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Terry’s New Day Newsletter

NEW DAY NEWSLETTER Vol. 10-2, Mar/Apr, 2011

Be therefore Christ’s Ambassadors.

WHAT TO DO IN THE FACE OF EXHAUSTING RESOURCES?

No, I am not referring to one’s dwindled 401K or the homeowner’s real estate depreciation, but to the political and spiritual bondage that continues to overflow this country’s heritage. This particular time is not totally unlike the desperate setting which preceded God’s breaking His four hundred years of silence with the announcement of the First Coming of Christ. 

I don’t have any big-picture solutions, but I do know of one resource each of those of us who believe in the faithful Servant of the LORD can exhaust in addressing this national spiritual bondage: the changing of our own hearts.

In the book of Matthew, the Lord Jesus presents conclusive evidence to the nation of Israel that He was indeed the Messiah. The changing of one’s heart—then and now—is the key to accepting Christ’s message intended for everyone.

The Believer’s Bible Commentary clearly explains what Scripture tells us happened 2,000 years ago: Isaiah, for example, had foretold that Messiah would open the eyes of the blind, unstop the ears of the deaf, heal the lame and make the mute sing (Isa. 35:5,6).

Jesus, by fulfilling all these prophecies, proved that He was the Messiah. Israel, by referring to her Scriptures should have had no difficulty identifying Him as the Christ. What happened? None are so blind as those who will not see. Is our country today so different in this respect?

Out of the LORD’s grace in providing for the continuation of the tenth year of this newsletter, I am humbled to point to two ministries He has shown me to pour my efforts into this past year, in addition to our new Web site.

JUGGLING FOR JESUS

This juggling-and-humor in Christian ministry has just seen the completion of its fifth 45-minute senior-living facility performance. I thank my wife Helga for assisting me in myriad small ways with this program, as well as being ever-encouraging concerning the bigger picture. Although this “act” would never make it on America’s Got Talent, senior audiences have the much-needed grace to forgive skills-mistakes. And grace, of course, is what the Juggling for Jesus ministry is all about: “a visually interesting and engaging Christian message of encouragement in and appreciation of life.”

WHY DOES ANYONE BOTHER TO WRITE THESE DAYS?

It isn’t to make money! My pastor, Dr. Richard Lee, general editor of The Patriot’s Bible and nearly 20 other books, is quoted as recently saying: “You’re not going to get rich writing. Oh, if you write a Left Behind book, you’ll get rich. But if you don’t, you’ll only get left behind.” What is the point to this preamble for the next blurb? I write out of sheer enjoyment and out of what I believe is a calling to write about the LORD, our God.

UNTO THE HEAVENS

The second ministry, and one which I unashamedly promote in this issue of the newsletter, is the upcoming release of Unto the Heavens, the third stand-alone Christian novel of my sci-fi trilogy. Unto the Heavens follows Ultimate Encounter (2003), which followed Uncommon Influence (1994), about the adventures of one Gam’man, Earth’s only resident extraterrestrial.

Why would a Christian want to read Unto the Heavens, a science-fiction story by a Christian author who does not believe in extraterrestrial life? Because, as Dr. Jason Lisle, Science Editor, Answers In Genesis-USA, puts it, “As a plot device, fictional extraterrestrials allow for exploration of the human condition from the perspective of an outsider.”

In this metaphor for Earth’s own evils and rejection of the Gospel, how would a faithful few fare against the minions loosed by Lucifre, given that Christ’s First Coming had not yet occurred on the planet Jun’or?

VISIT OUR NEW WEB SITE

Our very first Web site, terrygdoddbooks.com, not only provides more information about this book (and how to order it), but also about the other books that print-on-demand technology and God’s grace have allowed me to produce. In addition, find the most recent copy of my bi-monthly newsletter, my testimony and special offers for book club interests. In going to my Web site, however, please don’t omit the “g” of the site name. If you do, you’ll simply get a listing of a number of other people whose parents chose the same first name for one of their kids as did my parents!

Terry

Science and Creation – Listen to OnBeing.org here.

A quote from http://www.onbeing.org: “Science and religion are often pitted against one another; but how do they complement, rather than contradict, one another? Physicist and theologian, John Polkinghorne, applies the deepest insights of modern physics to think about how the world fundamentally works, and how the universe might make space for prayer.”

Listen to the Jan 13, 2011 show now.  Click on the link below:

 http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/quarks-creation/

Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones vision is probably the best known of the book.  We have all heard the query of God, “Can these bones live?”  There is no doubt that this is a vision of hope for the people.

 Some scholars say that Ezekiel rejects an “aesthetic or strictly literary approach to his prophecy as trivial and irrelevant.”  This makes a clear distinction between rhetoric and poetry.  It seems that Ezekiel has no hope in actually persuading the people through rhetoric.  The people simply know that there was indeed a prophet present with them.  The challenge for Ezekiel was to convey to the people that the prophecy was in fact from Yahweh and not simply wishful thinking.

 We see in verse 14 that the spirit goes “into” the bones.  “I will put my Spirit “in” you.”  This is different than the use of compound prepositions.  It is interesting to note that Ezekiel is saying that the spirit is “entering” each individual set of bones.  We must guard against viewing this from the lens of the NT.  I wonder if the spirit being among the people would be read as “indwelling” if it were not for the NT influence. The concept of ‘individual indwelling’ is more NT than OT.  I think Ezekiel is simply proclaiming that Yahweh will once again have a sanctuary with the people along with a new temple.  This seems reasonable, since Yahweh had left the temple previously.

 I come to the text of Ezekiel and ask why the author would have to use such an artistry of words in order to communicate his message.  I thought to myself, “It’s the audience, stupid.”  The blame is with the audience.  They refuse (refused) to act on his words.  Their action or non-action draws out Ezekiel’s literary genius.  In the process Yahweh’s message ends up being somewhat of a diversion of visions.  Theology may have gotten lost in the vivid language.  Ezekiel has a serious message but I bet the audience ends up being distracted by the visions, as are we probably at times.

 The valley of dry bones passage is about hope for the people.  Without this and the other promises of hope, the people would not have had the will to pursue their autonomy among the nations.

A musical experience

Listening to music can bring an experience outside of our human essence.  The experience we have when listening to music is relational.  Music is about the communication and the mystical moment that happens between the performer and the listener.  Music is not about listening to a thing, a product, or the gathering of some scientific information; it is about receiving something that is outside of ourselves, which even the performer may not be aware of.  At the moment of ‘contact’ both sides (the performer and the listener) are outside the scope of the mystical-experience being delivered.

Reflecting on God’s existence

He said, “God does not exist. He is being-itself beyond essence and existence. Therefore, to argue that God exists is to deny him.”

 This is a quote from Paul Tillich, a well know theologian and scholar.  This quote could be used to make him look like an ultra liberal or even a blasphemer.  But Tillich is simply trying to set the foundation of describing God in such a way that will help us understand the incarnation. There is certainly a mystery in the incarnation of Christ.  And to know the depths of this mystery is to understand the ways in which God is fundamentally different from creation, yet still integral to it.  For Tillich, God is beyond essence and existence.  When he says that God does not exist, he is not saying that there is no God.  He is making the point that we cannot reach God by adding things to the finite. This only leads to idolatry, a kind of tower of Babel.

Morality and Ethics

After reflecting on the terms morality and ethics, I came to a conclusion.  I believe there needs to be a distinction between behavior according to custom, which is what I think of as morality, and behavior according to reflection, which is what I think of as ethics.   I can see that both terms witness to the fact that a basis for human behavior and society is necessary.  Thus the use of the word ethics points to the basic idea that ethics is concerned with that which holds human society together.  Just as animals need shelter and protection, we need ethics.

We need to have a network of security and stability so that we can live and act on the planet with other people.  So my reflection on the subject helps me understand why we should study ethics.  I also realize that our society is interested in ethics.  When there is uncertainty with the ethics in a society, its members of no longer feel secure, stable and protected.  I think many people in our society, either through reflection or intuition, have come to realize that there is no shelter because for them, both ethics and morality are gone.  So I have come to believe that there is a resurgence of both conventional morality (traditional values) and ethics (reflection on what we ought to and what we ought not do).

Exodus controversy

        The stakes are not small, as the critics well know. If the narrative of the Exodus is not factual, then the trustworthiness of biblical revelation is indeed seriously undermined.

        We find that Jesus Christ affirmed the biblical account of the Exodus as true, and He based some of His teachings on it. Reminding His countrymen that God had miraculously provided food for them during 40 years in the wilderness, He said: “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die.

       The exodus is the most significant historical and theological event of the Old Testament because it marks God’s mightiest act in behalf of his people.  Many critics who doubt the historicity of the Exodus share a problem: “overreliance on what archaeology can prove.” Archaeology is, in fact, a limited and imperfect area of study in which the interpretation of findings, as archaeologists readily admit, is more of an art than a hard science.

The Discovery of the Hittites

The Hittites played a prominent role in Old Testament history. They interacted with biblical figures as early as Abraham and as late as Solomon. They are mentioned in Genesis 15:20 as people who inhabited the land of Canaan. 1 Kings 10:29 records that they purchased chariots and horses from King Solomon. The most prominent Hittite is Uriah the husband of Bathsheba. The Hittites were a powerful force in the Middle East from 1750 B.C. until 1200 B.C. Prior to the late 19^th century, nothing was known of the Hittites outside the Bible, and many critics alleged that they were an invention of the biblical authors.

African Theology

Dwight Hopkins defines African theology as “how God, or the spirit of freedom, works with the oppressed black community for their full humanity.” According to Hopkins black theology started with a full-page ad in the New York Times in 1966 by a few black pastors asking for a “theological interpretation of black power.”

Archaeology and your faith.

Archaeology is defined as “the science of the treatment of the material remains of the human past”

As we approach this study we must keep in mind the limits of archaeology. First, it does not prove the divine inspiration of the Bible. It can only confirm the accuracy of the events. Second, unlike other fields of science, archaeology cannot re-create the process under study. Archaeologists must study and interpret the evidence left behind. All conclusions must allow for revision and reinterpretation based on new discoveries. Third, how archaeological evidence is understood depends on the interpreter’s presuppositions and world view. It is important to understand that many researchers are skeptics of the Bible and hostile to its world view.

Only a fraction of available archaeological sites have been surveyed, and only a fraction of surveyed sites have been excavated. In fact, it is estimated that less than two percent of surveyed sites have been worked on. Once work begins, only a fraction of an excavation site is actually examined, and only a small part of what is examined is published. For example, the photographs of the Dead Sea Scrolls were withheld from the public for forty years after they were uncovered.