Extreme Makeover? (Part II)

My wife, Alice, recently posted about the ridiculous nature of all of those "makeovers" that we see on TV or in magazines. Her article is called "Extreme Makeover?" You need to take a look at it; even I laughed at her pictures.

In looking at her photos, one thing that struck me was all of the work that women in our culture (and in most cultures for that matter) have to go through just to make themselves look socially acceptable. At the same time, men have to do very little. For that I am happy. You can see in my pictures below that I barely had to do anything to go from "before" to "after." Alice was both amused and disgusted with my whole transformation process.


If nothing else, I suppose we can all be happy that the Lord does not care about outward appearances. I Samuel 16:6-7 tells us the following: When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (ESV)

Systems analysis/Scripture must reign supreme

I realize the title of this post is a bit boring. However, the "system" I am referring to is Calvinism (sometimes referred to as "The Doctrines of Grace" or "TULIP").

Within the Southern Baptist Convention, the big current debate is whether or not Calvinism hurts churches and harms evangelism and missions. Leaders within the convention do not agree on Calvinism. Some have made very public, disparaging comments about Calvinism.

One of the biggest criticisms is that Calvinism should be rejected because it is a "system." Because it is a system, so the thinking goes, it cannot be fair to scripture.

My question, however, is this: Don't we all hold to some system of beliefs? Some people will say, "I just believe the Bible." That sounds good, but what does it mean? There are, after all, many interpretations of scripture. We have cults, cults, and more cults that prove that to be true.

So why is Calvinism rejected just because it may be a system of beliefs? Let's take a quick look at the 5 points of Calvinism (TULIP):

Total Depravity - You probably believe that the bible teaches that man is sinful. How sinful do you consider man to be?

Unconditional Election - You know that the bible says that God "elects" those who are saved. How do you interpret this? Do you think God chooses man, or does man choose God?

Limited Atonement - You probably believe that Christ's death at least paid for the sins of all who are saved. Do you think Jesus' death covers only those who are His followers, or does it cover the sins of all people?

Irresistible Grace - You believe God is gracious. Do you believe His saving grace can be resisted or not?

Perseverance of the Saints - You certainly believe that some people are saved. Once they are saved, do you believe they can reject this salvation?

You see, we all hold beliefs related to at least some of these issues. We also believe something about Jesus, heaven, baptism, the Holy Spirit, the church, the Lord's Supper, the rapture, the Trinity, the bible, and many others.

All of your beliefs come together to form a sort of system. Should your beliefs be automatically rejected by others because of this? What if someone said that the Trinity was a system? Would you then reject the Trinity?

I think we can all agree that our source of truth is the bible. That is the key. Whatever we believe should come straight from the scriptures. If anything does not line up with what the bible says, then that belief should be rejected.

Let me challenge you to compare Calvinism with what the bible teaches. Are the above 5 points true or not? Do they line up with scripture or not? Is God sovereign over salvation, or is He not?

Please do not believe something simply because you have heard it here or there, sometime in your past. Please honestly compare what you believe (regarding Calvinism or other issues) with what the bible simply says. As best you can, try to avoid coming up with complicated explanations for what a particular bible verse might mean. I've found that the simplest, most straight-forward meaning of the biblical text is usually what it means.

Every time I read the bible, I have to remind myself that I do not yet "have it all figured out." I doubt I ever will, at least on this side of heaven. So when I next open the bible, what if a belief I hold comes in conflict with the bible? If that is the case, I will have a belief to change.

Compare your system of beliefs with the bible. If there is conflict, the bible must win.

Merely excellent

I just completed C. S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity." It's excellent. If you haven't done so, read it. It will be worth your time. I'll say no more since so many of you have already enjoyed this classic.

Tybee Island, Georgia

A few days ago, Caroline, Mary and I drove 20 minutes east of Savannah to Tybee Island. We have always enjoyed going to the ocean at Tybee because of the relatively uncrowded beaches. We had not been to Tybee in quite a while, and wanted to do something fun. Alice and Bobby were stuck in the hospital, so we had to go without them. We had a blast walking on sand bars, looking for shells, and getting wetter than we meant to. We walked out to the end of the Tybee pier to see if the fishermen were having any success; I don't think they were. As an added bonus, some folks were flying kites that evening, so we strolled farther down the beach to look at them. Enjoy the photos!

Happy Mother's Day!

I know 4 women who, in particular, fit what you see below. They are my mother (Charlotte), my wife (Alice), my mother-in-law (Ruth), and my sister (Esther). I love you all very much!


From Proverbs 31, the text is originally a 22 verse Hebrew acrostic, each verse beginning with a different Hebrew letter. This abridged version is punctuated with "jewels" of Hebrew letter forms. The center heading is "Eishet Chayil," a woman of valor. --Michael Noyes

Does your presidential favorite believe in evolution?

Take a look at this article to see where your candidate stands on the issue of evolution. Would you vote for someone who believes in evolution? Does it matter?

O.K., you may have not yet decided who you will vote for because the election is so far away. Also, you may be voting for a Democrat and this article only focuses on Republicans. Regardless, it is important to know where the candidates stand on more issues than just Iraq.

Catholicism & Hinduism: 10 Similarities

I know everyone will not be happy with this post. That's fine - healthy discussion is usually a very good thing.

After having lived in the USA and India, I have been exposed first hand to both Catholicism and Hinduism. This pertains to both belief and practice. Let me say first of all that not all Catholics believe the same things or practice in the same ways. This is also true for Hindus. Therefore, the following 10 similarities are generalizations based upon what I have experienced both here in America and in South Asia.

I'd also like to point out that we have friends who are Catholics, and friends who are Hindus. This post is not intended to be an assault on either religion, but rather a comment on similarities that I have observed.

That said, here we go:

Ten Similarities:

1) Repeated sacrifice - At every Catholic Mass, Jesus is again "sacrificed." This is why the elements of the Mass are literally thought to be Christ's body and blood. When Hindus go to temple, they have to perform some sort of sacrifice, usually presenting some sort of offering to the gods.

2) Rituals - The Mass itself is a type of ritual. Also, the Rosary is one of the most well-known rituals of the Catholic faith. At a Hindu temple, various rituals are performed such as ringing a bell to wake the gods, bowing before the gods, and chanting different mantras.

3) Prayer to multiple saints/gods - Many Catholics (not all) pray to various saints within the Catholic church. Most Hindus (not all) pray to various gods within the Hindu pantheon. Some of the most popular are Shiva, Vishnu, Lakshmi, and Ganesh.

4) Priests - both Catholics and Hindus must go through a priest to get to god. There is no direct access to any god.


5) Cathedral/Temple - In both religions, all important practices occur at some type of building. There is little encouragement for meeting in homes because priests cannot be at multiple homes at the same time.

6) Images & Icons - In Catholic churches, pictures and statues of saints are common-place. These typically receive veneration. At any Hindu temple, there will be multiple statues of the various gods. These will include Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesh, Hanuman, Lakshmi, Durga, and others.

7) Works-based salvation - In both Catholicism and Hinduism, salvation is based, at least in part, upon the works of the individual. This is far different from the cry of the Protestant Reformation: "Justification by faith alone."

8) Lack of knowledge of sacred writings - Within both religions, the typical follower of the faith has limited knowledge of the sacred writings of his religion. The same is true within Protestantism, but to a much lesser degree. Within Catholicism and Hinduism, the priest is heavily relied upon for scriptural knowledge and understanding.


9) Centered on Rome/Ganges River - Both religions are very centralized. Rome is the epicenter of Catholicism, is the home of the Pope, and is a destination for thousands of Catholics each year. For Hindus, the Ganges River is the site of pilgrimage. Many Hindus travel hundreds of miles to take a dip in the "holy river," in the hope that it will wash away their sins.

10) Death: purgatory/reincarnation - Both faiths teach that upon death, people do not go directly to heaven or hell. For Catholics, purgatory awaits. For Hindus, death leads to another cycle of reincarnation.

I will let you draw your own conclusions about the significance of these similarities. If you have any comments about why you think these exist, please let me know.

Making progress

It recently struck me that there were two books that I really needed to read. Somehow I had made it A) to age 36, B) growing up in a Christian home, and C) through seminary, without having read either John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, or C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity.

How had I gotten to this point? I have no idea. I do have vague memories of having to read Mere Christianity while in high school, but I think I faked my way through it. Anyway, I am determined to rectify this problem.

Two weeks ago I ordered both books. Over the past few days I read "Pilgrim's Progress in Today's English." Some may say this is cheating because I did not battle my way through Bunyan's 17th century English. However, my point was to read and know the story, not to suffer through unfamiliar vocabulary. I suppose this would be like reading the "New Living Translation" of the bible. It might not be exactly accurate, but it is close. For me, that is not good enough for scripture, but for Pilgrim's Progress, I'll take it.

Frankly, it is kind of a relief to finally know who Christian is, where Beulah is, and what the Celestial City is. I had heard these terms all my life, and now I finally know what they refer to.

This book is a sweet allegory about the Christian walk. I'll leave the summary there because probably anyone who reads this blog has already read Pilgrim's Progress. I can see why this has been the most influential book in the English language after the Bible.

Tomorrow I will start making progress on Mere Christianity.

Are there any significant books you haven't read? Id like to know because maybe I need to add them to my "Books to be read" list. Thanks.

When I see a Methodist, what do I see?

I am a Baptist. I believe that the 1689 London Baptist Confession and the 1858 Abstract of Principles are faithful summations of Biblical teaching.

However, I am also arrogant about being a Baptist. For this, I apologize.

When I see a Methodist (or a Presbyterian, a Lutheran, a Pentecostal, etc.), what do I see? Instead of seeing a brother or sister in Christ, I tend to first see a person whose doctrinal beliefs are not as Biblical as what I consider mine to be. I focus on what makes us different instead of on what should bring us together: our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I know as well as you do that some people who claim to be Methodists are not saved. However, the same is true for Baptists. In fact, the misapplied belief in "once saved, always saved" may even lead more Baptists than Methodists to falsely believe they are going to heaven even if their lives are bearing no fruit.

I know many people who are godly saints who also attend Methodist churches. So why do I first look to what separates instead of what unites? My only conclusion is that it makes me feel good to be right, and have others be wrong. This certainly does not please Christ.

So if I focus on unity, in what areas (practically speaking) can I be united with folks of other denominations (assuming they believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior)? The answer is simple: in almost every area. I can unite with them in missions and evangelism. I can unite with them in ministry work in the community. I can unite with them in prayer for revival in our community, state, and country. I can unite with them on taking a stand for Biblical authority on social issues. I can unite with them on apologetics-related issues. I can unite with them while participating in in-home Bible studies.

The one place I cannot unite with Methodists, Lutherans, etc. is in membership in a local church. This is mostly because of the key issue of believer's baptism. A church simply cannot have different definitions of what this ordinance means within one body.

However, division should not be my first thought when I see a person from another denomination. My first thought should be, "Hey, there is another follower of Jesus Christ. I'm going to go see how they are doing, and how I can serve them in the Lord."

I saw something beautiful today

On March 1st, when we returned to the USA from serving in South Asia, at least we did not have to worry about where we would stay. Rothwell Baptist Church had already offered their mission house for us to live in rent free. What a massive stress-reducer that was! This house is a perfect fit for our family and is located in a good spot for us to get to the hospital and to visit with family.

Today I decided to attend the morning worship service at Rothwell. Due to Bobby's treatments we have not been able to spend much time with churches while here. While at Rothwell today, I saw something beautiful.

Rothwell was celebrating the Lord's Supper this morning. However, before the supper, the pastor announced to the church body that a 17-year-old unwed girl within the church is pregnant. He informed everyone that she had repented of her sin and was going to face the consequences. As the pastor made this announcement, this young lady and her family stood before the church.

The pastor exhorted everyone to be forgiving and loving toward her and her family. He reminded the body of the forgiveness that Christ has shown us. Finally, the pastor asked everyone to come forward and talk with her. The body responded in a way that I believe would have pleased Jesus.

The entire church (which was probably about 100-150 people) went forward and stood in a line to greet the family. They hugged and talked with each member of the family. If I hadn't known better, I might have thought it was a receiving line at a wedding.

What I saw was beautiful. The church was rallying around the young lady for the purpose of restoration. They realize she has a tough road ahead. Instead of making it tougher on her by shunning her, they did the Christ-like thing and showed her love and support.

It is refreshing to see the body of Christ acting like Christ.

Our trip to Fort Pulaski

As most of you know, my son Bobby has Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and is undergoing chemotherapy. Because of this, he has not had a very pleasant life for the last 2 1/2 months. He will be returning to the hospital next week for another round of chemo.

We wanted to do something fun for Bobby before the next treatment. Yesterday, Bobby and I visited Fort Pulaski, which is a pre-civil war fort near Savannah, GA that has been turned into a national monument. We had a great time looking at canons, magazine (gunpowder) barrels, underground passages, and the moat. The gator was a thrill. We learned a lot about the battle for this fort that took place in 1862.

I have attached photos from our trip. One photo is of a plaque that details the story of the 1862 battle. Another picture is of a sign that tells of John Wesley's visit to Georgia in the 1730's.

When a sign says a lot

We are currently living in Pooler, GA. If you spend any time walking around this small suburb of Savannah, you will run into one of these signs in people's yards.

When I saw this sign for the first time, several questions came to mind:

How does Trinity UMC define worship?
Do they do anything else at this church besides worship?
When they are not at "church," do they still worship?
Is there any time for edification of the body?

The topic of what true worship is and isn't seems to be on a lot of people's minds (including mine). Why is this the case? Probably because so many churches have gotten so far away from what the Bible suggests worship should be.

Romans 12:1-2 seems to give an excellent summary statement of what true, biblical worship is. Paul writes, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Please read Alan Knox's post and the attached excellent comments on the topic of worship.

Let me leave with a few questions, if your church has a sign, what does it say about how you worship? If you could design a sign for your church, what would it say?

Exercise (times 2)

Since we have returned to the states, I have been trying to get back into two forms of exercise: both physical and mental. It has been difficult to say the least.

While we were living in South Asia, I could find absolutely nowhere to go to run. I have been running for the past 8 years and really enjoy it. By God's grace I even ran a marathon in Richmond, VA in 2004. Yes, I did complete it, but during the last three miles old women were running past me.

Anyway, I craved physical exercise while in Asia, but there was simply nowhere to do it. The picture here is a typical street scene from our city. Now how was I supposed to run in that? So while we were overseas, I actually gained weight. I feel gross now and am determined to get back in shape.

As far as mental exercise goes, there was plenty of that during our language learning. Each day was a challenge as we tried to battle our way through conversations in our new language. It was both rewarding and frustrating. Mainly, it exhausted us each day. While my mental exercise was good, it kept me from studying NT Greek. So while my new language increased daily, my Greek faded. There was simply no way to keep on top of both languages.

Now that we are back here, I have turned my attention back to Greek. I have made it most of the way back through Dave Black's Learn to Read New Testament Greek, and will soon be starting in It's Still Greek to Me. I look forward to the challenge. The participles have me "on the run," but I am determined to master them.

One helpful website for NT Greek and OT Hebrew is Song of the Lamb.

I am excited that my wife, Alice, will be joining me in both these endeavors. She has started running again, and will be launching into Dr. Black's first book as soon as I can complete it.

I know this verse may be taken a bit out of context, but I thought it applied anyway. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 10:31, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." I sincerely hope this is the case as we exercise our bodies and minds.

Does it matter what the Bible says about worship?

Does it matter what the Bible says about worship? Well, of course it does. You know this and I know this. What is amazing is that if we look at many churches, what we see as "worship" is often far removed from what we see in the scriptures. I believe most churches have good intentions in this area, but nonetheless, many fall far short of Biblical ideals of what worship should be.

I recently finished reading David Peterson's Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship (IVP, 1992). I came upon this book for two reasons. First, I wanted to read a book about worship that focused on the scriptures instead of either denominational traditions or some sort of "hymns versus praise choruses" debate. Second, this book is one of Alan Knox's three favorites. Thanks, Alan!


Two quotes stand out to me from this text. Peterson says:

"Throughout the Bible, acceptable worship means approaching or engaging with God on the terms that He proposes and in the manner that He makes possible (p. 283)."

"Acceptable worship in Old Testament terms involves homage, service, and reverence, demonstrated in the whole of life. A common factor in these three ways of describing Israel's response to God is the assumption that He had acted towards them in revelation and redemption, to make it possible for them to engage with Him acceptably (p. 73)."

One of Peterson's primary thrusts is that it is God who determines what is acceptable worship.

This book is making me think about how I am living out my life. Is what I think of worship the same as what God thinks of worship? If not, then what does God think of my life?

I am reminded of the example of Nadab and Abihu in the Old Testament. Leviticus 10:1-2 tells us, "Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD."

God takes worship very seriously (when I use the word "worship," I am referring to an entire life given to God, not a church service at 11:00 AM on Sundays). Peterson's book makes me want to examine my life more closely to see if both my definition and my practice of worship are acceptable to God.

In other words, is my worship Biblical? Is yours?

Question #6: How should we respond to suffering?

I added this question to this series because it is so appropriate.

Question #6 is often very difficult for us to deal with because it requires obedience. In my flesh, when I face suffering, I want to complain and/or run from it. But what does God want? What has He said in His word about how we should act when we suffer? I'll let three passages answer these questions:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." II Corinthians 1:3-4

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed." I Peter 4:12-13

Do you struggle to respond this way? What is it specifically that causes us to struggle with this? Why is obedience in this area so difficult?