This month our home state of Iowa has been overwhelmed with too much rain and the rivers have spilled over their banks. The devastation caused by the floods has been front page news across the county. There are many sad stories along the rivers of Iowa. We pray for these people as they attempt to rebuild their water-soaked lives.
Natural destruction is a shocking thing.Last month, on Sunday, May 25, I was chased from study in the library at the University of Dubuque by the wail of storm warning horns. A powerful thunderhead that spawned a deadly tornado was nearby. I drove to my campus room and went promptly to the storm shelter. Fortunately for the doctoral students huddled in that room, the tornado did not come to Dubuque last Sunday. But, to our sadness, we later learned that a monster tornado hit several Iowa towns, most devastatingly Parkersburg, with tremendous fury.
The tornado that leveled half of Parkersburg and killed seven people was the strongest to hit Iowa in 32 years, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.
The twister wasthree-quarters of a mile wide with winds of up to 205 mph, and it tore a path through Parkersburg, New Hartford and Dunkerton. Damage also was reported in the Hazleton area. The weather service ranked it an EF5 — at the top of its scale.
“You just don’t see many of these around,” said Steve Teachout, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Johnston. “There was nothing to hold that storm down. It just blew up.”
The tornado was the worst in the United States since May 4, 2007, when an EF5 twister flattened Greensburg, Kan., killing 11 people with winds up to 205 mph. That storm spanned more than a mile and a half.
The National Weather Service also ranked Sunday’s storm as the second deadliest Class 5 tornado in Iowa since 1950. The deadliest twister hit the Charles City area on May 15, 1968, killing 13 people and injuring 462.
The storm destroyed 350 homes, and another 100 suffered “extensive damage,” Iowa Governor Chet Culver said. In Parkersburg alone, 288 homes were destroyed, he said.
In addition, Buchanan County suffered extensive flood damage from area rivers. In Lamont, 240 of the town’s 280 homes were damaged by flooding, Culver said.
Pictures show the immenstiy of this catastrophe that struck near us in Iowa. But pictures also show horror from a terrible earthquake in China and a cyclone in Myranmar. Around the world there is horror at natural disasters. I will never forget the coloassal damge of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004.
Sometimes such disasters bring a resentment towards God, but it is worth recalling that nothing that occurs in natural disasters tell us anything about the nature of our finite earthly existence of which we were not already entirely aware. We all die a human death sometime.
Still, we have great sadness at misery on so large a scale, and such occasions are spiriutally perplex. This is a broken world, and untill it is fully reconciled in Christ, God will allow earthquakes, floods, tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, typhoons, cyclones, mudslides, and other natural disasters. While I find it distressing that natural disasters are often termed “acts of God” while no “credit” is given to God for years, decades, or even centuries of peaceful weather, it is natural laws, broken by sin, that are in play in the natural disasters.
God created the whole universe and the laws of nature (Genesis 1:1). Most natural disasters are a result of these laws at work. Hurricanes, typhoons, and tornados are the results of divergent weather patterns colliding, some of which may be exacerbated by pollution and global warming. Earthquakes are the result of the earth’s plate structure shifting. A tsunami is caused by an underwater earthquake.
The Bible proclaims that Jesus Christ holds all of nature together (Colossians 1:16-17). Could God prevent natural disasters? Absolutely! Does God sometimes influence the weather? Yes, see Deuteronomy 11:17 and James 5:17. Does God sometimes cause natural disasters as a judgment against sin? Yes, see Numbers 16:30-34. The book of Revelation describes many events which could definitely be described as natural disasters (Revelation chapters 6, 8, and 16). Is every natural disaster a punishment from God? Absolutely not!
In much the same way that God allows evil people to commit evil acts, God allows the earth to demonstrate the consequences sin has had on Creation. Romans 8:19-21 tells us, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”
The fall of humanity into sin had effects on everything, including the universe we inhabit. Everything in Creation is subject to “frustration” and “decay.” Sin and brokeness in the world is the ultimate cause of natural disasters just as it is the cause of death, disease, and suffering.
We can understand why natural disasters occur. What we do not understand is why God allows them to occur. Why did God allow the tsunami to kill over 225,000 people in Asia? Why did God allow Hurricane Katrina to destroy the homes of hundreds of thousands of people? What we can know is this…God is good!
There are many amazing miracles, in instances of natural disaster, that occurred - preventing an even greater loss of life. Just think of the early warning systems we now have for tornadoes. 8 people died in the Iowa tornadoes of May 25, but without the warning system it would have been a much higher total.
Natural disasters cause millions of people to reevaluate their priorities in life. But another great thing is that hundreds of millions of dollars in aid is sent to help the people that are suffering.
Christian ministries, like the Presbyterian denomination, have sent releif teams to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. They have used the opportunity to help, minister, counsel, pray - and lead people to saving faith in Christ! God can, and does, bring great good out of terrible tragedies (Romans 8:28).
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Natural Disasters in a Broken World
This month our home state of Iowa has been overwhelmed with too much rain and the rivers have spilled over their banks. The devastation caused by the floods has been front page news across the county. There are many sad stories along the rivers of Iowa. We pray for these people as they attempt to rebuild their water-soaked lives.
Natural destruction is a shocking thing.Last month, on Sunday, May 25, I was chased from study in the library at the University of Dubuque by the wail of storm warning horns. A powerful thunderhead that spawned a deadly tornado was nearby. I drove to my campus room and went promptly to the storm shelter. Fortunately for the doctoral students huddled in that room, the tornado did not come to Dubuque last Sunday. But, to our sadness, we later learned that a monster tornado hit several Iowa towns, most devastatingly Parkersburg, with tremendous fury.
The tornado that leveled half of Parkersburg and killed seven people was the strongest to hit Iowa in 32 years, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.
The twister wasthree-quarters of a mile wide with winds of up to 205 mph, and it tore a path through Parkersburg, New Hartford and Dunkerton. Damage also was reported in the Hazleton area. The weather service ranked it an EF5 — at the top of its scale.
“You just don’t see many of these around,” said Steve Teachout, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Johnston. “There was nothing to hold that storm down. It just blew up.”
The tornado was the worst in the United States since May 4, 2007, when an EF5 twister flattened Greensburg, Kan., killing 11 people with winds up to 205 mph. That storm spanned more than a mile and a half.
The National Weather Service also ranked Sunday’s storm as the second deadliest Class 5 tornado in Iowa since 1950. The deadliest twister hit the Charles City area on May 15, 1968, killing 13 people and injuring 462.
The storm destroyed 350 homes, and another 100 suffered “extensive damage,” Iowa Governor Chet Culver said. In Parkersburg alone, 288 homes were destroyed, he said.
In addition, Buchanan County suffered extensive flood damage from area rivers. In Lamont, 240 of the town’s 280 homes were damaged by flooding, Culver said.
Pictures show the immenstiy of this catastrophe that struck near us in Iowa. But pictures also show horror from a terrible earthquake in China and a cyclone in Myranmar. Around the world there is horror at natural disasters. I will never forget the coloassal damge of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004.
Sometimes such disasters bring a resentment towards God, but it is worth recalling that nothing that occurs in natural disasters tell us anything about the nature of our finite earthly existence of which we were not already entirely aware. We all die a human death sometime.
Still, we have great sadness at misery on so large a scale, and such occasions are spiriutally perplex. This is a broken world, and untill it is fully reconciled in Christ, God will allow earthquakes, floods, tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, typhoons, cyclones, mudslides, and other natural disasters. While I find it distressing that natural disasters are often termed “acts of God” while no “credit” is given to God for years, decades, or even centuries of peaceful weather, it is natural laws, broken by sin, that are in play in the natural disasters.
God created the whole universe and the laws of nature (Genesis 1:1). Most natural disasters are a result of these laws at work. Hurricanes, typhoons, and tornados are the results of divergent weather patterns colliding, some of which may be exacerbated by pollution and global warming. Earthquakes are the result of the earth’s plate structure shifting. A tsunami is caused by an underwater earthquake.
The Bible proclaims that Jesus Christ holds all of nature together (Colossians 1:16-17). Could God prevent natural disasters? Absolutely! Does God sometimes influence the weather? Yes, see Deuteronomy 11:17 and James 5:17. Does God sometimes cause natural disasters as a judgment against sin? Yes, see Numbers 16:30-34. The book of Revelation describes many events which could definitely be described as natural disasters (Revelation chapters 6, 8, and 16). Is every natural disaster a punishment from God? Absolutely not!
In much the same way that God allows evil people to commit evil acts, God allows the earth to demonstrate the consequences sin has had on Creation. Romans 8:19-21 tells us, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”
The fall of humanity into sin had effects on everything, including the universe we inhabit. Everything in Creation is subject to “frustration” and “decay.” Sin and brokeness in the world is the ultimate cause of natural disasters just as it is the cause of death, disease, and suffering.
We can understand why natural disasters occur. What we do not understand is why God allows them to occur. Why did God allow the tsunami to kill over 225,000 people in Asia? Why did God allow Hurricane Katrina to destroy the homes of hundreds of thousands of people? What we can know is this…God is good!
There are many amazing miracles, in instances of natural disaster, that occurred - preventing an even greater loss of life. Just think of the early warning systems we now have for tornadoes. 8 people died in the Iowa tornadoes of May 25, but without the warning system it would have been a much higher total.
Natural disasters cause millions of people to reevaluate their priorities in life. But another great thing is that hundreds of millions of dollars in aid is sent to help the people that are suffering.
Christian ministries, like the Presbyterian denomination, have sent releif teams to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. They have used the opportunity to help, minister, counsel, pray - and lead people to saving faith in Christ! God can, and does, bring great good out of terrible tragedies (Romans 8:28.
Natural destruction is a shocking thing.Last month, on Sunday, May 25, I was chased from study in the library at the University of Dubuque by the wail of storm warning horns. A powerful thunderhead that spawned a deadly tornado was nearby. I drove to my campus room and went promptly to the storm shelter. Fortunately for the doctoral students huddled in that room, the tornado did not come to Dubuque last Sunday. But, to our sadness, we later learned that a monster tornado hit several Iowa towns, most devastatingly Parkersburg, with tremendous fury.
The tornado that leveled half of Parkersburg and killed seven people was the strongest to hit Iowa in 32 years, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.
The twister wasthree-quarters of a mile wide with winds of up to 205 mph, and it tore a path through Parkersburg, New Hartford and Dunkerton. Damage also was reported in the Hazleton area. The weather service ranked it an EF5 — at the top of its scale.
“You just don’t see many of these around,” said Steve Teachout, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Johnston. “There was nothing to hold that storm down. It just blew up.”
The tornado was the worst in the United States since May 4, 2007, when an EF5 twister flattened Greensburg, Kan., killing 11 people with winds up to 205 mph. That storm spanned more than a mile and a half.
The National Weather Service also ranked Sunday’s storm as the second deadliest Class 5 tornado in Iowa since 1950. The deadliest twister hit the Charles City area on May 15, 1968, killing 13 people and injuring 462.
The storm destroyed 350 homes, and another 100 suffered “extensive damage,” Iowa Governor Chet Culver said. In Parkersburg alone, 288 homes were destroyed, he said.
In addition, Buchanan County suffered extensive flood damage from area rivers. In Lamont, 240 of the town’s 280 homes were damaged by flooding, Culver said.
Pictures show the immenstiy of this catastrophe that struck near us in Iowa. But pictures also show horror from a terrible earthquake in China and a cyclone in Myranmar. Around the world there is horror at natural disasters. I will never forget the coloassal damge of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004.
Sometimes such disasters bring a resentment towards God, but it is worth recalling that nothing that occurs in natural disasters tell us anything about the nature of our finite earthly existence of which we were not already entirely aware. We all die a human death sometime.
Still, we have great sadness at misery on so large a scale, and such occasions are spiriutally perplex. This is a broken world, and untill it is fully reconciled in Christ, God will allow earthquakes, floods, tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, typhoons, cyclones, mudslides, and other natural disasters. While I find it distressing that natural disasters are often termed “acts of God” while no “credit” is given to God for years, decades, or even centuries of peaceful weather, it is natural laws, broken by sin, that are in play in the natural disasters.
God created the whole universe and the laws of nature (Genesis 1:1). Most natural disasters are a result of these laws at work. Hurricanes, typhoons, and tornados are the results of divergent weather patterns colliding, some of which may be exacerbated by pollution and global warming. Earthquakes are the result of the earth’s plate structure shifting. A tsunami is caused by an underwater earthquake.
The Bible proclaims that Jesus Christ holds all of nature together (Colossians 1:16-17). Could God prevent natural disasters? Absolutely! Does God sometimes influence the weather? Yes, see Deuteronomy 11:17 and James 5:17. Does God sometimes cause natural disasters as a judgment against sin? Yes, see Numbers 16:30-34. The book of Revelation describes many events which could definitely be described as natural disasters (Revelation chapters 6, 8, and 16). Is every natural disaster a punishment from God? Absolutely not!
In much the same way that God allows evil people to commit evil acts, God allows the earth to demonstrate the consequences sin has had on Creation. Romans 8:19-21 tells us, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”
The fall of humanity into sin had effects on everything, including the universe we inhabit. Everything in Creation is subject to “frustration” and “decay.” Sin and brokeness in the world is the ultimate cause of natural disasters just as it is the cause of death, disease, and suffering.
We can understand why natural disasters occur. What we do not understand is why God allows them to occur. Why did God allow the tsunami to kill over 225,000 people in Asia? Why did God allow Hurricane Katrina to destroy the homes of hundreds of thousands of people? What we can know is this…God is good!
There are many amazing miracles, in instances of natural disaster, that occurred - preventing an even greater loss of life. Just think of the early warning systems we now have for tornadoes. 8 people died in the Iowa tornadoes of May 25, but without the warning system it would have been a much higher total.
Natural disasters cause millions of people to reevaluate their priorities in life. But another great thing is that hundreds of millions of dollars in aid is sent to help the people that are suffering.
Christian ministries, like the Presbyterian denomination, have sent releif teams to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. They have used the opportunity to help, minister, counsel, pray - and lead people to saving faith in Christ! God can, and does, bring great good out of terrible tragedies (Romans 8:28.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
A New Kind of Christian
One of the more interesting books I have read is Brian McClaren's A New Kind of Christian. It is sure to make most Christians reflect on the pressent state of the church, and where God may be leading us.Starting with the introduction, the reader realizes that A New Kind of Christian is not the run-of-the-mill Christian book. Author McLaren, an evangelical pastor, tells a story and uses his narrative to convey his ideas and opinions.
But let us look at another famous Christian storyteller: our Lord Jesus. The Lord often told stories to convey the truths he was teaching his followers. We call them parables. Are we to say that he didn't have an agenda? Of course he had a plan: he came to seek and save the lost.
Jesus effectively used narratives to force his listeners to grapple with the issue at hand. But a lot of time, even his closest disciples could not understand what he was talking about. In those cases, Jesus would stop and explain his point for them.
The main characters of the book are Dan Poole and Neil Everett Oliver
In order to understand the story, we must start with the characters. McLaren's story centers around an Evangelical pastor, Dan Poole, who is becoming disillusioned with his church, his ministry, and even the gospel. The narrative picks up when he meets Dr. Neil Everett Oliver, a high school science teacher who seems to understand what he is going through.
On one level the relationship between Poole and Oliver can be understood as something of an allegory. Pastor Dan represents today's disaffected evangelical church and Dr. Oliver, who insists on being called Neo (the Greek prefix for new), is none-too-subtly cast as a prophet for a new, postmodern Christianity.
Through this allegorical subtext and the conversations these two characters share, McLaren articulates a revolutionary vision of how the Church should accommodate itself to the changes going on in the culture.
The setting of the book is the dawn of a new age in the church. Neo leads Pastor Dan into an understanding of postmodernity. His first objective is to prove that such an age exists, that Christendom, the age in which the society at large, and institutions like government, supported the church, is over.
So McLaren has Neo, a history buff, present a Cliff's Notes version of history; explaining that the era of modernity is coming to a close and postmodernity is dawning. Neo claims that the year 2000 AD is a pivotal turning point just like 1500 AD. Appropriating the consensus that 1500 marked a shift from Medieval times to the Modern era, McLaren wants the reader to believe that finally, in the year 2000, the stars have aligned for the birth of a new era.
For both 1500 and 2000, seven categories of crisis are listed: a new communication technology, a new scientific worldview, a new intellectual elite, a new transportation technology that "shrinks" the globe, the transition of economic systems, a new military technology, and a revolutionary religious movement.
McLaren points to the "emerging church" movement of today,forwarding the ministry of Jesus in new and different ways,as the people of God in a post-Christendom context, as a new kind of reformation, producing a more enlightened, empowered Christian. There is a lot to think about in this book. Give it a read sometime.
But let us look at another famous Christian storyteller: our Lord Jesus. The Lord often told stories to convey the truths he was teaching his followers. We call them parables. Are we to say that he didn't have an agenda? Of course he had a plan: he came to seek and save the lost.
Jesus effectively used narratives to force his listeners to grapple with the issue at hand. But a lot of time, even his closest disciples could not understand what he was talking about. In those cases, Jesus would stop and explain his point for them.
The main characters of the book are Dan Poole and Neil Everett Oliver
In order to understand the story, we must start with the characters. McLaren's story centers around an Evangelical pastor, Dan Poole, who is becoming disillusioned with his church, his ministry, and even the gospel. The narrative picks up when he meets Dr. Neil Everett Oliver, a high school science teacher who seems to understand what he is going through.
On one level the relationship between Poole and Oliver can be understood as something of an allegory. Pastor Dan represents today's disaffected evangelical church and Dr. Oliver, who insists on being called Neo (the Greek prefix for new), is none-too-subtly cast as a prophet for a new, postmodern Christianity.
Through this allegorical subtext and the conversations these two characters share, McLaren articulates a revolutionary vision of how the Church should accommodate itself to the changes going on in the culture.
The setting of the book is the dawn of a new age in the church. Neo leads Pastor Dan into an understanding of postmodernity. His first objective is to prove that such an age exists, that Christendom, the age in which the society at large, and institutions like government, supported the church, is over.
So McLaren has Neo, a history buff, present a Cliff's Notes version of history; explaining that the era of modernity is coming to a close and postmodernity is dawning. Neo claims that the year 2000 AD is a pivotal turning point just like 1500 AD. Appropriating the consensus that 1500 marked a shift from Medieval times to the Modern era, McLaren wants the reader to believe that finally, in the year 2000, the stars have aligned for the birth of a new era.
For both 1500 and 2000, seven categories of crisis are listed: a new communication technology, a new scientific worldview, a new intellectual elite, a new transportation technology that "shrinks" the globe, the transition of economic systems, a new military technology, and a revolutionary religious movement.
McLaren points to the "emerging church" movement of today,forwarding the ministry of Jesus in new and different ways,as the people of God in a post-Christendom context, as a new kind of reformation, producing a more enlightened, empowered Christian. There is a lot to think about in this book. Give it a read sometime.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Join the Barnabus Movement!
Join us in the Barnabus movement. Be a son or a daughter of encouragement. Practice radical acts of kindness in the name of Jesus. Serve Jesus with a glad heart. Brighten people's lives with a smile, a hug, and a kind word.
We could certainly use more kindness and courtesy in our country today.I believe we are called to practice deliberate kindness, inspired acts of beauty and beautiful acts of love. We are called to perform acts that respond to the serious needs of real people, acts that reveal the beauty of God and His ways, acts that rely on and point to the power and purpose of God to redeem us from evil and to bring about the Kingdom of God. Through such acts, God is glorified and the love of Christ is shown to a doubting and hurting world.
The movement for magnified and multiplied Christian kindness gets its name from Barnabus, the missionary partner of Paul, who we meet in Acts 4: "36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of encouragement,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet." We are called to be people of encouragement and consolation, too!
Author Jim Kok, who wrote "The Miracle of Kindness," calls on us to join in the power kindness movement. Encouragement is "in courage ment": helping another to take a hold of God's courage in the midst of a challenge or difficulty. We all deal with disappointments, stresses, or hurts everyday and so we need encouragement from one another. There are so many ways to give encouragement to others:
Sharing a "good thought" or Bible verse that blesses others.
Asking someone, "How are you?" and really listening with your heart.
Responding with patience and kindness when someone is mean to you.
Letting someone cut in front of you on the freeway.
Praying for someone even though they don't know it.
Inviting someone who is lonely to have a meal with you.
Volunteering to help clean up after an event.
Giving a generous tip to your waiter at the restaurant.
Offering specific words of appreciation when someone helps you - encourage the encourager!
Simply offering a friendly smile to a stranger can do wonders!
Letting people know how much they mean to you while they are still alive. Do not wait to send flowers. Send encouragement now!
We could certainly use more kindness and courtesy in our country today.I believe we are called to practice deliberate kindness, inspired acts of beauty and beautiful acts of love. We are called to perform acts that respond to the serious needs of real people, acts that reveal the beauty of God and His ways, acts that rely on and point to the power and purpose of God to redeem us from evil and to bring about the Kingdom of God. Through such acts, God is glorified and the love of Christ is shown to a doubting and hurting world.
The movement for magnified and multiplied Christian kindness gets its name from Barnabus, the missionary partner of Paul, who we meet in Acts 4: "36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of encouragement,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet." We are called to be people of encouragement and consolation, too!
Author Jim Kok, who wrote "The Miracle of Kindness," calls on us to join in the power kindness movement. Encouragement is "in courage ment": helping another to take a hold of God's courage in the midst of a challenge or difficulty. We all deal with disappointments, stresses, or hurts everyday and so we need encouragement from one another. There are so many ways to give encouragement to others:
Sharing a "good thought" or Bible verse that blesses others.
Asking someone, "How are you?" and really listening with your heart.
Responding with patience and kindness when someone is mean to you.
Letting someone cut in front of you on the freeway.
Praying for someone even though they don't know it.
Inviting someone who is lonely to have a meal with you.
Volunteering to help clean up after an event.
Giving a generous tip to your waiter at the restaurant.
Offering specific words of appreciation when someone helps you - encourage the encourager!
Simply offering a friendly smile to a stranger can do wonders!
Letting people know how much they mean to you while they are still alive. Do not wait to send flowers. Send encouragement now!
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