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You may know who Keith Haring was, but did you know he was a Jesus Freak at one point during his short life? Yes, one of the most recognizable gay icons and Christ bashers the world over was a “Jesus person.”

When I turned thirteen or fourteen, I remember, for whatever reason, wanting to be part of something. Well, the first thing that became available to me was the Jesus movement… People fell into the Jesus Saves movement because it was something to believe in. It was just like it is in the Bible, except you took everything more literally. Being born again meant that you didn’t just commit your life to it, but would convince others to believe in it. Not only was it a way of dealing with your own life, but it was your duty to convince the rest of the world about it. It was a self-declared mission.

So I read about all these things in the Bible and I read Revelation—about the end of the world. And I read a book called The Late Great Planet Earth, and I digested all this information and wanted to believe. All my art of this period was involved with these Jesus things… I was considered a freak—a Jesus Freak. I tried to convince others to be born again, and it just annoyed people—they got tired of my talking about it. Finally, I myself became bored with it. I had done it for about a year, and it seemed to make less and less sense to me, and it became less pressing. In between all that, I discovered smoking pot—that, plus listening to rock music. And there was peer pressure, so the Jesus thing became really boring, and I don’t know that I ever, really believed in all those things. It wasn’t as exciting as it appeared to be at first. Still, all that stuff stuck in my head and even now there are lots of religious images in my work, although they’re used in a more cynical way—to show how manipulative those beliefs and images can be. So, anyway, after the Jesus thing I got into drugs.

Keith Haring, Keith Haring: The Authorized Biography (15-16)

What kind of music should Christians listen too? For some, including myself, this can be a struggle. I have put aside a lot of music and musicians in recent years due to my changing perspective. Four years ago, I replaced Nirvana with Switchfoot as my favorite band after hearing “Meant To Live” on a secular rock radio station. I no longer listen to Eddie Vedder and Co., but I still listen to The All-American Rejects and Jimmy Eat World.

Where is the line drawn? Is “secular” to be divided into differing categories of “Good, Questionable, and Bad?” I have not formed a definite opinion on this, and am not indicting anyone. Right now, I will say it is a personal choice. If a Christian is comfortable pumping Dr. Dre’s The Chronic into his/her ears, do it. I have left this album behind as it is no longer relevant to my existence. Just how far into the world should Christians venture? Scripture can give some insight:

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

It is important to know that “the world” represents sinful desire and not people or the created world around us. In the context of music, not all is created equal. Aerosmith’s “Love In An Elevator” is a bit different than Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song.” Even within the same band the difference can be profound. Oasis’ “Wonderwall” is different than Oasis’ “F*****n’ In The Bushes.” Does this fact abrogate Oasis’ entire catalogue from a Christian’s iTunes Library? I cannot say at this moment. I can say this: today’s Christian Rock, and even Gospel music, is influenced by secular artists. This means that Christian musicians have been paying attention to the Billboard Hot 100. Without a “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” there may have never been a “Meant To Live.” Without a Kurt Cobain, there may have never been a Jon Foreman. God does work in mysterious ways.

Switchfoot just released their video for “This Is Home.” The song appears on the upcoming The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I am going to go out on a limb and say this song is about Heaven. Jon Foreman talks about the song at the GMA Dove Awards. Check it out:

Perhaps America’s brand of secularism poses a particular problem. It allows for professing belief in God and respects the public role of religion and the churches, but at the same time can subtly reduce religious belief to a lowest common denominator. The result is a growing separation of faith from life.

The Pope speaking to American bishops during his recent visit, “Pope Praises Americans’ Faith and Warns of Perils of Secularism,” The New York Times (04.17.08)

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The following sentence was used to make an internet search that led to my little blog:

I hate the Narnia books with a deep passion.

I find it amusing, just like the box office results between Narnia and the Golden Compass. For those who do not hate Narnia, check out the movie trailer for the upcoming Prince Caspian.

A video of Jon Foreman performing a new song for his upcoming Summer EP has got me scratching my head. He directs some harsh words towards the church in this song. Does he “hate” the contemporary church and its multi-million dollar sanctuaries? Are the same churches that play Switchfoot songs like “This Is Your Life” and “Dare You To Move” the hypocrites he is talking about? Have I interpreted this song incorrectly? If you have an answer, leave a comment.

Oprah is one of the most dangerous personalities in the world right now. She is loved by many, and her advice is taken to heart by individuals seeking happiness, peace, and guidance. She is also deluded. Check out this quote from a discussion she has been having on spirituality, religion, and God with Eckhart Tolle.

Well, I am a Christian who believes there are certainly many more paths to God other than Christianity. So, I’m a free-thinking Christian who believes in my way, but I don’t believe that it is the only way with six billion people here on the planet.

Oprah’s perspective is liberal Christianity. In fact, it is not Christianity at all. It is new age spirituality, not belief, which is demonic. Sadly, it is a perspective an increasing number of “Christians” hold. It is the perspective of Barack Obama, a man interviewing for the highest position in the world and a man Oprah vehemently supports.

Can Oprah be anymore deceived? Of course. Here is some more delusion:

God is a feeling experience, not a believing experience.

A “feeling experience” is narcissistic. It is conceited. It is about serving yourself instead of serving your Creator. This kind of thinking is why practicing homosexuals can call themselves Christians. If there is no real belief, there is no real punishment. There is no need to turn from sin if God is just a spiritual feeling with no authority.

Oprah’s ideology is more dangerous than atheism. It is packaged as Christian when, in fact, it is worldly. Oprah denies Christ is the only path to God, which is not Christian. It is sad to think about all the individuals (1,860,000 for her first class with Eckhart) she has led astray because of her popularity, and she is using this popularity to feed her own ego. She is a narcissist as evidenced by her talk show, her magazine named after herself, her store, her own network named after herself, and now a blasphemous web class on religion, spirituality, and God.

If Oprah lost everything she had—her money, her fame, her popularity, her connections—and was forced to live on the street begging for everything, she would kill herself. Her inner strength and happiness both come from her external circumstances, not God. Destroy her external strength and you destroy her inner strength. You rip apart her false peace. Her spirituality will vanish.

It is easy to lose yourself in a psychology laden, man-made spirituality when you are not lacking anything materially. It is easy to feel God when you have all you want—when you do not feel like you need anything. Spirituality will give you nothing. Only God, through Jesus Christ, can give you peace. Oprah, like many, even forgets that God owns everything. He determines what we have. Can spirituality give you a job? Can it put food on your table and a roof over your head? Not at all. Oprah’s Christianity is self-serving and demonic. Follow her at your own eternal risk.

I could write an entire blog on Oprah, so I will stop here. I have to give credit to tazdog (link in sidebar) for pointing out Oprah’s webcast videos with Eckhart.

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A couple days ago I posted on my ideal home, a DWR edition Airstream. Not a whole lot will fit into such a home given its 120 square feet of space. This got me thinking about my library of books and how only a fraction of them would fit into such a space, so I came up with a list of a dozen books I would have to keep. A couple will be obvious to my regular visitors, but others my be surprising.

1. The Bible
2. C.S. Lewis for the Third Millennium by Peter Kreeft
3. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
4. The Unusual Suspect by Stephen Baldwin
5. The Confessions by St. Augustine
6. The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
7. From Modernism to Postmodernism: An Anthology edited by Lawrence Cahoone
8. The Gospel According To Jesus by John MacArthur, Jr.
9. Towards A New Architecture by Le Corbusier
10. Art In Theory 1900-1990: An Anthology of Changing Ideas edited by Charles Harrison and Paul Wood
11. Henry David Thoreau: Walden And Other Writings introduced by Nat Hentoff
12. S,M,L,XL by Rem Koolhaas, Bruce Mau, and Hans Werlemann

If you could only keep a dozen books, what would they be?

Alan Keyes calls out Barack Obama on his liberal Christianity.

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It is nearly impossible to know how many people worldwide believe God does not exist, but the estimates are around 1 billion. Most disbelief has to do with a lack of empirical evidence, but such evidence exists. There is a passage in the Book of Acts that will blow your mind (unless you are an atheist). I find it fascinating because it smacks down any argument claiming God is a myth and the Bible is just a bunch of fairy tales.

In the 5th chapter, Peter and the apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin for teaching the people about Jesus Christ. The Sanhedrin was ready to tear their heads off for speaking blasphemy, but a Phraisee named Gamaliel came forward and said something profoundly prophetic. Check this out:

Then he addressed them: ‘Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.’ (Acts 5:35-39, NIV)

Gamaliel did not buy into the whole Jesus as Messiah thing, even with the evidence that was Jesus’ life. He based his unbelief on his own wisdom and intellect. Even so, his logic for sparring the apostles lethal injections is rock solid. He fully expected Jesus to be just another false prophet and his followers to fade away in irrelevancy, but also recognized that God’s work could not be stopped if Jesus was indeed from God.

This past weekend was the anniversary of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Some two thousands years later the evidence supporting Gamaliel’s logic is overwhelming and cannot be disputed. There are billions of Christians walking the planet, no atheist or skeptic can disprove this. Christianity has not failed, but has increased greatly since Peter and the apostles faced the Sanhedrin, thus proving God’s existence.

If Jesus and his followers were a man-made sect, there is no possibility that Christianity would have been the dominant religion as long as it has been. There are too many competing man-made ideologies in the world for one to dominate the way Christianity has. Christianity would have faded away or, at best, become stagnant as a religion. Christianity is a God thing. Jesus is a God thing. Jesus is God in the flesh. Nonbelief is just a fruitless fight against God.

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I found this video on YouTube and thought it was a great example of mental illness. It is also a great example of the level of anger and bitterness prevalent in many atheists.

WARNING: Language is beyond foul. My fellow Christians will be offended.

The Bible is not a book of man-made myths as the intellectual, secular progessives think. It is not a book of man-made rules for ethical and moral living, stifling the our free will. The Bible is God’s authoritative message on right and wrong, of light and darkness, of what is good and what is evil. It is full of absolutes, because God is absolute. The Bible is a blueprint and guide for humanity. It is “God-breathed.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:20-21 (NIV)

Quote of the Week | 03.16.08

This is the first of several quotes I am going to post from Christian Hosoi’s testimony at the Christian Skaters Conference 2007. Enjoy.

If God is going to use skateboarding to, for a platform to preach the Gospel—the most rebllious, the most punk rocker, the most independent people on the planet—I’m telling you, Jesus is coming back soon. I’m telling you, He is coming back soon.

Christian Hosoi, Christian Skaters Conference 2007.

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You gotta check out the movie D.O.P.E. (Death or Prison Eventually). God is doing some amazing things. Four legendary skateboarders: Christian Hosoi, Bruce Logan, Jay Adams, and Dennis Martinez. Music by Switchtoot, P.O.D., and Arrested Development.

“They rose to the top, they fell to the bottom.”

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The following comes from the Cathedral of Hope wedsite and is referenced to The Center for Progressive Christianity. Are these 8 points conducive to saving faith? What does the word “progressive” indicate? Does this list represent apostasy?

The 8 Points of Progressive Christianity. Christians who:

1. Have found an approach to God through the life and teachings of Jesus.
2. Recognize the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God’s realm, and acknowledge that their ways are true for them, as our ways are true for us.
3. Understand the sharing of bread and wine in Jesus’ name to be a representation of an ancient vision of God’s feast for all peoples.
4. Invite all people to participate in our community and worship life without insisting that they become like us in order to be acceptable (including but not limited to): believers and agnostics, conventional Christians and questioning skeptics, women and men, those of all sexual orientations and gender identities, those of all races and cultures, those of all classes and abilities, those who hope for a better world and those who have lost hope.
5. Know that the way we behave toward one another and toward other people is the fullest expression of what we believe.
6. Find more grace in the search for understanding than we do in dogmatic certainty - more value in questioning than in absolutes.
7. Form ourselves into communities dedicated to equipping one another for the work we feel called to do: striving for peace and justice among all people, protecting and restoring the integrity of all God’s creation, and bringing hope to those Jesus called the least of his sisters and brothers.
8. Recognize that being followers of Jesus is costly, and entails selfless love, conscientious resistance to evil, and renunciation of privilege.

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV)

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What does “change” look like? What does it sound like. Is it a Barack Obama speech? Not even close, but Christian Hosoi’s testimony at last year’s Chistian Skaters conference demonstrates what “change” really means and what it really looks and sounds like. I have repeatedly written here on this blog about how change begins in the heart and how it begins with God’s grace fulfilled through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Real change is not external, it is internal.

Hosoi’s transformation is powerful stuff. I have listed links to Hosoi’s testimony below and I encourage all Christians and non-Christians to check it out. When you think about the crazy life of Christian Hosoi before Christ—the girls, the drugs, the money, the fame, prison—and now hear him talk about his life and God’s plan for him, you cannot help but be amazed. God is using skateboarding and guys like Christian Hosoi to connect today’s youth with the message of Christ. Hosoi’s testimony will cause you to evaluate the effectiveness of your own life.

If you do not know who Christian “Christ” Hosoi is, check out this excellent 9 min. video testimony on his life.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8

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