Please
let us know any ideas you have for how
to improve the service. July 1 2005 | Variety:
religiously serious believers more likely to see violent movies A
report conclusion: "Cultural conservatives, the report concludes, are 'participating
in American culture at virtually the same levels as the rest of society.'"
June 30 2005 | MSNBC
report reluctantly documents claims of 'reorienting' homosexuals I'm
always mystified at "Christians" who lose their presumed obedience to Christ when
something tragic befalls one of their children or when one strays. We love our
children unconditionally as God loves us, but as Jesus preached in His major sermon,
following Him will sometimes require us to declare ideological war against members
of our own families. Job's test of faith in the Old Testament is the story of
a man who lost his grown children but kept the faith, an account intended to prepare
all people of faith for the same possibility in our own lives. But
putting "the Wallners'" vignette aside, the main significance of this story is
that MSNBC reported it with as much balance as it did. Despite its giving the
last word to an opponent of the movement that is the main focus of the story (something
the liberal media "never" do when reporting on a trend or event on the left)...despite
this, there is enough truth showing through here to catch the attention of some
seeking homosexuals seeking a way out. I'm
not advocating "reorienting" as the answer for everyone who feels no
attraction to the opposite sex or family life as traditionally defined. I think
monasticism is better for many who would live the devoted Christian life. But
I don't question the integrity of these testimonies.
June 29 2005 | Evangelical
leaders say Commandments decision confirms SCOTUS' slide The
Ten Commandments, of ancient origin, are the property of no religion and certainly
of no religious establishment. The Supreme Court's own building is adorned by
representations of them, harkening to an era when the court recognized higher
wisdom and the origin of all humane laws. That
era and that vision seems now long gone and Western Civilization well on the way
there.
June 28 2005 | Allstate
Insurance 'outed' as a corporate sponsor of gay lifestyle, philosophy Why
would major companies like Allstate and Ford jeopardize their
stockholders' investments and their own success in the marketplace on something
as tenuous and —to most Americans—odious,
as sodomy as a lifestyle choice? Surely they don't believe science has actually
found a "third sex," but even if there were such a thing, would it be
a legitimate "minority," defined by nothing more than its perverse erotic
predelections? Why would they want to risk so much for a radical-left political
program? It is, of course, good to oppose bigotry and abuse anywhere they occur,
and appropriate to foster attitudes of kindess and tolerance among all employees,
but why should it be necessary to give moral support to the side of god-defying,
hedonistic, carnality?
June 27 2005 | Christian
conservatives find a 'soul mate' in 'Republican rabbi' Daniel Lapin Discounting
writer Rosin's McCarthyist attempt at guilting by association, I find this otherwise
a fascinating and encouraging report. And
to think I used to walk by that Venice Beach synagogue every evening and think
it a curious juxtaposition of cultures.
June
26 2005 | No
update
June 25 2005 | Military
finds religious insensitivity at Air Force Academy, no discrimination My
years of campus ministry, mostly with and to young evangelicals, make me highly
skeptical that there is much foundation to support what is being claimed of their
representatives at the Air Force Academy. And on the other hand we have seen citations
of published instructions from Jihad leaders to young western Islamists to cry
persecution on the part of the institutions they are in, to get sympathy from
the liberal media and politicians to silence any criticism of their Jihad. But
even if there's some grounds for the charges, what is at work here? We have a
First Amendment that guarantees all Americans both freedom of religion and freedom
of expression, but a "liberal" mass media in which expression of religious
sentiments is to be curbed? In the name of liberalism, and of political
correctness, of course. Where's the spirit of Americans who said say your piece
and let the chips fall where they will? First they call criticism and fair appraisal
of their own writings and preaching "insensitive," and next they'll
call them "hate speech" and try to have it outlawed as it has been in
England and parts of Canada.
June 24 2005 | CT
editorial: The most potent political act...is the worship of Jesus Christ By
pitting worship of Jesus Christ as God—as Lord of all—against
of the worship of Caesar, the first Christians were intrinsically political and
involved in defining and reforming the state, a calling that never ends. But that
calling is lower than the Chirstians' calling to represent and propagate the Kingdom
of God—juxtaposing the eternal to the temporal,
the infinite to the finite.
June 23 2005 | A
big surprise for 'scientists': most physicians believe in God, an afterlife In
this case it's "scientists" as in "scientism," the religion of science so-called. And
is it just me, or do you suspect such surveys are multiplying as a result of the
media's desire to make a case that "all this 'religion' in the public square
is turning people off all God stuff"?
June 22 2005 | US
Episcopalians argue on behalf of their gay bishop at Anglican conclave No
early Christians argued for the inclusion of fornication among the blessings of
God. Presumably, the 130-page document mentioned in the abstract will appear on
the Anglican Website
soon. Meanwhile, you might want to consider this
testimony of a former aspirant to the Episcopal priesthood.
June 21 2005 | Howard
Dean is 'speaking what's on the hearts of many liberal Democrats' My
observation of the what comes through the daily news grind gets
a confirming vote.
June 20 2005 | 'Christianity
gives the best moral foundations for social and political equality' A
valuable think piece of a type we used to see in American media,
but constantly less so these days. And its opposite, characterizing Christianity
as the enemy of freedom and humanistic values, appears more frequently, as the
culture war escalates. Case in point: Harper's Magazine, founded as a purveyor
of a Christian worldview, in May featured am attack on what it calls "dominionists,"
which is to say in plain speech, people who think of Jesus Christ as "Lord."
June 19 2005 | Reviewer:
Unlike the 'superheroes,' Batman is human, his world under sin After
the final Star Wars episode earlier this season pedaled the proposition
that only on the dark side does anyone believe in absolutes, its' heartening to
find that a competing youth action hero tale has its basic presuppositions right.
June 18 2005 | Social
scientists' study finds most 'religious' teenagers are actually 'deists' Some
call this the "user-friendly church" or user-friendly youth group syndrome.
One key to growing a church: don't scare anyone off with claims of truth or requiring
adherence to creeds or "doctrines."
June 17 2005 | Reviewer
asks 'why in God's name is [Bishop] Spong still a Christian?' A
serious question deserves
some serious consideration. I can think of some possibilities. It's more lucrative
in the book business to keep the title "Bishop" in his retirement and
claim to still be a Christian, even though little of what Christians traditionally
have professed meets with Spong's approval. "Progressives" (another
name for left-liberals) such as he find the mainline (liberal) Christian community
a ready-made political interest group in which they can view for leadership even
while selling books.
June 16 2005 | USA
Today: Evangelicals make common cause with liberals on some issues This
article surprises in that, if every American read it I think the churches would
grow exponentially as a result. Its headline citing "the Christian right" caused
me to steel myself for another assault, but contra its first impression, it is
about as positive a commendation of the Christian-action-in-politics position
one is ever to get in the secular press. Who
even knew USA Today runs such in-depth treatments of anything?
June 15 2005 | National
PTA cites 'superior beliefs' in choosing pro-gay parent group To
convert children to homosexual approbation, first you sexualize them and get them
to experiment.... More
proof that the public schools must be reformed from the base (their funding) up.
June 14 2005 | Survey
finds most college students follow the general populace on religion This
is somewhat heartening, but the reporting is a bit suspect. After relating one
student's religion to her liberalism, the writer cites religious students' antipathy
to gay marriage and legalizing marijuana. And she thinks opposition to the death
penalty is based in religious groups though most death penalty supporters believe
it is instituted in the Old Testament and not abolished by the New.
June 13 2005 | Conservative
Voice writer Grant Swank dares to label Scientology a 'cult' Saturday's
edition of Faith Under
Fire was a rerun of last November 4's episode, with Rabbi Yehuda Berg, Madonna's
kabbalah teacher and co-director of the wildly popular Kabbalah Centre in Los
Angeles, debating Rabbi Shmuley Boteach on the "Centre's" compromising
of traditional Judaism in order to win the following of Hollywood heavyweights.
Scientology is the other strange religion, at least from a Judeo-Christian perspective,
that has a lot of Hollywood Heavyweights fronting for it, including—besides
Cruise—John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Ann Archer, Jenna Elfman and Nicole
Kidman among "stars" cited as among its evangelists.
June 12 2005 | Pope's
dream of healing ancient Christian rift called still a distant hope I
defer to few in my ecumenical enthusiasm, that being the raison d'être
for this enterprise. But as an Orthodox layman I think such articles always make
too much of married clergy and not enough of all the other innovations the Latin
church has introduced since the schism. These include purgatory with its attendant
indulgences and storehouse of merits, the immaculate conception of the Virgin
Mary, the filioque and, pre-eminently, papal authority. Therein
is the easiest way any pope can show seriousness about this issue and win Orthodox
attention, but I'm not holding my breath that any pontiff is going to make the
obvious tiny first step of declaring himself no more than first among equals alongside
the other bishops of the church, which was the docrtine of the pre-schism church
and still that of the Orthodox.
June 11 2005 | Church-state
collusion claimed in Russian opposition to evangelicals Memo
to Howard Dean: I think we've found just the place you've been looking for.
June 10 2005 | New
law means Britons can 'face jail time for being nasty to Satanists' Such
laws, which area already being enforced in Canada and in some U.S. university
campuses (as "rules") are clearly designed to abridge the free speech
that has been one of the most cherished freedoms in democracies since the framing
of the U.S. Constitution. The politically correct liberals are already promoting
them, and will use terrorism and "gay equality" as rallying cries to
bring them here.
June 9 2005 | Lawuit
over university's failure to promote nurse over her pro-life stance Again,
liberals treat Christians as second-class citizens.
June 8 2005 | Late
Beatle John Lennon, Rolling Stone Keith Richards...disciples of Jesus? Shiflett's
article
was mind-blowing even before it got to the celebrity conversion anecdotes. His
theme, "God lite," gets to the nub of many points we like to see articulated.
June 7 2005 | Americans
much more motivated by religion than people in other countries If
"religion" is defined as "the foundation of my whole being" (and what other definition
could it possibly have?) how can it not direct our decisions in every area of
life, including politics? The results of this poll encourage me to think more
Americans are becoming aware of the problem of dualism and the need to integrate
their minds and spirits to focus at all problems of life as whole human beings
rather than fragmented ones who feed their lusts in the area of politics (supporting
abortion to cover their desolute sex lives and such) and think they can feed their
spirits when in church or on their deathbeds. And it's those who think that way
who call Christians "hypocrites"! Of
course no American who understands our system and our heritage believes clergy
should have any bigger voice in politics and than other charismatic citizen with
leadership qualities. But to say they should be excluded is to opt for totalitarianism.
"Send all clergy to the Gulag," that approach is, in effect, saying. Anyone who
puts more confidence in any politician than their clergy person is missing the
point of having a spiritual guide in his or her life. Or just posing.
June 6 2005 | Failure
of European Constitution related to refusal to cite Christian roots "It
is cultural totalitarianism not to take [the culture shared by the majority] into
account"? "...the dictatorship of relativism?" Where have we encountered
these themes before? Crisis magazine describes
the Convention of Christians for Europe as "a permanent convention of politicians,
diplomats, academics, and lay professionals."
June
5 2005 | NO
SITE UPDATE TODAY Ford
boycott suspended American
Family Association suspends Ford boycott for six months.
June 4 2005 | GetTheKidsOut.org
asks Southern Baptists to leave 'government schools' I
doubt that this year's resolution will get far, but it will probably win more
supporters than last year's attempt to take a stand against "government schools"
and their secular and totalitarian "education." And next year's will
win some more. And the deteriorating track record of those schools will win even
many many more, until the Baptists rise up and say "let our [young] people
go!"... Encouraging signs in America's second largest religious community
and the largest not to have an independent system of childhood K-12 education.
June 3 2005 | Ford Motor Company financial
support of Gay Pride movement spurs boycott Please
see my essay, "My boycott
of Ford." Note: MSNBC reports tend to have short "shelf lives."
If the link above is disabled, or just if you'd like more angles on this story,
check these: American
Family Association Press Release
Boycott
Ford Home Page
Gay
and Lesbian Alliance spin on the story
June 2 2005 | Media
touting evangelical division over whether man was created or evolved The
problem is not, of course, "science" vs. religion (as though religious women and
men can't be scientists and scientists can't be religious), or creation vs. evolution;
the Creator vs. Darwin, atheism vs. Christianity. The problem is that the schools,
the tax-supported, liberal-controlled school system in the United States, is not
pluralistic. In other words, they are not democratic. They are totalitarian. They
insist in saying that only one view can be entertained in their hallowed halls,
and even teachers in the system are muzzled when it comes to their views, if those
veer from the left/fascists' talking points. A solution, as mentioned here
once or twice before, would be voucher-supported schools (even home-schools) where
parents determine what their children will be taught, and will not be taught,
and in which their religions, as opposed to Charles Darwin's or John Dewey's religion,
or the U.S. Supreme Court's religion, would get at least equal time. How many
public schools and secular universities are making bulk orders of David Wilcox's
"Christian evolution" textbook? But who can blame him? In the highly competitive
world of book publishing, you have to have a gimmick. Knight-Ridder to his rescue! Any
theist smart enough to read Genesis knows God created science...give us a break,
Wilcox. Likewise, anyone who knows there's a God knows His design—His endlessly
infinite designs—are transcendingly intelligent. On the media criticism
front, this article is slanted to "divide and conquer" those who oppose the atheistic
and humanistic "educational" (more correctly "brain-washing") establishment. And
for the record, Eastern University is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches,
probably the most liberal—theologically—of the dozens of Baptist denominations
in the United States. In the name of selling books that "fundamentalists"
can't be expected to buy, the American media are falling all over themselves to
make big stories out of just another Christian who's willing to bow to the idol,
to make a buck. I'm not against evolution (though Darwin's motive appears patently
anti-Christian, anti-theism); evolution may or may not be how God got us where
we are. Nor am I a fundamentalist, even though my Bible, like theirs, opens with
the words, "In the beginning, God created...." I am against "Christians"
who say God wound up the creation and let it run its own merry evolutionary way
ever since. (That, of course, is deism.) Why would a God who "is there,"
and who has a Son as awesome as our savior, and has 5,000 years of interpersonal
relations with His Jewish and Christian followers, and doubtless more than we
can even guess, do anything so pointless and silly?
June 1 2005 | Lots of 'religion'
in latest Star Wars film, but no coherence, no reality ...as
opposed to a "Christian Methodist"?
|
