Several hundred thousand people turned out for the recent "Restoring Honor" rally led by Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin. Some of the statements that were made by Beck and Palin at this rally were quite remarkable. "Something beyond imagination is happening," Beck said, "America today begins to turn back to God."

The event was held on the same stage of the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream" speech exactly 47 years earlier. Palin reminded the people of this, "You have the same steel spine and moral courage as Washington and Lincoln and Martin Luther King" she said. "It will sustain you, as it sustained them." And later, "I think that Martin Luther King would have been proud."

Although Martin Luther King Jr. is best remembered for the things he achieved in the areas of racial injustice, people sometimes forget his emphasis on the methods of non-violence, love for enemies, and treatment of the poor and societal outcasts. Using some of MLK's own words, I wonder if he might say something like this to today's society:

Now that students are back on campus, the book by book bible study will resume next Thursday, August 26. These discussions will be held in the Alumni Hall Amphitheater during most Thursdays of the 2010-2011 school year, from noon to 1 PM.

Students from all schools, School of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Public and Allied Health are all invited to attend and the food is free if you sign up by Tuesday morning. For the first bible study, Delhi palace will bring a great selection of Indian food. Look for sign up sheets in Alumni Hall and in the Centennial Complex. In addition, announcements will be made in class over the next few days.

Last year we discussed Genesis through Ruth, including the book of Job. We will pick up the story in 1st Samuel, a book that presents a number of challenges but also some incredible opportunities to catch a glimpse of God's goodness.  

Here is the meeting schedule for the rest of 2010, which can also be found in the calendar:

August 26

September 2, 9, 16, 30

October 7, 14, 21

November 4, 11, 18

December 9

What does it look like to love your enemy? Of course, we see this most clearly in the life of Jesus whose dying words were to forgive those who crucificed him. But every once and a while, we see other examples of this. You can read or listen to remarkable story of John Diaz here (or read below):

"Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.

But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.

He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.

"He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says.

As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."

The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'"

Diaz replied: "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome.

"You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help," Diaz says.

Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth.

"The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi," Diaz says. "The kid was like, 'You know everybody here. Do you own this place?'"

"No, I just eat here a lot," Diaz says he told the teen. "He says, 'But you're even nice to the dishwasher.'"

Diaz replied, "Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?"

"Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said.

Diaz asked him what he wanted out of life. "He just had almost a sad face," Diaz says.

The teen couldn't answer Diaz — or he didn't want to.

When the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, "Look, I guess you're going to have to pay for this bill 'cause you have my money and I can't pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you."

The teen "didn't even think about it" and returned the wallet, Diaz says. "I gave him $20 ... I figure maybe it'll help him. I don't know."

Diaz says he asked for something in return — the teen's knife — "and he gave it to me."

Afterward, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, "You're the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch."

"I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world."

Richard Bauckham is a biblical scholar and theologian who has published numerous books and articles primarily in the area of New Testament. Perhaps his most popular book, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, makes a compelling case that the gospels faithfully represent the eyewitness testimonies of the early Christians who lived with Jesus.

In this clip, Bauckham describes his book:

The latest Blog and Bible Study entries are both a reflection from Bauckham's book, The Theology of the Book of Revelation. This is an outstanding and very enlightening book. His method of unfolding the book of Revelation avoids the sensationalistic approach which seeks to understand Revelation as a specific schedule of end time events that merely needs to be "decoded." We would strongly recommend this book for those seeking to broaden their understanding of the book of Revelation.

Dr. Bauckham has a website where you can read many of his sermons, essays, poetry, and even a series of stories for children. Finally, we were excited to learn that Dr. Bauckham will be giving a series of lectures at Loma Linda University during the month of February, 2011.

We heard an excellent presentation yesterday by Dr. Sigve Tonstad: "New Perspectives on Paul." Most Christians today read Paul through the lens of Martin Luther and many of the other reformers who saw justification and salvation primarily through a legal framework. Since the late 1970's, however, many scholars have come to see Paul in a different light.

In this talk (which starts at minute 28) Dr. Tonstad begins with a very provocative illustration. He had three friends bring up large Harrison's Internal Medicine textbooks. One dated from 1977, another from 2001 and the latest from 2008. He asked the audience, which one would you advise a medical student or intern to purchase? Of course, the overwhelming favorite of the audience was the 2008 version. Dr. Tonstad then asked the question: "Is our knowledge of the Bible and Paul static? Should we progress in our understanding of the text beyond the reformation and even 1980?"

What is the "new perspective"? According to Dr. Tonstad, Paul should be read in the light of a cosmic conflict and with a focus on God's character as revealed by Jesus. The faithfulness of Jesus is also central. In addition, a participatory relationship with God is emphasized rather than our legal standing with God. 

We'd like to make you aware of Kelly and David Lorencin's ministry that focuses on God's beautiful character. The mission of Genesis Road is to "seek out fresh insights about God's character and inspire churches to focus on Him in worship." We could not agree more with their conclusion that "The most exciting journey in life is to learn more about God, our great Friend and Lover. Anything other than a focus on God cannot be called worship."

There are a number of great resources on their site for churches looking for a worship service that keeps the focus on God. Inexpensive packets can be ordered that are complete with kids bulletins, hymn suggestions, responsive reading, even suggested sermons that focus on God's character.

So check out their website and take advantage of their inspirational resources as well as their new God blog which discusses a Bible chapter per day, keeping the fundamental focus on our God! 

Greg Boyd wrote a great article for the on-line magazine Q entitled, The Birth of Two Kingdoms: Fourth of July Reflection. It should stimulate some thoughts about the Kingdom that is "not of this world" (John 18:36) - the real Kingdom that should have our full allegiance.

Paul would say that we are "citizens of heaven" (Philippians 3:20) and that we are "now citizens together with God's people and members of the family of God" (Ephesians 2:20).

God's Kingdom always manifests itself as love and service for others. The snapshot image that we should associate with God's Kingdom is the King as He laid down His life for enemies rather than killing them. 

So, this Fourth of July weekend, while we enjoy barbeques and fireworks, let's keep our eyes on the real King and His Kingdom. Perhaps the prayer He would like to hear most of all is this: "God, let me reflect something of Your Kingdom in my life."

Over the last year, some have asked if the Bible studies could be available in different formats. During the summer break we will be converting the 2009-2010 Bible studies into a "video" format. The first lecture, "Bible Study in the 21st Century?" is now completed. The rest will be updated as well during the coming weeks and months. You will need to download the free adobe flash player to view these.

In addition, you can now download the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Bible studies from iTunes which are now automatically updated:

2008 iTunes

2009 iTunes

2010 iTunes

Finally, someone asked recenty, "where are the Bible studies on the web site?" In case others have the same question, click the "Bible study" link. You will then see "Old Testament" and "New Testament" tabs on the left hand side. If you drag your cursor over these tabs, all of the Old and New Testament books become visible which can then be "clicked" on.

The nature of the atonement is one of the most debated subjects in Christianity today. Many different "models" of the atonement have been discussed for hundreds of years.

Tim Jennings is a psychiatrist and a friend of ours who has thought a lot about this subject. He has proposed a model of the atonement which he calls the "Healing Substitution Model" in which Christ maintains his position as our "substitute" but not for the purpose of paying a legal penalty but rather to heal his children. You can read the article and join in the discussion here.

Samir Selmanovic has written a great blog entry on John 13 which tells the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. Below is an excerpt. You can click here to read the entire story.

"Pondering the greatness of God does not always fill me with awe. God made a choice to create this universe in which He is above us and we are under Him. But do I really want to live in a two-tiered universe where one part exists to reign, and the other to serve?

Many Christians take this cosmic arrangement for granted, never questioning the character of God, and many people, looking at the Christian worldview, rightly wonder about a God who seemingly created such a universe. Can it be that God is on an ego trip?

Sometimes, perplexed with my impressions of God and His ways, I quietly recite the poem of Teresa of Avila as my prayer:

“Oh God, I don’t love you,
I don’t even want to love you,
but I want to want to love you!”

Sometimes, that’s all I’m left with.

At such times I turn to the Bible, seeking the passages that make me want to love God again. One such passage from the life of Jesus is introduced by a statement far more significant than it seems at first sight: “He [Jesus] now showed them [His disciples] the full extent of his love” (John 13:1). What can possibly demonstrate “the full extent” of God’s love, tell us who God is in His core?

Jesus got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciple’s feet and to wipe them with the towel. A servant or slave usually provided for such occasion was not available, so Jesus took the task on Himself.

We Christians believe Jesus was divine, that He revealed the character of God through His life. If so, this passage can legitimately be re-read as follows: “God decided to show His creatures who God is in His core. God took off His robe, took a towel and poured water into a basin. Then God began to wash human feet and wipe them with the towel.

In order to do this, Jesus had to kneel. This is quite unlike any other god conceived in human history. Gods usually come in forms of power, enlightenment, beauty or presence, something that places them above everything human. But this God is different. He is a kneeling God. The full extent of His glory is embodied in His submission to us. I imagine when this cosmic Servant created the universe He thought to Himself: “I am creating in order to serve. That will be my joy. To love it through serving it, to submit everything to its well being—even My own life. I will raise the creation above myself.” We will never understand the God of the Bible until we see Him kneeling before His creation."