Dr John Lennox, a noted Irish apologist, recently gave a lecture at Proclamation Presbyterian Church. My folks were in attendance and sent along the link to the lecture.
There are some good things in here. I noted that he does a good job of distinguishing between philosophical materialism and science itself. Giving credit where it's due, he points out well that science owes a great deal of its advancement to theism. Lots of good stuff there.
The talk is about half an hour, and 20 minutes are dedicated to Q&A.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom
In the car on the way to a wedding this past week, I listened (again) to one of Tim Keller's sermons on the passion of Jesus Christ. It reinforced how much of a defeat the cross really must have been. When Jesus says, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me," it simply isn't martyr material. It isn't inspiring. If we look at the cross without the resurrection, it's a complete failure.
I was reminded of 1995's Braveheart while listening to the sermon. William Wallace's last word—an impossibly long word—was the revolution-inspiring Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom! Of course it's a movie, but this is what we build: this is what inspires. There is a part of us that is comforted when William Wallace dies that horrible death: he may die, but his movement (we know) will endure. Scotland will be free.
This is not like that. Not at all. It is the cry of defeat. And the disciples are anything but inspired. They are defeated and scared men, hiding in the Upper Room and wondering what should be done. The resurrected Jesus does not find inspired disciples on the road to Emmaeus: he finds disappointed ones.
I find this so compelling. What does it mean to us that there is defeat in the cross? It means that the death that Jesus died was a real defeat: but it was not a defeat of God's forgiveness or God's glory. It was rather the defeat of the sin that once held such sway over our hearts. It was the utter and complete defeat of death: death died when Jesus Christ died, because he rose again from the grave.
The victory of the resurrection triumphs over all despair, all sin, all death. Jesus Christ is the archvictor. He is not an inspiring martyr who remains in the grave, but the risen and conquering Lord. Who is this King of Glory? He is the Lord of Hosts.
I was reminded of 1995's Braveheart while listening to the sermon. William Wallace's last word—an impossibly long word—was the revolution-inspiring Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom! Of course it's a movie, but this is what we build: this is what inspires. There is a part of us that is comforted when William Wallace dies that horrible death: he may die, but his movement (we know) will endure. Scotland will be free.
This is not like that. Not at all. It is the cry of defeat. And the disciples are anything but inspired. They are defeated and scared men, hiding in the Upper Room and wondering what should be done. The resurrected Jesus does not find inspired disciples on the road to Emmaeus: he finds disappointed ones.
I find this so compelling. What does it mean to us that there is defeat in the cross? It means that the death that Jesus died was a real defeat: but it was not a defeat of God's forgiveness or God's glory. It was rather the defeat of the sin that once held such sway over our hearts. It was the utter and complete defeat of death: death died when Jesus Christ died, because he rose again from the grave.
The victory of the resurrection triumphs over all despair, all sin, all death. Jesus Christ is the archvictor. He is not an inspiring martyr who remains in the grave, but the risen and conquering Lord. Who is this King of Glory? He is the Lord of Hosts.
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