Book Review: The Life You Crave

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Though still young, we can confidently say that a 28 year old person has slightly more life experience than an 18 year old. It is now in my latter twenties that I see a snare I fell prey to as a younger man: The Perfect Scenario Mentality. This book, which I am about to recommend, was not written for those of us who have made all the right life-choices and live in the perfect scenario. Rather, it's for those who have run into snags and hiccups and have even made voluntary, bone-headed decisions in the past. I would classify this book as an encouragement book for us, a book that shakes us from our discouragements and shepherds us in God's love through the story of a Bible character who had nothing going for him: Daniel.

Chained into captivity at the age most of us were found stressing out over high school homework, Daniel was stripped of his identity, heritage, religion, and ethnicity by Babylonian forces in 605 BC. He was given a new name (Belteshazzar) in an attempt by his new lords to sever his connection with Israel completely, and some speculate that he may have even been made into a eunuch. Couldn't get any more ideal, right? But Daniel remained faithful to the Lord despite.

What then can we learn through the book of Daniel? Newman excels at tying and retying every point back to this prophetic book, as well as other scriptures. Though circumstances may change from good to bad or bad to good in your life, there is one thing that does not change. And while I'll leave most of this book for you to discover on your own, I will elaborate on the first chapter which is titled Your Greatest Fan.

Newman astutely starts by emphasizing that our greatest fan is none other than the one who created us. God loves us intensely, but it's interesting how the scriptures we see often can be forgotten or lose their power because of overexposure. Consider this passage which is plastered on a googol hallmark cards: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV). Yet we may still walk around thinking that God doesn't have a plan for us but has left us to rot and die because we may have blundered in the past. The pendulum has swung the opposite way, where rather than abusing Jeremiah 29:11, we can neglect it, forgetting that God is for us and not against us.

This is erroneous thinking. It's like God loved us so much to gruesomely die for our sins, but he only casually spilled His blood to redeem from Hell a people He doesn't care enough about to plan a future for them. When we disbelieve  passages such as 2 Corinthians 1:20, we lessen His love; when we lessen his love, we cheapen His blood.

This is why I think it was strategic for Newman to start off with God being our biggest fan. Before we can hear of God's great purposes for us, we need to digest His mighty love and the fact that He is passionately cheering us on in His purposes. His love runs deep with sacrifice, and is constant, not ebbing and flowing with circumstances. Recently I wrote about how sincere love toward God is one that doesn't change with the situation. Spiritual stability comes with knowing that God's love for us doesn't change with the situation either.

His love for us is based on how heavy of a sacrifice His own blood was. All the wealth of the global oil industry a thousand fold is trash compared to the blood of Jesus. Thus I am for you, the Lord says. In light of how heavy an offering a single drop of Calvary was, we can never look at our circumstances and say, "Well, God can't redeem me out of this one." Though we may live in an imperfect scenario at the moment, the Lord is able to use any circumstance to the glory of Jesus the Messiah, whether it be at the right hand of a king or in the den of a lion.

Book Review: Building Bridges

Islam can be a frightening topic for someone to read about or talk about, but the more I read about how to minister to Muslims, the more struck I am by the simplicity of the approach and the intriguing secret behind the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam.
Building Bridges by the late Fouad Elias Accad emphasizes some excellent ways to foster relationships between you and the Muslims around you, but there is one specific emphasis that this book has when it comes to ministry toward readers of the Qur'an: The Qur'an itself.

It turns out that the Qur'an is extremely favorable towards Jesus, the Bible, and Christians. Indeed, the Qur'an is an incredibly pro-Christian book, says Pastor Accad. The Qur'an is peppered with passages that affirm and highly esteem Jesus and those who are His disciples (Christians), such as the latter part of Surah 5:82 (A Surah is a chapter of the Qur'an; keep in mind that believer here is referring to a Muslim): "you are sure to find that the closest in affection towards the believers are those who say, ‘We are Christians,’ for there are among them people devoted to learning and ascetics. These people are not given to arrogance," (M. A. S. Abdel Haleem translation). That's quite a complement from Muslims to Christians! However, if one peruses Google for passages on Christians from the Qur'an, they'll come across both favorable and unfavorable attitudes towards Christians in the Muslim world of religious thought. This is where I'm in over my head at this point, because Pastor Accad takes it back to how the Qur'an was translated from its original Arabic.

Due to this book's focus on how pro-Bible, pro-Jesus, and pro-Christian the Qur'an is, it does quote texts from the Qur'an at length, which makes the reading a little dry at times, so I recommend it for those of you who are intrigued by the deep study of written language. A thin book with fascinating insights and illustrative stories, it is an excellent curriculum for learning how to build bridges between your Muslim neighbors and Jesus the Messiah.

God's Epistemological Kindness

E·pis·te·mol·o·gy (adj: epistemological) is the theory of knowledge, especially in regards to its methods, validity, and scope. How is it that we know what we know, and how do we know that what we know is justified belief from mere opinion? Are we bound to simply believe what our culture, upbringing, and past tells us to believe, or do we have the freedom to truly see and learn and know the real? Do we have the ability to pull back the curtain and see things as they are, like in the Wizard of Oz, or are we blinded from the truth and enslaved to subjectivity?

As believers in the Bible, what is our response to these questions? Do we have the ability to know reality or not? When I was in Bible college, this subject of epistemology was something the Lord continuously brought up, though I didn't know how to define it at the time. It started with me reading Proverbs 2:6, which says, "for the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding" (NIV). It occurred to me then that the Lord is pleased with sharing the truth with us and giving us knowledge of the real, not giving us impressions of what we think is real when it actually isn't. The next thing I knew, I saw this theme emerge everywhere in the scriptures (I've compiled a list of clickable references below), and was blown away at the Lord's willingness to bring clarity, knowledge, understanding, intelligence, and insight to those who ask Him for it. That's the question we need to ask the skeptic before we even open the Bible to them: Does God love humanity enough to show us what He is actually like, or does he prefer to remain distant and to keep us guessing in the dark? Scripture not only shows us that God is willing to give us wisdom, but also that wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are attainable to us in the first place, and most importantly that God is knowable! This is great news!

That's what the Epistemological Kindness of God is all about: God is ready, willing, and able to share the truth with those who come to Him. He loves to impart wisdom to those who love the truth, and He isn't afraid of our deep questions. We have the ability to know things as they truly are. God loves us, delights in our education, and wants to be close to us. Knowledge and closeness go hand-in-hand.

Supplemental Reading:
Worshiping God with the Mind
What is Epistemology? (gotquestions.org)

Scripture References:
Exodus 31:3, 36:1
Job 28:23, 38:36
Psalm 19:7, 51:6, 119:32
Proverbs 2:6
Jeremiah 33:3
Daniel 2:28, 9:22
Luke 24:45
John 17:26
1 Corinthians 2:10-16
Ephesians 1:8, 1:17
2 Timothy 2:7
James 1:5
1 John 5:20

Book Review: Robotics: A Very Short Introduction

Here's another great read I just finished and highly recommend for anyone interested in introducing themselves to a new subject. There's an entire series of books called Very Short Introductions by Oxford University Press. This one was a very short introduction to robotics (written by Alan Winfield).

As a missionary, what were some of the takeaways I found in this book, seeing how it's nowhere near the field of religion? It was an excellent book for dissecting fact from fiction when it comes to the reality of robots (robots will not be taking over the world anytime soon). This has somewhat equipped me for having conversations with a roboticist someday. It helped me understand how to define what a robot is and how often we utilize robots without even knowing it, thus enabling me to appreciate a roboticist's works and step into their world of thought. Part of evangelism is stepping into the shoes of another and understanding their culture, whether they be a roboticist or a seamstress. The Messiah stepped into the peasant world of first century Judea and preached about the Kingdom using parables about fish, nets, marriage, farming, shepherding, and other things the people could understand. The Christian doesn't study in order to talk over people, acting as if they're intellectually above the person, but in order to talk on the person's level. God loved humanity so much that He entered into our context and spoke plainly to us. Because this theology permeates every area of our lives, we can read a book about robots so that, when the opportunity comes, we can illustrate the Good News with imagery a roboticist will relate with. We can step into their world and learn to speak their language. That is the heart of studying in light of evangelism.

Lastly, have you interacted with a robot this week? If you took an elevator recently, then the answer is yes.

I pray that the Church would flourish academically out of the scriptural knowledge of God’s epistemological kindness. Shalom on you as you read!

Book Review: Introducing Cultural Anthropology by Howell & Paris

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This being the first anthropology book I’ve ever read, I came into it without any expectations except to be stretched. Now, an anthropology book isn’t my first pick, but it being a part of the curriculum for online schooling compelled me to read it. In the end, I’m glad I did pick this up; the insight (and not just the grade) is vital for one who will be working cross-culturally. Some of the key lessons that I’ve learned from this book include the following:

First off, it appears that culture is not so static as much as it is an ever-evolving conversation. As a missionary, one of the things that I’ve noticed is the common perception that Native America would have remained the same had the pilgrims not landed, or Africa would have remained the same hadn’t missionaries “ruined” the African culture (more on that in a later blog).  This has apparently never been true. Whether a people-group is isolated or rubbing shoulders with another people-group, their culture is ever changing. We must not be ethnocentric in thinking that we Westerners make or break the world. The peoples of the world are involved in the fluid conversation of culture, and that culture can change apart from American or European influence.

Secondly, the West is not the sole influencer in globalization, nor is globalization a modern Western creation. Rather, America is being globalized as well, not simply globalizing. Case in point: We look at McDonald’s getting a footing in China and the word Westernization comes to mind. But what do we call Californian Suburbanites doing Saturday morning Yoga? Indianization? America is not solely influencing other cultures, but being influenced as well, and it turns out that globalization is far more complicated than just some cruel capitalist wearing a suit and sitting behind a desk, seeking the next culture to stamp out.

Due to this book, I’ve also noticed the… egotistical attitude of America in general. I was on a ranch in a particularly large southern state when I met a cowboy (literally, he had spurs, a hat, and a lasso) who told me how superior America is to other or “second-rate” countries. Had I read the book before I met him, I could have pointed out his ethnocentric attitude. Being ethnocentric means that you glorify your culture over that of other nations. It’s the view that if everyone just did things my way, the world would be a better place. One’s own culture becomes the standard. This is what was perhaps the most interesting lesson I’ve learned from this book: the potential to be ethnocentric. It was evident in the thinking of early anthropologists, and it’s evident in American culture now. While the rest of the world is swimming in speedos, American men are wearing swim-trunks. The ethnocentric American looks at the rest of the world swimming and says, “They’ll eventually come around,” while the anthropologically savvy person realizes that we’re just the weird kid in the corner of the pool swimming in little pants.

The end goal is not to come to hate American culture, but to put it in its appropriate place. I love being an American, but I do not hold America up to a glorified light. I love the fact that I grew up in Philadelphia visiting Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, watching baseball, and eating Philly cheese-steaks. I love America and its passion for freedom, but I understand that American culture is not the answer to the world. Jesus is the answer.

There is so much more I could say about this book, but I’ll wrap it up and recommend it for this reason: to stave off any ethnocentricity in yourself.

Worshiping God with the Mind

I love to read and to write, and I love schoolwork, but this wasn’t always the case. I scarcely picked
up a book in high school, which I passed with minimal enthusiasm and effort. Yet over the years, God had been working in my heart, not with furious bolts of lightning and forceful rain, but with a gentle, consistent drizzle. People commend me for enjoying reading and writing, but I am certainly not a self-made man. The Lord changed my heart into something new starting in 2006 and subtly transformed me into a studier.

Bertrand Russell once said “There are two motives for reading a book; one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.” Those are two reasons one can read a book, but I feel that Russell’s analysis is incomplete and (being atheistic) doesn’t take into account the Lord’s ability to touch the human heart and fill it with purpose outside of self. Do people read books because they enjoy them? Yes. Do people read books so that they can boast about it? Yes. Yet a person can also open up the driest books on the planet out of a desire to worship Him with the mind rather than to worship the mind. From Old Testament genealogies to grammar to the history of Canada, nothing is too boring (no offense, eh?) because the believer reads a great breadth of information while passionately saying, “Lord, I understand that I don’t know as much as I ought to know. Give me knowledge and understanding that I may worship You.” This is the Christ-centered motivation for study. It’s the heart that wishes to fulfill 1 Peter 3:15 by being able to give a reasonable defense and not settling with a shrug or a pat answer.

I pray that the Church would flourish academically out of the scriptural knowledge of God’s epistemological kindness. Shalom on you as you read!

Passages to Consider:
Prov. 2:6
Jer. 33:3
2 Tim. 2:15

Book Review: I am Jackie Chan, an Autobiography

The life of Jackie Chan as told by Jackie Chan...

I was told that an autobiography doesn't tell us so much the truth about the person as much as what it is that the person wants us to think of them. The perspective from the inside looking out (autobiography) differs from the perspective of the outside looking in (biography). Still, I see value in reading autobiographies because it enables you to hear the story straight from the horse's mouth. Autobiographies in libraries tend to be written about successful or famous people, and these famous people tend to tell about the lifestyle choices that lead them to the top. It would be wise to read a few autobiographies and notate the consistencies in these people's lives. Each story is different, but there are always patterns in the lives of highly influential people. There are always patterns in life.

Reading Jackie's autobiography, I was impressed with the amount of humility he had in recounting his early career, how harshly he treated others and how poisoned he became by success. He didn't skimp out on how much of a jerk he was to others, and because of that, his story is a little more credible than the average person's. You see, the average person, I've noticed, always tends to make himself out to be the victim in every situation, feigning the innocent in their recollection of how things went down. Jackie on the other hand iteratively admitted his errors. I was impressed.

As for his life story, it has changed my view of the man entirely. Now, when I watch one of his fight scenes and see him do some incredible flip or kick or flip-kick, it always reminds me of his years in the academy for Chinese opera. The training he went through was something else! He went to the academy at a very young age and stayed there until he was about seventeen. Seven days a week, every week of the year, the students at the academy would be woken up at 5am and would go through about 16 hours of rigorous physical exercise. The slightest infraction in your performance of a high kick, a 30 minute hand stand, or a soaring flip through the air and BAM you're beaten with Master's cane. Grace was not a luxury Jackie had. To get the full understanding as to how torturous it was, you'll just have to read the book.

The path of Jackie getting to the top is marked with two distinctive things he did: He worked hard as a lowly stuntman, gaining a reputation of doing what others were too chicken to do, and he challenged the statu- quo of Chinese cinema at that time. When Jackie was young in his acting career, everyone was trying to make him into the next Bruce Lee, the legend that brought kung fu movies into the Western market. Jackie didn't want to be the next Bruce Lee, he wanted to be the first Jackie Chan! By not being afraid to be different, that's exactly what he became!

Recommended.