Christianity Boosts Education, Quality of Life in Asian Countries

Posted on July 25, 2014 Written by Sarah Brooks 1 Comment

This is a guest post by Sarah Brooks whose biographical information appears in the author box below this post. If you would like to provide a guest post to Attempts at Honesty, please see the guest post guidelines and contact me if you are interested in providing a post.

Sarah Writes

Although often considered a primarily Western religion due to its prominence in the Americas and Europe, Christianity has always had a strong presence in Asia. Between the 1^st and 14^th centuries CE, Christianity spread from Western Asia to China, and from the 16^th century it spread further to Eastern Asia. Christianity is currently the principal faith in four Asian countries: the Philippines, Armenia, East Timor, and Georgia. Among the faithful in the primarily irreligious countries of South Korea and Vietnam, Christianity is the second most widespread religion after Buddhism.

Perhaps most remarkably, China, which is emerging as a formidable economic power, is also poised to become the world’s largest Christian nation within less than a generation, according to an April 2014 report in The Telegraph (UK). Though officially the People’s Republic of China is an atheist country, with 60%-70% of its 1.3 billion people claiming no religious affiliation, the number of Christian congregations has soared since churches began reopening after Chairman Mao’s death in 1976. There may ultimately be a violent showdown between church and state, but as indicated in a recent battle over the Sanjiang church in Wenzhou (which government officials were threatening to bulldoze), for now the Chinese government seems to be willing to negotiate compromise with church leaders. Some observers have noted that the leaders do not want to make enemies of the estimated 70 million Christians in the country.

Is Christianity always a force for good?

This may seem a ludicrous question to the many followers of the Word who look upon the developments in Asia as a hopeful sign, and yet there are critics whose opinions are worthy of consideration. Though Communism’s shortcomings have certainly been well documented, Christianity over the centuries has also been criticized for being a repressive force. The target of the criticism has not been the teachings of Christ, but organized Christianity (and indeed organized religion in general). Organized Christianity has been called a source of bigotry, a cause of wars, an impediment to science and progress, and a tool for the exploitation of the environment and the destruction of native cultures. Unfortunately there has been some truth to all of these accusations, and as Christians we have to face up to these truths.

Yet Christianity has also been a force for profound good, having had a positive impact in many areas of life. Beyond the Good News of the Gospel there have been many concrete, measurable influences. Christian organizations and individuals have labored all over the world to fight disease and hunger, and to help ease the ravages of wars and natural disasters. Christian influences have driven social change (e.g., the abolition of slavery, and prison and labor reform); the support of science and the arts; and the development of higher education, particularly in the United States and Europe.

Those who strive to bring enlightenment in the name of Christ have certainly impacted Asia as well. For instance, for many decades various Christian organizations have worked to advance the causes of higher education as well as Christian values in Asia.

High ideals

One group that has been active since the early twentieth century is the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia. They describe themselves as “a Christian organization working in partnership with higher education institutions in 13 countries and regions of Asia to express values such as justice, reconciliation and harmony between ethnic and religious communities, gender equity, care for the environment, and civil society.” The Board operates various programs, and is involved in both seeking and bestowing grants. This is one of numerous organizations working to improve education and general quality of life for millions of people throughout Asia.

While Christians have sometimes been criticized (particularly in the United States) for being regressive and oppressive, that’s not what Christianity is about. Rather, it is about endeavoring to live the teachings of Christ. Unconditional love, respect for people of all cultures, and stewardship of the natural resources bestowed upon us by the Creator are all in harmony with what Jesus taught. Today more than ever, Christianity is a truly global faith. May it continue to be a force for good in the world, and for unity rather than divisiveness. “For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28.

What is that to you? – A lesson from C. S. Lewis

Posted on July 16, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

The C. S. Lewis Quote

Walter Hooper writes this anecdote in his introduction to The Weight of Glory about an interaction he had with C. S. Lewis:

‘I told Lewis that I was tempted – very strongly tempted – to tell Our Lord that I thought it monstrously unfair that He should allow the naughty old atheist to seemingly go on forever and yet let Lewis, who was only sixty-four, come so close to the point of death. ‘Mind you,’ I said, observing Lewis’s face cloud over, ‘I haven’t actually said it in my prayers, but I’ve come pretty close.’
And what do you think our Lord would say to that?’ Lewis said with a discouraging look.
‘What?’
‘What is that to you!’
Anyone who had read John 21:22 – Our Lord’s rebuke to St. Peter – will recognise Lewis’ application of it in this instance.

Mr. Hooper goes on to write that Lewis would do what he could to improve a situation but trust the outcome to God. Once he had trusted it to God, Lewis would not give it another thought. In other words, Lewis had a good sense of boundaries and where his responsibility was at an end.

The Lesson

This is a lesson that I struggle to learn. Too often I stew about things over which I have no control. Sometimes it goes beyond stewing and I try to affect change in a situation where my input is not required or wanted. I should have already learned this lesson because it always goes badly when I go beyond the boundary.

At it’s core, my inability to know my boundaries stems from a lack of faith in God. I lack faith either because I distrust God’s goodness or I doubt his desire to make this situation right. When I worry about thongs which are beyond my control I show the weakness of my faith.

“What is that to you?” is the correct question to ask.

If God allows a bad situation that is beyond my ability to fix, what is that to me? If someone else gets a reward or position that he did not deserve, what is that to me? If a candidate for whom I did not vote gets into office, what is that to me? If someone says something about me that is not true, what is that to me?

Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6 that God will complete what he has started. We also learn from Paul’s experience of the thorn in the flesh that God uses circumstances to teach us what we need to learn to progress in holiness.

Do I really trust God or do I merely pay him lip service? When I try to affect change outside of my God given sphere of responsibility, then I prove that I am doing the latter.

Numbering our days: a reflection on Psalm 90

Posted on July 14, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

Beyond a temporal understanding

I have been reading through the Psalms. Recently I came to Psalm 90 where it says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to you a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) This is a verse that has often been quoted, usually in the sense of expressing urgency to get busy in doing work for the Kingdom of God. In this understanding, the emphasis is on the fleeting nature of time and how we have, on average, some 70 years to accomplish things for God before life comes to an end.

If this is the correct understanding of this verse, wisdom would dictate that we discover our calling and work hard at accomplishing the most in the time we have allotted. Ephesians 5:15-16 would seem to support this understanding when Paul writes:

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

I have even heard it said that we should keep a running countdown of the days until our 70^th birthday so that we can be aware of how much time we have left to work for the Kingdom. While the countdown is not a bad idea, I think that it does not capture the whole point of the prayer in the context of the Psalm. Awareness of the brevity of our days has benefit, but the focus should not be on what we plan on accomplishing but upon what God wants to accomplish through us.

Obedience is the key

Moving a few verses back in the Psalm, it can be seen that the context of the prayer is God’s judgment against Israel for their rebellion. In verse 8 it says, “You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.” In other words we are to live with the understanding that we are under the scrutiny of God and as a result, we must have an understanding of our finite nature and respond to God properly. It is not our temporal awareness that is in question, but our ability to obey.

In reading the rest of the Psalm I have a sense that some of the anger at the nation of Israel was due to presumption on their part. They presumed upon God’s tolerance and as a result they reaped God’s anger. Can we not do the same? We can be busy doing all sorts of things and convince ourselves that we are doing it for God. Jesus often rebuked the Pharisees for this type of hypocrisy. The question is not whether we are busy, the question is are we being responsive to God?

On the basis of this, I see Psalm 90:12 as a request to help us understand our finiteness rather than an encouragement to pack in as much in our 70 years as possible. The lesson we learn from Matthew 7:21-23 is that activity is not the cause for reward, relationship with Jesus Christ is. This prayer is not a call to busyness or activity, it is a call to submission to God.

It is God’s plan

I do not for a minute buy into the argument that there is something that God needs me to do and I am the only one to do it. Yes, God allows me to participate in the accomplishment of his will but my rebellion or incompetence cannot derail his plan. I do not have to race the clock to get something accomplished for God. This is freeing if I allow it to be.

What I do need to do is bring my finite understanding to God and seek him for what I should be about today. Do we really believe Jesus when he said take not thought for tomorrow? I don’t need to plan out what I need to accomplish for God, I need to do what he has asked me to do today. God will take care of the years moving forward if I simply submit each day to him.

What you build and how you build it matters to God

Posted on July 8, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

Build Stone Wall — Image via freefoto.com

Perhaps it due to the nature of the blogs I follow, or perhaps it is because of my own discontent, but I sense a growing dissatisfaction with the organized church. As evidence I would point to the Barna statistics that show that 6 out of 10 young people walk away from the church; many of them never return. I read some verses that seem to speak to this issue. In 1 Corinthians 3:10-13, Paul is writing about the foundation on which he builds and the quality of the work and the materials used to build upon that foundation. He writes:

According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. (NASB)

The first thing to notice is the foundation on which Paul builds. That foundation is Jesus Christ. Anything that does not point to or is built upon the relationship with Jesus Christ is not built on a solid foundation.

The question for church leaders is whether or not the activities of the church deepen the relationship with Jesus. Any activitiy that does not is not built upon a solid foundation.

The second point is that what is built upon the foundation needs to be made of material that will stand the test. Wood, hay and straw will be consumed, while gold silver and precious stones will last. Are we building into the lives of our members such that their relationship with Christ is strengthened and deepened or are we merely treading water?

Do we have a structure in place that allows for training members in the foundational truths of Scripture? Are we teaching men and women how to read Scripture in context and understand how to apply it? Are we providing a forum where doubts and questions can be addressed? Do we have a safe environment for doubters to seek answers? In short, are we making disciples (root meaning learner) or are we making conformists? There is a large difference.

In addition to this type of training, do we as parents and church leaders model the life of a disciple? Can we be found studying Scripture? Do we honestly wrestle with how Scripture should be applied in our lives? Do we respond in obedience when Scripture brings conviction on an issue? Does the next generation look at us and see something that they want to emulate?

With 60% of young people leaving the church, it would appear that the church as a whole can use a lot of improvement in these areas. The good news is that there are individuals and churches that are doing well with these issues and there are organizations who seek to train people to be excellent disciple makers.

I thank God that when I left for college, He brought men into my life that could point me toward the answers I sought. It is my hope that my generation can begin to do better at living out the gospel and training the next generation to do so.

We cannot sit back and rest thinking that we are on a good path. A 60% failure rate is unacceptable in any endeavor, especially when an eternal destiny is on the line.