Evangelism or social justice?

The evangelism verses social justice debate seems to be a favorite amoungst Christians. It has occupied many a book, blog post and debate. Some people say our responsibility is to preach the good news through words. Some say it is to meet people's practical needs for things like food and shelter. Some people say that we should do both but that one is more important than the other. Some people say they are 2 distinct categories of activity, some consider them inseparable or interchangeable.

My stance in this debate is....... that I don't think we really need to be having this debate. We should be doing stuff instead. There is enough of a biblical case to be made for both telling people about Jesus and practical needs so let's do both. I don't think God will be nearly as annoyed if our way of categorizing things is not quite right but we were out doing what we should than if we got the theology of it all perfectly nailed down but just sat around arguing. We wouldn't need to worry that one of telling people about Jesus or meeting their physical needs wouldn't get done if more Christians got up and did something. Most estimates put the global Christian population at over 2 billion. Even if you accept that some of those are non-practicing or part of not quite Christian fringe groups we're still talking about hundreds of millions of believers. Surely that should be enough to get everything done. God has gifted everyone a bit differently so if one person or little group's talents and passions leans towards one area, there is bound to be someone else who can fill in the gap.

So whether your passion involves doing something spiritually or practically beneficial to someone else, just do it!

Book review: Theresa Flores- The Slave Across the Street

The Slave Across the Street
Theresa Flores

Don't believe that slavery and human trafficking could happen in your neighborhood? Think again! In The Slave Across The Street, Theresa Flores tells the horrific story of how as a teen from a fairly normal American family she was forced against her will into commercial sexual exploitation. At the end of the book she shares information on signs to look out for that may indicate a child or teen is a victim of trafficking or exploitation.

This is a difficult book to get through. This isn't because of the writing style- there isn't any problems there. It is because of the horrible nature of what she describes that it is difficult. I guess a book on this topic needs to be difficult. The suffering she endured was unbelievable. There were some segments I had to skip past because I couldn't get through them. If you are already in an emotionally fragile state it is probably not a good choice of reading. One of the bits I'm glad I didn't skip through was her reflections on how her faith helped her get through the ordeal and its aftermath.

Despite being a difficult read, I still think it is an important book. Especially if you have or work with children you probably should read this so you will be better equipped to help stop the suffering the author experienced being repeated in someone elses life.

Review copy of audiobook provided by christianaudio.com

Featured song: Natasha Bedingfield- Unwritten

Do good: Help Haiti

By now you have no doubt seen in the media the terrible destruction that has befallen Haiti. Those working to help the people of Haiti will need all the financial assistance they can get. Please check the list at i-heart.org for a list of how to donate to reputatble charities including world vision, compassion international, red cross and doctors without borders from your country. You can also give to the red cross via iTunes

Book review: Max Lucado- Fearless

Fearless
Max Lucado


In Fearless, Max Lucado responds to the problem of fear, something that strikes us all in some way. He covers such fears as the fear of not mattering, the fear of death, fear of disaster and fear for ones children. I’m sure you will be able to relate to at least some of what he covers.

The book excels in both style and substance. In regards to style, Lucado writes beautifully. He has a knack for vivid images and for memorable ways of saying things. He tells many stories to get his point across. More important than the style of writing is that the message he communicates is good. It is not one of those lessons about fear that teaches you to pysch yourself up and believe in yourself more to overcome fear. Nether does it present an inappropriately optimistic view of what can happen in life. Instead the book focuses on who God is, what he has done and how that relates to our fears. The book includes a lot of scripture.

Given all the craziness in the world of late, it is easy to fear. I think pondering the message of this book could do all of us a lot of good.

Book review: Kevin DeYoung- Just do something

Just do something
Kevin DeYoung

Christians can do all sorts of funny things when it comes to hearing from God. Some are convinced they’ve heard from God about something so run off in wild unwise and even unbiblical directions. Some look in strange places and use strange methods to hear God’s voice. Some can’t work out what he is saying so become paralysed by indecision. In Just Do Something, Kevin DeYoung attempts to provide some clarity on this issue. He argues that instead of seeking out some secret plan from God, people should learn to make wise, Godly choices and be committed to seeing those choices through.

The book is quite easy to get through. I finished the audiobook in an evening. The audiobook version was well narrated. It is a very practical book so may not satisfy those who are wanting a deep theological look at how God speaks and if he still uses miraculous or extra-biblical means to do that. This lack of deep theology is not necessarily a weakness as it doesn’t make the book’s content fluffy and serves to make it more accessible to the new and immature Christians who could benefit from it the most. The two areas he particularly focuses his counsel on is choose a job and choosing who to marry so will be of great interest to college/university age Christians.

I believe this book will be of great benefit to many Christians. In addition to my audio copy, i plan to buy the printed edition to have it ready to lend to friends.



Review copy provided by christianaudio.com

Featured song: Hillsong- higher

Book review: John Piper- A Sweet & Bitter Providence

A Sweet & Bitter Providence
John Piper

A Sweet and Bitter Providence is a new book by John Piper examining the applicability of the themes in the book of Ruth for Christians today. The main themes he deals with are the sovereignty of God, gender & sexuality and race relations. I was particularly glad to see him deal with the issue of race relations and the racial diversity of God's kingdom because it is an important topic but one that doesn't always get dealt with well in the Christian community.

Compared to many other Piper books, this one is relatively short. This makes it a fairly easy one to get through, although there were some points where i thought further depth was warranted. The book did tend to jump backwards and forwards in the book of Ruth and to other scriptures so I would recommend you read Ruth first to better grasp where Piper is going with his ideas.

I reviewed this book in its audio format. The narration was clear and easy to listen to. It would have been nice to have the author reading the book as he is quite an expressive speaker/reader.

Overall, while not my favorite John Piper book, I'll still think this one is a worthwhile read.



Review copy provided by christianaudio.com

The bride

That the church has an image problem would come as no surprise to any of you. Almost every day one is confronted with stupid and inappropriate things done and said by groups and individuals who claim to represent Christ. Sometimes it gets so bad i start waiting for someone to tell me it is all a prank because surely no-one would do something so absurdly wrong in real life.

It is easy to despair about the Church. Were we to be permanently left to our own devices despair and hopelessness would be entirely justified. If it was up to us to perfect the church on our own, we may as well give up.

We can hope because we are not going to be left to continually mess things up forever. Jesus is coming back for his church. On that day we will not be the mess we are now. We will be made new. On that day we will be like a bride, beautiful, pure and flawless. On that day Jesus won't need new PR because we will be made perfect. No more scandals, no more pain, no more division.

Because that day is coming, we can hold on. Of course we should strive towards holiness now, though those strivings will very often fall short. We can persist because we know that while the church is now often like an ugly, unfaithful woman, one day she will be like a beautiful bride. Today when the church frustrates us, may we hold that one day in mind.

Random photos

A new friend on the beach in Bali, Indonesia.

Night time in Singapore.

Ruins in Macau

A Balinese flower