Please
let us know any ideas you have for how
to improve the service. October 31 2004 | 'Scaremore'
at Falwell's Liberty University scares people toward salvation
I've
been contending
for years, contra those fundamentalists who want to persuade their followers to
abandon Halloween entirely or at least to discourage Christian children from participating
in Halloween activities, that the church has an outstanding opportunity to redeem
this fright-fun day. What
is more Christian than looking death in the face and saying, "we have the
answer to you?" Halloween has pagan roots, but so do many other days and
observances that the Christian church has redeemed, including, in the Euro-American
West, "Easter" as a pagan name applied to the feast of the Resurrection.
The Apostle asked, "O Death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?"
(1 Corinthians 15:55). It's time we start preaching that Halloween is rightly
a celebration of 1 Corinthians 15. October 30 2004 | Schoolchildren
in United Kingdom will be offered smorgasbord of religions
Proof
of our long-held contention
that is secular humanism is just as "religious" as any other option
is the concluding point: "The British Humanist Association welcomed humanism
being included, saying it was vital to respect the views of the 65 percent of
young people who consider themselves to be 'not religious.'" October 29 2004 | Mel Gibson
speaks out on California's initiative to fund stem-cell research
Though
I've seen clips on another network of Gibson's interview on ABC's
Good Morning America that are more substantial than this lacking AP report, I
could find, at this writing, no account of that newsworthy appearance on the ABCNews/Good
Morning America webpage. October 28 2004 | Some
religious conservatives upset over Bush's endorsing civil unions Sorry,
Concerned Women for America, but I have to disagree. States recognizing that a
financial and mutual medical care contract between two people, called a civil
union or by any other name, is not another name for marriage. There's no compelling
reason that legal recognition of such contracts should even mention whether they
are homosexual or sexual in any other way. Gays will probably make claims of such
"unions" for themselves, but they already can have their relationships
"blessed" in many religious bodies ranging from their own Metropolitan
Community Church to many congregations of the United Church of Christ and the
Episcopal Churches in the United States and Canada. Marriage, on the other
hand, is a state-provided license to a man and woman to have sexual conjugal relations,
to establish a family, to protect the partners in those relations from exploitation
by one another, and establish parental rights and responsibility to adequately
care for any progeny issuing from such relations. "Civil unions" don't
even touch these issues. There may be fiscal conservative reasons
to argue that nonmarriage contracts such as civil unions are going to cost the
society more than it should have to bear (especially in extending Social Security
benefits to such partners). And it's also argued by some that such contracts can
already be worked out between two or more independent adults, so new laws aren't
needed. But for a state to say that it is willing to recognize any medical or
property transfer benefit provided by employers or social agencies is not creating
a faux marriage. That such contracts are tantamount to marriage should not even
be suggested, especially by conservative (orthodox) Christians.
October 27 2004 | Former
atheist journalist joins forces with intelligent-design believers
Cosmology is behind everything. Strobel writes in the book:
"As I reviewed the avalanche of information from my investigation, I found
the evidence for an intelligent designer to be credible, cogent, and compelling.
Actually, in my opinion the combination of the findings from cosmology and physics
by themselves were sufficient to support the design hypothesis. All of the other
data simply built an even more powerful cumulative case that ended up overwhelming
my objections." October 26 2004 | 'Religious
left' is scurrying to counter alleged gains of 'religious right'
The
religious left will never catch up, at least among Christians, because the religious
left is Christianly— biblically—wrong, and morally bankrupt. Neither
the left nor the right, neither a Kerry administration nor Bush's, see poverty
as acceptable, but their approaches to fighting it are philosophically divergent.
So compared with defense of marriage and the rights of unborn infants, it is a
grey issue, and therefore unlikely to capture the fervor of those more black and
white, life and death issues that Christian traditionalists are willing to put
their lives on the line for. The
religious left obviously is a tool of the political left being used to rally fervor
of churchgoing liberals, but churchgoing is not enough. Christ has said such lukewarmness
is something to be vomited out (Rev.
3:16). Despite the Berkeley religion school professor's potestatation that
"the religious left is really religious," its uncertain sound is incapable of
rallying anyone who has actually met the Master and pledged to follow Him in obedience
(John 14:15, 21; 15:10, 1 John 5:2, 3). October 25 2004 | C.
S. Lewis meets J. K. Rowling in Anglican vicar/fantasy author G. P. Taylor
Though the linked article from October 24, and originating in the Los Angeles
Times is more timely and more "mass media," a more thorough profile
of Taylor is found here.
Among other things, it says, "Graham says he was inspired to craft such a
vivid story of good vs. evil based by an item on The 700 Club about Harry Potter.
'It is so important that writers who are Bible-believing Christians write narratives
that reflect what is happening in our society,' Graham says. He says backslidden
Christians have written to him saying they have started again with Jesus after
reading Shadowmancer." October 24 2004 | UC
law school alledgedly discriminates against Christian student group
It's
been said before here and will be again: using legal authority to force unanimity
of opinion or "cultural ideals" is nothing less than fascism. In fact,
it is the classical definition of the term. If fascism is tolerated at the University
of California in the name of liberalism or any other ideology it will soon reign
throughout the whole land. October 23 2004 | Bush's
policies are often faith-based but they advocate broad ideals
The
infamous Ron Suskind caricature of President Bush, American Christians and their
religion from last weekend's New York Times magazine (cited by Loconte)
is available here.
October 22 2004 | Report documents widespread
persecution of Christians in the United States
This
is must read for anyone who values the First Amendment rights of all Americans.
Acrobat Reader is required to read it. If you don't have it, get it here,
free. I recommend sending it to friends, members of Congress with your comments,
and letting your church know about it. October 21 2004 | ABC's
Peter Jennings concerned about everyone wanting media objectivity
The
point of my journalism theory, The Reformation of Journalism (Wedge, Can.
& Craig Press, U.S., 1972) was that objectivity is a false goal and that if accuracy
and fairness were substituted for it the tenor of news coverage would be improved.
It's gratifying that after 32 years there's been some trickle down. But
of course everyone has an agenda, too, and the fact that there are agendas
sheds no light on the legitimacy of the "agendas." I would certainly challenge,
however, Mr. Jennings' proposal that they can be "race, sex, or money,"
all three of which are crass compared to any worldview worth the title. But
throwing out that pejorative term "agenda" helps Jennings smokescreen
his own agendas. It's like Bill O'Reilly's pretense that his approach is somehow
spin-free, like all of his germs are benign. Also
today: Vatican
casuistry This mystifies me. The
"Vatican" named a "theologian" to answer an inquirer's question, but then says
that theologian doesn't speak for the church? Is the Vatican saying (logic compells
me to ask) that it's all right to mislead students, to help them write academic
treatises saying that "automatic excommunication" applies in certain circumstances,
and yet it doesn't apply in other identical circumstances, if "politicians who
may be of value to the Vatican" are involved? This strikes me as casuistry fit
for Bill Clinton who wanted to famously know, what "is" means. I can't help wondering
if Henry VIII would have been more valuable to the Vatican in his time than John
Kerry is today and if this is a backhanded way of admitting the whole Henry thing
was a tragic mistake? But (looking back from the disinterested perspective of
a theologically schooled lay Orthodox Christian) obviously the Reformation—as
revolt against "Rome"—was not a mistake. Protestants
have been saying for centuries that the biggest problem they have with Catholics
is their desire to have things "both ways." Apparently they still do. And
even worse, if this is true, it thumbs the Vatican's nose, so to speak, at all
Catholics who have tried to be true to Catholic teachings on abortion. And of
course this is why the New York Times, wanting to not miss a chance to
thumb something too, headlined this article on Tuesday. And it apparently turns
out that John Kerry is a much better "Catholic" than I could have imagined.
He thinks just like a Vatican spokesperson. Somebeody please tell me I'm
missing or misintrepreting something here...?
October 20 2004 | Pastors/Christian
educators say Bible speaks to ethical issues in this election
Though
this lacks
breadth in its endorsements as well as depth in its analyses, it's a much-needed
start and the only one I've seen to address these vital factors in this year's
elections. Worth considering at least as a discussion starter. October 19 2004 | Patti
Davis sues the Salvation Army for cancelling a speaking contract
Is
there any way the Associated Press can claim that this report is either accurate,
true, or fair, when it never mentions the essential qualifier "embryonic"?
It is
using human embryos for research that Christians object to, not science.
What an interesting contrast is this linked report after yesterday's, which points
out that Pope John Paul II, who himself suffers from a disease that might be allieviated
(if its advocates are to be believed) through stem-cell research, but who has
never suggested than any other human being, born or otherwise, should have to
suffer for the sake of his comfort. October 18 2004 | 'Pope's
suffering has underscored the evangelical character of his pontificate'
Though
the west has continued its secular
"progressive" way through Pope John Paul II's term, it seems a given
that he has been a slowing influence, and in the role he played in the dismantling
of the Soviet bloc was a major factor in that. He has made Catholicism more religious
in varied ways and in the good sense of the word. October 17 2004 | Court
rules: Virginia school district illegally discriminated against Christians
What
an opportunity to teach bigotry to impressionable children —
and let the community know whose religion is in charge of the schools —
and what their real agenda is. Sorry—one
can read only so many of these unending reports about so-called public schools
trying to undermine church and family
and the majority public's values
before getting cynical.
October 16 2004 | Kerry
approach to faith in public life called example of how not to do it
Pay
attention to the European overlap and connections. These
states are the ones referred to in the "global test" that Senator Kerry
and, by extension, the liberal establishment generally, are proposing as crucial
partners in any United States national defense initiatives. October 15 2004 | Moderate
Christians seen as pivotal in next month's Presidential election
Okay,
I picked today's linked article mainly so I could say, "moderate Christian"?
Isn't that an oxymoron? The
Lord was even more judgmental on that kind of faith, saying he will vomit the
moderate (lukewarm) professors of Him out of his mouth (Revelations
3:16). And
because this was the closest fit to our mission here for the day. It's not a very
sophisticated view of the issues, but it brings something fresh to the salad bar
of opinions. October 14 2004 | An in-depth review
says the Democratic Party has been 'captured' by secularists
A
surprisingly thorough and balanced overview from CBN. October 13 2004 | AP's
bias showing in reporting on Supreme Court Ten Commandments case
The
linked report is biased in several instances. First, it says: "The Constitution
bars any state 'establishment' of religion. That means the government cannot promote
religion in general, or favor one faith over another." Where has any court in
the United States ruled that government cannot promote religion in general?
What law prohibits this, this side of (the former Communist) Albania? Does not,
in fact, the tax code, favor religion in general rather transparently? Philosophically,
to prohibit the promotion in general is an impossibility, of course, because nothing
exists in a "religious" vacuum. To say there is no God, or "we want no God,"
as the Marxists did, is just as "religious" as saying "there is one God and
Allah is his name" or "Jesus is Lord." On the other hand, the US
Supreme Court has declared flatly, in a past decision, that the United states
is a Christian nation. (I won't take up the fact, except in passing, that the
State of Virginia actually had an established church at the time the First Amendment
was ratified, and no one, not even Virginia's first resident Thomas Jefferson,
blinked an eye about the "inconsistency" between this AP reporter's interpretation
and the State of Virginia's, which supports the reading that the federal government
was disallowed from establishing any particular religion, but not the states.) The
bias is also found in the claim, "the Ten Commandments contain both religious
and secular directives." Who is supposed to have made up the "secular directives"?
(In other words, what part of the world is not under God's dominion, much less
what part of the Ten Commandments?) This
report is biased in omitting any mention of the fact that the Ten Commandments
predate any organized religion and are held to be sacred by several religions,
hundreds of sects or denominations, and therefore they "represent" no particular
religion. The
bias is showing in the quoting of "the Rev." Barry Lynn of Americans United bla
bla bla, an "organization" that originated to fight Catholic influence in America
and has evolved into one that seems to exist solely to provide quotes for news
reports biased against any "religion" Americans United's supporters consider unacceptable.
And of course the report's bias shows in not only the article's quoting that "organization"
at all, but in giving it the only direct quotation in the whole piece. In
all the years now that the liberal press has been trotting out the so-called organization
to put into words the press's own views on religion in the public sq2uqare, I
have yet to see the least bit of who, where, what (like membership figures, the
ordination credentials of "the Rev."—a former employee of the ACLU) or anything
else demonstrating why—other than the press says so—it should be considered
an authoritative counterbalance to give or take 65 million Americans in only the
two largest of the nation's hundreds of Christian denominations and other religious
groups. October 12 2004 | 'Secular'
Britain's abortion laws much more conservative than the USA's
And
so, it appears, is its press, the Telegraph being one of the UK's most
respected newspapers. October 11 2004 | School's
refusal to protect student's speech rights costs taxpayers $102k
What
better evidence could anyone ask that the schools are not "public,"
but are rather the sole property of the liberals, running them as their own elitist
fascistic dicatatorships that don't even recognize the First Amendment to the
US Constitution? It is past time to have pluralism in "public" education,
and it can be accomplished in a word: vouchers. Let the liberals have their schools,
and we'll take our children and their vouchers to our own. October 10 2004 | Pope
urges Christians to publicly display symbols of their faith
"Those
who contend that public reference to faith can infringe the rightful autonomy
of the state and civil institutions or that it can even encourage attitudes of
intolerance are wrong," the pope correctly said. October 9 2004 | Connecticut
church votes to leave UCC over 'open and affirming' practices
Is
it ironic that in choosing to condone ungodliness, churchmen and -women are choosing
to condemn those standing for the spiritual way? The
stands of particular congregations are seldom "significant"
as we define that word here. But this instance, with two sides shown in the two
articles linked above, are well drawn. A
third and related article in today's news is linked here:
51 Wisconsin UCC ministers speak up for gay marriage October 8 2004 | Essay
examines the great divide between 'modernity and Islam'
There
are obvious implications here for American evangelicals and orthodox Christians
of non-Protestant communions. If "modernity" is used in a general way, as Cuneyt
Ulsever, the writer of the linked essay seems to be doing, to describe indoor
plumbing, electronic gadgets, and even astute scientific research and practice
and high technology, then almost no evangelical or orthodox Christians (except
the Amish, and maybe some Russian Old Believers) have issues with it. But the
technical meaning of modernity, academically and politically in Europe and North
America, is the "religion" of science, the view of science and rationalism that
holds they trump all forms of spirituality, all revelations and intuitive cognition.
This modernity is the sworn enemy of any serious Christianity, Judaism, or Islam
based on the revelations of a personal creator/God. It's
vital that this distinction not be lost, and it should be a priority that all
serious monotheists co-operate in preventing their being co-opted in the modern
world. October 7 2004 | Choice
is working in education; study finds voucher schools perform better
Greene
concludes: "Vouchers in Milwaukee are keeping a lot more kids in school.
This helps confirm all the earlier studies finding that vouchers result in higher
test scores for both the kids who use them and the kids who remain in public schools.
Other cities would do well to learn from Milwaukee's example." And
of course nothing has been said here about the pluralizing of education and breaking
the back of totalitarianism in public education. October 6 2004 | European
nation's church attendance down from 50 to 10 percent in 50 years
Church
attendance has been under 10 percent in many European countries for years. Many
attribute the decline in Catholic attendance since the 1950s at least in part
to the liberalizing doctrines of Vatican II, which made Catholicism are much up
to the laymen and -women. And...we've
been hearing of professional sports being substitute religions for decades...but
"alternative medicine"? October 5 2004 | High
Court refuses to exempt Catholic Charities from paying for birth control
It
seems the state of California (and 19 other states) take the opposite approach
of the Faith-Based Initiatives toward organizations that do good social works
based on their faith commitment. Rather than rewarding and helping them, they
try to throw roadblocks in their path. And now the federal court has aided this
obstructionism. This
is totally consistent with the liberal (humanist enlightenment) view that "progress"
means the undermining of theistic religion and the strengthening of every program
of the humanist faith. October 4 2004 | Despite
the popular misconception, Bush's religion is not on his sleeve
We've
previously linked articles
on related takes on Bush's religion. Despite the wide exposure of this information,
pundits and writers to editors continue to accuse him of playing up his religion
and religiosity. October 3 2004 | More
US Episcopal Churches are seeking oversight of African bishop
What
tragic consequences wrought in the name of sexual freedom. October 2 2004 | Teddy
Roosevelt quote in courthouse 'too Christian'; must be covered up
How
sad that instead of defending freedom for all, cultural diversity through religious
pluralism, the ADL prefers freedom for none in order to foist their secularist
vision of what America should be on the rest of us. October 1 2004 | Pennsylvania
parents challenge state's home schooling requirements
It's
not clear whether the state is requiring a specific curriculum or it's providing
suggested ones. This case sounds difficult for the plaintiffs but bears close
scrutiny. |
