March 17, 2007
Contents
1. 180 News
2. Scene Around 180
3. Something for Your Heart
4. Surf Report
5. Birthdays
6. Forgettable Fact
7. Potent Quotables
8. Uh, That's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
MS Pool & Pizza
Hey Middle Schoolers join us on Friday, April 4 for a splashing good time at North Clackamas Aquatic Park.
We will leave the church at 5:00 and conclude our night at 9:30. Bring a friend and join us for a great night.
The cost is $10 and a completed 2008 Release Form (if not already turned in).
See pictures of last year's Pool & Pizza here.
Go here to download a flier now.
2. SCENE AROUND 180
Last Thursday night at the Danger Zone we learned of a new talent that Trevor McCracken and Jared Bass share.....Salsa Dancing!
Boy did the camera phones come out for this one!
Thank you Michelle Wiseman and Mitch Brannen for capturing the fun!
3. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
DID JESUS FAKE HIS DEATH?
A friend was telling me about Jonathan, a little kid she knows. Jonathan lives on a busy street, and he likes to sit in his front yard and watch the cars and trucks drive by.
One day Jonathan said to his dad, "I know how to make concrete."
"Oh?" replied Jonathan's dad. "How's that?"
"You make it from squirrels," Jonathan said. Noting his dad's look of surprise, he explained. "See, first a squirrel runs into the road. Then it gets hit by a car. Then more cars and more cars drive over it, and in a couple of days, when you look where the squirrel was, it's concrete!"
Jonathan may not have had a very accurate understanding of the composition of concrete or the decomposition of squirrels, but he did get one thing absolutely right: When roadkill disappears, it's not because it came back to life.
Yet Christianity claims that Jesus did exactly that. According to the New Testament, Jesus was "run over" by the force of the Roman government, which authorized the most horrifying form of capital punishment known in that day. His body lay dead for most of three days. Then, according to Christian belief, instead of decomposing, he came back to life.
Christ's resurrection--his coming back to life--is considered the ultimate proof that he is God. So it's too important a claim either to accept mindlessly or to dismiss without looking at it seriously.
Before someone can be resurrected from the dead, of course, the person has to be dead. So the first question to ask is, "Did Jesus really die on the cross? Or might he have faked his own death--and the resurrection that appeared to follow?"
RESURRECTED OR REVIVED?
One solution to the problem of a dead person coming back to life is the suggestion that Jesus didn't really die on the cross at all, but that he either fainted from exhaustion or took a drug that made him look dead. Later he revived in the cool, damp air of the tomb. Here are some of the arguments in favor of that theory:
-The Bible itself tells us that Jesus was offered some liquid on a sponge when he was on the cross (see Mark 15:36). If the sponge were drugged, Jesus might appear dead when in fact he was only heavily sedated.
-The Bible also says that Pilate was surprised at how soon Jesus died (Mark 15:44), which could suggest that Jesus was taken off the cross before his crucifixion proved fatal.
-This theory explains how Jesus' tomb could be empty (there was no corpse to bury) and how Jesus could walk and talk and eat with people after his crucifixion.
DEAD OR ALIVE?
Dr. William D. Edwards, writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, drew this conclusion about the crucifixion: "Clearly the weight of the historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted. The assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appears to be at odds with modern medical knowledge."
You can draw your own conclusions. What clinched it for me was this question: Suppose Jesus did survive the cross. Suppose he was able to escape from the burial wrappings, roll the rock away from the tomb, and get past the Roman soldiers who were standing guard. After suffering the trauma of the cross and such catastrophic blood loss, would he have inspired the disciples to hail him as a victorious conqueror of death? Would they have been motivated to start a worldwide movement based on the hope that someday they too would have a post-crucifixion body just like his?
My own conclusion, after weighing the evidence, was to rule out the theory that Jesus didn't really die on the cross. That suggestion no longer seemed plausible. But remember, the central claim of Christianity is not just Jesus' death, but his resurrection. Agreeing that Jesus was dead is still a long way from agreeing that he came back to life.
A Question for the Heart
What could possibly have motivated Jesus to willingly allow himself to be degraded and brutalized the way he was?
**
Taken from "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel and Jane Vogel, copyright 2001, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
**
4. SURF REPORT
~ Sheepherding: Test your reflexes
~ Send a SpoonTone to a friend
5. BIRTHDAYS
We've got 4 birthdays this week! HAPPY Birthday Wishes go out to Charissa McCracken, Ray Ramirez, Zach Munger and Carrie Ann McCracken! We wish you all the VERY BEST!!
6. FORGETTABLE FACT
If you shake a can of mixed nuts, the larger ones go to the top.
7. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection."
~Watchman Nee
"If the [resurrection] happened, it was the central event in the history of the earth."
~C.S. Lewis
===========our sponsor===========
WHO WAS JESUS? A GOOD MAN? A LUNATIC? GOD?
There's little question that he actually lived. But miracles? Rising from the dead? Some of the stories you hear about him sound like just that--stories. That's why Lee Strobel--an award-winning legal journalist with a knack for asking tough questions--decided to investigate Jesus for himself. An atheist, Strobel felt certain his findings would bring Christianity's claims about Jesus tumbling down like a house of cards.
He was in for the surprise of his life. Join him as he retraces his journey from skepticism to faith. Like Strobel, you'll be amazed at the evidence--how much there is, how strong it is, and what it says.
Learn more about "Case for Christ" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
8. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
1. 180 News
2. Scene Around 180
3. Something for Your Heart
4. Surf Report
5. Birthdays
6. Forgettable Fact
7. Potent Quotables
8. Uh, That's Funny?
1. 180 NEWS
MS Pool & Pizza
Hey Middle Schoolers join us on Friday, April 4 for a splashing good time at North Clackamas Aquatic Park.
We will leave the church at 5:00 and conclude our night at 9:30. Bring a friend and join us for a great night.
The cost is $10 and a completed 2008 Release Form (if not already turned in).See pictures of last year's Pool & Pizza here.
Go here to download a flier now.
2. SCENE AROUND 180
Last Thursday night at the Danger Zone we learned of a new talent that Trevor McCracken and Jared Bass share.....Salsa Dancing!
Boy did the camera phones come out for this one!
Thank you Michelle Wiseman and Mitch Brannen for capturing the fun!
Have you captured a funny or memorable moment around 180? Send it to us at newsletter@180students.com and we will include it next weeks 180 Newsletter!
3. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
DID JESUS FAKE HIS DEATH?
A friend was telling me about Jonathan, a little kid she knows. Jonathan lives on a busy street, and he likes to sit in his front yard and watch the cars and trucks drive by.
One day Jonathan said to his dad, "I know how to make concrete."
"Oh?" replied Jonathan's dad. "How's that?"
"You make it from squirrels," Jonathan said. Noting his dad's look of surprise, he explained. "See, first a squirrel runs into the road. Then it gets hit by a car. Then more cars and more cars drive over it, and in a couple of days, when you look where the squirrel was, it's concrete!"
Jonathan may not have had a very accurate understanding of the composition of concrete or the decomposition of squirrels, but he did get one thing absolutely right: When roadkill disappears, it's not because it came back to life.
Yet Christianity claims that Jesus did exactly that. According to the New Testament, Jesus was "run over" by the force of the Roman government, which authorized the most horrifying form of capital punishment known in that day. His body lay dead for most of three days. Then, according to Christian belief, instead of decomposing, he came back to life.
Christ's resurrection--his coming back to life--is considered the ultimate proof that he is God. So it's too important a claim either to accept mindlessly or to dismiss without looking at it seriously.
Before someone can be resurrected from the dead, of course, the person has to be dead. So the first question to ask is, "Did Jesus really die on the cross? Or might he have faked his own death--and the resurrection that appeared to follow?"
RESURRECTED OR REVIVED?
One solution to the problem of a dead person coming back to life is the suggestion that Jesus didn't really die on the cross at all, but that he either fainted from exhaustion or took a drug that made him look dead. Later he revived in the cool, damp air of the tomb. Here are some of the arguments in favor of that theory:
-The Bible itself tells us that Jesus was offered some liquid on a sponge when he was on the cross (see Mark 15:36). If the sponge were drugged, Jesus might appear dead when in fact he was only heavily sedated.
-The Bible also says that Pilate was surprised at how soon Jesus died (Mark 15:44), which could suggest that Jesus was taken off the cross before his crucifixion proved fatal.
-This theory explains how Jesus' tomb could be empty (there was no corpse to bury) and how Jesus could walk and talk and eat with people after his crucifixion.
DEAD OR ALIVE?
Dr. William D. Edwards, writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, drew this conclusion about the crucifixion: "Clearly the weight of the historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted. The assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appears to be at odds with modern medical knowledge."
You can draw your own conclusions. What clinched it for me was this question: Suppose Jesus did survive the cross. Suppose he was able to escape from the burial wrappings, roll the rock away from the tomb, and get past the Roman soldiers who were standing guard. After suffering the trauma of the cross and such catastrophic blood loss, would he have inspired the disciples to hail him as a victorious conqueror of death? Would they have been motivated to start a worldwide movement based on the hope that someday they too would have a post-crucifixion body just like his?
My own conclusion, after weighing the evidence, was to rule out the theory that Jesus didn't really die on the cross. That suggestion no longer seemed plausible. But remember, the central claim of Christianity is not just Jesus' death, but his resurrection. Agreeing that Jesus was dead is still a long way from agreeing that he came back to life.
A Question for the Heart
What could possibly have motivated Jesus to willingly allow himself to be degraded and brutalized the way he was?
**
Taken from "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel and Jane Vogel, copyright 2001, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here.
**
4. SURF REPORT
~ Sheepherding: Test your reflexes
~ Send a SpoonTone to a friend
5. BIRTHDAYS
We've got 4 birthdays this week! HAPPY Birthday Wishes go out to Charissa McCracken, Ray Ramirez, Zach Munger and Carrie Ann McCracken! We wish you all the VERY BEST!!
6. FORGETTABLE FACT
If you shake a can of mixed nuts, the larger ones go to the top.
7. POTENT QUOTABLES
"Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection."
~Watchman Nee
"If the [resurrection] happened, it was the central event in the history of the earth."
~C.S. Lewis
===========our sponsor===========
WHO WAS JESUS? A GOOD MAN? A LUNATIC? GOD?
There's little question that he actually lived. But miracles? Rising from the dead? Some of the stories you hear about him sound like just that--stories. That's why Lee Strobel--an award-winning legal journalist with a knack for asking tough questions--decided to investigate Jesus for himself. An atheist, Strobel felt certain his findings would bring Christianity's claims about Jesus tumbling down like a house of cards.
He was in for the surprise of his life. Join him as he retraces his journey from skepticism to faith. Like Strobel, you'll be amazed at the evidence--how much there is, how strong it is, and what it says.
Learn more about "Case for Christ" here.
Also available in your local Christian bookstore.
=================================
8. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
