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 »

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 »

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 »

21 December 2007 by Brian.

I’ve started reading a couple more books. Today’s quote comes from, “The Cross of Christ“, by John R. W. Stott.

“All inadequate doctrines of the atonement are due to inadequate doctrines of God and man. If we bring God down to our level and raise ourselves to His, then of course we see no need for a radical salvation, let alone for a radical atonement to secure it. When, on the other hand, we have glimpsed the blinding glory of the holiness of God, and have been so convicted of our sin by the Holy Spirit that we tremble before God and acknowledge what we are, namely ‘hell deserving sinners’, then and only then does the necessity of the cross appear so obvious that we are astonished we never saw it before.”

Christianity in a secular humanist age. This is our challenge.

Posted in Quotes, Naturalism, Social Injustice, Social Justice, Bible study, Inductive Bible study, Humanism, Homosexuality, Missionaries, Europe, Missions, Evil, Politics, Trinity, Religion, Morality, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, Sex, Contemporary Christianity, Sanctity of Life, Relativism, Postmodern Philosophy, Postmodernity, New Age Spirituality, Morals, False Doctrine, New Age, Spirituality, Secularism | 1 Comment »

7 November 2007 by Brian.

A friend of mine offered the following definition of a mid-life crisis and I thought it was worth sharing.  “A mid-life crisis is what happens when a person spends his entire life up to that point, relying solely on himself.  Then, he or she gets to a certain point in his or her life and doesn’t like the results, so they make drastic changes in an effort in a futile effort to create an identity they can live with from that point on.”  (I’ve paraphrased a bit, as I don’t remember it word for word.)

I’d have to say I agree with this definition.  It’s interesting that C.S. Lewis’ conception of hell was a soul turned so inward that it neither could, nor would, see or relate to anything other than itself.  Hell was the eternal condition of self-worship, completely separated from fellowship with God or anyone else.  I’m not sure this is all there is to Hell, but I believe it’s a fundamental aspect of it.   Why would we ever place ourselves at the center of our universe and bring hell into our present day experience?  It might look appealing for a while, but it only leads further and further from that which most satisfies our souls, a relationship with God.  Think about it.

Posted in Social Injustice, Morality, Morals, New Age Spirituality, Naturalism, Humanism, Community, Homosexuality, Abortion, False Doctrine, New Age, Sex, Contemporary Christianity, Marriage, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, Spirituality, Postmodernity, Postmodern Philosophy, Sanctity of Life | No Comments »

6 November 2007 by Brian.

Last Sunday our pastor preached on blind spots.  The problem with blind spots is, of course, that one isn’t aware of one’s own blind spots (hence, the name).  Of course, if those around us were willing to be perfectly honest with us, they could probably enlighten us with two or three before we knew what hit us!  In reality, most of us rarely even consider the fact that we DO have blind spots.  It’s a lot more comfortably to go through life assuming that we’re aware of all our flaws and are conscientiously working to remedy them.  Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

Wait a minute!  Ignorance is NOT bliss, biblically speaking.  The Holy Spirit leads us into truth.  Jesus challenged Pilate (John 18) with the fact that he came into the world to testify to the truth and that, “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”  This truth co-existed perfectly with the Father, the One who “is love”.  Truth and love are perfect partners, inextricably woven together at the foundation of reality, in the person of God, Himself.

With that said, why is it that one of my greatest blind spots is my failure to express the love of God as I attempt to conform my life to His truth and to live out my relationship with God in my family and in my vocation?  I can only surmise that I’ve taken the active role in determining how to express the truth of the Word of God, rather than asking God to guide me in doing so each day.  Once again, I’m confronted with my own tendency to self-sufficiency (sin!) and I realize how desperately I need Christ to rule every moment of my day.

Back to the cross I go, thankful for the grace of God that daily covers all of my sin and makes me acceptable to Him.  I could never, on my best day, deserve the tiniest fraction of His love or acceptance.  Instead, miraculously, He chose to give it all to me and to anyone else who chooses to accept it.  What an amazing God!

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

8 October 2007 by Brian.

John Maxwell teaches that everything rises and falls on leadership. If he’s right (and I’d have to agree with him), then, as this article conveys, our nation (the USA) is in some serious trouble. After all, the institutions to which the author refers are the soil from which most of our leaders emerge.

I want to add that I’m not a proponent of racial quotas, but I blame the prejudice of previous generations for their existence. As with many of societies evils, bad solutions exist, because even worse problems necessitated them. If the white ruling class had sought the best for all members of society, and had done so with equality, then no system for ensuring opportunities for minorities would’ve been necessary. With that said, the hypocrisy of our leading “educational” institutions and the complete betrayal of the Biblical values upon which many of these institutions were founded, will have catastrophic consequences if it’s not somehow reversed.

I can’t say that I have much hope in this case…at least not for the short run. However, God is sovereign and there is, therefore, always hope. Pray that He will call believers to places of leadership within academia and encourage and pray for those whom He calls. The Kingdom of Heaven is called to reach those ivory towers, too.

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

25 September 2007 by Brian.

It’s too bad the Church of Sweden isn’t vigilant on matters of more theological significance. In a “Church” where atheists have often served as priests, we certainly can’t have “foreign and sexist” customs being perpetuated! So much for tolerance and understanding in this case, huh?

Check out the article if you want to see what the fuss is about on this bride’s special day.

This scenario does offer us a chance to evaluate our own choices of where we take a stand. Are we more concerned with our own preferences and/or defending our own cultural standards? Or are we committed to understanding and applying the Biblical principals which God would have us apply within our particular cultural framework? Let’s be careful, lest we find ourselves taking a stand to defend our own cultural preferences against the onslaught of Biblical truth!

Posted in Israel, Inductive Bible study, Religion, Morality, Morals, Social Justice, Social Injustice, Homosexuality, Community, Abortion, Humanism, Naturalism, New Age Spirituality, False Doctrine, Relativism, Contemporary Christianity, Marriage, Islam, Sanctity of Life, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Spirituality, Postmodernity, Postmodern Philosophy, Postmodernism, Secularism | No Comments »

26 August 2007 by Brian.

“Very few really seek knowledge in this world. Mortal or immortal, few really ask. On the contrary, they try to wring from the unknown the answers they have already shaped in their own minds – justification, explanations, forms of consolation without which they can’t go on. To
really ask is to open the door to the whirlwind. The answer may annihilate the question and the
questioner.”

Spoken by the Vampire Marius in
Ann Rice’s book The Vampire Lestat
Ballantine Books. New York, NY. 1985.

(Remember, Ann Rice became a Christian late in life…interesting what happens when you dare to really take a look at reality!)

I found this quote at http://tchriscrain.blogspot.com/2007/07/critical.html .

Posted in Bible study, Inductive study method, Inductive Bible study, Israel, Religious fanaticism, Radicalism, Radicals, Social Justice, Social Injustice, Abortion, Homosexuality, Community, Humanism, Naturalism, Quotes, Eurabia, Religion, Morality, Contemporary Christianity, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Postmodernism, Postmodern Philosophy, False Doctrine, New Age Spirituality, Morals, New Age, Spirituality, Postmodernity, North Korea, Secularism | No Comments »