Earthquake of Change

Living in Taiwan introduced me to the fact that life is unstable in so many different ways. Experiencing earthquakes in Taiwan drove home this fact repeatedly. The tectonic plates shift under you. The earth moves. The towers and skyscrapers that man has built sway as the earth convulses and moves. It is unsettling. It is disturbing. It is downright frightening.

In similar ways the tectonic plates that Western culture is built upon are shifting. The earth is moving under us and the cultural, religious, social, and psychological phenomena can be just as unsettling as the natural phenomenon is. Change is taking place so rapidly that as soon as you purchase a new laptop its ready for an upgrade!

As the Church we need to interpret our culture and our context and it is just as important to get this interpretation right as it is getting our interpretation of scripture correct. In order to communicate the never failing truth of scripture into our culture both the Bible and society must be interpreted. Over the last several years the burden of my heart and the majority of my studies have been focused upon the revolutionary changes occurring.

Professor of Theology George Hunter III Says:

A host of New Barbarians substantially populate the Western world once again; indeed, they are all around us. Many of them are “secular”; that is, they have never been substantially influenced by the Christian religion; they have no Christian memory and no church to “return” to. Many have never acquired a “church etiquette” (They would not know where to stand, or where to find Second Corinthians, or what to say to the pastor after the service), and they are not “civilized” or “refined” enough to fit and feel comfortable in the church down the street. Often, they are thought to lack “class.” They may have unshined shoes or body odour or grease under their fingernails; in conversation, they might split an infinitive or utter an expletive. Many New Barbarians are addicted, and their lives are at least sometimes out of control around some substance, such as alcohol or cocaine, or some process such as sex or gambling. Many Western cities appear to be taken over by the New Barbarians.

If Hunter is correct, and I believe he is, then a new kind of people are emerging signified by these "New Barbarians". A new race if you will. Am I overstating the case? Perhaps but I have a hunch that I am not doing so. From all fronts scholars are in agreement. This is not simply a generation gap that is taking place in Western culture. A sociological, psychological, cultural earthquake is shaking the very foundations of thought in the West.

We are changing.

How is the church responding to this massive change? How should we respond?

What do you think?

---

From the Desiring God Blog on the Olympics

Pray for China During the Olympics

August 8, 2008 | By: Abraham Piper
Category: Commentary, International Outreach

This post is by a friend of ours working in Beijing.

* * *

For 1000 days, the countdown clock has been ticking, and now the day is finally here—the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The opening ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 8PM, on this 8th day of the 8th month in the year 2008.

Yes, the number 8 is very auspicious in traditional Chinese culture. Having lived in this city for the past 10 years, it has been interesting to watch Beijing re-invent itself before these games—from slighly frumpy and insecure to brash and confident.

And now the city is ready. The buildings have been painted; the flowers (40 million of them) are arranged neatly; the cabbies have new uniforms; the volunteers are all smiling; and the security forces are in place.

What will the next two weeks bring? Fame and disappointment for athletes; fun and excitement for fans; ulcers and headaches for the leadership of the country as they work hard to live up to their promise of a "safe Olympics."

Another thing that the coming weeks will bring is prayer. To help with the worldwide prayer effort, I would like to recommend a resource that can be used during the games. "China Games and Beyond" (PDF) is a 40-day prayer journal designed to focus prayer on China during the Olympic and Paraolympic games that run from August 8 to September 17. (You can also order a hard copy.)

Each day features a specific sport and prayer requests for Chinese athletes and coaches as well as the Chinese church. Each entry also includes a meditation and prayer from John Piper's Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ and questions for reflection.

I have tickets to join in some of the sporting fun, including men's 100 meter finals, and men's basketball finals. I can hardly wait. But as thousands enjoy the games, my prayer is this—that we will be kept from the idolatry of athletes and the idolatry of country.

There is glory to be seen in these games, but it belongs to the Creator alone.

---

There Can Be Joy in the Journey No Matter The Season of the Soul

Friend, let us reflect and live a life which exalts the supremacy of God in all things. The ultimate purpose of our lives is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. It is "desiring the vast, ocean-deep pleasures of God more than the mud-puddle pleasures of sin". (John Piper)

Beijing Olympics

I had the opportunity to watch the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing yesterday. What an incredible piece of work and how symbolic.

On 08/08/08 Chinese people all over the world watched with excitement. The timing is no coincidence as 8 in Chinese culture is considered lucky and hence to welcome the world to its doorstep on this auspicious day is a sure sign for the Chinese. I encourage you and everyone else to Pray for China. As I sat watching I couldn't help be moved by the hopes and dreams of such a mass of people.

Surely God loves them.

Although I am an American my wife and three children (All born in Taiwan) are Chinese from the island of Taiwan. I spent ten years in Asia, mostly in Taiwan, China, Malaysia and Singapore. I couldn't help be drawn into something I associate with and think about on a regular basis...the current state and future of the Chinese people. Lets pray that this becomes an opportunity not only for the world but for human rights abuses to be corrected, for social justice to be experienced and lived, and for the kingdom of God to come to China along with Olympic athletes.

The winds of change are blowing.

The Second Cup

Hi Web Fiends and Friends. I will try to be writing as regularly as possible. I have friends and colleagues who are full-time pastors, seminary professors, dads and husbands all at the same time and manage their time well (From my perspective) and still write blogs so I am confident that I have enough time, more than enough in fact to regularly contribute to what I imagine will be a great site at a future date.

I am currently gathering data for my M.Th dissertation which is a 20,000 word paper. My topic will be on Homiletics. This is the techinical, academic term for preaching. My study is intended to research how we who believe we are called to preach can effectivley reach a generation that is longer logos-centric (Word Oriented) but is ikon-centric (Image-Oriented). What value is preaching in a world where we retain very little of what we hear, use movies and TV shows to interpret our lives instead of an ancient text, and are more interested in our own personal narratives than we are in an overarching meta-narrative (Big Story) that purports to be the only true story there is? Hmnnn? Should I just give up my calling and sell used cars? Me thinks not!

I am convinced that the Biblical story is the only one that makes complete sense of my story and everyone elses story as well. There I said it. Whew! The pressure I was under. Yes. I believe the Bible is 100 % accurate and that it tells us of the Love of God towards a fallen world who does not desreve this love yet gets it anyway. I believe that preaching is a critical, crucial, and essential means to tell people this big story of Gods love and form them spiritually into the image or Ikon of God--Jesus Christ! Of course there are other means in addition to preaching that effect this transformation, means that work interdependantly with preaching but my point is that preaching is still effective, life changing, and spiritually alive.

More to come Webheads! Stay tuned.