SpeakDealLiveTruly

Rescued - Trailer

2011-11-08T12:36:00.002-05:00

The trailer for Rescued has arrived! Check out what Hedrick Brothers Productions and Wintons Motion Pictures have been up to the last several months. Please help spread the word by embedding the video in your blogs, Facebook pages, and emails :)

Rescued: The Heart of Adoption and Caring for Orphans - Trailer from Rescued The Movie on Vimeo.

Also, the newly launched website for Hedrick Brothers Productions is now online. Follow this link to stay up to date with what we're doing: www.hedrickbrothersproductions.com

Joshua

Taking Every Thought Captive to the Obedience of Christ

2011-09-13T00:24:00.000-04:00

Many men exhort each other to take their thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. Does this exhortation merely encourage men to think upon good things? What does it mean for a man to take his thoughts captive? The answer lies in the recognition that the Christian life is war, war between the carnal flesh and regenerate spirit. It lies in understanding the context and language used to communicate this truth. It lies in understanding that keeping our minds focused upon Christ is a discipline developed through the process of sanctification.

The Christian life is war. Every day our flesh struggles under the weight of the curse (Gen. 3). As a born again follower of Jesus Christ (John 3:3), we are now no longer subject to the condemnation of God (Romans 8:1-2). Nevertheless, believers still retain a sinful nature by means of Adam's sin, imputed to all mankind. The resulting clash of natures is described by Paul in Romans 7. Satan strives to utilize the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) to gain strongholds in our lives. It's a war that begins and ends in the mind of the believer; an ongoing, raging, spiritual war to either live our lives in submission to the Lordship and sovereignty of Christ or in subjection to the enemy. This command, to take every thought captive, supports other instructions in Scripture (like Romans 12:2) to be continually renewing our minds and dwelling upon what God deems lovely.

We are commanded in Colossians 3:2 to set our minds on things above. This exhortation is at the heart of taking our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ; it's dying to self and choosing instead to stand fast in the grace and power of Christ by thinking upon that which God declares holy and righteous. It's a discipline of arresting our thoughts and evaluating them against Scripture, a discipline developed through the process of sanctification. Philippians 4:8 tells us that which God deems worthy of our mind's attention. Furthermore, the command is given that we might not fall prey to false ideologies. Scripture must always serve as the filter through which all thoughts and opinions are carefully and scrupulously evaluated that we may not be deceived. However, this command is not just for the individual believer.

Additionally, taking our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ is striving, in the power of Christ, to pull down Satan's strongholds. It's cultural war. Our world is filled with false views rooted in the destructive reasoning of fallen man. As Christians, it is our duty to determine which ideas are consistent with the teaching of Scripture and which ideas are based upon the opinions of men. It's casting down vain imaginations, creations of man, falsehoods, and the like with the inerrant, authoritative, sufficient Word of God. We do this by proclaiming the gospel and its doctrines to anyone who dares to raise any lofty opinion against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:4).

Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ is, most certainly, a multifaceted command that requires an understanding of the battle raging in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12), submission to the Lordship and sovereignty of Christ, the discipline to think upon that which God declares holy and righteous, and a readiness to destroy Satan's strongholds with Scripture. In its very essence, it summarizes the whole mission of the Christian. For it calls us to conform to the image of Christ by walking in His marvelous grace, and endorses the Christian's responsibility to proclaim this glorious gospel and its doctrines to all. The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture forms the basis for this command. Without it, the Christian has no guide with which to direct his thoughts and actions. By living in absolute conformity to His ways and in submission to the dictates of His holy Word, we are taking our thoughts captive to the obedience of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Men, let's encourage and exhort one another in the battle to take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.

Stand Fast!

Joshua

Rescued the Movie

2011-07-27T00:24:00.002-04:00

Wondering why I haven't blogged in a while? Here's why :)

Check out Hedrick Brothers Productions and Wintons Motion Pictures latest project at www.rescuedthemovie.com

Below is a sample of one of the interviews we shot a little over a week ago. To see more footage of the film click here!

Stand Fast,

Joshua

Beyond the Mask

2011-07-15T16:55:00.002-04:00

The day's here! Burns Family Studios announces their latest project, entitled Beyond the Mask. Please take a moment to view their website at www.beyondthemaskmovie.com where you can see a synopsis of the film, a video introducing you to the vision for the project, and a link to the KickStarter site where you can read more information about the film and donate to support the production.

Beyond the Mask Movie from Burns Family Studios on Vimeo.

Please help by spreading the word!

In Christ,

Joshua

The Forgotten Martyr: Lady Jane Grey

2011-03-19T15:20:00.003-04:00

Hedrick Brothers Productions was pleased to serve J&J Productions on their latest project, “The Forgotten Martyr: Lady Jane Grey.” Follow this link to view the films press release!

www.ladyjanegreymovie.com

Five Incredible Films Shown at the SAICFF Part 5

2011-03-18T11:12:00.002-04:00

This film, though not a submission into the festival, was one of the best films shown in San Antonio. As most readers here are aware, I have a great passion for the church, church reformation in particular. And when you take my passion for church reformation and mix it with the phenomenal work of the Leclerc Brothers...need I say more? “Divided” is a personal journey following Phillip Leclerc as he strives to discover whether programmatic age segregated ministry is multiplying or dividing the church, and more importantly, whether its biblical. Along the way, Phillip interviews experts, pastors, youth pastors, x-youth pastors, and young men and women at youth rallies in an effort to uncover the truth of how God intends us to minister to youth.

This is a must see, thought provoking film, that challenges the church to examine modern traditions and ministry models in light of the teaching of Scripture. View the trailer below and follow this link if you'd like to purchase a copy.

Divided from Leclerc Brothers Motion Pictures on Vimeo.

A Recap of Two Overwhelming Weeks #6

2011-03-17T23:56:00.005-04:00

During the three days of the festival I watched a number of films, most of which you have seen glimpses of in my top 5 list of films from the festival. It was fascinating to walk through the crowds of people and realize how many are hungry for distinctly Christian, professionally crafted films that glorify God in every frame. For me, the highlight of Thursday was the opening ceremony and the screening of the documentary produced by the National Center for Family Integrated Churches and the talented Leclerc Brothers.

Before the screening, however, Mr. Botkin presented a session I had been anticipating entitled “How to Evaluate a Hollywood Film.” In this session, Mr. Botkin practically informed the audience of the way in which the Botkin family watches films. This process, in a nutshell, consists of heavily evaluating the film against Scripture; pausing it often to discuss what has been seen. By frequently pausing the film, it not only presents an opportunity for analysis, but also prevents us, the viewers, from becoming so emotionally engrossed in the action on screen that we are unconsciously brainwashed into the ideology of hollywood screenwriters. Furthermore, it allows us to evaluate the techniques being used to present the message of the story (shots, VFX, GGI, music, coloring, blocking etc...).

Prior to commencing with the analysis of film, Mr. Botkin spent a lengthy, but necessary, amount of time discussing paintings and book illustrations. How, at an early age, he would take great pains to explain to his children the messages behind every painting and illustration in some of their favorite books. He cautioned parents not to assume your children know the content or the message of the illustration. When he'd read stories to his children that dealt with fictional animal characters, he'd always ask them, “Now can (fill in the blank) really talk?” “Of course not Daddy!” They'd reply. Mr. Botkin would then say, “Right, children, it's a story designed to communicate a message.” After demonstrating this point by showing us a few illustrations and paintings, he progressed into the topic of film evaluation. The majority of his time spent in film evaluation was focussed, primarily, upon analyzing Disney's “Finding Nemo,” but he also focused his attention to analyzing scenes from the “Love Comes Softly” series, and a single scene from “One Night With the King.” In each film, Mr. Botkin paused frequently to discuss technical elements and the philosophies presented in the sequences viewed.

Shortly thereafter, “Divided” screened before a crowd that Mr. Phillips said, could itself, be divided over the issue presented in the film. The issue the film seeks to address is summed up in its tagline, “Is age segregated ministry multiplying or dividing the church?” I'll summarize the film in my next post, for now, know that the documentary is masterfully done and beautifully shot, featuring some of the best work the Leclerc brothers have done.

On the second day of the festival, Friday, the notable films I watched included, “The Penny” and “The Runner From Ravenshead” (see my review of these films in previous posts). In conjunction with these films, I attended a seminar by Mr. Kevin Swanson and another by Mr. R.C. Sproul Jr. Around seven o'clock that evening, after a fabulous mexican meal on the River Walk, I joined the crowd awaiting the opening of the doors at the Municipal Auditorium for the anticipated premiere of “Ace Wonder.” As I took my seat near the front of the auditorium that evening, I found myself in a state of thanksgiving. I was thankful to the Lord for the remarkable outworking of His sovereign plan which lead to my brother and I both being given internships on set and exceedingly grateful for the generous extension of friendship by so many, including the Moore and Moreland families, and the great lengths they have gone to invest so much in my life.

Before I knew it the lights were dimming and the opening scene of the first feature film I've ever worked on was playing on a big screen before my eyes. A story, prior to that night, I had only come to know and love on paper, in the mountains of Tennessee, and in the editing suite in Texas was now beginning to play. For the first few moments I sat in a state of bewilderment, surrounded by friends and co-laborers. The film was shrouded in memories; looks and laughter being exchanged between interns, crew members, and actors often through the course of the film.

The film was premiered in a rough cut format. A film in this stage is not complete and still lacks some final touches (tightening, music, visual effects, color correction etc). Nevertheless, even though portions of the film had no music and even though some scenes were not in their completed form the film I saw was a successful translation from script to cinema! In fact, though I may be slightly biased, it was truly phenomenal. While the credits were rolling (and everyone was watching for his name in the credits), John Moore and Mr. Phillips ascended the platform and called up actors and crew members for a panel discussion about the film. It was during this discussion that John revealed to the audience that the film itself was actually rendering while the audience was viewing it (talk about taking it down to the wire!). Everything about the film is high quality. It's story is dynamic and fresh, the music is fabulous, the production design is stunning, the quality is high, and the acting is stunning. HeuMoore Productions has truly perused excellence in “Ace Wonder” and I pray its crucial message of fatherhood and the importance of leaving a spiritual legacy for your children shines through to audiences across the nation when it is released.

When the panel discussion concluded, much of the audience, including myself, talked until the custodians forced us into the hallway where we conversed for some time before we were again forced out, this time out the front doors of the building. But, that didn't stop the brethren from fellowship! After some time had passed, something most memorable occurred. Myself, my brother, and my oldest sister were all gathered around with many from HeuMoore Productions when it was suggested by our fearless leader that we sing some hymns. In short, the rest of our evening was spent singing hymns a cappella beginning with a group of less than ten and slowly increasing to over twenty. Young men and young women all gathered together singing praises to our Heavenly Father with one united voice on the side of the street in San Antonio, Texas, around midnight is quite an invigorating, stirring experience. My brother and I, along with some friends, returned to our rental home at nearly 4AM after a special night spent in celebration with fellow believers.

The final day of the festival came, and with it, an early morning. The first film I viewed Saturday was the film which, after viewing, I was hoping would leave the winner of the Jubilee Grand Prize: “Agenda: Grinding America Down,” and leave the winner it did! During the next period, I stood in the hallways and fellowshipped before heading over to the Municipal Auditorium to catch the end of The Penny. Directly following the conclusion of the Penny I (you can probably guess) fellowshipped some more until it was time to get a bite to eat before returning for the closing ceremony and award presentation.

I've already written about the closing ceremony in previous posts and, hence, most of you are already familiar with the winners in most of the categories. I confess to you, I was tense that evening; I had collected my guesses for the winners in each category. In some categories, my guess was correct. In others, I was pleasantly surprised. As always, however, the Jubilee Grand Prize is the highlight moment of the evening, and Mr. Phillips has a way of making the announcement even more memorable and more suspenseful than it already is. Casually, but with eager anticipation, the envelope was torn open and Mr. Phillips unfolded its contents. He looked at the audience, and back to the sheet, then back to audience. “Agenda!” He cried, as I, along with the rest of audience, leapt to our feet and the auditorium erupted in applause. I, along with everyone else, immediately started looking for the family. Little did I know that when I took my seat that evening I had positioned myself one row in front of the Bower family (makers of “Agenda”). As a direct result, I had a first hand view of the initial reaction, which consisted of tears of joy and thanksgiving. If my memory accurately serves me, I'm confident that Mr. Bower sat with this head in his hands, bewildered for a few moments before rising to lead his family up the platform where his remarkable acceptance speech was made.

I couldn't help but feel somewhat saddened as Mr. Phillips declared the 2010 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival to be concluded. In part it was due to the many friends convened there, but it was also the realization that an incredible year of having witnessed God's sovereign plan at work was drawing to a close. Upon the conclusion of the ceremony we, big surprise, fellowshipped some more. In fact, myself and some members of my family along with a few friends were the last ones standing outside the auditorium that night. It was well after 1 AM before we piled in the car to head home.

Monday morning, after a glorious Lord's Day on Sunday, we began the long journey home. When we finally exited the interstate, late Wednesday evening, my Dad said with tears, “May we never be the same.” Two overwhelming weeks had ended, but now the real challenge began; meditating on the wealth of teaching we had received and striving, by God's grace, to put into practice the things we had learned. I hope you have benefited from this summary. I thought it was paramount that I summarize the events of those two weeks (though, admittedly, it has taken longer than it should have) if for no other reason than to give me the opportunity to reflect and write my thoughts. Keep an eye out for the next post.

In Christ,
Joshua

Five Incredible Films Shown at the SAICFF Part 4

2011-01-26T19:39:00.003-05:00

2010 Best Documentary – George Washington Carver: An Uncommon Way

This documentary is a very well researched, historically accurate film featuring lush visuals and the resonating voice of narrator Dr. Voddie Baucham. George Washington Carver recounts the remarkable story of a young slave who grew up to become a prominent scientific figure in America, dedicated to discovering the majesty of God in creation. His life is one lived out in humble service to others, a man continuously giving of himself for the benefit of others. Though his scientific discoveries are fascinating, and though he is most well known for the research he conducted on peanuts, his legacy consists of so much more. While giving due credit to his scientific genius, this documentary chooses to focus primarily upon his long journey in becoming the man many know.

The film is available for purchase here.

A Recap of Two Overwhelming Weeks #5

2011-01-24T23:56:00.004-05:00

Due to the nature of the fact that the event I attended in San Antonio was an Academy (a school for young filmmakers), and in an effort to respect those who have produced and are now selling the products from the Academy and Festival, I will simply attempt to briefly summarize, as accurately as possible, the sessions I attended.

The final day of the Academy was relatively short compared to the previous day. It primarily focussed upon reviewing the past five years of Independent Christian Filmmaking and praising God for the work He has done. Yet, it also consisted of a focussed look at the future for the industry. Amongst other things, this included the setting of goals for the next five years and encouragement from filmmakers who have been involved in the work and desired to share personal stories of God's providence. Unfortunately, my notes are somewhat jumbled up between my notebook and my computer, so the exact order of some of these sessions might not be completely accurate. So, please forgive me if I make an error in recording the chronology of events that day.

The first session was entitled “Anniversary Overview of Christian Filmmaking in the United States,” by Mr. Geoff Botkin. In the time allotted, Mr. Botkin specifically addressed what we mustn't do as filmmakers, and as individuals in the industry. Before giving way to Mr. Phillips, Mr. Botkin stressed the importance of such things as personal character, integrity, and humility for all those preparing to enter this field. It is vitally important that the filmmaker seek to protect such qualities, as the typical characterization of a filmmaker usually consists of pride, selfish ambition, and personal aggrandizement etc. We were also firmly cautioned against impure motives and false teaching, a grave danger to Christian filmmakers. However, perhaps most fascinating, but at the same time disturbing, was his detailed analysis of the Contemporary Christian Music Industry. Mr. Botkin's purpose being: to identify its shortcomings and flaws in an attempt to communicate to us that the Independent Christian Film Industry is not striving to replicate the deteriorating CCM industry. When speaking about this, Mr. Botkin stated, “The fruit of the music is that audiences are neither edified nor strengthened in faith. We must not make the mistakes of the CCM crowd!”

Mr. Phillips followed Mr. Botkin's session by sharing some of the exciting news of the first five years. This included: improvement in production values, growth in worldview, vocabulary, and theology, families working together successfully, entrepreneurial success, and real efforts to tackle meaningful themes that advance the kingdom of God and touch hearts.

Directly following Mr. Phillips' session, Mr. Collin Gunn, writer, producer, and director of several documentaries including his most recent project IndoctriNation: Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity in America, took the stage. Mr. Gunn has quite the reputation for tackling controversial topics through the medium of film: his first film focused on defending marriage between a man and a woman; his second, on demolishing feminism. IndoctriNation is sure to follow suit tackling another controversial yet important topic. During this session, Mr. Gunn shared very helpful lessons learned both from previous projects and from IndoctriNation. He spoke about the process of guerilla documentary filmmaking. He told us how he conducts interviews on the street and that it oftentimes entails getting kicked out of certain locations, but it's a risk the filmmaker has to be willing to take in order to get the content he needs. He told us to always be respectful of the people we interview, taking great pains to ensure that all thoughts and views expressed are placed in context and accurately represented. Additionally, he shared about his work with Mr. Phillips in the European Faith and Freedom Tour; what he learned and how that has helped him in his latest production.

After a short break we came back together and heard from David Cook, author of Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia and co-author of the screenplay for his upcoming 7 million dollar feature film, Seven Days in Utopia. Mr. Cook presented a trailer for his project and related to us the remarkable circumstances which lead him to adapting his book to screen.

The next session was a panel discussion in which we heard from filmmakers involved in key projects of 2010-2011. The panel included some of the makers from Agenda, The Penny, The Runner From Ravenshead, Divided, Ace Wonder, and others. Each member of the panel talked about their respective experience in film, particularly with regard to their most recent productions, recounting the providence of God and the lessons learned by mistakes.

I have to be honest with you, I didn't learn much in the next session. And it wasn't because the instructors weren't good, it was because the content is beyond my current capacity to fully understand. The session was by David and Steven Bowman (those of you who know this brother pair probably already understand my previous statement). David and Steven Bowman are two of the most highly talented visual effects artists in the Christian film industry, and their work only continues to improve. Both of these brothers are self-taught, but truly exceptional in their work. Visual effects is something often overlooked by those in the Christian film industry, primarily because in the past we've lacked the means to create stunning VFX, but also because it is an intricate, complex field of study that requires meticulous, dedicated, hard work. Thanks to the availability of ground-breaking technology to the average individual, this field is quickly becoming an area mastered by people such as the Bowman brothers. In their session, the Bowman brothers took VFX shots from several projects including The Mysterious Islands, European Faith and Freedom Tour, and Ace Wonder, dissecting each layer of their work in an attempt to teach us some of the techniques they use in creating various VFX shots. Additionally, they screened a video, highly anticipated by the students, which had been constructed over the past 48 hours. And rather than explain it to you, I'll let you see it.

Hollywood Timelapse from Effects Forge on Vimeo.

David and Steven Bowman have recently started a company called The Effects Forge, which (as its name implies) is a company completely dedicated to manufacturing high quality visual effects for Christian media. Check them out at www.effectsforge.com

The next session, given by Mr. Phillips, was entitled “How to Win the $101,000 Grand Prize: The Secrets of Our Judging Process Revealed.” For those of you unfamiliar with the Jubilee Grand Prize (given this year to the documentary Agenda), it is the largest cash prize given to a single film at any film festival in America, and it is given every year at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival to the film the judges determine best encapsulates the ideals and standards of the festival; standards taken directly from Scripture and systematically organized so that the filmmaker always has a guideline when making his film. That said, I believe I can tell you no more about this lecture.

The final session of the academy was a Q&A session in which students from the audience had an opportunity to ask questions to Mr. Phillips and Mr. Botkin. After a very informative Q&A the final charge was given and the 2010 Christian Filmmakers Academy was brought to a close.

I know this is taking me much longer than it should to summarize, but I do have one more post on the topic in which I'd like to summarize my thoughts on the Festival and the premiere of Ace Wonder: Message From a Dead Man.

Stand Fast!

Josh

Jimmy Valiant: Scions of Danger

2010-12-31T21:35:00.004-05:00

If you have the means to do so, I encourage you to sponsor this fantastic Christian film and potential series entitled Jimmy Valiant: Scions of Danger. I could tell you about it myself, but I've decided just to post a couple videos below and a link to the website where you can learn all about it.

Jimmy Valiant: Scions of Danger Full-Length Trailer 1 from NDFilmmaker on Vimeo

www.jimmyvaliantthemovie.com

Five Incredible Films Shown at the SAICFF Part 3

2010-12-04T20:35:00.001-05:00

2010 Audience Choice Award/Runner Up Best of Festival & Best Feature Film–The Runner From Ravenshead

This film was, hands down, a favorite at the festival and has become a personal favorite of mine! The film features a complete child-cast, which originally, made me skeptical about the film itself, but was I in for a special surprise. In fact, before I was midway into the film I found myself forgetting that the cast were children, and was very much engaged in the story. Little Crew Studios has demonstrated a solid understanding of good story structure that communicates a distinctly Christian message, profound attention to detail and professionalism, exceptional dialogue and creative interaction between characters, and has topped it off with a marvelous original score. The Runner From Ravenshead is a film I'm sure your family will enjoy, chronicling the compelling, moving story of one little girl's escape from a life of bondage and her journey to find the city of refuge. As a result, it has been compared to Pilgrim's Progress, but the best description I've heard is John Clay's Little Rascals meets Pilgrims Progress meets Indiana Jones. I was present at its first screening and by the end of the film, we (the audience) jumped to our feet and the entire auditorium erupted in a chorus of well deserved applause and cheers! I encourage you to view the trailer below and purchase a copy here.

A Recap of Two Overwhelming Weeks #4

2010-12-04T19:20:00.003-05:00

The next morning, as we took our seats, Mr. Botkin introduced us to “How to Avoid the Most Common Directorial Mistakes.” Over the years, the Academy has watched many filmmakers walk through its bootcamp and go on to make stellar productions. Nevertheless, as Christians, we are to continually be striving for excellence, and, as Mr. Kendrick noted the night before, excellence is a continually moving mark. As we improve, the bar of excellence continues to be raised and there are new challenges that must be faced. What Mr. Botkin outlined in this session were some of the common errors made by more “intermediate” directors. Still, the principles apply to all directors at all levels. In this session, Mr. Botkin addressed theological framework weaknesses, story weaknesses, structure weaknesses, and technical weaknesses. A few points he highlighted that I will mention here were that filmmakers are stepping into the most powerful teaching ministry. However, we must realize that those who teach will be judged. We must be extremely cautious; we must not be false prophets and false teachers. “Better that you step out gracefully than have the Lord slap you down.” Yes, indeed, this is a very fearsome, intimidating business that should by no means be taken lightly. “Don't be ashamed to side near Christ.” - Geoff Botkin. This is a message every Christian filmmaker must hear on a regular basis, lest we become proud in our own eyes.

Upon conclusion of these primary weaknesses, Mr. Botkin progressed into what he called the “Masterpiece Checklist.” He began by defining a masterpiece for the Christian filmmaker.

By the world’s definition, a masterpiece is “The passionate expression of the power of my creative mind.” Taking us to Proverbs 18:22, Mr. Botkin showed us that this definition won't fly for the Christian filmmaker. As Mr. Botkin said, “You need a vision. It is not the personal ambition to make a personal masterpiece.” What's a masterpiece for Christians? It’s the work of influential moral authority. In other words, it's a correct theological lesson that challenges the heart, the mind, the understanding, and the soul of man in the secret places that will be revealed at judgment. This work so masters the understanding of men, by the power of truth, that they cannot disapprove of it. Using Romans 2:15-16 as his foundation, Mr. Botkin demonstrated that films which proceed out of this industry must get to the secret recesses of the heart where people recognize things theologically; they see what needs to be fixed.

Isaac Botkin took the podium after his father and talked about “Defining Your Universe” In this session, Isaac compared renown directors Joss Whedon, Christiopher Nolan, and Steven Spielberg in an effort to communicate to his audience that each director has a different approach to explaining their theologies of the universe they create in their films. But there is a Biblical pattern for creating our universe of film. “Every film is a fantasy. It creates a universe of its own.” - Isaac Botkin. Cautioning his audience, Isaac told us to make sure we take a stance on the message we address in our films. “Don't be undecided about your message.” We can't preach an equal amount of pros and cons; we can't be inconsistent.

With Isaac's foundation built, Mr. Botkin continued his son’s lecture by answering the question Isaac probed: “How Should Christians Tell Stories?” In a nutshell, there are three primary principles Christians must follow when telling a story. We must tell them Lawfully, Artistically, and Spiritually. Mr. Botkin showed us a powerful example of how this works by taking us to 2 Samuel 2:1-7. After walking us through the passage, Mr. Botkin stated, “This is the influence your films will have upon men if you structure them theologically.” Our attention was turned to Ecclesiastes 12:11 where Mr. Botkin told us that “Our stories of life and virtue must be driven forward with purpose and order. The body of our work must be as systematic as the law of Christ.” Our films must be systematic: point, by point, by point.

Now transitioning into a new session, Mr. Botkin showed us this quote by Robert McKee: “Anxious, inexperienced writers obey rules. Rebellious, unschooled writers break rules. Artists master form.” What is the proper form for a feature film? That is precisely what Mr. Botkin focused on for the rest of his time that afternoon. This was, perhaps, the most helpful practical lecture I heard at the academy. It answered a myriad of questions I heard about story structure and proper form. It truly was phenomenal!

After a refreshing lunch break, we reconvened with Isaac, whose session was entitled “Show, Don't Tell.” In this session, Isaac lectured on composition, editing, color grading, lighting, production design, symbols, audio, and many other topics. Near the outset, Isaac stated, “Every visual element in the film will either reinforce the writer's message or undermine the writer's message, strengthen the story or weaken the story, captivate the viewer or distract the viewer, reestablish orderly principles or erode traditional principles, honor God the Creator or dishonor Him.”

Later in the afternoon, we had the honor of hearing from Oscar-nominated composer Bruce Broughton (composer of the up and coming Independent Christian film Alone, Yet Not Alone) via Skype. Mr. Broughton was joined by Doug Phillips, Geoff Botkin, and Benjamin Botkin (composer for Ace Wonder and son of Mr. Geoff Botkin). An important point that I noted from Mr. Broughton's session was that Music advances the story. Music is most often thought of as a means of expressing emotion, but music does much more than drive the mere emotion of the story, it plays an irreplaceable role in telling it. This gives merit to the common statement, “Script is king and music is queen.” For example, the night Ace Wonder was premiered (coming in a later post), it was interesting to listen to the audience respond to the scenes that had no musical score (the film screened in a rough draft form). I talked with Ben following the premiere and he mentioned that in a particularly dark, serious scene of the movie, some in the audience were actually laughing. Why? Because there was no score to help communicate to the audience what they should be thinking about that character at that particular moment in the story.

Mr. Broughton also spoke of his preference when working with a director, how a director should interact with his composer, temp tracks (something Mr. Broughton said is the biggest complaint of composers), and a wealth of advice for beginning composers. In speaking of how composers and directors should interact, Mr. Broughton stated, “Try to understand the script in terms of how the director sees the script...The director should know what he wants, yet be flexible.”

Mr. Phillips lectured in the next session entitled “The Power and Significance of the Documentary.” This is an area of filmmaking that Mr. Phillips and Mr. Botkin are both very passionate about, and there's a good reason. Documentaries are perhaps the most effective in changing the viewers mind or informing him of something, Mr. Phillips noted. Documentary filmmakers are, as Mr. Phillips put it, “Treasure seekers, they reveal things.” In addition to being an excellent tool with which we can communicate truth, documentaries provide the ideal opportunity for the filmmaker to, as Mr. Phillips said, “sharpen your sword.” Just a few of the benefits that Mr. Phillips stated are these:

Documentaries help you identify messages
Documentaries help you lay pipe
Documentaries instruct you in the grammar of filmmaking.

“Beginning filmmakers can and should make documentaries,” said Mr. Phillips. The reason is that those filmmakers who begin their work as documentary filmmakers become better theologians, leaders, filmmakers, defenders of righteousness, and much more. For the last portion of his session, Mr. Phillips brought Phillip and Chris Leclerc on stage, two filmmakers I respect greatly. This brother team has been involved in several crucial documentaries and other projects over the past couple of years. These include The Mysterious Islands, Rescue Haiti's Children, and most recently Divided. I learned some valuable lessons by listening to these two young men talk about their journey in documentary filmmaking, and their film Divided is a favorite of mine.

Following this session, we adjourned for a dinner break before making our way back to our seats around 7:45 that evening. Mr. Phillips took the podium around 8 PM and talked until about 12 AM. The lecture he presented that night was (for lack of a better phrase) alarmingly revealing and terribly stirring. The thesis of his lecture that evening was “Worship the Creator not the creation.” The title? “Radioactive: How the Radical Environmental Movement is Poisoning the World Through Media” At the outset, Mr. Phillips asked us what the most important issue is in the United States. After tossing out a few possibilities, Mr. Phillips said “It's sovereignty. Who, ultimately, is sovereign? Who will we worship? Every single choice you make is a religious choice. You will either worship the Creator or the creation.” Mr. Phillips went on to point out how every social battle, whether abortion, gay marriage, pornography etc., all begin with the issue of sovereignty.

Mr. Phillips took us on a journey to demonstrate the tension between Christianity and Pantheism. What is Pantheism? Mr. Phillips defined it as: “God is the universe. He is both the Creation and Creator. Or it's a force, a live force within nature. God is subservient to nature.” Mr. Phillips walked us through scenes from films that have had a major impact in proclaiming pantheism. These included Avatar, The Cove, 2012, The Happening, and Food Inc, all of which are frighteningly pantheistic, universalistic, socialistic, and Marxist. I'm itching to give you a full summary of his session, but I will resist. I would, however, like to state that much of such thought is sneaking into the church. The green movement, which is foundationally pantheistic, is being given, as Mr. Phillips said, “a new face so that it will be preached in evangelical churches.” And if you don't think that this is an intentional agenda instigated by our Adversary, think again. Psalm 8:6-8, in Mr. Phillips words, “...ends the green movement. Everything is under man to be used by man to glorify God.” Earlier in his session, when speaking about the earth, Mr Phillip said, “Remember, He didn't give it to Bambie...” It was made clear in this session that Hollywood is not just about the business of entertainment, they are about the business of poisoning. And, yes, it's intentional.

Wow, what a day, and was that hard to summarize in an extremely condensed form! I hope to be able to summarize the next day soon.

-Josh

AIG's Big Announcement

2010-12-02T15:01:00.003-05:00

Answers In Genesis publicly announced yesterday that they along with Ark Encounter LLC have partnered to construct a full-scale Noah's Ark tourist attraction built with as many of the materials as originally prescribed by God to Noah as possible and to the exact dimensions! The full complex will include much more than just the ark and is scheduled to be complete in spring of 2014. Check out the announcement here!

www.arkencounter.com

Navigating History: Egypt

2010-11-27T22:51:00.003-05:00

The Navigating History Egypt Project kicks off in just a few days. Follow Isaac Botkin, David Noor, Chris Harper, and Steven Bowman on an adventure that promises to give you a true understanding and up close look at the history, geography, and current affairs of the Egyptian culture from a distinctly Biblical Worldview. Egypt is the first stop in what the Western Conservatory hopes will be an ongoing seasonal project focussed on teaching Christians about the events that have shaped many nations around the world. Live videos from Egypt will begin streaming to the web on December 1^st followed by a 30 minute period of audio Q&A with the team. I'm personally thrilled about this project and I encourage you to subscribe today!

www.navigatinghistory.com

www.twitter.com/navigatehistory

Facebook: Navigating History

Introduction to Navigating History from Navigating History on Vimeo.

A Recap of Two Overwhelming Weeks #3

2010-11-22T23:53:00.006-05:00

An event I had eagerly anticipated for so long was literally slipping into reality as I strolled into the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio, Texas on Monday the 25^th. Surrounding me were the faces of fellow men and women who are all passionate for the very thing I am, creating epistemologically sound, God-honoring Christian films outside of Hollywood. It was as though I was at a reunion. Friends from Ace Wonder were everywhere. Needless to say, smiles were abundant. But, I can honestly say, the face I was most excited to see in the room was my father's. I can't fully express how thankful I am that God has blessed me with a father who desires to be a mentor, instructor, and leader to his sons' film business. Going into business with your father is quite remarkable.

After mingling for a short time with some friends Dad, Jonathan, and I took our seats. As Mr. Geoff Botkin presented the opening charge and called everyone to order, I felt as though I had just boarded a ship and was given an oar with which I was to begin rowing to battle. After a stirring introduction by Mr. Botkin, Mr. Doug Phillips took the podium and opened the academy with his session entitled: An Introduction to Epistemology and Biblical Worldview for Filmmakers. In his session, Mr. Phillips defined Epistemology as our starting point, our foundation, our reason for why we believe what we believe, how we get from point A to point B, and understanding our worldview and its implications on life. The Christian filmmaker must approach his filmmaking from a distinctly Biblical Worldview. In order for the filmmaker to remember this principle, he must constantly be asking himself the questions, “By what standard? What saith the Scriptures?”

The very next session was given by actor Kirk Cameron (famous for his character Mike Seaver in the sit-com Growing Pains, and, more recently, Caleb Holt in Fireproof). Kirk introduced himself by first giving his life story, from Growing Pains to present. He talked about some of the differences between sit-com acting and acting for film and the difficulties with each. He told us how he came to accept Christ as his Savior while still acting as Mike Seaver in Growing Pains, and some of the problems that arose because of his faith and the difficult choices he was forced to make. He told us about his wife, a former actress, who now stays at home with their six children. We learned about his next film project, entitled Monumental. He told the students how he prepared for his role as Caleb Holt in Fireproof.

He taught us his acting style, going so far as to walk us through the “notice of divorce” scene in Fireproof, and how he was able to cry on the spot, exactly the same way, for multiple takes and various angles whenever given the cue. He staged an audition with several volunteers from the crowd using famous scenes from Casablanca and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. He critiqued actors performances on stage and showed what directors should be looking for in their actors during an audition. He told us what actors and directors should and should not expect during an audition. He watched performances of Derek Moreland (Actor in Ace Wonder) and John Moore (Writer, Director, and Actor in Ace Wonder) and gave each practical advice. And, upon request of Doug Phillips, he acted out a scene from Casablanca with John Moore.

I gained a great deal of practical knowledge by listening to this godly man teach us his skill. Yet, two of the most meaningful statements he made were these: “The thing that answered the ego question for me was: I'm part of the ultimate statistic, 10 out of 10 people die, whether I'm famous or not. And when I stand before Almighty God, which could be today, I will not be the celebrity in that relationship.” “The single most important quality is the fear of God.” This man has taken such an incredible stance for truth over the years of his film career and it greatly encouraged me to witness a genuine Christian actor who is not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Kirk Cameron Speaks about Christian Acting from Vision Forum on Vimeo.

The next workshop was entitled Understanding Actors and Acting: Madness and Methods (Geoff and Isaac Botkin)

This workshop was one of the most fascinating at the Academy. Prior to this session, I had a basic understanding of the fact that some actors can become so psychologically engaged in their character that they can no longer think correctly (i.e. Heath Leger – Joker in The Dark Knight), but I had no idea why that was, what it was, where it came from, and why it is dangerous on a number of levels. Essentially, as Isaac told us, it boils down to one of two foundational worldviews: Relativistic Spontaneous Chance, or Purpose-Driven Intelligent Design. Those who adhere to Method acting approach their acting with the idea of spontaneous chance. One example, out of the many which Isaac presented of how this worldview manifests itself, is that method actors allow their heart, the seat of emotion, to drive their acting (clearly an unbiblical principle: Proverbs 25:28, 1 Corinthians 9:27). As a result of this worldview, the actor becomes the arbiter of the set rather than the director and the result is, in most cases, devastating to the film and sometimes the actor. In the Independent Christian Film Industry, it is our goal to strive to be purposeful in everything we do, even acting.

Isaac and Geoff Botkin's workshop was followed up with a very practical, yet profound message from Stephen Kendrick (Writer and Producer of Fireproof and Courageous). His session was entitled Tips to Ensure Better Acting in Your Productions.

I would like to note that this was the first time I have ever heard Stephen Kendrick speak and I was blown away by his humility and Christ exalting attitude. He is a man completely saturated in the Word. He is a man who is very successful in the Independent Christian Film Industry, yet humble enough to admit that “The more time you spend with us the less impressed you'll be with us and the more impressed you'll be with our God.” He is a filmmaker who embodies the ideals of the film academy, a man who truly sees that his success is only found in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. He is a man who understands that the only reason he is blessed is because Christ was cursed. And like a cherry on top of everything else, he is a very dynamic, energetic, fun speaker.

Stephen began his session by asking, “Is it biblical to act?” Many Christians do not believe acting is legitimate on the grounds that pretending to be someone you're not is lying. However, Stephen explained that our goal is to promote truth, not to deceive. Additionally, he noted that Jesus Himself told many parables in which he was acting as someone else. This was illustrated in a very comedic fashion that words on a page could never articulate! However, when Jesus told parables, He always portrayed a character in a story to communicate truth. In short, if it's honoring to the Lord, motivated by truth, it's biblical. Here are some of the other points Stephen made:

1. Pray Diligently!

2. Cast Wisely

3. Direct Strategically

4. Creatively Overcome Weak Acting

5. Critique BRUTALY

6. Re-Edit Creatively – Take out

The final session that evening was one I was not expecting. We were given the incredible honor of being taken on a tour through the Kendrick brothers latest production, Courageous. In addition to hearing, essentially, the entire plot of the movie, we were given a special treat; several scenes from the film itself. I cannot tell you how enthused I am about this film! It has incredible potential to wrought powerful change in the hearts of fathers across this nation. I have been sworn to secrecy by Mr. Kendrick, so I can give you no spoilers, but I will say that the message is very powerful, the visuals are stunning, there are no rough spots in the acting, and the dialog is incredible, I was laughing hysterically one moment and then moved to tears the next. Continue to pray for all those involved in the production, there is still much to be done.

Stephen Kendrick of the Movie "Courageous" Speaks on Guarding the Blessing of God in Filmmaking from Vision Forum on Vimeo.

At the end of the day, I talked with many friends and then waited in line to speak with Stephen. The man I met was the very man he was on stage. I left praising God for a meaningful, cherished conversation between he and I. I left rejoicing about the work our great God is doing through this industry. I left with (yet again) a greater love for Christ as a result of what I was taught. I left with a burden to make epistemologically sound Christian films. I left with a desire to study more theology. I left with a desire to find actors who are in the business to exalt Christ and serve those they are co-laboring with, not those who wish to express themselves and be the arbiter of the set. I left encouraged, challenged, strengthened, and equipped. Yet I also had a holy fear for what my brother, my father, my family, and I are preparing to enter.

The next day is soon coming.

In Christ,

Josh

Ace Wonder - Sneak Peek

2010-11-13T20:28:00.007-05:00

See the opening "motion comic sequence" for Ace Wonder: Message From a Dead Man.

Ace Wonder - Sneak peek from Ace Wonder on Vimeo.

Five Incredible Films Shown at the SAICFF Part 2

2010-11-13T19:51:00.005-05:00

2010 Best Feature Film - The Penny

In our day, finding a good feature film is like finding a diamond. By the grace of God, the folks at Film Weavers have crafted just that through a captivating story. A story that not only demonstrates a firm grasp of proper story structure, but also provides a much needed message for our world today. The Penny is a film that speaks to a number of issues, including fatherhood, but its primary thrust is that nothing happens as a result of chance and random processes, but rather, all things occur as a result of the sovereign work of our providential God. As you will see in the trailer below, The Penny does contain some mature content, but all is handled with extreme care and has been appropriately filtered through Scripture. As a result of their dedication to first glorify and exalt Christ in every dimension of their film, Film Weavers' project has proven to be a genuinely excellent film. I think you'll see why it was truly the best feature film at the festival this year. You can purchase a copy here.

A Recap of Two Overwhelming Weeks #2

2010-11-13T00:15:00.008-05:00

On the second day of the Semper Reformanda Conference I attended a number of sessions. Here’s a summary of some of the sessions that were prominent for me. The first session I attended in the morning was by Paul Washer. His message was, in actuality, a combination of the session he was unable to give the previous night and the session he was scheduled to give that morning.

In this sitting Mr. Washer spoke of Christ the vine and God the great vine dresser. He explained that the believer’s life originates from the vine (Christ), and God is the sovereign designer of the vineyard. “We cannot erect a trellis to change the shape of the garden.” This is the task of the vine dresser. Therefore, it is our duty to rid ourselves of everything carnal; seeking instead to bear fruit through the new life we posses in Jesus Christ. Our Christian lives are about an increasing dependence upon Christ. Sadly, as Mr. Washer noted, the reason much of the modern church is not bearing fruit is because we have become busy doers; we are endeavoring to accomplish tasks in our own flesh. Hence, when God begins a work in the church, it almost never appears impressive to carnal men. “Christianity is not mechanical, but organic” said Mr. Washer. “We are not business men, we are prophets.”

In other words, as Mr. Shiflet noted on the previous night, it is not our job to innovate how God has prescribed us to worship Him. Unfortunately, we have become so caught up in appearing beautiful in the eyes of the culture surrounding us that we have forgotten that God’s eyes are the only ones that must perceive us as beautiful. As Mr. Washer put it, “We are to seek to be beautiful to God, not carnal men. We cannot use carnal means to keep carnal men.”

Did you hear that? “We are to seek to be beautiful to God, not carnal men. We cannot use carnal means to keep carnal men.”

The church has become so focused upon developing programs and ministries that attract the masses of the culture that we have forgotten that carnal men are not supposed to see the church as beautiful. We spend time, resources, energy, and money trying to create environments within our churches that make unbelievers feel at ease, desiring unbelievers to be able to walk into the church without being convicted of their sinful lifestyle.

“The true Church just wants Christ, not events...when that church comes together, it comes together to minister to the people of Christ” (Paul Washer).

Is Jesus not enough? Why does the church feel she has to utilize unbiblical methods and events to be effective? Oh, that the eyes of the bride of Christ might be opened. Her sole desire must be Christ, nothing or no one else. Mr. Washer later remarked, “Don't dress up your worship to appeal to carnal people.” May that be a constant reminder to us all.

Mr. Washer cautioned everyone, “Don't talk bad about the church...proclaim the truth and love the church!” What a humbling reminder. “God has turned over His bride to our care, we should tremble.” Yes, we must lovingly strive to bring her back to the truth, all with a proper fear of the God who has entrusted His church to us.

Now moving into a new portion of his message, Mr. Washer stated, “We're going to have to proclaim the gospel for God, not just for the men.” He went on to disclose that the reason unregenerate men are so precious to us, the reason we send the truth of the gospel through the mouths of missionaries, is because people are precious to Him. We don't preach the gospel solely for the individual, we preach to the glory of God. Still, beyond this, God has prescribed a particular model for the church which transcends time and culture. And, as Mr. Washer appropriately emphasized, it is not the goal of missionaries to go into a culture, find out what they are like, what they want etc., and then adapt the message to fit them. No, “We have to lead people away from being self-absorbed and self-consumed.” said Mr. Washer. Regrettably, many missionaries do not think this way.

“The church is not,” as many believe, “about having our felt-needs met.” said Mr. Washer. However, as he noted, because this becomes the goal of many churches, we focus on giving people entertainment rather than Christ. In his own words, we become “Foolish little boys playing marbles with God's diamonds.” He continued by unveiling the fact that much of the church today has an unbiblical emphasis on community and what we, the believer, can receive rather than upon Christ, our relationship with Him, and what we can give Him in our worship. Community and fellowship within the church is indeed good, but from the right perspective. If this becomes the emphasis of the church, if we become self-absorbed and seek to gratify our desires, if we stop seeking to exalt Christ, his kingdom, and refrain from cultivating a meaningful relationship with Him, then we don't understand the church.

This was not all that was contained in Paul Washer's message that morning, but I believe the points above are an accurate recount of some of the highlights of his message.

The next session I'd like to make note of was a very practical message by Dr. Voddie Baucham on the subject of Biblical Manhood. Dr. Baucham's overarching emphasis being, how can the church help prepare men to be leaders in their homes. First and foremost, Dr. Baucham noted that this responsibility is not programmatic, it's philosophical. As Dr. Baucham put it, “We have a need for men to operate in the 4 P's (Prophet, Priest, Provider, Protector)...We shouldn't have any program to tell them to do it, we should expect them to do it.” However, this admonition was backed up with a word of caution that went along the lines of, if we're going to champion leadership by men in their homes, then we have to first back it up by being those men ourselves. Does this mean the church is to nonchalantly sit back and expect every man to recognize his calling and undertake it as he should? By no means. Below are some of the steps the people at Grace Family Baptist take to prepare men to lead.

1. Equipping Men to Lead in Family Worship

Oftentimes men are intimidated by the phrase “Family Worship” because they feel as though they have to conduct a miniature Sunday morning service (sermon, music etc...). While family worship should contain the reading and memorizing of Scripture, singing, and prayer, “It is not a complex gathering,” said Dr. Baucham, “...but we're not flippant about it either.” Family worship time must be serious and it should contain discussion of the text being read (as children get older, the discussion will become more and more complex), but we need not try and break the text into points and preach a sermon.

2. Equipping Men to Lead in Catechism

That word might scare some of us, but catechism is just a series of questions and answers based upon Biblical principles that fathers should ask their children at some point during the day. An example would be this well known question from the Westminster Shorter Catechism “What is the chief duty of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Dr. Baucham illustrated this in a very comedic fashion for those fathers who believe they must have memorized the catechism prior to teaching it to their children. He demonstrated that you, the dad, hold the book, you ask your child the question and wait for him to respond. The beauty of it is, you have the answers! So you can learn right along with your children. It's really quite simple.

3. Equipping Men to Lead in Education

“Christians have a biblical obligation to give their children a Christian education.” said Dr. Baucham. As the father, it's your responsibility to see to it that that, indeed, occurs.

4. Equipping Men to Lead in Evangelism

5. Equipping Men to Lead in Marriage

6. Equipping Men to Wash Their Wives With the Water of the Word

7. Equipping Men to Live With Their Wives in and Understanding Way

8. Equipping our Children for Marriage

9. Equipping Fathers to Evaluate the Methods of Entertainment

These were just a few of the highlights of Dr. Bauchams' message, and I know that I missed a few here and there. I'd encourage you to take these points and personally study them in light of Scripture.

The following session I attended was one by Paul Washer entitled “The Gospel and Culture.” At the outset of his message, Mr. Washer probed his audience with these questions, “What part of your Christianity should be exported, and what part should be quarantined? Do you have a devotional life worth exporting?” He answered these questions by stating that we must have things to export rather than things to quarantine. Missionaries export truth. They proclaim the Savior, not a savior. This is the scandal of the gospel. Why? Because as Mr. Washer explained, men want to be seekers of the truth, but no one wants to say they've found it. “We are hated and seen as arrogant if we claim we have found it” he said.

But it's not merely the truth that is scandalous; it's what is required as a result of accepting the truth. When speaking to this, Mr. Washer said, “When we preach the gospel, we are calling for a complete paradigm shift” (no, that didn't come from College Revolutionized ;) ). As he stated, we must understand that when we exclusively state that Christ is the Savior, what we are preaching is a scandalous message, and, yes, it's supposed to be.

“Men have always hated the gospel and gospel preachers” he went on to say. “We should desire not to offend God's majesty by adapting our message to make it appealing to the culture.” The gospel does not need innovation or adaptation for different cultures. If it did, then as Mr. Washer stated, “The message of the gospel would have died at its birth had it depended upon the eloquence of its preachers. The fact that it survives today is proof of its truth.”

Knowing, then, that the gospel is a scandalous message, we should not expect anyone to give us a hearing when we preach the gospel. That is, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit and His power. “It's not strength, it's not brilliance, it's God.” Amen! Bear in mind that the gospel we're speaking of is not only the transforming message of salvation, but the life we've been set apart to live as a result of that salvation. In speaking on this subject, Mr. Washer made a statement that has become a personal favorite of mine, “You preach in a place where there is one of two possibilities: a revival, or a riot.” However, he was quick to remind us that only the power of God can bring down man's corruptness, no amount of preaching can ever compare with it.

Oftentimes we become caught up in trying to prove the validity of the gospel, and although we must be prepared to give answers to those who question us about our faith (1 Peter 3:15), we need not try and defend its accuracy. In his own words, “The Gospel does not require a defense to validate it...if we proclaim it, it will take care of itself. We don't need to defend the gospel any more than we need to defend a lion. Just let it out and watch it defend itself.”

The last session of the conference, entitled “Starting from the Ground Up,” was given by none other than Dr. Baucham. What does it mean to start from the ground up? Start with Christ, He is the chief cornerstone. In this message, Dr. Baucham exegeted Ephesians chapter 4, but before doing so, he noted that Ephesians has two major sections. Ephesians chapters 1-3 contain orthodoxy (the defining of the dogmas of Christianity), and chapters 4-6 contain orthopraxy (how our doctrine is to be lived out). Additionally, Ephesians 1-3 is comprised primarily of indicatives (i.e. that is a chair). While chapters 4-6 is comprised primarily of imperatives (i.e. sit in the chair).

As Dr. Baucham noted early in his message, “If you want to lift up the body, lift up Christ.” An important point he made was that the church of God is not built on the power of men.

1. The Church is the Body of Christ

If this is the case, then it is thus important that we understand who Christ is. We must know how to reflect Christ. If we are going to be distinct from the culture then the church must look like Christ.

2. If people are Wrong About Christ, They're Wrong About Everything

As Dr. Baucham stated, everything we preach about, we preach in light of who Christ is. “We preach Christ until we see Christ, one way or the other.”

Believe it or not, that's it! Now, as I said at the outset, this is merely a highlight reel of some of my favorite sessions at an incredible conference. Also, it doesn't help that it has been three weeks since its culmination, unlike last year when I was nearly live blogging the conference. I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Mp3's :)

Nevertheless, this was the consummation of only one third of an overwhelming 2 weeks! Still, the truth presented at the Semper Reformanda Conference proved to be the most fitting foundation for what was ahead of us in San Antonio.

Part three is on the way.

Stand Fast!

Josh

Five Incredible Films Shown at the SAICFF Part 1

2010-11-06T23:41:00.003-04:00

2010 Best of Festival – Agenda, Grinding America Down

Every single American must see this documentary! This is, perhaps, the most timely, coherent, poignant, revealing, transforming, startling, powerful, documentary I have ever seen. Buy one for your family here, and then purchase them in bulk and start handing them out to everyone you know. Praise God for this man and his family! Our nation has been attacked from the inside by a ruthless enemy. It's high time their wicked agenda is brought to an abrupt stop before our nation plummets headlong for destruction, and friends, we're closer than you may think.

Below I have posted Mr. Bowers acceptance speech of the Best of Festival Award. Having the honor of being a part of the audience for these few minutes was incredibly special. Mr. Phillips sums it up best in the following statement, “Never in my life have I witnessed such a humble, powerful beautiful testimony of gratitude which demonstrated the kind hand of God answering the prayers of children, as I did when Curtis Bowers accepted the award for $101,000 for Best of Festival for his film Agenda. Make sure to watch the entire clip. It is amazing.”

The 2010 Grand Prize Winner--Curtis Bowers Delivers the Greatest Acceptance Speech We Have Ever Heard for His Film "Agenda" from Vision Forum on Vimeo.

The Joy of Being a Big Brother

2010-11-06T09:32:00.005-04:00

A Recap of Two Overwhelming Weeks #1

2010-11-04T22:13:00.011-04:00

WOW! WOW! WOW! As vague and as overused as that word can be, in my case, it's an accurate description of the last two weeks in my life and the life of my family. On Wednesday the 20^th of October, my family and I embarked on a trip to Texas for a week and a half of instruction from God's Word on a number of topics. What you are about to read is a young man's attempt to summarize one of the greatest two weeks of his life. Are you ready? Good, because I'm not sure I can even come close to describing even a fraction of what my family and I have enjoyed. However, I hope what is written here respects the knowledge of men much wiser than I and gives you a glimpse into the work God is doing.

Before I begin, I'd like to say that the time my family spent traveling together was a blessed time. On the way to Texas we made a few notable stops. The first was in Montgomery, Alabama. In addition to acquainting ourselves with the capital of the State, we were excited to tour the first White House of the Confederacy where President Jefferson Davis resided during the spring of 1861. We also stopped at the gulf coast and saw the home at which Jefferson Davis remained for the last 12 years of his life. The large house quietly sits across from the beach of the beautiful gulf coast, thereby providing a good excuse for us to sink our feet into the sand for just a few minutes before continuing to Louisiana where we had a fantastic dinner and a refreshing, encouraging, memorable time of fellowship with some friends that evening.

Day 1 – Semper Reformanda Conference Houston, TX

“As men we are called to counter our age. Many people have been infected with an American gospel and not the real gospel” - Paul Washer.

Mr. Washer is a fallen man, just like you and I, whom God has raised up for this particular time in history. Nathaniel Darnell describes him best as “A modern-day Jonathan Edwards.” At a time when much of the church has given the gospel an American, narcissistic, prosperity, packaged, pray and your done twist that is infecting the church and the culture, God is using this man in a mighty way to bring men and women back to Sola Scriptura! Back to the real gospel. Not the version that we have made up in an attempt broaden its appeal. Our flesh wants a gospel that's packaged and easy. A gospel that entails no risk.

But Mr. Washer stated “Train your young men that it is a good thing to die.” Young men, how many of us can truly say that we are ready to die for the gospel? If a man walked through the doors of your church and pointed a gun at your head and said “Renounce Christ or die!” What would you do? We don't even realize that our nation has grown hostile toward Christianity. The days of no persecution in this land will soon be over. The day is soon coming when it will be unlawful to proclaim the gospel. Will you or I be among those who fall captive to the fear of man above the fear of Almighty God?

Another point Mr. Washer stressed is the issue of dominion. For those of you familiar with the debate, good. For those of you unfamiliar with it, I suggest doing some research. Many claim that it is our duty to take dominion by transforming culture. Let me pause here momentarily, I whole heartedly agree that we should be taking dominion, but allow me to define that. I believe taking dominion is this:

“And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." - Genesis 1:26

“You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.” - Psalm 8:6

Dominion is ruling over that which God has commanded us to rule over. Every thing on this earth has been placed under the feet of man. However, pantheists would have you believe that animals are every bit as human as man. Hence, they promote the worship of the creature and not the creator and reject any man who claims that the animals are subordinate to him.

Some argue that taking dominion is accomplished by taking the reigns of culture and turning it back to God. Though well intentioned, our efforts will be in vain if we forget the most important thing: “We take dominion by preaching Christ, not by transforming culture.” - Paul Washer. It is Christ that transforms culture, not the efforts of fallen man. It should not be our goal to get the cart before the horse.

As Mr. Washer progressed through his message, which, as we were later told, was only the introduction to a message time would not allow him to present until the next day, he spoke of a grave danger to homeschool families: Making family an idol. We can teach our children to become intellectually brilliant, but if we forget to preach Christ then we are no better than the pagan institutions. When speaking to this issue Paul Washer passionately stated, “Men, give yourself to your family, but do not make your family an idol!” We cannot become so at ease with our family that we forget our duty. Our duty is to wield the sword. Our duty is to struggle just as Christ struggled. How I wish you could have heard the power with which this man proclaimed the truth. How I wish you could have heard his passion and utter love for Christ. As he spoke of the importance of struggling, Mr. Washer said “what joy it is when the sword sticks to your hand because you've been swinging it all day.” now yelling, “Gentlemen! This is what you were made for!” Though exhausting, we don't stop swinging until the gospel goes out to all the world.

As I sat in my chair I continually felt as though I was being ground to powder. Over and over again I was humbled before my God. Repeatedly, I thought myself unfit for the monumental task before me. And then Mr. Washer spoke directly to me “Our problem is not that we are too weak, but that we are too strong.” He continued with this paraphrased statement, “Oh that God would break us into pieces that we might look like stained glass windows.” Being ground to dust before God is perhaps one of the greatest things a godly man can and should allow God to do to him, for it destroys pride and lays us open and bare before the Lord, thereby making us vessels even more prepared for the master's work. After every man in the room was sufficiently trampled over and under by the truth this man was so vigorously proclaiming, we were all reminded that it is only by the work of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit that our duty can be fulfilled.

Mr. Washer continued by admonishing men to go to God in the watch hours of the night and not let go of Him until He blesses them. Understanding full well that we are not the ones trying to drag God to do something and God is not dragging us to do something, He is calling us to Himself. Men, we must cultivate a powerful prayer life. Many of us are able to read Scripture for hours at a time, but the fact of the matter is, our flesh hates prayer, and don't think your adversary won't milk that! We must fight hard to spend time in prayer. Mr. Washer said there is absolutely no reason why a man can not spend at least an hour in prayer every day. Absolutely no excuse. And I'm not speaking of an hour spread throughout the day, I'm speaking of rolling out of bed, hitting your knees and staying on your knees for an hour beseeching the throne of our omnipotent God! This is in addition to remaining in constant communion and fellowship with Him throughout the day. How many days have gone by in which I have not spent such time in prayer. We must be men who are strong enough to stand up for truth, resist temptations, and cast visions, yet weak enough to fall to our knees before our sovereign God. We must be weak that His strength might be made manifest to all who witness our lives in action.

Our Next speaker, who is a current elder at GfBC, was a man by the name of David Shiflet. What I admired about this man's session is a very important fact that much of the church has forgotten: “I Will build my church.” - Matthew 16:18.

With this point in mind, Mr. Shiflet exposited Exodus chapter 30, demonstrating that God has prescribed to man a few timeless principles for worship:

God Appoints the Workers, not us

God appoints men from wherever he choses, no matter their background; whether they're seminary graduates or not.

God has Given us a Pattern, Each of us is Accountable to God
God has Called Them By His Name
God Equips Them for the Work
God Constrains the Workers

God says, “This is what I want done, nothing more and nothing less.” The problem is that in our sinful flesh we have a desire to build something in our image. We'd rather reject the plan of God because we think, “I'm not doing enough.” “There's got to be a way to do this better.” “There's got to be a better way to more effectively reach this group of people.” Hence, we begin innovating. We begin creating our own ideas of how God is to be worshiped. We create programs that are not prescribed in Scripture and in the process we reject God's plan for how He is to be worshiped.

As Mr. Shiflet said, “Our job is not to innovate and get creative in the church. We are to do all that He has commanded.” Not bigger, badder, cooler, etc...Our Holy, Righteous God has prescribed how he desires to be worshiped, is it not time that we conduct worship on His terms and not ours? “When we begin to do other things” Mr. Shiflet said, “we neglect what God has sacredly charged us to do...when we begin to innovate, we look at ourselves and see how great we are.” “Look at that program I came up with...that's pretty cool!” Our job is not to be confused with the jurisdictional job of the state.

The first day of the Semper Reformanda Conference came to a close after the conclusion of these two messages. However, this was just an appetizer for the feast of truth we were about to receive the following day.

Day 2 is coming soon!

Josh

A Fantastic Weekend in D.C.

2010-10-12T21:49:00.021-04:00

About two weeks ago, my brother Jonathan and I took a weekend trip up to the D.C. area for some encouragement, challenge, and good ol’ brotherly fellowship.

On Saturday we attended our very first Rebelution conference. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, or Alex and Brett Harris’ ministry, I highly recommend going to their website here. In a nutshell, when Alex and Brett were about 16, they became concerned that the young men and women in our culture are conforming to low expectations, immaturity, and irresponsibility that prevents and inhibits them from being all God has called them to be. Their motto? Do Hard Things! In other words, it's time for young men and women to stop viewing themselves as “teenagers,” and start seeing themselves through the light of Scripture. In Scripture, God makes no distinction between adults and “adolescents.” In fact, Scripture teaches “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” - 1 Corinthians 13:11.

Encouraging young people to rebel against the low expectations of our culture, Alex and Brett challenged everyone at the conference to do hard things. Those things might be huge projects (i.e. Zach Hunter, a 19 year old modern day abolitionist), or something as seemingly small as learning to accept responsibility around our homes by performing what most would deem menial occupations. In either case, young men and women are to rebel against our current youth culture of laziness and unproductiveness, which readily encourages young people to fill their days with frivolity while “sewing their wild oats.” If you, as a young adult, view your youthful life as such, then in the words of Ben Botkin in his family’s documentary Homeschool Dropouts, “I've got two words for you: grow up!” God has called us to so much more! Our young adult life is a God-given time to prepare for everything our sovereign God has purposed for us in the future.

For those of us who have heard this kind of teaching all our lives, it's very easy to become susceptible to a prideful heart and fall down the slippery slope of complacency. Complacency is dangerous, for it arrogantly raises us above others and confidently asserts that we have learned all that is necessary, all we are capable of, or all there is. As a young man inside the homeschool circle, I see many young men and women who graduate high school and then have no desire to further their education. And I'm not necessarily speaking of a college degree. What I'm speaking of is a complete lack of desire to continue stimulating their minds. Many homeschool graduates arrogantly assume they have learned all they need.

I admonish my fellow young adults, don't waste your life! Seek to become avid students of Scripture. Pick a subject you've never thought you were good at, or didn't particularly like, and master it by the grace of God! For me, math has always been a bit of a struggle, but I have a strange attraction to it because it forces me to apply and sharpen my God-given reasoning abilities, and gives me a glimpse into the brilliant mind of our God. This is a subject I'm seeking to master, even though I've graduated.

We should seek to discover what God is calling us to, and humbly submit to his leading. We should seek to understand and be willing to admit when we mistake our will for His perfect will. Then, be prepared for some challenges. God wants us to grasp how we can best utilize our youth to advance the Kingdom of God. As Alex and Brett stated, this starts when we identify sin in our own lives and seek to conquer it by the grace of our faithful Savior. Then, we will be vessels ready for use. Obviously, this doesn’t mean we will be perfect, aside from our Savior, no one was, is, or will be. What this does mean, is that we become young men and women who strive to walk in righteousness. Indeed, this is the evidence of our faith: the Holy Spirit bearing fruit in our lives. If we don't see evidence of the His work, it might be time for a heart check.

I won't attempt to summarize the entire Rebelution conference, because I want you to read the extended version. If you don’t already have it, I recommend that you purchase a copy of Alex and Brett's book Do Hard Things and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Aside from the challenging reminder of the conference, Jonathan and I also were able to spend some special time with our good friend Isaac Harris, who we met on set of Ace Wonder. Isaac's encouragement mixed with his mature, outgoing, fun personality is always very refreshing! Having the opportunity of spending time with him at the conference was a huge highlight for us.

We also discovered our “long lost sister,” (pictured below).

After taking the photo, we all three looked at it and stared in astonishment....we look like brother and sister! Hence, the title “long lost sister.” If you're not convinced at this one, take a look at this one :-)

Sunday, we met up with a really good friend who’s a student at Patrick Henry College and spent the morning worshiping with him. Strangely enough, when the worship service was over, our “long lost sister” was in the midst of those we were worshiping with! Maybe we really are related? ;-)

After a blessed afternoon with our friend, we parted ways, and headed to the heart of D.C. There, we met up with our Dad and observed and assisted him in a business meeting that evening; a meeting which included a traditional Chinese meal. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, fish with heads, squid, hot peppers, tofu, and a host of other things! This was the first time I’ve had the privilege of observing my father in his occupation (his company is such that going within the walls is next to impossible). Being able to assist him was an honor and a joy.

The next day, Dad traded places with us, put on his “Executive Producer” hat, and helped Jonathan and me in our business. We did some early concept/location scouting for a feature film in downtown D.C. (let the speculation begin!). This included a tour of the Capital building and the library of congress, as well as a LOT of walking around the capital grounds, the mall, and the Jefferson Memorial. I'll close this post with some pictures.

Press On!
Josh

Capitol Rotunda (common ground between the House and Senate)

Doorway to the Senate.

Doorway to the House of Representatives (Also, notice the painting of Pocahontas' Baptism).

The Library of Congress

The stairway to the landing overlooking the library itself. Unfortunately, photos are not permitted of the library.

Stairwell at the base of the Capitol Building.

College Revolutionized Update

2010-09-18T12:45:00.004-04:00

Greetings everyone. I'm still working on that series of blog posts; don't worry, they're on the way. But I wanted to give you an update on Hedrick Brothers latest production College Revolutionized. Around nine last night, I received an email informing me that our film was not accepted as a semifinalist. Obviously, it's disappointing. After all, no matter what scale your project is, every filmmaker becomes extremely passionate and frankly obsessed with his film that it is sometimes hard to let it go.

With that said, I agree with the judges ultimate decision. Technically, the documentary just wasn't up to par. When Jonathan and I decided to extend the film and shoot for the submission deadline, we only had one week. All glory to God we performed all 3 stages of production in that period of time. I am extremely thankful that God gave us the grace to see it through to completion, but making a movie in a week puts many restraints around what can be accomplished. I believe, technically, the film could have been much better if we had more time. A big thank you goes to Scott Patrick of Blue View Records and to Nicholas! Scott, it's always a blast being in your studio. Thanks for giving hours of your time to help us out at last minute. Nicholas, thanks for being the best Best Boy! I know for a fact that we couldn't have completed filming without you.

I do have some exciting news. I talked with several Ace Wonder buddies last night and I'm pleased to announce that J&J Prodcutions dramatic short film No Time, was accepted as a semi-finalist. Fantastic job on your project Joe and Jerica! I look forward to seeing it on the big screen and pray that God will continue to bless you both in your future endeavors :)

What's next for College Revolutionized? We're working on that right now. In the mean time, enjoy this trailer I put together.

In Christ,

Josh

The One Who Gave the Vision Still Calls...

2010-09-06T12:55:00.006-04:00

Burns Family Studios, who brought you Pendragon Sword of His Father, has just made the official announcement that they're currently working on a new project; one I'm very enthused about! Those of you who have seen Pendragon know that what God accomplished through these two families is stunning. The fact that they made the film is a reflection of its primary message: what God purposes you to do, He gives the grace to accomplish.

Hedrick Brothers is blessed to have been befriended by “the Burns guys,” and we're looking for great things from this up-coming film. Pray fervently for them as they enter into a more intensive stage of production, as they work out the details of the story, and the MANY logistics that lead up to production. The official announcement can be found here along with prayer requests and an introduction to the film that will leave you wanting to hear more!

In Christ,

Josh

Peanut Theology

2010-09-01T13:03:00.004-04:00

I'm currently working on a series of blog posts to be posted soon, so keep checking back. In the mean time, a friend of mine had a link to this on his gmail status and it was so pertinent to the topic I'll be posting about that I just had to share it with you!

Josh

Ace Wonder Teaser 2

2010-08-24T22:37:00.004-04:00

The second teaser trailer for Ace Wonder is online. See it below!

Ace Wonder Teaser!

2010-07-15T11:13:00.004-04:00

All right everyone, your first look at Ace Wonder is hot off the press! I'm currently at the command post here in Texas, watching the film come together whilst learning everything I can this side of production. I hope you're as thrilled as I am after watching the trailer below; it's going to be a fantastic film!

Ace Wonder BTS

2010-07-07T22:14:00.002-04:00

Just incase you haven't seen these behind the scenes videos yet... :)

From the official Ace Wonder Vimeo Channel.

"Why Is the Movie Named Ace Wonder?" from Ace Wonder on Vimeo.

"The Producer, Chad Gundersen, requested a 'wrap party video' that showed every take we did of him getting beat up in the fight scene. We also threw in a few 'interviews.' This is the real story of how Chad was cast as the bum in the film. :)"

Ace Wonder: "Why Was Chad Cast As the Bum?" from Ace Wonder on Vimeo.

To see many other great BTS videos from the Ace Wonder set, click here!

Atheists Outline Their Global Religious Agenda

2010-07-06T22:30:00.001-04:00

I simply had to share this blog post with you, written by Ken Ham (founder of Answers in Genesis). This astounding article walks you through the recently constructed “Copenhagen Declaration on Religion in Public Life,” pointing out the fallacious and arbitrary views held by those individuals who choose the “neutrality” of atheism. Though the arbitrariness of their statements is quite comical, it is at the same time very frightening when one realizes that this is the agenda set for America and the world.

In Christ,

Josh

Click the hyperlink below to read Mr. Ham's blog post:

Atheists Outline Their Global Religious Agenda

College Revolutionized

2010-06-29T13:40:00.007-04:00

Hedrick Brothers Productions presents: College Revolutionized: It's Time for a Change of Paradigm. Many of you will remember College Critiqued, made back in February. Now, more than twice as long and under a new name, this documentary has been entered in the 2010 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival! May God receive all the glory for this production, now complete!

College; it has become what many would deem the culmination of youth and an experience that will last a lifetime. Despite the fact that many institutions across America have rejected the Bible as the foundation of all sound knowledge, have become places where crime and immorality flow free, and where academic standards are plummeting at an alarming, constant rate; sadly, many Christians have been persuaded that they also must “join the ranks” in attaining a traditional higher education. Why do Christians continue to attend and support these institutions, accumulating debt and acquiring false doctrine? As followers of Christ, what should our response be to the question of higher education? Do we continue to merge with the status quo? In this fascinating documentary, Joshua Hedrick takes you right to the battle zone of some of the greatest cultural wars in our nation, attempting to change the way we view college education. This is college, revolutionized!

Pictures from the Set!

2010-06-16T19:47:00.019-04:00

Here are a few snapshots I thought everyone would enjoy!

Josh

Lived with each other for 6 weeks; became lifelong friends....

...Each with his own unique personality :)

Office work.

A brand new Five Guys opened while we were there!

Moving the caddie, one of our set vehicles, into frame.

Me and John Clay (from Reelcast Productions) sharing a few thoughts between takes.

My second day as a boom operator.

Ace Wonder Recap 1

2010-06-15T14:18:00.003-04:00

All right everyone, it has been a while since I've made a new blog post, but I do have a good reason :) My older brother, Jonathan, and I just returned two weeks ago from an incredible film internship on the set of HeuMoore Productions most recent film: Ace Wonder! I think it best for me to begin by explaining what my responsibilities were on set.

My official title for the film is Key Set PA, PA standing for Production Assistant. That's right, I did whatever needed to be done that no one else was available to do. However, some of my primary responsibilities were: maintaining and distributing walkie talkies every day, doing some office work, moving set vehicles, escorting actors and actresses, running errands for cast and crew, directing traffic, keeping everyone comfortable, trying to maintain a sense of order by keeping things moving and keeping people quiet during takes, and even [thanks to our gracious Assistant Director (Chip Lake) and Director (John Moore)] occasional opportunities to step into the Assistant Director's role and call the shots (see below).

Though my role wasn't huge, I counted it a joy to work along side godly men in creating a much needed film for our culture! All the while, I was gaining knowledge that I pray will propel me as I seek to glorify God in this incredible industry.

Throughout the shoot, though it was not always daily, I made a point of writing down things I did and learned, so as not to forget. Below are some excerpts from my journal. I hope you find them enjoyable!

Ace Wonder Film Internship – 4/24/10

“I walked into the office today at 9:00 AM and was immediately put to work. My mission was, along with Aaron Burns, to find an RV and Jeep Wrangler to be used in the film. This took most of the day, but by the afternoon we had located numerous RV's in the area and an old Jeep Wrangler on Craig's List...The rest of the day was spent doing office work; filing and collating papers and searching for storage space...”

Ace Wonder Film Internship – 4/27/10

“First day of filming was today! We filmed the exterior Morton home, the interior will be filmed at another location. I'm officially a “PA,” but our sound mixer didn't have his boom operator today, so I filled in for him.

Things I learned:

-1 to 1 method (Designed for capturing quality audio on close up shots, this is where you hold the mic one foot above and one foot in front of the actor's head).

-Master Audio (Overall audio of the set)

-Hero (The actor with the most dialogue)

-Wild Lines (When you record the actor's audio separate from the video and then merge them in post)

Additionally, I had the opportunity to help operate the crane...Isaac Botkin also came on set today to observe the filming and help out wherever he could. I had the pleasure of sharing dinner with him and got to ask him a lot of questions...”

Ace Wonder Film Internship – 4/28/10

“I'm extremely tired tonight, so I won't take much time...Today I was not a boom opp. and was able to resume my regular position as a PA. I moved vehicles in and out of frame, ran errands around set for Chip, and assisted the actors both on and off set...

Something I learned:

When filming wide, medium, and close up shots for one scene, you typically pick the shot that works best with the weather, or other factors, before moving to your other shots. For instance, today we started by filming our wide shots because our weather was right. We then moved into our medium and close ups where we could more easily control the lighting...”

Come back soon for some more journal entries.

In Christ,

Josh

Total Depravity

2010-05-09T14:58:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lapse in posting over the past few weeks, I've been incredibly busy. Thus, I've decided to postpone the series I'm writing until I have adequate time to focus on the topic. However, I did want to post a link to a sermon I listened to today by Dr. Voddie Baucham on the topic of total depravity. I hope this sermon causes you to realize, as it did me, how incredibly wicked and sinful we are and how insurmountable the debt is we owe to our Savior Jesus Christ. I hope that as you listen to this sermon the Holy Spirit will create in you a surge of sorrow and thankfulness at the same time, but also a burning desire to share the gospel with those who are still totally depraved.

In Christ,

Josh

The Foundation is Being Undermined Part 2

2010-04-19T00:11:00.006-04:00

1. The Bible is a Book of History

In John chapter three, we find Jesus involved in a dialogue with Nicodemus. Jesus tells him in verse twelve, “I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” You see, the Bible is a book of history. Therefore, if we understand the heavenly or spiritual things, in turn we will understand the history of man; this history will explain the world and science.

In our world, science is subdivided into two categories, operational science and observational science. Creation and Evolutionary scientists both agree on operational science because it is comprised of the rules and laws of science, those things that can be tested in a laboratory. The other category is observational science; it is at this point that the two differing worldviews of Creationists and Evolutionists clash. It is at this point that we reach the stage of disagreement. Why here? Simply because observational science is based on man’s interpretation of the past, and Creationists and Evolutionists have differing interpretations on the history of the world. At this destination, the interpretation we hold of all fields of science becomes a matter of dispute.

Please allow me to pause here for a moment. If we don’t believe the Bible’s definition of science, why then should we believe in the spiritual matters, or the story of Christ? It’s a logical question! Sadly, much of the modern church today says that as long as you believe in Christ, don’t bother to trouble yourself with whether God’s definition of Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, and Astronomy are really true. Their view is, as long as God did it, whether in six days or millions of years, it’s okay. I beg to differ! Your definition of how long creation really took, and the level of God’s involvement in it, determines your worldview.

The answer to the question is clearly laid out in Scripture. God created the world and all things in it in six days, and on the seventh day He rested. In fact, the word for day in the text, translated yom, literally means day! Taking it a step farther, according to research conducted by Answers in Genesis, it was discovered that every single instance the word “day” in the Bible is accompanied by a number, it means a literal 24 hour day. That’s 410 times! What is so ironic about this is that we know what “day” means every other place in Scripture except in Genesis! It is in Genesis that people say “day” is not a literal 24 hour day.

This then prompts a question. Why are the majority of individuals content with a day being a day until they read the account of Creation? Primarily, it is because of the advances in science. People believe the world has undoubtedly been proven to be billions of years old. How have people been deceived? There are many factors that play into this deception, but here are three that I personally have identified:

1) Through the Secular Media

First and foremost, people have been deceived by media of all forms. The majority of people cling to the view that if the scientist said it, it must be true, and if the media reports it, that must confirm it. Individuals who hold to this view are consumers who watch shows on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and PBS, or read books and magazines without giving any thought to the validity of the content they are ingesting. The same can be said of Hollywood’s propaganda (i.e. Avatar, Star Wars etc...). These shows, books, magazines, and movies claim, without a doubt, that evolution has been proven to be a scientific fact. As a result, most articles, shows, and movies revolve around that worldview. Those who thrive on this information don’t doubt the word of professional scientists or Hollywood’s directors, nor do they take the time to investigate what they learn for themselves. Rather, they prefer to be lazy and accept the “hierarchical,” if you will, teaching they are receiving.

2) Through Radiometric Dating

Another way people have been deceived is through radiometric dating, specifically carbon dating. This is an entirely separate, massive field of science that is very exhaustive to explain, and I don’t IN THE LEAST consider myself to be a scientist :-) but I will do my best! First, however, let’s do a little review...Thinking back to your science class, what is the major building block of life (Don’t worry, I’m not grading you ;) )? The answer is the atom. And, atoms consist of tiny particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. Now, the protons in the nucleus of an atom determine what element your particular substance is. For instance, every substance (whether it’s hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon etc...) all have a given number of protons, but the number of neutrons can vary. So for carbon, there is a given number of 6 protons but you could have 6, 7, or even 8 neutrons. And so, combining your protons and neutrons gives you the atomic weight. This is where we get carbon 14, a method of dating fossils and rocks.

Since we have a little review completed we can move forward. It has always been an assumed fact that carbon 12 and carbon 14 (both of which are essential to the carbon 14 dating method) have been and are at a state of equilibrium in the atmosphere. Once again, according to research done by Answers in Genesis, a man by the name of Dr. Willard Libby invented the carbon 14 dating method. Dr. Libby’s view was that the earth is billions of years old, and that according to his calculations, it would take about 30,000 years for carbon 14 and carbon 12 to reach equilibrium. Guess what? His calculations also revealed that carbon 14 and carbon 12 were not at equilibrium. But it only gets better; to this day carbon 14 and carbon 12 are not at equilibrium!

What does this prove? Well it at least shows that since there is no equilibrium between the two forms of carbon, anything dated with carbon 14 is mathematically incorrect. But also this reveals that the earth is not billions, or even millions of years old. Why? Because, as stated, it is estimated that it would take about 30,000 years for carbon 12 and carbon 14 to reach equilibrium, and we still have not reached that point, this is evidence in and of itself for a young earth! I will not go into any greater detail, but the New Answers Book explains that when the decaying magnetic field around the earth is taken into account (which would result in a fewer number of carbon 14), the flood, and catastrophe’s throughout world history, this dating method becomes even more flawed. You see, carbon dating is a method that is almost entirely based on evolutionary assumption, not scientific discovery. So, don’t take what scientists say as absolute truth, remember, they are fallible humans too.

3) Through Incorrect Interpretations of Scripture

The third way people have been deceived is, believe it or not, through incorrect interpretations of Scripture. Numerous passages have and are being ripped out of their original context to “give evidence” for individual’s personal opinions. One such passage that so many refer to in an attempt to produce evidence that it took God thousands or millions of years to create the world is 2 Peter 3:8, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” I can’t tell you how often this excuse is used. I myself have witnessed this while debating the topic of Creation with other people (see Always Being Prepared for an expanded explanation of this verse).

Friends, the reason we are losing so much ground in the culture wars, and a major contributing factor to the lack of believers who are enthusiastic about Scripture, is because so much of the modern church does not agree that the church is a place where science should be taught. Sadly, much of the modern church buys the philosophy that children and adults go to school to learn about such things. There is a sense of dualism as was seen in the Catholic Church in the middle ages; that corrupt separation of the “material” from the “spiritual.” The church is teaching believers ABOUT the Bible, but not teaching believers how to DEFEND the Bible.

The Foundation is Being Undermined - Part 1

2010-04-10T23:55:00.003-04:00

What better place to begin than the beginning. Before moving forward and discussing how this foundation is being undermined, I think it helpful that we define what exactly this “foundation” is. Certainly, as Christians, Christ is central to our faith. Christ, who is fully God, gave up His throne in heaven and was incarnated; lived a perfect, sinless life (not free from temptation, but none the less sinless); took our place on the cross, bearing the totality of sin on Himself; redeemed us (buying us back from sin); and made us his own. The best part of it is, because Jesus was fully God, death could not hold Him still in the grave and we worship the resurrected Christ, the “cornerstone” of our faith as Christians.

My point in saying this is simply that without Christ, there would be no Christian faith. Without Christ, we would have no hope of eternal salvation, much less a relationship with Him. However, the foundation of our faith is the Word of God. Without it, the Christian has no guide, no historical records, no definitions of right and wrong, no law, no logic, no record of Creation, no definition of marriage, no separation of male and female, no record of the Messiah, and no hope for the future. The Bible is the most popular book in the world, and it’s under attack. We could list the many areas in which the authority of God’s Word is being challenged and replaced with the futile words of men; but, currently there is no attack greater than the attack upon the very beginning, the very first book, Genesis.

Personally, I concur (with others) that this is the most controversial book in the entire Bible. Why? You might say. Well, it is in this book that we find the basis of who God is (His nature), where He came from, and why He created this massive universe including this small planet (the only planet capable of supporting life). Not forgetting that He also created human beings in His very image or likeness. Additionally, the book of Genesis, specifically the first 11 chapters, outlines who man is, where he came from, the fall of man, and the origin of sin. It answers the question, “Why is there death and suffering in the world?” It tells us how sin entered the world through the first Adam. Thereby explaining why it was necessary for the second Adam (Jesus) to enter into the world, freeing us from the bondage to sin. It defines marriage as between a man and a woman, thus putting to rest the question of whether homosexuality is acceptable.

Thorough examination of the book of Genesis will reveal that, indeed, it is vital to the Christian faith. That without it we wouldn’t know we are sinners; we wouldn’t know who is responsible for the world around us; we wouldn’t know why Christ had to come. So, how is this book, and through it this foundation (the authority of the Word of God) being undermined? A myriad of factors play into the gradual rejection of this vital book, but the primary reason, under which all other social and moral issues fall, is the evolutionary, humanistic worldview. Like thousands of tiny termites, nibbling at the foundations of a house, evolution is a single termite eating at the foundation of Christianity by trying to undermine the authority of the Word of God, first, by replacing the infinite Words of the Almighty Creator with the finite assumptions of man.

As Christians, if we accept that Genesis is foundational to our faith, in every area, then we will understand the horrendous effects evolution is having upon it. We will see that the evolutionary worldview is directly targeted toward destroying Christianity by promoting its naturalist, humanistic worldview. Evolution says there is no God, that the answer to the material lies within the material itself, that we are all products of the material not of some special creation. For the evolutionist, there is no ideal, there is no spiritual world; reality can only be explained through what is around him. Consequentially, if he admits there is a God, he is admitting He played some role in the creation of the world! Hence, the astounding number of atheists in the realm of secular science. Scientifically, evolutionists have concurred that there is no God, and for those few evolutionists who do believe there is a God, they limit His creative acts to merely instigating the evolutionary process; occasionally popping in to make sure everything is evolving as it should. Evolutionists believe man is a byproduct of what is around him; they therefore exclude any notion of a Creator.

“Okay,” you might say, “but what about specifics, how is evolution undermining the foundation of Christianity?” Well, that’s in the next post.

Happiness

2010-03-24T23:56:00.002-04:00

O LORD,

Help me never to expect any happiness from the world,

but only in thee.

Let me not think that I shall be more happy by living to myself,

for I can only be happy if employed for thee,

and if I desire to live in this world

only to do and suffer what thou dost allot me.

Teach me

that if I do not live a life that satisfies thee,

I shall not live a life that will satisfy myself.

Help me to desire the spirit and temper of angels

who willingly come down to this lower world

to perform thy will,

though their desires are heavenly,

and not set in the least upon earthly things;

then I shall be of that temper I ought to have.

Help me not to think of living to thee in my own strength,

but always to look to and rely on thee for assistance.

Teach me that there is no greater truth than this,

that I can do nothing of myself.

Lord, this is the life that no unconverted man can live,

yet it is an end that every godly soul presses after;

Let it be then my concern to devote myself and all to thee.

Make me more fruitful and more spiritual,

for barrenness is my daily affliction and load.

How precious is time, and how painful to see it fly

with little done to good purpose!

I need thy help:

O may my soul sensibly depend upon thee for all sanctification,

and every accomplishment of thy purposes for me,

for the world,

and for thy kingdom.

The Valley of Vision

Gifts of Grace - Happiness

Page 166

Interview with John Moore

2010-03-17T22:07:00.002-04:00

Unlike most films in our world today, The Widow's Might is as Christ exalting in its message as it is cinematically beautiful. I recently stumbled across this interview with John Moore (writer, and director of the The Widow's Might) conducted by His Only Son For Us (HOSFU). The interview provides a lot of good information about The Widow's Might, the crew, how it was made, lessons learned form the set, and the passion John has for proclaiming Christ through the medium of film, completely independent of Hollywood. As an aspiring filmmaker and a young man who is incredibly thankful for how Christ is using John and his family to create distinctly Christian films for the glory of God, this interview was a real encouragement.

Click here to read the interview!

If you're interested in purchasing a copy, click here.

The Widow's Might Production Wrap Trailer from John Moore on Vimeo.

A Biblical Man is…Upright

2010-03-12T21:49:00.002-05:00

What follows is an excerpt from a recent sermon which I had the pleasure to give on the subject of Biblical Masculinity.

"The word upright suggests a man who stands firm upon the Word of God. The image I get of the upright man is a man who stands firm and erect no matter how tough, miserable, or challenging life gets. Even when the world threatens him, even when he doesn't know what to think, even when the world repeatedly tries to knock him down, he remains steadfast. However, it's very important that the upright man stands firmly rooted upon the authoritative Word of God, not upon his own ability or any strength that he has in and of himself. He is not tossed in any direction by any worldly doctrine or whim of man, because he is rooted in the Truth. Even when every part of his sinful nature is pulling at him, begging him to submit to his own selfish desires, he as a citizen in the Kingdom of God, child of the Most High, and soldier in the Kings royal army, faithfully affirms his allegiance to the King; even if it means rejection or death. Listen to Psalm 11:7, 'For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.' (ESV). Once again, Jesus Christ HImself is our example, no man was as upright as he. Even though Job suffered extreme affliction, and is proclaimed to be upright in Job 1:1, his affliction pales in comparison to that which Christ endured for the whole world!"

This is by no means an exhaustive definition of an upright man, however what is critical is that the upright man LOVES the Word and seeks solely by the grace of Jesus Christ to live his life in a way which brings the utmost glory to His Savior.

This picture, I believe, provides a visual image of the upright man. Look at the picture, there are many "hidden" messages in it!

Stand fast men, be upright!

In Christ, Josh

Reference Materials

2010-03-03T23:59:00.004-05:00

Here are few reference materials showing the current crisis in our higher education.

http://www.ourcivilisation.com/dumb/dumb2.htm

This is a summary of a National Association of Scholars report investigating coursework at 50 of “America’s Best Colleges” (according to U.S. News & World Report). The data exposes reduction in required coursework, prerequisites for classes, classroom hours, and more. This article demonstrates that the total number of classes offered has skyrocketed with worthless, politically correct , and outright immoral offerings in addition to many remedial classes offered for those who didn’t learn what they should have during high school.

http://www.nas.org/polReports.cfm?Doc_Id=85

The results of a National Association of Scholars (NAS)/Zogby poll. This poll compares todays college students with high school graduates of the 1950's.

http://www.nas.org/polReports.cfm?Doc_Id=86

The results of a (NAS)/Zogby poll. This poll asks college students their opinion on ethics and morality.

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2006/01/12/dumbing_down_a_college_education/

This article addresses the illiteracy epidemic on college campuses, expounding on the statistic that "only 31 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it."

http://mtprof.msun.edu/Spr1997/TROUT-ST.html

WARNING! THIS ARTICLE DOES INCLUDE ONE OCCURRENCE OF PROFANITY

The author of this article addresses such issues as:

- Disengaged and disinterested students

- The dumbing down of academics in universities

-Stripping tough classes of "boring stuff" in an effort to create a fun experience

As well as some solutions to the problem, including:

-Encouraging excellence at every academic level

-Raising standards

-Teaching hard work, not self-esteem

-Teaching the problem of student anti-intellectualism

-Spreading the word

-Teaching authoritatively (more concerned with long-term development than short-term happiness)

-save our standards committees.

http://books.google.com/books?id=A4sfiztxhIoC&source=gbs_navlinks_s

The link above directs you to a book entitled, Beer and Circus: How Big-time College Sports is Crippling Undergraduate Education. A significant portion of the book is viewable at the link above.

NOTE: I HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK IN ITS ENTIRETY, ONLY EXCERPTS. I URGE MY READERS TO USE DISCERNMENT.

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.540/pub_detail.asp

This article highlights how the pressure to fill seats and to insure political correctness is driving consideration of lower entrance requirements at universities.

http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4047

Using statistics from practical surveys, this article shows that many college grads are now only as smart as yesterday's high school seniors.

Rescue Haiti's Children

2010-03-02T21:25:00.003-05:00

I wanted to post this trailer for Rescue Haiti's Children (a project of Vision Forum Ministries) for those of you who may not have been following Mr. Phillips and his team on their recent journey to Haiti. What is this all about? Watch the video below to find out, and then check here, here, and here!

Josh

Rescue Haiti's Children: Trailer from Douglas Phillips on Vimeo.

Final Thoughts About College Critiqued

2010-03-01T22:57:00.003-05:00

Below are some final comments that my family and I have been discussing and I would like to share with you concerning College Critiqued.

I've received a lot of feedback about College Critiqued throughout the past week and I'd like to thank each of you who took the time to comment, both positive and negative. My brother, Jonathan, and I really enjoyed making this short film; the entire project has been a great learning experience :) Education is definitely a “hot button” topic that hits close to our worldview (something I was not ignorant of when I embarked on this project), so I’m not at all surprised by the varied responses and some of the passion expressed. I would like to close this topic with some final thoughts.

My desire was to point out the crisis in higher education and that from a Biblical perspective revolution must start with the Fear of the LORD (Proverbs 1:7), which has completely been removed from the teaching in secular universities. In the wake of removing God and the fear of Him, we clearly see significantly lower standards and results (by the way one commenter validated the statistics: if only 31 percent can read a complex book and extrapolate from it, this means that a MAJORITY of 69 percent cannot), skyrocketing costs, out of control immorality, and much more. Therefore, we must seriously consider revolutionary alternatives like CollegePlus!, distance learning, and Christian colleges and universities.

Some argued that if Christians are to stay away from secular colleges and universities, then we should also, as one responder stated, “stay away from sports games, Kroger, amusement parks, museums, and doctors’ offices.” This logic implies that we should not choose to avoid cultural settings, activities, business ventures, education, or employment opportunities because of anti-Christian views or immoral activities. This is clearly an unbiblical position. How many of us would use this position to argue in favor of attending or sending our children to an Islamic school, working for Planned Parenthood, or going to an adult bookstore? Why, then, do we use this flawed argument when it comes to education?

In part, I believe we lean on this flawed logic because we’ve bought the lie that education can somehow be religion neutral. This is not possible. As Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters” (Luke 11:23, NIV). Knowledge is not taught in a vacuum. All education propagates and makes disciples of some belief system, so why would it not be especially critical to take extreme care when selecting our “disciplers?” As Jesus also said, “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Wow! Today’s secular colleges and universities are indeed great mission fields (our church hosted two different mission organizations that focus on our local university campus at our missions conference this weekend), but they are NOT training camps for disciples of Jesus Christ. In fact, they are about the business of scattering. Recall that we are commanded to live in the world, not be of the world.

Just as a footnote, I was accused of being unaware of the state of government education and college campuses because I've supposedly never been in them. Thus, I am automatically unqualified to state my opinions. While I do not agree with such a claim, these were, in fact, false assumptions. My claims come not only from research and what others have told me, but from my own experience.

Revolution is serious business; revolution involves revolt, throwing off the existing system and replacing it. Many have argued that I did not answer the question (How would you revolutionize higher education?), because my views were to essentially be rid of the current secular system. However, this argument, in and of itself, proves that I did argue for revolution. Merriam Webster’s online dictionary defines revolution as “a sudden, radical, or complete change … a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something : a change of paradigm.” Secular colleges and universities are focal points of openly anti-Christian and anti-Biblical teaching, openly promoting the religion of secular humanism and Darwinian evolutionary thinking. They are propagators of Marxist/socialist philosophies in America and are supporters of rampant immorality. The results are evident and increasing in every sphere of American and global culture. When is it time for Christians to take radical action to make “a change of paradigm” if not now? When is it time to stop providing financial support to the tune of $15,000 to $30,000 per year for institutions that are so openly anti-Christ if not now? When does revolution become necessary if not now? Revolution is not a comfortable topic. In fact, it invades our comfort zones, calling into question our very belief systems and forcing us to consider difficult choices. I believe that NOW is the time to seriously consider revolutionizing higher education.

A Response to a Comment...

2010-02-25T21:17:00.006-05:00

I received this comment about College Critiqued:

"'They have dumbed down academics grotesquely so as to accept the foolish.' That is simply not true. I am no fool. People come from all over the world to attend one what you call “second rate” institutions. How do you think we were able to land on the moon, shoot down enemy missiles, perform neurosurgery, and discover new sources of energy? Answer? Universities. The research and education opportunities that can be found at public AND private colleges and universities all over the U.S. have enabled us to improve and save countless lives. Your claims are unfounded."

I figured everyone could benefit from the response.

In Christ, Josh

First of all, before you state that an individual’s claims are unfounded, it’s generally a good idea to ask the person his reason for a particular claim. Please note that my video was only 7 minutes and 21 seconds; there isn’t exactly enough time to address every issue. Secondly, I just knew this line: “They have dumbed down academics grotesquely so as to accept the foolish,” would more than likely spark some debate. Let me begin by clarifying. I’m not saying that everyone who attends a university is a fool. Not in the least. I personally know brilliant young men and women who are attending both public and private universities and are studying very complex material. But let’s take a look at some history.

Since I mentioned Harvard in my video, why don’t we investigate the “Laws and Statutes for Students of Harvard College (1642).” Here’s just the first requirement for admission (if you wish to read the document in its entirety, you can find it here):

"1. When any Schollar is able to Read Tully or such like classicall Latine Author ex tempore, and make and speake true Latin in verse and prose suo (ut aiunt) Marte, and decline perfectly the paradigmes of Nounes and verbes in the Greeke tongue, then may hee bee admitted into the College, nor shall any claime admission before such qualifications."

Yes, these men were brilliant :)

Harvard’s current requirements?
-3 SAT subject tests
-Secondary School Report and Mid-Year School Report
-Two Teacher Evaluations
-SAT or ACT

I’d say that’s a significant dumbing down from reading Tully, reading classic Latin, speaking Latin in verse and prose, and declining PERFECTLY the paradigms of nouns and verbs of the Greek language. Keep in mind that this is only one university, and these are merely the entrance requirements!

Jumping back into the present; look at your average college athlete. According to the NCAA, a college athlete need only possess a GPA of 2.0 – 2.5 to retain his eligibility for collegiate sports. But this doesn’t just apply to athletes. Many degrees available at universities and colleges today are “non-degrees” (i.e. Women’s Studies. What is that?? Anyway, who majors in Women’s Studies? Women or men?). Such degrees require very little academic responsibility and are made available so that universities have an excuse for accepting athletes and other students that want to waste 4 years or more of their life on a college campus engaging in wicked acts, hanging out with foolish friends, and accumulating debt on degrees that most of them won’t even use.
Furthermore, how long has it been since you turned on the TV and listened to a reporter interview a college student only to hear the student’s most frequent words are “like” and “you know.” Do you call that academic excellence? If you still don’t believe me, read this quote from the Washington Post:

"Literacy experts and educators say they are stunned by the results of a recent adult literacy assessment, which shows that the reading proficiency of college graduates has declined in the past decade, with no obvious explanation.
'It's appalling -- it's really astounding,' said Michael Gorman, president of the American Library Association and a librarian at California State University at Fresno. 'Only 31 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it. That's not saying much for the remainder.'" – Sunday, December 25, 2005

DID YOU SEE THAT?! Only a whopping 31 percent of college graduates can even read a complex text book and extrapolate from it (Contrast that with Harvard’s entrance requirements)! If 31 percent of our college students, who can barely read, can still manage to earn a degree at a university, then there is some SERIOUS dumbing down of academics going on!

Look at your average college; they lower their entrance requirements because students can’t do things they should have learned in government school:

"[O]f the 12 California state university colleges, 60% of students need remediation; a Florida study showed at least 70% of recent high school graduates need remedial courses when they enter community college - - in other words, they need to learn material they should have mastered in public high school - but did not - - costing an extra $59 million per year." - USA Today, November 24, 1997

Every year, the value of a BA drops, and many companies are realizing this. But a degree is not essential to getting a good job. For example, my aunt never earned a college degree, yet she has a very respectable job as a manager in a major communications company! Bill Gates never graduated from college, yet he created some of the world’s greatest computer software.

Despite the many achievements and advancements that are directly and indirectly the result of the work of our universities (people in every era make new discoveries; some due to universities, others due to their own research), it is clear that there indeed has been a SIGNIFICANT dumbing down of higher education in our country. This is why I called the EDUCATION, not the universities (as you said) second-rate. I’ve given only a few evidences of the dumbing down of our colleges and universities. In addition to these, and most importantly, campuses are filled with unfathomable immorality, false history, false science driven by the religion of Darwinian evolution, and political correctness that plagues and degrades campus life and replaces true education with outright lies.

College Critiqued

2010-02-22T13:49:00.004-05:00

HERE IT IS! It was a long week, but by God's grace we got it done. Here is my video essay!

A few pictures from the set

2010-02-19T23:52:00.004-05:00

Me and my lovely sister after her interview

Editing video

Mess ups always happen...

How Would You Revolutionize Higher Education?

2010-02-18T23:50:00.004-05:00

That’s the question I’m attempting to answer right now. Jonathan and I are back on set (feels great!) shooting a 7-8 minute video for a contest with College Plus! which strives to answer the question, “How would you revolutionize higher education?” Although it’s only an 8 minute video, we’re trying to squeeze as much content in as possible without making it crazy for the viewer. There are several interviews we’ll be filming (one of which we did a few nights ago).

Yesterday, Jonathan and I went over to the Virginia Tech campus, where most of the film takes place, and shot for the better part of the afternoon and came back after dark to shoot one crucial shot in downtown Blacksburg. What can you expect this to look like? For those of you who have seen “Drive Thru History,” I would say that’s a pretty good comparison. The video has interviews, voice over mixed with scenery shots, quotes, and segments of speaking right on the tech campus. I’m in a mad rush to complete it due to the fact that the deadline is February 22 (next Monday). It will be posted, here, on my blog for everyone to see. However, part of the goal is to get as many views as possible, so spread the word!

In Christ,
Josh

The "Snow Fort"

2010-02-09T23:27:00.005-05:00

My older brother Jonathan and I have really been enjoying the snowy winter we've had here in Virginia. I've posted a video below which gives you a tour of our "snow fort." It's not the most elaborate in the world, but we had a fun time building it, and a fun time making this comedic clip as you will see ;)

Enjoy!

Josh

Faith and Leadership

2010-02-08T23:28:00.004-05:00

It was a cold, wet, rainy evening as General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson set out with other officers on a mission to locate the Union Army’s shattered right flank. The panting breath and the trot of the horse’s hooves is all that could be heard. Stonewall clutched the reigns of his horse tightly in his hands. Unfortunately, after a day fighting, the Union’s position had been lost. Little did Jackson know what waited for him and his men on his own lines.

Although Stonewall Jackson is a name familiar to many Americans, few know the real story of his life and the magnificent role he played in the Confederate Armed Forces. This influential leader in the War Between the States was a man of superb character. His love and trust in God was so fervent that he dwelt securely on the fact that God was watching over him. His trust in the almighty providence of God is almost beyond comprehension, being quoted as saying, "Captain, my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave." This remarkable General led the confederacy through a number of battles, many of them won due to Jackson’s uncommon skill in trickery and surprise attacks. What happened to this general? And what lessons can he teach?

On April 21, 1861, Virginia seceded from the union. From this secession rose one of America’s bravest, most courageous, yet most calm, respectable generals in all of American history; his name, Thomas Jonathan Jackson, better known as “Stonewall” Jackson. According to a quote by a fellow officer of Jackson’s, (found in Discovering Stonewall Jackson written by the staff of the Stonewall Jackson house in Lexington Virginia), he says, “From the calm, collected (person that he appears to be), he becomes the fiery leader. Passing like a thunderbolt along the front he is everywhere in the thickest of the fight, holding his lines steady, however galling the fire, and rallying his men to charge where the danger is greatest and the pressure the heaviest…” Jackson was a deeply committed Christian who understood that he depended on God for his very next breath, no matter where he was. God knew when his time to pass from this earth would come; therefore there was no need for fear.

In the first battle against Lincoln’s union army in Manassas, Virginia July 1861 General Jackson received the nickname “Stonewall” from General Bernard. As his men began to retreat from the ceaseless fire of the Yankees, General Bernard pointed up to General Jackson and his brigade, “There stands Jackson like a stone wall, rally behind the Virginians!” (Recorded by the staff of the Stonewall Jackson House, (Discovering Stonewall Jackson). From then on General Jackson was known as “Stonewall” and his brigade, “the Stonewall Brigade.”

On one occasion Stonewall and his troops were outnumbered three to one; however, despite the immense imbalance of troops, Jackson and his men defeated all three armies which the president sent to protect the Shenandoah Valley! “With not more than 17,000 men, he defeated 60,000 Union troops in a series of lighting marches and brilliant battles.” (World Book Encyclopedia). This great feat was accomplished through sly, crafty moves and fake marches on the union in unexpected places so as to overwhelm the union forces. From that time on “Stonewall” was feared for his tricky moves and crafty maneuvering through the union army.

Out of all the battles Stonewall fought, his last battle at Chancellorsville, though his last, I believe was his greatest. Stonewall and General Robert E. Lee decided to divide the confederate army in half and launch a surprise attack. This plan was carried out and the surprise shattered two miles of the union army’s right flank. On May 2, 1863 Stonewall and other confederate officers went behind enemy lines after dark in an effort to locate the traumatized union army in hopes of launching another attack. Having seen no sign of the union army or where they could attack, Stonewall and his men returned to their own lines. Upon their arrival, men from the confederate army mistook Stonewall and his men for union Calvary. They opened fire on Stonewall and his men hitting the general twice in his left arm. Jackson was immediately transported to a field hospital where his left arm was unfortunately amputated. Upon hearing the news concerning General Jackson, Robert E. Lee said, (World Book Encyclopedia), “He has lost his left arm; but I have lost my right arm.” As bad as his wounds were, General Jackson did not die from them. While in the hospital he caught pneumonia and became very ill; his illness is what ultimately led to his death. On May 10, 1863, in the field hospital in Guiney Station, Virginia Stonewall Jackson, “crossed over the River,” eight days after being shot. His body was brought back to his hometown of Lexington, Virginia for burial.

Through this man’s tactical moves against the troops President Lincoln sent his way, Stonewall remained firm literally to the death. General Jackson was a man through whom many lessons can be learned. Although his life was shrewdly brought to an abrupt end, the way he lived can still be an influence to all. He was a completely selfless leader, a leader who could be counted on to make wise decisions in the heat of the moment; his basis for these selfless actions being his faith. General Jackson possessed a strong faith in God that is rarely seen in our nation today. His life held the theme that when God is on my side of whom or what shall I be afraid. Not even when bullets were flying all around him, cannon balls bursting in front and behind, and thousands of young men dropping dead around him would he let his fear derail his faith. He clung steadfast to God and never let go until his last breath. He stood firm upon the authority of the word of God, no matter the cost. Good leadership, then, starts with faith. If we realize that our very life is in God’s hands, no matter where we are, then our life will be seen as a vessel through which God accomplishes His purpose. Men are to be leaders. A leader who is humble and willing to make wise decisions, not based on his own comfort, but in spite of it, will be a man everyone will want to follow. God blessed General Jackson for his faith and trust in Him and used this general in a mighty way until it was his turn, along with many other men that died on those great battlefields, to enter into paradise with his Lord and Savior. In a similar way, we should be willing to be used by God in whatever capacity of leadership He chooses, regardless of the cost.

Josh

“Blessed is the man who fills his mini-van with them!”

2010-01-29T22:15:00.003-05:00

I saw this commercial a few days ago and enjoyed its short message on manhood. On one hand it’s encouraging to see commercials like this that admit to the culture, “It is a manly thing to have a lot of children.” On the other hand, it’s a shame that the world will listen to a car commercial (or a Dockers add) when it defines manhood, but not the word of God: “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:4-5

Nevertheless, I still got a kick out of this and I thought you would enjoy it to ;)

Josh

An Irreplaceable Address

2010-01-27T14:11:00.003-05:00

Seeking the peace and tranquility which stems out of retirement from public life, a certain old gentlemen, a politician, who had served his country a great many years, now longing to see his beloved home in Virginia once again, penned his final address to his fellow countrymen. This gentleman was none other than President George Washington, a man who had done more than his share to help retain the independence the American colonies were now privileged to possess.

In light of the fact that President Obama will be delivering his State of the Union Address this evening, I thought it appropriate to revisit the wise words of our first president. This post attempts to summarize some of the key points Washington made in his Farewell Address; points which our nation should never forget.

As he passes the baton on to the next generation of leaders, Washington pens what is known as The Farewell Address. Commencing with his reasons for retirement and concluding with his final farewells, Washington warns his fellow Americans in his address to strive to carry on the national unity America had acquired, both politically and socially. He wrote clearly on the all importance of religion (religion being Christianity) and how it relates to the morality of the American people, and the nature of American foreign policy; calling all Americans to maintain the unmatched form of government they struggled to achieve.

Through the duration of his address, President Washington made numerous references to the significance of retaining unity in the governing system of America. “The unity of government which constitutes you one people is also now dear to you.” Washington stated, “It is justly so, for it is a main pillar...” (Washington’s Farewell Address 1796). This “main pillar” (unity) gives every state something in common with other states; common religion, manners, habits, and political principles are just a few that Washington himself mentioned; knowing full well that it was only through the unity of the states that the nation could survive. Should every state resolve to remain committed, not only to their respective state, but also to the nation as a whole, the resources of the union would then increase, its security would enhance and its strength would abound. Without a doubt, Washington understood the importance of retaining the unity that so many had fought and debated to achieve, but what of the nation’s religion?

“And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion....reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” (Washington’s Farewell Address 1796). Religion and morality are inseparable; one cannot be gained without the other. Nor can government be maintained without them; they are foundational to all that government is, because ultimately government is an elaborate institution established by God to the end that a civilization can live and thrive together. Government’s chief goal is to maintain morality in its people, since at the root of every evil is some sinful deed, and because the understanding of the nature of sin comes from the Bible, then how can morality be maintained apart from religion? With wisdom, Washington proclaimed that, “...religion and morality are indispensable supports.” (Washington’s Farewell Address 1796) In other words, religion and morality should be respected and irreplaceable components of government, not neglected and replaceable ones. Certainly, our nation should strive to maintain a standard of morality inside our nation, but President Washington believed that our Faith should be reflected in our foreign policy.

In his address, Washington spent a considerable amount of time discussing foreign policy. In a father-like tone, Washington warned his fellow Americans that too close of an attachment with other nations will undoubtedly produce all forms of evil such as unjust war, and “...concessions to the favorite nation of privileges denied to others.” (Washington’s Farewell Address 1796) As a husband is to be jealous over his wife, so the citizens of this great nation are to be unreservedly jealous over the unassailable liberties they are privileged to enjoy in the vast country in which they reside. For what purpose are we to be jealous? Because, in the words of President Washington, “...foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government.” (Washington’s Farewell Address 1796) America cannot be too careful in its relations with the outside world, lest its government fall victim to the negative influences of greedy foreigners. Thus, America is to have a very limited connection with foreigners, at least politically speaking. In fact, Washington advocates that alliances should not be formed with foreign nations, instead, America is to do its utmost to fend for itself, only making alliances with foreign nations should a colossal national crisis occur; too big for America to tackle on its own (i.e. Alliance with the French during the war for independence). President Washington was very wise and confident in his views on foreign policy, and as such, it was right for him to dedicate an entire portion of his address to ensure the continued felicity of America.

Maintaining unity of government and implementing good foreign policy are both essential aspects of achieving good government, but the greatest significance is found in neither of these. Of Washington’s three main points, religion and morality seem to be the most important. Why? Simply put, if there is no religion, then how can there be good government? Government depends on religion because government is an institution established by God, so apart from religion, government is futile. Certainly foreign policy is good, but how can America know good foreign policy apart from bad foreign policy without religion? It can’t. Good foreign policy depends on knowing the difference between right and wrong, it depends on knowing how far government should go in its relations with the rest of the world, and the only true answer is discovered in the Word of God. In my mind, Washington’s Farewell Address is an irreplaceable piece of work which all Americans, especially our politicians, would do well to read.

Josh

“The People’s Seat!”

2010-01-20T21:45:00.002-05:00

Click HERE to read Nathaniel Darnell’s comments on the exciting election of Scott Brown to the position of Senator of Massachusetts and what it means for us as followers of Christ!

Always Being Prepared...

2010-01-19T22:04:00.002-05:00

It was February and my Boy Scout troop was camping in a cabin beside a little creek in Virginia. Myself and two fathers of several scouts in my troop were inside the cabin getting the fire started, both fathers engrossed in conversation with one another. I wasn’t paying any attention until one of the dads began talking about a rock he had that was dated to be millions and millions of years old. Now, I want you to envision two fathers having a serious conversation, nearly oblivious to the fact that a third person was in the room; well...until now. The date that reverberated in my ears was so ridiculously huge that it literally caused me to laugh!

Okay, so that probably wasn’t the best response, but I couldn’t help it. Stone silence had fallen over that tiny cabin as I turned around to see these two dads staring at me both with surprised expressions. I looked at the dad straight in the eyes and repeated with a questioning tone the date his lips had uttered just seconds ago. He looked at me with a grin and said, “Yeah!” Sounding surprised that I would dare question his immense wisdom. From this point on I engaged in my longest debate defending the Biblical account of Creation, I would guess an hour. However, I’ll say upfront, without the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence, I could not have given half the defense I gave, but the words of 1 Peter 3:15 rang in my ears, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

It would have been VERY easy to stand by and listen to these two fathers go on about the age of this rock and just stand in the corner without opening my mouth, but the Lord had given me an opportunity to defend the faith, young though I was and am; I had to accept the challenge. The father I was debating with the most (we’ll call him Bob) is a Catholic and therefore already believes in doctrines that differ with mine as a Baptist. We debated over fossils, dating methods, when dinosaurs lived, and I did my utmost to defend the literal account of creation. However, at one point the age old defense was thrown at me when we were debating how long it took God to create the world: “But the Bible says that, ‘a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day.’”

Unfortunately, I did not respond as well to this blow as I could have. But, upon studying this passage it is interesting to note that if you read the preceding and following verses, placing the passage fully into its context, you’ll discover that Peter is speaking of God keeping His promise to come back for his church. Part of this is seen in verse 9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” And although someone could claim that this verse can just as easily be applied to Creation, it only proves that these people are careless. Their philosophy is that, “As long as I can arrange the Bible so it works for me it is okay.” However, if you hold to this view, who’s to say Christ wasn’t in the tomb for 3,000 years! Of course we know that can’t be or He’d still be there! Not to mention the fact that the Bible proclaims Christ arose on the third day and out of the 410 times the word day is used with a number in Scripture it means a literal 24 hour day. Do you see the inconsistency of saying a day means a normal 24 hour day in most cases in Scripture, except when we are speaking about creation? If you don’t, then here’s a question for you: if you reject the literal account of creation as recorded in Genesis, then how do you know the rest of the Bible is true? Come on, use your logic. How can we trust a God who sent us the Savior of the world when he lied about science? If He lied about science, might He not also have lied about the incarnate Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity?

Some may accuse me of limiting God by insisting that He could not have even used evolution in Creation, much less allowed chance and random evolutionary processes to give rise to life. However, just as with the immutability of God, I’m not limiting God; I am attempting to describe Him as He has revealed Himself in His word. Why would a God of order allow such chaos to give rise to life? That is contrary to His nature. Furthermore, we have a day by day synopsis of the Creation of the world! Ya’ll, evolutionists don’t even have a record of their supposed theory! Even the fact that evolutionists insist that their theory is correct is evidence for creation. Argue with an evolutionist and you’ll note that they use logic when arguing. However, the very fact that they use logic is evidence for creation. I could go on, but I see some of you scratching your head :)

Believe it or not, the evolutionist borrows from the Biblical worldview when he argues for evolution. For instance, without the Bible we would have no basis for the laws of logic. That didn’t help the itch on your head did it ;) Maybe this will:

“Since the God of Scripture is immaterial, sovereign, and beyond time, it makes sense to have laws of logic that are immaterial, universal, and unchanging. Since God has revealed Himself to man, we are able to know and use logic. Since God made the universe, and since God made our minds, it makes sense that our minds would have an ability to study and understand the universe. But if the universe and our minds are simply the results of time and chance as the evolutionists contends, why would we expect that the mind could make sense of the universe? How could science and technology be possible?”

You see? The evolutionist cannot even defend his own worldview without borrowing from the Christian worldview because his worldview can’t even support his own worldview.

Now, I know some of you are wondering where that “mysterious” quote above came from. As it turns out, that’s what this whole post is all about! I know that was a long introduction, but I’d like to recommend to you a book I picked up at the SOS Conference that I am thoroughly enjoying entitled, The Ultimate Proof of Creation, by Dr. Jason Lisle, yet another stellar product from Answers in Genesis! And what an appropriate name it is, for it truly is The Ultimate Proof of Creation. I’m convinced that if one applies the truths of this book when debating with an evolutionist he’ll at least leave perplexed!

If you want to be able to give a reasoned defense of not just creation, but of the entire Bible, then please buy this book; you won’t be wasting your money or your time. More than anything else this is an apologetics book designed to help us as believers give answers to critical questions that challenge our faith. I believe in our day (and, no, that’s not a literal 24 hour day ;-) the largest battle facing Christians is the battle for the authority of the Word of God, and there’s no place where this battle is being waged more than the very beginning; the first verse. This is a battle Christians must engage in, but we can’t engage in a battle we are not prepared to fight. Thus, I encourage you to pick up this book and begin sharpening your sword! The battle we are engaged in is major and the enemy is ruthless; we must be ready to stand fast on the authority and sufficiency of God’s Word.

What about the debate I told you of at the beginning? Well, although I was not successful in convincing Bob of my position, I learned a lot from it: 1) We must constantly be watching for opportunities God presents us with to defend our faith, or we’ll miss a remarkable experience. 2) We must always be ready to give a defense of the faith. 3) Whether we win or lose, with every defense of the faith comes a learning experience.

As Christians, if we’re going to be ready to provide answers to those who question us about our faith in Christ, we must be applying time to study; if we don’t then we’re just as useless as an unloaded gun. The book above is one such tool to help you study the profound Word of God.

In Christ,
Josh

Kingdom Builders

2010-01-13T21:39:00.003-05:00

“If the heart is the heart of the matter, if our children not only are learning to be kingdom builders, but are also being kingdom builders now, if we are to train our children to train their children, then this is something we need to remind ourselves of daily. The devil, you understand, is craftier than the beasts of the field. He doesn't simply whisper in our ears, "Betray your children. Raise them in the nurture and admonition of the state." Instead he distracts us, pulls us off target, makes us forget our calling, piece by piece. Our calling is to keep our eyes on the prize – not to long to be at ease in Babylon, but to long for the city whose builder and maker is God.” --R.C. Sproul Jr. When You Rise Up

A good friend of mine sent me this quote from R.C. Sproul Jr. and I thought it served as an excellent reminder to all of us that as children of the King we are to be kingdom minded people. Meaning, our goal with this life should be to give everything we have in an effort to further the Kingdom of Christ, leaving nothing behind but a generation stronger than the one which preceded it. This is the purpose of our days. Become Kingdom builders, train your children to be Kingdom builders, keep your eyes fixed on Christ, and watch God work.

Josh

Destroy Your Idols!

2010-01-06T22:29:00.006-05:00

Perhaps it’s because men want to demonstrate their superior strength, perhaps it is because we think there is some merit to conquering the “untamed wilderness,” perhaps it is pride, or perhaps it’s selfishness. Though it could be anyone or a combination of all these, what is it that draws men to long extreme sporting events? Why is it that a man is willing to risk his life circumnavigating the globe, skiing down deadly alpine slopes, or doing daring stunts on a dirt bike? Is it simply so he can say that he has achieved what no one else has or that he has conquered the elements? What would you say if I told you that such activities were idolatrous and a resentment of the sanctity of human life?

On December 31st, our entire family was gathered in the basement of my grandparents house watching the Hokies whip up on Tennessee (sorry UT fans!). Those of you who watched the game probably saw the excitement building for Travis Pastrana’s highly anticipated 269 ft. jump over water and onto a floating barge. I’ll admit I was pretty excited about seeing this daring feat following the game, but my mom and dad had different plans. Instead of watching Travis Pastrana risk his life for fame, dad read aloud a chapter speaking on the very topic of extreme sports in a book entitled Stand Fast, by Douglas Bond.

Suffice it to say that my opinion changed pretty quickly about Mr. Pastrana’s risky venture. For several years I have held the view, along with others, that sports can become a form of idolatry if we are not careful. And though some of you may be shaking your head in resentment of this statement, let me encourage you to evaluate your life. I’ll give you an example. From age 6 to age 14 I played baseball with my local parks and recreation center. By the time I was 9, I had made my first All-Star team and managed to make the team every succeeding year. Between the ages of 10 and 12, I decided that I wanted to increase my ball playing skills. Thus, I attended hitting camps, worked on strength and conditioning, played baseball outside of the normal season, competed in an event called Pitch, Hit, and Run which took me all the way to Baltimore, and pretty soon I found myself playing AAU ball. My love for baseball had become an obsession and it was consuming a great deal of my time and the time of my family.

Looking back, I now see that baseball had become my number one priority, not God! I had, in essence, built an idol. Thankfully, between ages 13 and 14, I started losing interest in baseball and finally quit. Before quitting, it had been my goal to play baseball in college, become an MLB player, and preach on the side. It wasn’t until I heard Dr. Voddie Baucham talk about sports in his Legacy series that it truly clicked; sports can easily become a form of idolatry if we make them our priority, master, and obsession rather than God.

I’m not saying in all of this that sports or other activities are necessarily wrong, rather I’m saying we must carefully examine our priorities. Parents, what does it say to your child when you’re willing to skip church so they can travel with their sports team? Though you may not think it, something as little as skipping church so your child can indulge himself in his favorite sport is telling him that God is to take a back seat to sports. I’ve known and do know people, who though wouldn’t admit it, think this way. Unfortunately, this is what I secretly thought when playing baseball. “Yes, I get to play baseball today instead of going to church!” I secretly loved Sundays when I had to miss church because of baseball. Though sports aren’t necessarily evil, they can have a very negative effect on us.

Christ himself has said, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Luke 16:13). Granted, Christ is speaking specifically of money in this passage, but the principle applies to anything that competes for our devotion to Christ: “No servant can serve two masters...” Thus, it is not only sports that compete for our devotion to Christ; anything that becomes your absolute obsession other than Christ is an idol. Whether it’s school, music, sports, you name it.

However, as dad read that night, extreme sports begged an entirely different question, which was the sanctity of human life. If we are willing to risk death in order to make some seemingly great accomplishment, then we have disregarded the sanctity of human life and have ignored the teaching of scripture, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” – Matthew 4:7. Though men as leaders must learn how to be courageous, let me suggest that one need not risk his life to do so. In other words, courage is not attained by climbing Mount Everest or jumping a car 269 feet; that is insanity! That is putting God to the test; that is viewing your self-indulgence as more important than your family since you are willing to die in the act.

However, a great way for a boy to gain courage and to develop skills and character traits that will usher him into manhood is by going on adventures with dad! Boys need to enjoy the excitement and wonder of the fallen, yet still beautiful, world God has made. Boys and fathers need to spend time worshiping God together in the outdoors and learning what it means for them to take dominion. But, what we choose to do in the outdoors should be measured against our priorities (God or ourselves) and whether or not we value the life God has given us. For example, taking your son on a bungee jumping trip turns the priority of your trip away from drawing closer to God and to one another, and toward your accomplishment of something seemingly great. In addition, because the likely outcome of a botched bungee jump is death, it is a disregard for the sanctity of human life. In the end, then, fathers and sons should choose outings that, though potentially challenging, draw them closer to God and to one another and give priority to the sanctity of human life.

A once avid climber himself, Mr. Bond provides several personal examples of people he has known who have died climbing mountains notorious for producing death. In the book, Mr. Bond explains how he used to justify climbing: “God created mountains. So when I climb high on their summits I see his handiwork and draw closer to him. I can praise and worship God from the mountaintop just as well as (I was tempted to say ‘even better than’) at church.” Such thinking, as Mr. Bond notes, fails to justify indulging in such extreme sports. For as Christians all other activities are to take a back seat to worship (Hebrews 10:25). Furthermore, extreme sports often cause us to look to ourselves and praise ourselves for our accomplishments. It causes us to become prideful and those around us begin to admire us instead of God and what He has done. In other words, we end up worshiping the created, not the Creator.

So, in this new year, take the time to evaluate the events of 2009 and then look to 2010. Figure out what your idols were in 2009, (whether it was sports or any other thing that became your all consuming passion) then destroy them and draw closer to the One who has made you and saved you!

In Christ,
Josh

SOS Synopsis; Day 3!

2009-12-23T10:23:00.004-05:00

Saturday morning’s keynote session was presented by Mr. Kevin Swanson, in which he spoke on The Sufficiency of Scripture for your Educational Decisions. I have listened to Mr. Swanson on his radio program (Generations Radio), but had never actually seen him speak. I’m here to tell you that he is an excellent speaker and a thrill to watch! He is extremely passionate about the topics he chooses to speak on and his body language reflects that. His message essentially defended biblical home education, but instead of turning to Deuteronomy 6 or Ephesians 5, Mr. Swanson took us to the book of Proverbs; a book dedicated to education.

Mr. Swanson set the table by demonstrating that in the book of Proverbs, and in many other places throughout Scripture, our wise God has given us principles for education. But Proverbs is unusual in that it is a book of the Bible devoted entirely to the study of wisdom and how one can, by God’s grace, attain it. Sadly, however, government schools and even most Christian schools and colleges do not teach wisdom from the book of Proverbs, nor do they teach the most fundamental truth of education: Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.”

If the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, then what is the fear of the LORD? As Mr. Swanson put it, “Fear of God is knowing there is a God who created everything; He is a God to be worshipped. He is a God who can give and take away, and a God who brings everlasting torment.” Amongst these, Mr. Swanson mentioned several other characteristics of our God that proclaim that He is a God to be feared. He then paused and spoke directly to all science teachers in the room (public, private, home school, and college). Getting down on his knees as he spoke, Mr. Swanson declared, “You have not taught science until you get down on your knees and say, ‘Worship the God who did this!’”

He continued speaking directly to the public school teachers in the room saying that if they are not teaching the fear of the LORD by teaching their students every day that God is the one who has made everything, from the complex structure of DNA to the frog being dissected in the lab, then they are under the judgment of God for not teaching the fear of the LORD! Teaching the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. “You must teach your students how to shake,” Mr. Swanson said. In other words, students should every day be so overcome by the power and fear of God that they shake in fear and wonder!

Mr. Swanson added that this is one of the major problems with our seminaries; God is not real to our seminary students; He is confined to papers and tests. Instead of teaching them the fear of the LORD, we teach them rhetoric. “If we are going to teach them rhetoric,” Mr. Swanson said, “then we must teach it with meekness and fear.” This is one of the principle problems I have with seminary. Though there are notable exceptions, most students go to seminary so they can learn how to become the next Joel Osteen; they don’t go to learn what it truly means to fear the LORD. They go in order that they might learn the newest techniques to being successful pastors by the world’s standard.

But this applies to more than rhetoric and theology. Every single subject must lead back the mystery and power of God, and that (praise God) we will never be able to fully understand Him! Whether it’s government school, private school, home school, or college, “They must be on their faces by the end of the lesson, worshipping a God that they cannot fully understand!” Mr. Swanson also noted, “Unless you have taught a child the fear of God, you have not taught the Gospel,” much less true academics. “We have got to fear Him if we are to love Him.”

When we think of reasons why the Christian faith is dying in the western world, we usually credit it to poor ministry outreach, or the decline in good moral behavior. However, Mr. Swanson rightly said, “The faith is dying in the western world because of education.” According to Mr. Swanson, this has primarily happened through men such as Thomas Aquinas teaching dualism (there should be a separation from the fear of God and the academic or philosophical). Consequently, this is why we have a massive lack of Christians in our social spheres. Parents spend their lives and money preparing their children for a successful career in the futile city of men instead of the everlasting city of God. Instead of concentrating our children’s education around secular men, “give them church history and the best Christian literature you can find.”

By the end of his session, Mr. Swanson was down on his hands and knees; that’s just how passionate he is about the responsibility parents have in giving their children a distinctly Christian education! Unfortunately, so many Christian parents today don’t see this as something they are required to give their children; the consequences of the rejection of this obligation are evident.

I also attended two breakout sessions Saturday: Paul Washer’s The Sufficiency of Scripture for Evangelizing the Nations, and Doug Phillips’ The Sufficiency of Scripture for Culture and Aesthetics. Choosing my favorite of the two was very challenging, but I had to conclude that Paul Washer's message was the most meaningful to me.

Paul Washer really challenged the modern method of reaching the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He said, “We seem to care more about making culturally sensitive churches than making Biblically sensitive Churches.” Time after time, I’ve heard missionaries talk about planting churches that are “culturally sensitive.” However, we are not instructed to plant culturally sensitive churches, but Biblical New Testament churches. It doesn’t matter whether we are in America or Brazil, the churches we plant around the world must adhere to the principles laid out in Scripture. As Paul Washer noted, we should not care for the dictates of culture; rather we should only care about God’s dictates and what He has instructed us to do in His Word. As Kevin Swanson commented earlier about seminary, so many prospective missionaries go to seminaries and colleges simply so they can learn new methodologies and how they can adapt and relate to the culture they are going to. Yet this should not be our goal in attending seminary; our goal should be to understand and apply Scripture.

Mr. Washer’s first point:

1) The Scripture is Sufficient to command you to goThe great commission is not an option for believers. Then why do we go?
a. For the glory of GodNot necessarily for the great need in a particular area, but for God.
b. For the sake of the electMr. Washer expounded, “You do not love or glorify God if you do not love people...When we go to spread the gospel we are going to rescue families.”
c. We go for the true conversion of the souls of men and the establishment of biblical churches and families.

As Mr. Washer so well stated, “We are to go out with the gospel of Christ, not with a desire to see people make puny decisions, but to see true Biblical churches.” Mr. Washer gave an example at this point of missionaries going to preach the message of salvation and having hundreds of decisions for Christ. As a result, he plants a church, but the next Sunday there are only a few people who even bother to attend the worship service. It’s because there was no true conversion. If we go to plant churches, we must be willing to be patient, for it could take a lifetime to establish a Biblical church and Biblically functioning families.

Mr. Washer then proceeded to explain the importance of the Holy Spirit’s work, saying that a man who is going to preach the gospel must constantly be praying for the outpourings of the Holy Spirit. For apart from the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we are unable to effectively communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ. Mr. Washer pointed to the Apostles, noting that even though they had walked and talked with Christ and had seen him resurrected, they still had no power to present the gospel until the Holy Spirit came.

2) We go thoroughly, thus eliminating romanticismWe must not be so dedicated to our ministry that we forget our wives and children; they must be our first priority.
3) We go preaching and teaching
4) We must go prayingMany men are known for their preaching and teaching, but few are known for being great preachers and having a stellar prayer lives. We must be men of prayer.
5) We go caring and loving“In the church, in the new covenant, love is not something, it is everything.” We are to love the most filthy, wretched person alive.

As with the Semper Reformanda Conference, Voddie Baucham was the final keynote speaker of the conference, “batting cleanup.” Scott Brown introduced Dr. Baucham as a man who loves expository preaching and does it well, and I couldn’t agree more! In this message, Dr. Baucham preached through Titus 2:1-6 and Titus 1:5-9, speaking on The Sufficiency of Scripture in the Disciple – Making Ministry of the Church and Home.

The message was very similar to one I heard him preach at the Semper Reformanda conference in October, but many new points were made. First of all, Dr. Baucham gave us an example of a three legged stool, the three legs being:

1) Godly, mature men and women in the church
2) Godly, manly elders
3) Godly, biblically functioning homes.
“If any of these are taken away,” Dr. Baucham said, “Discipleship is greatly hindered.”
He then walked us through Titus chapter two, noting that in verse two the text explicitly says “Older men are to be.” The verb “be” makes it clear that we are talking about older men who are godly and constantly growing in the Lord. This is a man who is yielded to the Spirit and is living the sanctified life.

Dr. Baucham expounded on each one of the qualities listed in Titus 2 for both men and women. When he got to the end he said, “Titus 2 is not a model for women’s Bible Study. Because a women’s Bible Study is an older woman standing in front of other women and teaching them. That’s not in the text.” The kind of instruction spoken of in Titus 2 is relational instruction, which older woman should give younger woman through the process of mentorship, not formal instruction.

Notice also that older men, older women, and younger women all have a list of characteristics they are to exemplify. When we get to young men, there is no list. Dr. Baucham holds the view that Titus chapter one provides the list for men when it speaks of qualifications for elders. There are three reasons why he believes this:

1) ‘Cause there’s no list in chapter two.
2) Elders are commanded to be examples to the flock.
· You can’t be an example to the flock and live by a separate list. In order to be examples, elders must live by the same principles as the rest of the body.
3) There is nothing in Titus 1 that we would be willing to give up for our own sons!

As Dr. Baucham put it, “Everything a man is required to do from the pulpit, he is first required to do in the home.” The office of elder requires a man’s man. As elder, you are a shepherd to the flock of Jesus Christ and as Dr. Baucham so well stated, “Shepherds were tough dudes! You don’t think so? How about you go fight a wolf with a stick!”

“Where can I find an example of such man?” some of you may ask; look no farther than Jesus Christ Himself. In our world today, through art and visual media, we depict Christ as being a glossy, pale, white, fragile human being, but Jesus was a man’s man.

What followed was one of the most stirring, stunning depictions of Jesus I have ever heard put to words! With great infatuation, Dr. Baucham described the real Jesus, and though I didn’t get every word, and though I won’t come close to telling it as Dr. Baucham did, just know that your Jesus is a MAN!

· He conquered sin
· He conquered death
· He conquered the grave
· He’s a warrior who will one day return to this earth on a white horse, with fire in his eyes, and a sword at His thigh
· He walked around with calloused hands and feet
· He chased people out of the temple with a whip
· He overturned tables

I don’t know about you, but my Jesus is someone I would plunge into the depths of the earth after! He is a REAL MAN! When Dr. Baucham offered this description, it was presented with so much zeal and love that it made my heart long to be in Christ’s presence! This is our model for Biblical manhood; let’s strive every day to be more like Him, recognizing all along that without Him we never will be!

I hope you have enjoyed this diminutive synopsis of the conference. Though it was brief, I trust you have been able to acquire some taste of the fantastic teaching we were blessed to have received over last weekend.

Sola Scriptura!

Josh

SOS Synopsis; Day 2!

2009-12-18T23:35:00.007-05:00

As I walked through the doors the next morning, one of the first things I heard from Dr. Voddie Baucham was, “It is Biblically indefensible to send your kids to government schools.” Both public education and the church have so indoctrinated us into feminism. How so? It’s not necessarily because we have weak men who won’t stand up and accept their god-given roles as leaders, as much as it is women usurping the man’s role; feminism was born while men were being men. This happened because women were sick and tired of the male functioning in his god-given role as the leader, so they overtook education, knowing that if they could indoctrinate the minds of young people across this land into a feminist mind set, accomplishing their agenda of role equality would be that much easier. Now, this isn’t the only reason we shouldn’t send our kids to government schools, but as Dr. Baucham pointed out this has feminized our men and trained our women to be men who just so happen to be biologically capable of having babies.

Unfortunately, the church has and is doing the same thing. Much of the modern church today is allowing women to assume leadership roles in the church, which biblically they are not qualified to assume, thus feminizing the church, its ministries, and its men.

The premise of Dr. Baucham’s keynote session was that the Scripture is sufficient to define manhood and womanhood. Feminism has taken a deadly toll on both our men and women in a number of ways:

· Masculanized Girls
· Feminized Boys
· Delayed/Confused Marriages
· Plummeting Birth Rates
· Abortion
a. Feminism’s goal is egalitarianism. Thus, its goal is to eliminate ALL differences between men and women (i.e. women should not be having babies if they want egalitarianism).
· Gender Confusion
· An Epidemic of Unprotected Women
· Normalization of Single Parent Homes
· The Acceptance of Homosexuality

Sadly, each one of the above epidemics is being accepted by people like you and I because of our indoctrination into feminism. So, what is the result?

1. Marriage Patterns that do not portray the relationship between Christ and His church
a. Jesus valued marriage so much that He compared it to His own relationship to the church. Thus, if we begin to redefine the roles men and women are to play in the church and family, we are perverting and redefining the gospel!
2. Parenting practices that do not train boys to be masculine and girls to be feminine.
3. Homosexual tendencies and increasing attempts to justify homosexual alliances.
4. Patterns of unbiblical female leadership in the church that reflect and promote the confusion over the true meaning of manhood and womanhood.
a. Dr. Baucham paused at this point and said something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. He explained how we make exegetical mistakes by saying that women should be able to assume leadership positions in the church if they feel called or if they have particular gifts for a certain leadership position. He said, “People say, ‘if a woman has passion and gifts, she should exercise those gifts and override Scripture!’” To which Dr. Baucham’s response was, “What if I have a passion and a gift for polygamy?! Does that, somehow, make it Biblical?”

Then what do we do? Do we just sit around and suck our thumb and reflect on the bliss of the good ole days when men were men and women were women? Dr. Baucham provides an answer to that question by evaluating the life of Adam prior to the fall.

1. Adam had a commitment to God-Honoring work (Genesis 2:15)
a. Yes, in the most perfect pristine environment God said that man must work. The fall simply made the work laborious, and though Eve was Adam’s suitable helper, we are given no indication in scripture that she labored with him.
2. Adam had a commitment to the law of God
3. Adam had a commitment to the family
a. A young man ought to grow up committed to his family of origin. Only when he “leaves and cleaves,” does he set his own vision.

Dr. Baucham closed his message with this statement as he walked off the stage, “Remember, I don’t write the mail, I just deliver it; if you’ve got a problem, take it up with the author.”

I went to several breakout sessions that day, but the one that stuck out to me the most was Geoffrey Botkins’, Applying the Sufficiency of Scripture in the Botkin Family. Mr. Botkin began by asking a simple question, “What happened to the American family?” His answer was one I fully expected; fathers ceased applying and entrusting the Scripture to their families. As a result, the family lost its cultural authority. That’s the American family, but why do most Christian families fail to apply Scripture in and to the family?

1. Most humanistic traditions of men separate Scripture from the family.

And so, the application becomes unnecessary.

Unfortunately, I was not able to finish writing down his second point before it was gone, but he essentially stressed the great need for us to obey the Scriptures. Mr. Botkin said that he tells his sons often, “You open the Bible and find something to obey.” Continuing, “There can be no life without revelation and obedience...The only rule for faith and practice is Scripture, nor can there be Christian civilization without it.”

So, how should Scripture be applied to the family?

1. As the primary imperative
2. As a stewardship of vast custodial powers
3. As the discharge of sacred duty of the dominion mission, guarding the most mature responsibility of marriage – Proverbs 13:13, Micah 6:7-8, Genesis 18:19, Luke 1:16-17
Mr. Botkin then pointed to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and said that Scripture is sufficient for doctrine. As Christians, we are to be legally minded in how we live out our lives, because Scripture is to be applied in every area of life:

· Orthodoxy
· Sovereignty and dominion
· Theonomy/law/freedom
· Jurisdictional Analysis
· Providence and belief
· Antithesis and the battles of our day
· Presupposition apologetics
· Patriarchy
a. A patriarch has influential children; a dynasty that lasts a long time through obedience (or delight) in his commandments – Psalm 112:1-3.

Mr. Joe Morecraft was our first keynote speaker on Friday evening. Mr. Morecraft’s session was entitled, Is the Sufficiency of Scripture a Biblical Doctrine? “It is unbiblical,” Mr. Morecraft said “to say that Scripture is all we have and all we need.” Now, I’ll be perfectly honest with you, I squirmed in my seat at this statement because this was my honest view of the sufficiency of Scripture. However, what followed put my uneasiness to rest. If our view is that Scripture is all we have and all we need, then we forget the good Christian books and pastors. In other words, if we believe Scripture is all we have and all we need, we discard all other outside sources, including pastors and books and in autonomy proclaim, “All I need is me, my Bible and the Spirit! That’s it!”

Now, before you get too excited, Mr. Morecraft defined true sufficiency of Scripture as everything we need to live for God and worship Him. However, some things around worship (i.e. What time will we meet for church? Will we sit in a chair or will we stand?), are left to Christian prudence. Expounding, Mr. Morecraft made several other points about the Sufficiency of Scripture:

· The Bible is the divinely authoritative Word of God.
· It speaks to EVERYTHING.
a. It might not speak directly to a particular situation but its truth still speaks to that situation.
· EVERYTHING must subject itself to the Holy Spirit speaking in and through the Word of God.
· It is our only rule of faith and obedience.
· There is no room for additions or subtractions to its contents.
· It’s applicable to every situation in life.
· It provides us with a perfect gospel.
· It provides us with true and workable solutions.
· It provides us a complete system of law.
· It deals with ALL the practical issues of life.

Thus, Mr. Morecraft’s conclusion is this, “All a person needs is the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and God-ordained aids to understand Scripture.”

Last, our family had the pleasure of listening to Mr. Scott Brown address The Sufficiency of Scripture for Ministry to Youth. In one of his opening statements, Mr. Brown made a clarification about the NCFIC, “We are not rejecting ministry to youth, but we must do it in compliance with the Scriptures.” From here, Mr. Brown put up an excellent defense of the church’s role in ministry to youth:

1. Youth ministry is a well-developed theme in Scripture.
2. Scripture shows the consequences of neglect of youth ministry.
3. Ministry to youth must conform to Scriptural patterns and precepts.
a. i.e. AGE-INTEGRATION not age-segregation.
4. The family has the primary responsibility for ministry to youth
a. Under this point, Mr. Brown stated, with regard to biblical youth ministry, “Vibrant youth ministry is a vibrant marriage.” He supported this claim with Malicah 2:15.
b. In addition, Malicah 4:6 encourages fathers to turn their hearts to their children, and children to turn their hearts to their fathers. This should constitute a major part of youth ministry.
c. Family worship is a key element to ministry to youth.
5. The church has specific duties for ministry to youth.
6. The content of the instructions in ministry to youth is specified in Scripture.
7. Generational faithfulness is emphasized in biblical ministry to youth.

That doesn’t do Mr. Brown justice, but it is a summary of his biblical defense for ministry to youth. However, from this point, Mr. Brown moved into phase two: Characteristics of Modern Youth Ministry.

1. This invention has significant financial resources dedicated to it.
2. Significant personnel are allocated to sustain it.
3. Major cottage industries have grown up around it.
4. Church leaders set aside the comments of God for church and family life in order to grow it.

What are the effects of this movement?

1. Fathers are eliminated from it.
2. Worldly practices were used to popularize it.
3. Cultural fragmentation is used to unify it.
4. Evangelistic impotence is the result.

Hence, here are some necessary questions we must ask:

1. Is it Biblical? – No
2. Did the philosophy originate from godly or worldly philosophy
a. It came from educational revolutionaries (Mann, Dewy, Rousseau, Hall etc...)
3. Does it produce good fruit?
a. Youth ministry is a weed that has gained root in the church so that when you pull on it you pull on everything else in the church.

As you can see, the first point above says that it is not biblical. Why? Let me let Mr. Brown help you. Unfortunately, I missed several of his points because my pen was moving so quickly ;-) but I was able to get the majority of them:

1. No evidence that this practice ever did exist.
2. Not commanded by God.
3. It is a methodological contradiction to clearly defined biblical principles.
4. It is contrary to the ministry and patterns of Christ.
5. It is Contrary to discipleship principles found in Proverbs 13:20.
6. It involves the creation of church officers not ordained by God.
7. Turns children’s hearts away from fathers and to the peers and youth ministers.
8. Divisive to the church by creating generational division and multiple churches instead of a unified body.
9. It inhibits the discipleship process.

This was the best exhortation on the church’s role in ministry to youth I believe I have ever heard! Mr. Brown wrapped this bad boy up with a statement that stuck with me, “The philosophy of modern youth ministry is indisputably unbiblical in its pattern, unchristian in its authority, and destructive in its impact.”

As always, getting to hear these guys live is so much better! No amount of note taking can ever fully demonstrate just how truly awesome these men are! At the very least, I hope it is giving you just a taste of how powerful this conference was. If you have the time, take the journey over to Mr. Phillips blog and check out some pictures of the conference.

Be back soon with Day 3!

Sola Scriptura!
Josh

SOS Synopsis; Day 1!

2009-12-16T23:17:00.002-05:00

I expected that I wouldn’t have time while at the conference to post updates, so now that it is over, I’m going to walk through each day and give a synopsis of some of the most meaningful speeches I heard.

We were a bit late rolling into the convention center on Thursday night. It was after six o’clock and none of us had gotten the opportunity to eat any supper. As we walked through the doors, we were instantly greeted by the calm and comforting sound of Mr. Scott Brown’s voice. Unfortunately, we missed the majority of his key note session that evening, trying to find seats and get something to eat.

Doug Phillips took the podium immediately after Scott Brown and spoke on The Defining Battles in the War against the Sufficiency of Scripture. Mr. Phillips argued that one of the comforting things about fighting on God’s side is that we have the assurance of being on the winning team! In defining this battle, Mr. Philips took care to note how important the father’s role is in the instruction of his children; even down to how he handles the very Word of God (i.e. Does he treat it like any other book?). Some of the battles Mr. Phillips mentioned in his session were: The Battles against Satanic destruction (you can be like God), Against Neo-Evangelical Revivalism (Scripture is sufficient; we don’t need the inventions of men), The Battle Against Greek Rationalism, The Battle Against Evolutionary Hegenomy, The Battle over Ethics, The Battle Over Freedom. Mr. Phillips mentioned all these battles and many more in which we, as Christians, are to be engaged.

Mr. Phillips really encouraged Christians not to have a legalistic mindset when trying to interpret Scripture. In other words, he encouraged Christians not to say, “If Scripture doesn’t speak on it, it’s okay.” The Bible speaks to everything; there is no neutrality when it comes to accepting or rejecting the sufficiency of Scripture. Either we accept that the Bible speaks to everything, or we reject it. “It is a source book” as Mr. Phillips said.

Our final speaker that evening was none other than Ken Ham. Ken Ham was given a stirring and well deserved introduction by Doug Phillips in which Mr. Phillips described Ken Ham as the greatest apologist of our day! Ken Ham’s session was entitled, The Genesis 3 Attack, in which Mr. Ham noted that since Genesis 3, the authority of the Word of God has been under attack. In every era, every age, the Bible has been attacked in some shape or form. However, the unfortunate thing is that in our era, the church, the very institution which is to uphold the truth of God’s Word is attacking the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God by denying its foundation: Genesis.

Ken Ham gave a great deal of insight from his most recent book, Already Gone, which I encourage every Christian to read. He explained that because we have advertently, and for some inadvertently, undermined the authority of the Word of God by choosing to believe the philosophies of man with regard to the nature of God, man, and the cosmos, we are losing the next generation of young men and women while they are still in middle and high school.

According the VERY extensive research conducted by AIG, as many as two thirds of the young people in our churches are disengaged by the time they are in middle school; in other words, they’re already gone. This is simply because mainstream Christian America has come to accept evolution as the only answer to the question of origins. Thus, we have rejected the sufficiency of the Word of God and the message our young people are receiving is this, “You can believe in millions of years, but believe in Jesus!” When they attend church, they can’t get past the unfortunate truth that most leaders in the church are hypocrites.

Check back soon for Day 2!

Sola Scriptura!

Josh

SOS Update

2009-12-11T23:58:00.003-05:00

Greetings everyone from Cincinnati! Unfortunately I don’t have time to sit down and write a lengthy post about the conference, but I wanted to provide you with a link where you could read up to the hour updates of what’s going on and what we’re learning. I will say that the conference is overwhelming. With hours and hours of profound teaching, and more than 2,600 like-minded people here; it’s pretty exciting. Aside from the awesome teaching I’m receiving, Jonathan and I both chatted with John Moore today (AWESOME young man who is on fire for Christ), about the possibility of working with him on their new film!!! We are going to be chatting with him some more over the weekend, but Jonathan and I are praying that all the details will work out. This could be a launch pad for the two of us. I also bumped into one of the buddies I made at GfBC back in October (small world =)) and we shared a great conversation today.

With all that said, I need to go to bed :) If you want to read more about the conference check out the NCFIC’s blog.

In closing, here is a statement Joe Morecraft made today about the sufficiency of scripture:

“Everything we need to live a life of faith and godliness is found in the Word of God.”

Sola Scriptura!

Josh

SOS Conference!

2009-12-10T09:10:00.002-05:00

My family and I (despite the frigid weather), are headed to Ohio for the Sufficiency of Scripture Conference!

I hope to make posts while at the conference about what the Lord, in His providence, will be teaching us, but if I don't get the time, I will certainly post a synopsis when I get home! In the mean time, enjoy the post below ;)

Sola Scriptura!

Josh

What Role are Women to Play in the Church?

2009-12-10T09:00:00.004-05:00

I know, I know...This is starting to become a bit of a habit, but I just had to post another paper I wrote for my theology class =)

This time, the article I had the pleasure of reading was entitled, The Role of Women in the Church: A Survey of Current Approaches. Some of you can probably imagine the look on my face when I saw this assignment, maybe something like this: “8D”. Anyhow, the author of this particular article presents 3 views of the role women are to play in the church: the “Non-Evangelical Egalitarian View,” “Evangelical Egalitarian View,” and the “Hierarchicalist View.”

Just so you can have a little bit of background information, here is the author’s brief definition of each view:

Non-Evangelical Egalitarian - “This viewpoint rejects the Bible as an absolute, timeless revelation. The biblical texts are sexist and thoroughly androcentric, requiring a ‘hermeneutics of suspicion.’”

Evangelical Egalitarian – “The Bible does not, according to this approach, teach a man/woman hierarchy nor a submission of women/wives to men/husbands. The true biblical picture, especially from the perspective of the NT, is complete equality between male and female and mutual submission of male and female in Christ. There is a strong emphasis on giving full weight to the cultural conditioning of parts of Scripture and on paying close attention to the historically conditioned ad hoc passages.”

Hierarchicalist View – “Hierarchicalists reaffirm the position of traditional Judaism and Christianity that God has determined a functional hierarchy in the home and in the church. There is a role differentiation between male and female. Males are to lead and females are to follow in church government.”

The author of this article never gave his own personal opinion on the subject, but simply presented the facts and left the reader open to form his own opinion. And so, once again, here was my response:

The author intends to formulate a better, clearer definition of the role women play in the church by writing a non-confrontational, non-bias article. The non-evangelical egalitarian approach is the view which I found most disturbing. Primarily because it rejects the authority and timeless message of God’s Word and its followers choose, as a substitute for our unchanging, infinite God, to be guided by man’s finite whims and doctrines. In addition, this view takes a misguided, feminist approach to interpreting Scripture. For example, it holds that such passages as 1 Corinthians 13:34 are demeaning and oppressive in nature. This stems, I believe, from a misunderstanding of biblical submission, which is neither oppressive nor demeaning (Ephesians 5:15-33). Yes, men and woman are created equal, on that point egalitarians are correct, but someone had to be the “head.” Thus, God, not man, in sovereignty, appointed man to the role of headship (Genesis 2)

The evangelical egalitarian approach at least acknowledges the Bible as the infallible rule of faith and practice, yet, in my opinion, it rejects the authority and infallibility of God’s Word by rejecting God’s created order (1 Timothy 2:13). While I agree with the evangelical egalitarians that men and women are created equal, and while I recognize the huge impact influential women have made in history (i.e. Esther, Ruth), and while I don’t believe women should be treated as less valuable nor inferior to men, I do recognize that they have distinct roles. Just as the Trinity, men and women are equal in nature, distinct in person, and subordinate in duties. This includes both home and church.

In this section, the author makes reference to seven controversial passages of Scripture, including Romans 16:1: Evangelical egalitarians believe this verse teaches that since Phoebe’s name is associated with the word servant (which can mean “deacon” in Greek), she must have been a deacon. Therefore, should we not also allow women to serve in that office? However, though the Greek word “diakonos” in this verse does mean teacher or deacon, it can also be translated “to run errands,” an “attendant,” or a “waiter at a table.” Moreover, taking into count the context, notice the word helper in verse 2, “prostatis.” “Prostatis” is a feminine noun translated, “patroness, or assistant.” This word, then, implies that Phoebe performed acts of benevolence and service to the apostles, specifically Paul. Therefore, I do not believe Phoebe was a deacon. And just as a footnote, how can a deacon be the husband of one wife (1 Timothy 3:11-12)?

Like the hierarchicalist, I believe that though men and women are created equal, they have distinct roles. Clearly, the man is to be the leader of the home and the woman is to lovingly submit (Ephesians 5:15-33). Titus 2:3-5 tells us that the woman’s role in the church is training younger woman, something that is all too often overlooked in the modern church today, and providing general encouragement to the body. That is their ministry, and it is vitally important that they perform this ministry that, “the word of God may not be reviled.”

Personal Conclusion

As Christians, to our own shame, we have allowed the doctrines of feminism to creep into homes and churches across this nation, thus diluting the minds of the body of Christ. As a result, we have turned against the truth of God’s Word and have replaced it with the lies of the culture. Genesis 2 has been described as a feminist’s worst nightmare. In this case, I would argue that it is a non-evangelical egalitarian’s, and evangelical egalitarian’s worst nightmare. From the very beginning, it was God’s intention that the man be the leader in both church and home. However, we have adopted the feminist view that women should be permitted to assume the same responsibilities as men. Thus, like so many other things, the church has decided to acquiesce to the culture, allowing women to usurp men’s biblical role of leadership.

Furthermore, wives are now trying to usurp their husband’s leadership by proclaiming that they have an equal right to be head of the family. Does not the curse warn of this? Genesis 3:16b says, “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” This verse warns that there will be a continuous struggle over leadership. Therefore, allowing women into “the ministry” is compliance with the very curse we are under. 1Timothy 2:12-13 proclaims that in accordance with created order, just as in the family, men are to be the leaders in the Church. Notice, also, verse 12; Paul says, “I do not permit...” This is not a kind suggestion, but a command made by an apostle of Jesus Christ under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

No, He's not Perfect

2009-12-03T23:39:00.008-05:00

As the world watches its number one athlete own up to “transgressions” which go back more than two years ago, its people are forced to face the fact that their super star athlete is actually human. On Wednesday, November 25, I was sitting under a tree in the middle of the woods, waiting in vain for even a glimpse of a whitetail, when I felt a buzz on my phone. Upon picking it up, I discovered that it was a text message from my sister, informing me that Tiger Woods had been in a car accident at about 2:30 that morning. I was relieved to hear that alcohol was not a factor, but my mind couldn’t help but wonder why Woods was “sneaking” out so late. My suspicion was that Tiger and his wife Elin had had some sort of disagreement, but little did I know.

As it turned out, Woods has been involved in affairs with at least three different women, and one of them, a cocktail waitress in Los Angeles, has acknowledged that she has been involved with Tiger for 31 months! Though details as to the extent of these affairs remain unknown, Tiger has still lost his reputation as a “spotless” athlete, as well as the trust of his family.

Having had the opportunity to watch the world’s number one play his game on two different occasions at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, I have seen firsthand the throng of people who follow him up and down the fairways, some seemingly in an attitude of worship and admiration as he passes. Now, I’ll not deny that it is certainly exciting to see the best in the game do what he does; both times I have watched him in person I have been beyond impressed with how well he plays the game, but so many others look beyond his golf and see him as a perfect individual. I have even heard people ask, “Is he even human?” I think that what has been revealed over the past week speaks loud and clear to the entire world that, yes, Tiger Woods is human, and, no, he is far from perfect.

In a statement released Wednesday on his website, Tiger admits, “I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect.” Now, some have credited his P.R. guys for writing such a great apology; regardless of whether that is true, it is at least good to hear him own up and apologize for his “transgressions.”

However, what is so upsetting about all this is not all the boys and girls, and men and women, who unfortunately look up to a fallen man, like you or I, as a role model, but that Woods had the audacity to think he could get away with this without affecting his family. After Tiger had his reconstructive knee surgery in 2008, he was quoted a number of times saying how he had enjoyed this time off from the game, spending more time with his family, and watching his little girl (Sam) grow. However, one wonders now what was really going on all those months as Tiger recovered from surgery. Nevertheless, the wise words of Solomon come flooding back into my head, “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” – Proverbs 10:9.

It was only a matter of time before his actions would be discovered. Tiger says in his statement that, “Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.” Whether this is true or not, I don’t know, but I feel for his wife. By his actions, Tiger has spit in her face and said, “I am not satisfied with you, and since I’m not satisfied with you I will go find someone (or three others) who can satisfy me.” Tiger has chosen to go outside his marriage relationship in an effort to find someone that will satisfy him. Whether Tiger knows it or not, his wife is a gift of the Lord. For him to say by his actions that he is not satisfied with his wife is for him to say to God that he is not pleased with what He gave him!

This should serve as a warning to all of us, for we are all susceptible to the same sin as Tiger. The marriage relationship is something that is only done well when both husband and wife recognize that they are mirroring the relationship between Christ and his church. Our carnal man will never be satisfied with one individual unless and until we learn to become satisfied in Christ. As Voddie Baucham says in the sermon attached to this post, “If you are feasting on Christ, all of your needs are being met and your relationship with your wife is gravy. If Christ is my all in all and I am satisfied in him and I look to my wife and say, Oh God that you would satisfy me utterly and completely and on top of that you give me this woman! Read Ecclesiastes if you don't believe. There is no woman or man that will satisfy their spouse, the only one that will satisfy is Christ.”

The end of Tiger’s statement says, “I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.” I hate to say it, but as much as he will try, he will never become a better husband, father, or better overall person in his own ability. That statement is a reflection of him turning in on himself and thinking that in his own self righteousness he can become a better person. The only way he can become a better husband and father is by relying completely on Jesus Christ. Because, apart from Christ, he has no power over his self-centered desires. Unless and until Tiger feeds on Jesus Christ, he will never be the husband, father, or person he could be.

With all that being said, let’s not walk away from this with a “holier than thou” attitude. Apart from Christ, in our own fallen frailty, that’s what we’d be like. If we are to truly become the husbands and fathers God has called us to be, then we must remember these words of our savior:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” - John 15:1-6

Josh

Films I'm Excited About!

2009-11-29T22:00:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, I’m a huge movie fan. Not only do I enjoy watching films, but I enjoy making them. I have a great passion for independent Christian filmmaking and in lieu of that; I’d like to point out a couple of productions I am excited about!

First of all, a documentary entitled Homeschool Dropouts has just been released on DVD. I’ll note that I haven’t had the opportunity to view it yet, but based on the fact that it was produced by the Botkin family, major pioneers in both the homeschooling and independent Christian film movements respectively, I’m inclined to think it will be powerful! Contrary to what your initial reaction might be, this documentary is not necessarily about those students who are dropping out of homeschool and going to public or private schools, but those homeschooled students who have no plans to carry on the homeschooling vision to the next generation, those who are depriving the next generation of the very benefits their parents strived to provide them.

In this documentary, homeschool grads sit down and talk about what’s at stake for the homschooling movement if the second generation of homeschoolers (my generation) does not continue the legacy their parents began. So many of those in the homeschool realm view home education simply as the better method to teach their children reading, writing, and arithmetic, but there is SO much more to home education than just the basic scholastic skills. Nor are Homeschoolers simply the ones who win the national spelling bee or have 10 kids ;) No! Home education is part of a vision, a vision which is not limited to a single generation but one that continues to all future generations as long as we remain faithful.

As one of the rising second generation homeschoolers, it is my goal to take the vision my parents have cast and carry it forward. I long to have the opportunity to home educate my children, should the Lord so bless me. I long to have the opportunity to raise men and women God can use for the furtherance of His kingdom. What is it that is so important to home education? What is it that is so essential for my generation to carry on? There’s only one way to find out; get the documentary!

Secondly, it was recently announced on CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network), that Sherwood Pictures is set to release its next major motion picture in spring 2011 (See video here)! As I’m sure most of you are aware, Sherwood Pictures is an independent Christian film company supported by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Who, for the past 6 years, has been dedicated to producing films for the glory of God; Flywheel in 2003, Facing the Giants in 2006, and the acclaimed Fireproof in 2008.

Yet, with each new film produced comes a new, powerful message which seeks to exalt Christ and change the world. Alex and Stephen Kendrick, the prominent filmmakers at Sherwood Pictures, are amongst the pioneers of the independent Christian film industry, and are not only making films that present sound biblical messages, but are becoming more technically proficient with each production! Even though Fireproof was the 4th top grossing film the weekend of its release in theaters, raking in an astounding 33 million dollars at the box office, it is clear that money, nor fame, constitute the reason for continued productions. In Stephen’s own words, “If the Lord shuts it down tomorrow - and He can - we can look back and see that for a season, He allowed us to do something that has been impacting lives.”

Anyhow, what excites me most about this project is the plot of the film: Encouraging fathers to be the spiritual leaders of their homes! WOW! Michael Catt, Senior Pastor at Sherwood Baptist Church, when speaking with reporters about the film said, “With action, drama, and humor, this film will embrace God's promise in the Bible to, turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers."

Praise God for this film group! Praise God that He has raised up a couple of brothers, from a town in Georgia, to impact the culture for Jesus Christ through the medium of film. Praise God that He has led these two men to make a film discussing one of the most ubiquitous problems in the Christian family today. Praise God that these men are standing up for the truth of God’s Word in a culture that hates Christ. Praise God that these men understand that the cause of so many problems in our society is fathers who have not assumed their God-given roles as the spiritual leaders of their homes.

Let me encourage you to pray for this production; it has the potential to have a huge impact for family reformation. Be assured, I am eagerly awaiting spring 2011!

May God alone be praised through both of these films, and may He use them in a mighty way to aid in bringing about the reformation of the family that we so desperately need!

In Christ,
Josh

12 Hour School Days?

2009-11-20T22:06:00.004-05:00

Twelve hour school day? How about 6-7 days a week? No, that wasn't a typo. You think Obamacare is bad? You got another think commin’. Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, has a few “solutions” to the current educational problems in our society, which, amongst other things, involves transforming government schools into the “center of the community,” thereby destroying the family. Say hello to the government schools of the 21st century:

Click Here!

Be sure and view the videos on this page to hear the Secretary of Education in his own words.

A Biblical Man...Is not Passive

2009-11-15T22:42:00.003-05:00

This past Wednesday night, I was reading through Genesis chapter 3 with some boys at church. We got to verse 6 and I stopped them and asked, “Who was with Eve when she was being tempted?” There was a slight pause before one of the boys said, “Adam.” He was exactly right! I followed up his answer by trying to explain that from this verse, we see that Adam was very passive by watching as his wife, Eve, succumbed to temptation, and still more passive by partaking in sin himself. Verse 6 of Genesis chapter 3 reads, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and SHE ALSO GAVE SOME TO HER HUSBAND WHO WAS WITH HER, AND HE ATE.”

According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, passivity is, “Suffering; not acting, receiving or capable of receiving impressions from external agents... Unresisting; not opposing; receiving or suffering without resistance; as passive obedience; passive submission to the laws.”

Passivity is rampant among the men of our culture. Instead of accepting the role God has given us as leaders in our homes (Ephesians 5:23), all too often we “submit” that role to our wives. However, this by no means is exclusive to the home, but it certainly begins in the home. To all boys and men out there, including myself, if we want to be the kind of men God has called us to be (Titus 1), we cannot afford to be passive! If we are going to be the kind of husbands God has called us to be (Ephesians 5), we cannot afford to be passive! If we are going to raise the next generation of warriors for Jesus Christ (Ephesians 6:4), we cannot afford be passive! If we are going to be leaders in the church of our Lord (Titus 1), we cannot afford to be passive! If we are going to proclaim Christ in the various social spheres God places us in (Matthew 28:19), we cannot afford to be passive!

Let’s be a little more specific; what is passivity, practically speaking? I believe its name nearly summarizes itself. Passivity is, in its essence, walking past the problems and responsibilities of life without doing anything. You might give a quick glance as you zoom by such problems and responsibilities, but at its heart lies laziness and irresponsibility. In addition, passivity is, as Webster puts it, “Unresisting and not opposing...” Which basically means that when I’m faced with a difficult decision, whether it be myself or someone else, I don’t take the time to ponder the result of my decision; I don’t oppose one choice and go with the other. Conversely, I carelessly proceed in a destructive direction free from opposition. It is intentionally and carelessly, and sometimes unknowingly, allowing yourself, and/or someone else to plunge headlong into self indulgence.

Still other times it could be casual obedience or submission to the will of Satan instead of obedience and submission to the will of God. It also means letting others make your decisions. As was the case with Adam, he not only let his wife partake of the forbidden fruit, but he was persuaded by her to eat of it. And, I find it quite fascinating that nowhere is it implied, in the text, that this was a difficult decision for Adam to make! Meaning, it doesn’t appear as though he analyzed what might happen should he eat of the forbidden fruit. Quite the opposite; she gave, and he ate. It doesn’t say nor imply that Adam threw up a red flag and said, “This ain’t right!” Instead, it is quite apparent that Adam, in passivity, submitted to his wife’s desire and allowed her to make the decision of whether he should eat of the forbidden fruit. If the man is to be the leader God has called him to be, he must not be passive.

Let me just say that I am by NO MEANS excluded from this! All too often I become guilty of being passive. All too often I do not act when I should. All too often I sit back and let others make decisions and do things for me that, in all honesty, I should be doing. Still, it forces me to come to grips with my own inability, my own incapability of ascribing to the standard which God has set for me. And I can’t do it, apart from the grace of Christ Jesus! I’m in the same fight as all you guys out there. It’s hard to strive to rise above the norm. Nevertheless, we must do it!

Now, with that said, just because we are striving to rise above the norm and be the men God has called us to be, doesn’t give us liberty to strut around like gobblers and say, “Look how much better I am than you!” Not at all! This in no way means that we’re better, or more Christian than anyone else; it simply means we are striving to live out our salvation, striving to live up to the standard God has set for us in His Holy Word. All the while, realizing that in and of ourselves we can’t do it. Every moment of every day there is a choice to live for self, or die to self and live for Christ. We must choose to live for Christ!

As it says in Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (ESV)

Josh

Check Back into Reality...

2009-11-09T23:23:00.001-05:00

Last Monday was, for me, a check back into reality! While Dad and I were attending the Semper Reformanda Conference in Houston, I completely zoned out of everything else I was doing or had to do and focused all my attention upon what God was teaching me. It was as though my mind was in a constant state of reflection, and in many ways still is. But, it wasn’t to last :)

I woke up Monday morning, after all the excitement of getting to visit GfBC on Sunday, and realized I had a paper due Wednesday, discussion boards to write all week, a CLEP test on Thursday, and a test on Sunday. First things first, I logged onto Liberty Online and got my writing assignment for the week, fully intending to write while I was on the plane. Well, most of the trip home was spent reading books on family and church reformation and reflecting on what I had learned! I did manage to read the article I was to write my paper on, but that was it!

I woke up Tuesday morning ready to study Hamartiology (theology of sin), but my mind still very much side tracked! But, God is good, and I was able to write my paper Tuesday, make some edits on Wednesday, and submit it. However, my assignment presented such a heated debate amongst my fellow class mates that I just had to share it with you. Here is the question I was required to give my personal theological position on: “Those who have never heard: have they no hope?”

Okay, so some of you are asking what that means; let me explain =) This question is asking whether or not those in remote parts of the world who have never had an opportunity to hear the gospel are really condemned to hell. The author who wrote the article I was required to evaluate, supported his view in essence by asking the question, “How could a just and loving God condemn those who have never heard the gospel.” He defended that tribes in remote areas of the earth could come to salvation through God’s general revelation, or by believing in a god who has like attributes to our God. Thus, his end conclusion was that those who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ can indeed inherit eternal life.

As it turns out, I was the only student in my class who disagreed with the author’s point of view (Go figure). Talk about intimidating! Although, I kind of enjoy responding to negative criticism ;)

The author of this particular article used several passages of Scripture and a number of Old Testament characters to support his argument, as you will see me reference. I have added some to my original work just for the purpose of clarification, as you have not had the opportunity of reading the article. So, without further ado, here was my response:

While I understand the author’s sympathy for the lost, I cannot agree with his end conclusion for several reasons. First of all, it defeats the purpose of the great commission (Matthew 28:16-20). Second, if man can come to know God through His general revelation then what’s the use of giving a special revelation? Third, Jesus is the only way (John 14:6, Acts 4:8-12, Romans 3:21-22). Fourth, man has a sin nature inherited from the fall of Adam (Genesis 3, Romans 3:9-20). I think that in our fancy and earnest desire to hope that some of these people have not been lost; we forget that as a result of Adam’s sin (Genesis 3) every man is born into this world with a sin nature. Fifth, why would a just and loving God allow a sinner into His kingdom (Revelation 16:5-9)? Sixth, it implies that man can save himself (Romans 8:29-30, Romans 10:4). To believe that a person can come to salvation by recognizing that there is a supreme being above all creation, is to reject Christ’s work on the cross and claim that we can do it without Him! That is self-righteousness. That is man believing that he can come to God in and of His own ability. Seventh, there just isn’t any evidence in scripture to support such a view.

The author makes reference to Romans 10:11-18, stating that the “they” referred to in the passage are “heathens” or gentiles. However, a deeper evaluation of the text reveals that “they” does not refer to gentiles or heathens, but rather Jews. Furthermore, while Paul does use Psalm 19:4 in the passage mentioned above; instead of applying it to general revelation, Paul, here, applies it to special revelation.

Also, while it is true that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, the Father brings that person to repentance (Romans 8:29-30). The author states that since all members of the Trinity are equal, a person who believes in God can acquire salvation; this is a heretical statement! The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal in nature, distinct in person, and subordinate in duties; apart from Christ there is no salvation. Therefore, belief in the Father does not equal salvation, nor does belief in the Holy Spirit equal salvation. Acts 4:12 says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Also see Philippians 2:9-11).

What about Melchizedek or Job? How could they have had the message of the promised seed preached to them at such an early time in history? Are they not living proof that man can come to God apart from knowing of the One True God? Let’s not forget that by this point in world history, more than 2,000 years following the creation of Adam, the message of the coming Messiah would have spread to all surrounding areas. Thus, it is not hard to believe that both these men had heard the message of the coming Messiah.

Still, in light of all this, so many of us come back to, “Why would a just and loving God condemn someone who never had an opportunity to hear? That’s just not fair!” First of all, it is because God is just, so He does not allow sinners into His kingdom. It would be unjust, and contrary to the nature and character of God, to allow someone into His kingdom who never came to Christ in repentance. Second, it’s not fair. Why? Not because God is being unfair, but because we have not reached these people with the gospel of Jesus Christ! God gave the job of evangelism to us (Matthew 28: 16-20). So, in reality, when we shake our finger at God and say that’s not fair, God probably looks at us and says, “You Know, in case you were wondering, I gave the job of evangelism to you.” It is our fault for not reaching these people with the gospel! Indeed, Christ died on the cross for every person on this earth, but it is that individual’s choice whether or not he accepts that free gift.

Accepting that there is a god who possess like attributes to the one true God, is not repentance of sin, nor is it accepting the gift of salvation. Indeed, God does pursue us (Jeremiah 31:3), and He utilizes His general revelation to show man that there is a God, but knowledge of God isn’t enough for salvation. Praise God for His special revelation which screams, “Salvation is in Christ!” Without Him, we could have no hope of eternal life.
Thus, I must conclude that there’s just no Biblical evidence to support the author’s stance. In fact, quite the opposite, there is only one way. Granted, this makes our job as ambassadors more difficult; nevertheless, we must do it.

However, the discussion that followed was even more interesting! Here are some of the questions the students asked in response to reading my paper:

Question #1:

“I find your points compelling but I do not agree with your conclusion. Is the statement, Jesus is the only way as cut and dry as we think? I don't think so. What happened to a follower of God (a Jew perhaps) who was alive when Jesus was on earth but died after Jesus without hearing of Jesus. Condemned to hell? I don't know. I am not as sure as you are.”

Answer:

Let me ask you a question in return to yours. Does it get anymore “cut and dry” than this: “I am THE way THE truth and THE life, NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER BUT BY ME?” As Christians, we have one of two options when reading this verse. Either Christ was telling the truth and He is the ONLY way to salvation or He was a liar. There is no middle ground. Christ didn’t say, “I am the way, except for those poor people who haven’t gotten to hear. I’ll make an exception for them.” No!

As far as your question about the Jew or other follower of God, once Christ died and paid the sin debt, the old system of sacrificing and belief in the coming Messiah was broken. Therefore, yes, anyone who died without knowing Jesus would have been condemned. There is no exception to this!

In my mind this whole argument is over a very “me-centered” view of salvation, “I deserve to have the gospel preached to me. I deserve to have a chance to go to heaven. How dare God condemn me, an innocent man, to hell!” Nothing could be further from the truth! We are not innocent; WE DO NOT EVEN DESERVE TO HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO US. We deserve death and eternal separation from God because our sin offends God. All too often we see God simply for being a God of love, mercy, and forgiveness. Far be it from us to forget that our God is a God of wrath! Just read the account of the flood in the book of Genesis and tell me God isn’t a God of wrath. I’m sure there were plenty of people who never even heard about Noah building the ark. Nevertheless, every last one of them was destroyed, whether they had a chance to hear the way of escape or not. Why? Because our sin offends God and He could no longer abide it!

The enemy has deceived our culture into believing that we deserve to have a chance at hearing the gospel, that we deserve a chance to acquire eternal life. Let’s not let him persuade us that there are more ways to God than through the perfect, sinless, holy, glorious JESUS CHRIST! That is a fundamental of the faith that we cannot and must not give up. If we do, then we are saying that all roads lead to heaven; Allah, Buddha, you name it. We can’t give that room to the devil!

Question #2:

“Do you not believe that if a man in the uttermost parts of the earth dies without having the gospel preached to him, and stands before God, that God will not present him with the opportunity to choose to accept Christ’s sacrifice?”

Answer:

Let me give you a few passages of scripture to stew over =) “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Hebrews 9:27. We only get one shot at salvation, and it is during this life; after death comes judgment. The reference to man in the verse above means all of mankind. It leaves no room for those who have not heard. Also, Jesus commands us to preach the gospel in the “uttermost parts of the earth.” For those of us who have accepted Christ, it is our job to get the message out to the uttermost parts of the earth so these people can have a chance to hear and respond.

However, once this life is over, our chance to accept Christ’s gift of salvation is over as well. If all mankind had a second opportunity, I can guarantee that no one would be in hell, because no one, when they actually saw God, would deny His existence! Nor would they wish to be separated from Him. Therefore, if man received a second chance following death, every person on earth would be saved! There is no second chance. Consider, for example, the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. This parable shows that man only has one chance to accept salvation for himself, and one chance to teach his family the way to salvation. Therefore, I do not think that even someone who lives in the uttermost parts of the world, who dies without hearing the gospel, will get a second chance. Just as any other unbeliever who does not accept Christ, there will be no second chance. I’ve said it before, but I think it is worth mentioning again: the reason we have a problem accepting this is because society has convinced us that man has some good in him, that we are innocent. Let’s not forget that because of Adam’s sin, every person on earth is a wretched sinner. Even those living in ignorance to Christ are still sinners in need of a savior. But just as every other person on earth, they only have one chance.

Two more students asked me questions related to this topic, but they are so closely related to the previous two that I won’t post them. Nevertheless, I found it quite startling at the number of people who believe that there is more than one road to salvation (especially considering these are students at a conservative Christian university). The whole area of Soteriology is so twisted in much of the modern church today, that so-called “Christians” have come to believe that, in the words of Gill in Finding Nemo, “All drains lead to the ocean kid!” It doesn’t matter which one you take, just hop in and enjoy the ride, and we’ll see you on the other side. How deceived we’ve been! But that is exactly why so many will one day say, “...Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you: depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Josh

Lessons From the Hunt

2009-11-06T23:26:00.002-05:00

It’s shortly after sunrise on a cold November morning. All around me were the sounds of the awakening woods, and the encroaching of sunlight into the dark, cold hollow which sat between three mountains in the middle of a 312 acre farm. I had been there since before sunup that morning and “prime time” couldn’t come soon enough. The birds and squirrels began to hustle out of their nests, but there was one animal I was waiting for. I sat in my tree stand with my rifle lying beside me, and with my arms crossed in an effort to keep warm. I was beginning to think this was going to be another useless hunt when I suddenly heard a loud crash of sticks and leaves. I looked to the left, thinking it was probably one of those squirrels that had been annoying me since they got up, but not this time.

But before I could say, “deer.” There it was. It was near 80 yards away, and had seen me jump in surprise. I began scrambling to try and get ready before he left. I shook myself to reality, grabbed my 30-30, placed it on the gun rest, cocked the hammer, removed the safety, and looked through the scope just in time to see it running off back in the direction it came from. I had missed a golden opportunity at getting a deer all because I was not prepared.
This unfortunate event happened in the latter part of November last year. And for those of you who are sitting there scratching your head, I promise you this is all going somewhere :)

Yes, if you’ve looked at my profile, or you know me personally, you know that I enjoy hunting! There are many reasons why I do, but here are a few, five to be exact: First of all, I think every man ought to know how to shoot a gun (What man doesn’t want to deep down inside?). Second, it gives a man an awesome feeling when he is able to go out with his own gun and provide for his family by putting supper on the table. Third, it makes for great bonding time between father and son, and grandfather and grandson. Fourth, it instills outdoor skills that all young men should have. And fifth, I’ve found it makes for an excellent time to talk to the Lord!

Around Thanksgiving and Christmas every year, Dad, Papaw, Jonathan (my older brother), and I love going hunting together. While I love hunting with both bow and muzzleloader, my favorite season of all is rifle. I look forward to pulling my 30-30 out of the gun case every year. And I love coming back home after a hunt a talking it over with the family. However, there is a point
I’m driving at here and I want to share it with you.

Anyone who hunts knows what goes in to having a successful hunt. It takes preparation (finding the deer’s favorite spots, getting the gear, the license etc...), and it takes patience. As I said, I hunt bow and muzzleloader. That means, for me, the hunting season opens at the beginning of October and ends toward the latter part of January. Some days we sit in tree stands for 5 or more hours without seeing anything. Other days we might see 10 deer but never get a shot. It’s just one of those things that takes time.

But here’s my question. Why do we not get this excited about the coming of our Lord Jesus? We sit in tree stands, for hours at a time, scanning the woods, watching, hoping we never miss a glimpse of it. How much more ought we to be anticipating the coming of our Lord! Just as with hunting, we must prepare for Christ’s coming. This begins by making sure we are prepared as individuals. Just as we make proper preparations before a hunt, so we should make sure that when Christ returns, we’ll be going with Him. This also means doing some scouting; finding those areas where the gospel of our Lord must be spread and taking it there. First and foremost, this applies to our families! How do we prepare our families? Deuteronomy 6 makes it quite clear. We are to talk of Christ when we sit in the house, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when we rise up. Scripture should be placed in prominent places in our homes so our children know what really matters to mommy and daddy, and so that all those who enter know that Christ is the center piece in this family.

However, writing scripture on the walls of our house just isn’t enough. I believe every father should instruct his family in the ways of the Lord by leading them in family devotions. Now, a lot of us shutter at the phrase “family devotions,” because we don’t, truly, know what it involves. Let me clear the air. Family devotions is not something fancy or formal, like a church service. It is a time when the family prays together, sings together, reads, and memorizes Scripture together. Now, granted, this means that the father of the household must be a man who devotes himself to careful study of the Word on a daily basis, but this isn’t meant to be a miniature church service, nor is it intended to replace church; not at all. Family devotions are designed to re-enforce what the family is learning when gathered among fellow believers in Christ. Here at our house, we’ve been doing family devotions every night for as long as I can remember. However, we don’t do it as well as we could. But God is gracious, and He has and is using a number of resources (from books to conferences), to help us figure out what we should be doing, and what we should be doing better.

We can also take part in reaching both our community, and the whole world with the gospel; either by going ourselves, if called, or supporting others to go. We can do this by partnering with others in prayer and by supporting them financially. We must make sure that we do our part in helping others prepare for the coming of Christ.

But, this also takes patience. Just as it takes patience to get a deer, it takes patience to wait for our Lord. But, just as we eagerly await that first glimpse of a deer, we should eagerly await the day when our Lord will be seen in the clouds! And if we have made proper preparations we will rejoice at the sight! However, if we have not, we will look back on that day and say, “If only....” I looked back on the day I spotted that deer in late November every day for at least a week. Until, later that season, the same ole’ deer showed up again. This time, though, I was ready, and this time I rejoiced at the sight!

Christ might not come in your lifetime, he might not come in your children’s lifetime. But we should be living each day as though Christ is coming. We should be preparing the next generation to cast this vision on to the next and to the next, leaving a multigenerational legacy of kingdom minded children!

I say all this to encourage you. I by no means live every day in full anticipation of Christ, but the hunting season has my wheels turning =) Just maybe, God will use this as a daily reminder to me to be ever preparing and waiting for the day He returns! So, the next time you go hunting, think about Christ’s return, and ask yourself, “Am I eagerly preparing and patiently awaiting the glorious return of my Redeemer?”

In Christ,
Josh