NT Wright: How Scripture Outflanks Secularism

NT Wright was the first speaker at the Mere Anglicanism conference this year. He gave a rousing talk on the topic "How Scripture Outflanks Secularism: The Biblical Challenge to the World and the Church". Here are some my notes:

He began by describing two features which shaped the western culture:
(1) The first feature can best be described by the word "Epicureanism", by which the western culture sees the world: "If God exists at all, He is a long way away and at death we disappear into nothing". The factors that lead to this thinking include weariness of wars, progress in science and technology, and a belief that the world is progressing to a better place (by evolution). Even the church is buying into this idea. Preachers pick and choose from scripture to support these views.

Scripture has much to say about this. First and foremost, scripture described God as our Creator. We are God's artwork. He created us to have a relationship with Him and to fulfill His purpose for all of creation. In Ephesians 2 "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, ... among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (vv 1-10)

In terms of the myth of human progress, Wright gave the scriptural view of "time": (i) the turning point in history was when Jesus rose from the dead; (ii) Romans 8 described the ultimate goal of God's creation - we are God's agents to bring the New Kingdom on earth "For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently... And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." (vv 19-28)

Wright categorically refuted the "Dispensationalist Theology" which suggests that we can do nothing  to alter the course of history. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." (Matthews 28:18) - through Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection we too have been given a new life in Christ to fulfill God's purpose to bring His Kingdom on earth. Therefore our challenge to the world is to live out God's reign on earth instead of escaping from it. We live in unity with God's church to witness to God's sovereign reign of the new heaven and the new earth (Ephesian 1).

(2) Society believes in the "value" of Christianity but not the "faith". But all religions DO NOT lead to the same value! Secularism claims that society is progressing with a purpose. It prefers the individual at the expense of society (libertarianism). And that we should capitulate to culture (i.e. agree with whatever the fashion is) and to science (scientific discovery always ahead of moralism).

Our response should include:

• importance of movement (institutional church is not the answer)
• movement of profession (we should take the good news to the work place)
• Mere Anglicanism is such a movement
• affirming marriage and establishment of family (don't give up on our children)
• need missionaries, especially in our own backyard (global migration of refugees)
• churches should be more mission minded to bring hope to nations and to our own people (don't be navel-gazing)

You probably noticed that my notes got sketchier towards the end. It was a powerful lecture but moved probably way faster than my ability to take good notes. The audio transcript should come out in March 2015. I hope to insert the link here when it comes out.

Overall I walked away with optimism. Secularism has little to offer to this confused and purposeless world. I on the other hand have been richly blessed "in heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3). I long to be an effective witness to the good news of Jesus Christ!

Mere Anglicanism 2015

Here I am in Charleston, South Carolina having just finished attending a conference called Mere Anglicanism. The theme this year is "Salt & Light, the Christian Response to Secularism". I feel particularly blessed by the speakers this year and there were many:

• NT Wright - I recently finished reading two of his books (Simply Christian - Why Christianity Makes Sense and After You Believe - Why Christian Character Matters) and am nearly finishing the third book (Surprised By Hope). I also watched several lectures of him speaking at the NT Wright Conference at Fuller University which were very very good. This was very helpful since I already had some background on his teaching. But he surprised me even more at this conference. I took some note and hope to put it together on another blog.
• Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali - I heard him speak last year at the same conference on the topic of "Science, Faith and Apologetics: An Answer for the Hope That Is Within Us" and knew that he was very good. He delivered the entire lecture without even looking at any notes. He received a standing ovation! On the subject of Secularism he presented his analysis on these three questions: (1) What we had; (2) How we lost it; and (3) What we can do now? I look forward to reading his book "Triple Jeopardy for the West: Aggressive Secularism, Radical Islamism and Multiculturalism".
• Ross Douthat - He was new to me. This young NY Times Columnist (see his blog) taught me a lot and I look forward to reading from his book "Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics".
• Mary Eberstadt - She was equally new to me. When I googled her name she was obviously well known to a lot of people. This passionate activist taught me how Christian living out their faith (to practice justice, compassion etc) must engage in this culture which is more and more intolerant to the Christian faith (this is the first time I heard of the term "The New Intolerance"). I am encouraged to read more on the subject and to apply it in my work.
• Os Guinness - Oh what a teacher! This Irishman who is now living in Washington, DC, continues to be a social critic and author, making huge influence on our culture. He warned the church of opting out of the debate or holding on to the ultra right stance. He suggested that Atheism is "Life With No Amen" - we have nothing to fear but much to face up to.
• Alister McGrath - Oh I love this man. I was totally inspired by him at the conference. He gave me a new perspective about living out my Christian faith by giving a new narrative of the Gospel story. I look forward to telling my story at the next CMDS (a local chapter of the Christian Medical and Dental Society) meeting where I will share on the topic "God in the Exam Room". I am now reading through his book "Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers and Skeptics Find Faith". I look forward to learning so much more from him.

I also attended evening and morning prayers at the local Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul. I will never forget the Friday night Holy Eucharist service. With a combined choir from two parishes and about a 1000 totally committed Christians, I thought I heard the angels singing from heaven! Such was my incredible weekend at the Mere Anglicanism conference. I look forward to next year when the theme will be on Islam.

What do Joseph and John the Baptist have in common?

This week I finished reading another NT Wright's book "After You Believe - Why Christian Character Matters". Despite all the years of being a Christian, I have never been completely free of the inner struggle of grace versus works. There were too many days to be counted when I had the doubt that I couldn't be a Christian because I didn't do all the things I was supposed to do and did all the things I was not supposed to do (see Paul's struggle in Romans 7:19). This is especially burdensome when you read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). NT Wright gave his insight into the Beatitudes:
"Jesus is not meaning either 'If you manage to behave in this way, you will be rewarded' (a kind of legalist solution) or 'Now that you've believed in me and my kingdom project, this is how you must behave" (a sort of thing some post-Reformation theology might insist on)... What Jesus is saying, rather, is, 'Now that I'm here, God's new world is coming to birth; and, once you realize that, you'll see that these are habits of heart which anticipate that new world here and now.' These qualities - purity of heart, mercy, and so on - are not, so to speak, 'things you have to do' to earn a 'reward', a 'payment'. Nor are they merely the 'rule of conduct' laid down for new converts to follow... They are, in themselves, the signs of life, the language of life, the life of new creation, the life of new covenant, the life which Jesus came to bring." (page 106 - with my emphasis)

He explained what Jesus meant when he asked us to follow him:
"Jesus's call to follow him, to discover in the present time the habits of life which point forward to the coming kingdom and already, in a measure, share in its life, only makes sense when it is couched in the terms made famous by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: 'Come and die.' Jesus didn't say, as do some modern evangelists, 'God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.' Nor did he say, 'I accept you as you are, so you can now happily do whatever comes naturally.' He said, 'If you want to become my followers, deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me' (Mark 8:34). He spoke of losing one's life in order to gain it, as opposed to clinging to it and so losing it. He spoke of this in direct relation to himself and his forthcoming humiliation and death, followed by resurrection and exaltation. Exactly in line with the Beatitudes, he was describing, and inviting his followers to enter, an upside-down world, an inside-out world, a world where all the things people normally assume about human flourishing, including human virtue, are set aside and a new order is established." (page 115 - with my emphasis)

He also gave me new insight into Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." by connecting it to Philippians chapter 1. He explained:
"Another passage which sits tightly alongside Romans 12 is found near the start of the letter to the Philippians: 'This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you can figure out properly things that differ from one another, so that you may be blameless and innocent for the day of the Messiah, filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus the Messiah to the glory and praise of God (1:9-11 Wright's emphasis)'... Paul wants them, of course, to grow in love; but this love is not a matter of 'undisciplined squads of emotion,' but a thought-out habit of the heart - the heart knowing why it approves what it approves and why it disapproves what it disapproves. All this has the forward look that is common to classic virtue-teaching. "The day of the Messiah' is coming, when you will be 'complete,' as he has said earlier in verse 6: "The one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of the Messiah, Jesus."... don't suppose for a minute that this grace will work without your mind being fully engaged... The more genuinely spiritual you are, according to Romans 12 and Philippians 1, the more clearly and accurately and carefully you will think, particularly about what the completed goal of your Christian journey will be and hence what steps you should be taking, what habits you should be acquiring, as part of the journey toward that goal, right now." (page 157-158)

I can go on and on what I have learned from this book, on the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), Paul's famous passage on love (1 Corinthians 13), and on God's call to be priests and rulers.

This takes me back to the topic of this blog. What do Joseph and John the Baptist have in common? Their stories in scripture reminded me that despite their short comings God used them to bring about his purpose. Joseph, a proud young man, was betrayed by his own brothers and sold to Egypt as a slave, would eventually save the people of Israel from starvation and certain extinction. His famous verse:
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20)
John the Baptist, although had doubt about Jesus while being confined in a jail cell, received this accolade from Jesus:
" Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." (Matthew 11:11)
Now there is hope for me, even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist!

"But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life." (St. Paul, 1 Timothy 1:16)

Abraham and Simply Christian

Finished reading NT Wright's classic "Simply Christian" this past week. This book is often compared to CS Lewis' "Mere Christianity" or John Stott's "Basic Christianity". I am now reading through another one of his books called "After You Believe". NT Wright will be a speaker at the Mere Anglicanism conference this year. I am so looking forward to it!

"Simply Christian" speaks of the basic needs of the human heart - a desire for justice, a spiritual hole that wants to be filled, the desire for meaningful relationship, and the appreciation of beauty and truth. You don't have to be a christian to find fulfillment and satisfaction of these needs but the "Christian message" reduces the need for life long seeking and easily satisfies the deep longing of the soul. (Bruxy Cavey described it as telling people who are waiting in a long line to see God a short cut to the front!). NT Wright did a fabulous job of explaining religious concepts and belief based on historical events, i.e. who is God, why did God pick the people of Israel, who is Jesus and the (Holy) Spirit, and how did the Bible come about and what it says about the life of a Christian. I particularly enjoy his use of analogy, like this one about reading the Bible:
"It sometimes feels as though two or three short biblical readings are rather like the windows seen from the other side of the room. We can't see very much through them. But as we get to know the Bible better, we get closer to the windows (as it were), so that, without the windows having gotten any bigger, we can glimpse the entire sweep of the biblical countryside." (page 151 first paragraph)
And about arguing over obeying what the Bible says:
"Squabbling over particular definitions of the qualities of the Bible is like a married couple squabbling over which of them loves the children more, when they should be getting on with bringing them up and setting them a good example. The Bible is there to enable God's people to be equipped to do God's work in God's world, not to give them an excuse to sit back smugly, knowing they possess all God's truth." (page 183 bottom of page)

Overall this book helps me understand more of the basics of my faith and gives me lots of insight into practicing it.

As I read the story of Abraham in the Book of Genesis this week, I was again struck by the fact that this man was far from perfect! He was afraid that the people he met would harm him because he had a beautiful wife - when he was in Egypt (Genesis 12:10-20) and with King Abimelek (Genesis 20). Yet he held on to God's promise, even if he had to sacrifice his one and only son (Genesis 22). One thing I learned from this man is that wherever he went he always built an altar (Genesis 12:7, 13:4, 13:18, 22:9). He is truly a man of faith! Where is my altar at home, at work, in my community, at my church?

I just finished reading the Sermon on the Mount today (Matthew 5-7). There is a really good chapter in the book "After You Believe" talking about faith versus good works. I will write about it next week.

How do I understand the Book of Genesis?

Happy New Year 2015! Two years ago I made a New Year resolution - to write a blog on my spiritual discovery from my daily Bible reading at least once a week. So far I have not broken my promise and I can see God's blessings in this endeavor. This year I will try something different. Although I will still follow the "Bible in a Year" schedule on Our Daily Bread, I will write more on what I have learned from other Christian or non-Christian materials. I will learn from other faith and their perspectives on life. This will push me to do more reading outside the Bible. I hope the experience will draw me closer to God, to understand His love and His purpose for me better.

So to start I will share on a book I recently read. The book was written by a friend from church and is called "Reaching into Plato's Cave: Bringing the Bible into the 21st century". My friend Luke, who is an accomplished scientist and a professor in the same medical school of which I am also a faculty member, spent a large part of his book on his struggle and his discovery on the Book of Genesis. He explained quite clearly on many of the popular positions on creation and the origin of man:

• The Young Earth (YE) explanation of the creation story is based on the literal interpretation of Genesis chapters one and two, i.e. 1 day is literally 24 hours of the modern day clock. The earth is only between 6000 to 10,000 years old.
• The Theistic Evolution (or OE as in Old Earth) embraces the evolution theory to explain the origin of species and of man (it affirms evolution theory as a plausible theory as in gravitational theory). The interpretation of the Genesis story is based on metaphor, i.e. God tells us through stories that He is our creator and wants to have a special relationship with us.
• Intelligent Design (IE) argues for the existence of God from a philosophical and scientific point of view. God, being all powerful and creative, can do anything. This also explains what can not be explained scientifically at this time (the God-of-the-gaps).
• The atheists must know that they too depend on "Faith" when it comes to explaining the origin of life and of species (be it the Big Bang, the fossils, and the improbability of how evolution takes us from simple organism into something so complex and integrated).

This morning when I read once again the stories of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4) and Noah and the Flood (Genesis 6), the many old nagging questions came up again:

• The children of Adam and Eve obviously married each other (but only the names of the boys were mentioned). Then who were the people of whom Cain was afraid in Genesis 4:13-14 (“My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”).
• Men used to live as old as 969 years (Methuselah, Genesis 5:27) and Noah didn't become a father until he was 500 years old. What was happening then that was so different from what is now?
• Who were the Nephilims and how wicked was the human race that God would wipe out the entire world because of it (Genesis 6:1-7)?

I find myself quite in agreement with Luke on his take on the Book of Genesis. When Moses (the assumed author) wrote the first five books of the Old Testament (see Gotquestions.org's explanation of the Pentateuch), he wrote it with his understanding of the world then and the context in which he found himself in. He wanted to tell us that God created the universe (and possible parallel universes) - out of nothing. God also created man in a special relationship. There was Satan and satanic forces. Man was free to choose good and evil but our inclination was towards evil. There were still men who sought after God. God restored that love relationship with such men (and women).

I believe that these books were chosen from godly men and women a long time ago, first the Jews (Old Testament) then the Christians (New Testament) soon after Jesus left earth. The Bible was put together to make sure we have a guide book for our faith journey. The Bible and its many authors were specially chosen even though they too were imperfect human beings but they were known to be men who sought after God. Their messages were true then as they are true today. I will try to understand the meaning of these messages with the help of the Holy Spirit and apply them to my life.

It was interesting to watch the movie Exodus: Gods and Kings in 3D on New Year's eve. Some Christians may find it displeasing because it is not entirely based on the Scripture. But I actually found it refreshing in the way the director Ridley Scott (likely a non-christian) interpreted the Book of Exodus. He attempted to explain the complex character of Moses and indeed, God Himself. Was God unreasonably cruel in the story (the killing of all Egyptian first born sons)? Why did God choose to love the Jewish people even though they did not deserve His love? I find it interesting in reading this morning the story of Joseph and Mary escaping to Egypt (Matthews 2:13-18). Isn't it ironic that God sent His Son back to the very place He had rescued the Jewish people many centuries before? And yes, the story also involved the killing of boys - but this time a wicked Roman client king (Harold the Great) ordered the killing of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in an attempt to murder God's only Son!!

It makes me appreciate God's love for me even more. Yes, the world won't be at peace in 2015. But with the Prince of Peace (Jesus) I can be an agent of peace to this world. I will need His help - supernaturally, and yes, literally!