Zondervan Blog

Interview with a Christian Vampire

 

'Gospels of sin management' presume a Christ with no serious work other than redeeming humankind ... [and] they foster 'vampire Christians,' who only want a little blood for their sins but nothing more to do with Jesus until heaven. -Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy

DOCTOR VANHELSING'S JOURNAL

31 October. On the dark side of twilight, I at last have reached Count Dracula's castle. The Count greeted me eagerly if not warmly, then ushered me into his dining room, where "Our encounter will be most appropriate," whatever that means. I am grateful for the food offered me, but the Count eats naught. From across the table he stares, intently, or almost hungry. Those eyes... I have a creeping feeling this interview was a mistake, but Dracula is the most influential Christian in this region, and I must challenge him with the questions that have seized my psyche over the last three months!

 

COUNT: What brings you to my home, Doctor...?

 

ZBLOG: VanHelsing. My name is Zonder VanHelsing. I've come to interview you about the King you serve.

COUNT: I serve no King. I am the sovereign of Transylvania, and you do well to remember that, my good Doctor.

 

ZBLOG: Forgive me, I just mean, it is said you've been a Christian for some time now?

COUNT: Oh. Yes, in my youth I made a decision for Christ.

 

ZBLOG: What did you decide?

COUNT: What do you mean? I decided to believe the gospel.

 

ZBLOG: Please tell me, what is "the gospel"?

COUNT: [He furrows his brow, as if trying to decide whether I'm playing a joke. There are tense moments, but at last he continues.] Everyone knows what the gospel is, but very well, I'll play your game.

We're sinners. If we believe in Jesus, his blood saves us from hell. Jesus died on my behalf so that I do not have to. And that's that.

 

ZBLOG: And how does your decision to accept Christ connect to discipleship?

COUNT: What do you mean?

 

ZBLOG: Well, I've recently read in Dr. Scot McKnight's new book The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited that as many as 75 percent of Americans have made a decision to accept Christ, but only about 25 percent Americans go to church regularly.

McKnight also claims this: "Most of evangelism today is obsessed with getting someone to make a decision; the apostles, however, were obsessed with making disciples." So, tell me about your transition from the Decided to the Discipled.

COUNT: Discipled, what nonsense. I became a disciple when I decided to believe in the power of Jesus' blood! The blood is the life! You cannot let the power of the blood and salvation by faith become eclipsed by discipleship. No, you don't need to do anything if you know and believe the central idea of "justification by faith."

 

ZBLOG: It's interesting you think so, since justification by faith isn't mentioned in the Gospels. And I happen to believe that if we're not growing in our faith, we're, er... undead.

COUNT: You try my patience, Doctor! Why don't you tell me what you think the gospel is!

Color Shots from the New NIV Study Bible

We're excited to announce the brand new NIV Study Bible, and it's better than ever. The updated study notes and new book introductions bring deeper clarity to God's Word, but what we find most exciting are all the full-color maps, charts, and diagrams. It's one thing to read about the sacred objects in the tabernacle, and another thing to zoom in on what they would look like:

 

The Tabernacle Furnishings

 

The charts and maps help us zoom out to see the bigger picture:

From the Beyond Boundaries Webcast: Video and Viewing Guide

If you missed last week's Beyond Boundaries Webcast with Dr. John Townsend, no worries — you can still watch the video. Below you'll also find a downloadable Viewing Guide and notes on Townsend's key takeaways.

 

 

Dig Deeper with the Viewing Guide

If you're going to watch the video with your small group, this download may come in handy:
Download the Viewing Guide (Outline + Discussion Questions) (PDF)

Here I've woven together the Viewing Guide outline with my own notes. I hope it's helpful! 

Beyond Boundaries Webcast

Our Need for Boundaries & for Connectedness - 0:01

• Part of the human condition is that trust goes bad, but we're designed by God to connect with others.
• Difference between non-negotiable "heart boundaries" and more flexible "protective boundaries"
• But we're designed by God to connect with others, so how do we know where to set up healthy protective boundaries?

 

Question One: How do I know when I'm ready? - 6:12

• Have you learned a lesson? "Every difficult relationship has a lesson in it," says Townsend. "Ask yourself, 'Why did I let that go on so long?'"
• Have you been through some growth and healing? Have I talked about it with others? Is my judgment any better?
• Christie, a "fixer," shares her story. - 9:07
• Question from audience: How do you know when the learning is through? - 13:22

Into Amish Country! 3 Fiction Writers on Wisdom, Escape, and Food (Roundtable Interview)

 

Is Amish fiction about fleeing from reality? What should we expect if we meet an Amish person? What do the Amish think about us? Discover answers to these questions and more in this roundtable interview with three preeminent authors of Amish fiction: Amy Clipston (Naomi's Gift), Shelley Shepard Gray (Christmas in Sugarcreek), and Vannetta Chapman (Falling to Pieces). Pull up a chair — wooden or otherwise — and read on.

 

ZBLOG: Has your research on the Amish way of life changed how you view our broader American lifestyle?

VANNETTA: Yes, very much so. It's re-affirmed a lot of things that my husband and I practice (trading in a suburban lifestyle for a rural one), etc. It's also confirmed for me that Americans in general are looking for elements found in the Amish community, elements that existed in our grandparents' community — more intimate friendships, closer knit neighborhoods, slower pace lifestyles, etc. Those things are still available to everyone to some extent.

AMY: I'm more aware of how caught up in the day to day some Americans are, and I try to take a step back and appreciate the small moments with my family. Instead of just focusing on the daily grind of commuting to work, paying bills, and rushing off here and there, I do my best to spend quiet time talking to my children and listening to them every day, even if I can only squeeze a few minutes before they go to bed at night.

SHELLEY: I've definitely learned to appreciate each moment and day more fully. There's a time for everything, and from my research and friendships with the Amish, I've tried to stop being in such a rush and fretting about the future.

 

Vannetta Chapman

Amy Clipston

Shelley Shepard Gray

 

ZBLOG: What’s one thing about the Amish that would surprise most people?

Closed Door Stories: Looking Back on God's Love

 

God just closed a door. That's because (A) He loves me, (B) He doesn't love me.

 

We posed that question yesterday, and the reader response on Facebook confirmed that many of us are dealing with confusing and frustrating "closed doors." Closed doors might make some of us wonder if God is really up to something good in our lives -- maybe He's judging us, or maybe He isn't even paying attention!

My Zondervan teammates and I can relate to those struggles, and we hope to encourage you. Below you'll find a couple of our personal stories that share how God has used closed doors to reveal his faithfulness and goodness to us. We pray that you will know God's loving presence in your struggle, too.

First, if you missed the Daily Inspiration email that kicked off this conversation, here's the excerpt from Max Lucado's God's Story, Your Story.

When God locks a door, it needs to be locked. When he blocks a path, it needs to be blocked. When he stuck Paul and Silas in prison, God had a plan for the prison jailer. As Paul and Silas sang, God shook the prison. "At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose" (Acts 16:26). There God goes again, blasting open the most secure doors in town. When the jailer realized what had happened, he assumed all the prisoners had escaped. He drew his sword to take his life. When Paul told him otherwise, the jailer brought the two missionaries out and asked, "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). Paul told him to believe. He did, and he and all his family were baptized. The jailer washed their wounds, and Jesus washed his sins. God shut the door of the jail cell so that he could open the heart of the jailer.     God uses closed doors to advance his cause. He closed the womb of a young Sarah so he could display his power to the elderly one. He shut the palace door on Moses the prince so he could open shackles through Moses the liberator. He marched Daniel out of Jerusalem so he could use Daniel in Babylon. And Jesus. Yes, even Jesus knew the challenge of a blocked door. When he requested a path that bypassed the cross, God said no. He said no to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane so he could say yes to us at the gates of heaven... Your blocked door doesn't mean God doesn't love you. Quite the opposite. It's proof that he does.

 

"Closed Door" Stories from the Zondervan Crew

First, Jonathan shares:

One of the first tangible "closed door" experiences in my adult life was when my wife miscarried our first child. We had been married less than a year, and it wasn't a planned pregnancy. The unexpected joy of the pregnancy was almost immediately contrasted with the shock of its loss. We were struck with life's big questions: Why does God bring these experiences into our lives? What's the purpose of pain? Why is life created, only to be snuffed out? Does God display his power over us occasionally, just to remind us who's boss? Those kinds of questions can't be answered in a day or by the sing-songy clichés of a greeting card. Through the support of others, prayer, grieving, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, we were able to find rest in the truth that God does love us and the child we never got to meet. Pain and struggle in this world are the result of sin, but God is faithful to use even those experiences to bring us closer to him. Our hope was deferred for a moment. About a year later, we welcomed our second child, James, into the world.   -Jonathan