Jesus Bones Found!

As if Hollywood didn't already confuse enough people with last year's biblically illiterate, sensational, fictional DaVinci Code, big name director, James Cameron is claiming the bones of Jesus have been found and guess what, he was married! If this weren't so sad it would be laughable. Check it out at http://www.getreligion.org/?p=2243

First, the box they are attributing to Jesus' burial was unearthed in Jerusalem in 1980 so this is nothing new. In fact, learned and credible arhaeologists dismissed that notion 27 years ago based on their own research and expertise. Secondly, they are now saying there is DNA evidence. Oooooooooooh shadows of Grissom and the CSI team holed up in a lab somewhere testing the Lord's bones! There's a problem though. DNA has to have a base line to establish it. What are they using to establish Jesus' baseline? There's no DNA on file of his family. No hair, bones, blood, teeth, etc., to establish the Lord's earthly line. I guess they could just test the earth to get His Father's DNA. And given the importance of family tombs and birthplace in the ancient world, why would a Galilean be buried in Jerusalem?

Now the most important point. The one Christ followers cling too. Since we believe Jesus had a bodily resurrection and ascension to heaven after His crucifixion based on scripture, exactly where did they get the idea he left his bones behind? What are they basing it on? At least we are basing our claim on 2,000+ year old gospel accounts from eyewitnesses (apostles) that have been passed down and accepted through the ages by people far more intelligent than me, or Cameron. We didn't just pull this out of thin air. James Cameron admitted himself that there is not enough evidence to disprove or sway a person of faith from the traditional story. So why are you connecting your Titanic name to this James? You can bet it's for headlines, press and coverage.

The last thing I need is Hollywood insiders to explain incredible matters of faith. I mean it's not like they have a great track record on historical matters of faith. I appreciate their right to hold this view, but I am so weary of people taking liberties with my Savior's heritage, character and integrity. And CNN's Paula Zahn actually asked with a straight face as she teased the story, "And what could it mean to Christians if Jesus' bones were found?" She went on to tease, "What could be the most stunning find in Christian history." Paula, here's the answer: NOTHING! We live by faith. Faith is about the unseen. We actually believe the biblical narrative and we actually believe that Jesus walked out of a tomb, left it empty and 40 days after ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God Almighty. Quit trying to fire up a story that's not there. Amazingly, there's not one credible biblical scholar who supports Cameron and his team! For people of biblical faith that screams volumes.

Biblical anthropologist Joe Zias (the Curator of Archaeology and Anthropology for the Israel Antiquities Authority from 1972 to 1997) says Cameron's teams claims simply aren't true. Keep in mind Zias is a scholar whose given his life to biblical archaeology, not a Hollywood, headline grabber trying to promote his latest movie. Also note that Cameron and his partner are documentarians, not archaelogists, scholars, etc., and they are promoting a film that will have sponsors and ultimately put money in the producers pockets. A spokesman for the Catholic League in the U.S. pointed out on CNN (2/26) that every year for the last 20 years or so, there have been things like this that have surfaced in the Lenten season to sow seeds of doubt and generate headlines. He added that not one of them has ever offered empirical evidence to support their claims. For example the age old myth that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.

Not everyone in the media is buying into this load of bull. An editorial from the Chattanoogan: http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_102430.asp. And this from the major Canadian news source: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070226/jesus_tomb_060226/20070226?hub=TopStories

Sadly, many people who are biblically illiterate will buy into this Titanic-sized myth and perpetuate the story like an urban legend forwarded non-stop by old Aunt Betty who never bothers to stop and consider if what she's forwarding to the entire family is even true. It could be worse, we could have the Scientology couch jumping crowd, or Oprah's regular spiritualist weighing in on this. Here's an observation worth noting. How come they never touch Muhammed and his ancestry? I'll tell you why, the Muslim world would not tolerate attacks on their founder's character and integrity. Christians shouldn't tolerate it either. One crucifixion was enough.

I think the Catholic priest who serves as an NBC new analysts on such matters, Father Thomas Williams nailed it when he commented on Cameron's films claims during a Today Show segment with Meridith Vieira 2/26: "Well Christianity really stands or falls with the fact of Jesus' bodily resurrection from the dead and that he physically ascended into Heaven." Well put Father Thomas!

Anna and Britney Overload

The media frenzy and spectacle surrounding the recent Anna Nicole legal proceedings and Britney Spears' head-shaving outing are mind numbing. To say the media and American public are fixated on these two tragedies is an understatement. What does it say about a culture that likes to watch in the words of NBC's Matt Lauer, "slow motion destruction"?

The death of President Gerald Ford didn't generate as much media coverage as these two troubled women. You can't get away from the stories, reports and proceedings. After a recent workout, I walked into the locker room to shower and a group of men were gathered around the television. I was expecting earth-shattering developments out of Iraq; an announcement by the President, or a member of Congress; or minimally a natural disaster somewhere in the world. Imagine my surprise when it was live coverage of the legal proceedings and battle over the burial of Anna Nicole! Why do we seem to elevate the tragic lives of celebrities over stories that are genuinely newsworthy?

My reactions to all of this have been various and diverse. Perhaps the "old school" broadcast journalist within me is rising to the top. I remember learning how to discern what is news and what is sensationalism, or gossip. Having to answer the question, "When does a reporter report the news or sensationalize something that should otherwise be left to the privacy of families, counselors, therapists and the church to process, help and sort out? Think about it----can you ever imagine Walter Cronkite reporting such a story on the CBS Evening News? Perhaps it was the parent within me cringing because these stories of dysfunction could be interpreted by thousands of teenagers as normal and healthy because in their mind the media has validated it through excessive coverage. Maybe it was my pastoral DNA that aches for the children who will grow up one day and see how their parent behaved in public and every one saw it. It could be the Christ-follower in me that simply grieves over lives spinning out of control in search of significance and meaning, when I have personally discovered that significance and peace come from Christ alone and desperately want others to experience it.

Each of us must find our own response. As for me, I've decided to switch channels on this stuff; ignore sleazy headlines at the grocery; avoid the tabloid news shows and Internet sites that pass this stuff off as credible and circulate these stories as truth like someone forwarding the countless urban legends circulating the Internet. I've also decided that as a professing Christ follower I need to pray for Anna's infant daughter, Britney's children, and Britney's sobriety. I must pray for their peace, care, and protection. I must also weep in prayer and long for their discovery of eternal significance. Given the ongoing behavior it's enough to keep us busy and away from the celebrity rumor mill. Bottomline? Erase the glitter and hype, and these are real people just like you and me. They need peace, forgiveness, accountability, encouragment and unconditional love. I guess every Christ follower should answer the question: "Am I promoting truth, exalting Christ and edifying His church by reading, watching and forwarding these stories?" I've found my answer, now it's time to pray.

The Search for the Perfect Astronaut

NASA announced last week plans to review its pyschological screening for astronauts in the wake of Astronaut Lisa Nowak's arrest for attempted murder. You can hardly blame NASA. It was the right move. NASA is doing its best to insure the astronaut selection process and their ongoing assessment is stable. However, NASA is also keenly aware of the importance of public perception in light of federal funding. The last thing the public, Congress and NASA wants is an unstable astronaut orbiting the earth.

By now everyone has heard Nowak's story. She was charged with attempted murder, attempted kidnapping and three other crimes related to what police are calling a love triangle involving another astronaut.

Former astronaut Homer Hickam wrote a piece for the L.A. Times last week in
which he opened the usually tightened window on the astronaut world, noting that
while Nowak's conduct is extreme, previous situations have resulted in quiet
disimissals or resignations:

As a former NASA astronaut training manager responsible for crew training for shuttle missions, I was not entirely surprised by the initial reports of the sad, bizarre case of Lisa Marie Nowak. This isn't the first case of astronauts having difficulties in their personal lives. Usually, the straying astronaut simply resigns or retires, and everything is hushed up. But being charged with assault, attempted kidnapping and attempted
murder is far greater than anything I ever observed or imagined could occur. Perhaps this tragedy will bring some of the agency's long-ignored problems into the open.

First is the tremendous and unnecessary pressures brought to bear on the
members of NASA's cloistered astronaut office. This is the division at the
Johnson Space Center in Houston where the astronauts work. It is the
office that assigns each astronaut his or her job. Since most astronauts are
waiting to be put on a mission, these jobs -- such as working on the shuttle
hydraulic system or sitting in on meetings about a new science payload --
are important, but they're usually no more difficult than the ones
accomplished routinely by other NASA engineers and scientists. The
difference is the astronauts come under constant scrutiny by their
management to determine who will fly and who will not. Some never get
assigned to a space mission, yet they are called astronauts as long as they
work for NASA.

No one can fault NASA for what happened. And I believe the agency responded as well as it could given circumstances beyond its control. Situations like this should prompt any agency, company, or organization to review its policies and practices. However, in a fallen world the search for the perfect astronaut will be as unproductive as the search for the perfect pastor, plumber, cardiologist or school teacher. The perfect person does not exist this side of eternity.

The follow up questions are endless: Did we miss something in her initial screening? Is this bizarre behavior the result of time she spent in space aboard the space shuttle Discovery in July? Were there any warning signs we missed? You get the idea.

Newsflash: Astronaut Nowak is human. And according to Scripture (Isa. 53:6; Romans 3:23; 5:12-21; 7:14, etc.) ALL of us are flawed, imperfect, depraved, irregular and sinful. In his book, "Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them," pastor John Ortberg writes: Every one of us pretends to be healthier and kinder than we really are; we all engage in what might be called "depravity management."

Ortberg continues: From the time of Adam in the Garden of Eden, sin and hiding have been as inevitable as death and taxes. Some people are pretty good at hiding. But the weirdness is still there. Get close enough to anyone, and you will see it. Everybody's normal till you get to know them.

Unfortunately, many today believe they can find the perfect astronaut, professional athlete, CEO, etc. A casual reading of the Sunday newspaper over the last year would reveal the impossibility of such a search. Perhaps that's part of the cultural problem when stuff like this happens and grabs the headlines. For example: Robin Williams stumbles with his sobriety; Anna Nicole dies a mysterious death; the Enron leadership is indicted and convicted; nine NFL players for the Cinncinati Bengals are arrested and we act as though this shouldn't happen. People with a biblical worldview are not suprised by any of this. We may be disappointed, saddened and heart broken, but we know it always comes back to sin. However, it doesn't leave us without hope or resignation that things will never change.

If anything, sin should cause the people of God to grieve, cry out, seek forgiveness, grant forgiveness to those who mess up, and pray for those who struggle to experience God's grace because we have been the undeserving recepients of the same grace many times before. And we will again. Lisa Nowak needs our prayers, as well as the male astronaut and the victim who was attacked in Orlando. NASA needs our prayers for wisdom. But the last thing we need is to respond as though this is totally foreign to us. Human failings and shortcomings serve as reminders of the biblical story and the need for something, for someone far greater than any of us. It reminds us of the need for a perfect, infallible, sinless Savior, Jesus Christ. He is indeed the only hope we have and what a hope!

P.S. The picture above from the movie, "Space Cowboys" about a group of aged, flawed astronauts is my attempt to humorously remind us that no one is perfect!

Domestic Violence is Real

The young woman sat across from me in tears. She had just revealed that her husband was abusive. As a very young and green pastor I was shocked. This was the "All-American" couple. She was beautiful and he could've graced the cover of GQ Magazine. Both were professionals and had acquired all the toys and trimmings of affluence that tells the world you've arrived. They had a beautiful child, nice house and were the envy of many people. However, she was broken, scared and wanted to get out. Subsequent counseling sessions with her and the couple revealed a man in denial with a dangerous little secret. I counseled the need for boundaries. She courageously drew a boundary and when he crossed it she ended the marriage.

Within months he had another "All-American" beauty on his arm. As I counseled them, I did my best to open the door and uncover his secret. To no avail, they were madly "in love". Not long after, he crossed the line and she was not willing to go down that road and give him a second chance fearing he would repeat his tendency toward violence and control. She ended the marriage abruptly with no second chances. Everyone in the church was shocked. I had to keep my mouth shut because what I had learned in counseling could not be shared with others. My heart ached over a broken marriage, but deep within I had a great sense of relief that this woman would not experience the depth of abuse the first one had when she revealed it to me late in the first marriage.

Most people are unaware that ministers, pastoral counselors, psychologists and medical personnel are legally bound to report suspected physical abuse; or when someone is a potential danger to themselves or others. It's something I have had to do a few times in pastoral ministry. You never feel good about it, but you know it's for the best. I have a high mercy tendency, so I have learned to temper my desire to get help for the perpetrator, by seeking safety and help for the victim(s) first. Most victims of domestic violence, abuse and control live in constant fear. They don't want anyone to find out the "family secret" for fear of more abuse, personal injury, or abuse upon their children.

Domestic violence (DV) is real. South Carolina ranks #6 nationally among states whose victims fall prey to the most violent forms of domestic violence committed by someone they know. 85-90% of victims in South Carolina are women. 14,000 victims were cared for by shelters in 2004 and that is believed to be a drop in the bucket in relation to the number of violent incidences that go unreported. Over 23% of all reported crimes of domestic violence involved acohol abuse by the perpetrator. These are just a few of the statistics involving domestic violence in SC.

Christians need to be informed about DV. In His inaugural call in Luke's gospel (Luke 4:18ff)Jesus noted the Gospel mandate to stand in the gap for those who suffer and the oppressed. Seeking justice is not optional for Christ-followers. We are to speak up and stand up in the face of oppression. Domestic violence is full of oppression, abuse and injustice. Innocent women, children and the elderly experience it daily. Most are so afraid they dare not speak out. As Christ followers we are called to be advocates for the innocent and those who suffer. It's not enough to pray about a family, or marriage we know is experiencing domestic violence. We can and we must do more. But there's a right way to do it. There's a way to do it legally and a way that seeks to help perpetrators get the help they need. After all, the Gospel is a gospel of reconciliation and restoration. But restoration cannot be our first reaction when someone is bleeding, bruised and battered. We must seek to provide safety and protection first and foremost. But we need to be informed.

This Sunday, our church is hosting a workshop on Domestic Violence. It is intended to provide those in the faith community with resources and information about domestic violence and victims of abuse. It will be led by Sarah DeWard. Sarah is completing her Masters of Science degree at Clemson University in Applied Sociology with an emphasis on gender and women's victimization. She is a consultant for Ministry Alliance for Regaining Your Safety (MARY'S) house, a growing faith-based domestic violence shelter in Pickens County. Sarah has served as a domestic violence victims advocate working closely with prosecutor's and the courts. She earned her BA degree from Western Michigan University in Sociology and Women's Studies.

Join us for this informative workshop dealing with a significant cultural issue. The workshop is Sunday, February 11th, 4:00-5:30 p.m. at Mosaic Community Fellowship meeting at 109 Leader Drive in Powdersville. Coffee will be provided by Starbucks on Haywood Road and childcare will be provided. There will also be refreshments. For a map and directions go to: http://www.mosaic-community.org/location.htm#top

Everyone from the community is invited to attend!