That's got to be in the Bible, right? Actually, no, it is nowhere to be found in the Bible. But many people quote it as if it were. And so Representative and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi apparently has helped herself to creating her own personal additions to the Bible. According to this article, for Earth Day she "quoted" (or at least paraphrased) the non-existent Scripture, "To minister to the needs of God's creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us." Funny, I just don't remember that one. And she couldn't be bothered with a pesky thing like a Scripture reference. But apparently it is one of her favorites, as she has quoted it on several occasions.
It's one thing when the Enemy attacks the words of Scripture, but quite another to attempt to discredit the Bible on the basis of things that aren't even in there. By the same token, even when we quote Scripture that is actually in the Bible, we must be careful to not quote it in such a way that we make it say what it truly does not mean in its context. Those of us who hold God's Word in its proper high esteem should guard its meaning as well as its words.
Interestingly, one of the interviewees for this article was Claude Mariottini, who was my Old Testament teacher in college.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Butterfly Kisses
Wow. Yesterday morning I heard a song for the first time that was so powerful. It is a secular song, being played on country and adult contemporary stations (I'm not going to get into the whole "pop in my country" thing right now), but the message is so strong and sweet, I was in tears. In fact, as I listen to the song right now and type this up, the screen is getting a little blurry and smudgy. Maybe I need a new monitor. Anyway, the song is called "Butterfly" by a duo that call themselves bluefield. You can hear the song on their MySpace page.
On this same topic (which you will only know once you've heard the song), Oklahoma has passed a law that requires an ultrasound be performed and the image shown to the mother prior to any abortion. This is really where the battle for abortion is won. All the rhetoric of choice and not ready for parenthood and whatever goes right out the window when you see that baby looking and acting just like the baby it is in his or her temporary shelter of the mother's womb.
I'll save the discussion of how racism is intricately a part of abortion for another time so I can put this up on the blog. Two days in a row of posting is a pretty good accomplishment.
On this same topic (which you will only know once you've heard the song), Oklahoma has passed a law that requires an ultrasound be performed and the image shown to the mother prior to any abortion. This is really where the battle for abortion is won. All the rhetoric of choice and not ready for parenthood and whatever goes right out the window when you see that baby looking and acting just like the baby it is in his or her temporary shelter of the mother's womb.
I'll save the discussion of how racism is intricately a part of abortion for another time so I can put this up on the blog. Two days in a row of posting is a pretty good accomplishment.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Harder Than It Looks
I saw one of those church signs tonight. You know, the kind with one of those little soundbites of witticism. This one said something close to "Wisdom has two parts: (1) Having lots to say and (2) Not saying it." I wish I could say my lack of posting on here were a glorious display of wisdom. Because I have had lots to say. I could start at Barack H. Obama's pastor (or former pastor?) and stay busy right on up to the Pope's visit. But the real truth is, it is just hard to keep up with the blogging. But I'm going to keep trying, because I really do enjoy it.
On a sad note related to one of my previous postings, screen legend Charlton Heston (Moses in "The Ten Commandments," among other roles) passed away on April 5. The liberal media's attempt at an obituary was apparently as hard for them as keeping up with blogging is for me. In case you didn't catch all the negative slams, this might help out.
On a sad note related to one of my previous postings, screen legend Charlton Heston (Moses in "The Ten Commandments," among other roles) passed away on April 5. The liberal media's attempt at an obituary was apparently as hard for them as keeping up with blogging is for me. In case you didn't catch all the negative slams, this might help out.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
No Foolin'
Imagine a country where a student can receive a zero on an art project because it was Christian in nature while those portraying demons are allowed to receive a grade. Or one where a valedictorian is refused her diploma until she issued a written apology for a graduation speech that encouraged the audience to seek Christ. How about one where someone could be fired for having a picture of the crucifixion of Christ in his cubicle.
Now imagine that country was the United States of America.
I wish I could say "April Fool's!" But you've probably noticed each of the very few examples I've listed is a link to the news story describing these situations. So I can't.
And we are close to other things that are frankly astounding. Dr. James Dobson's "Focus on the Family" radio show is already being edited in Canada to avoid hate crime offenses, and the same could have almost been true in this country (and still could in the future).
Being a Christian, a real Christian, in America is starting to get challenging. And it looks like it will continue to get more so. No foolin'.
Now imagine that country was the United States of America.
I wish I could say "April Fool's!" But you've probably noticed each of the very few examples I've listed is a link to the news story describing these situations. So I can't.
And we are close to other things that are frankly astounding. Dr. James Dobson's "Focus on the Family" radio show is already being edited in Canada to avoid hate crime offenses, and the same could have almost been true in this country (and still could in the future).
Being a Christian, a real Christian, in America is starting to get challenging. And it looks like it will continue to get more so. No foolin'.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Not So High on the Mountain
I enjoy my traditions. I can't imagine not eating turkey on Thanksgiving; I'm so glad we can still go to Grandpa and Grandma's for Christmas; even if it's just me, I still stay up to watch the new year come in. I don't quite feel like I've "done" Christmas until I've watched "It's a Wonderful Life." And remember the "good ole days" when ABC used to show "The Ten Commandments" on Easter Sunday night?
ABC seems to really have a problem with Christianity. How many specials have they aired to take a closer look at some aspect of Christianity where they have focused on not those who hold to an orthodox view but those from the liberal fringe (i.e. the Jesus Seminar folks) who look to tear down if they could the fundamentals of the Christian faith. In fact, just in time for this Easter season, ABC "News" brings us this report of a professor who thinks Moses may have actually been doing drugs. Of course, that doesn't really account for the chariots and bones at the bottom of the Red Sea.
Within the past ten years ABC has been trying to do all they can to mess up the Easter tradition of the showing of "The Ten Commandments." First, they dropped it from the Easter season completely over supposed concerns that it might be growing a little old. That resulted in quite a few phone calls to the network. Then they tried creating their own version of "The Ten Commandments," a mini-series that is perhaps a little less caricature but a little more improperly politically correct. Then they practically hid it on Saturday night to avoid having to miss an episode of "Desperate Housewives." And that is where I discovered it sits on this year's line-up. So tomorrow night, I'll be trying to watch that classic movie, but it won't be the same as on Easter night. But at least my mom won't be sending me to bed right after the parting of the Red Sea. But I may have to get my children to bed by then....
May God bless you and your family this Easter as you consider Jesus' death on the cross on this Good Friday and His victory over sin and death on Resurrection Sunday!
ABC seems to really have a problem with Christianity. How many specials have they aired to take a closer look at some aspect of Christianity where they have focused on not those who hold to an orthodox view but those from the liberal fringe (i.e. the Jesus Seminar folks) who look to tear down if they could the fundamentals of the Christian faith. In fact, just in time for this Easter season, ABC "News" brings us this report of a professor who thinks Moses may have actually been doing drugs. Of course, that doesn't really account for the chariots and bones at the bottom of the Red Sea.
Within the past ten years ABC has been trying to do all they can to mess up the Easter tradition of the showing of "The Ten Commandments." First, they dropped it from the Easter season completely over supposed concerns that it might be growing a little old. That resulted in quite a few phone calls to the network. Then they tried creating their own version of "The Ten Commandments," a mini-series that is perhaps a little less caricature but a little more improperly politically correct. Then they practically hid it on Saturday night to avoid having to miss an episode of "Desperate Housewives." And that is where I discovered it sits on this year's line-up. So tomorrow night, I'll be trying to watch that classic movie, but it won't be the same as on Easter night. But at least my mom won't be sending me to bed right after the parting of the Red Sea. But I may have to get my children to bed by then....
May God bless you and your family this Easter as you consider Jesus' death on the cross on this Good Friday and His victory over sin and death on Resurrection Sunday!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
What's Wrong with This Picture?
The statement "A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change" I discussed in my last post has really stirred things up all over. There is a significant amount of secular media attention to this. And there is a whole lot of internal discussion about it within Southern Baptist ranks.
I see a whole lot about this initiative that is not good.
1. The title was poorly chosen. Despite statements by both the group behind the Declaration (Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative) and the SBC itself, calling this a "Southern Baptist Declaration" gives the false impression that this is an official statement of the Southern Baptist Convention.
2. Frank Page should never have signed this. Again, the President of the Southern Baptist Convention signing a "Southern Baptist Declaration" gives the false impression that this is an official statement of the SBC. Others, like ERLC's Richard Land, showed more wisdom in this regard.
3. Where global warming is concerned, the document presumes the existence, a human cause, and a possible human corrective, all of which are contested. As just one example, earlier this month, a group of scientists met to refute the idea of human-caused global warming. I want to look at all three of these presumptions in more detail later. But there is also the idea that the concept of human-induced global warming is not a theological issue, that the Bible has nothing to say about it. I'll get to that later as well (obviously, that implies I don't agree).
4. The Declaration as a whole does not represent a consensus of Southern Baptists. I have reasonable doubt that it would ever pass from the convention floor as a resolution.
5. Omitting the section on global warming, the Declaration is largely redundant. Southern Baptists have officially expressed ourselves regarding care for God's creation in resolutions like the one in 2007. This new statement was really not needed.
6. The Declaration has stirred up disunity within Southern Baptists. Baptists don't need trouble getting along, we can find that readily enough. We see in much of Paul's writings in the New Testament a strong concern for unity. This statement is a point of disunity, and I would think that alone would make both sides want to distance themselves from it.
Now that this Declaration is out there, I'm not sure what can be done about it. I would encourage others not to embrace it. But I know that many of those who do embrace it do so out of love for the Creator. And we should not hesitate to embrace those brothers and sisters.
I see a whole lot about this initiative that is not good.
1. The title was poorly chosen. Despite statements by both the group behind the Declaration (Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative) and the SBC itself, calling this a "Southern Baptist Declaration" gives the false impression that this is an official statement of the Southern Baptist Convention.
2. Frank Page should never have signed this. Again, the President of the Southern Baptist Convention signing a "Southern Baptist Declaration" gives the false impression that this is an official statement of the SBC. Others, like ERLC's Richard Land, showed more wisdom in this regard.
3. Where global warming is concerned, the document presumes the existence, a human cause, and a possible human corrective, all of which are contested. As just one example, earlier this month, a group of scientists met to refute the idea of human-caused global warming. I want to look at all three of these presumptions in more detail later. But there is also the idea that the concept of human-induced global warming is not a theological issue, that the Bible has nothing to say about it. I'll get to that later as well (obviously, that implies I don't agree).
4. The Declaration as a whole does not represent a consensus of Southern Baptists. I have reasonable doubt that it would ever pass from the convention floor as a resolution.
5. Omitting the section on global warming, the Declaration is largely redundant. Southern Baptists have officially expressed ourselves regarding care for God's creation in resolutions like the one in 2007. This new statement was really not needed.
6. The Declaration has stirred up disunity within Southern Baptists. Baptists don't need trouble getting along, we can find that readily enough. We see in much of Paul's writings in the New Testament a strong concern for unity. This statement is a point of disunity, and I would think that alone would make both sides want to distance themselves from it.
Now that this Declaration is out there, I'm not sure what can be done about it. I would encourage others not to embrace it. But I know that many of those who do embrace it do so out of love for the Creator. And we should not hesitate to embrace those brothers and sisters.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Knock Me Over with a Butterfly Wing
The science of meteorology is far from an exact science. That is something we have all experienced firsthand. For example, a few weeks ago, every meteorologist in town was predicting the biggest snow event of the season for us. And then, it didn't happen. Some places got a few flakes, but it was closer to the smallest snow event of the season than the biggest. It is very hard to get a good idea of what the weather is doing in one location, let alone the whole world. This is at least in part due to what is popularly called "the butterfly effect," which is the idea that a seemingly innocuous and impossible to measure event such as the flutter of a butterfly's wings in Asia might be the initial condition in a set of dependent events that results in a storm system off the west coast of North America. And yet we are being told by some people that they know for certain that there is global warming occurring and that it is a result of mankind's activities.
That's not really news, the global warming thing has been kicking around for a little while now. But what surprised me today every bit as it surprised the Associated Press was this story that says several Southern Baptist leaders, including President Frank Page, signed a document stating that Southern Baptists have a Biblical duty to stop global warming. Although it acknowledges, in slightly dismissive terms, both those scientists and those Southern Baptists who do not accept mankind-caused global warming, signers of this document "resolve to engage this issue without any further lingering over the basic reality of the problem." Setting aside the common sense of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," this document states in no uncertain terms that we don't care if it is true or not, we need to do something. I guess we can be thankful we didn't issue a similar statement about global cooling during the 1970's - think how foolish we would look now.
I'm sure I will have more to say later about both this document and the global warming issue, but let me say now that I do agree with some of the guiding principles involved. Christians do have a duty to take care of this world, and especially to be responsible for our own activities like littering and recycling. But we also know how it is going to end.
That's not really news, the global warming thing has been kicking around for a little while now. But what surprised me today every bit as it surprised the Associated Press was this story that says several Southern Baptist leaders, including President Frank Page, signed a document stating that Southern Baptists have a Biblical duty to stop global warming. Although it acknowledges, in slightly dismissive terms, both those scientists and those Southern Baptists who do not accept mankind-caused global warming, signers of this document "resolve to engage this issue without any further lingering over the basic reality of the problem." Setting aside the common sense of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," this document states in no uncertain terms that we don't care if it is true or not, we need to do something. I guess we can be thankful we didn't issue a similar statement about global cooling during the 1970's - think how foolish we would look now.
I'm sure I will have more to say later about both this document and the global warming issue, but let me say now that I do agree with some of the guiding principles involved. Christians do have a duty to take care of this world, and especially to be responsible for our own activities like littering and recycling. But we also know how it is going to end.
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