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Batman, Joker, the Depravity of Man, and the Imputation of Christ

Spoiler Alert. This post will/may contain major plot points in an effort to make a point.

I just finished watching The Dark Knight, part 2 of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy to be concluded next summer. In this movie, Batman finishes up a few loose ends from the first movie, while facing a new foe in that of Heath Ledger's Joker. I always enjoyed Tim Burton's Batman movies, and Nolan's are quite similar, with the exception that I believe Nolan's are even darker. The Joker plots to have the citizens of Gotham bare the darkest recesses of their souls. We saw this to some extent with the Scarecrow and the League of Shadows in the first movie and the release of the toxin into the air. People's darkest fears realized.

In this movie, the Joker's character is so depraved that he plays with the emotions of the people of Gotham in order to get them to be like him. His desire is for anarchy to occur. It almost works, except for the fact that he overestimates the good in people. Like Satan, he preys on people's fears and on their depravity. He seeks to force their depravity to the service. This is not a perfect illustration, but we must see that what God promised, as a result of the fall, is true. People do have the knowledge of good and evil. They do see right from wrong.

Batman, on the other hand, battles Joker, and makes him see that his plan fails. He takes out Harvey Dent, the only person in the movie for which the Joker's plan seemed to have work, turning him into what comic book fans know as Two-Face. Harvey has always only believed in chance, apparently, always flipping a "lucky coin" to make decisions. It's no different as Two-Face, apparently a nickname from his police days, as he decides who should live and who should die. He believes morality is best left up to chance. This is the attitude that seems to becoming more and more popular here in America and has been in Europe. You decide what's right for you.

Despite all that, Batman chooses to not let Gotham see Dent for what he became, instead taking all of the Joker's and Dent's crimes on himself, to become the hunted. What a picture of the Gospel of Christ. Christ became sin for us, so that we would not have to die. He committed no wrong, broke no laws, was sinless. Now, one cannot say that Batman is sinless, but the picture of what he did is found in the Gospel. All of our sins are imputed to Christ. When God looks at those who trust Christ as Lord and Savior, He does not see our sin. He sees the perfect, holy Son of Jesus Christ, our Messiah. He, who knew no sin, became sin. I am curious to see how the Batman trilogy finishes out, but I can say that I know how the Gospel turns out. We dwell with Christ forever, because of his death and resurrection.

Carl Medearis Stirs the Pot over on CNN.com

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="214" caption="Carl Medearis"][/caption]

Carl Medearis was recently asked to write a blog post for CNN's Belief blog. The post appeared on Sunday, and Carl was told that it would only be up for a couple of hours. It now has over 3,000 comments and still appears on the front page of the blog. The post is called, "Why Evangelicals Should Stop Evangelizing." What I believe stirred the pot was the following:

Funny thing is, Jesus never said, “Go into the world and convert people to Christianity.” What he said was, “Go and make disciples of all nations.”

Encouraging anyone and everyone to become an apprentice of Jesus, without manipulation, is a more open, dynamic and relational way of helping people who want to become more like Jesus — regardless of their religious identity.

Just because I believe that evangelicals should stop evangelizing doesn’t mean that they should to stop speaking of Jesus.

...

It may come as a surprise to many Christians that Muslims are generally open to studying the life of Jesus as a model for leadership because they revere him as a prophet.

But now that I’m no longer obsessed with converting people to Christianity, I’ve found that talking about Jesus is much easier and far more compelling.

I believe that doctrine is important, but it’s not more important than following Jesus.

Jesus met people where they were. Instead of trying to figure out who’s “in” and who’s “out,” why don’t we simply invite people to follow Jesus — and let Jesus run his kingdom?

Inviting people to love, trust, and follow Jesus is something the world can live with. And since evangelicals like to say that it’s not about religion, but rather a personal relationship with Jesus, perhaps we should practice what we preach.

I pretty much agree with Carl. It's not about converting people to another religion. It is about making disciples of all nations. With that mindset, we can better trust in God's sovereignty that He is saving people. Otherwise, we will only fall apart as people don't "convert." I posted the link to the article on CNN above so you can view the whole thing.

What are your thoughts?

[Book Review] "J. R. R. Tolkien" by Mark Horne

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="140" caption=""J. R. R. Tolkien" by Mark Horne, Click Image to Purchase"][/caption]

I've always been a big fan of J. R. R. Tolkien. I first read The Hobbit when I was in third grade, followed up by The Lord of the Rings. Mark Horne has written a short and succinct biography of Tolkien as part of the Christian Encounters series by Thomas Nelson Publishers. Horne details Tolkien's life from birth in South Africa to his death in 1973. Along the way, we meet the people, towns, and countryside that influenced much of Tolkien's writing. We learn that C. S. Lewis was one of The Lord of the Rings' biggest fans, almost causing that to be a detriment because of his status as a Christian apologist. We learn about how piracy of the book caused it to become more popular. We learn about Tolkien's faith as a Roman Catholic and his wife's conversion just so they could get married.  Tolkien was very much a family man and one of his primary concerns was providing for his family. We see that in this book. If you don't want to read one of the more definitive or larger biographies of Tolkien, then I would highly recommend this book.

This book was provided free as part of Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program.

Inklings of Reality - New Blog Title

I've changed the blog title and blog address. It's not called "Inklings of Reality" with an address of http://inklingsofreality.blogspot.com.

Be sure to change your bookmarks and feed links.

Ed Stetzer - Freedom of Religion Has to Be Freedom for Everyone

I was planning to write a response to Herman Cain's talking points over the weekend, but Ed Stetzer said it better than I could:

Ed Stetzer - Freedom of Religion Has to Be Freedom for Everyone

In the spirit of mutual respect and tolerance, Muslims should be free to build a masjid where they live, and Christians should defend their religious freedom to do so. At the same time, Christians should be free to plant churches in places like Bhutan, the Maldives, Brunei, and Saudi Arabia. No matter where we live or what religion we follow, we should not demand for ourselves that which we are unwilling to grant others--freedom from compulsion, freedom from discrimination on the basis of creed, and freedom of conscience.

Read the rest.

Ed Stetzer - Freedom of Religion Has to Be Freedom for Everyone

I was planning to write a response to Herman Cain's talking points over the weekend, but Ed Stetzer said it better than I could:

Ed Stetzer - Freedom of Religion Has to Be Freedom for Everyone

In the spirit of mutual respect and tolerance, Muslims should be free to build a masjid where they live, and Christians should defend their religious freedom to do so. At the same time, Christians should be free to plant churches in places like Bhutan, the Maldives, Brunei, and Saudi Arabia. No matter where we live or what religion we follow, we should not demand for ourselves that which we are unwilling to grant others--freedom from compulsion, freedom from discrimination on the basis of creed, and freedom of conscience.

Read the rest.

Christianity vs. Patriotism

This past Monday, the United States of America celebrated it's 235th birthday. The preceding day, many churches in America celebrated Independence Day with songs about America and it's flag. Songs like, "My Country, 'tis of Thee," "America, the Beautiful," "God Bless the U.S.A.," and "This Land is Your Land" replaced hymns and worship choruses in sanctuaries as choirs put together big musical numbers, military vets and servicemen where acknowledged, and God seemed all but forgotten in this show of patriotism.

Christianity vs. Patriotism

This past Monday, the United States of America celebrated it's 235th birthday. The preceding day, many churches in America celebrated Independence Day with songs about America and it's flag. Songs like, "My Country, 'tis of Thee," "America, the Beautiful," "God Bless the U.S.A.," and "This Land is Your Land" replaced hymns and worship choruses in sanctuaries as choirs put together big musical numbers, military vets and servicemen where acknowledged, and God seemed all but forgotten in this show of patriotism.
Now that you may think that I'm a total traitor, let me explain my thinking here. I love my country as much as the next guy, but do you honestly think that our churches should be a harbinger of patriotism? Should we dedicate one or two Sundays (Memorial Day being the other one) a year to ditching songs of worship to God, ditching the discipling of believers through the preaching of the Word of God, just so we can display our patriotism? Is the church building the place to do that? I say no.

No where in Scripture are we commanded to lift our country above our Faith, and that is exactly what happened in churches across America this past Sunday. Our flag was worshiped, our nation was worshiped, but where was God in all of this. Yes, God may be mentioned in some of the songs, but is He really the one being sung to? "My Country, 'tis of Thee?" The United States of America and it's flag were idolized this past Sunday. God was forgotten. In most churches, mine included, you'll find both an American flag, and a Christian flag. I'm not really sure that we even need the Christian flag, but it's there. If you've never seen/heard of the Christian flag, it's a white rectangle with a blue rectangle in the top left and a red cross in the middle of the rectangle.

We are commanded in Romans 13 to respect our governmental authorities, because they have been placed there by God. Yes, Barack Hussein Obama was appointed by God to be the President of the United States for a time, whether you like it or not. We need not, must not, place our country above our Christianity, however. If you believe in Jesus Christ, then you are called to be a Christian first. Songs about our flag and our country do not worship God, and most do not mention God. God desires our worship of Him alone. Remember, that He is a jealous God. There was a reason He has told us to have no other idols before Him. Have you made America your idol?

C. J. Mahaney on his taking a leave of absence

From "Why I'm taking a leave of absence":

Over the last few years some former pastors and leaders in Sovereign Grace have made charges against me and informed me about offenses they have with me as well as other leaders in Sovereign Grace. These charges are serious and they have been very grieving to read. These charges are not related to any immorality or financial impropriety, but this doesn’t minimize their serious nature, which include various expressions of pride, unentreatability, deceit, sinful judgment, and hypocrisy.

I believe God is kindly disciplining me through this. I believe I have by the grace of God perceived a degree of my sin, and I have been grieved by my sin and its effects on others.  I have had the opportunity to confess my sin to some of those affected in various ways by my sin. And I am so very grateful for their forgiveness.  But I want to perceive and confess any and all sin I have committed.  Although my experience of conviction has already started—and this is an evidence of God’s mercy—I’m sure there is more for me to perceive and acknowledge.  Even with the charges I disagree with it has been beneficial to examine my soul and ask for the observation of others.  And I am resolved to take responsibility for my sin and every way my leadership has been deficient, and this would include making any appropriate confessions, public or private.  Most importantly I want to please God during this season of examination and evaluation.

So here is what I am going to do. I’ve asked to take a leave of absence in order to give time to considering these charges, examine my heart, and receive the appropriate help from others.  With the guidance of the SGM board, I would also hope to pursue reconciliation with former pastors of Sovereign Grace during this leave. I have stepped off the board and I will not be the President of Sovereign Grace Ministries during this period of examination and evaluation. In order for me to receive an objective evaluation in relation to these charges the board is securing the help of a third-party ministry that has no history of relationship with SGM. With counsel from that ministry, the board will determine the appropriate steps I should take going forward.   After processing these findings, the board will determine the appropriate steps I should take going forward.  This leave of absence will also help remove any impediment to the panel’s exploration that could potentially arise if I remained in my current position, and it will enable me to fully cooperate in the process. 

Let us come together as the Church and pray for C. J. during this time of reflection. Please read the full post (I have linked it at the top of this post). I appreciate his heart and his humility in recognizing that he has faults and sin. We all have faults and sin in our lives and C. J. is recognizing this. I remember when someone posted a comment on one of my blogs about Sovereign Grace Ministries and I passed it off as slander from disgruntled former members. Maybe some of it is slander and this happens in all churches. But let us pray for God's grace to be poured out in C. J.'s life and all those affected.

[Book Review] Johann Sebastian Bach by Rick Marschall

I've never been one for classical music, but this series of books being put out by Thomas Nelson publishers intrigued me as they seek to show the Christianity of many famous figures throughout history. As a homeschool dad, I thought that maybe this book would also be useful in homeschooling in the future. Biographies are important in learning about our past and people who have shaped history. However, as I started reading this book, I had a real hard time getting into it. The author seems more intent on setting the background of Bach, rather than talking about Bach himself. The author obviously has a love for Bach's music, but takes a long time getting to talking about Bach himself. We do find out about Bach growing up in the church, growing up around music, and what his family life was like eventually, but it still seems a side note in the larger story. I do like how his Christianity is played up into his music, as Bach did see his music as evangelistic. The book is small, less than 200 pages, and could be read in a sitting, if one so desires, but it will not be an easy read. It could be the author's style or just the way he organized the content. If you like biographies and want a short one on a musical composer, feel free to read it. It could be useful as a resource, but it wasn't enjoyable.

This book was provided free by Thomas Nelson as part of their Booksneeze blogging review program.

C. J. Mahaney on his taking a leave of absence

From "Why I'm taking a leave of absence":

Over the last few years some former pastors and leaders in Sovereign Grace have made charges against me and informed me about offenses they have with me as well as other leaders in Sovereign Grace. These charges are serious and they have been very grieving to read. These charges are not related to any immorality or financial impropriety, but this doesn’t minimize their serious nature, which include various expressions of pride, unentreatability, deceit, sinful judgment, and hypocrisy.

I believe God is kindly disciplining me through this. I believe I have by the grace of God perceived a degree of my sin, and I have been grieved by my sin and its effects on others.  I have had the opportunity to confess my sin to some of those affected in various ways by my sin. And I am so very grateful for their forgiveness.  But I want to perceive and confess any and all sin I have committed.  Although my experience of conviction has already started—and this is an evidence of God’s mercy—I’m sure there is more for me to perceive and acknowledge.  Even with the charges I disagree with it has been beneficial to examine my soul and ask for the observation of others.  And I am resolved to take responsibility for my sin and every way my leadership has been deficient, and this would include making any appropriate confessions, public or private.  Most importantly I want to please God during this season of examination and evaluation.

So here is what I am going to do. I’ve asked to take a leave of absence in order to give time to considering these charges, examine my heart, and receive the appropriate help from others.  With the guidance of the SGM board, I would also hope to pursue reconciliation with former pastors of Sovereign Grace during this leave. I have stepped off the board and I will not be the President of Sovereign Grace Ministries during this period of examination and evaluation. In order for me to receive an objective evaluation in relation to these charges the board is securing the help of a third-party ministry that has no history of relationship with SGM. With counsel from that ministry, the board will determine the appropriate steps I should take going forward.   After processing these findings, the board will determine the appropriate steps I should take going forward.  This leave of absence will also help remove any impediment to the panel’s exploration that could potentially arise if I remained in my current position, and it will enable me to fully cooperate in the process. 

Let us come together as the Church and pray for C. J. during this time of reflection. Please read the full post (I have linked it at the top of this post). I appreciate his heart and his humility in recognizing that he has faults and sin. We all have faults and sin in our lives and C. J. is recognizing this. I remember when someone posted a comment on one of my blogs about Sovereign Grace Ministries and I passed it off as slander from disgruntled former members. Maybe some of it is slander and this happens in all churches. But let us pray for God's grace to be poured out in C. J.'s life and all those affected.

The Five Pillars of Islam - Sawm

Sawm is the Muslim abstinence from food mostly during the month of Ramadan. There are other types of fasting, but this is the primary one. During this month of the Muslim year, Muslims are to abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset.  Typically at sunset during the month of Ramadan, Muslims will gather together for a large meal and party into the wee hours of the morning.  It's sort of ironic that they show a face of piety during the day by keeping the fast, but at night can be quite gluttonous. 

[Book Review] Johann Sebastian Bach by Rick Marschall

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=godatthecen-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1595551085
I've never been one for classical music, but this series of books being put out by Thomas Nelson publishers intrigued me as they seek to show the Christianity of many famous figures throughout history. As a homeschool dad, I thought that maybe this book would also be useful in homeschooling in the future. Biographies are important in learning about our past and people who have shaped history. However, as I started reading this book, I had a real hard time getting into it. The author seems more intent on setting the background of Bach, rather than talking about Bach himself. The author obviously has a love for Bach's music, but takes a long time getting to talking about Bach himself. We do find out about Bach growing up in the church, growing up around music, and what his family life was like eventually, but it still seems a side note in the larger story. I do like how his Christianity is played up into his music, as Bach did see his music as evangelistic. The book is small, less than 200 pages, and could be read in a sitting, if one so desires, but it will not be an easy read. It could be the author's style or just the way he organized the content. If you like biographies and want a short one on a musical composer, feel free to read it. It could be useful as a resource, but it wasn't enjoyable.

This book was provided free by Thomas Nelson as part of their Booksneeze blogging review program.

The Millennials Free July Audiobook

From the Publisher's Description:

At more than 78 million strong, the Millennials—those born between 1980 and 2000—have surpassed the Boomers as the larger and more influential generation in America. Now, as its members begin to reach adulthood, where the traits of a generation really take shape, best-selling research author Thom Rainer (Simple Church) and his son Jess (a Millennial born in 1985) present the first major investigative work on Millennials from a Christian worldview perspective.
Sure to interest even the secularists who study this group, The Millennials is based on 1200 interviews with its namesakes that aim to better understand them personally, professionally, and spiritually. Chapters report intriguing how-and-why findings on family matters (they are closer-knit than previous generations), their desire for diversity (consider the wave of mixed race and ethnic adoptions), Millennials and the new workplace, their attitude toward money, the media, the environment, and perhaps most tellingly, religion.
The authors close with a thoughtful response to how the church can engage and minister to what is now in fact the largest generation in America's history.

Download Now 

Buy the physical book below.

Jumu'ah Friday

Every Friday around the world, millions of Muslims gather together in their mosques for a sermon from their imam and a congregational prayer service, much like the Jews have on Saturdays and the Christians have on Sundays. What I would like to do is post a prayer each Friday for the salvation of these Muslims from the darkness into light. If you would, pray throughout the day. You may pray this prayer or come up with your own. If you think about it, offer it up about noon, when they will be at their prayers.

Jumu'ah Prayer

Father God,

We come before you today, as Muslims gather in their mosques to hear a sermon quite possibly preaching against the West and particularly Christians and Jews. We pray that their ears would be closed to what they are hearing from their imams and that their ears would be open to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I pray that your light would penetrate their minds and their hearts. I pray that we, as Christians, would respond out of love and not fear to those Muslims that we may meet. May we not listen to the voices around us that tell use that Muslims only want to hate. They will know we are Christians by our love. Let us show the love of Christ so that they may see the Gospel.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior,

Amen.

The Millennials Free July Audiobook

From the Publisher's Description:

At more than 78 million strong, the Millennials—those born between 1980 and 2000—have surpassed the Boomers as the larger and more influential generation in America. Now, as its members begin to reach adulthood, where the traits of a generation really take shape, best-selling research author Thom Rainer (Simple Church) and his son Jess (a Millennial born in 1985) present the first major investigative work on Millennials from a Christian worldview perspective.
Sure to interest even the secularists who study this group, The Millennials is based on 1200 interviews with its namesakes that aim to better understand them personally, professionally, and spiritually. Chapters report intriguing how-and-why findings on family matters (they are closer-knit than previous generations), their desire for diversity (consider the wave of mixed race and ethnic adoptions), Millennials and the new workplace, their attitude toward money, the media, the environment, and perhaps most tellingly, religion.
The authors close with a thoughtful response to how the church can engage and minister to what is now in fact the largest generation in America's history.

Download Now 

Buy the physical book below.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=godatthecen-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B004FV4R0O