for December 2004

Join Liber†y at Camp Alta for a for Ski Trip / Winter retreat on December 27, 28, 29, 2004 / Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Ski, snowboard, or just enjoy the cold mountain air and warm company of others. Camp Alta is a short ways before Truckee and about one-half hour from the ski slopes. You eat your meals in a cafeteria and sleep on bunks in a dorm room. You pay only $45. That’s for two nights and five meals! Phone Mike Lee for details at 650.922.0207

Join us for two nights of prayer. From 11:00 pm to midnight on Friday December 24th and Friday December 31st you are all invited to pray for revival. We will begin Christmas Day and New Years Day with a prayer in our hearts.

A Christmas Dialog

Do you have faith enough to believe that a human child could be born without benefit of a human parent? The preacher had just finished his Christmas sermon making a point to emphasize the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. As he was greeting visitors on their exit out the double-doors, a skeptical visitor grasped his hand and asked him with a smile “Do you really believe that Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary.

The preacher replied, “Yes I do”.

The skeptic shook his head and said, “How could you believe such nonsense? I read that the early followers of Jesus concocted this virgin-birth story just to power up Jesus’ résumé? And why didn’t you mention in your sermon that some scholars think this entire Christmas episode is really just a metaphor for God coming to dwell with men?”

The preacher said, “You’re making some good points. Why don’t you have a seat and when these people are gone, we’ll talk about this further.”

After the crowd had thinned out to a few talkers, the preacher went over and sat next to the visitor.

PREACHER: What is it that troubles you about the virgin birth of Jesus? SKEPTIC: It’s so unscientific. I’m a skeptical person by nature. I’m the kind of person who only believes what he sees. I would describe myself as an empiricist.

PREACHER: And what does an empiricist believe?

SKEPTIC: Well, I believe only what I can see, hear, touch, smell or taste. That’s it. There are billions of people on this planet today. It is empirically valid that each one has a human father and a human mother. I am confident that’s the way it has always been throughout all history. I have never seen, read of, or heard of a baby being born without benefit of both a human father and mother. No exceptions.

PREACHER: Hey, I agree with you. I have absolutely no experience with virgin birth. Everybody I know was born in the usual way… except for that one person named Jesus. His birth was a miracle. I preached about the evidence in my sermon and I accept the virgin birth on faith.

SKEPTIC: But that’s the whole point. I don’t trust your evidence and I don’t have your kind of faith. I am an empiricist and I only believe what my senses tell me. Come on, every adolescent knows where babies come from. I’m sorry, preacher, but I can’t swallow something as fantastic as a virgin birth.

PREACHER (slyly): Maybe the Christmas story is a big thing to swallow. But, at least I’m glad that you’re not a Darwinist.

SKEPTIC (sputtering): Not a Darwinist? What does Darwin have to do with anything? Of course, I’m a Darwinist.

PREACHER: Well, it is your empirical observation that every baby has a human father and a human mother. You said it has always been this way throughout history without exception. It’s a logical deduction that the very first human baby was born of a fully human mother and a fully human father. In our circles we call the first parents “Adam and Eve”.

SKEPTIC: Hold on here! You tricked me. We were discussing religion not evolution.

PREACHER: I must disagree with you. We were discussing origins; you know, “where babies come from”. And neither of us has ever seen a human baby born of a non-human parent. That’s empirical. Right? I’m making one single exception for Jesus who I say was born of a virgin mother and the Holy Spirit, and you are making an exception for Charles Darwin who teaches that somewhere in pre-history some un-named human baby was born of a non-human parent.

SKEPTIC: But evolution is true. It’s based on real evidence; things like fossils and carbon dating. I can’t believe your telling me this. Every reputable scientist in the whole world says that evolution is true. It must be true.

PREACHER: Evolution may be true. You may believe it, but it’s not empirical. Remember, you’re the one who emphatically made that clear to me. Perhaps the Darwin story is really just a metaphor for humans trying to usurp the creative prerogative of God. You and I are alike. We both have faith enough to believe that a human child could be born with benefit of a human parent. It’s just that we have different kinds faith.

SKEPTIC: You’re crazy and I’m out of here.