Compiled by Stacey Tuttle

Please note:  imbedded links below will take you to devotions inspired by that particular topic or quote, or click here to see all the Hunger Games inspired Devotions.

Back story:  Panem “rose up out of the ashes of a place that was once called North America.”  North America was destroyed with droughts, storms, fires and other natural disasters.  Then a brutal war took place over the land that remained. “The result was Panem, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens.  Then came the Dark Days, the uprising of the districts against the Capitol.  Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated.  The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.”[1]

“The rules of the Hunger Games are simple.  In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate.  The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen waste land.  Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death.  The last tribute standing wins.”[2]

“Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch—this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy.  How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion.”

“Whatever words they use, the real message is clear.  ‘Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do.  If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you.  Just as we did in District Thirteen.’”[3]

“To make it humiliating as well as torturous, the Capitol requires us to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting every district against the other.”[4]

“They [took] part in the boldest form of dissent they can manage.  Silence. Which says we do not agree.  We do not condone.  All of this is wrong.”[5]

When they were younger, Peeta Mellark took compassion on the starving Katniss and, risking a beating from his mother “accidentally” dropped 2 loaves of bread into the fire so they were partly scorched, so that his mother would say they were unworthy of sale.  He was told to feed them to the pigs, but discreetly gave them to Katniss instead.  Later she said, “To this day, I can never shake the connection between this boy, Peeta Mellark, and the bread that gave me hope, and the dandelion that reminded me that I was not doomed.”

Katniss re: thanking Peeta for the help he gave her with the bread:  “We’re going to be thrown into an arena to fight to the death. Exactly how am I supposed to work in a thank-you in there?  Somehow it just won’t seem sincere if I’m trying to slit his throat.”[6]

• Gale:  “You know how to kill.”
• Katniss: “’Not people,’ I say.”
• “’How different can it be, really?’ says Gale grimly.”
• “The awful is that if I can forget they’re people, it will be no different at all.”[7]

Jabberjays:  “They’re funny birds and something of a slap in the face to the Capitol.  During the rebellion, the Capitol bred a series of genetically altered animals as weapons.  The common term for them was muttations, or sometimes mutts for short.  One was a special bird called a jabberjay that had the ability to memorize and repeat whole human conversations.  They were homing birds, exclusively male, that were released into regions where the Capitol’s enemies were known to be hiding.  After the birds gathered words, they’d fly back to centers to be recorded.  It took people awhile to realize what was going on in the districts, how private conversations were being transmitted.  Then, of course, the rebels fed the Capitol endless lies, and the joke was on it.  So the centers were shut down and the birds were abandoned to die off in the wild.”[8]

Katniss about Peeta:  “It’s because he’s being kind.  Just as he was kind to give me the bread.  The idea pulls me up short.  A kind Peeta Mellark is far more dangerous to me than an unkind one.  Kind people have a way of working their way inside me and rooting there.  And I can’t let Peeta do this.  Not where we’re going.  So I decide, from this moment on, to have as little as possible to do with the baker’s son.”[9]

Katniss:  “What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button?  How would I spend the hours I now commit to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by?  What do they do all the day, these people in the Capitol, besides decorating their bodies and waiting around for a new shipment of tributes to roll in and die for their entertainment?”[10]

Katniss: “The idea of the girl with her maimed tongue frightens me.  She has reminded me why I’m here.  Not to model flashy costumes and eat delicacies.  But to die a bloody death while the crowds urge on my killer.”[11]

Peeta talking about Katniss: “She has no idea.  The effect she can have.”[12]

Katniss:  “I can’t help comparing what I have with Gale to what I’m pretending to have with Peeta.  How I never question Gale’s motives while I do nothing but doubt the latter’s.  It’s not a fair comparison really.  Gale and I were thrown together by a mutual need to survive.  Peeta and I know the other’s survival means our own death.  How do you sidestep that?”[13]

Katniss:  “All I can think is how unjust the whole thing is, the Hunger Games.  Why am I hopping around like some trained dog trying to please people I hate?”[14]

Haymitch and Katniss prepare for her interview:

 “’No only are you hostile, I don’t know anything about you.  I’ve asked you fifty questions and still have no sense of your life, your family, what you care about.  They want to know about you, Katniss.’

‘But I don’t want them to!  They’re already taking my future!  They can’t have the things that mattered to me in the past!’

 ‘…If you won’ talk about yourself, at least compliment the audience.  Just keep turning it back around … I give up, sweetheart.  Just answer the questions and try not to le the audience see how openly you despise them.’” [15]

Katniss and Cinna discuss how she should behave during her interview:

“’Why don’t you just be yourself?…The prep team adores you.  You even won over the Gamemakers.  And as for the citizens of the Capitol, well, they can’t stop talking about you.  No one can help but admire your spirit.’

My spirit.  This is a new thought.  I’m not sure exactly what it means, but it suggests I’m a fighter.  In a sort of brave way.  It’s not as if I’m never friendly. Okay, maybe I don’t go around loving everybody I meet, maybe my smiles are hard to come by, but I do care for some people.”[16]

“They do surgery in the Capitol to make people appear younger and thinner.  In District 12, looking old is something of an achievement since so many people die early.  You see an elderly person, you want to congratulate them on their longevity, ask the secret of survival.  A plump person is envied because they aren’t scraping by like the majority of us.  But here it is different. Wrinkles aren’t desirable.  A round belly isn’t a sign of success.”[17]

Katniss furiously discussing with Haymitch Peeta’s confession of love:

“’You are a fool,’ Haymitch says in disgust.  ‘Do you think he hurt you?  That boy just gave you something you could never achieve on your own.’

‘He made me look weak!’ I say.

‘He made you look desirable!  And let’s face it, you can use all the help you can get in that department.  You were about as romantic as dirt until he said he wanted you.  Now they all do.  You’re all they’re talking about.  The star-crossed lovers from District Twelve!’ says Haymitch.

‘But we’re not star-crossed lovers!’  I say.

… ‘Who cares?  It’s all a big show.  It’s all how you’re perceived.’”[18]

Katniss about Peeta: “He has done me a favor and I have answered with an injury.  Will I never stop owing him?”[19]

“Peeta actually is charming and then utterly winning as the boy in love.  And there I am, blushing and confused, made beautiful by Cinna’s hands, desirable by Peeta’s confession, tragic by circumstance, and by all accounts, unforgettable.”[20]

Peeta and Katniss discuss how he wants to die:

“‘I want to die as myself.  Does that make any sense? … I don’t want them to change me in there.  Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m not.’

I bite my lip, feeling inferior.  While I’ve been ruminating on the availability of trees, Peeta has been struggling with how to maintain his identity.  His purity of self.  ‘Do you mean you won’t kill anyone?’ I ask.

‘No, when the time comes, I’m sure I’ll kill just like everybody else.  I can’t go down without a fight.  Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to . . . to show the Capitol they don’t own me.  That I’m more than just a piece in their Games,’ says Peeta.”[21]

“The arenas are historic sites, preserved after the Games.  Popular destinations for Capitol residents to visit, to vacation.  Go for a month, rewatch the Games, tour the catacombs, visit the sites where the deaths took place.  You can even take part in reenactments.  They say the food is excellent.”[22]

I don’t recognize these berries, perhaps they are edible, but I’m guessing this is some evil trick on the part of the Gamemakers.  Even the plant instructor in the Training Center made a point of telling us to avoid berries unless you were 100 percent sure they weren’t toxic.  Something I already knew, but I’m so thirsty it takes her reminder to give me the strength to fling them away.[23]

Katniss:  “What is Haymitch doing?  Despite my anger, hatred, and suspicions, a small voice in the back of my head whispers an answer. Maybe he’s sending you a message, it says.  A message.  Saying what?  Then I know.  There’s only one good reason Haymitch could be withholding water from me.  Because he knows I’ve almost found it.”[25]

“Then I remember my mother saying that if a burn’s severe, the victim might not even feel pain because the nerves would be destroyed.”[26]

“All the things I dread most, all the things I dread for others manifest in such vivid detail I can’t help but believe they’re real.  … This is the nature of the tracker jacker venom, so carefully created to target the place where fear lives in your brain.”[27]

“Maybe being the least prestigious, poorest, most ridiculed district in the country has its advantages.  Such as, being largely ignored by the Capitol as long as we produce our coal quotas.”[28]

Katniss:  “That the Careers have been better fed growing up is actually to their disadvantage, because they don’t know how to be hungry.  Not the way Rue and I do.”

Katniss:  “To hate the boy from District 1 [who killed Rue], who also appears so vulnerable in death, seems inadequate.  It’s the Capitol I hate, for doing this to all of us.”

Katniss:  “I really think I stand a chance of doing it now.  Winning.  It’s not just having the arrows or outsmarting the Careers a few times, although those things help. Something happened when I was holding Rue’s hand, watching the life drain out of her.  Now I am determined to avenge her, to make her loss unforgettable, and I can only do that by winning and thereby making myself unforgettable.”[29]

Katniss: “I spend the night half-sitting, half-lying next to Peeta, refreshing the bandage, and trying not to dwell on the fact that by teaming up with him, I’ve made myself far more vulnerable than when I was alone.  Tethered to the ground, on guard, with a very sick person to take care of.  But I knew that he was injured.  And still I came after him.  I’m just going to have to trust that whatever instinct sent me to find him was a good one.”[30]

Katniss:  “We’re supposed to be making up this stuff, playing at being in love, not actually being in love.  But Peeta’s story has a ring of truth to it. … It would explain … why Peeta took a beating to give me the bread on that awful hollow day.  So, if those details are true . . . could it all be true?”[31]

Katniss:  “It’s funny.  Haymitch and I don’t get along well in person, but maybe Peeta is right about us being alike because he seems able to communicate with me by the timing of his of his gifts.  Like how I knew I must be close to water when he withheld it and how I knew the sleep syrup just wasn’t something to ease Peeta’s pain and how I know now that I have to play up the romance.  He hasn’t made much effort to connect with Peeta really.  Perhaps he thinks a bowl of broth would just be a bowl of broth to Peeta, whereas I’ll see the strings attached to it.”[32]

On why Haymitch won his Hunger games:  “He’s not particularly handsome.  Not in the way that causes sponsors to rain gifts on you. And he’s so surly, it’s hard to imagine anyone teaming up with him.  There’s only one way Haymitch could have won…  He outsmarted the others.”[33]

Katniss:  “I allow myself to truly think about the possibility that I might make it home…   No more fear of hunger.  A new kind of freedom.  But then . . . what?  What would my life be like on a daily basis?  Most of it has been consumed with the acquisition of food.  Take that away and I’m not really sure who I am, what my identity is.”[34]

Katniss:  “I’ve spent so much time making sure I don’t underestimate my opponents that I’ve forgotten it’s just as dangerous to overestimate them as well.”[35]

Katniss:  “I feel almost as if it’s the first day of the Games again.  That I’m in the same position.  Twenty-one tributes are dead, but I still have yet to kill Cato.  And really, wasn’t he always the one to kill?  Now it seems the other tributes were just minor obstacles, distractions, keeping us from the real battle of the Games.  Cato and me.”[36]

Regarding Katniss’ prep team after the Games: “Even though they’re rattling on about the Games, it’s all about where they were or what they were doing or how they felt when a specific event occurred.  ‘I was still in bed!’  ‘I had just had my eyebrows dyed!’  ‘I swear I nearly fainted!’  Everything is about them, not the dying boys and girls in the arena.”[37]

“Although I do not yet understand Cinna’s design, it’s a reminder the Games are not quite finished.  And beneath his benign reply, I sense a warning.  Of something he can’t even mention in front of his own team.”[38]

“During the highlights, they periodically show the winner’s reaction up on a box in the corner of the screen…  Some are triumphant, pumping their fists in the air, beating their chests.  Most just seem stunned.”[39]

Haymitch and Katniss discuss her defense for defying the Capitol:

“You’re only defense can be you were so madly in love you weren’t responsible for your actions.” …

“Got it…Did you tell Peeta this?”

“Don’t have to…He’s already there.”[40]

“I’ve never been in such a dangerous place in my life.  It’s so much worse than being hunted in the arena.  There, I could only die.  End of story.  But out here Prim, my mother, Gale, the people of District 12, everyone I care about back home could be punished if I can’t pull of the girl-drive-crazy-by-love scenario Haymitch has suggested.”[41]

A few notable Ironies:

• The Peacekeepers force people to “volunteer” for the Hunger Games
• The Treaty of Treason (Treaties are about making peace)
• Hunger games as considered festivities, games – but they aren’t really games at all.
• Panem hosts, forces even, “games” where people have to kill each other.  The stated purpose of those Games is to keep peace and harmony.
• Effie Trinkett says that Katniss and Peeta have “successfully struggled to overcome the barbarism of [their] district,” which Katniss finds “ironic coming from a woman helping to prepare [them] for slaughter.”[42]

The post The Hunger Games – Quotes from the Book appeared first on Shepherd Project Ministries.

 Summary by Jeff Stauffer

Chapters 1 & 2 : The New Atheists and the Old Testament

Paul Copan lays out his plan for the book in these two brief opening chapters. One goal is to provide guidance for Christians for how to deal with Old Testament ethics that at times, seem “so strange and even otherworldly.”  A second goal is to provide some direct responses to a group of authors he coins “The New Atheists.” These popular writers (Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett) have written numerous popular books criticizing religion as a whole, but often with a direct polemic against the Old Testament and some of the difficult passages found within. Each of these issues will be addressed in subsequent chapters (such as Canaanite “genocide,” the binding of Isaac, harsh Mosaic Law, slavery and others.)

Copan provides a brief summary of three common themes among arguments by these and other atheists:

1)      Even though they emphasize cool-headed scientific rationality, they often come across as angry and arrogant.

2)      Their arguments against God’s existence are often flimsy and based on straw-man examples. Copan even provides two examples of prominent and respected atheist philosophers (Quentin Smith and Michael Ruse) who are often embarrassed by how these “New Atheists” construct such fallacious arguments.

3)      While criticizing religious leaders, they aren’t willing to admit to the terrible acts carried about by atheist leaders such as Stalin, Pol Pot, or Mao Zedong.

Chapter 3: Great Appetite for Praise and Sacrifices? Divine Arrogance or Humility?

Richard Dawkins accuses God of narcissism and vanity because he claims that God, at times, acts out of jealousy and craves attention.  He also claims God is  prideful and demands our worship. However, Copan begins his response by addressing God’s humility. Humility isn’t a denial of one’s skills (this would be false humility, “like Yo-Yo Ma saying that he can’t play the cello all that well”), but instead is a proper understanding of one’s abilities and God as the source for these gifts.  As the Creator of all things, God is worthy of all praise. Copan states that God doesn’t command us to worship him. The typical biblical story involves people spontaneously praising him out of joy; a natural outpouring of love for what he has done. God’s humility even extended to the role of Jesus’ death on Earth: Philippians 2 speaks of “the depths to which God is willing to go for our salvation.”

Chapter 4: Monumental Rage and Kinglike Jealousy?

Copan opens by stating that comedian Bill Maher, Dawkins, and even Oprah Winfrey have been turned off by God’s jealousy. He then goes on to describe how jealousy can be either good or bad. We’re all aware of jealousy’s downside, but Copan points out that “it’s good to fiercely guard the precious.” He likens this to a wife who becomes rightly jealous when another woman flirts with her husband. Sometimes jealousy is the appropriate response.  Copan provides numerous biblical examples of God as a “concerned lover” or someone who craves a relationship with his people (Hosea 11:8, Ezek. 6:9, Jer. 2:13.)

He concludes with pointing out that if God is “jealous for our best interests” and wants what is best for us, then it is in our best interest to seek him out. Abundant life can only be found when we live our lives as they were meant to be lived, and that means seeking God’s design and plan for us. If we view the world like this, God’s jealousy suddenly becomes a good thing.

Chapter 5: Child Abuse and Bullying?

Here Copan expands on the commonly-used attack against the Old Testament’s story involving Abraham being told by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. ”What kind of God would require such obedience?” people often wonder.  Copan begins by providing some context for the passage at hand. First, we are reminded of God’s previous promises to Abraham that he would make his descendants as numerous as the stars. Also, God’s choice of words when he commands him to go up one of the mountains has a very similar construction to God’s earlier calling of Abraham to go from his hometown of Ur. Copan believes this similarity is not lost on Abraham as he is reminded of God’s faithfulness in the past. He also reminds us of God’s deliverance of Ishmael and the miracle child given to Sarah. Given this backdrop that shows Abraham’s trust in God, we read that Abraham told his servants that “we” would return from the mountain, confident that God would either spare his son or even raise Isaac from the dead.

Next, Copan switches to a philosophical argument surrounding whether or not God committed an immoral act of killing an innocent human life. He argues that there are some exceptions to the rule that we commonly accept: One is the case of an ectopic pregnancy which is deadly to the mother if the pregnancy is allowed to continue. Another example involves the terrorist attacks from 9/11 when the president gave an order to shoot down the planes to save lives. However, Copan’s strongest push is to point out that this moral law “applies in a world in which dead people don’t come back to life after being killed.” He concludes that God’s command wasn’t immoral or contradictory.

Chapter 6: God’s Timeless Wisdom?

The laws of Moses found in the Old Testament contains many rules that we would find bizarre today: Permission to sell one’s daughters into “slavery” (Ex 21:7), being killed for cutting one’s hair (Lev. 19:27), or the forbidding of planting two crops in one field (Lev. 19:19). These are just a few often quoted by those critical of the God of the Old Testament. Over the next 12 chapters, Copan plans to tackle many of these issues by providing some cultural context and possible explanations for the reasoning behind these commandments. But first, in this chapter he provides some general comments about these kinds of issues:

-          Contrary to popular belief, these laws were not meant to be permanent rules for all people in all cultures. Copan repeatedly gives this message throughout the book: “Israel’s Old Testament covenant wasn’t a universal ideal and was never intended to be so. The Mosaic covenant anticipated a better covenant.” Even though, by our modern standards, many of these laws seem harsh, they contain many “moral improvements” when compared to other ancient Near Eastern cultures.

-          Looking throughout the Bible, there is a sense in which God is easing rules and progressing towards an ideal. God seems to take into account the realities of cultural norms yet pushes for a higher ethical standard. Copan wants to also point out though that this is different from relativism.  Some laws keep their restrictive limits such as homosexuality. But in others such as the treatment of slaves (Gal 3:28 says they are without distinction from their masters, an improvement from the OT), or permitting divorce (Matt 19:8) we see an easing of restrictions.

-          “Is doesn’t mean ought.” Just because the OT describes sinful acts of some of its main characters doesn’t mean their acts are to be justified. It is often the exact opposite: they are all too human, but yet are still loved by God for their faith despite their deeds.

Chapters 7 & 8: The Bible’s Ubiquitous Weirdness? Kosher Foods, Kooky laws

In these two chapters Copan delves into some theories behind what we would consider “odd and arbitrary Old Testament laws” surrounding what is acceptable food to eat.  The concept of “clean” versus “unclean” are very common throughout these laws as well. Copan argues that we shouldn’t think of these phrases in terms of hygiene, but more so as symbols of life and death. God chose the Israelites and wanted them to stand out from other nations both morally, culturally, and theologically. Some of these restrictions had to do more with avoiding practices of surrounding peoples, such as the Canaanites who conjured up magic to produce fertile crops by the mixing of seeds. Many of the Mosaic laws may never be fully understood, but there are many examples such as this to suggest this as one possible explanation for their origins.

Next, Copan analyzes the concepts of clean versus unclean in more detail, providing some hypotheses surrounding the classification of animals and why some were considered unclean.  One theory involves classifying animals based on their natural “boundaries” like animals that were meant to fly in the air, walk on land, or swim in water. If an animal “transgressed” these boundaries, they were considered unclean. For example, birds like pelicans or gulls live in the sky but also cross over into water, thus making them unclean. Some reptiles that cross between land and water were unclean.  A second theory deals with a symbolic connection between animals and the kind of people God wanted the Israelites to be. Death was to be avoided in human relationships, so predatory land animals or even vultures were unclean. This symbolism also applied to animal sacrifices. Just as God’s people were to be holy and clean, the animal sacrifices offered by the priests were to be free from blemishes, creating a strong connection to the role of a coming Savior as the perfect sacrifice.

Chapter 9: Barbarisms, Crude Laws, and Other Imaginary Crimes?

This chapter deals with what appears to be harsh and crude criminal laws practiced by the Israelites. Copan opens with a few examples of crimes punishable by death according to the Old Testament: Cursing your parents, not obeying your parents, or even gathering wood on the Sabbath! He then reminds us that we must take into account the context in which these laws were written. Copan quotes from Thomas Hobbes in saying that life in the ancient Near East was “nasty, brutish, and short.” We have numerous comparisons with other cultures from that place and time which, in comparison, makes the Mosaic Law quite tame, including the Babylonian laws of Hammurabi, Hittite laws of Asia Minor, as well as laws from the Sumerians and Akkadians. Copan says, “The Sinai legislation presents genuinely remarkable, previously unheard-of legal and moral advances. Not surprisingly, critics like the New Atheists focus on the negative while overlooking dramatic improvements.” Next, Copan addresses some specific passages, of which here are a few examples:

Duet 21:18-21: This is the “not obeying your parents” rule that Copan mentions in the beginning of the chapter. But that was not telling the full story. This is not simply “a teenager who won’t clean up his room,” but a rebellious, stubborn son who is a “glutton and drunkard.” Copan comments that he is most likely a firstborn in the family, who would squander the family inheritance and bring ruin to the larger family clan. He also points out that the parents don’t simply take the matter into their own hands, but confers with the civil authorities.

Ex 21:23-25: This is a famous “eye for an eye” passage, where one’s punishment should fit the crime. But Copan points out that in most cases this isn’t taken literally. He points out that, as an example, the very next verse talks about a maidservant losing an eye. The punishment is not one’s own eye, but a monetary compensation. This by far is the preferred solution in the Mosaic Law: providing a “ransom” or “substitute” for repayment. The Mosaic Law also distinguished between accidental and intentional killing, something else that other law codes did not take into consideration.  As a comparison, the Code of Hammurabi often called for the chopping off of heads, hands, or ears. It also included beatings of up to 100 blows as well as mutilations. Copan concludes, “So the expression ‘eye for an eye’ was a measure of justice, not something Israel took literally.”

2 Kings 3:27 – Infant Sacrifice? In this passage the king of Moab sacrifices his son, and it appears that God approves of this event by pouring out his wrath against Moab’s enemy, Israel. Copan argues the Hebrew wording here means this is not divine wrath, but of human origin. So it was human fury that drove out the Israelites. And since child sacrifice is clearly prohibited in other passages (Deut 12:31, 18:10), one should not take this verse to imply God’s approval of such an act.

Chapter 10: Misogynistic?

Misogynistic (hatred of women) is the word Richard Dawkins used to describe the Old Testament God. Feminists often accuse the Old Testament of all kinds of sexism as well. Copan wants to remind us of the standard set forth by God in Genesis 1-2 portrays an image of equality between Adam and Eve as partners. And while the ancient Near East was dominated by patriarchal societies, God worked within these fallen cultures to “point Israel to a better path” that contained many protections for violence against woman. Copan lists numerous passages that point to equality from a theological view (Gen 1:27, 2:24, Ex 20:12), and historically as woman to be valued (Ruth, Deborah, Sarah, Naomi, etc.), and legal equality with men as well (Lev 18, 20), when dealing with adultery or incest. Next Copan lists some specific passages that allegedly promote female inferiority:

Numbers 5: This passage deals with the charge of adultery. Many believe this only addresses the man’s ability to accuse his wife, but Copan argues the surrounding context leads one to believe this law applies to both men and women. Also, this prevented the man from taking revenge into his own hands, requiring him to take the matter before the Priest.

Deut 25:5-10 – Levirate Marriage. Copan summarizes this passage, “If a man died without a son to carry on the family name, then his unmarried brother could marry his widow in order to sustain the family name.” While this custom certainly reflects a Patriarchal society, Copan again reiterates how God adapts imperfect customs, moving them towards the ideal. In this case, if the woman did marry her brother in law, she would be allowed to keep her property (even that which she brought into the marriage). Marrying outside the family would cause her to lose everything. However, Copan points to a twist here that gives the woman some power: The man was strongly discouraged from refusing this marital arrangement, and if he did, he could be shamed.

                No female priests?   Copan’s argument goes as follows: First, it’s not just woman that are excluded, but most men as well. One had to be from the tribe of Levi. Secondly, God’s original intent appears to be that all Israelites could approach Him as priests and walking with God (Gen 2:15, Ex 19:6). However, when they refused to go up the mountain, Moses was sent instead (Ex 20:19), thus initiating the custom of male-only priests. Copan concludes that there is nothing inherently wrong with female priests. On a related note, Copan also addresses why no females were allowed in the temple. In surrounding cultures, having sex with a priestess was a means for the Gods to bless the land with fertile crops, more children, and more livestock. The Mosaic law was to “prevent the Israelites from glorifying adultery in the name of religious devotion.”

Chapter 11: Bride-Price? Polygamy, Concubinage, and Other Such Questions

In many chapters so far, Copan has made reference to “Case law” or “Casuistic law.” This is where one makes laws based on the “case at hand.” Copan’s point is to note that these laws are describing less than ideal circumstances, but yet laws need to be put in place to try and better the outcome for all involved. We see these concepts play out again in this chapter. Often case law will be written with a format of “If …. Then…” For example, Deut 21:15-17 begins, “If a man has two wives…” or Exodus 21:7-11 that begins “If a man sells his daughter as a servant…”

In these and numerous other examples, Copan is pointing out that these laws are not endorsing the circumstance, but trying to make a better outcome of an immoral or otherwise difficult situation. So while some verses outright prohibit polygamy for example (Lev 18:18), other versus will give advice for a polygamous situation (Deut 21:15-17). He points out that OT critics often overlook this distinction.  There are some other scenarios that he discusses, such as the “bride-price” (where a man would pay the female’s family money as a step toward marriage), female POW’s, and concubines. Each is provided a more favorable reading (by either arguing for a better interpretation, or as examples of case law) that provides females a higher standing in scripture.

Chapters 12-14: Warrant for Trafficking in Humans as Farm Equipment?

Copan groups the next three chapters together under a single heading which deals with issues surrounding slavery in the OT. One common theme that Copan returns to is making a distinction between what the Israelites would refer to as “servanthood,” and our modern concept of slavery that we associate with pre-civil war America. In the OT this was a voluntary agreement between people to enter into a contract as an indentured servant, usually for a set number of years to pay off a debt. When compared to other ancient Near East cultures, they were given many protections, the most important of which was recognition as persons, not property.

Deut 15:1-18 is a great example of God’s command to legislate the release of debt from the poor. We again see God’s role in taking a bad situation in society and working towards a more ideal outcome: that of eradicating poverty. Copan then summarizes numerous passages that deal with a variety of circumstances: Injured servants (Ex 21:26-27), the death of slaves (Ex 21:20-21), engagements to servant girls (Lev 19:20-21), and even treatment of foreign slaves (Lev 25:42-29). In each of these and other examples, Copan again points out an “unparalleled improvement over other ancient Near Eastern codes.” He provides context and commentary that provides a more honest reading of the text than what most New Atheists or other OT critics are willing to concede.

He concludes this section with a common complaint among biblical critics: why Jesus or other NT writers never explicitly opposed slavery. Copan responds with a few examples to the contrary: Jesus’ declaration in Luke 4:18 that he came to “proclaim release to the captives… to set free those who are oppressed.” He also points to Paul’s opposition to the dehumanization of people and to refuse to view them as property (Gal 3:28, Col 3:11). But more importantly, Copan argues that they were more concerned with people’s spiritual status versus their social status. They also did not have the influence or power to overthrow Rome’s institution of slavery.

Chapters 15-17: Indiscriminate Massacre and Ethnic Cleansing?

Some of the most difficult passages of the OT that call into question God’s character are from commands to kill the Canaanites and other acts of war sanctioned by God. Richard Dawkins goes as far as labeling this “genocide, bloodthirsty massacres, and ethnic cleansing” carried out with “xenophobic relish.” However, Copan spends three chapters placing this entire issue in a different perspective:

-          God was concerned with sin, not ethnicity. This is backed up by archaeological evidence that shows the Canaanites to be racially unidentifiable from the Israelites. Their differences were cultural and theological, not ethnic.

-          Many texts that use the phrase “to drive out” the people did not require killing all inhabitants, but to clear the land of military outposts. The Hebrew word “haram,” often translated with phrases like “utterly destroy” or “destruction” is not geared towards entire populations, but should be applied to soldiers in battle.

-          OT passages like Joshua 10:40 or 1 Sam 15 that describes entire cities being wiped out may in fact be Near Eastern hyperbole. Copan provides evidence from numerous sources (Hittite, Egyptian, Moab, Assyrian) that all use similar writing styles in military scenarios. He argues these are not to be taken literally. We even see examples where people from these allegedly wiped-out regions return to the story later, such as Judges 1:21.

-          Copan refers to archaeological evidence that argues for “towns” like Jericho and Ai to actually be small military outposts with very little civilian populations. Thus, OT commands to kill “every man woman and child” appear to be mere “rhetorical bravado” and not literal accounts of mass genocide.

-          Copan’s summary reminds us that all of these military accounts were for a period of time for a particular culture and shouldn’t be construed as license for all warfare in all time periods done “in God’s name.”

-          He also reminds us that “the full picture is not always available to us. We aren’t necessarily in the best position to decipher God’s purposes.” The book of Job is referenced as an example.

Chapter 18: The Root of All Evil?

This brief chapter asks the question of whether religion is the cause of violence. Copan responds by saying we need more religion, not less! He points out that there has been plenty of violence to go around, even in non-theistic cultures. He also makes some brief comparisons between the history of the Christian Church and Islam. While some have argued that the wars of the OT are just like Islamic Jihad, Copan responds with several notable differences. One, he points out the wars of the OT were limited in scope both geographically to the Promised Land as well as in time. Islamic jihad is worldwide and eternal. Also, the Canaanite wars were not to be considered normative or ongoing, whereas the military aggression of Muhammad is supported both then and now, and is “an intrinsic pattern” to their religion.

Chapter 19: Morality without a Lawgiving God?

New Atheist writers will make the claim that they do not need God to be moral. Morality has its origins in genes, not God, they claim. But Copan rebukes their stance with this argument:

“If we’re nothing more than the products of naturalistic evolution trying to fight, feed, flee, and reproduce, why trust the convictions of our minds – whether about truth or morality? If we’re just dancing to our DNA – over which we have absolutely no control – how do we know we’re right about anything?”

He argues that they are borrowing language they cannot justifiably use. He concludes with a brief example of a book written about the history of rape from a biological perspective. If rape is simply a part of human nature and history, Copan says, what right do we have to claim that it ought to be ended?

Chapter 20: We Have Moved Beyond This God (Haven’t We?)

Copan concludes his book with a few comments about the positive influence Christianity has had on the planet over the past 2,000 years. While Christopher Hitchens may quip that “religion poisons everything,” Copan points out that sociologists and philosophers of history alike often credit Christianity as the major influence on all of civilization that has allowed for modern science, the protection of the poor and disabled, the founders of the original universities and hospitals, and advocates for human rights and political freedoms. Not a bad track record for a movement that started out among the “politically and socially disempowered” within Roman society!

The post Is God a Moral Monster? By Paul Copan – Book Summary appeared first on Shepherd Project Ministries.

Book by Francis Chan[1]

Summary by Stacey Tuttle

 (Click here to read a collection of quotes from Crazy Love.)

Preface

Chan says that when he reads the New Testament, he wonders if the modern American church is missing the point. 

He writes Crazy Love for those who want more from their relationship with Jesus.  He says many people say that they believe in Jesus, just not organized religion.  Chan thinks that if people really lived the lives God intended, others would have to say instead, “I can’t deny what the church does, but I don’t believe in their God.”

Chapter One:  Stop Praying

Rather than talking to/at God, Chan echoes Solomon’s caution not to rush into God’s presence with words.  He challenges readers to be silent and to think long and hard about who God is.  To help readers marvel at God and his creative genius, Chan directs readers to a video called “Awe Factor” at www.crazylovebook.com  and takes a few pages to recount a few of the mysteries of creation.  He concludes the section with a reminder that God commands us to worship and fear him, anything less is not enough.

 Despite the wonder of the world around us (which one might think would make loving God really easy), Chan admits that loving God can be hard.  We need to be constantly reminded of God’s goodness, His mighty acts, His character and His nature lest we forget to worship Him. 

In order to do that, we have to know who God is.  Chan cautions against making up our own ideas about who God is.  Not all ideas are equally true about Him.  God already has a name and an identity—it’s not up to us to decide who He is, it’s up to us to find out who He is.  Chan draws our attention to a few of God’s characteristics:  He is holy, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, fair and just.

When we truly take in God’s majesty, when we get a glimpse of who He is, Chan hopes we will respond as Isaiah did, that we will recognize that we are a puny people of unclean lips.

Chapter Two: You May Not Finish This Chapter

Life is unpredictable and is but a flash.  There is no guarantee that anyone will live long enough to finish this chapter.  Yet, most of us do not live as if that were true. 

God commands us to rejoice always.  When we stress and worry about our lives and our problems, we are essentially saying that we think our problems, “our circumstances are more important than God’s command to always rejoice.  In other words, that [we] have a ‘right’ to disobey God because of the magnitude of [our] responsibilities.”

• “Worry implies that we don’t quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in our lives.”
• “Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control.”

Chan says life is like a movie—a movie that is all about God.  He is the central character, not us.  In the entire scheme of God’s movie we are no more than an extra.  Chan asks us what we want to do with our brief appearance on screen…make much of ourselves, or make much of God?  All of the circumstances and struggles we are stressing and worrying over, when seen in this light, are really just great opportunities to make much of God. 

Chapter Three:  Crazy Love

Chan confesses that while he knew in his head that God loved him, he didn’t really believe it in his heart.  He thinks that, at least for him, this was partly due to his painful relationship with his dad.  But when Chan had his own children his understanding of a father’s love began to change greatly in a way that positively impacted his understanding of God as a loving Father.  He used to fear God.  Though he still has a healthy fear, he now he describes his relationship with God as reverent intimacy. 

In this chapter, Chan explains a little of the great, crazy love God has for us.  He says, “The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time.  He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him—and we wonder indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by.”  Chan asks, “Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you?”

Chapter Four:  Profile of the Lukewarm

Jesus spoke in parables so that people who weren’t serious about Him, who were really seeking to understand what He was saying, wouldn’t get it.  Jesus wants followers, not fakers. 

Chan draws attention to the parable of the sower and proposes that “most American churchgoers are the soil that chokes the seed because of all the thorns.  Thorns are anything that distracts us from God.  When we want God and a bunch of other stuff, then that means we have thorns in our soil.”  Chan says that the majority of Americans have too much stuff in our lives—such that we are distracted and impeded in our spiritual growth.  It makes us lukewarm.  He says, “The goals of American Christianity are often a nice marriage, children who don’t swear, and good church attendance.”

Chan proceeds with a list of defining characteristics of the lukewarm Christian.

• “Attend church fairly regularly.  It is what is expected of them, what they believe ‘good Christians’ do, so they go.”
• “Give money to charity and to the church…as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living.  If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so.  After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?”
• “Tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict.  They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives.”
• “Don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin.  They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them.  Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one.”
• “Are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act.”
• “Rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers or friends.  They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.”
• “Gauge their morality or ‘goodness’ by comparing themselves to the secular world.  They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus and so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street.”
• “Say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives.  But only a part.  They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives.”
• “Love God but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for pastors and missionaries and radicals.”
• “Love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves.  Their loves of others is typically focused on those who love them in return…  There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable.”
• “Will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.”
• “Think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven….  Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come.”
• “Are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor….  Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel ‘called’ to minister to the rich; very few feel ‘called’ to minister to the poor.”
• “Do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty.  They want to do the bare minimum, to be ‘good enough’ without it requiring too much of them.”
• “Are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control.  This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God.”
• “Feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America.”
• “Do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to.  They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens—they have their savings account.  They don’t need God to help them-they have their retirement plan in place.  They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live—they have life figured and mapped out.”
• “Probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different form your typical unbeliever.  They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong.”

Lukewarm people ask,

• ‘How far can I go before it’s considered a sin?’ instead of ‘How can I keep myself pure as a temple of the Holy Spirit?’
• ‘How much do I have to give?’ instead of ‘How much can I give?’
• ‘How much time should I spend praying and reading my Bible?’ instead of ‘I wish I didn’t have to go to work, so I could sit here and read longer!’

Chapter Five:  Serving Leftovers to a Holy God

Challenging the popular notion of the “lukewarm Christian,” Chan warns that Christ wants all or nothing.  He does not believe that lukewarm people are Christians (he cites James 2:19, 1 John 2:3-4, Matthew 16:24-25, Luke 14:33 and more to support this), and he questions if this idea of non-fruit bearing Christians is something we created to make it easier and more palatable to be a follower of Jesus.

Chan struggled to write this chapter and states that he doesn’t want true believers to doubt their salvation after reading this.  After all, God’s grace is sufficient.  He admits that all believers have some lukewarm elements in their lives.  But he does want to challenge the idea that doing a few Christian-like things makes you a Christian, and encourage Christians to give all to Christ.

One thing which encourages our tendency toward being lukewarm is our wealth in America.  It keeps us from being dependent on God.  Not only that, but we are tempted to give God our leftovers rather than our all.  We think our offerings and sacrifices are sufficient so long as they are equivalent or greater than those of the people around us.  We fail to see what really matters to God.  We think he is impressed with our token gifts, tithes and offerings, when in I Corinthians 13:2-3 it is pretty clear that what matters to God is how we love; and when we really love, we hold nothing back.

Chan says that, “If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream.  When we stop swimming, or actively following Him, we automatically begin to be swept downstream.”  He is concerned that the church is full of people who, if not intentionally swimming away, are drifting away.  “How we spend our time, what our money goes toward, and where we will invest our energy is equivalent to choosing God or rejecting Him.”  These are often our means of drifting.

Jesus made it clear that few will find the narrow way and even less among the rich.  That’s why, in this chapter, Chan hopes to challenge Christians not to assume that they are one of the few on the narrow way, that they are the good soil.  A few good questions to ponder as you check your heart:  “Are you willing to say to God that He can have whatever He wants?  Do you believe that whole hearted commitment to Him is more important than any other thing or person in your life?  Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter; unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made?”

Chapter Six:  When You’re In Love

When you’re in love, you do crazy things just to be with that person.  God wants us to love and desire Him, not to be slaves or servants out of obligation.  However, we can’t force ourselves to love Him more.  We need to ask Him to help us love Him.  He can increase our love for Himself.  As our love increases, so will our giving.  As we love God more, we give Him more of our lives, our resources, our trust.  What we once gave out of fear and obligation we will give from a heart of love and an attitude of joy. 

Chan encourages readers to be real with God.  “Tell Him how you feel.  Tell Him that He isn’t the most important thing in this life to you, and that you’re sorry for that.  Tell Him that you’ve been lukewarm, that you’ve chosen                                                 over Him time and again.  Tell Him that you want Him to change you, that you long to genuinely enjoy Him.  Tell Him how you want to experience true satisfaction and pleasure and joy in your relationship with Him.  Tell Him you want to love Him more than anything on this earth.  Tell him you want to treasure the Kingdom of heaven so much that you’d willingly sell everything in order to get it.”

Chapter Seven:  Your Best Life…Later

What does it look like to run after God wholeheartedly? 

After a brief look at the heroes of the Christian faith, Chan concludes that having faith often means looking a little crazy to the outside world.  He says that when our lives make sense to unbelievers, something is wrong.  God doesn’t call us to play it safe.  He calls us to live like Jesus (I John 2:6) and mentions a few ways we can do that:

• Having compassion for the poor
• Giving your best, not just a little 
  • Giving your money
  • Giving your time
  • Giving yourself
  • Trusting God with abandon
  • Living by faith such that you are dependent on God to come through for you
  • Spending yourself (Isaiah 58:10) for the Lord, for others…as Jesus did 

Chapter Eight:  Profile of the Obsessed

Holding back is not a Biblical ideal and it’s not true love.  True love gives full, gives all, without expecting anything in return.  It is obsession.  To be obsessed is to be mentally preoccupied (excessively so) with one single thing.  Christ wants to be our obsession, the one thing we are mentally and excessively preoccupied with.  Chan describes what it looks like for a follower of Christ to be obsessed with Him.

•  “People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly, without censure.  Obsessed people love those who hate them and who can never love them back.”
  • “The love for equals is a human thing—of friend for friend, brother for brother.  It is to love what is loving and lovely.  The world smiles.  The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing—the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely.  This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world.  The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing—to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the rich for the rich, of the black man for the white man.  The world is always bewildered by its saints.  And then there is the love for the enemy—love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured’s love for the torturer. This is God’s love.  It conquers the world.” –Frederick Buechner, The Magnificent Defeat.
  • “People who are obsessed with Jesus aren’t consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else.  Obsessed people care more about God’s kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress.”
  • “People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another.  Obsessed people believe that Jesus talked about money and the poor so often because it was really important to Him (I John 2:4-6, Matt. 16:24-26).”
  • “Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo.  A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don’t always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth.  As Martin Luther put it, ‘There are two days on my calendar: this day and that day’ (Luke 14:25-35, Matt. 7:13-23; 8:18-22; Rev. 3:1-6).”
  • “A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the sin of pride is always a battle.  Obsessed people know that you can never be ‘humble enough,’ and so they seek to make themselves less known and Christ more known (Matt. 5:16).”
  • “People who are obsessed with Jesus do not consider service a burden.  Obsessed people take joy in loving God by loving His people (Matt. 13:44; John 15:8).”
  • “People who are obsessed with God are known as givers, not takers.  Obsessed people genuinely think that others matter as much as they do, and they are particularly aware of those who are poor around the world. (James 2:14-26).”
  • “A person who is obsessed thinks about heaven frequently.  Obsessed people orient their lives around eternity; they are not fixed only on what is here in front of them.”
  • “A person who is obsessed is characterized by committed, settled, passionate love for God, above and before every other thing and every other being.”
  • “People who are obsessed are raw with God; they do not attempt to mask the ugliness of their sins or their failures.  Obsessed people don’t put it on for God; He is their safe place, where they can be at peace.”
  • “People who are obsessed with God have an intimate relationship with Him.  They are nourished by God’s Word throughout the day because they know that forty minutes on Sunday is not enough to sustain them for a whole week, especially when they will encounter so many distractions and alternative messages.”
  • “A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort.  Obsessed people know that true joy doesn’t depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated, a gift that ultimately comes from God (James 1:2-4).”
  • “A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the best thing he can do is be faithful to his Savior in every aspect of his life, continually saying “Thank You!” to God.  An obsessed person knows there can never be intimacy if he is always trying to pay God back or work hard enough to be worthy.  He revels in his role as child and friend of God.”

Chapter Nine:  Who Really Lives That Way?

Chan tells several true stories of people living and dead who live(d) lives obsessed with Jesus Christ.  They live out their obsession in different ways, but each is radical and full-hearted in his/her devotion to Christ. 

• Nathan Barlow, www.mossyfoot.com, is a medical doctor in Ethiopia dedicated to helping others with mossy foot condition.  He once had all his teeth removed so that a toothache could never again distract him from his work.
• Simpson Rebbavarapu, www.beaumin.org, whose mother tried multiple times to abort him (without success) divides his time between an orphanage he started and evangelism ministry to illiterate villages.  He takes no salary so that all funds can go to ministries or to help those in need.  This life of faith has the added benefit of forcing him to be in prayer and dependence on God.
• Jamie Lang left for Tanzania as a single girl of 23 years old praying that God would allow her to make a radical difference in one life.  She ended up adopting a baby whose mother died of AIDS.  Before she died, the mother accepted Christ because Jamie’s love and care for Junio so demonstrated Christ’s love.  Incidentally, Junio’s mother had tried to abort the baby, but the medications caused premature labor without bleeding thus the baby’s life was spared and he did not contract HIV from his mom. 
• Marva J. Dawn and her husband have chosen to live off of his teacher’s salary and give all of her salary away.  She has a lot of medical problems and could be made more comfortable, but refuses to use any of her salary toward that end when so many are suffering and in need.  In fact, she feels her inconveniences help her to better identify with others in need.
• Rich Mullins was a very successful Christian musician, but considered music simply the means to reach his higher calling which was to love others.  He often performed barefoot and unshaven and confessed his sins to audiences in order to keep them from putting him on a pedestal.  He never knew how successful he was with his music because his earnings went to the church from which they paid him a small salary.  The rest of his earnings were given away.
• Rings, a chain smoking ex-convict, ex-addict, and ex-alcoholic now lives out of his car and gives away everything he has to others, feeding fellow homeless out of his truck while telling them about Jesus.  He gives everything away because he knows that it was all given to him by God; nothing is his.  He likes to say that if God saved him, then He can save anyone…and everyone.
• At 18 years old, Rachel Saint turned down an offer to be heiress and companion to a very wealthy woman.  Instead she gave her life to serving others, first at a halfway house for alcoholics, then as a translator for Wycliffe Bible Translators with the Shapra Indians of Peru and  ultimately with the Waorani Indians of Ecuador, the very people who previously killed her brother.  She lived with them for twenty years, translated the New Testament into their language and is today buried with them.
• George Muller and his wife started an orphanage with a dual purpose: to help orphans and to demonstrate to others what it’s like to trust in God alone for everything.  To accomplish this, they never made their needs known to anyone but God.  Over ten thousand orphans were cared for in 5 orphan homes Muller built and a million and a half pounds were given in the form of donations—and all was accomplished by prayer alone.
• Brother Yun persevered in preaching the gospel throughout China despite being arrested more than 30 times and enduring horrific torture.  One time, to ensure he would not escape, the guards beat his legs until he was crippled.  Miraculously, he walked out of the jail through gates and barriers which were always locked, unseen and on his “crippled” and “broken” legs. 
• Shane Claiborne, www.thesimpleway.com, and other believers have chosen to help those in poverty and in one of the worst neighborhoods in Pennsylvania by living amongst them.  They feed the hungry, hang with the neighborhood youth, run a community store, and work to improve the neighborhood aesthetics in various ways. 
• The Robynson Family (whose three kids are under the age of 10) makes pancakes and coffee on Christmas morning and distributes it from a red wagon to the homeless on Christmas morning.
• Susan Diego told God she would do anything He asked, but asked that it not be public speaking.  However, God did call her to speak—in Uganda at a conference for women.  She submitted and obeyed.  Susan spoke at least ten times on a variety of topics to hundreds of women.
• You would never guess that Lucy is an ex-prostitute.  She was transformed when she met Jesus and now opens her life to minister to those who are where she once was.  Prostitutes, pimps, dealers, users…they all know that they are welcome at Lucy’s. 
• Cornerstone Community Church lives out the command to love your neighbor as yourself by giving away 50% of their budget.  They also scrapped plans for a big new building in favor of a much cheaper outdoor amphitheater so that they can give more money away.

Chapter Ten:  The Crux of the Matter

The preceding stories are meant to be inspiring, not prescriptive.  “Oswald Chambers writes, ‘Never make a principle out of your experience; let God be as original with other people as He is with you.’  To that [Chan] would add, ‘Be careful not to turn others’ lives into the mold for your own.’  Allow God to be as creative with you as He is with each of us….We have a God who is a Creator, not a duplicator.” 

Chan hopes the examples of others will challenge you to ask “Is this the most loving way to do life?  Am I loving my neighbor and my God by living where I live, by driving what I drive, by talking how I talk?”  The point he wants to make is that there are alternative ways to live and that we need to ask God how HE would have us live.

It will be easy to be inspired by this book but to excuse doing nothing because you are waiting on God to reveal where/how He wants you to act, Chan cautions.  Or you will wait until you feel like obeying so that your obedience is heartfelt and not simply an act of the will.  However, if you love God, He says you will obey Him.  It is right to obey whether or not you feel like it.    And remember, the Holy Spirit is here to help us, empower us and enable us to live the lives we have been called to. 

Finally, Chan challenges readers to ask themselves:

• Is this what I want to be doing when Christ comes back? 
• What will people in heaven say about my life on earth?
• Will people speak of God’s work and glory through me?
• How will I answer God when he asks what I did with what He gave me? 

The post Crazy Love – Book Summary appeared first on Shepherd Project Ministries.

 Summary by Jeff Stauffer

CRITICAL NOTE:  This book summary is provided because we believe Christians need to be aware of the kind of thing that Ehrman is advocating.  Shepherd Project Ministries does not agree with or endorse Ehrman’s theories or teaching.

Introduction: Recouping our Losses

                In this overview chapter, Ehrman provides some general thoughts to ponder while going through this book, as well as a general direction in which he is heading. As we look across the Christian spectrum today, from Roman Catholic to Greek Orthodox to the many flavors of Protestant denominations, we may be amazed as the breadth of belief on topics like church government, the role of sacraments, or other church traditions. However, Ehrman argues that this pales in comparison with the variety of thought about central doctrinal issues in the early church. He asks the question, “Should we speak of Christianity or Christianities?” He tells his readers that the Bible we are familiar with today didn’t exist until the 4^th century. Before that time, many questions were debated such as, was Jesus divine? Did God create the world? Is there one God or many? And everyone considered their ancient texts sacred, until “the victorious party rewrote the history of the controversy,” causing many other scriptures to be banned, burned, and forgotten.  He postulates how different history could have played out if other ideologies were included, even suggesting Rome could have not become Christian, thus vastly changing western civilization. Ehrman’s methodology is to review many ancient texts, some recently discovered, and discuss their subject matter, influence, and their veracity.

PART ONE: Forgeries and Discoveries

                History is full of forgeries, Ehrman begins. Some are meant to deceive the reader from the truth, others to deceive the reader from its truthful authorship.  He makes some brief comments about several forgeries, both ancient and modern, and also makes note that even the Bible today contains forgeries in many scholar’s eyes, including 2 Peter and 2 Thessalonians.

                Chapter 1: The Ancient Discovery of a Forgery: Serapion and the Gospel of Peter

                Ehrman writes about a Syrian man named Serapion. A bishop in the early 3^rd century, Serapion discovered local churches reading from a book called the Gospel of Peter. After investigating the material for himself, he noticed a strong docetic ideology. (Docetism was an early church heresy that believed that Jesus only appeared to be human, stemming from the Greek word ‘to appear.’) Writing a pamphlet called, “The So-Called Gospel of Peter,” Serapion laid out his issues with the text and concluded that it is not truly an apostolic letter from Peter himself.  Ehrman then concludes this section of the chapter commenting on how no one today thinks this letter was written by Jesus’ disciple, Peter.

                A 19^th century archaeological dig has discovered fragments from what appears to be the same book. There are numerous passages that lend support to the idea that this is a docetic text. (The Gospel of Peter makes comments such as, “Jesus was silent, as if he had no pain” while on the cross, , or Jesus comment on the cross that “my power has left me.”) The book also has a strong anti-Jewish slant, more so than the New Testament gospels. For example the Gospel of Peter says that King Herod orders Jesus to be crucified, and   Pontius Pilate’s role is greatly reduced as well. Ehrman argues that  this correlates with heightened tensions with the Jewish populations in the 2^nd century, lending support for a forged document that doesn’t match up with the apostle Peter’s timeframe.

                While Ehrman doesn’t argue against the claim that this was a forgery, he makes a claim that this and other “apocryphal” writings were just a popular as the Gospel of Mark, for example. He reaches this conclusion by looking at the number of times a particular book is mentioned in other local writings from the time.  

                Chapter 2: The Ancient Forgery of a Discovery: The Acts of Paul and Thecla

                A 2^nd century writing called the Acts of Paul included stories of Thecla, a female disciple of the apostle Paul.  Ehrman states we know this to be a forgery based on the writings of church father Tertullian in the late 2^nd century. The author confessed to falsely writing the tales; his motive was to expand on his love for the writings of Paul. However, the popularity of Thecla blossomed in the early church, according to Ehrman, and she had devotees across Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt.

                The story of Thecla is about a woman who leaves her fiancé for a life of chastity and to follow Paul. She resists sexual advances from some prominent citizens and is punished and sent through many trials. Some are like gladiator games, but she is protected by God and eventually rescued. It ends with her obtaining freedom once again and is commanded by Paul to go and preach, mostly a message of resisting sex even within marriage. Ehrman writes that these stories were more than simple entertainment for its readers. They were meant to show a new way of life, to disrupt traditional thinking and to encourage a more ascetic existence. This was received as freeing to women, to not rely on a husband for status or influence. The story’s influence was wide enough for Tertullian to worry about its impact on women’s role in the church.

                Ehrman draws on some of the more egalitarian passages from the Epistles of Paul (Gal 3:28, Rom 16:1, 16:7), with the intent to suggest that there was much debate within the early church over women’s roles. The stories of Thecla also provide support for this position and the backlash caused by writers such as Tertullian who outlawed such tales.

                Chapter 3: The Discovery of an Ancient Forgery: The Coptic Gospel of Thomas

                This chapter introduces us to the remarkable find of ancient documents called the “Nag Hammadi” library from Egypt in 1945. This collection included 12 Gospel accounts never before seen, anthologies of sayings, and even portions of Plato’s Republic.  They are believed to be dated from the mid 4^th century. They were found on a hillside outside of a nearby ancient monastery, and Ehrman believes they were hidden here around 367 AD. This is the date that a church Father, Athanasius, mentioned the 27 books  which make up our modern New Testament, the first such reference to a final compilation. Ehrman wonders if monks were forced to remove all other material from their library, but instead of destroying them, they hid them in a nearby hillside instead.

                Included in the Nag Hammadi library is the popular “Gospel of Thomas.” This is a collection of 114 sayings of Jesus. Most reflect a Gnostic worldview and Ehrman spends some time quoting many of the sayings to provide a flavor of Gnosticism. To summarize, this was a way of viewing the world where the physical world was “lesser” than the spiritual world, and we needed a way to escape from the physical realm. Jesus didn’t come to Earth so much to be a divine savior, but to be someone who could show us the way through esoteric teachings. One had to try to obtain this secret knowledge to be able to return to a spiritual existence.

                Ehrman does not really expand on why he views this to be a forgery, other than to repeat that this was the position of the early church, which decreed it as heretical. These writings were since lost or destroyed until discovered by Bedouins in the 20^th century.

                Chapter 4: The Forgery of an Ancient Discovery? Morton Smith and the Secret Gospel of Mark

                This chapter is about a fascinating tale involving a 20^th century scholar who claimed to have made an incredible find in an ancient and dusty monastery library. Morton Smith was a history professor at Columbia University, and while on a sabbatical trip to the Mar Saba monastery outside of Jerusalem, he offered to work on cataloguing some of their ancient texts. Flipping through pages of a book written by Ignatius of Antioch, Smith came across some pages with hand-written notes. The text began by saying this was from “the most holy Clement…” (Clement was a famous theologian from around 200 A.D). Smith was unable to take the book with him, but took photographs of the hand-written note.

                The letter claims to reference a “more spiritual” version of the Gospel of Mark for advanced readers. Clement makes some direct quotes from the alleged Gospel and they contain what Smith construed to be some homo-erotic passages. Other sections quote from the canonical Gospel of Mark, yet add additional material. Naturally, Clement condemned the writings. The original manuscripts have never been witnessed by anyone other than Smith (which seems to be another story altogether) yet their authenticity seems to have been accepted by many peers in Smith’s field. The handwriting matches up with Greek styles for the time, and the language used is consistent with how Clement reads in other known documents. Yet, without access to the actual parchment, a true test of authenticity cannot be completed. Ehrman summarizes this chapter by pointing out that scholars are split over whether this is a forgery or not. He also suggests that a possible motivation for such a grand deceit would be to simply see if it could be done! Ehrman does not tip his hand to his personal opinion though. He admits that forgery is certainly an option, but is unwilling to go that far himself.

PART TWO: Heresies and Orthodoxies

                Ehrman begins this new section by describing Roman culture as a society that embraced a plurality of faiths, as long as they didn’t interfere with Roman rule. Christianity was different in that it was an exclusive faith, one concerned about being right. And each group of believers thought that their views were the correct ones. Ehrman states, “All forms of early Christianity claimed authorization of their views by tracing their lineage back through the apostles of Jesus.”

                Chapter 5: At Polar Ends of the Spectrum: Early Christian Ebionites and Marcionites

                The early church struggled with how to deal with the Jewish culture fitting into the Christian faith. Ehrman first summarizes some of the issues surrounding the debates over whether Gentiles (non-Jews who became Christians) needed to first become Jews and follow Old Testament law. He contrasts writings of Paul that reflect a “faith only” stance versus the Gospel of Matthew where Ehrman believes Matthew held to a Jewish law requirement.

                Next, he presents two groups of people with contrasting views on many issues in the early expansion of the church. Some of these issues involve the role of Judaism in differing ways as well. First, the Ebionites believed in keeping the Jewish law. They thought that Jesus was a human who was adopted by God at an early age, and kept the Jewish law perfectly thus becoming the perfect sacrifice. This is contrasted with the view of Marcionism. Marcion’s followers believed that the God of the Old Testament was distinct from that of the New Testament. The OT God was the creator of the world, yet full of wrath.  The NT God was loving and full of grace. They rejected the OT altogether. As for Jesus, he only appeared to be human (a docetist position). Jesus came to save us from the Jewish God of the OT. According to Ehrman, the Marcion movement was deemed to be a significant threat to those in charge, and as such there are many ancient writings that refute this position.

                He closes this chapter by asking what would have happened if either of these movements had “won these battles” and become orthodox? Would relations between Christians and Jews have played out differently? Ehrman speculates about differing political and economic views that could have arisen given a different development with Western civilization.

                Chapter 6: Christians “In the Know”: The Worlds of Early Christian Gnosticism

                Another early offshoot of the Christian tradition deals with Gnosticism. Here Ehrman provides an overview of this position, some of its origins, and samples of some of their writings. Gnosticism was not a widely explored system of thought until the past few centuries when new writings were uncovered, largely in the Nag Hammadi library mentioned earlier.

                To summarize, Gnosticism teaches that we are not of this world, and that we are spiritual creatures that need to escape from this physical existence. The physical world is considered inherently evil, not just corrupted by human sin. Jesus was sent as a “diving emissary” who was meant to lead the way on how to escape. This way is through “secret knowledge” (where the Greek word Gnosis comes from) that we need to seek out. Because our bodies (as part of this world) are evil, we need to deny them from indulging in pleasureful activities.  Their teachings are somewhat esoteric, and as a result, not everyone can be enlightened to understand them. Only those elite few who could understand the higher meanings of Jesus’ teachings could obtain sufficient knowledge to escape this world.

                Ehrman suggests that some of the origins of Gnosticism had its roots in the Jewish belief of God’s judgment of the world and the redemption of his followers. He points to a group of Jewish thinkers from around 200 A.D. that scholars have called “the apocalypticists.” During this time under Syrian rule, they came to believe that God was in battle with the Devil, who was inflicting pain among God’s people. God would eventually rise up to overcome these cosmic forces. Why? Because the Old Testament provided an example of God’s deliverance of the Jews from Egypt during the Exodus.. By the time Jesus came, they expected him to again follow this pattern. . When he leaves the scene and the Jews are left still dealing with the same problems as before, Ehrman posits that they began to radically modify their worldview. Maybe God was not good? Or maybe he is ignorant or not the creator of the world? There must be someone greater above him, more powerful yet more distant, fully other. And so, the idea developed that we didn’t need a redeemer, but a deliverer from this fallen place. So in a sense, Ehrman wonders if Gnosticsm arose from a kind of “failed apocalypticism.”

                Ehrman also does mention a more traditional explanation for Gnostic origins. He comments on the striking parallels between a Greek platonic view of the world and its radical dualism, where the spiritual world is good and the physical world a mere shadow of reality.

                Again Ehrman finishes this chapter with pondering what would have happened if Gnosticism had “won out” over other ideologies.   For example, how would a dominant Gnostic worldview have dealt with poverty or disease, when “the flesh was to be escaped rather than endured?” Or, how would one approach reading an ancient text? Would the default assumption be a highly figurative reading, where only the “elite” of society could truly understand its meaning? Ehrman has his doubts that such a worldview would have been very appealing.

                Chapter 7: On the Road to Nicaea: The Broad Swatch of Proto-orthodox Christianity

                After reviewing some of the ideas that were found to be outside the boundaries of what orthodox belief looked like, this final chapter in Part two shifts to describing some of the markers of orthodox belief. Ehrman wants to show that even within the approved teachings there was a range of perspectives and shifting boundaries.

-          Martyrdom:  Ehrman writes about early church leaders who were killed for their beliefs. Ignatius was fed to the beasts in Rome, and Polycarp burned at the stake. A sign of orthodoxy was a willingness to die for your beliefs. This is contrasted with some of the heretical followers that would not take such a stand.

-          Apostolic Succession: Ehrman argues for this as a further development of the church. Early letters such as 1 Corinthians are written to the people themselves, but later letters begin to be written to pastors or those in leadership such as Timothy or Titus. Even later still, church leaders are urging local churches to obey those in authority through their bishop’s lineage back to apostles as a means to influence and instruct. The phrase “apostolic succession” became a means to authority.

-          Jewish Tradition: There is much debate over whether Christianity is a Jewish offshoot or something completely separate. Ehrman shows how some authors tried to incorporate the Jewish history into their Christian theology while others tried to show the Jews as responsible for Jesus’ death and demanded a clean break.

-          Prophetic Tradition: Some church leaders, such as Ignatius, claimed to receive revelation direct from God. The issue of personal revelation became an issue over time: What happens if our revelations conflict? What if prophecies don’t come true? What if they conflict with scripture? Ehrman argues that revelation had to be relegated to a lesser role in order to reign in various groups who claimed authority. 

As a general reflection, Ehrman points out that, over time, the boundaries of orthodox belief were debated and refined. He says, “Orthodoxy of one age becomes the heresy of the next.” It’s not just that doctrinal points are being refined as advanced concepts are explored (such as the trinity), but that even the lines of plausible beliefs shift over time.

PART THREE: Winners and Losers

            Chapter 8: The Quest for Orthodoxy

            Ehrman focuses on three biblical scholars and the effect their research has had on the concept of orthodoxy in the church:

                1) H. Reimarus:  This 18^th century German scholar proposed that Jesus was proclaiming an immediate, physical kingdom on Earth. When Jesus died and his visions did not come to pass, his followers changed the story to say that Jesus instead meant a spiritual kingdom. Ehrman points out that no scholar believes this reconstruction today, but its significance is that he was the first to critically look at the actual life of Jesus. Reimarus also proposed that a certain theological agenda was apparent in the Gospel writers, reflecting a later revisionist writing of history.

                2) F.C. Bauer: This 19^th century scholar looked at the reliability of the entire New Testament scriptures, focusing on the conflict between Jewish-Christians and Gentile-Christians. Baur viewed the apostle Paul as the speaker for the Gentiles and Peter as the representative for the Jewish traditions. He saw each NT book as an attempt to push a certain theological understanding to the masses. He believed the book of Acts to be written as a revisionist account of the lives of the apostles, focusing on how they came together in unity to display a “mediating force.”  Again Ehrman points out that no one takes his views to be 100% true today, but it does point to a commonly held belief today among scholars that the book of Acts was written with a “theological agenda” in mind and was driven by that as much as historical accuracy. Ehrman provides a list of sample passages that show Paul in conflict with himself, hoping to support a conclusion of disharmony within scripture. (Examples: Did Paul consult with the Apostles before going into the Mission field? Acts 9:26 says yes, Gal 1:17 says no. What about pagans worshiping idols? They are guilty says Rom 1:18-32, Acts 17:22-31 says no.)  

                3) Walter Bauer: Bauer’s 1934 book Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity was, according to Ehrman, arguably the most important work of the 20^th century on early Christianity. Bauer’s central thesis was that no single orthodoxy existed among the early church. There were regional influences and a diverse set of views on key issues. Eventually one group dominated and then began to rewrite history in their favor. He believed that the Church of Rome became the most influential due to many factors, including their large population, affluence, and connections with the central Roman government. Ehrman adds that all of Paul’s letters mention combating false doctrines within the churches in one form or another, lending his support for this view of no single orthodoxy.

                Ehrman summarizes this point in some of his concluding comments: “[Orthodoxy] was neither a self-evident interpretation nor an original apostolic view. The apostles, for example, did not teach the Nicene Creed or anything like it. Indeed, as far back as we can trace it, Christianity was remarkably varied in its theological expressions.”

                Chapter 9: The Arsenal of the Conflicts: Polemical Treatises and Personal Slurs

                Here we are provided a summary on some of the “literary battlefields” going on in the early days of the church. Both orthodox and heretical views presented arguments in written form for us to study today. Ehrman provides a summary of some of the main points of attack. He mentions that we have fewer manuscripts from the heretical camps, as they were either lost or destroyed over time. Two are mentioned though: one writing from someone claiming to be Clement, attacking Paul’s anti-Jewish message. This seems to be written to argue an Ebionite theology (a group mentioned earlier.) Secondly, he summarizes some Gnostic writings that didn’t deny the historical Jesus but presented his teachings in a more spiritual way, revealing a deeper insight into his theology.  The remainder of the chapter details some examples of how Ehrman viewed orthodox writers attacking their adversaries:

-          “Truth precedes error”: Church leaders argue that, if Marcion or Ebion were correct, then what about the Christians before them? Were they all wrong in their thinking? Here, orthodox writers tried to show that the original apostolic writings were corrupted by later heresies that distorted them and their essential truth.

-          Apostolic succession: Since the apostles passed on their knowledge through instructing the various church leaders, this gave support for the veracity and correct transmission of orthodox doctrine over time. Church leaders asked if heretical teachers could make the same claim.

-          Creeds: Theological creeds were written specifically to counter heretical claims and to remind believers what was acceptable doctrine.

-          Interpretation:  Church leaders chose figurative or literal interpretations of scripture, depending on which heretical group they were arguing against.

-          Personal attacks: Heretics were often accused of being immoral and sexually perverse.

-          Unity: Throughout these attacks, Ehrman points to a common theme of stressing unity. It is the church that stresses unity among its body, its traditions handed down from the earliest of days and being connected to Jewish heritage. Conversely, it is the heretics who stir up division and try to create disunity among the church.

Chapter 10: Additional Weapons in the Polemical Arsenal: Forgeries and Falsifications

This chapter begins with some examples of forgeries that provide stories around the infant Jesus, but the main focus is to show that both orthodox as well as heretical groups both attempted to forge entire writings, or alter phrases in accepted writings, in order to lend proof to their theologies. Some specific passages he focuses on include:

Luke 3:22 – Ehrman states that the oldest known texts contain the phrase “You are my beloved Son. Today I have begotten you” instead of the modern wording of “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” He states this change was to combat an adoptionist theology, that Jesus was not divine by nature but by adoption.

Mark 15:34 – Instead of the familiar phrase today of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Ehrman states that some later copies tried to change this to “why have you mocked me?” This was to combat the Gnostic belief of full separation of Jesus from God during the crucifixion.  

Heb 2:9 – Another passage that Ehrman says was changed to ward off Gnostic support. While this passage today reads “so that by the grace of God he might taste death…” Ehrman states ancient versions read “so by being apart from God he might taste death” which would have given Gnostics ammunition to believe that “the divine element had left him.”

Luke 22:44 – Eherman states that this verse is not found in the earliest documents. He believes this was added to combat a docetic view of Jesus as only appearing to be man, because Jesus sweating blood would lend support to him being fully human.

He also provides the reader some examples of general spelling and grammatical errors as scribes copied copies of copies (such as Mark 1:2 referencing a quote from Isaiah instead of Malachi, or Mark 2:26 that references 1 Sam 21:1-7, with some texts referring to Abiathar and others to his father Ahimelech.) . Or, a note that was added in a margin by a scribe found its way into later copies as part of the actual text (Ehrman did not cite this example)

Chapter 11: The Invention of Scripture: The Formation of the Proto-orthodox New Testament

Ehrman begins: “It comes as a bit of a shock to most people to realize that the Church has not always had the New Testament. But the Christian Scriptures did not descend from heaven a few years after Jesus died.” With this he begins a brief walk through how the modern New Testament came to be, piecing together bits of evidence from various authors from the first century to the fourth.  His conclusion is that the process took centuries and was not unanimous in its decisions. It was a long, drawn-out series of events before the “canon” of scripture was officially closed. Here are some of the highlights:

-          As the years went by and apostolic presence waned, there grew a need to replace them with apostolic writings, and to equate these writings with the scripture of the Old Testament.

-          Ehrman believes the date for all 27 NT books range from 50 AD (Galatians) to 120 AD (2 Peter).

-          The Muratorian Fragment is the earliest fragment that lists the books of the NT. Its date is disputed and ranges anywhere from mid 2^nd century to 4^th century. It contains 22 of the 27 books recognized today.

-          Various church leaders wrote about varying sets of books. Polycarp quotes many gospel passages, but some are unknown or are found in non-canonical books. He also references other scriptures such as the Shepherd of Hermas or 2 Clement that were not included in the NT. Also, Justin Martyr often quoted from the gospels, but never referenced them by name, sometimes weaving different accounts together. He also never quotes the writings of Paul.

-          Christian churches in Rhossus accepted the Gospel of Peter as authoritative.

-          The authors of the four canonical gospels weren’t given names until mid 2^nd century.

-          One significant motivator that seemed to propel church leaders to form a canon was to combat heretical views, such as Montanus, who was making prophetic claims.

-          A writing from Eusebius, around 300, provides a list of generally agreed upon books. However, he mentions some are disputed (James, Jude, 2 Peter), others are forged (Acts of Paul, Shepherd of Hermas), and others still as heretical (Gospel of Peter or Thomas).

-          The Codex Sinaiticus, our oldest complete copy of the entire NT from the 4^th century, includes some non-canonical texts as well such as the Epistle of Barnabas and Shepherd of Hermas.

-          The oldest complete list of 27 books of the NT as we recognize them today was in a letter from Athanasius in 367.

Through these and other bits of evidence from history, Ehrman argues that amidst the backdrop of non-conformity and differing opinions over what was authoritative and what was not, the “orthodox” position had “triumphed” over all other views and became what most Christians abide by today as God-given.  Before this time there was no one orthodox position, and so Ehrman consistently uses the term “proto-orthodox” throughout his book to mean the position held by those in the church that eventually came to be orthodox over time.

                Chapter 12: Winners, Losers, and the Question of Tolerance

                In this final chapter, Ehrman reflects on the magnitude of these decisions concerning orthodoxy had upon all of western civilization. He points to the conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine in 312 as the pinnacle of the spread of the Christian faith. Over the next century, Christianity would go from a tiny minority (he estimates 5 to 7% of Romans were Christian) to the major religion of the Roman Empire. What if, Ehrman ponders, other factions of Christian doctrine had “won out” by this point in time? Would we all be Ebionites today, still honoring Jewish law? How would Gnostic thought have affected the doctrine of the Trinity? The splintering of possibilities is endless as to how history could have been different. This is not to say that all debates have ceased. The church has continued to refine and debate the finer points of the Christian faith, and even the heretical movements still have influence upon churches today in varying ways.

                His final comments deal with the issue of tolerance. The early Christian movement during the Roman Empire stood out for its exclusivity. While Roman society was generally tolerable to all beliefs, Christianity was the one that rubbed it the wrong way because Christians would not also recognize the Roman gods alongside their own. This exclusivity not only applied when opposing pagans of other religions, but of heretics within its own ranks. Ehrman laments over the loss of countless documents, opinions, and historical opportunities to debate issues, and freely be able to do so without repercussion. In today’s society that prides itself on its level of tolerance, Ehrman grieves over not having more access to its intolerable past.

The post Lost Christianities – Book Summary appeared first on Shepherd Project Ministries.

Review by Jeff Stauffer

Chapter 1: Misplaced Faith and Misguided Suspicions

            In this opening chapter, Evans introduces us to four biblical scholars who started out as conservative Christians, but have since moved to a skeptic or agnostic position regarding the Gospels. Focusing largely on Bart Ehrman (due to his cultural popularity), Evans draws on common themes with their academic and personal upbringings. Using their own biographies as a guide, Evans suggests that each of the four former Seminary students seem to have been trained in a “rigid, fundamentalist” environment, allowing little wiggle room for some of the textual variants admittedly found in biblical manuscripts. (Evans uses Luke 22:41-45, John 7:53-8:11, and Mk 16:9-20 as examples of textual variants).

Chapter 2: Cramped Starting Points and Overly Strict Critical Methods

            A popular project in the 1980s called “The Jesus Seminar” wrapped up in 1993 by attributing a meager 18% of quotes from Jesus as actually being said by him. He lists four “cramped starting points” that were used as assumptions to draw many of their conclusions, followed by his rebuttal. Evans presents each of these starting points as an unwarranted assumption that overly narrows where one can follow the evidence:

            1. Was Jesus illiterate? Evans critiques the use of generic literacy levels among the Roman Empire to imply anything about a particular person, let alone a Jew raised in the rabbinic tradition. Jesus is often spoken of as reading from scrolls, exhorting others to do so, and is called “teacher” and “learner” by his followers.

            2. Was Jesus interested in Scripture?  The Jesus Seminar maintained that Jesus wasn’t concerned with Scripture, but his followers were. And as a result, many of the quotes in the gospels were the early church speaking, not Jesus himself. But Evans points to an abundance of passages where Jesus quotes from the majority of the books from the Hebrew Bible as evidence to the contrary.

            3. Was Jesus interested in Eschatology? The phrase “kingdom of God” is often misunderstood, both by Bible teachers as well as the Jesus Seminar. If a correct meaning of this phrase is applied (not speaking just of end times or the millennium, but instead the rule of God, both now and forever), Evans maintains that Jesus was deeply concerned with Eschatology.

            4. Did Jesus understand himself to be Israel’s Messiah? Many skeptics make the argument that Jesus did not proclaim himself to be Messiah. Instead, they claim this doctrine was developed later by his followers after his death. Evans uses fairly recent discoveries in the Dead Sea Scrolls to support the traditional, orthodox claim, drawing from an expanding understanding of terms including “Messiah,” and “Son of God” from those texts.

Chapter 3 & 4: Questionable Texts – Parts 1 and 2

            These two chapters discuss several popular texts that some scholars claim should be considered gospel accounts on equal footing with the four gospels in the Bible. These include the gospels of Thomas, Mary, Peter, the “Secret Gospel of Mark,” and the Egerton Gospel.  Evans provides some historical background on each of these texts, such as where they were found and under what circumstances. He also provides a summary of Gnosticism, which is especially relevant in the case of the gospel of Thomas. Each is evaluated and Evans provides an abundance of direct quotes from them to provide a flavor of their style and meaning. Drawing on evidence from archaeology, historians, and biblical scholars, he evaluates each one and provides the following conclusions:

-          They are late 2^nd century writings at best (Which would be over 100 years after Matthew, Mark, and Luke)

-          They often contain quotes from one or several other New Testament books, supporting a late date and that they drew from previous writings

-          One is even a 20^th century hoax! (The secret gospel of Mark)

Chapter 5: Alien Contexts

            Evans points out that Jesus has been portrayed by many groups in many different ways. Historically, the Romans saw him as a troublemaker. The Greeks saw him as a magician and the Jewish Rabbis as a false prophet who practiced magic. Modern portraits vary as well, from a great moral teacher, to philosopher, to a charismatic leader. One other viewed held by some scholars sees Jesus as a cynic. The Cynics began as a Greek philosophy that spilled over into Roman culture. They are described as “nature lovers” and “known for flouting social custom and etiquette, such as urinating, defecating and engaging in sexual intercourse in public.” One historian coined this group as “hippies in a world of Augustan yuppies”!

            Those who hold to this view attempt to draw parallels between this philosophy and the writings of Jesus, but Evans argues that the connections based on the gospels are weak at best. Archaeological digs in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth have shown there to be no Roman cultural influence, which would have been critical for Jesus to have developed this worldview during his upbringing. There are also no firsthand accounts of Cynic literary works or influences from this time period.

Chapter 6: Skeletal Sayings

            Without context, quotes can be used to mean almost anything. Our popular culture is filled with such examples. In this chapter, Evans makes the point that this is no different in ancient times. He argues that without proper context, scholars can take parables and sayings of Jesus to mean whatever their biases want them to mean. He questions how modern scholars, 2,000 years removed from the events they are studying, can somehow provide a more accurate context than that provided within the Gospel accounts themselves.

            As a specific example, Evans spends some time discussing the parable of the wicked tenant found in Mark 12:1-12. While some try to suggest this passage is about “God turning from the Jews to the Gentiles,” or that it’s about a “falling kingdom whose inheritance is in doubt,” Evans argues for a much clearer interpretation if we let the context of the Gospel writings provide the backdrop: Jesus is speaking of himself, his coming death, and that the religious leaders of the time are in danger of being replaced for their treatment of Israel (the vineyard).

Chapter 7: Diminished Deeds

            Often overlooked by scholars is Jesus’ works of healing and miracles, according to Evans. Here, the author makes a significant point: “Today, scholars are more open to talking about the miracles of Jesus because they rightly recognize that the task of the historian is to describe what people reported and recorded. It isn’t the historian’s task to engage in science and metaphysics.” Evans doesn’t attempt to prove miracles occurred, but instead looks at their purpose. Several reasons include to fulfill prophesy, to display his authority, and as a proclamation that the kingdom of Satan had collapsed. 

Chapter 8: Dubious Uses of Josephus

            Josephus was a Jewish historian who was born shortly after Jesus’ death in A.D. 37. He is often quoted as an extra-biblical source of information regarding this time period. Some scholars have used his writings to become skeptical about the claims in the four gospels due to their “apparent lack of agreement with narratives related by Josephus.” This chapter reviews two biblical characters, John the Baptist and Pontius Pilate, and explores why Josephus’ account of their stories is different than that of the four gospels.

            In the case of John the Baptist, the New Testament depicts John’s death due to his criticism of King Herod Antipas for divorcing his wife. But Josephus writes that his death was due to his popularity and influence among the city. After reviewing texts from both perspectives, Evans concludes they are both “telling the same story, but emphasizing different elements of it.” As for Pontius Pilate, the gospels portray Pilate as a weak, uncertain ruler who is having a difficult time condemning Jesus for any reason. The Jewish crowd takes the blame for his death. Critics look at the writings of Josephus and Philo of Alexandria, who both write of Pilate in a much harsher tone. They conclude that Christians wanted to distance themselves from the Jews at the time, and as a result wrote the story so that the Jews were responsible for Jesus’ death, which would serve the Christian cause. However, Evans spends some time reviewing texts from all available sources and comes to a different conclusion: Pilate was not as harsh as he was made out to be, but was simply a wise politician, able to weave his way gently through a hostile time period for a Roman governor in Jerusalem.

Chapter 9: Anachronisms and Exaggerated Claims

            A common modern theory deals with the idea that there were many different forms of Christianity floating around, and over time through a power struggle the current version of the faith emerged. In the popular novel The DaVinci Code, one of the characters makes a claim that more than 80 gospels were in circulation in the first century alone! Evans says this is “simply preposterous.” He argues that all of these extra-biblical documents have a late 2^nd-century origin at best. “This whole confusion is made worse,” Evans begins, “when scholars attempt to smuggle second-century writings into the first century, thus ‘proving’ that Christianity was indeed quite diverse from the beginning.”

            Even within the New Testament, there is widespread agreement over the core message: that of the death and resurrection of Jesus and a need to respond in faith for salvation. Evans walks through passages throughout the NT pointing to this unity. He then points out that the early writers were quite open to “air the church’s dirty linen.” While there were disagreements over such items as the place of faith vs. works, or the struggle between Jews and Gentiles and what to do with the Old Testament law, neither of these issues are irresolvable, and furthermore, do not sway the central focus of the message of Jesus.

Chapter 10: Hokum History and Bogus Findings

            Evans recounts numerous “speculative reconstructions of the historical Jesus and Christian beginnings,” walking through each claim and providing a response. Some of these stories include:

-          Jesus marries Mary Magdalene and their descendants reached southern France

-          Jesus travels to Egypt and is influenced by Buddhist teachings

-          The “Holy Grail” from which Jesus drank at his last supper survived and is well hidden

-          Manuscripts exist that prove Jesus was still alive in 45 A.D. , thus not dying on the cross

-          Jesus’ father was a Roman soldier

       Each of these is reviewed and is found to have no credible evidence to back their claims, according to Evans. In summary, he shows that each is either based on mystical experiences, hearsay, evidence unsupported by any credible scholar of history, archaeology, etc., or is even a downright modern fraud. 

Chapter 11: Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?

            Evans concludes his book by reviewing the traditional understanding of the life of Jesus and the early church. Despite attempts to prove the contrary, Jesus accepted all the major tenets of the Jewish faith, and accepted the authority of the Jewish law. He made claims to be a prophet, the Messiah, and even the son of God. The book is probably best summed up by some of his concluding statements: “Criteria of authenticity, which are remarkably vigorous in their application to the Gospels, confirm the essential core of Jesus’ teaching.” …..  “But claims that the Gospels are unreliable, full of myth and legend, and so biased that knowledge of what Jesus really said and did cannot be recovered are excessive and unwarranted.”

The post Fabricating Jesus by Craig A. Evans – Book Summary appeared first on Shepherd Project Ministries.

By David Platt; Summary by Stacey Tuttle

Chapter One

Someone Worth Losing Everything For

What radical abandonment to Jesus really means

Even though David Platt was touted as “the youngest megachurch pastor in history,” he became uneasy when he compared himself and his church to Jesus and his followers.  He said Jesus was more like “the youngest minichurch pastor in history,” spending most of his time with twelve men.  While American church culture appears to define success by “bigger crowds, bigger budges and bigger buildings,” He points out examples where Jesus turned away thousands of people and questions if possibly Jesus “spurned the things that… [American] church culture said were most important.”

Platt compared a secret (underground) church meeting he had attended in a closed country to his first Sunday as the pastor of a church in America:  “I could not help but think that somewhere along the way we had missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable.  We were settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.”

Examining Jesus’ ministry and the countless times he practically dissuades would-be followers from following Him (i.e. the rich, young ruler) by making it clear that following Him required abandoning everything else, Platt considers how differently the American church would likely respond to those same situations. 

Platt contends that we are starting to redefine Christianity by rationalizing away the radical call of Jesus to abandon everything, pick up our cross and follow him.  We have a more palatable Jesus.  “A nice, middle-class Jesus, American Jesus…who doesn’t mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have…or to forsake our closest relationships so that he receives all our affection.  A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are.  A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, …who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American dream.”  The danger with this is not only that Jesus begins to look like us, but also that when we gather to worship we are potentially worshipping ourselves instead of Jesus.

As costly as it is to follow Jesus, not following Jesus has a cost as well—the cost of non-discipleship.   When Christians choose to remain comfortable, ignoring true discipleship and Jesus’ commands (such as the command to sell their possessions and give to the poor), others pay the cost:  the unreached, the poor, starving and suffering around the world.  But it’s a cost the nominal Christian pays as well as he forgoes eternal treasure. 

Platt exhorts readers to believe that Jesus is worth it.  Like the man who found a treasure in a field and sold all he had to purchase that field (Matthew 13)—Jesus is a treasure worth abandoning all earthly possessions and pursuits. 

Chapter Two

Too Hungry for Words

Discovering the Truth and Beauty of the Gospel

Meeting in secret, desperate to hear the Word of God, willing and eager to sit for hours upon hours while being taught Old and New Testament history and theology, forgoing income, ignoring discomforts—the underground church is a stark contrast to the American church.  While the Word of God is enough for millions of believers around the world, Platt began to wonder if it was enough for Christians in America.  Would the Christians in his church still gather if there was no cool music, no video screens, no cushioned chairs, no air conditioning…no entertainment value…nothing but studying God’s word for hours at a time?  So began “Secret Church” at Brook Hills—a Friday night gathering from 6:00pm – midnight in which they simply studied the Word and prayed.

Platt urges Christians to examine how much of their understanding of the Gospel is American and how much is biblical—starting with who God is (a God who “evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship than we are ready to give him”[2]).  Secondly, Platt challenges our understanding of who we are.  Contrary to our self-improvement cultural bias, we are darkened in our understanding, with hearts like stone, a people unable to save ourselves.

When we come to truly understand who God is and who we are, we will be brought to a more appropriate response.  We have presented a weak Savior who is begging for us to accept Him.  Platt finds this an inadequate and offensive response.  God doesn’t need our acceptance; we need Him.  Our response, if we really understand our hopeless estate and His glorious grace out to be one of total, immediate and unconditional surrender. 

Chapter Three

Beginning at the End of Ourselves

The Importance of Relying on God’s Power

The American dream leads to two key problems.  The first is that we believe in our strength – our greatest asset is our own ability.  We believe we can do anything we set our minds to.  The second problem Platt sees with the American dream is more troubling—because we accomplish things in our own power, we are likely to attribute our success to our own strength and ability…ultimately this leads to our own glory, not God’s.  We make much of ourselves when the Bible says we should make much of God.  In fact, God has a history of putting his people into situations they cannot handle without Him, so that He gets the glory.

This is problematic, not only in our personal lives with Christ, but also in the way we do church in America.  We have a system full of strategies, plans, programs, etc. which are nearly guaranteed to increase attendance.  We start with a good performance, build incredible facilities to host it and contain the crowds, and start up a menagerie of programs to keep people coming back.  And to ensure it’s successful, we hire professionals to do the job for us.  However, Platt is concerned that this precludes our desperation for God in the process.  And it dupes us into mistaking numbers and attendance for true spiritual growth.

Platt contrasts our American church system with the church’s beginnings found in Acts.  He notes their dependence on prayer and on God.  He also notes that they were not professionals, they were ordinary men.  He also cites George Muller as an example of a man who lived in complete dependence on God. 

We can live in dependence on God, knowing that he is a father who loves to give to his children.  When the God of the universe, our Heavenly Father, gives gifts to us, he gives the best gifts.  He gives of his very self – he gives the Holy Spirit.  For example, Platt explains that when we ask for comfort, God gives us the Comforter.  Platt says that God especially loves to give to those who long to make much of Him. 

Chapter Four

The Great Why of God

God’s Global Purpose from the Beginning till Today

From Genesis to Revelation, Platt illustrates the global purpose of God: “God blesses his people with extravagant grace so they might extend his extravagant glory to all peoples on the earth.”[3]  When God blesses his people, it’s not ultimately for their sake, but so that they might extend God’s blessing to others.  We are to be a conduit of God’s grace, not the end point of it.  God’s grace isn’t give to us that it might stop with us, but rather that it might go on through us.  He has commanded for us to go, take his gospel to the ends of the earth and Platt contends that “anything less than radical devotion to this purpose is unbiblical Christianity.”[4]

Most Christians assume that “God loves me” is the point of the gospel.  But Platt points out that this line of thinking makes “me” the point, the object of Christianity.    Therefore, His grace is centered on me.  And I make decisions about church, career, lifestyle, etc. all based on what is best for me.  But God, not me is the center, the object, the end and the point of our faith.   We need to be wary of disconnecting his blessings given to us from his larger global purpose, that of using them to make his name great among all peoples, lest we think the gospel and his goodness all centers on “me”. 

The global purpose of taking God’s image to all the earth is something we are commanded to do.  It is not an optional program.  Yet, Platt warns that while we have made certain promises of God personal and directly applicable to our lives (such as John 10:10 that we will have abundant life), we have made other promises and commands optional and applicable only to some (such as in Acts 1:8 where we are told the Holy Spirit will take us to the ends of the earth).  “In this process we have unnecessarily (and unbiblically) drawn a line of distinction, assigning the obligations of Christianity to a few while keeping the privileges of Christianity for us all.[5]

Platt addresses the most common objection that arises, that of wanting to take care of local needs first, before addressing the needs of the world.  He points out that most Christians really aren’t doing that much locally in the first place.  But beyond that, our city makes up 1% of the world, our nation 5% of the world.  That makes our city and even our nation a very small percentage of God’s heart for the world.  “Shouldn’t every Christian’s heart be ultimately consumed with how we can make God’s glory known in all the world?”[6] Platt asks, both locally and internationally.

Chapter Five

The Multiplying Community

How all of us Join Together to Fulfill God’s Purpose

Platt examines how we are to live out God’s global purpose of making his name known among the nations by looking at Jesus’ example.  Jesus who considered his great work on earth the band of men he had discipled, not all the great sermons he taught or miracles he performed.  Platt feels that one of the consequences of our modern church strategies has been that people are often left out of the picture.  He writes, “The plan of Christ is not dependent on having the right programs or hiring the right professionals but on building and being the right people—a community of people—who realize that we are all enabled and equipped to carry out the purpose of God for our lives.”[7]

Go, baptize and teach – those were Jesus’ parting words.  Platt explains in greater detail what is involved in each. 

• Go—“Disciple making is not a call for others to come to us to hear the gospel but a command for us to go to others to share the gospel.  A command for us to be gospel-living, gospel-speaking people at every moment and in every context where we find ourselves.[8]
• Baptize—Baptism is the symbol of new life we have in Christ.  It is symbolizes our identification with other believers and unites us as members of one family.
• Teach—As believers reproduce themselves, teaching and modeling through example is a natural part of that.  And, “when we take responsibility for helping others grow in Christ, it automatically takes our own relationship with Christ to a new level.”[9]

Platt says that the modern church usually aims to disinfect Christians, vs. making disciples.  Disinfecting, he says, “involves isolating followers of Christ in a spiritual safe-deposit box called the church building and teaching them to be good.”[10]  In this system, holiness becomes a matter of what we haven’t done.  Discipling, however, propels Christians into the world.  In this system, success isn’t defined by the numbers of attendees on a Sunday morning, but rather by the number of people leaving in order to take God’s name to the corners of the earth.

Chapter Six

How Much is Enough?

American Wealth and a World of Poverty

We all are susceptible to blind spots, no matter how good our intentions, how faithful our worship and consistent our Bible study.  A blind spot which seems to be rampant in the American church today is our response to poverty in the world.  Platt says that, “anyone wanting to proclaim the glory of Christ to the ends of the earth must consider not only how to declare the gospel verbally but also how to demonstrate the gospel visibly in a world where so many are urgently hungry.”[11]  To drive home the point, Platt explores some of the Bible’s judgment upon those who neglect the poor.

There are two common errors, according to Platt, when people read Mark 10, about the rich young ruler whom Jesus told to sell all his possessions, give to the poor, then come follow Him. 

1. People try to universalize Jesus’ words.  They think Jesus always commands this of all his followers throughout all of time.  (This is unsupported by Scripture.)
2. At the other extreme, people assume Jesus never calls his followers to actually give up all they have to follow him.  Also not scriptural.

The central problem was that the rich young man didn’t see God as sovereign Lord, he saw him as a good teacher.  Platt asks if we are making the same mistake. 

Are you and I looking to Jesus for advice that seems fiscally responsible according to the standards of the world around us?  Or are we looking to Jesus for total leadership in our lives, even if that means going against everything our affluent culture and maybe even our affluent religious neighbors might tell us to do?

Jesus never intended to be one voice among many counseling us on how to lead our lives and use our money.  He always intends to be the voice that guides whatever decisions we make in our lives and with our money.[12]

He encourages readers that Jesus loves us, and as he tells us to let go of our grip on our possessions it is because of his great love for us.  It is because he loves us that we can also trust that he will provide for us.  This letting go of our possessions is hard.  We think of wealth the way the world does—we see it as a blessing, something that is always to our advantage, rather than seeing that it may also be a barrier in our life and our relationship with God.  It is not to say that possessions in and of themselves are bad.  We give them away, not because they are evil, but because they might do more good on behalf of others.  We give them away because Christ compels us to care for those in need around us.

What can we spare? or What will it take?  There is a critical difference between these two questions/approaches to how much we are willing to give to spread the Gospel.  We are accustomed to giving our leftovers, our scraps.  We wait to see what we can spare.  But we are approaching this from the wrong end.  We need to start with asking ourselves what it’s going to take. 

Chapter Seven

There is No Plan B

Why Going is Urgent, Not Optional

Our belief that “all men are created equal” has subtly become the belief that all ideas are also created equal.  As such, different religious views are simply a matter of preference and should be considered equal.  Faith becomes a matter of taste, rather than truth.  This belief, this way of thinking has permeated the church.  The result of which is that rather than having a sense of urgency to reach the lost and dying with the Gospel of Christ,  Christians often feel that people will “go to heaven simply based on their native religious preferences”. [13]  Platt explores Romans to shed some light on this line of thinking.

1. Truth 1: All people have knowledge of God.  (Romans 1:18)
2. Truth 2:  All people reject God.  Our sinful natures rebel against God. 
3. Truth 3:  All people are guilty before God. 

“I am always amazed at how we bias this question concerning people who have never heard about Jesus.  We give the man in Africa or the woman in Asia or even ourselves in America far too much credit.  There are no innocent people in the world just waiting to hear the gospel.  Instead there are people all over the world standing guilty before a holy God, and that is the very reason they need the gospel.

All too often we view heaven as the default eternal state for humankind.  We assume that our race simply deserves heaven, that God owes heaven to us unless we do something really bad to warrant otherwise.  But…this theology is just not true.  All people are guilty before God, and as such the default is not heaven but hell.”[14]

1. Truth 4:  All people are condemned for rejecting God.  Just because a person hasn’t heard the gospel of Christ is not a get out of jail free card.  If it was, then it would mean that people were in heaven on the basis of not having heard the Gospel.  It would mean that we do a disservice to anyone when we share the Gospel with them – previously they were going to Heaven, now they might go to Hell if they don’t accept the Gospel.  
2. Truth 5:  God has made a way of salvation for the Lost.
3. Truth 6:  People cannot come to God apart from faith in Christ.  “If we conclude that people can get to heaven apart from faith in Christ, then this would mean there is something else they can do to get to heaven….  It would also be tantamount to saying to Jesus, ‘Thank you for what you did on the cross, but we could have gotten to God another way.’”[15] 
4. Truth 7:  Christ commands the church to make the gospel known to all peoples.  “Many stories are told today of God revealing Christ in dreams and visions around the world to people who have never heard of Jesus.  Consequently, many Christians have begun leaning on the hope that God is using other ways to make the gospel known to people who have never heard of Jesus.  But we need to remember something. There is not one verse in the book of Acts where the gospel advances to the lost apart from a human agent.[16]

If this is all true, that people are dying with out the saving knowledge of Jesus, and it is up to us to take that message to them, then there is no time to waste, especially not on something as insignificant as the American dream.  There are about 1.5 billion unreached peoples currently, and sadly, while they have never heard of Jesus, many of them have heard of Coca Cola.  Platt points out that an American soda company has done a better job of getting its “message”, its product to the remote corners of the world than Christians have.  While many think God is unjust to let so many people go unreached, Platt contends that it isn’t God who is unjust – He has provided the way and commanded believers to take that way to every corner of the earth.  It is Christians who are unjust.  It is Christians who possess the answer for those lost people and do nothing with it.

In a culture where so many Christians are wondering about God’s will for their life, Platt answers, “The will of God is for you and me to give our lives urgently and recklessly to making the gospel and the glory of God known among all peoples, particularly those who have never even heard of Jesus.   The question, therefore, is not “Can we find God’s will?’  The question is “Will we obey God’s will?”[17]

Chapter Eight

Living when Dying is Gain

The Risk and Reward of the Radical Life

Jesus acknowledged that following him would involve risk.  The question therefore, that must be asked is, “Do we believe the reward found in Jesus is worth the risk of following him?”[18]

Jesus commanded his followers to go to places of need.  Go to the dying, the poor, the sick, the needy…  Jesus “met us at our deepest need and now uses us to show his glory and to advance his gospel among the places of greatest need in the world.”[19]

He also sent his followers out in the midst of danger, to the midst of danger.  “We say things such as, “The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.”  We think, If it’s dangerous, God must not be in it.  If it’s risky, if it’s unsafe, if it’s costly, it must not be God’s will.  But what if these factors are actually the criteria by which we determine something is God’s will?  What if we began to look at the design of God as the most dangerous option before us?  What if the center of God’s will is in reality the most unsafe place for us to be?”[20]  Platt asks if we would be willing to be the first to tell a region about Christ and possibly even die in the process, so that someone after us might harvest the fruit of our sacrifice?

“As long as Christianity looks like the American dream, we will have few problems in this world,” [21] according to Platt.  But, he says, “the more our lives are conformed to his, the more we will receive what he received in this world…. The danger in our lives will always increase in proportion to the depth of our relationship with Christ.”[22] 

Platt tells the story of the SS United States, “the fastest and most reliable troop carrier in the world”[23] designed for the navy to use during times of war.  However, she was never used for war and became a luxury liner for presidents and other “important” people instead.  “The church, like the SS United States, has been designed for battle.  The purpose of the church is to mobilize a people to accomplish a mission.  Yet we seem to have turned the church as troop carrier into the church as luxury liner.  We seem to have organized ourselves, not to engage in battle for the souls of peoples around d the world, but to indulge ourselves in the peaceful comforts of the world.”[24]

The American dream rewards its followers safety, comfort, ease, success, security…  But Christ rewards his followers with eternal security, safety, satisfaction, things which far outweigh what this world offers.  God is sovereign, so we are safe in His care.  God loves us, so we are secure.  God gives us his presence, which provides more satisfaction than any pleasure on earth.   Platt cites as examples people who lived in the face of the rewards of Christ even in the midst of martyrdom.  When death is a reward, then you are freed to live a radical life.  Platt believes that is the key to taking back your faith from the American dream .  Once we are able to fix our eyes on better, heavenly country, then will we be able to take risks and live radically.  In the words of Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Chapter Nine

The Radical Experiment

One Year to a Life Turned Upside Down

To know the validity of a claim, it must be tested.  Thus, Platt encourages readers to take a one-year challenge to test the claims of Christ (as put forth in Radical).  He guarantees that in one year, those who try it will find they have an insatiable desire to live radically abandoned to Jesus.  He chose a year because he believes that, contrary to our American desire to reap long-term rewards for short-term commitments, long-term benefits are actually reserved for long-term commitments.

The challenge:

1. Pray for the entire world.   “I would have expected Jesus to say [Matthew 9], ‘You guys see the need.  The harvest is plentiful. So pray for these people who are harassed and helpless. Pray for them.’  But that isn’t what he said. Jesus didn’t say to pray for those who were lost.  Instead he told the disciples to pray for the church….When Jesus looked at the harassed and helpless multitudes, apparently his concern was not that the lost would not come to the Father.  Instead his concern was that his followers would not go to the lost….  A fundamental reality snaps into focus:  we are not praying.  This is the only possible explanation for how there can be such great need yet so few workers.  The multitudes are waiting to hear, and our most urgent need is to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out Christians into the harvest field.”[25]
   • Platt encourages readers to either read Operation World or check out their website: www.operationworld.org for information and prayer guides on every nation in the world.
2. Read through the entire Word.   “[The Bible] is the only Book that he has promised to bless by his Spirit to transform you and me into the image of Jesus Christ.  It is the only Book that he has promised to use to bring our hearts, our minds, and our lives in alignment with him….  When you or I open the Bible, we are beholding the very words of God—words that have supernatural power to redeem, renew, refresh, and restore our lives to what he created them to be….  In our quest for the extraordinary, we often overlook the importance of the ordinary, and I’m proposing that a radical lifestyle actually begins with an extraordinary commitment to ordinary practices that have marked Christians who have affected the world throughout history [i.e. prayer and reading the Bible].[26] 
3. Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose.  “For one year, sacrifice your money—every possible dollar—in order to spend your life radically on specific, urgent spiritual and physical need in the world.”[27]  Make it sacrificial.  Give to gospel centered, church focused organizations that you can trust, and focus on specific, tangible needs. 
4. Spend your time in another context.  Platt challenges readers to spend about 2 percent of the year (approximately 1 week) in another context of ministry—going to minister to those in need.  He asks, “How will I ever show the gospel to the world if all I send is my money?  Was I really so shallow as to think that my money is the answer to the needs in the world?”[28]  Our going starts at home first.  But it also goes beyond that.  He found that for the members of his church, just 2 percent of the time spent going beyond, to some place out of their normal realm of influence, had significant positive impact on the other 98 percent of their ministry within their normal realm of influence.
5. Commit your life to a multiplying community.  “I am convinced that one reason many of us have not taken radical steps in our giving, for example, may not be so much because we love our possessions as it is because we fear isolation. If the radical, simple living we see Jesus talking about were more common in the church, it would be much easier for us to live simply as well….  If we are going to live in radical obedience to Christ, we will need the church to do it.  We will need to show one another how to give liberally, go urgently, and live dangerously.  When we sacrifice our resources for the poor and then face unexpected and unforeseen needs in our own lives, we will need brothers and sisters to help us stand….  The global purpose of Christ was never intended to be accomplished by individuals.”[29]

“What [the end] comes, I am convinced we will not wish we had given more of ourselves to living the American dream.  We will not wish we had made more money, acquired more stuff, lived more comfortably, taken more vacation, watched more television, pursued greater retirement, or been more successful in the eyes of this world.  Instead we will wish we had given more of ourselves to living for the day when every nation, tribe, people, and language will bow around the throne and sing the praises of the Savior who delights in radical obedience and the God who deserves eternal worship.”[30]

 Check out our compilation of Quotes from Radical – Click here!

[1] Platt, David. Radical. Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2010.

[2] Ibid., 29.

[3][3] Ibid., 69.

[4] Ibid., 64.

[5] Ibid., 73.

[6] Ibid., 76.

[7] Ibid., 92.

[8] Ibid., 94.

[9] Ibid., 101.

[10] Ibid., 104.

[11] Ibid., 109.

[12] Ibid., 121.

[13] Ibid., 143.

[14] Ibid., 147.

[15] Ibid., 154.

[16] Ibid., 157.

[17] Ibid., 160.

[18] Ibid., 162.

[19] Ibid., 164.

[20] Ibid., 164-165.

[21] Ibid., 168.

[22] Ibid., 167.

[23] Ibid., 169.

[24] Ibid., 170-171.

[25] Ibid., 187.

[26] Ibid., 192-193.

[27] Ibid., 196.

[28] Ibid., 198.

[29] Ibid., 206.

[30] Ibid., 216-217.

The post Radical: Taking back your faith from the American Dream – Book Summary appeared first on Shepherd Project Ministries.

By David Platt; Compilation by Stacey Tuttle

Chapter One

Someone Worth Losing Everything For

What radical abandonment to Jesus really means

I found myself becoming uneasy [as a megachurch pastor].  For one thing, my model in ministry is a guy who spent the majority of his ministry time with twelve men…  More like a minichurch, really.[2]

[David Platt—] the youngest megachurch pastor in history….  Jesus Christ—the youngest minichurch pastor in history. [3]

How was I to reconcile the fact that I was now pasturing thousands of people with the fact that I was now pastoring thousands of people with the fact that my greatest example in ministry was known for turning away thousands of people?[4]

Soon I realized I was on a collision course with an American church culture where success is defined by bigger crowds, bigger budgets, and bigger buildings.  I was now confronted with a startling reality:  Jesus actually spurned the things that my church culture said were most important.[5]

I could not help but think that somewhere along the way we had missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable.  We were settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.[6]

[Jesus] was simply and boldly making it clear from the start that if you follow him, you abandon everything—your needs, your desires, even your family.[7]

Consider Mark 10, another time a potential follower showed up.  Here was a guy who was young, rich, intelligent, and influential.  He was a prime prospect, to say the least.  Not only that, but he was eager and ready to go….If we were in Jesus’ shoes, we probably would be thinking this is our chance.  A simple “Pray this pray, sign this card, bow your head, and repeat after me,” and this guy is in.  Think about what a guy like this with all his influence and prestige can do.… He can start sharing his testimony, signing books, raising money for the cause. This one is a no-brainer – we have to get him in…. [But,] Jesus committed the classic blunder of letting the big fish get away.[8]

Ultimately, Jesus was calling [followers] to abandon themselves. They were leaving certainty for uncertainty, safety for danger, self-preservation for self-denunciation.  In a world that prizes promoting oneself, they were following a teacher who told them to crucify themselves.[9] 

We are starting to redefine Christianity.  We are giving in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with. 

A nice, middle class, American Jesus.  A Jesus who doesn’t mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have.  A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our closest relationships so that he receives all our affection.  A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just he way we are. A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who, for that mater, wants us to avoid danger altogether.  A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American dream….

He is beginning to look a lot like us because, after all, that is whom we are most comfortable with.  And the danger now is that when we gather in our church buildings to sing and lift up our hands in worship, we may not actually be worshipping the Jesus of the Bible.  Instead we may be worshipping ourselves.[10]

Wake up.  Wake up and realize that there are infinitely more important things in your life than football and a 401(k).  Wake up and realize there are real battles to be fought, so different from the superficial, meaningless “battles” you focus on.  Wake up to the countless multitudes who are currently designed for a Christless eternity.[11]

Consider the cost when Christians ignore Jesus’ commands to sell their possessions and give to the poor and instead choose to spend their resources on better comforts, larger homes, nicer cars, and more stuff.  Consider the cost when these Christians gather in churches and choose to spend millions of dollars on nice buildings to drive up to, cushioned chairs to sit in, and endless programs to enjoy for themselves.  Consider the cost for the starving multitudes who sit outside the gate of contemporary Christian affluence.[12] 

Yes, you are abandoning everything you have, but you are also gaining more than you could have in any other way.  So with joy—with joy!—you sell it all, you abandon it all. Why?  Because you have found something worth losing everything else for.[13]

Chapter Two

Too Hungry for Words

Discovering the Truth and Beauty of the Gospel

What if we took away the cool music and the cushioned chairs?  What is the screens are gone and the stage is no longer decorated?  What is the air conditioning is off and the comforts are removed?  Would his Word still be enough for his people to come together?[14]

In the American dream, where self reigns as king (or queen), we have a dangerous tendency to misunderstand, minimize, and even manipulate the gospel in order to accommodate our assumptions and our desires.  As a result, we desperately need to explore how much of our understanding of the gospel is American and how much is biblical.  And in the process we need to examine whether we have misconstrued a proper response to the gospel and maybe even missed the primary reward of the gospel, which is God himself.[15]

We prefer to sit back, enjoy our clichés, and picture God as a Father who might help us, all the while ignoring God as a Judge who might damn us. Maybe this is why we fill our lives with the constant drivel of entertainment in our culture—and in the church.  We are afraid that if we stop and really look at God in his Word, we might discover that he evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship than we are ready to give him.[16]

We live in a land of self-improvement.  Certainly there are steps we can take to make ourselves better.  So we modify what the gospel says about us. 

We are not evil, we think, and certainly not spiritually dead.  Haven’t you heard of the power of positive thinking?  I can become a better me and experience my best life now.  That’s why God is there, to make that happen.  My life is not going right, but God loves me and has a plan to fix my life.  I simply need to follow certain steps, think certain things, and check off certain boxes, and then I am good.

Both our diagnosis of the situation and our conclusion regarding the solution fit nicely in a culture that exalts self-sufficiency, self-esteem, and self-confidence.  We already have a fairly high view of our morality, so when we add a superstitious prayer, a subsequent dose of church attendance, and obedience to some of the Bible, we feel pretty sure that we will be all right in the end.[17]

Our understanding of who God is and who we are drastically affects our understanding of who Christ is and why we need him.[18]

Our attempt to reduce this gospel to a shrink-wrapped presentation that persuades someone to say or pray the right things back to us no longer seems appropriate. 

That is why none of these man-made catch phrases are in the Bible.  You will not find a verse in Scripture where people are told to “bow your heads, close your eyes, and repeat after me.”  You will not find a place where a superstitious sinner’s prayer is even mentioned.  And you will not find an emphasis on accepting Jesus.  We have taken the infinitely glorious Son of God, who endured the infinitely terrible wrath of God and who now reigns as the infinitely worthy Lord of all, and we have reduced him to a poor, puny Savior who is just begging for us to accept him.

Accept him?  Do we really think Jesus needs our acceptance?  Don’t we need him?

I invite you to consider with me a proper response to this gospel.  Surely more than praying a prayer is involved.  Surely more than religious attendance is warranted.  Surely this gospel evokes unconditional surrender of all that we are and all that we have to all that he is.[19]

Jesus is no longer one to be accepted or invited in but one who is infinitely worthy of our immediate and total surrender.[20]

We want him so much that we abandon everything else to experience him.  This is the only proper response to the revelation of God in the gospel.[21]

I pray that we will be a people who refuse to gorge our spiritual stomachs on the entertaining pleasures of this world, because we have chosen to find our satisfaction in the eternal treasure of his Word.[22]

A college student writes, “I’m at a point now where if preachers can’t come up with something other than inspirational speeches, then maybe they should just read from the Word for their sermon.  The Spirit is good to work with just that.”[23]

Chapter Three

Beginning at the End of Ourselves

The Importance of Relying on God’s Power

The question for us…is whether we trust in his power.  And the problem for us is that in our culture we are tempted at every turn to trust in our own power instead. So the challenge for us is to live in such a way that we are radically dependent on and desperate for the power that only God can provide.[24]

As the American dream goes, we can do anything we set our minds to accomplish.  There is no limit to what we can accomplish when we combine ingenuity, imagination, and innovation with skill and hard work….  But…the dangerous assumption we unknowingly accept in the American dream is that our greatest asset is our own ability….  Even more important is the subtly fatal goal we will achieve when we pursue the American dream.  As long as we achieve our desires in our own power, we will always attribute it to our own glory…  This, after all, is the goal of the American dream; to make much of ourselves.  But here the gospel and the American dream are clearly and ultimately antithetical to each other.  While the goal of the American dream is to make much of us, the goal of the gospel is to make much of God.[25]

In direct contradiction to the American dream, God actually delights in exalting our inability.  He intentionally puts his people in situations where they come face to face with their need for him.[26]

I am part of a system that has created a whole host of means and methods, plans and strategies for doing church that require little if any power from God…. I am concerned that all of us—pastors and church members in our culture—have blindly embraced an American dream mentality that emphasizes our abilities and exalts our names in the ways we do church.[27]

The reality is that the church I lead can accomplish more during the next month in the power of God’s Spirit that we can in the next hundred years apart from his provision. His power is so superior to ours.  Why do we not desperately seek it?[28]

What is God in all his might is simply waiting to show his power in a people who turn their backs on a philosophy of life that exalts their supposed ability to do anything they want and who instead confess their desperate need for him?  What if God in all his grace is radically committed to showing himself strong on behalf of a people who express their need for him so their lives might make much of him?[29]

[Re: George Muller, 1805-98, who cared for more than ten thousand orphans in England] Remarkably, and intentionally, he never asked for money or other resources to provide for these orphans.  Instead he simply prayed and trusted God to provide.  …I was shocked to learn why he started the orphanage.  His primary purpose was not to care for orphans. …Muller decided that he wanted to live in such a way that it would be evident to tall who looked at his life—Christian and non-Christian alike—that God is indeed faithful to provide for his people.  He risked his life trusting in the greatness of God, and in the end his life made much of the glory of God.[30]

We ask God for gifts in prayer, and he gives us the Giver.  We ask God for supply, and he gives us the Source.  We ask God for money, and he doesn’t give us cash, instead, so to speak, he gives us the bank!…He delights in giving us himself.  He puts his very power in us so we might have all we need to accomplish his purposes in this world.[31]

It is a rock-solid promise that the resources of heaven are ready and waiting for the people of God who desire to make much of him in this world.  For the people of God who long to see his power at work and who live to see his purposes accomplished, he will give us absolutely everything we need according to his very presence alive in us.[32]

It is the way of Christ.  Instead of asserting ourselves, we crucify ourselves.  Instead of imagining all the things we can accomplish, we ask God to do what only he can accomplish….  Instead of dependence on ourselves, we express radical desperation for the power of his Spirit, and we trust that Jesus stands ready to give us everything we ask for so that he might make much of our Father in the world.[33]

We were created for a purpose much greater than ourselves, the kind of purpose that can only be accomplished in the power of his Spirit.[34]

Chapter Four

The Great Why of God

God’s Global Purpose from the Beginning till Today

How many of us are embracing the comforts of suburban American while we turn a deaf ear to inner cities in need of the gospel?  How many of us are so settled in the United States that we have never once given serious thought to the possibility that God may call us to live in another country?  How often are we willing to give a check to someone else as long as we don’t have to go to the tough places in the world ourselves?  How many of us parents are praying that God will raise up our children to leave our homes and go overseas, even if that means they may never come back?  And how many of us are devoting our lives to taking the gospel to people in hostile regions around the world where Christians are not welcomed?  Certainly few of us would be so bold as to say we “would just as soon God annihilate all those people and send them to hell,” [as a pastor had told Platt] but if we do not take the gospel to them, isn’t that where they will go?

Meanwhile, Jesus commands us to go.  He has created each of us to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, and I propose that anything less than radical devotion to this purpose is unbiblical Christianity.[35]

God gave his people his image for a reason –so that they might multiply his image throughout the world.  He created human beings, not only to enjoy his grace in a relationship with him, but also to extend his glory to the ends of the earth.[36]

God blesses Abraham abundantly but not ultimately for Abraham’s sake.  He blesses Abraham so that Abraham might be the conduit of God’s blessing to all the peoples of the earth.[37]

God goes so far as to say that when he acts among his people, he doesn’t show his grace, mercy, and justice for their sake but for the sake of his own holy name among the nations.[38]

In the beginning of earthly history, God’s purpose was to bless his people so that all peoples would glorify him for his salvation.  Now, at the end, God’s purpose is fulfilled. Individuals from every nation, tribe, people, and language are bowing down around the throne of God and singing praises to the one who has blessed them with salvation.  This is the final, ultimate, all-consuming, glorious, guaranteed, overwhelmingly global purpose of God in Scripture.  It is the great why of God.  God blesses his people with extravagant grace so they might extend his extravagant glory to all peoples on the earth.[39]

If “God loves me” is the message of Christianity, then who is the object of Christianity?

                God loves me.

                Me.

                Christianity’s object is me.

                Therefore when I look for a church, I look for the music that best fits me and the programs that best cater to me and my family.  When I make plans for my life and career, it is about what works best for me and my family.  When I consider the house I will live in, the car I will drive, the clothes I will wear, the way I will live, I will choose according to what is best for me.  This is the version of Christianity that largely prevails in our culture.[40]

The message of biblical Christianity is not “God loves me, period,” as if we were the object of our own faith.  The message of biblical Christianity is “God loves me so that I might make him—his ways, his salvation, his glory, and his greatness—known among all nations.”  Now God is the object of our faith, and Christianity centers around him.  We are not the end of the gospel; God is.[41]

At the very moment God exalted someone or something else, he would no longer be the great God worthy of all glory in all the universe, which he is.[42]

The Bible is not saying that God does not love us deeply.  On the contrary, we have seen in Scripture a God of unusual, surprising, intimate passion for his people.  But that passion does not ultimately center on his people.  It centers on his greatness, his goodness and his glory being made known globally among all peoples.  And to disconnect God’s blessing from God’s global purpose is to spiral downward into an unbiblical, self-saturated Christianity that misses the point of God’s grace.[43]

Where in the Bible is missions ever identified as an optional program in the church?…We have taken this command [to go to all nations]…and reduced it to a calling—something that only a few people receive.[44]

We have unnecessarily (and unbiblically) drawn a line of distinction, assigning the obligations of Christianity to a few while keeping the privileges of Christianity for us all.[45]

What if we don’t need to sit back and wait for a call to foreign missions?  What if the very reason we have breath is because we have been saved for a global mission?  And what if anything less than passionate involvement in global mission is actually selling God short by frustrating the very purpose for which he created us?[46]

As we have seen all over Scripture, God’s heart is for the world.  So when we say we have a heart for the United States, we are admitting that we have a meager 5 percent of God’s heart, and we are proud of it.  When we say we have a heart for the city we live in, we confess that we have less than 1 percent of God’s heart.[47]

Shouldn’t ever Christian’s heart be ultimately consumed with how we can make God’s glory known in all the world?[48]

The formal definition of impact is “a forcible contact between two things,” and God has designed our lives for a collision course with the world.[49]

Chapter Five

The Multiplying Community

How all of us Join Together to Fulfill God’s Purpose

What is shocking is that when Jesus summarizes his work on earth, he doesn’t start reliving all the great sermons he preached and all the people who came to listen to him.  He doesn’t talk about the amazing miracles he performed—giving sigh tot the blind, enabling the lame to walk, and feeding thousands of people with minimal food.  He doesn’t even mention bringing the dead back to life.  Instead he talks repeatedly about the small group of men God had given him out of the world.  They were the work God had given to him.  They were, quite literally, his life.[50]

At the end of the Son of God’s time on earth, he had staked everything on his relationships with twelve men.  In the middle of his prayer, he even mentioned that one of them (Judas) was lost.  So now we are down to eleven.  These eleven guys were the small group responsible for carrying on everything Jesus had begun.[51]

One of the unintended consequences of contemporary church strategies that revolve around performances, places, programs, and professionals is that somewhere along the way people get left out of the picture.  But according to Jesus, people are God’s method for winning the world to himself.

The plan of Chris t is not dependent on having the right programs or hiring the right professionals but on building and being the right people—a community of people—who realize that we are all enabled and equipped to carry out the purpose of God for our lives.[52]

Jesus reminds me that disciples are not mass produced.[53]

Jesus has not given us an effortless step-by-step formula for impacting nations for his glory.  He has given us people, and he has said, “Live for them. Love them, serve them, and lead them.  Lead them to follow me, and lead them to lead others to follow me.  In the process you will multiply the gospel to the ends of the earth.”[54]

Disciple making is not a call for others to come to us to hear the gospel but a command for us to go to others to share the gospel.  A command for us to be gospel-living, gospel-speaking people at every moment and in every context where we find ourselves.[55]

When we take responsibility for helping others grow in Christ, it automatically takes our own relationship with Christ to a new level.[56]

[God’s Word] is multiplying because the people of God are no longer listening as if his Word is intended to stop with them.  They are now living as if God’s Word is intended to spread through them.[57]

This plan seems so counterintuitive to our way of thinking.  In a culture where bigger is always better and flashy is always more effective, Jesus beckons each of us to plainly, humbly, and quietly focus our lives on people.[58]

In our Christian version of the American dream, our plan ends up disinfecting Christians from the world more than discipline Christians in the world.  [59]

Disinfecting Christians from the world involves isolating followers of Christ in a spiritual safe-deposit box called the church building and teaching them to be good.[60]

When we gather at the building, we learn to be good.  Being good is defined by what we avoid in the world.  We are holy because of what we don’t participate in (and tat this point we may be the only organization in the world defining success by what we don’t do).[61]

Whereas disinfecting Christians involves isolating them and teaching them to be good, discipling Christians involves propelling Christians into the world to risk their lives for the sake of others.  Now the world is our focus, and we gauge success in the church not on the hundreds of thousands whom we can get into our own buildings but on the hundreds of thousands who are leaving our buildings to take on the world with the disciples they are making.  In this case, we would never think that the disciple-making plan of Jesus could take place in one service a week at one location led by one or two teachers.[62]

Chapter Six

How Much is Enough?

American Wealth and a World of Poverty

This frightens me.  Good intentions, regular worship, and even study of the Bible do not prevent blindness in us.  … I can live my Christian life and even lead the church while unknowingly overlooking evil.[63]

Anyone wanting to proclaim the glory of Christ to the ends of the earth must consider not only how to declare the gospel verbally but also how to demonstrate the gospel visibly in a world where so many are urgently hungry.[64]

Indeed, caring for the poor (among other things) is evidence of our salvation….  [It] is one natural overflow and a necessary evidence of the presence of Christ in our hearts.[65]

I challenge you to consider if it [your response to the poor] is a blind spot in your life.  If it is, then I want to dare you to look across the landscape of starving millions through the eyes of Christ, who “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”[66]

We certainly wouldn’t ignore our kids while we sang songs and entertained ourselves, but we are content with ignoring other parents’ kids.  Many of them are our spiritual brothers and sisters in developing nations.  They are suffering from malnutrition, deformed bodies and brains, and preventable diseases.  At most, we are throwing our scraps to them while we indulge in our pleasures here.[67]

What scares me most, though, is that we can pretend that we are the people of God.  We can comfortably turn a blind eye to these words in the Bible and go on with our affluent model of Christianity and church.  WE can even be successful in our church culture for doing so.  It will actually be a sign of success and growth when we spend millions on ourselves.[68]

Isn’t the hidden assumption among many Christians in our culture that if we follow God, things will go well for us materially?[69]

At the core, aren’t [our houses of worship] too often outdated models of religion that wrongfully define worship according to a place and wastefully consume our time and money when God has called us to be a people who spend out lives for the sake of his glory among the needy outside our gates?[70]

If Mark 10 teaches anything, it teaches us that Jesus does sometimes call people to sell everything they have and give it to the poor. [71]

That Jesus did not command all his followers to sell all their possessions gives comfort only to the kind of people to whom he would issue that command.[72]

The rich young man in Mark 10 didn’t see Jesus for who he was.  The rich man perceived him as a respectable religious figure, calling him “good teacher.”  However, Jesus was not, and never is, interested in being seen as a respectable teacher.  He is the sovereign Lord.  He doesn’t give options for people to consider; he gives commands for people to obey.[73]

Are you and I looking to Jesus for advice that seems fiscally responsible according to the standards of the world around us?  Or are we looking to Jesus for total leadership in our lives, even if that means going against everything our affluent culture and maybe even our affluent religious neighbors might tell us to do?

                Jesus never intended to be one voice among many counseling us on how to lead our lives and use our money.  He always intends to be the voice that guides whatever decisions we make in our lives and with our money.[74]

Jesus wasn’t telling [the rich young man] to give away everything he had because Jesus hated him or desired to make his life miserable.  Jesus was telling him to give away everything he had because Jesus loved him.

This is really the core issue of it all.  Do we trust him?  Do we trust Jesus when he tells us to give radically for the sake of the poor?  Do we trust him to provide for us when we begin using the resources he has given us to provide for others?  Do we trust him to know what is best for our lives, our families, and our financial futures?[75]

Ultimately, Jesus was communicating to this man [rich young ruler] that there was nothing he could do to enter the kingdom of God apart from total trust in God.  It is impossible for us to earn our way into heaven.  IN the process, though, Jesus was exposing the barrier that this man’s wealth was to seeing his need for God.  His wealth on earth would ultimately keep him from eternal treasure.[76]

We just don’t believe that our wealth can be a barrier to entering the kingdom of God.  We are fine with thinking of affluence, comfort, and material possessions as blessings.  But they cannot be barriers.[77]

We don’t sell [our possessions] or give them away because they are sinful….  We sell them and give them away because Christ in us compels us to care for the needy around us.[78]

Why not begin operating under the idea that God has given us excess, not so we could have more, but so we could give more.[79]

The truth is, there will continue to be millions and millions of people who do not hear as long as we continue to use spare time and spare money to each them.  Those are two radically different questions.  “What can we spare?” and “What will it take?”[80]

The logic that says, “I can’t do everything, so I won’t do anything,” is straight from hell.[81]

The lesson I learned is that the war against materialism in our hearts is exactly that:  a war.  It is a constant battle to resist the temptation to have more luxuries, to acquire more stuff, and to live more comfortably.[82]

Ultimately, I don’t want to miss eternal treasure because I settle for earthly trinkets. “Where your treasure is,” Jesus says, “there your heart will be also.”[83]

You and I both have a choice. 

We can stand with the starving or with the overfed. 

We can identify with poor Lazarus on his way to heaven or with the rich man on his way to hell. 

We can embrace Jesus while we give away our wealth, or we can walk away from Jesus while we hoard our wealth.[84]

Chapter Seven

There is No Plan B

Why Going is Urgent, Not Optional

Subtly…equality of persons shifts into an equality of ideas.  Just as every person is equally valued, so every idea is equally valid.  Applied to faith, this means that in a world where different people have different religious views, all such views should be treated as fundamentally equal.

In this system of thinking, faith is a matter of taste, not of truth.  The cardinal sin, therefore, is to claim that one person’s belief is true and another person’s belief is false.  The honorable route is to rest quietly in what you believe and resist the urge to share your beliefs with someone else.[85]

Many profession Christians have embraced the universalistic idea that religion is merely a matter of preference or opinion and that in the end all religions are fundamentally the same.[86]

While some professing Christians have reject universalism intellectually, practically they may end up leading universalistic lives.  They claim Christ is necessary for salvation, yet they live their Christianity in silence, as if people around them in the world will indeed be okay in the end without Christ.[87]

I am convinced that this is one of the most important questions facing Christianity in America today.  If people will go to heaven simply based on their native religious preferences, then there is no urgency for any of us to go to them.  But if they will not go to heaven because they have never head of Christ, then there is indescribable urgency for all of us to go to them.  If people are dying and going to hell with out ever even knowing there is a gospel, then we clearly have no time to waste our lives on an American dream.[88]

We are all idolaters.  Whether in America or Africa or Asia, no one worships God truly, because in our hearts we reject the true God.  [89]

All people, regardless of religious, cultural, or ethnic background, stand guilty before God.  In Paul’s words, “Every mouth [is] silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.”[90]

Many professing Christians have come to the conclusion that if certain people around the world don’t have the opportunity to hear about Jesus, then this automatically excuses them from God’s condemnation….  We want people to be okay when they haven’t heard the opportunity to hear the gospel.  But think…about the logic of this conclusion.  It asserts that people will be with God in heaven for all eternity precisely because they never heard of Christ.  Their not hearing about Christ gives them a pass into heaven.

                In addition to the lack of biblical evidence for such a pass, consider the practical implications of this idea.  If people will go tot heaven precisely because they never had the opportunity to hear about Jesus, the worst thing we could do for their eternal state would be go to go them and tell them about Jesus.  That would only increase their chances of going to hell![91]

God would not be just in condemning people for not believing in a Savior they never heard of. But don’t forget, people are not ultimately condemned for not believing in Jesus.  They are ultimately condemned for rejecting God.[92]

If we conclude that people can get to heaven apart from faith in Christ, then this would mean there is something else they can do to get to heaven….  It would also be tantamount to saying to Jesus, “Thank you for what you did on the cross, but we could have gotten to God another way.”[93] 

Many stories are told today of God revealing Christ in dreams and visions around the world to people who have never heard of Jesus.  Consequently, many Christians have begun leaning on the hope that God is using other ways to make the gospel known to people who have never heard of Jesus.  But we need to remember something. There is not one verse in the book of Acts where the gospel advances to the lost apart from a human agent.[94]

A soft-drink company in Atlanta [Coke] has done a better job getting brown sugar water to these people than the church of Jesus Christ has done in getting the gospel to them.[95]

Some wonder if it is unfair for God to allow so many to have no knowledge of the gospel.  But there is no injustice in God. The injustice lies in Christians who possess the gospel and refuse to give their lives to making it known among those who haven’t heard. That is unfair.[96]

The will of God is for you and me to give our lives urgently and recklessly to making the gospel and the glory of God known among all peoples, particularly those who have never even heard of Jesus.  The question, therefore, is not “Can we find God’s will?’  The question is “Will we obey God’s will?”[97]

Chapter Eight

Living when Dying is Gain

The Risk and Reward of the Radical Life

He is good because he has met us at our deepest need and now uses us to show his glory and to advance his gospel among the places of greatest need in the world.[98]

Jesus told them, “Go to great danger, and let it be said of you what people would say of sheep wandering into the middle of wolves, ‘They’re crazy!  They’re clueless!  They have no idea what kind of danger they are getting into!’  This is what it means to be my disciple.”[99]

We say things such as, “The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.”  We think, If it’s dangerous, God must not be in it.  If it’s risky, if it’s unsafe, if it’s costly, it must not be God’s will.  But what if these factors are actually the criteria by which we determine something is God’s will?  What if we began to look at the design of God as the most dangerous option before us?  What if the center of God’s will is in reality the most unsafe place for us to be?[100]

Are we willing, as the first disciples were, to be the first to go into danger and possibly even to die there in order that those who come behind us might experience the fruit of our sacrifice?[101]

The more our lives are conformed to his, the more we will receive what he received in this world.[102]

The danger in our lives will always increase in proportion to the depth of our relationship with Christ.[103]

As long as Christianity looks like the American dream, we will have few problems in this world.[104]

How far we have come when we paste this symbol identified with martyred brother sand sisters in the first century onto the backs of our SUVs and luxury sedans in the twenty-first century.[105]

The church, like the SS United States, has been designed for battle.  The purpose of the church is to mobilize a people to accomplish a mission.  Yet we seem to have turned the church as troop carrier into the church as luxury liner.  We seem to have organized ourselves, not to engage in battle for the souls of peoples around d the world, but to indulge ourselves in the peaceful comforts of the world.[106]

Jim Elliott wrote:  “So what if the well-fed church in the homeland needs stirring?  They have the Scriptures, Moses, and the Prophets, and a whole lot more. Their condemnation is written on their bank books and in the dust on their Bible covers.”[107]

C. T. Studd wrote: “Before the whole world, aye, before the sleepy, luke-warm, faithless, namby-pamby Christian world, we will dare to trust our God,…and we will do it with His joy unspeakable singing aloud in our hearts….  We will have the real Holiness of God, not the sickly stuff of talk and dainty words and pretty thoughts; we will have a Masculine Holiness, one of daring faith and works for Jesus Christ.”[108]

Your life is free to be radical when you see death as reward. This is the essence of what Jesus taught in Matthew 10, and I believe it is the key to taking back your faith from the American dream.

                The key is realizing—and believing—that this world is not your home.  If you and I ever hope to free our lives from worldly desires, worldly thinking, worldly pleasures, worldly dreams…then we must focus our lives on another world.   … We must fix our attention on “a better country—a heavenly one.”…  For then and only then, will you and I be free to take a radical risk, knowing that what awaits us is radical reward.[109]

When we consider the promises of Christ, risking everything we are and everything w have for his sake is no longer a matter of sacrifice.  It’s just common sense.  Following Christ is not sacrificial as much as it is smart.  Jim Elliot once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”[110]

Chapter Nine

The Radical Experiment

One Year to a Life Turned Upside Down

The radical challenge: 

1. Pray for the entire world
2. Read through the entire Word
3. Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose
4. Spend your time in another context
5. Commit your life to a multiplying community[111]

I would have expected Jesus to say [Matthew 9], “You guys see the need.  The harvest is plentiful. So pray for these people who are harassed and helpless. Pray for them.”  But that isn’t what he said. Jesus didn’t say to pray for those who were lost.  Instead he told the disciples to pray for the church.[112]

When Jesus looked at the harassed and helpless multitudes, apparently his concern was not that the lost would not come to the Father.  Instead his concern was that his followers would not go to the lost.[113]

A fundamental reality snaps into focus:  we are not praying.  This is the only possible explanation for how there can be such great need yet so few workers.  The multitudes are waiting to hear, and our most urgent need is to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out Christians into the harvest field.[114]

We have settled far too long for “Bible lite,” both as individual Christians and in the community of faith.  We have adopted a Christianity consumed with little devotional thoughts from God for the day, supplemented by teaching in the church filled with entertaining stories and trite opinions on how to be a better person and live a better life in the twenty-first century.[115]

The battle is intense, and it cannot be fought with little thoughts in a daily devotional or petty ideas from a preacher on Sunday….  If you and I are going to penetrate our culture and the cultures of the world with the gospel, we desperately need minds saturated with God’s Word.[116]

[The Bible] is the only Book that he has promised to bless by his Spirit to transform you and me into the image of Jesus Christ.  It is the only Book that he has promised to use to bring our hearts, our minds, and our lives in alignment with him….  When you or I open the Bible, we are beholding the very words of God—words that have supernatural power to redeem, renew, refresh, and restore our lives to what he created them to be.[117]

What’s so radical about praying and reading the Bible?  My first thought is that, judging from the lack of spiritual fervency and biblical literacy in our churches today, these are extremely radical steps.[118]

In our quest for the extraordinary, we often overlook the importance of the ordinary, and I’m proposing that a radical lifestyle actually begins with an extraordinary commitment to ordinary practices that have marked Christians who have affected the world throughout history [i.e. prayer and reading the Bible].[119]

What if you took the next year and set a cap on your lifestyle?  What if you sought for the next year to minimize luxuries in your life?  This might involve selling present luxuries or withholding the purchase of future luxuries or intentionally sacrificing resources you already have.[120]

Regarding the Radical Experiment and Giving/Sacrificing your Money:

• Sacrifice is giving away what it hurts to give.  Sacrifice is not giving according to your ability; it’s giving beyond your ability.[121]
• Spend your money on something that is gospel centered…  People’s greatest need in the world is Christ.  To meet people’s temporary physical needs apart from serving their eternal spiritual need misses the point of holistic biblical giving.[122]
• Give in a way that is church focused….  Suffice it to say here that it is not wise to bypass God’s primary agent for bringing redemption to the world in an effort to meet the needs of the world.  His primary agent is the church.[123]
• Give to a specific, tangible need….  Related to this, give to someone or something you can personally serve alongside.[124]
• Finally, give to someone or something you can trust.[125]

For one year, sacrifice your money—every possible dollar—in order to spend your life radically on specific, urgent spiritual and physical need in the world.”[126] 

A true brother comes to be with you in your time of need.[127]

When God chose to bring salvation to you and me, he did not send gold or silver, cash or check.  He sent himself—the Son.[128]

How will I ever show the gospel to the world if all I send is my money?  Was I really so shallow as to think that my money is the answer to the needs in the world?[129]

So how will we go?  For each one of us, this clearly begins at home.  Wherever you and I live, we are commanded to go and make disciples there….  Remember that Jesus didn’t travel to every place in the world while he was on earth, and he didn’t go to all the multitudes.  He poured his life into a few men for the sake of the multitudes in places he would never go.[130]

Going starts where we live, but it doesn’t stop there….  We have an obligation to go to them.  This is not an option.  This is a command, not a calling.  What is a matter of calling is where we will go and how long we will stay.[131]

We have discovered that 2 percent [about 1 week] of our time living out the gospel in other contexts has a radical effect on the other 98 percent of our time living out the gospel in our own context.[132]

Consider what happens when all of us begin to look at our professions and areas of expertise not merely as means to an income or to career paths in our own context but as platforms for proclaiming the gospel in contexts around the world.[133]

God has created us for community with one another, and the community we were created for is called the church.  As part of a vibrant community of faith, you will have support and encouragement to live out your intention to be radically abandoned to Jesus.[134]

It is also the New Testament pattern for us to be a part of a local body of Christ, a gathering of brothers and sisters in a particular location where our Christianity comes to life in commitment to one another.[135]

We are not lone rangers trying to accomplish the purpose of God.[136]

The reality is, we need community in order to follow Christ radically.  I am convinced that one reason many of us have not taken radical steps in our giving, for example, may not be so much because we love our possessions as it is because we fear isolation. If the radical, simple living we see Jesus talking about were more common in the church, it would be much easier for us to live simply as well.[137]

If we are going to live in radical obedience to Christ, we will need the church to do it.  We will need to show one another how to give liberally, go urgently, and live dangerously.  When we sacrifice our resources for the poor and then face unexpected and unforeseen needs in our own lives, we will need brothers and sisters to help us stand.[138]

The global purpose of Christ was never intended to be accomplished by individuals.[139]

Consider what you might feel after a year of being intimately exposed to the heart of God for every nation in the world.  Contemplate what you might know about the glory of God after a year of listening closely to his voice.  Think of all the possessions you have now that you would realize you do not need, and think of all the dire needs that would be met as a result of your sacrifice of them.[140]

The challenge before us, then, is to use the freedoms, resources, and opportunities God has entrusted to us for his purpose in the world, all the while remaining careful not to embrace ideas, values and assumptions that contradict what God has said in his Word.[141]

As Elizabeth Elliot points out, not even dying a martyr’s death is classified as extraordinary obedience when you are following a Savior who died on a cross.  Suddenly a martyr’s death seems like normal obedience.[142]

You can cling to short-term treasures that you cannot keep, or you can live for long-term treasures that you cannot lose:  people coming to Christ; men, women, and children living because they now have food; unreached tribes receiving the gospel.  And the all-consuming satisfaction of knowing and experiencing Christ as the treasure above all others.[143]

What that day comes, I am convinced we will not wish we had given more of ourselves to living the American dream.  We will not wish we had made more money, acquired more stuff, lived more comfortably, taken more vacation, watched more television, pursued greater retirement, or been more successful in the eyes of this world.  Instead we will wish we had given more of ourselves to living for the day when every nation, tribe, people, and language will bow around the throne and sing the praises of the Savior who delights in radical obedience and the God who deserves eternal worship.[144]

Find more resources and tools related to Radical at RadicalTheBook.com

Check out Shepherd Project’s Chapter by Chapter Summary of Radical – click here!

[2] Ibid., 1-2.

[3] Ibid., 1-2.

[4] Ibid., 2.

[5] Ibid., 2.

[6] Ibid., 7.

[7] Ibid., 10.

[8] Ibid., 11.

[9] Ibid., 12.

[10] Ibid., 13.

[11] Ibid., 15.

[12] Ibid., 15.

[13] Ibid., 18.

[14] Ibid., 27.

[15] Ibid., 28.

[16] Ibid., 29.

[17] Ibid., 31-32.

[18] Ibid., 34.

[19] Ibid., 37.

[20] Ibid., 39.

[21] Ibid., 39.

[22] Ibid., 40.

[23] Ibid., 40.

[24] Ibid., 45.

[25] Ibid., 45-47.

[26] Ibid., 47.

[27] Ibid, 48-49.

[28] Ibid., 54.

[29] Ibid., 54.

[30] Ibid., 55.

[31] Ibid., 58-59.

[32] Ibid., 59.

[33] Ibid., 60.

[34] Ibid., 60.

[35] Ibid., 64.

[36] Ibid., 65.

[37] Ibid., 66.

[38] Ibid., 68.

[39] Ibid., 69.

[40] Ibid., 70.

[41] Ibid., 70-71.

[42] Ibid., 71.

[43] Ibid., 71.

[44] Ibid., 72-73.

[45] Ibid., 73.

[46] Ibid., 75.

[47] Ibid., 76.

[48] Ibid., 76.

[49] Ibid., 83.

[50] Ibid., 88-89.

[51] Ibid., 89.

[52] Ibid., 92.

[53] Ibid., 93.

[54] Ibid., 93.

[55] Ibid., 94.

[56] Ibid., 101.

[57] Ibid., 103.

[58] Ibid., 103.

[59] Ibid., 104.

[60] Ibid., 104.

[61] Ibid., 105.

[62] Ibid., 105.

[63] Ibid., 108.

[64] Ibid., 109.

[65] Ibid., 110.

[66] Ibid., 113.

[67] Ibid., 115.

[68] Ibid., 115-116.

[69] Ibid., 117.

[70] Ibid., 118.

[71] Ibid., 120.

[72] Ibid., 120. (Quoted from Robert H. Gundry, Matthew: A Commentary on His Handbook for a Mixed Church under Persecution, 2^nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994), 388.

[73] Ibid., 120-121.

[74] Ibid., 121.

[75] Ibid., 123-124.

[76] Ibid., 124-125.

[77] Ibid., 125.

[78] Ibid., 126.

[79] Ibid., 127.

[80] Ibid., 129.

[81] Ibid., 130.

[82] Ibid., 136.

[83] Ibid., 138.

[84] Ibid., 140.

[85] Ibid., 141.

[86] Ibid., 142.

[87] Ibid., 142.

[88] Ibid., 142-143.

[89] Ibid., 145.

[90] Ibid., 146.

[91] Ibid., 148.

[92] Ibid., 149.

[93] Ibid., 154.

[94] Ibid., 157.

[95] Ibid., 159.

[96] Ibid., 159.

[97] Ibid., 160.

[98] Ibid., 164.

[99] Ibid., 164.

[100] Ibid., 164-165.

[101] Ibid., 165.

[102] Ibid., 167.

[103] Ibid., 167.

[104] Ibid., 168.

[105] Ibid., 169.

[106] Ibid., 170-171.

[107] Ibid., 177.

[108] Ibid., 178.

[109] Ibid., 179.

[110] Ibid., 181.

[111] Ibid., 185.

[112] Ibid., 187.

[113] Ibid., 187.

[114] Ibid., 187.

[115] Ibid., 191.

[116] Ibid., 191.

[117] Ibid., 192.

[118] Ibid., 193.

[119] Ibid., 193.

[120] Ibid., 194.

[121] Ibid., 195.

[122] Ibid., 195.

[123] Ibid., 195.

[124] Ibid., 195.

[125] Ibid., 196.

[126] Ibid., 196.

[127] Ibid., 198.

[128] Ibid., 198.

[129] Ibid., 198.

[130] Ibid., 198.

[131] Ibid., 200.

[132] Ibid., 200.

[133] Ibid., 203.

[134] Ibid., 204.

[135] Ibid., 204.

[136] Ibid., 205.

[137] Ibid., 205.

[138] Ibid., 206.

[139] Ibid., 206.

[140] Ibid., 213.

[141] Ibid., 215.

[142] Ibid., 216.

[143] Ibid., 216.

[144] Ibid., 216-217.

The post Quotes from Radical: Taking back your faith from the American Dream appeared first on Shepherd Project Ministries.

With the release of the next installment in the Twilight Series fast approaching (Eclipse is due to hit movie theatres June 30), Shepherd Project Ministries wanted to highlight a few books that have been written to help Christians think through the themes and hidden messages (both good and bad) in Twilight.  Each of these books has taken a unique and different approach and each is well worth investigating.  Since you probably don’t have time to read three separate books on this same subject, we’ve written book summaries of each of them.  Click any of the following links to read a chapter by chapter summary of the each book with all the main ideas clearly highlighted.  Additionally, we are putting together a condensed resource highlighting some of our favorite contributions to the discussion from each of the books (to be available shortly).  We hope this will encourage you to not only sieve the good from the bad for yourselves, but will also become a valuable tool to use the phenomenon that is the Twilight saga to lead others to Jesus.

Touched by a Vampire

The most thorough analysis of the Twilight saga of the three books, Beth Felker Jones’ Touched by a Vampire focuses on the underlying messages in Twilight.  While fans love Twilight because it taps into some core needs and desires of our humanity, she finds that many of the ways those needs and desires are satisfied are subtly but critically different than the ways God designed them to be satisfied.  She also mentions several ways Stephanie Meyers’ Mormon theology is revealed in the saga.  (Click here.)

Escaping the Vampire: Desperate for the Immortal Hero

Kimberly Powers uses the Twilight series as a springboard to point readers to the spiritual and lasting answers to the desires and questions which the series taps into.  She defines Satan as the Ultimate Vampire and Jesus as the Immortal Hero, claiming that the longing to be part of the Twilight adventure can help point us to the far greater adventure we are meant to have with Jesus. (Click here.)

Shepherd Project Ministries did an interview with Kimberly Powers, author of Escaping the Vampire.  Click here to read the interview.

THE TWILIGHT PHENOMENON: Forbidden Fruit OR Thirst-Quenching Fantasy?

Author Kurt Bruner takes the approach of a literature teacher, focusing first on the genres of fantasy and gothic horror so that readers can understand the rules of the genres in which Twilight is written.  He gives a fairly thorough history of vampires throughout history and literature.  He then moves the discussion to romantic love, its true purposes, how it’s handled in the series and how it’s influenced by Mormon theology. (Click here)

Please note that none of the authors desire or intend to tell readers what they should or shouldn’t read, but to give them the tools to help them evaluate for themselves which stories nourish them and which stories do not.

Author Interview with Kimberly Powers, author of Escaping the Vampire - Click here.

Twilight Series Movie and/or Book Reviews:

• Twilight – Click here
• New Moon - Click here
• Breaking Dawn – Click here
• Breaking Dawn Part 2 – Click here

Twilight Feeding Frenzy

The post Twilight Series Resource Page appeared first on Shepherd Project Ministries.

Could you give us a brief synopsis of your book?

Escaping the Vampire–  At the core of every young woman’s heart is a longing to be truly, madly, deeply loved.  EtV draws on themes presented in the popular series– romance, superhuman powers, mystery and adventure–to offer girls a real Immortal Hero who sacrificially loves, fiercely protects and never abandons.  Weaving discussion of the Twilight phenomenon, Biblical truths and real-life stories, EtV makes a compelling presentation of Christ as the true escape from sin’s life-sucking traps and the only fulfillment of the heart’s deepest desires.

EtV is helping countless young women navigate the intersection of popular culture and spiritual growth, providing answers to their own personal questions and better equipping them to engage their peers in meaningful discussion.

What motivated you to write it?

I saw the response of teens to this phenomenon.  I would say the name “Edward Cullen” in a room of girls and they would go crazy!  They were asking me “Where is my Edward?…Is this guy for real somewhere?”  Our conversations were filled with their own thoughts not only of Edward but of also of themselves.  They were irresistibly swept up in this adventure of the Twilight Saga on screen (and book series)…so very desperately wanting to experience such a story themselves. What an awesome opportunity  to respond!

Why are teen girls(and women of all ages) so interested in this series (and others like it)?

I have seen for years this desperate longing that girls (and women)experience…this longing for a true immortal hero who can rescue them from their uneventful lives and provide an eternal love.  What an opportunity to come alongside them, talking about their thoughts.  This is an opportunity to see a bit more of what’s going on inside.  This has given an even bigger opportunity to share with them about the Ultimate Hero, Jesus Christ ,and share of His ultimate story of unconditional, eternal love.  Their true Hero never leaves and He offers them sacrifice of HIS life to save THEM.  Stories of an imperfect hero can leave them empty and searching inside.  In Christ, they have a fiercely protective Hero who faithfully loves and provides rescue!  (Everything they have been searching for and so much more! )

How can Christians use the interest in the Twilight  series to turn conversations to more substantive spiritual issues?

As I wrote the book, my ultimate goal was to introduce girls to relationship with Jesus.  If they could just catch a glimpse of who He really is…of His love.  There is NO comparison to this love.  I think for many who don’t have a close, intimate relationship with Christ, this is a perfect opportunity to offer the Truth.

Observing the character,Bella, I can see how girls have related to her insecurities, her struggles and her desire for love and acceptance.  This has opened the door for discussions about their lives.  This beloved story and characters can be a perfect backdrop for sharing the true Epic story of rescue and salvation.

Check out Shepherd Project Ministry’s online Chapter by Chapter Summary of Kimberly Power’s Book: Escaping the Vampire here!

For additional resources on the Twilight Series, click here to check out our Twilight Series Resource Page!

The post Interview with Kimberly Powers, author of Escaping the Vampire appeared first on Shepherd Project Ministries.

By Kurt Bruner / Summary by Stacey Tuttle

Note: additional resources on Twilight can be found at our Twilight Series Resource Page-click here.

Editorial Note: the name of satan is not capitalized in the following document in accordance with the choices of the author/publishers of The Twilight Phenomenon who chose to violate grammatical rules rather than acknowledge his name.  

INTRODUCTION:

Kurt Bruner decided to read the Twilight series to see what all the hype was about when he realized that it was a bestseller, blockbuster hit and, with only one exception, all the girls in his son’s fifth-grade class had read the books. 

He asks anyone who is skeptical of the Twilight books to reserve judgment until they have heard about the themes and ideas in the books and understand a little better why the books are so appealing.  He also asks those Twi-hard fans to be willing to see the books anew with spiritual eyes .

SPIRITUAL FORMATION: 

Bruner is a Spiritual Formation Pastor, helping people along in their spiritual journey—helping them move upward towards Christ instead of slipping and tumbling downward.  He believes that the arts (for these purposes more specifically fantasy and film) can aid people in that upward climb. (One example of that is Grimm’s Fairy tales which gave a moral compass for appropriate behavior.) He says that stories, (especially fiction) aren’t an escape from reality, but actually help us connect to the most important realities, which is why we love them so much.

Part of what makes Twilight so intriguing is the way it so successfully combines two very different genres: romance and gothic horror.

There are two key factors to consider in order to understand how a story will affect our spiritual formation: the author’s worldview/assumptions/attitudes which cannot help but leak into the story (intentionally or not), and the reader’s worldview/assumptions/attitudes which affect they way he/she ingests and interprets the story.  It is important to have the right “lenses” on when reading/watching any story so that you are able to properly distinguish between the good and the bad material (or lessons) in it.  “Remember,” Bruner writes, “just because something tastes good does not make it good for you.”[1]

POSING QUESTIONS:

Bruner lists questions others have asked which he hopes to answer in the book:

• IS it OK for teen (and preteen) girls to read a series about forbidden love with a dangerous “boy”?
• Why are we so fascinated with dark characters like vampires, and what does that fascination suggest about our own nature?
• What are vampires? Do they have souls?
• What is the relationship between romantic attraction and true love?
• What sacrifices can or should we make for love?
• Are we defined by our nature or our choices?
• What is immortality and how is it lost?  How is it gained?
• How do we discern between good desire and bad temptation?
• What is the nature of evil?
• What does it mean to be heroic?
• Is the emergence of the Twilight phenomenon essentially good or basically evil?

The first three chapters of the book look at the fantasy and vampire genres, so readers can read the book in context of the rules of the genre in which is written.  The final two chapters will examine romantic love and its purpose. 

CHAPTER ONE: THE POWER OF STORIES

Good stories are more than mere entertainment, “they encourage us, challenge us or even transform us.”[2] Bruner lists several examples of books and movies which have made a significant impact on our culture (such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin which helped the abolitionist movement and even gets some credit for having started the Civil War). The ultimate example of a book which impacts lives and culture is the Bible.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER…

 Bruner explores man’s longing for happy endings in stories and in life.  He says that our love of a good story isn’t an escape from reality, but a desire to connect with it, arguing that good stories are good, “not because they distract our troubled hearts, but because they affirm our deepest aspirations”[3]  to connect to an unfolding drama in which we play a part.  All good stories have some common elements: a central character (hero) whose normal life is thrown off kilter and thrusts him/her onto a journey or quest full of obstacles and challenges to his pursuit of the object of his desire.  The climax generally includes a confrontation with a villain and requires the hero to sacrifice in some way, often including dying to himself in one form or another. 

Two classic story examples of this story line are the “guy meets girl” and the “action-adventure” format.  Once guy meets girl, ordinary life will no longer suffice and he has to find a way to get the girl – which usually requires he die to self in order to do so.  In the action-adventure version, the hero has to risk his life, limb and/or reputation in order to save his world from the villain who threatens and to restore peace.  Twilight has both story lines woven into its fabric, which partially accounts for its popularity.

According to Bruner, the hero’s journey, reflected in all great stories, is patterned after the Christian narrative.  “A hero (Christ) leaves His ordinary world (heaven) on a quest to face His old nemesis (satan) in order to rescue an object of desire (humanity).  Overcoming great obstacles, He eventually faces death to remedy the world.”[4]  Therefore, Bruner thinks the longings and yearnings which the hero’s journey in a good story stirs up in our hearts are God-given.  He posits that the things we wish were true are meant to point us to the things which ARE true.

CHAPTER TWO: THE TRUTH OF MYTH

Bruner pauses to explain a little about the fantasy genre.  Traditionally “myth” describes a story that reflects universal truth (not the current meaning of something untrue).   “In this context, Christianity is the supreme myth—the true, transcendent story that all others are trying to tell.”[5]

FANTASY AS TRUTH ENCOUNTER

It was fantasy which awakened in C.S. Lewis a desire for the joy that fantasy pointed to and ultimately led him to Christianity.  Lewis’ fantasy stories, most notably the Chronicles of Narnia, have awakened those same desires in scores of readers.  And, as readers come to love Aslan for the things he says and does, Lewis explains that they are really, through Aslan, coming to love Jesus in deeper ways than before.

WORLDVIEW

A worldview—the way in which we view the world—is heavily shaped by our religious perspectives and greatly affects the way we interpret stories and events we encounter, and the lessons we take from them.

THEE QUESTIONS (that every worldview must answer)

1. 1.        What are we made for?

“Regardless of religious perspective, every one of us senses that life has to be more than meets the eye.”[6]

1. 2.       What is wrong with our world?

All the pain and suffering in the world tells us something is wrong.

1. 3.       How will it be made right?

“Even while shaking our fist in anger at a God who seems cruel or distant, we reach for a God we hope can set things right and redeem our pain for a greater good.  We don’t know how.  We don’t know when. But we know things should not, cannot be left wrong.  They must be made right again.”[7]

CHAPTER THREE: THE REALITY OF VAMPIRES

Though the literary version of vampires as fanged, bat-morphing creatures is not real, what vampires represent is a very real and very disturbing thing…and it relates to the second worldview question: “What is wrong with our world?”

WHAT IS VAMPIRISM?

Bruner explores the history and various definitions of vampires. 

• Psychic vampires are people who seek to feed on the energy of others
• Random House Dictionary: unscrupulous (without regard for moral rules/restrictions) exploitation (taking advantage of the unfortunate), ruin, (tearing down the strong, corrupting the good) or degradation (disfiguring beautiful, spoiling the sacred) of others.[8]
• Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary regarding vampirism: “a sexual perversion in which pleasure and especially sexual pleasure is obtained by the drawing of the blood.”[9]
• Summarily: “vampirism is the process of draining life from others”[10] and ranges in extremes from being needy and clingy to abuse and rape.

WHY VAMPIRES?

In a search for the origin of the vampire myth, Bruner lists six vampire-like legends from cultures around the world.  It appears that these stories have arisen from a superstitious response to some unexplainable and painful events in the world.  (Such events were common in a world that understood nothing of germs and diseases…making illness and death seem a complete mystery.) Whatever the origins, common characteristics of these stories include:

• Blood Drinkers (blood is believed to have magical potency)
• Shape-Shifters (not limited to bats)
• Cross Haters (because they embody all things unholy, they despise the sacred)
• Garlic Avoiders
• Lust Indulgers (compulsively driven to satisfy wicked urges… for both blood and sex, etc.)
• Undead Creatures (“Like demons, angels who were banished from their proper place, vampires exist in exile haunted by the memory of human joys now out of reach.”[11])

VAMPIRE HALL OF FAME

A list of the most popular and/or most influential vampire stories includes: 

• The Vampyre:  credited with starting the fascination and transforming the folklore into a fiendish aristocrat preying upon high society
• Dracula:  So named for the Romanian word dracul meaning devil.  Dracula can only be defeated by virtuous men who serve God are willing to sacrifice themselves. The most famous of all vampire stories.
• I am Legend:  “the first to portray vampires as victims of a contagious disease rather than monsters who choose evil.”[12]
• Interview with a Vampire:  by Anne Rice, one of the most successful vampire novelists of all time.

LIVING NIGHTMARES

Even worse than the vampires in literature are the acts of real-life vampirism documented in history.

• The Real Dracula: Vlad Dracul, or Vlad the Impaler (his surname, Draculae, means “Son of the Devil”).  Credited with the death of about 80,000 victims (men, women, children, even babies) by impaling, German stories say he also tortured, burned, skinned, roasted, boiled and cut off limbs of his victims.  Also, he reportedly fed their flesh to friends or relatives.
• Blood Bath: A Transylvanian noblewoman, Elizabeth Bathory, a.k.a. the “Blood Countess”, believed she could hold on to her youthful beauty if she bathed in the blood of beautiful young virgins.  One method was to cage a virgin above her, poke her with sharp spikes and hot irons and literally shower in the blood pouring down.  Her journals record some 600 victims.
• Vampire Butcher:  German butcher Fritz Haarman molested and murdered homeless boys 12-18 years old by biting their jugular and drinking their blood.  It is believed their bodies were then used for sausage meat and eaten.
• Acid Bath Vampire: Englishman John George Haigh in 1940s dissolved victims bodies in acid thinking the police couldn’t find him guilty without a body.  He doesn’t seem to have been motivated by bloodlust himself (he made money selling victims’ property), but the heavy metal band Macabre was inspired to write a song, Acid Bath Vampire, because of him which reeks of bloodlust. 

A DARK REALITY

Our dark imaginings are often rooted in things which are.  Behind our vampire myths, infamous murderers, etc. is the dark, harsh reality that there truly is a very evil enemy: satan.   Note that the following qualities are all also attributed to vampires.

• Shape-Shifter:  He takes on various forms including: serpent, dragon, angel of light, lion.  His servants are known to inhabit bodies (human and animal).
• Murderous Liar:  He is cunning and seductive.  His best weapon is that of deception because it leaves his victims clueless and willing to follow.
• Cross Hater:  The cross represents satan’s greatest defeat (Jesus’ resurrection)

Satan was made for more (created to be an archangel) than he became (the worst of all enemies). (Note the similarity to vampires: once humans, they are now an enemy of mankind.) His fall was a result of pride and self-delusion; he saw himself as God’s equal.  Now he is death itself.  “Death is the opposite of life.  It is not the end of existence, but the beginning of something far worse; an eternity of madness, separated from the source of sanity: continual deception, denying the clarity of truth.”[13] And, Bruner cautions that the “seductive, life-draining, deceptive realities of vampirism are rooted in dark tendencies of the human heart…Like the book I am Legend imagines, humanity changed due to a contagious disease that spread to all but one.  As Jesus, the One, put it ‘men loved Darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil’ (John 3:19)”[14]

Three realities that vampire fiction hints at:

1. Mankind has been deceived by one who seeks to drain the life God intended us to have.
2. Mankind tends to rebel against the good/right—“making the seductive allure of evil something we crave rather than resist.”[15]
3. The memory of the life we were made to experience haunts us.  (Something which the Twilight books have rather significantly tapped into.)

CHAPTER FOUR: LOVE HUNGER

The prevalence in literature and movies (ref. Twilight, Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, West Side Story, Titanic, etc.) of forbidden love that one cannot live without indicates that there may be more to it than mere melodramatic immaturity. 

HEALTHY DESIRE

The desire for romance was created by God in the beginning (before the fall) – and the very existence of that desire indicates there is a satisfaction for it—one that is healthy and appropriate.  However, there are also unhealthy and inappropriate ways to satisfy that desire (just as there are healthy ways and unhealthy ways to satisfy hunger/the desire for food).  God created love and established marriage as the healthy way/place to satisfy our desires for romance and sex.

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

Bruner looks at the positive elements of the romance in Twilight, starting with a nod to the more obvious, but questionable elements of abstinence (till marriage) and faithfulness/celibacy. 

• Drawn to Beauty—the fascination with beauty in the book echoes our human response to beauty and our desire for the ultimate beauty, (and creator of it) God.   
• Masculine Strength—displayed most evidently in Edward who has physical strength, but more importantly strength of character.
• Feminine Mystique—The sole mind Edward can’t read is Bella’s and it greatly enhances her mystery and her beauty (a notable point for today’s world where women reveal all—physically, emotionally, mentally—much too soon).

OBSTACLES

Like all great love stories, there are obstacles to overcome on the road to fulfillment for Bella and Edward.  Our longing for their union points to our longing for marriage itself, and ultimately for the marriage of the Church with Christ.

CHAPTER FIVE:  LUST THIRST

Bruner answers a key question: “Does the Twilight series handle romance in a manner that provides young readers nourishing fruit or an unhealthy candy bar?”[16]   Answer:  Both.  He says that while they are about abstinence, they nonetheless evoke “strong erotic images and emotions.”[17]  He quotes Time Magazine, “they’re about the erotics of abstinence… they’re squeaky, geeky clean on the surface, but right below it, they are absolutely, deliciously filthy.”[18]

Bruner outlines the progression of sexual tension throughout the books, drawing attention to the fact that Bella continually does her best to seduce Edward seeing no reason to wait for marriage to have sex.  Bruner also draws a chilling comparison between Bella and the “crafty harlot” in Proverbs 5 and 7, questioning if this is the role model parents really want for their young daughters.  He lists four messages girls are likely to take away from Bella’s example:

• Even good girls are eager for sex before marriage
• It’s OK to tempt a guy—just trust him and his self-control to protect you
• Go with your feelings in the passion of the moment
• A link between sex and marriage isn’t necessary

He also points out that Bella behaves more like a vampire than Edward does in her willingness to drain Edward’s resolve in order to get what she wants (sex without marriage) and outlines her repulsion to the idea of marriage found throughout the books.

TOO EASILY PLEASED

Our natural, God-given desires, have been twisted so that we are duped into seeking cheap, lesser imitations (Bella seeking sex without marriage), without realizing there is a far more satisfying fulfillment.

CHAPTER SIX: SOUL DESTINY

Ethics, morality and the possibility of punishment and reward in the afterlife are on-going themes in the Twilight series.  Questioning if vampires have souls and if so, are they eternally damned?  Can good works, discipline and self-sacrifice save their souls?  The questions preclude two assumptions:  “there is a moral code to respect and…there is an afterlife to anticipate.” [19]

GOOD MONSTERS

While vampires are typically portrayed as monsters, Twilight’s vegetarian, heroic vampires rather force a reconsideration of definitions.  The packaging is not the point (human, vampire, werewolf), the point is the inside, whether a person seeks to protect life or destroy it.

THE GOOD WE WANT TO DO

Edward’s desire to overcome his desires and urges for blood baffles Bella who seems to live by the code of do what you feel.  Bruner points out that the apostle Paul would probably relate to Edward’s desire to wage war against his flesh, but also points out that without the saving grace of Jesus Christ no one can be good enough to earn their redemption (as the Cullen clan is hoping to do).  Redemption comes not from self-discipline but from the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  Here, Bruner explains a little of Stephanie Meyer’s Mormon theology (becoming as God through self-restraint and discipline) which certainly has a significant influence on the path of redemption for vampires in the Twilight series.

DESTINED FOR JOY

In the end, Bella is transformed—into wife, mother, vampire—but more importantly, into a joyful person full of strength, grace and dignity.  Her changes come from self-sacrifice, “Bella found her life by losing it.”[20] She gave her life to give life to her daughter and in doing so found inexplicable joy.  Previous themes of self-discipline and restraint appear weak compared to the final theme of self-sacrifice as Bella sacrifices herself for marriage and motherhood.    Bruner again notes some differences between Christian and Mormon beliefs about marriage and family.  Mormon’s teach that marriage and family is not a symbol but an actual means to becoming a deity, therefore it is not surprising that Bella finds her salvation through marriage and family. 

CONCLUSION: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

List of common questions and answers:

• Is Twilight a spiritual allegory?
  • While it touches on spiritual themes (as all great stories inevitably do), it is not written as an allegory intentionally created to illustrate a deeper truth or lesson.  Buner’s book is not intended to reveal Meyer’s conscious agenda, but to explore what her imagination has inferred.
• What is suggested about the nature of the soul from the Twilight series?
  • “In Meyer’s theology, the ultimate destiny of the soul is celestial marriage with ultimate godhood attained through self-disciplined obedience.  Christians believe the soul is destined for eternal life by trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (See John 3:16.)  Mormons, in contrast, believe the soul is destined for godhood by following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.”[21]
• Is Bella an admirable character (in Bruner’s opinion)?
  • Bruner finds Bella a troubling heroine and thinks there is little in her worth mimicking.  She’s self-consumed, manipulative, deceptive and moody through much of the story, lies to get her way, distances herself from her peers (thinking they are too immature) and is averse to marriage and motherhood.   More desirable traits for a woman (especially a woman of God) would include humility and grace, an upbeat, joyful personality and a nurturing spirit. 
• What do Twilight vampires suggest about the spirit world?
  • Meyer breaks from traditional gothic horror, her vampires behaving more like Greek gods than traditional horror monsters, even down to the demi-god-like children produced by vampires and humans.  Her stories are essentially polytheistic superhero tales.
• What about the spiritual significance of Jacob—is there any?
  • Jacob continually sacrifices his own desires in order to do what’s best for Bella and therefore is arguably the most consistently heroic character in the series.   His character is a reminder of the grace of friendship.
• What is the ultimate message Bruner would want readers to take away from the Twilight Phenomenon?
  •  
    • To discern the spiritual message in any story, ask the 3 questions mentioned in Chapter Two: What are we made for? What is wrong with our world? How will it be made right?  Like Bella, we all desire intimacy, but only those who find that intimacy in Christ will ultimately be fulfilled.
• How should we think of the Twilight series—as thirst-quenching fantasy or forbidden fruit?
  • Bruner says it is both.  Key concerns are Meyer’s theology and the mature themes which may be inappropriate for young audiences.  However, it does present an “ideal opportunity to collectively explore the ‘true myth’ that lies beneath every great story.”[22]

 Don’t forget to check out additional Twilight Series resources here.

[2] Ibid., 21.

[3] Ibid., 26.

[4] Ibid., 29.

[5] Ibid., 36.

[6] Ibid., 49.

[7] Ibid., 53.

[8][8] Ibid., 58-59.

[9] Ibid., 59.

[10] Ibid., 59.

[11] Ibid., 67.

[12] Ibid., 72.

[13] Ibid., 86.

[14] Ibid., 87.

[15] Ibid., 88.

[16] Ibid., 113.

[17] Ibid., 114.

[18] Ibid., 114.

[19] Ibid., 137.

[20] Ibid., 148.

[21] Ibid., 158.

[22] Ibid., 164.

The post THE TWILIGHT PHENOMENON: Forbidden Fruit OR Thirst-Quenching Fantasy? – Book Summary appeared first on Shepherd Project Ministries.