Why are so many Christian movies, Christian novels, and Christian albums so bad? Does the indwelling of the Holy Spirit evict the artistic? Is the Christian audience so Stepford in its appetites that they’ll clap like seals for anything with a Scripture reference? Or, are believers afraid that if they produce parables; people won’t get the point?

After centuries of being the theater for war, violence, destruction, and dislocation, the Holy Land in the nineteenth century was barely inhabitable. The farmers had all fled, the vineyards had become thickets, villages were now quarries of rubble, and the irrigation ditches that honeycombed the plains were all dammed and dry. It was a bleak, post-apocalyptic sort of place. But it was in this environment that Jewish settlers moved in and started the kibbutz. These community settlements were begun for the purpose of both repatriating and restoring the land. They would make the Shephelah bloom again, bring a new vintage out of Hebron, and work to see the Jordan River once again water the Jezreel Valley. There was a time when the world of the arts blossomed with Christian themes and an era that saw the Biblical worldview inspire cultures around the world. Renaissance masterpieces were painted by Christian hands, literary classics were products of Christian minds, and some of the greatest symphonies were Christian compositions. But today, Christian contributions to the artworld are limited and out of the mainstream and the landscape is bleaker because of it. It’s time for the Church to kibbutz in our blighted culture. But how do we do this? Is the redemption of the national culture even a good and profitable use of our energies? Barbara Nicolosi is a Christian film critic who has spent her professional life advocating for increased Christian influence in Hollywood and working hard to realize that goal. She has some tough words for both the Church and the industry; but is passionate in her desire to see the Gospel story well-told. Please take a moment to follow the link and read through an interview with Mrs. Nicolosi in Aleteia, a popular Catholic online publication. Nicolosi’s unique perspective and stirring challenge should give us lots to talk about! Please consider joining us for a roundtable discussion on the subject of Christianity and the culture this Sunday morning at 8:30 upstairs in the Family Life Center. Hot coffee and a homemade treat will caffeinate and sweeten the conversation!

Click here to read the first article

Click here to read the second article

Growing up in the Evangelical subculture of the United States, support for the nation of Israel was as American as apple pie, baseball, and bald eagles. Ben Gurion and Golda Meir took their place alongside King David and Deborah as heroes of God. Israel, the apple of God’s eye, remained deserving of His people’s devotion and anyone who dared contend against it was tempting God’s fierce wrath. The American church didn’t want the United States to be Egypt, Babylon, or Assyria; nations destined for destruction as the object of God’s jealous anger. We wanted Washington to be the champion of Jerusalem that we might share in some of her promised blessings.

But, in all this support, was there much gospel concern for the Jewish people? Was there much effort made to understand what the Bible had to say about Israel and its destiny? Was there any wrestling with the need to love and win Israel’s enemies? When it comes to the conflict in the Middle East, too many believers have become Old Testament Christians; regressing to preoccupations with land, law, national identity, and political sovereignty. While the Church has in no way replaced Israel, but remains a branch graciously grafted into the covenant tree of life, it is the bride of Christ and the world’s lone agent of salvation. The Church is the ark in the flood, designed to house all the reconciled of God from every nation, tribe, and tongue. Therefore, she should not be allied to anyone but Heaven.

When Joshua led God’s people into the Promised Land, their commission was to conquer and expel all its inhabitants. The whole land had been given to them, but taking possession would require faith, determination, submission, and a will to fight. God didn’t expect this occupation to happen overnight, but He did expect it to happen and He expressly forbid the establishment of any peace based on treaties, truces, or diplomatic maneuvering. As we know, God’s people started strong but never finished. In the second chapter of Judges we find God’s sobering word to Israel: “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you” (Judges 2:1-3) When the people heard this terrible word, they wept. The grief and sadness was so great that they named that place Bochim, meaning “weepers”. God’s promise to give Canaan to Israel was absolute and absolute was His decision to leave it a thorny thicket. So, what should our attitude be toward the nation of Israel today and should we choose sides between it and her Palestinian and Muslim citizens and neighbors. It’s a complex but rich subject for consideration. Please take the time to read this week’s article on this topic written by John Piper and come prepared to join the conversation Sunday morning. We’ll be meeting at 8:30am upstairs in the Family Life Center. Hot coffee and a yummy peace offering will greet you at the door!

Click here to read Piper’s article, “Israel, Palestine and the Middle East”

It’s not only God who loves a cheerful giver. What parent’s weary heart isn’t warmed when the kids
lovingly share toys, treats, and the favored spot on the couch with each other? It’s wonderful; even if
we only see it a little more regularly than we see Haley’s Comet.
More often than not, parents are in the business of trying to compel their children to share what they have with those around them. Frustrated moms and dads, not wanting to confiscate goods and force the distribution of wealth, are often reduced to shaming their kids, appealing to their sense of pride, threatening future deprivation, using tortured philosophical ramblings, and even resorting to bribery. It’s pathetic. We do all these things because we know that the instant we actually command half the Kit-Kat be given to the baby brother, that no one will be blessed. Instead of producing charity and gratitude in hearts and minds, the owner will resent the beneficiary, the beneficiary will feel entitled, and the parental government will become resigned to having to just seize all house assets.

Sharing is just as important an exercise for adults as it is for children. God, our heavenly Father, wants all his children to freely and happily give of their resources to others in need. Now, the world has made of money a false god and there’s no better testimony to this fiduciary faith than the hushed reverence we observe whenever we enter the hallowed halls of our local bank. Have you ever noticed how quiet America gets upon entering the town temple? But, no one can serve both God and mammon and so we give rebelliously and in trust of God. Every Sunday in our worship service we keep a time to worship through the collection of an offering to God. Ushers pass the plates and wallets and purses are opened as people make contributions to the church treasury. Are these offerings cheerful gifts, commanded tithes, institutional shakedowns, payments for services rendered, or something else all together? Most Christians are taught that God’s desire for His people is that they give a tenth of all their revenue back to Him in the form of a tithe. Is this a biblical command, a biblical recommendation, or even biblical at all? The Gospel Coalition recently published a point-counterpoint piece on this topic in the form of two brief essays on the question. Both authors make the case that giving is a necessary and important part of life for every believer, but they see the idea of a biblically mandated tithe very differently. You’ll find a link to these two articles below. Please read them and come prepared to talk about the very important question of the Christian and his or her responsibility to give. Should be both fun and freeing! We meet upstairs in the Family Life Center at 8:30 Sunday morning. Coffee and a baked good will greet you at the door!

Click here to read “7 Reasons Christians Are Not Required to Tithe”

Click here to read “The Bible Commands Christians to Tithe”