Nathan James Norman
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Nathan James Norman

Husband. Father. Pastor.
Storyteller. Reader. Comic Fan.
Slave of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Orchard Church

An Abortion Article 

1/31/2013

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Salon.com ran this article by Mary Elizabeth Williams last Wednesday. You can read the article "So What If Abortion Ends a Life?" in its entirety here.

I am not going to comment beyond this: Whatever side of the debate you are on this, I think Williams adds some clarity of the issues here. And regardless of where you are in your views on abortion, I love you, I care for you and I want to have a positive relationship with you.

Here are some excerpts (underlines are mine):
Of all the diabolically clever moves the anti-choice lobby has ever pulled, surely one of the greatest has been its consistent co-opting of the word “life.” Life! Who wants to argue with that? 

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I know that throughout my own pregnancies, I never wavered for a moment in the belief that I was carrying a human life inside of me. I believe that’s what a fetus is: a human life. And that doesn’t make me one iota less solidly pro-choice.

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Here’s the complicated reality in which we live: All life is not equal. That’s a difficult thing for liberals like me to talk about, lest we wind up looking like death-panel-loving, kill-your-grandma-and-your-precious-baby storm troopers. Yet a fetus can be a human life without having the same rights as the woman in whose body it resides. She’s the boss. Her life and what is right for her circumstances and her health should automatically trump the rights of the non-autonomous entity inside of her. Always.

When we on the pro-choice side get cagey around the life question, it makes us illogically contradictory. I have friends who have referred to their abortions in terms of “scraping out a bunch of cells” and then a few years later were exultant over the pregnancies that they unhesitatingly described in terms of “the baby” and “this kid.” I know women who have been relieved at their abortions and grieved over their miscarriages. Why can’t we agree that how they felt about their pregnancies was vastly different, but that it’s pretty silly to pretend that what was growing inside of them wasn’t the same? Fetuses aren’t selective like that. They don’t qualify as human life only if they’re intended to be born.

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It seems absurd to suggest that the only thing that makes us fully human is the short ride out of some lady’s vagina. That distinction may apply neatly legally, but philosophically, surely we can do better.

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My belief that life begins at conception is mine to cling to.

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And I would put the life of a mother over the life of a fetus every single time — even if I still need to acknowledge my conviction that the fetus is indeed a life. A life worth sacrificing.

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Preachers and Google Glass

1/29/2013

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Here's my prediction: Preachers everywhere will be flocking to buy google glass . . . so they can look like they're preaching their sermons without using notes.

And do you know what? It won't improve preaching one bit.

Why? Well, it's quite simple: There's a world of difference between preaching without notes and pretending to not use notes.

The preacher who does not use notes has to have internalized the text and the big idea of the text so much so that they are able to speak it conversationally.

The preacher who uses notes has not internalized it to this extent . . . so even if he looks like he's not using notes, he will still sound like he is.

I have a horrible memory. I write out an outline and a complete manuscript for each and every sermon I preach.

But still, I don't use notes.

I don't use notes when I preach for a variety of reasons . . . but one of the most important reasons is this, "If I can't remember it, why should I expect my congregation to remember it."

So, I predict cool, hip preacher-types will flock to get google glass. But it isn't really going to change anything.

You've heard it here first.


p.s. I've never been so excited for a piece of technology to come out and I actually want a pair . . . just not for preaching.

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Review: Book of Revelation (GN)

1/28/2013

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Summary: Based on a 2004 translation by two Greek Orthodox priests, The Book of Revelation is an illustrated interpretation of the entire book of Revelation. This visual narrative tells the story from John’s perspective in exile, on the Island of Patmos.


Review: Unlike many similar Bible comics, The Book of Revelation, features no textual commentary, but only visual commentary. The entire text of Revelation fills this book, and the reader is given images to illustrate the events of the book.

First, let me offer my criticisms. The translation used is odd . . . but that’s generally a good thing. It forces those familiar with the biblical text to consider it freshly. While the translation is generally faithful to the original language, there are a few modern phrases like, “leapt forth” and “rocketing from heaven” that seem out of place for the way the text was translated. In addition to this, some of the artistic interpretations of the original text just seem counter to what I visualize when I read Revelation. The image of Christ the Lamb is a particular example of this.

Beyond these criticisms, I absolutely love this book. The authors help the readers experience Revelation almost as if we were St. John and these visions were being revealed to us as well. One of the brilliant storytelling methods the authors implement is using John as a character in the story. Often, the artists show us John’s reactions to the visions he’s experiencing. We see John’s fearful face in the presence of God. We see his disgust at the murderous depravity of men. We see his shock and horror as the judgments are poured out on the earth. And we see his jubilation as he beholds the new heaven and new earth. Absolutely brilliant! 

The art colors are mostly muted an subdued . . . but when we are given vibrant colors, they grab hold of the senses and communicate powerfully.

I should also pause here to note that I picked this book up in the “children’s section” of a store. This is not a children’s book. It is suitable for teenagers, but the book does not shy away from illustrating the horrors found in the book.

In conclusion, I love this book. Revelation is a highly visual epistle, prophecy, and apocalypse. I cannot imagine reading this book without responding to God with awe, reverence, fear, and joy that one day, the Lord Jesus Christ will return and make all things right.

Rating: 5/5 (I loved it)

Find it here on Amazon.

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Disagreeing with Your Teachers

1/26/2013

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Me and the good doctor!
If you don’t disagree with the people teaching you, you’re already in serious trouble.

Let me explain.

One of my favorite teachers is one of the philosophy professors from my seminary, William Lane Craig. He is awesome. I’ve read a number of his books, including Reasonable Faith and Contending with Christianity’s Critics which focus on a well-reasoned, multifaceted defense of the faith. He is a man of humility and a man of boldness. He is, at once, ferocious and kind. I have watched dozens (of dozens, of dozens) of his debates . . . and he thoroughly wins each and every one of them.
Dr. Craig amazes me. In fact, I have so much regard for him, I drove three hours in a snowstorm with driving wind to see a talk he gave down in Grand Rapids last week.

And I disagree with him.

Not on everything, of course, but on some weighty things for sure.

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For example, Dr. Craig is publishing a series of wonderful children’s books on the attributes of God. So far, I love them all and look forward to reading them to my (future) children and my (present) kids in the church. All of them, that is, except the God is Everywhere book. In it, the anthropomorphized father-bear explains God’s omnipresence in the following way:
“Since God doesn’t have a body, He isn’t really in any place at all.

"When we say God is everywhere, we mean that He knows what is happening everywhere in the whole world and that He is making things happen everywhere in the whole world.”
That is wrong. True, God is spirit and transcendent, but he is also immanent. He is not merely aware of everything that’s happening, but he is also everywhere.

Here’s what a standard systematic theology book would say:
Omnipresence. God is everywhere present at the same time in essence, awareness , and power (Ps 139:7-12). This related to His immensity; His being fills all (1 Kgs 8:27; Jer 23:24).1

(And of course, we affirm that God is both present in and distinct from all of creation.)

I like Craig for philosophy and apologetics. I'm not too keen on his theology here.

Does that mean I don't like William Lane Craig and reject everything? By no means! But what it does mean is that we must always think critically (even when reading authors with a similar worldview) and just have the clarity of mind to be able to say, "I agree with this," or "I don't agree with this," or "I never thought about it like that, let me look into this further."

In fact, I can’t think of any one of my mentors or favorite authors with whom I agree on every last one of their views. But I still am learning from Dr. Craig because on most primary and secondary issues we agree. The tertiary issues are important, but I’m comfortable enough to respectfully disagree when I need to. (And thrilled to host a simulcast Dr. Craig debate showing at the Orchard Church next week!)

And the same is true for you. If you find yourself agreeing all the time with the things any teacher  says, you’re probably not using the wonderful gift of discernment God gave you.

. . . and by the way, that goes for me too. I hope you, and my congregation disagrees with me from time to time . . .

(. . . and I hope those disagreements are only over tertiary issues!)



1Holloman, Henry. Kregel Dictionary of the Bible and Theology. Grand Rapids: Kregel Acedemic & Professional, 2005.

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Untold Podcast: The Juniper Tree

1/25/2013

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Episode 4 of the Untold Podcast is now live! The podcast features the classic, but often neglected, Brothers Grimm story "The Juniper Tree".

I decided to rate it 'PG' but like many of these stories, it is rather dark. A couple of the sound effects (which just follow the story) are particularly disturbing. I probably would have rated it 'PG 13' if it wasn't a classic.

Also, for the voice of the step-mom (who is interestingly called "mother" throughout the story, which I think is a little piece of unmerited grace she is given but pays no mind to), I decided to take on a cow-like voice. I think I did this so the ugliness of her soul was matched in some physical way.

Head on over to the Untold Podcast and listen for free!

And please share it with your friends!
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Review: Angry Conversations with God

1/24/2013

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Summary: Snarky and sometimes sarcastic, Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Memoir, follows the life of aspiring actress and creative-type Susan as she tries to live her dreams, find love, and figure out what in the world God wants her to do so he will give her a life worth living.


Review: For the life of me, I do not understand why there are so few Christian memoirs. I don’t mean biographies. I’m talking about the genre of memoir. The genre that doesn’t so much celebrate the grand achievements of a person, but rather focuses on the everyday moments of a life which we all can relate to. Angry Conversations is such a book.

Susan B. Isaacs does not shy away from bearing her soul, her mistakes, her hurts and pains. What’s unique in Angry Conversations, is the addition of witty and laugh out loud humor.

Isaacs also takes us into her marriage counseling sessions with God.

That’s right, in the story, Susan is so disgusted with God that she walks into a counselor’s office and asks for marriage counseling for her and God. What follows is a gradual shift of perspectives of who God is in Susan’s mind. It’s an amazing transformation worth the read.

I deeply appreciated the candor of this book. The journey. And the honesty that even threw out some off-color language (vulgar, not profane).

I highly recommend this book and I’m thrilled to see a well-written memoir from an open and honest Christian.

Rating: 5/5 (I loved it)

Find it here on Amazon.
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The Gotcha Post

1/19/2013

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I hate "gotcha" posts on Facebook. Everybody has them; liberals, conservatives, environmentalists, vegans, gun-owners, pro-lifers, pro-choicers and even Christians.

I don't like any of these posts from any of these sorts of people. But from Christians, I think it's absolutely wrong to post these sorts of things.

I know, right now my Christian friends are asking, "Why Pastor Nathan?" (Or those of you who don't have all that much respect for me might be asking, "Why Nate-dogg?") Certainly some of these "gotcha posts" contain truth!  Well, yes and no.

Let's look at some:
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Subtext: "You guys are [expletive] and everybody knows it!
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less clever than the above dig . . .
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I've been tempted to use this one from time to time.
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Alienating half the population seems like a good game plan in winning people to Christ.
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not entirely accurate . . .
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see above comment . . .
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Surely this will change their minds!
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'cause atheists don't believe anything, you see . . .
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Translation: "If you have a scripture tattoo you're a hypocrite."
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I would like to see some hard data on how many grieving mothers and burn victims felt compassion from this post . . .
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Cool! I always wanted to meet Paul!
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So now I can control other people's very will?
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This is the hill all Christians should choose to die on! (Note: sarcasm)
You see, one of the major problems with evangelical Christians today isn't in what we believe. We know all the right doctrines and our systematic theology is, more or less, grounded and sound. We have a good handle on God, Humanity, Sin, Death, Jesus, the Afterlife, Marriage, Divorce, Sexual Ethics and the like. Our orthodoxy is solid. But our orthopraxy is anemic, atrophied and spitting up blood.

What's orthopraxy? Well, orthodoxy is "right belief." Orthopraxy is "right actions." These two concepts need to work alongside of each other. We can believe all the right things, like that deceit is a sin, but be deceptive persons in the core of our character.

Knowing the right thing is not the same as doing the right thing.

This brings me back to the "gotcha" posts that everyone is so fond of. I see these things and I find myself asking, "Is this how Jesus dealt with sin and sinners?"
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insulting, and not all that pithy . . .
Was Jesus trying to "score points" and show everyone that he was right through pithy and insulting sayings?

Or was he trying to rescue individuals from the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of God?

Read through the gospels. Who was Jesus harsh with? The tax collectors? The gluttons? The drunkards? The prostitutes? No. To these he showed compassion, genuine concern and invited them into the Kingdom of God by saying: "Repent and believe in the good news!" (Mark 1:15) 

But Jesus was harsh.

Who was he harsh with? He was harsh with the religious leaders. The believers in God. The ones who should know better. The ones who had all of the right orthodoxy but none of the right orthopraxy.

So the next time you're going to post one of those "gotcha" memes, or for that matter open your mouth, maybe . . . just maybe . . . as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ you need to ask yourself, "Why am I posting this? Is it to score points? Is it to make me feel better about what I believe? Will it draw people to Jesus, or will it misrepresent Jesus' personality? How would someone who doesn't believe any of this stuff respond?

"Is this how Jesus spoke to sinners?"
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Review: Handy Guide to Greek

1/17/2013

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Summary: A supplement tool-book of Greek aids to those who have already received some training in the language, The Handy Guide to New Testament Greek: Grammar, Syntax, and Diagramming by Douglas S. Huffman is filled with charts, diagrams and short explanations to aid students and pastors in further understanding the biblical language.

Review: I was not a perfect Greek student (B-, C+, B+, A-, A, B+), but I tried to learn and apply the language as best as I could during my time in seminary. As a pastor now, I try to come back to the Greek often, but find that there are definite holes in my knowledge of the language. The Handy Guide is a rather short read, but I found that it has already reminded me of some of the things I’ve forgotten, and filled in the gaps of my Greek memory.

The book is divided into three sections: Grammar, Syntax and Diagramming. The Grammar and Syntax section I found to be the most useful. I personally have never found anything but the most basic of diagrams to be terribly helpful as a pastor, but more in depth exegetes will undoubtedly find the diagram section to serve them well.

My criticisms are short, but significant. Some of the orderings in the charts are different than the grammars I used (Mounce and Wallace). For example, in Huffman’s “case endings by declension” chart, he lists the feminine endings first, then the masculine for the first declension, but then switches back to the more traditional order (Masc., Fem., Neu.) for the other two declensions. Additionally, there is a diagram included to help the student better visualize how prepositions work, but it confuses more than helps. Finally, I would have found it more helpful if the first and second sections were combined. As the book is now, in the first section I can see the morphology of nouns, verbs, and participles, but then learn about their functions in the second section. I would have found it more useful to have these sections combined.

Overall, though, this is an excellent aid for students, pastors and Greek enthusiasts alike. It is a quick read that offers easy to digest information and reinforces a person’s understanding of the language.

Rating: 4/5 (I really liked it)

Get the book from: Kregel or Amazon.


I received a digital copy of this book for free in exchange for an unbiased review.

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Your Titles and Names

1/15/2013

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Names and titles are terribly important.

They define who we are. They remind of us of our roles, privileges and responsibilities in life. The title of doctor reminds a person to “first do no harm.” And our names, likewise, sum up who we are to those who know us . . . and to ourselves. It is because of this that I do not like being called “Nate,” but rather “Nathan.”

In the excellent book, Charts on the Book of Revelation by Mark Wilson, I found a chart listing all the names and titles given to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ found in the book of Revelation.

For those of you who are believers, let these titles encourage you, and these names guide you towards the sort of person you ought to be.

For those of you who have not yet experienced the wonderful freedom of bowing before the Lord of all, read this list, surrender to Jesus and let these names become your own.

Here is a good portion of those titles and names:

  • Servants
  • Fellow servants
  • One who reads of the words of the prophecy
  • Those who hear (the words)
  • Those who keep the words/commandments
  • Kingdom
  • Priests
  • Brothers
  • Partner in tribulation
  • Church(es)
  • Apostles
  • Those who have an ear
  • Those who are victorious
  • Faithful witness
  • Witness(es)
  • One who is watchful
  • Saints
  • Those who were sealed
  • Tribe(s) of Israel
  • Great multitude
  • Prophets
  • Those who fear him or his name
  • Offspring of the woman
  • Those who follow the Lamb
  • Firstfruits
  • My people
  • Wife
  • Holy City
  • New Jerusalem
  • Bride
  • My son
  • Righteous one
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LotR: Extended Edition Thoughts

1/14/2013

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After finally seeing The Hobbit in the theater, my wife and I are watching The Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition on dvd. After going through this version, I have decided that when I finally buy this excellent trilogy on blu-ray, I will be purchasing the theatrical release rather than the extended editions.

In my humble, but correct, view the theatrical releases are superior for two reasons: pacing and music.

First, the pacing of the extended editions is thrown way off by the insertion of the additional scenes. Yes, as a geek I am intrigued by the gifts given to the Fellowship by Lady Galadriel. I am also interested to hear about how the Ent men have lost track of the Ent women. And the added scene where we learn about Aragon’s extended lifespan gives the viewer a little bit of insight into why the character is so wise. All of these things are very interesting, but they do little to enhance the story or the characters. Worse, they actually minimize the dramatic tension of the story, which causes the pacing of the film to slow down. The theatrical version of these films moves along at a fast pace. The extended version drags on.

Second, the music of the extended edition hurts the overall story. I know that Howard Shore re-scored the extended edition, but the music just isn’t as dramatic in this version of the film. And this is not a poor refection on Shore’s brilliance, but rather the impossibility of coming back to a scene that has had an additional four seconds of content inserted and trying to make up music to fit into that moment while flowing into the rest of the score. It just can’t happen well. If you have both versions of the trilogy, go back and watch Boromir’s heroic last stand in The Fellowship of the Ring. The new music deflates the scene in the extended edition when compared to the theatrical cut. And this was done so we could see a couple extra Uruk-hai get their heads chopped off. Even worse is Gandalf’s glorious appearance at the Battle of Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers. The pacing of the scene is brilliant in the theatrical release. In the extended cut, the pacing and the music both hurt the dramatic tension.

More is not always better. I, for instance, could probably preach for four hours every Sunday if I wanted to. I put that much work into my sermons. But I boil them down to thirty to forty minutes. I cut out everything but the best content, and keep only the content that is of the most importance and I leave all the tangents on the cutting room floor. The result is a more enjoyable sermon. More is not always better.

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