"I find your lack of faith - disturbing"

Dear Crosswalkers,

Leanna and I are back from two weeks in Scotland, and we had a wonderful time. Between long hikes in the beautiful Scottish countryside and historical treks to castles, monuments, museums and gravesites, I was able to read three wonderful books.

First, For Kirk and Covenant: The Stalwart Courage of John Knoxby Douglas Wilson. I also read another book on Knox, but this was the best for his place in the history of the church. John Knox was a gifted preacher who brought the Protestant Reformation to Scotland in the mid 1500s. He lived a hard and courageous life. He stood for the truth of God against the church and government of his day. He preached his first sermon privately in the Castle of St. Andrews, and his first public sermon in the Holy Trinity Church of St. Andrews. He was pastor of the historic St. Giles Church on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. To be sure, he had some rough edges. He lived in hard times, and those times called for boldness and bravery. But he was God's man who left a powerful legacy in Scotland and the world. Lord willing, I will share something from his life this Sunday.

The Second book I read was The Destiny of the Republic: A tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candace Millard. This is a fantastic read about the assassination of James A. Garfield, the Civil War hero and the 20th president of the USA. He was a committed follower of Jesus, who never wanted to be president, but was essentially nominated and elected by acclamation against his will. Can you imagine that? He said, "This honor comes to me unsought. I have never had the Presidential fever; not even for a day." A mere 200 days into his presidency, he was struck down by an assassin’s bullet. He lingered for two and half months before breathing his last, an unfortuate victim of medical malpractice due to the limited technology of the time. During his short time as president, he successfully fought corruption and left a legacy of great faith and remarkable courage.  The photo shows Garfield's monument in Washington D.C.   Here are a few of his quotes:

If wrinkles must be written on our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old.

I would rather be beaten in Right than succeed in wrong.

There is nothing in all the earth that you

And I can do for the Dead.

They are past our help and past our praise.

We can add to them no Glory,

we can give to them no immortality.

They do not need us,

But forever and forever more we need them.

The third book is more contemporary (I don't just read history!), it is The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller. For over twenty years Keller has been the pastor of a large church in downtown New York. He has spent most of his ministry reaching modern secular urban dwellers that have a natural disdain for all things religious. The book begins well with a quote from Darth Vader "I find your lack of faith - disturbing!"  Keller then goes on to show we live in a paradoxal world where both faith and secularism are growing. He then responds with a pastor’s heart and a theologian’s sharp mind to the top seven objections he has encountered to the truth about Jesus in his years in New York. Here they are:

    There Can’t Be Just One True Religion

    How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?

    Christianity is a Straitjacket

    The Church is Responsible for so much Injustice

    How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?

    Science Has Disproved Christianity

    You Can’t Take The Bible Literally

He answers each of these objections in an utterly compelling and convincing way.  The second part of this book presents the case for Christianity.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!! In fact, it may develop into a future sermon series!
 

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John