Carl Trueman on technology

Carl 'flippin ace' Trueman writes about online communities:

Further, as the language of friendship is hijacked and cheapened by these internet social networks, this cheapening itself is part and parcel of a redefining of intimacy based upon the erosion of the boundaries between the public and private. Self-obsessed exhibitionist celebrities have for many years had the option of the Oprah-style chat show, where they can parade their dirty laundry for all to see; lowlifes have had Jerry Springer and Big Brother and a myriad of `reality TV' shows; but now, with blogs and social network pages, anyone with a computer can continuously flaunt their private lives and conversations, from the boring and trivial to the weird and perverted, for a potentially countless (and faceless) multitude to see.
Now, notions of privacy have always been fluid; but we stand at a point in history where the private could be potentially abolished in its entirety.

I think he's writing in very broad brushstrokes, but he's got a point. What really bugs me is people who complain about Facebook using a Facebook group! You don't have to sign up, if you don't like it, leave! I've also never received an ounce of spam resulting from Facebook, or been worried that my personal details have been sold to some evil multinational.

I do sound like an addict now don't i?

Facemark

Mark Driscoll is on Facebook.

According to the video on his profile he's going to use the page to deal with some 'issues and controversies' as well as answering some of the questions that arise on the page. With the 'ask anything' preaching series coming up in January, i'm sure this will be interesting. It's cool to see Facebook being used in this way, i'm sure mark will do it well.

Also i'm currently reading and enjoying 'Signs of the Spirit' Sam Storms' interpretation if Edwards' 'Religious Affections'. Its making me love Jesus very much, and remember that He is the centre of all real Christian experience and affection. It's probably too late to make it onto my Top 7 of 07 book list...but then again it wouldn't be the only book in there i'm yet to finish...

Facebook apologetics

This is my response to a question posed on facebook: 'if all of scripture if God breathed, why don't we still obey the commands in Leviticus?' It was partucularly in reference to Lev 20:13, Lev 20:18 and Deut 22:23-29... i don't think it's perfect, but it's a start:

I think there are four points i’d like to make:

1) Jesus, after his ressurection told His disciples that all the Old Testament was about Him. All the law points to Him, and he fulfills is all. That includes Leviticus, which you quoted from. So somehow the laws that you pointed out were fulfilled in Christ, and point towards Christ.

2) The law was given to Israel to communicate to them the holiness of their God (our God, THE God) and to show them and help them to live distinctive lives as a nation. Indeed it was their failure to be distinct that meant that God judged them and took them into exile in babylon. Circumcision that you mention is a particularly good example of this, as it was intituted as a mark of the covenant that God made with Abraham. We no longer need to cirucmsize our children on the eigth day because Christians how have the Holy Spirit working in them as a mark and deposit of our faith. In the same sense this is what we need to know the holiness of our God, and be distinct (hopefully) as a people. The old agreement written on stone has passed away, the new agreement is written on our hearts and will last forever.

3) At the sermon on the mount Jesus sums up the law in two commands: love God, and love your neighbour. Jesus cuts down the hundreds of laws and commands in the Old testament to just two. But the question arises ‘how can God claim to be consistent and then change these things?’ Firstly, because the plan ALL ALONG was to have Jesus crucified to fulfill the law, glorify God and bring people into relationship with Him. The obediance of Christ in fulfilling all the law has now been imputed into Christians, so that they are counted in Him to have fulfilled the law. Which makes sense of the commands of the sermon on the mount to love God and your neighbour...how could we not given all that Christ has done for us?!

4) Paul says in his letter to the Roman church that the reason Israel failed to fulfill the law was because they persued it as though it were by works, by what they could do to impress God, rather than by faith, that is by wholehearted, humbling reliance on God. So it is not that God is unjust in giving the law, or that no one in the old testmant was saved, because many were as they persued it by faith...but that Israel got it wrong. They got God wrong, and His law wrong. Christ got both of those right, He is faithful where we are not, He is our substitute.
I was once told that we need to read the OT through the lense of Christ. Thats what i’ve tried to do here, i hope it’s been helpful…

its come to this

If you've visited my facebook profile recently, you'll have noticed something... Thats right, my religious views box is empty. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to look at my profile and work out that i'm a Christian, but i want to leave my 'religious views' bit blank. Two of my favourite religious views belong to Dave Bish, who considers himself a 'joyseeker' (amen) and Tom Price who 'doesn't believe in myself'. (amen). They tell the story of what it means to be a Christian much better than the word 'Christian' does. Not only because the word has so many bad connotations (and i'm not going all postmodern and claiming we need to get rid of the word, we need to reclaim it) and also, because Christianity really isn't a religion.

Here are two things i often think about writing on my profile when i'm feeling brave:

Religion is stupid.

Think about it. Most religions will tell you that God is omniscient and omnipotent. Normally, but not always, he's holy and good as well. But here's the thing, you have to go to a certain place at a certain time to worship him. And as long as you do that, and keep the rules you'll be fine. And you'll go to heaven, Now, there is a vast charicture of the worlds religions, but not a totally inaccurate one. But isn't it stupid? Doesn't 'religion' ignore the very things about God, namely His goodness and holiness that it professes to espouse? How can our works ever be good enough if God is really Holy, like we claim and hope He is? What low standards he must have is what we claim to do in religion is really good enough. And if God is loving, how can He compromise himself by lowering His standards? His standard must be 100%, and we just can't do that, no matter how religious we are, we will never, ever live the perfect life all the time. Our consciousness gives testimony to that. Religion is stupid because we don't need rules and tasks and humans comfort, we need a rescue. We need Jesus.

Religion will never be the answer.

Our hearts are satisfaction hungry. Jesus Christ is glory worthy. The best news i've ever heard, second to the Gospel itself, is that there is no division between God's desire and right to be first and all in my heart, and my hearts overwhelming desire for satisfaction. Our hearts were designed for a relationship with Jesus. Nothing more, nothing less. Thats why we try and fill the gap with anything and everything we can; greed, anger, sexual promiscuity, all of which tragically drag us further away from who we need. Jesus. And religion will never provide that relationship. Christianity can't be something you do 'religiously' it has to be embracing the promises of God and the God of the promises, delighting in those truths and having your heart satisfied by them. Religion will never satisfy. It may comfort, it may build up, but it will never quell the deepest longing of our hearts. Religion is not the answer...faith in Christ that spills over unstoppably into good works, thats the answer.