The Grove Is On Fire

Does Productivity Hurt the Gospel?

Doing stuff; great servant, terrible God. (via)

What to do as a Christian fresher

Just saw your young people head off to uni? About to go off yourself? Finally got your new laptop connected in halls? Matthew has some good wisdom for Christian freshers. My advice which'll add to that; buy long pjyamas. Comfortable to sleep in and you can walk around in them in front of your mates without too much embarrassment. Also handier for the 3am fire alarm.

Small Talk and Big Hearts

Dave Bish manages to write an article that describes me to an iota. By the grace of god I'm better at this but I do think if I wasn't a Christian the big difference others would know in my life would be that nobody would know I existed. People would be all "Mark who?".

Catch For Us The Foxes

Rock band Mewithoutyou, the only fantastic rock band made up of Christians, released a while back their fourth album It's All Crazy, It's All False, It's All A Dream, It's All True (listen on Spotify) to the resounding critical acclaim of those who have listened to it and are in the habit of making public critical judgements. I mention this for three reasons. The first is so that you consider buying it, because it's absolutely brilliant barring some reservations as yet to be outlined. The second is because it brings up the perennial discussion as to whether or not they –and in particular vocalist and lyricist Aaron Weiss– are bonafide Christians. This, the identify whether someone is a Christian or not game, is a dangerous and stupid game to play, but seems a common hobby in Christendom. Let's judge a brother by possible interpretations of lyrics from his pops songs is the cry, and let's feel superior and smug about ourselves is the motivation. That's not to say you can't offer up an opinion on what they believe, nor that you shouldn't call out those who are teaching falsely, even if they're teaching through pop songs, but just that if you're going to do it, do it with grace and humility. So, as I'm clearly going to write about the theology that underpins their lyrics, I'm clearing going to have to try to do it with grace and humility. Which brings us in a round-a-bout way to the third reason I mention Mewithoutyou's fourth album; it allows for an interesting diversion into how Christian's should respond to the use of the word Allah. So, to recap (and it's a fairly poor situation that we find ourselves in when the first paragraph needs a recap) you're about to read an extended essay about the theology of a rock band you haven't heard of, but that's okay because it should raise some issues of relevance.

The main reason people question Mewithoutyou's lyrics, particularly on this last album is because of their tendency to reference non-biblical religious texts in a positive light, things like the Gospel of Thomas¹, various Sufi poets², and the Qur'an in English³ and Arabic⁴. And if that doesn't get people questioning then they titled the closing track of the new album Allah, Allah, Allah. A few reasons to raise eyebrows there. Have they given up on Christianity in return for some every religion, where every God is the same God and every religion is the same religion? Where Tash and Aslan are the same person?

Well, I don't think so. Because here's the thing, whenever Mewithoutyou sing songs about God, whatever words they use, they're singing about the Christian God. And they get the Gospel. Here, for example, are the lyrics for the aforementioned Allah, Allah, Allah:

It doesn't matter what you done
It doesn't matter what you done
What effect is without a cause?
It doesn't matter what you done
Now lay your faithless head down
In necessities cotton hand
There's a love that never changes
No matter what you done

If your old man did you wrong
Well maybe his old man did him wrong
If you care to sing forgiveness songs
Come down and join our band
We'll cut you like sword
And sing forgiveness songs

That's not the God of Islam. Also, see the lyrics for A Stick, A Carrot, & A String:

There's a sign on the barn
in the cabbage town
"when the rain picks up
and the sun goes down
sinners, come inside
with no money, come and buy

no clever talk, nor a gift to bring
requires our lowly, lovely king
come now empty handed, you don't need anything"

and the night was cool
and clear as glass
with the sneaking snake in the garden grass
deep cried out to deep
the disciples fast asleep

and the snake perked up
when he heard You ask
"if you're willing that
this cup might pass
we could find our way back home
maybe start a family all our own"

"but does not the Father guide the Son?
not my will, but yours be done.
what else here to do?
what else me, but You?"

That's not the good news according to Mohammed, that's the gospel. And if you get the gospel then you win.

But I have reservations, and this is epitomised in the use of the word Allah for God. Some people say that because Allah is just the Arabic word for God, we should quite happily use the word Allah, it's just translation, just like using the word Dieu and Dios in French and Spanish. And in one sense, yes, and if you were speaking with Arabic speakers there may be good cause to use the word Allah, but in spoken English the word has come to mean the God of Islam, and the Christian God, He is not the God of Islam. The God of Islam is completely and utterly indivisibly one, whereas our God is the glorious triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The God of Islam says he will reward those who work hard for him, our God offers forgiveness to sinners who have nothing to bring to Him. The God of Islam says to put to death those whose sins are too great, our God sends and dies for us whose sins are too great.

¹ "If they ask you for a sign of the Father, tell them it's movement, movement, repose" from Paper Hanger on Catch For Us The Foxes is a quote from the Gospel of Thomas verse 50.

² "It's All Crazy, It's All False, It's All A Dream, It's All True" is a quote from a Sufi mystic called Bawa Muhaiyaddeen

³ "If all the forest trees were pens, And all the oceans, ink?" from The Dryness And The Rain on Brother, Sister is a quote from the Qur'an, Surah 31 verse 27

⁴ As far as I can tell, all of the sung parts in Arabic are various lines from the Qur'an.

Sing to the Lord a New Song

There's a short article on the Atlantic about Mewithoutyou, who are simultaneously the best Christian rock band in the world and the most worryingly theologically odd rock band in the world.

MewithoutYou, the label's most interesting act, might also be its most heretical: having spiraled along the spiritual trajectory of its mercurial singer, the band now wraps up its live set with what can only be described as a Sufi worship song: "In everyone we meet / Allah, Allah, Allah!/ In everyone we meet."

Little Mentioned Verses From The Bible #1

The first verse we turn to when someone is suffering from burn-out:

Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work."

Muslims Find New Ramadan Fast Partners

Just in time for Eid, here's the news that some Christians have been fasting for Ramadan

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, said the idea of Christians fasting at Ramadan appears at first to be neighborly solidarity, but it's more than that.

I'm with Mohler on this one.

Bible-centred Youthworker 2010

You can now book for the Bible-centred Youthworker conference 2010. Apart from its horrendous misspelling of youth worker, the bible-centred youthworker conference is in my experience probably the premier youth work training conference. Certainly it's the only one I've ever been too. Last year a large part of it was brilliant and nothing but balm for the soul, here are some notes I took from the opening day that hopefully reflect that. Also, the food is also pretty decent, as is the afternoon football. And if you decide to book on that recommendation, you're eligible for the special offer of me buying you a beer¹ if you introduce yourself to me.

¹ Other drinks are available.

Listen to the Man Who Listens to God

"No man has any right to offer advice who has not first heard God speak. No man has any right to counsel others who is not ready to hear and follow the counsel of the Lord...

"It is especially important that young people learn whose counsel to trust. Having been in the world for such a short time they have not had much experience and must look to others for advice. And whether they know it or not, they do every day accept the opinions of others and adopt them as their own... They are what they are because of the counsel they have followed."

A. W. Tozer - The Root of the Righteous

The Good Fight

Matt Chandler is interviewed in Christianity Today about his church, new Calvinism, and grace. Actually, the whole interview is pretty good because it doesn't concentrate so much on him being this young hip pastor and more on him being a pastor who seems to be doing a decent job. It's a great interview, but it'd be worth it just for this quote;

"New Calvinism is a young movement, and young people are often arrogant. Life hasn't had a chance to beat the trash out of them yet. I'll tell the young people in my sermons, "You can't get into theological battles while you still live with your mom." Or, "You can nail your 95 theses to the door once you own one." Before these 20 year olds begin passionately defending their view of Scripture, I want to see that they are being obedient to it."

Which is exactly the right thing to say to about half the people I know between fifteen and twenty-five.

My Residential List

A few years ago after a series of different irregular events, I took to making lists of things to remember when that irregular event came around again the next time; the thinking being often by the time the irregular event came around again I'd completely forgotten the few important things I'd learnt from the last time. My list for interviewing people for jobs survives and comes in handy (irregularly), but not my list for things to remember for residential weekends, I can only assume I left it on the last residential weekend. As the first residential weekend of the term is fast approaching, instead of me trying to remember it all I was wondering what you, dear reader, would put on such a list. Here are the things I can remember to get brain-cells started.

• Bring spare towels.
• Remember that not all residential weekends need to have a bedtime of midnight, especially when the young people are eleven.
• Bring malt-loaf¹.
• Bring drinks for the minibus journey.

¹ 750 grams of Malt-loaf contains all the calories you need for a day, and is the only thing that can compress to a greater density than a black hole.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 Release Date

Is there a more important release date for youth workers across the world? In the UK Pro Evo comes out October 23rd on current generation games consoles (XBOX 360 and PS 3) and then November the 5th on the PS 2. Man Utd and Liverpool are licensed, which means Arsenal will still be inexplicably rubbish.

Brown Expands Youth Jobs Scheme

The government promise more jobs for young people. What this means in practice I don't quite know, but there we are. Well done to Morrisons for offering more training though.

The Holy Spirit Is Proof Of Scripture

One of the things people like to do these days is argue as to why scripture must be from God. They evidence things like the miracles in the bible, the consistency of it across thousands of years, the prophecies that have come to pass and lots of other good things. This is all well and alright, but for the fact it doesn't achieve anything in the persuasion of unbelievers that God's word is his word. Human reason cannot prove to someone that scripture is from God. Only the witness of the Holy Spirit can prove that scripture is from God and He is proof enough (this logic is the ultimate truth of all apologetics in the end). Here is John Calvin in Book 1 of the Institutes:

"Still, however, it is preposterous to attempt, by discussion, to rear up a full faith in Scripture. True, were I called to contend with the craftiest despisers of God, I trust, though I am not possessed of the highest ability or eloquence, I should not find it difficult to stop their obstreperous mouths; I could, without muchado, put down the boastings which they mutter in corners, were anything to be gained by refuting their cavils. But although we may maintain the sacred Word of God against gainsayers, it does not follow that we shall forthwith implant the certainty which faith requires in their hearts. Profane men think that religion rests only on opinion, and, therefore, that they may not believe foolishly, or on slight grounds, desire and insist to have it proved by reason that Moses and the prophets were divinely inspired. But I answer,that the testimony of the Spirit is superior to reason. For as God alone can properly bear witness to his own words, so these words will not obtain full credit in the hearts of men, until they are sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit. The same Spirit, therefore, who spoke by the mouth of the prophets, must penetrate our hearts, in order to convince us that they faithfully delivered the message with which they were divinely entrusted. This connection is most aptly expressed by Isaiah in these words, "My Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever," (Isa. 59: 21.) Some worthy persons feel disconcerted, because, while the wicked murmur with impunity at the Word of God,they have not a clear proof at hand to silence them, forgetting that the Spirit is called an earnest and seal to confirm the faith of the godly, for this very reason, that, until he enlightens their minds, they are tossed to and fro in a sea of doubts."

Here also are Jesus' words:

"But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." John 10:2-4