My unusual experience

We have an epidemic in society. I am not talking about the spread of some infectious disease or end-time zombie scenario. But what I will write in the following paragraphs is much more serious. It rocked me, ironically, in the men’s toilet at university today. Imagine if you could read peoples thoughts on a given subject without asking them about it. That’s what I experienced today. On the toilet door, I was welcomed by a door full of scribbles, ranging from issues of religion, sexual orientation and sex itself, and many crude references linked to these.

In the time I had to read what was written, which wasn’t long, someone had written something to the effect that only Jesus can help you with your drug problem. Now, of course, it is true that when people surrender themselves to the Lordship of Christ, submit to His provision for us instead of always trying to solve the problem ourselves, Jesus will and is able to help us, even our bad addictions. But he does something greater…it’s called salvation. Thinking over it, I knew it was silly to write that because it sparked a whole conversation on the door. I’m not going to spend time explaining what people said about Jesus because it would be painful to do that, let alone think it through. But my immediate reaction to all the mean comments written responding to that statement was that young people are absolutely losing an understanding of who Jesus was. They simply don’t care. If you are one of those people who think that, let me say that your indifference to Jesus message is a view of the majority – you are simply a product of that majority reflecting the common view. However, let me also tell you why Jesus message is relevant even in the 21th century.

Do you know what the most purchased book is worldwide? It is the Bible. Perhaps you are still lucky enough to own one of them! Do you know the name of the most talked about, most controversial and most influential figure in history? Jesus. His ministry or mission started with 12 common people, like you and me, who worked a tough job and didn’t get the money they should have got. He did not choose the aristocrats, kings, noblemen and even religious scholars. The majority did not like Jesus because he was different and he challenged their status and exploitation of the poor. The people whom Jesus chose did not have ‘lord’ or ‘sir’ in front of their names, either. Today, over 2.5 billion people claim to follow his message. And that number does not include non-Christian religions who also claim to follow or believe in him. More paintings have been painted of Jesus, more songs sung to him and about him, more people have fought violently claiming to be his followers and more people have left the city lights to enter the dark and unknown world to provide food and other resources and spread his message than any other figure in human history. And if you still don’t care, I understand; you’re merely reflecting the majority view. But if I were you, I’d really look into who this Jesus was before I start recklessly scribbling things about him.

The problem with us young people is that we are always on the search for the ‘now’ moment. We want the highest thrill, when we say we’re different or unique, we’re not really that different from our social group. We let trends and waves drive us by. You know it is true. I had a friend who said he wouldn’t smoke cigarettes, but only a few years later not only did he smoke cigarettes but also did the stronger stuff. What makes us so different, then?   I’d encourage you to be different for this moment and do what a lot of young people aren’t doing: Look into the life of Jesus, study what his message ‘the Gospel’ was about.

It may change your life…forever.

So how does London look on a Friday night?

I have often made the remark to people that I’m not one for organising my blog points before I write my blogs. As much as I’d love to, whenever I quietly sit in my bedroom with my laptop open to Microsoft Word, ideas do not come into my head. Instead, in order for me to write an effective piece of writing, I have to be inspired by a certain topic, to be under its influence, to articulate my mind.

This evening I had an encouraging time with God’s family. A lovely couple from one of our church plants invited the students over for lunch and a brother discussed something relevant from God’s word. We had a much encouraging time. Upon returning home, I drove past an unusual place called Camden Town. It was my first time I’d been there. I had heard that it was famous for being the hub for the Rock & Roll and punk subculture/musician hangout. The reality was confirmed with my own eyes this evening. That place was strangely odd. I didn’t see much rockers, but I saw a lot of clubs and bars and an unusual place that looked like a circus. Weird. But I saw tons of young people from all ethnic groups hanging out outside nightclubs, pubs and bars. And a thought came to me. I wrote this as I normally do on my Facebook status, that before we guzzle down whatevers remaining inside the Vodka bottle we should remember that we were made for something greater than that.

If you do not share the same Christian convictions as me, you are probably thinking who am I to judge what people do, Let them decide their own lives and if they screw up, that’s their life not yours! End of the day you are right. You make the decisions of your life and you suffer the consequences of your actions. However, here’s a fact you must face. Would you still drink the bottle of Vodka and party till 6 in the morning if you were raised in the Amazon Rainforest? No. So does that essentially mean you are the product of your culture, and your view of life has largely been shaped by those around you – i.e. people had an agenda and you were a product of that agenda or worldview? I say yes.

Allow me to introduce another ‘agenda’ so to speak. The reason as I Christian I can say that you were made for something greater than guzzling down the Vodka is because I believe you are precious, fearfully and wonderfully made. You bear the image of God Himself, which means that you are special.

That’s all. Sorry if it sounds rushed, I must have run out of the inspiration ink! But that’s only half of the story. The next and more important one for another day, perhaps.

Do I Hate Religion?

In one of my earlier posts, I closed by saying Christianity was and is a religion. Before coming to that conclusion, I divided the word religion into two halves and placed Christianity on one corner and every other conceivable religion on the other. Then I said that although Christianity remains a religion, it is based on the free, underserved and generous grace of God, making it radically different from all of mans techniques to craft religion. Not to go into much detail, I referenced a few Bible verses that say Christianity is a religion. You can read it in your own leisure.

The Bible teaches that positive works which stem from us–the little good in all of us, as it goes—is actually like a filthy, polluted and stained piece of cloth that holds no spiritual value in God’s eyes (Isaiah 64:4). Every world-religion apart from Christianity stresses that we must do to receive, it makes your walk with God a contract based on mutual agreements. Sadly, this thinking has crept into some corners of modern Christianity too. We think if we go to church, behave ourselves, read the book of Psalm now or then, tithe consistently, not watch specific movies or listen to particular music, that on that basis, God will accept our ‘sacrifice’ and surely secure our salvation. Amusingly, I had a school friend say to me once that he always kept his Bible under his pillow: To him that was probably a righteous work. However, true, Biblical Christianity teaches we can’t ‘do’ good enough to please God because our natures are so corrupt. Therefore we need someone to do that on our behalf. When Christ does the righteous act for us, God takes Christ’s finished work and imputes (gives) it to us, sort of like an employee who credits money into your account. It’s yours! (with the difference being you didn’t earn it). So now, when God see’s the goodness of another, i.e. Christ his beloved Son, not ours; He accepts.

What do I think of Christians who say they hate religion? Do I dismiss their claim because of my conclusion that Christianity is a religion? Do I think when they show detestation for religion; they are, in effect, putting Christianity into that category? It is important to allow that person to define what they mean. Christians live amongst those who think religion is all about fulfilling conditions. They think religious people must follow certain conditions and the ‘divine’ unknown will give us some reward. If the only people who lived on earth were true Christians, we wouldn’t have needed to say we hated religion, we already would’ve had the right one. However, we live, work and evangelise around people who believe or think that way. Therefore, I feel it is okay to show our hatred of religion, as long as we define what we mean by that. If Christians said they hate religion because it brings the attention on us, says we must do to receive, and leaves us uncertain about whether what we’ve offered is good enough; I hate that religion, too. And if you’re a Christian, so should you. That form of religion comes in the second group I talked about; the me-centred religion. On the other hand, if someone does not want to have moral restrictions and plays the ‘I’m saved card’: my works don’t save because Christianity isn’t a religion, we have a problem.

The video below shows a good example of the religion we should all abhor. The enslaving, doubt-producing, pride-inflating religion, the religion that makes us the centre attention and not Christ’s work, the religion that Jesus, who was highly religious, condemned!

These are my post-blog comments after I have seen what other posts have had to say. The phrase “I hate religion” is perhaps too wide a statement to call your title, and it can make people confused. However, as we go on, we can appreciate his point. Let him define the word ‘religion’ first. Do not be so hasty to write posts against this video. I have seen a couple of other posts that have called the video out for saying it is wrong to say, “Jesus came to abolish religion” What religion might I ask? If we don’t let him define himself, we are not being fair. Around 2:50 he defines religion according to his view: “Religion said do, Jesus said done.” I am sure you also oppose that religion. Would I have gone so far as to create a chasm between religion and Jesus? No. But give the guy a break!

Walking with “Humility, Gentleness and Paitence” on Facebook (online)

Anyone who has read the Bible to some level so they understand the key themes know the speech and using it rightly is one of them. We speak either in person, i.e., face-to-face or not in person, i.e., online or texting. Most of us were reared in a digital or image age (to use Tim Challies’ words), so discerning how we speak online is equally important as speaking to someone in person or over the phone. We ought to pay more attention to our online-speech (or our online portrayal) since a majority of us spend more time on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs (put together) than we do in real-life conversations. So as we seek to present ourselves as Christ-like, humble Christians in the flesh, let us seek to present the same for our digital image. Because the truth is, you might meet more people over Facebook than you would in real life. That should make you think twice before posting!

I came up with a small plan that I hope you find helpful. It outlines some things we should be careful about when presenting our online picture. I acknowledge the deficiency of the points (may apply in one context but not another), and we will not always get them right, as we are not always humble in real speech. However, they should be of some value, hopefully. All relate to our speech, with the excepion of the last one which is a small pointer to remember when online.

1. Be willing to admit that you are wrong about something you said
   • We are deficient creatures, not always right, and as Christians, we should readily admit it. You will know when you are wrong when any relevant scripture comes to mind, someone points it to you, or your conscience pricks you. When you say something wrong, relax, and just let that person’s be the last comment in the thread.
   • It encourages humility
2. Not every battle is yours
   • We have to practise discernment here. This is the wise as serpents and harmless as doves approach Matthew 10:16. It is 50/50. If you are tactful to attack like a serpent, 100%, head launching into a debate, you are no longer soft as a dove. Be careful. Be wise.
   • You do not have to win every debate
3. Keep the words of Paul in Ephesians 4:1 in mind while online
   • . . . walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience.
4. This is important. Do not always say something unduly humorous when you are talking about serious issues.
   • People can get the wrong message about your intention for writing—remember they cannot ‘feel’ your intentions through Facebook. Clarity is therefore important.
   • Sometimes it can suggest a looking-down, prideful or plain rude attitude.
   • Even if you are speaking the truth about say a Bible verse, the manner you say it is of crucial importance. Imagine getting the question wrong and the person starts laughing or looking down at you.
   • I do think our speech varies depending who you talk with. If you are speaking to a full-on heretic who is preaching that Jesus is not God and the Trinity is a false doctrine, then clearly you will speak differently to them. But do not speak to your fellow Christian brother or sister in that way. It promotes pride and discourages Gospel humility. If you disagree with the way they said something or how they continue to present something different to you, speak humbly even then. Proverbs 12:18 is a good verse to keep in mind. There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
5. And finally, this is just a small pointer that helps me. Be objective. This refers particularly to reading articles or blog-posts by Bible-believing Christians. When you read one perspective for a subject find something that is different to the one you read. See who is consistent and right!
   • It stops you from becoming too attached to people you are used to hearing. And often times give a good balance.
   • Let me give a quick example. This month (January 2012), another segment of the Elephant Room will take place. In case you are not aware, here is a link that explains what it is. http://www.theelephantroom.com/about/ The usual names of James MacDonald, Steven Furtick and Mark Driscoll will form the panel. But so is T.D. Jakes this year. As much as I am sceptical of this (since the EL did say it was a conversation with believers for believers) and it intensely appears Jakes is not a Trinitarian, I am not sure about it. However with all our reading of articles, posting of blogs and comments; have we read posts by good and well-meaning Christians who disagree with you. What do they think? Why do they think it? What is the basis for such a view?

I pray that our conversations, be it online or offline be presented with a genuine and pure, Christ-exhalting heart.

The meaning of Christmas

Many of us imagine the ideal Christmas with a wintry feeling, snow, and that special feeling you get watching Christmas movies. Every December, people decorate their houses and trees, and eat nice food with family and friends. Sadly, many forget the purpose for all the decoration. Imagine going to a birthday celebration to leave without ever knowing whose birthday it was, would not that be strange and indeed, impolite?

Beyond the decorations, warm cosy-feelings, holidays and family get-togethers, Christmas is about God’s rescuing plan to save sinners like you and me. Non-Christians know well that a baby was born called Jesus. But do we know the real meaning of Christmas?

Watch as John MacArthur shares the meaning of Christmas with us.

And may you have a blessed Christmas time.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

A Look at the life of Christopher Hitchens and Thoughts on Ecclesiastes

I woke up around 4AM Friday morning for no particular reason, and had no desire to return to sleep, so I turned my laptop on and glanced quickly over my desktop, and saw my incomplete post on Ecclesiastes, for which I was struggling to put pen to paper. Meanwhile, I began to hear of the death of Christopher Hitchens on Facebook. Then ideas for my new post quickly began to spring up.

In case you may not have heard of him, Christopher Hitchens, among many things, was an outspoken atheist and brilliant orator; He had a special way with words. One would do well to call him a wordsmith. Unfortunately, he also was popular for using this gift to vilify the name of God and the Gospel. Hitchens was one of the spearheads of the ‘New Atheist’ movement that is distinguished for some belligerently sturdy attacks on religion. He debated people like George Galloway, leading supporter of Palestine and the Muslim people, William Lane Craig, leading Christian thinker, and Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Indeed, he was scheduled to debate my favourite Christian apologist, James White. That was until news came through that Mr Hitchens was diagnosed with Oesophageal cancer (tumour to the muscular tube that guides food to the stomach), and his life expectancy was very bleak.

The book of Ecclesiastes is a deep inquest into the human heart. Though we are not certain about who wrote it, theologians say that King Solomon did. The book describes the void that swells inside the human heart without God. It highlights the life of someone who exposes himself or herself to all manner of sin, in the hopes of gaining ultimate satisfaction and meaningfulness.

Ecclesiastes begins with a deep cry, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, Vanity of vanities! All is vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2 ESV). If you want to know the reason for this conclusion the author got himself into, you have to read the book to see why he puffs this cry of despair. Nonetheless, it is pertinent for the purposes of this post to explain the reason the author cried “vanities of vanities”. The author of Ecclesiastes was clearly the wealthiest person around—and yet he recognised that something was missing—and with this, he attempted to look under every rock and behind every tree to grab hold of meaning. He put himself in every vulnerable spot, desperately trying to counteract the constant beatings of a cold world. He let himself loose, wildly, to the sin of sexual promiscuity (Ecclesiastes 2:8), the continual growth of personal wealth (Ecclesiastes 2:4). He also tried to “cheer” himself with alcohol (Ecclesiastes 2:3). This thought brings to mind a despondent stockbroker, who has miserably failed trying to grasp success, as he sits in a black and white room with a cigar, sipping away on his glass of whisky. This is one of my favourite passages from this book: I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?”(Ecclesiastes 2:1-2 ESV)

Christianity: Religion, Relationship Or What?

Many Christians do not call their faith a religion but a relationship. I think there are three reasons for this.

1. In this age of pluralism with so many different work-based religions, we feel and think it is important to stress that our beliefs are altogether different. Where these beliefs teach that people can be saved by keeping a set of moral codes, The Bible teaches that we cannot do anything good of a spiritual nature to make God pleased or happy with us. So, as far as it goes, Christianity is not so much a religion, as commonly understood, but a relationship offered us through God’s unmerited grace.
2. The other reason that some Christians may shun the religion talk is they could be antinomians. This, I feel, is the wrong view to take—and dangerous. Simply put, antinomianism is the idea that we are free from the law (or moralistic constraints), so many who fall prey to this inadvertently think that their lifestyles shouldn’t have a degree of structure. So when you notice a fault in your brother or sister that could hinder their walk with God, they may say: come on, we are under grace; Jesus forgives our sins, remember? This might not be so in-your-face but their lifestyle would certainly show it.
3. The third point is similar to the one above. Since some get rid of religion, there are tendencies to make Jesus our ‘home-boy’ than Lord. These take the friendliness of God to its extreme by making his holiness, sovereignty and utter ‘otherness’ a matter of indifference.

So what do I think? Religion, Relationship or what?

Christianity is a religion. James teaches us about “pure religion” James 1:27, which means we have something called ‘religion’. The word religion comes from Latin which means “to bind fast” or “place an obligation on”. Every Bible-believing Christian is bound to the testimony of Scripture; it is our steering wheel in our life-course. To illustrate the idea that we are bound by Scripture, Luther elegantly says, “My conscience is held captive to the word of God”. It is true that the Gospel frees us from the drudgery of sin and its final consequences. But it does this by freeing us from sins captivity and bringing us to Christ and His Word. As time passes we become captivated by God’s Word that it begins to rule, dictate and guide our everyday lives. We have a measuring rod and we are bound, not to sin, but to God.

So in essence our faith I would conclude is a religion because it keeps or binds us; it’s not chaotic or disorderly. With that said it is not a set of beliefs or patterned-prayers we must follow to be saved. Rather we are saved only by and to God, and as a result we follow His commandments.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. – John 14:15

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:5

The folly of worldly wisdom

Many people incorrectly think because they have lots of knowledge that somehow they possess the truth in their camp. If you look at the knowledge of cult-leaders, one benchmark of their lives is how sharp they are with words. They have answers for everything. They have multiple degrees and have many books bearing their name. These people have enough knowledge that they can turn people’s argument on its head. And while discussing your beliefs with them, they can, with academic precision, slither out of any uncomfortable or unforeseen situation. They are able to leave people without words at the end of the conversation.

Human inquest for knowledge goes back to the period of Greek philosophers. Clearly you could trace such to time itself.  I could introduce a sophisticated system of Hinduism called Karma. It involves the human race constantly struggling in a cycle which keeps revolving until every bad deeds is erased and people reach a state of Nirvana or liberation. Or, more recent to our time, I could talk about the Liberalism that flourished in 19^th century Europe, which wanted to rationalize every teaching in the Bible by giving it a material explanation. Jesus sternly warned about becoming like the Pharisees (Matthew 16:6). Regrettably, most Jews today continue in their prideful rejection of Jesus as the long-prophesied Messiah because they surrendered to human reasoning.

The key for spiritual growth is not trapping ourselves in a never-ending cycle, but following the greatest pattern in Jesus Christ. As he shares co-equality with the Father and Spirit in Heaven, all people of great repute are nothing compared to his Eternal magnitude. And despite this, Jesus entered into human history and died for a Pharisee like Saul of Tarsus (Acts 23:6a). We should pray for guidance in the face of circumstances I noted above, but we can’t expect to know God if we don’t know His word. False teacher will be ever prowling but if we release our greatest weapon what shield do we have?

I like using examples with thermometers. Imagine both ends representing two extremes, as they do in real-life. If your temperature is all the way to the bottom you would do well to get checked because you may be seriously ill, and so too likewise if your temperature is super high. The first extreme relating to knowledge is that some Christians have the tendency to divorce Bible reading from meaningful mental engagement. They wait for everything to be revealed by the Spirit. Ignoring that God uses the means, i.e., fellow Christians to make His word known. For them, however, If it’s not of God, it’s of the Devil, is the mindset. Books, sermons, articles are the production of men. Who needs fellow Christians, eh? Then there’s another extreme, which basically sees God as a construct that can be painted by our mental knowledge, understood by our perception and senses and yet their hearts are far from God, they have no devotion to Him.  Both are at extreme ends of the thermometer and should be avoided. I sincerely feel that many Christians are caught off guard, swing into doubt because they do not know the Bible enough. They may pray for hour’s day in and day out, but not know the character of this great God because they don’t know the Bible enough.

If we become like the Greek philosophers, write some fanciful self-help book like The Secret or something like Deepak Chopra’s silly pantheistic nonsense, the writer of Ecclesiastes might remind us of how these are really a “striving after the wind”  Ecclesiastes 1:17. The writer also gives us a timely reminder relevant throughout all ages:

My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end and much study is a weariness of the flesh. (Ecclesiastes 12:12 ESV)

I do not find anything wrong with reading books on philosophy by Aristotle or Plato, or reading the Gita for general knowledge about Hinduism. They do in fact ultimately show different people grappling with the deep questions of this world and of existence. But to find ultimate hope, peace, joy and meaning in them as an end, is much “weariness of the flesh”, and like a never-ending journey.

The Religious Industry in Nigeria

Persuasive speakers in flashy suits and expensive cars submerges the religious arena in Nigeria. For many church-goers there, the dominant theme in the weekly messages is prosperity, get rich or die trying schemes. One television show which aired sometime last year spoke about the fact that one could see several churches in just one neighbourhood, and to plant more was a fairly straightforward job. Religion happens to be doing a good job! The question is what sort of religion are we talking about?

With another show in mind, this evening I watched a one-part series of Undercover World called ‘Nigeria’s Millionaire Preachers’ which shed some light on the dramatic growth of Prosperity preachers in Nigeria. You can find the link here (It may not work outside of the UK). Although these rock-star preachers dub their message “Gospel”, the irony is I couldn’t find any Gospel. I tried, but found it was a fruitless task.

Religion is a sharp weapon. It has in the past and continues to be a forceful factory of control, fear and intimidation. With Christianity this has always happened when God’s word was kept out of people’s reach. Although today one can find a Bible translation in their native-tongue, unlike the Medieval period when the Bible was kept away from the peasants and only read in Latin; it is not given the authority which it was intended to have and therefore people ignore cardinal teachings. This is what I believe accounts for the wide-spread religious ignorance in many parts of the world, including Nigeria. Secondly and following from that, it gives religious pranksters an opportunity to jump on the scene, knowing that people are vulnerable, sensitive, and needy and use a shared-belief in Nigeria (Christianity) to their advantage.

The show opened with Dr. Sign Fireman, a groovy preacher in expensive Western clothes addressing hundreds of people at a conference called ‘The Burial of Satan’. Immediately it was clear that this individual had a cult-personality to him. People did not congregate to hear the exposition of God’s word verse-by-verse; instead they came to see an entertaining performance, feel an emotional thrill, and to see Dr. Fireman leave the premises in his expensive yellow Hummer. Yes HUMMER! Oh and prior to leaving, people put so much money on his feet that the tax-collectors, I mean tithe collectors were forced to use the rubbish bins as offering collections.

To cut to the very heart of the issue, Christianity has largely been overtaken by a bunch of self-absorbed pranksters who use the name of Jesus to manipulate hundreds if not thousands of people. Religion in Nigeria has become a marketplace whereby people can cash their money in return for gifts that vary depending on the amount that was ‘sown’ towards the ministry.

I guess it may now be a useful time to protest my anger towards these false teachers. Instead I would urge prayers for God to show them the truth about the Gospel.

I am optimistic about hearing about solid Gospel advancement in Nigeria. It will happen, and we must continue to pray for that.

Pastor Conrad Mbewe has written a great article addressing the religious issues in Nigeria (and across Africa). I highly recommend it. http://www.conradmbewe.com/2011/02/nigerian-religious-junk.html

Shalim

Why “Criminal Minds” is perhaps the best show I will ever watch

When God saved me around mid-April 2008 or 2009, He took me through a lot of different experiences to which I am deeply grateful as I reflect upon them. In the “baby-steps” so to speak of my Christian walk, I made a radical step to get rid of all secular MP3’s on my old iPod, and I was reluctant to watch any secular movie or appreciate the common-graces that God exhibited to the sons and daughters of Adam in different ways. Perhaps one could say that was quite extreme, but it is fair to say that a lot of Christians can relate with me here. I think we all went through this phase. After being exposed to the severity of our sinful condition, we invariably stopped supporting those who did not see things our way. In hindsight, I did appreciate that experience because it has taught me a lot (including what follows), but I do not think it is any good to sustain as a permanent mindset.

Criminal Minds is about a special FBI agency called the BAU (Behavioural Analysis Unit). They generally study the behavioural patterns of the criminal in order to catch them. And when they identify the offender, the Unit investigates the family, medical, educational, vocational background of the offender, etc.., in order to ascertain the unsub’s—the cool term they use for the unknown subject—whereabouts.

It is not only a very gripping show, but many episodes carry religious and philosophical ideas that cause us to think about the world in which we live. In addition, what I appreciate is at the beginning and end of each episode a significant quotation is offered which relates to the programme’s theme. In previous episodes you have had the likes of C.S. Lewis, John Calvin and Dietrich Bonheoffer mentioned and many Bible verses, too!

In the most recent episode of season 7 the unsub was subject to physical abuse as a teenager from the hands of a disturbed father who would slash his belt across his back for any rude remarks toward him. After many similar events the young man dies and apparently sees a heavenly figure ahead of him dressed in white, in other words, he has a NDE “Near Death Experience”. Before he can further investigate into this phenomena, he finds himself back in a physical body and revived to life. Following many years the unsub drowns a group of people and then tries to resuscitate them. Afterwards, if they come back alive, he questions them about whether they see anything extraordinary. A bit twisted true. But this is what it taught me. To place one’s life in one’s own hands is a dangerous act. If we do then at death we leap into the utter unknown. I’m not saying NDE’s are legitimate or not, but this episode did quite clearly show me that even unbelievers are afraid of what awaits them. This echo’s the writer of Ecclesiastes when he said, “….he (God) has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11.

Shows like Criminal Minds can in my opinion be redeemed by Christians. With level low levels of explicitness, it can be a clean programme to watch and enjoy. But be warned, I believe the ratings are 15+ because it can get pretty gruesome. So if you can’t handle blood or injury, it’s probably not your show. With that said, I think the show does in some respect reflect what happens in real-life situations.

Moreover this show reminds me that overall human-beings are stranded on planet earth and are not looking for Divine rescue. It shows our depravity and echo’s our constant need for redemption.

Another important point worth noting about this show, Criminal Minds reflects the book of Romans command to submit to the higher authorities because they “do not bear the sword in vain”. Criminal Minds demonstrates that “under the sun” authorities do have a sense of morality which guides their conduct by catching those who display rebellion to accepted law. And despite it being a fictional show, with emphasized drama and machismo-like action, Criminal Minds shows ultimately that the evil-doer, who is presented as inflicting pain throughout the show, is always caught at the end. It would frighten me if he/she wasn’t! And that’s one reason I can watch through even a few unpleasant episodes knowing that justice will always prevail.

Criminal Minds is perhaps the best show ever because it has taught me so much. So whether it is your kind of show or not, be reminded that we can redeem a lot of things from the media and allow them to cause us to see them from a level of God-centeredness—so it can be entertaining and edifying at the same time.