Hope for the Middle Kingdom

China could very easily be called a land of suffering. Dating back to the ancient and medieval era, multiple kingdoms and warlords waged war across the country, sometimes millions of combatants and hundreds of thousands of casualties in one battle. Then, at the end of the Renaissance, suddenly thrust upon them are foreign powers from across the sea that far out-gun them, and China suddenly recognizes that perhaps, they are not the all-powerful middle kingdom. Then came war with Japan – a devastating ordeal where they were driven back to far central China, after millions of casualties; torn apart by civil war, there was little they could do to resist. Following that, a mis-guided ruler killed millions of his own people in a “Cultural Revolution”. Today, the country has more stability than ever before in its thousands of years of history, but the people are shaped by this past of war, suffering, and death. To cope, they cling to their worldviews.

As I sit here looking at the skyline of Chongqing, I’m struck by its different attributes. Some of the buildings are very tall and outstanding, while others are only a few stories tall. Some buildings are brand new, or even under construction, while some look as though they pre-date the Great War. Some are very clearly seen from where I sit, while others are barely visible through the fog.
From what I know, this view is very similar to the religious landscape of China. Some worldviews are new, strong and vibrant, while others are more subtle, but nonetheless contributing to the inhabitants’ overall view of reality. Some are propped up by the government, some are torn down, and some are let be. I will open this piece by saying that I am in no way an expert on the subject, but I’ve been exposed in the last few days to some aspects that I have found interesting. Historical overview will, I think, provide a good foundation for what we see in modern China today.

Let us begin with Siddhārtha Gautama, or the Buddha (Enlightened One) ~500 B.C. He attempted to alleviate the suffering in the world by the elimination of ignorance, resulting in Enlightenment. Ultimately, good deeds, karma, and faithfulness would result in reincarnations, ultimately leading the immortal soul to Nirvana, or one-ness with the pantheos of the world.

Sometime near or after Buddhism’s birth, Taoism, or “the way”, which fit right into the beliefs already existing in China, came on the scene. The idea that all of reality is a struggle, a balance, between the good and the bad, while not exactly the same as Buddhism, was consistent with many of its beliefs. Morality, and your resulting reincarnation into natural or god-like state, is set by the king of the underworld. At the end of their lives, people are put on trial, and the result determines their reincarnated state.

Nearly concurrently, Confucius, perhaps the most famous Eastern philosopher, founded the worldview named for him that sought to unite oneself with heaven, or Tian. Again, as with Buddhism, this was accomplished by piety, morality, and focus.

I am only scratching the surface of these ancient religions; entire libraries have been written on these subjects, and there are so many unique strains that emphasize different aspects of the belief. I am doing a high-level analysis in an attempt to paint a general picture.

Finally, enter the Marxist worldview, one that describes reality as a constant struggle between ideas and more progressive ideals (dialectical materialism, for those of you who like big words). Over time, these struggles will result in the perfect society, or utopia, that lacks bad will, evil, or oppression. Similar to the previous beliefs in that it is also monistic (no difference between physical and supernatural), it is different in that Marxism believes a solid naturalism – only the physical, concrete world exists.

This is China – a culture that has evolved over time, bombarded with different ideas that have been assimilated into the peoples’ beliefs. So where does that leave us? I was asked an interesting question via Facebook that was very thought-provoking:

Ben, how do these experiences influence your prayers for the people of China? What has God been revealing to you about Himself as you learn more about Chinese culture and religion?... Are there any parts of Chinese culture in which you particularly see a reflection of the image of God?

I think that that the aggregate belief have a few consistencies with the truth. To begin with, they accurately recognize the struggle that humanity is entangled with. There is evil and suffering in the world, and humanity’s depravity is at the center of it. There is hope for a perfect place whereby evil and suffering are removed, and people can live in peace and harmony. The striving to do good in a world surrounded by evil is central to many of these beliefs.

The answer though, is not in our own goodness, or even potential for goodness. The Apostle Paul accurately states in Romans 3:

“…There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good.
No.
Not one.”

Isaiah drives the point home in chapter 64:

“…we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

A somewhat depressing thought, particularly for those who spend their entire lives trying to do good things. Mankind is, on his own, doomed to struggle, fail, and suffer through life. China has searched desperately for an answer to these realities and done its best to provide a solution. Promises of immortality, utopia, or unification with God Himself drive them to live out their faith with a devotion that puts many Christians to shame.

What then, is the answer? Isaiah supplies not just a band-aid, but a cure to our problems in chapter 53:

“Surely He [Jesus Christ] has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.”

And Peter goes a step further in his first epistle, chapter 2:

“[Christ]…who Himself bore our sins in His own body, on the tree, that we, having died to sin, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

Live. Healed. Returned to the Shepherd. Are these not the things that the whole world needs? Is this not the peace that we all, including the Chinese people, are seeking? Not by our own miserable attempts at righteousness, but by the free gift that He supplies. He paid the penalty, accepted all the “bad karma” that our actions deserved, to the point of death itself.

He provided an end to suffering, both for now and eternity. He gave us a hope in the midst of loss. He gave us life instead of death. When I say He gave these things to “us”, I do not for a second believe that He did that solely for the Western church.

He died for the crippled Chinese beggar on the side of the road. He made available the gift of eternal life to the “middle-class” engineer at a factory. He loves, literally to death, the Premier of China himself. China is precious to Him, every single one of its inhabitants. He knows them each by name; they are each individually His masterpieces, created in His image. He is their Shepherd, and is out looking to bring them to His fold. He longs to be reunited with them, as do they, though they do not know Him. Pray that the Chinese people would find the end of their longing for peace in Him.

Christian Music Conundrum - an Introduction

 

Music is central to much of American culture, and it is no different amongst Christians. We use music to for entertainment, socializing, and worship. It is so engrained in our lives that we seldom stop to consider anything about it. Sure, there are some old-school people that think that some music is “bad”, even so much as demonic, but this discussion often appears to be a fringe argument of the young against the old; boring dead Puritan ideals against a “living fire”; legalistic against “livin’ for Jesus”.

Many of us were raised in a home where, in music, a beat was bad. Mom and dad muted the musical interludes during movies, we weren’t “allowed” certain CDs in our house, and we all stood somewhat awkwardly during worship services when we visited friends’ more modern churches. We understood that some people just had it wrong, and we would obstinately push through life without electric guitars or drum sets.

Then… things would start to happen. A good, trusted, Christian-ly solid, friend would begin to listen to, horror of horrors, Casting Crowns. Or perhaps you began to listen more closely to some music that your family listens to and recognize, “Wait a second… this is actually just as rocky as some artists out there… even more than the Gettys!” Or maybe you finally heard a pop Christian song you could understand the words to, and thought “Wow; that’s a very poignantly stated Biblical truth. You could preach a sermon from that!” We started to ask “What’s wrong with it?”

Then we started seeing inconsistencies – the music was bad in some cases, but other songs that sounded the same to us were ok to our spiritual authorities. We would be told “We don’t listen to that artist because they’re immoral.”, yet Mozart was prominently played and even performed by members of our household. A few oldies songs with absolutely no spiritual value might be played by our parents, but our Christian songs that were just as musically subdued would be “off limits”. We started to ask “Why can’t I listen to it?”

Then… more things would start to happen. Some of our friends that had blazed this trail of listening to “modern music” would start making blatantly un-biblical decisions. You would look up one day and in shock say “What AM I listening to?” We would start looking more into the lives of these “amazing Christian artists” and questioning their real motives…

It is in this state that I begin to ask these questions:

·         What music can Christians listen to?

·         What music should Christians listen to?

·         What do I do about the people who condemn my choices?”

I will ask these questions with the following pre-suppositions; if you do not agree with these, please do not continue to follow these posts:

·         There are authorities in my life I must respect; even if they’re wrong, as long as they aren’t telling me to disobey God, I ought to honor them (Exodus 20:12, 1 Timothy 5:17)

·         God has an opinion about music – He is the author of it, and His principles that guide everything about life (including music) are in His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

·         Satan can twist anything and even deceive believers who have not imposed God’s truth on the situation (2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 13-14)

·         I COULD BE WRONG! I am going into this study with a certain view, but I am willing to be proven wrong; my own understanding could be incomplete. (Proverbs 3:5-7)

My Journey Far West... to the Far East

 

It has occurred to me that I have not done a journal-type blogpost for a while, and as the last two weeks of my life have been somewhat foreign (to myself as much as yourselves), I have taken it upon myself to write out an account of what has transpired over the last 14 days.

 

2 weeks ago from yesterday, I boarded a plane with a few compatriots, and we set out for the Orient. Now a grizzled veteran at this whole “travel to China thing” (which is to say, I’ve been a grand total of twice), I was quite comfortable with the prospect. A flight to Vancouver, then to Beijing, then to Chongqing were in store, and, as I found that I can sleep on a plane, the trip went rather quickly and well.

We arrived at the factory Tuesday morning. We jumped right in, qualifying parts, updating line layouts, and getting re-acquainted with our Chinese colleagues from Chongqing, Taiwan, and Shanghai. It was during this trip that I found that regional accents and dialects can be so different that initially, it was difficult for my colleagues from these different regions to communicate with each other.

This trip, I had one of my most unique cuisine experiences. At first, the proposition of eating grilled lamb seemed tame enough, but little did I know…

After consuming the lamb (which turned out to be goat; apparently, in the Chinese language there is no difference between the two domesticated animals…) over a grill using nothing but our hands (and occasionally a fork), we proceeded to the hot-pot portion of the meal.

Here, the items for our consumption got a little more interesting. All the leftover items from the barbecue were thrown into the stew, and not just the leftover meat: the skull, eyeballs, brains, heart, and intestines all, somehow, found their way into our pot. Due to their limited supply, I did not get an eyeball, but I did find that I can recommend both the heart and intestines of a goat (the brain is too mushy; wouldn’t recommend that bit…) while the flavor was somewhat bland due to the sparse flavoring in the broth, the meal was still one to remember.

The rest of the build transpired well, finishing a half-day early. We had a final closeout dinner, where my limited skill with chopsticks was put on trial and display – I don’t think I did terribly, but you’d have to ask the eight locals that were at my table. After the food we had toasts, karaoke (which wasn’t bad, but could’ve been better; I sang the last few lines of “What a Wonderful World”…), and an introduction to Mahjongg. I am still far from actually knowing how the game works, but I have had my first lesson, and I look forward to learning more.

 

Such has been my two weeks; I’ve learned a few more phrases in Mandarin, a few more foods to enjoy and stay away from, and a few more teammates’ personalities. I am happy to be home, but I look forward to going back as well!

 

The Body

I had a church service today that would, by many, be considered one of the best that could have ever occurred.

I began in a comfortable chair, a latte in my hand, and a high-quality, Bose sound system. When the worship team came on, the congregation knew they were in for a treat: we had appearances by Philips Craig & Dean, the Irish Tenors, and 4Him. They played some of my favorite songs, including How Deep the Father’s Love for Us, and The Promise. Even in the midst of China, thousands of miles away from home, my spirit was definitely lifted.

When the pastor walked on-stage, there was almost an audible gasp as John Piper began to discuss the text. One of the giants of the Faith in our age, all knew that His preaching would be Scriptural, sound, and profound. His trademark passion was not long in surfacing as he relayed the Word of God to us.

And then, the service got even better as Pastor John turned to one of my most favorite passages, 1 Timothy 3. After having completed a Bible Study a few years ago about the qualities of Elders, it has been a wonderful self-examination passage about how I, as a Christian man, ought to act. Pastor John delved into the roles of elders in the context of the Church, taking a new perspective that, while definitely Biblical, I had not considered.

The closeout songs were Psalm 67 by the Sons of Korah, and New Jerusalem by Michael Card. As the last notes of their songs faded, I breathed a great sigh of contentment.

And yet, something was missing. The worship? Fantastically reviewed the greatness of God. The teaching? Eloquently presented with passion and joy. The doctrine? Biblically founded and consistent with the Word of God Himself. What could possibly be missing?

When we sang, there was no real “we”, just myself, no companions with whom I could corporately be in awe of God, and the worship service was nothing more than a Windows Media playlist. When Pastor John came on to speak, I knew there would be no chance to clarify and continue his sermon, because he was gone when the sermon countdown timeline hit 0:00. After the service, there were no friends to share the lesson with; nobody who could present an anecdote about how they saw God’s hand in relation to the sermon; nobody that could perhaps challenge me further, to continue to pursue God in the context of the sermon we’d heard, because I was sitting by myself in a hotel lounge. Despite the seemingly perfect service, I was incomplete.

“But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you”. – 1 Corinthians 12:20-12

I don’t think this verse is strictly talking about capability. There are plenty of one-man-shows and lone wolves out there who, especially empowered by Christ, can do anything; sometimes, we are called to this. However, it is not our “social animal” nature that makes Christians this way. We were created to be part of a body. Sustained by God’s power, an eyeball could survive on its own, but that’s not what it was created for. In the same way, a believer may survive on his own (and God), but this is not what He was created to do.

“Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:24-25

I look forward to coming home, but not because of home-sickness, dislike of the weather, or the food not agreeing with me. I am eager to return to my Body; I thank God for it, and am blessed by it.

I’ll see you soon.

The Sovereign Plan

Have you ever thought about the sovereignty of God’s ordering?

I mean, the Westminster Catechism is extremely clear

“The decrees of God are His eternal plan based on the purpose of His will, by which, for His own glory, He has foreordained everything that happens.”

We all know this; those of us who have grown up in Christian homes are taught that God has a plan for everything that happens. This is generally told to us as a reassurance, but have you ever thought to stop and think about the amazingness of it?

When God created the universe, it’s interesting to look at the order of Creation. Earth, light, and water came before plants (because the plants needed all these things), and plants came before animals (because the animals needed all the things plants needed, and then the plants as well).

We can look at creation, God's eternal plan of salvation, the course of history and say to all of them "Wow, it's amazing to see how God ordered history." But did we ever consider how He's ordered our personal lives? His plan for each of us is just as important, intricate, and planned out as all of history itself.

Did God ever teach you something that you thought was insignificant? I mean, sure it was a “good” lesson, but didn’t really appear to have any relevance at the time. Then, down the road, you recognized it was a necessary skill to have for a challenge that God sent you through. God always paves the way – He knows exactly what we need to get through the life He’s planned out for us.

Perhaps you once received something that meant nothing to you; later, however, it became key to fulfill something God had for you to do. Sometimes it comes in the form of a skill – something you learned to do, but didn’t really end up using until you were in trouble; and it saved you. Maybe it was some role models you had; personalities that you attempted to emulate and it turned out that those were traits that you needed for a ministry.

God knows what you need and when you’ll need it, and it’s important to recognize that even when we have no idea why he brought us through something, He’s got a plan for it; likely something we never would have thought of. None of the angels could have predicted what God was planning on using water for, but when Adam first took a drink of the life-giving fluid, they understood. God prepares us for anything we’ll go through; it’s comforting to rest in that.