Transcript Document 7242405

Chapters: Moving on to a new one again continued from page one
Volume 15, Issue 6
May/June 2002
CHAPTERS: MOVING ON TO A NEW ONE AGAIN
Wow. Another JET year almost over. Where has
the time gone? Now comes the time of changes
and preparations for changes as we have a new
leadership team and some people prepare to leave
Japan and others prepare to come. Once again,
we come to the end of a chapter in our lives and
prepare to move on to a new one. Life is full of
moving on to new chapters: from initial faith in
Christ to our baptism to the different experiences
and stages of our lives to the time that our lives
here on earth come to an end and we go to
Heaven to be with Him.
Right from the time we chose to believe in and
follow the living God, there have been new things
marking our lives in ways that God has planned
for us from the start, knowing what the outcome
would be. Our choice to believe and later choice
to obey Christ in baptism were only beginnings in
this series of events and
the process of being transformed into the likeness
of Christ. Interestingly, there used to be a
tradition among Jewish leaders of baptizing
gentiles who wished to turn from their old ways
and follow the True and Living God. Then John
came and taught the concept of baptism unto
repentance and Jesus came and we were baptized
unto Him.
It may be interesting to reflect on what God’s
done in moving you to the point where you’re at
right now and possibly how He brought you to
Japan in the first place. That’s pretty easy for me
to look back on now as I sit visiting a friend’s
house in the town where my heart was first turned
to Japan 12 years ago. What brought you to
where you are now? I’m sure it must be
interesting to look back on God’s faithfulness in
your life and His
leading as you go on to trust Him in where He’ll
take you next. One thing about living in Japan
is that it forces us to find out for ourselves just
where our personal walks are with Christ
because we’re in an environment now where it
is not spoon-fed to us like it may have been in
our own countries to some degree or another.
It’s been extremely exciting to see what God has
been doing in numerous lives here in Japan.
I’ve had the privilege of seeing not only the new
things God has done in and through my life in
my years here in Japan, but various things He’s
done in other people’s lives as well. He’s done
a lot of teaching, stretching and opening of
hearts in ways that those people never expected
before they came here. It’s been exciting to see
God give some people who thought they’d only
stay here for one or two years the grace to stay a
second, or even a third, year, while leading
others to only stay for one. It seems that God
has taught each of these people just what He’s
wanted to teach them when they’ve been open
and has led them into new places in Him.
The thing about moving on is that we don’t need
to just rush from one thing to another, but can
reflect on what He has done so far and on what
He is doing in our lives now. You never know
what kinds of
interesting turns He’ll throw in for you to grow
in and be used by Him. If you feel like you’ve
been missing something with Him and are being
pulled down, don’t hesitate to start over with the
grace of God. If you want someone to talk to,
our former leadership team people are still
around and our new leadership team people are
also available to talk to. Plus, there may be
people in your area to pray with and support you
as well.
People leaving: I hope you can take the things
God has taught you while you’ve been here and
apply them as you pursue God in whatever place
God takes you next. For those of you staying,
may God bless you as you continue in what God
has for this chapter in your life. Whichever the
case may be, may God bless you abundantly as
you travel the road He’s given you to go.
And so what we have learned applies to our
lives today. God has a lot to say in His book.
(Veggie Tales moment) You see we know that
God’s Word is for everyone. Now that our song
is done, we’ll take a look. “...being confident of
this, that He who began a good work in you will
carry it on to completion until the day of Christ
Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 NIV)
Signing off as NC,
Blessings and Shalom,
Deborah Ruth Trotter
Inside this issue:
Chapters: Moving on to a New One Again - 1-2
The views expressed in JCF NEWS are not
necessarily those of the JCF Leadership
Team or JET Christian Fellowship unless
specifically stated as such. JCF NEWS
seeks to present interesting articles from
JCF members at large. It does not seek to
advocate, but to be a true forum for
discussion and meditation.
A Word from the New National Coordinator - 3
JCF Leadership Nominations - 3
The Bible and Pacifism - 4-7
Food for Thought: Uneaten Donuts - 8-9
Champions and Challenges - 10-11
Words - 12
Announcements - 13
2002-2003 Registration Form - 14
For leaving JCF people:
Hi. This is Deborah Ruth here, wanting to give you the opportunity to be a part of an alumni group for the
Christian JETs (no money necessary) who would like to maintain a bit of contact with who’s who. I have a
private club site on msn (with very few postings, so it won’t bog you down time wise) which I can send you an
invite to if you wish. Its titled CSG continued because of the former name of JCF and is for the purpose of
sharing a few prayer requests and possibly a few ideas for alumni gatherings in other countries (if anyone wants
to plan any of those), alumni updates (so that’s where that person disappeared to & if the person decides to
volunteer that info to the group), and potentially alumni missions trips if anyone decides to plan some. Feel free
to refer any other Christian former JETs to the Group also. My email address is [email protected] and my
phone # is 0895-32-6812 if you want to get a hold of us and don’t have email access at this time. God bless.
- Page Two -
A WORD FROM THE NEW NATIONAL COORDINATOR
THE BIBLE AND PACIFISM
Kandace Shaw, 2nd year, Tottori-ken
Hello! My name is Kandace Shaw and I am the new NC for JCF. I’m from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.
I’m currently living in Tottori-ken working as a high school ALT. My hobbies are...just kidding. I’m in Japan
because my sister was applying for the JET program and dared me to fill out an application! I’d always wanted to
come to Japan and it has been an amazing experience so far.
The team members had a conference in Kobe recently and it was great to meet everybody. It was so great to see
everyone laughing, especially as we all had no idea what we were getting into! Thanks so much to those who took
time with the new team members explaining everything.
My challenge for us all, myself included, is to get busy loving people! It’s a bit of a challenge in a foreign country
but God has given us this great opportunity and will show us how to take full advantage of it! Try to get to know
people in your area (Japanese, JETs, etc.) despite the difficulty of language barriers and lifestyle differences. I•
fm
not saying you should compromise yourself in any way or run around with a grin on your face becoming
everyone’s best friend, just remember what Jesus said (love your neighbor as yourself) and get busy!
I really hope you all have a fantastic June and find a way to enjoy the rising temperatures. Check into what JCF has
to offer you in the way of books, tapes, support etc. If you have any questions or ideas for the group, please e-mail
us at [email protected].
NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM NOMINATIONS
It is standard procedure to allow the membership of JCF the opportunity to vote on new members of the leadership
team. Therefore, please fill out this ballot and send it to Deborah Ruth Trotter, Kyouin Jutaku 33, Iwabuchi-ko 950,
Tsushima-cho, Kitauwa-gun, Ehime-ken 798-3311. [Note: The year marked beside people’s names is the JET
year they will be beginning this summer.]
National Co-ordinator
Kandace Shaw, 2nd yr.
Treasurer
Michael Phillips, 2nd yr.
Retreat Co-ordinators Jennifer Osteen, 3rd yr.
yes / no
Tara Lowe, non-JET yes / no
Prayer & Encouragement
Hiromitsu Naruse, non-JET
Tara Lowe, non-JET yes / no
Heather Jesson, 2nd yr.
Christine Mawdsley, 2nd yr.
Esther Williams, 3rd yr.
Online Announcements
Jennifer Toews, 2nd yr.
JCF Web-page
Daniel Byrne, 2nd yr.
Newsletter Editor
Jean Byrne, non-JET yes / no
Worship Co-ordinator
Eddie Ramos, 2nd yr.
Tape Librarian
Kathryn O’Reilly, 2nd yr.
Book Librarian
Amanda Hatzistamatis, 2nd yr.
Missionary Liasons Jim & Mariana Nesbitt, non-JET
yes / no
yes / no
yes / no
yes / no
yes / no
yes / no
yes / no
yes / no
yes / no
Matthew Harrison and Catherine Sinclair, Gifu-ken
The events of September 11th have evidently
sparked a good deal of debate over which is the
proper response. As people who adhere to the Bible
as not only the Truth, but also as a guide of
conduct, we are drawn to this book to provide an
answer. An article titled, "A Christian perspective
on War" that appeared in the January/February
edition of JCF News, attempted to analyze the
supposedly "Christian" perspective on the
aforementioned events. Through several Biblical
references and references to extra-Biblical
secondary sources, the article came to the
conclusion that the Bible does not call for pacifism
and that "Christians can support this war with a
clear conscience" (A Christian perspective on War
6). We did not find this argument to be convincing,
and in the following article we hope to share with
you the opposite conclusion. This conclusion being
that the Bible does in fact advocate a philosophy of
love over revenge, no matter what the cause, and
that Christians are therefore called to a passive
position.
Turn the Other Cheek
Let us begin with a re-evaluation of Matthew 5:39,
the "turn the other cheek” passage. The article says
that this is solely in reference to insults passed
between individuals, and is mistakenly applied to
governmental affairs. Here we shall address the
response to an assault, whether verbal or physical.
Later on we shall address whether or not these
Biblical rules of response for the individual should
be applied to the government. The article begins by
saying that the "slap on the cheek" refers to insults,
rather than a physical attack. Whether or not this is
the proper interpretation of this passage, it would
seem logical that if
Christ preached that we should bear an insult and
not retaliate back with words of our own, then
when it came to a physical beating, we should
take this principle one step further and not
retaliate. We do not just assume this, there is
ample Biblical evidence to support this claim. In
every case in the New Testament (except one
which we will examine later) both Christ and his
disciples endure every beating, every physical
insult and not once do they ever attack back,
defend, or preach to others that they should. The
perfect example is Christ, whom we are
instructed to follow as our example in all things.
Others are Paul, Stephen, and a multitude of
others who endured torture, beatings and
imprisonment because they "considered that the
present sufferings are not worthy comparing with
the glory that will be revealed in us," (Romans
8:18). There is one exception in the Bible where
one of the disciples used violence. The disciple
Peter cut off the High Priest's ear in defense of
Jesus (Matthew 26: 50-51). Peter was
immediately rebuked by Christ for this action.
Christ said to Peter, "‘Put your sword back in its
place,'[...], 'for all who draw the sword die by the
sword,'" (Matthew 26: 52). In the book of Peter,
the writer preaches "For it is commendable if a
person bears up under the pain of unjust suffering
because he is conscious of God. [...] But if you
suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is
commendable before God. To this you were
called, because Christ suffered for you leaving
you an example that you should follow in his
steps. [...] When they hurled insults at him he did
not retaliate; when he suffered he made no
threats. [...]" (1 Peter 2:19-25). Furthermore, the
passage in Matthew about turning the other cheek
does
yes / no
yes / no
yes / no
We still need a new data-base co-ordinator and a second worship co-ordinator. There is also space for 1 or 2 more
people on the prayer and encouragement team.
- Page Three -
- Page Four -
not begin and end at verse 39. Reading further in
Chapter 5, the reader will see that the next subject
Christ immediately addresses is "Love your
enemies." Matthew 5: 43-48 says "But I tell you
love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you." With the preceding examples, we
believe that we have offered substantial Biblical
proof that the "turn the other cheek" passage
should be applicable to all ways of being assaulted,
verbally or physically. The above examples have
also shown that we are to follow Christ as our
example, and that Christ was indeed a pacifist. We
will offer further proof of this claim in the
following section.
the "sword" mentioned in the book of Matthew as
the division that Christ's teaching will bring,
between believers and non-believers. God's
commandments to the Israelites to go to war are
also referred to as proof that Christ was not a
pacifist. However, a very important factor is
overlooked. That is, that though the Old
Testament is not to be ignored, the purpose and
goal achieved by Christ in the New Testament
was to defeat the old law and replace it with a law
of love. He declares that the two greatest
commandments are first "Love the Lord your God
with all your heart [...]" and second "Love your
neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22: 37-39). He
goes on to say that "All the Law and the Prophets
hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:
40). Throughout the Old Testament, God gives
the Israelites commandments in many different
areas, such as dietary restrictions and codes of
conduct. When necessary, He commanded them
to war, but Christ came to bring a teaching of
love. Love is the dominating theme resonating
through Christ's teaching, not war, aggression or
revenge. Thus when added to the evidence
above, we can conclude with confidence that
Christ was a pacifist.
Governments Vs. Individuals
Not Peace, but a Sword?
The article also quotes Christ as saying, "Do not
think that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did
not come to bring peace but a sword," and uses this
as proof that Christ was not a pacifist (Matthew
10:34). If we turn to the book of Luke, we find that
this same quote is recorded. But Luke says rather "I
did not come to bring peace but division,"
revealing that the "sword" is a metaphor for
"division" (Luke 12:51). To offer further proof that
this interpretation is correct, we can return to
Matthew, where a reading of the whole of chapter
10 shows that the disciples are concerned with the
preaching of the "word" and not war! We can,
therefore, correctly assume that we can interpret
So far we have concluded, through Biblical
evidence, that Christ was a pacifist and that we
are commanded to follow him as our example of
the way we should conduct ourselves. Thus we
have established that individuals should be
pacifists, even in response to physical attacks, as
Christ was. But now of course, the interesting
question asked by the article remains. That is,
does pacifism apply to governments as well as
individuals? This is a very important question
with regards to the events of September 11th,
because our
- Page Five -
governments are currently fighting a war in
Afghanistan. We know how we should react,
passively, but how should our government react and
what is our responsibility to our government?
First, let us examine what the responsibility is of the
individual to the government, then we will discuss
the appropriate reaction of the latter. The New
Testament discusses the individual's obligations to
authority. Romans 13:1-7 declares that, "Everyone
must submit himself to the governing authority,
..."because there are no authorities that God did not
establish. This passage states that we have then an
obligation to do right and not wrong for if we do
wrong, we will be punished by these authorities "by
the sword." Therefore, we are responsible for
obeying our government. So what does "submitting
ourselves to the authorities" entail? The passage in
Romans discusses laws and taxes as an example.
Does it refer to war? Or defending our country?
Christ says to the Pharisees, "‘Give unto Caesar
what is Caesar’s and give unto the Lord what is the
Lord's,'" (Mark 12:17). There is a principle here, one
which says that we should obey our governments as
long as they do not command us to do something
that is not what God would have us do. We have
seen that we are commanded to follow Christ's
example, which is pacifism. Murder, whether it be in
the form of terrorism or in the form of self-defense,
is against everything that both God and Christ have
taught us. In the case of September 11th, no matter
how heinous the crime, we are told to "love our
enemy." This may be a difficult thing to accept,
especially for those of us directly affected by the
attack. Nevertheless, as Christians, we are
commanded not to retaliate, despite what others may
think. We are not supposed to be of this world.
Rather, we are called to be pilgrims, "aliens and
strangers on the earth. [...] longing
for a better country - a heavenly one”
(Hebrews 11:13-16).
Now let us turn to the subject of how our
governments should react. The article argues
that there are various times when war is
justified or necessary using an extra-Biblical
source, namely Timothy J. Demy. If the article
was simply discussing what the proper human
response should be towards September 11th,
then of course, referencing secondary sources
in a authoritative way (as the article has done
using Demy's list of seven criteria (A Christian
Perspective on War 7-8), is fine. But this is
not the case, rather, the article claims to
discuss the proper "Christian" response to war,
and for this we must turn to the Bible. For as
Christians we cannot accept any teaching other
than that which is supported by Biblical
evidence. Upon examination, we find that the
Bible does not make these same arguments for
justifying war. The list of seven criteria set out
by Demy assumes that war can follow one or
more of these sets of specific rules. In reality,
war is war, and whether "initiated by a
government" or "characterized by limited
objectives," brutalities and injustices will
ensue (A Christian Perspective on War
[Demy] 8). Because of this, whether or not our
governments embark on the war path, we, as
individuals, must choose to remain pacifist. In
participating in the war of the authority, we are
bound to be involved somehow in the
brutalities that will most definitely arise. The
war of the governing body is not "their" war, it
is a war of armies, which in turn are made up
of individuals. Therefore, because we as
individuals are called to pacifism through
following the example of Christ, then we must
say that no
- Page Six -
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Uneaten Donuts
war is justifiable, except one where God has
directly commanded us through his Prophets,
such as in the case of Israel and the Old
Testament. Besides the wars of the Old
Testament, no wars to date have been
commanded directly by God. This is because, as
mentioned above, we are now in the era of the
commandment to love one another, set forth by
the New Testament and the new age of a risen
Christ. The article notes that "if the Taliban was
interested in other forms of resolution they would
not have massacred 6000 innocent civilians" (A
Christian Perspective on War 7). Though this may
be true, we would argue that the responsibility to
act as proper Christians lies with us. We should
"be the better man", or so to speak, and adhere to
the non-aggressive teachings of the Bible,
whether or not the Taliban are interested in war.
This may seem impossible. Are we just supposed
to forget about the 6000 murdered? Of course not,
but this does not mean that war and retaliation are
the answers. There have been extremely
successful cases of passive aggression in history,
which have beaten all odds and achieved their
ends. The most obvious example of this is the
peaceful revolution in India led by Ghandi.
Though, of course the
war on terror is not the same as the Indian
revolution, we can still say that pacifism can
achieve results.
We come to the conclusion, therefore, that the
proper Christian response to the tragic events of
September 11th is not to participate in a retaliatory
war. Rather, despite the tragedy, we should remain
faithful to the teachings of Christ. There are other
means with which to solve conflict, even when
dealing with those, such as terrorists, who do not
seem to listen to reason. Not participating in war,
and not supporting war, does not mean that we are
for the terrorists or not angry about what happened
on September 11th. And so what is the appropriate
response to the attack of a nation? As individuals,
to remain passive, and therefore as nations to find a
different way to handle the threat of terrorism. The
ultimate point of the New Testament is that we are
to strive to be like Christ, and that Christ is love.
References
Carmical, Casey. A Christian Perspective on War,
in JCF News, volume 15, issue 4. Jan-Feb 2002,
pp. 6-8.
NIV Bible. International Bible Society: Colorado,
1984.
NEEDED: National JCF Worship Coordinator
There was a boy by the name of Steve who was
attending a Seminary in Utah. In this Seminary,
classes are held during school hours. Brother C.
taught Seminary at this particular school. He had
an open-door policy and would take in any
student that had been thrown out of another class
as long as they would abide by his rules. Steve
had been kicked out of his sixth period and no
other teacher wanted him, so he went into Bro.
C’s Seminary class. Steve was told that he could
not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the
bell rang and would sit in the very back of the
room. He would be the first to leave after the
class was over. One day, Bro. C. asked Steve to
stay after class so he could talk to him. After
class, Bro. C. pulled Steve aside and said, “You
think you’re pretty tough don’t you?” Steve’s
answer was, “Yeah, I do.” “How many push-ups
can you do?” “I do about 200 every night.”
“200? That’s pretty good, Steve. Do you think
you could do 300?” Steve replied, “I don’t know
. . . I’ve never done 300 at a time.” “Do you
think you could?” Steve hesitated, “Well, I could
try.” “Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to
do 300 in sets of 10 for this to work. Can you do
it? I need you to tell me you can do it.” “Well . . .
I think I can . . . Yeah, I can do it.” “Good,” Bro.
C. smiled, “I need you to do it this Friday.”
Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat
in the front of the room. When the class started,
Bro. C. pulled out a big box of donuts. Now
these weren’t the normal kinds of donuts, they
were the extra fancy, BIG kind with cream
centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty
excited - it was Friday, the last class of the day,
and they were going to get an early start on the
weekend. Bro. C.went to the first girl in the first
row and asked, “Cynthia, do you want a donut?”
Cynthia said, “Yes.” Bro. C. turned to Steve and
asked, “Steve, would you
do ten pushups so that Cynthia can have a
donut?” Steve said, “Sure” and jumped down
from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve sat in
his desk. Bro. C. put a donut on Cynthia’s desk.
Bro. C. then went to Joe, the next person and
asked, “Joe, do you want a donut?” Joe said,
“Yes.” Bro. C. asked, “Steve, would you do ten
pushups so that Joe can have a donut?” Steve did
ten pushups, Joe got a donut. And so it went,
down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for
every person before they got there donut. And
down the second aisle, till Bro. C. came to Scott.
Scott was captain of the football team and Center
of the basketball team. He was very popular and
never lacking for female companionship. When
Bro. C. asked, “Scott, do you want a donut?”
Scott’s reply was, “Well, I can do my OWN
pushups.” Bro. C. said, “No, Steve has to do
them.” Then Scott said, “Well, I don’t want one
then.” Bro. C. then turned to Steve and asked,
“Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can
have a donut he doesn’t want?” Steve started to
do ten pushups. Scott said, “HEY! I said I didn’t
want one!” Bro. C. said, “Look, this is my
classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts.
Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it.”
And he put a donut on Scott’s desk. Now, by this
time, Steve had started to slow down a little He
just stayed on the floor between sets because it
took too much effort to be getting up and down.
You could start to see a little perspiration coming
around his brow.
Bro. C. started down the third row. Now, the
students were starting to get a little angry. Bro.
C. asked Jenny. Jenny said, “No.” Then Bro. C.
asked Steve, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so
Jenny can have a donut she doesn’t want?” Steve
did ten, Jenny got a donut. By now, the students
were beginning to say, “No,” and there were a lot
of uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also
The worship coordinators are responsible for keeping a selection of music/chords on file for JCF
members to use for events. Sometimes a worship coordinator will be asked to help lead worship at
an event. Both usually attend the fall retreat and one or both are often at some of the other events
throughout the year.
We have one worship coordinator position filled -- looking for one more!
If you are interested, contact Kandace Shaw at (0857) 31-6230.
- Page Seven - Page Eight -
really having to put forth a lot of effort to get
these pushups done for each donut. There began
to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath
his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get
red because of the physical effort involved. Bro.
C. asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he
did ten pushups in a set because he couldn’t bear
to watch all of Steve’s work for all these uneaten
donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely.
Bro. C. started down the fourth row.
During his class, however, some students
had wandered in and sat along the heaters on the
sides of the room. When he realized this; he did a
quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He
started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.
He went on from the next person to the next.
Near the end of that row, Steve was having a
really rough time. He was taking longer to
complete each set. Steve asked Bro. C., “Do I
have to make my nose touch on each one?” Bro.
C. thought for a moment and said, “They’re your
pushups, you can do them anyway you want.”
And Bro. C. went on. A few moments later,
Jason came to the room and was about to come in
when all the student’s yelled, “NO! Don’t come
in! Stay out!!!” Jason didn’t know what was
going on. Steve picked up his head and said,
“No, let him come.” Bro. C. said, “You realize
that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten
pushups for him.” Steve said, “Let him come in.”
Bro. C. said, “Okay, I’ll let you get Jason’s out of
the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?”
“Yes.” “Steve, will you do ten pushups so Jason
can have a donut?” Steve did
ten pushups very slowly and with great effort.
Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat
down. Bro. C. finished the fourth row and started
on those seated on the heaters. Steve’s arms were
now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift
himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was
dropping off his face and by this time there was
not a dry eye in the room. The very last two girls
in the room were cheerleaders and very popular.
Bro. C. went to Linda, the second to last, and
asked, “Linda, do you want a donut?” Linda said,
very sadly, “No, thank you.” Bro. C. asked
Steve, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so that
Linda can have a donut she doesn’t want?”
Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow
pushups for Linda. Then Bro. C. turned to the
last girl, Susan. “Susan, do you want a donut?”
Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked,
“Bro. C. can I help him?” Bro. C., with tears of
his own said, “No, he has to do it alone. Steve,
would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a
donut?” As Steve very slowly finished his last
pushup, with the understanding that he had
finished all that was required of him, having done
350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and
he fell to the floor. Bro. C. turned to the room
and said,
“And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ,
plead to the Father, ‘Into thy hands I commit my
spirit.’ With the understanding that He had done
everything that was required of Him, he collapsed
on the cross and died. And like some of those in
this room, many of us leave the gift upon the
desk, uneaten.”
Champions, Challenges and Chuckles
Great, not-so-great and sad moments in Christian History, May and June
Compiled by Jim Nesbitt
May 7, 1833: born, in Hamburg, Germany, pianist and composer Johannes Brahms. Though never employed by a
church, motivated by his faith, he wrote many works for the church. He personally compiled the biblical texts used
in his "German Requiem".
May 8, 1828: Born, Geneva, Switzerland: Henri Dunant, founder of the Red Cross and the Young Men's Christian
Association, and winner of the the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.
May 9, 1983: Pope John Paul II reverses the Catholic Church's 1633 condemnation of Galileo Galilei's Copernican
heliocentric theory of the universe.
May 10, 1886: Karl Barth, the most important theologian of the twentieth century and opponent of theological
liberalism and political fascism (especially under Hitler), is born in Basel, Switzerland. While not wholly
evangelical, on his only (1962) visit to America, asked how he would summarize his voluminous writings, he
replied, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so".
May 11, 1682: The General Court of Massachusetts repeals two 2-year-old laws: (1) a ban on the celebration of
Christmas, and (2) capital punishment for banished Quakers who returned to the colony.
May 12, 1792: "Father of Modern Missions" William Carey published “An Enquiry into the Obligations of
Christians, to use means for the Conversion of the Heathens in which the Religious State of the Different Nations of
the World, the Success of Former Undertakings, and the practicability of Further Undertakings, are Considered”. In
spite of its title, it was influential in re-awakening the church to its missionary responsibilities. Carey died on June 9,
1834, having spent 41 years in India without a furlough and only about 700 converts, but he had laid a foundation of
Bible translations, education, and social reform.
May 15, 1265: Poet and politician Dante Alighieri, is born in Florence, Italy. He finished writing "The Divine
Comedy" just before his death, and it was almost immediately recognized as brilliant. His epitaph begins: "Dante the
theologian, skilled in every branch of knowledge that philosophy may cherish in her illustrious bosom."
May 19, 804: English scholar Alcuin of York, adviser to Charlemagne and prominent in the Carolingian Renaissance
(the rebirth of classical learning under Charlemagne), dies. He is credited with devising a handwriting system using
both small and capital letters for easier reading.
May 20, 1277: Pope John XXI dies when his castle ceiling collapses on him. The name was a mistake-there was
never a John XX.
May 20, 1960: Six months before John F. Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, was elected president of the United States,
the Southern Baptist Convention condemned the election of Catholics to public office, declaring "When a public
official is inescapably bound by the dogma and demands of the church, he cannot consistently separate himself from
these."
May 21, 1382: The Anglican "Earthquake Synod" in London (so named because a tremor interrupted the
proceedings), condemned 24 theses from John Wycliffe’s writings as heretical. Wycliffe later claimed that God sent
the earthquake "because the friars had put heresy upon Christ. The earth trembled as it did when Christ was damned
to bodily death”.
May 21, 1471: born in Nuremberg, Germany, painter, engraver, and woodcut designer Albrecht Durer. One of the
greatest artists of his day, probably converted to Protestantism in the 1520s.
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May 21, 1738: Charles Wesley, who with his brother John founded Methodism, converts to Christianity while sick
with pleurisy. "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, arise and believe, and thou shalt be healed of thy infirmities" a
mysterious voice told him in his sickbed. "I believe, I believe," he replied. One year later on this date, he wrote "O
for a Thousand Tongues" to commemorate the event.
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May 24, 1543: Polish astronomer and cleric Nicolas Copernicus dies in Poland. His heliocentric (sun-centered)
concept of the solar system was radical, though not unknown before his time. Still, some theologians strongly
criticized the theory. Copernicus was never ordained in the Roman Catholic Church, but participated in a religious
community at the cathedral of Frauenburg.
May 25, 1865: Evangelist John R. Mott is born in New York. He served 40 years with the Y.M.C.A. (while the “Y”
was still aggressively evangelistic), chaired the 1910 Edinburgh Missionary Conference, and became honorary
president of the World Council of Churches at its inaugural session.
May 29, 1874: English essayist, poet, and writer G.K. Chesterton is born in London. The 400-pound man was
occasionally absent-minded, but brilliant. He loved and often used paradoxes, which he called "supreme assertions
of truth." Said by poet T.S. Eliot to have done "more than any man in his time ... to maintain the existence of the
[Christian] minority in the modern world," Chesterton converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism in 1922.
He died on June 15, 1936; after the funeral, Pope Pius XI declared the rotund writer Defender of the Faith.
June 3, 1647: The Puritan British Parliament bans Christmas and other holidays.
June 4, 1948: The Far East Broadcasting Company, based in the Philippines and broadcasting across Asia, goes onair with the staff singing "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name."
June 5, 1661: English mathematician and physicist Isaac Newton is admitted as a student to Trinity College,
Cambridge. But the "greatest scientific genius the world has ever known" actually spent more time studying
theology than science, writing 1.3 million words on biblical subjects.
June 8, 1794: Christianity is deposed by French revolutionaries and replaced by a deistic religion honoring a trinity
of "Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity." Churches were renamed "Temples of Reason," and a new calendar with a 10day week and holidays commemorating events of the revolution. The "reign of terror" followed, with some 1,400
people losing their heads. Napoleon recognized the church again in 1804, then proceeded to imprison Pope Pius
VII.
June 9, 68: Nero Claudius Caesar, to whom the Apostle Paul appealed for justice (Acts 25:10) and who on 24 June
64 ordered the first imperial persecution of Christians, commits suicide.
June 13, 1525: German reformer Martin Luther marries Katherine von Bora, 16 years his younger, having sneaked
her and several other nuns out of their Cistercian convent in empty herring barrels two years earlier. The 21-year,
happy marriage was seen by many as a scandal.
June 25, 1865: English missionary J. Hudson Taylor forms the China Inland Mission. Its members would have no
guaranteed salaries, nor could they appeal for funds; they would simply trust God to supply their needs. They
would adopt Chinese dress and press the gospel into the China interior. Taylor died in China on June 3, 1905.
Under the Communist government, his tombstone was on display in an anti-imperialist museum, but has since been
moved to a Christian church. After withdrawing from China in 1949/50 the CIM started work in East Asia, and is
today OMF International.
June 26, 1932: Francis Schaeffer attends a Presbyterian church meeting where a Unitarian spoke against the truth of
the Bible and its teachings. A young lady named Edith had prepared a rebuttal, but before she could speak, Francis
stood up and shredded the speaker's arguments. Edith was impressed, and after she read her remarks, Francis was
impressed as well. He walked her home-the beginning of their lifelong relationship and ministry together.
Schaeffer’s books, which include The God Who is There (1968) and How Should We Then Live (1976), argue that
moral relativity is responsible for social ills. He died in Rochester, Minnesota, on May 15, 1984.
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WORDS
Betsy Myers, 2001-2002 Book Librarian
Isn’t it funny how God just lays something on our hearts
and hit us with it from all different angles? I’ve recently
been reading two books, Shiokari Pass by Ayako Miura
and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and God has been
speaking to me through both of them. Shiokari Pass is
fiction written by a Japanese author, while Mere
Christianity might be categorized as apologetics and is
written by a British author. The two seemingly have
nothing to do with each other. However, God used each
book to issue me the same challenge.
In Shiokari Pass the main character, Nobuo Nagano,
decides to become a Christian, and is challenged by a
preacher to choose one command from the Bible and try
to follow it for a month. The goal of this exercise is for
Nobuo to realize that although he prides himself on being
a “better than average” human being, he is still a sinner.
Indeed, Nobuo’s pride is his biggest sin and the main
obstacle he faces in developing a relationship with God.
Nobuo takes the preacher’s words to heart and decided to
follow the example of the Good Samaritan. He befriends
a troubled co-worker and even goes so far as to follow
the man to a new town in order to watch out for him.
The friend scorns Nobuo and his faith, and despite
Nobuo’s attempt to be a good neighbor, he often finds
himself failing. Although he has always been struck by
the words in the Bible, “No one is righteous, no not one,”
it isn’t until Nobuo fails in his endeavor to follow the
Bible perfectly that he fully comprehends the depth of
his own sin. Eventually Nobuo gives up his pride and
realizes that he is just as unrighteous as his troubled
friend.
In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis also deplores pride as
the greatest sin. In his chapter on Faith, he issues the
same challenge as the preacher in Shiokari Pass, that is,
to take one command from the Bible and try to follow it
for six weeks. Because we are sinners, we can’t follow
the Bible’s commands perfectly, and it isn’t until we
realize that we are sinners and do away with our pride
that we will grow in our faith and relationship with God.
After reading both of these challenges within days of
each other, I felt God nudging me to take on the
challenge myself. The reading for a recent sermon at
church was John 15, and the verse, “This is my
command: Love each other.” (John 15:7)
struck me as a good command to try to follow for six
weeks.
I’ve only been doing this exercise for a week and
already I’ve seen how many times I have failed to
follow Jesus’ command. I haven’t loved the students
I teach or my co-workers or my friends. I recently
found out that one of my friends was contemplating
suicide last week. The last time I talked to him I
figured that he was just being his normal gloomy self,
and I didn’t do much to encourage him and to share
God’s love with him. Then I discovered the real
reason for his depression and was overcome with a
sense of failure in my attempt to love others, even
when it isn’t convenient for me to do so.
I knew from the beginning that I would fail. But even
though I have failed, I am still struggling with pride.
I find that even though I know I can’t always love
others, I pride myself on other things instead. So I
will continue in this challenge for five more weeks. I
pray that God will humble me more, so that I will
fully realize the depth of His love for me in His
forgiveness of my sins.
This was supposed to be a book review to encourage
JCF members to use the book library. It’s turned into
more of a personal sharing time. However, I highly
recommend both Shiokari Pass and Mere
Christianity. The passages that I wrote about are only
a small part of each book and there is a larger story to
be enjoyed in both of them.
This will be my last article for the JCF Newsletter, as
I am passing the duty of administrating and
promoting the book library on to Amanda. However,
I will use this last opportunity to encourage everyone
to check out a book from the library. I have been
incredibly blessed by the books I have read
throughout the year. There’s something in the library
for everyone, so don’t hesitate to contact Amanda for
a recommendation or a recently updated book list.
You can e-mail her at [email protected].
- Page Twelve -
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Please send this form with payment to the JCF Treasurer, Michael
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While the Japanese Postal System is reliable, JCF recommends that you send payment by pre-paid
kawase.
Any questions? Contact JCF National Coordinator, Kandace Shaw:
Joytown B8523-1, 6-Chome Kita Koyamacho, Tottori-shi, Tottori-ken
680-0941, or [email protected].
ATTENTION EVERYONE
For the sake of making JCF record keeping
much easier, please let JCF know if you are
staying or going so that we know whether you
are going to be around and if you may be
interested in being one of the reps/contact
people next year. If you are staying, please fill
out the 2002-2003 Registration form on the
following page. Please contact Kandace at
[email protected] if you would be willing
to serve as a regional JCF rep. If you are
leaving, please let us know by sending an
email to [email protected]. Thank
you!
JCF’s NEW WEBPAGE!
Www.ajetonline.org/jcf/
JCF’s Website has been moved and updated!
I would like to make it the most complete
resource web-page concerning Christianity in
Japan. Please help to make our website more
complete by sending me an email with
information on:
• Links to English and/or Japanese Christian
websites.
• Information about upcoming Christian
events in Japan
•. Links to Church Homepages/ Regional
activities and missions.
• Evangelistic Japanese Materials.
• Articles or links to articles about
Christianity in Japan.
Please send email to:
[email protected]
WOMEN’S CONFERENCE in
SAITAMA
There’s a national Aglow Women’s Conference
in Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama-ken (near the Tokyo
border, accessible on the blue line from Ueno
station). on July 9-10. I believe the conference
itself is free and they simply have an offering
taken up, but you have to make your own
sleeping arrangements (There are some hotels
close by they can connect you with or you can
connect with other people that you know). It
conveniently coincides with an ichi-man flight
special that both JAL and ANA are having
within Japan around that time, so that may be
worth looking into. If you would like more
information on the conference, please contact
Judy Middleton at 027-324-7993.
BILINGUAL INTERDENOMINATIONAL
FAMILY CAMP IN SHIZUOKA
There is an international inter-denominational
family camp organization called Camp Farthest
Out (or CFO for short - named for the location
of the original camp, not the type of people who
go there) which holds a yearly family camp
(singles and childless couples are also welcome
of course) in Gotemba, Shizouka, near the end
of July. For those of you who are going to be in
Japan at that time and would enjoy a time of
bilingual fellowship, it’s worth checking into.
For more information, contact Jessie Banno at
03-3359-6061 or fax her at 3359-2236. Her
mailing address is 1-16 Chome, Wakaba-cho,
Shinjuku, Tokyo 160.
WE NEED ARTICLES!!!
Please send articles for the next JCF Newsletter to
Jean Byrne at [email protected] or send them
to Shin 45-2 Nio-cho, Mitoyo-gun, Kagawa-ken
769-1406
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