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Check out the newest postings for May!

A personal website highlighting the miscellaneous & literary pursuits of Garry Nation--not as intense as a blog, but updated frequently.  Includes Bible study notes, quotations, short fiction, photos, and a lot more!

Now featuring the first 3 chapters of my newest book, Alvis Duncan Hicks in the Civil War: The Story of Southern Men in the Union Army--exclusively online.  Includes photos, maps, illustrations.

A selection of short writings by Garry D. Nation covering various topics in biblical, theological, and worldview studies.  Some previously published, some scholarly, some informal.  Also includes articles by guest authors.

Talks, sermons, and lectures by Garry D. Nation, along with some others

The newest talks, sermons, and lectures by Garry D. Nation.  Under construction.


Some things can be said better in lines  of verse than in paragraphs of prose.  None dare call it poetry.  Includes an exclusive review of the contemporary oratorio Savior, along with an original narration.


Hey, just because we’re serious doesn’t mean we don’t have a sense of humor.

New for May: The “Oops” File from church bulletins


Click here for links to some valuable links and resources for anyone who takes Christianity seriously.

Who is Garry D. Nation and what is the ICCS?  Find out here.


Have a question?  Got a problem with a bad link?  Click here to email Garry.

Invite Dr. Garry Nation to speak to your church or group.

 
“What do you mean ‘serious Christianity?’”
By Serious Christianity we mean an approach to the Christian faith that applies itself to every dimension of life.
Click here to read more.Serious.htmlshapeimage_5_link_0

Why do people make choices that destroy themselves and those they love--and keep on making them?


New Video Trailer

click here

Fool: Identifying and Overcoming Character Deficiency Syndrome is a forensic, worldview-conscious study of the fool and folly as depicted in the Bible, especially in the Book of Proverbs.

“Outstanding, learned, and psychologically acute ....  hit too close to home for comfort.”

From Tate Publishing

Also available as an Audiobook & Digital Audio File

Click here for more information, including

  1.     Full description             Sample readings

  2.     Video trailer                   Reviews

  3.     Order & Purchase information

 

BEYOND “CONSERVATIVE” & “LIBERAL”
NOTES ON DIVINE PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNMENT
Is there such a thing as a “Christian” philosophy of government or a “Christian” political ideology, and if so, what is it?
Someone has said that the word Christian works much better as a noun than as an adjective. The point is well-taken.  It is more important in our world that we think like Christians than that we try to construct a “Christian” opinion.
The world presses us into categories that emerged not from serious Christians applying the Bible to their culture, but from the French Revolution and from Marxism/Leninism: conservative vs. liberal, left vs. right, the individual vs. the collective, the bourgeoisie vs. the working class.
In order to think like Christians about government and politics we must go beyond the stereotyped categories.  We may not be able to escape them, but we must not let them dominate our thinking.  As serious Christians it is our task, not to redefine biblical truth in contemporary terms, but to redefine contemporary terms according to biblical truth.
 I propose that we go back to the Bible as our starting point, and critique our culture through the lens of Scripture. 
This is not actually a fully developed essay, but rather a set of notes from which I have delivered lectures and conducted seminars. 
topics
Regarding the Nature of Power.  We have one word, “power,” to describe two different realities.  Much confusion comes from failing to distinguish them.
Two Societies, Two Judgments.  The early chapters of Genesis offer a surprising analysis of the two extremes of human social interaction.
10 Indispensable Principles of Government.  The commandments aren’t just about personal morality.  They define the indispensable principles of human government—but that does not mean we’re advocating a new theocracy!
For more resources on this topic, we recommend you check out Leadership University (Leader, and their essays and papers collected around the theme of the U. S. Presidential Inauguration:
Exalting the King of Kings
“One of the many radically unique aspects of Christianity is that God reveals Himself not just rationally, emotionally, morally, relationally, and romantically; but also politically.... Nevertheless, there is no New Testament teaching or model indicating that Christians should try to improve government, society, or culture.... That is not to say that Christians should not serve in public office or civil service. It is to say that the Christian’s role is not to exercise power, but to preach the Gospel and make disciples.  So how should the church view and relate to the state?”
6 different essays by different authors.  Check it out.

THE NEW WORLD DISORDER:
A Christian’s Perspective on the Post-9/11 World
Four Theses
The world changed on September 11, 2001.  9/11 was the first day of the 21st Century.
*Feature Article*
9/11/01: The Shattering Event.  How and why the world will never be the same again
*Future Articles in this Series*
The Present Need: Strategic Christian Thinking.  Anticipating, interpreting, and responding—not just reacting—to crisis
The War Behind the War: A Clash of Worldviews.  The Real ideas that lie behind the current conflict
Strategic Evangelism & Apologetics: Regaining the Ageless Balance.  The power of the cross, and the true meaning of tolerance.
Gov.htmlGov.htmlGov_1.htmlGov_2.htmlGov_3.htmlhttp://www.leaderu.com/focus/exalting.htmlShattering.htmlShattering.htmlshapeimage_6_link_0shapeimage_6_link_1shapeimage_6_link_2shapeimage_6_link_3shapeimage_6_link_4shapeimage_6_link_5shapeimage_6_link_6shapeimage_6_link_7

The Bible on Television, 2009

2 New Reviews

Of Power, Morality, and Faith

Kings (nbc)

“People with destinies—things don't go well for them. They die old and unhappy, or young and unfinished.” – Mrs. Shepard

What if the nations of the modern world were ruled by kings and councils rather than presidents and parliaments—would there be any difference?   And what if the legitimacy of a government should depend not only on the favor of the people, but also on the favor of God?

That is the premise of the new NBC series Kings, brought to us by the mind and pen of Michael Green, creator of the hit series HeroesKings transports us to a world of monarchs in business suits who broadcast their doings on television and rely on computer technology to administer their kingdoms.

Like Heroes, Kings engages in a creative manipulation of reality.  There is a difference, however, that sets Kings apart not only from Heroes, but also almost every other Sci-Fi/Fantasy program.

Read the rest here....


Prophets or Generals?

Battles B. C. (history)

Strictly speaking, Battles B. C. on the History cable network (formerly “The History Channel”) is not about the Bible.  However, the program, produced by David Padrusch, is derived from the 2005 series Bible Battles (also produced and directed by Padrusch), and connects with some of its content.  Bible Battles was built around the work of Richard A. Gabriel, a military historian and author of The Military History of Ancient Israel (Praeger 2003) and numerous other scholarly works and textbooks on ancient warfare.  Gabriel’s concept is to analyze the biblical text from a military point of view rather than a religious one.

What makes this series distinctive is its “graphic novel” approach to dramatizing the action in the style of the motion picture The 300 (but with a lower budget).

The visual result certainly tends to attract the interest, especially of the younger viewer.  There is a lot of bare-chested beefcake, and highly stylized choreography of hand-to-hand combat.  Though visually attractive, the authenticity of these dramatizations suffers..  For a documentary it amounts to pure sensationalism; it’s a lot of matinee fun, and not at all serious.

The actual content, however, though presented at the layman’s level, is based on serious scholarship and is genuinely interesting.  Richard Gabriel is back with his signature thesis that ancient and biblical battles were fought with the same military considerations as those fought today.

Read the rest here....

 

COMING SOON TO

SERIOUS CHRISTIAN. ORG:

  1. New Article: “Augustine’s City of God: A Model for a Christian Intellectual Response to World-Changing Crisis”

  2. The City of God was born as a thinking Christian’s response to a shattering event.  I propose to discern the principles that guided the author as he sought to interpret contemporary events by a large view of history and history’s God, and consider his strategic approach to answering the critics of Christianity with a bold assertion of biblical Theism.

  3. Book Review: Death by Love by Marc Driscoll & Gerry Breshears

  4. This exposition of the Christian doctrine of the Atonement is sometimes almost too intense and too personal to readand that is as it should be.  Pastor Driscoll, aided by  theologian Brashears, gives a powerful interpretation and application of every aspect of the atonement made by Christ on the cross—except one.

“Who do you say that I am?”

We can no longer take it for granted that even those who know of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus understand their significance.

Check out the current emphasis at LeaderU.com:

It comprises a collection of 8 essays by various authors,  including two by William Lane Craig on the resurrection of Jesus, and one by R. T. France on “The Gospels as Historical Sources for Jesus.”