Two things I like about Mark: 1. his theology, and 2. his communication style. I don't agree with everything I read, but who does? Let me mention a couple nuggets and comment on them.
"The Bible clearly teaches that we do what we are. It also repeatedly teaches . . . that our sin comes from our hearts, the center of who we are. Our heart is a rock band, and culture is a loudspeaker, and if we don't like the music, spending lots of money to fund organizations to "fix" the speakers won't change the tune."
Right on. He goes on to say we can't just look at culture, but focus on the cause which is the sin in our hearts. Culture is the outward manifestation of what is in our hearts, but it also has an effect on our hearts. My son is 9 and the culture he lives in (outside of home) will influence him differently than his grandpa's culture influenced his grandpa.
So I can understand why so many want to reverse gears and take the culture back to the time when our grandfather's lived. It's just not possible. Parker will grow up today, and God calls me to guard his heart and prepare him for today. Fortunately, God's Word is capable in any culture.
Mark on "keeping it real . . .":
"One of the most popular mantras . . . is that God's people need to be more real and authentic. In general, this is wise. A disingenuous faith is repugnant to believers and non-believers alike. But because we are sinners, simply encouraging people to be who they are in the name of authenticity is dangerous because it can easily be taken as a license to sin without repentance. In the opening chapter of Romans, Paul says that people are prone to be real rather than repentant because they love to sin, which explains why Jesus told us to deny ourselves rather than be ourselves."
May God make us really, humbly holy without losing our love for people, and may people be attracted to the Jesus in us.
Phil
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