The buzz from Brazil

Steve Jobs: Is death the best invention of life?

2011-10-12T11:04:00.000-03:00

After his death last week, Steve Jobs is getting a lot of press here in Brazil, even though the devices he helped create are beyond the reach of most Brazilians. The phrase that keeps popping up most frequently in the Brazilian media is taken from Jobs’ commencement address at Stanford in June 2005: “…death is very likely the single best invention of life.” His statement begs the question: Who invented death?

Rather than tackle that question, Jobs used his perspective on death as a motivational factor for living: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition.” As one Christianity Today writer said, this is the gospel of a secular age.

While death can be a motivating factor for Christians, it is also a sign that there is something fundamentally wrong in the world—a fatal defect in the operating system of every human being on the planet. The Bible describes death as God’s idea. It is the inevitable consequence of the shared human desire to highjack the Creator’s plan for peaceful and productive community with himself and with others. The human quest for independence and freedom leads not just to physical death, but also to alienation from each other.

The Christian solution for the problem of death and decay does not spring from individual intuition, as Jobs’ worldview suggests. Rather, it is an initiative of the Lord of the universe, who took on human form in order to begin the restoration of all things. Jesus of Nazareth is a living, breathing illustration of what humanity could and should be.

Jesus showed us that being truly human is not summed up in creative thinking, but in humble submission to the Creator’s original blueprint. Jesus’ death says (among other things) that life results from loyalty and obedience to our Maker. His resurrection is the promise that, because life was invented before death, therefore death does not have the last word.

Someone might observe that the Christian gospel is all ethereal hope about what will happen after we die. But this is an incomplete understanding of the message of the Scriptures. The gospel lived out by Jesus is very much linked to the here and now. His model prayer, that the Father’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven, points to the relevance of creation theology. Since we are all created in God’s image, the way we treat each other is a reflection of our respect for the Creator (or our lack of it). We are God’s representatives on earth, placed here in order to care for his good creation.

Rather than stifling human creativity, the gospel of Jesus frees us to become who God intended us to be today. We are still flawed, yes, but motivated by the hope that the revolution begun by Jesus two millennia ago is the prelude to a complete reboot of human existence, when he will wipe out all injustice, and reconcile all things to himself.

Two women from Sidon

2011-10-05T22:22:00.000-03:00

Here’s a connection I had not seen before. See what you think. I’m looking at the stories of Elijah and Ahab in 1 Kings. We are told that Jezebel, King Ahab’s wife, is from Sidon, a Gentile nation just north of Israel (16:31). Their marriage was likely part of a political alliance. The text seems to suggest that she influences Ahab to “serve Baal and worship him.” Elijah shows up, announces a drought, and God sends him to the Kerith Ravine for safe keeping. Later, when the brook dries up, God tells Elijah to go to—Sidon—where a widow is going to feed him. [Now, from a human standpoint, this is doubly insane. First, you don’t knock on a poor widow’s door if you want to get fed. Second, you don’t wander into Jezebel’s stomping grounds after you have informed her that the rain spigot for her kingdom has been turned off!] But the unnamed Sidonian woman is saved from starvation when she faithfully does what Elijah tells her to do. She later confesses, “Now I know…that the word of the Lord from your mouth is true” (17:24).

What is the author trying to say? Jezebel (and Ahab), Israel’s leaders, should have been leading the people toward God, but instead they were driving the people away from God. Hebrew readers might think, “Of course, Jezebel was an evil Sidonian (foreigner). She didn’t know any better. And if Ahab was so bad, it was obviously 90% the fault of pagan Jezebel!” So we are introduced to the unnamed Sidonian woman who placed her faith in Elijah and in his God. Israel was deaf and blind to God, but a non-Hebrew knows the truth when she sees it. A foreign widow becomes a model for faith. Jesus saw the irony in this picture and used it to condemn the unbelieving crowd in his hometown, Nazareth (Luke 4:36). We dare not draw conclusions about who is part of God’s family based on genealogy, address, culture or color of passport. Those who think they are in might be out. Those who appear to be out might be in.

Just so the readers are sure to get the point, the Old Testament narrator introduces Naaman, the Syrian army commander (2 Kings 5), as another example of a God-fearing foreigner. Jesus mentioned Naaman, too (Luke 4:37).

God promised Abraham that all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3). And God keeps his promises, even if his chosen people disown him.

Presumptuous planning

2011-08-06T14:52:00.000-03:00

In my Introduction to Preaching class at Bethel Seminary, each student had to present a 20-minute sermon on a passage from the book of James. My passage was James 4:13-17. Here is a paragraph in my message in which I set up the first century presumptuous planners in a 21st century context:

James is eavesdropping on the boardroom discussion of these Fortune 500 CEOs as they are planning their next big expansion project: “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Notice all the proactive verbs here: go, spend, do business, make money. These are people who know what they want, and they have figured out how to get there. We want these go-getters managing our investment portfolios! In today’s world we would call them successful, assertive, forward looking self-starters, maybe even visionaries. Isn’t this what every parent wants for his children’s future?

Valuable dents

2011-08-04T17:09:00.000-03:00

Some may think that the shiny Lightning McQueen is the hero of the Cars movies. But in my book, the rusty tow-truck Mater, with his unassuming backwoods drawl, is the real star.

In Cars 2, someone tells Mater that he should get all of his ugly dents fixed. “You can’t touch my dents,” says Mater. “I got every one of them dents with my best buddy Lightning McQueen.” McQueen, however, doesn't always treat Mater with the same respect.

As I reflected on Mater's valuable dents, my thoughts went to another improbable hero who chose to leave his dents as a reminder of some important relationships. Accused of crimes he never committed, this man voluntarily suffered the ultimate consequences of his friends' wrongdoing. Later, the scars of that difficult journey would serve as a transformational signpost for all to see. His friends would say, "By his dents we have been healed."

Book review -- Finding the Will of God

2011-06-06T19:29:00.001-03:00

One of my jobs as a board member of the Vida Nova publishing house is evaluating books for relevance and viability in Brazil. Here is my most recent review.

Bruce Waltke, Finding the Will of God: A pagan notion? (Eerdmans, 2002), 194 pages.

Table of Contents

Part One: God’s Will: A Pagan Notion

Ch 1 Is finding God’s will a biblical idea?

Ch 2 How pagans divine the will of God

Ch 3 God’s will in the Old Testament

Part Two: God’s Program of Guidance

Ch 4 Read your Bible

Ch 5 Develop a heart for God

Ch 6 Seek wise counsel

Ch 7 Look for God’s providence

Ch 8 Does this make sense?

Ch 9 Divine intervention

Afterword

Review

As I read this book I thought about an interview I had many years ago, with the pastor of my home church*. I was a teenager, close to high school graduation, and wondering about God’s will for my future. Now, almost 40 years later, I still remember the pastor’s wise counsel—a simple three-part strategy: open heart, open book, open door. The open heart represents seeking after God; the open book stands for the timeless wisdom of the Scriptures; the open door symbolizes God’s daily providence. In Finding the Will of God, Bruce Waltke follows a similar, although more detailed, path.

Waltke argues that a great part of God’s will is not hidden from us, as many Christians mistakenly believe, but that God is “holding back nothing from the children he loves”. The correct understanding of “finding God’s will,” says Waltke, is found in the context of a relationship with God, and not in a desire to receive special signs from him. In fact, Waltke proposes that we eliminate altogether talk of “finding God’s will” and replace it with “following the guidance of God.” This will push us towards development of Christian character and help us to avoid the lazy and unholy path of divination. Waltke shows that special revelation for guidance is not the normative experience in the biblical narrative; thus, by analogy, it should neither be the case for Christians today.

Waltke’s area of expertise is the Old Testament, and he shines when he is mining the Hebrew Bible for positive and negative examples of seeking after God’s will. He shows how some Christian practices in this area are closer to ancient pagan rituals than to life in the wisdom of the Spirit. But Waltke does not ignore the New Testament. He skillfully analyzes the implications of the incarnation for finding God’s will. For example, from chapter 3, “One of the lessons from the life of Jesus is that people will not turn to God simply because they see a miracle.” Waltke also weaves into his text a wide range of helpful background material from anthropology, sociology, archaeology, church history, and his own experience as pastor and professor.

While the first part of the book is reserved mostly for negative examples of finding God’s will, the second part points the way for positive strategies. In the latter, Waltke’s tone becomes even more pastoral. Yet, he covers the principles of open heart, open book, open door with scriptural firmness. Here he also reveals his story-telling abilities, something that resonates well in most cultural contexts. His down-to-earth stories show that Waltke is a compassionate pastor as well as an academic scholar.

Waltke’s final chapter is worth the price of the entire book. It could well be an apology for what Vida Nova [WorldVenture's publishing ministry in Brazil] has been working to do for the last 50 years. In this section Waltke steps back and looks at the intersection of theology and life, and shows why the two are inseparable.

This is not an academic book, but certainly one which often bridges the gap between the academy and daily experience. It speaks directly to Christians who might wonder about Gideon’s fleece, or about the validity of prophetic utterances and miraculous signs. At 194 pages, it is a quick read. I recommend it. The Kindle edition is available for $9.99.

*Dr. Curtis Akenson, First Baptist Church, Minneapolis

The death of the wicked

2011-05-02T19:54:00.000-03:00

Ezekiel 18:23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? Declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

In light of festive American reaction to the deadly success of yesterday’s military operation, several friends have posted the above verse as a counterpoint on blogs and social media networks. They want to say that, instead of celebrating the death of an enemy, we should be lamenting the demise of a “wicked” person who is the object of God’s love and who had the potential for repentance and life.

Certainly God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to a knowledge of the truth. But our understanding of Scripture’s big picture is limited if we immediately identify “the wicked” with our enemies, or even with those who do not conform to our ethical standards. Ezekiel’s words were directed to “the house of Israel,” God’s chosen people who had chosen to ignore God’s law. Israel was involved in idolatry, adultery, discrimination against the poor, lack of compassion for the poor, usury, robbery and unfair economic practices (Ezekiel 18:5-17). Not only that, the people of Israel accused God of being unjust when Babylon invaded their land and carried away their leadership and wealth (18:25). In other words, they felt that, as God’s people, they should have a free pass to health, wealth and prosperity.

“The wicked” whose death God laments in Ezekiel are not the “evil” Babylonians. They are the “house of Israel,” those called by God to bless and transform the world. Jesus was asked, “Why do you [hang out and party] with…sinners?” He answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” The gospel message blurs human categories of who is “in” and who is “out.” Instead, Jesus shows us that the line between the wicked and the righteous cuts right through the heart of every human being. And, in every case, true repentance always leads to life.

Book review -- Saving Darwin: How to be a Christian and believe in evolution

2011-03-07T12:48:00.001-03:00

Our readings and discussions in Theology and Science class have challenged the often turbulent relationship between the two disciplines, especially in the recent American context. Karl Giberson's book helps explain the origins of the warfare mentality for some groups. Here is my review. Bottom line: I recommend it for those who have interest in the dialogue between theology and science.

Karl Giberson, Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution, Harper One, 2008.

Giberson’s thesis

In Saving Darwin, Giberson argues that a forced choice between belief in creation or in evolution is a false alternative (215). He wants to convince creationists that the theory of evolution is a robust explanation for the origin and development of all life on earth (194), and that it is not incompatible with the idea of God as creator and sustainer of life (10). Using a historical and sociological approach, he demonstrates that the considerable opposition to evolution on the part of many American Christians is driven by cultural forces rather than by reasonable interaction with empirical data and theological arguments.

Response and critique

Giberson shines when he takes the reader on a tour of the history of evolution as an idea. He busts the myth that Darwin’s theorizing was motivated by personal anti-Christian sentiments (19). Much to the contrary, Darwin’s worldview was “solidly creationist” (27), and thus the weight of evidence he saw in favor of evolution generated considerable internal conflict as he wrestled for decades with its implications for biblical interpretation and theology (21).

No less revealing is Giberson’s recounting of the incriminating association between Darwinism and its “dark companions”—eugenics, Nazi anti-Semitism and social Darwinism (77). His masterful treatment of the 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial” exposes the “popular mythology” that has grown up around the event, seeded by H. L. Mencken’s sarcastic journalism and inflated by Hollywood’s rendition, Inherit the Wind (86). Giberson also makes a surprising connection between the ideas of Ellen White, the Seventh-day Adventist visionary, and early twentieth century American anti-evolutionary sentiment expressed in The Genesis Flood (58). This sweeping historical and cultural analysis forms the heart of Giberson’s argument that anti-evolutionary sentiment in the United States can be largely explained by its inconvenient bedfellows.

Giberson is relatively silent on the question of humankind’s special place in God’s created order, and excuses himself on this count with the comment that this discussion is “best left to theologians” (14). As all evolutionists must, he minimizes the differences between humans and animals, while highlighting the similarities, which include evidence for a moral compass in higher primates. He makes no attempt to interact with the “image of God” language in Genesis 1, but simply states that he sees no necessary contradiction between the idea of humankind’s “kinship with the primates” and Christian theology (14). To bring home his point, Giberson points to the theological and practical significance of embracing our interconnectedness with the animal world (14). One thing is certain: even traditional creationists with a high view of humanity need to come to grips with the sobering thought that we are made from the “dust of the ground” (Gen 2:7). Is this any less humbling than embracing the fact that we are genetic cousins of chimpanzees and the great great grandchildren of sponges?

While Giberson rejects a literalistic reading of Genesis, he offers no specific alternative hermeneutic. No doubt he was reluctant to wade into this quagmire, over which much ink has already been spilled. Even so, he misses a good chance for a culturally driven interpretation of Genesis when he discusses (134) the “canopy” of water envisioned by young earth creationists in 1:6-7. A brief mention of the affinity between Genesis and other Ancient Near East cosmologies could have offered some direction to inquiring readers here.

Throughout his book, Giberson rightly accuses both creationists and evolutionists of entrenched posturing and of using offensive language toward each other (141). But he is in danger of committing the same sins when he uses labels such as “crackpot” (147) or “mountebanks and charlatans” (148) to describe some traditional creationists; or when he uses caricature-like language to describe extremists within the National Association of Biology Teachers (167). While Giberson is an equal opportunity critic, he tends to ridicule traditional creationists more than evolutionists. If Saving Darwin targets an evangelical readership, as the subtitle would suggest, Giberson has run the risk of alienating a large segment of that group with his occasionally acidic prose.

Intersections with evangelical theology

One of Giberson’s intriguing ideas is the connection he makes between the theological concept of human freedom and the freedom “embodied in the natural order” (38). Are traditional creationists being inconsistent when they affirm the human ability to choose good or evil, yet deny that God infused the universe with similar possibilities for growth and decay? This is a question which revolves around the character of God, and would seem to open fruitful avenues for discussion. Just as freedom explains human sinfulness, it can also explain why nature is sometimes “red in tooth and claw.” Giberson borrows this phrase from Alfred Lord Tennyson (66), while using it to refer to the impressive amount of death and suffering inflicted by seemingly impersonal evolutionary processes. Belief in the inherent freedom of evolutionary development allows theologians to explain nature’s fallen state without resorting to a view of the Fall that calls for catastrophic changes in an idyllic world at the time of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. If we see sin primarily as selfishness, says Giberson, we can also understand the driving force of the evolutionary process, in which selfish creatures seem to thrive and unselfish ones die (12). At the same time, he points out that there is plenty of beauty in nature, including altruistic behavior in otherwise selfish human beings. Theology can help us to explain these contradictory coexisting currents in the universe and within ourselves.

Another promising field of inquiry is the relationship of the evolutionary development of humankind to Christian eschatology. For example, Romans 8:18-25 suggests that God’s plan for human salvation is intimately connected with the redemption of his entire creation. Theology has much to offer to the discussion of an integrated ecological perspective of life on planet earth.

Saving Darwin speaks repeatedly of the culture wars which drive the great American divide between science and religion. It is possible that, by revealing the childish ad hominem epithets wielded by both sides, Giberson wants to shame us into a more civil discourse. In his irenic conclusion, he suggests that questions of meaning, aesthetics, creativity and the limits of human understanding have the potential to create fruitful dialogue (209). Admittedly, the deliberate search for common ground is always more difficult than taking potshots at people with whom we disagree. However, Giberson’s final words give us hope that the perspective of a humble pilgrim can help us move beyond entrenchment and provincialism. This approach to life is just as applicable to diverse groups within the Christian community as it is for relationships in the society at large.

A tribute to Bill Stoll

2011-01-24T18:24:00.001-02:00

Bill Stoll had a major role in my successful adaptation to missionary life and ministry in Brazil, and I thank God for his life. In the words of Irma, his wife, he was "instantly cured" of all his earthly ailments on Friday, January 21. He was 82 years old.

Bill taught Old Testament at the Baptist seminary in São Paulo (Faculdade Teológica Batista de São Paulo). One of his students in the late 1970s was Lalia Pacheco, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in Christian Education and later became my wife. She remembers Bill as a wise and gentle professor.

Bill also helped run the day-to-day operations at Edições Vida Nova, WorldVenture's publishing ministry. This was no small task in the days of hyper-inflation and general political and economic instability. When I started my career at Vida Nova in 1985, Bill took me under his wing. He was always ready to answer questions and assure me that one day I would be able to speak and write well in Portuguese.

At the breakfast table this morning, Lalia remembered that Bill was instrumental in spearheading the Portuguese translation of the New International Version of the Bible in the mid-1980s. She was invited to consult for the translation committee on matters of Portuguese style and grammar. Alan was a baby at the time, and so he would also attend the meetings in his stroller. At times, Bill would hold Alan's bottle while Lalia would take notes.

Bill, thanks for being an example of what real missionary work is all about--the incarnation of the good news of Jesus the Messiah.

Deluge in Brazil

2011-01-19T16:06:00.000-02:00

God said that he would never again destroy the world with water. But sometimes, in the middle of a gully washer, we wish for the protection of an ark.

After hearing about the torrential rains here, some have written to ask if we are well. The answer is yes. The hardest hit area is in the state of Rio de Janeiro, about 300 miles east and north of where we live (São Paulo). At this writing more than 700 people have lost their lives in the mountainous regions north of the city of Rio, due to flooding and mudslides. Hundreds are missing. Children have been orphaned. Many survivors have lost their homes and physical possessions.

We are in the middle of the rainy season here, so showers are a normal occurrence in December and January. But certain weather patterns have caused unusually high amounts of rain in some areas. Add to this the mountainous terrain, and the fact that human activity has stripped the hills of vegetation which could help prevent erosion. Also, many people build their homes in high risk areas, hoping that nothing will happen. Sometimes they are right.

Here in São Paulo it rains daily, sometimes heavily, but not for long periods of time. Even so, low-lying streets fill up quickly with runoff water. Most of the ground in the city is covered with asphalt or concrete, so the soil is not able to absorb much rain. The result here is localized flooding as the storm sewer system becomes quickly overloaded. Garbage in the streets often plugs the storm drains and aggravates the situation.

In our ninth-floor apartment we stay high and dry, if we remember to close all the windows!

We pray for all those affected by this disaster. Brazilians are generous, and donations of food, clothing and cash have been pouring in from all over the country. Our mission (WorldVenture) and our local church are investigating the best ways to help at this time.

Film review: The Social Network

2011-01-06T18:11:00.003-02:00

The Social Network is a dark film that makes me think twice when I log on to my Facebook account. In the opening scene, the somber lighting and edgy music tell us that something is wrong. Director David Fincher is not crusading for intellectual property rights, or even documenting internet evolution. He and Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter, seem intent on ambushing viewers with the great ironies of our information age. For Sorkin and Fincher, social networks are just as much forces for alienation as they are for collaboration. Real-life friends are dispensable. Profits rule. In the final scene, Mark Zuckerberg’s character pathetically refreshes his Facebook page over and over, in the hopes that an old girlfriend (whom he publicly berated in a drunken blog post) will accept his friend request. Based on her icy attitude in their last encounter, we presume that she will click the “ignore” button. In the end, the gazillionaire creator of Facebook, a site which supposedly puts people together, is alone.

Behind bars, but still women

2010-12-29T10:54:00.003-02:00

Lalia writes about her December visit to a prison for women...

First, just to set the record straight, no, I am not in prison, and I don´t intend to do anything that will put me there.

Yesterday I went with two friends to visit a women´s prison in a little city not too far from São Paulo. This was my second visit to that facility.

Conditions are horrible. Too many women crowded in four little cells. One woman was by herself in another cell; she couldn´t stay with the others because she was incarcerated for killing her son, and was in danger of suffering harm from the other women prisoners.

Some of the women are waiting for a trial before a judge, others are waiting for their release papers. Some are there for theft, sale or possession of drugs, petty crimes... you name it. A couple of them are pregnant. One had recently given birth, and was thankful to God because she was transferred to a facility closer to the foster home where the baby was sent.

With all this diversity, they all have one thing in common: they were made in the image of God and are loved by Him.

Behind bars, but still women. When we arrived, one was having a manicure and pedicure!

It was all I could do to not cry when we gave them the few gifts we took with us. The women were so excited to receive a notebook, a pen, a hair barrette and a little devotional book (they all know how to read).

My friends and I were separated from those women by heavy metal bars, but we united our voices to sing to the Lord. Not all of them came close to us. Some stayed in their cells, others stayed by the door of their little cubicle, but they all heard the message that Jesus was born because God loves them all.

Some of the women have decided to follow Jesus since they were put in prison. The difference between these and the others is hope. They are free in their hearts. They know God will use their circumstances “for good”. They want to tell their families about Jesus.

The three of us spoke a few words to the prisoners. Then we sang some more. While we were there, the police came and took one of the youngest women (she was no more than 19 years old) to the doctor. She may be pregnant.

When we finished, one woman came very close to the iron bars and said: “I speak for me and for my friends. Thank you for coming here to speak to us. Thank you so very much for the gift of your time.”

The gift of time! I left the prison thinking about that phrase. For those women who can´t go anywhere, who aren´t too busy shopping for Christmas; for that young mother who has all the time in the world to hold her baby, but cannot; for all of them our time was the best gift of all.

Please, this Christmas, let´s not get so busy with shopping and cooking for our loved ones that we´ll not have time for them.

Ah, yes, I was so very thankful to get home to my beloved husband, my nice shower, my soft bed.

Next Thursday, we´ll visit another women´s prison. This will be a different type of visit, because we will talk individually with the prisoners, without bars between us. All of the women are close to being released from jail so they will not do anything stupid... we presume! We will see as many prisoners as the number of women we have from our church. So, pray that many will go. Honestly, I´m a little nervous about the visit. I´ve never been with a prisoner without the bars to keep me safe. I know the guards will be around, still... Pray that I will show God´s love for “my prisoner,” whoever she might be. Pray that many will be free from the hands of the Enemy of their souls.

A big hug.

Free because of Him,

Lalia

Hands and feet

2010-07-10T21:49:00.003-03:00

PROMIFÉ (Vacation Missionary Project) starts tomorrow in Ribeirão Preto. Young people from Brazil and the U.S. become the hands and feet of Jesus for one week in a neighborhood of the city. Together they live, eat, laugh, cry, witness, pray, study and sing to the glory of God. We're participating vicariously through the many friends who are there on the front lines.

Reel Spirituality

2010-06-22T18:03:00.003-03:00

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God:
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh, book 7, cited by Robert K. Johnston in Reel Spirituality, writing about the paradox of God's immanence and transcendence in our world, especially as it relates to encountering God in films.

Radical Christmas

2009-12-22T20:32:00.003-02:00

Matthew's Christmas story begins with the names of a bunch of dead people. Ray Bakke calls it a "graveyard tour." While we might find this approach boring, Matthew's Jewish audience would probably not be snoozing through this family tree. In the first century a genealogy established a person's heritage, inheritance, legitimacy and rights and therefore was attention grabbing. But Matthew creates a very unorthodox genealogy for the Messiah, "the son of David, the son of Abraham"!

The big surprise in the first few verses of Matthew's gospel is the presence of five women (Mary plus four). This was not standard procedure for male-oriented Jewish culture.

But Matthew doesn't stop there. He wants to increase the shock value of his genealogy, so some of these women are non-Jews. Rahab and Ruth were definitely Gentiles, and possibly Tamar. (In this light it is interesting to note that Matthew begins and ends his gospel with the nations.)

As if that wasn't enough, Matthew includes women with questionable character. Tamar purposely had sex with her father-in-law, Judah. Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth was from Moab, a people who were shunned and hated by Israel. Bathsheba was part of King David's sin story. (Before you jump to conclusions about Matthew's view of women, check out some of the despicable men in his list.)

This messy genealogy is Matthew's way of saying "the Word became flesh and lived among us." God became part of our dysfunctional world, right down to his Son's scandalous family tree. And if God admits this kind of ambiguity in the story of salvation, maybe there's room for messed up people like me.

Gleanings from the book of Ruth

2009-11-20T20:57:00.002-02:00

This summer I did a summary exegesis of the book of Ruth, based on the English text (TNIV and ESV). The tools were provided by our Hermeneutics professor, Jeannine Brown.

Book Outline

1:1-5 Famine and death: Naomi loses her husband and two sons in Moab

1:6-22 A glimmer of hope: Naomi returns to the land of Judah with Ruth

2:1-16 Abundant harvest: Ruth gleans in the field of Boaz, Naomi’s relative

2:17-23 Abundant harvest 2: Ruth takes her great gleanings to Naomi

3:1-13 Daring plan: Ruth follows Naomi’s instructions and requests redemption from Boaz

3:14-18 Abundant harvest 3: Ruth takes Boaz’s gift to Naomi

4:1-12 Naomi gains life: Boaz redeems Naomi’s land and marries Ruth

4:13-17 Abundant harvest 4: Naomi gains another son

4:18-22 Postscript: the genealogy links the patriarchs—through Ruth and Boaz—with King David

Plot Development

The historical setting of the book of Ruth (in spite of its title, the book seems to revolve more around Naomi; see LaCocque, Ruth, 6) is the days of the judges, a time when Israel had turned its back on God and “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). The geographical setting for a large part of the book is Bethlehem, “the town linked to the name of David” (Nielsen, Ruth, 2). A famine (caused by Israel’s sin?) forces Elimelech, Naomi and their two sons to move to Moab in order to survive. There, in the land of some of Israel’s worst enemies (see Numbers 22:4), Naomi loses her husband and two sons. In one brief paragraph, things are quickly going from bad to worse.

A glimmer of hope appears on the horizon when Naomi hears that “the Lord had visited his people and given them food” (1:6). Based on this news, she decides to return to Judah. She feels abandoned by God (1:13), and says bitter good-byes to her two daughters-in-law. But Ruth opts to stay with Naomi, thus aligning herself with Naomi’s people, Israel, and Naomi’s God (1:16). The reader sees more hope, but Naomi can only focus on her bitterness (1:20), even when she arrives back in Bethlehem after a 10-year absence, just as the barley harvest was beginning (1:22).

The setting for the rest of the book is Bethlehem, where the reader is introduced to the other important character in the story: Boaz. A wealthy land-owner and a relative of Naomi, he protects Ruth when she gleans in his fields, and showers her with food—almost more than she can eat (2:14) and carry (2:17). When Naomi discovers what has happened, her mood changes drastically (2:20). She devises a (risky) plan which will cause Boaz to take Ruth as his wife and thus preserve the family line. Ruth follows Naomi’s orders (3:6), and receives another large gift of grain from Boaz (3:15), along with a promise that he “will do for you all that you ask” (3:11).

There is another possible setback (another relative has first rights to buy Naomi’s land and marry Ruth), but Boaz devises his own plan to become the family guardian (4:3, TNIV). When Boaz succeeds, all the important people of Bethlehem wish the best for him and his (Moabite!) wife (4:11-12). Naomi is restored to life (4:15) when Ruth bears a son, Obed. Obed will be the grandfather of David, the promised king of Israel (4:17; compare Judges 18:1; 19:1; 21:25, “in those days there was no king in Israel”).

Themes

A. Famine/Abundance

The book begins with a literal famine in Judah (1:1), but there is also an existential famine for Naomi when she loses her husband and two sons (1:5). In the remainder of the narrative, the (implied) author shows how God works to abundantly supply Naomi with literal food (1:6, 22; 2:18; 3:17) and spiritual food (2:20; 4:15). The juxtaposition of Naomi’s bereavement (1:5) in the first lines of the narrative and the announcement that “the Lord had visited his people and given them food” (1:6) is a strong indicator that this will be an important theme for the author. This is reinforced when the reader learns that Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem “at the beginning of the barley harvest” (1:22).

Naomi experiences abundance through Ruth’s gleaning in the fields of Boaz. There, Ruth eats “until she [is] satisfied” (2:14, ESV; “all she wanted,” TNIV). Not only that, she has food left over! As if that were not enough, Ruth accumulates so much grain during the day that the reader wonders how a woman could even carry it back to Bethlehem (2:17)! The ESV marginal note describes the amount of grain as “3/5 bushel or 22 liters.” The TNIV note says “30 pounds.” Ruth then takes her overflowing harvest to Naomi (2:18), who remarks concerning Boaz, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead” (2:20, emphasis added). Through Naomi’s words, the reader understands that God has not forgotten about Naomi, and is working to abundantly provide for her needs. The contrast with Naomi’s prior pessimism is striking.

The abundant gift of grain shows up again when Ruth meets Boaz on the threshing floor, and she leaves with “six measures of barley” (3:15). Although the modern reader doesn’t have a notion of exactly how much this is, the repeated mention of the amount (3:17) is a signal that this is important. The author is also careful to show that the abundant gift from Boaz to Ruth is really for Naomi: “You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law” (3:17, emphasis added)! She is then able to feast instead of suffer famine.

Finally, the end of the narrative shows God giving abundant blessings to Naomi through the birth of Obed. The women of Bethlehem say, “He shall be a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age…” (4:14-15). The reader perceives that the women have become the true voice of the author. In another sign of abundance, they add that Ruth “is more to you than seven sons” (4:15). Seven is more than just a perfect number; it is abundantly more than the two sons Naomi lost in Moab! The abundant blessing culminates in the genealogy (4:18-22), orchestrated by God, which links the patriarchs with the promised King David.

B. Unmerited Kindness/Favor/Grace

Undeserved kindness appears at strategic points in the narrative of Ruth. The reader first sees this trait in the Lord, who caused the famine in the land of Judah to cease (1:6). If the famine was caused by the sin of Israel (a typical scenario in the book of Judges), God’s kindness appears here for reasons that are not apparent in the text. The reader is left to surmise that it is simply the Lord’s favor that has caused this unexplained change.

Ruth shows kindness to Naomi when she decides to stay with her mother-in-law instead of remaining in her home country of Moab (1:16-17). Again, the reader is left with no explicit reason for this behavior (it does not make sense in terms of Israel’s history of animosity toward Moab; see LaCocque, Ruth, 30)! Ruth’s kindness is emphasized by the author’s contrast between her attitude toward God and that of Naomi. Ruth adopts Naomi’s God (1:16), but Naomi is bitter toward the Almighty (1:20). The play on the meaning of Naomi’s name (pleasant) and her attitude (bitter) acts as a signpost to alert the reader to this contrast. Whom does the author want the reader to believe? The voice of Ruth, not Naomi! On a strictly human level, it is Ruth’s selfless act of loyalty to her mother-in-law that sets in motion the events of the rest of the narrative and results in the final redemption of Naomi and her family line.

When Ruth goes out to find food, she intends to “glean…after him in whose sight I shall find favor” (2:2). She finds that favor in Boaz, who protects her and showers her with almost more grain than she can carry (see above)! The extended dialogue between Ruth and Boaz (2:8-14) serves to highlight this favor. Ruth doesn’t understand why Boaz should be kind to a poor Moabite woman (2:10), but he explains that it is because of her kindness to Naomi (2:11). Here, the voice of Boaz becomes the author’s voice. Later, when Ruth tells Naomi about the day’s events, Naomi attributes the kindness of Boaz to the Lord (2:20)!

In the threshing floor scene, Boaz interprets Ruth’s submission to him (the family guardian) as an even greater kindness than her treatment of Naomi (3:10)! (To equate servanthood with kindness is—at least for 21^st century Americans—a novel idea! It would be interesting to see if this theme is echoed in other OT texts.)

The kindness of Boaz is also in focus at the end of the narrative, when he buys Elimelech’s estate and thus saves Naomi and Ruth. The fact that the closer relative refused to redeem Naomi’s family emphasizes the favor of Boaz (since the reader presumes that Boaz could do the same thing in order to preserve his interests).

Finally, God’s kindness to Naomi comes into sharp focus at the end of the story. He enables Ruth to conceive (4:13); he is the one who provided Naomi’s redeemer (4:14); he is the one who gave a son to Naomi (4:17). He is the one who fulfilled his promises to the patriarchs, through the line of Perez (4:12, 18), resulting in the birth of King David. The narrative is replete with human kindness, but the author wants his readers to realize that God is the ultimate source of that favor.

C. The real people of God

Throughout the narrative, the author refers to Ruth as “the Moabite” (1:22; 2:2, 6, 21; 4:5, 10). The readers clearly have not forgotten Ruth’s origin, so we wonder why the author places this kind of emphasis on her ethnicity. In light of Israel’s traditional animosity toward Moab (e.g., see Judges 3:14, Numbers 25:1-3), the original readers must have sensed a heavy irony in the story. Naomi, one of God’s chosen people, bitterly complains against the Lord (1:13), while Ruth, one of the “pagan” Moabites, pledges loyalty to Naomi’s people and Naomi’s God (1:16)!

Ruth the Moabite is also linked to Tamar (4:12), who is presumed to be a Canaanite woman (Nielsen, Ruth, 14). It is one more indication that God has deliberately chosen a “foreign woman [to be an] ancestress for David” (Nielsen, Ruth, 16).

Boaz invokes a blessing on Ruth that reminds the reader of similar blessings that were addressed exclusively to Israel (2:12; see also Genesis 15:1; 1 Samuel 24:19 may be significant in light of the author’s attention to David’s genealogy). She has taken refuge under the wings of the God of Israel! Thus, the reader is invited to think that God’s people are those who trust in him, not necessarily those who were born Hebrew.

Ruth, the Moabite, is acclaimed by all the inhabitants of Bethlehem as “a woman of noble character” (3:11). Boaz, a wealthy man, presumably could have married any woman he wished, but he chose a Moabite! And the author doesn’t stop there. Although Ruth is not mentioned in David’s genealogy (4:18-22), readers know that she was the mother of Obed (4:17). This makes her—a Moabite—part of the royal line of Israel! The author is clearly breaking some of Israel’s closely-held paradigms concerning the nature of the people of God! Nielsen sees Ruth as “a shining example of the foreigner who as a proselyte undertakes to live as the God of Israel requires” (Nielsen, Ruth, 32).

Summary

The author of Ruth meant to communicate that in the turbulent times of the judges God abundantly blessed a faithful Moabite woman and chose her to be part of King David’s bloodline.

Defense

The theme of God’s choice and blessing of Ruth, the Moabite woman, is one that may not carry much emotional impact for Americans, but it is difficult to overestimate the shock associated with the idea in ancient Israel. At the outset, the first readers would have marveled that an Israelite family would have settled in Moab in the first place (LaCocque, Ruth, 2). Moab, the father of the Moabites, was born as the result of incest between Lot and his oldest daughter (Genesis 19:37). Incest was a practice forbidden by the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 18:6). The very name Moab, which sounds like the Hebrew “from father” (see ESV margin, Genesis 19:37) reminded Israel of the Moabites’ sinful origin. Moabites were to be excluded from Israel (Deuteronomy 23:3-6; see Thompson, NBD, 776). According to the Targum to Ruth, marriage to a Moabite woman was punishable by death (Nielsen, Ruth, 18). Worship of the Moabite god Chemosh involved child sacrifice, an abomination to Israel (2 Kings 3:26-27). Military clashes between Israel and Moab were frequent, as early as the days of the judges (see Judges 3:12-30). In light of this historical enmity, the repeated mention of “Ruth the Moabite” and the blessings she receives from God throughout the narrative carry significant weight for the original audience. For ancient Israel, the idea that God would bless a Moabite woman—and then work through her to bless his people—is similar in contextual absurdity to Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan for first century Jews. Thus, Ruth’s positive qualities of loyalty (1:16-17) and submission (3:9) are in stark contrast to what Israelites had come to expect from Moabites. Ruth herself repeatedly expresses incredulity over the way she is treated by Boaz (2:10, 13); this is not normal behavior in Israel! God is clearly doing something new and wonderful.

The setting of Ruth in the time of the judges is not trivial, but crucial to the entire plot and purpose of the book. The era of the judges was dark and chaotic, even though punctuated with glimmers of hope. The final statement, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 21:25, TNIV) is an apt description of an age of anarchy and suffering for God’s chosen people. That there should be “famine in the land” (1:1) would be no surprise for the original audience of Ruth. The suffering of Israel was clearly linked to its evil ways (Judges 3:7-8, 12; 4:1-2; 6:1). That God would bring redemption for Israel (King David, see 4:17, 22) out of Moab was totally counterintuitive!

Ancient Israel, rather than rejecting the story of Ruth, embraced it. In the Hebrew Bible it became part of the Writings and “was read annually by the Jews at the Feast of Weeks” (Beeching, NBD, 1030), a joyful harvest celebration. Far from denigrating David’s bloodline (4:18-22), the story of Ruth legitimates it. The author does that by reinterpreting the Genesis accounts of God’s choosing the patriarchs for his higher purposes (Nielsen, Ruth, 27-28). Readers make this connection as they hear the people of Bethlehem bless Boaz and Ruth (4:12): “Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.” Tamar was most likely a foreign woman, just like Ruth (Nielsen, Ruth, 15). Tamar used deception to have a child by Judah, thus preserving the family line; Ruth and Naomi use a carefully crafted plan in order to save Elimelech’s estate and name through Boaz (Nielsen, Ruth, 16).

Relevant Implications

Although our situation is not as turbulent as that of Israel in the time of the judges, we sometimes feel that way. The world economic crisis has caused our missionary salary to fluctuate—mostly downward—and has put us in survival mode. The message of Ruth is encouraging: God is still working during seemingly chaotic times. His plans are not frustrated because of famine or war. On the contrary, God will provide abundantly for us, beyond what we ask or think.

Ruth also reminds me that God is an equal opportunity employer. He takes people who we ignore, and makes them part of his plan to restore the world. In the area of missions, this seems vitally important. A group of people thought to be untouchable by the gospel might be God’s next amazing front. We must not “write off” any people group.

Finally, Ruth convicts me that I am quick to make character judgments based on someone’s origin or appearance. God sees the heart, and he can transform “hopeless cases” for his glory.

Bibliography

LaCocque, André. Ruth: A Continental Commentary. Trans. K. C. Hanson. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2004.

Nielsen, Kirsten. Ruth: A Commentary. Trans. E. Broadbridge. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1997.

Fall in Minnesota

2009-11-20T20:27:00.013-02:00

Fall is probably our favorite season in Minnesota. The state bird (mosquito) is scarce. The temperature is mild. And the Creator exhibits his spectacular color show.

Mother's Day show

2009-05-16T18:49:00.003-03:00

Lalia spoke at a Mother's Day "show" at the Pinheiros Baptist Church in Sao Paulo.

Here's a short video from the beginning of her presentation. Her topic was the first mother -- Eve -- and the power of forgiveness.

A pack of lies -- the sequel

2009-05-16T17:15:00.005-03:00

Maybe you're curious about 12 Lies You Hear In Church. (If not, you can get off the bus right now!)

In my previous post, I described how I was responsible for checking the accuracy of the Portuguese translation of this book, soon to be published in Brazil by Vida Nova (New Life).

Author Tim Riter has a passion for truth. This book is his attempt to put readers on constant alert, following the example of the early Christians at Berea, who "received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11, NIV)

Many lies are like wolves--they come wrapped in sheep's clothing. On the surface, there may even be some truth laced with our misconceptions. In many cases, believing a lie is a question of doctrinal imbalance. Stretching a truth to an extreme position can result in distortion and lies.

Here are some of the lies uncovered by Riter:

I believe in Jesus and that's enough.
We must be perfect.
We can't be perfect.
Little sins aren't really that bad.
One sin does destroy us.
I'm not perfect, but compared to Jim, I'm a saint.
I married the wrong person.
I'll never be a Billy Graham.
Christianity is great on Sundays.
I'm like this because mom was a nag.
Only good things happen to good people.
We have the truth.

In my previous post, I mentioned some "bumps on the road" during the editing process of this book. One example was an affirmation by the author about 3 words in a verse which all reflected the same Greek root. When I went to my Greek New Testament to check it out, I only found 2 words that fit the description!

Decision time. Do I maintain the error in the Portuguese translation, or do I tweak the text a bit? I have great respect for an author's argument, but in this case I nudged the text to better represent the truth! Confession is good for the soul.

Other bumps were less dramatic -- even comical -- related to the translation from English to Portuguese. Lalia and I had a good laugh at one phrase which translated "five o'clock shadow" in a literal manner (something like "casting a shadow at 5 p.m.")!

My passion is creating understanding with words. Working on this book was another twist in that adventure.

A pack of lies

2009-05-04T22:17:00.006-03:00

For the past few weeks, I have been immersed in a pack of lies.

Don't call the heresy patrol just yet. Let me explain. In early April, the Vida Nova publishing house asked me to check and edit the Portuguese translation of 12 Lies You Hear In Church, by Tim Riter. I estimated 3 weeks to complete the job. It took me 4! Along the way, I learned a thing or two.

Lesson #1: Never underestimate the complexity of a book. I thought, "At 180 pages, how hard can it be? This is no theology textbook. Easy stuff." I hadn't reckoned with the bumps along the road. More on that later.

Lesson #2: Words are my playground. Once again, I realized how much I enjoy shaping words to create understanding. Adding the layer of another language doubles the fun.

Lesson #3: It's not what you know, it's who you know. When I get stumped on an expression in Portuguese or on a grammar question, Lalia rescues me. She is a gifted wordsmith for whom I have the highest respect.

"Will your church judge us?"

2009-04-06T19:08:00.006-03:00

That was the burning question in the mind of Carlos,* a friend who works as a hair stylist. Lalia and I were alone with him in the salon he has set up in his home. His girlfriend, Claudia,* a professing Christian, had been recently kicked out of her church because she was dating Carlos, a non-Christian.

Claudia had even taught in the Sunday school of her former church. After her expulsion, she imagined her former pastor would communicate her demise to the pastor of our church! (Extremely unlikely in a city with millions of people and thousands of churches.)

Now Carlos and Claudia were wondering, would they be tossed out of our church, too? We feel that they are genuinely seeking spiritual truth, and that’s why we invited them in the first place.

“Will your church judge us?” Wow! Talk about an opportunity to explain the gospel!

Trying to avoid Christian jargon, we told Carlos the good (bad) news that we are all guilty before God. No one measures up to his standard; therefore no one has any basis to judge another! There is no room for human arrogance. Only God can judge us, and he will do that on the basis of our faith in Jesus, his Son, not according to a list of rules written by the church.

We are praying that Carlos and Claudia will keep seeking the truth together (they plan to get married next year), and that in the process they will meet him who is the truth and the life.

* The names have been changed .

A gold mine for students of the NT

2009-02-26T12:40:00.009-03:00

I am only one chapter away from finishing the revision of cross references in the book of Luke.* It is slow and fascinating work. One of the books I am using is Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, G.K. Beale and D.A. Carson, editors, Baker Academic, 2007. It discusses all of the OT quotations in the NT, as well as many of the allusions and "echoes". It is a wonderful tool. Each quotation is examined through six different lenses:

NT context
OT context
General context within Judaism
Textual questions
Usage of the OT passage by the NT author
Theological use

The book springs from the fact that the New Testament was not written in a vacuum. All of the original participants--writers, characters in the text, the hearing audience--were immersed in the Jewish culture which, in many ways, revolved around the Torah (the Hebrew Bible) and its Greek translation, the Septuagint.

In fact, the greatest motivation we have for this type of study comes from Jesus himself: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27).

Our lack of familiarity with the Law, Prophets and Writings hinders us from understanding the rich nuances of the NT authors. This commentary is one valuable way of "turning on the lights" for us as we read the NT in the 21st century.

Let me share an example from my recent cross reference journey. In Luke 23:31, Jesus says to the crowd which is lamenting his imminent death: "For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" What is going on here? The commentary offers this suggestion: "The proverb...is best explained in terms of the green wood representing Jesus and the dry wood standing for the Jews. The basic idea is that dry wood burns more easily than green wood" (p. 394). The authors (David Pao and Eckhard Schnabel) explain that, in the OT, faithful Israel is often pictured as a green and fruitful plant (see Isa 5:1; Jer 11:16; Hos 10:1). Unfaithful Israel is described as dry and unfruitful (see Isa 37:27; Hos 9:16; Joel 1.12). The conclusion: "If God allows Jesus, who is innocent, the 'green wood,' to suffer the fate that Jerusalem is preparing for him, what will be the fate of Jerusalem, the 'dry wood.'?"

The exhaustive "Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Writings" allows the user of this book to "backtrack" from the OT to the NT. There are also generous bibliographies for each book of the NT.

The Vida Nova publishing house has acquired the rights to do a Portuguese edition of this mammoth 1200-page work. I can hardly wait...

* The cross references will become part of the new Vida Nova Study Bible when it launches next year in Brazil.

Over my head

2009-02-18T19:05:00.003-03:00

My brain was aching yesterday as I edited several documents related to the Manual da Bíblia Hebraica (Handbook to the Hebrew Bible), published by Edições Vida Nova in Brazil. My job was to polish up the English in a descriptive preview of the book and in the sample translation of one of the chapters. Both of these documents will be sent to potential buyers of the English language rights. (This could be the first Vida Nova book to be sold for translation outside of Brazil!)

Hebrew is an unexplored frontier for me, so I was struggling to make sense of the references to Hebrew textual criticism and to the many related source documents which elucidate the text of the Hebrew Bible. I carefully stuck to the English grammatical questions, while at the same time hoping not to accidentally change the meaning of the material!

Today, an article on the web put my (mild) suffering into perspective, and even made me feel good about the process!

Mortimer Adler argues in "Invitation to the Pain of Learning" that true learning does not happen without painful effort. That's because learning is an "internal intellectual activity" that requires thinking, and thinking is hard work! (The locker room version: No Pain, No Gain.)

When I felt adrift in Hebrew studies technical jargon, I was learning. Adler explains it like this:

Whoever passes by what is over his head condemns his head to its present low altitude; for nothing can elevate a mind except what is over its head; and that elevation is not accomplished by capillary attraction, but only by the hard work of climbing up the ropes, with sore hands and aching muscles.

Some of Adler's comments could well apply to our Bible study habits.

So, embrace the pain of learning. If smoke starts coming out of your head, take a break!

Unpredictable God

2009-02-16T19:44:00.013-03:00

God is unpredictable!

That was one of the themes of the pastor's message last night at IBNU--Igreja Batista Nações Unidas, our home church. For example, God told Abraham to leave Ur and head for Canaan, where he would be blessed. When he arrived they threw a big party. Well, not exactly. Abraham's welcome to the Promised Land was a severe famine, which forced him to move to Egypt! How's that for unpredictability! What's going on, God?

In the 21st century, God continues to surprise us.

We just received an email from Gary Bennett, a WorldVenture colleague in Rwanda, East Africa. He is working with an international team from Engineering Ministries International to design several buildings in Rwanda. Gary told us that one of the engineers is a Brazilian, Suellen Maia, from São Paulo. She is a 24-year-old architecture student and helps with the youth ministry at her church here. Suellen has also served as a translator for the Promifé evangelism project, and lives just a few short blocks from our home!

Now, I would like to say that we set up this whole connection, but that would not be true. We had nothing to do with it. We can only admire God's unpredictability as he uses believers in creative ways to build his kingdom around the world!

(The photos show Suellen in her 6-month Africa mission experience.)

Economy dampens Sao Paulo's birthday bash

2009-01-25T11:54:00.010-02:00

There will be no giant cake today for Sao Paulo's birthday celebration.

The traditional cake, which measures one meter for each year of the city's age, would have been 455 meters (five football fields) long this year. But sponsors were unwilling to fork over almost US$100,000 to make the massive treat. It's one more sign that tremors from the worldwide economic earthquake are shaking Brazil.

Shortly after hearing this news, I happened across John Piper's comments on the economic downturn (see video below). He suggests that hardship has the potential of drawing us closer to God, more than prosperity. And much more is at issue than 500 yards of cake!

For me, as a missionary, the question boils down to this: Do I want more funding or do I want more faith? Maybe those gifts are not mutually exclusive, but one thing is certain--without repentance and life-changing faith in Jesus, all the funding in the world will not make an eternal difference.

John Piper on the economic downturn

The uniqueness of books

2009-01-21T09:34:00.005-02:00

So what's the big deal about books? Brazilian writer Jorge Luis Borges gives us a hint.

Among the instruments invented by man,
the most impressive is, without a doubt, the book.
Other inventions are extensions of our bodies.
The microscope and telescope are extensions of our vision.
The telephone is an extension of our voice,
and finally we have the plow and the sword, extensions of our arms.
The book, however, is something else.
The book is an extension of our memory and our imagination.

Is it any wonder, then, that God's Word has come to us in the form of a book?

Christmas in Brazil

2008-12-26T19:01:00.003-02:00

In Brazil, as in the United States, Christmas is a time for family reunions. Here, Alan (left) reconnects with two cousins: Tony and Nelsinho.

Below, Lalia (right) chats with her sister-in-law, Rosa.

Extreme makeover: A baby changes everything

2008-12-15T13:04:00.008-02:00

Thanks to Marie Foote, fellow WorldVenture missionary, for a reminder of how babies break into our life story, and of how a certain baby changed history.

Marie's insightful comments can be found on her Facebook profile.

Marie, in turn, was inspired by singer Faith Hill's song, "A Baby Changes Everything."

My inspiration comes from a variety of sources. Every Christmas season I try to reread Philip Yancey's "Birth: The Visited Planet," from one of his best books, The Jesus I Never Knew. (You can find most of this chapter and more at Google Books.) Yancey contrasts the cheeriness of our Christmas greeting cards with "the starkness of the Gospels."

We get a Herod's-eye-view of the first Christmas when Yancey quotes a vivid W. H. Auden:

Today has been one of those perfect winter days, cold, brilliant, and utterly still, when the bark of a shepherd's dog carries for miles, and the great wild mountains come up quite close to the city walls, and the mind feels intensely awake, and this evening as I stand at this window high up in the citadel there is nothing in the whole magnificent panorama of plain and mountains to indicate that the Empire is threatened by a danger more dreadful than any invasion of Tartar on racing camels or conspiracy of the Praetorian Guard...
O dear, Why couldn't this wretched infant be born somewhere else?

Yancey jolts his readers with another startling paradigm shift:

"'God is great,' the cry of the Moslems, is a truth which needed no supernatural being to teach men," writes Father Neville Figgis. "That God is little, that is the truth which Jesus taught man." The God who roared, who could order armies and empires about like pawns on a chessboard, this God emerged in Palestine as a baby who could not speak or eat solid food or control his bladder, who depended on a teenage couple for shelter, food, and love.

Another book that Lalia and I are reading through again this year is The Handel's Messiah Family Advent Reader. It has 28 readings which cover each day of the four weeks of Advent. Each reading is accompanied by a musical selection from Handel's Messiah, on a CD included with the book.

Yesterday's reading about swaddling clothes was an eye-opener:

Everywhere, parents swaddled their babies because they loved them and wanted to protect them. Swaddling is a loving act, but it also means to tie up, control, hold down, restrict, and restrain. And... can you imagine? God was swaddled!

If swaddling clothes were so common, why did the angel mention them to the shepherds? Our theory goes something like this: If the shepherds were merely looking for a baby in a manger, they might think that it was an abandoned child. But the detail of the swaddling cloths told them that someone loved the baby and was taking care of him, in spite of the spartan conditions in which he would be found.

We challenge you to take some time this month to escape the ubiquitous year-end craziness and recapture the wonder of the incarnation.

25 years and counting

2008-12-02T18:22:00.005-02:00

One third of a lifetime ago I arrived in Brazil, wet behind the ears, terrified.

I didn’t speak Portuguese, and didn’t know if I could learn. Not being a pastor, I was an atypical missionary. Would I be accepted? Could I do the job? Would my rigid Scandinavian worldview flex to the exuberant Brazilian heartbeat?

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Twenty-five years ago I would have read that verse and told you about my goals for the future. Today I see that “the things hoped for” are not about my pet projects, but about what God plans to accomplish in me! “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Incredible! God says that faith is about drawing near to him. What about all the important stuff that I do every day? Extraneous at best.

How, then, do I write my 25-year report? In fear—that all of the stuff I have done is the only thing I have to show to God and to our steady ministry partners. In that spirit, Lalia and I send Christmas joy and thanks to all of you.

(In the photo above, Richard Sturz, right, wraps 25 years into 5 minutes at a celebration of Curt’s time with WorldVenture in Brazil.)

Intuition, wisdom and beauty. From left to right, Lucimar Davis, Jennifer Kierstead, Karen Sipes, Lalia Kregness, Mirian Sturz, Corine Thorp and Lois McKinney. At a recent WorldVenture fellowship near São Paulo.

Book Review: The Shack

2008-11-18T09:52:00.005-02:00

William P. Young. The Shack. Los Angeles: Windblown Media, 2007. (248 pages)

When a friend said that he had been profoundly touched by The Shack, my natural curiosity kicked in. A quick online search told me that he was not alone: others were also singing the praises of the book. Eugene Peterson (The Message) compares it to John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. But lurking between the glowing endorsements were the detractors, who denounce The Shack as fuzzy theology or even heresy.

Before I jumped on either bandwagon, I decided to read the book. Conclusion number one: controversy sells books, sometimes regardless of their literary content! (Hmm, that reminds me of a guy named Dan Brown…) Anyway, here’s my two cents.

First, a quick synopsis for those who haven’t read the book. The Shack is the fictional tale of Mack, an Oregon salesman who is trying to figure out the meaning of life after his daughter Missy suffers a violent death at the hands of a serial killer. Three years later Mack receives a mysterious note, summoning him to the remote cabin where Missy died. There he has an encounter that changes him forever.

At the shack, Mack meets a large effusive black woman, a small ephemeral Asian woman, and an unassuming Middle Eastern carpenter. He soon figures out that he is face to face with the Trinity. More than half the book is a type of therapeutic dialogue between Mack and the three. They break his paradigms right and left, in order to leave him with an eternal perspective on his tragic loss. At the end, Mack is not sure if his memorable encounter was real, or just a dream. But it has given him the closure that he needed to continue living.

Any evaluation of The Shack needs to meet the book on its own terms, as a work of fiction. When I read a fictional story—let’s say one of John Grisham’s novels—I expect to be entertained, surprised and emotionally moved. There is usually a problem to be resolved, a process toward the solution and some type of closure at the end. Besides the plot, we expect the characters to display the human triumphs and foibles that will cause us to identify with them and to live the story vicariously. We hope the good guys win and the bad guys lose. A good work of fiction will have all of these elements.

Incidentally, I may learn something new in a novel (Grisham’s The Testament has some good information about the great Brazilian wetland called the Pantanal), but this is usually not the main reason I choose to read a work of fiction.

Okay, so unless the book is in the fantasy genre, I expect the story to be realistic, believable. Here is where many readers of The Shack feel some tension. The book starts out like a John Grisham novel and then moves into some murky territory when Mack and “Papa” God listen to “Eurasian funk and blues” in the kitchen. Now that’s pushing our envelope! Could this really happen? What do we do with this? Do we require the book to line up with Systematic Theology 101 or do we meet it on its own terms, as a work of fiction literature?

Of course, Young is rattling our cage and he knows it. It’s a literary device to get our attention. He can do this because he’s not writing a seminary textbook. Is he treading on thin ice? Maybe, but we only get bent out of shape if we force the book to do more than it sets out to do.

Is God really a jolly black woman with a charming Southern accent? Young would be the first to say no, and he lets “Papa” explain with her own words:

…I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived from my nature. If I choose to appear to you as a man or a woman, it’s because I love you. For me to appear to you as a man or a woman and suggest that you call me Papa is simply to mix metaphors, to help you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning.(1)

Besides looking at genre, we can also evaluate a book from the perspective of the author’s purpose in writing the story. The Shack doesn’t directly give us this information, so we have to read between the lines. We could assume that the author has experienced some traumatic losses in his life, and the book is his way of helping others work through the grief process. Young’s personal testimony on the book-related website seems to confirm this analysis:

While I have extensively written for business, creating web content, business plans, white papers etc., The Shack was a story written for my six children, with no thought or intention to publish. It is as much a surprise to me as to anyone else that I am now an ‘author’. […] The journey has been both incredible and unbearable, a desperate grasping after grace and wholeness. These facts don’t tell you about the pain of trying to adjust to different cultures, of life losses that were almost too staggering to bear, of walking down railroad tracks at night in the middle of winter screaming into the windstorm, of living with an underlying volume of shame so deep and loud that it constantly threatened any sense of sanity, of dreams not only destroyed but obliterated by personal failure, of hope so tenuous that only the trigger seemed to offer a solution. These few facts also do not speak to the potency of love and forgiveness, the arduous road of reconciliation, the surprises of grace and community, of transformational healing and the unexpected emergence of joy. Facts alone might help you understand where a person has been, but often hide who they actually are. The Shack will tell you much more about me than a few facts ever could. In some ways my life is partly revealed in both characters—Willie and Mack. But an author is always more. (2)

I get the feeling that The Shack is a parable, a metaphor of Young’s spiritual journey. He’s not giving us facts about God and the doctrine of the Trinity. Instead, he expresses a type of relational truth in a story. The Shack is not about theology; it’s about experience.

Will readers of The Shack start adopting strange ideas about the Trinity? I doubt it. But they might conclude that God is deeply aware of their painful losses. That God is saddened by human violence, but this does not diminish his sovereignty. That he can help us in our suffering because he has also suffered at the hands of violent men. That our ideas about him are probably still too small. That the life of faith is not about following a set of rules, but about walking daily with Jesus. That doctrine can sometimes get in the way of devotion.

1 The Shack, p. 93. Italics are the author’s.

2 Online: http://www.theshackbook.com/willie.html accessed on 15 November 2008.

ESV Study Bible worth a look

2008-11-15T18:17:00.010-02:00

I haven't put my hands on the real thing, but the online version of the ESV (English Standard Version) Study Bible looks great (click on the image below). Crossway has opened the entire book of Matthew for virtual tourists, with all its notes, maps, articles and other resources. Apparently everyone who buys a paper copy will also receive a code which will allow full access to the complete online version.

At the site, by clicking on the Features tab, you can browse the introductions to several books, including Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Luke, Ephesians, Colossians and Revelation. In addition, the entire book of Jonah is available for download as a PDF file.

A postscript for all of you with mobile devices: The ESV Study Bible will soon be available in a variety of platforms for your smartphone or PDA.

Great Expectations

2008-11-07T19:32:00.007-02:00

Barack Obama's election was greeted with optimism here in Brazil.

Actually, that's an understatement. If Obama succeeds in doing half of the things that this part of the world expects from him, Mount Rushmore will need another sculpture.

While he fixes the economic crisis, he will reactivate full diplomatic relations with Cuba, Iran, North Korea and a few other rogue states. Over lunch, he will figure out how to quickly withdraw U.S. troops from the Middle East without triggering chaos in the region.

During afternoon coffee, he will reconcile the global warming issue while figuring out how to give the U.S. energy independence by 2020. He will also cut importation taxes on Brazilian ethanol produced from sugar cane (oh, that was McCain's line).

You get the idea. But here is my two cents.

We should expect great things from our leaders. However, let's not delude ourselves.

Change doesn't start in the White House. It starts at my house.

The gospel is about transformation from the inside out. Consider John the Baptist's words...

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."
"What should we do then?" the crowd asked.
John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same."
Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?"
"Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?"
He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay." (Luke 3:7-14, NIV)

The bottom line

2008-11-04T09:47:00.004-02:00

We called in the experts! Gilmar and Gilberto (left) examined the financial reports of the Vida Nova publishing house in a recent meeting, and concluded that the ministry/business is healthy. In fact, they evaluated our efficiency ratio (income per employee) and found that it is on par with many successful multi-national corporations!

Our CEO, Ken Davis (right) is the one who keeps us on track. His conservative management has kept Vida Nova viable in a turbulent market. As vice president, I observe and advise as much as possible, although some of the finance-speak is a bit over my head!

Celebrity book signing

2008-10-27T17:59:00.004-02:00

After an extended ocean voyage, the Portuguese version of the Manga Messiah arrived on Saturday at the Vida Nova publishing house here in Sao Paulo. Twenty thousand copies were printed in Japan.

Here, Lalia, who translated the book into Portuguese, signs a copy for one of her WorldVenture colleagues.

The Manga Messiah is the story of Jesus in a Japanese comic format. It is part of a five-book series that will eventually cover the whole Bible.

Does Black Monday have a silver lining?

2008-10-07T18:47:00.008-03:00

By now you are tired of the thousands of talking heads blathering on about the crash. I'm here to give you a new angle on the news.

Although the floundering stock market is eroding our U.S.-based retirement funds, here in Brazil we are getting some temporary relief from the storm.

The dollar, which had sunk to 10-year lows in 2008, has jumped about 40% in value against the Brazilian currency in the last two weeks.

Wait! Why should a worldwide banking crisis cause the dollar to rise in value overseas? It seems counter intuitive. Here's how it plays out in Brazil. International investors are selling their assets here and and taking their dollars elsewhere to cover their commitments. And not only are investors selling Brazilian stocks, they are not buying like they used to, because they don't have the money. Result: fewer dollars in Brazil, pushing the price of greenbacks upward! Simple supply and demand.

However, before you rush to invest dollars in Brazil, let me suggest one caveat: tomorrow everything could be different!

Retreaded and still rolling

2008-09-24T10:43:00.007-03:00

Last week we took a virtual tour of the Arab world, “hearing” the call to prayer in Arabic, feeling the drama of Ramadan, sensing the spiritual hunger of Muslims looking for something more.

Our tour guides were David and Carol Wilson, long-time friends from Minneapolis. They served God 12 years in Jordan, seeing him work in difficult circumstances. Here in Sao Paulo, they taught seminary students (4 nights), pastors and church members (2 nights) about Islam and how to point Muslims to Jesus.

There are about 2 million Muslims in Brazil—one percent of the population. Brazilians have much greater access to Muslims than Americans, because there are fewer political barriers to cross.

Did I mention that the Wilsons are “retreaded”? We were challenged by their passion for this group of people which represent the fastest growing religion on the globe. Dave and Carol, thanks for modeling long-term faithfulness to Jesus.

So, what attracts Muslims to Jesus? (It’s definitely not Christianity!) The Master’s love, compassion, kindness and gentleness stand in sharp contrast to the harsh demands of a religion based on submission. Many Muslims are beginning to realize that the imposition of Sharia law does not change the hearts of people.

To learn more about Islam and Muslims, the Wilsons recommend the following resources: Web: http://www.answering-islam.org/
Book: Building Bridges, Fouad Elias Accad (NavPress: Colorado Springs, 1997).

In the photo at right, Lalia interprets Dave Wilson's seminar into Portuguese (the language of the angels).

Book Review: Their God Is Too Small

2008-09-03T15:05:00.006-03:00

One of my occasional tasks is to review and evaluate books for possible publication in Portuguese. This post allows you to peek over my shoulder at a recent review I wrote for the Vida Nova publishers in Sao Paulo. It gives an idea of what kinds of things are important in our decision making process.

BOOK REVIEW AND EVALUATION FOR PUBLICATION:

Bruce A. Ware. Their God Is Too Small: Open Theism and the Undermining of Confidence in God. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2003. (142 pages)

Bruce A. Ware. God’s Lesser Glory: The Diminished God of Open Theism. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2000. (240 pages)

Bruce A Ware. God’s Greater Glory: The Exalted God of Scripture and the Christian Faith. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2004. (254 pages)

Bruce Ware’s three books on open theism (most commonly known in Brazil as teologia relacional or teísmo aberto) are a response to the increasing influence of some evangelicals in the U.S. who advocate a limited view of God. Ware has a systematic style characterized by irenic, yet firm, Bible-based reasoning. He does not resort to name-calling, but rather allows the logical force of his argumentation to carry the reader to an irresistible conclusion, i.e., that the God of open theists is severely truncated in comparison to the exalted God of the Scriptures.

As I considered these books for possible publication in Brazil, my first question was: Is open theism an issue for Brazilian evangelicals? At least three indicators seem to point to an affirmative answer. First, Luiz Sayão says that he has been asked repeatedly to speak on this subject. He told me that he considers open theism to be a current topic of concern among pastors and Christian leaders in Brazil. AG Pastor Ricardo Gondim has been one of the most vocal proponents of teologia relacional.

Second, Franklin Ferreira and Alan Myatt devote a considerable amount of ink to the issue in their Teologia Sistemática (see page 308-348). They comment: “O teísmo aberto tem chegado a alguns círculos teológicos no Brasil, notadamente entre os pentecostais...” (p. 310).

Third, according to the bibliography in Teologia Sistemática, there are already a number of books on the Brazilian market which directly address the subject of open theism:

John Frame, Não há outro Deus: uma resposta ao teísmo aberto (Cultura Cristã, 2006).
John Piper et al, Teísmo aberto: uma teologia além dos limites bíblicos (Vida, 2006).
Douglas Wilson (org.), Eu (não) sei (mais) em quem tenho crido: a falácia do teísmo relacional (Cultura Cristã, 2006).
R. K. McGregor Wright, A soberania banida: redenção para a cultura pós-moderna. (Cultura Cristã, 1998).

Therefore, there seems to be a Brazilian context for the publication of good material in this area. It would make sense for EVN to have at least one title on open theism, not just to hop on the bandwagon, but to provide one more conservative theological perspective on the issue.

Of the three books reviewed, I would first recommend publication of Their God Is Too Small. At 142 pages, it is 40 percent smaller than the other two books (maybe less, considering the wider line spacing), yet still provides a good introduction to the issues surrounding the debate. It is written at a popular level, and is therefore accessible to the high school educated Brazilian reader. The table of contents is as follows:

Open Theism and Christian Faith
Open Theism and God’s Foreknowledge
Open Theism and Suffering
Open Theism and Prayer
Open Theism and Hope

If we incorporated the word “Introduction” in the title of the Portuguese edition, we could leave the door open for later publication of the expanded version, God’s Lesser Glory, which is definitely a seminary-level discussion of the debate.

The third book, God’s Greater Glory, is not so much a direct refutation of open theism but an exposition of the doctrine of divine providence. Nevertheless, its underlying (stated) purpose is to provide a sharp contrast to the limited God of open theism. This could be a companion volume to God’s Lesser Glory or, alternatively, could be published in place of it, after the introductory book.

Curt Kregness

São Paulo, 24 August 2008

Leftovers again?

2008-08-23T13:32:00.008-03:00

Did you know that Jesus' miraculous multiplication of bread has an Old Testament counterpart?

I didn't realize this until I started working on a new project for the Vida Nova publishing house: checking and revising cross references for a new study Bible.

[Vida Nova already has a study Bible in its catalog, using a Portuguese translation licensed by the Brazilian Bible Society. The new study Bible will be based on a new translation prepared by our own team of Hebrew and Greek scholars here in Brazil, called the Almeida Século 21 (Almeida Century 21).]

Although painstaking, the work of cross references is fascinating. The New Testament was not written in a vacuum, of course. The Old Testament background is deep and essential to understanding the message of the Gospels, Acts and Letters. If you have any doubts, check out Jesus' encounter with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: And beginning with Moses and the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:27, NIV)

So where is bread multiplied in the OT? Take a look at 2 Kings 4:42-44 (NIV):

A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha said.
"How can I set this before a hundred men?" his servant asked. But Elisha answered, "Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the LORD says: 'They will eat and have some left over.' " Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.

See the similarities to the accounts in Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6? Even down to the incredulity of the servant and the leftovers! There is, however, an amazing difference in proportions. Elisha feeds 100 men with 20 loaves (5:1 ratio), but Jesus feeds 5,000 men with only 5 loaves (1,000:1 ratio)! Don't you get the feeling that God wanted to emphasize the fact that, in Jesus' case, You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased?

We have no greater joy...

2008-08-03T13:12:00.011-03:00

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 4 NIV

Lalia and I experienced some of that joy when we visited Alan recently in Minneapolis.

Jennifer Hayes, Alan's girlfriend, appears with him in the first photo. Jennifer is studying veterinary medicine at the University of Minnesota.

Alan continues as an English major at Northwestern College. He also works at a popular electronics store.

Shedding light on the "Dark Ages"

2008-06-15T10:40:00.008-03:00

As I had lunch yesterday with a teacher from Stony Brook School in Long Island, NY, I learned of a fascinating lecture series available for free on the web. Lars Brownworth, a history teacher at Stony Brook, uncovers some of the mysteries of the Byzantine Empire as he looks at 12 of its most influential emperors.

I listened to the introductory lecture this morning, and I think I'm hooked. Lars teaches in a conversational style with non-technical language. His lectures are not long--15 to 20 minutes on the average. You can listen in real time on the web or download in mp3 format. You iPod users can also find these goodies on iTunes.

At a time when the East is gaining attention in world affairs, this series promises to give us greater understanding of the issues behind today's headlines.

Here's the link: http://www.anders.com/lectures/lars_brownworth/12_byzantine_rulers/

Baggage recycling

2008-06-12T09:50:00.004-03:00

Lost baggage can be a good thing.

We discovered this last week when we assisted with translation for a team of optometrists from Alabama, who were here in Sao Paulo on a short term missions trip.

Believers from the Lions Club had received hundreds of pairs of glasses from the unclaimed baggage center in northeastern Alabama. Optometrists and other volunteers classified the glasses according to degree of lens correction.

Armed with portable eye-testing equipment and a suitcase full of glasses, the group arrived in Sao Paulo and went to work. A Brazilian Baptist pastor had contacted the local public school to get permission to test the children's eyesight and fit them with reading glasses, if possible. Adults from a GED-type program were also included in the campaign.

In a 3-day period, several hundred people--who could not afford to purchase eyeware--were tested and fitted with glasses. Gospel tracts were distributed and the local church received greater visibility in the neighborhood.

Curt is pictured here with one of the American volunteers and an eager candidate for "new" reading glasses!

Two new books on sale

2008-05-26T14:41:00.006-03:00

We both continue to edit and translate books for the Brazilian church. (This is not our only ministry activity, but it is probably the main event right now.)

I was the editor for the Manual de primeiros socorros para ministério com jovens e adolescentes (Emergency Response Handbook for Youth Ministries). The book is aimed at youth leaders and parents, providing an overview of 12 different crises facing youth today. Each chapter gives practical ideas for helping students at their points of need.

My job included checking the accuracy of the translation and making some minor adaptations for the Brazilian context. Unlike most books, for this one I wrote an additional chapter which addressed a crisis which is more acute for youth in Brazil: employment.

Lalia's strong suit is translation from English to Portuguese. Another one of her literary "children" just came off the press: Zooclopédia: 52 mensagens e lições bíblicas do mundo animal (Zoopedia: 52 Bible lessons from the animal world). This book is aimed at teachers of children from 6 to 11 years, and provides step-by-step lesson instructions. It is gratifying to know that the many hours invested in crafting a good Portuguese translation are now making a difference for teachers all over Brazil!

The Creator's Majesty, Part 2

2008-05-25T11:58:00.007-03:00

"...since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20 NIV

While Lalia and I were walking inside our condominium grounds today, we were attracted by the beauty of these orchids.

Joy delayed is not joy denied

2008-05-23T19:28:00.005-03:00

I have to admit that there might be some redeeming value in shopping. Before you think I've gone off the deep end, read on...

Lalia recently visited a women's clothing store recommended by a friend. Since the shopping experience is as much about social interaction as it is about keeping up on the latest trends, she had soon struck up a friendship with the owner.

To make a long story short, the store owner told Lalia of another friend who had her life transformed at a Christmas tea several years ago. Her old paradigms were turned upside down.

She had never heard anyone talk that way about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Normally, Baptists and other Protestants in Brazil relegate Mary to the footnotes of their Bibles. But that afternoon someone gave Mary her rightful place in history and the Scriptures, praised Mary for the right reasons, and ultimately pointed to her Savior and Lord.

The person who delivered the Bible message at that Christmas tea was Lalia. More than 3 years later, we were able to rejoice, because of what God's Spirit had done.

"...we had to celebrate and be glad, because this [sister] of yours was dead and is alive again; [she] was lost and is found." Luke 15:32

THE CREATOR'S MAJESTY UP CLOSE

2008-05-01T15:59:00.005-03:00

During a WorldVenture leadership training event this week, we sang and talked and prayed about God's majesty. Yesterday, we saw a part of it--up close and personal. The photos here are a meager glimpse of that glory at Iguaçu Falls, on the border between Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

In the bottom photo, Lalia laughs with Sylvia Engel (WorldVenture, Caracas, Venezuela) on the train inside the Argentine national park.

POW! SMASH! KABOOM!

2008-04-22T15:29:00.004-03:00

One recent afternoon, Lalia and I wandered down the street to the newsstand. In a few minutes, we returned home with a small stack of comic books and sat down to work.

No, we’re not in our second childhood! We are researching the contemporary language used in Brazilian comic books, in order to translate the Manga Messiah into Portuguese. This 280-page Japanese comic version of the life of Christ is a first for the Brazilian evangelical book market.

In Japan, manga style comics sell at a monthly rate of at least 120 million copies. Their unique visual style has become a significant part of the 21^st century world pop culture. Manga Messiah leverages this effective story-telling medium to communicate the gospel to today’s highly connected youth culture.

Lalia and I thoroughly enjoyed working together on this project. We laughed frequently, looking for the “hip” word or phrase. It was a welcome change of pace from the traditional books we are used to translating and editing!

OK... time to get back to work. Now, what was the word for "WAAOOW!"? How about "THUP THUP"?

Some of our best source material in Portuguese is a series of comic books by Maurício de Sousa, a long-time cartoonist. Tough research...whatever it takes!

My amazing Greek students

2008-03-31T16:36:00.004-03:00

Meet my New Testament Greek students. They are simply amazing. Not necessarily because they excel at Greek (most of them struggle, as I do). They are amazing because of their stamina and determination. They attend Bible college classes 4 or 5 nights a week, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Most of them work full time, are active in their local church, and have families.

The photo with the smaller number of students is the Greek I class, and the larger group is Greek III. I have both classes on Thursday nights, and look forward to their stimulating questions. My goal is to get them into the Greek text as much as possible (can you see some of my Greek scribbling on the chalkboard in the lower photo?).

When do they have time to study? Good question! On the bus, after midnight, weekends. They do what they have to do. And because they believe that God has called them to serve the Brazilian church, they press on. They want to be well-prepared. I admire their commitment and introduce them to you, so that you can do the same.

Passover Seder essential for understanding NT

2008-03-24T10:45:00.005-03:00

Last night, on Easter Sunday, our pastor walked through the details of the traditional Jewish Passover meal, known as the Seder. It convinced me that every believer should have this experience. Why? When the reader has a grasp of the Jewish background, many parts of the NT leap from black and white into technicolor.

One example: During the Passover meal, Jesus breaks the bread and says, "This is my body, given for you..." The bread that Jesus used was the matsa (unleavened bread, to symbolize the absence of sin). It had first been broken into 3 pieces. Jesus then took the middle piece and broke it again. Traditionally, part of that broken middle piece was placed inside a white linen cloth and "hidden" in another part of the home. Later in the meal, that cloth would be "found" and the family would rejoice together. If this sounds a little like Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, you have caught the excitement of the early Jewish Christians, who realized the incredible symbolism in the Passover meal!

Transforming lives through the Word

2008-03-17T15:08:00.007-03:00

Since we returned from the States last year, Lalia and I have been attending a church plant here in São Paulo, Igreja Batista Nações Unidas (see photo, Pastor Luiz Sayão). About a year old, it is a Brazilian Baptist church, but with a non-traditional model. The mission statement is simple: “Transformando Vidas Pela Palavra” (Transforming lives through the Word). We meet in a convention center located on one of the major urban expressways. The preaching is expository. The teaching ministry avoids the Sunday school mold and focuses on biblical theology, even to the point of testing students with periodic exams.

At the pastor’s request, I started teaching a Sunday afternoon English Bible class (just before the worship celebration). Internally, the class is known as a “bridge” event to serve those who are searching for spiritual meaning. We are enjoying the smallness of the congregation, after spending four years in a mega-church (by Brazilian standards) environment.

Last night during the worship celebration we heard from a missionary sponsored by the church, who works with evangelism in the Middle East. Until God transformed him, he was a member of Hamas, in charge of rigging bombs for use on targets in Israel. Now he risks his life to take the explosive power of the gospel to his fellow Palestinians and peoples in North Africa.

Too many books

2008-03-07T18:20:00.004-03:00

"Paul, you're crazy! You've read too many books, spent too much time staring off into space! Get a grip on yourself, get back in the real world!" (Acts 26:24, The Message)

Sometimes I feel a little like Festus’ evaluation of Paul.

Our ministry revolves around books, but I was able to “get back in the real world” this week as I hopped the bus and subway to a government office in downtown Sao Paulo. I was on mission business, the latest in a series of frustrated attempts to register some important documents. I spent half an hour in the government office and 2-1/2 hours in transit. Maybe this time the red tape vigilantes will give us the green light. I will only find out two weeks from now.

Back to books. Get a grip! I finally finished editing/proofreading the latest book for Vida Nova publishers: Group’s Emergency Response Handbook for Youth Ministry (the Portuguese version, of course). Besides correcting the translation (Brazil translators don’t always “get the drift” of the English text), I also wrote an additional chapter which addressed the problem of employment for young people in Brazil. It’s a different reality here, and we wanted to contextualize our book for Brazilian youth workers. Lalia did a final reading for the finer points of Portuguese grammar and style which are still out of my reach. We make a good editing team.

International Women's Day

2008-03-07T18:17:00.004-03:00

I usually think of the U.S. as having the corner on political correctness, but I had never heard of International Women’s Day (March 8) until I arrived in Brazil. It’s a pretty big deal here. Advertisers use it to hawk their products. Politicians use it to garner votes. Employers use it to keep their female employees happy. And sometimes it even shows up in churches.

Using the hook of International Women’s Day, Lalia will give a Bible message on Sunday, March 9, at the church pastored by her brother Nelson. In a separate event on Saturday, she is the featured speaker at the women’s Easter tea, sponsored by the Morumbi Baptist Church. Hundreds of women will attend, including many seeking faith. I’m suspect, of course, but those of you who have heard Lalia speak know that she has a great gift of communication. Just think what she can do in her first language, Portuguese!

Deadlines

2008-02-09T18:00:00.001-02:00

Deadlines are good motivators. While I don't work well under a lot of pressure, I find that deadlines help me focus on a task and filter out a lot of unnecessary stuff. Not to mention that it's a great feeling when you finally check the item off your list.

One of those deadlines on my February calendar is a new book for the Vida Nova publishing house. I am now proofreading the translation to make sure it is faithful to the original. (I can't reveal the title, but I can say that it is aimed at leaders of youth, their parents and friends.) Along the way I make occasional grammatical revisions, consulting with my live-in Portuguese language expert, Lalia.

The book deals with crises that youth face, like depression, divorce, addictions, grief, sex, relationships, and others. With the publisher's permission, we decided to add a chapter on employment to the Portuguese language edition, because that is a huge crisis in Brazil. I'll be writing that chapter based on interviews and other information.

One more deadline. Next week, classes begin at the local Baptist seminary. This semester I will be teaching first and third semester Greek. I'm looking forward to the challenge of making Greek understandable and even desirable. How is that possible? One goal is to teach students how to glean the goodies from Greek reference books. Another priority is to constantly remind students that Greek is a means to knowing God better, not an end in itself. This perspective keeps us humble, too!

Oh yeah. The photo was taken from our living room window a few evenings ago. Intense colors courtesy of Sao Paulo's high particulate levels!

PROMIFÉ, January 2008

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PROMIFÉ = a Portuguese acronym for Projeto Missionário de Férias, or Vacation Missionary Project.

PROMIFÉ is always a life-changing experience.

Twice a year, in January and July, dozens of Brazilian young people come together for a full week of evangelism and leadership training. They share the gospel good news through home visits, kids clubs and the Jesus film. Local church partners are responsible for follow-up.

This time, Curt "roughed it" with the students, sleeping on the floor in a public school (remember, this is summer vacation break). He gave the message at one of the victory celebrations at the end of the week.

One of the highlights of the week was the emergence of a new crop of leaders, which should allow the project to flourish. They dream of implanting the PROMIFÉ idea in Angola during the next several years.

Along with these photos of PROMIFÉ, here are some other images from this week that will stay with me:

seeing a pair of young people kneeling with two children on a city sidewalk in a gospel-driven encounter.
hearing Andrew Trawick tell of his faith journey and the power of love to change his rebellious heart.
learning the theology of the voids, in which God uses voids in our lives to draw us closer to him.
cheering godly Brazilian young people who are grabbing the baton of leadership.
serving with young people who have a passion for Jesus and the gospel.

If you or your church group (adults included) would like to participate in this life-changing project, please contact us at ckregness@worldventure.net.

Sizzling in Sao Paulo

2008-01-07T14:40:00.000-02:00

From warm and rainy Sao Paulo, we send New Year’s greetings to all, with thanks for your indefatigable partnership in our ministry.

January is summer vacation here, but we look forward to a full schedule of work-related activities.

Jan. 12 to 20: We travel 250 miles north to the small town of Ibiraçi, for another Promifé (a Portuguese acronym for “Vacation Missionary Project”). Dozens of Brazilian young people come together from various churches and denominations with a common goal: share their love for Jesus and the transforming power of the gospel. Our role is encouragement and service to the leadership of the project. We need your prayers for physical stamina, as well as for open minds and hearts.

Lalia continues to translate from English into Portuguese a book of 52 Bible lessons for children (320 pages, large format). Special challenges in this project are adaptations of puzzles, poems and music. This is where Lalia’s creative neurons start to flash frenetically.

Curt is heading up the editorial process for two new books: a handbook for youth workers and a book of object talks for kids. Both are being translated by Brazilian free-lancers, but the former requires an additional chapter to fit the Brazilian context. Curt will check the translations line by line to see if they are accurate and faithful to the original text.

Other books in the pipeline under Curt’s care are an introduction to Christian counseling, being written by a Brazilian author, and the revision of a series of discipleship self-study workbooks.

In the red tape trophy category, Curt has been trying for more than a month to get some official papers registered for both the publishing house and the mission. There’s nothing like bureaucracy to build patience!

Seminary classes start in February, after Carnaval. Curt has been asked to teach New Testament Greek again. The challenge is to present the material clearly, but in a way that will also challenge and motivate. Many students do not have a good grasp of Portuguese language and grammar, and this is a big roadblock to success. However, I take heart in the fact that the teacher always learns more than the student!

2007 at a glance

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Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people… to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness. Zechariah’s song, Luke 1:68, 74

Joy for the journey

The Lord’s breakthrough in the back roads of Israel “enables us to serve him without fear.” We’re taking that into 2008.

We revel in God's goodness as we look back at 2007:

after a profitable study term, we returned to Brazil in June;
Alan started his 2nd year at Northwestern, debt-free;
a great group from Bethany Baptist Church of Peoria came to help with Promifé evangelism in July;
besides the usual translation projects, Lalia enjoyed proofreading the OT for a new Portuguese Bible translation;
Curt readied the final Portuguese text of George Barna’s Think Like Jesus;
Greek teaching allows Curt to sharpen biblical language skills;
we are mentoring Minneapolis friend Karen Sipes, who arrived in October for a year of work with children at risk;
we had warm fellowship with Nils Friberg during his 2-month teaching ministry in Brazil;
many faithful supporters continue to pray and give on a regular basis;
God is giving us a stronger desire to seek him daily.

Looking ahead to 2008, pray with us for the following concerns:

Lalia’s ministry to women, both one-on-one and in small group Bible studies;
Curt’s pastoral role as field leader (also administrative duties);
Alan’s direction for the future, as well as personal and spiritual growth;
Relationships transformed by God’s power;
The weakening US dollar steadily erodes our buying power;
Greater dependence on God for all our needs.

Routine stuff with God

2007-12-21T17:07:00.000-02:00

Gabriel told astonished Mary that she was going to be the mother of a king. “Oh, and by the way, Elizabeth (who is old and everyone said would never have children), is six months pregnant. That’s because there will never be anything impossible with God.” (Luke 1.36-37, my translation)

Gabriel’s sweeping declaration has a familiar ring. It immediately took Mary (and the audience of Luke’s gospel) to a story she had heard many times before. Almost two thousand years earlier, in a tree-shaded tent, another incredulous woman was told she would give birth to a son. Elderly Sarah chuckled. Just like Elizabeth, she had long since lost hope of being a mother. The Lord reacted, “Why are you laughing? Is anything too hard (wonderful) for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:13-14, ESV). Of course not! was the implied answer. This is routine stuff for God.

Isaac’s arrival wasn’t just a pleasant surprise for Abraham and Sarah; it was God’s special delivery on his promise. Abraham would be the father of a great nation, and this would cause blessing for all peoples of the earth (Genesis 12:1-3). Could John’s and Jesus’ arrival also be the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people? This seems to be one of the important themes in Luke’s gospel.

The “nothing is impossible for God” motif has other echoes in Scripture. During Babylon’s siege of Jerusalem, God gives prophet Jeremiah a strange order. In the presence of witnesses, he should pay cash for a field which happens to be in territory occupied by the enemy! (This, after God had already told Jeremiah that Jerusalem will be overthrown.) Why would he throw away money like that? Jeremiah transmits God’s logic behind the plan: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land” (Jeremiah 32:15).

Then Jeremiah grabs some perspective as he worships God: “It is you who has made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you” (32:17). Sound familiar? Jeremiah’s prayer ends something like this: “You miraculously delivered Israel from captivity in Egypt and gave them a fantastic homeland. But they disobeyed you and now they’re in a heap of trouble. You have told me that Jerusalem is going to be overrun by the Babylonian army, as a direct judgment of the people’s sinful behavior. And yet you tell me to invest in a field!” Talk about a depressed real estate market!

We hear Gabriel’s theme again when God answers Jeremiah: “I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” (32.27). The implied answer is No! When things seem impossible for humans, God says, “Leave it to me.” In the face of certain destruction, God tells Jeremiah that he will bring his people back, cause them to live in security and will make an “everlasting covenant” with them. I’m sure this story was also on Luke’s radar as he wrote his gospel treatise.

We hear the familiar melody one more time in the OT. As he did with Jeremiah, God also told prophet Zechariah about the restoration of the remnant. Describing the future peace of Jerusalem, God says that elderly men and women will again sit in the streets, the same streets where boys and girls will play (Zechariah 8:4-5). “If this is marvelous in the sight of the remnant…should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts?” (8:6) Or, “If it is too difficult in the sight of the remnant…will it also be too difficult in my sight?” (NASB). Again, the implied answer is No! Why? Because the Lord Almighty is speaking.

Now, as we return to Gabriel’s conversation with Mary, it seems that the melody has blossomed into a full orchestral arrangement: “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

No impossibles with God

2007-12-18T17:41:00.000-02:00

I had one of those “aha” moments on Sunday as I was looking at a familiar text in Luke’s Christmas story. When Mary questions Gabriel about her soon-to-be motherhood, the angel gives her a living example of God’s power: her relative Elizabeth, after a lifetime of barrenness, is also going to give birth. Then he raises the stakes: “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37, ESV)

Since I started studying (and now teaching) New Testament Greek, I enjoy checking the Greek text whenever possible. What I saw in this verse was interesting. Behind the word “nothing” is the term rhema, which can be translated, depending on the context, as thing, object, matter or event. (For example, the same word appears in the following chapter, verse 15, when the shepherds decide to “go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.”)

But in the NT rhema is more often translated as word. And that is exactly what happens in the next verse, when Mary responds to Gabriel’s news. She says, “Behold, I am the servant/slave of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

So we have rhema used in two slightly different ways in the same context. It’s almost a play on words. The way I read the two verses, Mary's response is more significant because she repeats the word rhema (the same idea could have been expressed with another word). It is as if she is saying, "If no rhema is outside of God's power, then let his rhema be fulfilled in my life."

For those of us needing to experience more of the Sacred Romance, that sounds like a great place to start in 2008.

Stay tuned for a look at Gabriel’s inspiration for his sweeping declaration in Luke 1:37. (See the post labeled "Routine stuff with God".)