I’m certainly not a big fan of “a recent poll shows.” There are a whole lot of inherent pitfalls in a process wherein only a sampling of individuals are even asked a set of questions, and quite often the questions are phrased in such a manner that “lead” responders to answer certain ways, or not at all. Furthermore how can you determine the statistical probability of a whole town, state or country based solely on the opinions of a handful of people who at one particular moment in time were willing to answer the questions put to them by a stranger on the other end of a telephone receiver? (Incidentally my home phone goes directly to the answering machine – voice mail – so I wouldn’t even take a call like that in the first place.) Still, someone at a calculator would determine that I’d fall into some statistical category because…why?
Now the fact that surveys and polls are big news makers can’t be denied. For example here is only a sampling of the headlines I read in one sitting regarding what Americans think. (These aren’t in any particular order, by the way.) A) Study Finds World’s Youth More Religious than Believed. B) Less than 1% of Young Americans Hold a Biblical Worldview. C) Survey Finds Younger Generation More Prone to Immoral Behavior. D) Non-Religious Americans on the Rise in Every State. E) Americans' Belief in God Nears 90% in Recent Poll.
Do you see how misleading each of these headlines is? And yet we can all check the calculations and math used to arrive at the conclusion that they have done their ciphering correctly…it’s just the minuscule sampling and manner used to collect the data that drives these number assessments with which I really have a problem. It’s certainly an alarming condition in today’s world to learn that the words “a survey shows” (although perhaps a great premise for a game show) is considered to be on the same level as proven fact.
Now here’s something you have to consider when it comes to why these polls are even taken…somebody makes money in the transaction. Don’t think that George Gallup, George Barna or even Curious George do these surveys to satisfy a personal intrigue with the issue. Somebody has to pay the employees and the utility bills and herein enters that derivation of the “golden rule” (the man with the gold makes the rules). Also, you’ll typically find that these blanket surveys are utilized by the polling groups to bolster subscription sales of their other products and services. (If you liked this survey, wait until you get your hands on several others we also provide for a small monthly fee. We also have a nice selection of books for sale as well.) Granted everybody, in one form or another, comes back around to having to pay the bills, but there are some reasonable doubts that can be raised regarding any solely altruistic function of polling operations.
I’m not suggesting that the results of a survey are skewed necessarily to arrive at a particular end result, but there is something to be said for the adage that there are small lies, big lies and then statistics. If collected data has only asked a question in a manner that elicits certain responses…then you aren’t really asking what a person thinks, you’ve asked how would they respond to…(and you can fill in the blank). Then when it comes to assessing the amassed data, we’re right back to allowing a small group of individuals to interpret what any of it all means.
My greatest concern is that readers of these polls often don’t employ critical thinking into assessing this polling material. I’d think one question that certainly bears asking is, “Who stands to make a buck off of this information?” Another issue to address is, “Why was this particular question, of all the questions that could be asked, the hot topic for this survey?” And finally, “Why did this particular survey topic make it into today’s headlines?” By employing a smattering of scrutiny toward polling figures you’ll find that, although the subjects may be interesting – even entertaining – they are far from being a true reflection of anything that really matters when it comes to engaging people one on one. That takes interest, involvement and an interchange of ideas.
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike
Friday, March 13, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
You Can't Judge a Book...
Grab something to drink, and maybe a snack. If you plan on reading this entry in one setting you’re probably going to require some sustenance.
We’re probably all familiar with that idiom, “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s one of those meaty little snippets of insight that behooves each of us to dig a little deeper beyond the superficial…but I wonder how often any of us really do this? After all, sometimes an awful lot can be determined just by a book's title. Take for example the latest offering from Ray Comfort entitled, “You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence but You Can’t Make Him Think.” (It’s a current best seller among atheists on amazon.com, by the way.) I’m pretty sure I’d know what that one’s about just from the title. Invariably you find titiles printed on the cover.
But judging a book by its cover is literally something everyone does with the Bible, whether they’ve ever read a single passage in it or not. Go ahead, ask a person what they think about the Bible and I guarantee they’ll have a ready answer for you.
Apart from these preconceived notions about the Bible…I certainly find it interesting that in your queries you’ll never hear, “What’s a Bible?”
Everyone knows there is a Bible. It’s available for the reading, free of charge, in countless places right here on the Internet, and yet there is an alarming ignorance among the vast majority regarding the contents of the Bible. And folks, I’ve read it, and can vouch for its content. Reading the Bible will not kill you, but simply judging it by its cover will have eternal consequences (that’s actually something you’d find written inside).
Over the years I’ve sat in on numerous Bible study gatherings, in churches and homes and public places where they sold coffee with endless refills. And there is always a person, in each one of these groups who claims to have been a Christian their whole life, wherein they are challenged about something they contend to be a life truth, respond, “Well, I don’t know a lot about the Bible.” That, to me, is an alarming statement. How can you claim to be a Christian your whole life and not know much about the very book that is the core and foundation for your beliefs?
Especially in today’s global economic and political crisis, aren’t you the least bit interested in seeing if the Bible has anything to say about these events? Or are you more inclined to utilize the resources available from those media pundits who can cleverly capsulate everything that’s going on in easily digestible one-minute content?
For those of you who prefer things short and sweet here are a couple of Bible verses I’d like you to ponder. The first one is in the Old Testament and it’s found in a somewhat obscure prophetic writing by a guy named Habakkuk. Chapter one of Habakkuk beginning at verse two reads,
“How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen! ‘Violence!’ I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see this sin and misery all around me? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The law has become paralyzed and useless, and there is no justice given in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, and justice is perverted with bribes and trickery.” (This is written around 600 B.C.)
Verse 5 continues, “The LORD replied, “Look at the nations and be amazed! Watch and be astounded at what I will do! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.”
Of course what God is doing is rising up the Babylonians to be the next world power. History affirms that these same Babylonians who lived northwest of the Persian Gulf did make a rapid ascension to dominance in that region around 630 B.C. The Babylonians, however, were a cruel and violent nation and conquered all other peoples that surrounded them. Why has God done such a thing? And better yet, why did He bother to tell Habakkuk about it? This is but one example of how the prophecies of the Bible are proven by events that transpired in world history.
There is another passage from the letter to the Ephesians written by the Apostle Paul around 60 A.D. that bears contemplating. In chapter 6 at verse 12 this is how Paul describes the world we live in,
“For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.”
Whether or not you consider demons and minions of Satan an old-timey form of fantasy or not, Paul contends they are very real and very dangerous. As Christians we are keenly aware of this powerful army whose sole intent is to eradicate Christ’s church. When you profess a faith and allegiance to Jesus Christ then you have declared war on them and them on you. The resulting conflict is that these demonic entities will unleash every device at their disposal to turn you away from trusting Jesus and return to the ways of wickedness and self-absorbed, self-serving, self-edification. Now a Christian is assured there is a victory over this enemy, but until the day the Christ returns or we are taken from this world in death, there is a constant and continual battle for your heart and mind that’s going on. Granted you’ll have some days that are going to be better than others over the long haul, but you can rely on the fact that this is merely a temporary cease-fire and that the enemy is only preparing for the next assault.
If you go all the way back to the earliest days of the first fledgling Christian churches of the first century, an ever growing group of believers found themselves living amid a whole lot of chaos and turmoil that at times seemed unrelenting. People of faith lost their lives because they preached what they knew of Jesus Christ and His gospel and refused to denounce the Name of the One who had died for them on a hillside outside Jerusalem.
Did you know that it was only 400 or so years ago that men were put to death for daring to translate the words of the Bible into the languages of the common man so everyone would have an equal opportunity to read them? Why did they die for something like this? Well, think about those that are opposed to what the Bible has to say and you’ll understand why such drastic means are incorporated to keep the Bible out of people’s hands and subsequently out of their minds. What is written in the Bible is considered to be subversive literature to those who would be the rulers of this world. Any number of people will testify to the truth, me included, that there is something clearly insightful, mind-altering and life changing that transpires when a person reads the Bible for themselves. Throughout history people have been willing to sacrifice their own lives so that this book can be read by everyone.
In the eighteenth century evangelists like John Wesley, and others perhaps not as famous, all rode on horseback going from one farm field to another to share with individual people the amazing Good News of what Jesus Christ was all about. And when they rode away from these places there may have been no more than a handful who understood the ramifications and believed…but that’s all it took for a church to have begun. Today, churches have moved uptown from farm fields and storefronts. And preachers no longer have to strain their voices to be heard by a crowd. Today you’ll not only see first-rate visual presentations and hear the finest sound technologies incorporated but the professional quality of the musicians who perform now in churches all over the world are presenting music that rivals what you’d expect to come out of Nashville or on the stage of American Idol.
My question to you is…did you know this is what’s going on in churches today? When was the last time you got up on a Sunday morning and went to one? I’d be surprised if there wasn’t one within walking distance of where you’re at right now. And nowadays you’ll find churches with services practically any night of the week – not just on Sunday. Do you feel the presence of God tugging at your heart? It is time for you to make a choice. The Old Testament patriarch Joshua, who got a lot of press about bringing down the walls of Jericho, asked those who heard him speak, “Whom are you going to serve?” He replied that for him and those of his household they would serve the LORD. But this choice is not a one time thing.
Hear how Jesus describes what’s involved.
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”
This simply means that by taking up your cross, you make this decision each and every day for the rest of your life. This decision will influence what you watch on TV or the websites you visit on the web. It impacts what books or movies you’ll allow to influence your thinking. And over time you’ll find there is a whole new perspective on the world around you and the temptations and trappings it offers.
Hebrews chapter 2 verses 3 and 4 go like this,
“What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on to us by those who heard him speak, and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so.”
The primary gift of the Holy Spirit is described in places like John 16:7-11, 1 Corinthians 2:11-15 and later in chapter 12 verse 3. There is also a specific account in chapter 16 of the gospel of Matthew wherein Jesus asks his disciples who people say that he is. After their various replies Jesus then asks specifically, “Who do you say that I am?” And to this you read of Simon Peter proclaiming, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responds to this comment from the apostle Peter by saying, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.”
I pose the question to you today, as Joshua did to the people who were within the sound of his voice that day 3500 years ago, will you say with Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”?
We’re coming up on the Easter season around the world. This would be a great opportunity, I’d think, for you to have a reason to explore the life and times of Jesus, who claimed to be the Messiah – the redeemer of the world. Let me challenge you to at least read one of the gospel accounts from the Bible in the coming days leading up to Easter Sunday. Pick whichever one you’d like – it won’t matter as long as you read one of them. You have four choices; Matthew and John are written by eyewitness apostles of Jesus. Luke’s gospel, which contains the familiar Christmas story, begins with this statement from chapter 1, “Many people have written accounts about the events that took place among us. They used as their source material the reports circulating among us from the early disciples and other eyewitnesses of what God had done in fulfillment of his promises. Having carefully investigated all of these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you, to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught." I might also recommend the gospel of Mark for two specific reasons; it’s the shortest of the four gospel accounts, and quite likely was a compilation of information that Mark obtained from the apostle Peter. Whichever one you choose, enjoy reading it. I’ve used excerpts from the New Living Translation here. I might also recommend reading from a version called “The Message” compiled by Eugene Peterson. There are certainly a good many others, but read these Bible accounts in a style of writing that is easiest for you. Don’t over complicate the process by diving in to the King James Version.
And then, after having read any of the gospel accounts, would you seriously consider visiting a church close to you this coming Easter Sunday and experience what all these crazy Christian people get all worked up about? It’d be a nice little research project to get involved in…and you can use this as an excuse to buy yourself some new duds to wear to church if you want.
Anyway, that’s what I have for you for this time. If you are willing to take me up on this challenge then drop me a reply. I’d sure enjoy reading what you have to say.
Until next time, I remain ever yours regardlessly,
mike
We’re probably all familiar with that idiom, “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s one of those meaty little snippets of insight that behooves each of us to dig a little deeper beyond the superficial…but I wonder how often any of us really do this? After all, sometimes an awful lot can be determined just by a book's title. Take for example the latest offering from Ray Comfort entitled, “You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence but You Can’t Make Him Think.” (It’s a current best seller among atheists on amazon.com, by the way.) I’m pretty sure I’d know what that one’s about just from the title. Invariably you find titiles printed on the cover.
But judging a book by its cover is literally something everyone does with the Bible, whether they’ve ever read a single passage in it or not. Go ahead, ask a person what they think about the Bible and I guarantee they’ll have a ready answer for you.
Apart from these preconceived notions about the Bible…I certainly find it interesting that in your queries you’ll never hear, “What’s a Bible?”
Everyone knows there is a Bible. It’s available for the reading, free of charge, in countless places right here on the Internet, and yet there is an alarming ignorance among the vast majority regarding the contents of the Bible. And folks, I’ve read it, and can vouch for its content. Reading the Bible will not kill you, but simply judging it by its cover will have eternal consequences (that’s actually something you’d find written inside).
Over the years I’ve sat in on numerous Bible study gatherings, in churches and homes and public places where they sold coffee with endless refills. And there is always a person, in each one of these groups who claims to have been a Christian their whole life, wherein they are challenged about something they contend to be a life truth, respond, “Well, I don’t know a lot about the Bible.” That, to me, is an alarming statement. How can you claim to be a Christian your whole life and not know much about the very book that is the core and foundation for your beliefs?
Especially in today’s global economic and political crisis, aren’t you the least bit interested in seeing if the Bible has anything to say about these events? Or are you more inclined to utilize the resources available from those media pundits who can cleverly capsulate everything that’s going on in easily digestible one-minute content?
For those of you who prefer things short and sweet here are a couple of Bible verses I’d like you to ponder. The first one is in the Old Testament and it’s found in a somewhat obscure prophetic writing by a guy named Habakkuk. Chapter one of Habakkuk beginning at verse two reads,
“How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen! ‘Violence!’ I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see this sin and misery all around me? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The law has become paralyzed and useless, and there is no justice given in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, and justice is perverted with bribes and trickery.” (This is written around 600 B.C.)
Verse 5 continues, “The LORD replied, “Look at the nations and be amazed! Watch and be astounded at what I will do! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.”
Of course what God is doing is rising up the Babylonians to be the next world power. History affirms that these same Babylonians who lived northwest of the Persian Gulf did make a rapid ascension to dominance in that region around 630 B.C. The Babylonians, however, were a cruel and violent nation and conquered all other peoples that surrounded them. Why has God done such a thing? And better yet, why did He bother to tell Habakkuk about it? This is but one example of how the prophecies of the Bible are proven by events that transpired in world history.
There is another passage from the letter to the Ephesians written by the Apostle Paul around 60 A.D. that bears contemplating. In chapter 6 at verse 12 this is how Paul describes the world we live in,
“For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.”
Whether or not you consider demons and minions of Satan an old-timey form of fantasy or not, Paul contends they are very real and very dangerous. As Christians we are keenly aware of this powerful army whose sole intent is to eradicate Christ’s church. When you profess a faith and allegiance to Jesus Christ then you have declared war on them and them on you. The resulting conflict is that these demonic entities will unleash every device at their disposal to turn you away from trusting Jesus and return to the ways of wickedness and self-absorbed, self-serving, self-edification. Now a Christian is assured there is a victory over this enemy, but until the day the Christ returns or we are taken from this world in death, there is a constant and continual battle for your heart and mind that’s going on. Granted you’ll have some days that are going to be better than others over the long haul, but you can rely on the fact that this is merely a temporary cease-fire and that the enemy is only preparing for the next assault.
If you go all the way back to the earliest days of the first fledgling Christian churches of the first century, an ever growing group of believers found themselves living amid a whole lot of chaos and turmoil that at times seemed unrelenting. People of faith lost their lives because they preached what they knew of Jesus Christ and His gospel and refused to denounce the Name of the One who had died for them on a hillside outside Jerusalem.
Did you know that it was only 400 or so years ago that men were put to death for daring to translate the words of the Bible into the languages of the common man so everyone would have an equal opportunity to read them? Why did they die for something like this? Well, think about those that are opposed to what the Bible has to say and you’ll understand why such drastic means are incorporated to keep the Bible out of people’s hands and subsequently out of their minds. What is written in the Bible is considered to be subversive literature to those who would be the rulers of this world. Any number of people will testify to the truth, me included, that there is something clearly insightful, mind-altering and life changing that transpires when a person reads the Bible for themselves. Throughout history people have been willing to sacrifice their own lives so that this book can be read by everyone.
In the eighteenth century evangelists like John Wesley, and others perhaps not as famous, all rode on horseback going from one farm field to another to share with individual people the amazing Good News of what Jesus Christ was all about. And when they rode away from these places there may have been no more than a handful who understood the ramifications and believed…but that’s all it took for a church to have begun. Today, churches have moved uptown from farm fields and storefronts. And preachers no longer have to strain their voices to be heard by a crowd. Today you’ll not only see first-rate visual presentations and hear the finest sound technologies incorporated but the professional quality of the musicians who perform now in churches all over the world are presenting music that rivals what you’d expect to come out of Nashville or on the stage of American Idol.
My question to you is…did you know this is what’s going on in churches today? When was the last time you got up on a Sunday morning and went to one? I’d be surprised if there wasn’t one within walking distance of where you’re at right now. And nowadays you’ll find churches with services practically any night of the week – not just on Sunday. Do you feel the presence of God tugging at your heart? It is time for you to make a choice. The Old Testament patriarch Joshua, who got a lot of press about bringing down the walls of Jericho, asked those who heard him speak, “Whom are you going to serve?” He replied that for him and those of his household they would serve the LORD. But this choice is not a one time thing.
Hear how Jesus describes what’s involved.
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”
This simply means that by taking up your cross, you make this decision each and every day for the rest of your life. This decision will influence what you watch on TV or the websites you visit on the web. It impacts what books or movies you’ll allow to influence your thinking. And over time you’ll find there is a whole new perspective on the world around you and the temptations and trappings it offers.
Hebrews chapter 2 verses 3 and 4 go like this,
“What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on to us by those who heard him speak, and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so.”
The primary gift of the Holy Spirit is described in places like John 16:7-11, 1 Corinthians 2:11-15 and later in chapter 12 verse 3. There is also a specific account in chapter 16 of the gospel of Matthew wherein Jesus asks his disciples who people say that he is. After their various replies Jesus then asks specifically, “Who do you say that I am?” And to this you read of Simon Peter proclaiming, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responds to this comment from the apostle Peter by saying, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.”
I pose the question to you today, as Joshua did to the people who were within the sound of his voice that day 3500 years ago, will you say with Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”?
We’re coming up on the Easter season around the world. This would be a great opportunity, I’d think, for you to have a reason to explore the life and times of Jesus, who claimed to be the Messiah – the redeemer of the world. Let me challenge you to at least read one of the gospel accounts from the Bible in the coming days leading up to Easter Sunday. Pick whichever one you’d like – it won’t matter as long as you read one of them. You have four choices; Matthew and John are written by eyewitness apostles of Jesus. Luke’s gospel, which contains the familiar Christmas story, begins with this statement from chapter 1, “Many people have written accounts about the events that took place among us. They used as their source material the reports circulating among us from the early disciples and other eyewitnesses of what God had done in fulfillment of his promises. Having carefully investigated all of these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you, to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught." I might also recommend the gospel of Mark for two specific reasons; it’s the shortest of the four gospel accounts, and quite likely was a compilation of information that Mark obtained from the apostle Peter. Whichever one you choose, enjoy reading it. I’ve used excerpts from the New Living Translation here. I might also recommend reading from a version called “The Message” compiled by Eugene Peterson. There are certainly a good many others, but read these Bible accounts in a style of writing that is easiest for you. Don’t over complicate the process by diving in to the King James Version.
And then, after having read any of the gospel accounts, would you seriously consider visiting a church close to you this coming Easter Sunday and experience what all these crazy Christian people get all worked up about? It’d be a nice little research project to get involved in…and you can use this as an excuse to buy yourself some new duds to wear to church if you want.
Anyway, that’s what I have for you for this time. If you are willing to take me up on this challenge then drop me a reply. I’d sure enjoy reading what you have to say.
Until next time, I remain ever yours regardlessly,
mike
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