Thoughts on Acts

The Baptism of the Eunuch (1626) by Rembrandt (Wikipedia)

If there’s one debate that will send a number of Christians into hysterics, it’s anything questioning the “priesthood of all believers.” We like the idea of all individuals standing equal before God, regardless of earthly rank or position. Therefore, we rely on the belief that each one has the ability to understand and interpret the Word of God for himself or herself, without the condescension or mediation of ordained clergy. Now I’m not denouncing this idea in general (or I certainly wouldn’t be working on this blog series). However, I’ve noticed that this doctrine tends to sour into something extreme:

On the grounds of egalitarianism, many Christians will deny that they have any need to learn from or defer to the opinions of those who are more learned then they are. They will deny any advantage others might have in understanding the Gospel that might come from knowing ancient languages, understanding Jewish culture, or reading the Old Testament and the “Early Church Fathers.” On the grounds of sola scriptura, many Christians will avoid lexicons, commentaries, and Bible versions with interpretive footnotes. They truly believe that everything they need to fully understand and correctly interpret the Bible is in their vigorous rereading of their favorite books in the New Testament. And they truly dislike any implication that their best just might not be good enough…hence the hysterics.

I’m really in no position to directly challenge this, as it lies beyond my scope of knowledge. However, I’d like to contrast the attitude of the kinds of Christians mentioned above with that of the Ethiopian eunuch, whom the apostle Philip met on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza (Acts 8:26-40). When Philip asked this obviously godly, educated, and powerful man if he understood Isaiah 53:7-8, he honestly said no. “How can I, unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8:31, ESV). He accepted the fact that he wasn’t omniscient. He needed help. He needed the input of someone else…someone who was in a position to know far more about the context of the passage. And he was fortunate that God sent him one of the foremost experts on the topic.

It would be simple to say that Christians need to have more humility when it comes to considering others’ interpretations against their own, but I’m beginning to wonder if the real need is a radical paradigm adjustment. It’s as if most of us begin reading having already accepted the idea that we’ll come to the right conclusions about the passage. I’m not suggesting that we do the opposite, assuming that we can’t understand any part of God’s Word (and wash our hands of any responsibility regarding it). But we can and, I’d argue, need to be our own worst critics and seek the help of others who might lead us closer to the truth.

Christian Carnival – December 2012 Edition

Welcome to the latest edition of the Christian Carnival, the monthly blog carnival featuring posts submitted from a diverse Christian bloggers on a range of topics. Below are this December’s selections:

Apologetics

“Are Christians Arrogant?” by Joel Furches on the Jarrettsville Christianity Examiner: The Examiner is a news resource that covers every topic. This article considers the prevalent concept that Christians are arrogant, self-righteous, or judgmental.

“Blog Index for Douglas Groothuis’ ‘Christian Apologetics’” by Maryann Spikes on Ichthus77: We are studying Dr. Groothuis’ “Christian Apologetics” in my apologetics group at church, using the study guides available at Apologetics315. This is an index of one post per chapter (so far up to chapter 15). Join the discussion :-)

“Christian View on Pagan Practices of Christmas Celebration” on Christian View: This post challenges the claim that certain traditions of Christmas celebration are pagan practices. Christmas tree, exchanging gifts, and Christmas carol are not pagan practices.

“God and Santa Claus” by Paul Rezkalla on the Christian Apologetics Alliance: Equating belief in God with belief in Santa seems to be popular among many atheists who have grown up in religious families but later abandoned their “childish” belief in God in the same way they gave up their belief in Santa Claus. Are we justified in giving up belief in God the same way we give up belief in Santa Claus?

“Kids without God: Atheist Website for Children” by Sarah on Penny of a Thought: Three general observations on the American Humanist Association’s new atheist blog for children.

“No One Knows the Date of Birth of Jesus, So Jesus Did Not Exist” on Christian View: One of the arguments of atheism and secularism against Christianity is that we do not have the birth certificate of Jesus and that we do not know his date of birth. Therefore Jesus did not exist, they argue. This post responds to that claim.

“Should Men Stay Out of the Abortion Issue?” by Clinton Wilcox on Pro-Life Philosophy: A discussion of a common pro-choice logical fallacy. This article was featured in a newsletter from the National Right to Life Committee.

“The Truth about the Virgin Birth of Jesus” on Christian View: This post analyses the virgin birth of Jesus in its cultural context and explains the meaning of virgin birth.

“When Did Christmas Celebration First Begin?” on Christian View: This post corrects the common misconception that the first Christmas celebrations began in the mid fourth century, and presents the truth behind the first Christmas celebration. In fact the first Christmas celebration began immediately after the birth of Jesus.

Devotionals

“Cylinders and Crosses” by Dan Lower on Keyboard Theologians: The experience of God’ massive and overwhelming nature is best found, for me, on sunny days or black nights.

“SEAL of God” by Disciple on Closer2Thee: SEAL of God is the story of Chad Williams, a US Navy Seal who became a Christian while going through Navy SEAL training.

“Wanting More” by Dean on Working On the Mission: God wants to give us more, but we need to want more. I’m not talking about material possessions, but about wanting more of God. This post was instigated by reading the prayer by A.W Tozer included at the start of the post.

“Who Will I Become?” by Kelly on Simple Awareness: Goals are important not because of what we accomplish with them but because of the person we become through accomplishing them.

Theology

“Flesh vs Faith: Hebrews 11:1” by Jim Klingenberger on Xulonjam: Another in my ongoing series attempting to define “Faith” biblically, this time looking at the famous characterization of Faith found in Hebrews 11:1.

“Hell and Possible Worlds” by Jeremy Pierce on Parableman: Response to an objection against Calvinism involving hell and possible worlds.

“How To Read The Parables With Jesus At Center” by Dave Moser on Armchair Theology: Using the example of the Good Samaritan, this shows how the parables point beyond our moral improvement to what Jesus did on our behalf.

Other

“Angels in the New Testament” by Robin Bremer on Kingdom Living For End Times: We are God's children and are created like Him. The supernatural is part of who God is. Having interaction with the angels was normal in the Old and New Covenant. Angels are part of a supernatural lifestyle. One of a 12-part series of a study on Angels. This one is about our natural interaction with angels in the NEW Testament.

“Eyeglasses” by Ridge Burns on Ridge’s Blog: Ridge Burns talks about "settling for fuzziness" in his eyeglass prescription and in the Christian's walk with God.

“Happy Days” by James Nakamura on Nakadude - Knowing the Extraordinary from an Ordinary’s Perspective: My personal letter to my son on the day of his adoption. These are words from my heart but also words from the heart of His Heavenly Father.

“The Young Adult Body Part” by Sarah on This Is What Sed Said: [No comment provided.]

“T-t-t-talkin’ Bout My Generation (But Thinking About the One After Next)” by Carl Trueman on Reformation 21: A leader's orthodoxy and orthopraxy are only really evident in the line of succession he helps to establish... count no church leader as being truly faithful until you can see what steps he took to leave a faithful legacy.

“Why Religious Freedom Matters” by Tom Gilson on Thinking Christian: Philosopher Brian Leiter says he can’t think of any good reason to support religious liberty. Here’s an important one.

If you’re interested in contributing to a future Christian Carnival, please head over to the “Submit A Post” page on the carnival’s main blog. See you next month on January’s host blog, Thinking in Christ.

First Book in the San Gabriel Valley

Wonder what it’s like for a child in poverty to receive his or her very own first book? I do. Back in the summer of 2007, some coworkers and I volunteered to read to children at the Greater Watts Childcare Center. (I blogged about this a long time ago, actually!) On the final day we participated, we helped the staff hand out books, backpacks, and school supplies. The children were ecstatic! They were used to books. The center was filled with them. But this time they got to keep the books as their very own!

When I learned about First Book, I was ecstatic. Here was an organization completely dedicated to providing “access to new books for children in need.” With dozens of regional all-volunteer advisory boards sifting through available children’s literature, “First Book has distributed more than 90 million books” throughout the United States. What’s rather surprising though is the fact that, out of nine advisory boards located in California, none serves impoverished children in the San Gabriel Valley. I took that as a sign, and contacted the organization about forming one.

Right now the First Book – San Gabriel Valley Advisory Board is still in its developmental stage. There’s a multi-step application to get it approved, and the first step is to find willing and able volunteers. I’m hoping to launch a big ad campaign in local newspapers, magazines, and maybe even ratio and television stations to generate interest. The advisory board needs to be made up of diverse individuals, reflecting the professional and cultural composition of the target community, who can brainstorm ideas on how to raise funds, select books, and select recipient groups. If there’s anyone else concerned about illiteracy, your help in building this team would be greatly appreciated. If you’re located in the SGV area and interested in participating, please send me an email. And any donations – definitely appreciated! – will be directed towards advertisement. (Please note that, right now, they wouldn’t be officially to First Book and, therefore, not tax-deductible. However, I’ll make sure that any early supporters are recognized. If the advisory board isn’t approved, remainder funds will be donated to First Book.) Thanks!