January 31 2006 | Comedian sheds light on U.K.'s proposed 'hate speech' legislation

I have to disagree with Mr. Atkinson's description of "religion" as irrational, a charge orthodox Christians have always rejected and about I plan to write in more detail soon. But barring this and the fact that freedom should be for all adults, not just comedians, his argument is exemplary and much needed. Such legislation has already created scandals in other countries, and such laws can only continue doing so as they spread like a disease to other democratic nations. Democracy is at stake here, alongside freedom of expression and of religion. Who would have thought that after putting its all into the fight against totalitarian fascism, Britain would itself be turning toward it?

I do find it ironic that the Guardian, England's main liberal voice, is giving this the play it is, since it is liberals who constantly whine about being offended by political and religious speech and looking for laws to protect their delicate ears fromit. But it's good that the Guardian has taken it up.

January 30 2006 | 'Metrospirituals' described as a trendy fusion of hipness, religion

Always seeking but never finding the truth? Or just playing religion?

January 29 2006 | Rock superstar Bono turns to 'Red' to help his Africa AIDS health fund

After centuries of "red" indicating the enemy ("Redcoats," Communists), it seems to be changing sides. Red states, Red products for a good cause...?

January 28 2006 | Book Of Daniel cancellation message to Hollywood: end Christian-bashing

The writer, Andrea Sheldon Lafferty, had more patience with this NBC atrocity than I. I have a long history of appreciating offbeat TV shows, but I couldn't stomach more than a half hour of this show's premiere broadcast.

The free market demonstrates its wisdom again.

January 27 2006 | AP religion writer Ostling takes on Jehovah's Witnesses' anti-blood doctrines

This lead was sent just at deadline time. Thanks, "Danny Haszard."

January 26 2006 | Brit 'liberal' calls the Narnia film 'everything most hateful about religion'

Of course Furedi is wrong about Intelligent Design, making the same mistake many of those he is criticizing always make, assuming that to people who are "religious" only "religion," defined in its cultic aspects, is all that matters. Isaac Newton had a much better grasp of Intelligent Design, though he didn't use the term. But he knew that if there is a God, in any sense consonant with Judeo-Christian understanding, His design is on everything and the scientist who believes in God is tasked with finding those designs.

But that's a minor aside. On the whole, this is a brilliant critique of the anti-religion hysteria all around us these days.

And, of course, "liberal" is in quotes because "fascist hatemonger" is a more apt label for the narrow-minded and intolerant ravings of Ms. Toynbee and Phillip Pullman. But I won't stoop to name-calling.

 

January 25 2006 | Culture in 'mortal danger' from
post-literate image-worshipping generation

With rap-star Kanye West playing a thorn-crowned Jesus on the cover of Rolling Stone, can I plead "slow news day"? Actually, the whole Kanye/Rolling Stone gambit provides perfect evidence of the truth of today's linked essay.

January 24 2006 | Success of the West rests on Christian teachings, says sociologist-author

We should be aware that such books are out there and the fact that it's the New York Times noticing it is also worth noting. But just as significant as the book review, I suspect, is the fact that the Times does not mention that Rodney Stark is a professor at the major Southern Baptist university, Baylor.

January 23 2006 | Mormons are getting more strident in claims they are autherntic Christians

The operative word, of course, is Trinitarian. Trinitarian, Christianity is, Mormonism is not. Either Jennifer Dobner is a shill for Mormonism or she's an amateur journalist, as any professional would have asked a spokesperson for a traditional Christian church how cults are defined. Obviously she did not. The Trinity is defined in the Nicene Creed of 381 A.D., the trinitarian forumla in these excerpts:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible: And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made....

And I believe in one Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified....

As Jesus said: "there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, who shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" (Matthew 24:24). Mormons are no doubt sincere and many of them believe they are believing in the Christian Christ. But a Christ who was created, and at that as the brother of Satan, is not the Christian Christ.

January 22 2006 | Lawyers defend priest on charges of fraud for saying Jesus really existed

Finally this nagging question may get some closure.

January 21 2006 | Australian paper finds American Christians upset over Golden Globes

Is it strange that we Yanks had to learn this "story" by way of Australia? Of course if Concerned Women of America are asked to comment on a a trend at the Golden Globes (had they noticed; did they even care?), they're not going to be happy with the latest machinations from La La Land...but when have Christians ever been (with a handful of exceptions).

So is this news, or has Chris Ayres pulled one over The Australian and earned himself another byline and freelance fee?

January 20 2006 | Fifty years later, from The Gates of Splendor to The End of the Spear

Probably the most famous American missionary martyrdom of the Twentieth Century (mainly because of Jim Elliot's high-level connections and his wife's writing gifts) comes into its own, a likely benefactor of The Passion of the Christ fallout.

January 19 2006 | Christian population is (still) running away from the war-torn Middle East

Middle Eastern Christians apparently feel under attack, or at least under suspicion, from both sides, and in addition from "premillenialists" (mostly American evangelicals) who seem to believe there should never have been Christians in the land "promised to Abraham and his descendants forever." So it's not hard to understand—if it is tragic nonetheless—their lack of enthusiasm for staying in such a hostile piece of geography.

December 10 2005 | Xnmp was on hiatus December 10 2005 - January 19 2006

Our one-person editorial and web development staff was on deadline for a book project during this period.

December 9 2005 | Evangelical and (liberal) Jewish misunderstandings called hard to overcome

Am I getting this right? "They" accuse conservative Christians of "trying to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of the nation" and then "they" have the temerity to say "One of the core beliefs of evangelical Christianity is in personal salvation through a 'born-again' conversion to Jesus, and believers are instructed to evangelize—to spread the word—to nonbelievers so they can go to heaven, too. That claim of an exclusive path to paradise rankles Jews, who also object to Christians trying to convert them." In other words, they're telling Christians we must conform to their religious presuppostions?

No Christian wants to impose anything on anyone else. That wouldn't be loving our neighbors as ourselves. On the other hand, we don't want anyone going to hell, and knowing Jesus said He's the only way to avoid that, we do want to make sure no one has missed the news. Though I've never been adept at doing that, that's loving our neighbors, too. They can take it or leave it; God doesn't impose himself on anyone, so why should we?

I, of course, am not speaking for Evangelicals, being Orthodox, but I don't speak for anyone but myself anyway. And good show, Mr. Mussbaum and KRT Wire, at trying to sow discord between evangelical and other religious communities. To wit: "We are particularly offended by the suggestion that the opposite of the religious right is the voice of atheism. We are appalled when `people of faith' is used in such a way that it excludes us, as well as most Jews, Catholics and Muslims. What could be more bigoted than to claim that you have a monopoly on God and that anyone who disagrees with you is not a person of faith?"

The "opposite of the Christian right" is secular humanism which is, by definition, rooted in atheism. And atheism in its own way is a faith. But I've not heard any Christian say a word against Jews, Catholics, and peace-loving Muslims. Who is claiming that they have "a monopoly
on God and that anyone who disagrees with you is not a person of faith?" No self-respecting "Christian rightist" I've met. But anyone who says they love God and yet that babies inconvenience their mothers can be aborted...well, we needn't say more.

Leading with the fact that this is about "liberal" Jewish organizations was a rare disclosure of the real religion gap here...it's between the liberal worldview and Christian faith, not Judaism and any brand of Christianity or other "faith" worthy of the name.

December 8 2005 | Roman Catholic Church said poised to rescind its doctrines of Limbo

Good riddance, if it's not too soon to say so.

But I find it remarkable that the American press thinks it appropriate to turn to Jewish rabbis to get the real dope on what Christians should or may believe and teach. Of course rabbis and anyone interested in religion in general is welcome to speak out on doctrines, but to be asked as though they are the only experts available for an authoritative opinion strikes me as bizarre.

More positively, this is a significant step in the direction of Christian unity and though I'm not always sure that's a good thing (if the unity is based on anything less than truth/Truth), this time I do think it is. Limbo is one of a handful of "innovative" doctrines not shared by the other major Christian communions, the Orthodox and Protestants. (More important and less likely to be rescinded are prohibiting priests to marry, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, purgatory/indulgences, and Papal Infallibility.)

December 7 2005 | Conservative Christians continue to let their views be known in the marketplace

Yeah, barely solvent Ford's decision was a business one. They decided it might be better to have a business than not.

If they have any "business" planners in the company, and somehow I have to think they do, they can read the papers. Last year and this every state in which gay marriage was on the ballot including bluer than blue Oregon voted against it in landslide numbers. If Ford doesn't have enough sense to realize that continuing to fund the organizations that are leading the campaign for gay marriage, as they were doing but USAToday fails to mention, they don't deserve to be in business.

USAToday also continues to propagandize for Disney by unsisting that the boycott by the nation's largest Protestant denomination and the AFA was ineffective while omitting the fact that Disney's ABC-TV Network was at the ratings cellar for the duration of the boycott. And the paper continues to claim that part of the AFA's opposition to Ford was based on Ford's providing benefits to partners of gay employees, which was not mentioned in the AFA's call for the boycott.

December 6 2005 | Writer in leading British liberal paper: Christians are mostly just a nuisance

Maybe she's trying to out-Maureen Maureen Dowd (liberal diva of the lands west of the Atlantic)? And of all her sophism nothing is more telling than her missing the point that Christ is both Lion (of Judah—Revelation 5:5) and Lamb of God, not just one. And Aslan, by "letting himself be bound" is just as much the lamb, metaphorically, as Jesus was in letting himself be crucified. But how typical of those who want nothing of Jesus' grace to tell us what it means or it was intended to mean. And that Jesus sacrificed his body for our souls? What religion is she talking about?

If Polly's mother was ever treated by nuns the way she describes, and the mother visited anti-Christian bitterness onto Polly, it's unfortunate. Tragic. Maybe neither of them have ever met an actual Christian. So there's a lesson here to the rest of us. Orthodoxy of doctrine means nothing if it is not accompanied by orthopraxis of the love of Christ the lion and the lamb.

December 5 2005 | George MacDonald also getting renewed notice because of Narnia movie

This is one of many, but also unexpected, side benefits accruing to the new international attention being focused on C. S. Lewis.

December 4 2005 | Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation oppose 'the war against Christmas'

A great human relations idea. Yet I suspect it will never get a brotherward from the B'nai B'rith.

December 3 2005 | Lion, Witch and Wardrobe film said to be 'kindling debate' about C.S. Lewis

I get the feeling from this article that Ostling, in a fasion not typical of many of his articles, is reaching and not grasping much of anything. But in the effort there are some wothwhile facts and ideas to mull around.

December 2 2005 | Vatican paper: Homosexuality destablizing to society, individuals

The Vatican is right on this complex issue, of course, even though it could have hoped for a higher moral ground to stand on, considering the poor performance of so many in its orders in the realm of sexual morality in the past generation.

 
 

We're BACK...after a hiatus forced by our Internet Service Provider having a major unannounced interruption of service. Our apologies for any inconvenience to our readers, and we appreciate your return.

November 10 2005 | Kansas Board of Education approves teaching controversies over origins

Rather than opine further on this good news, let me recommend the link found on the linked page: The Tavis Smiley Show on PBS with Discovery Institute Fellow: Stephen Meyer, August 29, 2005 Windows Media (42.5MB) Audio MP3 (3.29MB). Note: high-speed Internet service is necessary for either of these presentations.

November 9 2005 | Focus on the Family Action: 'court has ruled parenthood unconstitutional'

"Parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determina-tions of public schools." Now the fascist tyranny in the liberal-controlled public schools is backed by the judicial branch.

November 8 2005 | Opponents of 'design' equate the Creator with 'Flying Spaghetti Monster'

This reflects the true level of the "scientists'" apologetics. Ridiculing the vast majority of Americans' worldview has become spectator sport to the anti-God malcontents of our time.

November 7 2005 | Hollywood insiders saying 'gay cowboy' flick is set to dominate Oscar race

Not having seen it, I won't judge it for its subject matter. It may be a good movie or even better than good. But based on last year's reception to the gay Alexander the Great, I'm going to predict a ho-hum reaction from the movie-going public, and, if so, I doubt that the Academy will turn it into a major political statement considering the current slump in box office activity, though I don't doubt many there would like to do that.

November 6 2005 | Church, believed to be oldest in the Holy Land, discovered in Israeli dig

I like the tourism angle at the end of the linked story.

November 5 2005 | Former President Jimmy Carter seems to have been born again again

After some years of seeming to distance himself from his earlier personna as witnessing Baptist, including saying in an interview earlier this year that there is no abortion on-demand in this country, the Old Jimmy Carter seems to be back, and all he's running for is the New York TImes bestseller list.He still hasn't backed off his claim in a recent interview that he should have supported full civil rights for gays during his presidency, but this is a start?

November 4 2005 | Cardinal in the Vatican reaffirms affinity of Catholic faith and science

It's interesting that the Cardinal cites the atom bomb (which is a slur on the United States, which used it to end a war) as the example of science going around the bend. I often cite the scientists who encouraged Hitler's eugenics and master-race experiments (intended as a slur on secular humanism in general). The United States has become the favorite whipping boy of all sorts and assorted malcontents ranging from the Vatican to Brazilia.

And does the Cardinal point the finger at Protestants by invoking "fundamentalists," when no Protestant church has ever excommunicated Galileo? Nor is Protestantism given to making dogmatic statements outside its range of theological competeny, like the one the Vatican once made about Galileo.

And since he now wants us to think of him as a man of science, where is this proof he keeps touting for macroevolution?

November 3 2005 | 'Science' often gets conscripted into the service of political agendas

Offered not as dogma, but as food for thought.

November 2 2005 | Mohler: abortion and homosexuality most divisive US issues since Civil War

Some on the left ridicule Christians who lament that we are losing the culture, as "we" seem to keep winning elections and referenda. But Mohler's assessment gets it right. Barring a culture realignment, though battles get won, the war is already lost.

November 1 2005 | Muslim desecration of Christian, Jewish scriptures gets little media notice

Evidence that the so-called "international media" are actually in favor of Islamists' culture war on the west? Perhaps that would be because they think it can erode even more support from President Bush and his government.

Click here for the previous month's NewsComment

 
 

Jon Kennedy

A lifelong journalist, author, columnist, and editor of newspapers and magazines, worked at and fought for academic freedom for 11 years at Stanford University. He holds an MA in journalism from the University of California and his graduate thesis, published as The Reformation of Journalism, a Christian theory of mass communication, has been used in classrooms around the world. His seminar, the first-ever on Movements and Minorities in the Mass Media, introduced at Stanford, has been imitated in other journalism programs.

The bold headlines
are linked to
source articles.

(News sources tend to
be removed from or
moved on the www
after a few days.)

   
Bible search in Bible Gateway
 
 Version:  
Passage:  (e.g., John 4)
Word(s):  (e.g. God  loves)
    
 
Search the worldwide web
and Xnmp via
 
Google
 

Search Xnmp.com
Search WWW
Find a word


in Merriam-Webster's online dictionary

 

Reference Desk