Nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by a father and mother, a single father, two fathers, a step father, a grandfather, or caring guardian.  We owe a special debt of gratitude for those parents serving in the United States Armed Forces and their families, whose sacrifices protect the lives and liberties of all American children.  For the character they build, the doors they open, and the love they provide over our lifetimes, all our fathers deserve our unending appreciation and admiration.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, in accordance with a joint resolution of the Congress approved April 24, 1972, as amended (36 U.S.C. 109), do hereby proclaim June 20, 2010, as Father’s Day.  I direct the appropriate officials of the Government to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on this day, and I call upon all citizens to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.  Let us honor our fathers, living and deceased, with all the love and gratitude they deserve.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

James De Young writes from an interesting perspective—that of a former friend, or acquaintance at least, of Paul Young. He begins his book by providing some important but little-known background to The Shack. In April of 2004 De Young attended a Christian think tank and there Young presented a 103-page paper which presented a defense of universal reconciliation, a Christian form of universalism—the view that at some point every person will come to a right relationship with God. If they do not do this before they die, God will use the fires of hell to purge away (not punish, mind you) any unbelief. Eventually even Satan and his fallen angels will be purged of sin and all of creation will be fully and finally restored. This is to say that after death there is a second chance, and more than that, a complete inevitability, that all people will eventually repent and come to full relationship with God. De Young believes that Young’s belief in universal reconciliation is absolutely crucial to anyone who would truly wish to understand The Shack. It is the key that makes sense of the book and the theology it contains. Though far from the only theological problem with the book, it is the one that makes sense of the others…

What I can’t quite decide is who the audience is for this book. Burning Down The Shack is 253 pages by the time the reader has finished the appendices and indexes. It is also occasionally heavy, teaching or refuting significant theological concepts. Maybe I am not giving enough credit to those who read and enjoyedThe Shack but it seems to me that if you read that novel and took it to be sound theology, you are not too likely to read a 250-page text refuting it. And then there are people like me who read The Shack and were disturbed by it. But we already know The Shack is theologically deceptive, so why would we need to read a book about it? Having said that, the book is currently ranked in Amazon’s top-6000, not a terrible place to be, so I suppose someone must be buying it. I can’t help but think that if it was 100 (or 200) pages shorter it would have a far wider impact. I suspect, though, that it will largely be read by people who already know of the problems with The Shack. That is too bad, really.

A look at the ministry of Randy and Sandra Barr in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. This veteran ministry couple left their comfortable suburban life in Lombard, IL after 30 years of pastoral ministry to help children caught in devastating poverty. Their ministry focuses on connecting resources in the US with needs in the mountain villages surrounding Puerto Vallarta.

You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? That technicolor feast for the eyes: The Wizard of Oz. Dorthy, her little dog TOTO and a quest of fantastical proportions. For Dorthy’s friends, it was a search for HEART, BRAINS, and COURAGE.

Young men and women, you too are about to begin an adventure of your own. Sooner than you imagine, you’ll look around and think, “I’m not in Kansas anymore!

Before you look behind you, at the memories you made in high school. Before you look ahead, to your ten-year goals. I want to ask you to LOOK INSIDE yourself and answer a question: Am I ready?

Am I ready to be a person with HEART? Have I given my ultimate loyalty to the only Person who ultimately deserves it? Have I made the One who made me the center of my passion? Today, let me tell you, if you don’t have heart, the adventure ahead will break you.

Why? Well, because everything you have ever believed is about to be questioned. Your very self- identity is about to be deconstructed in the laboratory of the postmodern university. You will be told that language, religion, thought, social structure, art, all of it, is no more than a thin veneer covering life’s ultimate mystery.

And here’s the scary part: sometimes you WILL NOT know how to give a good answer to those profs who promote such a worldview. After all, they’re professionals, experts in their chosen field of study. Simply put, they’ve lived longer, studied harder and put more time into their opinions, however misguided they might be. What will you do?

If you’re a person with HEART, you’ll trust that Jesus, the one who saved you, is also the one who spoke creation into being. When it comes to ultimate reality, he defines it. So, even in periods where answers seem evasive, you know the One who, ultimately, has them all.

Second, ask yourself, am I ready to be a person with BRAINS? You know, the Lord didn’t just create us to feel and do. He also created us to reflect, to consider, to think. Some of you might think this strange, but the Lord even created us to construct valid propositions! Just like the capacity to love, worship, inspire joy, or be creative, our capacity to think is a gift from God. Scripture is clear: We

are responsible to use and develop the gifts God has given. The Church is in sore need of men and women whose hearts and minds are given to Jesus.

Finally, ask yourself, am I ready to show COURAGE? Let me promise you, if you enter college with an unshakeable commitment to Jesus, and a conviction that you are called to think out as well as live out your faith, you will need courage. Why? Well, because you will encounter conflict. And the people you confront may not always play nice.

Many of them will graciously regard the rules of debate. But, in my experience, some will not. You might find yourself under attack for your beliefs. You might find yourself being called names. You might even find certain instructors who make getting A’s more difficult for you than for other students.

But graduates of 2010, don’t lose heart, don’t stop thinking, and above all, don’t turn yellow. In every generation, Christian courage has been tested through one trial or another. For some, the adversary was death by sharp teeth in the Roman Circus. For some, the adversary was the hypnotic apathy of a cold Christendom. Today’s adversary is a pervasive pressure to conform to a humanistic vision of knowledge and reality, to make Jesus one member of the postmodern Pantheon.

It takes courage to be different than the world we’re living in. It’s easier to dress up cowardice in terms like “contemporary” or “relevant.” Young man or woman, please don’t do such a thing. Courageously guard your heart and mind. You enter a world new to you. But others have walked there before. Join the company of those who stand firm.

The first question in some of our catechisms is, “What is the chief end of man?” and the answer is, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” But we will experience God in such a fashion–we will glorify Him and enjoy Him–only in proportion as we know Him. The knowledge of God is more essential for the Christian, and indeed for all the world, than the knowledge of anything else–yes, of all things together.

Nathan Stone, Names of God, 7

The skinny:

• 97% say they “frequently” or “sometimes” look forward to the sermon
• 62% say the sermon provides them a sense of God’s love.
• 73%  say they read the Bible as result of a sermon
• 49% say sermons “frequently” help them relate the Bible to everyday life, 47% say “sometimes”

Across all denominations surveyed (Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, non-denom), there is “a positive affirmation of scriptural preaching.” In all, the survey concluded that “people want to be encouraged, challenged, and motivated by the sermon.” And

Given the importance of the sermon to parishioners, then, pastors are right to schedule and defend their sermon preparation time. People have a deep hunger for what the sermon can deliver. Pastors more than anyone else know that you can’t nourish famished people with a hastily thrown-together sandwich; people are looking not for a snack but a full-course meal. Congregations need to give the pastor the space to prepare that meal each week.

It can describe a religious ideology that asserts all religions are really saying the same thing about God (which is another way of saying nothing).

It can also describe a sociological fact: many religions exist. And here in America, we better get used to it. We are an increasingly diverse country. A new picture is developing here in the States and our witness in the world must take into account the new world we occupy.  Here’s an interesting piece of that picture:

NYC community board OKs ground zero mosque plans

NEW YORK – After hours of contentious public comment, a New York City community board voted late Tuesday to support a plan to build a mosque and cultural center near ground zero.

“It’s a seed of peace,” board member Rob Townley said. “We believe that this is a significant step in the Muslim community to counteract the hate and fanaticism in the minority of the community.”

Creative Truth – Tom Akers from Marc V on Vimeo.