• American Civil Religion and the Gospel of Jesus Christ – David Rogers shares some research and insights.

• A Good, New, Non-Arminian, Arminian Book – James gives more thought and insight to a review and response of Whosoever Will.

• The Nines – Welcome! – Frank shares the text of his talk at The Nines.

• Military burns unsolicited Bibles sent to Afghanistan – Bibles that were printed in two most common Afghan languages were burned for fear that they could be used for proselytizing and possibly anger Muslims.

• Two good articles against the Koran burning:
  • [James White's] Attempt to Reason with Dr. Jones of Gainesville
  • Koran Burning – Carl Trueman weighs in.

• Why Your Fitness Matters – Gregg Allison shares the first part of the importance of physical discipline.

• What Do You Remember About September 11, 2001? – Katherine Schulten at the NY Times asks students what they remember about 9/11.

• Mysterious Livestock Attacks in Mexico Blamed on Chupacabra – Just because it’s a story on the Chupacabra. I want one.

• The Hymn of the Legalist – Stephen Altrogge shares a hymn he wrote called Jesus Paid It Some.

• Fired Up – “This may win the prize for the worst stump speech ever.”

Related posts:

1. Ethics: Burn A Koran Day In Your Community
2. Friday Favorites 08/20
3. Lord’s Day 01/03 the story

What would you do Wednesday!

There has been a lot of discussion about Islam lately. As Sept. 11 approaches I can only imagine how talk of Islam will draw many emotional responses. We’ve talked a bit about the Ground Zero Mosque.  Understandably, it continues to be an issue. An issue on which Christians disagree.

Today’s scenario is in the context the current issue of Koran burning. Many people have stood up for the legal right of Muslims to build near Ground Zero. While one is not necessarily contingent upon the other I have to ask -

What if Terry Jones was in your local community and was going forward with his International Burn A Koran Day?

For some reason this day is labeled ‘International’. Wishful thinking? I digress. Terry Jones along with his wife Sylvia Jones are “Senior Pastors of Dove World Outreach Center.” (They even provide an online contact form.) While Jones has made national media I haven’t seen too many Christian speak out, but I’ve been busy so I may have overlooked some replies. James White who has debate several Muslims has stated that “International ‘Burn a Qur’an Day’ is stupid” while pointing his readers to an excellent response from another ministry.

As a Christian, what would you do if this was about to happen in your community? Would you contact Jones? Show up at the event? If you showed up what would you do? Would you support or protest?

If you support the right for Muslims to build at Ground Zero would you also support Jones right to burn a Koran? Why or why not?

Related posts:

1. Update: Christians and the Ground Zero Mosque
2. Ethics: Cohabitation In the Church
3. Ethics: Business Bribes

• Disconnected Faith – My metro neighbor Leonce offers some advice for Christians feeling disconnected from God.

• Is There a Hole in our Gospel? – Andrew reviews this book and finds some troubling theology.

• Prairie Memories: Songs of Home, Life and Faith – This is a new CD from my friend Clyde Bauman. You can hear samples at the link.

• When Facebook and Twitter are Gripped by the Gospel – Matthew offers an interesting look at the two most popular mediums.

• Infographic: Beck vs. King – Pundit Kitchen offers an interesting chart comparing Glenn Beck to Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Your Students Can Handle Expository Preaching – Jon explains just what the title says.

• Foreknowledge of free actions – Alexander argues for the incompatibility of foreknowledge and free will. If you’re brain explodes I’m not responsible!

• Tim Tebow named ‘Most Eligible Christian Bachelor’ – I wonder if he’ll end up on on of those bachelor TV shows.

• Refusing Antithetical Assumptions – Chris briefly explains that God is knowable and the atheist knows Him.

Related posts:

1. Friday Favorites 07/23
2. Friday Favorites 07/30
3. Friday Favorites 07/16

What would you do Wednesday!

The scenario is that a single mother is a member of your local church. For several years she seemed to be living faithfully for Christ. She was present on Sunday morning and often during other church events. It was difficult for her at times and the church even helped her financially and with food when she needed help.

Then, to your surprise she moved in with a non-Christian man!

Church leaders begged her to repent and to move back out and get out of her relationship with this man. She would not. Several months went by.

Finally, it was time to vote as a church. The time had come to affirm or deny whether or not she continue to be included in your local church.

What do you do – affirm or deny her? (Depending on your local church this would mean denying the Lord’s Supper and/or being considered a member until repentance. Cf. Matthew 18:17, 1 Cor. 5:9-13)

If she is denied, but continues to occasionally attend afterward how would you treat her? What would you say to her?

Related posts:

1. Ethics: Resign Church Membership To Avoid Discipline
2. Ethics: Cohabitation In the Church
3. Ethics: Church Staff An Illegal Immigrant

Glenn Beck as been a recent driving force for (neo?) Conservative politics in America. His big push is to bring God back to the center of American life both politically and socially. I understand his sentiment. There is a sense in which I agree.

In recent times when Glenn Beck has spoken on the issue of putting God back into American culture he mentions God, Jesus, the atonement, etc. On the surface, these sound like something Christians should embrace. And they should as far as understood from the biblical Christian perspective. Yet, Glenn Beck is a Mormon and the Mormon definitions of these positions are not the same as the Christian definitions (i.e. see chart below).

As I recall, I’ve written three posts concerning Glenn Beck and his acceptance by Conservative Christianity despite his theology: One Nation Under A Mormon God?, Liberty University, Glenn Beck and the Gospel and The Political Gospel of Glenn Beck and Liberty University? I’m not alone in airing my concerns as a Christian for the integrity of the gospel. However, there has not been much in response to Beck from more popular, visible Christian leaders until now.

Enter fellow Southern Baptist Dr. Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He gives a needed and welcome voice in God, the Gospel, and Glenn Beck. Moore begins:

A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they’ve heard the gospel, right there in the nation’s capital.[Read the whole thing!]

I offer my thank you to Dr. Moore. I appreciate his stand for the gospel in this area. As expected, he is already getting some push back in the comments.

One commenter said:

Much like Moore’s inept commenting on this event, there is an integrity crisis in government leadership and the media which supplies only half truths to appease their audience and leave them clapping (like comments above).

Moore’s comments are not inept, but right on! At the same time I agree that there is an integrity crisis in government leadership and the media. These integrity issues exist on the right and the left and did not appear yesterday. The bigger issue for Christians is that there is an integrity crisis in Christian leadership. Too many find comfort in conservative political ideology as the motivating force for change while the gospel sits waiting for the right laws to be passed. (See my posts above on Beck and Liberty U.) For Christians, the engine for change is not a political rally to call everyone to the generic god of their choosing. Rather, the motivation is the exclusive gospel of Christ.

But it was non-political event says Beck. I’m not sure how a revival rally with a God and Country theme can be non-political. Actually, I wish it were political so that it would be easier to support. The religious themes make such an event difficult to support for this Christian. As one live blogger of the event noted:

Dave Roever closed the rally in prayer. Glenn calls people to “spread the word” after they leave. A gospel tune concludes the rally: Hallelujah, Thank You Jesus. Jo Dee Messina sang “Heaven Was Needing A Hero Lyrics” and “America, the Beautiful”.

The same blogger noted that it was stated at the event that “Mosques, churches, and synagogues must stand for the truth..” What truth is that? Religious truths that don’t ultimately agree? As Beck and his supporters call people of all faiths to turn American back to God my question is – which god will people of many religions turn America to?

I asked Glenn Beck this question on twitter and someone else responded with, “When you are a Christian there is only one God. What God do you worship?” The best reply was sent from a friend who told me, “Right and Glenn Beck is not a Christian!” Although some Christian leaders have asked whether or not those of us who take this position if we’ve heard Beck’s testimony. I’ve heard him claim to be a Mormon. And until I hear his testimony that he no longer believes the Mormon doctrines of God which are redefinitions of the Christian view, I will continue with the position that Beck is not a Christian.

To the issue of Mormonism I don’t think Joseph Smith would hold me or other Christians today in any higher regard than he originally held. He criticized the very professions of faith that are still used today which contain the same doctrines that Christians’ today hold.

In his first vision in 1832, he claimed that God told him not to join any of the churches of his day because “all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” (Official Mormon source)

As Dr. Moore said in his article, “What concerns me is about what this says about the Christian churches in the United States.“

Brief Comparison between Mormonism and Christianity

Related posts:

1. Liberty University, Glenn Beck and the Gospel
2. The Political Gospel of Glenn Beck and Liberty University?
3. One Nation Under A Mormon God?

• Giveaway: A Pastor’s Sketches by Ichabod Spencer – Don’t forget about the giveaway!

• Reinvesting Pain – A week late on my part, but Rozie gives another well written, insightful piece on suffering. (In case you miss the sermon she linked to – it’s here.)

• Kiss Me? Addressing God in Worship – Matt Redman encourages us to think carefully about the language used in worship.

• African-Americans, Women and Southerners Talk and Text The Most in the U.S. – A cellphone usage survey by the Nielsen Company which analyzes more than 60,000 U.S. cellphone bills each month.

• Driver’s ed value doubted – Apparently, teens under 18 in Indiana who took Driver’s Ed had more accidents.

• Mexican Military Finds 72 Bodies Near Border – The Mexican Marines end up battling a drug cartel near the US-Mexican border.

• Was God Blasphemed on Atonement Q & A? – Christian hip-hop artist Shai Linne graciously answers a brother who criticized one of his lyrics.

• Mother Teresa: True Helper? – A brother asks if Mother Teresa truly helped anyone in the end.

• More on Beth Moore - Sarah carefully analyzes a few how Beth Moore handles Scripture with a few examples.

• Holiness, Love and the Church: A Conversation with Jonathan Leeman – Trevin Wax interviews Jonathan Leeman about his book The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love: Reintroducing the Doctrines of Church Membership and Discipline.

• Biblia.com: Bible Study Online – Logos Bible Software has a new “super-simple Bible” for the web.

• Author: More teens becoming ‘fake’ Christians – An article claiming that more American teenagers are embracing “moralistic therapeutic deism.”

• On Darwin and Darwinism: A Letter to Professor Giberson – Dr. Al Mohler responds to Professor Giberson’s critical article at The Huffington Post.

Related posts:

1. Friday Favorites 08/20
2. Friday Favorites 07/16
3. Friday Favorites 07/30

Don’t Waste Your Life Sentence
Voices from the Louisiana State Penitentiary

This video will be streamed live tonight at 7:30 CT/ 8:30 EST. Click here for the live stream location. I’m looking forward to it.

If you want to know more about this powerful trailer, below is the description from the Desiring God website.

The Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, LA is one of the largest and historically one of the most bloody maximum-security prisons in the USA. In 2009, Desiring God and John Piper were invited to Angola to learn about prison life, hear from men who have been radically changed by the gospel, and minister to many of the 5,000 inmates.

In this documentary, be confronted by the realities of men who have squandered their lives and whom society has deemed a waste. Hear firsthand from those who have ruined others’ lives and lost their lives of freedom, yet today are no longer wasting their lives. Be challenged by inmates who seem to have a greater grasp on eternity than those on the outside.

The DVD is available at the DG Store for only $10!

Related posts:

1. Great Night: Don’t Waste Your Life Concert
2. Who Is Watching Your Life?
3. Worship and the Theology of the Cross In One Sentence

There has been some interesting back and forth in Christians and the Ground Zero Mosque. I’m not sure a consensus will ever be reached even by Christians. Meanwhile, a friend sent me an article that offers another perspective on the Ground Zero Mosque. It’s from the Independent Institute whose mission is to boldly advance peaceful, prosperous, and free societies grounded in a commitment to human worth and dignity.

The article is Histrionics Over the Mosque: Symbolism Crowds Out Reality by Ivan Eland. He opens with:

The American media, and to a lesser extent the world media, focus on symbolism at the expense of underlying reality. And sometimes they can’t even make sense of the symbolism. The artificially generated controversy over a proposed mosque within about two blocks of the site of the 9/11 attacks is illustrative of this ignorance.

Reading through, I found the following paragraph interesting.

Yet conservative opposition to building the mosque is based on ignorance. Even if erecting the mosque is insensitive to the pain of 9/11, which I would argue that it is not, the Constitution doesn’t require people or groups to be sensitive to others’ concerns in order to enjoy religious freedom. For example, some Christians hold Jews responsible for killing Christ, but that does not preclude Jews from worshiping freely in the United States. Furthermore, the mosque is being proposed by the Cordoba Initiative, which is dedicated to improving Western/Islamic relations and promoting interfaith dialogue, and the leading person behind the project is from the most liberal and tolerant group in Islam, the Sufis. Lastly, two long-standing mosques are already in the neighborhood of “ground zero.”

Read the whole thing. Is Mr. Eland being insensitive? Unrealistic? Or accurate in his assessment?

Come back and share your thoughts.

Related posts:

1. Update: Christians and the Ground Zero Mosque
2. Ethics: Burn A Koran Day In Your Community
3. Ten Indictments Against the American Church by Paul Washer

• United States Marines duped by pretend jihadist, Ergun Caner -Jason provides videos of two training sessions that Ergun Caner gave to the U.S. Marines on April 15, 2005. I wonder if those who criticized Driscoll for his language will follow suit with Caner.

• Clearing the Smoke – Joe clears the smoke and shares the gospel in a cigar shop.

• National HHS Study Not Released by Obama Administration – A note on how the National Abstinence Education Foundation study that favors abstinence education is being withheld.

• Teens and Porn: 10 Stats You Need to Know – The results of a survey filled out by several hundred college students to help researchers understand how prevalent exposure to pornography was among adolescents.

• A Doe and her Twins – Victoria shares some wonderful pictures of young deer from her backyard.

• Reasons to Laugh, Each Day (and how it certainly beats anger) – Ed Welch shares just what the title says, some reasons to laugh.

• The pop star on trial for spreading HIV – Sadly, a Hollywood plot comes to life.

• “Joel Osteen and the Glory Story: A Case Study” by Michael S. Horton, Ph.D. – One essay of several written by Dr. Horton after his interview on 60 Minutes which aired on October 14, 2007.

• Christian-themed TV shows spark complaints in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon -Different groups in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon complain about Christian themed TV shows for different reasons.

Related posts:

1. Friday Favorites 07/16
2. Friday Favorites 08/13
3. Friday Favorites 09/03

What books are being promoted for teens and pre-teens to read these days? Better yet, what books are they actually reading? Are there underlying spiritual issues involved? How do parents handle it? Are parents discerning enough?

As a parent, I am concerned. This brings me to Mark Driscoll’s video below. I appreciate what he has to say. It’s a short clip from a recent sermon. Some have called it a rant. Love him or hate him, here he is.

Do you agree?

Related posts:

1. Sin Sells But Who’s Buying?
2. Christians Laugh Too
3. Good Books from Goodwill

UPDATE: Daniel linked an article by Raheel Raza and Tarek Fatah, two Muslims who are on the board of the Muslim Canadian Congress, entitled – Mischief in Manhattan: We Muslims know the Ground Zero mosque is meant to be a deliberate provocation. This article shows that there are atleast some vocal Muslims who get it.

There has been much talk (and I’m sure a lot more to come) over whether or not a Mosque should be built two blocks from Ground Zero. Though popularly called the Ground Zero Mosque it may more accurately be called an Islamic Center.

Not that the name Islamic Center necessarily changes anyone’s mind. One friend even said that “the Mosque at Ground Zero is an act of political disdain & ideological war. Citizens Unite.” It’s hard to disagree. However, those who are for or against its building don’t fall into one particular religious or political camp as far as I can tell. So I’ve wondered how Christians should react to building the center.

My gut reaction was - NO WAY! Are you kidding me?!

OK, that may not be the best reaction. I understand this is America and we have religious freedom and all. Even President Obama has made a few comments defending the religious liberty of Muslims to build the center. Though I tend to agree with the anti-religious radio host Neal Boortz who explained that Obama should have phrased his comments something like this:

“The American people have a deep appreciation for freedom of religion and have shown through the history of this country their tolerance of different religious viewpoints. All they’re asking of the Muslim community is recognition that many, perhaps most Americans consider the location of this planned Islamic Community Center as hallowed ground. The landing gear from one of the aircraft flown into the World Trade Towers crashed into the very building that will be demolished for the construction of this Islamic center. As President, and on behalf of the people that I represent, I would ask you to reconsider your plans for this project.”

Boortz suggestion makes sense. It takes into account the feelings of many of those who have been personally affected by the 9/11 attacks. This is basically the position taken in the video below by 9/11 survivor, NYC Firefighter Tim Brown who lost 93 friends in the attacks. His opponent in the video below is Eboo Patel, a Muslim and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core.

One of Eboo Patel’s key comments is – And American Muslims were not behind the terrorist plot either.

This is right after Patel compared the denial the building of this center to telling black people they could not sit at the front of the bus. I suppose using this comparison will never go away in the political sphere. Patel may be 100% right that no American Muslims were behind 9/11. But isn’t this all the more reason to not build the center?

If there are peaceful Muslims, peaceful American Muslims, wouldn’t it make a stronger statement for them to show the world their peacefulness and sensitivity for their fellow Americans? In other words, the peaceful Muslim approach would to take a position that says something like:

As American Muslims we have Constitutional religious freedom to build a Mosque or Islamic Center near Ground Zero. As much as we desire to build we more desire to show the world that we love and respect our fellow Americans. In order to show respect to other Americans and to show radical Islam that this is about living peacefully with people of other faiths we will not build the center so close to Ground Zero. We want to show the world that we understand the sensitivities involved in this issue and will do so by agreeing to a compromise.

OK, that probably won’t happen. And I understand the need to fight for religious liberty in this country. However, one may keep their liberty and still decide not to build.

But what about a Christian response? Again, there is the issue of religious liberty. Since the way is clear to build an Islamic Center close to Ground Zero the implications of denial due to public opinion could come back and hurt churches. Though some might argue that Christianity has actually flourished in times of repression, I’m not convinced that possibly giving up existing religious freedom is a good idea.

Rather, let’s keep the freedom we have (as much as we can these days). Let’s encourage open religious debate. If Muslims get to build their Mosque or Islamic Center then so be it. This does not defeat nor offer a blow to Christianity and it might actually be counter-productive for Islam. The big picture for Christians is not that we will not overcome Islam or evangelize Muslims better through laws or political/social policies. Our only hope for these things are through the cross of Jesus Christ as proclaimed in the gospel. And maybe this new center will be a great place to evangelize.

Ultimately, as uncomfortable as it is, I say let them build.

Related posts:

1. The Ground Zero Mosque An Artificial Controversy?
2. Ethics: Burn A Koran Day In Your Community
3. May Christians Vote Using Religious Principles?

Frank Turek of CrossExamined offers a refutation of 10 of Judge Vaughn Walker’s finding of “facts” used to overturn Proposition 8 in order to legalize gay marriage. Turek writes -

Second, Prop. 8 doesn’t violate the Fourteenth Amendment because every person in America already has equal marriage rights. We’re all playing by the same rules — we all have the same right to marry any non-related adult of the opposite sex. Those rules do not deny anyone “equal protection of the laws” because the qualifications to enter a marriage apply equally to everyone — every adult person has the same right to marry.

Below are the top 10 “facts” of Walker’s that Turek refutes.

1. “Sexual orientation is fundamental to a person’s identity and is a distinguishing characteristic that defines gays and lesbians as a discrete group.”
2. “California has no interest in asking gays and lesbians to change their sexual orientation or in reducing the number of gays and lesbians in California.”
3. “Same-sex couples are identical to opposite-sex couples in the characteristics relevant to the ability to form successful marital unions.”
4. “Permitting same-sex couples to marry will not affect the number of opposite-sex couples who marry, divorce, cohabit, have children outside of marriage or otherwise affect the stability of opposite-sex marriages.”
5. “Proposition 8 does not affect the First Amendment rights of those opposed to marriage for same-sex couples.”
6. “No credible evidence supports a finding that an individual may, through conscious decision, therapeutic intervention or any other method, change his or her sexual orientation.”
7. “The gender of a child’s parent is not a factor in a child’s adjustment.”
8. “Religious beliefs that gay and lesbian relationships are sinful or inferior to heterosexual relationships harm gays and lesbians.”
9. “Proposition 8 results in frequent reminders for gays and lesbians in committed long-term relationships that their relationships are not as highly valued as opposite-sex relationships.”
10. “Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license.”

The refutations are in the original article Top 10 gay marriage false ‘facts’. Read the whole thing…

Related posts:

1. Proposition What? Rick Warren Did Not Lie
2. How Is Your Marriage? Deal of the Week
3. May Christians Vote Using Religious Principles?

• Giant Brazilian Temple Replica Panned as ‘Mockery’ – A controversial Brazilian Pentecostal church plans to build a $200 million Holy Temple replica.

• What Do I Have to Believe to Be Saved? – John Piper answers the question.

• Captured: America in Color from 1939-1943 – An awesome photo blog from the Denver Post.

• Christian-Themed Movies in ‘Holy-Wood’ – Interesting comments by La Shawn Barber.

• ‘John Doe’ Who Fought FBI Spying Freed From Gag Order After 6 Years – An internet service provider owner who challenged the FBI in court over secret records has been partially released from a gag order.

• A Fear of Works – Jason Anspach asks, “Does the Reformed tradition breed an unbiblical fear of works?”

• Now Mel Gibson’s father brands the Pope ‘gay’ in outrageous radio outburst – Hutton Gibson on a radio show claimed that Pope Benedict XVI is gay.

• Will HPOA be Christianized? – My silly spur of the moment post that was very popular due to linking Digg. It shows that something doesn’t have to be good to be popular.

• Things I Don’t Want To Hear Behind Me in Church – Some humor for the week.

Related posts:

1. Friday Favorites 08/06 Anniversary Special
2. Friday Favorites 09/03
3. Friday Favorites 08/27

‘Deeds, not creeds’ brings a connotation with it that Christians’ actions carry more weight than their verbalized beliefs.  An older, more popular version is the out of context quote of Francis of Assisi – Preach the gospel always, if necessary use words. (Some question whether he really said it or not.)

There is some wisdom in these ideas, but as stand alone ideologies they don’t actual proclaim the gospel. They do more to show the effect of the gospel in changing lives. People do still need to hear the gospel.

This brings me to the CNN video story below of Tobias Steinmetz. For three months he has been walking across the country carrying an eight-foot, 40-pound, wooden cross. There is a caption in the video under his name that reads ‘Gospel Walker’.

But there is no gospel nor mention of Jesus in the video.

To be fair, it is not known what CNN may have cut out of the video. The larger point, however, is that even while carrying around an eight foot cross the gospel is not readily apparent. Christians can adorn t-shirts, hats, bracelets, bumper stickers, etc. with the Christianized designs they want, but it’s still no substitute for verbally sharing the gospel.

Transcript here.

Related posts:

1. Rick Warren Vs. John Piper on the Gospel
2. Worship and the Theology of the Cross In One Sentence
3. Agreeing with Al Sharpton about the Gospel

The word HPOA (HOPA?) is going around the internet. Depending on who you read it either means ‘someone who is half-Japanese‘ (HOPA version), ‘highly professional office assistant’ or something else that is going around the web that is more vulgar. I’m not sure if the half-Japanese reference is meant to be insulting or not. Please do not take my usage as such.

It is interesting is that the more vulgar phrase used around the web also seems to be the most popular. This offensive usage was apparently part of a practical joke. Was the joke funny? I have only read a briefing on it so I can’t comment. The concept seems to be a good one since it’s about someone quitting their job in an unorthodox way.

What is interesting is that this is what secular society thrives on. I get that. I was there once for more than a moment in time. In this age of Christian cultural engagement I’ve got to wonder if someone may try to Christianize the acronym HPOA. I’ve seen things from fire engine baptisteries to parody videos where a pastor pulls out a can of ‘whoop bass’. (I’m sure there are more examples.)

So why not this term?

How about:

• Holy People Offering Action
• Hating Persecution of Abba
• Heaven, Pushing Out Abaddon
• Holiness: Putting On Armour

Now is the time for Christians to act! Grab this acronym and capture the culture!

Related posts:

1. Grace No More
2. Ergun goes Bananas for Calvinism?
3. What if the Super Pastor left?

An interesting conversation has been taking place in one of the comment threads. The back and forth is between an atheist and a Christian. Another atheist recently stopped by to comment. His name is Quinlan and he made some assertions to the Christian, Howard, in that thread.

Quinlan objected to Howard using “religious principles” from which to base his position on abortion and homosexuality.  It’s as if a Christian is suppose to cease being a Christian outside of their home and worship service. Or at least in the realm of politics.

These types of charges are nothing new to Christians. Examples of such charges can be seen in Quinlan’s comment.

I find your comments to be as disgusting as they are hypocritical. You say you understand that this isn’t a Christian nation, and the separation between church and state. But then you’re talking about taking rights away from gay people, and rights away from women to get an abortion. These things are BOTH religious principles. If your opinion is strictly due to religion, then you are not allowed to impose that on others. Under the constitution, you are not allowed to use your phony god to take rights away from every day, law abiding people.

Different people define what it means for America to be a Christian Nation differently. The same goes for defining the separation of church and state. However, one can believe that America is not, and never was, a Christian Nation, hold to a separation between church and state and still push for particular policies based on their Christian beliefs. Most Christians do not desire for the state to run the church as is done in Britain. Nor do they desire to have the church run the state as if to appoint some sort of Pope of the United States. Christians can comfortably operated with these institutions remaining separate.

It is interesting that the rights of the baby does not enter the discussion when considering abortion. I assume the gay rights objection is dealing with marriage. If gay marriage was not a “right” for the life of this Nation then how can it be something that is taken away? And if gay marriage is something that comes to be forced upon the church by the state then this would then be a violation of the separation of church and state.

Other religious principles from the Christian worldview include not murdering, not stealing, not committing adultery, children respecting parents, etc. Are we then not allowed to impose these principles on others? Societal laws and rules uphold that these things are good principles to help guide one’s life. It is not solely the belief of religious people that these guidelines are implemented.

However, if Quinlan is saying that a person who holds to such positions “strictly due to religion” therefore invalidates their right to impose such laws, then this would also be the case for his anti-religious position. See, if a religious position is opposed simply because it is religious the opposition is based on anti-religious bias. Anti-religious bias cannot exist without religion, therefore it opposes itself.

If God is phony then He is a figment of one’s imagination and therefore is simply part of one’s subconscious. This means ultimately that people are actually making decisions based upon beliefs that originate from self. If Quinlan believes this then why would he object to people making such decisions? I also wonder where in the U.S. Constitution does it state that citizens cannot vote according to their religious positions.

Christians are not trying to take away peoples’ rights, but to properly apply them based on their worldview. Even the Constitution defines and applies certain individual rights. For example, one has to be 18 to vote, atleast 30 to be a Senator and a natural born citizen to be President. No one is complaining that these stipulations violate individual rights. Sure, these requirements aren’t based on religious principles, but neither does everyone oppose abortion and same sex marriage due to religion.

So may Christians Vote Using Religious Principles? Of course! And so can any person of any religion. This goes for Quinlan too as he signs off on his comment “Atheistically yours”.

P.s. While we’re on the topic, Justin Taylor links to a great analysis in The Moral Reasoning in the Same-Sex Court Decision.

Related posts:

1. Obama, Abortion and Pay Grades
2. Book Review: The Divided States of America?
3. Shut Up Christians!

• First, today is my 5th wedding anniversary! So it’s special. How does my wonderful wife manage? Maybe this limerick will help her.

I know you can’t believe that it’s been five years.
But you made it through without many tears.
Since it’s all foreordained,
just pretend that you’ve gained.
It will help get you through the coming years!

• The Amazing Hubris of the Ruling Class Judiciary – James White comments on the overturning of Proposition 8 and the homosexual Judge Vaughn Walker who had a hand in it.

• The Five Minute Money Manager: Taking Your Lunch To Work – The real cost of bringing lunch vs. eating out is examined.

• Post-Reform Credit Card Scene: New Dirty Tricks Replacing the Old Ones – Insight from Brad Tuttle from TIME.com.

• Christianaudio’s Free Audiobook Download of the Month – Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road by Tim Keller.

• How can any church member minister to his/her pastor? – Brian Croft has a helpful suggestion.

• A Muslim admits that one who dies for his enemies has greater love – Ken notes this is in direct opposition to Jesus’ words in John 15:13.

• Preaching Transformation: The Change We Need – Ed Stetzer explains how preaching should not lead to low-level therapeutic moralistic deism.

• The NFL season: are you ready to resist? – Ray Ortlund puts Christian priorities in order for football season.

• Taking a Break From the Lord’s Work – Paul Vitello informs us that the clergy suffer from higher rates of obesity, hypertension and depression than most Americans.

• Which Jesus is Anne Rice committed to? – My neighbor Michael DeBusk responds to Brian MacLaren and Anne Rice.

• Book Review: The Rabbit and the Elephant: Why Small Is the New Big for Today’s Church – Aaron Menikoff reviews a book on a house church movement by George Barna, Felicity Dale, Tony Dale.

Related posts:

1. Friday Favorites 08/27
2. Friday Favorites 09/03
3. Friday Favorites 08/13

J.D. Greear has written Artistry, Excellence, and the Mission in which he asks – What is the role of artistic excellence in a local church’s “production”?

This is not a new question in today’s culture. Nor will it be going away anytime soon. The production factor in the lives of Americans continues to increase. Millions of dollars are spent to produce special effects for movies as a lure to fish for more of the almighty dollar. But should it be a way to fish for people for the Almighty God?

That question won’t be decided here. (Well, maybe someone will decide in the comments!) Greear provides a balanced view of production for a church’s message. He concludes with:

But this is where we’ve ended up as a church… we do spend money on production and art, but only as is necessary to communicate the message and propagate the mission. We know that, at the end of the day, the real power is not in the medium, but in the Spirit and the Gospel.

I appreciate Greear’s conclusion. I probably line-up very well with it. I’m sure some will disagree. It seems a case can be made for the primacy of preaching in the worship service. This means that the message would be lost without preaching. It also seems that if the message is dependent upon the production there could be a loss of its meaning.

Others would argue that in our day of visual productions, a la Hollywood, that such a medium will better reach and teach people. This seems like a good point. It makes sense on the surface. However, as Christians we should seek out what Scripture tell us about communicating God’s message.

I want to look at this issue from a different angle that compares the culture of today with that of the early church. Let’s grant the cultural, pragmatic argument for a moment. Didn’t the early church have a culture in which public productions were popular? If so, why did we not see the early church adapt certain cultural trends of dramatic production to reach more people more effectively?

For example, there are many Ancient Greek dramatists and playwrights long before Jesus and the Apostles. There is also the Septuagint which was translated during the Hellenistic Period. The early church was no stranger to Greek culture i.e. a Greek New Testament, churches in Rome and Ephesus.

Culturally, it’s not hard to find find an article on 14 Ancient Theatres of Greek Roman Antiquity which states:

The theater originates from the city-state of Athens where it was used for festivals honoring the god Dionysus and the famous Athenian tragedy, comedy, and satyr plays. The Romans, being a little bit less philosophical in spirit than the Greek, wanted more pure entertainment with lots of laughs and excitement. Popular entertainments in Roman times included mime plays, acrobatics, jugglers, animal fights and gladiator fights although the later two were more common in the Roman amphitheater.

There is even the Great Theater, Ephesus which is considered a sacred destination.

…this is traditionally where St. Paul preached against the pagans.

Herod’s Theater was a first century theater built in Jerusalem.

Herod the Great built a marvelous theater in Jerusalem’s Upper City. It was a large auditorium with no roof and semicircular rows of seats ascending from the center stage. Wealthy Jews came there to watch the best of Greek and Roman drama.

Given the cultural significance of productions before and during the early church it seems the cultural argument for production in today’s worship service loses some force. The Apostle Paul obviously knew the secular poets of his day cf. Acts 17:28. While we see Paul using these poets in evangelism we don’t see this in corporate worship gatherings.

Using Greek drama and others acts would seem to have drawn in both Greek and Jew to a worship service. Yet it’s curiously absent from the biblical and historical record. I wonder if the early church had an understanding of – what you win them with is what you win them to?

Does this mean churches should use absolutely no production in worship service? Not necessarily. Part of the answer may lie in just what kind of production is being considered. I agree with Greear that the real power lies in the Holy Spirit and the gospel. Of course, God can use any means to win souls. However, the record shows that the norm for winning souls has not been through production but through preaching.

I’d love to hear some other views on this. What are your thoughts?

Related posts:

1. Patriotic Worship
2. Worship Your Way
3. Why Worship?

Wow! Christians seem to have a tough time talking about Jesus in everyday causal settings, but at gunpoint? During a robbery? I wonder how many others would react this way. Makes me wonder a lot of things…

Are you convicted?

(HT: Ray Ortlund)

Related posts:

1. Talk to Ravi Zacharias
2. Is the sermon about Jesus?
3. Santa Nicer Than Jesus?

• Forsake Not The Assembling – Ben Davis offers a great quote from John Owen on the importance of coming together for corporate worship.

• identifying “anti-adoptionistic” corruptions of scripture – Rafael Rodriguez critiques Bart Ehrman’s remarks on anti-adoptionistic corruptions of Scripture.

• Vitaminwater Isn’t Healthy, Rules Federal Judge – The title of this article By Carey Alexander says it all.

• Morals are relative, agree or be expelled. – Jason Smathers breaks down Augusta State University’s attempt to force a Christian to change her viewpoint on human sexuality or be expelled.

• In Islam, the Majority in Hell are Women – Ken uses Islamic sources to show the eternal gender inequality in Islam.

• Baptist Preacher Wins Another Shot at Asylum – Persecuted by Muslims “…immigration officials had ignored crucial evidence showing that Ghanaian police demanded bribes for protection, particularly when it came to protecting Christians.”

• Politics for Christians – A book by Francis J. Beckwith reviewed by Aaron Menikoff.

• Truthfulness in Testimonies – Majestatic examines Ergun Caner’s various testimonies and asks if anyone should be concerned.

• Exclusive claims in the Scriptures – Rev. Charles Lehmann examines the statement “Jews are devil-worshipers.”

• The BP Spill: Has the Damage Been Exaggerated? – A TIME magazine article agreeing with Rush Limbaugh?

• Artistry, Excellence, and the Mission – J.D. Greear asks “What is the role of artistic excellence in a local church’s ‘production’?”

• More on Beach Wear – Nancy Ann looks at evil motives vs. good motives in the realm of bikinis.

Related posts:

1. Friday Favorites 08/27
2. Friday Favorites 07/16
3. Friday Favorites 08/20

Last week I mentioned that Christianity Gives Atheism Life. Some atheists have gained much by their push against a God they don’t believe exists. In a similar vein, some people who don’t believe in hell are offended when others believe they are headed that way.

Why?

People certainly have no problem joking about hell as seen in the recent LA Times article COMIC-CON 2010: Seth MacFarlane does ‘Family Guy’ live.

As panelist Patrick Warburton, who voices cop Joe Swanson on the show, said understatedly: “A lot of the show is not very Christian, and I think we’re all going to hell.”

This statement makes light of Christianity. Should Christians be offended?

Non-Christians get offended by Christian beliefs all the time. Even Rick Warren offended some in 2008 according to CBS News story – The Importance Of Rick Warren’s Event.

When it came time for questions, a woman stood up, proclaimed her Judaism, and asked Warren if she was going to burn in hell. He paused before responding — and then answered her question the only way it could be answered. Yes, he said to audible gasps.

What an interesting situation, but why was the woman surprised? Because it was Rick Warren? It’s not like the Christian belief and Bible’s teaching on hell is new. Even in context John 3:16, arguably the most famous Bible verse, teaches condemnation.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:16-18 ESV)

So many people want a loving, uncondemning Jesus. So many want a Jesus who brings a type of salvation message in the form of moral self-improvement or as a personal example to emulate.

The problem with these types of uncondeming Jesus figures is they have not brought salvation in any sense. If people are not lost in sin, hell-bound, condemned already, etc. then there is nothing for Jesus to save them from. God’s love as expressed through salvation in Jesus Christ alone would be a farce. However, against the back drop of hell God’s love shown through Jesus Christ makes sense.

Does hell offend you? Does Jesus? Why?

Related posts:

1. Rick Warren Vs. John Piper on the Gospel
2. 40 Days of a new Reformation?
3. 10 Reasons You Might Be A Watchblogger If

• Yancey Arrington just released what looks to be an awesome new book – TAP: Defeating The Sins That Defeats You.

• The WP On Faith blog has a very interesting ethical dilemma concerning twitter – The Executioner’s Tweet.

• The CNN belief blog notes some interesting exchanges in Congress debates biblical stance on immigration.

• Ed Stetzer has a helpful post explaining that there is No Such Thing as “the Gift of Evangelism”.

• Blasphemy accused Christian brothers shot dead in Faisalabad by Muslims.

• A very funny illustration of Debating Calvinism.

• The Boston Globe reports that More Baptist pastors adopt bishop title (and rings!).

• Pundit Kitchen claims that BP Fails At Photoshop concerning their crisis command center.

• The guys as Triablogue have answered The Christian Delusion with the free pdf book The Infidel Delusion.

• Joe Thorn explains why Your Procrastination is Sin.

Related posts:

1. Friday Favorites 09/03
2. Friday Favorites 07/16
3. Friday Favorites 07/30

hristianity sure gives many atheists something to live for. This can be seen by the way many atheists argue, debate, write, sue, form societies and organizations, etc. all to fight against God.

But it is God that drives these actions!

Some atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have become famous for their beliefs. Yet they continue to rail against Christianity.

It is ironic that they continue to gain meaning and motivation in life both from and for the very Being they deny exists.

In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;
all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” (Psalm 10:4 ESV)

Related posts:

1. Thinking about American Christianity
2. De-baptism Thoughts
3. Christless Christianity Q and A With Michael Horton

There is a cool new site called I Write Like which allows you to – “Check which famous writer you write like with this statistical analysis tool, which analyzes your word choice and writing style and compares them with those of the famous writers.”

Many people who write desire to become better at it. I’m no different. I thought maybe this analysis tool would give some insight to my writing besides just being fun. I pasted four different articles, two on the same topic, and got the four different results listed below.

Maybe I am just that inconsistent in my writing style. Either way, it’s an interesting concept. Give it a shot!

Related posts:

1. Write Your Own Message Bible
2. Writing Opportunity with Examiner.com
3. Calvinism, Arminianism and John 6:44

What would you do Wednesday!

A fifteen year old girl was invited by your daughter to a youth outreach event at your church. Her boyfriend had just broken up with her. She was really upset and needed to get away and thought a church event would be something nice to go to.

The gospel was shared with here and she came to faith in Christ during this event. This young Christian has been attending church faithfully with your family. She has really been hungry to grow and know God better.

She’s been praying and reading her Bible regularly. True change can be seen in her life through her words and actions. She’s made new Christian friends and let go of old friends who were bad influences on her.

Four months have gone by and she finds out she is five months pregnant.

She understands that abortion is not an option for a Christian. Yet, she knows her parents are not Christians and they would want her to have an abortion so a child does not ruin her life.

She is scared and doesn’t know what to do.

The distressed girl turns to you for help. She was correct that her parents want her to have an abortion. Yet, they also want to want to discuss this with her new friends within her new spirituality. A meeting is set-up between you, your pastor and her parents.

You and your pastor must consider that her parents do not accept biblical authority as you prepare for interaction with them. As the parent or the pastor:

• What alternatives to abortion do you offer her parents?
• From what authority do you argue?
• Should your church be willing to help?
• What kind of help would you offer them corporately or individually?
• What would you do?

Related posts:

1. Ethics: Cohabitation In the Church
2. Ethics: Church Staff An Illegal Immigrant
3. Ethics: Excluding A Single Parent from Church Membership

• Reminder: The giveaway of A Theological Interpretation of American History ends Monday.

• Steve Hays answers What does the unbeliever know? for the apologetic minded.

• Rozie answers Liberty University students that ask what can they do about the recent issues with their former Dean Ergun Caner.

• Jason at Witnesses Unto Me provides new legal documentation proving that Ergun Caner came to American at age 2.

• The flak over ‘The Shack’ reports on lawsuits over the best selling book which include issues of royalties and authorship. The Shack Review just won’t die either.

• Fred Phelps and his horrible excuse for a church plan to protest Lady Gaga; Some LGBT people plan to protest back.

• French lawmakers vote to ban full face veils in public which is unpopular with their Muslim population. It comes with the equivalent of $189 fine or a citizenship class.

• Don from his desk tells us why he’s never heard a free-will prayer – Free-Will Prayer? Never heard one yet!

• Bill Leonard looks at the Southern Baptist Convention – Analysis: Southern Baptists face the future — and an identity crisis. Agree or disagree he offers some important considerations.

• Abraham Piper’s Credit where credit’s not due… will help end your week with a good laugh and maybe teach you a new way to give compliments.

Related posts:

1. Friday Favorites 08/20
2. Friday Favorites 07/23
3. Friday Favorites 08/27

What would you do Wednesday!

Consider being in a situation similar to that of Pastor Baity when he was recently fired for praying in Jesus name. Baity got to say one prayer before the N.C. House, but then he was not invited back. He is protesting his firing and the N.C. House prayer guidelines are being looked into.

The situation to consider: You are invited to pray at an official government meeting such as your state House of Representatives. The authorities recently heard about the incident with Pastor Baity. They do not want a repeat. They want all religions to feel welcome and believe that simply praying to “god” is satisfactory. The official order given to you is the following-

The prayer should not be in Jesus name. It should not mention Jesus. If this order is violated not only will you not be invited back to pray, but no Christians will be invited to pray at this assembly again.

What do you do? How do you pray?

Related posts:

1. Fired In Jesus Name?
2. Ethics: Unwanted Pregnancy
3. Ethics: Cohabitation In the Church

On May 31, Pastor Ron Baity was relieved of his Chaplaincy prayer duties before the N.C. House of Representatives after he prayed in Jesus name. Baity is the pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Winston-Salem and was filling in as a guest Chaplain. I first read this story from FOXNews’ article Pastor Yanked From Capitol Over ‘Jesus’ Prayer.

Kudos to Pastor Baity for his prayer and protest over being fired. It’s understandable that people are offended by Jesus’ name. Jesus said such things would happen.

Continuing with the story the Winston-Salem Journal reported on it in House lacks formal policy. So a local government fires a guy over doing something in which there was no formal policy. I like what Baity said about the situation and I think he has a point.

“They’re telling me how I need to pray,” he said. “That is the establishment of a religion.”

Those things are disheartening, but in some sense expected. What is more disheartening though are some statements from professing Christians. Former N.C. House Chaplain James Harry’s comment, for example.

“Though there were some who were offended and some who even questioned my Christianity, I never felt as if I were betraying my loyalty to God in Christ,” Harry said in an e-mail yesterday. “Invoking the name of Jesus in a taxpayer-funded government arena does have the potential of making the prayer sectarian.”

Ruth Peterson, of the Anointed One Church of Deliverance in Ayden who has given a past invocation.

“I think that we should honor and respect those that have given us the privilege to pray for our state and our nation,” Peterson said yesterday.

“I think that as preacher, we pray,” she said. “We don’t necessarily have to say in the name of Jesus, because when we pray it, we know. We understand why we’re praying.”

Methodist Pastor John Howard who has also given a past invocation.

“I would prefer no restrictions,” Howard said yesterday. “But I definitely think it’s important to pray for our leaders in whatever way that we can.”

If praying in Jesus’ name makes a prayer sectarian while praying generically without Jesus name is acceptable to all other religions, does this make the generic prayer anti-Christian? Isn’t it an infringement upon one’s religion to demand a certain type of prayer? How can one say they are not betraying their loyalty to Christ when they believe there are certain venues in which praying in Christ’s name is unacceptable? If those putting on taxpayer-funded government functions invite Christians to pray they should expect Christ to be mentioned!

Christians might understand Who they are praying to, but is that really a faithful prayer when one is afraid to mention Jesus? There is a way to pray for our leaders and that is in Jesus’ name. What good does it do to pretend everyone in the room is praying to the same God? Is God’s favor really being sought in such a prayer or is the prayer a string of feel good words for all involved?

It’s sad that those professing Christians who had no problem not praying in Jesus’ name did not, as far as has been reported, stand up for Baity. They could have offered support for him even if their methods may be different. One must wonder if this is a fear of God vs. a fear of man issue.

And the Apostles? I’m convinced the Apostles would not have backed down for the sake of political correctness. I have my own thoughts about how the Apostle Paul may have prayed for our leaders i.e. the Presidential Inauguration.  Some may say that the Apostles Paul lived during a different time. I agree, during their time the Apostles were physically beaten and killed for Christ.

Related posts:

1. Ethics: To Pray In Jesus Name Or Not?
2. The Final Apologetic
3. Memorial Day 2009 Worship Service

Someone is always predicting the end of the world. It reminds me of the chorus from that Telsa song Signs.

Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs

Some people don’t need signs. They just need a little math to predict Judgment Day. For example, Harold Camping has some math in his article JUDGMENT DAY which has the wonderful subtitle: THE END OF THE WORLD IS ALMOST HERE! HOLY GOD WILL BRING JUDGMENT DAY ON MAY 21, 2011.

Seven thousand years after 4990 B.C. (the year of the Flood) is the year 2011 A.D. (our calendar).

4990 + 2011 – 1 = 7,000

[One year must be subtracted in going from an Old Testament B.C. calendar date to a New Testament A.D. calendar date because the calendar does not have a year zero.]

What I can’t figure out is if Camping is using New Math or not. And if my discovery of the Dow sitting at 6.66 on Google Finance changes the equation at all.

We just never know some things.

Related posts:

1. Dividing Line Listeners: Math Made Easy
2. To Sign Or Not To Sign
3. Who Are They Really Angry At?

My wife and I watched the movie The Boy in the Striped Pajamas this past weekend. In a way it was sort of fitting that we watched it during the Fourth of July weekend. The movie was a great reminder of the freedoms of this great Nation.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is set in World War II in Germany. The two key characters in the movie are two 8 year old boys. One of the boys, Bruno, is the son of SS Commandant Ralf. The other, Shmuel, is a Jewish boy, in striped pajamas, imprisoned in a concentration camp. Ralf is the officer in charge of the concentration camp and moves his family to a house very close to the camp.

The house is so close to the concentration camp that Bruno goes exploring through the woods and finds it. This is where he meets Shmuel. The two boys talk to each other either side of the fence and become friends. Bruno is outside the fence while Shmuel is inside though they are both trapped in a sense. Both are trapped by the Nazi’s evil and hate.

The film is not a documentary nor is it based on true events. Though many scenes are very intense. There is tension within the family from Ralf’s parents disagreeing with each other about the war to Ralf’s wife, Elsa, having arguments with Ralf about the situation. The indoctrination of Bruno’s 12 year old sister, Gretel, starts and she can be seen hanging Swastika’s on her wall. The whole movie creates an atmosphere of uncomfortable tension.

Even the the two boys portray an uncomfortable innocence. Bruno betrays Shmuel, yet he is forgiven and they remain friends. They do not even realize all of the death around them. Despite the few obstacles they do realize in their circumstances their friendship keeps them going.

The ending. I will not give away the unexpected ending. It may catch the viewer off guard and stir up mixed feelings.

The movie is a great reminder of how wicked the human heart can be. It shows how people can be trapped by their own sin. It also shows how one’s sin can trap others, especially, one’s own children. I can’t help but think of how prevalent fear is in this movie. Nazi’s were fearing Jews for some reason. Rebellious Nazi family members staying silent or leaving Germany out of fear. The imprisoned Jews in fear for their lives.

Ultimately, everyone was afraid that another group of people were going to take something from their lives. Whether a life style or life itself. We are all going to die. It’s just a matter of when and how.

What a great reminder that the gospel of Jesus Christ offers a life without fear, or more importantly, a death without fear. We may say the gospel offers a life and a death of hope in something greater.

Related posts:

1. The Second Chance on dvd: watch it
2. Considering Death
3. End of the Spear preliminary thoughts