Did Doubting Thomas Go to India?

Sometimes I just want to scream at God and ask him how certain things could be happening, why they have to happen to me or to someone I love, and when I don’t get an immediate answer, sometimes, I just want to turn my back on Him. And turning my back on church is often one of the first things that I want to do.

Because church, well at least religion, is often the cause of my doubts and despairs.  People who have never read the bible act like they’ve never read the Bible; people who don’t profess to be Christian don’t act like Christians should act. I want God to make them behave, and I cry out “Why?”

                And even worse, people who do read the Bible act like they’ve never seen one before; people who call themselves Christians act like the worst of heathens. And it’s especially discouraging when I’m one of those people. So, again I have to wonder where God is hiding. I want Him to prove Himself to me, again. I want to see Him, and I want Him to make Himself known in my world.

                Which takes us to the story of Thomas, you may know him as Doubting Thomas. You remember, he was the disciple that wasn’t there with the rest of the gang when Jesus made His first post-resurrection appearance. (See John 20:19-29) When Thomas came back from shopping, or fishing, or out for a walk to clear his head (we don’t know why he wasn’t locked up with the rest of them) he couldn’t believe the incredible story they had to tell him.  In fact he wouldn’t believe it, until that is, Jesus made a second appearance and Thomas was able to see for himself the nail marks, and put his fingers in the nail holes. Sometimes we need proof. Yes, it’s nice to always be able to step out in faith, but that’s not always the case. But when Jesus appears, then like Thomas, there’s nothing we can say but “My Lord and my God!”

                Jesus shows up and shows off, and suddenly my faith is restored, renewed, strengthened—whatever the appropriate word is for the exact circumstance.  

                A lot of times faith is just that—those things unseen in which we still believe and have hope, other times there is empirical evidence. And in the case of Jesus, it’s a little bit of both.

                Last year CNN had a popular show called Finding Jesus: Fact, Fiction, Forgery. Each episode took one of the biblical narratives and looked at some of the evidence for, and against, it. Preeminent scholars were guests on the show, and the viewer could determine for himself whether or not he wanted to believe or disbelieve, or change his mind.

                This Sunday, Mar 5^th, season 2 premieres.  Later on in the season there will be an episode dealing with Thomas. Legend has it that it was this same Doubting Thomas who took the gospel to India.  What do you think?   9:00 pm ET/PT on CNN

              Watch the trailer HERE

My friends at Grace Hill Media have sent me a Gift card ($25.00) from Lifeway to use as a giveaway.  Tell me if you think Thomas went to India, and the gift card could be yours. If you get randomly selected, I'll email you the card.

Race to Win- thoughts on the movie

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9, NIV)

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

The Lord Almighty is with us; (Psalms 46:1-3, and 7a, NIV)

Sometimes things happen and we need to be reminded that God is still God, and he’s with us, making his presence known in so many different ways. We see that happening in the movie “Race to Win” starring Luke Perry and Danielle Campbell.

Let me get the hard part over with first. This film was a little too ‘sappy’ or ‘schmaltzy’ for my taste, and the ending, although a surprise was fairly predictable. There were also a few places where the editing was a little choppy. I recognize that to get across the point that we can remember lessons learned from people that have died, that it was necessary in this film to have Dad/husband- Gentry Rhodes, played by Luke Perry- appear as a physical presence. Too much like shows such as ‘Ghost Whisperer’ or a recent medical show where ‘ghosts’ help the Docs, for my theological understanding.

Having said that, this is a family-friendly, kid-friendly movie. It’s not rated, but there is no profanity, no nudity, no sex or drug connotations, and it deals with death in a very real way.

            Gentry Rhodes loves God, loves his family and loves his ranch and horses; he also has some issues—in other words, he’s not a saint, but he does instill those loves in his daughter Hannah (Danielle Campbell). After Luke dies from a sudden heart attack, the family is faced with several financial issues if they are to keep the ranch and horses that Gentry loved. And it’s Hannah on who the burden seems to fall the heaviest.

            Of course, like in the melodramas of yesteryear, there is a villain; think “You must pay the rent! I can’t pay the rent! You must pay the rent! I can’t pay the rent”. Everything about the guy suggests, even the makeup, suggests that he’s the bad guy.

            Hannah comes up with an idea to make money to pay off her father’s debts (gambling debts, which add up to over $100,000.00) and save the ranch. Her plan fails, but throughout the time of trial, Dad appears and reminds Hannah of how much he loves her, how much faith he has in her. He affirms her in a way that every child needs to be affirmed

            This is a powerful story of faith in God, in redemption, in justice, and of affirmation (something we all need) with enough metaphors to make an English professor go giddy with joy.

            Like any other film, it has its issues, but all in all, this is a good film with which to gather the family and enjoy the reminder that regardless of what’s going on in your life, that God is there to uphold and sustain you. 

thoughts on When the Church Was a Family

It seems that as our culture has become more and more self-focused and me-oriented, that the church has not been far behind. Books have been written on how we’re losing generations Y and Z, how inwardly -focused churches (make me comfortable, I pay your salary) are more and more the norm as opposed to externally focused (concerned with lost souls outside the congregation).

  

But perhaps this isn’t as new a phenomenon as we think. In a book first published several years ago, Joseph A. Hellerman addresses the issue of change in how the Church functions. When the Church Was a Family (B&H Academic, 2009) looks at the structure of the earliest churches described in the New Testament and compares it to the Church of today.  Do not read into this something that I don’t intend to say, Hellerman is not slamming the modern church, rather pointing out the shift and offering suggestions for how things can be done in a way that honors God.

One of the first things that he points out is that society as a whole has changed, and a Christian culture has also changed. About 2000 years ago, there was a strong sense of family first.  An example he gives is marriages.  Years ago marriages were often arranged, and the young couple may or may not agree with their parents’ choice, but it was understood that sacrifices might have to made for the good of the family as a whole. Try telling your teen aged son or daughter today that they will be getting married in a few weeks—to someone they have never met. Yes, times have changed.

 The local church served as that family. Conflicts were resolved within the church and when someone was in need, the church helped out. Today it seems like we turn to other places for the assistance we (members of a congregation) used to be able to get from the (local) church. We’ve given up family in favor of doing it on our own.

The culture was as it was, and then along came Jesus, followed by Paul, and they worked at setting an upside-down world right-side-up. Next Hellerman introduces us to the Church in the Roman world, places salvation in the context of community and offers suggestions for life together, decision making, and leadership in the family of God. And those things look a lot different in God's family than they do in  a secular setting.

Charts and diagrams throughout help the reader with some of Hellerman’s points. And the one on page 94 points out the subtle differences in where we place our allegiances.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.

4.5/5