14 April 2008 by Brian.

I’ve been reading a very good book, edited by Ravi Zacharias, called “Beyond Opinion”.  I highly recommend it, as it offers insight into the challenges and opportunities offered by a variety of world views competing with Christianity today.

In the course of reading the chapter on Islam, I learned an interesting fact which explains a lot of the information I’ve heard regarding the religion of Mohammed.  There is a doctrine in Islam known as ‘abrogation’, which allows scholars to explain away one passage which stands in direct opposition to another by saying that the second passage abrogated (repealed) the former.  This explains how Islamic scholars can say that the Quran advocates tolerance of Christians while another passage exhorts Muslims to make war against Christians and to kill them.   It gets really tricky when you consider that there is no clear logic (at least to the casual reader) that indicates which passages supercede the others.

Next time you hear someone defend Islam as a religion of peace while quoting the Quran to “prove” it,  consider the fact that the speaker may be reading a passage that isn’t even considered the final word on the topic.  I’ll share another doctrine in the near future which makes this even trickier.  Bottom line: don’t believe everything you hear…Islam is decidedly different from Christianity or Judaism.  We need to know how so we don’t allow it to simply enforce its will in the world while we look the other way and tell ourselves there’s nothing to be concerned about.

Keep in mind that this has NOTHING to do with the call to love and reach out to Muslim friends and neighbors.  Just because a particular religion is hostile to our own, doesn’t mean we’re not called to love its adherents.  This is just as true of Secular Humanism as it is of Islam and it’s a calling we can never ignore or diminish in any way…we must take up our crosses daily wherever God has called us.

Posted in Community, Politics, Social Medicine, Abortion, Humanism, Social Injustice, Eurabia, Trinity, Trinitarianism, Europe, Christmas, Missionaries, Missions, Environmentalism, Evil, Social Justice, Bible study, Postmodernity, Spirituality, Postmodernism, Biblical Worldview, Islam, Contemporary Christianity, False Doctrine, Morals, Religious fanaticism, Israel, Radicals, Radicalism, Morality, Religion, Sanctity of Life | No Comments »

9 April 2008 by Brian.

It drives me nuts when I hear people use emotional terms when describing their thoughts about an objective, fact-based issue:

Question:  “What do you think should be done in order to prevent Social Security from going bankrupt?”  Answer: “I feel like privatization is the best option.”

What?!?  Nobody asked which flavor of ice cream you prefer today or your emotional reaction in the face of such a daunting challenge.  The question is one that needs rational analysis of a variety of facts and the consequences of the various potential solutions to the problem, producing a well thought-out decision.  Now, the decision could be wrong…nobody expects that the respondent will provide THE definitive, correct answer.  However, the question is one which requires and intellectual response, not an emotional one.

Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”  Our language betrays the fact that our generation has lost faith in objectivity, rationality, fact, and truth.  People rarely “think” or “believe” anything about anything anymore.  Now, they “feel like” everything from the sum of 2 plus 2 to their favorite flavor of ice cream to the results of their monthly budget or the existence or non-existence of God.

As believers, we should be aware that a rational, objective approach is insufficient for 100% of life, but this approach is foundational to reality because a Constant exists in the universe and He is the source of reality, the moral law-giver.  We should never be so arrogant as to believe that we perfectly understand everything and that we cannot be wrong about an issue.  However, we shouldn’t back away (nor slip into our culture’s habit) of speaking as if everything were up to personal choice.  This, I believe.

Posted in Humanism, Abortion, Homosexuality, Community, Naturalism, Eurabia, Bible study, Inductive Bible study, Social Justice, Social Injustice, Politics, Social Medicine, Missions, Missionaries, Europe, Christmas, Evil, Environmentalism, Taxes, Trinity, Trinitarianism, Israel, Religious fanaticism, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, Postmodern Philosophy, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Marriage, Postmodernity, North Korea, Morality, Religion, Radicalism, Radicals, Morals, New Age Spirituality, Spirituality, New Age, False Doctrine, Secularism | No Comments »

17 March 2008 by Brian.

What comes to mind when you think of the term, “spiritual”? Angels? God? Heaven? Demons? Prayer? What about evangelism? These are all good answers, but what about digging ditches, mowing the yard, or even heartbreak? Too often, we forget that God is interested in our reliance on Him in ALL of life’s experiences. He created us and He knows our strengths, weaknesses, and struggles. We can bring any of our experiences to Him, the highs and lows included.

Check out the lyrics, to Larry Norman’s, “I’ve Got to Learn to Live Without You“. If the lyrics don’t seem “spiritual”, maybe you need to reconsider how you relate to God.

You came into my life, you took me off the shelf
You told my name to me and taught me what to do.
But then you went away and left me by myself,
I feel completely lost and lonely without you.

Why’d you go, baby? I guess you know,
I’ve got to learn to live without you.
I’ve got to learn to live without you.
I’ve got to learn to live without you, without you.

Today I thought I saw you walking down the street
With someone else, I turned my head and faced the wall.
I started crying and my heart fell to my feet
But when I looked again it wasn’t you at all.

Why’d you go, baby? I guess you know,
I’ve got to learn to live without you.
I’ve got to learn to live without you.
I’ve got to learn to live without you, without you.
It’s just no good without you, without you.
It’s just no good without you, without you.
It’s just no good without you.

I’ve got to learn to live without you.
I’ve got to learn to live without you.
I’ve got to learn to live without you.

Not hopeful or uplifting enough? Sometimes life isn’t. We need to be willing to face that fact and remember that God is present in all aspects of our life. His grace is available for the abandoned spouse as well as for the joyful Sunday morning worshiper. We should never run from an honest relationship with God in the interests of appearing “more spiritual”. If you’ve got a friend facing hard times, lift them up in prayer, but be willing to walk through the low times without condemning them for their lack of “victory” as they face the trials.

Posted in Abortion, Homosexuality, Community, Politics, Humanism, Naturalism, Social Justice, Social Injustice, Quotes, Eurabia, Social Medicine, Taxes, Missionaries, Europe, Christmas, Larry Norman, Missions, Evil, Trinity, Trinitarianism, Environmentalism, Israel, Religious fanaticism, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, Postmodern Philosophy, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Marriage, Postmodernity, North Korea, Morality, Religion, Radicalism, Radicals, Morals, New Age Spirituality, Spirituality, New Age, False Doctrine, Secularism | 1 Comment »

11 March 2008 by Brian.

Hypocrites in church, you say?  Next thing you know, they’ll be trying to tell us that the forest is full of trees or that the ocean is teeming with fish.

Actually, my experience is that churches are filled with people and…guess what?…people tend to be hypocritical!  Heck, we tend to try to fool ourselves into thinking that we’re better than we are.  It only follows that we’d be attempting to perpetrate the same illusion on everyone around us.

I posted the other day and was rewarded with a rather angry-sounding diatribe against Christianity.  As a Christian, aware of my own hypocritical leanings, I always try to learn from my critics.  We shouldn’t let critics define us, but we should never add self-righteousness and/or pride to our hypocrisy, and fail to see our own shortcomings.  One accusation in particular should give us pause.  The comment stated, “Love thy neighbor, sure, unless they need help that would inconvenience you in any way then they can just fall by the wayside. i cant wait till the post Christian era comes, because only then will we be able to look back in clarity at the centuries of brainwashing and realize the true extent of the hypocrisies you represent.”  It’s easy to respond that believers love others all the time, which is true.  However, do we reach beyond the boundaries of those who are easy to love?  Do we care for the poor, the homeless, the disenfranchised?  Do we give sacrificially and show the love of Christ to those who don’t look, smell, or think like we do?  These are tough questions for believers in a country where we’re so busy that “loving” our brothers and sisters in Christ can often be limited to a smile and a handshake during a 60 second window in the church service each week.  We shouldn’t look away from this issue, but rather look to Christ’s example.  He picked up a cross and showed love to the human race, who in no way deserved his great sacrifice of love.  The Church is called to follow THAT example, aren’t we?

I spend plenty of time on this blog discussing the hypocrisy of secular humanists, the hypocrisies inherent in the sexual revolution, etc., so I’m going to avoid any of that tonight.  What is YOUR part in expressing sacrificial love to a lost world?

We should never wink at hypocrisy, but if it’s there, let’s own it, repent, and trust the Holy Spirit to continually work on us, to convict us of sin (both of commission and of omission), and allow Christ to live His life through us in ever increasing measure.  Let’s never give the impression to the world around us that we’ve got everything so together that can’t learn and grow, nor should we “play church” and then go live our lives self-centeredly disgracing the name of our Lord.  Let’s get real: with God, with ourselves, and with each other.  Perhaps more authenticity and humility would make the church more welcoming to those who currently see nothing attractive about us.

Posted in Abortion, Homosexuality, Community, Humanism, Naturalism, Social Justice, Social Injustice, Eurabia, Politics, Social Medicine, Missions, Missionaries, Europe, Evil, Environmentalism, Trinity, Trinitarianism, Israel, Religious fanaticism, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Marriage, Postmodernity, North Korea, Morals, Morality, Religion, New Age Spirituality, False Doctrine, Spirituality, New Age, Secularism | 2 Comments »

6 March 2008 by Brian.

The Cap’n over at Captain’s Quarters offers a thought provoking post on Obama’s message of hope…or is it hopelessness?  Or is it hope that he can win by encouraging hopelessness?  Sometimes it’s difficult to distill the Democratic hopeful’s true message.  One thing’s for sure, though, Obama would have you avert your eyes from personal responsibility and look beyond it to the savior of big government.

Let’s not forget that the Bible leads us to look not at ourselves, exclusively, for answers, but to look to God first and foremost.  We’re to seek His ways and live lives of obedient trust in Him.  This requires that each individual accept his or her personal responsibility for their own obedience, not that we elect and legislate His Kingdom into existence while any failures are safely laid on the shoulders of government, education, media, or any other sector of society.

Where is your hope?

Posted in Naturalism, Humanism, Abortion, Social Injustice, Social Justice, Radicals, Religious fanaticism, Community, Politics, Missions, Missionaries, Evil, Environmentalism, Social Medicine, Taxes, Radicalism, Religion, Contemporary Christianity, Sex, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, Morals, Morality, False Doctrine, Spirituality, Postmodern Philosophy, Postmodernity, Secularism | 1 Comment »

20 February 2008 by Brian.

If you’re not familiar with dictionary.com, I highly recommend you check it out.  (I find it helps me appear to be smarter than I actually am.)  The word of the day on 18 Feb 2008 was ‘sine qua non’ (isn’t that really three words?), which means, “an essential condition or element; an indispensable thing.”  Now there’s a useful word (or three)!

My wife had some great advice for a friend recently while they were struggling with a difficult decision.  The advice boiled down to the following questions: “What is the most important thing in the world to you?  What SHOULD BE the most important thing in the world to you?  What decision will result in moving closer to alignment with the thing you know to be most important in your life?”

Clearly, our worldview drives us.  If God is the most important thing in an individual’s life,  then that person’s life and his/her decisions will reflect this fact.  If the accumulation of material wealth is ultimate, this, too, will be revealed.  If it’s Power, then you get a Hitler, if it’s Pleasure, an Oscar Wilde.

As a believer in Christ, I offer the following observation by G.K. Chesterton as food for thought:  “God is like the sun; you cannot look at it, but without it, you cannot look at anything else.”

Posted in Abortion, Homosexuality, Community, Humanism, Naturalism, Social Injustice, Quotes, Eurabia, Politics, Social Medicine, Missionaries, Europe, Christmas, Missions, Evil, Trinity, Trinitarianism, Environmentalism, Social Justice, Israel, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Marriage, Postmodern Philosophy, Postmodernity, Morals, Morality, Religion, New Age Spirituality, False Doctrine, North Korea, Spirituality, New Age, Secularism | 1 Comment »

27 January 2008 by Brian.

Captain’s Quarters offers this post on the cost of socialized medicine.  I posted on this topic not too long ago and the Captain comes to very similar conclusions.  He also does a great job of emphasizing the inevitable result: social medicine is a huge step towards totalitarianism.  When your access to healthcare is on the line depending upon your decisions on a variety of personal lifestyle questions, suddenly government is making those personal decisions for you.

“In a single-payer system, the government can extort individuals over their personal choices, and even have some rational support for that extortion. In the name of “fairness”, they can determine that some people are too old to invest in their care. They can determine that others eat badly and therefore don’t deserve to take resources away from people who eat better. At some point, that could translate into preferential treatment for vegetarians or against vegetarians, depending on the whims of the bureaucracy at the moment.”

Posted in Abortion, Humanism, Naturalism, Eurabia, Community, Politics, Europe, Environmentalism, Taxes, Social Medicine, Social Injustice, Social Justice, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Radicals, Radicalism, Morality, Morals, Secularism | 1 Comment »

24 January 2008 by Brian.

Let me begin by saying that I’m pleased with the fact that the faith, or lack thereof, of a political candidate is still part of the conversation come election time.  I’m quite a bit less pleased that many politicians seem to put their “faith” in their political bag of tricks – just one more tool to bring out at the proper times, but normally safely stowed away among those “attributes” that aren’t fundamental to their daily lives.

Nonetheless, Obama’s faith is the subject of this FoxNews article.  I find it interesting that it wasn’t until he visits the South that this issue comes to the forefront.  I find it even more interesting that he has chosen to continue to attend a church whose leader has made the type of statements described by the article:

Addressing his congregants last week, Wright was quoted saying that, as president, Bill Clinton had done for black people what he had done to Monica Lewinsky. In a 2006 radio sermon attributed to him and now being circulated on the Internet, Wright lists what he says are America’s evils: its role as the No. 1 killer in the world, its imprisonment of Nelson Mandela, its support for Israel without regard for Palestinians, its radiation experiments on citizens, its creation of the AIDS crisis and its refusal to help blacks in this country.

In the sermon, Wright says America is selfish, self-centered, arrogant and ignorant. “In light of all these facts,” he says, “God has got to be sick of this s***.”

Asked to explain his church’s outlook, Wright told FOX News’ Hannity & Colmes last year that “white Christianity” has been a part of racism and slavery, and that black liberation theology doesn’t live according to “white” standards.

“We don’t have to say the word white. We just have to live in white America, the United States of white America,” he said in the March 2007 interview. He then explained that “the African-centered point of view does not assume superiority, nor does it assume separatism. It assumes Africans speaking for themselves as subjects in history, not objects in history. … We’re talking about something that’s different. And different does not mean deficient.”

I thought Obama was characterizing himself as a candidate who would bring people together, rather than to divide.  Yet, he attends a church that seeks to point fingers primarily on a racial basis. My concern with Obama has nothing to do with his ethnicity.  Personally, I think it would be great for this country if we could elect our first non-White President.  In fact, I would have certainly voted for Colin Powell had he run.  I would probably vote for Alan Keyes if he were to be nominated by the Republican Party (I’d vote for him as a Democratic candidate, too, but that’s out of the question.)

I’m not saying that Obama isn’t sincere in his faith and I’m not even saying that he has dangerous religious beliefs.  I’m simply questioning his judgment in his loyal support of Reverend Wright and the inconsistency in his message.  Perhaps this is simply much ado about nothing.  After all, why should we expect consistency in our political leaders.  That would necessitate deeply held principles and a lack of concern for polls and short-term political gains.

Posted in Religious fanaticism, Social Justice, Radicals, Radicalism, Religion, Social Injustice, Naturalism, Politics, Environmentalism, Community, Abortion, Humanism, Morality, Morals, Relativism, Contemporary Christianity, Marriage, Islam, Sanctity of Life, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Spirituality, Postmodernity, Postmodern Philosophy, Postmodernism, Secularism | No Comments »

21 January 2008 by Brian.

Today is, of course, Martin Luther King, Jr.  Day and so I thought  it fitting to post something in remembrance of his contributions to our society.  Fox News offered this article on Dr. King’s leadership, both in reality and as it has been remembered (or not).   The following excerpt leads to my point for tonight:

“By freezing him at that point, by putting him on a pedestal of perfection that doesn’t acknowledge his complex views, “it makes it impossible both for us to find new leaders and for us to aspire to leadership,” Harris-Lacewell said.

She believes it’s important for Americans in 2008 to remember how disliked King was before his death in April 1968.

“If we forget that, then it seems like the only people we can get behind must be popular,” Harris-Lacewell said. “Following King meant following the unpopular road, not the popular one.”

This quote reminded me of how unpopular President Roosevelt became for his “warmongering” prior to the Japanese attack on the USA which launched us into WWII.  Where would the world be, had Roosevelt failed to prepare the nation (economically and militarily) for war against the Axis?

It also reminds me of the call of Christ to take up my cross and follow him on the narrow road that is God’s will for my life.  In this day and age of opinion polling, reality TV, and the constant pursuit of popularity, it’s important to remind ourselves that the popular position isn’t necessarily the right one.  Will we be leaders in our culture?  Or will we parrot society and take up only those “causes” already “championed” by everyone around us?

Posted in Humanism, Abortion, Homosexuality, Community, Naturalism, Eurabia, Israel, Social Justice, Social Injustice, Politics, Social Medicine, Missionaries, Europe, Christmas, Missions, Evil, Trinity, Trinitarianism, Environmentalism, Religious fanaticism, Radicals, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Marriage, Postmodern Philosophy, Postmodernity, Morality, Religion, Radicalism, Morals, New Age Spirituality, North Korea, Spirituality, New Age, Secularism | 1 Comment »

3 January 2008 by Brian.

Theodore Dalrymple offers the following thought in his new book, “In Praise of Prejudice.”

“The radical skeptic, nowadays at least, is in search not so much of truth, as of liberty – that is to say, of liberty conceived of the largest field imaginable for the satisfaction of his whims.”

Don’t be mislead by Dalrymple’s provocative title; he is clear in his rejection of racial prejudice and he clearly states that many prejudices are, in fact, bad prejudices and should be opposed and overcome. However, as the quoted statement indicates, one must be careful to consider the reason for abandoning a prejudice: is it simply to obtain license for unbridled indulgence? Or is it because the assertion, prejudice, or creed in question actually stands in opposition to legal, moral, or spiritual truth? The answers to these questions will make all the difference in the life of the skeptic or in that of his society.

It’s an old saying (and I’m not sure of its origin), but it bears repeating here: “before tearing down a fence, one should pause long enough to consider why the fence was erected in the first place.”

Posted in Eurabia, Naturalism, Humanism, Quotes, Social Injustice, Israel, Social Justice, Abortion, Homosexuality, Evil, Europe, Environmentalism, Social Medicine, Community, Politics, Religion, Morality, Contemporary Christianity, Sex, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, False Doctrine, Morals, Spirituality, North Korea, Postmodern Philosophy, Postmodernity, Secularism | 1 Comment »