An Evening with Phillip Johnson

Last night I attended a presentation called (you guessed it) "An Evening With Phillip Johnson." If you're thinking who is Phillip Johnson, then you should know that he is basically the guy who started the Intelligent Design movement and has been one of Darwinism's fiercest critics. He's also a guy that naturalists (Darwinists) hate because he's not an easy-to-make-fun-of fundamentalist; he's not even a young-earth creationist. In fact, he doesn't even like to be called anything with an -ist at the end. If you're into the literature surrounding the debate, then you will be familiar with his most famous book, Darwin on Trial.



Mr. Johnson, born in 1940, has had at least two strokes in recent years, making walking quite difficult and somewhat slowing his speech. He is still quite sharp, however, and once he got going on a topic, the words flowed quite smoothly.



I arrived a bit early at CCU (where the event was held), and I happened to walk in right behind Johnson and his wife. I introduced myself as he and Jack Cottrell (the interviewer) were meeting. We spoke briefly about Cincinnati in general and the seminary in particular. I must say that Phillip Johnson is a real gentleman. He shows respect for evolutionists and creationists (he made mention of Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis, located just across the river in Petersburg, KY), and he speaks very gently but clearly regarding the fallacies committed by evolutionists.



All in all, the information given was not really anything I haven't heard or read before. It was nice, however, to meet him in person and to experience an event like this while Johnson is still willing and able to travel and speak.

For This Christ Died? (a repost from last year)

Easter, like most holidays here in America, tends to be marked

by mixed messages. There is truth, and there is all the crap on sale at Wal-Mart.

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,

so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21)

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5)

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,

for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' He redeemed us

in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,

so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit"

(Galatians 3:13-14)

"And they sang a song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,

because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation. . . . Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!'"

(Rev. 5:9-10, 12)

The contrast is phenomenal, is it not? Now, the Easter bunny is not the Antichrist, nor is Easter egg hunting a sin. But, as is the case for most holidays, we need to stay focused on the source of the holiday and the true meaning. Easter is a bouquet of truths given to us by God. Lean in and savor them for yourself:

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

"The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many."

"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

"It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out in a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last."

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."

"For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him."

"For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. . . . But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."

"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."

Tuesday, a Big Day

I’m really looking forward to Tuesday. It’s Heidi’s birthday, and we are going for our second visit to the doctor, this time to hear the heartbeat! (In case you didn’t know, we’re having a baby! Heidi is due September 16) By then she will be starting week 13.

We really feel blessed by all this. Blessed, but surprised. God’s timing is, it seems, strange. Just when we were at peace with the thought that we may never have our children through natural birth (adoption was certainly on the table), and just when we thought It’s a good thing we don’t have any kids right now, with me being in school another year, maybe more after that, etc., God smiled on us and reminded us in a beautifully poetic way that "in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). We have jokingly said that if it’s a boy, we’ll name him Isaac, which means "he laughs." Perhaps God laughed (in a "bless your heart" way) at our thinking.

We’re ready. We’ve loved this child for seven years already. That’s about how long it took for us to conceive. And I’ve gotta tell you, it was a profound moment when I first said the words (in a prayer) "our child." Wow. Every parent can identify with that feeling, and with the words of Psalm 139:13-18:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know them full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

I've Been Featured . . . Sort Of

On one of my favorite blogs, Apostrophe Abuse, I've had two photos displayed in their latest entry, "Resident's, Balcony's, Patio's, and Case's." If you've never seen this site, it's a funny collection of instances where people use unnecessary apostrophes. This would be a good time to go over some basics about our friend the apostrophe:

1. An " 's" never makes a word plural. So please don't write stuff like "Case's of cold Red Bull for sale."
2. An apostrophe serves a few purposes: signaling contractions (don't, can't, etc.), signaling possession (Mike's book, my parents' names), and, rarely, to indicate the shortening up of a word, usually to represent in writing an accent or unique use of word ('twas, buggin', " 'allo there, 'ow are you?" some Irish guy asked me).
3. Though not officially an apostrophe rule, its misuse in "its" and "it's" deserves special mention. "It's" always means "it is" or "it has." "Its" always means "belonging to it." It's time for its uses to be clear.

There may be more uses as well as better explanations for the three above (those were off the top of my head). For now, though, class is dismissed.

Christian Songs that Annoy Me (Part 3)

This installment's (dis)honor goes to Michael W. Smith for his horrendous attempt to garner more charismatic fans with the debacle known as "Healing Rain." Here are the lyrics, interspersed with my biting sarcasm and slightly insightful criticism (my comments are in red):

Healing rain (which is what, exactly?) is coming down

It's coming nearer to this old town

Rich and poor, weak and strong

It's bringing mercy, it won't be long

(good, 'cause we've been without mercy for some time now. . . what?)

Healing rain is coming down

It's coming closer to the lost and found

(Have you not read Heb. 4:16 or Luke 1:50?)

Tears of joy and tears of shame

Are washed forever in Jesus' name

(Yes, but not by some mysterious "rain," but by

the fact of our justification)

Chorus

Healing rain, it comes with fire

(Again, what is this, exactly? And talk about mixing metaphors - rain comes as fire?)

So let it fall and take us higher

(I don't understand what "take us higher" means -

Michael, vagueness does not equal being spiritual or pithy.

It does rhyme with "fire," though)

Healing rain, I'm not afraid

To be washed in Heaven's rain

(All the occurrences of "rain" and "heaven" in the same verse

have nothing to do with Heaven, where we go when we die,

they refer to heaven (small h), another way to say "the sky")

Lift your heads, let us return

To the mercy seat where time began

(Stop the music! "The mercy seat where time began"?? Perhaps I'm being overly literal, but was there not time before the mercy seat existed, say, from Gen. 1:1-Ex. 25:17, where the word for "mercy seat" first appears in the Bible? My vote for where time began is "in the beginning")

And in your eyes I see the pain

Come soak this dry heart with healing rain

And only You, the Son of man

Can take a leper and let him stand

So lift your hands, they can be held

By someone greater, the Great I Am

Healing rain is falling down

Healing rain is falling down

I'm not afraid I'm not afraid

---------------

I'm not a big MWS fan to begin with, so this really didn't hurt to do. Again, Nashville, listen up: pay attention to the meaning, not just the rhyming, of words, especially since what makes Christian music Christian is the meaning of the words! This song doesn't make sense biblically or theologically, so it really can't be helpful to people who stop to think about or try to get what he's saying. Theology matters, and everyone is a theologian. Let us study God's Word, lest we blindly accept songs with all fluff and no substance as "poignant," and "lacking only time to become a classic" (actual comments I found about this song).

Lunar Eclipse

There was a pretty sweet lunar eclipse the other night. Here's a look:

Not my best work photographically, but I didn't have a tripod.

You may wonder what the difference is between a lunar eclipse and lunar phases such as the crescent and the full moon. I refer you to this article for a good explanation (as well as

a cool animation of the moon's slight wobble).

"Singable Doctrine"

There's an interesting article in the current issue of Christianity Today called "Singable Doctrine." It's an interview with Keith and Kristyn Getty, songwriters specializing in "modern hymns" that attempt to go deeper (doctrinally and existentially) than the modern worship movement has gone. If you know the song "In Christ Alone" (made popular by the Newsboys), you know the Gettys. Here's a few snippets from CT's interview.

Keith (on his emphasis on doctrine): "I wanted to do two things. One was to write songs that helped teach the faith, and the second was to write songs that every generation could sing. I don't think of music as only teaching, but I do think that what we sing profoundly affects how we think."

(On their success): "If you took a list of subjects, say, attributes of God in the Psalms, probably only 10 percent of them are used in virtually the entire canon of modern worship music. Modern worship songs tend to have a very thin range of subjects. They also tend to explore subjects in a less deep way than traditional hymnody does."

(In answer to "In a worship service, is there an ideal mix between contemporary worship, modern hymns, and classic hymns?") "I don't think there's an answer. You choose great songs that have great words and sing well. Every word you give people on a Sunday has to count for something. The same thing applies to what is sung - in fact, in some ways even more so. . . . If members of a congregation aren't singing, serious questions must be asked, no matter how good the show is at the front."

This was a very good (but short) article, especially for someone like me, who, on this blog, has at times been critical of modern worship and contemporary Christian music. The philosophy of the Gettys resonates with me. They are right: so much of modern worship is shallow and does not really touch on deep thinking or profound doctrine. Don't get me wrong; there is occasionally beauty in the simplicity of a "How Great is Our God" or a "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord," and for that I'm appreciative. But we Christians tend only to go as deep as we are led, and often that's about an inch deep. Emotionally, we go deep, but intellectually, we often don't.

I'll offer more on this another day. For now, I must go to work.