In the last blog posting I wrote about TheCall: Detroit that took place November 11 in the heart
of the city. As I watched portions of the 24-hour assembly where Christians prayed for the city, I
was touched by how Christ-centered and Spirit-inspired it was. The assembly was characterized
by lively faith, anointed prayer, and powerful praise to the Triune God. The attendees reflected a
loving heart for the city of Detroit. The tension, conflict, disorder, and disunity that have come to
characterize the Occupy Wall Street people were not evident among the 30,000 or so people who
took part in TheCall: Detroit.
There were religious leaders in Detroit who opposed what TheCall and its promoter Lou Eng-
els were attempting to do at the prayer assembly.The pastor of an historic Black church in De-
troit charged that TheCall would divide rather than unite with its message of hate. It was label-
led anti-Muslim, anti-homosexual, and anti-abortion. A Muslim cleric was concerned that the
attendees of the assembly would go into the city's streets to vandalize mosques and persecute
Muslim people. Apparently there was a group of Christian pastors who denounced Engels as
un-Christian, un-American, and idolatrous. They even criticized the pastors of some of Detroit's
largest African-American churches for being deceived by Engels. Engels and TheCall move-
ment were charged by a small group of religious leaders with being connected to the radical re-
ligious right and bringing divisiveness and fear into the city by its politics of deception.
An African-American cleric organized a small group of protesters that marched from Occupy
Detroit to where people were gathering for TheCall assembly. Nearly fifty demonstrators pro-
tested at the entrance of TheCall, displayed protest signs, listened to the minister give a speech,
and then left after an hour. I am saddened by the conduct of the ministers and their little flocks
of protesters. They represent the slow decline of the historic mainline Christian denominations.
They are fixated on fighting injustice, racism, the loss of reproductive rights, homophobia, ex-
clusivism, and so on. It is most unfortunate that they are blind to Christ's death for the forgive-
ness of sin, his burial, his resurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven where he sits at
the right hand of theFather as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and his coming again in power
and glory.
It is hard for me to understand the protests against Lou Engels and TheCall. Where I perceived
a mass outpouring of Christian unity, love for Jesus Christ, and love for all people, there was a
small group of Christian leaders, people of mainline denominations, and other protesters who on-
ly saw hatred and bigotry. The result was that they went berserk. Two radically different per-
spectives on things were exhibited. It makes me wonder where their hearts are. I stand with
TheCall, not with the protesters.
Blessings to you and yours,
Friday, November 25, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
A Tale of Two Movements
Early one Saturday morning not too long ago, I went to the daily city-wide Morning Prayer at a
local church. I noticed more cars than usual in the parking lot and more people than usual in the sanctuary. Several young people looked as if they had been there all night. They were watching
a live feed of the 24-hour solemn assembly of prayer, fasting, and calling on God that was taking
place at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The assembly, called TheCall: Detroit 11/11/11, began
at 3:00 pm on Friday, and would conclude at 3:00 pm Saturday. There wasn't Morning Prayer
that day, but I stayed and watched the live feed of TheCall: Detroit. That meant that the 24-hour
program of the assembly was broadcast live over the internet. Even though we were in Longview, Washington, we could take part to some extent in what was happening in Detroit at TheCall.
Later I searched the internet and found out more about TheCall Movement. For over ten years,
hundreds of thousands of Christians have been called to solemn assemblies for times of prayer,
fasting, repentance, and worship. Sponsors of TheCall have recognized that in view of the self-centeredness, idolatry, and sin in the land, there is a desperate need for God's mercy upon the
people. They hope in Christ that Christians across the nation would unite and experience anoth-
er great spiritual awakening. Lou Engle, the visionary co-founder of TheCall Movement, has or-
chestrated seventeen assemblies across the nation over the past decade. The first one took place
in the year 2000 when 400,000 people showed up for TheCall: Washington, DC. Between 10,000
and 35,000 people, and sometimes more, have been in attendance at the other assemblies. There
have been a variety of themes for the assemblies: a cry for justice, righteousness, and compas-
sion in our nation; a call to end abortion and to promote Pro-Life issues; prayer for revival and
the nation's turn to a biblical worldview; and a plea to God for righteous government leaders and
social justice in the USA.
Even though Morning Prayer was cancelled for the day, I continued to watch the solemn assem-
bly on live feed from Detroit. The cameras panned the crowd that had assembled. Since it was a
24-hour affair, people came and went. I read later that upwards to 40,000 people had attended the assembly. The cameras showed a diversity of people, but I was struck that teens and twenty-
somethings composed the majority. People were reading their Bibles, praying, and raising their
arms in worship. On stage there were different praise leaders and teams every two hours. The
singing was worshipful and peaceful. Also on stage were different groups of people leading the
assembly in prayer for Detroit and the world. People from all over the USA were there to pray
for the people of Detroit as they faced the challenges of economic collapse, racial tension, the
growing presence of Islam in the Detroit area, and the shedding of innocent blood on the streets
and in the womb. People prayed to God for forgiveness, revival, Christian unity, and social jus-
tice. The focus was on Christ and it was evident that the Holy Spirit was powerfully present
among them.
In contrast to the ten-year TheCall Movement (TCM) is the now two-month old Occupy Wall
Street Movement (OWS). I have a strong sense of Christian kinship with the former and no re-
spect for the latter. TCM abides in the love of the Father, stands with Christ crucified, and lives
in the power of the Holy Spirit. OWS stands for misguided and misinformed people who bring
conflict, tension, envy, and disorder in whatever place they choose to occupy. They are a people
without God and without hope. The 30,000 or so people who took part in TheCall Detroit gath-
ered together to pray for the peace of the city and to see life in Christ manifested there. They
were united because they were focused on praising and worshipping Jesus Christ. Tens of thou-
sands of people in Detroit and across the USA were united together for the cause of Christ and
his kingdom. But only disunity and conflict have been manifested when thousands of OWS peo-
ple across the cities of the nation and the world have come together to occupy city centers. I pray
that Jesus would capture the allegiance of the Occupy Wall Street protesters, that they would re-
ceive life in all its fulness that only Jesus can give, and that they would commit themselves to
Christ and his kingdom. May it be so, Lord Jesus.
Blessings to you and yours,
local church. I noticed more cars than usual in the parking lot and more people than usual in the sanctuary. Several young people looked as if they had been there all night. They were watching
a live feed of the 24-hour solemn assembly of prayer, fasting, and calling on God that was taking
place at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The assembly, called TheCall: Detroit 11/11/11, began
at 3:00 pm on Friday, and would conclude at 3:00 pm Saturday. There wasn't Morning Prayer
that day, but I stayed and watched the live feed of TheCall: Detroit. That meant that the 24-hour
program of the assembly was broadcast live over the internet. Even though we were in Longview, Washington, we could take part to some extent in what was happening in Detroit at TheCall.
Later I searched the internet and found out more about TheCall Movement. For over ten years,
hundreds of thousands of Christians have been called to solemn assemblies for times of prayer,
fasting, repentance, and worship. Sponsors of TheCall have recognized that in view of the self-centeredness, idolatry, and sin in the land, there is a desperate need for God's mercy upon the
people. They hope in Christ that Christians across the nation would unite and experience anoth-
er great spiritual awakening. Lou Engle, the visionary co-founder of TheCall Movement, has or-
chestrated seventeen assemblies across the nation over the past decade. The first one took place
in the year 2000 when 400,000 people showed up for TheCall: Washington, DC. Between 10,000
and 35,000 people, and sometimes more, have been in attendance at the other assemblies. There
have been a variety of themes for the assemblies: a cry for justice, righteousness, and compas-
sion in our nation; a call to end abortion and to promote Pro-Life issues; prayer for revival and
the nation's turn to a biblical worldview; and a plea to God for righteous government leaders and
social justice in the USA.
Even though Morning Prayer was cancelled for the day, I continued to watch the solemn assem-
bly on live feed from Detroit. The cameras panned the crowd that had assembled. Since it was a
24-hour affair, people came and went. I read later that upwards to 40,000 people had attended the assembly. The cameras showed a diversity of people, but I was struck that teens and twenty-
somethings composed the majority. People were reading their Bibles, praying, and raising their
arms in worship. On stage there were different praise leaders and teams every two hours. The
singing was worshipful and peaceful. Also on stage were different groups of people leading the
assembly in prayer for Detroit and the world. People from all over the USA were there to pray
for the people of Detroit as they faced the challenges of economic collapse, racial tension, the
growing presence of Islam in the Detroit area, and the shedding of innocent blood on the streets
and in the womb. People prayed to God for forgiveness, revival, Christian unity, and social jus-
tice. The focus was on Christ and it was evident that the Holy Spirit was powerfully present
among them.
In contrast to the ten-year TheCall Movement (TCM) is the now two-month old Occupy Wall
Street Movement (OWS). I have a strong sense of Christian kinship with the former and no re-
spect for the latter. TCM abides in the love of the Father, stands with Christ crucified, and lives
in the power of the Holy Spirit. OWS stands for misguided and misinformed people who bring
conflict, tension, envy, and disorder in whatever place they choose to occupy. They are a people
without God and without hope. The 30,000 or so people who took part in TheCall Detroit gath-
ered together to pray for the peace of the city and to see life in Christ manifested there. They
were united because they were focused on praising and worshipping Jesus Christ. Tens of thou-
sands of people in Detroit and across the USA were united together for the cause of Christ and
his kingdom. But only disunity and conflict have been manifested when thousands of OWS peo-
ple across the cities of the nation and the world have come together to occupy city centers. I pray
that Jesus would capture the allegiance of the Occupy Wall Street protesters, that they would re-
ceive life in all its fulness that only Jesus can give, and that they would commit themselves to
Christ and his kingdom. May it be so, Lord Jesus.
Blessings to you and yours,
Sunday, November 13, 2011
A Time to Mourn
Recently I was saddened to read accounts in a federal grand jury report of the sex-
ual abuse of eight boys by a former assistant coach of the Penn State football team.
It was especially disturbing to me that there were several witnesses connected to
the university's athletic program who observed various acts of rape and sodomy of
the boys by the assistant coach. Even though a witness did report what he saw to
university authorities, they took no action. The grand jury found that university ath-
letic officials had first-hand and other credible knowledge of the sexual abuse of
boys by the coach, but failed to put a stop to what he was doing. Nor did they re-
port him to the police. Thus Penn State University was found to have been harbor-
ing and enabling a serial child sex abuser for over ten years.
As a result, the former assistant football coach was arrested by the police and
charged with forty counts of sexual abuse involving young boys. Since the ear-
ly 1980s, he had directed and raised funds for a non-profit organization for boys
from troubled families. He had frequently brought boys to the university campus
to use the athletic facilities. The university's board of trustees fired the university's
legendary and beloved head football coach and the university's president for fail-
ure to contact police, even though they were aware of the tragic situation. Two
other university officials were arrested and charged with failure to report the abuse
and for perjury. The students and staff of Penn State and many people throughout
the USA are stunned by what has been revealed to have taken place on the cam-
pus. It is a time to mourn, especially for the young boys who were abused. Sever-
al of them are now in their mid-20s.
I think of the Roman Catholic Church, both here and abroad, that has been devas-
tated by cases of sexual abuse by clergy. I observe that Christian churches have
been seriously engaging with issues of sexual misconduct, especially the sexual
abuse of children. The consequences of such acts on children are devastating. It
is a serious concern in both the Presbyterian (USA) and the Church of Scotland.
Unfortunately, sexual abuse is at the forefront of issues confronting the Church
in our times, and well it should be. I have read about Christian leaders rightly call-
ing churches to be on guard against sexual abuse taking place in the Church. I
agree with that.
But still I am disturbed. The assistant coach's sexual abuse of boys is sin. Period.
I would contend that based on Scripture, any sexual activity outside the bounds
of the marital relationship between husband and wife is sin. Period. But that is
not why the assistant coach is being charged with the sexual abuse of boys; he
is charged with abuse of power. He is accused of misusing his power as a privi-
leged adult over powerless boys. This abuse of power is wrong; but from my per-
spective, it is much more than that. What he did is sinful. But sin does not enter in-
to the conversation of our society. It is all about power and the abuse of power.
When I was 17, I committed myself to celibate chastity until I married, and then
I would commit myself to marital chastity. It is woven into my identity as a disci-
ple of Christ. When I was 17, there was more support for that position in the
Church and in society. But now there is no social support from society and even
from parts of the Church. The support that used to be there has eroded away.
Casual sex, hooking up, living together, pornography, homosexuality, and gay
marriage are now the accepted norm, or at least on their way to being so. But in
the not-too-recent-past, all of those were shunned and considered sin. All of
this has come about since the Sexual Revolution in the late 1960s. Recently
both the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Church of Scotland (the two
Churches I am involved with) made ordination to ministry more accessible to
practicing gays and lesbians. The PC (USA) even did away with the vow that
ministers be faithful in marriage between a man and a woman and celibate in
singleness. I still uphold that vow, but many of my ministerial colleague are of-
fended by such a vow.
In view of the rapid deterioration of long-held biblical norms of morality, even in
parts of the Christian Church, how long will it be before sexual acts of adult men
with boys are accepted as a normal option by society? How long will it be before
what was once referred to as sexual abuse of boys will merely be referred to as
pederasty? How long will it be before those of us who see this as sin are called
pederastiphobs and marginalized by society? It must be ten years ago now that I
read about groups demanding civil rights for men who seek the normalizing of
sexual relations with boys. US society still seems solidly against such behavior,
as evidenced by the Penn State situation. But with the rapid decline of biblically-
based morals, what is to prevent our society from regressing back to the times of
the ancient Greeks and Romans and a few contemporary societies in which rela-
tions between men and boys were deemed acceptable by a society? I fear that it is
only a matter of time before anything goes and everyone does what is right in his
or her own eyes.
Blessings to you and yours,
ual abuse of eight boys by a former assistant coach of the Penn State football team.
It was especially disturbing to me that there were several witnesses connected to
the university's athletic program who observed various acts of rape and sodomy of
the boys by the assistant coach. Even though a witness did report what he saw to
university authorities, they took no action. The grand jury found that university ath-
letic officials had first-hand and other credible knowledge of the sexual abuse of
boys by the coach, but failed to put a stop to what he was doing. Nor did they re-
port him to the police. Thus Penn State University was found to have been harbor-
ing and enabling a serial child sex abuser for over ten years.
As a result, the former assistant football coach was arrested by the police and
charged with forty counts of sexual abuse involving young boys. Since the ear-
ly 1980s, he had directed and raised funds for a non-profit organization for boys
from troubled families. He had frequently brought boys to the university campus
to use the athletic facilities. The university's board of trustees fired the university's
legendary and beloved head football coach and the university's president for fail-
ure to contact police, even though they were aware of the tragic situation. Two
other university officials were arrested and charged with failure to report the abuse
and for perjury. The students and staff of Penn State and many people throughout
the USA are stunned by what has been revealed to have taken place on the cam-
pus. It is a time to mourn, especially for the young boys who were abused. Sever-
al of them are now in their mid-20s.
I think of the Roman Catholic Church, both here and abroad, that has been devas-
tated by cases of sexual abuse by clergy. I observe that Christian churches have
been seriously engaging with issues of sexual misconduct, especially the sexual
abuse of children. The consequences of such acts on children are devastating. It
is a serious concern in both the Presbyterian (USA) and the Church of Scotland.
Unfortunately, sexual abuse is at the forefront of issues confronting the Church
in our times, and well it should be. I have read about Christian leaders rightly call-
ing churches to be on guard against sexual abuse taking place in the Church. I
agree with that.
But still I am disturbed. The assistant coach's sexual abuse of boys is sin. Period.
I would contend that based on Scripture, any sexual activity outside the bounds
of the marital relationship between husband and wife is sin. Period. But that is
not why the assistant coach is being charged with the sexual abuse of boys; he
is charged with abuse of power. He is accused of misusing his power as a privi-
leged adult over powerless boys. This abuse of power is wrong; but from my per-
spective, it is much more than that. What he did is sinful. But sin does not enter in-
to the conversation of our society. It is all about power and the abuse of power.
When I was 17, I committed myself to celibate chastity until I married, and then
I would commit myself to marital chastity. It is woven into my identity as a disci-
ple of Christ. When I was 17, there was more support for that position in the
Church and in society. But now there is no social support from society and even
from parts of the Church. The support that used to be there has eroded away.
Casual sex, hooking up, living together, pornography, homosexuality, and gay
marriage are now the accepted norm, or at least on their way to being so. But in
the not-too-recent-past, all of those were shunned and considered sin. All of
this has come about since the Sexual Revolution in the late 1960s. Recently
both the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Church of Scotland (the two
Churches I am involved with) made ordination to ministry more accessible to
practicing gays and lesbians. The PC (USA) even did away with the vow that
ministers be faithful in marriage between a man and a woman and celibate in
singleness. I still uphold that vow, but many of my ministerial colleague are of-
fended by such a vow.
In view of the rapid deterioration of long-held biblical norms of morality, even in
parts of the Christian Church, how long will it be before sexual acts of adult men
with boys are accepted as a normal option by society? How long will it be before
what was once referred to as sexual abuse of boys will merely be referred to as
pederasty? How long will it be before those of us who see this as sin are called
pederastiphobs and marginalized by society? It must be ten years ago now that I
read about groups demanding civil rights for men who seek the normalizing of
sexual relations with boys. US society still seems solidly against such behavior,
as evidenced by the Penn State situation. But with the rapid decline of biblically-
based morals, what is to prevent our society from regressing back to the times of
the ancient Greeks and Romans and a few contemporary societies in which rela-
tions between men and boys were deemed acceptable by a society? I fear that it is
only a matter of time before anything goes and everyone does what is right in his
or her own eyes.
Blessings to you and yours,
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Ransomed
After five years and four months of solitary captivity by Hamas, on October 18
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, 25, was ransomed and allowed to return home to a
jubilant Israel. He was an 18-year-old active duty soldier when he was kidnap-
ped in a cross-border raid from Gaza by Hamas. All during that time he was
kept hidden and not allowed to see any people other than his Hamas captors.
Not even the Red Cross was allowed to visit him.
The price for Gilad's release was quite high: over 1000 jailed Palestinian terror-
ists, including 60 convicted of multiple murders of Israelis, were exchanged for
the one Israeli. Officials from the USA and Egypt brokered negotiations be-
tween Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas. In order to get the ball going,
US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta made a deal with Hamas to downgrade
its ties with Iran, Syria, and Hizballah, and loosen its hold on the Palestinian peo-
ple in return for greater patronage from the USA. Hopefully the way has been
opened for continuing and more fruitful dialogue between Israel and the Pales-
tinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu faced a tough dilemma in agreeing
to the release of the young soldier. On one hand there was the absolute commit-
ment of the Israeli government to saving the Israeli captive, and on the other hand
there was the serious challenge of protecting Israel's national security. The Prime
Minister demanded an unanimous endorsement from his governmental ministers
to authorize the exchange. It is a high Jewish priority to ransom the captive. There
was unanimous consent and the exchange took place.
The ransom of 1000 Palestinians for Gilad Shalit is a glimpse into what Jesus
Christ, our ransom, does for us. In Isaiah 43:3-4, the Lord God proclaims:
I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as
your ransom, Cush and Seba in exhange for you. Because you are precious in
my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in
exchange for your life.
In Mark 10:45, Jesus said: For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but
to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Just as Israel was willing to exchange 1000 political prisoners for one Israeli,
God loves us so much that He gave his Beloved Son in exchange for us. God
pays a heavy price to ransom us from sin and death. I pray that in the near future,
both Israeli and Palestinian would come recognize the Great Exchange when God
ransomed the life of His Son for us all.
Blessings to you and yours,
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, 25, was ransomed and allowed to return home to a
jubilant Israel. He was an 18-year-old active duty soldier when he was kidnap-
ped in a cross-border raid from Gaza by Hamas. All during that time he was
kept hidden and not allowed to see any people other than his Hamas captors.
Not even the Red Cross was allowed to visit him.
The price for Gilad's release was quite high: over 1000 jailed Palestinian terror-
ists, including 60 convicted of multiple murders of Israelis, were exchanged for
the one Israeli. Officials from the USA and Egypt brokered negotiations be-
tween Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas. In order to get the ball going,
US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta made a deal with Hamas to downgrade
its ties with Iran, Syria, and Hizballah, and loosen its hold on the Palestinian peo-
ple in return for greater patronage from the USA. Hopefully the way has been
opened for continuing and more fruitful dialogue between Israel and the Pales-
tinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu faced a tough dilemma in agreeing
to the release of the young soldier. On one hand there was the absolute commit-
ment of the Israeli government to saving the Israeli captive, and on the other hand
there was the serious challenge of protecting Israel's national security. The Prime
Minister demanded an unanimous endorsement from his governmental ministers
to authorize the exchange. It is a high Jewish priority to ransom the captive. There
was unanimous consent and the exchange took place.
The ransom of 1000 Palestinians for Gilad Shalit is a glimpse into what Jesus
Christ, our ransom, does for us. In Isaiah 43:3-4, the Lord God proclaims:
I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as
your ransom, Cush and Seba in exhange for you. Because you are precious in
my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in
exchange for your life.
In Mark 10:45, Jesus said: For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but
to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Just as Israel was willing to exchange 1000 political prisoners for one Israeli,
God loves us so much that He gave his Beloved Son in exchange for us. God
pays a heavy price to ransom us from sin and death. I pray that in the near future,
both Israeli and Palestinian would come recognize the Great Exchange when God
ransomed the life of His Son for us all.
Blessings to you and yours,
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