AP Australia’s reformedevangelical periodical

SUMMER 2014/15

Moral monster?Why the new atheists are wrong

Slavery andthe Bible

Jesusin Islam

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The so-called New Atheists do notjust reject any belief in theexistence of God; they have

declared war on Him. Richard Dawkinshas proclaimed to all the world thatYahweh is a tyrant to end all tyrants: “TheGod of the Old Testament is arguably themost unpleasant character in all fiction:jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust,unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive,bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic,homophobic, racist, infanticidal,genocidal, filicidal, pestilential,megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic,capriciously malevolent bully.”

There is not much left in the thesaurusafter that effort. Christopher Hitchenswas scarcely more restrained, and wroteof “The Nightmare of the OldTestament”. Dawkins, Hitchens, SamHarris, Daniel Dennett and the rest ofthe crusaders all become very indignantover the notion that morality requires areligious basis. Dawkins even said thatDarwinism explains human kindness,generosity, and goodness.

EditorialDarwinism – in terms of HerbertSpencer’s survival of the fittest –certainly explains Dawkins’ assertionmade in August 2014 that it is immoralnot to abort a child with DownSyndrome. For some not altogether clearreason he drew the line at saying thesame thing about a child with autism.

Dawkins and his ilk seem not to knowthat it is the God of the Old Testamentwho tells His people to love theirneighbour as themselves (Lev.19:18),not to curse the deaf or put a stumblingblock before the blind (Lev.19:14), andto look after the stranger, the widow andthe orphan (Ex.22:21-24; Deut.24:17-22). Before the onslaught of modernversions of bureaucratic benevolence,God had declared Himself to be the onewho watches over the sojourners, andupholds the widow and the fatherless

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(Ps.146:9). The Ten Commandmentsconstitute a charter of liberty anddecency, and those who replace it withslogans like “Liberty, equality, andfraternity” have been adept at achievingthe opposite of what they declare.

The quest for perfection without God’srevelation of what this means and withoutthe counterbalancing warnings abouthuman sinfulness has led to moraldarkness being promulgated as light, andlight as darkness. Dietrich Bonhoefferhad good cause to lament that “the vilestcontempt for mankind goes about itssinister business with the holiestprotestations of devotion to the humancause”. The moral monsters turn out tobe the very ones who despise the Godwho made them and who shall judgethem.

Peter Barnes

Moral monster?

SUMMER 2014/15 3

Dr Richard Belcher Jnr is theJohn D. & Frances M. GwinProfessor of Old Testament

and Academic Dean at the ReformedTheological Seminary in Charlotte,North Carolina. He recently visitedAustralia to lecture at the PresbyterianTheological College of Victoria on“Preaching in the Book of Judges”. DrBelcher has recently publishedimportant Bible commentaries on thebooks of Genesis and Ecclesiastes.

Critics of the Bible claim that itcontains so many obscene andcruel stories that it can hardly bethe work of a holy and righteousGod. Do they have a point?

Obviously, this is a pressing issue today.In the past people who have had moralproblems with the Bible have said,“Well, the Bible contains some storiesand practices that are offensive to manypeople and this undermines itsauthority”. But today some of the morepassionate atheists like Richard Dawkinsand Christopher Hitchens have gone astep further and said, “the Bible’s viewson morality are dangerous”.

This represents a change in the waythat people are viewing the Bible. Theyare not simply saying that it is wrong;they are claiming that it is evil.Moreover, they go a step further andsuggest that the teaching of the Bible

should not even be tolerated; instead, itshould be rejected as “hateful”.

In response, I would point out thatwhen the Bible describes an event itdoes not mean that it necessarilycondones it. The Bible paints an honestpicture about the fallen world and itcertainly includes some confrontingstories. However, the inclusion of someof these stories does not mean that Godapproves the actions of their characters.On the contrary, they are oftencondemned. What we need tounderstand is that God is able to usethese stories in ways that further Hispurposes by teaching us things we needto know about Him, ourselves and Hisgrace towards sinners.

Do you think it’s fair to say (assome people do) that the OldTestament represents God as fullof wrath and vengeance, while theNew Testament portrays Him interms of love, mercy, and grace?

This view is based upon a falsedichotomy. The reality is that we findthat the God of the Old Testament isalso presented as a God of love andcompassion. We see it clearly in theaftermath of the Golden Calf incident,where Moses describes God as mercifuland gracious, slow to anger, aboundingin steadfast love and faithfulness(Exodus 34:6). If you look at the way

God relates to His people in the OldTestament, He is always faithful to Hiscovenant promises and is longsufferingtoward His own people when theydisobey Him. It’s a false perception thatthe God of the Old Testament is just aGod of vengeance.

On the other hand, of course, ChristHimself spoke some very harsh words ofjudgment to the self-righteous of Hisday (Matthew 23) as well as to those whorejected Him (Matthew 13). In fact, ifyou look at the Bible and its presentationof salvation, there’s no contradictionbetween God’s justice and judgment onthe one hand, and His mercy andcompassion on the other. He hasdevised the gift of salvation in such away that His just demands can be metin His compassionate response toundeserving sinners. So God has, inessence, through the gospel, satisfiedHis justice while offering grace andmercy to sinners through Christ’s life,death and resurrection.

Do you think it’s realistic in thelight of the Fall and God’s curseon sin to expect that life is goingto be problem-free and that wewon’t suffer things like pain, andconfusing moral problems?

No, it’s not realistic. I think it’s anentirely false expectation that we can livein a fallen world without suffering andawkward moral problems. We learn fromthe book of Job that even a blamelessperson can suffer and face lots ofconfusion as he tries to make sense of lifeand God’s ways in the world. Job never

It is an entirely false expectation that wecan live in a fallen world without sufferingand awkward moral problems.

Who is the God the Old Testament portrays?

Richard Belcher talks to Peter Hastie

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did anything to attract his particularsuffering. Even Jesus, who was entirelyinnocent, suffered. Of course, Hissuffering was for a specific purpose. Asfollowers of Jesus, we may be treated inthe same way as Him. Since we live in afallen world that is under the judgmentof God we are never really going toescape pain, suffering and perplexity.

Does God have any purpose inbringing pain into the worldbecause of sin?

Since God is wise and sovereign, Hecan use many things that may seem tostrange to us in carrying out Hispurposes. For instance, He can use painand suffering to bring us to an end ofourselves and to draw us to Christ.

Sometimes, as a consequence of ourown sinfulness, we experienceconsequences related to our actions thatremind us that sin never pays and thattrue blessing is only found in God.

And God can also use pain and sufferingfor our sanctification and perfection.

Suffering can also be a warning to us.Some of the stories in the Bible – likethe Fall – warn us about the effects and

consequences of sin. When we readthese stories we are challenged toovercome sin so that we don’t suffer thesame consequences.

Should we see God’s judgments inevents like the Fall, the Flood, and thedestruction of Sodom and Gomorrahas a series of warning signalsfrom Heaven about an ultimatejudgment that faces us all?

Yes. In fact, some of these events arepictures of the final eschatologicaljudgment, and so serve as a warning toanyone that judgment is on the horizonfor those who reject the gospel.Likewise, God can also teach us aboutHis grace through our own sin andfailures. God can use our disobedienceto remind us – especially when wethink of King David and his failures –that there’s a righteous king who willnever fail, but will accomplish God’spurposes of salvation. Of course, we seethat in the person of Christ. So that’salso a part of God’s redemptive purposein showing us some of the failures ofHis own people in the Old Testament.

So judgments can be a warning to us ofwhat is to come as well as alerting us to

the present consequences of sin in ourown lives. They can also generate hopethat in this sinful world, where we don’tlive up to God’s righteous judgements,there is someone who can meet all therequirements of the law and truly bringus salvation.

Would you agree that in the lightof the Fall and our own sin thatthe real problem in the world isnot “why is there suffering?” but“why is there any pleasure?”

That’s a good way to look at it. It isreminder that God’s common graceensures that things are rarely as bad asthey could be. Although sin affectsevery part of our being, people rarelygive expression to all their sinful desires.If they did, life on earth would be hell.In other words, we should be thankfulto God for the restraint that Heexercises over sin in the world.

Imagine what our neighbourhoodswould be like if we all acted out thedesires and impulses of our hearts. Thefact that we experience many joys andmuch happiness in this life is totallyundeserved in view of our sin andrebellion. This means that we should

SUMMER 2014/15 5

look at our neighbours in a new way.For instance, if we have an unbelievingneighbour who is a moral person, wecan give thanks to God that His gracehas restrained his sin and made himreluctant to do evil. The amazing thingabout life in this world is that it isactually a lot better than we wouldexpect it to be in the light of the curse(Genesis 3:16-19).

When God brings judgment onpeople such as Pharaoh or theCanaanites is He being malicious,or does He have some otherpurpose in view?

In most of these situations, God’s firstresponse is not judgment. Even in a caselike Sodom and Gomorrah, God comesfirst to Abraham to reveal His plans tohim. Abraham pleads with God, andGod is willing to save the cities if thereare 10 righteous people in them. So wesee that God’s first response is not oneof judgment. Usually God’s judgmentcomes after an extended period wherepeople refuse to change, and evilreaches epidemic proportions.

God is always slow to execute judgment.In Genesis 15 we discover that Godreveals that He will not punish theAmorites for at least four generations,which in those times equated to overfour centuries. I don’t think thatanyone could argue that God actedcapriciously and was not long-sufferingand just in executing His judgments. Infact, I think that most of us would be

thankful that God is so forbearing andmerciful in the way He executes justice.

I think we all need to pause andremember that the God of the Bible isholy and we are sinners. We deservenothing from Him, and that’s the partof the equation we don’t understandtoday. If we did we would soon realisehow merciful and gracious God is whenHe exercises such restraint towards us.

A lot of people take offence atGod’s command to the Israelitesto destroy the Canaanites.What do we know about theCanaanites? Did they deserve it?

That’s the way this issue is presentedsometimes: the poor, innocentCanaanites, minding their ownbusiness, and then God pounces onthem in judgment and destroys themthrough the Israelites.

Well, as I said earlier, God’s judgmentwasn’t His first response. He waited forover four centuries until their evil hadreached the upper limit, so to speak.

The Canaanites were a people whowere very wicked in their behaviour,even engaging in child-sacrifice. Theyworshiped gods who were lustful,incestuous, and bloodthirsty and the

Canaanites became like the gods theyworshipped. The goddess of sex andwar, Ashtart, was very violent. Shedecorated herself with suspended headsand hands attached to a girdle. Sheexalted in brutality and butchery.

Of course, the Canaanites alsoworshipped Baal, who was the god offertility. One aspect of Baal worshipinvolved the Canaanites engaging insexual activity as a form of sympatheticmagic to induce him to producefruitfulness for their crops. So it’s a falsepicture to say that the Canaanites wereinnocent people minding their ownbusiness. They were extremelydebauched and wicked people.

How would you answer somebodylike Richard Dawkins who says thatwhen God orders the exterminationof the Canaanites He is nothingmore than a moral monster?

I would answer by reminding him thatthe Bible says that God is a God ofjustice. His judgment is simply amanifestation of His justice andrighteousness, and if we had a sense ofHis holiness, our response would beone of fear and reverence because of theholy God that He is.

I would also remind him that this

The God of the Bible is holy and we are sinners.We deserve nothing from Him, and that’s thepart of the equation we don’t understand today.

judgment upon the Canaanites serves asa warning of the future eschatologicaljudgment that faces us.

And I would also add this: God’scommand to exterminate theCanaanites is not something that occursall throughout Old Testament history.It is for a particular period of Israel’shistory. It’s not as if Israel participatedall throughout her history in this kindof activity. It was for a particularpurpose in a limited period of herhistory. Further, it was confined to thetime when she entered Canaan to takepossession of it for herself so as to fulfilGod’s purpose for her.

Now there were times when Israelengaged in physical warfare – holy war– but many times that was defensive.So this is a strictly limited periodduring Israel’s existence, and we shouldnot think of Israel participating in thiskind of activity all throughout herhistory. To suggest otherwise is wrong.

Did God intend all the Canaanitesto be totally obliterated?

No, He didn’t. Some were saved. Rahabis a good example of this. Rahab wasliving in a city – Jericho – that hadfallen under condemnation. Yet sheresponded to the spies, believed in theGod of Israel and so she and herhousehold were saved. So there was anopportunity for people to believe andavoid destruction.

Thus, not all Canaanites were destroyedand there are examples throughout theOld Testament of non-Israelitesbelieving in the God of Israel andbecoming a part of God’s people.

Atheists often claim that God’sorder to kill the Canaanites wasan act of genocide and ethniccleansing. Is this a fair charge?

No, it’s not. It’s based on ignorance.When God commands Israel toexterminate the Canaanites it hasnothing to do with race. Likewise, whenHe tells Israel not to intermarry withthe Canaanites, it’s not a racial matter.It’s a religious one. God’s concern is topromote saving faith. Thus, for the sakeof future generations, they arecommanded not to marry unbelievers.

Elsewhere in the Old Testament wehave instances where Israelites marriedforeigners who were believers. Thispractice was approved. For instance,when Ruth becomes a believer in theGod of Israel, she is able to marry Boaz.So the issue is not one of race; and thisshows how baseless Dawkins’ claim is.

People who are not a part of Israel canbecome a part of Israel through beliefin Israel’s God. So Israel iscompassionate in many ways to thosewho are different from her.

Christ’s death we see God’s mercy andcompassion displayed towardsundeserving sinners. Further, Christ’sdeath for our sin reveals the extent thatGod is willing to go to in order to form arelationship with undeserving sinners, bytaking upon Himself our judgment. Ithink that’s a key part of this that alsoneeds to be emphasised. So ChristHimself comes, and He comes not assomeone who is coming to destroysinners (in His first coming); rather, Hecomes as one who wants to save us.

Once He has saved us He sends us outinto the world as disciples. Our mission isto evangelise others, not to terrorise themand blow them up. We are to preach thegospel and give our lives in servingpeople. Christ gives His life; He doesn’ttake the life of infidels. We are sent out tosacrifice ourselves by preaching the goodnews of the gospel to them.

This is a markedly different mission tothe one you see in other religions. TheNew Testament is quite clear that ourmission is not to engage in physicalwarfare (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Instead,we are called to proclaim the gospel andto overcome the false ideas and argumentsthat keep us in bondage. Our mission isspiritual warfare, in the light of thespiritual kingdom that Christ established.Ephesians 6 and Revelation 12 talk aboutthat spiritual warfare. When we readabout the holy wars in the Old Testamentwe must always view them in the light ofthe coming of Christ.

Is there anything you would add,then, to Richard Dawkin’s claimthat when Christ went to the cross,God actually was engaging in divinechild abuse?

I would reject Dawkins’ view completely.It’s true that God’s relationship withChrist is one of Father-Son, but it is arelationship that is conditioned by mutuallove and honour and where both havevoluntarily agreed that Christ’s death forsinners is necessary for the salvation ofGod’s people. Dawkins completelymisrepresents this understanding of theirrelationship to further his own agenda.When he speaks about the God of theBible he gives a completely false picture.

Peter Hastie is the principal of PTCVictoria.

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Dr Richard Belcher

How should we view this warfareof the Israelites against theCanaanites? Is there any reasonto doubt God’s character? Exactlywhat purpose is it serving?

It serves a number of purposes. Onevital purpose it served at that time wasto maintain the purity of Israel’s spirituallife and mission. If Israel was God’sservant to bring light to the nations itcould not allow itself to be spirituallycompromised by allowing people tojoin who did not believe in the trueGod and His purposes for the world.

Further, the destruction of the Canaanitesis a picture of the final judgment that iscoming upon unbelief and wickedness.But what’s particularly interesting tome is if we begin to think about whattakes place upon the cross, we begin tosee that God takes this judgment uponHimself. He enters into our fallenworld in Christ, who, though sinless,takes upon Himself the judgment thatwe deserve in dying upon the cross.

When we think about God’s justice andsuffering, we must remember that in

SUMMER 2014/15 7

Bound butunchained

Don’tconfusebiblicalslaverywith theAmericanversion

It is notuncommon to saythat the Bible is a vicious book

because God ordains slavery in theOld Testament, and the slavery ofthe American South, at least untilthe tragic Civil War of 1861-1865,showed how brutal and unjust slaverycan be. Hence Sam Harris, a rabidatheist, declares that the books of theBible are bursting with “obscenecelebrations of violence” and theycondone the practice of slavery whereas“the entire civilized world now agreesthat slavery is an abomination”.

However, there is considerabledifference between the God-ordainedand regulated slavery of the OldTestament and that which prevailed inthe Confederate States of NorthAmerica in rather more recent times.

Chris Wright maintains that theHebrew slave was more a bondedworker than a slave. In the first place, aHebrew slave could normally obtain hisfreedom after six years: “When you buya Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years,and in the seventh he shall go out free,for nothing” (Ex.21:2; see Deut.15:1-18). There were no life-long slavesunless the slave wished it in which casehe went through a ceremony whichbored his ear with an awl to signify hislifelong attachment to his master(Ex.21:5-6). Otherwise, six years was

the maximum. And if theYear of Jubilee rolled around,

as it did every 50 years, it wasfurther reduced (Lev.25:39-41).

Much later, Jeremiah was todenounce King Zedekiah of Judah

for not releasing slaves when he hadpromised to do so (Jer.34).

A slave whom the master injured insome way was to go free (Ex.21:26-27).An escaped slave was to be well-treated:“You shall not give up to his master aslave who has escaped from his masterto you. He shall dwell with you, in yourmidst, in the place that he shall choosewithin one of your towns, wherever itsuits him. You shall not wrong him”(Deut.23:15-16).

This probably only referred to a slavewho had escaped from another countryrather than a Hebrew who had jumpedthe fence. In the Code of Hammurabi,anyone who harboured a slave or helpedhim to escape was to be put to death.Israel, on the other hand, was to be aplace of refuge for a slave on the run.

Another significant difference is thatOld Testament slavery was normallylinked to punishment for stealing. Thelaw was that “If a man steals an ox or asheep, and kills it or sells it, he shallrepay five oxen for an ox, and foursheep for a sheep. If a thief is foundbreaking in and is struck so that hedies, there shall be no bloodguilt for

him, but if the sun has risen on him,there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shallsurely pay. If he has nothing, then heshall be sold for his theft” (Ex. 22:1-3).

Under the law of Moses there were nojails. Instead, a system of restitutionplus compensation was to operate indealing with robberies. Most of theHebrews who were slaves in the OldTestament period were debt slaves –they owed money and were paying itoff, or they had stolen something andcould not pay it back with the addedcompensation, so they worked it off.This is neither cruel nor anabomination, but eminently sensible.

Old Testament slavery did not consistof one nationality oppressing anothernationality as in American slavery inthe 19th century. Nor was it part ofsome arbitrary caste system. It was partof a very fair and effective system ofjustice when it was applied rightly.

One of the more startling differencesbetween slavery in the Old Testamentand that in the southern United Statesis that the Bible condemns kidnappingas a capital crime (Ex. 21:16; Deut.24:7). Before the law of Moses wasgiven, Joseph’s brothers trampled allover this principle, which was writtenon their hearts (see Gen. 37:25-28). Itis instructive that the law againstkidnapping is repeated in the NewTestament (1 Tim. 1:8-11). The NIVhas “slave traders”, the ESV has“enslavers”, and the NKJV has“kidnappers”. Whichever translation isused, it would condemn the Africanslave trade and the existence of slaveryin the southern states of the USA in the

Peter Barnes

Most of the Hebrews who were slaves in theOld Testament period were debt slaves …they worked it off. This is neither cruel noran abomination.

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late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Perhaps something like 14.5 millionAfricans were brought to the NewWorld in chains, but many others diedon the way. Almost all of them werekidnapped from their homes in Africa.In 1787 John Newton condemned thisas “a commerce so iniquitous, so cruel,so oppressive, so destructive”. It was aspecial horror to him: “I hope it willalways be a subject of humiliatingreflection to me, that I was once anactive instrument in a business at whichmy heart now shudders.”

Olaudah Equiano was a former slavewho obtained his freedom, became anevangelical Christian, married a well-to-do Englishwoman who bore him twochildren, and published his life story in1789. He claimed that “Tortures,murder, and every other imaginablebarbarity and iniquity, are practisedupon the poor slaves with impunity”.

Far from seeing slavery as somethingthat is natural, the God of the OldTestament commands the death penaltyfor kidnappers.

Finally, the Old Testament declares thatall peoples, being in the image of God, areto be treated with fairness and compassion.In defending himself, Job declared:

“If I have rejected the cause of mymanservant or my maidservant, whenthey brought a complaint against me,what then shall I do when God risesup? When He makes inquiry, whatshall I answer Him? Did not He whomade me in the womb make him? Anddid not one fashion us in the womb?”(Job 31:13-15)

How do we understand all humanbeings on this earth, and ourrelationship with them? We are createdin the womb by God. We share thatcommonality; we are all united in thatsense. When John Newton wroteagainst the slave trade that he had onceparticipated in, he cited the GoldenRule of Matthew 7:12.

The church can easily descend into akind of Pelagian racism. During the19th century, one AmericanPresbyterian preacher apparently

proclaimed: “You slaves will go toheaven if you are good, but don't everthink that you will be close to yourmistress and master. No! There will be awall between you; but there will beholes in it that will permit you to lookout and see your mistress when shepasses by.”

Against that kind of theology andpractice, Calvin cited Isaiah 58:7 aboutnot looking down upon our own flesh.He explained: “By that he means wecannot look upon another human beingwithout having before us a livingrepresentation of our own selves, and ifwe deny him our help, it is as if we wererefusing it to ourselves”. Indeed, he addedthat even the pagans have recognised“what is so difficult for us to get into ourheads”, namely that there is “a universalkinship within the human race”.

The Old Testament has a temporaryprovision for slavery, usually forstealing; kidnapping was a capitalcrime; and Hebrews, because of theirunderstanding of God as the creator ofall mankind, were enjoined to treat allhuman beings with fairness andcompassion. That is why Confederateslavery was so wrong.

Peter Barnes is editor of AP

(1 Timothy 1:8-11) would condemn the Africanslave trade and the existence of slavery in thesouthern states of the USA.

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Not long ago, I decided topreach through the book ofExodus. It was a thrilling

experience…until I came to thechapters dealing with the constructionof the tabernacle. To make matters“worse” (from a preaching perspective),not only does this take up a large chunkof the book – almost half! – but afterthe incident involving the golden calfthe instructions are repeated almostword for word! It left me asking myself:“Why would God’s Word do that?”

The construction of the tabernacle isobviously extremely important in thebook of Exodus. In fact, Barry Webbstates that “Exodus moves from ‘service’(slavery) to Pharaoh in Egypt, to the‘service’ (worship) of Yahweh at Sinai”This link is even clearer when yourealise that the same Hebrewexpression, abad, is used for both“slavery” and “worship” (Exod. 1:13-14; 3:12). So, in a nutshell, Israel goesfrom building Pharaoh’s temple tobuilding the temple of God!

There is an even more fundamentalquestion when it comes to passages likethis, and that is, what would be missingif this particular section wasn’t there?Moses, as well as the author of Hebrews(see Heb. 9), thought that all of thosedetails were important but what wouldour understanding of God be like if ithadn’t been included?

We would be reduced to an essentiallyMuslim theology, because we wouldhave no real understanding of“atonement” and precisely how theLORD God Almighty can objectivelyput us sinners in the right withHimself. It’s the tabernacle, then, thatmost clearly points us to the person andwork of Christ.

Indeed, we all know that when theLord Jesus was here on earth Hedescribed Himself as being the temple(John 2:18-22) but He also specificallyidentified with the tabernacle. Theapostle John says: “And the wordbecame flesh and dwelt (literally“tabernacled”) amongst us, and we haveseen His glory, glory as of the only Sonfrom the Father, full of grace andtruth.” (John 1:14).

How does the Old Testament tabernaclepoint to the long-awaited Messiah?This is where we need to investigate theseven key pieces of furniture that theHoly Spirit prescribed had to be there,although this could easily be extendedfurther to look at things such as theclothing and role of the High Priest (seeHebrews 4:14-16).

1. Altar of burnt offering. Directly uponentering the tabernacle precinct properwas the altar of burnt offering. On eachcorner of the altar was a horn that notonly acted as an anchor point to holdthe animal sacrifice in place but wasalso a sign of strength or assurance as to

its efficacy (Ps. 18:1-2). This was thereto symbolically take away people’s sinthrough a sacrifice of atonement justlike the Lord Jesus has perfectly donefor us (1 Pet. 2:24-25; Heb. 10:1-10).

2. Laver. The laver was a washbasinplaced out in the courtyard of thetabernacle between the altar of burntoffering and the door of the tabernacle.Significantly, this was where the priestshad to wash themselves ceremonially soas to be consecrated or set apart forministry. Interestingly, it was originallyconstructed from the bronze the Israelitewomen used as mirrors which meantthat when someone looked into the waterthey saw a reflection of themselveswhich might have reminded them oftheir fundamental need for forgiveness.Cleansing from sin is to be followed byour holy commitment to spiritualservice (see Titus 2:4-7; John 13:1-10).

3. Table of showbread. At the start ofeach week the priests placed 12 loavesof fresh bread on the table – one foreach of the 12 tribes. This signifies howthe Lord continually provided for Hispeople as they travelled throughout thewilderness. In this way it acted as acontinual reminder that God is JehovahJireh, the One who provides all ourneeds. In the same way, the Lord JesusChrist is the bread of life who faithfullyprovides for all our needs (John 6:35,48-51, 54-56).

Lessons ofholy furniture

Mark PowellHow the Tabernacle illuminates Jesus’ life and purpose

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4. Lampstand. The golden lampstand isactually a stylised tree with a trunk andseven branches as well as leaves, flowersand fruit engraved into it. It acted as amemorial of the original “tree of life”that was located in the Garden of Eden.It was also placed on the opposite sideof the room to the table of showbreadand acted as a “spotlight” so that one’sattention was focused on it. ObviouslyJesus is the true light of the world thatbrings life to all men (John 1:4-5) andHe Himself promises, “Whoeverfollows me will never walk in darkness,but will have the light of life” (John8:12; 9:5).

5. Altar of incense. Also located in theouter room of the tabernacle was thealtar of incense (each of these threepieces of furniture being made of gold).However, this was placed directly infront of the curtain, which led into theHoly of Holies. The incense used onthe altar could not be used anywhereelse on punishment of death. The reasonwhy this was treated so seriously wasbecause it represented the intercessionthe priest made on behalf of sinfulhumanity before the true and living God.Note how Hebrews 7:25 says:“Therefore He is able to save completelythose who come to God through Him,because He always lives to intercede forthem” (see John 17:1-26).

6. Ark of the Covenant. Most Christiansare aware that in the Holy of Holies

(which the High Priest alone couldenter, and only once a year on the Dayof Atonement) was the Ark of theCovenant. Not everyone is familiarwith what it contained; namely, the TenCommandments, a jar of manna as wellas Aaron’s rod that had budded. Thesethree objects pointed to the very heartof what it meant to be in relationshipwith God. That He is holy – asreflected in His law. That He isgenerous – as represented in the jar ofmanna that had sustained the Israelitesin their journey through the wilderness.And that He is powerful – making adead stick bear fruit like a living tree.Without descending into too muchallegory it is not very difficult to seehow the Lord Jesus fulfills andfunctions in exactly the same way.

7. Mercy seat. Separate or distinct fromthe Ark of the Covenant was the mercyseat. This was the lid with the twocherubim that was placed on top.Significantly, between the law of Godand the LORD God Almighty Himselfwas His mercy. Once a year the HighPriest would sprinkle the blood of abull and a goat upon it to symbolizethat the people’s sin had been takenaway. With the coming of Jesus this has

wonderfully been fulfilled once and forall (Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2).

There is one thing in particular thatwas absent from the tabernacle, andthat is there was no image! All of thesepieces of furniture pictured andportrayed the person and work ofChrist but in keeping with theprohibition of the secondcommandment there was no visualrepresentation of God. This is becausean image would only take away fromHis glory and pervert the hearts andminds of those wishing to worship Him(Rom. 1:18-25).

For anyone wanting to explore thesymbolism of the Tabernacle further, Iwould suggest studying the book byDavid Levy, The Tabernacle: Shadows ofthe Messiah.

Mark Powell is part of the ministerialteam at Cornerstone PresbyterianChurch, Strathfield, NSW.

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All of these pieces of furniture pictured andportrayed the person and work of Christ –but there was no image.

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SUMMER 2014/15 11

Christian shot before trial

Christian pastor Zafar Bhatti’s trial forviolating Pakistan’s blasphemy lawnever got to the court verdict stage.That’s because Bhatti was shot deadThursday in his Rawalpindi prison cellin an attack that also wounded hiscellmate, 70-year-old British citizenMuhammad Asghar.

The motives of the alleged gunman, amember of an elite police unit, are notknown. Police arrested Bhatti in 2012on suspicion of sending “blasphemous”text messages, despite evidence indicatingthat the phone from which the messageswere sent didn’t belong to him.

Ashgar’s conviction in January — basedon allegations that he claimed to be a“prophet” of Islam — ignored evidencethat he suffers from mental illness.Asghar was diagnosed with paranoidschizophrenia in the United Kingdomin 2010.

In May, unidentified gunmen killedhuman rights activist and lawyer

Rashid Rehman in an apparent reprisalfor his willingness to represent peoplecharged under the law. Rehman’sattackers remain at large.

Human Rights Watch

Christians help HK protesters

Christians have been among thethousands staking out spaces at thefront lines of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests in October.Catholic, Methodist and Anglicanparishes opened their church doors tooffer demonstrators a place to eat,sleep, and pray, Vatican Radio reports.Other Christians organised prayersessions at protest sites.

Protestant and Catholic students groupshave distributed more than 1000 loavesof bread to protesters outsidegovernment buildings, some of whomspent the night sleeping on the street.

According to Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, apolitics professor at City University ofHong Kong, Christians have a strong

reason to throw their support behindthe anti-Beijing protests becauseeconomic develop has not broughtmore religious tolerance to China. “Infact in the last two years persecutionhas strengthened,” he said.

Christianity Today

From Potter to Zealot

Harry Potter film producer DavidHeyman has signed on to produce thefilm adaptation of Reza Aslan’s Zealot,which examines the life of Jesus, andremoves him from a religious contextand questions many aspects of the Bible.

Lionsgate acquired the rights to thefilm adaptation in December. Heymanpreviously produced all eightinstalments in the Harry Potter series,and is also set to produce wizardingspin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where toFind Them from a screenplay by J.K.Rowling, due in 2016.

Lionsgate co-president Erik Feig said:“Reza Aslan has written a remarkable

World news

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book that manages to bring the ancientworld into contemporary relief and tomake a timeless story very timely. Weare excited to create this uniquelycinematic and immersive world formoviegoers to experience.”

The Telegraph, London

Bible for Iranians

A new translation of the Bible intomodern Persian has been launched inLondon. According to a news releasefrom Elam Ministries, the organisationbehind the translation, at the time of theIslamic revolution in 1979 there were nomore than 500 Christians from a Muslimbackground in the country. Now Iran isthought to have one of the fastest-growing congregations in the world.

“A very conservative estimate puts thenumber of Christians in Iran at100,000,” David Yeghnazar of ElamMinistries said in a press release. “Thegenerally-accepted estimate is 370,000.Some believe there are 700,000, someover a million. Operation World putsthe annual growth rate at 19.7 per cent.If that is the case, Iran will very soonhave one million Christian believers.”

“Though the [launch] event will be ajoyful one, we are sad it is happeningoutside Iran,” Yeghnazar said.

ASSIST News Service

China demolishes churches

The Chinese Government has orderedthe demolition of at least 130 churchesin recent months, though the actualnumber may be three to four times thatamount, yet unverifiable.

On July 21 at 3AM, in Water Town,Pingyang County, Wenzhou City,Zhejiang Province, nearly 1000Christian believers rallied on Kau Yanchurch grounds to stop the impendingdemolition. People were beaten by

police and urban management, anddozens of Christians were hospitalised.

The fact that the demolition ofchurches is part of a wider plan wasclearly revealed by the Secretary XiaBaolong who, in an interview withXinhua on February 17, announcedthat “hostile forces of the West” hadinfiltrated the Christian communities.

Revolution News

Nepalese pastor freed

Authorities in Nepal have released aProtestant pastor sentenced to 12 yearsin prison for consuming beef, accordingto a Canadian NGO who confirmedthe release in late July. Reverend ChhedarLhomi Bhote, 37, was arrested inOctober 2012 after a Hindu mobattacked and burned his home innorth-eastern Nepal near the TibetanAutonomous Region.

The mob accused him of havingconsumed beef – taboo in Nepalthough not explicitly prohibited fornon-Hindus – as well as having killedthe cow himself, which is considered a

Read and downloadsixteen years of AP freeof charge at ap.org.auClick the Past Issuesbutton and enjoy!

criminal act. The pastor was arrested andlater sentenced to 12 years in prison.

After nearly two years of work byseveral Protestant NGOs and petitionsto the Nepal government, theauthorities relented and Bhote wasreleased on July 17. Bhote ran a smallChristian community at the time of hisarrest, comprising mainly ethnicTibetans who regularly eat beef.

UCA

Scots marks Grand Final

Melbourne’s Scots’ PresbyterianChurch, on the corner of Collins andRussell Streets, held its annual AFLGrand Final church service onWednesday, September 24. The servicecelebrated gospel blessings, includingthe gift of sport. Over the past severalyears the event has built up to be asignificant part of the AFL’s GrandFinal Week events.

The service challenges fans to look atthe bigger picture of the Grand Final incontext of living Life in its fullness, and

uses speakers from Australia andoverseas. This year it was DanielBullock, chaplain of the WesternBulldogs AFL team. Richmond playerAnthony Miles also attended.

Christian Today

Indonesia condemns IS

Outgoing Indonesian president SusiloBambang Yudhoyono condemnedIslamic State militants in Syria and Iraqas embarrassing to Islam, and urgedIslamic leaders to unite in tacklingextremism. SBY said the scale of theslaughter wrought by the extremists inoverrunning large swathes of Iraq andSyria and the level of violence beingused was appalling.

“It is shocking. It is becoming out ofcontrol,” he said in an interview withThe Australian newspaper a day after ISreleased a video showing a maskedmilitant beheading US reporter JamesFoley, provoking worldwide revulsion.

“We do not tolerate it, we forbid ISISin Indonesia,” he added, referring to

the Islamic State of Iraq and theLevant, as IS was formerly known.Although Indonesia is the world’s mostpopulous Muslim nation, “Indonesia isnot an Islamic state. We respect allreligions,” he said.

UCA

Satanic cult loses case

The Roman Catholic archbishop ofOklahoma City in the US has performedan exorcism at a public venue thathosted a satanic “black Mass” inSeptember. Archbishop Paul S. Coakleytold The Oklahoman newspaper thisweek that he and another priestperformed “prayers of exorcism” at theCivic Centre Music Hall the morningafter the September 21 event.

He said the exorcism was performedafter Centre patrons were troubledabout possible after-effects of the mass.Around 40 people attended the massled by a group of Satanists called theDakhma of Angra Mainyu Syndicate.

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SUMMER 2014/15 15

Jesus in IslamSamuel Green

Muhammad, the founder ofIslam who died in 632, saidmany things about Jesus in

the Qur’an and Hadith, which formthe basis for what most Muslims believeabout Jesus. As Islam becomes part ofthe theological mainstream in Australiait is important for Christians have someidea about this.

Here is a summary of whatMuhammad said.

Jesus’ mother was Miriam/Mary thedaughter of Amram and the sister ofMoses and Aaron, Qur’an 3:35-51,19:28 & 53, 66:12, Ex. 15:20.The Holy Spirit came as a man andannounced to Mary the birth of Jesus,19:17.Jesus was born of a virgin, 3:45-47.He spoke from the cradle, 19:29-35.Jesus is not lord, or the divine Son ofGod, 19:35.No one can be called a son of God,5:18; you can only be a slave, 19:92-93.God is not father.There is no Trinity, 4:171, 5:73.Jesus is a word and a spirit from God,4.171.

He is like Adam with no father, 3:59.Jesus is just a prophet, 4:171.Jesus is the Messiah, 3:45.He came to Israel, 43:59.Jesus made birds from clay andbreathed the spirit of life into them,3:49, 5:110.He gave guidance, 2:135-6.Jesus taught jihad, 9:111.Jesus confirms and yet changes the lawof Moses, 3:50.He foretold the coming of Muhammad,61:6.The gospel is for all nations, 3:3-4,187, 21:91, 5:47.Jesus did not die nor was he crucifiedbut he ascended to God and is nowalive, 4:157.Muhammad can intercede to God foryou better than Jesus, Sahih al-Bukhari:vol. 6, bk. 60, no. 3.He will come again to break all crosses,kill pigs and abolish the Jizya tax (i.e.bring the final jihad against all non-Muslims) Sahih al-Bukhari: vol. 3, bk.43, no. 656.When Jesus returns he will teach theQur’an, Sahih al-Bukhari: vol. 4, bk.55, no. 658.

There are elements of Muhammad’sunderstanding of Jesus that Christianswould recognise as part of the trueGospel, but there are other elementswhich are not.

Where did Muhammad get these ideasfrom? To whom was he listening? It isnoticeable that the Qur’an does notquote the Bible in the same careful waythe New Testament does of the OldTestament. Instead, the stories areretold by way of illustration for somepoint Muhammad wishes to make.Furthermore, the stories do not comefrom the Bible but from apocryphalsources. For instance, Jesus onlyappearing to die comes from theDocetic Gospels, and creating birdsfrom clay is from the Infancy Gospel ofThomas. This shows the range ofChristians Muhammad was arguing with.

The fact that he denies the divineSonship of Jesus and the reality of Hisdeath means that Muhammad teaches afalse gospel and as such should beconsidered a false prophet (Gal. 1:6-10).

When Muhammad teaches about Jesusit is usually to justify himself in someway. For instance Jesus is said to teachjihad: “God has bought from thebelievers their persons and theirpossessions for the price of Paradise;they fight in the way of God; they kill,and are killed; that is a promise binding

Muslims do honour Jesus, but they do not know who He is

There are elements of Muhammad’sunderstanding of Jesus that Christians wouldrecognise as part of the true gospel, butthere are other elements which are not.

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one level. Therefore, not only doesMuhammad misrepresent Jesus, hemisrepresents all the other biblicalfigures as well.

The worst sin one can commit in Islamis to associate anything with God.Calling Jesus the Son of God is such asin. Muhammad not only denied thatJesus is the Son of God, he also deniedthat anyone can call himself a son ofGod (5:18). At this point we see thatMuhammad not only disagrees with theGospel but also with all of the prophetsbecause the doctrine of the Son of Godis in the Torah (Ex. 4:22), Prophets (2Sam. 7) and the Psalms (2).Muhammad shows no understandingof the unity of scripture and how allscripture builds upon itself and ismeant to be read together (3:50, 5:48).

Muhammad’s understanding of Jesus isalso inconsistent. For instance,throughout the Qur’an it is stated thatJesus is not God, yet Muhammadretells the story from the Gospel ofThomas where Jesus makes birds fromclay and breathes into them the breathof life (15:28-29). This moulding ofclay and breathing of life is exactly howGod creates Adam (3:39). Muhammadsays that Jesus did this only by thepermission of God, but for Jesus tocreate anything means he shares in theunique attribute that defines God. IfJesus is not God and God can give thispermission to anyone then Islamteaches pantheism.

Muslims think that if you want to learnabout Jesus you need to read theQur’an. We need to point out to themthat we should learn about Jesus on hisown terms. Would they like us to learnabout Muhammad by reading BahaiAllah? Point out that Muhammad isjust one man 600 years after Jesus whilethe NT contains multiple witnessesfrom Jesus’ own companions.

Samuel Green is founder of the websitewww.answering-islam.org

Gospel of approximately the size ofMark. ... As we said earlier, this book isoffered as a new Gospel, a Muslimequivalent of, and alternative to, theexisting Gospels” (Ahmad Shafaat, TheGospel According to Islam, 1979, pp. 1-2).

And we read in this Islamic Gospel:“And Pilate sent an order, that JesusBarabbas be released. But the officerswho received the order did make anerror and released Jesus of Nazareth,and crucified Jesus Barabbas. And whenhe was released he departed for Galilee,and he met two travellers who weregoing to Emmaus ... And Jesusanswering said unto them, Lo, Jesus ofNazareth is not crucified nor dead, buthe liveth (26:21-30).”

Another example is the fraudulentGospel of Barnabas from 14th centurywhich is widely used by Muslims today.Muhammad considers that when Jesus

returns he will be aMuslim and obeyMuhammad’steaching and soMuhammad is thefinal prophet evenwith the return ofJesus.

You may haveheard the phrasethat Muslimsbelieve that Jesus isa prophet. This istrue but does notreally explain thesituation. In theQur’an all of themain characters arejust prophets. Forinstance Aaron thehigh priest is alsojust a prophet. Allthe unique rolesthat various peoplehad in the Bible arelost as everyone issquashed down to

upon God in the Torah, and the Gospel,and the Qur’an” (Qur’an 9:111).

Jesus foretells the coming of Muhammad:“And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary,said: ‘O Children of Israel! I am themessenger of Allah (sent) to you,confirming the Law (which came)before me, and giving Glad Tidings of aMessenger to come after me, whosename shall be Ahmad” (Qur’an 61:6).

The common verses that Muslimsclaim are about Muhammad are:Deuteronomy 18:18, Song of Solomon5:16, John 14:16. These verses,however, have nothing to do withMuhammad and this has led someMuslims to write their own Gospelsjust as the Gnostics did in the past.

An example is the The Gospel Accordingto Islam which was only written in1979. It claims: “The book before youis a Gospel. It is written in the light ofthe revelation of God made to theprophet Muhammad. ... This outline issupplemented in this book by somebackground material (derived mostlyfrom the New Testament andsometimes transformed accordingly tothe Qur’anic revelation) to form a

Muslims think that if you want to learn aboutJesus you need to read the Qur’an... Wouldthey like us to learn about Muhammad byreading Bahai Allah?

In our last AP column we exploredhow Christian attitudes likely shapeda key feature of the healthcare sector

within societies where the gospel putdown deep roots – at some level itfurnished the moral vision needed toproduce medicines that alleviate humansuffering. This endeavour was sanctionedby Scripture itself and especially thefamous Parable where Christ commendedthe rudimentary pharmaceutical effortsof the Good Samaritan by proclaiming“Go thou and do likewise.”

Hence, from a perspective shaped byChristian ethics, any search for newmedicines is fuelled not by the prospectof financial profit nor the desire to“conquer nature” in the name ofscience, but mainly proceeds as an actof loving service to one’s neighboursstruggling with pain or ill-health.

Nowadays the view that Christianitydid nothing for our world except breedintolerance and obscurantism has sadlybecome reigning orthodoxy, hence therole Christian values played in shapingmany key cultural endeavours isoverlooked.

To take a wider view upon how muchmodern healthcare owes the Christianworldview it helps to explore various“medicinal motifs” within majorliterary works that are revered across theChurch spectrum. Hopefully, this willshow how deeply Christ’s “TherapeuticInjunction” pervaded the Christianmoral imagination.

For example, in The Pilgrim’s Progress,the 17th century Puritan masterpiece,after surviving his violent encounterwith the “foul fiend” Apollyon,Bunyan’s great protagonist took leavesfrom the Tree of Life and “applied [them]to the wounds he had received in thebattle, and was healed immediately.”

Similarly, in CS Lewis’s The Lion, theWitch and the Wardrobe, Lucy Pevensiereceives a Christmas gift comprising avial of medicinal “cordial made of thejuice of one of the fire-flowers” whichshe subsequently applied to casualtiesfrom the Battle of Beruna. Whenlingering over her wounded brother,Aslan gently reminds Lucy that “thereare other people wounded”. Lucy’scordial makes repeated appearancesthroughout The Chronicles of Narnia.

Pharmaceutical themes also featurestrongly in JR Tolkien’s literarytriumph, The Lord of the Rings. Tolkienadorned Middle Earth with richbotanical diversity, but one species inparticular, athelas, possessed exceptionalmedicinal properties. Throughout themultivolume epic, Aragorn demonstrateshis knowledge of vanished healing artsby making use of athelas while tendinginjured hobbits – most notably withinthe “Houses of Healing” in Minas Tirithfollowing the Battle of Pelennor Fields.

According to a winsome new book byAustralian philosopher Paul Tyson, Lewisand Tolkien – the Oxford dons he ranksamong the greatest British thinkers ofthe 20th century – were “seeking to

clothe the Christian vision of reality,which they shared, in stories thatengaged the hearts and imaginations ofordinary people”. By “plugging intoconvictions and attitudes still dormant”within Western societies, Dr Tysonsuggests “Lewis and his friends hopedthat a quiet revolution would take rootin people’s minds” (Return to Reality:Christian Platonism for Our Times,Wipf and Stock, 2014).

If these insights are correct, could theirwide use of medicinal themes suggestLewis and Tolkien sensed that Westernhealthcare, and the impetus to usemedicines wisely, is endangered in post-Christian societies? Both men wroteagainst a backdrop of 20th centurytotalitarianism and knew that in theThird Reich in particular, Naziutilitarianism had refashioned Germanmedicine such that its hospitals became“Houses of Killing” rather than the“Houses of Healing” envisaged by Tolkien.

While some might dismiss suchconcerns, the fact that the AustralianGovernment in 2012 conferred one ofits highest honours upon ProfessorPeter Singer, the philosopher who spenthis career constructing an austere anti-Christian utilitarianism thatrecapitulates aspects of the Nazioutlook, suggests history has a strangeway of repeating itself. Perhaps weshould keep a more diligent eye uponour hospitals.

Professor Phil Burcham is apharmacologist and elder in the PCA.

SUMMER 2014/15 17

Unhealthyfuture

Are we losing the Christianconcept of healthcare?

Phil Burcham

Madeleine L. Turner

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ThinkingGod’s thoughtsAs we think, so do we live. We have a guiding light.

You've no doubt heard the saying, “Youare what you eat”.

What we choose to put in our mouthshas a direct correlation to how healthyour bodies look, feel and function.We’re continually reminded to keep ourbodies healthy, but how often do weconsider keeping our minds healthy?Of far greater importance is the saying,“You are what you think”, for how weview the world – what we believe aboutGod, sin, marriage, morality, forexample – has far greater earthly andeternal significance. What we thinkultimately determines how we live.

The Bible tells us that when peoplebecome Christians they are no longerconformed to this world, because theyno longer belong to the Spirit of thisage [Satan] (Col. 1:13). Instead, theybelong to Christ and are a new creation(2 Cor. 5:17).

God’s will for us is to be sanctified(made holy) and transformed into theimage of His Son, Jesus Christ. Andthat transformation process begins withthe renewing of our minds: “Do notconform any longer to the pattern ofthis world, but be transformed by therenewing of your mind. Then you willbe able to test and approve what God’swill is – His good, pleasing and perfectwill” (Rom. 12:2).

Renewing our minds is not aboutimproving our minds throughtherapeutic techniques of “mindfulness”or positive thinking. Nor is it simply todo with learning new Bible facts. Thebiblical process of renewing our mindsinvolves replacing ungodly knowledgeand ways of thinking with the inspiredand inerrant truth of God’s Word.

Although we are radically dependent onthe work of the Holy Spirit totransform our minds and hearts, wealso have a responsibility to cooperate

with Him as He begins thattransformation process. This requires usto actively seek and pursue gospel truthif we want the Spirit to guide us. AndGod equips us to do this by giving usHis Word, the Bible.

The transformation of our mindsoccurs when we are exposed to thefaithful exposition of God’s Word. Itrequires us to hear, read, memorise andmeditate on God’s Word regularly –“Let the word of God dwell in yourichly” (Col. 3:16).

When we are exposed to God’s truth,we learn to think the way God thinks.His attitudes become our attitudes.And His desires become our desires.Our response to sin and temptationwill change as we begin to thinkdifferently and our lives begin to reflectChrist. Therefore what believers feedtheir minds with and choose to dwellon has an enormous impact on whetherthey will be victors or victims.

Living in an age of media saturation, weare constantly bombarded by images andworldviews that are in opposition to God’struth. Much of our time is absorbed bywatching television, listening to music,reading magazines and newspapers orbrowsing the Internet. We complain abouthow little time we have to read God’sWord, yet in the same breath admit howwe spent the evening “binge watching” thelatest HBO television series.

Now I’m not endorsing some variety ofChristian legalism, where we avoid allforms of media. But we ought to thinkvery carefully how we use our Christianliberty when we digest ideas that are inopposition to God’s Word. What do youfeed your mind with? We must fill ourminds with God’s truth. As Jesus prayedto the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth;your word is truth” (John 17:17).

Madeleine L. Turner completed her PhD inHistory and Media at Macquarie Universityand attends Ashfield Presbyterian Church.

SUMMER 2014/15 19

The DawkinsSyndromeThe famous atheist blunders again on moralityBarney Zwartz

Richard Dawkins, the world’smost famous atheist, loves aheadline. He got plenty recently

when he tweeted that it is immoral notto abort a baby with Down Syndromeif you have the choice.

In response to the fury and outrage, hehalf-apologised, claiming he was merelyfollowing the logic and that most peopleaborted babies with Down Syndrome.

He explained that “if your morality isbased, as mine is, on a desire to increasethe sum of happiness and reduce suffering,the decision to deliberately give birth toa Down baby when you have the choiceto abort it early in the pregnancy, mightactually be immoral from the point ofview of the child’s own welfare.”

Lay aside, for a moment, thepreposterous ideas that someone’swelfare is improved if they are notallowed to exist, or that people withDown Syndrome cannot lead rewardinglives and bring pleasure to others.

The problem with fundamentalists –whether Christian, Muslim, secularist,nationalist, communist, economicrationalist – is that they believe there isonly one right way, and they will tellyou what it is. Defined that way,Dawkins, who says bringing upchildren to believe in God is childabuse, is an atheist fundamentalist.

One thing fundamentalists often say isthat they are “merely following thelogic”. History shows how often“merely following logic” leads to evil.

The Americans who sterilised tens ofthousands of hillbillies and otherdespised groups from the 1920s were

merely following the logic of the idea“these people shouldn’t have children”.The Nazis who murdered nearly300,000 disabled people, were merelyfollowing the logic of the idea “thesepeople are a burden and don’t deserveto live”. Both claimed to be acting inaccord with science, which simplyshows that science cannot determinemorals. That is not its role.

Here’s something Dawkins would knowif he did not despise philosophy andtheology as irrelevant: logic is a tool. It’snot an end in itself, it’s an aid toreasoning. If the premises are invalid,the logic will be unsound. And that iswhat has happened here.

I do not suggest Dawkins is a Nazi oranything like it. I do suggest he has awarped sense of morality. He agrees thatpeople can love someone with DownSyndrome, but says this is emotion, notlogic.

In morals, emotion is not necessarily abad thing. In fact most of us know verywell that the noblest morals are seldomlogical. We generally agree that thehighest and most enriching value is love(which Down Syndrome people cangive and receive as well as anyone).

Love’s highest expression, in compassion,mercy and self-sacrifice, is almost neverlogical – as in self-advantageous. Somemothers replied to Dawkins that theirDown Syndrome children live fulfillinglives and bring joy into the lives of thosethey meet through their zest, affection andopenness to others, and I know thispersonally.

In other words, such people are not

always and only a burden to parentsand society, as Dawkins implies. But –and this point is vital – they don’tdeserve life on the grounds that theycan smile, but because they are humanbeings, as are people with more seriousdisabilities, who perhaps cannot smile.

Here I disagree with Dawkins abouthow we should understand human life.Christians believe, as he obviously doesnot, that all humans are made in theimage of God, and therefore possessunconditional value and dignity. Yes,the disabled too.

This understanding about the equalityand value of life, which has helpedshape Western civilisation and isenshrined in the Universal Declarationof Human Rights, is in fact far fromuniversal. Many cultures and religionshave not thought this way. And now inthe West this foundational view isslipping, as Christian values slowly recede.They are being replaced by the fakeethical system of utilitarianism, whichDawkins says is what guides him.

It also guides Australian philosopherPeter Singer who advocates infanticideif a baby – logically, even a healthy one– is inconvenient, on the grounds thatit does not have the consciousness thatgives life meaning. The parents’happiness has increased while the babyhas lost nothing it valued because it isnot yet capable of such preferences.Logical? Perhaps. Wicked? Entirely.

Barney Zwartz is a senior fellow of theCentre for Public Christianity. For 17years he was the parent of a son withDown Syndrome. This article first appearedon the ABC’s religion and ethics site.

“Asermon series on the TenCommandments? Whywould you do that?” I

looked to see if he was joking, but Icould tell from the look on my friend’sface that he was deadly serious: “Whatpossible benefit could there be,” heasked, “in reminding people of God’slaw instead of celebrating his grace?”

I was surprised and taken aback by theline of questioning, but maybe Ishouldn’t have been: my friend, a fellowpastor, was simply reflecting a view ofthe Old Testament, and especially theLaw of Moses, that has becomeincreasingly common.

For some 15 centuries – from the timeMoses first recounted God’s law at thefoot of Mt Sinai until Jesus fulfilled thelaw’s requirements in His life and boreits penalty on the cross – these “10words” were recognised by Israel as thesummary and embodiment of Hismoral law: this was the kind of life Godrequired of His (old) covenant people.And for much of subsequent Christianhistory, they have been accepted as thestandard for God’s new covenantpeople too.

In recent times, though, theCommandments have fallen on hardtimes, not only in our wider culture,but in our churches too. Didn’t Jesuseffectively supersede the TenCommandments, when he summedthem all up in two – “Love the Lordyour God with all your heart and withall your soul and with all your mind,”and “Love your neighbour as yourself ”(Mt 22:37-40)? And if God in the newcovenant now writes His law directly

on our hearts (Jer. 31:33), what point isthere in dwelling on the “dead letter” ofold covenant – commandments writtenon tablets of stone? Hence the questionI confronted – why inflict the TenCommandments on your congregation?

In the end, though, I decided to goahead as planned – exploring eachcommandment in turn, to see whatthey had to teach about the character ofGod, and the character of Hisredeemed community. And I’m sograteful I did, because here is thediscovery I made – the unexpectedconclusion I came to as I studied themclosely (though maybe I should haveknown this all along!). The TenCommandments weren’t simply, oreven primarily, a list of things God’speople had to do in order to satisfy orappease him. God had rescued Israelfrom slavery, setting them apart both tobelong to Him, and to represent Himto the world around them – to be His“kingdom of priests and holy nation”(Ex 19:5-6) – and this was what itwould look like for Israel to reflect hischaracter. To put it another way: theTen Commandments were, and are, arepresentation of what it looks like forthe holy and righteous character of Godto take on flesh and manifest itself inthe context of a sinful and fallen world.

If that’s true, two implicationsimmediately become apparent. First,along with the rest of the OldTestament the Ten Commandmentspoint forward to the Lord Jesus, whoalone perfectly embodied them andcompletely fulfilled them (cf. Mt 5:17-20). Second and consequently, the Ten

Commandments deserve a central placein the thinking of New Testamentbelievers. If we, like Israel of old, havebeen redeemed from slavery, set freefrom the power of sin and death; and ifwe, having trusted in Christ, aredestined to bear His image (1 Cor15:45); then here we discover whatGod intends that to look like, as long aswe remain in this sinful and fallenworld. Here is the perfect law – the lawthat gives freedom (cf. James 1:24), as itreveals to us the character of ourSaviour… and helps us to reflect Hischaracter in our own daily lives.

Gordon Coleman is the Presbyterianminister at Albion Park, NSW.

The 10 Commandments teach usmuch more than how to behave Gordon Coleman

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God’sself-portrait

Welcome to aReformed ChurchA Guide for Pilgrims Daniel Hyde

Reformation Trust, 2010

Chris Ashton

The reformers typicallyrecognised three marks ofthe church: preaching,(two) sacraments, anddiscipline – the latterbeing less aboutexcommunication andmore about meaningfulchurch membership. Because of thisemphasis, our Presbyterian andReformed churches have, for centuries,published introductions to theirdenominations and traditions. DanielHyde’s Welcome to a Reformed Church: AGuide for Pilgrims is a recent additionto the genre, and deserves to become aclassic text.

The book is helpfully set out such thatit begins with history, confessions, andscripture, before moving into theReformed doctrinal distinctives ofcovenant, justification, andsanctification, and ending with church,worship, and the means of grace(preaching and sacraments).Appendices include FAQs, anannotated bibliography, and acomprehensive index.

Hyde is a conservative pastor inSouthern California who recognisesthat, for many, the Reformed traditionis both confusing and confronting (theintroduction is titled “Welcome to aNew World”!). But he makes noapology for this, preferring instead toequip the reader for the difficultpilgrimage of faith in Jesus, and formembership of the church – that NewWorld over which Christ is king andhead. Through nine chapters Hydegraciously walks the visitor orprospective member through what itmeans to be Christian, and what is to

be expected of a disciple of the Lord.

This is the book I would love all mycongregation to read. It’s the book Ihappily hand out to visitors or

prospective members. Andit’s the book I confidentlygive to my non-Christian andCatholic friends as we discussthe differences between us. Iam thankful to God for theway Hyde clearly explains notonly the church, but also thegospel, which is surely the bestway to say Welcome to aReformed Church.

Chris Ashton is Home Missionary atPenshurst.

Persecuted: The GlobalAssault on Christians Paul Marshall, Lela Gilbert andNina Shea.

Thomas Nelson, 2013

Paul Barnes

A Chinese bishop is arrested and beatenwith a board so hard that it is reduced

to splinters. Facedwith the dilemmaof now having noimplement toinflictpunishment, thepolice decide totear off a woodendoor and use thatto beat the oldChristian leadertill it too is reduced tosplinters. Meanwhile a 17-year-oldEgyptian Christian is asked by his schoolteacher to remove a cross tattooed on hiswrist. When he says he cannot, theteacher, two school supervisors, andseveral classmates force the boy into theclassroom where they beat him to death.

These are two of many such storiesregarding the persecuted church in theworld today. This book outlines theplight of the church in some of theworld’s most dangerous countries forChristians, mostly countries found in the“10/40 window”. Marshall, Gilbert andShea have done an excellent jobresearching for this book, always

Books

SUMMER 2014/15 21

evident as the current day is approached.

The earlier chaptersare filled withmany insights andare especiallyhelpful in drawingtogether the manythreads in what isoften abewildering storyof concurrent,interrelated andoverlappingevents associated with the rise of whatmight be termed “internationalCalvinism”. Familiar events are freshlypresented and placed in a contemporarycontext which is often forgotten (orsimply unknown) today.

However, the last 50 years receive scantattention and there are some notable gapsin the coverage.

The “neo-orthodox” in the Kirk getmentioned, but where is Willie Still, theCreiff Fellowship and the recovery ofexpository preaching in the Church ofScotland, as exemplified by a preacher

attempting to include as many first-hand accounts as possible, as well asspending much time in many of thesecountries themselves.

At a time when gay marriage andevolution are of great concern for manyChristians in the West, this book is animportant reminder of the danger thatmany Christians face every day. Assuch, this book is important for manyreasons. It is a key alternative source ofinformation regarding events in thesecountries, such as the Arab Spring andthe War on Terror, which the Westernmedia continue to portray as triumphsof freedom and democracy, yet whichhave been disastrous for Christians andreligious freedom in general. Forexample, since the fall of SaddamHussein’s regime in Iraq, persecutionagainst Christians has intensified somuch that two-thirds have had to fleethe country. Another reason this bookis important is to move us WesternChristians beyond the statistics andgeneralities (“Christians are beingpersecuted here – please pray”) and

develop a clearer picture.

The only problem with this book isthat, in many ways, it fails to define“Christian” or “church”, so thatseemingly anyone or group remotelyassociated with some form ofChristianity is included if they arebeing persecuted. In this way, the bookis also equally about the plight ofreligious freedom in these countries, asmuch as the plight of Christians andChristianity.

Paul Barnes teaches at Belmont ChristianSchool, NSW

Calvinism: A History D.G. Hart

Yale, 2013

Stuart Bonnington

Trying to cover the history of globalCalvinism in one volume, ProfessorDan Hart acknowledges is “an audaciousundertaking in many respects” but hegoes a long way toward to achieving hisaim. This being gladly noted, a farmore broad-brushed approach is

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like Sinclair Ferguson? The Banner ofTruth Trust, which has done so muchto popularise the internationalCalvinism which is the theme ofProfessor Hart's book, is passed over.There is nothing on South Africa since1900 or of its many significanttheological colleges, such as the GKSAseminary at Potchefstroom. What ofthe initiation and impact of Calvinisticmissionary work in regions of Africathat have produced huge Presbyteriandenominations such as those found inMalawi (and Zambia/Zimbabwe) and(South) Sudan?

The coverage of Australia is very limited.The Strong controversy, the Angus caseand the events of 1977 are notmentioned, nor is the very existence ofthe Presbyterian Church of Australia.Northern Ireland and recentdevelopments in the PresbyterianChurch in Ireland (and the rise of itscritics like Ian Paisley) also don't receivemuch, if any, coverage. And what of theCalvinistic Anglicans of Sydney, who asfollowers of Calvin and Vos, have doneso much to advance worldwide in thelast 25 years the reading and preachingof the Bible in a redemptive-historicalway?

Nevertheless Calvinism: A Historyshould and will be very warmlyreceived. It will help many readers, farand near, to become far more familiarwith the “historical circumstances thatsaw a small group of churches in 16th-century Swiss cities gain a followingthroughout Europe...to become aglobal phenomenon”.

Stuart Bonnington is minister at Scot’sKirk, Fremantle

You Can Pray Tim Chester

IVP, 2014

Mark Powell

Anything Tim Chesterwrites is well worthreading. His approachis always biblical andhe writes in a clear andinteresting style. Allthese qualities areevident with his latestbook on prayer.

The book itself is divided into threeparts: How we pray. Why we pray.What we pray. The first section is thendivided into three subsections as heinvestigates how each member of the

Trinity operates in making our prayersacceptable to God. Then he addressessome common objections or challengespeople have when it comes to prayer ,such as unanswered prayer. Finally, inthe third section he explores somepractical suggestions on how to makeprayer more meaningful in oureveryday lives.

This book is well worth a read. If youare feeling dry spiritually and wouldlike to be challenged and encouragedabout praying more, this is a great place

to start. Each chapter is onlyabout 12 pages long and thebook itself comes in at about170 pages making it accessibleand manageable.

There are a plethora of helpfulinsights and practical tips in thisbook. Anyone who reads it willfind that their prayer life will notdefinitely not remain unchanged.

Mark Powell is part of theministerial team at CornerstonePresbyterian Church, Strathfield, NSW

Many of these books are availableat Reformers Bookshop, phone:(02) 9564 3555 web: reformers.org.au

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AP is provided as a ministry tool through the generous support of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

Editorial Committee: Rev. Peter Hastie (convener), Rev. Dr Peter Barnes (editor), Barney Zwartz (production editor),Rev. Stuart Bonnington, Rev. Mark Powell and Duncan Parker.

Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or the National Journal Committee

The Spirit ofChristmasThe Holy Spirit in theconception of ChristBut as [Joseph] considered these things,behold, an angel of the Lord appeared tohim in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son ofDavid, do not fear to take Mary as yourwife, for that which is conceived in her isfrom the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20,ESV)

Twice in Matthew’s narrative ofthe virgin conception of Jesushe uses the phrase “from the

Holy Spirit” (1:18, 20). Have you everthought about the role of the Spirit inthe conception of Christ? I’ll admit Ihadn’t until the Gospel of Matthewmade me. And now I’m making you.

Rest assured I’m not going to delve intothe mystery of it all. That is, I’m notgoing to attempt to describe for thefirst time in history thesupernatural/biological process bywhich the Spirit worked in Mary’swomb. (I am still waiting to be takenup into the 77th heaven for thatrevelation.) For now I simply want topoint out the obvious but oftenoverlooked truth, namely: that theHoly Spirit made the preexistentsecond person of the Trinity into ahuman being. Put differently, andfollowing the language of 1:18 (“Nowthe genesis of Jesus Christ,” cf. 1:1), theSpirit genesis-ed Jesus.

The Spirit genesis-ed Jesus in that He

took the pre-existent Son and formedHis inward parts, knitting Himtogether in His mother’s womb,making Him “fearfully andwonderfully” human (Ps. 139:13, 14).You see, just as the Spirit “was hoveringover the face of the waters” at creation(Gen. 1:2), so in the incarnation He“overshadowed” Mary’s womb (Luke1:35), making God’s Son into one ofus—with bones and brains and blood,with lungs and lips and lymph nodes,with head and heart and hands.

How awesome! And how ironic—thatthe Spirit’s work is fleshly.

One of the problems in the churchtoday is that the work of the HolySpirit is over-spiritualised. Does thatsound strange? I suppose it should. Buthere’s what I mean: where the HolySpirit is present in the world we see thehumanity of Jesus believed andcelebrated. Conversely, where false ordemonic spirits are at work, we find aJesus without flesh. He becomes asuper-spiritualised Divine Being or acosmic Christ. As John summarised inhis First Epistle: “By this you know theSpirit of God: every spirit that confessesthat Jesus Christ has come in the fleshis from God” (1 John 4:2). That is theapostolic acid test of orthodoxy—theSpirit of God testifies about the Son of

God who has “come in the flesh.”

So, with that in mind, let me ask you animportant question: Is your churchSpirit-filled? Well, there is one sure wayto know. It is this: if Jesus—in all Hisheavenly divinity and in all His earthlyhumanity—is the focus. Frederick DaleBruner calls this “the Christocentricity ofthe Spirit.” He explains: “It is myimpression from a study of the HolySpirit in the New Testament that thetrue humanity of Jesus Christ is one ofthe two major “lectures” of the HolySpirit. (The other lecture is, in Paul’swords, the Spirit’s teaching us to say that“Jesus is Lord” (i.e., divine, 1 Cor 12:3).To put this in another way, the HolySpirit does two major works: first, theSpirit brings Christ down to earth andmakes Him human; second, the Spiritlifts Christ up and shows Jesus’ divinity.In other words, the Holy Spirit is a goodtheologian and gives two main courses:The True Humanity of Jesus Christ thefirst semester and The True Divinity ofJesus Christ the second. . . . It is thework of the Holy Spirit, in either course,to bring Jesus Christ into human lives.”

The Holy Spirit has been called the shyand humble member of the Trinitybecause it is His divine task to help usexalt the Son. Amen to that. AndHallelujah to Him!

The role of the Holy Spirit in theconception of Christ—what a wonderfultruth to think about on Christmas.

Douglas O’Donnell teaches New Testamentat Queensland Theological College

Douglas Sean O’Donnell

the WORDLAST

How awesome! And howironic—that the Spirit’s workis fleshly.