When it comes to the origin of life, the world is divided into two camps – the creationists, and the evolutionists. You can be in one camp, or the other. You either believe that God created humankind, or Darwinian natural selection caused humankind to exist. There is no “in between” or “both also can”.
Some Christians believe that God created humankind through evolution. They call themselves Christian evolutionists… A so-called “third category”. They say they can believe in the Darwinian evolution theory, and remain unfazed in their faith as a Christian. “There is no contradiction. God made humankind through evolution.”
If an evolutionist says he is a Christian, he is either:
1. Not a Christian as he claims to be.
2. A Christian who does not fully understand the claims of Darwinism.
Christian evolutionists put themselves in an oxymoronic position.
The evolutionary process by definition is “undirected”.
If living organisms came into being by undirected, random chance, then the Creator is put out of His job.
If God did not direct the design of His creation, then He is no longer a Creator.
If He is not a Creator, then creation can exist without Him.
If creation can exist without Him, then He doesn’t need to exist.
If He doesn’t need to exist, then He is not God.
If there is no God, then who do you worship?
Hence the oxymoron. How can you direct something by random chance? How can you be a Christian if there is no God? Your position is the same as the atheist.
Are you a Christian evolutionist? Pick another side. Your category does not exist.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Evolution Redefined
Is it fair to blatantly state in textbooks that the world was created by God? I concede that it’s not “scientific” to make such a statement. But it is the people’s basic right to pursue knowledge without withholding crucial information from them.
From a purely educational point of view, 5 icons pop up when we touch on the topic of evolution: Stanley Miller. Darwin’s Tree Of Life. Haeckel’s embryos. The archaeopteryx. Java Man. What do these 5 icons really say about evolution? Are the complete facts presented in textbooks?
The concept behind Stanley Miller’s experiment to produce amino acids by artificial means to prove the origin of life has been abandoned by the mid-1970s. The wrong gas mixture had been used to simulate the primitive earth. Science magazine said in 1995 that “the early atmosphere looked nothing like the Miller-Urey simulation.” If the experiment is replayed using the correct gases, you will get formaldehyde and cyanide. They are toxic compounds, not precursors to life. Any organic chemist knows this.
Darwin’s Tree Of Life is not supported by fossil records. Fossil evidence up to today shows a Cambrian explosion – a rapid appearance of phylum-level differences in a sudden period of time, instead of a long history of gradual divergence from a common ancestor. The Cambrian explosion has uprooted Darwin’s tree. An overwhelming collection of fossil records shows this.
Haeckel’s embryos are an academic equivalent of murder on 3 counts. Firstly, Haeckel cherry-picked his examples to support his idea. Secondly, Haeckel used the same woodcut to print embryos from different classes because he was so confident of his theory that he figured he didn’t need to draw them separately. He was already accused of fraud by his colleagues since the 1860s. Thirdly, embryos look alike during the mid-point stage of development, not during the early stage as Haeckel claimed. Any embryologist knows this.
The archaeopteryx is not a missing link. It is a bird, not a half-bird, half-reptile. A branch of evolutionary theorists tried to find bird-like reptiles in fossil records to prove that birds came from reptiles by descent. The fossils found were dated tens of millions of years after, not before the archaeopteryx! If the archaeopteryx indeed is the missing link, it should be the other way around. The missing link is still missing. The archaeopteryx is not an ancestor of modern birds. Rather, it’s a member of a totally extinct group of birds. Paleontologists know this.
Dubois’ 1892 excavation of Java Man too, is not a missing link. Java Man consisted from nothing more than a skullcap, a femur, three teeth, and a great deal of imagination. Dubois’ shoddy excavation would have disqualified the fossil according to today’s standards. The femur apparently did not belong with the skull cap. The skull cap was distinctly human and reflected a brain capacity well within the range of humans living today. A 342-page scientific report from a team of 19 fact-finding evolutionists has demolished Dubois’ claims.
I am not talking religion here. I am talking science. In educating people, all evidence should be presented properly. Students should be at liberty to decide on their personal views after they are properly informed. Not before.
From a purely educational point of view, 5 icons pop up when we touch on the topic of evolution: Stanley Miller. Darwin’s Tree Of Life. Haeckel’s embryos. The archaeopteryx. Java Man. What do these 5 icons really say about evolution? Are the complete facts presented in textbooks?
The concept behind Stanley Miller’s experiment to produce amino acids by artificial means to prove the origin of life has been abandoned by the mid-1970s. The wrong gas mixture had been used to simulate the primitive earth. Science magazine said in 1995 that “the early atmosphere looked nothing like the Miller-Urey simulation.” If the experiment is replayed using the correct gases, you will get formaldehyde and cyanide. They are toxic compounds, not precursors to life. Any organic chemist knows this.
Darwin’s Tree Of Life is not supported by fossil records. Fossil evidence up to today shows a Cambrian explosion – a rapid appearance of phylum-level differences in a sudden period of time, instead of a long history of gradual divergence from a common ancestor. The Cambrian explosion has uprooted Darwin’s tree. An overwhelming collection of fossil records shows this.
Haeckel’s embryos are an academic equivalent of murder on 3 counts. Firstly, Haeckel cherry-picked his examples to support his idea. Secondly, Haeckel used the same woodcut to print embryos from different classes because he was so confident of his theory that he figured he didn’t need to draw them separately. He was already accused of fraud by his colleagues since the 1860s. Thirdly, embryos look alike during the mid-point stage of development, not during the early stage as Haeckel claimed. Any embryologist knows this.
The archaeopteryx is not a missing link. It is a bird, not a half-bird, half-reptile. A branch of evolutionary theorists tried to find bird-like reptiles in fossil records to prove that birds came from reptiles by descent. The fossils found were dated tens of millions of years after, not before the archaeopteryx! If the archaeopteryx indeed is the missing link, it should be the other way around. The missing link is still missing. The archaeopteryx is not an ancestor of modern birds. Rather, it’s a member of a totally extinct group of birds. Paleontologists know this.
Dubois’ 1892 excavation of Java Man too, is not a missing link. Java Man consisted from nothing more than a skullcap, a femur, three teeth, and a great deal of imagination. Dubois’ shoddy excavation would have disqualified the fossil according to today’s standards. The femur apparently did not belong with the skull cap. The skull cap was distinctly human and reflected a brain capacity well within the range of humans living today. A 342-page scientific report from a team of 19 fact-finding evolutionists has demolished Dubois’ claims.
I am not talking religion here. I am talking science. In educating people, all evidence should be presented properly. Students should be at liberty to decide on their personal views after they are properly informed. Not before.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Strong And Faithful
Let us march on to fame, let the aisles proclaim
Till our anthem will dare us to do
Let us onwards to win and new laurels gain
Free School for the brave and for the true
It matters neither how straight the gate
Nor how charged with dangers the goal
Let the tempest rage and fell odds inflate
We’ll do it with heart and soul
Till our anthem will dare us to do
Let us onwards to win and new laurels gain
Free School for the brave and for the true
It matters neither how straight the gate
Nor how charged with dangers the goal
Let the tempest rage and fell odds inflate
We’ll do it with heart and soul
I always thought the Penang Free School anthem is a really good one. It always brings a rush to my blood every time the school band plays it during the Sports Day. Amidst the trivial pursuits of winning the overall champions back then, the anthem evoked the fighter within. It evokes bravery and courage for greater battles today.
I was hanging out in the teacher’s eating room today. It is interesting to note how different male staff behave in an all-boys school, compared to female staff in an all-girls school.
Female staff will whip out their breakfast or lunch baskets, and take out their homemade food. They will talk about family or children or their students while they offer to share some food with you. They have a “gang” where people take turns to bring the food for the day. Someone will bring the bread. Someone will bring the filling for the bread. Someone will bring the vegetables. And they will rotate duties. Someone will bring a cheese cake that her husband bought to share with the whole gang. Someone will bring mooncakes for everyone to sample. If you ask for help on how to cook a certain dish, or where to buy a certain thing, they are more than happy to discuss over it and offer ample advice. The Principal and Senior Assistants can sit together with the staff in the eating room and have friendly moments together.
Male staff will whip out their wallets and buy the kind of food in the canteen that will eventually kill themselves. They don’t bring anything from home. They won’t talk about home. They will talk about the school’s government. They will talk about other colleagues. They will start pulling off wise cracks. They will offer to buy each other drinks. Even after treating each other to drinks, they still pull off wise cracks. No, they don’t have a “gang” that pools together their resources to share food. They have a secret gang that wants to topple the school government. The Principal and Senior Assistants will never step into the eating room alive. The eating room is a resting chamber for the opposition party.
I look forward to starting work in Penang Free School tomorrow. It’s good to breathe Free air again! Yes, I may be doing it for free. But there’s nothing like waking up to a day with purpose. Tomorrow, I am going to mould a nation.
Dare you be brave? Dare you be true? Free School is for the brave and for the true.
I was hanging out in the teacher’s eating room today. It is interesting to note how different male staff behave in an all-boys school, compared to female staff in an all-girls school.
Female staff will whip out their breakfast or lunch baskets, and take out their homemade food. They will talk about family or children or their students while they offer to share some food with you. They have a “gang” where people take turns to bring the food for the day. Someone will bring the bread. Someone will bring the filling for the bread. Someone will bring the vegetables. And they will rotate duties. Someone will bring a cheese cake that her husband bought to share with the whole gang. Someone will bring mooncakes for everyone to sample. If you ask for help on how to cook a certain dish, or where to buy a certain thing, they are more than happy to discuss over it and offer ample advice. The Principal and Senior Assistants can sit together with the staff in the eating room and have friendly moments together.
Male staff will whip out their wallets and buy the kind of food in the canteen that will eventually kill themselves. They don’t bring anything from home. They won’t talk about home. They will talk about the school’s government. They will talk about other colleagues. They will start pulling off wise cracks. They will offer to buy each other drinks. Even after treating each other to drinks, they still pull off wise cracks. No, they don’t have a “gang” that pools together their resources to share food. They have a secret gang that wants to topple the school government. The Principal and Senior Assistants will never step into the eating room alive. The eating room is a resting chamber for the opposition party.
I look forward to starting work in Penang Free School tomorrow. It’s good to breathe Free air again! Yes, I may be doing it for free. But there’s nothing like waking up to a day with purpose. Tomorrow, I am going to mould a nation.
Dare you be brave? Dare you be true? Free School is for the brave and for the true.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Armageddon
Joel calls it the "valley of decision". I think I’m deep in that valley.
Last week, I got a job with Fairview International School. I could’ve started as early as today. But I will ask them to hold on to their offer until my bond with the government officially expires.
This morning, the Senior Assistant from Penang Free School called. A teacher just went on maternity leave. She teaches Chemistry, Form 4 and 5. I may be starting by Thursday.
Today, I got an email from Dalat International School too. They will be confirming next year’s openings next week. The Director will be contacting me in the coming weeks.
What am I thinking now?
I want to work in Fairview. But I’ll have to relocate to KL, leave my church behind, and of course my girlfriend too. I’ll have to go without my father’s blessings. And I may have to jump into the corporate sector with no looking back.
I want to teach in PFS. But if my posting comes before I have taught there for 20 days, I will not get paid. It’s a temporary teaching policy.
Now Dalat is starting to bite. If I have to make the jump from the government sector into the corporate sector, I’d rather jump into a Christian mission school. If I go to Dalat, I won’t have to relocate. But they’re talking about next year’s openings, not this year’s! If I have to make the jump, will it be better to jump into Fairview, or into Dalat?
Or maybe I should just wait for the helicopter to take me to jurassic park.
I have a 10-year plan to own my own business. But to do that, first I have to enter the government service. Thanks to them, now my 10-year plan is turning into an 11-year plan.
Or maybe I should just pray more. And ask God deal with my sense of ambition and my lust for advancement. When you feel robbed of your purpose, it gets increasingly hard to live through each passing day.
“So Joshua, what are you doing now? What are your plans?”
“I’m planning to take over the world.”
Last week, I got a job with Fairview International School. I could’ve started as early as today. But I will ask them to hold on to their offer until my bond with the government officially expires.
This morning, the Senior Assistant from Penang Free School called. A teacher just went on maternity leave. She teaches Chemistry, Form 4 and 5. I may be starting by Thursday.
Today, I got an email from Dalat International School too. They will be confirming next year’s openings next week. The Director will be contacting me in the coming weeks.
What am I thinking now?
I want to work in Fairview. But I’ll have to relocate to KL, leave my church behind, and of course my girlfriend too. I’ll have to go without my father’s blessings. And I may have to jump into the corporate sector with no looking back.
I want to teach in PFS. But if my posting comes before I have taught there for 20 days, I will not get paid. It’s a temporary teaching policy.
Now Dalat is starting to bite. If I have to make the jump from the government sector into the corporate sector, I’d rather jump into a Christian mission school. If I go to Dalat, I won’t have to relocate. But they’re talking about next year’s openings, not this year’s! If I have to make the jump, will it be better to jump into Fairview, or into Dalat?
Or maybe I should just wait for the helicopter to take me to jurassic park.
I have a 10-year plan to own my own business. But to do that, first I have to enter the government service. Thanks to them, now my 10-year plan is turning into an 11-year plan.
Or maybe I should just pray more. And ask God deal with my sense of ambition and my lust for advancement. When you feel robbed of your purpose, it gets increasingly hard to live through each passing day.
“So Joshua, what are you doing now? What are your plans?”
“I’m planning to take over the world.”
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Protestant Ecumenicalism
Do you think that denominations are important? I bet there’s a 9/10 chance that you'll say no.
It is not unusual. A few centuries ago (as far as two centuries back would more than suffice) denominations are considered important. Today, it isn’t anymore. Anyone who thinks so is branded a separatist. When the Emergent Movement hits, (and it is already hitting hard), the first thing to go is denominations.
Why do I say that denominations are important? I say so on two levels.
On the first level. Going far back into the history of the church, the Roman Catholic church is claimed to be “officially” the first denomination in the world. Even up to today, the world still recognizes it as the “official” denomination of Christianity. I’ve heard a course mate say in point blank, “The Catholic wan is the more serious and holy wan. The Protestant wan is the not serious wan.”
It is not unusual. A few centuries ago (as far as two centuries back would more than suffice) denominations are considered important. Today, it isn’t anymore. Anyone who thinks so is branded a separatist. When the Emergent Movement hits, (and it is already hitting hard), the first thing to go is denominations.
Why do I say that denominations are important? I say so on two levels.
On the first level. Going far back into the history of the church, the Roman Catholic church is claimed to be “officially” the first denomination in the world. Even up to today, the world still recognizes it as the “official” denomination of Christianity. I’ve heard a course mate say in point blank, “The Catholic wan is the more serious and holy wan. The Protestant wan is the not serious wan.”
Not serious wan? You mean...
Serious Catholic?
Crazy Protestant?
If we say that denominations are not important, then the great divide between Catholicism and Protestanism should not exist. Do we maintain that not having that great divide is a good thing?
On the second level. Going forward into the history of the church, we see many denominations forming within the Protestant movement. Within mainstream Protestant denominations itself, we see them getting “reformed” here and there. They put the word “reformed” before the name of their denomination, and they’re a new entity altogether.
If we say that denominations within the Protestant movement are not important, then the stands of different denominations mean nothing. Do we maintain that not having a stand on anything is a good thing?
I maintain that denominations are important. It will mean that we stand for something. If we stand for nothing, then we will fall for anything. It is better to stand for something, be it a "correct" thing or a "wrong" thing (as far as conscience serves us), than to stand for nothing.
I believe our view on denominations reflects our attitude towards truth. If there is such as thing as truth, then one should also stand for it. It also shows the depth of one’s seriousness towards God. If we seek to do God’s will, anything goes is not the answer.
I maintain that denominations are important, and yet I also maintain that the universal Body of Christ is equally important. Not having a kingdom mentality nullifies the truth that we pursue therein.
Jesus’ expressed His desire for us to know this truth in His last prayer with His disciples:
“I do not pray for these alone,
but also for those who will believe in Me though their word;
that they all may be one,
as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You;
that they also may be one in Us,
that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21)
We should know and believe why we are in a denomination – not by misinformation, or by deliberate ignorance. But I also maintain that we should not believe that one denomination is superior over any other.
Our purpose on earth is finding out God’s will and doing it to glorify Him. God puts us in different places under His sovereign plan to function to the praise of His glory. The least we can do is to find our place, and serve Him wholeheartedly there. Not having a place, or refusing to have one, is like a servant who is already inside His master’s compound… But he does his chores while standing on the fence.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Life Is A Pinball
Now that I’m sick and I can’t go to Borders, what can I do?
Pinball in the morning. Pinball after breakfast. Pinball after quiet time. Pinball before lunch. Pinball after I write my blog entry for the day. And pinball again just to set the high score.
Some observations and insights about pinball.
Observation 1: Do not bump the machine. You always get higher scores when you focus on your flippers instead. Worst is, if you accidentally bump it when the “Careful” warning comes out, your machine will go into “Tilt!” Your flippers will freeze. The ball will just fall into the hole.
Insight: It is not wise to be too assertive. It is good to shake things up a little every once in a while. But don’t bump it too much. You may just bump yourself into your own doom. Best is, just focus on what you should be doing right. You’ll score more points that way.
Observation 2: Do not be flippant about your flippers. If you need to flip the right flipper, flip the right flipper. If it’s the left flipper, then flip the left flipper. Make a choice. And make it fast. If you flip both flippers at the same time, sometimes the ball may scrape by one flipper, but hit the bottom of the other flipper. And you’ll “backflip” the ball into the hole.
Insight: Life is about decisions. Make fast decisions. Make good decisions. Don’t live in indecision. If you’re too flippant, you will never decide on anything. You’ll let opportunity slip through the hole. There are no two ways about doing things. It’s either one, or the other. If you choose both, one of it will backfire. And the backfiring one may ruin the good decision that you made.
Observation 3: Follow the lighted arrows. The game is not about keeping the ball in the air. It’s about hitting the places that will get you the highest scores. If all you want to do is keep the ball in the air, you may get to play longer. But you won’t get a high score. So, try to hit the lighted arrows. They are lighted for a reason.
Insight: Live a purpose-driven life. Life is not just about staying alive. It’s about doing the right things to make it meaningful. If all you want in life is to stay alive, you may get to live longer. But you won’t get any meaning out of it. What on earth are you here for? Find your lighted arrow. Your Creator left you instructions for a reason.
Final observation: When people are jobless, they start making philosophy out of pinball.
Final insight: When trying to reduce unemployment rate in a country, don’t give them pinball. Just give them a job, for cryin’ out loud…
My high score is 4,539,500.
Some observations and insights about pinball.
Observation 1: Do not bump the machine. You always get higher scores when you focus on your flippers instead. Worst is, if you accidentally bump it when the “Careful” warning comes out, your machine will go into “Tilt!” Your flippers will freeze. The ball will just fall into the hole.
Insight: It is not wise to be too assertive. It is good to shake things up a little every once in a while. But don’t bump it too much. You may just bump yourself into your own doom. Best is, just focus on what you should be doing right. You’ll score more points that way.
Observation 2: Do not be flippant about your flippers. If you need to flip the right flipper, flip the right flipper. If it’s the left flipper, then flip the left flipper. Make a choice. And make it fast. If you flip both flippers at the same time, sometimes the ball may scrape by one flipper, but hit the bottom of the other flipper. And you’ll “backflip” the ball into the hole.
Insight: Life is about decisions. Make fast decisions. Make good decisions. Don’t live in indecision. If you’re too flippant, you will never decide on anything. You’ll let opportunity slip through the hole. There are no two ways about doing things. It’s either one, or the other. If you choose both, one of it will backfire. And the backfiring one may ruin the good decision that you made.
Observation 3: Follow the lighted arrows. The game is not about keeping the ball in the air. It’s about hitting the places that will get you the highest scores. If all you want to do is keep the ball in the air, you may get to play longer. But you won’t get a high score. So, try to hit the lighted arrows. They are lighted for a reason.
Insight: Live a purpose-driven life. Life is not just about staying alive. It’s about doing the right things to make it meaningful. If all you want in life is to stay alive, you may get to live longer. But you won’t get any meaning out of it. What on earth are you here for? Find your lighted arrow. Your Creator left you instructions for a reason.
Final observation: When people are jobless, they start making philosophy out of pinball.
Final insight: When trying to reduce unemployment rate in a country, don’t give them pinball. Just give them a job, for cryin’ out loud…
My high score is 4,539,500.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Do Not Convert To Christianity!
Different people approach their jobs differently. Some people want the job. They’re not interested in the environment, or the pay, or the working hours, or the boss. They are just in love with the job.
“I wanna be a musician! I’m not interested in where I do my music. I don’t care how much I make. I don’t mind the artsy-fartsy, eccentric people around me. I don’t care if my works of art are recognized only after I’m dead. I just want to make music!”
That’s Type A.
Some other people don't really like the job. They are more interested in what comes along with the job. Like, if the money is good, then they won’t mind the job.
“I wanna make money! I'm not interested about what that job is. I don't care who I have to meet everyday. I don’t mind where or how long I have to work. I just want lots of money!”
That’s Type B.
When it comes to religion, we see Type A and Type B too. We like to sell Type B Christianity. We try to see how all the other things in the Christian lifestyle can be alluring to us. Christ is the added bonus.
We find it easier to ask our friends to “try” Christianity. To “taste” how is it like to be a Christian. We encourage them to do all the Christian things first. We show them all the things in the “package” that appeals to them. And if they kinda fancy it, maybe they wouldn’t mind to be a Christian.
So we appeal to their taste in music. Some people like to play the guitar. We appeal to their hobby in literature. Some people like to read thick, old books. We appeal to their sense of gregariousness. Some people just like being around people.
If the music, the literature, and the people they are in contact with most of the time are Christian, maybe they may just stumble into Christianity. “Why not, since I’ve kinda adopted the lifestyle already?”
It’s not barking up the wrong tree. It’s more like barking up the tree the wrong way. We’re doing it the other way around. We ask people to choose Christianity before we challenge them to choose God. We give people a lifestyle to follow before we give them a Person to follow. We push them into a mould that we call “the right mould.”
That’s why we often hear people saying “Why do you say Christianity is the only way?” No, “Christianity” is not the only way. Christ is the only way. We hear the wrong question being asked because we have sold the wrong gospel. We sold the religion, not the Person.
Yes, we always need some kind of medium to connect people with the gospel. All kinds of ways are permissible. As Paul said, “Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” (Philippians 1:18) I also believe that showing love, genuine concern and warm fellowship are one of the best ways to preach the gospel.
However, we cannot be naïve to not realize that in the mind of an unchurched Mary or Harry, pushing a particular lifestyle can come across as distasteful. If the Person is preached instead of the lifestyle, acceptance or rejection will be based on the root Himself. The response won’t be directed at cultural hegemony.
Even we, believers, are not spared. When we think back on why we are called Christians, we may be afraid of our honest answer. Maybe it was not about Jesus Christ after all. It was about all the other things attached to Christianity. It was the lifestyle. Jesus Christ was an added “I-don’t-mind” bonus. Type B.
If we are Type A Christians, we won’t fall even if everything else we love about the lifestyle of Christianity falls apart.
Let us not convert people to Christianity. Let’s bring them to Christ.
“I wanna be a musician! I’m not interested in where I do my music. I don’t care how much I make. I don’t mind the artsy-fartsy, eccentric people around me. I don’t care if my works of art are recognized only after I’m dead. I just want to make music!”
That’s Type A.
Some other people don't really like the job. They are more interested in what comes along with the job. Like, if the money is good, then they won’t mind the job.
“I wanna make money! I'm not interested about what that job is. I don't care who I have to meet everyday. I don’t mind where or how long I have to work. I just want lots of money!”
That’s Type B.
When it comes to religion, we see Type A and Type B too. We like to sell Type B Christianity. We try to see how all the other things in the Christian lifestyle can be alluring to us. Christ is the added bonus.
We find it easier to ask our friends to “try” Christianity. To “taste” how is it like to be a Christian. We encourage them to do all the Christian things first. We show them all the things in the “package” that appeals to them. And if they kinda fancy it, maybe they wouldn’t mind to be a Christian.
So we appeal to their taste in music. Some people like to play the guitar. We appeal to their hobby in literature. Some people like to read thick, old books. We appeal to their sense of gregariousness. Some people just like being around people.
If the music, the literature, and the people they are in contact with most of the time are Christian, maybe they may just stumble into Christianity. “Why not, since I’ve kinda adopted the lifestyle already?”
It’s not barking up the wrong tree. It’s more like barking up the tree the wrong way. We’re doing it the other way around. We ask people to choose Christianity before we challenge them to choose God. We give people a lifestyle to follow before we give them a Person to follow. We push them into a mould that we call “the right mould.”
That’s why we often hear people saying “Why do you say Christianity is the only way?” No, “Christianity” is not the only way. Christ is the only way. We hear the wrong question being asked because we have sold the wrong gospel. We sold the religion, not the Person.
Yes, we always need some kind of medium to connect people with the gospel. All kinds of ways are permissible. As Paul said, “Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” (Philippians 1:18) I also believe that showing love, genuine concern and warm fellowship are one of the best ways to preach the gospel.
However, we cannot be naïve to not realize that in the mind of an unchurched Mary or Harry, pushing a particular lifestyle can come across as distasteful. If the Person is preached instead of the lifestyle, acceptance or rejection will be based on the root Himself. The response won’t be directed at cultural hegemony.
Even we, believers, are not spared. When we think back on why we are called Christians, we may be afraid of our honest answer. Maybe it was not about Jesus Christ after all. It was about all the other things attached to Christianity. It was the lifestyle. Jesus Christ was an added “I-don’t-mind” bonus. Type B.
If we are Type A Christians, we won’t fall even if everything else we love about the lifestyle of Christianity falls apart.
Let us not convert people to Christianity. Let’s bring them to Christ.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
We Have An Option
“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3)
A woman knocked on the door of my tuition student’s house this morning. She talked with my student’s mother. She spoke in gentle, well-polished English. “Surely it is not one of those door-to-door salesmen,” I thought.
Apparently the woman at the door was no stranger. She must’ve met my student’s mother, and maybe my student as well at some prior occasion. After an exchange of a few sentences, the mother said:
“I’m really not interested… We are all Buddhists. We do not want any Christian influence... My children are busy with their studies, my son is sitting for his SPM this year. I don’t want them to be disturbed… My husband told me to politely refuse you... I don’t want things that are not an issue to become an issue... Yeah, ultimately it’s my choice, isn’t it… No la, I don’t want…”
I was trying hard to eavesdrop as I was teaching my student Add Maths at the same time. My student quietly asked, “Do you mind if I ask what is your religion?”
“I’m Christian,” I said.
Awkward moment.
It doesn’t work. If the gospel is preached in a way that gives people options, we get nowhere. Give me an option, I’ll choose the one that I’m comfortable with. If any option I take is equally ok, then what’s wrong with my choice?
Yes, we have a freedom of choice. But sometimes, we emphasize too much on the freedom of choice, that we are too glad to give people options. We are already afraid enough to bring people to church. Even if they do come to church, we do not want to offend them. When we preach the gospel, we do not want to challenge people to a decision. We leave them with many options. In the end, we leave them with nothing.
I think there is weakness in the preaching of our gospel. The gospel’s main thrust should not be about the options that we have, although it is part and parcel of our response to the gospel. The main thrust of the message should be: There is one God. What are we going to do about it. Choosing not to believe Him does not make Him cease to exist.
The “what have you got to lose” package does not work either. Give me that package, and I’ll tell you what I got to lose. I got to wake up on Sunday mornings. I got to go to church. I don’t like singing. I have to sit through long, torturous talks. I’ve got to sign up with all their activities, or look like a snob. I’ve got to read a Bible, on top of all the other things I already have to read. I have to spend time with people I don’t like hanging around with. I have to give 10% of my money away. I have to change my lifestyle. What’s so great about getting a Christian religion?
Christianity is not a marketing strategy. It is a distribution of truth. We don’t market the truth as though it is “the best deal.” We distribute the truth because it is “the only deal”.
When Jesus preached the gospel, he gave people choices. But He did not make it sound as though any option is equally as acceptable. “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish,” He said.
Yes, you’re right, we have free will. Yes, we have an option. Here’s the option:
A woman knocked on the door of my tuition student’s house this morning. She talked with my student’s mother. She spoke in gentle, well-polished English. “Surely it is not one of those door-to-door salesmen,” I thought.
Apparently the woman at the door was no stranger. She must’ve met my student’s mother, and maybe my student as well at some prior occasion. After an exchange of a few sentences, the mother said:
“I’m really not interested… We are all Buddhists. We do not want any Christian influence... My children are busy with their studies, my son is sitting for his SPM this year. I don’t want them to be disturbed… My husband told me to politely refuse you... I don’t want things that are not an issue to become an issue... Yeah, ultimately it’s my choice, isn’t it… No la, I don’t want…”
I was trying hard to eavesdrop as I was teaching my student Add Maths at the same time. My student quietly asked, “Do you mind if I ask what is your religion?”
“I’m Christian,” I said.
Awkward moment.
It doesn’t work. If the gospel is preached in a way that gives people options, we get nowhere. Give me an option, I’ll choose the one that I’m comfortable with. If any option I take is equally ok, then what’s wrong with my choice?
Yes, we have a freedom of choice. But sometimes, we emphasize too much on the freedom of choice, that we are too glad to give people options. We are already afraid enough to bring people to church. Even if they do come to church, we do not want to offend them. When we preach the gospel, we do not want to challenge people to a decision. We leave them with many options. In the end, we leave them with nothing.
I think there is weakness in the preaching of our gospel. The gospel’s main thrust should not be about the options that we have, although it is part and parcel of our response to the gospel. The main thrust of the message should be: There is one God. What are we going to do about it. Choosing not to believe Him does not make Him cease to exist.
The “what have you got to lose” package does not work either. Give me that package, and I’ll tell you what I got to lose. I got to wake up on Sunday mornings. I got to go to church. I don’t like singing. I have to sit through long, torturous talks. I’ve got to sign up with all their activities, or look like a snob. I’ve got to read a Bible, on top of all the other things I already have to read. I have to spend time with people I don’t like hanging around with. I have to give 10% of my money away. I have to change my lifestyle. What’s so great about getting a Christian religion?
Christianity is not a marketing strategy. It is a distribution of truth. We don’t market the truth as though it is “the best deal.” We distribute the truth because it is “the only deal”.
When Jesus preached the gospel, he gave people choices. But He did not make it sound as though any option is equally as acceptable. “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish,” He said.
Yes, you’re right, we have free will. Yes, we have an option. Here’s the option:
Thursday, January 11, 2007
And The Guillotine Goes To...
Yup, it made it. The letter came out in NST, January 8, page 28. The letter was edited. The mellow version can be viewed here. A response to the letter can be viewed here.
The Sun made a story out of it. It came out on January 9, front page picture and story on page 8. No bullets were censored. The Sun’s version for “telling it as it is” can be viewed here.
NST is also trying to make a story out of it. They are in the midst of chasing it down.
Now that it’s out in the open, am I feeling worried about what will happen?
The Sun made a story out of it. It came out on January 9, front page picture and story on page 8. No bullets were censored. The Sun’s version for “telling it as it is” can be viewed here.
NST is also trying to make a story out of it. They are in the midst of chasing it down.
Now that it’s out in the open, am I feeling worried about what will happen?
Not at all. I’m looking forward for something to happen with great expectancy. If the posting for graduate teachers is hastened, then I’ve accomplished my goal.
Am I worried about what will happen to me? Not at all. It’s a win-win situation for me either way. If the education ministry gives me my posting soon, I win. If they don’t, I get a free degree from them, and I can finally start building my life outside the government sector. I still win.
Is it really heroic and big-hearted of me to do such a thing? Not at all. I disqualify myself from being called big-hearted because I have vested interest in it.
I admit that I wouldn’t have written to the press if I was not an unemployed graduate teacher myself. I am not big-hearted enough to hang out on a limb if I was not personally affected by it. My sense of social action is not that big.
But these recent happenings remind me of someone who did something truly heroic. Something really big-hearted.
This person was in no trouble of his own. But he saw that mankind was in trouble.
He was not personally suffering from the consequences of sin. Yet he could empathize with those who have sinned.
Not only did he empathize or sympathize with them. He left rightful place in heaven, and suffered the punishment of sin on their behalf. This person stuck out his own life for a cause that did not affect him at all.
Why would he do such a thing? Mankind’s sin was not his problem. Was it worthwhile to make it a problem for himself? What’s the point of stirring up to hornet’s nest until the hornets wanted to put him to death?
Caiaphas said of him, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man dies for the people than that the whole nation perish.” (John 11:49-50)
Now, that’s real big heartedness. That person is Jesus Christ.
Am I worried about what will happen to me? Not at all. It’s a win-win situation for me either way. If the education ministry gives me my posting soon, I win. If they don’t, I get a free degree from them, and I can finally start building my life outside the government sector. I still win.
Is it really heroic and big-hearted of me to do such a thing? Not at all. I disqualify myself from being called big-hearted because I have vested interest in it.
I admit that I wouldn’t have written to the press if I was not an unemployed graduate teacher myself. I am not big-hearted enough to hang out on a limb if I was not personally affected by it. My sense of social action is not that big.
But these recent happenings remind me of someone who did something truly heroic. Something really big-hearted.
This person was in no trouble of his own. But he saw that mankind was in trouble.
He was not personally suffering from the consequences of sin. Yet he could empathize with those who have sinned.
Not only did he empathize or sympathize with them. He left rightful place in heaven, and suffered the punishment of sin on their behalf. This person stuck out his own life for a cause that did not affect him at all.
Why would he do such a thing? Mankind’s sin was not his problem. Was it worthwhile to make it a problem for himself? What’s the point of stirring up to hornet’s nest until the hornets wanted to put him to death?
Caiaphas said of him, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man dies for the people than that the whole nation perish.” (John 11:49-50)
Now, that’s real big heartedness. That person is Jesus Christ.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Firemen In The Education Department
I've sent this article to The Star, The Sun, and News Straits Times. Just in case it doesn't make it in the press.
Our Education Department must have acquired secret training from the Fire Department. They operate under the same modus operandi. They go to work only after there is a fire.
I wonder if anyone had foreseen that it was only a matter of time before saturation point is reached, considering the constant mass production of education graduates. Did anyone think about making statistical checks to meet the supply of teachers with the demand for them?
Education graduates from local universities of 2006 have finished their studies in May 2006. The new year has greeted them. But up to this day, even Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia’s (KPM) scholarship holders have not yet received their posting.
Letters were sent from the Education Department, appealing for patience. No date of expectancy was given. The Education Department has to understand that when houses are on fire, telling the victims to wait is not a comforting response.
Yes, they have been quite letter-happy alright. Letters were sent out in October 2006 to all Education graduates to call for an interview. Some did not receive a letter at all. When checked, their names were “not on the list.”
The unreliability of Education Department’s database was further amplified when a UKM education graduate received two interview letters. One letter said the interview will be on the November 14, the other said November 15.
KPM scholarship holders received the same interview letter too. They went all the way to attend their interview on the given date, only to be sent back before the interview began. It was an admitted mistake that KPM scholarship holders should’ve been rightfully exempted from an interview.
Did I mention that the interview letters were sent via Pos Ekspress? The Education Department must’ve used a lot of taxpayer’s money to fight fires. Normal mail would have sufficed if they were a tad more efficient. In fact, millions of Ringgit would’ve been saved in retraining teachers, sending letters, and pumping money in all the wrong places. But I guess they have a lot of financial aid from the NEP to pull it off.
Speaking of financial aid, did you know that KPM scholarship holders were given RM26,000 to complete their degree, and they are bonded for 4 years of government service? KPM scholarship holders are required to serve the government within 12 months after finishing their degree. I guess the government is really pushing it. The government is not giving scholarship holders a chance to do their dues, and the scholarship contract makes them unable to find a job elsewhere during that period of time.
What are education graduates to do? In my opinion, KPM scholarship holders can go ahead and look for a permanent job in the corporate sector. And if they do get a posting after they already found a job, they can ask the government to release them from the bond. It’s not as though the government has not wasted taxpayer’s money before. And I’m sure hundreds of graduate teachers will be more than willing to take up their places.
On 29th October 2006, the press quoted Prof Zakaria, UPM Dean of Educational Studies saying, “there is no obligation for the government to hire them.” My question is this. If the government is not obligated to employ education graduates, how come teachers are not trained to function outside the four walls of a classroom throughout their 4 years of university education? The government is just wiping their hands clean. If graduate teachers add to the number of unemployment in the country, they are indeed victims of circumstances caused by the government.
I personally wouldn’t want to see the day when I look back in retrospect and say, “The years I spent in pursuit of my aspirations to be a teacher was a total waste of time.”
Here’s wishing a productive new year to our firemen in the Education Department. Time to strap on rubber boots and get to work. Fire has broken out.
********************
Our Education Department must have acquired secret training from the Fire Department. They operate under the same modus operandi. They go to work only after there is a fire.
I wonder if anyone had foreseen that it was only a matter of time before saturation point is reached, considering the constant mass production of education graduates. Did anyone think about making statistical checks to meet the supply of teachers with the demand for them?
Education graduates from local universities of 2006 have finished their studies in May 2006. The new year has greeted them. But up to this day, even Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia’s (KPM) scholarship holders have not yet received their posting.
Letters were sent from the Education Department, appealing for patience. No date of expectancy was given. The Education Department has to understand that when houses are on fire, telling the victims to wait is not a comforting response.
Yes, they have been quite letter-happy alright. Letters were sent out in October 2006 to all Education graduates to call for an interview. Some did not receive a letter at all. When checked, their names were “not on the list.”
The unreliability of Education Department’s database was further amplified when a UKM education graduate received two interview letters. One letter said the interview will be on the November 14, the other said November 15.
KPM scholarship holders received the same interview letter too. They went all the way to attend their interview on the given date, only to be sent back before the interview began. It was an admitted mistake that KPM scholarship holders should’ve been rightfully exempted from an interview.
Did I mention that the interview letters were sent via Pos Ekspress? The Education Department must’ve used a lot of taxpayer’s money to fight fires. Normal mail would have sufficed if they were a tad more efficient. In fact, millions of Ringgit would’ve been saved in retraining teachers, sending letters, and pumping money in all the wrong places. But I guess they have a lot of financial aid from the NEP to pull it off.
Speaking of financial aid, did you know that KPM scholarship holders were given RM26,000 to complete their degree, and they are bonded for 4 years of government service? KPM scholarship holders are required to serve the government within 12 months after finishing their degree. I guess the government is really pushing it. The government is not giving scholarship holders a chance to do their dues, and the scholarship contract makes them unable to find a job elsewhere during that period of time.
What are education graduates to do? In my opinion, KPM scholarship holders can go ahead and look for a permanent job in the corporate sector. And if they do get a posting after they already found a job, they can ask the government to release them from the bond. It’s not as though the government has not wasted taxpayer’s money before. And I’m sure hundreds of graduate teachers will be more than willing to take up their places.
On 29th October 2006, the press quoted Prof Zakaria, UPM Dean of Educational Studies saying, “there is no obligation for the government to hire them.” My question is this. If the government is not obligated to employ education graduates, how come teachers are not trained to function outside the four walls of a classroom throughout their 4 years of university education? The government is just wiping their hands clean. If graduate teachers add to the number of unemployment in the country, they are indeed victims of circumstances caused by the government.
I personally wouldn’t want to see the day when I look back in retrospect and say, “The years I spent in pursuit of my aspirations to be a teacher was a total waste of time.”
Here’s wishing a productive new year to our firemen in the Education Department. Time to strap on rubber boots and get to work. Fire has broken out.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Book Of The Day
What do you do when you’re jobless and bored? You go to Bore-ders. A book a day keeps the senile brain away. I came across this book:
Some interesting parts I found:
Trapped.
It’s not because you are making the wrong decisions, it’s because you are making the right ones.
We try to make sensible decisions based on the facts in front of us.
The problem is that so is everyone else.
Izzit… No wonder I’m trapped in limbo. Don’t have a job, can’t get a job.
The unsafe decision causes you to think and respond in a way you hadn’t thought of.
And that thought will lead to other thoughts which will help you achieve what you want.
Start taking bad decisions and it will take you to a place where others only dream of being.
Really ah… Why did I want a safe, conventional job like teaching? Hmmm… Maybe it’s time to make a really, really BAD decision.
The book has humanism and individualism written all over it. The book tells you that:
“You are the person you chose to be.”
“There is only one person who can determine the shape of your life.
You.”
This part made me chuckle:
Are you being reasonable.
Salomon Brothers, the well-known New York investment house, met with prospective clients not once a month or once a day, but three times a day.
That is unreasonable.
But it works.
Most people are reasonable, that’s why they only do reasonably well.
This reminds me of someone I know. I always say, “If it’s not working, don’t keep banging your head against the wall.” This guy kept on banging. The wall broke.
This one justifies aksi behaviour:
No one but No.1
It is fashionable for so-called thinking people to try to lose their ego.
Well, they should think a bit harder.
Presumably we were given egos for a reason.
Great people have great egos; maybe that’s what makes them great.
So let us put it to good use rather than try to deny it.
Life’s all about “me” anyway.
Contrary to biblical teaching, huh?
This one made me ponder quite a while:
What’s your opinion?
Most people are other people.
Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions,
Their lives a mimicry,
Their passions a quotation – Oscar Wilde
I suspect that Oscar Wilde is an atheist. I felt as though he was talking to me. Are your thoughts not your own, but the Bible’s opinions? Is your life just a mimicry of someone else by the name of Jesus? Is your passion merely the quotations of a person called Jesus?
We have a choice then. Agree with Oscar Wilde, that Christians are just like "anyone else", mere followers of another person, with no opinion of their own. Or, agree with me, that Oscar is the wild one.
I believe it’s just a natural course of consequence. When you start off with humanism and individualism, sooner or later, you’re gonna drift into post-modernism. True enough, it came out a few pages later. Look at this one:
There is no right point of view.
There is a conventional or popular point of view.
There is a personal point of view.
There is a large point of view which the majority share.
There is a small point of view which just a few share.
But there is no right point of view.
You are always right.
You are always wrong.
It just depends from which pole you are looked at.
Advances in any field are built upon people with the small or personal point of view.
There you go. Post-modernism in a nutshell. Just as I was thinking about the writer’s personal position about God, he answered my question. He writes in the epilogue:
My next book
Since the beginning of mankind, more thought has gone into the understanding of God than any other subject known to man and still nobody is any wiser.
In the length of a taxi ride, Paul Arden explains it once and for all.
GOD EXPLAINED IN A TAXI RIDE.
I finished the book in one sitting. The book costs RM43.95.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:43-44)
This is by far one of the creepiest things that Jesus had done. I remember seeing the face of my dead uncle in a coffin. His face was bloated because he had tried to burn himself. My mother and grandmother wept loudly right after they had seen the body. My dead uncle’s brother said that as he was sleeping in the funeral parlour one night, he dreamt that my dead uncle climbed out of the coffin and ran. I remember seeing all the ceremonies that went on for the dead – the priest, the music, the chanting, and the offerings. I was just a small boy then. Until today, I still feel that the funeral parlour is a very creepy place. I must’ve been traumatized.
Imagine… A man, who was dead for 4 days, coming out from his tomb, still wrapped in his graveclothes? Man… I would’ve fainted. I’m sure there must’ve been people who did not know how to react when they saw Lazarus coming out like that. Maybe some must’ve gone hysterical. Some could’ve gone into shock. I wonder how mixed the atmosphere must’ve been, between a sense of rejoicing and of fright.
If you have a friend that just walked out of his tomb after 4 days, how will you react to him? Can you bring yourself to talk to him normally again? Maybe you still cannot accept the fact that he is alive again. Or maybe your mind still needs some time to register what you have seen, and match the supernatural with reality. Perhaps you may want to poke at his flesh to see if it is the same. Maybe you’ll want to run far, far away, because the emotional toll is too great. Imagine having spent days trying to come to terms with the loss of a dear friend, trying very hard to get closure… And suddenly, he walks again?!
Imagine how will it be like if you were Lazarus. I wonder… Will you be feeling hungry? Will you have any recollection of the last thing that happened before you woke up and found yourself wrapped in grave clothes? Did you get to see heaven for the past 4 days? Or were you in hell for 4 days? If you were in heaven, how does it feel like to be back on earth? Or if you were in hell, how does it feel like to get a second chance?
This one miracle is so amazing, it utterly astounds. It wasn’t anything like healing a man from a flu or a fever. It was raising someone who was dead for 4 days back to life again! Imagine how it affects people emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Imagine the effect on human relationships and human psyche in seeing such a thing! If there was such a thing as insurance policies at that time, the insurance agents would have a big headache!
Just before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He said this:
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26)
Then, he asks:
“Do you believe this?” (John 11:26)
Martha did. So did many Jews.
Imagine… A man, who was dead for 4 days, coming out from his tomb, still wrapped in his graveclothes? Man… I would’ve fainted. I’m sure there must’ve been people who did not know how to react when they saw Lazarus coming out like that. Maybe some must’ve gone hysterical. Some could’ve gone into shock. I wonder how mixed the atmosphere must’ve been, between a sense of rejoicing and of fright.
If you have a friend that just walked out of his tomb after 4 days, how will you react to him? Can you bring yourself to talk to him normally again? Maybe you still cannot accept the fact that he is alive again. Or maybe your mind still needs some time to register what you have seen, and match the supernatural with reality. Perhaps you may want to poke at his flesh to see if it is the same. Maybe you’ll want to run far, far away, because the emotional toll is too great. Imagine having spent days trying to come to terms with the loss of a dear friend, trying very hard to get closure… And suddenly, he walks again?!
Imagine how will it be like if you were Lazarus. I wonder… Will you be feeling hungry? Will you have any recollection of the last thing that happened before you woke up and found yourself wrapped in grave clothes? Did you get to see heaven for the past 4 days? Or were you in hell for 4 days? If you were in heaven, how does it feel like to be back on earth? Or if you were in hell, how does it feel like to get a second chance?
This one miracle is so amazing, it utterly astounds. It wasn’t anything like healing a man from a flu or a fever. It was raising someone who was dead for 4 days back to life again! Imagine how it affects people emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Imagine the effect on human relationships and human psyche in seeing such a thing! If there was such a thing as insurance policies at that time, the insurance agents would have a big headache!
Just before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He said this:
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26)
Then, he asks:
“Do you believe this?” (John 11:26)
Martha did. So did many Jews.
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