Politics and a Prayer for our Country

"Come set our hearts ablaze with hope..."
                                                                     Rend Collective

Toxic Politics
The U.S. presidential campaign is in full swing with elections only a few weeks away. If you have been following them, you are probably aware things are a little unusual this year. Indeed, the country seems strongly divided and the atmosphere seems toxic at times. Without going into detail or promoting my opinion, I would rather encourage you to join me in a prayer for our nation in the form of a lively song.

Come, Show Your Mighty Hand...Heal our Streets and Land
Last year an Irish band called Rend Collective performed at Kansas State University. My wife, mother, and I attended and enjoyed their performance. My mother was already well into the throes of Alzheimer's (an awful disease affecting the brain), but she loved their music and sometimes stood up to dance in the bleachers! It was fun to see her heart so filled with joy as they sang.

When I heard their song "Build Your Kingdom Here", I knew I had to share it with you all. It is a fun video and song that I think you will enjoy. As you listen, I encourage you to pray along - and maybe even dance!

Unleash your kingdom's power
Change the atmosphere
No force of hell can stop
Your beauty changing hearts
You made us for much more than this
Fill us with the strength and love of Christ!

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy - My Book Review

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
                                                                                                                 Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Growing up Lutheran, I knew Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor who courageously conspired against Hitler and was eventually executed by the Nazis as a result. And I had also read his famous book "The Cost of Discipleship".

But I didn't know much else about him. The biography by Eric Metaxas is a lengthy but fascinating book about Bonhoeffer's life, and a brief history about the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany during the 1930s and 1940s. It held my interest right to the end.

A Christian Pastor Joins an Assassination Plot against Hitler
How could a committed follower of Jesus Christ like Bonhoeffer justify engaging in deception and plotting to assassinate a national leader? The answer is complicated but it illustrates the Christian faith is much deeper than many think. God and His Truth are more than the simple religious legalism of "never telling a lie". Jesus constantly confronted the religious legalists of his day about following the "letter of the Law" but failing to follow a deeper "Spirit of the Law" behind the Scriptures. (1)

Bonhoeffer was an active participant in the
conspiracy to assassinate Hitler in the Valkyrie

plot, portrayed in this 2008 movie.

Bonhoeffer was brilliant and had a respect for "the truth that was so deep"; he did not have a cavalier attitude towards the truth. He was aware of the danger of a belief that "how one tells the truth depends on circumstances", but legalistic religion was being shown to be utterly inadequate against the Nazis and the atrocities they were unleashing against the Jews and others. He believed that to be true to God in the deepest way meant that one's actions could not be separated from a relationship with Jesus Christ; guidance and discernment of one's actions had to come from God. (2)

Religionless Christianity
Apparently some in the modern-day "God is dead" movement have regarded Bonhoeffer as a kind of prophet, given Bonhoeffer's views about religion. However, Metaxas eloquently illustrates that Bonhoeffer was greatly misunderstood in this respect. As a Christian myself, Bonhoeffer teachings on this topic seem completely compatible with Christianity.

For example, given the bleak situation of his time, Bonhoeffer wondered if modern man had moved beyond religion. What Bonhoeffer meant by "religion" was not true Christianity, but rather the "religious" Christianity that had failed Germany and the West during the Nazi crisis. Bonhoeffer preached that Christianity was not about religion at all, but about the person of Christ. Religion is a dead, man-made thing, and at the heart of Christianity is something else entirely - God himself, alive.

In fact, Bonhoeffer taught that "religion" is opposed to Christianity and to Christ because it presents the false idea that somehow we can reach God through our moral efforts. He differentiated between Christianity as a religion like all the others and following Christ, who demands everything, including our very lives. He wondered if it wasn't finally time for the lordship of Jesus Christ to move past the "religious" corners of Sunday mornings and churches and into all aspects of our lives...into the whole world; God is bigger than most have imagined. (3)

A Good Read
There is much more interesting in Metaxas' book. For example:

Churchill was unwilling to cooperate with a Resistance movement inside Germany (of which Bonhoeffer was a part) that was plotting against Hitler and the Nazis.

Site at Flossenburg Concentration Camp
where Bonhoeffer and others were executed
at dawn on April 9, 1945, only days before
the camp was liberated by Allied Forces.
It reads: "In resistance against dictatorship
and terror, they gave their lives for freedom,
justice, and humanity.

After the war, many in England were surprised that there were actually "good" Germans in Germany who had paid with their lives for conspiring against Hitler.

In 1930-31, Bonhoeffer spent a year at Union Theological Seminary in New York but was disappointed by their liberal theology. He finally heard the Gospel preached and its power manifested at Abyssinian Baptist, an African American church in Harlem. He noted the only real piety and power he witnessed were in churches where there were a present reality and past history of suffering; he had traveled in the southern U.S. and was shocked at the racism he witnessed there. The powerful preaching of the Gospel at Abyssinian Baptist was life changing for Bonhoeffer.

Bonhoeffer was engaged to be married but was imprisoned and executed before his marriage.

Facing the End
In the end, Bonhoeffer faced death with courage. Years later the doctor of the concentration camp who had witnessed his execution wrote:

I was most deeply moved by the way this lovable man prayed, so devout and certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of execution, [Bonhoeffer again] said a short prayer and then climbed the steps to the gallows, brave and composed...In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.

A fitting tribute to this man of God.



Footnotes:
(1) For example, see Jesus' sermon on the mount in Matthew chapters 5 to 7; see also chapter 23.
(2) A great discussion of this in on pp. 365-367 in the hardback version of Metaxas' book "What is Truth"?
(3) Excerpts from pp. 82-85 and 465-468 (ibid).

Risen - The Movie

“I have seen two things which cannot reconcile. A man dead without question. And that same man alive again”
                                                - Clavius, Roman Military Tribune

The Resurrection from a Skeptics Perspective
If you haven't yet seen the movie "Risen", I highly recommend it. With a great cast, impressive production budget, and of course a great story line, you will be entertained and find yourself pondering the events surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

This movie isn't just for Christians. The producers worked hard to maintain Scriptural authenticity while balancing it with cinematic creativity. They had a broader cross section of cultural society in mind for an audience (rather than Christians only) as they produced the movie, and I believe they hit their mark.

A Personal Journey
The movie is the story of a man's personal journey. Clavius is a military leader assigned with the task of ensuring that three criminals being crucified are dead before sunset, even if he has to hurry it along. He apparently is aware that one of them claimed to be a king of some kind, but he is indifferent. By the time he arrived at the site of the crucifixion, Christ had already died.

To me, the scene of the crucifixion is amazingly haunting and thought provoking. And of course as a Christian I was moved by the depth of love that Christ exhibited for me (and all his followers) by suffering and dying that way. Later in the movie I was also moved by the tenderness of the resurrected Christ towards Peter and Thomas as they wept over their earlier denial and doubt, respectively, of their leader Y’shua (Jesus). It is a beautiful picture of Y’shua's posture towards all of us who follow him, yet are imperfect.

But I get ahead of myself! After Christ's body disappeared from the tomb, Clavius was ordered to find the body at all costs in order to put down a rumor beginning to circulate that the man Jesus had risen from the dead. So Clavius began a relentless search, which required him to play the role of detective. He aggressively chased down and interrogated anyone who had spoken of Christ being alive again, and also searched for his disciples and close followers who may have known where the body was. But the evidence he found was not what he expected, and eventually it led him to write down the words quoted at the top of this post.

The Implications of The Resurrection
This movie is not preachy or cheese ball as some Christian-themed movies of the past have (unfortunately) been. But it does explore a historical event that is foundational to Christianity. For as the Apostle Paul himself said: "...if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (1). But he then went on to say: "But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries." (2) If that is true, then the implications of the resurrection are profound for your own life and is at the very least worth serious consideration, including an examination of the strong historical evidence for the resurrection of Christ. (3)

However, regardless of what you think of the resurrection story, this movie is worth viewing.


Footnotes:
(1) 1 Corinthians 15:14
(2) 1 Corinthians 15:20
(3) William Lane Craig wrote an excellent article on the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ at this link:  http://www.reasonablefaith.org/the-resurrection-of-jesus

Below is a lecture by William Lane Craig on the same topic, presented at Yale University.

Why I Write This Blog

...they continually say to me, "Where is your God?
                                                                                                     Psalms 42:3

My high school graduation
picture, 1978, a few months
before leaving for the
university.

My University Experience
When I started attending the university in 1979 I was exposed to ideas that challenged my beliefs as a Christian. The secular worldview was strong, especially in some of my biology and physics classes, and I began to assume that most "educated" people probably didn't believe in God. I certainly doubted if any professors did. The atmosphere was stifling and it was a bewildering time for me.

But there were a couple of professors who I learned did believe in God. Dr. Richard Ikenberry and Dr. Glenn Underhill at Kearney State College (now the University of Nebraska-Kearney), where I started college, were Christians. There is a certain irony in the fact that one of them was a biologist and the other a physicist!

Now, many years later and as a professor myself, I suspect that some students at my campus and other college campuses may experience similar circumstances and feelings as I did. However, I don't want them to assume as I did that "educated" people don't believe in God. In fact, many PhDs and professors have strong faith in God, and I am fortunate to personally know a number of them.

Dr. Glenn Underhill, one of my college
physics professors, who was also

a Christian.

Is Your University Experience Challenging Your Faith?
If you are a college student and your faith is being challenged by the secular environment of the university, you are not alone. As a college student and even afterwards, I wrestled with the claims of secularism/atheism/agnosticism/naturalism firsthand. But my faith in God is now stronger than ever.

It is not all bad to have one's faith challenged. As Timothy Keller said, “Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts... It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them.” The evidence for the Christian faith is amazing (1), and God is big enough to handle your questions. You can make it your own!

It is another thing to have your beliefs maligned or diminished. C.S. Lewis, who was an atheist before converting to Christianity, knowingly said "Atheists express their rage against God although in their view He doesn't exist." That can be confusing to a college student, especially if the criticism is coming from a professor. However, you don't have to take their word for it! I would encourage students to use this as an opportunity to critically examine for yourself the claims of and evidence for Christianity (1).

Why I Write This Blog
Therefore, I write this blog largely to encourage students (and others) who may be facing doubt and unbelief in the face of the dominant secular environment of our western universities and, increasingly, in our culture. Many of my blog posts address this topic.

I also write for those who may not believe in God - or perhaps haven't even considered it. I sincerely believe if they examined with an open mind the evidence for the existence of God and the truth of Christianity, they may be quite surprised.

Footnote:
(1)  There is much information available about evidence for the existence of God and the truth of Christianity. For example, the authors William Lane Craig (www.ReasonableFaith.org), John Lennox (http://www.johnlennox.org/), Lee Strobel (e.g., The Case for Christ), C.S. Lewis (e.g., Mere Christianity), Timothy Keller ("The Reason for God" and many of his sermons at http://www.gospelinlife.com/), Frank Turek (http://crossexamined.org/), to name a few, all address this in their books and websites.

Is There Any Evidence That God Exists?

"To the majority of those who have reflected deeply and written about the origin and nature of the universe, it has seemed that it points beyond itself to a source which is non-physical and of great intelligence and power. Almost all the great classical philosophers - certainly Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Kant, Hegel, Locke, Berkeley - saw the origin of the universe as lying in a transcendent reality. They had different specific ideas of this reality, and different ways of approaching it; but that the universe is not self-explanatory, and that it requires some explanation beyond itself, was something they accepted as fairly obvious."
                                                                    Keith Ward (1)

Dr. William Lane Craig (2) has developed an excellent 4-minute video that addresses the question of the existence of God through a combination of logic and scientific evidence ("The Cosmological Argument"). Cosmology, which is the science of the origin and development of the universe, has in recent years discovered compelling evidence that the universe is not here by accident (click YouTube video at left or on this link: https://youtu.be/6CulBuMCLg0).

There is more evidence in cosmology that indicates the existence of God, but I will address that in another post!

Footnotes:

(1) God, Chance and Necessity, Oxford, One World Publication, 1996 p.1.

(2) Reasonable Faith with Dr. William Lane Craig (http://www.reasonablefaith.org/)

Japan

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Tokyo, Japan, to present at a conference sponsored by the fine folks at Toyo Green Co., LTD (1), a company that sells products for turfgrass maintenance (golf courses, sports fields, lawns, etc). They also invited Dr. Bert McCarty, a turfgrass scientist and professor from Clemson Univ. They kept us busy most of the time, but we did visit several sites around Tokyo.

Japan is another amazing example of God's beautiful creation. I would love to visit this country again. Below is a sample...enjoy!!

Nijubashi Bridge, entrance to inner grounds of the Imperial Palace, in Tokyo. It was cold and snowing when we visited. The public isn't allowed into the main grounds except for Jan. 2 and Dec. 23 (we were there on Jan 30). The Palace is where the Imperial family resides, and is surrounded by walls (left) and a moat. Photo by Shutaro Akishino.

A view of Tokyo from the Kokyo Gaien National Gardens,which surround the Imperial Palace. The backdrop of the city across the black pines and snow-covered lawns was breathtaking!

The black pine trees in the Kokyo Gaien National Gardens had very interesting shapes, and provided a beautiful and stark contrast to the snow! Photo by Shutaro Akishino.

This sign indicates how close the famous bridge on the Imperial Palace grounds is to Tokyo Station.

We caught a subway at Tokyo Station, which is the busiest in Japan in terms of number of trains per day (over 3000). It is in the Marunouchi District in Chiyoda, Tokyo, within easy walking distance from the Imperial Palace.

Our first meal in Tokyo, at the Purana Barca Pizzeria and Bar. Very nice restaurant and friendly staff! Bert McCarty is on the left, with our wonderful Japanese hosts from Toyo Green (left to right): Shoichi Kimura, Taro Fujiwara, Yuichiro Tsuchida, and Shutaro Akishino.

Bert McCarty (left), Mika Seta (center), me (right), and Taro Fujiwara (facing away from camera), visiting on the grounds of Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, in Tokyo. The buildings in the background were built after the stadium was already there, and have caused a severe shade problem for the turfgrass (bermudagrass) growth. Photo by Shutaro Akishino.

A view down the bustling, shop-lined street named Nakamise that leads to the main gate of Sensoji Temple, which is a famous Buddhist Temple. This is in the Asakusa district, where an atmosphere of the Tokyo of past decades survives. Bert McCarty stands a bit taller than the average Japanese! It was raining just enough to need the umbrellas.

This many-tiered pagoda came into view as we walked down Nakamise street towards Sensoji Temple. Japan is about 71% Buddhist, 84% Shinto, and only 2% Christian; many people belong to both Buddhism and Shintoism.

The famous Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. The snow, which had been falling all morning, had built up on the steep roof and was sliding down and falling in huge chunks onto the sidewalk and steps leading into the temple (at far left). The police were trying to keep people from walking under the eve so they wouldn't get hurt!

Narrow streets in the Asakusa shopping district, near the Sensoji Temple.

Shin-Nakamise, or "New Nakamise", a covered shopping archade in Asakusa. The covered street was a welcome reprieve from the cold rain that was falling outside. Many Japanese wore surgical masks when out in public, apparently to protect themselves from sickness (or maybe to protect others if they were sick).

We saw several two-wheeled rickshaws in Asakusa, which were pulled by a person!

We were excited to go up into the Tokyo Skytree, which is the tallest tower in Japan and second-tallest structure in the world. Unfortunately it was cloudy, so we didn't go. But it was amazing to look up and see it disappear into the clouds!

Assortment of fish, squid, and shellfish at the famous Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo.We got up at 4:30 am to see the fish auction but were too late. Admittance is strictly regulated and you had better get there earlier than we did (maybe 3 am) if you really want a spot. We were disappointed, but enjoyed walking around and looking at the fish and bustling activity as shop owners prepared for a busy Friday at the Market.

A shopkeeper slices product in preparation for the day, while a tuna appears to look on from the icebox!

Shutaro (center left) and me walking the narrow streets of the Tsukiji Fish Market at 5:30 am on a Friday. These shopkeepers get up very early and work hard to make a living!

I couldn't resist stopping by this tuna along the street. I love tuna and had no idea they were this big! I was told this wasn't even a large tuna. Shutaro liked to ham it up for the camera, and here he proudly presents the tuna!

A view of the Tokyo Tower from the nearby Zojoji Temple (Buddhist) in Tokyo. Tokyo Tower is 1,093 ft tall and is the second tallest structure in Japan.

The shadow of Tokyo Tower falls across this nearby soccer stadium on a beautiful Saturday morning in Tokyo.

This colorful and delicious sushi was definitely authentic. It was in a nice restaurant near the Tokyo Tower. Most of the sushi was raw (not cooked), which is something I wasn't use to. I ate more raw meat in my 6 days in Tokyo than I ever had before, but it was good to expand my culinary horizons!

My debut with the audience at the Toyo Green conference for golf course superintendents. They were very gracious and I really enjoyed presenting to them. Photo by Shutaro Akishino.

This was immediately after the 2-day conference. From left to right: Kibow, who translated our talks into Japanese; Bert McCarty, me; and Takao (Tak) Yamada, the president of Toyo Green Co. I am so grateful for their invitation to present at their conference! Photo by Shutaro Akishino.

A view of the Tokyo Skytree from the Tokyo Tower. We wanted to go to the Skytree but it was closed because of high winds. Nevertheless, we weren't disappointed by the views from Tokyo Tower! Photo by Shutaro Akishino.

A stunning view of Tokyo Bay from the Tokyo Tower. It was very windy on the day we went up in the Tower, and we could feel it sway in the wind! The Zojoji Temple Grounds are in the foreground (bottom).

 Footnotes:
(1) Here is Toyo Green's website for the conference: http://www.toyo-green.com/english/turf-seminar.html

Jesus and Joy

At Christmastime, we Christians celebrate Jesus' birth as a real baby 2000 years ago. God comes to Earth in human form. (1) (2)

But why did he come? There is a lot more to it, but we are given a clue in Hebrews 12:2:

Because of the joy awaiting him, [Jesus] endured the cross, disregarding its shame.

And what was the joy awaiting him? (Sorry, as a professor I can't help but to ask questions!)

A little background is required here. At the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden (3) (hinted at at the beginning of the video in this post, or at this link: http://youtu.be/gmnSnNC8UJk?list=FL54WMG1VODIB2lLnCmBkn5w), something profound was lost. We lost our ability to commune with our Creator - God.

But God lost something too...

He lost us.

And losing us was more than He was willing to bear. He loved us too much to not offer a rescue, even though such a rescue would be costly.

Adoration of the Lamb, painting by Jan van Eyck (1432).
More information at: http://www.artbible.info/art/large/187.html

Jesus Christ, the Son of God and perfect Lamb (4), would have to die an atoning death on the cross in our place. It was the only way.

He came to pay a debt he didn't owe, because we owed a debt we couldn't pay.

Back to the question: What was the joy awaiting Jesus by enduring the cross?

The joy awaiting him was relationship with US...our restoration with God for eternity, for those who receive him! (5)

He finds JOY in making us whole! (6)

No wonder the Bible is about Him, that so many songs have been sung and so much has been written about Him, and that so many lives have been transformed by Him throughout the centuries.

What a comforting truth to hold onto at Christmastime and throughout the coming year!

Footnotes: