► *■«» «•>■•*«< V* • e » • • i 4 • »•> »X • ' S Ir • * r w a * Page 6...The Portland Observer...December 25,1991 • Portland Observer RELIGION The Bible Speaks On Humanity, Creation And The Environment BY MICHAEL LINDSEY Dean of North Portland Bible College The text fo r the Sunday School lesson (International Series) fo r next Sunday is Psalm 8. Let me encourage you again to build a new habit in 1 9 9 2 - the habit o f Sunday School attendance. Stronger adult Sunday School classes will strengthen the outreach o f your church, and also strengthen your fa m ily spiritially. O LO RD , our Lord, how majestic (excellent) is thy name in all the earth! That is how our text, Psalm 8, begins, and also how it ends. The name o f our G od is all-im portant to a right understanding o f who he is. The name LORD in most o f our versions trans lates the Hebrew name “ Y ahw eh” or “ Jehovah.” There is no Conspiracy here to obscure the name o f our God (as som e have claimed); the English trans lators are simply following the pattern o f the New Testam ent writers, who consistently translated “ Yahweh” with the Greek “ kyrios,” which means “ lord,” “ m aster,” even “ husband” in some contexts. (Compare Matt 3:3 with Isaiah 40:3; and Matt 22:43-44 with Psalm 110:1.) It doesn’t m atter very much what pronunciation we give to the names of G od (Yahweh is only one of them); much more important is our understand ing o f who he is, and w hat his name means. The name LORD o r Yahweh com es from their verb for being, and therefore means “ the one who is,” i.e., the God who is real, self-existent, inde pendent, not bound to people’s rituals or sacrifices, like the gods o f other ancient peoples. Surely our G od is excellent, majestic, and worthy o f all our praise and obedience. And his name is excellent because it reveals his self-sufficient character. Don’t let anyone tell you that your church is a false church because it doesn’t use the right (English) name for God. They miss the whole point: the names o f God are not ritual formulas to follow; they represent important aspects o f his char acter. King David wrote Psalm 8 and addressed the entire psalm to the Lord. And yet if we read it carefully, w e’ll see that David is revealing the wonderful relationship between God and hum an ity, and praising God for that. Some of the deepest questions we can ask as human beings surface in Psalm 8: Are people significant? W hat makes us im portant? How do we relate to the rest of Freshen Your Laundry With Baking Soda (NU) - As nights grow chilly and frost lurks just around the comer, it’s time to bring out the winter ward robe Experts suggest baking soda can help freshen those clothes and keep them looking good. For baking soda laundry tips, write to Ami & Hammer Use Wheel Offer, P.O. Box 4533, Dept. E. Monticello, MN 55365-4533. En close $1 to cover postage and han dling and allow four to six weeks for delivery. NE of 2. Fundraising 3. Community News Letter 5. Board Participation ° .Catfish .Red Snapper .BEG Ribs .Steaks .Turnip Greens .Cornbread .Chitterlings .Yams .Blackeyed Peas .Sweet Potato Pies . Peach Cobbler Wigland .6AM Breakfast . Hot Food Express Line 11am - 2pm . Master Charge . Visa . American Express One of the Northwest Largest Wig Displays Wigs and Hairpieces For all Nationalities E va G abor N aomi S ims R enee of P aris AVENUE Steen’s Kitchen 7332 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Synthetic & Human Hair For Braiding & Weeving SUNDAY SCHEDULE Bible Study 9:30 am. Morning Worship 10:45 am. Men’s Training Leadership Women’s Bible Class 5:00 pm. Evening Worship 6:00 pm. Attended nursery for all services Wednesday prayer meeting Min ister Gregory Fobbs * Down Home Cooking At Its Very Best! Please call Rose Marie Davis @ 281-8976 any time. C hrist M ALLORY Family Dining ▼ Catering < Specialty Menu We need volunteers interested in: 1. Community Service psalm a lot better, since idols and pagan gods are not even mentioned. Since mankind has such a status, we are unique in the creation, with a special honor over all the rest. There is no distinction in this honor between male and female (Gen 1:27), nor among any o f the races o f humanity (Acts 17:26; Gen 3:20). W hat else does God tell us? (2) That humanity has a tremendous re sponsibility to rule over the earth (Ps 8:6-8; Gen 1:26 again), and we will be judged on how well we have handled the marvvelous creation he gave us. As such, people have the right to ‘ ‘sub due” the earth, but not to ravage it, to contral its resources for human bene fit, but not to destroy i t The earth is not an organism, nor should it be worshipped as a mother goddess. These things are being glibly taught today as obvious fact. The truth is, “ the earth is the L ord’s, and the fullness thereof, the sea, and those that dwell therein” (Ps 24:1), I be lieve Christians should be in the fore front of recycling efforts, cleaning up toxic waste sites, anti-nuclear activ- ism -not because we “ love our mother’ ’ (earth), but because we know and love its Creator. Homestyle Cooking Interested in Community Development in Northeast Portland? The Northeast Genesis Project needs your help! M allory 3908 folks to train carnivores to eat plant life? O r should that be protected too? My point is, without some clear revelation of the nature of God, and nature, and humanity, people will o f ten respond to immediate situations, with emotional responses that seem self-contradictory on reflection. Many o f my friends have adopted little bits of eastern religion, reincarnation, as trology, nationalism/patriotism, Star Trek optimism and other philosophies. But they don’t understand that there is a god, who is there, who has com m u nicated the truth about the human race. We don’t need an ET to tell us our past, or our future. God is a Super- Terrestrial, and he’s given us all we need to know. W hat does God tell us, then? (1) That humanity is created in the very image of God him self (Gen 1:26) and as such is only a little lower than his Creator. In Psalm 8:5 we read “ for thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.” The Hebrew word translated “ the him with glory andhomour.” The Hebrew word trans lated “ the angels” in this verse is actully elohim, which means either “ G od” or “ the gods,” depending on the context. I think the former fits this Volunteers Needed I“ C hurch mines the very basis of human dignity and society. Fortunately, we still have a resi due of Judaeo-Christian values in our society, and materialistic evolution as a world view is still widely resisted. The Gallup organization tells us that four out o f five Americans would label themselves Christians, and nine out of ten Americans believe there is a God. But it’s obvious that a lot of people have adopted a different view o f God from the revelation of the Bible. Their lives reflect many strange views of morality, o f the value o f life, o f stan dards of right and wrong. I call their approach ‘ ‘God is there, but he doesn’t com m unicate.’ ’ Some o f the extremes of the Earth-First ecology movement result from these attitudes. Animal rights activists believe that all animal life is valuable, even sacred. So they must believe something about God. If they are fully consistent, they teach that animals have as much right to exist as people. As a result, some become vegetarians by conscience, and believe all people should do the same. I’m not sure what they expect such animal-eaters as eagles, tigers, salmon and spotted owls to do. W ouldn ’ t it be consistent for these CLEAN CLOTHES Christmas Give “ T here’s no place like this place, nowhere near this place. This is the place.” This is the place where family needs are met spiritually and physi cally: See schedule below. Tuesdays-Free clothes for the entire family WED. & FR I’s-F o o d Distribution Day. Times--1:00pm to 3:00pm. For further ¡information ask for Pat Gamble or Ruth Glass at 288-1092. life (and non-life, for that matter) here on earth? As I see it, there are really three schools o f thought today that give an swers to these questions. In one case, humanity is really an amazing “ acci dent of evolution.” Given billions of years, some cosmic ooze, and a whole lot of lu c k -o r some other mechanism which no-one has discovered yet—and the end product turns our to be mj ! A ren’t you excited? Think carefully before you answer. If we are merely a highly devel oped product of matter, plus time, plus chance (as many evolutionists argue), then we have no purpose for existence. We are no more important than a sea fish, or an amoeba, or a pile o f rubbish. O r else we are only as important as we choose to make ourselves-and w ho’s to say w e’re wrong? Someone may argue that his race is superior to all oth- e rs-w h o can claim that all people are equal, unless someone created them equal? Someone else may claim that men have the right to abuse (weaker) women and children, because they are inherently stronger-how can evolution, and “ survival of the fittest,” deny his point? I think that evolution, when fol lowed to its logical conclusions, under ThePrudential Jim Werner District Agent, 19 Years Service Mon - Fr. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday 10 - 5:30 pin 11300 N.E. Halsey, Suite 100 Portland, OR 97220 Residence: 503-771-6113 N e a r L lo y d C e n te r 284-1664 1105 N.E. Broadway M MM M MM MM M MeM MeMM M MM fittM MM Jesus Loves You! and???,e All en Temple CME CL urch Cold-weather goods needed 7:30 pm. Radio Ministry Each Sunday, 11:00 AM - KBMS Psalm 34:3 As winter nears, blankets, heavy coats and other cold-weather clothing are once again atop our list of desperately needed items. Among the other needs: workboots, rain gear and tents (for the homeless), . blankets, pillows, bedsheets, baby blankets, pots, pans, dishes, kitchen utensils, tables and chairs, chests of drawers. For details: 284-6878. 288-1092 R E S TO R IN G N E W TESTAMENT C H R ISTIAN ITY 4236 NE Eighth Avenue (corner of 8lh & Skidmore) Portland, Oregon 97211 (503) 287-0261 Phillip S. Nelson Pas,or ^ B a p tis t d f u r c t f 8101 N. Fiske Avenue Portland, Oregon 97203 Church Phone: 2 8 9 -0 1 4 7 Sunday Service 10:45 Sunday School 9 :3 0 Bible Study 6:00 Evening Service 7:00 Study Phone: 2 8 9 -1 9 1 1 M allory Avenue Christian Church D I s p I e o f C h r s MT OLIVET BAPTIST CHURCH WE ARE MOVING SUNDAY SERVICES TO t God’s Presence promises Power through Jesus Christ In Good Times and Bad Times Stone Tower Church, N.E. Sandy Blvd. & 3Oth AAnttfiecu / 7:f?& W orship Services 8:00 A.M. & 11:00 A.M. C hurch School 9:30 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. Bible Study. Wednesdays. 116 N.E.Schuyler 10:30»A.M. and 6:30 P.M. "Come to me oil you who ore weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest" 9:45om 11:00am 7:30pm Pasta: Rev James C E Faulkner rheme: Whatever you're going to do 'or the Lord, do it now I Peter lv .1 1 t , » « « < * Sunday School Morning Worship Tuesday Bible Study and Prayer Inter-racial Congregation Radio M in istry each Sunday. 8:00 A.M .-KBM S A Teaching C hurch W ith A Reaching M in is try Dr. James E. M artin. Senior Pastor Denise P ßell, Postor Church Office 116 N.E. Schuyler, 126 N.€. Alberta + Portland, OR 97211 + (503) 288-5173 ♦ # .p .* *• V » 0 ti fA W W * «