Christian Issues « Further Thoughts …

Must Read – “A Letter to Girls I Know” (On Modesty)

August 23, 2011 1 Comment

I found this letter at annawood.wordpress.com and am reposting it in it’s entirety! Very well said!

Dear Girls,There are two kinds of men: Godly men, and worldly men. What kind of man do you want? I’m betting most of you said “a Godly man.” Someday, you want to marry a man who loves God with every fiber of his being because he will be an excellent husband and father. He will honor and be true only to you. Most women want a Godly man or at least think they do. Well, I think I have found a way to tell you exactly what kind of guy you will get. I don’t even have to know you! All I have to do is look at you. The kind of guy you want or will get is advertised by the clothing you wear. I know what men want. Trust me, I am a guy. I know more guys than you do and I know them better. I know what we think, what we talk about, what we want, and what we look for, and it is different for each one of us depending on our relationship with God. I’m sure you already know this, but men were created differently than you. We have different desires and priorities. Our eyes and minds react very differently to some things than yours do. It isn’t disgusting, perverted, or wrong; it is wonderful and good! It is how God made us. It’s how we handle these differences that separate a Godly man from a worldly man.

A worldly man doesn’t control himself, rather, he looks at anything that attracts his attention or gets him excited. A worldly guy has no problem when girls wear clothes that show off skin, like boxers, high or low-cut shirts, low-rise jeans, and “cute” little swim-suits. He’s a fan of tight-fitting shirts and pants that show off your form, he thinks they’re fine! Worldly guy watches a lot of TV and R-rated movies, isn’t really offended by sexual content or nudity and secretly dabbles in pornography. He’s a “Christian” and makes up a significant portion of your church and youth group. He’s a really nice guy and sees you mainly for your body. If you were to marry worldly guy, he’d bring lots of baggage into the relationship, have intimacy problems, entertain thoughts of other women, and possibly cheat on you.

A Godly man is in control of his drives and desires. He constantly seeks God and reads his Bible. He “walks in the Spirit” and isn’t set off by everything he sees. When immodestly-dressed girls, magazine covers, or risqué advertisements come into view, Godly guy quickly “bounces his eyes” away from the image. He’s constantly guarding his thoughts and what he allows into his mind. He hates being around girls that disrespect him and his struggles by wearing inappropriate attire. Godly guy doesn’t watch much TV and is selective about the movies he sees. He views you as a person, knows you and respects you. He has your best interests in mind and guards against inappropriate thoughts of you. If you were to marry Godly guy, he would give you the emotional attention you need, he would ignore other women and remain faithful to you no matter what.

Unfortunately, there are more worldly men than Godly men. And to make matters worse, to the untrained eye, a worldly man can look a lot like a Godly man. So what can you do to only attract a Godly man? An important way of delineating between them lies in how you dress. As mentioned before, the clothes you wear advertise what kind of guy you are looking for. If you dress immodestly, you will attract worldly guys and scare away the Godly ones. It all comes down to the kind of man you want to spend your time around and eventually marry. You cannot afford to be complacent in this area of your life! You will pay the price someday.

This issue isn’t limited strictly to you and your future relationship. The way you dress directly affects other men and women and their relationships. You don’t see the struggles, the pain, the tears and the sin that you cause, but I can promise that you would be shocked if you did! Ask any Christian young man; we’ve all seen it. It’s kept hidden but it is definitely there. By dressing immodestly, you effectually spit on the struggles of our weaker ranks, appearing to care more about toying with us than helping us. You’ll never know how many broken relationships and lifestyles of sin you’ve contributed to simply by the way you dress. You want to marry a Godly man someday, well so do many other women. Don’t just help yourself and your future, help all women and their relationships by showing discretion in your dress.

Of course, I understand the desire to look stylish, attractive, and “cute.” It’s important to fit in and get attention. Trust me, it can be done modestly! I also understand that it is easier for some girls to find stylish and well-fitting clothes than it is for others. This is an area where guys really don’t understand what you are up against. But just remember, for every sacrifice you make to honor God with your image, Godly men are making sacrifices in their lives that are just as hard, if not harder! They will and do respect you so much for choosing to be modest! A real lady is conscientious of the image she presents, and real men want a real lady. And you can forget about any guys missing out on how attractive you are because you don’t wear revealing clothing. You could wear a circus tent and we would still know; it’s a gift we have.

And so the question still remains: What kind of man do you want? Answer me with your clothes.

Filed under Christian Issues, Disciple Making

C.S. Lewis on Modern Education

July 26, 2011 Leave a Comment

Joe Rigney writes on the Desiring God blog concerning C.S. Lewis’ views on the dangers of “modern education”.

My own family has enjoyed the entire Narnia series and have been encouraged to see how C.S. Lewis brilliantly describes so many aspects of God and Christianity through these allegories. While I have not read “The Abolition of Man”, it seems clear from this article that even “back then”, Lewis was on to the schemes that were afoot to undermine God-given truths and realities. Realities that include basic values for life which are derived, not from delineating simple facts, but from embracing the God who remains invisible, yet ever-present in every aspect of this world. (Romans 1:18-21)

Here is Joe’s Article:

Part of my goal in writing these posts is to commend the Narnian stories as a component of Christian discipleship. In doing so, I’m not merely contending that we can read them profitably as Christians, but that C. S. Lewis intended these stories to inculcate Christian values, habits, and truth.

We’ve already seen that he intended these stories to “steal past the watchful dragons” that hindered true affections for God and Christ and that he believed that fairy stories should beread by adults as well as children. But another way to approach the issue of discipleship is to reflect on Lewis’ critique of modern education in his brilliant little book The Abolition of Man.

Lewis regarded the trends in the educational establishment of his day as problematic on a number of levels. Choosing a standard English text-book as his starting point, Lewis offers a shrewd and perceptive critique of the subtle ways in which our educational assumptions and models can negatively impact a society. In this post, I’ll focus on three aspects of his critique.

Marginalizing Value Statements

First, Lewis highlights the subtle ways that modern education marginalizes value statements. The authors of The Green Book that he chose as his example argue that when we make a value statement about something in the world, we are not actually speaking about the thing, but instead making a statement about our own subjective feelings. In other words, when we stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon and exclaim, “That is glorious!” we are not really commenting about the canyon; rather we are simply communicating that we have feelings associated in our minds with the word “glory.” Lewis writes,

The schoolboy who reads this passage in The Green Book will believe two propositions: firstly, that all sentences containing a predicate of value are statements about the emotional state of the speaker, and, secondly, that all such statements are unimportant (The Abolition of Man, 19).

Separating Fact and Value

Second, this marginalization of value statements results in a sharp separation in the mind of the student between objective “facts” and subjective “values.” The former are rational, testable, and important. The latter are “contrary to reason and contemptible” (25). Moreover, this separation of fact and value is not a creed that is taught explicitly, but an atmosphere and tone that is inhaled and absorbed. It becomes a part of a student’s mental framework of assumptions, and it does so without critical analysis or reflection.

Creating Men Without Chests

Third, a student who thus begins to assume this fact/value distinction will begin to display two traits that are harmful to himself and to society. First, he will begin to view ordinary human emotions disdainfully. He will look down his nose at a mother who is delighted by her children or an old man who tears up when the national anthem is played. Second, this disdain of ordinary emotions will be accompanied by a decreasing practice of classical virtues like courage, sacrifice, and honor. The reason is not hard to see. Familial affection (like that between a mother and child) is the source of self-sacrifice on the part of the mother. The tears of the patriot are intimately connected to his willingness to fight for the flag.

These two factors will have devastating effects on the student and on the society. The student will have cut himself off from the possibility of “having certain experiences which thinkers of more authority than [he] have held to be generous, fruitful, and humane” (23). The society in which he lives, which has promoted and celebrated this type of modern education, will be in an ironically broken state:

And all the time—such is the tragi-comedy of our situation—we continue to clamour for those very qualities we are rendering impossible. You can hardly open a periodical without coming across the statement that what our civilization needs is more ‘drive,’ or dynamism, or self-sacrifice, or ‘creativity.’ In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful (36-37).

Joe Rigney is Assistant Professor of Theology and Christian Worldview at Bethlehem College and Seminary.

Filed under Christian "Thinkers", Christian Issues

Praying for the Persecuted Christians Around the World

July 12, 2011 Leave a Comment

Maryam and Marzieh

Voice of the Martyrs continues to do an excellent job of keeping the “rest of us” up to date on the perils of living the Christian life in many nations. Recently they shared an update on the two women who were arrested for their faith in Iran.

For all of the times when we have felt “persecuted” as Christians in the U.S., it is always good to read about and join in prayer for those who are suffering a much more severe and potentially life-threatening persecution.

I was particularly struck by the statements both made when referring to the “worst thing that happend” to them. Both referred to the deaths of co-prisoners by execution. Both being deeply impacted as they had come to love and care deeply for these women who were sharing a cell, or nearby.

I cannot imagine what they experienced, but do pray that we embrace the call to continue to pray for and recognize how our brothers and sisters are suffering around the world.

You can receive updates from Voice of the Martyrs by clicking here and signing up. I encourage it as a way of keeping a world-wide perspective on the Christian faith.

Here is the entire article from Voice of the Martyrs at persecutionblog.com …

In March 2009, Christian roommates Maryam Rustampoor, 29, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 32, were charged by the Iranian state with being “anti-government activists.” They spent 259 days in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison before being released in November 2009.

In the first interview since their release, the two discussed their life in prison with Sam Yeghnazar of Elam Ministries.

Sam: What was the worst thing that happened to you?

Marzieh: One of the worst was the execution of two of my fellow prisoners. I had never experienced such a thing. One of those killed was my roommate. We had spent a lot of time together. And one day they took her to be executed. For a week I was in shock that killing a human being was so easy. She lived among us, a fellow human being; I saw her every day, and we said, “Hello.” The next day she is not there. After these executions the spirit of sorrow and death hung over the prison. There was deadly silence everywhere. We all felt this. There was nothing we could do. Everyone was under pressure. The sadness was overwhelming. We stared at each other but had no power to speak. This was the worst experience. It was horrifying and tangible.

Maryam: The worst thing for me was the execution of Shireen, who became a close friend in prison.

Sam: Did you ever fear execution?

Maryam: I never thought about execution. I thought we might be sentenced to life imprisonment because that is the punishment for women convicted of apostasy. I just thought this was something we would have to bear.

Marzieh: Before prison we talked about execution, but when we got to prison and experienced the fear of it — our way of talking changed. The very first night that we were arrested, when they threatened us, we were really frightened. We never imagined we would be so frightened; we had talked about these things before. But the atmosphere there and what happened to us frightened us beyond our expectations. We were confined to a dark and dirty room and paralyzed with fear. We could see the fear in each other’s faces. We prayed and what calmed us was the presence of God and the peace that he gave us.

I just want to add, it is easy to say that I give my life for the Lord and I will do anything for him, even die. I always thought it would be a privilege to give my life for the Lord. You say these things. I know for sure that if this would happen to us we would rejoice ultimately. But human fears gripped us. The power the Lord gave us helped us to overcome these fears, just as when we prayed in the police station, God banished our fear and renewed our strength.

Sam: How did the guards treat you?

Maryam: When we were arrested most of the guards treated us badly, especially when they knew we had been involved in evangelism. They would curse us and would not let us drink water from the public tap or use the wash basin. But this changed and eventually they asked us to pray for them.

Sam: How did the other prisoners treat you?

Marzieh: Some called us “dirty, unclean apostates,” but their opinion changed and they asked for forgiveness. We had become an example to them and they would take our side.

Maryam: At Evin Prison the well-educated political and business prisoners called us “mortad kasif” (unclean apostates). In less than a month everything changed. As they got to know us, they were curious about our faith, they respected us and called upon us to sort out arguments they had between themselves.

Sam: Did any other prisoners come to faith?

Marzieh/Maryam: Yes. There were those who accepted Christ. When we were in Vozara [the first prison the women were taken to] we prayed the sinner’s prayer with many of the prostitutes. They prayed themselves and we prayed for them. But there were others who were too frightened to confess their faith. There were many who were impacted.

Sam: What message do you have for the thousands who prayed for you when you were in prison?

Marzieh: I would like to thank them for their prayers and support, and the letters they sent us. During this time it wasn’t just Maryam and Marzieh who were imprisoned, but all these prayer warriors. This was a great encouragement for us. We felt their presence alongside us. So please keep praying for those who are in prison for their faith, believers in Afghanistan and Pakistan and other places. Don’t think that your prayers are unimportant.

Sam: What happened to the thousands of letters you were sent?

Marzieh: We heard that people sent us letters in prison, but we didn’t get any of them. Just hearing that people sent us letters was a great encouragement to us. And what’s interesting is that the guards who opened our letters read the Bible verses and the prayers and were impacted. We know this because they told us and mentioned some of the verses from the gospel. I can’t thank [those who sent letters] with all that is in my heart; I can say “thank you,” but this is not enough.

Maryam: I thank them. It’s true we didn’t see the letters they sent, but we knew there was a large group supporting us. This was a huge encouragement to us and helped us to stand firm. We heard from our guards that forty to fifty letters were coming every day. They saw how Christians stood together to support their own. This was something that gave us hope.

If you were among those who used www.prisoneralert.com to write Maryam and Marzieh a letter, thank you very much. These letters do make a difference, whether the prisoners receive them or not. Please continue to bring hope and encouragement to our brothers and sisters in chains as though “bound with them.”

Filed under Christian Issues

How Can We? (From A Place Called Simplicity)

June 1, 2011 Leave a Comment

So thankful for the many families who are actively pursuing the ministry of caring for the orphan around the world. For great reading and challenging thoughts, “A Place Called Simplicity” is a good place to land every now and again.

Trays at a Wedding in Uganda

Recently, Linny wrote a compelling summary of an experience during a wedding in Uganda. As the plates were scraped off onto trays so that they could be washed for new guests, some of the orphaned children gathered up the “garbage trays” and were eating as fast as possible.

It hurts to even try to imagine being that hungry, yet children around the world experience it every day.

How has the Lord equipped you and I to join the fight for the most helpless?

Click here to read the entire post. Then pray and ask God, “How can I help”? I’m sure He has plenty of “ideas”.

Filed under Adoption, Christian Issues

Thinking Locally – WORLD MAGAZINE

March 9, 2011 Leave a Comment

Another article from our “Magazine Monday” came from World Magazine. Mindy Belz details a trend that continues toward our roots.

At New Life, our vision is to “Reclaim Family and Empower Households to Change the World“

How does one go about changing the world exactly? This article is an excellent overview of the need to think locally. Start with a small group … build momentum and add a larger group … from that group begin to influence and spread until it is reaching the world.

Hey, you know what … that sounds like Jesus’ plan …

Or turn to the New Testament and think of Peter, James, and John—the disciples (part of the 12) arguably closest to Jesus. Working outward, Jesus sent 72 disciples in pairs in Luke 10, and at Pentecost 120 believers gathered in Jerusalem to await the Holy Spirit. “Through these concentric circles of men and women,” writes Crouch, “the kingdom’s distinctive cultural good like parables, deeds of miraculous power, and new ways of organizing everything . . . reshape the cultural horizons.”

Belz refers to a book by Andy Crouch Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling in which he proports that all culture making is local.

“Every cultural good, whether a new word, law, recipe, song or gadget, begins with a small group of people.” He insists: “A small group is enough.” This will be shocking news to those counting friends on Facebook.

Crouch dubs his formula for culture-making “The 3, the 12, and the 120″ suggesting those are the optimal numbers for concentric circles of influence. The most obvious biblical examples are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. From them the Judaic culture widens to Jacob’s 12 sons and then to their families, the 120. Think of the world-shaping changes to geography, politics, government, architecture, philosophy, music, literature, and visual arts that flowed from those few.

I had to think of the dreams my own kids have and the dreams/callings that are evident in the kids in your homes as well. Or what about our own dreams/desires/callings to “Change the World” … what will we do with the “big ideas”? According to Belz .. begin locally!

So, want to start a school, plant a church, run a soup kitchen, open a bakery, make a movie, change your community’s perception of Christians, treat cancer, protect marriage, petition city council, launch a rock band, create a website, develop land, improve a city? Want to aim wide, invent the next social network, be president, solve gridlock, cure cancer, retrofit the multiplex? The pattern of the 3, the 12, and the 120 is good news to all. Faced with the immensity and impersonal nature of mass culture, we don’t have to retreat, as Crouch says, into “postures ranging from condemnation to consumption.” At the same time, there’s no going it alone. Take two like-minded companions, add a dozen experts and loyalists. Watch what happens

Read the entire article from WORLD MAGAZINE here.

Filed under Christian "Thinkers", Christian Issues, Disciple Making

Christianity in Restricted Nations – Voice of the Martyrs

March 8, 2011 Leave a Comment

It is a pattern in our home to begin our school week with “Magazine Monday”. On Mondays Lynda will read articles from several magazines as a way of keeping our kids and family connected with the world at large. One of the magazines she reads from is Voice of the Martyrs. This week, I filled in as the “reader” and I wanted to tell you about one of the articles.

Today I’m highlighting a “Special Update” that was included in our mailing this month. It is entitled “The Rejected Become the Cornerstones” and it highlighted the plight of young women in North Korea. The article details the life of Soon Lee (name changed), a 19 year old living in North Korea. The crux of the article is that the North Korean government pays “handlers” to befriend young women such as Soon. They come alongside for a season and offer support and encouragement for a season. Once they have become “friends”, they begin to speak of employment opportunities in other villages. Soon, like so many of the young women, sees no hope in staying where she is, so she sets off with the new “friends” to find employment to support her family.

Things take a turn for the worse when Soon realizes that these “friends” have actually led her to the border with China, where many North Korean’s cross in hopes of finding a better life. The crossing is extremely dangerous with the North Koreans employing bunkers and towers to guard the border. When Soon realizes the option is to cross into China, she asks her “friends” to take her back to her village, only to have them turn demanding and to tell her that the consequences of her not going through with the plan will be devastation and the loss of her own father’s life.

Trapped and seeing no other options, Soon crosses the border only to be sold for $3,000 to an older chinese man as a “wife”. If the young women like Soon refuse to marry, they are turned over to North Korean spies who then take them back to North Korea to be arrested and tried as “defectors” which results in imprisonment.

These “wives” go on to bear children, but since they (the women) are not Chinese Citizens, their children have no citizenship either, leading to the abandonment of many and the rise of orphans with no hope.

Voice of the Martyrs has stepped in to begin offering hope and ministry to these women and children. The article actually goes on to say that some of these children and women have actually become very effective evangelists to the North Korean people.

As we read the article, we were led to pray for these women, their children, those who are carrying out this horrible practice, and for North Korea and China as a whole.

If you are not a subscriber to Voice of the Martyrs, I encourage you to become one as well as a supporter of their ministry if possible. The people they are ministering to and with are some of the most oppressed Christians in our day. While most of us will never set foot in any of these highly restricted areas, we can, and I think we must, be aware and a part of helping organizations like VOM and others who are actively sharing hope and the good news of Jesus in these dark and hopeless places.

Consider reading more at www.persecution.com, or go here to subscribe to their monthly newsletter by mail.

Filed under Christian Issues

Trying to make Christianity cool | Cranach: The Blog of Veith

August 17, 2010 1 Comment

Another blog I frequent for thoughtful insight is the “Cranach: The blog of Veith“. Here is a recent post referencing an article in from WSJ.com.

The article is written from a twenty-something point of view and challenges the current trend of churches to try to be trendy. Throughout the article Brett McCracken references the different ways churches have tried and are trying to be “culturally relevant” and cool.

I can identify with his final statement and believe that the church should take it to heart.

He says,

If the evangelical Christian leadership thinks that “cool Christianity” is a sustainable path forward, they are severely mistaken. As a twentysomething, I can say with confidence that when it comes to church, we don’t want cool as much as we want real.

If we are interested in Christianity in any sort of serious way, it is not because it’s easy or trendy or popular. It’s because Jesus himself is appealing, and what he says rings true. It’s because the world we inhabit is utterly phony, ephemeral, narcissistic, image-obsessed and sex-drenched—and we want an alternative. It’s not because we want more of the same.

I pray that twenty-somethings and “any-somethings” find a church where they can, and will experience genuine and authentic Christianity being lived out in community as God intended.

Trying to make Christianity cool | Cranach: The Blog of Veith.

Filed under Christian "Thinkers", Christian Issues

Paying Attention to our Leader’s Words

July 2, 2010 Leave a Comment

Chuck Colson challenges Christians to be aware and to stay on guard when leaders begin to use “new speak”. In a speech by Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, “Freedom of Religion” is whittled down to become “freedom of worship”, and the LGBT agenda is raised to be a human rights priority.

Please take a moment to watch the video and then say a prayer for our nation, and for those in leadership. God is able and willing to move in our nation. Are we willing and ready to engage in the spiritual battle he calls us to?

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (ESV)

Filed under Christian "Thinkers", Christian Issues

Why Every Parent Should Be Paying Attention!

May 26, 2010 Leave a Comment

In a very thoughtful and disturbing column written for the Washing Times, Marybeth Hicks lays out the concerns every parent and U.S. Citizen should have in regard to parental rights.

She says:

But if you’ve ever insisted that your teenager drag himself out of bed on a Sunday morning to attend church with the family, or required him to find a part-time job to pay for the increase in your car insurance, or — heaven forbid — if you’ve ever spanked a young child for an act of willful disobedience, there are folks who would like to override your parental judgment.

Folks like President Obama, in fact.

Take a moment to read the entire article HERE, and then read on to TAKE ACTION.

If you’ve never called you Senator or Congressman on an issue, now would be a great time to start.

ParentalRights.org has all of the information you need to call and encourage your representative to co-sponsor a critical bill in the Senate.

Click Here to take Action and Learn more about this very important issue.

Filed under Christian Issues, Politics