A few days ago I promised to write about the few seemingly erroneous messages conveyed in Ted Dekker’s Three, so here we go.

On page 302, Dekker’s character, Dr. Slater states, “A person’s inner natures have nothing to do with religion. They are spiritual, not religious. Two natures battling. Good and evil. They are the good that we would do but do not do and they are that which we would not do, but still do.” While the portrayal of two natures is accurate, I get the impression that every human being has two natures – a good and an evil one. Assuming this were true, it would be theoretically possible for a person to make their good nature better than their evil one is bad and earn their Salvation. Additionally, scripture is clear that good works are not a result of our own goodness, but of Christ’s work in our life. The notion that all people have within themselves a good nature is incorrect. Romans 3:12 quotes the Old Testament saying, “They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” Paul writes in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Shortly thereafter, Dr. Francis says, “The three natures of man. Good, evil, and the man struggling between. ‘The good that I would, that I do not, but that which I would not, that I do.’ There are really three natures in there! One, the good. Two, that which I would not. And, three, I!” (332). I guess this could make some sense if the “good” nature was equated with the Holy Spirit…then there’s the sinful nature and the person who has a new nature because of Christ, struggling between the two. That doesn’t really seem to work, though…the Bible only ever talks about two natures – the sinful, Old Man, and the new man. Maybe this third nature, though, is just Dekker’s way of portraying the struggle Paul describes between his two natures, even though that’s not actually a separate nature. I won’t worry about it too much, I guess. I really enjoyed reading the book and, after all, it is fiction.

Ever since the storms Tuesday night and Wednesday morning ended, we’ve had absolutely amazing weather. It almost feels like fall in the evenings and is comfortable during the day. I got out and played catch with David some and he got a chance to try out the new glove my parents gave him the other day for his birthday. VBS went really well, too, with the nice weather – it was more enjoyable to be out there in the sun with the kids when I wasn’t sweating gallons of salty-substance. Tomorrow is the last day and afterward we, the leaders, get to have an ice cream party and then the annual water fight…should be cool. You can keep in your prayers a few kids…there’s Kevin, who is somewhat autistic and doesn’t focus too well. Jared also doesn’t focus well, but it’s because he’s starved for attention at home and goes to whatever means necessary to get it. I had a friendly talk with him today, so hopefully he’s feeling more loved than usual.

After getting home from physical therapy today, I worked most of the afternoon and evening (with the exception of playing catch) on David Bales‘ web site. The site is nearly complete and he’s putting his photos on now. You should check it out…he’s quite the talented photographer. The DNS records are currently propagating and his new site should be available within a day or so…probably less.

Well, I read all of Three today…well one chapter before bed last night, but I think that was after midnight, so that was technically today. Overall, it was a well-written and intriguing book. The suggestion that man has three, as opposed to two natures, in addition to the comment that all people have a good and bad nature both are a bit unsettling, as neither is Biblical. I’ve got to head off for family devotions now, so I’ll write more regarding this later.

Aside from this, though, I really enjoyed the book.

I’m helping out with a VBS-type thing held at someone’s house this week. It’s great to be around all sorts of little kids who look up to you like you’re the greatest person in the world, but it’s also exhausting. We’ve also had some pretty hot weather lately, which doesn’t help make working with little kids any less draining.

Last night, I started reading Ted Dekker’s Thr3e, as per Brad Kuhn‘s recommendation. Unlike Firefly Blue, this book jumped right into the action. Though I only have read a few chapters, I think it has a much more intriguing plot and will do a better job of captivating my attention. I also like the short length of the chapters, which makes it an easy book to pick up and set back down on busy days. The only exception, though, is that Dekker kinda drags you into the story and makes you want to keep reading.

I’ve also been doing a lot of work on a few web sites these past few days, mostly on David Bales‘ web site. I think tomorrow I’m going to work some more on the Creative Change web site.

Well, that’s about all as far as my boring life goes. Somehow, though, it’s exciting enough for me to not want the summer to end – I guess it just sounds boring when I write about it.

Oh…two more things. First, it’s my brother’s 15th birthday today…so if you see him, wish him a happy bday. Second, Stan‘s finally back from numerous trips…I think we’ll probably hang out tonight.