Theological Thoughts |

Vampire Novels and The Bible

by Michael Beck on August 12, 2010

The Twilight novels have been a huge success, bringing in millions of dollars worldwide. Even christian authors are now writing “christian vampire” novels according to this article in Christianity Today. As a Christian parent, is there anything wrong with letting your children read vampire novels?

Steve Wohlberg thinks there is something wrong with this and he’s wrote a book on the subject called “Avoid Twilight”. (Download chapter 1 for free at avoidtwilight.com). I’ve not read Twilight, nor do I plan to. But here’s a quote Steve gives from the book.

“I’m the world’s most dangerous predator.
Everything about me invites you in. My voice,
my face, even my smell… I’m designed to
kill… I wanted to kill you. I’ve never wanted
a human’s blood so much in my life… Your
scent, it’s like a drug to me. You’re like my own
personal brand of heroin.” (Twilight)

Lust, drugs, blood, death and evil. I’m pretty sure this is not what Paul had in mind in Col. 3:2 when he said “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.” Now some would respond to this by saying “hey, there are bad guys in all stories, even the Bible!” Yes, every good story must have a bad guy. But one of the main problems with the Twilight novels is that the vampires are the good guys, blurring the line between good and evil.

Here’s a recent video by Pastor Mark Driscoll where he really gets going over these occult books.

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Calvinism, Hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism

by Michael Beck on August 6, 2010

Six months ago I picked up Calvinism, Hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism by Dr. Kenneth G. Talbot and Dr. Gary Crampton, and I’ve finally gotten around to reading this little gem of a book.

Dr. Talbot and Dr. Crampton’s work is a “theological primer”, which means it’s an introductory work on the subject, giving a general overview of Calvinism. While it may not go as deep as other works on Calvinism, it is one of the best starting places I’ve read through. If you’re not sure which of these three groups you fit into, Calvinism, Hyper-Calvinism, or Arminianism, I highly recommend reading this book. If you’re a Christian, you’re going to lean towards one of these teachings, so you might as well be conversant in the terminology and Bibles verses that are part of the debate. Not to mention the fact that last year Time magazine named “The New Calvinism” as one of “The Top 10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now“. Therefore any time spent on discovering what the Bible says about these doctrines is time well spent.

The authors clearly explain their objectives early on in the book (p. 18), followed up by a quote from the Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon.

It is our intention to show that the historical faith of the Christian Church is that system of theology which is commonly known as Calvinism. And that it is the only which is consistent with the Word of God. Charles Spurgeon writes:

I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called.

The authors lay out the 5 main points of Calvinism and devote a short chapter to each. Along the way, the authors contrast the beliefs of Calvnism with those of Arminianism. Other chapters are devoted to the topics of the sovereignty of God, Divine Providence, “Is God the author of sin?”, and a final chapter summarizing the three viewpoints mentioned in the title. Each chapter is followed by 5-6 questions which allow you to explore your beliefs on the different doctrines presented.

Occassionally, Hyper-Calvinism comes up, but the majority of the book focuses on Calvinism vs Arminianism. The authors do make a good point on page 20 saying that many who attack the doctrines of Calvinism do so under the guise of calling it “Hyper-Calvinism”. And unless one has a working knowledge of the main points, this type of attack is very ineffective.

Having done quite a bit of in-depth study on Calvinism and Arminianism the past year, I particularly found chapter 5 “the Atonement of Christ” helpful in summarizing the main viewpoints found in Christianity.

The question before us is this: “For whom did Christ die?” There are only four possible answers:

1) Christ died for all of the sins of all men: if this is the correct answer to our question, then, of necessity, all men will be saved. This is inescapable…This is the doctrine of Universalism, which the Word of God refutes. Matthew 25:31-46 and Revelation 20:11-15, and other passages as well, speak of a final judgment when some will be sent to hell (see especially Matthew 25:41,46).

2) He died for some of the sins of all men: if this is the answer, then all men must pay the price for those sins which were not atoned for in the death of Christ. Yet, the Bible teaches that just one sin against an eternal God is worthy of eternal punishment (James 2:10, Galatians 3:10).

3) He died for none of the sins of all men: if this is the case, then obviously no one could possibly be saved. Again, every sin of every saved person must be atoned for.

4) He died for all of the sins of some men: this is the only conceivable answer. We have seen that the Bible teaches this view of the atonement of Christ over and over again. Those for whom Christ died, and they alone, will be saved. They are the ones whom the Father has chosen from all eternity (Ephesians 1:4; they are the ones whom the Spirit regenerates and seals (Titus 3:5-6; Ephesians 1:13-14); they are the ones whom the Son redeems (Ephesians 1:7).

The three appendices are nice additions to the book, especially the essay entitled “A Display of Arminianism” by 17th century theologian John Owen. Owen is not always easy reading, but this short essay gives the reader a view into the mind of one of Christianity’s best theologians. (I’m looking forward to reading more of Owen’s works in the coming year, Lord willing.)

I do have two small critiques. The first is that the authors rarely explained where the views of hyper-Calvinism differed with Calvinism itself. Granted, the major errors of hyper-Calvinism were brought out where necessary, but more could have been said in my opinion. Seeing as this term in included in the title, and the fact many of Calvinism’s attackers wrongly classify it as the “hyper” variety, it would have been nice to have a sharper contrast between the two.

The second critique is that a couple of the chapters felt incomplete. Had I been completely new to the views and terminology presented in the book, I could see where I might have been left with some unanswered questions at the end of each chapter. But alas the authors do label it as only a primer so answers to deeper questions must be found in more detailed works.

Overall the book was well written and highly recommended for beginners on this topic. Even if you’re well versed on the subject you will find much use in the short summary, which can be helpful in explaining it to others.

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Teaching Children A Biblical Worldview

by Michael Beck on July 27, 2010

Are you teaching your children (or grandchildren) a biblical worldview?

Wikipedia.com says a biblical worldview refers to “a collection of distinctively Christian philosophical and religious beliefs”. Everyone has a worldview, whether they know it or not. Many of use grew up with a worldview that was simply absorbed by osmosis. Philosophies and ideas were given to us by our parents, education, books, movies, the internet, conversations, friendships, experiences, etc. Many of the philosophies I took in as a youngster were completely wrong and in contradictory to God’s truth revealed in the Bible.

But as Christians, we are to develop our worldview according to God’s view on things. We are not to look to the sinful world as our guide. The apostle John tells us “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 Jo 2:15). Paul tells Timothy to “guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”". (1 Ti. 6:20)

What’s the best way to develop a Biblical worldview in yourself and your children? Read and study the Word of God. Know it inside and out, and how it applies to your life. Then follow Deut. 6:6-9 and teach it to your children every single moment by your action and conversations. Then, one day your children will be prepared to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”. (1 Pet. 3:15)

Before we look at how to develop a Biblical worldview in yourself and your children, let’s look at a few current news items to find out why developing a Christian worldview is so important. Realize that how you would respond to the following news items depends on your worldview.

Recently NYDailyNews.com reported that an elementary school committee in Provincetown, Mass. has decided it will begin handing out condoms to 1st graders. Concerned that some parents might object to this, the committee told school leaders “not to honor demands from parents who object to their kids receiving protection.” Beth Singer, the school’s superintendent, said she wanted to guarantee younger students get information on how to use condoms because there is no age limit.

Fox News reported on a proposal in Helena, MT to teach kindergarteners sex education. I’ll spare you the details (of which children of any age should be subject). Each year of this program, the students will learn more and more about the world’s view of sexuality. “It includes teaching first graders that people can be attracted to the same gender.” I agree with Jeff Laszloffy, of the Montana Family Foundation, when he says:

“It’s absolutely insane,” Laszloffy told FOX News Radio. “This is not education. This has crossed the line and has gone from education to indoctrination and that’s the problem parents have.”

And at least one State college has decided that a Christian student (pictured left) must accept the world’s views on homosexuality, or be dismissed. “beliefs are unethical and incompatible with the prevailing views of the counseling profession. The ADF press release states:

Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed suit against Augusta State University Wednesday on behalf of a counseling student told that her Christian beliefs are unethical and incompatible with the prevailing views of the counseling profession. The student, Jennifer Keeton, has been told to stop sharing her beliefs with others and that she must change her beliefs in order to graduate from the counseling program.

Augusta State ordered Keeton to undergo a re-education plan, in which she must attend “diversity sensitivity training,” complete additional remedial reading, and write papers to describe their impact on her beliefs. If she does not change her beliefs or agree to the plan, the university says it will expel her from the Counselor Education Program.

What was Jennifer’s crime? Was it shouting at students who were gay or using some type of “hate speech”? Neither. She simply expressed her Christian viewpoints when asked by other students, or when it came up in a classroom setting. “Keeton never denigrated anyone in communicating her beliefs but merely stated factually what they were in appropriate contexts.”

To correct Keeton’s thinking, the school has proposed a ‘take it or leave it’ “remediation” (indoctrination) plan.The ADF press release lays Augusta State’s “remediation” assignments as follows:

The plan assails Keeton’s beliefs as inconsistent with the counseling profession and expresses suspicion over “Jen’s ability to be a multiculturally competent counselor, particularly with regard to working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (GLBTQ) populations.” The plan requires her to take steps to change her beliefs through additional assignments and additional “diversity sensitivity training.” It also orders her to “work to increase exposure and interactions with gay populations. One such activity could be attending the Gay Pride Parade in Augusta.”

As you can see, whether it’s public schools or Universities, your children will be challenged at one point. It’s not a matter of if they will be challenged, but simply how often and how they will respond.

Here are further examples where the world will try and force their worldview on your or your children.

In the future, your local OB-Gyn’s office may offer abortions. Dr. Al Mohler reports that currently “fully half of the 200 OB-GYN programs in the country “integrate abortion into their residents’ regular rotations.”
Will Christians be considered as part of a cult if they do not accept Darwinian Evolution? (See my previous post on that subject here.)
What will your children think about gay “marriage” in 10 years, when it will be likely be mainstream in many parts of the world.

What’s the best way to develop a Biblical worldview in yourself and your children?

1.) Read and study the Word of God. Many Christians have never read the Bible from cover to cover. My wife and I currently use Dr. Carson’s For the Love of God to accomplish this each year.

2.) Know the Scriptures inside and out, and how it applies to your life. Check yourself by seeing what 10-20 other godly men have said about it in their commentaries. I find a good source of trustworthy Bible commentaries is the site bestcommentaries.com, but I do have to be careful of their recommendations for prophetic books.

3.) Then follow Deut. 6:6-9 and teach all that you have learned from the Bible to your children every single moment, even by your actions and conversations. Eventually you and your children will be prepared to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”. (1 Pet. 3:15)

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Insights from The Baby Conference

by Michael Beck on July 13, 2010

This past weekend, I attended Vision Forum’s “The Baby Conference.” The theme was “The Triumph of Life over the Culture of Death.” (If you’re not familiar with Vision Forum, they are an organization that provide books, DVDs, and other materials to help Christian homeschoolers.) I have to admit, it was my wife’s idea to go and I figured it would be a pretty boring event for me. Wow, what a surprise I was in for.

In a culture that downplays the family, thinks kids are a burden, and celebrates abortion as the ‘lesser evil’, this event quickly became emotional to say the least (even for a manly guy like me!) AS believer, it’s easy to look around us at the world, and think there is little hope for our society. But God’s Word does not return void (Isa 55:11) and there are married couples still out there who read His Word and understand children are indeed a blessing.

Here are just are some random concepts I learned, some of which I once knew but had forgotten along the way.

‘The Pill’ can actually be an abortifacient, killing an unborn child. (Good article on Randy Alcorn’s published here where a group of MD’s confirm it.)

“When the government becomes involved in health care, it always becomes politicalized.” – James Lansberry, Samaritan Ministries

One of the leading Bioethicist, professor Peter Singer from Princeton, has said “the person unable to feed himself has no right to life”. (Which means he would recommend all disabled kids and elderly people who cannot feed themselves should be left to starve. I thought the study of ethics meant knowing right from wrong? Maybe not at Princeton.)

70% of men are not grown up by age 30, up from 30% in 1960. (Newsweek article on that here.)

“Adults have a Biblical duty to take care of their elderly parents.” (Exodus 20:12, Eph. 6:2)

Health sharing ministires, like Samaritan Ministries, are exempt from the new Obama health care bill.

“Physicians should be chosen that have like minded principles.” Proverbs 13:20 – Dr. Mo Gill

“To cause death for the purpose of relieving pain and suffering are never biblically acceptable.”

“The family is the primary agency responsible for the care of its won (1 Tim. 5:8), but the church must be intimately involved in ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of the family. (James 5:13-16)” – Dr. Mo Gill

Any compromise on the abortion issue is unbiblical.

Norma McCorvey (Roe from Roe v. Wade) became a believer in 1995, repented of her sin, stated she was no longer a lesbian and in 2005 “petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 decision, arguing that the case should be heard again in light of evidence that the procedure harms women, but that petition was denied.” (Interesting how the Lord works, isn’t it? This was big news in 1995, but I must have been too young or didn’t care as an unbeliever, to notice it.)

There have been many cases where doctors convinced family member that the patient was brain dead (when they were not clinically brain dead) simply to harvest their organs. Many organs must be taken out while the patient is alive to be transplanted. The death certificate simply says “heart failure” if they take the heart, “lung failure” when taking the lungs, etc. Therefore if you have selected to be an organ donor on your drivers license, you should be aware of this.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) fertilizes multiple eggs, chooses the “most viable” embryo, then either kills or freezes the rest. Usually there is no mention to the patient of this last part. Freezing them eventually kills them as they decay over time. In other countries like the U.K., they can only fertilize 2 eggs and both must be implanted.

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, was a huge player in the Eugenics movement of the early 1900s and wanted every women to have access to the birth control pill. Here are some of her most troubling quotes:

“The most merciful thing that a large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.”

The purpose in promoting birth control was “to create a race of thoroughbreds,” she wrote in the Birth Control Review, Nov. 1921

“More children from the fit, less from the unfit — that is the chief aim of birth control.” Birth Control Review, May 1919, p. 12

“We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population,” she said, “if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.” Woman’s Body, Woman’s Right: A Social History of Birth Control in America, by Linda Gordon

“[Because of birth control], child slavery, prostitution, feeble mindedness, physical deterioration,
hunger, oppression and war will disappear from the earth. There will come a Plato who will be
understood, a Socrates who will drink no hemlock, and a Jesus who will not die upon the cross.
These and the race that is to be in America await upon a motherhood that is to be sacred because
it is free.” {Margaret Sanger. Woman and the New Race . Brentanos, 1922, page 161}

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Should Christians Watch TV, Movies or Video Games?

by Michael Beck on July 3, 2010

As a Christian, is it wrong to watch TV or a movie? What about playing video games?

These questions fall into the discipline of Christian Ethics, which deals with the teachings of right and wrong in light of the Christian faith. As Christians we look to the Bible to be our final authority in all matters of faith and morality. (What higher authority can we look to other than the One who is set apart in His perfect moral purity, His holiness, from all created beings. God’s holiness is the very definition of what is good and right in the universe.)

So therefore, when dealing with the question of ethics, “Is it wrong to do ______?”, we must look to our guide, the Holy Scriptures.

The first question we must ask ourselves is:

Is this thing we desire to do a sin?

Sin is defined by theologians as “a transgression of the revealed will of God”. Is it lawful to do the thing you desire to do, or does it break the revealed law of God?

The Bible obviously doesn’t say believers should avoid all forms of entertainment. Nor do the Scriptures imply such a thing (with the exception of the Sabbath in the OT and possibly the Christian Sabbath, or Lord’s Day, the latter being debated among believers today). So it’s safe to say the act of merely playing a video game or watching TV is not sinful.

One thing to consider here is that Television, computers, books, videos, movies, etc., are all media (plural form of medium). They are a method of simply transferring information created by someone else. The TV or movie studio, book or video game publisher, creates the information and uses a medium to communicate the information to you. So while the TV (meaning the box, cables, electronics, etc.) itself is not sinful, watching certain information coming through it can lead many to sinful desires (e.g. lust, greed, envy), which are certainly causing sin in your life.

Therefore, in general simply watching TV, going to the movies, playing videos games, talking for hours on the phone are not actions sinful in-and-of themselves.

So that settles it right?

We’ll, not quite. There’s a second question we should ask ourselves:

Is it really the best use of the time God has given you?

Paul says in Ephesians 5:16 you should be “making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” The Greek verb here for “making the most of” is exagorazo, which means “to redeem by payment of a price to recover from the power of another, to ransom, buy off.”

Peter T. O’Brien, in his excellent commentary on The Letter to The Ephesians, says of this verse:

Those who are wise will have a right attitude to time. An expression, ‘you are buying time’, similar to the one used here (making the most of every opportunity), appears in Daniel 2:8 in relation to the Chaldeans who were unable to tell Nebuchadnezzar his dream, and so attempted to gain time before their death. If the meaning is the same in Ephesians, the force would be that believers are living in the last days, and so they should try to gain time in order to walk in a matter that pleases the Lord.

So we should make the most of the time God has given us, and “taking advantage of every opportunity in this fallen world to conduct themselves in a manner that is pleasing to God” (O’Brien). Paul then goes on to tell us how to do this in the following verses of Ephesians 5.

Are we really making the best use of our time watching TV, being plugged into our cell phone for hours or playing video games?

Most Christians would agree a certain level of entertainment is acceptable and is useful in relaxing and rejuvenating ourselves. But today’s society, with it’s easy access to anything and everything with the touch of a button , has caused many Christians to completely waste their God-given time. When I look back on my early Christian years at the thousands of hours I personally wasted on computer games and TV shows (LOST!), I think of all the Bible study I could have done, great books I could have read, other languages I could have learned, fellowship opportunities I missed.

So what it really comes down to is not asking whether it is wrong to partake of entertainment, but using discernment to determine if it is wise.

The Puritan Richard Sibbes wrote in The Bruised Reed, put it this way:

We should judge of things as to whether they help or hinder our main purpose; whether they further or hinder our judgment; whether they make us more or less spiritual, and so bring us nearer to the fountain of goodness, God himself; whether they commend us more or less to God, and whether they are the thing which we shall approve ourselves to him most.

I’ll end this post with the words of John Piper’s book “Don’t Waste Your Life“(p.118-119), which is a great book by the way.

People who are content with the avoidance ethic generally ask the wrong question about behavior. They ask, What’s wrong with it? What’s wrong with this movie? Or this music? Or this game? Or these companions? Or this way of relaxing? Or this investment? Or this restaurant? Or shopping at this store? What’s wrong with going to the cabin every weekend? Or having a cabin? This kind of question will rarely yield a lifestyle that commends Christ as all-satisfying and makes people glad in God. It simply results in a list of do’s and don’ts. It feeds the avoidance ethic.

The better question to ask about possible behaviors is: How will this help me treasure Christ more? How will it help me show that I do treasure Christ? How will it help me know Christ or display Christ? The Bible says, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). So the question is mainly positive, not negative. How can I portray God as glorious in this action? How can I enjoy making much of him in this behavior?

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In The Beginning

by Michael Beck on June 29, 2010

In the past two weeks, the blogosphere was lit up with the discussion of origins. Tim Challies posted his notes from Al Mohler’s talk at the Ligonier conference, entitled Why Does The Earth Look So Old?

Then, Pyromaniacs joined the discussion by challenging the BioLogos group on their attack of John MacArthur here. (MacArthur apparently rebuffed their theistic evolutionist views, which in turn caused them to write a 3 -step article on the subject. In response to BioLogos, MacArthur’s Grace To You blog has been updated with new articles on creation.) Of course the comments are over a 100 on each of these blogposts, and have spurred 3 additional posts on Pyromaniacs so far. (See here, here and here.) Any Christian would be truly educated in reading these articles, as it will certainly help you in defending the faith, (reading the comments, not so much.)

The question really comes down to one issue: “What is your ultimate source of truth?” If you have two different sources that appear to contradict themselves, who do you believe? Do you hold science up as the ultimate authority, then allow those views to interpret the Scriptures for you? This is the way most of us have been raised in the modern world. Public school and universities scoff at the thought of questioning something so true as evolution, or even an earth that’s billions of years old. After all, don’t we have the evidence to back it up?

On the other hand, you could choose as your ultimate authority the Bible, the Holy Scriptures of God. This is the view that all believers should hold. Scripture as the foundation. Scripture above all other evidence.

This does not mean we reject all science. The word science comes from the Latin scientia, meaning “knowledge”. This was originally what science was all about — the study of the natural world: how it works, what it’s composed of, etc. But in the 1800s science began to take on a religion of its own. It began attempting historical science, as opposed to observational science. No longer were scientists simply studying how things currently work (observational), but they began studying “how it all began” and “how did we get from the big bang to here.” Scientists began coming up with theories on how the world was created and how man evolved from a puddle of goo.

Unfortunately many Christians today hold fast to these false theories. Many in the scientific world today look at Christians as “crazy fundamentalist” for even considering that God created the world in six 24-hour days. Even Christian scholars are swayed towards the theory of a common ground, merging evolution and Christianity. Evidence of this is seen in Bruce Waltke’s recent resignation from Reformed Theological Seminary over his video (produced by the above mentioned BioLogos group) where he stated:

“…if the data is overwhelmingly in favor of evolution, to deny that reality will make us a cult…some odd group that is not really interacting with the world.”

A similar situation occurred at Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) over Peter Enn’s statements a few years ago due to his unorthodox views of Genesis (see here). Old Testament scholar Peter Longman also left WTS over similar matters, and now states in a video (BioLogos again!) that he’s not sure if Adam and Eve were real people. This last issue is especially concerning to me as I’m currently reading Longman’s An Introduction to the Old Testament as required for a class I’m taking.

It’s no wonder Christians are confused today. Biblical scholars are jumping ship. Seminaries are becoming more and more liberal. Even many pastors are confused and are indifferent to the debate.

Yet we cannot think for one minute this debate is unimportant. It determines how we view the world. It determines who will interpret the rest of Scripture (after all, Christ and Paul in the New Testament both assume Adam was a real person.) It even determines how we live our lives and what we teach the next generation.

Make sure you have some working knowledge of the argument. Be ready to give a defense as Peter teaches (1 Peter 3:15).

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