Between Two Worlds

Rev. John Ensor is the Executive Director of the Urban Initiative Program of Heartbeat International, a ministry dedicated to training Christian Communities how to provide life-saving, life-changing assistance to women and couples unprepared for pregnancy through the establishment of donor supported Pregnancy Help Clinics (PHC). John's work involves introducing the PHC model into our nation's abortion-hot zones; cities especially plagued by abortion facilities and lacking life-affirming alternatives.

I asked him a few questions about one way we can help the weak and the vulnerable.

For those of us concerned for women and concerned for the unborn, can you give us one concrete practical thing we can do?

One great project that everyone, at any giving level, can get behind, is Option Line. It directly saves mothers and babies from the pressure and temptation of abortion.

What is Option Line?

Option Line is a national calling center (plus IM and email) fielding calls from women actively considering abortion, taking the time to understand the pressure or fear they face, and directly and immediately connecting them to the Pregnancy Help Clinic best able to serve them locally.

How many Pregnancy Help Clinics are there in the US?

For the past 38 years the Christian community has faithfully established over 2,000 Pregnancy Help Clinics nationwide.

Where does Option Line advertise, and has it been successful?

Option Line ads run on MTV and BET, and many regional networks have generated as many as 700 calls in within the half hour! The truth is, Option Line worked better than any of us expected. The calls rushed in and they expanded the technology and staff to make the most of the opportunity. In 2008, they handled a stunning 225,000 calls with 36 highly trained consultants working 24/7.

How much does it cost to operate Option Line?

It now costs $50 per hour for Heartbeat to run Option Line. It costs $1,200 a day. Since my wife and I are people of modest means, we pledged $100 a month. So we are paying for one full day a year, or serving providing personal, competent, and immediate help to about 700 young women facing a life or death decision.

So what can we do?

Underwrite an hour, a day, a week, or a month, and let us be cross-bearers for child-bearers. Or as Psalm 82:3 says it, "Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

The "Jane Roe" of Roe v. Wade was Norma McCorvey. In 1969 she was 22 years old, divorced, homeless, and pregnant for the third time (she had placed her first two children for adoption). Somehow an adoption agency connected her with two young lawyers fresh out of law school who were eager to challenge the Texas statutes on abortion. McCorvey only met with her lawyers twice--once for beer and pizza, the other time to sign an affidavit (which she didn't read). In order to speed things up McCorvey lied and told them she had been raped. She never appeared in court, and she found out about the infamous ruling from the newspapers. The baby she was seeking to abort was born and placed for adoption.

Today Norma McCorvey is pro-life, advocating for the unborn. You can read her sworn testimony recounting her experience as the plaintiff in one of the most significant cases to appear before the Supreme Court.

Here's a brief commercial:

This past Sanctity of Life Sunday I had the privilege of preaching in my church on the truth of God vs. the tragedy of abortion.

You can download the MP3 (53:18min, 36.6MB).

I was heavily indebted to the work of John Piper, Greg Koukl, and Scott Klusendorf. Follow the links to hear this material said much better than I can!

At the end of my message I quoted James 1:27, where we are commanded to visit orphans. I made the brief comment that if God commands us to help to those who parents are dead, how much more should we seek to rescue those whose parents want them dead.

I neglected to mention that I got this idea from a sermon by Piper on this passage. Here's the relevant section:

James' command to have compassion on the helpless who have lost mother and father applies to them if their mother and father turn on them and become worse than dead parents; namely, killing parents. If orphans should be cared for by God's people, how much more children whose parents reject them.

And when it says, visit them "in their distress" we may ask, Is there any place of greater distress than in the womb of a woman who gives herself over to abortion? This is the greatest distress any child will ever experience. To be torn limb from limb in the very place that should be the safest place in the world is "distress" if there ever is anything called "distress." "Visit orphans in their distress."

Piper closes the sermon in this way, and I call you to pray this prayer with him:

O how I pray that the religion of our church will be "pure and undefiled religion"--pure and undefiled faith in our Lord Jesus Christ! May God grant us to speak both languages of compassion: the language of the orphan and the language of the widow. The language of the helpless child and the language of the desperate woman. There are many other languages we must speak (to the fathers and to the lawmakers and to the doctors, etc.). But whatever we do, let us not be silent. For if we are, our religion is empty, and our faith is dead (James 1:27; 2:14,17).

Amen.

A moving meditation by John Piper on the providence of God, the plane in the Hudson, and the president in the White House.

Last night the Student Government at Northwestern College in St. Paul issued a statement of "no confidence" in President Alan Cureton's leadership.

Citing "irrefutable evidence that President Cureton has committed grievous sins as our president, ranging from deception and lies to slander," the Student Government calls for his resignation.

You can read the whole document here.

D.A. Carson on Randy Newman’s book, Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did (Kregel, 2004): “This book reflects a deep grasp of biblical theology and a penetrating compassion for people. How very much like the Master himself!”

To listen to a couple of talks at Covenant Life Church related to the book, go here:

• Questioning Evangelism, part 1 (Colossians 4:2-6)
• Questioning Evangelism, part 2 (Acts 17:1-5)

NPR political analyst Juan Williams, in an insightful piece:

If his presidency is to represent the full power of the idea that black Americans are just like everyone else -- fully human and fully capable of intellect, courage and patriotism -- then Barack Obama has to be subject to the same rough and tumble of political criticism experienced by his predecessors. To treat the first black president as if he is a fragile flower is certain to hobble him. It is also to waste a tremendous opportunity for improving race relations by doing away with stereotypes and seeing the potential in all Americans.

Yet there is fear, especially among black people, that criticism of him or any of his failures might be twisted into evidence that people of color cannot effectively lead. That amounts to wasting time and energy reacting to hateful stereotypes. It also leads to treating all criticism of Mr. Obama, whether legitimate, wrong-headed or even mean-spirited, as racist.

This is patronizing. Worse, it carries an implicit presumption of inferiority. Every American president must be held to the highest standard. No president of any color should be given a free pass for screw-ups, lies or failure to keep a promise.

During the Democrats' primaries and caucuses, candidate Obama often got affectionate if not fawning treatment from the American media. Editors, news anchors, columnists and commentators, both white and black but especially those on the political left, too often acted as if they were in a hurry to claim their role in history as supporters of the first black president.

For example, Mr. Obama was forced to give a speech on race as a result of revelations that he'd long attended a church led by a demagogue. It was an ordinary speech. At best it was successful at minimizing a political problem. Yet some in the media equated it to the Gettysburg Address.

The closing:

There is a lot more at stake now, and to allow criticism of Mr. Obama only behind closed doors does no honor to the dreams and prayers of generations past: that race be put aside, and all people be judged honestly, openly, and on the basis of their performance.

President Obama deserves no less.

Read the whole thing.

Lee Irons has a good post on how the Church Father Origen (c. 185–c. 254) understood the Pauline expression, "the righteousness of God." Here's an excerpt:

Contra the New Perspective on Paul, Origen interprets the Pauline lexeme “the righteousness of God” as having reference not to God’s faithfulness to the covenant but to Christ himself and the status of being cleansed from sin, justified, and qualified for eschatological glory on the basis of Christ’s atonement. “The righteousness of God” is thus a soteriological status that sinful humans receive by believing in Christ. And it makes believers fit for glory, “not by their merits, nor for their works, but freely (gratis) offers glory to those who believe.”

Read the whole thing.

This looks like a good conference: Magnifying God: The Legacy of John Calvin in the 21st Century. It's on the weekend of Feb 20 at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, MI.

Collin Hansen is the keynote speaker, giving three talks on "Calvin's Kin." Kevin DeYoung is doing a plenary address on the life of Calvin, and several local pastors are offering workshops.

It doesn't cost much to attend, so if you live near there, consider checking out the website and registering.

Ligon Duncan--who watched President Obama's inauguration with Al Mohler, Mark Dever, C.J. Mahaney, John Piper, and Thabiti Anyabwile--writes:

Many Christians find themselves profoundly conflicted because of some of the moral positions and social policies that Mr. Obama espouses. So how do you pray for your President when you disagree with him?

"Thankfully," he writes, "the Bible is not silent about such a question." Read the whole thing for his helpful thoughts.

Can I offer a suggestion? If you're like me, you'll click through, give it a skim and a nod, and then go on to the next blog post or email. But consider printing this out and sticking it in a place that you'll see it, as a prompt and guide to fulfill our biblical duty to uphold our President in prayer.

An ad airing in select markets of Black Entertainment Television:



HT: Rachael Starke, Kelly's Musings

I thank God for Rick Warren and his prayer:

Almighty God, our Father:

Everything we see, and everything we can’t see, exists because of you alone.

It all comes from you, it all belongs to you, it all exists for your glory.

History is your story.

The Scripture tells us, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one." And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.

Now today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States.

We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where a son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new president, Barack Obama,

the wisdom to lead us with humility,

the courage to lead us with integrity,

the compassion to lead us with generosity.

Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans--united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.

When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you--forgive us.

When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone--forgive us.

When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve--forgive us.

And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all.

May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet.

And may we never forget that one day, all nations--and all people--will stand accountable before you.

We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life—Yeshua, 'Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus—who taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,

for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

HT: Brad Greenberg for the initial transcript.

Video here:

Paul McCain provides a preview of the new study Bible by and for Lutherans (and the rest of us, too!).

Al Mohler:

Christians are, first of all, citizens of a heavenly kingdom. The followers of Christ know no allegiance of ultimate rank to any government or earthly authority. Yet, the Bible clearly teaches that God has given us the gifts of law, government, and ruling authorities for our good. We are instructed to pray for "rulers and all who have authority" and to be faithful in praying "so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God" [1 Timothy 2:2].

As Barack Obama prepares to take the oath of office and become the 44th President of the United States, Christians should be thinking about how to pray for the new President. I offer this prayer as a place to start, as we observe the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States together.

Read (and pray!) the prayer here.

Paul Helm is the blogging through the Institutes this week at the Ref21 site.

Here are the lyrics for the song "Give Reviving." The lyrics were written by the 19th century hymn writer Albert Midlane, alt. by Chelsey Scott.

1. Father for Thy promised blessing
Still we plead before Thy throne
For the times of, sweet refreshing,
Which can come from Thee alone
Blessed earnests, Thou hast given,
But in these we would not rest
Blessings still with Thee are hidden,
Pour them forth and make us blest!

2. Prayer ascendeth to Thee ever,
Answer! Father, answer prayer
Bless oh bless each weak endeavor,
Blood-bought pardon to declare
Wake Thy slumbering children, wake them,
Bid them to Thy harvest go
Blessings O our Father make,
Round their steps let blessings flow

3. Let no people be forgotten,
Let Thy showers on all descend
That in one loud blessed anthem,
millions may in triumph blend
Give reviving, give refreshing,
Give the looked-for Jubilee
To Thyself may crowds be pressing,
Bringing glory unto Thee

You can download the song or the album in iTunes, or buy the CD from Westminster Books.

HT: Owen Strachan

The Faith by Hearing Audio blog--love the graphics!--has posted their picks for best audio highlighted in 2008.

Also, the Sola Panelists Down Under share some of their recommendations for best books, blogs, music, etc. from 2008.

Amen to this.

HT: Challies

The Sun-Sentinel Times breaks the news of a possible merger between New City Church (in Margate, FL) and Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church (in Fort Lauderdale, FL). The two churches are currently located 12 miles apart.

New City (an Evangelical Presbyterian Church) is pastored by Tullian Tchividjian, and Coral Ridge (Presbyterian Church in America) was pastored for 33 years by its founding pastor, D. James Kennedy, until his death in 2007. If the merger goes forward, Tullian--whose grandfather Billy Graham preached the dedication sermon at Coral Ridge in 1974--would be the senior pastor. For more info, see the Sun-Sentinel Times story (which was updated this afternoon).

Today the board of elders at New City released a formal statement on Coral Ridge's invitation for Tchividjian to become their pastor:

As was announced January 18, 2009, at both New City Church and Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Coral Ridge has issued a call to our senior pastor Tullian Tchividjian to become senior pastor at Coral Ridge. But because of Pastor Tullian's unwavering commitment to remain as Pastor here at New City, both churches have agreed to consider a merger. In response to Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church's call of Tullian, the elder board of New City Church at a called meeting on January 13, 2009, carried a motion to begin the process of evaluating the possibility of making the two church's one. The elder board of New City Church unanimously agrees that the intricacies of putting this merger together are going to require a time of due diligence where representatives from both sides will sit down and work out the terms of a merger for approval by both sessions. Legal matters, financial matters, ministerial matters, structural matters, and philosophical matters, will be among the list of things needing to be discussed and hammered out. Only if agreeable terms on all of these fronts can be reached and those terms approved by both church sessions would Tullian formally accept the call and the two become one.

He tells his congregation that he will invoke Jesus' name and asks for their prayers.

Os Guinness has an editorial in today's USA Today on the speech he hopes President Obama will someday deliver on civility and religion in the public square.

John Piper has just finished a blog series on Mark Noll's book, God and Race in American Politics: A Short History. Here are the posts:

• Agonizingly Both-And: God and Race as the Inauguration Approaches
• Just When You Die for Them, They Lynch Your Nephew
• Noll Wisely Risks the Un-sensible
• How the “Fierce Caucasian-Gentile-Visigoths” Flunked
• Christianity Is the Best Explanation

In the first post Piper writes:

It is fitting as the inauguration of the first African-American president approaches that we highlight some history in a theological context. Remarkably, a newly published book helps us do this. The book is Mark Noll's God and Race in American Politics: A Short History.

Mark and I graduated together from Wheaton in 1968. He was my Resident Assistant during my senior year. I admired him then; I admire him today.

With an eye for concrete (incarnational) stories, and meticulous historical detail, Noll is above all a seer of Both-And. Or call it paradox. Or historical conundrum. There are no simple explanations of anything. If you have to have situations and people be only good or only bad, you won’t like this book.

The thesis of the book is: “Together, race and religion make up, not only the nation’s deepest and most enduring moral problem, but also its broadest and most enduring political influence” (1).

That is provocative enough. But his working out of how race and religion are interwoven is where the puzzles come.

Tony Jones highlights a new Emergent network: Queermergent, "An Emergent Safehouse for the LGBTQ Community and All Interested People Seeking Understanding."

HT: James Grant

Related: John Piper explains how Barack Obama will make Christ a minister of condemnation. Here's the upshot:

In other words, to bless people in these sins, instead of offering them forgiveness and deliverance from them, is to minister damnation to them, not salvation.

The gospel, with its forgiveness and deliverance from homosexual practice, offers salvation. Gene Robinson, with his blessing and approval of homosexual practice, offers damnation. And he does it in the name of Christ.

It is as though Obama sought out a church which blessed stealing and adultery, and then chose its most well-known thief and adulterer, and asked him to pray.

One more time: The issue here is not that presidents may need to tolerate things they don’t approve of. The issue is this: In linking the Christian ministry to the approval of homosexual activity, Christ is made a minister of condemnation.

Russell Moore explains.

I mentioned earlier that I already have a list (in my head) of Top 3 Books Published in 2009. One of them is Greg Koukl's new book, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions.

Here's the blurb I wrote for the book:

In this wise and compelling book, Greg Koukl—who has thought long and hard about not only what to say but how to say it—provides a game plan for equipping believers through an artful method of careful thinking and winsome conversation. If you struggle with how to talk about your faith and respond to questions and objections in a meaningful and effective way—and most of us do—there is no better book to buy, read, and put into practice. I could not recommend it more highly!

You can read the table of contents and a few pages from chapter 1 online.

Here are more blurbs for the book.

"With the advantage of a lifetime of experience, Greg Koukl has written what must be considered THE authoritative treatment of how to employ various strategies in conversations with unbelievers about the Christian faith. Tactics is not just another apologetics book. It is a sensitive, well-written, widely illustrated treatment of actual situations that often come up when believers share their faith. Koukl not only reminds us it is not enough to know why you believe, it is also crucial to know how to communicate those beliefs by adapting to various situations. And Tactics shows precisely how to do that."
— J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology

"C.S. Lewis once said, 'Any fool can write learned language. The vernacular is the real test.' In this book, Greg Koukl passes Lewis's test with flying colors. There are many great arguments in favor of the Christian faith, but many of them are accessible only to professional apologists and philosophers. Koukl has developed a memorable and practical way to translate these arguments so that all Christians can become winsome and persuasive apologists in everyday conversations, no matter what their day jobs. This book should be required reading for every thoughtful Christian."
— Jay W. Richards, Research Fellow and Director, Acton Media Acton Institute

"If you enjoy apologetics, then Greg’s book Tactics is not only a required read, but simply a delightfully entertaining resource. In fact, just try and put it down! Especially for those who struggle with relevant ways to relate to non-Christians while presenting Christian truth, this volume provides many proven methods of natural, non-confrontational dialogue where the purpose is often to simply give an unbeliever something to think about, what Greg calls placing a stone in someone’s shoe. Featuring remarkably simple techniques that are easily and fruitfully applied, I highly recommend this incredibly insightful book."
— Gary R. Habermas, Distinguished Research Professor, Liberty University

"Greg Koukl has been using the methods offered in this book for many years with our Summit students and to great effect. His suggestions, illustrations, and witnessing approach work. This is a well-written, practical, and timely book."
— David Noebel, Founder and President, Summit Ministries

"Greg Koukl is a wise, seasoned front-lines apologist. I am happy to recommend a book so full of practical insights and careful guidance for skillfully, winsomely defending the Christian faith."
— Paul Copan, Author, True for You, But Not for Me and Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?

"Tactics is the book I’ve been waiting for! I love engaging non-Christians in conversation, but in the back of my mind I often think, 'What if I get stuck and don’t know what to do?' Greg helped me put that fear to rest and gave me practical tools to artfully maneuver in conversations. I enthusiastically recommend Tactics. It will revolutionize your conversations with non-Christians."
— Sean McDowell, Author, Ethix, co- author of Understanding Intelligent Design

"Greg Koukl is a master tactician. I know of no one who is more conscientious in his efforts to communicate effectively and winsomely his Christian faith. In this book Greg shares with us his tried and true methods, skills honed through continual practice and revision. Mastering his tactics will make you a more effective ambassador for Christ."
— William Lane Craig, Author, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics

"When I want someone who can help me train ambassadors for Christ, the first person I call is Greg Koukl. Now, his proven ideas are in this book. I wish I knew these tactics twenty years ago. They are some of the best I’ve ever seen to help Christians be more effective ambassadors for Christ. Trust me—if you read Koukl's advice and learn his methods, your impact for Christ will skyrocket."
— Frank Turek, Author, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist

"Just as a course on tactics is a requirement at all military academies, so too Greg Koukl’s Tactics—A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions should be required training for all Christians and churches. Koukl has made a worthwhile contribution to the literature on apologetics by teaching us how to say what we say. Witty and winsome, this resource is as fun to read as it is to put into practice."
— Hank Hanegraaff, host of the Bible Answer Man, author of Christianity in Crisis

"Greg Koukl is a master of the ideas that under gird the Gospel and one of the finest Christian communicators on the planet. He has spent many thousands of hours in front of the most difficult skeptics and their toughest questions and has developed very effective techniques to bring the truth to the surface of any conversation with love and grace. I have learned so much over the years by studying his persuasive yet respectful approach to giving reasons for faith. His book, Tactics, presents his methods in a way that is engaging and accessible to every believer. I hope Christians in churches all over the country gather together to study this important book and learn to stand firm for the Gospel in these dark times."
— Craig Ellison, PhD, Founder and Director, Graduate Program in Christian Apologetics, Biola University

"In a society filled with so much anti-Christian rhetoric, there is no better book to equip Christians to think clearly, soundly, and inoffensively in the face of the devices employed today in opposition to the Christian Faith."
— Norman Geisler, Author, Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, and When Skeptics Ask