Praying and Dreaming

Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." (Matt. 6:9)

It seems like an abstract thought. What does "hallowed be your name" mean exactly? As Jesus was telling us how to pray, he wanted us to have an accurate perception of God first. That's why he says to pray, "Our Father."

The idea of Father brings God closer than just merely being God. Like dependent children we're to approach God as we really are-absolutely helpless and in desperate need of him. "Hallowed be your name" means that we see God accurately. When Adam and Eve sinned, they suddenly viewed God as someone to run from rather than run to. God was terribly frightening. It's the same way with us.

God is holy, and that is scary because we aren't, and we can't survive the presence of God. Being holy doesn't make God immeasurably distant, however. Being holy means that God is perfect and completely undivided. God is the most happy being in the universe, finding complete satisfaction within himself because he is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. C.S. Lewis called the Trinity the divine dance, each member generating perfect love to all the others.

Praying to God as Father and realizing we're completely helpless before him is to be caught up in the dance. Our unholiness slowly dies away in the presence of God, and we find our greatest joy in him, even in the midst of chaos.

Mark Batterson says that prayer causes us to dream, and dreaming causes us to pray. To pray, "Father, hallowed be your name," is to see God for who he is and being drawn to him for who he is. It's admiring God as a child lovingly admires her daddy. It's being caught up in a bigger dream than the ones we can create on our own, and yet, because God cares for us a Father, he cares about our dreams.

Book Review: Salvation and Sovereignty by Kenneth Keathley: A MolinistApproach

The battle has been raging for hundreds of years over whether or not humans have a form of free will or if every single event in human history has and is rolling out exactly as God predetermined it. The two sides of this battle have been typically characterized by those who call themselves Calvinists and those who call themselves Arminians. But in his book SALVATION AND SOVEREIGNTY Kenneth Keathley proposes a middle-ground solution to the debate in the form of Molinism, a theological system concerning the nature of God's foreknowledge developed by sixteenth century Jesuit theologian Luis de Molina.

I first heard about Molinism from the writings of Dr. William Lane Craig as I was looking for a better solution to the Divine Sovereignty/Human Responsibility dilemma, and have since read Luis de Molina's original work on the subject - PART 4 of the CONCORDIA.

Molina sought to devise a system that affirmed both man's libertarian freedom and God's meticulous sovereign control. He did this by proposing that God's knowledge was of three different types and that God's knowledge came in three logical (not chronological) moments.

Natural Knowledge is the first moment, and it comes logically before God's creative decree. This knowledge consists of all possibilities. For example, in God's natural knowledge, he knew that it was possible for Adam to not sin in the garden. He also knew that it was possible that he would. These were both possibilities of what Adam "could" do.

Skipping ahead, the third moment is known as God's Free Knowledge. This is God's perfect knowledge of every single thing that will happen in the universe that God created, and this knowledge comes logically after his creative decree. For example, God knows that Adam "will" sin in the garden.

Between these two knowledge moments Molina proposed a moment called Middle Knowledge. This knowledge consists of free choices that a creature would make under any given circumstances. For example, God knows that if he placed Adam in the garden, Adam "would" sin, but if placed under a different set of circumstances, Adam "would" not sin. Either way, Adam's choice would be freely made. This knowledge comes logically before God's creative decree. So God surveys all the free choices that free creatures would make and decides to create the world in which all the circumstances that would bring about the free choices of free creatures that also lined up with his perfect will. Once he creates, the script is set and human history will flow exactly as he wanted it to, and human freedom remains intact. In this model God exercises his meticulous sovereignty using his exhaustive omniscience.

Dr. Keathley presents the Molinist model as an attempt at explaining the Divine Sovereignty/Human Freedom dilemma better than five point Calvinism. He believes, like me, that Calvinism's problems lie in the fact that when followed to its logical conclusion, Calvinism sets God up as the author of evil, though most Calvinists reject the idea. Dr. Keathley appreciates Calvinism's attempt to do justice to God's sovereignty, but believes that Calvinism's TULIP acronym needs to give way to a new acronym - ROSES.

Radical Depravity in place of Total Depravity
Overcoming Grace in place of Irresistible Grace
Sovereign Election in place of Unconditional Election
Eternal Life in place of Perseverance of the Saints
Singular Redemption in place of Limited Atonement

ROSES isn't original to the system of Molinism. Molinism was more of an explanation of how humans could be free and God be in absolute control than a system of the application of salvation. Dr. Keathley, however, takes the ROSES scheme and combines it with the Molinist system to describe why, if God is sovereign and desires the salvation of all mankind, not all are saved.

Though I don't personally buy into Molinism, Dr. Keathley makes an excellent case of it in SALVATION AND SOVEREIGNTY. I can't get past how God choosing which free choices we make doesn't equally lead to God being the author of sin as Calvinism does. One of the strengths of Molinism, however, is the concept of Counterfactuals of Creaturely Freedom. God knows exactly what free choices any person would make under any given circumstances. If a person was under a certain set of circumstances, then that person would make a certain free choice. It's easy to see how God could and would use this knowledge to orchestrate the world to his desired end. However, Molinism places this knowledge in a place where it is essentially useless to God in the course of history because he already decided what each person would do before creating anything. Hence, it doesn't seem that Molinism really retains much human freedom at all.

The reason I do love the book, though, is because Dr: Keathley does an excellent job at presenting a very biblical critique of Calvinism. Each chapter of the ROSES scheme tackles the problems of Calvinism's five points and often presents a better, more biblical solution that leaves God's character intact.

The Radical Depravity chapter presents a view of human freedom called soft libertarianism and shows why Calvinism's freedom to do what one most desires is no real freedom at all.

The Overcoming Grace chapter clearly shows that, biblically, God's grace is resistible and offered to all. Dr. Keathley presents an "ambulatory model" of grace where human beings are responsible not to resist God's grace that is carrying them to salvation. Salvation is all of God and damnation all of man, as Charles Spurgeon put it.

The Sovereign Election chapter was difficult to comprehend. This was the chapter that had the most to do with Molinism. Essentially, it said pretty much the same as Calvinism in that God chooses who will be saved apart from anything the people might do. Given the previous Overcoming Grace chapter, this chapter seemed in contradiction. God offers grace to all, and those who don't resist are saved, but God sovereignly chooses who will be saved before the foundation of the world apart from anything they might do. Dr. Keathley states that in this system God actively uses his foreknowledge in election, but rejects the common Arminian perspective of God's use of foreknowledge in election. He doesn't make real clear how exactly God uses his foreknowledge in election.

Eternal Life essentially affirms the Calvinist position that all genuine believers will persevere.

The Singular Redemption chapter refutes Limited Atonement and shows how Christ died for the sins of all people, but only believers enjoy the benefits of Christ's atonement.

Before these chapters Dr. Keathley includes an excellent chapter on the biblical idea that God desires the salvation of all, and strives to answer why not all are saved even though God wills their salvation. He describes God's will as an antecedent/consequent will. God antecedently wills the salvation of all humanity, but consequently wills that those who resist faith not receive salvation.

As far as Molinism goes, I'm not convinced. But as a thorough examination and correction to much of the problems of Calvinism, Dr. Keathley's book is one I go to again and again. His writing style is warm and without a hint of arrogance. It's clear that Dr. Keathley cares deeply about people and loves God profoundly. Though there was much I disagree with, there was still much in the book that got me thinking in the right direction.

Book Review: Radical Together by David Platt

Radically Pursuing the Redemption of the World

An inherent danger lurks within the culture of the American church. The danger is for churches to become comfortable, sitting back, and resting in the grace that has been given to us through Christ’s death and resurrection. While God’s grace and our redemption are life-changing, the desire of God’s heart is for more than our comfort and isolation in a community of faith. Many churches in America gather in extravagant buildings with all the trappings of comfort every Sunday morning, while the world around them is falling apart and without hope. The thought of it might produce guilt, but that’s not the point. Comfort isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In Christ we’ve been given incredible freedom. But the danger lurks when our comfort and freedom cause us to become complacent about the desire of God’s heart for the redemption of people all over the world.



In answer to this danger David Platt presents his new book “Radical Together.” Like “Radical” before it, it is a challenge to our preconceptions about what being a follower of Jesus should be like, especially in America. In the midst of my comfort, I found the message of Platt’s book to cause a deep discomfort about my life and a discontent with how I have pursued the desire of God’s heart—making disciples of all nations.



Platt challenges the good things in our lives that keep us from the best things. We often assume that Christ rescued us here and now so that we could experience an easier life here and now, but the easier, painless life awaits after we’ve done all that God has rescued us to do here. God’s heart is for people to come to know him, to be satisfied in him, to find a radically loving Father in him. And God, in what seems to be the riskiest move in history, put flawed human beings in charge of making his dream a reality. To us he said “go and make disciples of all nations.” Of course, it’s God who does the rescuing, but he’s chosen to work through us. That is both a humbling and exhilarating task. In the heart of every human being burns a desire to make a difference in the world. In Christ we get that opportunity.



Platt challenges us to reevaluate our priorities and to abandon ourselves to the gospel-centered mission of God in the world. He calls us to trust in God who does the work through the Bible and to follow God’s leading wherever it may take us, even if it’s in another context on the other side of the world where our lives may be threatened. But even if we lose our lives, the beauty of our God will be made known and people will be redeemed.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Book Review: The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker

Can one man taking the law into his own hands to rid the world of the vilest offenders truly make a difference in the world? If we who try to live good moral lives judge those who don’t, will the world be a better place? Those are the questions Ted Dekker tackles in his latest novel “The Priest’s Graveyard.”



The story centers around a priest whose conscience is stricken whenever he sees anyone causing the horrible suffering of someone else and not having to pay for it. Danny Hansen is the priest, and he believes that the most moral thing he can do is to end the lives of those who live to cause pain and avoid justice. He’s been doing this a long time, and he does it well. Hardly anyone would question that Danny’s victims would deserve to die if justly tried by a court of law. But where the law fails, Danny steps in to save the day, believing the world is a better place because of it.



Danny’s world is complicated, however, when a young woman named Renee Gilmore becomes obsessed with taking the life of the man who killed her husband. Their paths cross, and Renee convinces Danny to train her to become an expert vigilante just like him. As their lives become interwoven by the desire to see the guilty punished, the line that separates them from the “bad guys” becomes blurred.



Dekker has crafted a story that explores the depths of human depravity. The question switches from “who is guilty?’ to “who is innocent?” While Danny and Renee see what’s wrong with the world outside of them, the beauty of the story comes when they begin to look on the inside, which ultimately leads to the desperate need for someone on the outside who knows no sin and can rescue the guilty from the real enemy that lies inside of themselves.



Dekker creates fascinating characters that are easy to identify with. We share their struggles and understand their need for something beyond themselves to give them hope in the midst of impossible circumstances. Dekker’s story, though gritty, is a story of hope in the midst of darkness. Who is innocent? None of us are.

Book Review: Soul Print by Mark Batterson

I’ve enjoyed Mark Batterson’s writing style ever since I picked up a copy of “Wild Goose Chase” in a bookstore one day. “Soul Print” chronicles the defining moments of the life of David as an illustration of how to find our divine destiny.

Mark’s premise is that God has designed each of us with a soul print that is unique just like our fingerprints. I enjoyed how he said that no one can worship God like you can because no one else is you. Batterson uses the life of David to show how God is always preparing us for something up ahead. For example, David didn’t just show up to fight Goliath with no preparation beforehand. God had been preparing him to fight Goliath long before the battle through David’s encounters with wild animals as a shepherd. Batterson says the key to finding our divine destiny is to look into our past and see how God has been working in our lives and what he has been preparing us for.

Batterson’s writing is upbeat and you can sense the joy he gets out of life. He is an excellent communicator in the way that he uses personal stories to illustrate what he’s trying to get across. Check out “Soul Print” to make some more sense out of the history of your life.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Book Review: The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons

I heard Gabe Lyons speak at a youth ministry conference several years ago right around the time that “UnChristian” came out, and he began outlining what he saw as the solutions to the problem of Christianity’s negative branding. From what I can tell, this book contains much of what he had to say then in more detail.

Lyons obviously knows what he’s talking about as he recounts his experiences with Christianity and his observations of the kind of Christian people that he terms the “next Christians.” He makes a great case for the incomplete gospel that is often communicated by Christianity in America. The Bible outlines the redemptive story in four stages: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. However, most Christians focus only on Fall and Redemption by telling people that they’re evil and need Jesus to save them. This is incomplete because people need to understand the Creation and Restoration aspects. People weren’t created evil. God created everything perfect and humanity in his image. It was all very good. But something very bad happened in the Fall. Jesus died to redeem us, but the Restoration part of the story is the hope that Christians are supposed to strive for. The complete gospel tells people that God created them, loves them, wants to rescue them, and wants to make everything perfect again. The incomplete gospel gives an incomplete picture of God.

Lyons observes that when it comes to culture Christians typically either become separatists or they try to blend into the culture. Neither is what the Scriptures call Christians to. Instead, Lyons describes a third response to culture, that of the Restorers. These are the next Christians who understand that in order to truly change culture you must create culture. These people are dedicated to making the world a better place and creating a culture that points people in the direction of God.

The Restorers’ responses to culture are contrasted with the typical Christian responses. Restorers are:
• Provoked, not Offended
• Creators, not Critics
• Called, not Employed
• Grounded, not Distracted
• In Community, Not Alone
• Countercultural, Not “Relevant”

The book gives some solid biblical advice on how Christians can and should respond to the culture they find themselves a part of. The only critique I would have is that Lyons often sounded like he was downgrading the purpose of God to influence people into a relationship with God, though I don’t think that’s what he intended. He was merely pointing out that evangelism isn’t the only thing that Christians are called to do.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Book Review: The Chasm by Randy Alcorn

"The Chasm" is a parable about humanity's separation from and desperate need for God. The story takes place in a world where spiritual realities take the form of physical manifestations. The main character Nick Seagrave has been plunged into this world after a broken past as a result of his betrayal of the people he loves most. In this world he knows he's on a journey, and there are many guides offering suggestions about what he's searching for most. But he soon discovers what he wants most is a city in the distance called Charis where a great King lives. But on his journey there he finds a deep and haunting Chasm that no man can cross.

The Chasm is a perfect illustration for what it means to be "dead in our transgressions and sins" (Eph 2:1)." Humanity has betrayed God, and there's nothing we can do to fix it. It's created a chasm between us and God that will only destroy us in our attempts to cross it by our own efforts. A deep longing for God and for his dwelling place exists in everyone, but, as Alcorn has illustrated, we can do nothing to undo what we've created.

Alcorn's story captures the need of every person for the One we've betrayed to create a way back to him. And that way comes at great sacrifice to him because someone has to pay for what we've done if he's not going to make us do it.

Alcorn did a great job of showing the antagonism the human heart often feels against God for "blaming" us for the chasm, as well as the dissatisfaction people feel in their pursuit of everything but God.

Several incredible drawings were included throughout the story to give us a visual of what the main character is experiencing.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to really understand what our sin has done, but even more what Christ has done to undo what we've done.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review