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「道成了肉身,住在我們中間,充充滿滿的有恩典(Charis)有真理(Alethia)。我們也見過他的榮光,正是父獨生子的榮光。」(約翰福音1:14)

子女非父母財產

香港又發生慘劇,有一對夫婦為兒女升學爭拗,母親掟女落樓後墮樓身亡

社會福利署 總臨床心理學家劉家祖表示,很多父母有一種錯覺,認為子女是屬於自己,有權打罵或決定他們一切,部分尋死父母恐子女無人照顧,遂帶著孩子陪死,劉指這是錯誤想法。他說,子女是獨立生命,並非財產,父母有責任保護他們成長,但沒有權利奪去他們生命;這種行為屬於謀殺,須面對法律制裁。

子女非父母財產【明報專訊】2010年2月8日

「兒女是耶和華的產業*;所懷的胎是他所給的賞賜。」(詩127:3

我相信唯有上帝透過聖經啟示給我們的價值觀才能保障人的價值,防止這類慘劇發生。


* 中文和合本翻譯加了「所賜」在耶和華之後,但原文直譯卻只是「耶和華的產業」(nachalat yhwh banim)。當然,「產業」一詞是有賜下來的意味,但跟上帝賜給以色列民的地土一樣,產業的擁有權和主權仍屬上帝。正如舊約學者 Bruce Waltke 所說:

“The legal term for God’s and Israel’s relationship to the Land, as mentioned earlier, is ‘usufruct.’ I AM freely gives his land to Israel as a beneficiary to maximize their opportunity to enrich themselves by means of it, but Israel will be held accountable to not abuse their benefactor’s trust; he reserves the right to withdraw his gift if Israel breaks covenant with him. When that relationship is broken, the people suffer first judgment in the Land and, if they persist in unbelief, expulsion from it.”

Bruce Waltke, An Old Testament Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007), 543.

所以兒女是屬上帝的。父母只是管家而已。


Posted in Biblical, Parenting, Posts in Chinese, Theology.

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Change

“God does not change, but changes…”

(inspired by James 1:17, Hebrew 1:12, 1 Cor 15:51-52)


Posted in Biblical, Inspirational, Posts in English, Theology.

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Lost is proof that we still crave for metanarratives

LOST’s final sixth season is about to begin starting tomorrow at 8pm on ABC.

With so many questions up in the air, will the show be able to answer them all in the end? I am sure millions of fans worldwide are dying to know. But that is not as important as whether the characters can find resolution in their story arcs, for that is where we viewers have most of our emotional investment. Who cares what that smoke monster is, really? What we care about is whether Jin and Sun can reunite, who Kate loves the most, if John has really died in vain, or if Hurley can really break the curse in his life.

I think LOST is proof that Lyotard’s definition of “postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives” is not entirely correct. Yes, we are incredulous about modernistic, overly-optimistic, manipulative, and oppressive metanarratives, but we still crave for metanarratives that can explain the lingering mysteries and tie all the loose ends together. Deep in our human psychic has this craving for resolution. It’s in our DNA. We’d go crazy if LOST just ended with season 5.

LOST perfectly demonstrates that small, local narratives can co-exist with a larger metanarrative that gives meaning, or at least enrich the meaning of our human existence. If we only have local narratives that are radically different and mutually exclusive, I believe we will end up with tribalism and even more antagonism in our humanity. If we only had a single metanarrative that seeks to explain everything but ignores the intricate differences and diversity of our human experience, it will also lead to an ahistorical and inhumanistic structuralist view of life that fails to touch the human soul. Rather than opting for either-or, why can’t we have both?

I believe LOST gained such popularity worldwide because it is able to make each of us resonate with the characters and the experiences that they struggle through, while hinting that there is something larger going on out there that ties all our experiences together, and that there IS a meaning behind all those seemingly improbable coincidences. LOST is only fictional, yet it has already tapped into the deepest needs of our human soul. What if there is a real metanarrative to our common existence? What would that mean to us?

That, is why I have been called to be a story teller…. telling this metanarrative that ties all the threads of our lives together.


Posted in Biblical, Culture, Philosophy, Posts in English, Psychology, Television.

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The Missional Church: Simple

H/T: littleho

This is a great illustration on what the local church is supposed to be. The local church is NOT about creating endless events to attract people to come, but empowering disciples to go into the world who embody the church in them.

We don’t go to church. We are the church, wherever we go.

We must be a missional church because God is a missional God.

Here are some characteristics that I think a good church should embody:

  • God-centered – Specifically Trinitarian, in that the Father is glorified in everything when the people of God conforms more and more to the image of the Son, through the reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit.
  • Mission oriented – Participating in the mission of God for the redemption of the world. Just as how the Father sent the Son and the Spirit, we are being sent into the world (John 17). The church should follow God’s lead in doing mission, paying attention to where He is currently at work.
  • Biblically informed – The people of God should be thoroughly familiar with the over-arching biblical story and live out their lives according to their roles in the trajectory of that story line. They should also be able to retell this story well as part of any evangelistic effort. Telling people the biblical narrative is to tell people who God is and what God is up to with this world.
  • Eschatalogically minded – The church should live out the present in light of the future redemption and glory God has prepared. This includes having a worshipful community that patterns after the eternal worship in the future (Rev 5). The church should also convey to the broken world a message of hope in light of God’s salvation and promises. Evil does not have the last word because God is sovereign and in control.
  • Servanthood and Cruciform – The church should not be triumphalistic, but be demonstrative of God’s strength in weakness, serving others in humility and in cruciform.
  • Be loving and hospitable – The church should demonstrate love, grace, and forgiveness in its congregational life, because that is how people can recognize them as Jesus’ disciples (John 13). Just as God is hospitable to us, the church should demonstrate God’s hospitality in welcoming and embracing everyone without prejudice, especially those who are weak, powerless, and oppressed. God’s compassionate heart is always on the side of those who are marginalized by society.


Posted in Church, Mission & Evangelism, Posts in English, Theology.

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真正的死

我們曾聽聞在墨西哥,墳場的設計是很特別的。墨西哥的墳場,分為前後兩個區域。前面區域的進口,門檻上面寫:「死人的墳墓」。這個很容易理解。不過,墳場 的後面再有另一個區域,用另一面牆分隔開來,上面寫:「真正死了的人的墳墓」。究竟這前、後兩個部份有甚麼分別?原來有這樣的一個規定:如果一個人死了, 就會把他∕她的屍骨埋葬在前面的區域——「死人的墳墓」。但是,如果那管理墳場的人發現,某一個墳墓連續五年以上沒有人去看過、拜祭過、打掃過,就會把骸 骨搬到後面的那個區域——「真正死了的人的墳墓」。我覺得這種規矩和安排有很深長的意思:只要仍然有人記得起你,你在其他活着的人的生命中仍然留有痕跡的 話,你是未死的。那些活著只為自己的人,從來沒有對他人的生命付出過、留下痕跡,才是「真正的死了」。

是網頁結束、我們在天家再見的時候了!溫偉耀、溫葉麗芬


Posted in Life, Posts in Chinese.

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Haruki Murakami on Running

I just finished reading Murakami Haruki (村上春樹)’s memoir What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, on the intertwined relationship between his marathon running and novel writing. It inspired me so much that I want to start running and get myself in shape too. Here are so great quotes:

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” (vii)

“I don’t even think there’s that much correlation between my running every day and whether or not I have a strong will. I think I’ve been able to run for more than twenty years for a simple reason: It suits me.” (44)

“Once, I interviewed the Olympic runner Toshihiko Seko…… I asked him, ‘Does a runner at your level ever feel like you’d rather not run today, like you don’t want to run and would rather just sleep in?’ He stared at me and then, in a voice that made it abundantly clear how stupid he thought the question was, replied, ‘Of course. All the time!’…… despite being worlds apart in terms of strength, the amount we can exercise, and motivation, when we lace up our running shoes early in the morning we feel exactly the same way.” (45-46)

“No matter what, though, I keep up my running. Running every day is a kind of lifeline for me, so I’m not going to lay off or quit just because I’m busy. If I used being busy as an excuse not to run, I’d never run again. I have only a few reasons to keep on running, and a truckload of them to quit. All I can do is keep those few reasons nicely polished.” (73)

I think ministry is also like running a marathon in some sense. I know I cannot run far if I continue this lethargic, impulsive, and undisciplined lifestyle. It is time for me to shed some pounds, find my focus, and single-mindedly run towards the goal of my life. Murakami started running when he was thirty-three. I am thirty-three this year. I guess it’s never too late to start.


Posted in Book Reviews, Inspirational, Japanese, Posts in English.

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N.T. Wright’s New Book: After You Believe

N.T. Wright’s latest book will be on sale on March 2nd, 2010.

Book Description from HarperCollins:

From the author of the acclaimed Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope comes a book that addresses the question that has plagued humans for centuries—what is our purpose? As Christians, what are we to do with that ambiguous time between baptism and the funeral? It’s easy to become preoccupied with who gets into heaven; the real challenge is how we are going to live in the here and now.

Wright dispels the common misconception that Christian living is nothing more than a checklist of dos and don’ts. Nor is it a prescription to “follow your heart” wherever it may lead. Instead, After You Believe reveals the Bible’s call for a revolution—a transformation of character that takes us beyond our earthly pursuit of money, sex, and power into a virtuous state of living that allows us to reflect God and live more worshipful, fulfilling lives.

We are all spiritual seekers, intuitively knowing there is more to life than we suspect. This is a book for anyone who is hoping there is something more while we’re here on Earth. There is. We are being called to join the revolution, and Wright insightfully encourages readers to find new purpose and clarity by taking us on an eye-opening journey through key biblical passages that promise to radically alter the work of the church and the direction of our lives.


Posted in Book Reviews, Posts in English, Theology.

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