Heir to The Jedi

I continues my Star Wars run with another more recent book, Heir To The Jedi by Kevin Hearne.  This book also falls into the new timeline category, though not necessarily part of the storyline.  I guess it's going to be whatever the movie/tv show franchise runners decide they want to use.  Anyhow.  This book as released way back in March 2015.
    HTTJ is all about Luke Skywalker, and that's why I decided to give it a chance.  It's been a long time...honestly I can't remember the last time....a book was written that was solely about Luke.  And it's the Luke that's in between the events of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.  It's nice to get a fresh look at him at this point.  He still doesn't know where he fits in all of this.  Is he really supposed to be a Jedi?  His abilities and powers in the Force are extremely limited.  He hasn't even been talking to a dead guy yet.  Ole Ben hasn't even bothered to whisper in his ear since he blew up Death Star 1.0.  The Luke we see is very young, and that's something we haven't seen a long time.
     This book is also told in the first person, all through Luke's eyes.  That made me skittish at first.  I rarely like first person books.  It's creepy and limited.  But, a few people manage to pull it off.  Hearne did, and did it well.  There is not flashing forward to when Luke knows better, and then flashing back to the real story.  Instead, we just move through the story as Luke tells it to us.
     This was a lot like how George Lucas originally envisioned Star Wars as The Adventures of Luke Skywalker.  Going on an adventure with the future Jedi.  And in case you're wondering, yes, R2-D2 is by his side the whole way.

Thanks for reading,

Darth Baptist

Lords of the Sith

I know, it's been a while since I've posted anything.  I've been busy being lazy.  That's partially true.  I've been preparing for a new Autumn Bible study that I'll be teaching, and that has included reading about four books at the same time, writing notes, and turning that into complete written lessons.  So, yeah, busy.  The lazy part is, I haven't done much reading of anything else.  I have listened to a bunch of podcasts though.  Go brainpower!

Anyhow, I just finished reading one of the newer Star Wars books that have come out as part of the all new Expanded Universe as mandated by Disney.  Several have come out already, several more are slated to arrive before the big day in December.  I decided to give this one a shot.  Oh, in case you didn't read the title, it's Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp.  I read it, enjoyed it, mostly liked it, and that's about it.

OK, since this is about what I read, here's what I thought about it.  Pay attention my two readers.

This book was promoted as a look into the Emperor and his best bud, and everybody's favorite villain, Darth Vader.  The cover art even sports the Emperor sparking off a few bolts of force lightning beside Vader holding his ignited light saber.  Oh, and a few AT-ATs in the background for good measure.  Why, I don't know.  That wasn't a scene in the book.  Unless aliens abducted me and I'm missing some time.
     We did gain some insights into the relationship, described by Palpatine to Vader as being symbiotic, between the two greatest Sith lords of all time.  But...the book really isn't about them.  And that's my beef.  It's well-written, the story moves at a great pace, but it is really about Twi'lek rebels and their plot to kill the Emperor and his pet monster.
     The Emperor manages to continue to guard his true identity from everyone, except those he intends to obliterate.  Old Palpatine really comes off as a disturbing character.  I like the way Palpatine is treated in the book.  It's probably the best version of him that we have seen since Return of the Jedi.  But, then I'm very biased.
     We are shown a tormented and haunted Vader who is still coming to grips with the person he has become.  He appears powerful, lethal and amazing.  Of course, Vader is always amazing.  Except in Revenge of the Sith.  That never happened.
     I just wish we had been given more of Palpatine-Vader 2015 and less of the rebels.  I don't care about the rebels.  I wanted and had hoped to see more of the two Sith, and maybe gained some insights as to why Vader continued to serve the Emperor until he finally tossed his wrinkled old behind down the core shaft above the moon of Endor.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book.  It doesn't make my list of the best Star Wars books, but it does go into the good list.

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist

The Hobbit

It's been a while since my last post.  Hopefully, I can get back in the groove and make more regular posts.  Sometimes, even with a blog that's only read by my wife and the cat, you're just not motivated to write.  Well, there's my excuse.

For the last few weeks I've been re-reading JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit.  Among other books, but this post isn't about those, it's about the little book that started it all.  

     I'm trying to remember how many times I've read the grand adventure of Bilbo Baggins.  I believe this is the third time all the way through.  Numerous times reading portions of it.  I'm really a latecomer to the world of Tolkien.  Tolkien and CS Lewis were neo-pagans and their works were to be avoided.  I'm not kidding.  I was really told that.  I'm pretty certain it would have garnered me some kind of disciplinary action, if not the boot, in the fundamental Baptist schools I attended.  But, let's save that nonsense for another time.  As a result, I didn't discover Tolkien until after The Fellowship of the Ring movie came out.  On DVD.  Once I watched, I was hooked.  The first time I read The Hobbit was 12 years ago.   

     Besides loving the story, and Tolkien's work, this current reading was prompted with my discovery of The Tolkien Professor podcast.  Some of the first episodes of the podcast are lectures on The Hobbit, so I decided now was as good of a time to read it again.  As I have been reading through, then I have been listening to the corresponding lectures.  If you would like to know more information about the Tolkien Professor podcast, you can click the link above or follow him on Twitter @tolkienprof. He also has another website, The Mythgard Institute, where courses on Tolkien studies are offered.  Both locations and podcasts have greast information, and I think will be enjoyed by any Tolkien enthusiast.

Some books and authors i can enjoy and read one time.  It is rare that I can read over and over again the same book.  Tolkien is one of those select few.  Several things always strike me about Tolkien's main character in The Hobbit.  Here are my thoughts, in really no particular order.

1. Bilbo is me.  There is nothing special about him.  He has no powers, abilities or anything else that makes him unique.  He is ordinary, loves ordinary, and just wants to be left alone.  Of course several "coincidences" take place - he meets a wizard, finds a magic ring - that radically change him.

2. Bilbo goes from being controlled by his circumstances to taking charge.  Especially in the Spiders episode in Mirkwood.  As the Tolkien Professor points out, Bilbo goes from being in the Darkness of Mirkwood to actively fighting back against it. 

3. Sometimes Bilbo's pride gets the best of him.

4. Most of the time Bilbo always underestimates his worth and contribution.  

5. Bilbo was able to play a very important part in something far greater than he could ever imagine.

Those are my thoughts for now.  

Thnaks for reading.

Darth Baptist

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Learned to Love the Podcast

I've been a late comer to the world of podcasts.  Not that I'm starting one.  I've just started getting addicted to them.
     Podcasts have been around for a while.  I'm not sure how long.  I could look it up, but really, it's not that important.  People have been recording their thoughts on audio and putting them out on the interwebs for people to hear.  But, I've mainly stayed away.  One of the great things about podcasts is that you can absorb information without reading, especially when you are not able to read (like driving or when you're at work).  Many are put together by folks who do a lot of research on the topic the podcast covers.
     About two years ago, I started listening to a couple of podcasts whenever the new ones were available, other than that, not that much.  About two months ago, I ran across a podcast on a subject I'm interested in, and decided to make it easy on myself by downloading a podcast app.  And the rest, as they say, is where it gets crazy.
     I subscribe now to a bunch of podcasts.  I mean a BUNCH.  Some are actually seminary lectures.  Others are history podcasts.   What I want to do today is share some of my favorite podcasts and maybe point you in the direction of something you may be interested in as well.  This post will be about the Christian podcasts I listen to.  I'll do another post later about my favorite history podcasts.

So, here we go.  These are in no particular order.

The Confessing Baptist Podcast
This year I've been seriously looking into Reformed Baptist theology and thinking.  I came across this podcast while looking for information on the subject.  Jason Delgado & Co. do a really good job on giving information, directing you to books and materials, and if you have questions, they respond really quick.  I'm still investigating and exploring, but this podcast has been a great help to me on this theological journey.

Church of the Geek Podcast
This is the first podcast I really started listening to.  This podcast has been around for nearly two years (I told you I was a late comer), and is right up my alley.  David and Brian do a great job discussing all things nerdy and geeky and how they relate to a Christian worldview.  I've listened to every episode so far, and several multiple times.       I've been a geeky nerd my entire life.  I spent a good bit of time hiding it because most Christians treat you like you have a third eye when you casually mention Star Wars or comics.  But this podcast is put together by two ministers.  I think their denomination is Geek or something like that.

5 Minutes in Church History
This podcast is more "big name" in Reformed circles, but it's an awesome podcast nonetheless.  Stephen Nichols covers a lot of church history that I never got in bible colleges.  I've learned something from each podcast I've listened to. That probably says more about my ignorance than anything else, but I think it's great.

Reformed Libertarian
This podcast is rather new.  All right, brand new.  One podcast new.  I'm really looking forward to this one as it launches.  In the first episode you are introduced to what "reformed libertarian" means and what the podcast will be all about.  If you are interested in traditional (not the political party) libertarian thought, Austrian economics and reformed theology, all wrapped into one podcast, then you'll be looking forward to listening, too.

Others that I've been getting a lot out of include: R. C. Sproul, Jr's, Jesus Changes Everything; James White's, The Dividing Line; and Steven Lawson's, The Expositor Podcast.  I think these are more well-known so I will not bother saying a lot about them.  i also listen to several lecture series made available as podcasts from Reformed Theological Seminary and Covenant Theological Seminary, but those aren't podcasts in the pure sense.

That's all for now.  Later this week I'll try to do a post on history podcasts.

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist

FORGOTTEN GOD - EPISODE VIII

CHAPTER 7 - SUPERNATURAL CHURCH

I had plans on doing this final post last weekend, but sinuses and life events sometimes get in your way.  That stated, let's jump in and wrap this one up.

...We've created a whole brand of churches that do not depend on the Spirit, a whole culture of Christians who are not disciples, a new group of "followers" who do not follow.  If all God asked for were faceless numbers to fill churches, then we would be doing all right....simply having a good speaker, a service that is short and engaging, a good venue, and whatever else we add to the mix does not make a "good" or a "successful" church.  - p. 143

Not only does this fly in the face of all that I was taught in most of my IFB training, but it also is completely contrary to much of what passes for "church" in the United States today.
     All that most of us seem to be concerned with is: how many were in church for this service; how good is the speaker (did he stick to the allowable 23.54 minute "GodTalk"?); was the service under the 60 minute allowance; was the service powerful, flashy and exciting enough; how nice is our facility or can we get a loan to build a better one; were the offerings enough this week?

God is not interested in numbers.  He cares most about the faithfulness, not the size, of His bride.  - p. 143

Well, that'll choke the life out of some people.  Who cares about faithfulness today?  Not many.  Can you bring in a crowd?  What kind of tricks can the minister do?  That's what's important.  Be a glorified Las Vegas act.

Sometimes I leave Christian events wondering if we resemble the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18 more than Elijah, the prophet of God.  ...The prophets of Baal had a loud, passionate worship gathering that lasted from morning to evening.  When they were done they had a great time of fellowship (I think you can call it that).  "But no one answered; no one paid attention." - p.143-144

In our efforts to be more relevant (whatever that means), we've become more concerned with appearances, attitudes, personalities and entertainment than we are about the hearts and minds of those who gather at our so-called services.

Churches we build only by our own efforts and not in the strength of the Spirit will quickly collapse when we don't push and prod them along. - p.155

Which is exactly why many "churches" shrivel up and die after an ego-centric pastor leaves or dies.

By and large Forgotten God was good.  It convicted me, made me think, and confirmed some of my thinking.  But.  Yeah, here's the but.  But, it falls short were so many other books fall short: I'm given a problem without a solution.  I'm not told what to do to fix the problem.  Where's the solution?  Yes, I know it's implied.  But how?  Despite that, that's my only gripe.  It's definitely worth a read.  I only hit the highlights (to me), so reading my posts doesn't count as you having read the book.

That's all.  Have you read this book yet?  If so, what are your thoughts?  I'd love to read them and discuss them with you here in the comments, via email or on the DarthBaptistReads twitter account.

Stay tuned for more books that Darth Baptist Reads.

Thanks for reading,

Darth Baptist

FORGOTTEN GOD - EPISODE VII - CHAPTER 6

FORGET ABOUT HIS WILL FOR YOUR LIFE!

It's safer to commit to following Him someday instead of this day. - p 120

     Growing up in a Christian culture, I was programmed to be obsessed with "finding God's will for my life".  I think many of us miss out on what God actually wants for us by searching for "His will", which we turn into a "wheel".  It just becomes one gigantic circle that we constantly chase without ever really doing anything of value.

     I was also told a lot about "being well balanced", "finding balance in life", blah, blah, blah.  You would think the church was filled with gymnasts.  That's another part of our American Dream Theology - mental and quasi-theological gymnastics.  

     Nowhere in Scripture do I see a "balanced life with a little bit of God added in" as an ideal for us to emulate.  Yet when I look at our churches, that is exactly what I see: a lot of people who have added Jesus to their lives.  - pp. 121-122

     That really sums it all up.  We just add a little bit of god here, a dash of Jesus there, a splash of Bible, and...wait...why isn't everything working out?  Why don't I feel satisfied?  God, don;t you love me?!

     The God of the universe is not something we can just add to our lives and keep on as we did before.  ...Jesus Christ did not die in order to follow us.  He died and rose again so that we could forget everything else and follow Him to the cross, to true Life.  - p. 122     

     A little bit of Jesus doesn't cut it.  A little bit of spirituality does no one any good at all.  Francis Chan says the only thing that does for you is cause you to totally miss what God wants for your life.  

     What's more, Chan emphasizes that if we just want to live a semi-moral life and attend church on a regular basis, we don't need the Holy Spirit!  Plenty of people worldwide live somewhat moral lives and attend regular religious services.  We only need the Holy Spirit if we truly want to live changed..transformed lives by following the Way of Jesus Christ.  

     We've come to think of living for Jesus as "taking up our cross". You know, when bills have to be paid because we buy more than we need, we get a cold, a sinus migraine or the cat's litter box needs to be changed.  Nope.  I don't think that's what Jesus was talking about at all.  People all across this planet do, well some of, those things every day without following Christ.  And they do those things with pretty good attitudes, too.  No, He calls us to a life of radical commitment.  True, genuine commitment.  

     That commitment only comes about through a genuine relationship.  An ongoing relationship.  "Instead throughout Scripture we read of a relationship that calls us into an active pursuit of the Spirit." (p. 127)     "Living by the Spirit implies a habitual, continual, and active interaction with the Holy Spirit." (p. 131)

So, where are you at?  

I challenge you to examine yourself.  Look at the "fruit" of your own life and let it be a gauge for you of your own connectedness with the Spirit. - p. 130-131

   Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist

FORGOTTEN GOD - EPISODE VI - CHAPTER 5

A REAL RELATIONSHIP

We're winding down my look at Francis Chan's book, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.  There will only be about three more of these, and I'll be moving on to my next book.  Eventually, as I write about more books, I'll try to get some kind of linking arrangement set up that will make it easier on those who have missed particular posts for whatever reason. Be patient with me, I do this on my free time because I want to.

Serving God and living faithfully can become a constant guilt trip of "trying harder" and "doing better next time".   - p. 104

     The trap of legalism.  At some point, I guess we all can fall prey to it.  I did.  Sometimes, this snake rears its ugly head in my life.  A lot of the issue I have had and still do have in this area stems from my religious background.  But, I have learned by listening to other believers, sermons from a wide variety of evangelical pastors, and reading books and articles that legalism is not limited to Independent Fundamental Baptists.  It's a cancer that invades all forms and branches of true Christianity.  We must be on guard against in our own lives, our families and our churches.

But, other times we have issues due to baggage we carry from childhood.

     Perhaps you've subconsciously taken the failures from sinful human relationships and imposed those shortcomings onto a perfect God.  Now uncertainty creeps into even your relationship with God. - p. 104

     We all know (maybe it's yourself) people who have are difficult time in their relationship with their Heavenly Father because of the baggage they carry from their earthly father.  Even those who had the best of parents will sometimes carry over the negativity they feel towards them to the Father.  How do we resolve that?  One way is to remember that God is not a man, and His ways and thinking is totally unlike anything we know.  Another way is to remember that the Helper wants to keep us from that negativity.

     It is the Holy Spirit who keeps us from this path and gives us confidence so we can enjoy intimacy with our Creator.  ...It is then that we can serve God as a beloved child rather than a stressed-out, guilt-ridden slave.  - p. 104

     I've known some that think it is their personal calling to make everyone guilty about everything.  God doesn't want that for us.  He wants us free.  Free to serve Him.  Free to love Him. He forgave us so that we will not have to be bound by the chains of guilt and shame.

     I like how Chan recalls how he has struggled with these same things, and what the Holy Spirit used to free him from the tyranny of the performance driven branch of American Dream Theology.  

     A study through Galatians helped me discover and destroy the strongholds of earning and insecurity.  - p. 104

     Galatians?  Really?  Yes, because God doesn't want us to be slaves bound by chains of shame, regret, guilt and the past. He wants free children who have a close relationship with their Father.  The Holy Spirit is the One Who makes that relationship possible.  

     Chan admits that he doesn't have a four step plan to connect with the Holy Spirit.  He does suggest that there are likely two obstacles that prevent all of us from a right relationship with the Spirit:  comfort (our lives are too safe), and volume (our lives are too loud).  

     Comfort - why do we need to experience the Comforter if our lives are comfortable enough already.  I do take some issue with this point of his.  "Comforter" has been handed down to us from the Geneva and King James Versions of our English Bibles.  "Comforter" in those days didn't mean the same thing it does now.  It didn't mean to coddle and pamper as we think, or to be a shoulder to cry on.  It means to "provide or cause to have courage".  Which is a whole different thing entirely.  But, still, I see his point and agree.

     Volume - we are so connected to everything else - phones, tablets...hey, look here!  We don't have enough gadgets to distract us, let's get Dick Tracy watches, too!  (I know, another reference that zipped past you.)  We refuse to unplug ourselves and shut things off, and wonder why our spiritual lives suck.  I know, says the guy telling you this over electronic communications.  

     In the craziness of our world, it takes tremendous effort to find a quiet place.  - p. 109

     Even if you're an introvert like me who greatly values quiet and personal space, we often tend to stay plugged into our devices way too much.  

I think that gives us a lot to mull over.  I'll end with another quote.

     Do you ever want to distance yourself from [God] because you feel so much shame over your sin?

     ....I wanted to prove that I was sorry for what I did by being faithful for a period of time.  I wanted to develop a good track record before pursuing my relationship with Him again.  I wanted God to see that I could be a good servant.  THEN I felt good enough to talk with God again.  But God didn't want a good slave who really tried hard.  He wanted me to see that He was a good Father.  He wants intimacy.  - p. 113

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist 

FORGOTTEN GOD - EPISODE V - CHAPTER 4

WHY DO YOU WANT HIM?

Remember that one time a magician showed up in the pages of Scripture.  Actually, there were a few.  Even a couple of groups of unnamed magicians.  But there was one in particular to show up in Acts 8.  The King James Version calls him, "Simon the Sorcerer".  Sounds even cooler right?  Wrong.  When you read situation in Acts, you walk away (or at least you should walk away) thinking, "He's just like most of us!  Sometimes I'm just like that!"  This Simon was a lot like most PROFESSING Christians - he thought he could buy or someway earn the power of the Holy Spirit.
     The Holy Spirit is not a commodity to be bought or traded according to our individual wants, whims, or even our felt needs.  We absolutely cannot have this discussion about the Holy Spirit without calling our motives into question.  
- p. 84
     The questions Francis Chan really directs us to, is stated in the Chapter title: why do we really want the Holy Spirit?  To make ourselves great, famous, powerful....why?  What is your real reason?
     Many believers and the churches where they are members all claim they want the power of the Holy Spirit.  There have been books written about how to get said power.  There are conferences, seminars, videos....it keeps going.
     Here's another question to ask: how can we know if a believer or a church has the power of the Spirit.
     Answer: A sure sign of the Holy Spirit's working is that Christ is magnified, not people. - p.87
     So, who do you magnify?  Yourself?  Your pastor?  Some other person that you have elevated to god-like status?  Who does your church magnify?  Who does those you look up to magnify?

Let's move on.  More times than I can count or remember, I've heard pastors, read or heard of books that all tell you have you can (for lack of a better term) repeat their formula or "Five Step Program" to do this or that.  You want to have a Pentecost Sunday?  Well, you can!  Just buy my book, and follow the steps!  Grow your church in 90 days!  Come to the 45th annual conference for the reinstallment of my glory...blah, blah, blah.
     If we expect God to perform certain miracles or to give us a particular experience, it will be tempting to manipulate or even fake experiences of the supernatural.  - p. 89
     Well, fake it 'til you make it!  Amen?
      Um, no.  I can't tell you how much manipulating the circumstances and faking experiences I've seen on a variety of issues and programs in the last 20 years.
     Quit faking. Start repenting.

Honestly, what would it really looked like if all true believers got serious about living out the Great Commandment.  Not the Great Commission.  We'll worry about that later.  Let's just focus on the Great Commandment.  What would it look like in my life, in your life, and in your local body of believers?
     I honestly believe that most of us - while we might say we want to be led by the Spirit - are actually scared of this reality.  - p. 90
     I know I am.  Where would He send me?  What would it take?  I want to be in total control of my life, and that requires a total surrender to God and total abandonment of my control!  I don't know about you, but I find this to be scarier than an invasion of Weeping Angels.  [Apologies if you don't understand the reference.  Forget it. No, I don't apologize.  After reading this, go watch the Doctor Who episode "Blink".]
     Here's the reality of it all. God doesn't care about our comfort or temporary happiness.  I know, that just lost everybody.  All four of you.
     [God] wants us to know that His gift of the Holy Spirit is really not for our own pleasure or purposes.  The Spirit is meant to lead us toward holiness.  The Spirit is here with us to accomplish God's purposes, not our own.  - p. 93
     Sorry American Dream Theologians, it's not about you after all.

How are we to do this?  We must crucify our flesh, and choose to walk with the Spirit.  And that's not even remotely possible if you do not have the Spirit of the living God within you.  As Jesus told a Pharisee on a roof top, "You must be born again!"  Are you truly a confessing Christian?  Have you truly been born again?  Or are you just a professing Christian? You may claim to be a believer.  You may pretend all you want. But you can never hope to live and walk in the Spirit if you have never laid it all aside and come to Christ for salvation.

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist
   
     

FORGOTTEN GOD - EPISODE IV - CHPATER 3

THEOLOGY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 101

There is a lot of bad theology that is running rampant in American Christianity.  I've come to call it "The American Dream Theology".  I'm not sure if that term is original with me or not.  Probably not.  Regardless, it aptly sums up the decay of professing Christians and the local social clubs they call churches.  The sad part is that no church - even the most biblical - is immune to American Dream Theology.  I will try to develop that thought further in an upcoming post, but for now, I'll just let it simmer in your mind.

...Theology is still important - what you believe absolutely determines how you act.  So while good theology at its best can lead us to live godly lives, bad theology will always point us in the wrong direction.  - p. 64

Remember what I said about American Dream Theology? ADT is a prime example of bad theology. It doesn't matter if you call yourself Calvinist, Arminian, or neither.  It doesn't matter if you're Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Presbyterian or anything else.  If you have adopted even a light version of ADT, you're consuming bad theology.  ADT has affected our understanding and view of the Holy Spirit.  And that's seriously bad.

On pages 70-74, Francis Chan lists some basic truths about the Holy Spirit. I will not get into those here, but I do want to pull a few highlights brought up in that discussion.
     Because the Spirit is holy and dwells in us, our bodies are holy sanctuaries 
     from God's vantage point.  Too often we disdain our bodies as the source
     of sin and our fallenness; yet they are precisely where God the Spirit 
     chooses to dwell! - p. 71
This bothers me a lot.  Every time I read the epistles to the Corinthians this bothers me.  Why?  Because it reminds me of how flippantly I regard God's Holy Temple.  The Spirit of the Living God indwells believers on a scale that is far above anything the Israelites experienced at the Tabernacle in the Wilderness or at Solomon's Temple.  Same God.  Same Spirit.  Yet, I allow it to be polluted and disregarded.  We need a renewed understanding of the importance of believers being the living temples of the Living God.
     OK.  So, we're temples?  What does that mean?  Do we just sit around on mountaintops and meditate?  What does the Holy Spirit do with His temples?
     It is the Spirit who draws people to the gospel, the Spirit who equips us
     with the strength we need to accomplish God's purposes.  The Holy Spirit
     not only initially draws people to God, He also draws believers closer to 
     Jesus.  - p. 75
     He empowers.  He energizes.  He equips.  He gifts.  He does everything so that He can work, move, and minister through us.  It's sad that in our American Dream Theological Culture that that's a novel idea.
     By the power of the Spirit we put to death the misdeeds of the body. - p. 75
     We can't just do better.  We can't try harder.  We can't work more.  Only through the Spirit do we have any hope of becoming more Christlike and being conformed into the image of the Son of God.

  When we correct our thinking.  Toss out American Dream Theology and replace it to true, biblical theology, then it should "...lead you to right action, genuine love, and true worship." (p.77)
     Where is your theology leading you?

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist

THE FORGOTTEN GOD - EPISODE III - CHAPTER 2 - WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

I'm a lot slower at writing out my thoughts than I am at reading.  Mainly because I'm very careful about my words.  I probably take longer to prepare a sermon than most preachers do.  I want each word to count.  I don't like the "small talk" and superficial in my speaking.  This has a lot to do with being an introvert.  An introvert who loves to write (even if only four people read what I write) and who preaches.  I'm currently on chapter 4 in the book, and just now writing about chapter 2.  Let's jump in.

Don't let your views be determined by a particular denomination or by what you've always been told. p. 47

     I've always been an outsider.  A rebel, if you will.  Yes, there is a part of me who loves going against the grain, but this isn't really why I've always been viewed and treated as such.  I've just always thought differently.  Even though I was in fundamentalist churches my entire life, I never really fit in.  Unfortunately, I went along with and agreed with entirely too much of what I was told, but I never bought into enough to be accepted.  Having said that, I have learned in the last 5 years, that I let my thinking be determined by what I was told entirely too much.  And still do.  But, really, all of us do.

     We must constantly refocus.  Are my opinions and beliefs on this subject or that subject entirely rooted in Scripture?  Or is it based on what I've always been told.  This is a great way to open any subject, book, chapter, etc.

Following up that statement, Francis Chan writes:

Fear has a way of channeling our thought process.  Fear of stepping outside of a certain theological framework causes us to be biased in our interpretations.  We work diligently to "prove" that our presuppositions were correct (another example of eisegesis) rather than simply and honestly pursuing truth. -p.47

    This was really what took me so long to part ways with Independent Baptist Fundamentalism (IFB).  This was what kept me for so long from even remotely exploring any branch of reformed theology and thinking.  FEAR.  Fear still drives me more than I care to admit.  I've worked hard and long to "prove" those misguided and errant ways of thinking to prop them up, when in reality, I just needed to turn back to Scripture alone.  Toss man's thinking out the window.  Look at God's.

But why are we afraid?  Chan gets down to a deeper issue within all believers.

When it comes down to it, many of us do not really want to be led by the Holy Spirit.  Or, more fundamentally, many of us don't want to be led by anyone other than ourselves. - p. 50

     As the old saying goes, "Aye, there's the rub!"

      How often has this kept us from truly serving God?  How often has this thwarted, subverted and brought about the ruin of many local bodies of believers?  Why are we surprised when preachers, churches and organizations fall when they were never led by the Spirit of God but the Spirit of themselves and their own fallen desires?

While some are driven by their own lusts, many of us are driven by "The Fear of What Others Think About Us".

     ...We Americans tend to care about what others think of us - to an unhealthy degree.  And believers are certainly not exempt from this trend. - p.52

     It's seen in children and teenagers, and adults never get over it.  We are afraid to say what we really think and believe because we fear what others will think of us.  We dress a certain way - whether for church or our daily lives - because we fear the thoughts of others.  Hairstyles, hair color....the list never ends.  It's amazing that collective thinking has such a power over us.  But let's not stop materially, let's think theologically and biblically.  We care more about what others say and think about any and all issues more than what God Himself has said.  No wonder the world thinks the church is dying.  They know we're afraid of their thoughts!

     When we become overly concerned about our appearance, our spiritual reputation, our coolness and our acceptance, we are living as citizens of this world rather than as ambassadors.

     This is not something that just goes away.  It is an ever-present struggle to maintain your true allegiance. - p. 54

     This is part of our spiritual warfare.  The real battleground, the real theatre of war is not the local, state and federal governments; the public schools; the universities; the media; Hollywood; or any other man-made battleground.  The real battleground is individual believers and our local churches.

     ...I think that quite often we worry a lot more about how people will respond to us than we do about how the Holy Spirit of God will respond.  We think about making our friends mad or not being accepted or being thought of as different or strange.  But rarely (if ever) do we consider whether our actions or lifestyle are grievous to the Spirit of the Living God.  - p. 54

Let's stop caring about what society, the media, our friends or even our family thinks about us.  Let's be consumed with what God thinks and being led by His Spirit.

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist

FORGOTTEN GOD: Episode II - Chapter 1

We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality

among us is low.  We have measured ourselves by ourselves

until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the

Spirit is all but gone....  [We] have imitated the world, sought

popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy

of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to 

substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost.

- A. W. Tozer, p. 27, beginning of chapter 1

Tonight I want to look at my impressions from chapter 1.  The quote above from 

A. W. Tozer is extremely relevant for our day.  We have manufactured for ourselves a cheap grace for a cheap theology proclaimed by a cheaply made deity.  And little of it has any resemblance to true biblical Christianity.

In chapter 1, "I've Got Jesus, Why Do I Need the Spirit?", Francis Chan addresses our watered-down, cheapened version of the Holy Spirit.

     Most of us assume that what we believe is right...but have never really 

     studied for ourselves.  We were simply told, "This is the way it is," and 

     didn't question.  The problem is much of what we believe is often based 

     more on comfort or our culture's tradition than on the Bible.  -p. 29

This is the story of most of our lives.  I know it is in my own.  While I have often thought contrary to my teachers, pastors and elders, I would usually keep my opinions to myself, accept the fact that I am wrong, and shove it to the back of my mind.  Only to find out years later that I was not wrong.  Sometimes, it doesn't pay to listen to those who base everything they know by what someone else told them, or what their man-made traditions ordain.  

     We must get back to the Word of God.  Are the things we cling to really in the Word of God, or merely the tradition handed down to us by some grayhairs?  The Word of God must be paramount.  Tradition does not equal Scripture.  You would think we would know that, but apparently few "Christians" really understand the difference.

     Chan states that one of the areas we need to re-examine our thinking on is regarding the Holy Spirit.  "...We don't think we need the Holy Spirit.  We don't expect the Holy Spirit to act.  Or if we do, our expectations are often misguided or self-serving. (p. 31).  Everything we do as believers must be done through the holy Spirit.  We have the idea that we can do it all on our own - win unbelievers, have big crowds, building programs.  All we need is each other and each other's pocketbooks.

     But, there is more to God than that.  it's more than money, talent and personality.

     Are we really denying the existence of the Holy Spirit?  Do we really deny the Trinity in favor of a Duology?  Most of us are afraid to even remotely refer to the Holy Spirit because someone will think we're Pentecostals (I'm not trying to offend the three Pentecostals reading this, just making a very Baptist observation).

So, where do we start? How do we get from the empty, powerless Christianity we currently practice, to something radically different?  I close with Francis Chan's closing statements from chapter 1:

     "I want to be different today from what I was yesterday as the fruit of 

     the Spirit becomes more manifest in me.

          I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit's leading on a

     daily basis.  Christ said it is better for us that the Spirit came, and I want 

     to live like I know that is true.  i don't want to keep crawling when I have

     the ability to fly," p. 37

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist

FORGOTTEN GOD - Episode I

As predicted, I'm now reading Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan with Danae Yankoski.  This is the third of Francis Chan's books that I've read (I've read Crazy Love twice and earlier this year I read Erasing Hell - both books were thought provoking and resetting).  I think the title of this book says it all, so let's jump right into what I want to discuss today.  In this post, I'll tackle what stood out to me in the introduction and in chapter 1.

[Note: I never get to chapter 1 in this post.  Sorry to disappoint.]

In some books the introduction is pretty lame.  Not much is really hit on in the introudction, just a restatement and/or expansion of the title and subtitle.  Sometimes writers don't even do that.   Instead, we get hit.  Hit hard.

The benchmark of success in church services has become more about attendance than the movement of the Holy Spirit.  The "entertainment" model of church was largely adopted in the 1980s and 90s, and while it alleviated some of our boredom for a couple of hours a week, it filled our churches with self-focused consumers rather than self-sacrificing servants attuned to the Holy Spirit. 
- Introudction, pp. 15-16

Some of us have been pointing this out for years, and many of us have been waking up to this more recently.  This is still a tough point to toss out right off the bat when you're still trying to sell the reader on the book.  But, then, I doubt Chan was planning on making an easy sell.  As the great theologian Gandalf Greyham once said, "Nothing is ever easy."
     The problem is, even those of us who think we are standing against consumerism in the worship, have actually been selling our own particular brand of Church. This is not Chan's point, this is mine.  We have all been way to concerned with whom we are selling our church and our brand of worship.  We're left God completely out of the picture.  This alone woul make a great book and a worthwhile study with an action plan to get back on track.

Chan goes on to write this "...is directly connected to the dissatisfaction most of us feel with and in the church.  We understand something very important is missing.  The feeling is so strong that some have run away from the church and God's Word completely." (Introduction, p. 16).
     I think he has already made a stronger case as to why men (and women) don't go to church than the author of the last book I read made.
     He further states that that something is actually a Someone, namely, the Holy Spirit.
     Recently, thanks to a Pew Research study, a lot of conversation has opened up about the supppsed death of the church/death of the church in America.  Maybe more of us should have paid attention in 2009 when Chan wrote this book.  He said, "The light of the American church is flickering and nearly extinguished, having largely sold out to the kingdoms and values of this world." (Introduction, p. 17).
     Thankfully, God promised not to break bruised reeds or quench smoking flaxes.  The vine maybe about to be pruned, but rest assured, the vine isn't dead.  It's going to flourish again.  Probably in a far different way than we can conceive.

In my experience, a lot of churches that once flourished greatly many years ago are still stuck in the past.  They are always talking about what happened all those years ago, but no one is willing to do anything to see a return to those great days (if they ever really happened at all anyhow).  Chan gives us a solution for that mindset: "...by keeping in step with the Spirit , we might regularly fellowship over what He's doing, rather than what He did months or years ago."

Part of our problem, according to Chan, is that many believers live out God's Word in their daily lives the same way we hear the Word of God taught and preached.  We live eisigetically as opposed to exegetically.  We pursue whatever lifestyle we desire, then hunt down the Scripture to fit it so that we can show everyone we're doing it all right.
     That's just scary.
     That's just 100% corect.
     He says we've done the same thing to the Holy Spirit that we've done to the Holy Sciptures.  We've cut and pasted whatever verses we want regarding Him and allowed that form our understanding to the oft-forgotten member of the Triunity.

Well, I wanted to get into chapter 1 as well, but the introduction was hard hitting enough, and gave me plenty to think about.  I don't know about you, but so far, I have seen too much of this in my own life.  So, what can I do?  What can you do?  What can we believers do?  Well, we can start by repenting.  And we have a lot to repent of.

I'll attempt to discuss chapter 1 tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist

Next Up on the Reading List

I'm usually reading between 2-6 books at any point.  Not all of which will I choose to comment on.  I'm not really reviewing anything.  I'm just relaying my thoughts on a book and its topic as it comes to my mind.
     So.  What's next?  I have several.  Actually, it's more than several.  More like dozens.  My wife just finished reading Francis Chan's The Forgotten God.  That will probably be the book I start reading and commenting on this week.  It really sounds interesting, as are all of his works, and my wife, who is not an avid reader as I am, really was excited about it.  Usually, whenever a book grabs my wife's attention that much, I take notice and push other books to the side and read it.
     I looked through a box of books upstairs this afternoon, all are on my READ ASAP list.  There is no way of knowing when I'll around to most of them.  My kindle is chock full of books that I desperately need to get to as well.  I need an extra 4 hours every day.  I think that will give me the time to read what I want.
     Currently, I am reading through the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith.  I'm interested in reading books on that line of thought in the future, so others will probably be added to that sublist of the ASAP list shortly.

Then, there's always the fiction....scifi, western, and comic books/graphic novels.  I really am the Reading Sith.

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist

Final Thoughts on WHY MEN HATE GOING TO CHURCH by David Murrow

It's funny that in the first eight chapters of a book, you are with the author, agreeing with him, and BAM!  He goes off the rails in chapter 9, and in my opinion, never recovers.  Or at least, I spent the rest of the book carefully weighing every statement he made.  Maybe it's just me.  Anyhow, I want to hit some of the highlights from the rest of the book, and finalize what I thought about it.
     You can go to my Twitter account and read the quoted tweets and thoughts that I had on the book.
   
Throughout the book, it seemed to me that the author really had something against meekness and humility.  He constantly blasted these qualities as feminine and unmanly.  Maybe he hasn't read that much of the Bible, I don't know.  But Jesus and Moses are both highlighted as being EXTREMELY meek and humble men, who were very manly.  Maybe the author doesn't really understand what true meekness and humility are.

In chapter 15, he mentioned how words like "relationship, passionate and intimacy" are overused and are words that make men uncomfortable.  I agree.  However, they should be used, and must be placed into proper context in our lessons, studies and sermons.  We have a tendency to use words and terms (not just believers, but or society as a whole) without defining them and acknowledging what we are really talking about.  This has to change.  These words make people uncomfortable because they only think they know what it means.  In reality, "That words does not mean what you think it means", Inigo Montoya was correct.
     Music is decidedly feminine in the church, which is very true.  Many of the songs we sing, not just the newer, more contemporary songs, but also many of the old hymns that many seem willing to die for are very feminine in nature.
     ...Christ has put down His sword and picked up a daisy.  He is no longer a warrior, He is a lover.  The very image of Christ taking up arms (as He does in Revelation 19) is simply unacceptable in a lot of churches today.
     Praise music has accelerated this trend.  Not only are the lyrics of many of these songs quite romantic, but they have the same breathless feel as top forty love songs.   - page 139
     Very few of the songs we sing in our services, whether new or old, invoke the warrior spirit.  Yet, the life of the believer is a war, as the apostle Paul often reminded us.

One thing that I thought was peculiar, and it is probably due to my background, was that he stated that men are encouraged to be emotional in churches today.  I've never seen that.  In fact, the churches I grew up attending, and being trained in for the ministry encouraged the opposite.  The only emotion that was OK to show was anger, and really that was only for those behind the pulpit.  The rest of us were supposed to be Vulcans.  No emotions.  Emotions are bad.  Evil.  But, maybe that's just fundamentalism.  Maybe all the evangelical churches are gushy emotion festivals.

Many other topics were addressed: the sharing phenomenon; dressing up for church; lack of vision, focus and purpose; expecting pastors to be personal chaplains; not allowing people to use their gifts to serve God; not intentionally identifying and training leaders; lack of discipleship; purposeless meetings; the dumbing down of church membership; pointless tasks; begging, pleading and guilt-tripping; prolonging the life of useless programs and ministries that have exceeded their shelf-life; more concerned about people's feelings rather than people bearing fruit; lack of strong pastoral leadership (not to be confused with dictatorship); less talking, more listening; etc.
     Many of the issues are legitimate problems.  Many of these things have always rankled me simply due to me being an introvert.  I think one of the things we need to get back to is to stop encouraging people to be someone they are not, and start encouraging people to be who God created them to be.  Stop forcing men to act like women.  Stop forcing women to act like men.  Stop forcing introverts to act like extroverts.  God created each of us uniquely and specially.  Be who God created you.  Serve God with the gifts He gave you.  That alone will be enough to revolutionize most of our churches.
    We also must get back to the Word of God.  Very few of our sermons, Sunday schools, and "Bible" studies have anything to do with the Bible.  We've become so topically driven, that we have lost touch with Scripture.  We don't need more flash and pizazz.  We need God's Word.  God's word must be paramount.  Life lessons, personal illustrations, have no purpose apart from Scripture, and most of the time we are attempting to force Scripture to fit the model of our "life lessons".

There's a lot more that could be said about this book.  He does have a lot of good suggestions.  But, there's a lot of garbage here, too.  In the end, I think his real call is for a return to Biblical manhood.  Let's return to a study of the men of the Bible, and what God has to say about men.  Another area that will help us is a return to the study of church history.   Let's look at the great men of the ancient church, the Reformation, and the modern missionary movement and learn what made them great.  And what made them men.

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist

The Manliness of Reading

Some seem to think that it is a very unmanly thing to read.  A man who is an avid reader is probably the 21st Century version of a eunuch.  This strange imagery reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough At Last" which starred Burgess Meredith as a henpecked man whose attempts to read were always thwarted by his wife, boss and just about everyone.  That is until a nuclear holocaust made him the last man on earth who finally had all the time he wanted to read.  Actually, that character is probably too macho for our current vision of a "male reader".
     I'm not sure when this bizarre thinking came to dominate our culture.  In fact, our very society was built upon the writing and thinking of prolific readers.
     Perhaps therein lies the reason for the rapid disintegration of our culture: a lack of men who read.  I'm not using "men" as a general term for all of humanity.  I'm addressing a great fault in the male gender of our species.
     The thirst for knowledge can only be quenched through the consumption of good books.  Real men have an overwhelming desire to learn and never quit learning.  Does this mean it is easy for all?  No.  Unfortunately, for many it can be a painful and difficult process that is very time consuming.  Yet that overpowering desire to learn causes them to press on.
     Our churches, our families, our lives are weak because we have forgotten the benefits of reading.  We prefer to allow TV, Internet, and media (old and new) to do all of our thinking for us.  Some of us think we're special because we let talk radio think for us.  And we disdainfully look down on those "book nerds" that are SO beneath us.
     If we want to regain our culture, society, communities, states, nations and families, we must shake off the dust of these New Dark Ages, and relearn the massive value of reading and books.  In doing so, we have the potential of launching a new Reformation.

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist

The Return to Blogging

Eventually I'll have to find some acceptable background paint job for this thing.  For now the brownish map motif will do the job.  Sort of goes with my avatar.  At least that is what I'm telling myself.
     Back in my original blogging days, I was a news and politics junkie.  I thrived off of the stuff.  I was consuming so much news, going from site to site, getting the latest on what was going on behind and in front of the curtain.  Trying to figure who was working the smoke machine that kept the residents of Oz bamboozled.  Then, I woke up.  I realized how much of an effect the consumption of all that junk was having on me.  I was becoming increasingly negative and cynical.  And paranoid.
     So, I quit.
     I quit reading, listening and watching any news at all.  This lasted for a couple of years - total news and politics fast.  I felt good.  And I don't regret it.  Now, I briefly scan a few headlines from time to time. Listen to a couple of Christian podcasts that briefly deal current events, watch the nuts on Twitter, and that's about it.  I stay out of the loop now.  And I don't care!
     Now, don't misunderstand.  I don't live in a box, a commune or in an Amish village now.  I briefly scan, and that's it.  That's all I need.  No need to dwell on the garbage that I cannot control.  I have better things to do with my time.  Like, being Darth Baptist, Sith Pastor.  And reading.
     Six years later, I'd rather read about what truly interests me instead of trying to keep up with the POWERS THAT BE and worry about what is going wrong.

Want to keep your sanity?  Quit being cynical?  Paranoid?  Quit watching and listening to news and talk radio, and go explore the galaxies of books.

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist

The last time I blogged was about 6 years ago. Back in those days, most of you were still in first grade.  I operated 5, pretty sure it was 5...maybe it was 6, blogs.  Of course, I considered myself an IFB conspiracy nut back then, so most of it was pure drivel.
     When I first started the @DarthBaptist Twitter account however long ago that's been now, it was to release anger and frustration at the idiot I had once been, to talk through some of the darkness I had escaped, and to mock the old me.  I never thought it would turn into the Muppet Show that it has. I also never thought I would go on to start a companion account. And I never dreamed I would blog again. Yet look where we are. Yes, I'm taking to the two of you actually reading this.
     So why a blog for DARTH BAPTIST READS? Frankly, 140 characters isn't enough to talk about what I'm reading. Yeah, it's that simple. And whatever else I need to get out of my brain.

Thanks for reading.

Darth Baptist