Happy Advent!

Advent Wreath

Growing up in a Pentecostal pastor's home in Tampa, FL never exposed me to the season of Advent.  Yes, we celebrated Christmas with decorations, carols and church plays.  I can remember mama placing three wise men in the living room window seal.  Each was made of a used beer bottle, clothed in colorful, flannel cloth with an ornament glued to the opening for his head.  They were a gift from a neighbor, as mama would have no use for any beer bottles, ever.  Actually, mama said she went out and found those bottles, so I stand corrected!

Our tree was wrapped with the larger lightbulbs of red, green, yellow, blue and so on that were popular in the 70's.  Each bulb glowed like a piece of back-lit candy.  As a toddler, I'm surprised I never tried to taste one.  Although, I did touch one or two over the years.  These memories are now mainly found in faded, yellowish pictures at my parent's house.

Little did I know that those weeks of Decembers I was longing to open presents, learning parts for plays and lyrics for songs, I was actually wandering (as I wondered) through a time that had been designated sacred for some 1,500 years:  Advent.  From the Latin, adventus, "coming," Advent has a two-fold meaning to millions of Christians worldwide.  First it celebrates the initial arrival of Jesus about 2,000 years ago.

Now He lays his Glory by,
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

Secondly, as we think about the first time Jesus came to earth, we keep before us his future coming in power and glory, to make all right with the world.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make his blessings flow,
Far as the curse is found.

As I grew older I was exposed to a bigger picture of the faith.  I learned the beauty of such works as the Book of Common Prayer.  I discovered that even one of our Pentecostal Hymnbooks contained responsive readings.  Most churches in our denomination passed these up for a more spontaneous worship style.  And I learned about Advent.  Advent starts pointing forward to Christmas, to the coming of the Christ of Christmas, as early as around December 30th.  This refocuses our anticipation away from commercial Christmas, and back on the Baby who would grow up and save us all!

I encourage you participate in this Advent season.  Find some of your favorite Christmas carols during these next three weeks.  Sit down with the words.  Read them and think about what they mean theologically, and to your heart.  And then celebrate the coming of the once before and soon returning Savior!

(Photo by Wikimedia user: SolLuna under the Creative Commons 3.0 license.)

That's Just Your Opinion

Kendall Jones has made quite a stir over the past few days on news outlets and blogs around the world.  The 19 year old Texas cheerleader hunts big game in Africa much like overly romanticized safaris of years gone by.  Although she speaks of her contribution to conservation by sometimes tranquilizing and taking DNA samples from endangered species, many animal lovers are infuriated by her hunting activities and Ms. Jones has even received death threats.

I'm not going to give a public opinion denouncing or endorsing the young huntress.  I am going to point out a potential inconsistency:  There are those who make a moral judgement about her without a world view that allows for such morality.

Kendall Jones

For example, some have left online comments stating that she should get "hunted down herself" because they consider her actions murder.  Others with a less extreme view still express outrage over her actions, calling them criminal.  But a quick search for profile information about such social media users reveals that some of them do not believe in the concept of God or absolute morality.  This is where the inconsistency lies.

As a Christian, I can discuss with my brothers and sisters the good, the bad, and the ugly about hunting African big game or any other kind.  I can pull biblical passages about God creating these majestic creatures (Genesis 1:24) or how righteousness is demonstrated by caring for ones animals (Proverbs 12:10).  Another Christian could disagree with my use of these verses with both of us still under the assumption of absolute morality.  We could together argue, discuss and discover the moral aspects of hunting for food, for sport etc.

But when someone who doesn't believe in God expresses disgust over any kind of hunting, upon what morality can such an opinion possibly be based?  A primate with a gun killed a large cat without one.  What morality or lack is that?  This battle of mammal against mammal would be nothing more than survival of the fittest.

Some would appeal to morality for the common good.  I think a review of Machiavelli or Sartre would show the naivety of such a view.  There are plenty of people who choose to live life for "yours truly."  I've certainly been guilty of even doing the "right" thing though for wrong and selfish reasons.  Another thought for another discussion is, who gets to decide what is the common good?

A more dangerous argument from the non theist might be what Tim Keller calls morality by consensus.  One example is the fact that Western society came to a consensus that the slave trade was wrong which led to abolition.  The problem is that consensus-morality implies that slavery is only wrong in the geographical or historical places and times in which the majority decide it's wrong.  If someone saw the belief that slavery is wrong starting to disintegrate in their culture, and they continued condemning the slave trade, then they would have to concede that there is a higher reason for their morality besides consensus.

Whether faced with big game hunting, or issues that more of us would agree are wrong such as slavery, genocide or displacement of indigenous peoples, we have to ask ourselves where are we getting our idea that any of it is wrong at all.  If there is no God and therefore no moral absolute then the strong eat the weak and that's just the way it is.  The fittest or smartest survives a little longer in a heartless, soulless world.  And my answer to any objections would be, "That's just your opinion."

The Good News is that God, through Jesus Christ, gives us a morality unlike anything we could have thought up.  If you are a Christian you can rest assured that the New Testament virtues are right, with or without public approval.  More so, you can rest in the power of God's Holy Spirit, to actually live out these virtues.  Where Christianity has grown, universities, hospitals and orphanages have sprung up bringing literacy, healing and charity, even before there was consensus for such morality.

I encourage you to ask yourself not only what you believe, but why you believe it.  Can you say your morality stands firm on a solid foundation of absolute truth?  Or, for all your desire to see cruelty cease and justice triumph, are you forced to say that it's just your opinion?

Your New Favorite Second-Bible!

Anyone who's discussed the Bible with me eventually discovers that I'm a little OCD over which English Bible translation is best.  I freaked out when I learned the NIV was being updated a couple of years ago, only to reconcile with my favorite preaching Bible in its latest embodiment, the 2011 NIV.

The LEB:  One of the Most "Literal" English Bible Translations

The difficulty with English translations is that they are translations of Scripture which was originally God-breathed, and written down in Hebrew for the Old Testament (with a bit in Aramaic), and Koine Greek for the New Testament.  Learning the original languages is the best approach to comprehending the Word of God.  When I say learning I mean total language immersion.  Learning only primary Hebrew and Greek will confuse the student, as the biblical languages are full of idiomatic expressions.  For example, When Amos 4:6 says, "I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities," this is an expression for  lack of food rather than abundance of toothpaste!

I Often Go Overboard When Comparing Translations!

If you're not able or willing to exert the effort of saturating yourself with the text and culture of biblical language, the next best thing would be using Greek/Hebrew lexicons, and multiple Bible versions. Software, such as Accordance, and websites, such as Bible Gateway are great for doing side-by-side comparisons.  You should choose at least one "word-for-word," one "thought-for thought," and a good ESL or paraphrased Bible.

A simpler version of this method involves using a parallel Bible comprised of only two translations you rely on for getting as close as you can to what the text actually says and actually means.  This is where the LEB comes in.  I recently discovered the Lexham English Bible and have already started falling in love with its literal and readable style, which makes it a great compliment to the NIV.

The goal of the LEB is stated on its translators' website:  

The LEB complements your primary translation. Its transparent design and literal rendering helps you see the text of God’s Word from another angle. Whether you use the ESV, NIV, KJV, or another popular English translation, the entire translation process of the LEB helps you identify difficult texts, idiomatic phrases, grammatical issues, and more. The result? A better understanding of the Bible in English—whatever translation you use. 

So, the LEB strives to be a more literal, or "word-for-word" translation.  Now literal doesn't always mean most accurate.  A translation that conveys the meaning of a word or phrase can be just as helpful as simply copying the exact words over into English.  Such literal copying can actually loose original idioms from Hebrew and Greek.  Having said that, having a translation such as the LEB puts the reader closer to those original languages without having to learn them.

My only drawback so far is that there is not a module of the LEB available for my favorite Bible study software: Accordance.  This is maybe because their competitor, Logos, produced the LEB.

On a good note, the LEB is very flexible and free.  I found ePub, PDF, and other formats available for download at no charge!  I also love the way the translators bracket words and phrases that were translated from Hebrew or Greek idioms.  They translate them into intelligible English, but share the original idiom in the footnotes.  For example, in Matthew 4:19, Jesus says, "Follow me..."  The LEB footnote reveals the literal words used were, "Come behind me..." which comprises an idiom for "follow me."

I recommend you give this new translation a try as a side-by-side Bible to your current favorite!  You might supprise yourself and keep using it!

Note on idioms:  An idiom in a language is a group of words which are taken to mean something that's not obvious from the individual words.  In English you might say, "let the cat out of the bag," which means to reveal a secret, although it sounds as though it has nothing to do with that meaning.

In The Beginning

Sombrero Galaxy.  Image from the Wikimedia Commons.

Preparing to go into the New Year, I went to the beginning of the book:  Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

The ancient Mid East myths told people's ideas of how the world came to be. Usually one of the gods fought and defeated some monster or animal that represented chaos. After winning the battle, he put things in order and finally earned the right to be "king" of the other gods. 

In this statement from Genesis we see the ancient myths gone.  There are no gods battling in the making of the unformed earth.  Polytheism and nature religions have been replaced with the revelation of the Lord of History.  He doesn't fight His way out of chaos. He simply utters Royal decrees which make existence and order from nothing and continue to maintain such order.  In the beginning we see only God:  Creating, yet He Himself uncreated.  Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

He is the first cause.  We can rejoice that there was someone before everyone and everything else.  We can rejoice that this infinite consciousness, God, designed and created everything, including us.  Since we're designed, our lives have purpose.  

We are not the product of mythological creatures or random anomalies, but the offspring of the Creator Himself. Before there was time He planned blessing for us in this life and eternal joy in His presence.  Even now He searches for those who will worship Him in Spirit and truth, reaching into His perfect love, peace and joy! 

What are you putting first and foremost as you go into 2013?  Sunday starts each week as a reminder to give God preeminence.  Making God first in your life makes what's left so much better. I've even noticed that giving Him the "first fruit" of my income has the effect of aligning the rest of it under His care. 

Enter 2013 knowing your life was designed with a purpose. You can find your own meaning by turning back to your Creator and glorifying Him!  That's Good News for a New Year!

Christian Pinterest

Just thought I'd jot some of my first impressions of Pinterest.  It's been around a while.  I recently checked it out.  What added dimension can Christians bring to Pinterest?  Here are a few off the top of my head:

1.  Expression

Visual art has been intertwined with our faith ever since early believers scratched the acronym ichthys (fish) and its image on the walls of catacombs.  Pinterest is a great way to share the fruit of 2,000 years of such expression.  It's not bad for original material either.

2.  Encouragement

What I've seen of "Christian Pinterest" so far have been Scripture or inspirational quotes.  Sometimes, due to the information overload of social media, I experience no reaction to such posts.  But occasionally something clicks and one simple statement will encourage and inspire me throughout the day!

3. Truth

More than expression, Pinterest can be an outlet for truth.  The truth of the Gospel doesn't substitute for the love of the Gospel.  But with wisdom and tact, believers can give their friends and contacts thought-provoking points in their posts.

4.  Community

You can set up group boards for youth, ladies, men and other church groups to stay in contact with each other.  In addition to the above suggestions, you can post announcements, invitations, or even scriptures related to a particular season (Advent, for example) to your group board.

5.  Joy

Or, you could just go with the flow, create a zany board with a silly name, post fun stuff to it and enjoy!  As Christians, I think we're supposed to have a certain amount of joy.  :-)