The Point with John Stonestreet

Amendment 1

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:05:18 EDT

Let me first say this: I don't usually blog on the topic of homosexuality. My field is biblical scholarship and I tend to leave the issue of homosexuality to those who have found themselves having to deal with it on a very personal, psychological and emotional level. Indeed, the best voices to discuss this issue are those like my friend Mike Haley who found himself trying to reconcile scriptural ethics of sexuality and his own orientation. I have heard no one -- absolutely no one -- deal with this issue as well as he has. This is a very sensitive topic and one which needs to be dealt with on a much better and much more empathetic level than in the past. As Rachel Held Evans points out, we often lose people at the expense of winning an "issue." However, with the recent Amendment 1 debate in my home state of North Carolina and in light of much of the aftermath which I have seen, I thought it wise to provide some points of discussion which I hope will help frame the discussion in a more sensitive and understanding frame of mind. My guess is that the vast majority of people who went out to vote on Amendment 1 this week did so without having a solid understanding of why they were voting one way or another. That is, I suspect that most who voted either yes or no did so out of mere passion or prejudice. The outcome, as you probably know, came out in support of the classic view of marriage: "Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State." Homosexual marriage was upheld as illegal. Nothing, on that front, was changed.

Finding Jesus in the Avengers Movie

Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

I love movies. And I love superheroes. As you can imagine, I was eagerly anticipating the release of The Avengers movie. In fact, I was second in line Saturday night because I got there over one and a half hours early! And the movie did not disappoint. Yet as I watched the movie I was struck at how much the basic storyline mirrored the Christian view of reality. It reminded me of how C.S. Lewis said that there are stories throughout the literature of the world that mirror Christian themes of love, sacrifice, duty, unity, and good versus evil. According to Lewis, God has placed this on the human heart. And we see shadows of this even in the most unexpected places.

Book Review: "Resurrection iWitness" by Doug Powell

Tue, 01 May 2012 16:17:20 EDT

Upon first look at Doug Powell's innovative book, Resurrection iWitness, I was already impressed with its aesthetic appeal; not a typical feature of an argument-based apologetic work. With further exploration, I realized there was great potential for a lasting educational impact of the material because it taps into different learning styles. This book is ideal for establishing a foundation for belief in the resurrection for those persons who are visual or kinesthetic learners. In other words, if you wouldn't necessarily be excited about reading through pages of arguments in text-only format, this might be the apologetics book for you.1 I took the book into the youth room at our church to get some reactions. The main word I heard over and over was "Cool!" A few people took the time to go all the way through the book, even though I just asked them to skim through. Bearing in mind that the youth room is full of distractions, I was impressed with the attention given to the work. This included adults as well as students! Some of the adults were extremely impressed with the work, asking where they could buy a copy. (You can purchase one here or on Amazon.)

On Other Religions and Miracles

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:41:38 EDT

In part one of this article I addressed the question of whether miracles have ceased in the world today (a view called cessationism). Instead of taking an overly philosophical approach to this question I merely stated that having originally been a cessationist, my views on the topic changed drastically when I encountered a miracle of my own. The details of this experience are generally private (I do not share them in public discourse due to respect for another person involved), but I can assure you that the experience was as real as my waking up this morning. I also briefly mentioned the need to be skeptical regarding miracle claims both within and outside our traditions. Let me touch on this briefly.

Discord In Heaven? You Bet!

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:13:20 EDT

One of the great puzzles about our future state in heaven is, won't we be bored? I know there will be lots and lots of joy and love and worship. I'm not worried about heaven being bland and stale; surely God loves us more than to let that happen! It's just that I can't imagine how it will be. Specifically, if there's no danger, no difficulty, and if we always know the outcome will be good, then where's the interest or excitement? Where's the challenge? A couple nights ago I was listening to Saint-Saens' Third Symphony, the Organ Symphony. As a trombonist I fell in love with this music in college: it's loud and brassy in all the right places, but it also calls on the trombone for one of the sweetest soft melodies in all classical music. I've heard this symphony often. I know what's coming next, all the way through it. There will be no surprises in it for me ever again, except (I hope) the kind of new discovery that comes from catching some inner part I've never noticed before. What's your favorite song or composition? I'm hoping you can think of something longer than the typical rock, pop, or country songs, because the longer the piece is, the more likely it will illustrate what I'm saying here. For jazz, I would suggest you listen to the nine-minute or so First Circle by Pat Metheny.

Christian Students Engage Muslims

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:33:57 EDT

Last week seventeen high school students from my Christian school went on a mission trip sponsored by Stand to Reason to reach Muslims in L.A. This was the first trip of its kind, so these students were really trekking out on faith! We were able to join an Iranian Christian Bible study, visit an Islamic center, engage Muslims in personal conversations, hear testimonies from former Muslims, get training from missionaries to Islam, share a meal with Muslims, and visit a major mosque. The students did not go unprepared -- they had spent the last seven months reading books and attending training sessions outside of regular school hours. My thanks in particular to Brett Kunkle, Alan Shlemon, and Dawnielle Hodgman for planning such a great trip. Here are some highlights and reflections. Worshipping with Iranian Christians The first night we visited with an Iranian Christian church in Beverly Hills to hear testimonies from recent converts from Islam. The first woman, Shareen, grew up in a Muslim home but became disillusioned with Islam. Her hunger for a father figure drew her most deeply to Christianity. She decided to read the Bible and was so enthralled by it that she read it straight through in one sitting! The love of God drew her in. Another young man, Mosen, also grew up in Islam. He was obsessed with the question of how a person can be good enough to go to heaven. No Muslims could give him a good answer, and they suppressed his questions, which burned him on Islam. He eventually read the Bible and was drawn in by the friendship and love of God. He cited 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" as his favorite verse, because he was transformed by Christ into a new creation.