2009-05-14

Some stats: “60% of births to women ages 20-24 were non-marital, up from 52% in 2002. Almost one-third (32.2%) of births to women 25-29 were non-marital, up from one-quarter (25.3%) in 2002.  Births to unmarried women totaled 1.7 million, 26% more than in 2002.” http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-05-13-unmarriedbirths_N.htm

Hays writes that the enemies of the Western world are counting on the hyped reaction of media, politicians to any collateral damage during the way – even though Western armies seek to minimize collateral damage, while it is the enemy that seeks to maximize it, to get said reaction – so no matter how much progress the US military makes in terms of reducing innocent casualty counts, they will be criticized all the more. Collateral damage

Turk challenges Arminians to (a) briefly explain the purpose of the Bible, and (b) define free will, and c) show how these are bound together, narratively or systematically in the Bible, and can be true simultaneously. He writes: “The explicit purpose of the Bible, regarding God’s purpose in revelation, decimates the non-reformed position; the biblical definition of the nature of man's will obliterates the non-reformed position. These are key apologetic issues (and not the only ones) which work against all theologies except foundational reformation theology.” How the Other Half Lives

““Fideism” is the name given to that school of thought—to which Tertullian himself is frequently said to have subscribed—which answers that faith is in some sense independent of—if not outright adversarial toward—reason. In contrast to the more rationalistic tradition of natural theology, with its arguments for the existence of God, fideism holds that reason is unnecessary and inappropriate for the exercise and justification of religious belief.” Philosophy Word of the Day – Fideism

White points to a story reporting that the US Military has destroyed Afghan Bibles sent to soldiers in Afghanistan. The military forbids ‘proselytizing’, and in Afghanistan it is a crime to try to convert a Muslim to Christianity. The reality is that the only weapon that can win against militaristic Islam is the Gospel, and despite all the tech. that the western armies have, they lack the heart to survive. “Secularists in the West cannot wrap their minds around the union of religion and state that is part and parcel of Sharia. It defies their understanding.” Could you imagine if a Qur’an sent to American Muslim soldiers trying to convert Christians to Islam was destroyed? “These soldiers are risking their lives in a nation where if you dare to choose to follow Christ and leave the Islamic religion you will be killed. And what do Westerners do? Oh, don't offend! Do they not realize that it is just this kind of dhimmitude that the Muslims recognize is the best sign of the weakness and lack of resolve of those they fight against?” How to Lose a War

See also here, where the Taliban thinks that the Pope is the most important personality in “Christianity” – they actually think that he has something to do with Christian soldiers evangelizing in Afghanistan! Stop Preaching the Gospel!

“Watch Rachel share her story of trusting God in the face of death. "Cancer does not define me," she says. "Neither does being a wife or a mother. All these things are part of who I am but they do not define me. What defines me is my relationship with Jesus." (Hat Tip: Girl Talk)” Death is Not Dying- Rachel Barkey's Story

Interesting quote from Sam Storms: “When it is as natural for us to long for God as for an animal to thirst, it is well with our souls, however painful our feelings.” The next best thing to living in the Lord’s light is to be unhappy until we find it. Sam Storms- Panting After God

Turk writes (in a comment): “At some point the anti-calvinistic points of view have to grasp the biblical case that God’s knowledge of the future is in some sense prescriptive because He is creator and sustainer and not merely descriptive, as if he is watching a movie of the future and merely comprehending what will be done by all players – including Himself.” https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21212024&postID=5163485234711798867

Hays quotes the ‘kinder, gentler Arminianism’ of John and Charles Wesley, as they rail against the doctrine of predestination, with John saying it makes God worse than the devil, and it is heresy, and that whatever the text means, it cannot mean that, even if it means that we cannot understand the sense (i.e. if a text looks like it teaches predestination, it just cannot, so it doesn’t and therefore we don’t know the sense – or, in other words, the authority of Scripture is subordinate to his (fallen) moral intuitions). Kinder gentler Arminianism

Manata responds to Brian McLaren’s Calling All Calvinists, an inconsistent and contradictory mess. McLaren is perfectly inclusive, except to traditional Calvinists. The accuracy of their position doesn’t even factor into his thinking. Or is making a truth claim wrong? (but if so, why is that truth claim true)? To be a Calvinist, in McLaren’s view, you must deny anything that makes you uniquely Calvinist. McLaren feels he’s in the crosshairs of some, which means that they think that he is wrong – but maligning and marginalizing those you disagree with (as McLaren does in this post), without showing where they are wrong, and without showing why you are right, is just uncivil, albeit far easier than actual debate. While he’ll say that “The last thing I want is to get into nauseating arguments about why this or that form of theology” now he’s concerned about the right way to do Calvinism??  http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2009/04/disingenuous-orthodoxy-why-i-am.html

Here’s a sermon on Judges that begins by reminding us that the judges are not role models to emulate. They are sinners – they are like us. Gideon is not someone to emulate or follow, for he is weak in faith and uses his military victories to establish a personal empire. Behold, You Shall Conceive -- Judges 13-1-14-20