The Daily Detour

Truth and Islam in light of Ft. Hood

Last week, I talked about the need to examine the tragedy at Ft. Hood in light of the truth, which is proving increasingly difficult in our politically-correct culture. We ignore the true motivation behind the shootings at our peril.

It seems others are drawing similar conclusions. Over at Politics Daily, Jeffrey Weiss writes a very fair-minded assessment of this situation in light of other killings in the name of Islam. Part of his analysis correctly acknowledges that most Muslims could be considering peace-loving people. But as he points out,

And yet, there is that small fraction of Muslims who take another, horrible meaning from their sacred texts and act upon it. Consider that if only one-tenth of one percent of Muslims in the world hold to that violent ideology, that's a million people.

Weiss makes an interesting comparison with the other shooting that happened in Orlando a day after the Ft. Hood massacre.

The other terrible shooting in America last week happened in Orlando. From the details now available, a man named Jason Rodriguez killed one person and wounded five others. In the aftermath of that event, I can find no stories asking Hispanics about any sense of responsibility they might share. Nor, given the statistical probability about the religious beliefs of American Hispanics, have Catholics been asked for a reaction...

And when he started shooting, I can find no account that says he shouted anything about La Raza or Jesus.

But in Fort Hood, the shooter himself introduced his religion into the narrative. That's the difference. And it's a difference that matters.

My point exactly! We can't ignore the difference any more than we can treat cancer like a common cold. If we're dealing with a common cold, then fine. But if the reality is much more serious than a common cold, what good comes from ignoring it? 

"Tear down this wall!"

On June 12, 1987, then-President Ronald Reagan stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate of the Berlin Wall and famously challenged Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev, "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" In the light of history, those forceful words from President Reagan foreshadowed the eventual collapse of the Berlin Wall twenty years ago today--on Nov. 9, 1989--and ushered in the ultimate demise of the Soviet empire and communism.

The fall of the Berlin Wall was a visual symbol of the humanity's universal quest for liberty. And it essentially demonstrated the bankruptcy of the Marxist worldview. In my own brief analysis of the fatal flaw of Marxism (or "Critical Theory" as it is termed in academic circles), I asserted that those who promote the Marxist worldview fail to account for the fallen human condition. This was one of the fundamental ideas I posed in a doctoral essay on the subject:

According to Crotty (2003) the assured hope of Marxist theory is that “the conflict today between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat will lead to the development of a socialist, then communist, world, a classless society born of an emancipatory process and offering true freedom to all.” (p. 119) Such a vision has a certain attraction that would be the envy of any person. Who would not want to live in such a world?

The fulfillment of such a dream, however, appears to be based on the humanistic assumption that humanity, if given true freedom, will choose the good. But, is that an accurate reflection of human nature? Theoretically speaking, for example, what happens when the proletariat overthrows the fetters placed on them by the bourgeoisie? What restraints are there to prevent them from evolving into the new bourgeoisie?

There seems to be an underlying assumption embedded in Critical Theory which suggests that such a reality would never come about, because those who have been oppressed—through classism, racism, sexism and the like—will utilize the lessons learn through their collective experiences to create a better world for all people.

I would concur that the improvement of our world is possible to a degree, and we should all certainly use our experiential understandings about life to pursue such an end. However, is the inherent nature of humanity really bent toward to the good—and therefore, is utopia on earth ever truly possible? In his letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton Lord Acton contends that “All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” (Federer, 2000, p. 2) In this statement Lord Acton is not speaking about a particular class of people. Rather, his statement is inclusive in its illumination of the human condition, a condition that cannot be overlooked when considering Marxist theory. Because Marxist theory is based on a theological ideology of atheistic humanism, the efforts at such a communal utopia will always be hindered by the inherent nature of humanity, an obstacle which inevitably begins to erode the very foundation of the theory itself.

Ironically, history has shown the problems with Marxist ideology. And yet, there are those in our own country, who continue to embrace the supposed utopia that Marxism promises to bring. At some point, we must ask ourselves why people are risking their lives, for example, to come from Cuba to the United States, and not the other way around?

Pursuing Truth in the Ft. Hood tragedy

As the investigation into the Ft. Hood massacre continues, it is interesting to note some of the developments. One of the biggest ones to grab the nation's attention is that Major Nidal Malik Hasan was not only a fervent practicing Muslim, but that during the shootings he reportedly uttered the words, "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is great!") in Arabic, the same phrase often used by Islamic jihadists who engage in suicide bombings.

Obviously, the development of this particular angle on the story is raising a number of questions and concerns that require our attention. But unfortunately, it seems that most of the national news coverage is shying away from the Muslim connection in an apparent politically-correct effort to keep the peace (with FOX News being the notable exception).

As I was talking with a good friend of mine this morning about this incident, the subject of Truth came up. I mentioned to him that the tendency in our culture to diminish the idea of absolute Truth has put us all at greater risk. For if we are unwilling to face the Truth of a given situation, then we are unable to identify dangers and seek justice.

The Truth is, Major Hasan's motivation may have nothing to do with his devotion to Islam. And if so, then we can (and should) explore other possibilities. But if, however, his motivation was driven by his Muslim ideology, our unwillingness to acknowledge the Truth of that reality is our fault. And as I've said many times before, we ignore the Truth at our peril.

Should we do away with Christianity?

If you follow the line of reasoning of militant atheists like Sam Harris and his "end of faith" thesis, then the answer is "Yes!" In fact, I was listening to the Dennis Miller radio show last Friday. I caught part of his interview with atheist author Christopher Hitchens and Pastor Douglas Wilson. They spent that part of the program debating the fundamental question, "Is Christianity good for the world?" It is a question that they debate in more detail in their new documentary, "Collision".

So, what do you think--Is Christianity good for the world or not? Why? 

Understanding light and darkness

I just finished a teaching lesson on the importance of Christians engaging in our culture in positive and restorative ways. As a part of that lesson, I highlighted the correlation between light and darkness. I wanted to bring them to your attention for consideration.

"You are the light of the world," Jesus said in Matthew 5:14.

We often hear this admonition that we are the light, shining God's light into a darkened world. And indeed, that is true. That is why Paul exhorted the Philippian church to live their lives in such a way that they "shine like stars in the universe" (Phil. 2:15).

Scan the latest news headlines and you will quickly identify the gradual moral deterioration taking place in our culture. It is easy to become despondent at what we see happening before us. And in our search for solutions, we are quick to point out the many people and institutions who are contributing to our cultural demise. But in that evaluation we often overlook the one group of people who most directly affect the outcome--US. Consider this:

What is the correlation between light and darkness? Which entity influences the other? Put another way, imagine you are standing in a brightly lit room on a dark night. If you opened the door, would the darkness spread into the room from the outside, or would the light move from inside the room out into the darkness? Which is affected by the other?

What does this understanding about the relationship between light and darkness tell us about our role as light in the darkness? Simply put, if a godless presence appears to be darkening our cultural landscape, what is the reason? It is not because the darkness is actually advancing--darkness, after all, is influenced by light, not the other way around. It is actually because we, the light, are retreating.

Columnist Cal Thomas makes a compelling point on this subject when he writes,

"Culture is starving because too many with a worldview that differs from the prevailing one have withdrawn their nurturing influence. It doesn't help when such people are persuaded it is better to criticize institutions and their products rather than go them one better...Might we please see less energy (and money) spent on criticizing what others produce and more channeled into developing better lawyers, professors, philosophers, artists, journalists and filmmakers?"

What are we each doing to influence our culture toward the Good?

It's being called THE most powerful moment in Catalyst history...

In my previous post, I shared about the Compassion International presentation at Catalyst where Jimmy from Kenya met his sponsor, Mark, for the first time. Here is a video showing that incredibly powerful moment. (And here's the image that captured it all.) Watch it and be moved to action!

An unforgettable moment at Catalyst '09

Over at Learning How to Love, Brad Ruggles offers his post-event tips entitled "Catalyst for Dummies". Some very practical after-action steps that any Catalyst attendee can, and should, consider when we all get home and debrief from the event. But he also asks about what was the favorite part?

As I shared over on Brad's blog, it was difficult for me to narrow it down because there was so much rich content. That said, I was particularly moved by the Compassion International presentation situated between two of Friday's main speakers. A formerly sponsored child through Compassion, Jimmy Wambua, was interviewed on stage by Catalyst emcee Ken Coleman. He shared his story with the 13,000-member audience.

When Jimmy was only four years old, his mother became ill. His father was not in the picture and given the state of his situation, he resorted to scavanging for food and whatever else he could find to simply survive. Then, at age seven, his mother took him to live with an aunt, while she went to try to find help. That is when she came across Compassion International. She came back and got Jimmy and took him to the Compassion organization.

That was when Jimmy got his first letter from Mark, which he proceeded to read to us from the stage. Mark described himself as a 20-year old college student. He talked about how much he enjoyed being able to start a friendship with little Jimmy. But he also wanted to introduce Jimmy to the greatest friend of all, Jesus.

After reading the letter, Jimmy explained that he eventually gave his heart to Jesus. And with Mark's support over the years, Jimmy explained that Mark had essentially saved his life. Jimmy is now studying at Moody Bible Institute, with plans to eventually go back to Kenya to serve his own people.

After hearing Jimmy's compelling story, Ken Coleman then asked if he had ever talked with Mark or met him. Jimmy said he hadn't. It was at that moment that Mark walked out on the stage and toward Jimmy. When Jimmy laid eyes on him, they quickly approached eachother and embraced for a long time. After literally 3-4 minutes of extended embrace, Ken was unable to continue the interview and poor Jimmy slumped to the floor crying almost-uncontrollably. Mark knelt next to him and put his arm around him until everyone could get some composure. They were eventually able to finish out the interview before making their way off stage.

In terms of sheer raw human drama, it was one of the most poignant moments I have ever personally witnessed. To see the one whose life has been saved being embraced by the one who affected that life so deeply was gripping. It reminded me of the power of true Christianity lived out, that a young college student would faithfully give of his time, money and resources to save the life of a stranger. Then again, is that not what Jesus did for all of us, whether we even know Him or not? Absolutely amazing!

TDD Live from Catalyst '09: Catalyst wrap-up

(Technical note: I had intended to post this yersterday, but lost most of it when I tried to save it. Rrrrggghhh! So, I opted to go to bed and try again today. :)

We managed to stagger home from Atlanta at 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning. After a few hours sleep it was back up and moving Jean's Mom and Dad into their apartment here in Indy (Thanks again, Ben, for your help with the Crane Bros. Moving Co.) So, I've been in an out of consciousness all weekend, given the lack of sleep (to put it in perspective, I'm not sure if I'm going to make it through the whole Colts game on SNF, if that tells you anything.)

As promised, I wanted to provide a few highlights from the final day of Catalyst on Friday. It won't do justice to the event, but at least, you'll have some sense of things from that day.

Dave Ramsey: Dave talked about the importance of momentum. He shared his formula for developing momentum, which is, Focused Intensity, over Time, multiplied by God = Unstoppable Momentum. Related to momentum, he also emphasized the importance of excellence. As he said, the markeplace will not respect you if you don't bring excellence. (From personal experience, this is an area that many churches struggle with, and often, they don't even realize there is a problem.) Finally, Dave challenged the audience to be focused on those things that really matter. An important reminder of where our attention should always be.

"Dude, Perfect": Perhaps you've seen these guys on YouTube. It's a group of college guys down at College Station, TX who started filming trick basketball shots almost by accident. They have become such viral hits on YouTube that they are now more intentional with their hobby, attempting to use their new platform to promote a Cause bigger than themselves. (During the interview with two of the brothers from the group, they showed a video that was actually taken at Catalyst in which one of them sat on the front row on the floor of the arena and threw a basketball backwards into a basketball hoop across the arena. Swish! :)

Chuck Swindoll: He received the Catalyst Lifetime Leadership award, and then gave a powerful talk that focused on what he has learned in his more than 50 years in leadership. He offered so much great content that I can't help but bring more than a highlight here. One of the first things he shared was "10 Things I Have Learned During 50 Years in Leadership": 1. It's lonely to lead. 2. It's dangerous to lead. 3. It's hardest at home. 4. It's essential to be real--Don't fake it. 5. It's painful to obey--God will take you out of your comfort zone. 6. Brokenness and failure are necessary. 7. My attitude is more important than my action. 8. Integrity eclipses image. 9. God's way is always better than my way. 10. Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility.

Swindoll also shared "5 Statements Worth Remembering During Your Next 50 Years": 1. Whatever you do, do more with others and less alone. 2. Whenever you do it, emphasize quality not quantity. 3. Wherever you do, do it the same as if you were among those who know you best. 4. Whoever may respond (either positively or negatively), keep a level head. 5. However long you lead, keep dripping with gratitude and grace--Stay thankful and gracious.

Louie Giglio: He focused his talk on the fundamental understanding that true leadership among Christian leaders is about knowing and following Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter if you're in the race if you don't know where you're doing. Key Question: "Where are you going? He also shared this quote from Thomas Merton,

"Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire."

Andy Stanley: He wrapped up the day and the event with a very practical talk about building an environment of trust among your leadership team and organization. For example, when someone makes a mistake, you have a choice. You can either believe the best about that person and the situation or you can assume the worst. He pointed out that trust fuels productivity and enables the organization to move faster. Most importantly, developing a culture of trust begins with the leader. To develop a culture of trust, leaders must be trustworthy.

Stanley posed these questions for personal reflection concerning this issue of trust: 1. Are there people in your organization you have a difficult time trusting? 2. Is it your issue or theirs? 3. What can you do about your part? 4. What do you need to address with them about their part? 5. Who do you sense has a difficult time trusting you? Why? 6. What can you do about it?

Well, there was a lot more to the conference, but this should give us all some food for thought. I have one more experience at this year's Catalyst that for me was the most moving part of the entire event. But it will have to wait for a blog post all its own.

TDD Live from Catalyst 09: "Get 'er Dungy!"

After a decent night's sleep we all were much more alert this first day of the Catalyst main event. Us and the other 12,997 people who are at this year's Catalyst. Crowded? That proved to be an understatement. But the energy was palpable. Fortunately, our good buddy, Tim Prickett from Kingsway is also down here, and he managed to snag us some great seats up in the balcony.

The theme of this year's event is "On Your Mark" and the importance of leaders leaving a mark on those under their influence. As with last year's event, there was so much good content, that I would regenerate it all here. But I do want to at least bring you a few of the highlights from the top-notch line-up of speakers.

Andy Stanley: pastor at NorthPoint Community Church here in Atlanta. Every leader leaves a mark. What mark will you leave? Am I willing to submit my leadership gifts and opportunities to God and promoting His story? It's not about making your mark; it's about God making His mark through you. We all leave a mark--whose mark is it going to be? (Note: This basic idea of everyone leaving their mark reminds me of one of the things I have shared not just with leaders, but with Christians in general. Essentially, all Christians leave an impression about Christ. What impression is it? After all, you may be the only Jesus people ever see.)

Jessica Jackley: Founder of Kiva.org. No real content that I took notes on, but I did want to share about her organization which is dedicated to microfinancing entrepreneurial endeavors in developing countries. Fantastic idea, which is having huge success. Four years ago, they financed 7 people at $3,000, the next year was $500,000, last year was $15 million, and they are anticipating over $100 million by next year. Incredibly effective effort! Check it out!

Malcolm Gladwell: author of The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers. He talked about the danger of overconfidence as a leader. A sign of overconfidence? The leader stops listening to others. On the contrary, humility = listening to others and soliciting their input as the organization evolves and develops.

Rob Bell: author of Velvet Elvis and pastor in Grand Rapids. Rob also produced the NOOMA video series. One of the things which really caught my attention was his emphasis on the second of the Two Greatest Commandments, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Specifically, he emphasized the second part of that, the assumption that we are actually loving ourselves. The truth, as he pointed out, is that we often don't actually love ourselves or take care of ourselves. Are we getting enough sleep? Are we taking care of our bodies physically? Are we taking the Sabbath seriously? More personally, does our spouse and family get the best of us, or just the leftovers, after we've given everything else to our work or ministry? Very unsettling for me personally, as I struggle with these very same questions in my own life and leadership.

Tony Dungy: As you might imagine, Coach Dungy was the highlight for me and those in our group who reveled in the fact that our coach not only took the Colts to the 2006 SuperBowl, but most importantly, because of who he is as a person and a leader. He didn't give a speech, but was interviewed about his life, his coaching, and his leadership. The takeaway for me was when he mentioned that the most important leadership is done in the down times. He recalled a week during the 2006 season after the Colts had been blown out late in December. The naysayers were all counting the Colts out. And yet, Mr. Steady Eddy said at the team meeting that week that they weren't going to change anything. They were simply going to stick with their gameplan, but tighten it up. The rest is history. He said, however, that many of the players pointed back to that particular meeting as the turning point for their season and really solidified them as a team as they moved into the playoffs.

I continue to be so impressed by him and so proud to have had him as our coach. I had wanted to try to get a chance to chat with him for a minute, but he wasn't around after his session. However, Brother Stephen got a chance to chat with him briefly and tell him how proud we all are of who he has been on and off the field. Couldn't have said it better myself.

(Oh, and did I mention that they actually had a tattoo artist come on stage and surprise the regular emcee Lanny Donoho by giving him a tattoo in honor of the 10th anniversary for Catalyst? Many of us signed the impromptu petition to have Lanny tattoed. I must confess, I didn't think they'd actually do it, but with Catalyst, you never know what they're going to think up...:)

All in all, it was a long, but very good, day. Tomorrow, we round out the conference with Dave Ramsey, Chuck Swindoll, Louie Giglio, and others. Should be a great day! But also will be a long night as we drive back to Indy at the end of the event tomorrow evening. See you then!

Twitter and the loss of shame

(TDD Warning: Some of the content on the linked articles may not be suitable for some of our younger TDD readers. Please use appropriate discretion.)

A story about Twitter was burning up the internet this past week. It involved Penelope Trunk, who broadcasted to her Twitter audience that she was having a miscarriage during a recent board meeting. She went on to express her gratefulness for the miscarriage since there are legal hoops to jump in order to have an abortion in Wisconsin. As you might imagine, her controversial statements are being met with very mixed responses. Among other things, they undermine the pro-choice cause, seeming to reinforce the callous nature that many pro-lifers assume about those who support abortion. Ms. Trunk's responses remind me of a similar article in the New York Times magazine, "When One Is Enough" which also reinforces that mentality.

Beyond that, the book The Death of Outrage also springs to mind. When Bill Bennet first penned the book, its premise was directed at former President Clinton's indiscretions in the Oval Office. But the thesis still applies. We as a culture have gradually descended into a state of apathy concerning societal morality. Such is the nature of a culture that attempts to do away with moral absolutes in favor of tolerance-based moral relativity. We lose our basis for judging right and wrong, and thus, morality gets diluted.

As I have written in the past, we have a collective conscience that has begun to atrophy. And we are not better off for it. Will we ever learn?