Dutch contractor Johan Huibers has built a massive replica of Noah’s Ark in the town of Schagen in the Netherlands. Huibers’ ark is 2/3 the length of a football field and as high as a 3-story house. That may seem huge, but Noah’s Ark as described in the Bible is actually 5 times larger!

Inside Huibers’ Ark are life-sized models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison, and other animals. There is a petting zoo on the top deck and also a 50-seat theater where children can watch the Noah’s Ark segment from the Disney film Fantasia.

Huiber hopes that his ark will help bring renewed interest in Christianity to the Netherlands, where churchgoing has been in decline for decades. “I would really like to inspire people to search for God and to begin to read the Bible,” he said. Huibers’ ark is fully functional, and he plans to sail the ark to major cities in Belgium and Germany in the near future.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace activists are building an ark of their own on Mount Ararat. Mount Ararat is the location where the Bible records Noah’s Ark resting after the flood. The Greenpeace Ark is a much smaller model than Huibers’. (Huibers’ Ark measures 230ft x 45ft x 30 ft; the Greenpeace Ark will measure 32ft x 13ft x 13ft.) The Greenpeace Ark will be unveiled to the public on Thursday, May 31 as part of a demonstration against global warming.

So that makes for a grand total of three arks now – Noah’s, Hubiers’ and Greenpeace’s – unless it’s true about Noah building two arks. Oh, you didn’t hear about that? Rumor has it that Noah actually built two arks, but he built the first one in the basement and couldn’t get it out. 🙂

HT: PastorBlog

Should Christians call Mormonism a cult? Is the word “cult” a useful term in public speech today? These are some of the questions John Mark Reynolds addresses in his article: On “Cult:” Is the Word Useful in Political Speech? The question is especially important to consider with a Mormon, Governor Mitt Romney, currently running for President.

Reynolds points out that the word “cult” has at least three different meanings associated with it. It can mean either:

1. the religious practices of a particular group,
2. a group that claims to be Christian but denies orthodox doctrine, or
3. a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister (Oxford American)

The first definition makes no value judgments and could refer to any religion (including the Christian faith). The second definition makes a value judgment as regards the truth claims of a particular group, i.e. whether or not the group aligns with historic Christian teaching. The third definition makes a value judgment as regards the social acceptability of the group.

When Christians speak of Mormonism, Christian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc. as cults, we usually mean the word in the sense of the second definition above. We simply mean that these are groups which claim to be Christian but do not hold to key points of historic Christian doctrine – teachings such as the trinity, the deity of Christ, salvation by faith in Christ alone, or the Bible as our sole authority for faith and practice. These are areas in which Mormons deviate from Christian belief, and so, in this sense of the word, we could properly term Mormonism as a cult.

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Does the Bible have anything to say about the weather? One of the biggest debates about global warming today (other than, “Does it exist?”) is whether or not it is caused by humans. Can you really blame climate change and wacky weather patterns on mankind?

Buster Wilson from American Family Radio answers “Yes,” but it is not what you think. Buster blames the weather problems in our world, not on current human activity, but on prior human sin and the fall of man. He quotes Paul from the book of Romans in this regard:

“For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.” (Romans 8:19-22)

Says Buster, “That’s the Bible answer to what’s happening with the crazy weather, earthquakes, tsunamis, et al. It’s the creation crying out for God the Father to set all things right.”

Whatever your views on global warming and climate change, Buster makes a great theological point here. When we talk about problems in the created order, we must not forget to take into account the fall of man. You can read the whole article at Buster’s blog here.

Don’t forget – today is the National Day of Prayer. See yesterday’s post for more information on how to find a prayer event near you.

Tomorrow (the first Thursday in May) is the National Day of Prayer for the United States. The purpose of the National Day of Prayer is to gather the people of our country to come together and pray, particularly for our nation and for those in leadership on all levels of local, national, church and educational areas of influence.

Let me encourage you to participate in this special day of prayer for our nation. Over 40,000 prayer events are scheduled to take place this year across the country – at churches, schools, government buildings and other public gathering places. Some local pastors and I will be hosting an event in Agawam, MA during the lunch hour. To find an event near you, click here.

Tony Dungy, head coach of this year’s Super Bowl winning Colts, shares his thoughts on prayer and challenges Americans to unite in prayer in this video.

(Video length: 1:02)

Related articles:

• Tony Dungy No. 1 on NYT Bestsellers List
• Tony Dungy: Asking ‘What’ Instead of ‘Why’

Some churches have stopped using the word ‘Lord’ to speak about God or Jesus. This comes from the Arizona Daily Star:

“‘Lord’ has become a loaded word conveying hierarchical power over things, which in what we have recorded in our sacred texts, is not who Jesus understood himself to be,” St. Philip’s associate rector Susan Anderson-Smith said. [from St. Philip’s in the Hills Church in Tucson, Arizona] …

St. Philip’s isn’t the only local church to re-examine its language. Other local religious leaders already are eschewing the use of “Lord” for similar reasons. First Congregational United Church of Christ in Midtown even has a different name for The Lord’s Prayer. They call it “The Prayer of Our Creator.” “We do still use the word ‘Lord’ on occasion, but we are suspicious of it,” First Congregational pastor Briget Nicholson said. …

St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church has been minimizing its use of Lord for two decades, senior pastor David Wilkinson said. “We usually change ‘Lord’ to ‘love’ or ‘soul’ or ‘light,’ ” Wilkinson said.

So, these churches do not want to use the word ‘Lord’ to refer to God or Jesus, because ‘Lord’ implies a hierachical relationship of power that they do not find in their sacred texts. When I read the Bible, I read about a God who is the all-powerful ruler over all creation. I think the word ‘Lord’ describes that very well. I just did a quick computer search of the word ‘Lord’ in the Bible. It is used 170 times in the gospels, 6,459 times in the Bible as a whole. (NIV) Not all of these occurrences refer directly to God or Jesus, but the vast majority of them do.

Here are just a few of those sacred texts that a church might want to reflect on before getting rid of the word ‘Lord’ with regards to God and Christ.

• “I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.” (Isaiah 45:5)
• Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)
• “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46)
• “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.” (John 13:13)
• Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)
• “Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
• “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:16)

(HT: PastorBlog)

Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold the constitutionality of Congress’ 2003 Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. This is the first time a specific abortion procedure has been successfully banned in the United States.

As someone who is strongly pro-life, I was pleased to see this ruling. If you would like to know how the various presidential candidates have responded to this historic decision, 2008 Central has been compiling the candidates’ official statements. 2008 Central seeks to provide “non-partisan comprehensive coverage of the 2008 U.S. presidential election.”

HT: SmartChristian.com

Update: PastorBlog has assembled a number of links for further reading about the Supreme Court’s decision.

Pastor Mark Roberts shares some helpful resources for thinking about suffering and evil in the wake of the killings at Virginia Tech.

In light of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, I thought it might be helpful to put up some resources for people who are looking for answers to the tough questions having to do with suffering, evil, God, and faith. Though there are limits to our understanding, and thus to the satisfaction [we] will find in this conversation, nevertheless I believe there are some truths we can know that will help us find guidance and even solace.

Mark’s post provides links to some helpful articles, books and sermons discussing God and the problem of suffering and evil in the world. You can link to the resource page here.

Mark also has an excellent post today on caring for people who are grieving.

The most important thing we can do is be present with those who hurt. Sometimes our presence will be literal. Sometimes it will be expressed through a card or a letter or a meal. Presence says “I am with you. And I will be with you through this process.” Presence doesn’t try to make things better. It doesn’t offer explanations or solutions. Presence doesn’t try to fix things. Rather, it offers love in tangible, faithful, and non-invasive ways.

Our American tendency is to want to help people feel better, to take away their pain. Thus we’re often tempted to “cheer people up.” We want to say things like, “I’m sure God will work good things out of this tragedy.” Now this might be true. Indeed, I believe it is. But when people are in the midst of deep grief, such words, even when true, can seem terribly superficial.

I appreciate Mark’s unique blend of compassion, wisdom, and insight. I enjoy reading his blog and recommend it to you.

Two of these things are not like the others. Here is the top ten list of Latest BestSellers of Religion Hardcover from Publishers Weekly for the week of March 12, 2007. Do you notice something strange about the list? The top two books are both by atheists attacking religion and defending atheism. What is wrong with this picture? This is like giving out country music awards to a rap group. (Or rap music awards to a country group.)

1. The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins
2. Letter to a Christian Nation, by Sam Harris
3. Get Out of the Pit! Straight Talk About God’s Deliverance, by Beth Moore
4. The Purpose-Driven Life, by Rick Warren
5. Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, by Joel Osteen
6. Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul, by John Eldredge
7. How to See Yourself as You Really Are, by Dalai Lama and Jeffrey Hopkins
8. Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, the Respect He Desperately Needs, by Emerson Eggerichs
9. The Confident Woman, by Joyce Meyer
10. Epicenter: Why Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future, by Joel Rosenberg

Reported in DallasNews Religion; HT: PastorBlog

Update: Here are some recent articles by Albert Mohler and Alvin Plantinga on the Dawkins and Harris books mentioned above.

• “God’s Dupes?” — Atheist Public Relations at Work, by Albert Mohler
• The New Atheism? by Albert Mohler
• The Dawkins Confusion, by Alvin Plantinga
• The Dawkins Delusion, by Albert Mohler
• Sam Harris Writes Letter to a Christian Nation, by Albert Mohler

Here are some of the figures from the latest Newsweek poll, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International on March 28-29, 2007. According to the poll, which questioned American adults aged 18 and older on political and religious beliefs, 9 in 10 American adults believe in God.

Here are some of the other results from the poll.

Of the 1,004 American adults surveyed:

• 91% believe in God
• 87% identify with a specific religion
• 82% identify themselves as Christians (5% say they follow a non-Christian faith, such as Judaism or Islam)
• 48% reject the scientific theory of evolution
• 34% of college graduates say they accept the Biblical account of creation as fact
• 10% identify themselves as having “no religion”
• 6% said they don’t believe in a God at all

The “believe in God” number seems low to me compared to other polls I have seen in the past, and the “do not believe in God” number seems high. And although it may be nice for 82% of American adults to identify themselves as Christians, if 82% of all American adults truly followed Christ, I think we would see a very different moral climate in our country. You can read the actual poll questions here.

Randy Ingermason, who has a PH.D in physics from U.C. Berkley, has put together a fun set of statistics relating to the Jesus Family Tomb. In his March 26, 2007 article here, he introduces the reader to Bayes’ Theorum and at the same time gives you a crash course in statistical analysis.

What’s fun about Ingermason’s article is that he not only gives you five different possible scenarios (click on “Continue reading …” below), but he also gives you a downloadable Excel spreadsheet so that you can run the numbers yourself. How likely is it that the tomb at Talpiot is really the Lost Tomb of Jesus? You do the math!

HT: Dr. Darrell Bock at Bock’s Blog (Dr. Bock has multiple posts at his blog relating to the Jesus Tomb, including email exchanges with Jim Tabor, the biblical scholar and historical consultant on the Lost Family Tomb Documentary.)

Note: For more information on this blog about the Jesus Family Tomb, see the following articles:

• The Lost Tomb Losing More Ground
• How to Ensure Bias in a Presentation
• The Rabbi, the Historian and the Resurrection

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Stephen Prothero, chair of the Department of Religion at Boston University, offers this thought provoking review over at Books and Culture of Lawrence Wright’s new book, The Looming Tower: Al Queda and the Road to 9/11.

In the review Prothero raises the question: who gets to define Islam? It is a difficult question to answer because not even all Muslims agree.

The root meaning of the term Islam is submission, and classically a Muslim is anyone who submits to God by uttering with faith, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” Over time, however, many Muslims have developed far more stringent qualifications for the category of real Muslim. Some Sunni Muslims see all Shiite Muslims as pretenders to the true faith. Some Shiites view Sunnis likewise. And some Muslims have even stricter qualifications for their fellow travelers. Members of al-Qaeda, for example, believe that any so-called Muslim who holds views about Islam different from their own is not a real Muslim.

He goes on to discuss the Islamic concept of takfir – the act of proclaiming apostate those Muslims who disagree with your position on Islam.

To understand why this line of thought matters, it is important to note that the Qur’an plainly forbids the killing of other Muslims. As Wright discusses, the Qur’an does not shrink from war with idolaters. “Slay the idolaters wherever you find them,” it reads, and “fight those who do not believe in God.” Yet the Islamic tradition, including its four main schools of jurisprudence, also says that women and children must be spared in combat, and that Muslims must not target fellow Muslims for death. Commit the latter crime and you will spend eternity in hell.

In the World Trade Center, of course, many Muslims were murdered. The killings of Muslims in suicide bombings by al-Qaeda operatives and their imitators in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to mount. And it is the notion of takfir that has made all this possible.

It is a fascinating review that gives the reader a glimpse into the many faceted world of Islam. And of course at the end of the review, the chilling question remains: Who gets to define Islam for the rest of the world?