Somehow I got on the OneNewsNow mailing list and am all of a sudden getting a daily bulletin from them... Anyhoo, today there was an interesting link to an article describing the religion of our youth as Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. One of their best descriptions of that term, in my opinion, was that God is seen as nothing more than "an instrument of personal growth." I think that could describe the faith of more than youth!

It reminded me of an article my mom read me a month or so ago out of her Mission Frontiers newsletter. I've tracked down a link, if you click here you can look at the whole newsletter <March-April: Are We Losing More Than We're Gaining>.

The article I found most profoundly impacted me, and indeed I wish was required reading for all Christians, was "Are We Proclaiming A Defective Gospel." Basically the article discusses our efforts to market the Gospel, rather than simply tell it like it is. Jesus Christ came into this world to save us from our desperate sinful situation and make atonement for the wrath of God -- but it's too edgy, too politically incorrect to talk about people's sin. Instead, we talk about God's wonderful plan and how He can make your life better.

And of course, when people become Christians with the understanding that God's main job is to make them happy...well, it's no wonder they quickly fall by the wayside or lose faith when the tough times and hard questions come.

The best quote in the article, to me, comes near the end after the author has discussed the true reality of our situation, that it is one of warfare and combat, where earnestly following after God puts a literal target on your back:

It is like a person who buys a vacation package to the French Riviera expecting a wonderful time of fun and relaxation only to discover upon his arrival that there is open warfare taking place with bombs going off, bullets flying and the wounded littering the sandy beaches. Such a person would naturally think: "What is going on here? This is not what I signed up for." 

Until we realize that we are in a war for our lives, we will be sitting ducks for Satan's attacks and schemes. We will continue to lose those people who were never adequately prepared for battle. We must proclaim a true Gospel of grace and forgiveness of sin and stop trying to market the Gospel as the solution to all of our problems. It is already the greatest gift anyone can receive.

Amen. 

Posted by authorjodi at 02:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A number of years ago I was having one of those awkward first-date chats when our conversation veered, as is often the case with me, into fiction. Our budding relationship took a decided turn for the worse when he said he didn't read fiction because "I prefer truth." Oooh, that steamed me. :p

I'm not in the mood to wax eloquent about the benefits and impact of fiction just now <I defended it here not long ago>, but yesterday I was deeply moved by my current read: Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. The book is about South African race relations, published in 1948. One of the characters is writing about his love for his country, but disgust with the injustice he sees in its treatment of blacks:

Therefore I shall devote myself, my time, my energy, my talents, to the service of South Africa. I shall no longer ask myself if this or that is expedient, but only if it is right. I shall do this, not because I am noble or unselfish, but because life slips away, and because I need for the rest of my journey a star that will not play false to me, a compass that will not lie. I shall do this, not because I am a negrophile and a hater of my own, but because I cannot find it in me to do anything else. I am lost when I balance this against that, I am lost when I ask if this is safe, I am lost when I ask if men, white men or black men, Englishmen or Afrikaners, Gentiles or Jews, will approve.

Therefore I shall try to do what is right, and to speak what is true. I do this not because I am courageous and honest, but because it is the only way to end the conflict of my deepest soul. I do it because I am no longer able to aspire to the highest with one part of myself, and to deny it with another. I do not wish to live like that, I would rather die than live like that. I understand better those who have died for their convictions, and have not thought it was wonderful or brave or noble to die. They died rather than live, that was all.

To me, that passage is as moving as some of the great calls to action in Scripture. It reminds me of Joshua, of David, of Shadrach and the boys going into the fire because they would not bow, of Daniel praying his way into the lion's den. Sometimes I feel that the country I have loved with fierce devotion is disintegrating around me, ashes falling from the sky of a once great nation. There is a conflict in my deepest soul when I think of the battle that lies ahead, the lines already being drawn, neutral territory shrinking by the day -- and yet at the same time, a soul-deep yearning within to follow with unswerving devotion that One and Only Star that will not play false. Life does indeed slip away.

Posted by authorjodi at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"They came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."
-Martin Niemoeller

Ok, I know it's a little over the top, but this is the quote I was thinking of when I saw a news item Saturday showing children of the Texas polygamist sect being bussed to foster care. Yes, there are absolutely problems with the group. Some of the adults were actively breaking the law -- but according to this article, only half the marriages are polygamous. The charge is child abuse, yet authorities concede the boys were not being abused, nor were the 130ish children under five. The divorced single mother wasn't breaking any law, nor were those living in traditional families, yet their children have been resettled into foster care during the investigation rather than being returned to them.

Continue reading "They came first for the Mormons." »

Posted by authorjodi at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A few weeks ago Janet Folger's producer called to tell me the time had finally come for an interview. She <the producer> read the book over a year ago and has apparently been lobbying Janet all this time to get me on the show. I know this because I had the interview this afternoon, and at the beginning of each segment Janet said she doesn't have time to read fiction, she couldn't think of the last time she'd featured a fiction book on her show, etc., etc., but her producer had bugged her for a year about it. :p

I felt like I'd run a race by the time I hung up the phone and I have no idea how it turned out, but it was fun talking to someone so knowledgeable about a variety of difficult political issues facing Christians in America. I'd mention some plot line or other and Janet would have two or three related true stories on the tip of her tongue. I read her book, The Criminalization of Christianity, at the beginning of my book tour and it sounds like she's got enough material for a second edition if she has time to write one.

Hopefully I was able to convince her just a teeny little bit that fiction reaches a different segment of the population than her book or radio program, and is therefore a valid strategy for inspiring action and change...

The interview was taped, but I'll be sure to post when I know the date it will air.

Posted by authorjodi at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by authorjodi at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ben Stein's Expelled did better than expected this weekend, earning over $3 million dollars in limited release <check out how little Where is Osama made by comparison>. I can report that the screening I attended Sunday afternoon contained a packed house in one of the largest theaters in Boise. Quirky, I believe, would be a good adjective to describe the documentary. Definitely interesting, challenging and not just a bit courageous, but surely quirky.

Mr. Stein runs around the world talking to scientists on both sides of "the wall" he labors to convince us exists. Basically his premise is that mainstream science worldwide will not allow anyone to jump out of lockstep with Darwinism. He interviews a number of people "expelled" for something as small as mentioning Intelligent Design exists as an alternative theory in the classroom <a professor> or refusing to show bias in an article written about ID <a journalist>.

For such serious and possibly boring material as you might guess a bunch of interviews with scientists would be, the movie whips along at a fast clip and is quite entertaining. Mr. Stein's monologues are often interlaced with over-the-top black and white footage, such as a gang of boys pushing around another for not fitting in, or a teacher showing how her class can play the silent game. Like I said...quirky.

The most disturbing part of the documentary comes when we journey to Germany to delve into the connections between Darwinist theory and Nazi policies. I've never heard anything like it, but in my opinion at least, Mr. Stein made a very good case for the logical extension of the theory of Natural Selection.

Overall, Expelled is a documentary worth seeing. But don't take my word for it: our local paper gave it a half-star this weekend, along with a sarcastic, spite-filled rant masquerading as a review. Could they be just a little more obvious? As a friend who went with me said -- even the latest blood and guts filled teenage sex romp gets one star... ;)

Posted by authorjodi at 09:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Over the past week I've been following stories about the polygamous sect in Texas where Children's Protective Services removed 400+ children from their homes. I think what bothers me most about the story is the scale, and what seems to me the troubling implications.

If I understand correctly, a girl called a police hotline and reported being abused by her much older husband. A terrible accusation, and very much worthy of investigatory action by an agency charged with protecting children. But the broad scope of the action is what's amazing to me.

Continue reading "Troubling." »

Posted by authorjodi at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)