The Top 10 Genocides of Last Century

This is a very depressing subject, but an important one. Sometimes when we think of genocide we go right to "the Holocaust" in Europe from 1933-1945.
       Here is the top 10 genocides of the 20th century:

1. China, under Mao Ze-Dong, 1949-50 and 1966-69: 50 million to 78 million people
2. Soviet Union, under Jozef Stalin, 1932-39: 23 million
3. Europe, under Adolph Hitler, 1933-1945: 12 million
4. Congo, under Leopold II of Belgium, 1886-1908: 8 million
5. Japan, under Hideki Tojo, 1941-1944: 5 million
6. Armenia, under Turkish rule, 1915: 1.8 million (Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks)
7. Cambodia, under Pol Pot, 1975-79: 1.7 million
8. North Korea, under Kim II June, 1948-1994: 1.6 million
9. Ethiopia, under Menghistu, 1975-78: 1.5 million
10. Biafra, under Yakubu Gowon, 1967-1970: 1 million

California Pizza Kitchen TODAY

To Our Friends in Denver, print the flyer below and go to California Pizza Kitchen today (Feb. 20th) or next Sunday (Feb. 27th) to support a good cause.

Deuteronomy 29:29

God, our God, will take care of the hidden things but the revealed things are our business. It's up to us and our children to attend to all the terms in this Revelation."

~ Deuteronomy 29:29 (The Message)

The Film "Juno"

I really like the film "Juno." I feel a bit awkward saying that, almost embarassed. Some will think I am "off my rocker," that I am "one apple short of a bushel," that the lift is "stuck between floors." You get the idea.
       I am not advocating teen pregnancy, nor am I advocating the lifestyles of the characters. But there are some brilliant and insightful themes in this film and these have captured my heart:

• Bleeker's commitment to Juno. The fact that he is such a nerd makes it all the more special. And ya just gotta love the guy's running outfit!
• Juno's grief at the end of the film over giving her baby away, all the while it being bittersweet because the baby has a loving adoptive mother;
• Juno's father and step-mother are just classic characters. I love how the dad relates to Juno - raw, real, hopeful, realistic, broken and healing.

Such is my sacrilege for today!

Stanley Hauerwas introduces "Hannah's Child"

Mental Illness Talk by Stanley Hauerwas

Stanley Hauerwas' first talk as part of Fuller Seminary's Integration Symposium was quite overwhelmingly emotional. He gave highlights from his memoir about being married to someone with bipolar disorder.
       It was raw...real...unedited...heart-wrenching... confusing...even funny at points.
Two quotes stick with me:
"The DSM-4 is a legitimating document which helps the therapist do his work when he does not know what the hell he is talking about."
His final statement of the hour-long question and answer time was:
"What I have learned is that all that matters is: 'Jesus is Lord.' Everything else is bullshit."

God and Mental Illness

I just happen to be at Fuller Seminary on the week that they do their annual Psychology Integration Symposium. This year's speaker is Stanley Hauerwas. Click HERE to read more about the symposium and Professor Hauerwas.
       Dr. Hauerwas' first talk is: Mental Illness: My Story "will tell the story of Dr. Hauerwas' marriage to someone suffering from bi-polar illness.  In particular, he will focus on the suffering and pain the illness entails for the one so affected."
      All that is missing here is Susy, who would appreciate this discussion more than me.

Finishing the Quote in Isaiah 63

One of the speakers at the conference The Holocaust and the Bible quoted Isaiah 63 at the end of his talk, as an encouragement about the destiny of the Jews. The quote is from Isaiah 63:7-9:
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD 
And the praises of the LORD, 
According to all that the LORD has bestowed on us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, 
Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,
According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.
For He said, “Surely they are My people,
Children who will not lie.”
So He became their Savior.
In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the Angel of His Presence saved them;
In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;
And He bore them and carried them
All the days of old. 
I love that passage ... but of course verse 10 follows verse 9:
But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;
So He turned Himself against them as an enemy,
And He fought against them.
Hmmmm... it's a bit more complex and intricate in regards to the Jewish people than we would care to admit. I am not saying this is the ultimate state of we Jews. All I am saying is that it is more fair to Scripture to read the "good news" and the "bad news" as a unit.

My Brother's Forthcoming Book

My brother Randy is coming out with a new book in a couple of months. It's called, "Bringing the Gospel Home" (published by Crossway Books).

       An excerpt from the book was published in Campus Crusade's magazine Worldwide Challenge a couple of month ago. It's about my mom finding faith - a really inspiring God-sized story. You can read it here: Bringing the Gospel Home | Worldwide Challenge 

        If you read to the very end of the article you will see that I get an "honorable mention" as the drunken younger brother! Yee-Ha! So glad that God does not give up on us!

       Well I cant wait to get a copy of the book and read about our family. Should be great. I'll be sure to get extra copies for people who are interested in sharing your faith with family members.

A Week of Immersion

I am at Fuller Seminary in California this week to sit in on a class entitled, "Witness in Muslim Contexts." Three hours every afternoon, 20 students (mostly about half my age!), the professor is a long-time staff member of Frontiers. An incredible guy.
       This class is electric, especially since it is beginning three days after the Egyptian government fell and today a million people were protesting in Iran. Incredible times.

Class Begins Today

Today begins the five-week class, "Isaac and Ishmael: Together and Apart" at Lookout Mountain Church. I am excited and nervous about facilitating this discussion. This is a first time for me so the adrenaline is flowing!
       I cannot imagine a more appropriate time than this to have this discussion. Two days ago the Egyptian government was overthrown, yesterday there were pro-Democracy demonstrations in Algeria. All of this is on the heels of the Tunisian government falling.
       Last week I attended a two-day conference on The Holocaust and the Bible at Denver Seminary, and tomorrow I head to Fuller Seminary to audit a course on "Witness In Muslim Contexts." Whoa!

Serve the City Amsterdam - June 1-8

We are leading a team to Amsterdam (The Netherlands) for a week to work with many other volunteers to Serve the City. If interested email me at bnewman5280@gmail.com. If you are in the Denver area come to an info meeting on February 27 12:00 to 1:00 pm at Lookout Mountain Church.
       Check out this video from one of last year's Serve the City projects:

"I feel sick to my stomach"

The conference on the Holocaust began last night with a talk by Dr. Susanna Kokkonen, Director of Christian Friends of Yad Vashem. She recounted the pre-Word War II movement in Germany from hatred of Jews to their murder.
       I felt sick to my stomach within the first 15 minutes of her hour-long talk. Sometimes I forget the depths of horror of genocide. What struck me so strongly was how quickly a culture can act on its hatred. Consider:
* In 1929, the Nazi Party won only 3% of the vote in national elections
* In 1932, the Nazi Party won 18% of the vote
* In January 1933, the Nazi Party won 37% of the vote and Adolph Hitler became Chancellor
* In April 1933 (2 months after Hitler's rise to power) the first concentration camp at Dacau was opened.
Insane! Speechless.

The Holocaust and The Bible Conference

Denver Seminary is hosting a conference today and tomorrow entitled, "The Holocaust and The Bible." Check HERE for more info on it.
       I am looking forward to this for two reasons: First, this is a "biblical studies conference" so I am hoping the issue of the Holocaust will be addressed from a biblical theology perspective more than a sociological one; second, the Rabbi Chaim Urbach is presenting a talk called, "Redemption for the Wounds of the Next Generation: Children of Holocaust Survivors." This strikes a chord close to my heart as I am the next generation after much of my father's family was killed in Auschwitz. So it has much personal application.
       I will try to report on the conference in the next couple of days on my blog.

The Adjustment Bureau Releases 4 March

The film, "The Adjustment Bureau," which I previewed with a group at Fuller Seminary a few months ago, releases in the United States on March 4th. Go see it - it's thought-provking.