Get Sozo-ed Rather Than "Accept Christ"

I'm reading through unchristian. It's a Barna report about the perceptions 16-to-29-year-olds have about "Christians" and "Christianity."

Here's a quote from Charles Colson on "getting saved" and "accepting Christ."

"The gospel cannot be merely a private transaction. God didn't break through history, through time and space, to come as a babe, be incarnated, and suffer on the cross just so you can come to him and say, "Oh, I accept Jesus and now I can live happily ever after." That's not why he came... Jesus came as a radical to turn the world upside down. When we believe it is just about Jesus and yourself, we miss the whole point. I even dislike using the words "accept Christ" anymore - because it is so much more than that. Christianity is a way of seeing all of life and reality through God's eyes. That's what Christianity is: a worldview, a system, and a way of life... It is the most exciting, radical, revolutionary story ever told." (unchristian, 87-88)

Indeed. "Sozo" ("salvation") is a huge, deep, wide, and long concept. "Making a decision for Christ" is, if it even fits at all, only a tiny part of being sozo-ed. And without living a kingdom life "accepting Christ" is irrelevant and fundamentally misleading.

J. P. Moreland's "Argument From Consciousness"

I plan on reading J. P. Moreland's Consciousness and the Existence of God when I: 1) finish off a bunch of books waiting in queue; and 2) get ready to spend $36. In the meantime, here's Moreland's little article "The Argument From Consciousness."

I'm really interested in this stuff. My interest goes way back to my doctoral studies and work in metaphor theory and how the brain processes metaphors (as distinct from brain-processing of, e.g., similes). James Ashbrook, who was on my dissertation committee, was himself immersed in brain-mind-personality studies. I saw then, and still see now, Ashbrook as a pioneer in theological mind-brain issues.

Moreland presents an argument both against philosophical naturalism (atheism) and for the existence of God (supernaturalism). "How can mere matter originate consciousness?" asks naturalist Colin McGinn. On naturalism, finite mental entities ("minds") seem inexplicable. This is not so on theism. Thus the existence of finite mental entities provide evidence for the existence of God.

Moreland argues that mental states "are in no sense physical since they possess five features not owned by physical states:
(a) there is a raw qualitative feel or a “what it is like” to have a mental state such as a pain; [See Thomas Nagel's "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?"]
(b) at least many mental states have intentionality—ofness or aboutness–directed towards an object;
(c) mental states are inner, private and immediate to the subject having them; [The "problem" of first-person subjective consciousness; aka "the really hard problem" Pinker and Owen Flanagan, among others, write about.]
(d) they require a subjective ontology—namely, mental states are necessarily owned by the first person sentient subjects who have them;
(e) mental states fail to have crucial features (e.g., spatial extension, location) that characterize physical states and, in general, cannot be described using physical language."

How, on naturalism (atheism), can one explain "mind" coming from brute matter? Pinker at times seems to think it could never, in principle, be done. Moreland offers four reasons "for why there is no natural scientific explanation for the existence of mental states (or their regular correlation with physical states)." They are:

a) The uniformity of nature. Briefly, Moreland asks, "How can like causes produce radically different effects? The appearance of mind is utterly unpredictable and inexplicable. This radical discontinuity seems like an inhomogeneous rupture in the natural world."

b) Contingency of the mind/body correlation. Moreland writes: "For the naturalist, the regularity of mind/body correlations must be taken as contingent brute facts. But these facts are inexplicable from a naturalistic standpoint, and they are radically sui generis compared to all other entities in the naturalist ontology. Thus, it begs the question simply to announce that mental states and their regular correlations with certain brain states is a natural fact." Mental states are unique. On naturalism, as naturalist Terence Horgan states, "supervenient facts must be explainable rather than being sui generis.”

c) Epiphenomenalism and causal closure. "Physical effects have only physical causes... [I]f mental phenomena are genuinely non-physical, then they must be epiphenomena–effects caused by the physical that do not themselves have causal powers. But epiphenomenalism is false. Mental causation seems undeniable..."

d) The inadequacy of evolutionary explanations. "[B]oth the sheer existence of conscious states and the precise mental content that constitutes them is outside the pale of evolutionary explanation."

Here's what I think. Real atheism is philosophical naturalism. There are therefore no non-natural events. It is difficult, if not in principle impossible, to deny mental causation. Atheism is, therefore, false.

Come Study With Me for 9 Months

Come study for 9 months with me from September 13 - June 6. We have a Ministry School that I’d like you to consider being a part of. Here are some reasons why.

Redeemer Minisry School will be unique in its combination of both the heart and the mind. God is bringing together the experiential and the academic.
The core of our training is about The Kingdom of God, as lived and taught by Jesus. The academic component will be complemented by a focus on experiencing God and demonstrating the power and life of the Kingdom of God in the real world.

In this sense I believe in the total gospel of the Real Jesus, to include the two ways Jesus brought in the kingdom, which are: 1) Proclamation of the good news; and 2) demonstration of the power of God.

We have assembled a great team of leaders and teachers that will give you a lot of things you could not get in other ministry environments. These leaders will introduce you to:
- Whole-being worship as a lifestyle
- Worship & Creativity
- Leadership as influence through community building
- Counseling that changes the human heart
- Spiritual transformation, renovation, and renewal
- How to study, interpret, teach, and preach the Scriptures
- Physical and emotional healing of the person
- The nature of spiritual battle, and deliverance from the demonic
- Apologetics – defending our belief in God & Jesus

You will be in our church’s culture for 10 months and be a part of the amazing things God is doing in our own ministry environment. Which is cool for me, since God has given us an amazing church family.

Here at Redeemer we are very excited about RMS. Why not pray about taking 10 months of your life and learning about God and Jesus in the most intensive way ever? And, we’ll develop community along the way, plus have a lot of fun. If you’d like to talk with me personally, I’d love to hear from you!

What Are the Best Arguments Against God's Existence?

Linda and I are spending the night in the historic district of Philadelphia. We've just finished 9 days of "conferencing" in Wisconsin and, this weekend, in Philadelphia at Villanova University.

This weekend's conference was with my dear friends at Faith Bible Church in New York City. Dr. John Hao and his wife Rosie are the great leaders of FBC. This was their annual summer conference, and I was the main speaker for the English-speaking Chinese congregation.

As I was about the leave Villanova early this afternoon one of the young Chinese men asked me the question: what are the best atheistic arguments available today? My immediate answer was: 1) the evidential argument from evil; and 2) the argument from divine hiddenness. The two best books on these are: The Evidential Argument from Evil, edited by Daniel Howard-Snyder, and Divine Hiddenness: New Essays, edited by Howard-Snyder and Paul Moser. Both books are collections of essays written by atheists, agnostics, and theists. If you want to dive into these arguments these are the books to begin with. (Note: they are rigorous philosophically.)

I brought Divine Hiddenness with me on these trips, and read several essays. I was especially taken by philosopher Paul Moser's essay "Cognitive Idolatry and Divine Hiding." I think I'm going to give it a re-read. Especially since J.P. Moreland, who was the main speaker at the Wisconsin conference I was at, highly recommended the work Moser is now doing. I'd really like to read Moser's edited collection of essays Jesus and Philosophy: New Essays. Nicholas Rescher calls Moser's The Elusive God: Reorienting Religious Epistemology "a profound and illuminating treatment on as big an issue as issues get." To me it looks like Moser's "Cognitive Idolatry" essay in Divine Hiddenness is a brief version of his full-blown study done in The Elusive God. But... it's $72.

The Justification Debate

There's a nice synopsis of "The Justification Debate" between N.T. Wright and John Piper here.

Download the creative PDF.

I have not yet read Piper's challenge to Wright and Wright's response yet.

J.P. Moreland #2 - Romans 12:1-2

Yesterday morning I heard the best presentation of Romans 12:1-2 that I have ever heard. It was given by J.P. Moreland. J.P.'s mentor is Dallas Willard, so his presentation has roots in Willard's The Spirit of the Disciplines, esp. his chapter on Paul's Psychology of the Body.

I don't have time to write this out now, as I'm at the conference and came to a computer to pick up my e-mails. I can tell you I am really, really thinking about what God spoke through J.P. It was, for me, a difference-making moment.

A Few Days with J.P. Moreland

Linda and I and a lot of people from our church family are in Green Lake, Wisconsin this week for a conference with J.P. Moreland and Chris Overstreet. J.P. spoke yesterday morning and evening. His first talk was on "happiness" - "Happiness is overrated." J.P. showed how the biblical & classical understanding of happiness changed in the 18th-19th centiuries to mean a personal feeling, rather than meaning a life well-lived, a life of integrity, purpose, and truth. the quest for "happiness" is never-ending and, oddly, the quest itself leads to more and more unhappiness. Hence unfulfillment and depression. The "American Dream" has been fulfilled, but as a people Americans are deeply unfulfilled. The conclusion? There must be something wrong with the "American Dream."

Last evening J.P. presented point #1 of his "Kingdom Triangle" idea, which is: Love God with all your mind. J.P. said this is his "life's message." This morning he'll give #2 (recovery of the Christian soul) and tonight he'll present #3 ("recovering the power of the Kingdom of God").

J.P. is an excellent speaker, a brilliantly gifted person who is able to take deep ideas and communicate them to us all. I think we're all loving what God has given us in just the first day!

The Bridge in Minneapolis: A Calvinist - Arminian Dialogue

Want to see some of the differences between a Calvinist and Arminian approach? Read here the responses of Greg Boyd (Arminian) and John Piper (Calvinist) to the bridge disaster in Minneapolis.

What do you think?

Alister McGrath's New Book On the Fine-Tuning Argument for God's Existence

Alister McGrath is an excellent writer and a great scholar, holding two doctoral degrees - one in biology, the other in theology, and has taught at Oxford and now at Cambridge. He's also a Christian theist.

His new book is A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology. Of it Francis Collins says, “A superb contribution to the science/faith conversation.” John Polkinghorne adds, “[Alister McGrath’s] book will be of great interest to all concerned with the relationship between science and religion.”

Amazon.com's product description says: "Are there viable pathways from nature to God? Natural theology is making a comeback, stimulated as much by scientific advance as by theological and philosophical reflection. There is a growing realization that the sciences raise questions that transcend their capacity to answer them—above all, the question of the existence of God. So how can Christian theology relate to these new developments?In this landmark work, based on his 2009 Gifford lectures, Alister McGrath examines the apparent “fine-tuning” of the universe and its significance for natural theology. Exploring a wide range of physical and biological phenomena and drawing on the latest research in biochemistry and evolutionary biology, McGrath outlines our new understanding of the natural world and discusses its implications for traditional debates about the existence of God.The celebrated Gifford Lectures have long been recognized as making landmark contributions to the discussion of natural theology. A Fine-Tuned Universe will contribute significantly to that discussion by developing a rich Trinitarian approach to natural theology that allows deep engagement with the intellectual and moral complexities of the natural world. It will be essential reading to those looking for a rigorous engagement between science and the Christian faith."

I hope to read McGrath's book before I teach the fine-tuning argument this fall in my philosophy of religion class at MCCC.

John Maxwell - 10 Guidelines for Dealing with Sexual Temptation

This past Sunday I referred to one of the greatest sermons, personally, that I have experienced. It was at the first PromiseKeepers event I went to, which was in Indianapolis. The speaker was John Maxwell. He was preaching on "10 Guidelines for Dealing with Sexual Temptation." After Maxwell gave #1 the palce was electric. I felt, at that moment, that 20,000 men in that place were ready to walk in total sexual purity.

*****
John Maxwell’s 10 Guidelines (For Men) For Dealing With Sexual Temptation

1. RUN!
“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22)
"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body." (1 Corinthians 6:18)

2. ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY
"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Every time we choose righteousness, we not only become closer to God, but stronger in our ability to resist temptation.

3. BE ACCOUNTABLE - John Maxwell's list of accountability questions:
Are you spending time alone with God?
Are you in studying the Bible?
Are you praying?
Is your thought life pure?
Have you seen something you shouldn't see (movies, magazines, Internet)?
Are you misusing your power on the job? At home?
Are you walking in total obedience to God? (Remember, partial obedience is disobedience.)
Have you lied about any of the previous questions?

4.LISTEN TO YOUR WIFE

5. BE ON GUARD
Seldom travel alone.
When you have to travel, call your wife every night.
Talk positively about your wife to others.
Choose friends wisely. "Bad company corrupts good character." ( Corinthians 15:33)

6. DETERMINE TO LIVE A PURE LIFE TODAY
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

7. REALIZE THAT SEXUAL SIN ASSAULTS THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST IN YOUR LIFE
"Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!" (1 Corinthians 6:15)

8. RECOGNIZE THE CONSEQUENCES OF SEXUAL SIN
"But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself." (Proverbs 6:32)
"For the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life." (Proverbs 6:26)

9. THINK OF YOUR CHILDREN

10. GET A NEW DEFINITION OF SUCCESS
John Maxwell's definition: Success is having those who are the closest to me love and respect me the most.