From the time I preached my first sermon 35 years ago, my passion has always been to reach people like I was. My father was very active in church before he fought in World War II, but the atrocities he witnessed caused him to question the reality and relevance of his faith. I grew up with his questions about God. If Christians had not invited me to their church when I was a teenager, I would never have gone on my own. When God called me into ministry, he gave me a heart for those who are where I was.

In 2009, Jeff Byrd and I launched the Center for Informed Faith to bridge the gap between faith and culture by engaging contemporary issues with biblical truth. The Lord has blessed this ministry in remarkable ways. Our daily devotional subscription list has doubled, with readers in 104 countries. I have been invited to share God’s word in China, Bangladesh, Cuba, and across Europe and the Middle East. The Lord has built a remarkable ministry team and blessed us with donors who make our work possible.

Now he has led us to expand our ministry to reach people who are where I was, questioning the relevance of Christian faith for the issues of our day. They are interested in cultural questions such as radical Islam, the Middle East, and contemporary moral issues. They need an accessible way to explore these issues in spiritual perspective. Like the crowds at Pentecost, they deserve to hear the gospel in their own language (Acts 2:6).

Contemporary technology provides such a platform. Like the Christians who knocked on my door and invited me to their church, the Internet and social media give us the opportunity to dialogue with our culture on issues that matter to all of us.

To use this platform in reaching people who are not in church, we are making some changes to our ministry strategy. First, our name has changed to the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture. We hope the new name will appeal to secular readers in a way that the Center for Informed Faith did not. And it conveys the fact that we are a “forum,” a place to discuss the issues of our day.

Here are other ways we are expanding our ministry to the larger culture:

• We have launched a new website which will facilitate our cultural conversation. Please visit www.denisonforum.org soon—I hope you’ll find the new resources to be helpful in engaging your culture with biblical thinking.
• I have completed Radical Islam: What You Need to Know. It will be released in print and as an ebook next month, timed for the tenth anniversary of 9/11. You can read a sample chapter on our website.
• We are expanding our social media with a new Denison Forum on Truth and Culture Facebook page, which will have original content each day, and a Jim Denison Facebook page, updated with study tours, speaking engagements, and book news. You can also follow me on Twitter.
• We will soon launch our Discipleship Resource Center—it contains all my sermons, Bible studies, commentaries, and other writings, in a searchable format. We’ll let you know when it is available.

We have rebranded the daily devotional as well. It contains the same content as always, dealing with today’s news in spiritual perspective. But we will call it the Cultural Commentary rather than GodIssues, so people who would not open an email with a religious title might read the essay. With this name, we’re hoping you’ll be able to forward the essay to your non-churched friends and invite them to join the conversation.

Please pray for us as we continue to connect faith and culture by engaging contemporary issues with biblical truth. I hope you’ll read the Cultural Commentary, forward it to your friends, visit us at our new website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.

God bless you and yours.

Jim

A nurse prepares a flu vaccine shot at a hospital in Budapest in a file photo. (Credit: Reuters/Karoly Arvai)

There’s good news and frightening news in today’s headlines.  Let’s start with the good.  First, a universal flu vaccine may be on the way.  Researchers in Britain and Switzerland have identified an antibody which neutralizes both main groups of influenza A viruses.  Since the flu kills 36,000 people every year in the United States, this is significant progress.

Second, mobile phone use apparently doesn’t raise the risk of cancer in children and teenagers.  Researchers in Switzerland and Scandanavia have determined that regular cellphone users are no more likely to be diagnosed with brain tumors than nonusers.  Since my sons are never without their cellphones and can text faster than I can talk, this is good news.

Now to the frightening news.  By now you may have heard about the Muslim American Army private who was arrested yesterday near Fort Hood.  This is the nation’s largest military installation and scene of the 2009 shooting tragedy which left 13 people dead.  Authorities in Killeen, Texas have now averted another such attack.

Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo refused to deploy to Afghanistan and later went AWOL.  After he bought several items from a local gun shop, a suspicious dealer alerted police.  They arrested Abdo and found in his hotel room and backpack enough materials to make two bombs.  Abdo then told investigators that he wanted to attack fellow soldiers at the military base.

If only technology could change radical Islam.  Militant Muslims are convinced that the West has been attacking Islam since the Crusades and especially by supporting Israel.  Since the Qur’an requires Muslims to defend Islam, they think they are defending their faith by attacking us.  Because we live in a democracy where citizens elect our leaders and support our military, they view us as complicit in this attack and consider us their enemy.

Surveys indicate that only seven percent of the Muslim world agrees with these convictions, but out of a global Islamic population of 1.6 billion, that’s 112 million people who believe that killing Americans is required by their faith.  As we saw in Fort Hood yesterday, it only takes one to threaten many.

What difference does faith make in this conflict?  I once heard Rick Warren say, “Stop asking God to bless what you’re doing, and ask him to help you do what he is blessing.”  He is blessing today a global spiritual awakening in the Islamic world, as more Muslims than ever before are making Jesus their Lord.  And he is blessing those who pray for this movement, who support Muslim background believers, and who pray for this awakening to come to their church and nation.

As Moses was leading two million Hebrews into their future, the Lord promised him, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14).  Today he makes the same promise to you.

Quasar Drenched in Water Vapor (Credit: NASA/ESA

We’ve been dealing with a difficult subject this week, so let’s change the tone today with this announcement: I have solved the drought problem plaguing much of our country.  We simply need to siphon water from a galaxy 12 billion light-years away, where the most massive cloud of water yet discovered in the universe resides.  According to today’s National Geographic website, the cloud would fill 140 trillion Earth oceans.

How do we get the water back to our planet?  I’ll cite Will Rogers, who told our military that we could solve our problem with Nazi subs by boiling the oceans.  When the subs bob to the surface, we could then pick them off.  A reporter asked, “How do you propose to boil the oceans?”  Will smiled and replied, “I’ve given you the solution.  It’s up to you to work out the details.”

Apparently the Space Station won’t be part of those details.  The Russian space agency has announced that it will allow the ISS to fall into the ocean when it completes its mission in 2020.  Left in space, it poses too great a risk to satellites and future space travel.  It recently experienced its own close encounter with space junk—just last month, a piece of debris came so close that the station’s six-member crew prepared to use their rescue craft.

Speaking of close encounters with dangerous junk, did you hear about the Texas jail guard who smuggled tacos packed with hacksaw blades into prison?  An inmate’s girlfriend put the saws in the tacos and bribed the guard with pain killers.  This is the third conviction in two months involving guards in the San Antonio jail.  Earlier this week, a guard was found guilty of smuggling a cell phone in a pack of Ramen Noodles; two months ago, another guard was found guilty of smuggling heroin in tacos.

Unless you can figure out a way to transport water from distant galaxies, keep the Space Station functioning forever, or stop guards from accepting bribes, today’s stories are not very relevant to your life this morning.  Here’s a fact that is: You will be alive when the heavens above and the earth below are replaced one day by a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1).  There will be no jails in your next home: “On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there” (v. 25).

If Jesus is your Lord, you will never die (John 11:26).  Others may visit your grave, like the archaeologists who recently discovered the tomb of St. Philip the Apostle in Turkey.  His tomb in Hierapolis is an astounding discovery.  But here’s the best news of all: He wasn’t there.

In the moment you asked Jesus to be your Savior, you received eternal life (John 3:16).  So take heart: The worst thing that can happen to you today will lead to the best thing that can happen to you today.  As Justin the Martyr told the Roman emperor: “You can kill us, but you cannot harm us.”  This is the promise of God.

Michael Young taking a cut at an early season game in 2006 (Photo by Keith Allison via Flickr)

I’m old enough to remember when the only way to watch a baseball game was as it was being played.  Last night I recorded the Texas Rangers‘ game, then turned on the TV an hour or so after it started.  Before playing the recorded game, I checked on a sports website to catch the score and highlights, then fast-forwarded the recording to the plays I wanted to see.

If I had waited until the game ended (badly), I might have erased the entire thing.  As it was, I felt a sense of omniscience in knowing what was going to happen in the (recorded) game before it did.  But knowing what would happen did not make it happen.

People often struggle with God’s sovereignty and omniscience–if he knows everything you’ll do today, does that fact mean that he chooses what you’ll do?  How can you be free if he knows the results of your free choices before you make them?  It may help to consider the difference between observation and determination.  If I watched you read this blog, my observation would not determine your action.  God can see tomorrow better than we can see today, but his knowledge of the future does not necessarily determine it.

Your Father knows what you’ll do next, but the decision is yours.  Choose wisely.

A sign of love for Oslo is seen inside of a sea of flowers and lit candles placed in memory of those killed in Friday's bomb and shooting attack in front of Oslo Cathedral July 25, 2011 (Credit: Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay )

Where were the Norwegian police while Anders Breivik was shooting innocent civilians last Friday?  They have only one police helicopter; its crew were on holiday at the time of the attacks. Today their chief of staff states, “You always try to be better but I don’t see how we could have been faster.”

God is not limited to a single helicopter.  Where was he in Norway last Friday?

Innocent suffering asks the hardest questions Christians must answer.  We believe that God is all-knowing, so he was aware of last Friday’s shooting before it ever happened.  He is all-powerful, so he could have stopped Breivik before he began his murderous rampage.  He is all-loving, so he would want to prevent such horror.  Yet he did not.  Let’s think together about the terrible tragedy in Norway and the problems you are facing today.

Like a physician, we’ll begin with a diagnosis—what caused the shooting?  One possibility is misused human freedom.  Suppose that God created us for relationship with himself and others.  He would then be required to give us free will so we could enter such relationships.  It is the same principle as a teacher permitting his students to take a test unsupervised or a parent allowing her teenager to use the car.  If they misuse this freedom, whose fault would the consequences be?

A second option is Satan.  If we suppose that he exists, what do we know of his character?  Jesus called him “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44) who “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).  Peter warned us that he “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  Could he have used Anders Breivik’s misused freedom to commit such a murderous tragedy?

Now let’s think about a response.  If God is all-powerful, he could have prevented this event by removing the consequences of misused freedom.  But is free will without consequence truly free?  If you chose not to open this essay, but it appears every time you open an email, was your choice real?

How could God express his love without removing our freedom?  If he is all-present, he could suffer with us.  He promised us, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you” (Isaiah 43:2).  If he is truly God, he could redeem what we endure for even greater good.  The Psalmist was certain that he would: “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me” (Psalm 138:7).

God’s word promises that he is working through all things for good, in ways we can understand and ways we cannot (Romans 8:28).  Do you believe that your Father keeps his promises?

my fortune cookie from Panda Express

Janet is out of town this week, so I’m cooking dinner for myself.  On Sunday night I cooked Chinese.  Actually, I drove up to the Chinese restaurant, placed my order, took it home, and ate it out of its Styrofoam to-go container.  Janet will be pleased to know that I did the dishes afterwards.

As you can see, my fortune cookie contained this piece of sage wisdom: “Wise men learn more from fools, than fools from the wise.”  Looking back, I realize that nearly every mistake I have made in my life was the result of violating that statement.  God wants me to know his will more than I want to know it.  He is adept at sending people, books, emails, etc. across my path to guide me in his word and wisdom.  His Spirit will speak directly to my spirit if I will listen.  He uses his word and world to lead me in his “good, pleasing, and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).  But he can lead only those who will follow.

When last did you learn from a fool?  From the wise?

Survivors and relatives of a shooting rampage mourn following a memorial service in the Oslo cathedral July 24, 2011. (Credit: Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay)

As each day passes, we learn more about Anders Behring Breivik.  As you know, last Friday he killed 76 people in the bloodiest act of terrorism Norway has seen since World War II.  Before launching his attacks, he posted to his Facebook page a 1,516-page document which explains his motive.

His manifesto blames multiculturalism for the destruction of Western culture.  In it he states, “I do not hate Muslims at all… This does not mean that I will accept an Islamic presence in Europe.  Muslim individuals who are not assimilated 100% by 2020 will be deported as soon as we manage to seize power.”

There is no question that resentment and anger towards Muslim immigrants is growing across Europe.  Political parties advocating anti-immigrant policies have won an increasing percentage of the popular vote in recent elections.  Migrants now compose 13% of the Swedish population and 8% in Denmark and Norway.  As immigrants change the culture of their society, frustration mounts.

Last fall, after the Swedish elections, a gunman shot at least 15 people in the city of Malmo, targeting people with dark skin.  Now Breivik is claiming that he has “two more cells” working with him.  What can we expect to come next?  As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, Americans worry about further attacks from foreign terrorists.  Now we must be concerned about terrorists in our midst—both those from different cultures who live here and those who resent their growing presence.

How do we live in a world where our neighbors can attack us out of anger at problems we did nothing to create?  We can learn some lessons from Israel.  Each time I travel in the Holy Land I am amazed by the tranquil way her citizens deal with the perils they face.  Their government maintains remarkable vigilance against potential enemies.  The people look to redeem what they confront, viewing their mandatory military service as valuable in maintaining their unity and common culture.

Most of all, they live in the present.  During a recent trip, I got to know a veteran of the 1973 Yom Kippur War and numerous battles since.  I asked him how he deals with the stress of his nation’s security situation.  He smiled and replied, “One day at a time.”  He described his home in Galilee and told me about his four daughters.  “Life each day is good,” he said.  “If this is it—if there is to be no future for us—I am glad to have today.”

If you’re a Christian, you’re in the hands of God today (John 10:28).  Nothing can come to you without going through him.  Don’t despair—all of God there is, is in this moment.  More tomorrow.

a blast from the past

I was walking in our neighborhood last Saturday morning and came across signs proclaiming: “Garage Sale Today, 7:30 to 1:00.”  It gave the address, but I had no idea where that is.  Janet would know, but I’m directionally challenged.  However, a few minutes later I happened to walk past the very house offering its treasures to the world.  So I turned around, went down the alley, and found the advertised sale.

It was a blast from the past.  Computer monitors larger than a sofa, tennis rackets from the era before they were the size of snowshoes, golf clubs with heads made of actual wood.  The only items they lacked were polyester leisure suits and white patent leather shoes.

Time changes things.  There was a day when everything now cluttering a garage floor was a sophisticated innovation.  The same will be true one day of the technology you and I are using today.  People will be as amazed that we had to type on our computers as we are that our grandparents lived before color television.

But God doesn’t change, nor does human nature.  The Bible is always relevant because it speaks to the unchanging fears we feel and problems we face.  Jesus will be with us always (Matthew 28:20), even when your computer has gone the way of the floppy disc.

The electric drill my grandfather bought for me

The NFL lockout has been called “millionaires deciding how to share billions.”  Since the NFL makes $9 billion a year and the average player salary is $1.8 million, it’s been hard to generate sympathy for either side.  The collective bargaining agreement expired on March 11.  The players filed a lawsuit against the owners, who locked out the players from their facilities.  Owners want to limit salaries; players want more money.

Showing that life imitates sport, the debt ceiling debate has likewise risen rancor on all sides.  Republicans want to cut spending, reform Medicare, and keep taxes low.  Democrats want to protect Medicare and raise revenues. Neither can have what it wants; both have the votes to block the other party’s agenda.  And yet, according to the United States Chamber of Commerce, “defaulting on our debt is not an option—it has real, immediate, and potentially catastrophic consequences.”

I have no expertise or experience with either subject—I threw my last pass while playing flag football in college, and Janet balances our checkbook so we don’t go to jail.  But I do find both debates oddly analogous to my electric drill.  Here’s why.

When I was walking in our neighborhood recently, I came upon a gigantic SUV parked in the street with this bumper sticker proudly displayed on its back window: “Borrowing tools is for the weak.”  I thought immediately of the drill my grandfather bought for me in my first year of marriage.

He was a carpenter for most of his life, having lost his farm during the Great Depression after fighting in World War I.  When he came to stay with us for a few days, he immediately wanted to see my tools.  I showed him the hammer and the socket set I received as wedding presents from well-intentioned friends who clearly overestimated my mechanical abilities.  He spotted immediately the absence of an electric drill.  Since such a device in my hands is a threat to humanity, I wasn’t in a hurry to obtain one.  He was.  No descendant of his could be without such an appliance.  He marched me down to the local hardware store and purchased the drill I still own today.  When I plug it in, Janet calls her friends to pray.  But at least I don’t have to borrow it from my neighbor.

Compromise is a sign of weakness in our polarized culture.  There are winners and losers and nothing in between.  In the midst of men as competitive as anyone in the NFL or Washington, Jesus chose to wash feet.  No Jew could be made to do this, not even a slave.  He washed the dust-caked, sweaty feet of the disciple who would betray him to be crucified, and the disciple who would deny knowing him, and the disciples who would abandon him.  And he told us to do the same: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15).

With this promise: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (v. 35).  Who will know that you’re a Christian today?

My latest technological challenge

Our office got a new refrigerator recently.  It dispenses and crushes ice, filters water, and dispenses that as well.  But there are two problems, both of which have so far proven nearly insurmountable for me.

First, you have to tell it which to do.  If you put your water bottle under the spigot but the “cubed ice” button is dispensed, icebergs began cascading onto the floor.  Second, once you remember to push the “water” button, you have to line up your water bottle where the water will be dispensed.  Since this tube is not visible from the front of the refrigerator, much trial and error is involved, along with mops and wet sleeves.  I’m closer to mastering this new technology than I was a week ago, but more practice is clearly needed.

It seems to me that our new refrigerator is a parable as well (as it should be, since it belongs to a ministry).  If I don’t tell my Father what I need from him, I have not because I ask not (James 4:2).  If I do not line up my life with his Spirit, he cannot give me what I ask or whatever is best.

I’ll be able to use our refrigerator with efficiency soon.  If only the same were true for my soul.