The start of the Global Day of Prayer International Conference in Jacksonville, FL

This morning we started the Global Day of Prayer international conference in Jacksonvillve, FL. Pete Sanchez, the author of the song 'I exalt thee' opened the conference in devotion and prayer.  Right after that Graham Power, the founder of the Global Day of Prayer, and Isebel Spangenberg, our International Coordinator, spoke about the GDOP movement - how is spread from one stadium of believers in prayer in Cape Town on the 21st of March 2001, to over 400 million believers praying in large and small gatherings in every nation on earth in 2010 on Pentecost Sunday.

Graham has such a powerful testimony because of his courage in obedience to God.  When he felt that God had called him to call Christians to pray for their city, nation and the world, and to turn from their wickedness, he simply hired a stadium and starteg gathering people!  The rest is history!

Isebel spoke wonderfully about how Christians in every nation and continent have embraced this call.  In 'closed countries' three or four believers gathering in homes and places of work.  In other countries hundreds of thousands of Christians gather in stadiums and open air places.

Of course the intention of the Global Day of Prayer is to awaken Christians to understand that they have a role to play in the transformation of their nations.  The establishment of God's grace in healing, economic wellbeing, social harmony, and God's loving power in all of creation.

The scripture that best sums up this movement is 2 Chronicles 7.14 which says:

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.

Tomorrow we will listen to Steve Johnstone, the international coordinator for the Unashamedly Ethical movement - Steve is an incredible speaker!  I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say about ethics, values and clean living.

If you're interested in reading more about Graham's testimony please see the book that I wrote on his life and ministry called 'Transform your work life: Turn your ordinary day into an extraordinary calling'.  

And if you would like to read more about the wonderful movement of the Global Day of Prayer, then please see the great book written by Diane Vermooten called 'Not by Might nor by Power'.

Jacksonville at night - beautiful!

I leave for the USA tomorrow - already missing my family!

First Coast Global Day of Prayer

Tomorrow I'll fly from Cape Town to JHB, from there to Dakar, to Washington and then to Jacksonville - it is a marathon 33 hour flight / transit.  I did it in March.  I'm seriously praying for good seats all the way through!

We'll be in Jacksonville form the International Conference form the Global Day of Prayer, and then the international broadcast from the anchor stadium event at the Veterans Memorial Stadium on the 11th of June.

Please see http://www.fcgdop.org for details of the conference and the Stadium event on Saturday.  If you're in Florida I would love to see you!  Please come along to the conference and say hi!  We'll be speaking at two plenary sessions and a total of 6 breakout sessions.

From there I'll be heading to New York to spend some time with the folks from the Gotham Fellowship, an initiative of Tim Keller's Church (Redeemer Church, New York City).  Gotham focusses on ministering to people in the world of work, helping them to discover and fulfil their Kingdom potential through using the skill, influence and ability to work for the establishment of God's Kingdom of grace in every aspect of society.  I met Katherine Leary and David Kim here in Cape Town earlier in the year and was so impressed by the work that they're doing!  I can't wait to spend some time with them!

Fortunately I fly directly to JHB from New York and then back to Cape Town.  I'll be leaving the US on the 15th and be back in South Africa on the 16th of June. Take a look at this cool picture of my kiddies, Courtney and Liam - I took the picture at Steers when we stopped for some ice cream.  This photo was made with a great little app called 'wordphoto'.

Please pray for my family while I'm away - it is always tough to be away from Megie, Courtney and Liam. I will Skype (FaceTime) them daily, but it is not the same as being at home!

Please also pray for me and our team as we speak at various conferences, events and meetings. Etienne Piek from 24/7 Prayer, Steve Johnstone from Unashamedly Ethical and Isebel and Dawie Spangenberg from Global Day of Prayer will join Graham Power and I on Tuesday.

Also, on Thursday we'll be launching the American edition of Transform your work life at the GDOP conference! I am very excited about that! Thanks so much Mark Russell and Russell Media for their incredible work on the book!

I'll post updates here and on my twitter, Facebook and tumblr feeds as often as I can.

We are fragmented, yet we hunger for wholeness...

This quote resonates very strongly:

“We doubt the possibility of being at home in the world, yet we desire that home above all else. We are certain only of ourselves - if in a somewhat precarious way - and we work toward the certainty of something larger. We are fragmentary, even masters of fragmentation, and we hunger for wholeness.”

—	Jedediah Purdy, For Common Things (25) via invisibleforeigner

Public theology - would the world be a better place without Christians?

This exceptional article by Clint le Bruyns, a public theologian from the University of Stellenbosch, explores the nature of theology as public discourse.  It makes for wonderful reading.

However, what struck me most about the article is the opening paragraph of two... In those paragraphs he comments an a recent parody post by an atheist who suggests that the world would be a better place if Christians were removed from it... Less wars, less consumption, better use of the earth's resources, and less nonsensical and irrational thought.

I was deeply challenged by this.  I'd love to hear your perspective on that particular thought (please read the article first!) and Clint's article in general.  What do you think, would the world be a better place without Christians?

Here's the first part of the article, please click the link at the end to read the rest.

Isn’t it ironic that just a week ago there was much ado about recent eschatological predictions that the world as we know it was starting to come to a dramatic end through the so-called ‘rapture’ event on May 21, 2011, at which time the faithful community of believers would be rescued from this earth to be taken up to heaven? A parody of the predicted event was posted the same day onYoutube by ‘The Thinking Atheist’.[1] The clip is titled “After the Rapture”[2] and begins with the mischievous claim that the prediction had actually come to pass. “Everything has changed. It is now a world without Christians”, it quipped, news which was being received around the world with “a sense of joy, of jubilation, of freedom” as “the world unites in celebration”. It explains the reason for this as follows:

Christian homes suddenly empty are now providing free clothing, furniture and appliances to be donated to the poor. The dramatic decrease in motor vehicles on the road is decreasing the demand for fossil fuels, driving gas prices down…. Prison populations have virtually disappeared. Recycled Bibles are now being used to make juice and milk containers for schoolchildren. Former religious institutions are now being used for exploration, health, science and recreation. Our planet now has more money, more food, more space, more resources, more education, and more common sense than ever experienced in recorded history.

Here's the video he refers to.

Read more here...

Short term mission trips. Are they worth The investment?m

Steve Hayes sent out the wonderful article below on our missiology list. I have participated in, and even organized, short term mission trips with my congregation. They are costly, yet the effect that they have had on the participants directly, and on our whole congregation upon the return of the missioners has been so fruitful. Indeed, each time we have had such a trip our Church has become more involved and invested in local and foreign concerns, sending funding, resources and people to address practical needs in our local community and other places where we have established relationships. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Here is the link from which this study comes at Baylor University.

If Jesus’ Great Commission to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” were viewed as a business, it would be booming — at least in terms of short-term mission trips. The number of United States Christians taking part in trips lasting a year or less has grown from 540 in 1965 to an estimated more than 1.5 million annually, with an estimated $2 billion per year spent on the effort, according to Missiology journal. But is the spiritual profit worth the investment? Researcher Dr. Dennis Horton — an associate professor of religion at Baylor University and principal investigator of a study on the effects that short- term mission trips have on mission team members — gives a qualified “Yes.” Some have suggested the money might be better spent giving directly to a country’s Christian partners for spreading the gospel and offering medical aid, construction assistance or other help. Some long-term missionaries even have complained that culturally insensitive short-term mission participants do more harm than good by damaging relationships that had taken years to build. But the study showed that students who participate in short-term mission trips tend to have lower levels of materialism, greater appreciation for other cultures and a better understanding of missions as a lifestyle. Two-thirds of short-term trips last two weeks or less, with a host of purposes ranging from evangelism to digging wells or teaching English as a second language. The trips would seem to benefit sending agencies, the teams and the host countries. “But I think a lot of churches and groups need more follow-up to help mission team members incorporate what they’ve learned on their trips into their daily lives,” Horton said. “Long-term involvement is where you see transformation taking place.” About 600 students, most from Texas universities, and 48 short-term mission trip leaders participated in the study conducted by Horton, former pastor of a church in Hong Kong, and four Baylor University undergraduate research assistants. For long-term effects on those who go on short-term mission trips, some studies show little difference between those who have participated short-term trips and Christians who have not when it comes to giving, materialism and believing one’s culture is superior to others. What makes a difference is pre- trip training, on-site mentoring and follow-up after the trip, Horton said. “We appreciate the zeal (of students),” he said. “They say, ‘We need to get out there and share the gospel!’ But missionaries are saying ‘Wait a minute.’ In many countries, the best way to reach others is through friendships over time, not quick presentations of the gospel that can endanger long-term missionaries and local Christians.” Short-term mission trips should be “more than spiritual tourism in which participants travel to an exotic place, take a myriad of photos and return to their relatively isolated home environments and pre-trip behavior.” Churches, campus ministries and Christian colleges can play a huge follow-up role. Many people commit at Christian youth camps to become missionaries, Horton said, but “some find out a little bit more and say, ‘Oh, that isn’t for me. I can do this for a few weeks, but I like my technology, my comforts.’ It wasn’t that they didn’t still have an interest or wanted to work with local missions.” In some countries, there are immediate responses, with hundreds of converts, Horton said. In others, “you could work for years and have only one or two converts. Students hoping to see instant results on a two-week trip may become discouraged." Dr. Rosalie Beck, an associate professor of religion at Baylor, served in Vietnam in the 1970s, providing support services to missionaries. “Even if the missionaries love having the short-term team members there, it can be disruptive as far as time and on finances that already may be troubled," she said. But short-term mission team members “will encounter the world in a way they never have before and may never again. It will deepen their commitment in the faith and open their eyes to the reality of life elsewhere in the world.” Matt Lewis, a Baylor sophomore communications major from Jacksonville, Texas, worked with youth on volunteer mission trips to the Czech Republic in 2007 and 2008. Between trips, he said, “I spent a lot of time in prayer and tried to meditate and listen to what God was saying to me. I got to reconnect with some youth there from the previous summer. It was great to see that the decisions they made were still apparent in their lives. Seeing this reinforces my belief that God is calling me into the ministry.” Of the 32 students interviewed after their trips, 29 said the trips had changed the way they see other cultures, with 17 mentioning increased respect and concern. Most said they had greater appreciation for what they have — or even disgust for American greed — but only a few mentioned concrete steps they had taken to lessen their materialism. Horton plans a future study on the effect short-term mission trips have on churches and agencies who sponsor them.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and insights.

Fire damage on the Helderberg mountain

On Sunday I took some time to take a ride up the Helderberg Mountain. It was so sad to see how the landscape was devastated by the recent fires. Most of the trees and vegetation have been destroyed. Sadly the single track (well most of it) has also been destroyed. I rode up on the jeep track - it was great to be up in my favorite spot again! I can see myself returning here in the next few months! It is just so convenient. I can ride from my front door and be at the top of the trail within an hour, and then of course it is much quicker getting home. So my total ride time for the 16km's is less than 1.5 hours.

I love it!

Beautiful, inspiring, well worth watching

Henri Cartier-Bresson – The Decisive Moment video

Cartier-Bresson achieved international recognition for his coverage of Gandhi’s funeral in India in 1948 and the last (1949) stage of the Chinese Civil War. He covered the last six months of the Kuomintang administration and the first six months of the Maoist People’s Republic. He also photographed the last surviving Imperial eunuchs in Beijing, as the city was falling to the communists. From China, he went on to Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), where he documented the gaining of independence from the Dutch. Photograph of Alberto Giacometti by Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Read more on LeicaRumors.com

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON - Decisive Moment, The from bt465 on Vimeo.

From Leicabuzz

Is faith incompatible with science (and vice versa)?

After speaking at a secular conference recently I was asked a very thoughtful question (via email) by one of the persons in attendance.

In short, the question asked whether with my background in science (neuroscience in particular) I did not find a conflict with my faith as a Christian.

This is a common question.  It is a good question!

I'd love your input and response!

Here is my answer:

It is great to hear from you!  Thanks for taking the time to drop me a line.  The question that you pose below is one that I have heard many times before.

My area of specialization is neuroscience (rather than neurology). Of course the disciplines are linked, but my specialization is much less diagnostic in nature (it deals with understanding rather than pathology).  

I have had a longstanding interested in science, with a particular interest in physics, having done work in that area in my first degree and work in quantum theory (specifically quantum mechanics and quantum physics) in my master's degree.

The basic supposition of many people who ask this question is that there is a dualism (an ontological separation) between science and spirituality. This is a false supposition.  Please see the link below for my reasoning on this.

Even some of the most ardent atheistic scientists don't hold this view (for example of you read Richard Dawkins' 'God delusion') you'll see that he proposes a method of viewing the world from a scientific point of view - this form of spirituality is  known as scientism.  Basically any way of understanding the world in its entirety is a form of faith (in its most basic form).  For some people their meaning and greater value is found in service, some find it  in politics, some find it in spending, sport, sex and others in formal (and non-formal) forms of religious belief.

Sadly, many scientists do pseudotheology and many theologians do pseudoscience.  However, those who do solid epistemological study in both science and belief soon come to realize that there is not a great divide between science and faith.  In fact the opposite is true.

What we soon come to realize is that science depends as much on faith as faith depends on science!  Think about this for a moment.  The central 'proof' that something is scientifically true is based on a process of experimental repeatability.  The scientist has a 'hunch' or 'belief' that something is true and sets about to test that hypothesis.  This is an act of faith.  When the experiment is largely repeatable with the same results it is believed to be true... However, how many times have we discovered that what we believed to be entirely true was only partially true when we discovered another level of complexity in material reality?  However, faith in our results allows us to build bridges and fly in airplanes!  Science relies on a 'kind of faith' - we learn things, we believe they're true, we structure our lives accordingly. However, as times passes we learn new things that contradict old things we believed to be completely true. In the process we discover that not all science is 'absolutely true' - all faith is fluid in some senses.

Faith (in the traditional religious sense), on the other hand, relies a great deal on science!  I was asked to review a wonderful book entitled 'The fall of man and the foundation of science' (Oxford University Press, 2010, Peter Harrison).  It is an exceptional explanation of the relationship between contemporary science and religious belief, and religious belief and scientific methodology. See the book here: <http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Man-Foundations-Science/dp/0521875595>  It is not an easy read!  My review will be published in Studia Historiae Historiae in the next edition.  I'll gladly send you a copy of you're interested.

Whereas science is epistemic, religion tends towards phenomenology (i.e., the interpretation of what we hold to be true).  If a person comes to hold something to be true they will test their belief (consciously or unconsciously).  When they find evidence to support their belief they integrate it into their framework of dealing with joy and tragedy, bliss and suffering in their daily lives.  It is this process that helps us to deal with disappointment, discouragement, fear, opportunity, hope and a myriad of daily realities.  As I point out above some people frame the way in which they deal with these existential realities through relying on science, others (like Christopher Hitchens - a fellow anti-theist with Richard Dawkins) rely on secular humanism, others on religion, others on economics...

Can I suggest that you take a look at one of my posts on belief and the neurobiology of the human brain here:  <http://www.dionforster.com/blog/2010/8/3/the-presence-of-god-and-functioning-of-the-human-brain.html>

My friend Gregory Benvenuti (an atheist from Australia) made some super remarks in the comments.  Please also see my reply to him.

Please feel free to come back to me with your input, thoughts etc. Would you mind if I published my response to your basic question on my blog (no names mentioned of course)?

Grace and peace,

Dion

My Leica D-Lux 5 camera (and the Leica lens)

I am not a good photographer! Megan is far better than I am.  She has a real eye for composition.  She also knows how to use her Olympus Digital SLR (it is a micro cour thirds camera).

However, since I travel quite a bit and get see some pretty amazing stuff I love taking photos.  But, as I mention above I need all the help I can get. After receiving a gift on a reacent trip I bought myself a Leica D-Lux 5 camera at the duty free in Hong Kong.  It was much cheaper than buying it in South Africa (even after I declared it at customs upon entry).

This is what my Leica looks like.

It is a classic looking camera (particularly when it is in the brown leather case).  It takes incredible pictures, even in the lowest light conditions.  In fact I hardly ever use the flash! The Leica lens is what makes all the difference with this baby (oh, and I believe the sensor is also pretty good). Even on auto mode it takes amazing pictures.

Truthfully, the best camera you have is the one that you have with you. I could have bought a similar camera to Megie's. But in truth I would never travel with a camera bag with lenses etc.  The Leica is about a large as I would go.  

Let me just add that the iPhone 4 has one of the very best camera's I have ever used.  It is super fast, takes great quality pictures.  But it doesn't compare to the Leica.

As I mentioned it is the Leica Lens technology that makes all the difference. Take a look at this cross section of a Leica Lens and the text below from BoingBoing.

Hefting and peering through a high-end camera lens, you get a sense of the craft, the precision engineering, and the thoughtful design that went into it. But look at it in cross-section, as with this photo a neatly bisected Leica Tri-Elmar-M 28-35-50mm lens and the hellish, gorgeous complexity is revealed in a visceral way: "These were actually made by Leica students as a graduation project and boxed as a 'cutaway model' of the lens."

Cross Section Views of Leica Lenses (Thanks, Fipi Lele!)

Of course my Leica doesn't have a lens quite like this  one! But, the lens it does have is pretty super regardless!

Schapenberg ride on Municipal election day in South Africa!

Every time that I return home from a long trip overseas I am reminded that I live in a beautiful place. Today is a public holiday in South Africa since it is the municipal elections across the country. It is critical that Christians should participate in selecting just, ethical and responsible persons to govern on their behalf.

Megan and I went to vote this afternoon. Since voting in the first democratic elections in South Africa on the 27th of April 1994 I am always filled with a great sense of gratitude for the opportunity, and freedom, that we have to participate in our democratic processes.

Past experience has however taught me that it is not a good idea to go to the polls first thing in the morning! Most people mistakenly think that if they go early they'll vote quickly.  Of course everyone who wants to make the most of the public holiday things the same thing and you end up standing in a line for hours to cast your vote!

Instead, we decided to use the morning wisely.  Megie, Courtney and Liam slept in a little while I went cycling with my friends.  We rode the black route of the new Schapenberg mountainbike trail here in Somerset West. It is such a beautiful, although taxing, ride!

Here are one or two pictures from the ride.

The picture above shows Ruan and Lyle.  The picture below shows the beautiful False Bay with Gordon's Bay on the slopes of the mountains.

Why a Christian state is a bad idea - and an update on the Christian and Unashamedly Ethical controversy in Malaysia

The Malaysian Insider posted an interesting article stating that the government has ordered a probe into Ibrahim Ali remarks he has made against Christian leaders in Penang that could be construed as violent.

You can read the article here.  Here is another report in the same newspaper that suggests that journalists should be allowed 'freedom' to report on such matters.

The long and the short of it, from what I read in the media and hear from our friends on the ground in Penang and KL, is that the Malaysian government has realised that it was the media that blew the story of our visit our of proportion.  We were clearly in Malaysia to encourage Christians, work for justice and righteousness (which is in the interests of Malaysia) and to bless the nation as a whole through the Global Day of Prayer and Unashamedly Ethical campaigns. It was the media who fabricated the story of wanting to establish a Christian government - that is complete nonsense.

Here are a few thoughts:

1.  On the issue of a Christian government in any nation - I personally believe it is naive of believers of any faith to think that having persons of their faith persuasion in power will make things better.  What Christians should pray for and work for is a just, ethical and unbiased government that looks out for the interests of all of the citizens of their nation. It is the role of the Church and believers to bring people to faith, not the government.  We should not long for a modern form of Constantinianism.  Faith driven political agendas are destructive to faith and society.

Here's my view. 

• You don't want an anti-religious government (like that in the former USSR or China, where people of faith are persecuted). Faith is an important part of life.  People should have the freedom to practise their faith as long as it does not destroy the rights of others.
• You certainly also don't want a religious government (we have simply seen too many of these kinds of governments abusing people!  Governments like those in Iran, and even the calls for 'religiously sanctioned wars and killings' in America which have confused religion with foreign and domestic policy) are harmful to faith and society!  The problem with a religious government is that politicians are seldom 'religious persons' first and politicians second.  Most politicians are politicians first, and they hold some religious conviction when it suits them.  Also, if the religion in power is not your religion, or they belong to a different expression of your faith (e.g., Catholic instead of Protestant, or Suni Muslim instead of Sufi...) it can become extremely abusive.  I certainly believe that we should have Christians in government, they should be salt and light!  But, I don't believe that the Church should abdicate its role and function to the state.
• No, I believe that one should work for an honest, impartial, just, servant minded secular state.  A state that will protect and uphold the rights of all of its citizens, giving equal space for all to exercise their positive beliefs. Such a state serves the nation well and protects the freedom and rights of its citizens to live out their faith convictions within society.  We have just such a system in South Africa.  It can be unconfortable for extremists and fundamentalists.  But, I believe, as a Christian, it is the way of Jesus to make space for others.  Let our love, not our laws, win the hearts and minds of those who hold different convinctions from our own.  I will write some more about this in the weeks to come.  I am also including some of these thoughts in a new book on the relationship between the Church and State that Wessel Bentley and I are writing at present.

2. I have been left with a wonderful sense of the courage of ordinary persons to do good work for their nations. I was so impressed by the level of faith and loyalty that I encountered among Christians in Malaysia.  Their hearts desire was to bless their nation with good things!  Their faith directed them to do so.

3.  I realise more and more that in many nations of the world faith is far too easy.  Here in South Africa it costs one nothing to be a follower of Jesus.  Perhaps that is why our faith is often so powerless.  We have local elections coming up this week and my prayer is that Christians will seriously seek God's will for their choice of party and candidate.  Being a follower of Jesus, loving His ways, has fundamental political implications!  We cannot support corrupt, unjust, abusive systems of governance and power.  We should live for the establishment of a society in which peoples needs are met and they can flourish in freedom and peace.

4.  Finally, I was left with a sense that the media in many countries is a business like any other.  Their primary aim is often not to report the news, but to sell newspapers!  As such they seek unsubstantiated controversy in order to increase readership.  How many people's lives are damaged because of this greed.  I know that those who hosted us who were arrested and questioned, because of a false report in two newspapers, have paid a price for the greed of others.

The way of Jesus is a way of peace. I pray that my life and my actions will not stir up controversy, but rather foster peace and bring true transformation. Please can I urge you to continue praying for those who remain behind in Malaysia after our departure, those who face persecution and unfair scrutiny for their faith.

For now, it is good to be home for a few weeks before heading to Jacksonville of the Global Day of Prayer. I have been invited to speak at a conference in Malaysia in October this year.  It will be interesting to see if they allow me to enter the country.