Page 2509 – Christianity Today (2024)

Former atheist A. N. Wilson has slowly emerged from the closet as a believer – again. The renowned journalist and biographer, who was raised in the church of England and who had once considered himself a believer, had a “conversion” to atheism 20 years ago at age 38 (midlife crisis, anyone?). And it really looked like a conversion. In an article in the April 6 New Statesman (partial text available here), he compares the tremendous sense of relief he felt when he stopped believing to the experience of Christian converts at a Billy Graham Crusade he was covering for the Independent on Sunday:

As a hesitant, doubting, religious man I’d never known how they felt. But, as a born-again atheist, I now knew exactly what satisfactions were on offer. For the first time in my 38 years I was at one with my own generation. I had become like one of the Billy Grahamites, only in reverse. If I bumped into Richard Dawkins (an old colleague from Oxford days) or had dinner in Washington with Christopher Hitchens (as I did either on that trip to interview Billy Graham or another), I did not have to feel out on a limb.

After that conversion, his biographical writing turned to demythologizing gospel stories about Jesus and viewing C. S. Lewis through a Freudian lens. (That effort provoked an outcry among Lewis lovers.)

But Wilson never fully disbelieved, just as before his conversion he never fully believed.

“My doubting temperament … made me a very unconvincing atheist,” he writes in the New Statesman article.

That is why, he says, he should have distrusted the radical sense of relief he felt when he underwent his reverse Damascus Road experience. Now, he chronicles a more gradual conversion back to Christian belief. In last Saturday’s Daily Mail, he wrote:

But, as time passed, I found myself going back to church, although at first only as a fellow traveller with the believers, not as one who shared the faith that Jesus had truly risen from the grave. Some time over the past five or six years – I could not tell you exactly when – I found that I had changed.

This gradual transition echoes C. S. Lewis’s account of his transition from unbelief to faith. He knew vaguely when it happened, but it was not a blinding, fall-off-the-horse experience. And because of its more gradual nature, Wilson now seems to trust this new experience more.

One more thing worth noting: There is a strong aesthetic dimension to Wilson’s return to belief. Unlike many atheists and former believers, Wilson’s testimony does not hinge on what empirical science does or does not tell us. He tells us frankly that the arguments provided by atheist friends of a scientific bent were as creedal and stretching as many assertions by Christians.

A materialist Darwinian was having dinner with me a few years ago and we laughingly alluded to how, as years go by, one forgets names. Eager, as committed Darwinians often are, to testify on any occasion, my friend asserted: “lt is because when we were simply anthropoid apes, there was no need to distinguish between one another by giving names.”

This credal confession struck me as just as superstitious as believing in the historicity of Noah’s Ark. More so, really. Do materialists really think that language just “evolved”, like finches’ beaks. or have they simply never thought about the matter rationally? Where’s the evidence?

The aesthetic dimension dominates the empirical for Wilson because there was something about the great Christian artists and writers of past centuries that somehow seemed true to reality. (Wilson opposes J. S. Bach to David Hume and Samuel Taylor Coleridge to Gilbert Ryle.)

Because of the gradual nature of Wilson’s re-conversion, we trust he will continue to grow in grace and understanding and trust in God – as should we all, whether our conversion happened in a flash or stretched over many years.

* * *

The Victorian era saw many Christians become atheists–and then return to faith, much as A. N. Wilson has done in 2009. Read Timothy Larsen’s account of their double conversions in “Victorian Skeptics on the Road to Damascus” from the Christian History website.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled April 3 that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, making Iowa the first Midwest state to legalize same-sex marriages. Iowa does not have a residency requirement for couples applying for a license. Changing the Iowa Constitution requires a resolution to be adopted in the exact same form by the House and the Senate of two consecutive General Assemblies before the issue would go before voters for ratification. The earliest such a resolution would clear that process would be the 2011 session.

In the meantime, Iowa pastors are responding to the Supreme Court ruling.

“This decision has no bearing on the church whatsoever,” says Jeff Gillmore, senior pastor of Parkview Church (Evangelical Free) in Iowa City. “We found that there is no obligation for the church to marry people of the same sex. We can have our own qualifications—and for us, they will continue to be scriptural guidelines: marriage is between a man and a woman. We’ve always been very clear about it, so we won’t purposefully try to antagonize, but we certainly won’t back off from the strong commitment that we’ve already had.”

Richard Van Heukelum, senior pastor of Walnut Ridge Baptist Church in Waterloo, says that he typically doesn’t tell his congregation which bills to call their congressional representatives about. But he’s making an exception this time.

“The Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage has activated us for prayer, and we are encouraging people to exercise their constitutional right to write their Representatives and Senators,” he says. “I just sent out email to the church about a rally at the capitol. Years ago we put in our doctrinal statement a strong statement of biblically defined marriage. We need to make sure we put it in our premarital brochure we hand out, and make it very clear when we are doing membership classes.” Van Heukelum is concerned about the ripple effect this may have on who the church must allow into its ministry, including its K-12 school.

At Dover Church, a Christian Missionary Alliance congregation in Orange City, associate pastor Dennis Rockhill says the ruling won’t change their commitment to only marry a man and a woman. “We won’t be emphasizing that as a doctrine from the pulpit because it’s always been assumed,” he says. “We may highlight it new membership class, and certainly if we have any classes devoted to marriage. I anticipate discussion about this in youth group, where we have a lot of kids that don’t come to church on Sundays.”

Richard Schlotter, pastor of First Pentecostal Assemblies of God in Ottumwa, says the decision to legalize same-sex marriage has minimal or no bearing on how he does church. “We will continue to stand for the Word of God just as we always have,” says Schlotter. “We understand the enemy is at work. We’ll continue to encourage our people to pray, make contact with senators and congressmen, and trust that God’s will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

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The Spring ’09 issue of Leadership journal should be arriving in mailboxes this week. The issue is called “UNHOOKED: Finding Release from Vices and Addictions.” We editors searched for ministers who were tackling addiction head on, whether in their churches or in parachurch ministries. And we’re pleased with the final product.

Our lead interview in this issue is with Craig Gross, founder of XXXChurch.com and, more recently, the Strip Church in Las Vegas. In the video below, Craig talks a little bit about the mission of the Strip Church and what it means to take the gospel into the darkness.

If you like what you see here, you can read the full-length interview in Leadership. Click here to subscribe.

BCL friend Dave Ferguson posted on his blog an excerpt of a conversation he had with Perry Noble, who pastors NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina. Ferguson asked him how he decides if an idea comes from his own entrepreneurial drive or from the Holy Spirit.

Noble’s three-part answer:

1. “Make sure it is an idea you can’t get away from.” – See if the idea sticks around and continues to surface in your imagination and conversation. If you can’t get away from the idea, it may be from God.

2. “Give it time.” – Don’t think you have to act on every dream. Do what Moses told God’s people to do, “wait”. Wait for other people to confirm. Wait to see it is confirmed in Scripture. Wait for it to be confirmed in prayer. If it is confirmed, it may be from God.

3. “If this fire is from God, He will pour gasoline on it.” – Ask God to help you see the world the way he sees the world. This can be painful, but it can also open your eyes to what God really wants. If the spark turns into a flame, it may be from God.

I especially like Noble’s advice to “ask God to help you see the world the way he sees the world.” I think that’s where it starts, and it’ll happen primarily through prayer and Scripture reading. If you’re already straining toward a true kingdom perspective, you can then trust God to confirm your idea through outward signs: open doors, encouragement from godly friends, and so forth.

If all the lights are green, go! Entrepreneurial drive or the Holy Spirit? I say both. When you’re letting God shape your perspective and desires, he will work through your entrepreneurial drive. We can never be too prayerful, but let’s not get carried away with second- and third-guessing. God is still in control.

How do some of you think about discerning God’s will for an idea or situation?

Calvin College recently hosted its biennial Festival of Faith and Music in Grand Rapids. It was a weekend full of rich conversation and wonderful music with participants including Cornel West, Lupe Fiasco, David Bazan, Over the Rhine, David Dark, Charlie Peaco*ck, Andy Crouch, and so many more.

Nathan Johnson, who used wine glasses and household junk to compose the score for the neo-noir film Brick and also scored the upcoming The Brothers Bloom (both directed by his cousin Rian Johnson), gave an excellent behind-the-scenes look at composing music for independent film. He explored specific creative challenges regarding structure, technology and the constraints of small-scale music production.You can listen to his workshop here.

Various ArtistsThis is My America (Hutton Music)

This ambitious three-disc project, featuring 56 songwriters and performers, spans the entire history of the U.S. in 38 songs interspersed with narratives. Beginning with “pre-America” and running through the events of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, the album mostly has a country music feel. The thread of faith, including clear references to Christianity, runs through the entire project, which makes for a surprisingly thorough overview of U.S. history. —Mark Moring

Sarah BrendelEarly Morning Hours (Gerth/Medien)

In 2005, this German artist released a Christian album on an American label and made a small splash in the U.S. Now back in Germany, Brendel’s latest isn’t getting as much attention stateside, but it should. One of the best albums I’ve heard in the past year, it not only features Brendel’s keen lyrics and unique voice, but also the last two songs that Larry Norman recorded before his death—a pair of duets with Brendel on a visit to Berlin. —Mark Moring

Heather HeadleyAudience of One

Headley’s soulfulness and powerhouse voice come together on her gospel debut. She shines in glorious, gospel-pop confections, such as the sobering “Simply Redeemed,” an apologetic case for faith, and “Jesus Is Love,” a cover of the Commodores’ hit. But Headley is at her best in the stunning “Hymn Medley” and the soaring ballad “Running Back to You”—where she shows she can sing circles around the likes of pop divas Beyoncé and Alicia Keys. —Andree Farias

Judd and MaggieKingdom of Noise

This brother-sister duo downplays its earlier folk-pop instincts in favor of a more electronic, offbeat form of expression à la Wilco, Iron and Wine, and even Films for Radio-era Over the Rhine. It’s an alluring mix, made all the more captivating by the siblings’ crisscrossing harmonies as they portray an unredeemed world but leave the door open for hope, such as in “Hunger,” a song emphasizing that the soul’s void leads us back to God. —Andree Farias

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Buddy and Julie Miller begin their new album—Written in Chalk (New West)—with a song pining for the past, for days when "if we ate, we had to grow it" and "all we could afford was laughter." It's a fitting statement for musicians who have always favored the simplicity of traditional American music idioms over anything reeking of technology or modern trends.

If that authenticity has always made them a little too country for Nashville, the husband and wife have picked a fine time to unveil their latest project. It's been almost eight years since they cut an album with both of their names on the cover (even though any Buddy or Julie album is really a Buddy and Julie album).

A typically personal project, crafted with homespun care and passion, Written in Chalk alternates between gritty, swaggering roots rock and Julie's bluesy ballads, but it's also a more expansive and eclectic set than anything else they've recorded. Julie's girlish vocals are adorned with co*cktail piano and muted trumpet in the jazzy number "Long Time," and Buddy sings with Robert Plant in the tipsy, fiddle-driven blues gem "What You Gonna Do, Leroy." The couple has never been more winsomely sentimental than in the opener "Ellis County"; they've also never been as playful or flirty as in their rollicking, rocking ode to marital intimacy, "Gasoline and Matches."

Buddy (who plays guitar for Emmylou Harris's project Spyboy) and Julie include frequent faith references on the album—sometimes obvious ("Jesus come and save us from our sin," Buddy croons in "Chalk"), but often between the lines ("Love holds a seed of tragedy / You must lay down your life to live," from "Every Time We Say Goodbye"). They sing about heartache and hope, brokenness and betrayal. And when they are at their best—as they frequently are here—they do it better than just about anybody else.

Josh Hurst, who blogs at thehurstreview.wordpress.com

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Pastors increasingly struggle with their physical and mental health, according to recent denominational studies.

Two of every three pastors in the Presbyterian Church (USA) are either overweight or obese, with the number of obese pastors doubling to 27 percent over the past two decades, according to a 2008 Presbyterian survey.

Over 75 percent of assessed church leaders in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are at risk for poor nutrition, and well over 50 percent are at risk for obesity, poor emotional health, and high blood pressure, according to a 2008 Mayo Clinic health assessment.

“We believe this is typical of pastors across all denominations,” said Brad Joern, director of health products for the ELCA. “The role of pastors is very stressful. [And] we know there is a physiological connection between prolonged stress and one’s physical health.”

This presents churches with a costly problem. The self-insured ELCA expects that 40 percent of its estimated $175 million in claims for 2009 will be “avoidable”—in other words, claims that would likely be prevented with the right lifestyle choices, closer management of chronic conditions, or preventive care.

ELCA pastors seem to carry higher health risks than their congregants, scoring at least ten percentage points above average Americans in the areas of high blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and weight, according to comparisons with a Mayo Clinic sample. They are also twice as likely to be depressed (16 percent versus 8 percent), but only half as likely to use alcohol and tobacco.

Clergy are also significantly more likely than laity to report excessive job demands, criticism, feelings of loneliness and isolation, and stress, according to a Duke University study of 10 denominations released in 2007. Duke has since launched a seven-year $12 million Clergy Health Initiative to track the health of United Methodist pastors in North Carolina.

Focus groups have revealed that many United Methodist ministers lack consistent and affordable access to health care, said Robin Swift, director of the Clergy Health Initiative. And many pastors feel that they never have enough time for themselves.

It eventually becomes a spiritual issue, said John Herman, executive director of pastoral care ministries for the Evangelical Free Church of America. “Pastors are horrible at honoring the work-rest cycle,” said Herman. “We believe rest means somehow something’s not getting done and they are counting on me to do it.”

“Emotional health is something pastors don’t give themselves permission to address,” said James Bradford, secretary general of the Assemblies of God. “It doesn’t sound spiritual. It’s not politically acceptable for the pastor to have the kind of diversions that will restore him emotionally, like a hobby. If he has to miss a meeting because he’ll be at a model train meeting, that’s unacceptable for the average church person.”

There is more riding on a pastor’s health than just a trip to the emergency room, Herman said. A healthy pastor is the key human resource for building healthy churches, he said.

“I do think care of the CEO, in crass corporate language, is one of the responsibilities of the board,” said Bradford. “It’s rarely done well. We just expect pastors to be healthy, morally pure. I think a board needs to take responsibility not just for the church budget and facilities, but also consciously [for] the care of that pastor.”

One essential culture shift is coming to understand health as a practice of the whole community, said Keith Meador, co-director for Duke’s Center for Spirituality, Theology, and Health. Blood pressure checks at the church aren’t bad, but Christians should guard against an individualistic notion of personal health that can be manipulated using spirituality.

“If we rightly understand a Christocentric community that gives thanks to God for the bread and wine that connotes the fullness of life and death and resurrection,” said Meador, “then we’re going to have a life where we care for one another.”

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We’ve probably all seen them floating around the Internet: those cat pictures, the ones ranging from morbidly obese felines to noxiously cute kittens, captioned with phrases like “Iz mah house!” and “I can has cheezburger?” They’re LOLcats, an Internet meme that’s become something of a phenomenon.

And apparently, now they have their own translation of the Bible.

The LOLcat Bible Translation Project, begun in July 2007, is nearing completion according to the website. It’s a user-edited site—much like Wikipedia—so anyone can contribute translations. There’s even a link to learn LOLcat, for those of us not in the know.

The LOLcat Bible is the latest to join the ranks of interesting Bible translations available online, oddly reminiscent of the first few pages of a Gideon Bible, where John 3:16 is printed in several different languages. Online, we can now read John 3:16

* in Klingon: vaD joH’a’ vaj loved the qo’, vetlh ghaH nobta’ Daj wa’ je neH puqloD, vetlh ‘Iv HartaH Daq ghaH should ghobe’ chIlqu’, ‘ach ghaj eternal yIn

* in Pig Latin: Or-fay Od-gay o-say oved-lay e-thay orld-way, at-thay e-hay ave-gay is-hay only-ay egotten-bay On-say, at-thay osoever-whay elieveth-bay in-ay im-hay ould-shay ot-nay erish-pay, ut-bay ave-hay everlasting-ay ife-lay

* in Quenya: An Eru si’ mellero i ambar, i antan’ Yondorya nostaina, si’ aiquen i s’ver quetierya ‘mer qual’, mal haryaner cuil’ oia

* and, of course, in LOLcat: So liek teh Ceiling Kitteh lieks teh ppl lots and he sez ‘Oh hai I givez u me only kitteh and ifs u purrz wit him u wont evr diez no moar, k?’

Fun as the novelty may be of quoting verses in Tolkien’s ancient elvish language, at the same time that folks are working on translating the Bible into LOLcat, millions of people around the world still have no access to Scripture in their own tongue.

According to Wycliffe Bible Translators, some 200 million people worldwide have never seen a Bible in their own language. Wycliffe’s ongoing mission is to bring Bibles to these people, Bibles translated into their native languages. Vision 2025, an initiative launched by Wycliffe U.K. to begin a translation program for every language that needs one by the year 2025, states that over 2,000 languages are waiting for this Bible translation work to begin. And launching translation programs is just the beginning of the process. Considering that translation of the New Testament alone can take up to 20 years, bringing God’s Word to “every tribe and language and people and nation” is quite the daunting project.

And it kind of makes you rethink the humor value of the LOLcat Bible.

Adding more fuel to the fire, President Obama’s health secretary nominee Kathleen Sebelius received nearly three times as much money from an abortion doctor than she disclosed, according to the Associated Press.

Sebelius has already angered conservatives for her pro abortion stances. She told the Senate Finance Committee that she took money from from George Tiller, a late-term abortion provider, who was acquitted last month of charges that he performed 19 illegal late-term abortions in 2003.

She told the committee that she received $12,450 between 1994 and 2001 from Tiller. But Erica Werner at the AP reports that Tiller gave at least $23,000 more from 2000 to 2002 to a political action committee while Sebelius was state insurance commissioner so she could raise money for Democrats.

The Finance Committee was expected to vote this month on forwarding Sebelius’ nomination to the full Senate. There was no immediate indication from committee Republicans that her omission on the Tiller contributions would upset that timing.

The anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, which is opposing Sebelius’ nomination, circulated the campaign finance documents showing the discrepancy in what Sebelius told senators. The records were reviewed Monday by the AP and their accuracy was verified by the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission.

Senators raised the issue of abortion only in written questions submitted to Sebelius after her hearing. Last week, Sebelius told the Senate that she does not anticipate issuing new abortion regulations if she is approved.

“I am personally opposed to abortion, and my faith teaches me that all life is sacred,” she said. “I have tried to reduce unwanted pregnancies and thus curtail the need for abortion.”

(h/t Mark Hemingway)