Noah's Ark Found? There's More to the Story.

The supposed discovery of Noah's Ark has prompted much recent interest - rightly so, it would be a fascinating find - but there are some thing we should keep in mind about this archeological puzzle.

1 - This is an Old Discovery

Even so, it's been reported as something new every few years as long as I can remember. One news source takes this even further:

Noah’s ark remains was found first by a young kid from Turkey named Kalim in February 15, 1857. A few years later, a group of American Explorers lead by Ryan Jarkinson found the remains of the ark in 1905. The ark was also claimed to be found by John Warwick Montgomery, the “Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought”. John even wrote a book about it in the 70s. And now, it was found again by a group of Turkish and Chinese explorers, according to Fox.

The news may have been having a slow day, but I'm always glad to see people's interest in this project rekindled.

2 - We Don't Really Know Anything, Yet.

This is where things get weird. After all this time, someone should have been able to dig this thing up, whatever it is, and figure out what it is, right? For some reason, this hasn't happened. Supposedly, this is because it's hard to get there and because Turkey is not too friendly to archeologists; I don't know if that's true, but progress has been ridiculously slow. And I don't know why researchers aren't clamoring for the chance to look at this site, because it's been known for long enough. Some have suspected the researchers of fraud, but nothing has been proven.

As such, we don't know what they found up there in the mountains of Turkey. Pictures from the site appear to show an old wooden room. This could be an old cabin, or it could be the remains of an old boat that landed there. The bottom line is, we are still figuring this out. It would be absolutely wonderful to finally get some answers to this archeological mystery, and I hope that the newly found interest in it will, at last, lead us to some answers.

Christians Should Not Be Protesting Earth Day

First off - sort of a confession. On Earth Day, I posted the following comment as my Facebook status:

Adam Jones is wearing a green shirt because it's Earth Day; he's certain that the color of his outfit will affect the quality of the environment in a positive way. You are all welcome.

I think the Green movement is pretty laughable, sometimes. I care about the Earth, but the most active and vocal parts of the Green movement are really funny, to me.

For example, in my neighborhood I was strongly encouraged by some concerned teens to attend an Earth Day concert; my lack of enthusiasm made them visibly sad. (They don't know me very well.)

Since free food was advertised, I went (and didn't find any food) and my concerns were confirmed - this was a silly, ineffective celebration of the planet. Attendees were encouraged to take off their shoes (because the Earth hates shoes? I don't know) and all day there were bands on stage playing through a large sound system. I guess we celebrated Earth Day by using more electricity than we do on a normal day. It didn't take long to get bored of it; the small crowd was content, however, to smoke and listen to Rastafarian music...oh, wait. Now I get it.

Anyway, on my campus where I work Earth Day was celebrated by some people wearing bee costumes or dressing as French mimes. I don't know why. Elsewhere, marketing geniuses asked us to remember the Earth by buying 'Avatar' and watching it on our TV for three hours. (Don't worry, you won't need 3-D glasses because the DVD version is as two dimensional as the plot.)

I just work here.

It's easy to pick on these oddballs, but Christians who are truly conspiring against Earth Day is just nonsense. Why not take the time to ask ourselves if we are being good stewards of the Earth - as we ought to do regularly? There's no threat to Christianity or Orthodoxy. As a matter of fact, it's an excellent opportunity for Christians to display our concern for the planet and show the world that we do want to take care of our planet as we should.

I'm asking you, fellow believers, to choose your battles well. On Earth Day, environmentalists were confused as to why an evangelical would get their panties in a wad about recycling and conservation - and rightly so. Those are not the battles we should be fighting. Christians have a reputation for insulting scientists and , now, protesting Earth Day. Do you see why Christians are portrayed as hateful types on TV? It's because of dumb things like this.

There are children who are put into slavery around the globe, millions of homeless in our own country, and people down the street who can't afford both medicine and rent. It's time to focus on those battles. If we do, maybe we can be known as more than just a group of grumpy preachers.

Witch Museum Opens in Salem...There's Just One Problem...

...there's no such thing as a witch.

Actually, the biggest problem is that there is another witch museum already in Salem, so there will be a lot of conversations like this:

"Let's go to the museum."

"Which one?"

"Yes, that's a good museum."

"I didn't name a museum."

"Sure you did. You said 'witch' museum."

"That's not a museum."

"Yes it is. You haven't been there?"

"Which museum?"

"Exactly."

But seriously, there's a problem at the outset of this thing. Here is what the museum has to say:

We are looking to create a series of exhibits that express the Witch Community, historically and as a modern movement as well. This is something that does not exist currently in this form, and it will be a way to show a different history than what most of us been taught...

There is no historical witch movement. Many, many accusations of witchcraft were made, but always fraudulently, and the fact that any modern person would believe that those accused were actually witches proves the effectiveness of those old lies.

Let's walk through history, just a bit.

In the first century A.D., the Romans defeated and completely destroyed the Druidic movement. All documents were burned and almost no trace of them exists, today. Many modern day "witches" claim to practice their art in the Druidic tradition, but the religion of the Druids is completely unknown (as is everything else about them). The Romans were busy persecuting the church at this time, and had little ideological reason to dislike the Druidic religion (unless they were Christians); the attack was motivated by the Druid's revolution against Rome.

In the 11th century, Guibert of Nogent wrote in his memoirs that Jews were skilled in witchcraft and caused local problems through their magic spells. Guibert's knowledge of Jews and Judaism, however, was (obviously) very limited, and medieval Jewish witchcraft movements are unknown to us outside of such silly accusations.

In the 14th century, King of France, Phillip IV, put the Templars on trial for worshiping a demon named "Baphomet." I wrote a paper about this, years ago, and I was terribly disappointed to learn that the charges were made up and did not reflect any actual Templar practice - that would have made a much more interesting paper. Phillip IV had used the same trick to put the previous Pope on trial and have him deposed. To this day, people associate the Templars with Devil worship even though they were totally innocent of this.

In the 17th century, we have the infamous Salem Witch Trials. The accused were put on trial by their political opponents to took their land and money after the accused were killed. In studying these trials, we see that every accuser was part of the same political/social scene using these trials to exercise their power. There is no indication of an actual movement of witches, only of innocent people being accused and bullied into a torturous death.

We should be learning from all of this. There are no witches. Never were. Every record we have of witches is either a fraudulent court case or a spook story/urban legend. We don't have records of witches writing down lists of spells or courting demons. Witches are not a historically undermined group of people who were supressed; they are a non-existent group that only existed when someone was being falsely accused. Modern types who wish to reclaim the culture of witches are actually starting something new with an attempt to make it appear to be an ancient culture, but it is not. Witchcraft is, historically speaking, simply a lie.

(I realize that some of you are bound to assume that I wrote this because you think that a Southern Baptist must protest Witchcraft. That's not it. I am just responding to some faulty history.)

Stop "Raising Awareness" and Start Doing Something

A few days ago it was "barefeet day" around campus - a day when people agreed to not wear shoes or socks all day to see what it would be like to live in an impoverished country and not own footwear. (If you missed it, another such day is happening later this year, so you didn't miss out.) The idea is to raise awareness of worldwide poverty.

It's a fine idea, I suppose, but I can do much better than to simply raise awareness.

Not long ago, ladies on Facebook were announcing the color of their bra in an effort to "raise awareness" of breast cancer. Since 1) breast cancer is very well known and 2) since none of them even mentioned breast cancer, this silly movement had no effect on the problem. I am faced with someone "raising awareness" of an obvious fact every week but far fewer people actually do something to help.

Instead of changing the way I dressed in order to "raise awareness" of poverty, I donated two pairs of shoes to a local charity so that someone in need can change they way they dress. Millions of barefooted people who feel sorry for the poor don't amount to much actual help, but millions of people donating used shoes is a big deal. (I don't buy many clothes, so the fact that I can donate two pairs of shoes means that almost everyone reading this should be able to do the same.)

The time for raising awareness about obvious problems is over - how would you like it if the doctor raised awareness of your broken leg without fixing it? - and the time has come to get busy.

4 Ways that Local Churches Should React to Church Sex Scandals

Far too many people hear the word "church" or "Christians" and immediately think about child molesters. It's hard to blame them, since the only time the media pays attention to the church is in the midst of such a problem, but today's local churches have an unfair burden placed on them. A pastor of a small church might spend his time doing everything right only to be associated in people's minds with shameful scandals that he has nothing to do with.

Even though most churches will never have do directly deal with a sex scandal, every church can learn to handle these situations appropriately, and proper planning can keep many of these things from happening at all and restore the neighborhood's confidence in the local church.

1 - Don't Hide It - But Get It Out of the Church Quickly

Last year, a large and well-known local church found out that one of their many pastors had been arrested for soliciting a minor for sex over the internet. (Little did he know that the child he was chatting with was actually a federal agent.) I wondered if this church, which I had always respected, would be able to get through that crisis, and they really exceeded my expectations. The head pastor announced that they were disappointed at these events and made it very public that they were working along with the police to have the minister taken care of. Only a few weeks later no one even remembered it, and the delinquent minister was out of the church and in the hands of the law. (Yes, I could provide you with a link, but this nice church doesn't need me to bring up old problems.)

Dealing with these problems swiftly and publicly keeps the media from turning the situation into a circus, and it lets everyone know that this was the act of a single foolish person and not part of the church's overall habit. Don't try to sweep things like this under the rug - it's already to late for that - just deal with it open and honestly. I think people respect that.

2 - Background Checks

Most churches are pretty good about this one. Perverts and child molesters who are old enough to apply for church jobs often have a suspicious criminal record or something else incriminating in their past. (The infamous child rapist/murderer, John Wayne Gacy Jr., would never have been allowed to work with local youth events if these things were common in his day - his criminal record would have betrayed him.) The key is to be tough on these things. If there is a chance that this person is going to be such a liability then don't hire them. Thousands of ministers are looking for work who will not cause legal problems of this sort, so make sure to be very discerning. It is tempting to overlook someone's past (especially if there are only minor problems) in the spirit of forgiveness and charity, but you can't take that risk. If something goes wrong you will certainly wish you had hired someone else.

3 - Talk About It

Everyone is talking about this problem except for the church. It's not OK to pretend that this isn't a crisis. For many people, taking kids to church is seen as a serious risk even when a local church has no record of such things. Now, most of us who grew up in church don't see it that way, because these situations aren't common, but the fact that the problem is never discussed in church makes it seem even shiftier - as if pastors are trying to ignore the problem. Don't be afraid to talk about this; in doing so you will assure your congregation and visitors that these scandals are not acceptable.

4 - Keep an Eye on Things

At my church, no child is alone with an adult. You can be assured that there are two (at the least) people with any kid or group of kids, and that these two people are not always the same. Other people even check in on them from time to time. I attend a small church where this is not easy to do, but we do it. If my church can handle this, any church can. You can even set up an inexpensive video monitoring device with a USB camera and a computer so that parents can watch their kids in class. (If your church has little money, see if the parents can donate money and computers to this cause - they might think it's worth it.)

Ministers should know that talking to a young person alone (unless there is a convenient window on the office door) is certainly not allowed, and they should be threatened with termination for such things. We have to be tough, tough, tough, or something bad will happen, and we cannot allow an environment to form where this sort of thing can take place. It's not safe to trust anyone, and even everyone's favorite minister who wouldn't hurt a flea must be treated as a possible pervert and put under extensive restrictions. Only a "zero tolerance" approach will be effective. This might sound like overkill, but it will show your congregation and your neighborhood how serious you are about this problem.

Don't think it can't happen in your church - it can. And if the proper steps are not taken it is even more likely. However, taking important steps will not only keep trouble out of your church, but will allow people to see the charity work and other good things that your church is doing in the neighborhood, and maybe they will stop associating Christians with child molesters and start noticing what the Church really is.

The Many Biographies of Augustine

I've been asked a few times about the many biographies on Augustine and which ones are the best for research. I know it makes for boring blogging (probably no more boring than usual), but I thought I'd answer those questions here.
I could actually stop after mentioning Peter Brown's Augustine of Hippo because it is so complete; Peter Brown didn't leave anything out, and no other biography of Augustine contains more information. This was published in the 60's and updated by Brown himself in 2000, and it has been the standard biography for this historical figure ever since.

When Brown (who reads in fifteen languages) began this project, there was no proper biography for Augustine.   While still in his 30's, he took upon himself the monumental task off synthesizing the great multitude of Augustinian literature into a single story - it has been used by every serious Augustinian historian ever since.  Most impressive is that after many decades it still remains an accurate and dependable biography (the recent updates to the book only discuss newly discovered writings and don't make any adjustments to the narrative - nothing has changed in our historical understanding of Augustine). The only downside is its size; it's 500+ pages. Not everyone has that kind of time, but it's a must for the serious student of church history.

Gary Wills' Saint Augustine is a good book that anyone could read. I got through it in an afternoon and found it very pleasant and interesting. It's not a book that would be very difficult to read for those who don't normally study this material, and it tells Augustine's story in a straight-forward chronological manner that is simple and very effective. I like it, a lot, and I turn to it's chapters when I need to quickly refresh my memory about something in Augustine's life. An excellent choice for anyone interested in the subject and it's widely available.   Highly recommended.

This is where things change. James O'Donnell wrote Augustine: A New Biography with the notion that maybe Augustine was not sincerely a believer in Christ. Maybe, Augustine just pretended so he could be an important successful person in the politics of late antique Rome. If that were true, this would be his story, not that nonsense Peter Brown wrote about a devout Christian leader.

I have a hard time with this one. It's interesting to see things this way, but it's clear (to me) that Augustine lived out what he preached and had a sincere passion for his faith. Not everyone has to agree with Augustine's view, but his tireless work to help the church is, in my opinion, evidence that Augustine did hold to the convictions he described. (Of course, O'Donnell is an important leader in Augustinian studies - particularly concern the Confessions - so, perhaps, I should be more hesitant to criticize such a giant in the field.)

Unfortunately, I haven't read this one (yet), but I have no trouble recommending Augustine of Hippo: A Life by Henry Chadwick based on recommendations from my colleagues and his own reputation. His translation of the Confessions has become a standard in college classrooms, and his knowledge of late antique customs and writings is absolutely astonishing.

It is another good read that is said to be very complete, but not terribly long or difficult, so it should be of use to the Augustinian scholar and to the more casual reader. It's certainly on my reading list.