Monday, July 14, 2008

The Host: It's All In Your Mind. The Battle Is On.

My head is still striking even though it's my fourth entry. Who could have resist the cold breeze of the air and the pitter-patter of the rain outside. All I have to do is to have a cup of coffee, sit and think.(actually it is now my third cup of coffee. :p) Since it is my day-off, I guess I can hit it one more time.

I was at the bookstore a few days ago, taking a quick opportunity to peruse the shelves for something of interest. The layout of the place had changed, so it took me a few minutes to figure out where things were. Along the way, I noticed a display filled with books from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series and an advertisement for a release party in early August for her newest work Breaking Dawn. I’m not a particularly huge fan of vampire stories, so I kept moving.

Once at the new release section, I noticed that Meyer had a book called The Host prominently displayed. Nothing that it was her first adult book, it seemed like an obvious choice for both casual reading and a review. One writer has compared her as a cross between Isaac Asimov and Stephen King. Pretty impressive!

Here’s the premise: Something’s inhabiting humans—taking over their minds while leaving them normal in every other way. Melanie Stryder’s mind is also invaded, but she’s not going to go down easy. Something about true love also comes into play with the man she loves. It sounds interesting, although I can’t seem to get Frank Peretti and his works on similar ‘invasions’ (This Present Darkness, The Oath) out of my mind. But due to Meyer’s past track record, I’ll give her some leeway.

Taking over minds is not an easy thing to do. Or is it? A person has to grant permission to whatever it is that wants in. Once this happens, one’s actions tend to embody what their mind is dictating. If the mind says, ‘go have fun,’ the tendency is to do something entertaining (provided one’s not in a business meeting or something). But when a person becomes a Christian, they willingly allow God’s truth to take over their mind, leading to changes in one’s actions. This battle of the mind is one that goes on throughout our lives, and whatever controls it controls who we are. Kind of scary, huh?

So what does the battle for one’s mind look like to you? And why does it matter who the winner is?

(And depending on how I like The Host, I might wait for the release of Breaking Dawn in August. But let’s see how this novel turns out first . . .)

Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian: Bringing Back the Magic

The first thing I noticed about The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is how old the Pevensie children looked. I know. Child actors grow up. Kids become adolescents become adults. If there is any doubt, all you have to do is watch the Harry Potter movies in chronological order.

But when Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley) appear for the first time in Prince Caspian, what struck me was something more than the changed appearance of its actors. If the Pevensies are supposed to have grown into adults in Narnia before returning home and then aged another year in the “real world” before returning to Narnia soon after Prince Caspian’s opening scenes, what I saw in their eyes made me believe that it was true. Gone is childhood naiveté and in its place is the acknowledgment of the much more complicated reality that surrounds them. Although each of them still cherishes the land of Narnia they have left behind, in each of them is also a recognition of the greater world of which they are a part. And as the newest Narnian adventure unfolded, it was that very necessity to reconcile the magical world of Narnia with the unmagical world of reality that pulled me in the most.


The story of Prince Caspian is about a kingdom in ruins, a magic that has died, and a rightful heir who has been denied his throne. For at least the first ten minutes of the movie, all is dark. Rooms are dark, the sky is dark, and the deeds in motion are dark. Although the movie begins with the first breath of a new life, the action quickly moves to the plotted assassination of the rightful heir to the Telmarine throne, Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes). When Caspian flees the castle to save his life, he stumbles into a world he thought no longer existed. And when he calls out for rescue on Susan’s horn, Caspian suddenly finds himself surrounded by the magical world of Narnia believed to have been made extinct by the many Telmarine kings before him.

The thing is, even though it is not extinct, the Narnia that Caspian finds is decidedly different from the one Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy left behind thousands of years before. When Caspian’s call brings them back, it only takes one misguided attempt to talk to a bear and one trip through a grove of silent, motionless trees for the children to see the same. And as they join forces with Prince Caspian and the remaining Narnians, it becomes their mission to both restore Caspian to his throne and bring magic back to a world now overrun with darkness.

Whether the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or Prince Caspian is better is a question that will probably be debated among even The Chronicles of Narnia’s greatest fans. When it comes to the acting ability of its main players, its action sequences, and its special effects, Caspian definitely surpasses its predecessor. For those like me who are less drawn in by stories of fantasy and more by those of reality, Caspian’s increased element of human struggle is one that will pull you in more than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

If you are a small child like several of those at the screening I attended, however, that very shift towards a grittier, more human reality may make its battles a bit too real to watch. And in terms of the message that went along with that reality, I have to say that the first film did a bit better job of communicating it more through story and character than the slightly preachy feeling dialog of the second. But regardless of which of the movie’s strengths may pull you in and which of its weakness may turn you off, the story that is told in Prince Caspian and the way it is delivered is still one I believe will make a connection with many and be enjoyed by almost as diverse an audience as the first.

Going into The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, like many people, I pretty much had its story pegged. Aslan is Jesus, and it is about his sacrifice and resurrection to deliver us from the bondage of our sins. But going into Prince Caspian, and even as I walked away from it, I must admit I wasn’t exactly sure what its story was supposed to be about. Its pieces were there, but my question was, what did they mean when I put them together?

World of darkness, bears that don’t talk, trees that don’t sing. “You get treated like a dumb animal long enough, that’s what you become,” says “Dear Little Friend” Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage) upon the Pevensies’ return to the vastly changed world of Narnia… So, we do live in a world of sin and darkness, and the effect of that reality is nothing other than life-draining. Sounds about right.

Aslan remains mysteriously absent for much of the movie and doesn’t step in to save things until significant losses have already been incurred. “Things were never meant to happen the same way twice,” he tells Lucy… Okay, God isn’t going to keep coming and dying for us every time we get into a mess. Got it.


Lucy sees Aslan. No one else does. “I’m not going to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn’t exist,” says Peter… God may not be physically among us anymore, but he’s still here. I can see that.

“Maybe we’re the ones who need to prove ourselves to him,” says Lucy just before she leaves to find Aslan and call upon his help… Hmmm: free will, journey to be taken, life-giving power not so much making us wait as waiting for us to reach out for it. Interesting.
If The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the story of Christ’s sacrifice for us long ago, as I see it, Prince Caspian is the story of God’s existence in our lives now. Yes, Christ’s sacrifice may have saved us from eternal bondage to Satan (the White Witch), but that does not mean that our lives here and now will be free of struggle or complication. At times, it may seem that our world is completely devoid of any of the light or magic we associate with the existence of God, but that does not mean God is not here.


As much as our lives may be filled with ugly and complicated realities, it still remains that we are spiritual beings living in a spiritual world. And while the spirit of God may not be quite as blatantly present as a gigantic lion, in the gentle whisper of a breeze, in the energizing beat of a song, in the comforting embrace of a lover, and in the encouraging words of a friend, the spirit of God is still very much alive in our world today.

Reading Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is a lot like watching Kill Bill.


Two years ago I sat and watched Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2. Not once was I tempted to close my eyes to avoid seeing the blood and gore that accompanied the gratuitous dismemberments, because I never had a chance to be tempted. The swift slice-and-dice of Japanese steel kept my eyes riveted through the whole horrific scene. Only later, much later, did it occur to me that I had enjoyed the movie way too much.


I can say pretty much the same thing about reading The Da Vinci Code. You know you should look away; you know you shouldn’t have to suspend your disbelief quite so much; you know there are better things you could be doing with your time. Still, you don’t look away, because the fast-paced, cliffhanger action doesn’t give you much of a chance to look away. Unlike the Quentin Tarantino movie, however, The Da Vinci Code has managed to create an all-too-convincing alternate reality, one in which the truly disturbing action is taking place apart from the story and in the minds of readers-turned-believers.


The response to the book is disturbing not so much because DVC threatens our personal faith but because it exposes our cultural illiteracy. When the first DVC debunkers began writing and speaking out against Dan Brown’s shoddy research and flawed conclusions, I wondered if their out cry wasn’t an overreaction. I reasoned that anyone with even a superficial knowledge of early church history would immediately spot many of his factual errors. And the whole Knights Templar, Mary-Magdalene-as-Holy-Grail story line had been written off 20 years ago, when Holy Blood, Holy Grail provided a fascinating read—and a fanciful theory lacking any historical merit.

As it turned out, of course, the debunkers were and are needed, because an unknown percentage of DVC readers believe they have been deceived about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the authenticity of Scripture for their entire lives. Many traditional Christians are understandably upset about the confusion Brown has caused. One result has been a publishing phenomenon.

Brown made so many mistakes that you practically find yourself cheering him on when he manages to get something right. And yet, some people who know their history—dismiss the errors as insignificant. What really matters, for them, is the obviously true story that Jesus fathered a child with Mary Magdalene, which the lying, murderous church has somehow managed to keep secret all this time. It’s as if they’ve suddenly taken leave of their senses, as if they cannot see that faulty research leads to faulty conclusions.

What is Dan Brown's gift to the church, if DVC makes us uncertain about what we really believe?...
DVC has done something else as well, something orthodox Christians need to be thankful for. It has, “set off a pretty loud pealing of the electric chimes at the front door of the culture.” I cannot recall a popular title that has set off such a loud pealing at the front door of the church as well. In that sense, Dan Brown has done us a service by leaving at our doorstep an invitation to indulge in some fairly heady talk with the culture around us. To miss that opportunity would be, well, a sin—. Our Challenge is in part to learn to communicate with that culture. If there's a man that will proudly announced that he hadn’t read the book because he refused to read anything that wasn’t worthwhile, by which he meant anything that wasn’t of a biblical, religious nature. I can understand his point and respect his resolve. But that kind of thinking makes it highly unlikely that he will be able to significantly impact the culture.
Reading DVC, along with Internet discussion boards about the book and reader reviews on Amazon and other sites, offers an invaluable glimpse into the postmodern mind. Our ability to interact with the culture on a deep theological level requires us to take advantage of as many of those glimpses as we can.

We truly do have an amazing opportunity at our doorstep. Dan Brown has given us a way to talk about spiritual realities that allows us to use the images and the history and even some of the words—the name of Jesus, no less!—that we cherish as part of our spiritual heritage. With so many readers-turned-believers placing their faith in Brown’s alternate reality, maybe we shouldn’t look away after all.

Illumine Compendium: The Purpose Driven Life And The Heavenly Man

It’s not uncommon for e-mailers to check their computer several times a day--eagerly wanting to know, “Has someone trying to reach me? What did they have to say?” And many e-mailers hope to hear that little voice from their computer that raises their expectations--it says, “You got mail.”...Here's a new friend who ask something but needs a big space to answer, here it goes:

One of my favorite book is "The Purpose-Driven Life", I found your writings in a strong and brave form of expressing yourself in an accurate words. In your own opinion, can you say that there are errors in that book? Your comments are important to me. -Mia

There must be a hundred ways to discuss The Purpose-Driven Life. Since it came out, it has become something of a publishing phenomenon, breaking all kinds of records. Its author, Rick Warren, is the founder and pastor of the huge Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. The methods used at Saddleback to create its incredible success were chronicled in Warren’s first book, The Purpose-Driven Church. Around these two volumes are a panoply of other marketing tools designed to share Warren’s formulas for growth, ecclesiastical and spiritual.

The Purpose-Driven Life seems itself to be purpose-driven. It assumes much, but it presumes more. Apparently, it has found its largest audience among small groups. That’s a good thing, since it is in the context of such sharing that the best and most productive theology gets done. There is really something here for every Christian, but it needs to be discussed among a group of questioning individuals who will evaluate its suggestions and significances, hoping to make some of them their own.

The book is divided into 40 daily readings, grouped into categories including "You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure," and "You Were Shaped for Serving God." Its format is ideal for Lent, it was my Lenten discipline this year I challenged myself to read one chapter each day, and write a short reflection to share with friends. It is this type of deliberate practice that both affirms and contradicts Warren’s understanding of theology and the Christian faith. Giving yourself time to reflect deeply about Warren’s words and discuss his conclusions with others is helpful to seeing this book clearly, with all its blemishes and beauty.

After coming to the end of both Lent and The Purpose-Driven Life’s final chapter, I did some research on how the book has been received. Many of Warren’s critics have been unkind both to the author and his intentions. I for one bet Rick Warren is a super nice guy. I’d also wager that he is not guilty of deliberately attempting to derail two millennia of Christianity. If the church he pastors has caught any of the enthusiasm and vision exhibited in this book, it must be a fine place to learn and implement the Christian faith.

Nonetheless, The Purpose-Driven Life has its problems, the first being the book’s theocentric theology. I hope groups studying the book will question this at some level. In the first sentence of the first chapter ("It’s not all about you."), Warren throws down this gauntlet. All the prophetic and ethical necessities for such a beginning aside, maybe this comment alone will cause some readers to question the theological value of a book that seems to be assuming that it can slip into God’s head and proclaim where divine attention is focused.

Among Christians with strong devotional practices, the purpose of God’s entire scheme of redemption is focused on the individual ("If I were the only person who stood in need of redemption, Jesus would still willingly have come to earth and died for me"). We teach our children to sing "Jesus Loves Me" fully knowing that such an assertion appeals boldly to their childish egocentrism. Our understanding that God is aware of every grain of sand on the beach and hair on our head still remains one of the most profound realizations for Christians of any age.
One way in which Christianity interprets theism does underscore our insignificance in the vast realm of God’s creations, and the condescension of Jesus to provide our redemption. The finest expressions of this doctrine, however, have been those that emphasize that the same God who values each one of as precious also has the immense creativity to invent a universe that leaves us in awe and convinced that we can never understand the magnitude of the divine. Only when we realize that it is all about me, can we realize that it’s really not. And only when the issue of our true insignificance is acknowledged can we finally begin to grasp how wonderful it is that we do matter to the heart of God.

Since the book is written by a Christian very much in the tradition of this theology, both wings of this paradox eventually do get adequate ventilation. However, it almost seems by accident; Warren doesn’t appear to be aware that a paradox exits, one that requires more thought than a simplistic affirmation.

This simplistic affirmation also extends to The Purpose-Driven Life’s approach to the inspiration of scripture. It strikes me as curious that an author who cites fifteen versions of the Bible occasionally ignores both context and interpretation to make his point. We are expected to agree that, because scripture has been quoted, God has spoken, even when the quotation sounds forced. When someone begins a comment with "The Bible says…" there’s no telling how scripture is going to be used, or abused. Content cannot be divorced from context without the danger of inaccurate conclusions, and Warren slips down this slope on more than one occasion.


Finally, there’s Warren’s emphasis on finality. Without trying to rob Christianity of its eternal dimension, I still can’t agree with Warren’s emphasis on the significance of events as seen from an eternal perspective. Once again, we are asked to accept the assumption that nothing temporal is of value. While scriptural support for such an assertion can be found, the broader teaching of scripture is that it is precisely because of eternity that temporal things take on significance. Here is yet another paradox of our faith, one whose implications are understood only when it is seen in all its dimensions. When we look at our life here on earth as one that matters in the world to come, that gives us one more reason to cherish our temporal existence. That does not mean that everything we do has an eternal impact, but it does mean that when we recognize the implications of The Eternal, even the details become important.


Yet having said all the above, and despite its potholes, The Purpose- Driven Life is a rewarding read. Warren is not afraid to condemn human hubris and folly, or to encourage us to defer to one anther in recognition of our place as members of humanity and as believers. And though he stumbles at times, Warren is justified in attempting to discern patterns of thematic thought in scripture.

The Purpose-Driven Life does have purpose. Especially when discussed by a group, the book has the potential to stimulate good discussion and spiritual growth.



Another new friend ask me about a book...Thank you Jonathan for your message. Here it is:


"How about 'the heavenly man' by paul hathaway? ever read that piece yet? well for sure i'd like to read some lines from you about it.


Here's my own analysis for that book Jonathan...


Brother Yun, a Chinese Christian who first came to know the Lord as a young man in 1974 towards the end of the Cultural Revolution. It is a story full of amazing miracles, extraordinary church growth and horrendous suffering, which sums up many of the experiences of China's house churches over the past thirty years. Brother Yun's own words are interspersed with short testimonies from his wife, Deling, and with occasional contributions from other top Chinese house church leaders.


Brother Yun's testimony can be summed up in his own words, which describe his feelings after serving a four year prison sentence: "I had experienced so much in those four years, but God had been faithful. I'd suffered some horrible tortures, but God had been faithful. I'd been dragged in front of judges and courts, but God had been faithful. I'd been hungry, thirsty, and had fainted from exhaustion, but God had been faithful. Through it all, God was always faithful and loving to me. He had never left me nor forsaken me. His grace was always sufficient and He provided for my every need."


Although many of Brother Yun's experiences will be alien to most believers in the West, the lessons he learns are very relevant to us all. He is honest and humble enough to admit his mistakes, and his stories of disobedience to the Lord's instructions, burnout from overwork, and the problems caused by putting ministry before his family should ring bells for Christians wherever we live.


After all that he has suffered to bring to the Gospel to the unreached, Brother Yun has certainly earned the right to challenge us about our faithfulness in reaching the nations. Towards the end of the book, he shares concerning the vision of the Chinese house churches to take the Gospel "back to Jerusalem" and encourages us to join with them in this task.
This amazing book is a faith-building testimony to God's sovereign grace and His miraculous work on behalf of those who trust Him and delight in His Word. This excerpt make you hungry for a life of total surrender and victory in the midst of suffering in Christ.


Thank you to all the people sending me messages Lynn, Mia, Jonathan and Alex.