample upon along the way.
We need a fresh start. We need to be born again … again.

Part 1 Identify the Current Issue
Note to leader : Provide each person with “Born Again … Again,” from
Chr i s t iani t y To d a y, included at the end of this study.
Chris Rice and Spencer Perkins were on a holy crusade to change evangelical hearts and
minds about race. These godly men wanted fellow believers to break down racial divides
that still plague the church so that the body of Christ can more closely reflect the prayer of
Jesus: “that they may be one.” There was just one problem: Chris and Spencer were getting
to the point where they couldn’t stand one another. Rice admits: “At the same time that my
African American colleague, Spencer Perkins, and I were traveling the nation preaching
about reconciliation, we could hardly sit at the same dinner table at home, where our families
shared daily life in an intentional Christian community called Antioch. The long friendship
and partnership that we had forged in Reconcilers Fellowship, a national ministry we cofounded,
was on the verge of breaking up.”
It’s an old story. Personal strife has broken up more than one missionary team or
congregation. There is an old saying that applies to this lamentable truth: “I love humanity;
it’s people I can’t stand.” We know that such strife and animosity in our lives and ministries
are ungodly and unacceptable. But in the midst of doing good, how do we become good?

Discussion Starters:[
Q] Without naming names, describe a time when you faced interpersonal conflict in a
church or ministry situation. What caused the problem, and how did you handle it?
[Q] Would you describe yourself as more activist or as more contemplative? Explain.
[Q] Which causes really stoke your kingdom passion?
[Q] Do you have a spirit that readily forgives, or one that secretly “keeps score”?
Part 2 Discover the Eternal Principles

Teaching Point One: God gives us strength and courage amid every
storm of life.
Chris Rice and Spencer Perkins and their related ministries were doing good work.
Unfortunately, both men were facing burnout—with regard to both their relationship and
their ministry. Problems seemed too big and long-lasting. “While Reconcilers Fellowship
was vibrant, in my eyes the Antioch community had shriveled up inside,” Rice says. “We were riddled by unresolved relational difficulties, financial stress, and constant and
intensifying busyness. I could no longer live with joy and excitement in one sphere and
discouragement and hopelessness in the other. Nor could my wife, Donna. I was striving
to make a national impact, but that wasn’t enough anymore.”
They were soon to discover that busyness is not the sum total of the Christian life—even
for a godly cause. In working for God, they had lost the ability to hear from God. As a
result, their ministries suffered, as did their experience of God and fellowship with one
another. Looking at the problems that swirled all about them, they neglected to see the
Solution.

They may have been able to learn from ancient Israel, who was God’s chosen nation
and should have faced the future with confidence. But, perched on a strategic land route
between pagan superpowers, the people were tempted to fear what might happen. This
psalm counsels confidence, not in the nation’s goodness or strength, but in God.

Read Psalm 46:1–11.
[Q] In verse 1, how is God described and what pictures do these words inspire?
[Q] Verses 2–3 say we should not fear. How do verses 4–9 help calm our fears when
facing life’s challenges?
[Q] What do verses 10–11 tell us about the balance between activism and
contemplation?
Optional Activity: Pass out copies of Mar tin Luther ’s great hymn,
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” and sing or read it together. Ask each
member to share which verses or sections are especially meaningful at
this particular time in their lives.

Teaching Point Two: We progress in the Christian life when we see
our sin as first and foremost against a holy God.
Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice had crystal-clear views of one another’s sin. Two friends,
John and Judy Alexander, tried to reconcile them, but it wasn’t easy. “Our old wounds
spilled back into the room—all the painful residue of renegotiating leadership roles,
our very different styles, the constant submitting to each other,” Rice writes. “My long
struggle with being jealous of Spencer was always a card he could play. We each held
tightly to our ‘lists’: ‘You did this to me’; ‘Well, you did that to me.’ John said the problem
between me and Spencer was mostly about me. I didn’t want to hear that. My list about
Spencer was too long, too full of truth. I was tired of such an intense life together. Tired of living in a culture of demanding so much from myself and others. Tired of being tired.
And all I wanted to do was to win.” What they lacked was a clear understanding of their
own sin—which would have softened their hearts toward one another.
They could have learned from David, who had sinned against Uriah, Bathsheba, and an
unnamed male child. Only at the prompting of the prophet Nathan did he come clean (2
Samuel 12:1–14). Psalm 56 represents his cry for forgiveness and restoration from God.

Read Psalm 51:1–6.
[Q] In verse 1, David asks for mercy and the removal of his sins on the basis of God’s
love and compassion. When we seek God’s forgiveness, what do we bring to the table?
[Q] In verse 2, David asks for cleansing from his sin. What exactly is he asking for?
How would he know when he has it?
[Q] In verses 3–5, the king confesses his sins. Who, primarily, is the offended party (v.
4)?
[Q] How does a solid understanding of our sinfulness and God’s righteousness affect
how we treat and view others?
[Q] God rejoices in us owning up to our sin and promises to teach us wisdom (v. 6).
How do the two go together?
[Q] How can we apply that wisdom in our relationships and ministries?
Optional Activity: Take time for reflection: What sins do you need to
confess and forsake? What wisdom do you need to live differently?

Teaching Point Three: Sitting at the feet of Jesus is better than
anxious service.
Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice were confronted with their need to give grace to each
other—to not only be saved by grace, but also to live by grace. Part of that grace involves
a kind of letting go and trusting God, of not thinking that the results of our efforts are
up to us. “I hope I have become as radical about receiving the gift of Sabbath as I am
about pursuing justice,” Rice says now. “I remain deeply committed to being shaped by
Jesus’ story of the Samaritan who crosses social and racial divides to offer hospitality to
the other (Luke 10:25–37). Yet I have also sought to be like Mary of Bethany in the story
that immediately follows: She ‘wasted time’ listening at Jesus’ feet (‘the one thing needful,’
he said) while her sister, Martha, slaved away doing good deeds in a world of everpressing
needs (vv. 38–42).”

Read this account in Luke 10:38–42.
[Q] In verses 41–42, Jesus gives the unexpected answer and gently rebuffs Martha,
saying her sister has chosen more wisely. Sometimes the truth hurts. How does his
answer make you feel?
[Q] Why did Mary make the right choice and how should her choice to “be still”
guide us in our ministries?
[Q] Do you have a good balance between reflection and activism? If not, why not,
and how can you make better choices?

Teaching Point Four: Hearing the Word and doing it go together.
Nothing in this study should discount the necessity of Christian activism. We always face
the danger of going too far in the other direction and falling into a passive faith. But our
activism must be balanced—even preceded—by a grace-filled, vital walk with Christ. We
must listen to him so that we will be able to rightly help others, as well as ourselves. As
Rice says, “rather than starting with activism—‘What should we do?’—grace calls us first
to slow down and start with God’s gift of lament: to see, name, and feel the brokenness.”
We see this kind of inner and outer balance in James 1:19–27.

[Q] Three commands are given in verse 19. Which ones deal with actions, and which
with attitudes?
[Q] How might verse 20 bring balance to our life when we are involved in Christian
activism?
[Q] How could verse 21 help us as we are involved in Christian activism?
[Q] What is the point of the “man in the mirror” illustration (23–25)?
[Q] List the hallmarks of true religion (v. 26–27). How many are internal and how
many are external? Which kind do you find more difficult to practice? Why?

Part 3 Apply Your Findings
Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice launched an activist ministry promoting racial reconciliation,
and through prayer and hard work they began to see encouraging signs of progress in churches.
But amid the daily pressure, stress, and busyness, these two godly men found that they needed
personal reconciliation. They needed not more action but more reflection. So instead of keeping
lists of how each had been offended by the other, they began to live in a new way, offering grace
to one another.
“We decided to replace a culture of demands with a culture of grace,” says Rice. “Spencer said it
felt like going back to kindergarten—learning a new language and new practices. For us, ‘telling
the truth’ had come to mean telling the church and each other how they needed to change. But
now we saw that the greatest truth was telling and showing each other how much God loves us.”
This study attempts to help us find the balance between activism and reflection, arguing that
reflecting on God’s Word will enable us to discover the spiritual resources to begin living that
life of grace. When we do, we will see, first, that God gives us strength and courage amid every
storm of life. Second, we will understand that progress in the Christian life comes when we see
our sin as first and foremost against a holy God. Third, we will grasp that sitting at the feet of
Jesus is better than anxious service. Fourth, we will begin to appropriate the truth that hearing
the Word and doing it go together.

Action Points:
• This week, get up half an hour early (or go to bed 30 minutes later) to
reflect on each of the four scriptural passages in this study, one per day.
On the fifth day, choose a passage of your own. Use a pen and notebook
to record your thoughts and questions for God. Jot down what he might be
telling you, par ticularly with regard to your ministry commitments. What
changes, internally and externally, is he asking you to make? Then discuss
this with a trusted and mature friend.
• Ask God to show you someone to whom you must apologize. Then go do it.

— Stan Guthrie is author of Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends
for the 21st Century and of the forthcoming All That Jesus Asks: How His
Questions Can Teach and Transform Us (Baker). A CT editor at large, he
writes a column for BreakPoint.org and blogs at stanguthrie.com.

Recommended Resources
¿ Check out the following Bible studies at: ChristianBibleStudies.com.
¿ Knowing God J. I. Packer, author of the book Knowing God, says that seeking God’s
truth “enlarges the soul because it tunes into the greatness of God.” In this study, he
tells how to shrink the self and exalt God, and how to practice repentance. Other
articles discuss finding time for intimacy with God and involving both the heart and
mind in the search for God.
¿ Essentials in Knowing God This 10-session Bible study will deepen your
relationship with God by focusing on him and discovering what he is like. This course
will also teach you how to repent, find forgiveness, and get rid of guilt. Finally, it will
help you fill your prayer life with joy and beauty.
¿ Who Is God? This 12-session Bible study will help you think realistically and
practically about who God is. It will help you understand what the Scriptures have to
say about him, and how to make him a part of your daily experience.
¨ More Than Equals: Racial Healing, by Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice (IVP, 2000).
When Spencer Perkins was 16 years old, he visited his bloodied and swollen father
(pastor John Perkins) in jail. Police had beaten the black activist severely, and Spencer
never forgot the moment. He couldn’t imagine living in community with a white person
after that. But his plans were changed. Chris Rice grew up in very different circumstances,
of “Vermont Yankee stock,” attending an elite Eastern college and looking forward to a
career in law and government. But his plans were changed. Spencer and Chris became
not only friends, but yokefellows—partners for more than a decade in the difficult
ministry of racial reconciliation. From their own hard-won experience, they show that
there is hope for our frightening race problem, that whites and African-Americans can
live together in peace.
¨ Shaking the System: What I Learned from the Great American Reform Movements, by
Tim Stafford (IVP, 2007). Working to make the world better is an American tradition
that goes back hundreds of years. Stafford examines reform movements of the last two
centuries—including the abolitionist, temperance, suffrage, and civil rights campaigns—
highlighting principles to guide Christian activists today. Discover how to prevent
burnout, avoid violence, and engage in practical and ethical politics.
¨ The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer (Wingspread, N.D.). In the muddle of day-today
life, have you somehow forgotten that Christianity is a living, vibrant relationship
with a personal God? In this classic bestseller and recipient of both the ECPA Gold
and Platinum Book Awards, The Pursuit of God reminds and challenges you to renew
your relationship with your loving God. In each of the 10 chapters, Tozer explains one
aspect of hungering for God and ends with a prayer.
¨ The Attributes of God, Book and Study Guide, by A.W. Tozer (Wingspread, N.D.).
What is God like? With profound spiritual insight and solid biblical guidance, Tozer
examines 20 attributes that reveal God’s essential nature.
¿ Christianity Today’s special online section about racial reconciliation is available
at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/special/racialreconciliation.html.
¿ “Ethnic Harvest: Resources for Multicultural Ministry” is available at http://www
.ethnicharvest.org/index.htm.

I apologize for the formatting problems with this study, which is available for your private use. If you would like to use it in a group, please purchase it at the CT Bible Studies website.

Pro-life Democrats, R.I.P.

Bart Stupak's vote for the health bill shows that in the end you can't count on prolife Democrats.

By William McGurn

Podcast: Dick Cheney as Darth Vader

Matt Labash profiles Dick Cheney, Marion Barry, Christopher Hitchens, and more, with miscellaneous tasty side dishes of wacky realism. A discussion between Books & Culture editor John Wilson and yours truly.

You can subscribe to this podcast in iTunes.

Michigan’s Cheap Date

Bart Stupak surrenders his power and writes the obituary of the “pro-life Democrat.”

By Kathryn Jean Lopez

Where Were You?

Democratic activists are trying valiantly to defend the way Obama and Pelosi have rammed healthcare "reform" down our throats but are having a hard time. When asked to provide reasons, they provide red herrings.

When conservative opponents say we can't afford this partisan power grab of one-sixth of the U.S. economy, they say, "Where were you when George Bush was running up huge deficits?"

I'll tell you where we were. We were there, complaining. The previous president did many things right, and some things wrong. Allowing an evenly split Congress to run up huge deficits was one of the things he did wrong, and many conservatives said so.

But even if we didn't, so what? You liberals did. If it was reckless and wrong for a Republican administration to run up deficits equaling 2 percent of the nation's GDP then, why is it now right for Obama and Co., who control all the levers of power in Washington, to run up deficits in excess of 5 percent of GDP? And you're accusing us of hypocrisy?

Other apologists for the IRS Full Employment Act of 2010 say, with a note of triumph in their voices, "Where were you when George Bush spent all that money in Iraq, based upon a lie?"

First, it was not a lie (unless the whole world, including Democrats, was also lying). Second, Obamacare spending is going to cost a lot more of this nation's treasure than Iraq ever will. Third, national defense is a constitutional responsibility of the federal government; healthcare is not. And Obamacare will cut deeply into our capacity to defend ourselves in a dangerous world.

If conservatives say that Obamacare, which the American people have manifestly said they do not want, represents a giant stride in the direction of socialism, liberals retort, "Where were you when the federal government created Social Security and Medicare, two immensely popular programs, which also represent what you would call socialism?"

First, many of us (for good or ill) voted for these programs. Second, while they attempt to provide a safety net, they do not take over whole industries, as Obamacare will. Third, however popular they are, both Medicare and Social Security are heading toward financial insolvency. Why in the world would we create another huge entitlement that will lead this nation that much faster to bankruptcy?

The question "Where were you?" doesn't stand, at least when applied to conservatives. Unfortunately for all the liberals and "moderates" who voted for this monstrosity, the American people will be asking it of them.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

White House Divide-and-Conquer-Stupak-Bloc Strategy

It seems clear that the White House is trying to divide the Stupak group, and provide another fig leaf for some of them. Let's hope it doesn't work. If the Stupak group really wants to prevent funding of elective abortions, the only way to do so is by passing a Hyde-like amendment into law. Anything short of that would almost surely lead, in time, to direct federal funding of abortion-on-demand.

By James C. Capretta

Welcome to Deemocracy

Obamacare will result in the creation of at least 16,500 new jobs. Doctors? Nurses? Ha! Dream on, suckers. That’s 16,500 new IRS agents, who’ll be needed to check whether you — yes, you, Mr. and Mrs. Hopendope of 27 Hopeychangey Gardens — are in compliance with the 15 tax increases and dozens of new federal mandates the Deemocrats are about to “deem” into existence. This will be the biggest expansion of the IRS since World War II — and that’s change you can believe in. This is what “health” “care” “reform” boils down to: fewer doctors, longer wait times, but more bureaucrats.

By Mark Steyn

Obama's Interview with Fox I

Part 1

Watch our president avoid direct answers to good questions the rest of the media refuse to ask.

Obama's Interview with Fox II

Part 2

Now for the Slaughter

Presidents have a right to certain prerogatives, including the expectation of a certain deference. He's the president, this is history. But we seem to have come a long way since Ronald Reagan was regularly barked at by Sam Donaldson, almost literally, and the president shrugged it off. The president—every president—works for us. We don't work for him.

By Peggy Noonan

CT Bible Study: Redeeming Sports

©2010 Christianity Today International ChristianBibleStudies.com
Used by permission

Scripture: Isaiah 40:26–31; Romans 12:1–8; 1 Corinthians 9:19–27;
Hebrews 12:1–2
Based on: “Whatever Happened to Play” and “Are Sports the Problem?,”
Christianity Today, February 2010

Why winning really isn’t everything.
Americans are consuming
sports on an unprecedented
scale,” Shirl James Hoffman
notes in the article “Whatever
Happened to Play?” “The ancient Romans,
long considered the gold standard for how
sports-crazed a culture could be, were dilettantes
compared to the sports fans of this century.”
Evangelical presence pervades the sports world, in everything
from team chaplains to post-game prayers. But do we give this
massive part of modern life the philosophical and theological
attention it deserves? And what happens if we don’t?
©2010 Christianity Today International ChristianBibleStudies.com

Part 1 Identify the Current Issue
Note to leader : Provide each person with “Whatever Happened to Play ”
and “Are Sports the Problem?” from Chr i s t iani t y To d a y, included at the
end of this study.
We live in a sports-crazed culture. Whether donning our teams’ colors, poring over sports
sections, or—in an extreme case—dropping the ashes of a relative on a professional
football field, we take athletic endeavors seriously indeed. In the article “Whatever
Happened to Play,” Shirl James Hoffman notes, “But [all] are rooted in the same passion
that drives spectators to paint their faces with team colors, wear bizarre hats, and engage
in the collective delirium that one philosopher has called ‘too close to the religious to call
it anything else.’” And this sports fanaticism includes Christians, too. We have overcome
our initial skepticism about sports and have jumped in with both feet. Christians have a
growing and visible presence in sports.
But Hoffman suggests that too often we do our sports ministries pragmatically and
not theologically. Because we don’t know what sports are for, we are unable to redeem
sporting culture and reap the spiritual benefits that it can provide.

Discussion Starters:
[Q] How important are sports in your life, judging by the time you spend attending,
talking about, and spending money on them?
• Do you think this is healthy? Why or why not?
[Q] We seem to idolize our athletic heroes more than ever. Why might this be?
[Q] How have college and professional sports changed both for the better and the
worse since you’ve been watching them?
[Q] What positive messages do we get from sports?
[Q] What negative messages do we get?

Part 2 Discover the Eternal Principles

Teaching Point One: Every legitimate area of human life, including
sports, can be redeemed for God’s glory.

Hoffman says that too often sports are an excuse for self-absorption rather than self-denial
and self-aggrandizement rather than self-giving. “Further, while honesty, sympathy, and
generosity are the idealized derivatives of a life lived with God, recent data reveal that
immersion in a culture devoted to proving one’s superiority squelches rather than reinforces
these virtues.”
We have seen the downward trend in sports, with excessive, individualized celebrations of
accomplishment, the attempt to physically dominate and intimidate the opposition, and the
craving for victory over others at any cost, even if this means cutting corners on the rules or
taking banned substances. Yet God’s Word has principles that apply in the hyper-competitive
world of sports.

Read Romans 12:1–8.
[Q] Sports culture is corrupt at points, which makes Paul’s commands in verse 2a—“Do
not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind”—especially applicable. Christians involved in sports are not to conform, but
to transform. What areas of sports culture ought we to reject?
• How do we renew our mind in regard to sports?
[Q] As we are transformed, Paul says, God will lead us into “his good, pleasing and
perfect will” (v. 2b). How might this promise apply to our sports ministries?
[Q] We are not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought but rather are to take
sober stock of our gifts, which come from God (vv. 3–8). While this section applies
primarily to church contexts, what attitudes do you see that apply in our athletic
endeavors? Are there ways to encourage these godly attitudes on the playing field and in
the locker room? In the stands?

Teaching Point Two: Every legitimate area of human life, including
sports, can be a platform for ministry if we are willing to work at it.
“If indeed sport is marching toward Gomorrah,” Hoffman states, “it seems to have escaped
the attention of large portions of the evangelical community, which continue to bask in the
reflected glory of Christian athletes. Much evangelical commentary glorifies athletes and
sports, but becomes timid in situations that warrant indictment. Rarely does the evangelical
press ask touchy questions about tensions between the moral culture of Christianity and that
of big-time sports. The silence is deafening.”
Yet a failure to do sports well does not mean that we shouldn’t do them at all. Hoffman
calls for a critical evangelical engagement with the sports culture so that we can transform it and benefit from it. Paul knew something about engaging other cultures for the sake
of the gospel. Missiologists call this process contextualization—putting the message in
the garb of the people you are trying to reach. This involves taking what is good from the
host culture—the context—and using it to accurately communicate the gospel without
distortion. Humility is seldom prized in sports, but that’s just what we need for this kind
of ministry.
Read 1 Corinthians 9:19–27.
Sports are often used as vehicles for people to get what they want: money, fame, or sex,
among other things. Paul’s attitude was not to see how much he could get, however,
but how much he could give. His goal was not personal victory, but the good of others:
“I make myself a slave to everyone,” he told the Corinthian believers, “to win as many
as possible” (v. 19). Victory for Paul could be measured in lives saved and relationships
established.
[Q] How does modern sports culture undercut this kind of emphasis, and how might
it be transformed to support it?
[Q] Paul lists some ways he has contextualized the gospel, among both Jews and
pagans (vv. 20–22). What might be some dangers Paul faced in presenting the gospel
this way?
• What are some dangers of communicating in a sports context? How,
according to Hoffman, are we tempted to compromise?
• What are some ways we can faithfully use sports to share the gospel?
[Q] Paul uses an athletic metaphor to describe his commitment to the gospel (vv.
24–27). What can Christians learn from athletic pursuits? Why and how are sports
applicable to the Christian life and to gospel-focused ministry?

Teaching Point Three: The Christian life is a race that demands our
perseverance as we follow Jesus.
“Professional sports testify to an excess of money, success, and competitive zeal,”
Hoffman says. That excess points to a dearth in another area—a focus on God. Much of
professional sports, and of the college and youth arenas that imitate them, causes athletes
to focus on the self. Hoffman further says, “If evangelical ethicist R. E. O. White is right
to assert that self-absorption is behind all wrong social relationships and, for this reason,
self-denial is the first ethical condition of discipleship, then elite athletes immersed in the self-consumed atmosphere of sports, where self-denial is a recipe for competitive disaster,
face a fundamental problem.” So how do we take the focus off ourselves and put it onto
Christ?

Read Hebrews 12:1–2.
[Q] Having finished describing the so called “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11, the writer
of this epistle paints a picture of the Christian life as a race in a stadium packed
with cheering fans—those who have run before us (v. 1a). How might your spiritual
journey be different if you knew that other saints of the past were cheering you on?
[Q] The writer encourages us to strip away all that “hinders” and “entangles” us (v.
1b). What slows down your “race”?
[Q] Then we are told to “run with perseverance” and that we each have a particular
“race marked out for us.” How do analogies from the world of sport help us here?
[Q] We are to “fix our eyes on Jesus” (v. 2). What kind of race did he run? In what
ways does his victory differ from conventional notions of winning and losing?

Teaching Point Four: Sports can give us a vision of life with God, in
this world and the next.
We often see sport as a means to a worldly end. Sports are so concrete, so physical, that
we miss the way they affect the way we think and view this world, and how they prepare
us for the next. We often fail to see the “possibility that sport, properly organized and
played, can inspire rather than challenge the Christian imagination,” Hoffman writes.
In other words, what is the aim of the Christian life, and how can sports help us see it?
Read Isaiah 40:26–31.
[Q] In the view of such majesty, what ought we to be boasting in? How does this
perspective help in the sporting life?
[Q] When we feel small and forgotten (v. 27), we do well to remember God’s great
strength and wisdom (v. 28). How does that perspective help with what you are
struggling with right now?
[Q] God shares his strength with his weak children (v. 29). Why must we be weak to
receive his strength?
• How is this antithetical to the sports culture?
[Q] Good promises to overcome our weakness (v. 30) and renew our strength (v. 31).
We will “soar on wings like eagles”; we will “run and not grow weary.” Intimacy and life
with this powerful God are pictured in athletic terms, as physical limitations are removed.
How do sports prepare us to enjoy life with God?

Part 3 Apply Your Findings
While the ancient Greeks understood the essentially religious nature of sports, evangelicals have
been late in getting in the game. First we saw athletic endeavors as unserious and unworthy of
our time. Then we changed our minds, but instead of transforming them for the glory of God,
we allowed them to transform us. This is because we little understood the power of play and
became subverted by it.
Shirl James Hoffman says we need to recapture the essence of play so that we can apply its
lessons and prepare ourselves for that perfect harmony of mind and body that awaits us in the
new creation. We need to see sports in the meantime as an activity that can be redeemed for
God’s glory, as a legitimate platform for ministry, as a model for the good Christian life, and as
preparation for life with God.
While much of our culture has also been subverted by the excitement of sports, it is missing
something deeper and more profound—joy—which points us to the great God who created us
with the ability to strive, to improve, and, simply, to play. “If sport played by Christians is to
have a distinctive slant—especially sport sponsored by Christian institutions—it won’t simply be
sport done well, or played without egregious violations of the sporting code,” Hoffman says. “It
will be sport creatively structured and specifically crafted to express the joy of the faith.”
Action Point: Have each member draw up a list of hindrances and
entanglements in his or her Christian life. In a confidential session, have
your group pray for the removal of these things, then follow up at the next
meeting to see how it is going.
Optional Activity: As a group, choose a sporting activity—softball, chess,
or whatever—and do it together for the glory of God.

— Stan Guthrie is author of the forthcoming All That Jesus Asks: How His
Questions Can Teach and Transform Us (Baker). A CT editor at large, he
writes a column for BreakPoint.org and blogs at stanguthrie.blogspot.com.

Recommended Resources
Check out the following Bible studies at: ChristianBibleStudies.com
Finding God in Sports This discussion guide will help you look at the point
behind sports in God’s economy. How are serious sports meant to reflect
discipleship, community, and even Sabbath?
Resisting the Mob Mentality This study looks at the mysterious phenomenon of
crowd behavior. What makes us act in a crowd in ways we wouldn’t individually?
How can we find the strength to go against the grain when we need to? And when
can crowd behavior be a positive thing?
Remember the Titans Family Discussion Guide Sports can build character
and teach us life lessons. This is the case with the true story portrayed in the film
Remember the Titans. In 1971 an Alexandria, Virginia, high school football team
finds that their most intimidating opponent is themselves as they struggle with
racial integration. This discussion guide will help your family discuss the themes of
courage, leadership, and racial unity found in this movie.
8 Chariots of Fire (Warner Home Video, 1981). The story of British athlete Eric Liddell,
who said, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.”
Missionary Athletes International seeks to spread the gospel through soccer “as a
resource to the body of Christ.” See http://www.maisoccer.com/main/.
Athletes in Action is a global ministry using professional and college sports to spread
the gospel. See http://www.athletesinaction.org/.
•Eric Liddell, Men and Women of Faith Series, by Catherine Swift (Bethany House,
1990). Eric Liddell, hero of the film Chariots of Fire, risked becoming a national disgrace
at the 1924 Paris Olympics when he refused to run on a Sunday.
•The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, by Michael Lewis (W.W. Norton, 2007). “One
day Michael Oher will be among the most highly paid athletes in the National Football
League. When we first meet him, he is one of 13 children by a mother addicted to crack;
he does not know his real name, his father, his birthday, or how to read or write. He takes
up football, and school, after a rich, white, evangelical family plucks him from the streets.” A fascinating look at football and ministry.

I apologize for the formatting problems with this study, which is available for your private use. If you would like to use it in a group, please purchase it at the CT Bible Studies website.

On the Radio: The Delights of Doctrine

Here's my interview with John Blok of New Day Florida about Christians getting serious about doctrine.

Glenn Beck: 'Leave Your Church'

Advocacy groups respond to the conservative commentator's call to leave churches that promote social justice. Plus, reactions to health care in the House and gay rights in Virginia.

By Tobin Grant

My comment:

Beck perhaps is reacting to clergy such as Jeremiah Wright and, to a lesser extent, Jim Wallis, who are reliably "progressive" in their theology, asserting that concern for the poor requires a big state, high taxes, redistribution of wealth, and so on. Those who point to the "red letters" of Jesus to support a liberal political program misuse religion.

But to say that a church's concern for social justice is wrong goes way over the line. Social justice means, at a minimum, fairness, or a level playing field, for all, something even a conservative like Beck could support.

Of course, if social justice blots out every other point of doctrine for a church, then it is probably unbalanced, and Beck's advice to run as fast as you can from it may make more sense than critics like Wallis are ready to admit.

The Future of Publishing?

Christopher Walken and the Census

Just to take a break from the Obamacare madness ....

Is America’s Bond Rating as Safe as Geithner Thinks It Is?

Nancy Pelosi and President Obama charted a fiscal course for our country that everyone — including them — agrees is unsustainable.

By Congressman Peter Roskam

Podcast: Tithing, Yugos, and Christian Feminists

Doug LeBlanc on stewardship—plus new books on the worst car in history and on the reading lists of Gilded Age women. A discussion between Books & Culture editor John Wilson and yours truly.

You can subscribe to this podcast in iTunes.

Practically Theological

How churches are teaching doctrine—and finding eager participants.

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Obamacare: The Docs Strike Back

Don’t Say These Words on WGN

Randy Michaels may be the CEO of the Tribune Company but it's obvious that he’s an editor at heart. All editors have certain words and phrases they prohibit; being able to prevent writers (including oneself) from abusing the language is one of the perks of the job. But Michaels may have set a new standard for editorial micro-management. In an edict issued to the anchors and reporters on WGN-AM radio [was] a list of 119 “forbidden ‘newsspeak’ words and phrases.”

By Joe Carter

Democrats Against Abortion

There are genuine reasons for pro-lifers to resist any move toward a nationalized health-care system. The iniquitous distribution of American healthcare is a scandal, but even the incomplete moves of the current plan create a system that no future bureaucracy or Congress will be able to resist using for purposes of social engineering. And, given the condition of social-elite opinion today, that will always mean increased government-sponsored abortion and euthanasia.

By Joseph Bottum

"They Just Want This Over"

If Obamacare passes, [Bart] Stupak says, it could signal the end of any meaningful role for pro-life Democrats within their own party. “It would be very, very hard for someone who is a right-to-life Democrat to run for office."

National Review Online

If Democrats ignore health-care polls, midterms will be costly

Unless the Democrats fundamentally change their approach, they will produce not just a march of folly but also run the risk of unmitigated disaster in November.

By Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen

Beyond Believers

Religion is now the hottest topic for American historians.

By Bobby Ross Jr.

Islamic Gunmen Kill Christian Aid Workers in Pakistan

World Vision worker says militants dragged his colleagues into room and executed them.

Compass Direct News

Obama gives away $1.4 million in Nobel prize money to charities

President Barack Obama plans to donate the $1.4 million from his Nobel Peace Prize to helping students, veterans' families and survivors of Haiti's earthquake, among others, drawing attention to organizations he said "do extraordinary work."

By the Associated Press

My comment: Way to go, Mr. President!

Interview: Chris Castaldo

The following article is located at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/articles/webexclusives/castaldointerview.html

A conversation about Catholics and evangelicals—agreeing to disagree, agreeably.

Stan Guthrie

Relations between evangelicals and Catholics have become richer and more nuanced in recent years. Groups such as Evangelicals and Catholics Together emphasize commonalities. High-profile evangelicals such as Francis Beckwith convert to Catholicism, while large numbers of Catholics continue to embrace evangelical faith, which itself has shown a growing fondness for Catholic forms, thought, and history.

Chris Castaldo, pastor of outreach at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, understands the nuances better than most. Raised on Long Island, Castaldo was a full-time fund-raiser for the Catholic Church. Now he is the author of Holy Ground: Walking with Jesus as a Former Catholic (Zondervan, 2009).



Chris, you come from a Catholic family and used to raise funds for the Roman CatholicChurch. Now you're a pastor in a large suburban church in Wheaton, Illinois, the "evangelical Vatican." How did you get from there to here?
I tend to see myself as a modern-day Mr. Magoo: not particularly clever or intentional, but, despite myself, guided by divine oversight. Memories of my childhood parish are positive. Father Tom was (and is) a great pastor who loved us deeply. Then I embraced evangelical faith.

While working in the Catholic Church, I drank a lot of coffee with priests—Jesuits, really smart ones. We'd debate theology and they'd hand me my head, nicely of course. Frustrated by my inability to articulate an answer for my faith, I went on to do ten years of theological study between Bible college, seminary, and grad school, and since 2003 I've served as the pastor of outreach at College Church in Wheaton. As a result, I can say with confidence that I'm not Catholic! However, just because I now disagree with Catholic doctrine doesn't mean I can't love Catholics and continue to learn from them.

Why did you write Holy Ground?
It is mostly an outgrowth of my ministry at College Church. Several years ago I noticed that some people in our community were approaching Catholic friends in one of two ways: either attacking them like foaming-at-the-mouth pit bulls, or with such open-mindedness that their brains seemed to have fallen out of their heads. Therefore, I taught a class entitled "Perspective on Catholicism" intended to bring a more biblically informed balance. With John 1:14 as our model, the class sought to emphasize the need to follow after Jesus' example of "grace and truth." The material eventually became a manuscript and, thanks to Zondervan, Holy Ground was born.

What has been the response from Catholics?
So far it's been positive. Most of them seem to realize that Holy Ground is a pastoral work intended to bring understanding and healing, not an invective or diatribe. I had Catholic authors, scholars, and laypeople reading the manuscript from the very beginning to ensure that its propositions are not only accurate but also convey genuine courtesy and respect.

It seems that many evangelicals are heading "back to Rome," headlined by Frank Beckwith. How significant is this trend?
Frank Beckwith has become a friend. When we cooperated in Wheaton College's Penner Forum on September 3, folks lined up to say hello and give us the privilege of signing our respective books for them. It was hilarious. Frank and I were standing directly beside one another when Catholics on his line testified to how God had led them "home to the Church," while just six inches away people explained to me how God had "saved them from their Catholic background." Based on the size of Frank's line, I'd say that the movement is significant, although I don't think it's nearly as large as the migration that's going in the opposite direction.

Why do you think this is happening, and what lessons do you think we evangelicals should be taking from it?
I see four reasons why Protestants swim the Tiber, that is, move toward the Catholic Church: a deeper expression of reverence, perceived unanimity in regard to authority, a traditionally rooted liturgy, and a more robust moral theology. There are of course entire books written on how evangelicals should learn from Catholics in each of these areas. I would agree that there are some important lessons for us to learn.

At the same time, evangelical churches have often grown by adding members from Roman Catholic backgrounds. Why do most Catholics who switch do so?
From my research and personal experience it comes down to religious authority. Where is the proximate authority for Christian faith: the magisterium or the text of Scripture? The first half of Holy Ground unpacks this question by explicating five popular reasons why Catholics make the switch: ministry calling for laypeople, relationship with Jesus over rule-keeping, direct access to God, Christ-centered devotion, and grace over guilt as the proper motivation for obedience.

Do you think evangelicals should actively seek to evangelize Catholics?
Absolutely! And I also think that evangelicals must regularly evangelize evangelicals, and, for that matter, I must constantly evangelize myself. In other words, we need to reflect upon the gospel beyond the point of our personal conversion; every day I must remind myself of Jesus' death and resurrection and who I am in light of that. Since man looks only on the outward appearance and the Lord looks at the human heart, I don't presume to know the nature of my Catholic friend's faith. Yet, precisely because I'm an evangelical—a person whose life is dedicated to embodying and proclaiming Jesus, the Evangel—I'm committed to evangelism, even among Catholic friends and loved ones.

In your book you describe different kinds of Catholics. What are they, and why is this information important in reaching out?
There is often a vast difference between the propositions of our catechisms and the beliefs of people who fill our pews. This is true of course on both sides of the Catholic/Protestant divide. Accordingly, Holy Ground posits three sorts of Catholics one is likely to meet in America today: the Traditional, the Evangelical, and the Cultural. These terms are imperfect. For instance, "Evangelical Catholic" is problematic since Catholics deny the doctrine of faith alone. However, these are the words that seem to be most commonly used. In a nutshell, the "Traditional" is the Vatican I variety, "Evangelical" is Vatican II, and "Cultural" is the nominal or cafeteria Catholic. Each profile is defined by the particular form of religious authority on which one builds his or her faith. Connecting the dots between these people and their primary form of authority is critical for properly contextualizing the gospel message.

Catholics and evangelicals have a lot in common theologically. The participants in Evangelicals and Catholics Together emphasize those commonalities. Yet some key differences remain. What are they?
Here is how I see it: Catholics and Protestants virtually agree on what theologians call the "objective" dimensions of faith, that is, divine redemption, which comes to us in and through Jesus. Where we differ is on how that salvation is mediated to humanity. Does it come through the sacraments of the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church, as Rome asserts? Or is it supremely revealed in Scripture and accessed by faith alone, as Protestants believe? Like two sets of dominos running parallel before proceeding in divergent directions, this difference causes Catholic and Protestant faith to differ significantly on issues of justification, worship, and practical Christian ministry.

Mark Noll famously asked whether the Reformation is over. Is it?
Probably not. Noll and Carolyn Nystrom's book titled Is the Reformation Over? offers a helpful survey of how Catholics and evangelicals have related to one another through the years, particularly over the last half-century. I told Carolyn Nystrom over lunch recently that she and Dr. Noll did a good job of explaining how evangelicals on the whole have improved in understanding and relating to Catholics. However, that there remain profound differences of belief and practice between Catholics and Protestants is undeniable.

Does it matter whether one follows Christ in a Catholic church or an evangelical church? How would you counsel a Catholic who has recently received Christ as Savior and Lord?
I'm an evangelical Protestant for a reason. We evangelicals have a lot of faults, many of which not only require correction but also repentance. Yet, I believe the Protestant Reformers had it right in their assertion of Scripture alone and faith alone, and that Catholicism had it wrong for opposing these ideas. Therefore, yes, I think it does matter where one follows Christ. My counsel to a Catholic who recently received Christ, presumably in an evangelical Protestant sort of way, would be to read Scripture, dialogue with your priest, meet with pastors from local evangelical churches, pray a lot, and let the decision of where you'll be a church member be a process that's informed by godly people who take the Bible seriously. I think we need to trust that God cares about such decisions and is faithful to lead us by his grace.

What do you see ahead in evangelical and Catholic relations at the local church level? Do you see our differences blurring, or sharpening?
It's an exciting time to ask this question. On the one hand, Pope John Paul II's "New Evangelization" has spawned a form of neo-Catholicism that appears rather traditional. Examples of this are Relevant Radio or many of the programs on EWTN Global Catholic Network. On the other hand, there is the so called "New Calvinism" burgeoning among many evangelical Protestants, a movement that takes seriously Reformed theology and its application to life. As these communities intersect, I expect to see a sharpening of differences, more seriousness toward truth, and I hope a greater measure of Christ-centered courtesy and respect.

Stan Guthrie is a member of College Church and a Christianity Today editor at large.

On the Radio: Correcting Disabilities

Here's my interview with John Blok of New Day Florida about ethical and spiritual questions surrounding correcting disabilities.

'We're All Theologians'

But is it the best or worst of times for doctrine?

By Collin Hansen