last of the blog

this will be the last entry of my blog on blogger. all blogs will be on http://bachnwill.wordpress.com. I have been reproducing all posts held here there.

Book Review: Purity in the Age of Porn

It's a hard topic to raise in Sunday conversations at church. We know the impact, but we fear the implications on sin at work in our churches. If you're like me, you might fear the paralytic hold this sin has on people.



Matthias Media has produced a Mini-Magazine (Minizine) on pornography, which exposes the true effects of pornography (James Warren), the centrality of Jesus' death and resurrection in dealing with sexual sin (Gordon Cheng) and practical points in resisting viewing of pornography on the Internet (Simon Roberts). It's a simple and gracious exploration on the topic, one which I would feel confident in giving away to any brother or even non-Christian friend to read.

What the Minizine does well is to dispel some lies on pornography with Biblical insight and social research. Lies such like: viewing pornography is harmless, it brings real or even superior sexual fulfilment, or that it's within our nature and we cannot stop it. I was made more confident of my convictions after reading James' segment, that pornography can and does cost a lot more than what most people imagine, in terms of relationships, marriages, self-esteem and even the ability to enjoy sex.

James makes it clear that there is a good way - the best way - for our sexual desires to be fulfilled in accordance with God's plan for marriage. It is the most happy place for other-person-centred sex and one where there is most enjoyment. We are encouraged to proclaim that God designed sex and knows how we can best enjoy it. Any other material designed to elicit desire is pornography and is a far cry that takes away more than it offers.

There is a place of the Good News of Jesus' death and resurrection in combating pornography, indeed all other immoralities. Gordon's illustration from Paul's letter to a very immoral Corinthian church is relevant to us in the 21st century. What we excel in sexual sin, they probably did better and earlier by more than a millennium. It was delightful to hear that there is good news and forgiveness for the sexually immoral and that in Jesus' resurrection there is certain hope that this guilty, shameful body with its emotional and physical scars of sexual immorality will be restored for good.

But for all its practical help, especially in the section on Internet usage, its clear expose of pornography's harms and the deliverance from sin in Jesus, the Minizine does not mention how we can use the gospel to help break the "pornography cycle".

The addiction cycle, begins with viewing, then continues in sexual climax, then results in depression from guilt and finally the need to feel good again. And it is this need to feel good that requires an antidote of the God of Good News. We need an alternative, a relationship, a person, that holdouts fulfilment and the promise of comfort, right at the point where we have failed and are filled with guilt after consuming pornography. Practical inhibitions will reduce the amount consumed, understanding the ills of climaxing to pornography will help us control the self, knowing Jesus forgives our guilt and shame, but it is a desire for fulfilment in God alone - that will alone prevent anyone from having to find contentment in pornography, and from many other immoralities like greed, ambition and gluttony

Book Review: Help for a sick prayer life

Help for a sick prayer life

Prayer is a battle, and the goal of this Minizine collection of three essays is to rejuvenate readers in our prayer lives. In the the first essay, Tony Payne lists the common "viruses" that make our prayer life a sickness instead of a joy, so that we can restore our prayer lives to health. The three-headed monster consists of our doubt in God's sovereignty, doubt in God's willingness to answer our prayers, and our misunderstanding of our relationships with God.





We might think that something as basic as the sovereignty of God is imprinted in the mind of all Christians, but I was reminded that a lot of Christians do not pray for small and mundane needs, and this reveals a doubt in the sovereignty of God in all things in our hearts. Doubt in "modern" times is reflected in the belief that God does not intervene with the mechanics of a naturalistic world: He is distant from His creation and its "scientific" laws set in stone, so there is no point in asking Him to change our course in life. Yet it is shown that clearly that the Bible is full of examples of just how God is active in the natural and the so called "supernatural", and in fact this distinction is not truthful in describing the Christian God who sustains, changes and directs His world.

Even more infectious within evangelical minds is the idea that the Biblical God is a sovereign whose will cannot be changed. So in fact we are limiting God's ability to change His own mind. This to me seems like a tougher doubt to defeat but Tony provides this answer from Bible - that the will of God includes the Christian prayer. A good example is Moses who prayed for God to show mercy to His rebellious people, and God did forgive His people. I was encouraged that we have a God who does listen and is earnest for us to pray to Him in repentance and with trust.

The Minizine has a very practical outline of Biblical prayer, based on Matthew's record of "The Lord's Prayer". I agree with Paul Grimmond in the usefulness of praying with the mindset and priorities of Jesus, who has the mind of God Himself. Personally, the most humbling effect in praying using Jesus' model is that I realise prayer, just like all other things in life, are about God Himself: what He wills and desires as He brings the whole world under His kingly rule.

Praying in line with God's will doesn't take away the joy of asking God for good things, rather it adds to the confidence I have in asking God, because He knows what is best for our wellbeing. Jesus spells out some of God' major concerns for us: the forgiveness of our sins, the provision of our daily needs, the help we require in daily battles with evil and so on. Paul urges us to pray with the Bible in mind because we will then live in right relationship with the one who made us and desires the best for us through prayer.

Lastly, Colin Marshall writes about the opportunities and privileges of praying in a small group. His desire is to point small groups into fervent prayer units. I often smiled when reading through this section because the stereotypical pitfalls were so true. Having been the leader of several small groups, I have experienced and contributed to the droughts and drabs of last minute prayers, repetitive prayers, the irreverent prayers that best described as self-absorbed and inward focused prayers. This segment brought new enthusiasm in me as I go back into my weekly small group to battle with biblical, God-focused and outward looking prayer, and to prioritise prayer in our meetings.

personal legends or myths? The Alchemist: a review

I should have reviewed this book whilst it was the new thing. Paul Coelho has been popular, if not influential, to say the least.

Coelho uses the simple journey for the treasure of a Spanish shepherd boy to bring to consciousness many general comments on the purpose of life. It is a sweet tale of a very innocent boy, just seeking his personal treasure. He starts with little but his flock, within his familiar country side of Spain. Through angelic and mystical encounters, twists of fate, so called "omens", and of course a personal desire and sheer belief to seek "treasure", the boy is led across the seas and deserts towards Egypt, the place of where his treasure was to be revealed. The final revelation leads him back home ironically, where his treasure had been all long, buried within his own memory and previous journeys as a shepherd. In sum, the Boy simply fulfills his Personal Legend as he responds with belief in the guidance of the Soul of the World.

Along the journey, there are significant characters that help the Boy. Firstly, the angelic character in Melchizedek, who first opens the Boy to the possibility of finding his treasure and prepares him with guiding words and tools to recognise favourable omens and answer questions by lots - the stones "Urim and Thummim". There are many helpers along the way: the gypsy who entices him toward seeking the treasure, the crystal dealer near the port who sustains the Boy physically and allows him to eventually sail toward Egypt, the Englishman who seeks the secrets to Alchemy and so leads the Boy to recognition of the Alchemist. The Boy also forms an emotional and spiritual bond with a girl in the desert plains, who is at once a distraction from his self-fulfilment as well as the source of his desire for that elusive treasure. Finally, it is the Alchemist who finishes off the education of the Boy in understanding the universal code of the world, called the language of the Soul of the World. It is with this understanding, Enlightenment for want of a better word, that the Boy is able to overcome his near-death obstacle at the hands of desert marauders, and successfully arrive at Egypt.

______

I will choose only two major ideas to question. The first being the quest to fulfill one's personal legend. The second will be the idea of love alongside this calling. Though Coelho never admits to providing any ultimate answers to the purpose of life, the book does draw some conclusions to just what shape the fulfilled life looks.

Everyone seems to have a personal legend and the whole force of the universe, which is unnamed, impersonal but definitely powerful, is there to help everyone fulfill it. All we need is that extra self-belief and belief in this Soul of the World to the extent that it wills what we will. There is a fantastic scene where the Boy communicates with the Soul of the World after understanding the secrets of Alchemy, and it yields to the sheer desire and passion of the Boy for his goal. There may be an autobiographical element, or just very hopeful observations of our world.

Yet I do not think this translates very usefully into everyday living and certainly not for those in relation with the God of the Bible. The narrative of the Bible presents our lives as certainly integral parts of God's purposes in general. Yet the particular fulfillment of God's purpose lies in Jesus, coming to the world, revealing to the world the nature of God, rescuing the world in reconciliation to God Himself by His death for the fallen world and rising to life as the Ruler and Holder of all authority. Personal fulfillment come by being a part of God's grand plan, and not so much through our individual aspirations. Being a Christian means both losing the self and gaining more than what we can imagine. We lose the self-will to ruthlessly and selfishly achieve our own goals (see the call to discipleship in Mark 10:23-31), but in fact gain so much more from being in fellowship or one with Jesus, in His plans, goals and His community, which is God Himself. The Boy's treasure is really peas and pods compared to God Himself, who is the treasure promised to every disciple of Jesus, in submission to His plans and purposes. Further more Jesus Himself displayed this losing of Himself by deferring His own comforts and protection for the sake of others - the world - in need and He was duly rewarded by God the Father by His vindication at the Resurrection. God of History, not an impersonal Soul of the World, has shown His willingness to call people into such a relation with Him.

Where does love fit into peoples' plans and purposes? The Boy finds it, but must defer this to the pursuit of his personal legend; he is bound to reunite with his love, waiting for his return in the desert until the end. It ends happily and romantically. Perhaps for the sake of the story, the author had to prioritise the events. Yet if taken seriously, the personal legend seems to trump any other thing in the world, include marital happiness, relationship and people. We can leave even God out of the picture in thinking about this and just see how this happy ending is mere fiction. We know that people, relationships and most of all care for loved loves is costly. In daily terms it may be the constant effort, discomfort, hard work for the sake of loved ones. Those who have really loved will know what cost it is. Bringing God back into the picture, He does not seek love in this fashion, firstly He is satisfied, secondly He pours out His love, by the giving of Himself, even to the loss of His own Son. There is no greater price God could have paid in order to win the attention as well as salvation of his enemies. Christians are likewise called to suffer for the sake of love in this sense, not strictly love romantically. Love for the world, as God has loved, is worthy of our lives, time and even the loss of self once again. And this love is realised when we speak of God's love in action through the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

A lot of people have been influenced by the novel. I do not mind it as fiction. But the best fiction can recreate and teach reality, not just providing false hopes for a generation that is in need of something real and substantial. For The Alchemist to be really inspirational, the Christian has to translate an impersonal and selfish force of the world into a personal, loving and selfless God.

Chaos still needs Light: The Dark Knight, a review.

(image: wallpaper downloads @http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/)

C. S. Lewis had said that it is easier to portray evil than good in art. I think the Dark Knight is another prime example of this trend. I know that many had seen the film because of the tragic death of Heath Ledger, and many would have been moved by how sinister his character was in this film. Chaos gained a face, as well as sadism, in this dark film.

There isn't too much to spoil by reading a review on the film, for we can easily guess the general direction of the characters' developments, their origins and their destinations. From "Batman Begins", we already know the love-hate relationship Bruce Wayne has with his alter-ego "The Batman". He yearns for normality and time for love with Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal). The film introduces Harvey Dent/Two-face (Aaron Eckhart) and Joker, and it spends much time in explaining how these two characters become respectively bitter to goodness and sweet-toothed for evil.

The former disillusioned District Attorney of Gotham in Dent attains villain status because of personal suffering and loss. In the course of the Joker's plot to draw out and kill Batman, Harvey loses Rachel, his fiancee to the Joker's wicked designs. You see, the Joker gives Gotham city and the Batman a choice, to either choose to save either the honest, innocent and passionate District Attorney, Dent, with a history of successful prosecutions of the underworld bosses or an equally innocent, hard working and beautiful Lawyer, Dawes. The Batman and police choose to primarily save Dent, because of his capacity for doing greater good for Gotham, and as a result, just fails to rescue Dawes from a fatal explosion. This eventually leads to the conversion of the passionate crime fighter in Dent into a selfish avenger of personal loss that is Two-Face.

He is a helpful reminder, even as Christians, of just how weak even the moral and upright human being is in the face of deep personal suffering. Anger, bitterness but an irrational hatred of what is good can come out of undealt suffering. What if undeserved injustice befall on a great person, such as the archetypal Job? Would that man then shove his fists at God and let loose all his anger and blame God, others and in effect the whole world? Anyone without an understanding of where evil in this world comes from and who is responsible for evil, may act just as foolishly as Dent. But one who knows the God who is good and saves the right moment in history for the judgement of all wickedness will have true comfort and hope. There is also the aspect of God's transcendence as Creator over Creatures, that prevents us from ever rightfully demanding answers from God because of the order of beings and our limited understanding (see Job 38). Humility in the face of a awesome Creator is required.

The Joker's sadistic past is the direct cause of his evil nature. The film suggestively recreates the horrible abuse this man suffered, both as a child and as an adult, at the hands of his violent father and later by his own hands when he faces hardship in marriage and living in general. The scars on his face were brutally imprinted and stand for a deeply wounded soul, who now delights in evil and corruption of all that is good. He is like Satan portrayed biblically in this sense. The film of course gives Satan/Joker more degree of freedom and power than that is permitted by the Bible. There is also some element of pity the audience feels with respect to the Joker given his past; but the Bible does not give such pity to Satan, who is given angelic powers but desires God-like power that is not rightfully his. But both essentially point out the fear that the Joker/Satan can instill in people. This fear leads to much chaos and social nasties in the film (such as mob in/justice at the whim of the Joker's plot to blow up public hospitals for the price of certain public figures). Manipulation, enticement and threats to personal safety are the powers of the Joker, who wields control even over the lords of crime in Gotham.

We must be wary of giving evil too much limelight and 'power' for that is not how the Bible portrays our world. Yes we are fallen, and yes, we cannot even trust man, who is evil in heart and mind, hands and lips. The film finds some triumph in the general goodness of the most of mankind: when the Joker forces two boat-loads of people to play in a game of choice - that is the first boat to trigger the bomb on the other preserves itself - both boats decide not to pull the trigger and awaits their own destruction at the hand of the Joker. It is a lighter moment in the film. But this goodness or triumph of man is not the Biblical reason for hope over evil. In fact, Satan is in awe and dreaful fear of the Righteous Judge and Creator of the Universe. God's benign power, complete sovereignty and promise to crush evil, is the Biblical hope. We see this in the person of Jesus, who dies for evil man in substitution, and we see the full force of God's wrath on His Son on account of the sin laid on Him. The coming Judgement is not far and those not atoned for by Jesus' death will face the penlty ofr their own evil ways. All judgement has also been promised to Jesus, who is now victorious over death from sin. (See 1Cor. 15). Evil agents bow to the commands of God, who is untainted by evil; they are only permitted to act and misbehave, and this for a short while. The purpose of evil is difficult to comprehend, but here I trust in God's wisdom as Job has taught us. The Joker may enjoy being beaten to pulps by Batman; Satan squirms at the voice of God and pleads for lesser judgement. Even in the imagination of evil, "The Dark Knight" departs from truth into fiction.

There is much more to the problem of evil raised by the film. How can one truly cope with personal suffering at the hands of evil people? Where is God in this? What is man supposed to do in the face of crimes and wickedness in this world? Who should perform the acts of justice and punishment? How far can people go in the fight against evil, that with what means? Should the greater good be sacrificed or upheld if the disposal of one menial innocent party is required? Is the nature of man basically good and evil just a marring of this nature by an intrinsically evil world (say would the Joker have been if he was raised by a loving dad)?

You won't find many answers in the film that are satisfying, but the questions are intriguing. So are the action scenes, the cinematics of heights, depths and sounds. The Batman offers a likeable human model of imperfect yet personal agent of justice, and he is stylish. I was just glad that chaos still needs the light, for the Joker has no other purpose than to destroy what is good, he depends on some order even within the dark hierarchy of his company and most of all in the society he seeks to wreck. There is no meaning in evil itself, no end, no "good" - to state the obvious. Pure power just does not seem satisfying to my senses, and still forms an irrational basis for the existence of the Joker/Satan. I was glad for reality when the film was over, because we know that in Jesus, there is true Light, who has overcome the Darkness, and this Darkness has not overcome it (John 1:1-14).

The best film I saw overall this year. 4/5.

Kung Fu Panda: "The Secret is... Nothing?"

"I'm so happy my son has finally had a noodle dream!!!" cried Po's dad. It was every noodle shop owner's dream, to be able to pass his life secrets and treasures over to a wayward son. Not that the Kung Fu Panda, Po, was a particularly spoilt profligate, but this overweight, Kung-Fu comic fanatic had his heart set on something other than making noodles. He loves Kung Fu. Kung Fu is his personal dream. Those viewers from an Asian background may relate to the force of paternal aspiration more than some.

This Disney story continues to trace the fateful journey this unlikely hero toward Kung-Fu mastery. The mould does not quite fit the usual "fulfillment of destiny" model we have seen in Zimba of the Lion King or "fulfillment of potential" model that we see in Cars for example. Po is truly pathetic. He is a no-hoper. He had neither destiny or potential for Kung-Fu mastery. But he's a sweet panda, who loves his food and just a little lacking in self-belief and confidence. This self-belief is where Kung-Fu panda can strike a chord with many story tellers and audience. We need a little more of the story to flesh out this message of KFP.

There is a lurking evil over this region in Animal China [my description of the location]. The citizens of hares and pigs enjoy freedom, but they do not realise that a Kung-Fu monster [the Snow Leopard] called Tai-Lung is still alive, although imprisoned. Tai is pure power and hate. To enjoy the ongoing prosperity and peace of this China, there needs to be the succession of the "Dragon Warrior", a beneficent and equally powerful Master of Kung-Fu. The ageing Kung-Fu master Oogway [the 1000 year old Turtle], and Shifu [the Racoon] are both trusting Fate to choose the next Dragon Warrior at the Kung-Fu contest. Just at the appointed time of this Kung Fu contest, Oogway accidentally but ceremoniously elects Po as the Dragon Warrior. How? Po lands in front of the winner of the contest, Tigress, after lighting off many fireworks stuffed to his pants in order to get inside the contest arena. But the deed is done, Oogway had declared the Dragon Warrior by the pointing of his staff, and Po is it. He is fated to become the Dragon Warrior. This is similar to what we know as Fate. It appears wrong and hopeless, but Oogway the master-sage believes in Fate.

Po does indeed discover the "Secret" to Kung-Fu mastery. Shifu begins by tapping into the inner psyche of Po - food as his source of strength and hope - and uses dumplings as the reward for harsh training. There are hilarious scenes of Po mastering chopstick battles, treacherous jumps and superpanda climbs and elaborate duels for the sake of dumplings. The key to Po's mastery, is the idea of self-belief and what the self can achieve now. There are three integral scenes to Kung-Fu Panda that support this theory. The first happens under the Tree of Sacred Wisdom. Oogway says "that yesterday is history, tomorrow's a mystery, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present." Po realizes he needs to seize the moment and make the most of it, because whether he believes in himself yet, he IS the Dragon Warrior. The second happens when Shifu hands over the scroll containing the highest Secrets of Kung-Fu mastery. But to both Shifu and Po's surprise, the scroll is just an empty parchment. We see a little of Eastern philosophy meeting Western anime. Enlightenment is a certain truth for us westerners in the past, but for the East, Enlightenment simply IS, and is literally nothing. "Nothing" IS the secret answer to Po's question and desire to Kung-Fu mastery.

This answer doesn't satisfy Po yet. It requires a final third scene of revelation, just prior to the epic battle between Po and Tai-Lung, now freed and wreaking havoc on Animal China at will. Po meets his father and has a heart-to-heart chat about the Secret Ingredient to tasty noodles. Po's father reveals that the secret is "Nothing". Again there is no certain truth to tasty noodles. What Po gathers from these three moments is that indeed he needs no truth in order to attain mastery, enlightenment and his dream. Nothing is the Secret. Po then, like the Post-God Western Philosopher, places himself at the centre of the question and answer. He simply begins to believe in himself, as there is no external and Greater truth on which he can rely. All that he has done, accomplished and learned, he had done so out of belief in the existence of the a Secret Truth. Now that he realizes there is no such Truth, He fills the void with self-belief, as though this was what had got him through all the previous obstacles.

On the surface it is certainly uplifting and has the nuance of wisdom. Self-belief will be an adequate answer for most people of our age. It is a common Disney message, and it is easy to accept. As a Christian, however, do I really want myself or my children making this their basis and foundation of confidence? Is this wisdom workable? For that is the litmus test of any wisdom: value for this life. Is is wisdom spiritual as well? Does it hold any truth in the Biblical view of Man?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

"A man's ways seem innocent to him,
 But motives are weighed by the Lord." (Proverbs 16:2)

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him...
  The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:7-10)

Simply put, man does not hold the truth within himself, or put negatively, not even his heart or motives can be fully trusted. Man's judgement of himself is blinded. So self-belief is not the starting point for a biblical Christian. God-belief, or trust in God, is a better alternative. That is the common starting point of biblical wisdom: acknowledging the goodness, authority of the wise God and Judge and trusting in His strength and command. With Jesus's life, death and resurrection as the ultimate expression of such wisdom (see 1Corinthians 1-2) of God, Christians are given a new self, one which is renewed in the knowledge of the glory of God through Jesus (2Corinthians 4:6). For Paul, this knowledge does have existence outside of the Self and in the person of Jesus. Through this knowledge, hard-pressed, defeated and weak Christians understand and have within themselves [their bodies or "vessels"] the glory of God in reproduction. Self-confidence then can not be separated from one's relationship with the glorious God.

Please don't let the above deter you from seeing the anime. It's brilliantly casted, scripted, animated. There are many sweet moments in the interaction of master and students, and father and son in this motion picture. But wise parents will then need to address the problem of self-belief with impressionable ones, in case children begin to build their self-beliefs on something like "nothing".

4 out of 5 for me.

the essence of Feminism. a book review @500

Any book that can explain Feminism in less than 135 pages is worth reading. Birkett again captures the essence of another important movement or idea that informs my world in this. If you want to know about First and Second Wave Feminism, important Feminists including our produce from down-under such as Greer, and if you wish to understand the achievements of feminists in their historical context, then read this book.

What struck me was the personal journey of Birkett as she thought through the morality and central tenets of feminism as a world-view that tries to make sense of what is the greatest good one can do for herself as a female? Is it total liberation? Is it self-assertion? Is it self-determination? To what degree can and should the female sex pursue these goals? What is the implication for abortion and sexual relations? What is the cost, social, physical and moral? Is it the ultimate achievement for females?

There is a tantalizing bite, in the last 3 pages, of the alternative Christian worldview that makes sense of what it means for females to achieve fulfillment of a different agendum that is not all about self-determination at whatever cost. This is really the most personal part of the book and is a foretaste of what refreshment the Christian answer to the above questions can bring.

The writer is interesting, intelligent and has thought through the issues personally. Again, at such an appealing price and length, it really is a must on feminism, whether ex-, pro-, anti-feminist or simply Christian.