I am not a good person.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."

Lord, grant me strength to accept that which I cannot change. Amen.

{/9:47 AM}

me

Quiz, tags and sinful thoughts

Random quiz taken from random blog-surfing.

[x] I know how to make a pot of coffee [instant 3-in-1 mix coffee counted? =D]
[ ] I do my own laundry
[x] I can cook for myself [cup noodles counted? Er.. I can fry eggs. Hah. Note that "can" doesn't mean "do"]
[ ] I do my chores after being told once [FAT HOPE]
[x] I actually enjoy intellectual conversations [depends on the topic actually..]
[ ] I think politics are exciting [eww]
[ ] My parents and grand-parents have better things to say than my peers
[x] I show up for school/work every day unless I'm sick..really sick..
[ ] I always carry a pen in my pocket/purse
[x] I've never gotten a ticket [don't drive...YET]
[x] I watch talk shows and point out the incredibility of it all [more like "stupidity of it all"]
[x] I know what incredibility means without looking it up
[x] I drink black coffee
[x] I know how to run the dish washer..or do the dishes [note that, once again, knowing is not doing]
[x] I can count in more than one language [English, Chinese, Japanese? (to 10), Malay? (to 10), a few dialects, Greek! Haha]
[x] When I say I'm going to do something, I do it. [unless I didn't mean it when I said it]
[ ] I mow the lawn [no lawn]
[ ] I wash my car [not my car...YET]
[ ] I can make adults laugh..without being stupid [adults...laugh?]
[x] I study when I have to [when else?]
[x] sometimes I pay attention at school/work
[ ] I remember to feed my pets [no more pets]
[x] I'm generally organized ["generally" is rather subjective..]
[x] I can spell experience without looking at the line above
[x] The first thing I do when I wake up is get coffee. [technically not the first thing since I don't take breakfast at home. First thing I do when I get into office, though.]
[x] I can go to the store without getting something I don't need [only the male species is capable of this, I believe]
[x] I understand jokes the first time they are said
[ ] I understand the fact that the world always screws someone over
[x] I can type fast, because I type every day.
[ ] My choice in clothing is acceptable in an office or something like that [eh?]
[ ] I can watch politics and laugh because I understand what is going on [don't care about them]
[ ] I no longer watch cartoons. [are you kidding!?]
[ ] I have realized that the weather forecast changes every hour
[ ] I can look at someone hot and not think of sex [that's not possible. Seriously.]
[ ]I have realized that no one will take you seriously unless you are over the age of 25 and have a job [plenty of people have taken me seriously. Or they will. *shows fist*]
[x] I can read a book and actually finish it [I'm currently reading about 5 books concurrently. WILL finish them..in time.]
[ ] People have said that I act older than I am. [none that I can recall]
[x] I can be sent on an errand and not get side tracked [again, the fact that I "can" does not imply that it happens in real life. Haha]

Supposedly the number of "x"s corresponds to the age you act. If half-an-"x" (the first 2) adds to 1, then I'm acting like I'm 20! Which IS my age! Hurray for accuracy!

@Cherie: Let's just say I have many problems with RCC doctrines, and leave it at that.

@Sher: There's a difference between SAF and the Government, you know. That said, ORD IN 189 DAYS!

@Wenlin: Yes, I love my new blogskin too haha!

Recently I find myself having a lot of sinful thoughts crossing my mind. Not erotic, mind you, just plain-old devilish-sinful. All Christians reading this please add me to your prayer list, thanks!

{/10:23 AM}

me

ashes, ashes, we all fall down..

@Timmo: I didn't mean anything mentioning you, just that you happened to popped up in my mind. Knowledge is the gift, but the desire of it is not. You ask me to share, but not many people are interested in theology or apologetics. In fact most that I've encountered don't care much. I'm tired of being treated with the same old "same old". It's not just about "loving God"; to love, you must know.

I'm not saying other things are not important. Mission trips are important too. Evangelism is important. But while modern day charismatic churchs are largely focused on evangelism, the very image they display of themselves drive people away. Speaking in tongues, anyone? The act that was supposed to be an outwardly divine sign for unbelievers has become, because of the pentacoastal and subsequently charismatic movement, the laughing stock of Christendom. I'm so tired of defending them and their practices to skeptics and answer-seekers that I don't bother anymore.

That's why I'm so frustrated with myself. The quest for knowledge is a difficult one. Doing it alone is tiring and unproductive, and sometimes, truth to be told, unmotivating. I've almost completely given up my Greek just because it's so difficult to plow through all the grammar alone.

Well, shan't ramble on...

It's 9:30 am and I'm already on my second cup of coffee. Big Boss is on leave for the week, probably going holiday-ing with her kids. Probably will be a rather slack week. Heh. No complains from me.

Nothing much else is going on. I've accepted NUS Bioengineering and Business DDP. Quite against my own wishes and desires, I suppose. Don't have much interest to speak of for Business; I only chose it because it was either that or Economics. Well my Dad will never let me off if I rejected it after being offered. And he keeps wanting me to start school in April. After serving the Nation for 2 miserable years, I think I deserve the 8 months of rest. We'll see how things go.

Hmm...

That's all.

Oh, welcome to my blog, moonstar! =)

{/9:23 AM}

me

LOST

I'm in kind of a down period right now. Feeling just slightly more depressed than usual. Kinda like directionless (purpose-less?), don't really know what I'm doing / going to do.

A few weeks back on the chinese talk show on Ch U was a discussion about blogging in general. I think many bloggers, especially those "famous" ones, are rather delusional. They keep harping on how they are "blogging for themselves", just "writing what they feel", or how they "don't care what others think about their blogging", basically trying to present a what-you-see-is-what-you-get idea of themselves online and offline.

Admit it. We don't blog because we want to pen down our thoughts. If we wanted to do that it would not be on a public cyberspace. We blog for the audience. If there's nobody reading, why should I bother to blog?

Here's a fair disclaimer, although I'm quite sure it is not needed. Guys, what you read here is not the real me. Shocking, I know. Certain things are exaggerated, certain things played down, and certain things just plained unnoted. I try to be eloquent, to be funny, to be insightful, to provoke discussion, but you don't see me trying that damn hard in real life, do you?

I'm not saying nothing I write here is true. I've always thought blogging to be a convenient way to let people know me better. But it's all surface-stuff here; I can't possibly tell you about the new crush I have here, right? But it's a good start, so keep reading. =)

One thing I hate about the general invention / discovery of blogging, is that sometimes I would ask somebody "How's your day?", or "How was the insert-event-here?", or something of that sort, and I would get a "Go read my blog" reply. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why people accuse blogging of being responsible for the devolving of human interaction dynamics. While I'm sure I could read your blog perfectly well, it would have been nice to hear a personal response to a personal question. Such people I don't bother myself with much anymore; if they think reading their blog is enough "interaction", I certainly am in no place to disagree.

Tired as it sounds, post-Italy and post-Cantab depression still affects me. I guess choir is pretty much a huge part of my life. Have not heard from Timo for a long time. I am hoping to get the carolling stuff settled before he goes off to NUS, since he'll definately be very busy then.

I feel kinda separated from my friends. As in, I don't really know what's going on in their lives. Hmm. You know what? Talking to people scares me. I'm terribly afraid of not having anything to say. I fear I am a boring friend.

I have not been very active socially this past week. I was intending to visit Hope and see Jiehui and the rest on Saturday, but I didn't manage to wake up on time. Maybe this weekend. Just to take a look and see old friends.

My hiatus from church irritates me. Sometimes I feel like just giving up and conform. Everywhere I turn is Charismatic churches. Everywhere I go I see abuse of tongues. Every service I attend I see an over-emphasis on emotional appeals and feel-goodness. Every other Christian I meet is more interested in promoting simple-believism (a.k.a "Just Believe!!") or "Jesus-is-my-buddy" mentality than, for example, knowing proper exergesis methods.

Am I wrong? Is my path deviating from the Way? I highly doubt it, but still the small chance of it irks me. I was rather surprised to know how much Timo didn't know about Christianity after talking to him on a few occasions. How many are aware of the many different eschatological views (preterist, post-/pre-/amillenial, dispentionalism, futurism, historism, etc.)? How many are aware of the many different views on the mode of atonement (penal substitution, covenental, moral-influence)? How many "Jesus is God" proof-texts do you know? Calvin vs Arminius? Roman Catholic doctrines vs Eastern Orthodox doctrines vs Protestant doctrines? Christianity vs Latter-day Saints/Jehovah's Witnesses/Seventh-Day Aventists/Oneness Pentacoastals? Church history?

I'm not saying I know them all. What I am saying is that everyone should desire to know them. Or at least a basic defense of the Faith.

It's Monday and I'm feeling extra depressed. And I forgot to bring my Winnie-the-Pooh biscuits to work. Damn.

{/2:48 PM}

me

June 15, 2006
Number of diabetes cases soars worldwide
Growing trend in China and India especially worrying, say experts

WASHINGTON - THE number of people suffering from diabetes globally has soared in the past two decades.

It has gone from 30 million to 230 million, claiming millions of lives and severely taxing the ability of health-care systems to deal with the epidemic, according to data released by the International Diabetes Federation recently.

While the growing problem of diabetes in the affluent United States has been well documented, the federation's data show that seven of the 10 countries with the highest number of diabetics are in the developing world.

China now has the largest number of diabetics over age 20, around 39 million people, or about 2.7 per cent of its adult population, according to the federation.

India has the second-largest number of cases with an estimated 30 million people, or about 6 per cent of its adult population.

Other countries have higher rates of diabetes than either China or India, but the federation's experts say rising diabetes rates in the large, rapidly industrialising nations are especially worrying because of their huge populations.

In some countries in the Caribbean and the Middle East, the percentage of diabetic people ranged from 12 to 20 per cent; the highest rate of 30 per cent was posted in Nauru, an island in the South Pacific.

In some of the world's poorest countries, the disease is a quick death sentence.

While Americans can live for many years with the disease, a person in Mozambique who requires injections of insulin can expect to live just a year; in Mali, such people survive about 30 months.

There are many factors driving the growth in diabetes worldwide, but most experts agree that changes in lifestyle and diet are the chief culprits, in addition to genetic predisposition.

As developing countries industrialise rapidly, people tend to do work involving less physical activity. At the same time, the availability of food that is cheap but high in calories becomes more common.

The combination causes weight gain, which leads to greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease.

The other form, Type 1, is responsible for only 5 to 10 per cent of cases and is believed to stem almost entirely from genetic factors.

'Diabetes is one of the biggest health catastrophes the world has ever seen,' said Dr Martin Silink, president-elect of the International Diabetes Federation. -- NEW YORK TIMES

---

Oh, woe is me!

By the way, what I have is Type 1, the insulin-dependent type. So it's genetic okay, not because I sit in front of the TV all day and eat unhealthy food and don't exercise. =p

Living with diabetes (5 years now) is a strange balance of what is good for me versus what I want. Now that is strange because I should naturally want what is good for me, so there is no apparent conflict between the two. But there is. For example, I want to eat chocolates, but it's not good for me. I want to eat ice-cream, but it's not good for me. I want to snack randomly and frequently, but it's not good for me. And on the flip side, there are also many things that are good for me that I don't want to do. Such as exercising (my excuse would be there is nobody to exercise with so it's boring =p). And checking my blood glucose level (an extremely troublesome task), which is ideally suppose to be 4-6 times daily, while in reality it's a miracle that I check it once a week.

I consider myself a slacker in terms of managing my diabetes. It's no small miracle that I am still able to maintain a fairly good HbA1c, considering how little effort I put into controlling my diet and checking my sugar levels. HbA1c, by the way, is an amazing standard that can check your average blood sugar level over the past 3 months or so.

Perhaps I need more accountability, someone to confess that chocolate cake, or that ice-cream indulgence, or the potato chips while WoW-ing to. Someone to nag me to check my sugar levels? Ah, someone to buy diabetic-friendly food for me (wink wink =D).

Or I should just have more self-motivation and take full responsibility for my own health. >_<

On a happier note, I realise that receiving random, unexpected presents are an immense joy. I didn't think it's a very big deal to have picked her up or sent her home (and I still don't), so I didn't expect anything "in return", so to speak. I was walking around trying to spot baby photos and such, but alas found nothing particularly interesting, except the "Model student of the year" award. The nephew had a devilish look on him, and that was confirmed when she later related his, shall we say, less-than-"healthy" conversational topics. Kinda missed having little kids around the house, my cousins being more or less grown up now. I wish my sisters would hurry up and produce a nephew or a neice for me! Haha!

Did I mention that she looks absolutely terrific in the white dress and matching shoes, handbag and watch (hee hee)? Like, seriously pretty. I didn't think much of her in a dress (think NJChoir costume) before, but whoa. I am beginning to be a wee bit jealous of the boyfriend. Oops! =D

I guess I should spread the joy around. Unexpected presents, I mean.

I am staring at blue and cream-white cards with scrawled handwritting.

I am staring at folded foolscap papers, one with a particular stain from a certain chemical during practical.

I am staring at black words on a CD or five, and the not-so-little green notebook.

Maybe it's time to pick up the pen and paper again.

{/12:07 PM}

me

Met up with old choir friends on Saturday. Everyone turned up faithfully, except HonSeng who was, according to Aud, sick / on guard duty.

Afterwards when we parted ways and Raph and I was waiting for the train, he asked me what I thought about the outing. Quite a weird question, to me at least.

I guess deep down we have this uncertainty about where we all stand with each other in terms of the relationship. Or at least, personally. Most of them I don't really see much, nor talk to much, so in a way I was nervous about the whole affair. But it turned out rather well. Lunch at ThaiExpress, played pool, drank coffee and talked about things like school, army and choir. I'm glad we didn't end up watching a movie; that's just so not personal. Kinda missed HonSeng, to be truthful. Hopefully there'll be another meet-up soon.

After that I travelled down to Century Square to see Feli selling NutriTea and watch her pour sample drinks, explain the price / free mug, and scowl at greedy Singaporeans grabbing at the sample drinks. Sent her home; I think I can remember the way now.

I once read from somewhere, where somebody said that love is when someone is able to make you smile even when you're tired. I sort of agree.

Personally? I think real tired smiles are rare and especially beautiful. You'll almost never see me with one, though. Generally, when I'm tired, I'm also grouchy, moody, black- / blank-faced, unresponsive and speak in mono-syllables. That, or I'm asleep. Hah.

=)

{/3:47 PM}

me

Hmm.

I can't seem to maintain more than 1 close relationship at any one time.

And by close I mean the kind where you really get to know the other person.

It seems that throughout the years, friends I have that I consider really close [note: the other party may not feel the same way] have come and gone, never overlapping, never more than 1.

Secondary 1 and 2 was yf. 3 and 4 there wasn't really anyone, and that happened to be one of the down-est period of my life [diagnosed with diabetes, missed competition, bad-getting-worst results, etc.]. Then there was Enid for maybe the first 6 months of my JC life. Then Aud, lasting another approximately 6 months or so. Then came Ash, and that was on-and-off for perhaps a year or so. And now I have Feli =)

It's strange. Somehow it's like I have just enough energy to maintain one relationship at one time.

And do you know what's the recurring theme among most of them? It is that the friendships developed due to physical proximity, and faded because of physical proximity as well. yf and I were classmates for 2 years. After that he went tower block while I went toilet block, lol. Enid was in my OG, then she went to Australia. Aud was hs' little sister who always tagged along with us, then she stopped tagging along as much. Ash was my junior in choir, then I left choir for A levels.

Notice who is the special one? Feli! I only started getting to know her after I left choir. Funny how that happened; don't ask me how, I have no idea either. What's even more unbelievable is that we are still good friends [I hope!] now, even though we're no longer in NJ, she's not in the alumni choir [a status I hope to change soon!], and we don't see each other much except for I think 4 or 5 dates in the past [no more now that her bf objects =(].

I think all my friends are special because I have so few of them. I really enjoy the getting-to-know-you-a-lot process, and I am always willing and eager for my friends to know more about me. Sharing personal details, thoughts, laughs and sorrows; that's what appeals to me, and, I'm sure, to lots of other people as well.

Why is it that I always seem to have only time for one?

There are so many other people around me that I would really like to know more and deeper, but for each of them there always seem to be some obstacle blocking the way.

So, if you are my friend [both old and new!], and you're reading this, please leave me a tag. Or e-mail me [chyekeong@gmail.com]. Or say hi to me on MSN [iamck_@hotmail.com]. Or call / SMS me [ask if you don't have my number].

I know, I know, it's extremely lazy of me to sit on my ass here expecting people to contact me, instead of going around contacting everyone. Bleah.

Oh yea. Happy birthday to these people I know!

YuehHsin - 6 June
Timmo - 7 June
De Wei - 7 June?
Mar - 5 June

/gives virtual present.

Cheapo, I know. =p

{/4:04 PM}

me

2 updates in a day? That's a rare one. Hah. Just so you know there's another post below this that was typed today.

I was reading somebody's blog, a certain choir junior. And after that, since there was links to plenty of other choir people's blogs, I went through them all.

A common theme was found. Everyone loves choir, everyone hated the fact the the J2s are leaving. Everyone loves everyone else, period.

Funny. I can't help but feel a certain amount of skepticism. I can't help but feel that their enthusiasm will fade away rather quickly. Speaking from experience? Not really. I was never as close to my seniors as they are, and my juniors were never as close to me as they are. But, once the J2s leave to concentrate on their studies, how many of them will be back for visits? After their exams are over, how many of them will be back? Next year, as the girls work and the guys go off to NS, how many of them will be back? After professing undying love, how many follow up with concrete action?

Don't get me wrong. I think it's great that this bunch of people are so much more united and "bonded" then all the other batches I've known.

Ok, you've got me, this is a pitch for the alumni choir disguised as a regular blog post. Hah.

Choir. Life. Sing it with me.

{/7:18 PM}

me

People who complain about being too busy and having no time makes me scratch my head.

I mean, isn't our time meant to be spent doing things and being busy?

I certainly won't mind having more things to fill out my time with.

I can't help but feel mildly useless sometimes. I think of Nat and her forever huge social circles, and cringe at my own. I think of other people with 7 A'level distinctions, and cringe at my own results. I think of people like Daniel, JH, QJ, Shuyi, Ash, etc, and I cringe at my own Christian life. I think of Dewei and laugh at my so-called musicality.

And there are lots of other things as well.

And the funny thing is, I think I should be more depressed than I really am. Somehow I am aware of my faults and short-comings, and I'm actually happy for them. Volunteeringly inperfect creatures like me should not expect perfection, should we? My short-comings allow God to work in me, and I am thankful for that. I think that is one of the purpose of life on Earth. To become better than we started out as. To become better for God. To become, as C.S.Lewis mentions, actually lovable and, indeed more lovable by God.

It's exciting to see the new choir committee taking over the old one. New people, new faces, new challenges. Am I happy with the committee? Barring the fact that I don't have a say in them anyway, I also can't comment much because, after all's said and done, spending a week together in Verona don't exactly mean you'll know them very well. And some of them didn't go, so I know them even less. I can comment on the IP3s in the committee, though, knowing them for 3 years now. I'm sure Tammy will do a good job; Timo said more than once she is President material, and I'll take his word for it. Phoebe'll do well as well. Jiayun is a good SL, Cil will probably make a good one as well, and XiangTing as SC.

Feels old. This is going to be the 3rd committee since my own.

Timo talked about alumni plans for the near future. Sounds exciting. Also sounds like a lot of work. Haha.

Went to PS for lunch with some of them. Then I went Borders, where I witnessed something rather interesting.

A guy and a girl browsing the shelves together, presumably a couple by the way they were holding hands. Religion section. I was there looking at some N. T. Wright book and wondering if I should pay $60 for it. Anyway I couldn't help but overhear their conversation, and soon find myself actually following them and lingering near them to catch more of what they were talking about.

The girl, I presume, was Christian. The guy had the sound of an agnostic or skeptic, possibly a Mormon. They were talking (arguing?) about the validity of the NT, specifically the Gospels. Here we see the usual crap being brought up by the skeptical guy. History is written by the victors, the Church destroyed all documents and writings that went against their doctrines. The Church sanctioned only writings that fitted their doctrines. 2nd century documents prove nothing. And so on and so forth. He even went as far to suggest that the Church destroyed all the original writings, then re-wrote everything to fit their doctrines. I was tempted to quote him 1st century sources quoting from the apparently well-established NT Canon. He also took several stabs at modern archaeological methods, claiming how they are inaccurate and untrustworthy. And, of course, the ever-important conclusion that we should use our own discernment, and "listen to our heart". That was what hinted to me that he was possibly a Mormon. Damn them and their "pray upon the Book of Mormon, and if you are Good enough god will reveal to you that it is a True Book" crap.

The sad thing is I see the girl having absolutely nothing to strike back with. She had no facts, no information, and no knowledge to rebuke all the crap the guy was saying. Is it any wonder that everywhere we go today we are being accused of having blind faith without any reason whatsoever? When a good Christian can't defend him or herself from the most basic and ridiculous of attacks from the opposition team, can we conclude that the Church has fail us at large?

We are called to defend our Faith. "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15b. Some people may say "Oh, I don't really have any interest in apologetics.", or "I don't care much for theology or doctrine.", or even "Apologetics is useless. Have faith!". Yes, not everyone must necessarily pursue a Masters in Divinity. But I believe it is important for every Christian to be equipped with at least the basics with which to defend against the most common of objections against our Faith.

I think all these Christian ramblings have caused my readership to dwindle. Lol. Tag!

I got accepted into NUS Double Degree Program. Bioengineering and Business.

I also failed my driving practical test.

Guess who was the first non-family to know both pieces of news?

The scary thing about thinking of somebody as a really good friend is that that person may not think the same of you.

Imagine how Jesus feels? The Lover, Whose loved ones do not love Him.

Whenever I feel insecure about my relationships with others, I remember Jesus at Calvary, how He sacrificed even His life in order to secure His relationship with Man. And I want to follow in His steps.

Jesus leads the way! Can I have an AMEN for that!? =D

{/2:56 PM}

me

Why Johnny Can't Believe
On the Failure of the Church to Educate
James Patrick Holding

DRAFT -- subject to additions (original 5/26; updated 5/30)

Finally, the 21st century Apologist needs to take Apologetics far more seriously. He needs to incorporate Apologetics into every aspect of his or her ministry: every sermon, every class, every evangelistic activity. We have woefully neglected our responsibility to train our young people in the solid case for Christianity, and then we wonder why they depart from the faith under the influence of secular university instruction. We give our parishioners and our missionaries no foundation in the defence of the faith, and then wonder why our evangelistic efforts show so little fruit in a world where people have long moved beyond accepting something just because someone else believes it.

-- John Warwick Montgomery

This is an article about how the church at large has failed us.

It is, of course, by no means meant to imply that there are not exceptions to the rules to be discussed. You may be part of a local church body without these failings, and if you are, you should be glad of it. But let's be honest -- most churches ARE failing when it comes to these matters we will discuss.

Here is the problem that I see re-occurs time and time again:

1. Our churches do not educate people in the basics of their faith. We seldom if ever hear about things like textual criticism, the authenticity of the Gospels, alleged "copycat" savior gods, etc.

2. Because our people are not educated in these matters, they are caught "flat footed" when confronted with them.

3. Some people are unaffected and simply go on their merry way. Good for them, maybe, though such people also often stand in the way when someone tries to up the intellectual ante a bit. Others start having questions.

4. Their pastors cannot answer their questions because they too are generally lacking in such knowledge; their degrees are more geared towards counseling or preaching technique. Likewise Sunday School teachers and other figures of authority, who generally have even less relevant education. Persons with questions are told that eg, questioning is evil, they should have faith, etc. which is not satisfactory (and it comes often from the "merry way" sorts).

5. The lack of education also extends to the public sector, where people are not taught to think critically, nor to evaluate credibility of sources, but rather that everyone's opinion is as good as anyone else's. The church often teaches this as well, explicity or implicitly.

6. Persons with questions come across Skeptical literature in print or online that is mostly written by persons with no better education in the relevant areas. However, because the reader also lacks the necessary education and thinking skills, the base level of what is called "common sense" (as it would often be, if indeed the facts were as the literature says) becomes persuasive precisely because of their ignorance. For example, ignorance of the process and science of textual criticism could lead to the erroneous "common sense" conclusion that there is some problem in that we have "only copies of copies of copies" of the New Testament.

7. By this time it is often too late to even provide such people with sound material by credible authorities. They are not able to comprehend even the simplest defense at times (and indeed, certain things simply can NOT be simplified so much, for otherwise they lose power and credibility as defenses), because they have not been given the adequate foundation to understand what someone like eg, a Bruce Metzger says about textual criticism. Because it violates what they have taken to be a sound, "common sense" approach by a non-authority who is equally in the dark, it is simple for them to simply dismiss answering material as some sort of desperate effort to resolve what is really a very serious problem (though in reality it isn't).

What can or needs to be done about this?

* Taking your church through "Purpose Driven Life" won't solve this.
* Reading "Left Behind" novels won't solve this.
* More contemporary music programs and "seeker-friendly" techniques won't solve this.
* Joel Osteen will DEFINITELY not solve this. Pandering to what are perceived as "needs" is part of the problem, not the solution. There is a broad failure to distinguish between "needs" and "wants".
* Your average Sunday School materials, which strain mightily to make passages like Is. 42 somehow relevant to the average working person, won't solve this.
* Building a new church gymnasium won't solve this.
* Youth programs involving gimmicks and games won't solve this.
* Passing our tracts won't solve this.

Of course I'm being facetious. The only way to solve this is with a solid educational program, which is exactly what we lack in so many of our churches. It's time for fewer prefab sermons, with their rampant decontextualizations, and time for more demonstrations on textual criticism, the authenticity of the Gospels, and so on. It's time to make such efforts a priority and not something we take after the damage is done and we need to play "catch up". It's time to be proactive instead of reactive. It's time to make these things something that is discussed from the pulpit on Sunday morning, not hidden away in Sunday night church training classes or Wednesday night Bible study. It's also time to make this part of our evangelism, and throw away or at least de-prioritize all the gimmicks like the "Evangecubes" (I can never get a full picture on all six sides anyway) and the poorly drawn Chick tracts.

What's a good way to test this?

* Did your church do anything about The Da Vinci Code? What, and when (Sunday morning when so many people were there, or on some obscure night when they know only a handful will show up)?
* How about the Gospel of Judas? Was anything said about it?
* Is the youth ministry getting the youth ready for when they will go to college and have stuff like The Christ Conspiracy shoved down their throats?
* Any word on Bart Ehrman's best-selling book Misquoting Jesus?
* If you try to discuss things like Deuteronomy in terms of an ancient suzerainty treaty (which is very important to understanding its role and application today), or the argument stricture of i Cor. 14 (key to understanding the "women keep silent" passage) is there anyone on church staff you can discuss this intelligently with, or who shows interest, or do their eyes just glaze over?

There are some answers to this that are no good:

* "This kind of approach will intimidate people." Does it occur to someone who says this that the Gospel was a very intimidating message in its time, one that upended all of the social values of its day? Let's not water down the facts or the message behind them for the sake of making yet more converts without an adequate foundation.
* "The Holy Spirit will move people." Then you don't need to preach watered-down feelgood sermons either, do you? Obviously no one practices this idea consistently except for the sort of person who a century or so back would not send a missionary to India under the reasoning that the Spirit would do all the work without missionaries. At least they were consistent in their approach.

And, here are some good questions from a reader with similar concerns:

1. How can I find a church in my area that stays abreast of "hot topics" that attempt to falsify the Christian faith? What other questions can I ask my current church that would help me to get a sense of their direction?

I'm putting these two questions together because the answers to both of them are much the same.

We have a good chance here provided by The Da Vinci Code. Ask for a copy of whatever teachings they have on it from the pulpit. If they have none, you have an answer. If they have some, listen to it and see how they deal with it -- with facts? With appeal to "just believe"? Also, simply ask about some of the hot topics and how those have been handled. Someone who answers your question about the Gospel of Judas with a "duh" is not doing a good job.

Another thing I like to do is ask a pastor who their favorite Biblical scholar is. I did this once and got the supremely inane answer, "Warren Wiersbe" -- who is a pastor, not a scholar. See if they know of certain people like Wright or Witherington. If their knowledge of apologetics is limited to a copy of ETDAV, forget it. And, see if they have a staff position for education pastor (if it is a large enough church).

As bad as it is, you might just be able to ask if they know what "apologetics" is and get an answer that tells you all you need to know.
2. If my church doesn't see the need for stronger apologetics how can I convince them otherwise? One of the most powerful things you can do is show them the results of the neglect. I have gathered a small notebook of powerful "anti-testimonies" from people like Dan Barker; if you want a copy, ask me and I'll send it. These anti-testimonies show that there is a strong desire to "anti-evangelize". You might also be able to raise awareness by bringing copies of material like Losing Faith in Faith and asking staff how they'd deal with someone who got hold of it and started thinking it was valid.

Another thing you might be able to do is talk to some members about these issues and see if they have been looking for answers. If they have been, provide some and use that as a point in favor of change: The need obviously exists. But if this doesn't wake them up, be warned: It will just make them hide deeper in their shell. But that's a good thing, because right now, as serious as the problem is, the method is like the bumper sticker that says, "Lead, follow, or get out of the way." The ones who hide in their shell or who continue to neglect the problem can get out of the way.

Consider this a call to action.

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Great article.

While I agree quite passionately with it, I have also been having my doubts.

Church hopping isn't exactly fun. Sometimes I wonder whether insisting on looking for a Church that suits me is really the biblical way.

{/10:08 AM}

me