New and improved site features

I took a break from study for the evening and used it to upgrade a few things on the site.

• I have upgraded from the blogger commenting system to the intense debate system. This makes all sorts of cool stuff like replying to individual comment writers possible. There may be a very glitches in the implementation so let me know if it isn't working properly. Don't worry, the old comments have not been lost, i just haven't gotten to transfering them across yet
• The categories section was getting absolutely out of control with way more tags than was helpful. I've thinned it down to half a dozen main categories. If you are looking for something specific, there is also the search box at the top of the page.
  

Please pray for me

Being here in Singapore has for the most part been a wonderful experience. At the moment i am finding things a bit tough and could really use some prayer.

At the moment the deadlines are arriving way too quickly and the exams aren't too far away. Things have gotten so bad that i'll be staying up for a lot of tonight to get an essay done. I have another one due next week that is not so far going to plan. Of particular concern is my international relations unit. I've been working hard but my first two test results came back with fairly poor marks. My major essay got handed in today. Please pray that the person marking my my essay would be happy enough with the essay to give me a decent mark and that I'd be able to learn what i need to so that i can do really well on the final exam. I absolutely cannot afford to fail this (or any other) unit.

Contributing to the study problems is that I've been sick. I've had a fairly bad cold, something strange going on with my eyes and been quite weak as well. Please pray that i'd get better really quickly because being unwell is making life difficult and getting in the way of my studies.

Featured song: Guy Sebastian- Taller, Stronger, Better

Photos: Animals

The flamingos and otters were in a zoo. The monkeys were wild ones

How not to tell if a preacher is telling the truth

As Christians we should be aiming to have biblical doctrine. Unfortunately a lot of people are using some really faulty methods to work out what that is. These methods lead many to follow all sorts of false teachers and doctrines.

Here's a few of the ones that i see people rely on too often

Sincerity/ niceness- While there is probably some fraudsters who deliberately fake sincerity, most preachers are truly sincere about what they teach. The problem is it is possible to be sincere and wrong. Nor does being the nicest person alive protect one from teaching error.

Good deeds- I have often heard the good deeds someone does used as a rebuttal against questions about doctrine. Any one of any persuasion can do good. It doesn't tell us if their doctrine is correct.

It sounded right- Sometimes stuff sounds right because it lines up with how you've been conditioned by culture, not because it lines up with the bible. It may sound right because you'd really like it to be right (eg. God wants you to be super rich!). Clever writing can also go a long way to making something sound right which actually is not.

I brought the book in a Christian bookstore- It would be nice if buying a book in a Christian bookstore provided a guarantee of theological soundness. Not the case unfortunately. Lots of books with bad theology make their way into Christian bookstores. Some of them even become best sellers.

So what should we do? Compare the teaching to the bible. Not just in a superficial grab a few out of context verses way but in careful and prayerful study.

Featured song: Plumb- Hang on

Book review: Tullian Tchividjian- Unfashionable

Unfashionable
Tullian Tchividjian
224 pages
Published by Multnomah Publishers 2009

In Unfashionable Tullian Tchividjian argues that the way the church will have the impact it is meant to have on the world is by being different. In a time where relevance is fanatically pursued at all costs by many Christians and Christians do no better than non-Christians on many moral issues it is a timely message.

The book starts with a critique of the desire to be cool in the eyes of the world. I found it very convicting. Towards the middle of the book is a lengthy discussion of God’s work in renewing everything back to how it is meant to be and our role in that undertaking. I felt this section to be the weakest in the book. It is not that what he said about God’s work in renewing culture was necessarily wrong, but that without also dealing much with God’s work in saving individuals it seemed a bit unbalanced. Some will also likely take issue at the end times theology that forms the basis of what he says in this section. The final section deals with some specific ways in which we as Christians are called to be different. There is much food for thought here.

Despite my concerns with the middle section, I still think that this is a book worth reading that has many important things to say to the church today.

Some interesting blogs

Here is a few bloggers i have been enjoying lately

Twentytwo words
Thought provoking ideas, quotes and questions in just (usually) 22 words a post.

AfriGadget
The media usually only tells us the negative things that are happening in Africa. Afrigadget tells a more hopeful tale, showing some of the wonderful creativity and inventiveness happening in Africa.

ZooBorns
ZooBorns is dedicated to cute pictures of baby animals. Never fails to make me smile.

The blazing center
The blazing center features short biblical reflections. I'm almost always challenged or inspired.