Hippo Birdy Two Ewes

Yesterday was a red letter day around our house. My son James (pictured here doing his best Mario impression) turned 18.

This photo was taken as we dined at Demos' restaurant in Murfreesboro (one of James's favorites). Our waiter made an appropriate fuss over him and even snapped this picture.

As some of you know, James is autistic. His particular diagnosis is Asperger's Syndrome. A quick Google search on Asperger's will provide you with all the relevant info. But, it complicates James's ability to communicate with other people effectively and manifests in obsessive/complusive behavior and "pervasive childishness" (the clinical term).

As a youngster, James often showed signs of genuine brilliance. By the time he was in first grade he was reading profusely and eloquently (he was eventually termed "hyperlexic" because of his ability to read far above his level of comprehension). He had remarkable spatial-thinking capabilities and used to do fairly complex puzzles by taking random pieces from the box, studying them, and then laying them in their proper place on the table, even when they did not connect to any other piece. And he normally would not have to move them again. They were sitting exactly where they belonged as the rest of the puzzle came together, random piece by random piece. When we had him tested at Vanderbilt as a young boy he bested some of their most complex puzzles (causing the tester to even utter "Wow" out loud).

But along with his flashes of brilliance came the other odd behaviors. His speech was confused and the syntax of his sentences was jumbled. Libbie and I often acted as interpreters between him and the outside world, filling in the blanks in his speech and conveying his meaning to others.

One day, back in first grade, a teacher suggested that he was autistic. My concept of autism was very different in those days and my son did not seem to demonstrate the severely withdrawn behavior I associated with autism. We began seeing doctors and he was labeled with a variety of ultimately-incorrect diagnoses; everything from "learning disabled" to "bipolar" to "ADHD."

When we finally heard the phrase "Asperger's Syndrome" I started reading about it. It was like someone had been looking through the window of our house and was writing about James specifically. It opened a door of understanding that had been locked and bolted for many years. Over time, we've learned to cope, to cooperate, and to provide him the highest quality of life possible. He is the reason we began home schooling several years ago when it became obvious that the local high school was ill-equipped to provide him an adequate education. Now, in the safety of his own home, he is fully capable of doing the work required for his grade level and I am determined that he will receive an earned high school degree next year.

It hasn't always been easy raising a special-needs kid. But, as I've learned more about him I've learned more about myself --- and about people in general. We all have our difficulties and hurdles to overcome. And everyday we have to get up and face what life brings us. Sometimes I think, "If James can do it, I can do it."

And, when I look at the local teenage boys, huddling in gangs, driving fast and loud, smoking, and drinking --- I prefer my boy in the Nintendo t-shirt, smiling as he eats his birthday brownie, laughing his head off at his ability to do a spot-on impression of Homestar Runner. Sometimes I listen to him in his room at night, when he's supposed to be sleeping, as he sings to himself and makes himself chuckle at his own jokes. The world is a strange place for my autistic son; but overall I think it's a happy place. And never a day goes by that I'm not thankful he's my boy.

Happy birthday, son. Your dad loves you more than life itself.

New Stuff

Ya' know, years ago when someone said, "Hey! We should have website!' it seemed like a good idea. My only prerequisite was that it be content-rich; not just the "what time we meet and how to find us" stuff (although that's important).

Of course, nowadays our site is overflowing with content and the challenge keeping the content coming. Some people have read and listened to every bit of info on the site, so it's become a bit of a monster. I have to keep feeding it. It's like having two teenagers. They want to eat every single day, even if they've just eaten the day before! :-)

But, I digress...

There are two new things to check out on the site this week. The newest message in the Romans series is now available. It's R43 - Romans 12:1-3. You'll find it under the "listen" link, or you can just click here

There's also a new Q&A article, called "Questions About Calvinism." Like most of our Q&A topics, this one stemmed from a recent email exchange. This particular line of questioning comes up every so often, so I thought I'd just post it and use it as a reference point the next time these questions are raised. You'll find under the "Q&A" link, or click right to it from the "What's New?" page.

Now, I must go feed those pesky teenagers ....

DaVinci Hysteria

I was flipping channels last night and happened upon "Inside The Actor's Studio." The guest was Tom Hanks. Overall, I like Hanks. He seems like an affable enough fellow, he's undeniably talented as an actor, and he has a reputation for being a nice guy. Fair enough. So, what was he doing on "Actor's Studio"? Hawking "The DiVince Code," of course. The whole second half of the program was devoted to that task. Last week, Hanks was also on Letterman, Leno, SNL, and various other talk shows. They're really pushing this movie. The producers see dollars signs looming just ahead.

Adding to the hype and hoopla are statements like the one made by the host, James Lipton. He repeated an oft-cited claim, "Over 40 million people have read this book."

Sadly, as I've often said, the only thing we've learned from history is that we've learned nothing from history. The average person-on-the-street knows next-to-nothing about the history of the church, the Bible, or the Christian religion. They've never invested the time it would take to understand the basic tenets of the faith or the facts on which it is based. Yet, they'll read a book that admits to being fiction and come away with the conclusion that the church has lied, hidden evidence, and conspired to foist a false gospel on the unwary public in order to mask the fact that Jesus was married and His blood line continued through Mary Magdalene.

So, why do people believe this book so willingly? Well, it's because in the opening of book, the author insists that, while the story of the hunt to uncover clues is fictional, the descriptions of documents, artwork, secret rituals, and basic evidence are factual.

If you'd like to hear a very good presentation of the numerous historical and factual errors found in the book, check the following link. Grace Heritage Church in Auburn, Alabama recently hosted James White to speak on the subject. His presentation is compelling and informative. The link to those mp3's is here: DaVinci Errors The program has intermittent sound problems, but stick with it. They clear up quickly enough. White's grasp of Christian history gives him a unique and substantial platform from which to reply to Brown's assertions.

Also, if you prefer the read the basic information at the basis of White's presentation, you can read it here: DaVinci article

In the end, as I said on Sunday morning, I think all the worry and hand-wringing will pass as the DaVinci fad passes and we wait for the next wave of criticism against the church. But, the Church of Jesus Christ stands unfazed, because it is not based on the will or strength of men. When Jesus said, "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt 16:18), I assume He knew what He was talking about.

God is still on His throne. He still reigns. And, ever since Paul took the gospel out to the Gentile world, gnostic heresy such as we find in TDC has been published in order to undermine the clear statements of the Bible. Yet, 2000 years later, Christianity remains. Faith remains. The facts stand uchanged, just as God Himself continues in His unchanging sovereignty.

So, get ready for the blast of hysteria as the movie opens. Then it will move to DVD and end up on shelves in homes around the world so that those who cannot believe the truth will be able to point to it as evidence for their agnosticism.

But, the faith of the saints is not one whit disturbed.

Quick update:

The reviews of the movie coming out of the Cannes film festival are predominantly negative. It's been called "plodding," "boring," "too long," etc. We'll have to see what the movie-going audience thinks when the film opens on Friday.

Preaching Christ and Him Crucified

The fellow seen here is Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He died back in 1892. He is often referred to as "the prince of preachers" because of his gift for communication and command of the English languge, as well as his grasp of doctrine and commitment to the text of Scripture. There are very few preachers in the world who have not at some point "borrowed" something from Spurgeon. And most denominations have attempted to connect C.H. to their brand of theology; his influence is that wide. As different groups have attempted to co-opt him, Spurgeon has been called a Premillennialist, an Amillenialist, a post-millennialist, an Arminian, a Calvinist, an evangelical, etc. (By the way, the evidence is that he was Premil.)

If you're not familiar with Spurgeon, you should be. His sermons have been reprinted and reproduced endlessly and the most complete compenium of his work is likely here:

http://www.spurgeon.org/

But, as for his leanings soteriologically, you have only to read the following quote. I'm posting this quote here because sometimes we at GCA start to feel like a "voice crying in the wilderness" when compared to the mega-churches and modern movements within "christendom" that draw huge numbers of people with offers of little more than theological pabalum. But, we stick to our guns, preaching the doctrines that lay at the heart of the Protestant Reformation. And if that means we're out of the mainstream, so be it. We still walk in the footsteps of giants.

This particular pericope comes from a sermon entitled, "Christ Crucified."

Enjoy.

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Before I enter upon our text, let me very briefly tell you what I believe preaching Christ and him crucified is:

My friends, I do not believe it is preaching Christ and him crucified, to give people a batch of philosophy every Sunday morning and evening, and neglect the truths of this Holy Book.

I do not believe it is preaching Christ and him crucified, to leave out the main cardinal doctrines of the Word of God, and preach a religion which is all a mist and a haze, without any definite truths whatever.

I take it that man does not preach Christ and him crucified, who can get through a sermon without mentioning Christ's name once; nor does that man preach Christ and him crucified, who leaves out the Holy Spirit's work, who never says a word about the Holy Ghost, so that indeed the hearers might say, "We do not so much as know whether there be a Holy Ghost."

And I have my own private opinion, that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and him crucified, unless you preach what now-a-days is called Calvinism. I have my own ideas, and those I always state boldly. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism. Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.

I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith without works; not unless we preach the sovereignty of God in his dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor, I think, can we preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the peculiar redemption which Christ made for his elect and chosen people; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation, after having believed. Such a gospel I abhor. The gospel of the Bible is not such a gospel as that.

We preach Christ and him crucified in a different fashion, and to all gainsayers we reply, "We have not so learned Christ."

Delivered on February 11, 1855
by the C. H. Spurgeon
At Exeter Hall, Strand.