Turk comments on Hugh Hewitt's view of the church as a means to a political end; i.e. the church has the same end as conservativism. He goes on to quote Moreland saying 1) that the first responsibility of a pastor is to enlist people to be involved in the policital process and to get people voting (to do good to society), and 2) that a theocracy and using Scripture in politics is never a good idea, and we should just appeal to 'natural law' (i.e. arguments should not depend on Scriptural premises = God's word) [incredible!]. He shows that Paul's perspective was Gospel-oriented. "May He who calls us out of the world to pass through the world as if it were not our home also call us to preach the Gospel which is the only hope of men -- and not trade it for the noises of traducers like Hewitt who don't understand that they are the problem, not the Gospel." For this reason. JT has a summary here, which also links to the transcript: Christ and State
Patrick Chan offers some eclectic thoughts on the issue of torture. 1) He discusses the vagueness in the 'no better than the enemy' moral objection to torture, pointing out that it begs the question as to the moral standard of the enemy, the essence of 'torture' versus 'interrogation techniques', and levels the more pragmatic question of potentially having no one to carry on such a high 'moral' legacy if the war is lost because 'torture' was not employed (or not won as well). 2) Are peacetime applications of ethics different than in wartime? 3) Wrong uses of torture do not necessarily illegitimize all torture. 4) Is, say, waterboarding unconstitutional? Are enemies entitled to American rights? Even domestic prisoners have reduced rights. Now, what's fundamentally important to Christians isn't whether something is in accordance with American values, but whether it is biblical (though there could be overlap). 5) There is a 'guilt' about mistreatment of the middle east in many, which is also fed by the enemy. 6) There is the notion prevalent that all that we really need is to communicate better. In that case, why talk about the morality of the enemy and reducing to it? Aren't we all the same? 7) For whom is it better, when it is said that it is better to let 10 guilty walk rather than harm one innocent? 8) There is a moral hypocrisy, in that those opposing torture support abortion. No better than our enemies
According to this, coffee is for the most part quite good for you. http://www.ecosalon.com/20-surprising-facts-about-coffee/
Phillips hither and tither is worth a read, and summarizing a summary seems redundant. Of note: "Obama's America: want to butcher helpless unborn babies? No problem! Want to offer help and alternatives to women about to take out the contract on said babies? GUILTY!" and "Mark Driscoll gets 'buked, but it's hard to say by whom exactly. The writer says "I," but the byline is "Staff." He has so much good to say and do, Driscoll really decisively has to step away from the naughty quip-from-the-hip, and fall out of love with the adoring laughter of his audience. If he doesn't do that, it will ruin (or sideline) the vastly more important aspects of his ministry, and that's a bad thing". 09
Mohler writes an article summed up well with this paragraph: "One interesting facet of the controversies over Warren and Robinson is the fact that the inclusion of the one does not placate the critics of the other. Homosexual activists are still angry over the choice of Warren to deliver the invocation on January 20. A host of others will be offended by the choice of Bishop Robinson. These two responses illustrate the depth of the divide over the issue of homosexuality. The question cuts to the heart of issues including biblical authority and the very nature of humanity. Representation is undoubtedly symbolic, but Rick Warren and Gene Robinson represent radically divergent worldviews and incommensurate goals. They are not two very different representatives of one religion. They are instead two very symbolic representatives of two very different religions." http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=3100
Mohler points to the idea that the fact that an increasing number of Americans are unwilling to say that their unbelieving neighbour would go to hell is a natural consequence of the American political and social ideal of patriotism, a sense of fair play, equality, personal autonomy, and limitless opportunity. Those who today have personal autonomy so ingrained into them will see it their right to determine their own meaning and truth, and meet truth claims with resistance. "... a majority of American Christians pick and choose doctrines, more or less on the basis of those they like as opposed to those they dislike." This explains much of what we see in evangelicalism, and a rejection of hell. Americans now think themselves judges of God's 'fairness'. God is not running for office and heaven is not a democracy http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=3106
Adam's has a brief post on preaching and the importance of a pastor's library - how a well-read pastor will likely have a longer and more fruitful ministry, as "will tend to become a better exegete, he will be well-read in biblical and church history, he will be able to draw upon a wealth of systematic and practical theology, and his congregation will become the better for it." A comment of note: "Speaking of exegesis, how do you do it? Do you cobble together bits and pieces from various commentaries into some explanation of the preaching portion? Or do you do the hard work of figuring out for yourself what the passage says, using various commentaries to help you? Between these two approaches to the text, there is a large difference." The Preacher’s Library
Adam's asks two questions when people ask for help on how to deal with problems: "They are: “Is he/she a member of the church?” As soon as I receive an affirmative response, I find the second question coming out of my mouth almost automatically—without even thinking about it. It is: “What has the church done about it?” Too often the answer is totally dissatisfying." He says that the church has neglected its duty to shepherd its flock. Two Questions to Start With
Adam's exhorts believers not to fear that because you are a layman you cannot counsel, as if secular credentials qualified one to help biblically. The NT has given a mandate to all believers to counsel one another. He urges believers to study these texts and be prepared to give a biblical ground for why Christians can and should, as children of God, counsel other Christians. Objections to Biblical Counseling
In writing against sanitizing language, Adams says, "My counseling friend, never minimize sin. Don’t allow a counselee to do so. Sin is “sin.” Now, we don’t want to call anything sin that isn’t sin, but we don’t want to call anything that is sin anything else. To call what is sin, “sin,” is to do a counselee a favor—though some counselors must not think so. Jesus came to die for sin. That means it can be forgiven, erased, cleansed. You do no one a favor by calling sin genetic, a mistake, some sort of cultural more, or whatever. Jesus didn’t come to deal with those matters. But He did come to deal with sin." Call It What You Like
"There is unsettling news for Canada in U.S. President Barack Obama's economic stimulus bill, or at least in the version approved Wednesday night by the House of Representatives. It says that steel used in public projects under the $819-billion US plan must be made in the United States, an idea likely to cause trade disputes and block sales by Canadian mills." Apparently Europeans are upset too [I will note that I'd understood Obama to be protectionist well before he was elected, so this is not a surprise to me] http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/01/29/buy-american.html
Bayly writes, "Here’s the truth. Obama is the oppressor of children, born and unborn. But since his skin color is black, we can’t believe he’d oppress anyone. So we come out with all this blather about other social justice issues equally commanding our attention as Christians. Our goal, of course, is to obscure the fact that abortion absolutely dwarfs the death toll of all other forms of oppression around the world combined. That’s combined, brothers and sisters!" ... "It’s disgusting for otherwise educated and thoughtful men to seek to legitimize their conniving at this great bloody oppression that defines our nation by sniveling about systemic poverty and education and secondhand smoke and carbon emissions and AIDS." ... "No man who lives for justice and mercy and truth and wakes and sleeps scheming how to liberate the unborn from the present prevailing slaughter could ever pull the lever for the principal proponent of that slaughter in America today" President Obama- Meet the new boss, same as
Bayly thinks the obsession with weight control is indicative of the spirit of the age. He says, "In other words, Africa is normal across history in thinking a fat wife contented and prosperous. Not sinful"; seemingly indicating that being fat is acceptable while thin is not? Soft pillows, comfy chairs, and holiness
Piper's new book on regeneration Finally Alive is out. Here's a part of a Q & A. An excerpt: "You must be born again. It is a miracle. Many, I fear, don't even want to think in terms of "being saved" as being in the category of a miracle that only God can perform. They want it to be a decision based wholly on human power involving no necessary miracle. That is deadly." Why Finally Alive
Roy Ortlund is asked ten questions about preaching. Here are some highlights: "Preaching is central in the life of a church, because Jesus himself speaks savingly through the preached Word." "I often fall in love with every detail in my text, so that I tend toward excess at that level in my preaching. But I try to ask, “What is the precise pastoral burden of this unique passage?” Every detail, however fascinating, is there in the text to help construct that one overall message." "The greatest peril is forgetting what preaching is there for in the first place... [it is] for the display of Jesus Christ, according to the gospel... for him alone, as he wants to speak to the people, love them, help them, save them." http://unashamedworkman.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/10-questions-for-expositors-ray-orlund-jr/
For those interested in tracking Obama's opposition to pro-life and pro-marriage, this is the site: Moral Accountability
Joe Carter writes to a fetus, explaining four reasons why he might be aborted: 1) Don’t be the unlucky third in series of IVF induced triplets (i.e. less costly to just implant multiple embyros and kill the extra if all three go through than go for another round of IVG). They'll let the fetus live long enough for criteria two to kick in before they tear him out. 2) Don’t be anything other than "chromosomally normal"; 3) Don’t be a girl; 4) Don’t squint. "The good news is that this is not England, where doctors are granted a "license to kill" anyone who might end up looking like Clint Eastwood. The bad news is that this is America. Here a doctor can abort you for any reason at all." Oh, if you are in the womb of a white 27-year old happily married Catholic woman who has never had an abortion and has a household income of $60,000+ a year, you are fairly safe. http://culture11.com/blogs/theconfabulum/2009/01/22/four-reasons-you-might-be-aborted-an-open-letter-to-fetal-humans/
Evolution has selected, designed, etc. the human body. Once again, evolutionists cannot help but use teleological language and deify and personify evolution/mother nature. HT Turk: A fine point
Some humour courtesy of Turk: "Climate Change is now classified as "irreversible" so it will take a miracle to fix the problem. Good thing we just elected a savior for the free world. He did not choose us: we chose him." The sky has fallen. Game Over
Yep, someone has just argued that babies are better off dead than poor. They can do better, I think
Manata points out that while some may initially find the idea that since one cannot access an alternate possibility, he has no 'choice', this intuition is pre-reflection. It should be noted that people seem to find Frankfurt counter-examples intuitive, as even libertarians grant. [My own experience sounds similar to Manata's - having explained that we choose according to our desires, everyone to which I have spoken seems to recognize that this precludes the ability to have selected otherwise in an particular choice, ceteris paribus, while not inhibiting responsibility and necessitating coercion. They're All Gonna Laugh At You
Bird, commenting upon Crossley's desire to see a focus upon the Aramaic behind the Jesus tradition and attention given to socio-historical and anthropological explanations for illuminating the emergence of Christianity, adds that at some point in this endeavour one has to interact with the Gospels, as one cannot simple explain Christianity by reference to the socio-historical context without biography. Both are needed. He goes on to state that the claim of objectivity and the supposed lack of driving ideology on part of the Jesus Project bothers him, since it is pretty clear from their material already that this isn't true, and the myth of objectivity itself. Crossley on the Jesus Project
Carolyn Mahaney exhorts mothers to instruct their wives in the career of homemaking, which requires considerable skill, character, and expertise in various things. She encourages them to seize every moment, to speak of the sacrifices but moreso the joys of homemaking often, and to provide a steady diet of God's word to shape their daughters' convictions to reflect the biblical priority of the home. Consider your daughters as homemaking interns. Homemaking Internship
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