Humanity at it Again

I just got out of a Medical Grand Rounds Lecture. The topic - Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Based on the questions afterwards, you got the impression that half the people thought that it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. The other half were totally disgusted. The thrust of the talk was that none of us really know what the nature of the embryo is, therefore we ought to go ahead use embryonic stem cells for research.

Excuse me?

So, to borrow an illustration from Mike Adams, if I were out hunting and I saw a bush shaking off in the distance, and I'm not sure if it's a deer or another hunter, I should just go ahead and shoot.

Other points of the talk:
Scientists are capable of making nuanced philosophical distinctions between universal moral laws and subjective religous sentiment.
Religous conservatives are idiots who oppose everything good for mankind.
If you oppose embryonic stem-cell research, you must be a religous conservative.
Religion is irrelevant to ethics.
They are using embryonic stem cells in Europe, and we should do whatever they do, because Europe has been nothing short of a city on a hill for thousands of years.

When the speaker was done, the moderator got up and said something like, "Let's be honest, this is just a bunch of rationalization for doing something that everyone here is uncomfortable with." Couldn't have said it better myself.

Church in Search of Webmaster

The importance of context.

Luke 4:5-8

5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

(HT: Justin Taylor)

UPDATE: The church has removed the offending quote. In the banner it quoted Luke 4:7 underneath the church name. See the Justin Taylor post for the full story.

A Sorry State of Affairs

I'm always interested when I see people critical of a church based on one impression. I too would hate a church that didn't use the Bible, but this guys blog post demonstrates someone hopelessly caught up in dogmatic analysis of churches.

For example, his lone impression of Harvest Bible Chapel, which he bashes for not using the bible, is based on a one-time attendence of the Good Friday service. First, you can never base any church's standard liturgy or lack their of on a holiday service. That would be the equivalent of basing your view of a church on the Christmas cantata. "They sing too much... didn't use the Bible." Hogwash... it's called special events. Go on a typical Sunday morning and then report back to me. Second, the lack of a "Bible thumping" sermon on a special event is not indicative of an anti-Bible stance. This point is an expansion of the previous point and no less obvious.

And small groups are bad because they make little cell churches.... :)

There is room for analysis of churches, but it's based on their doctrine and not personal opinions on church methodology. I've attended churches of all sizes from 20 to 8000 and God uses each of them and none of them are perfect.

backpewmusings - What does 'Bible Church' mean anymore?

The People Have Spoken

This pretty much says it all, doesn't it?

These people should have been deported or arrested within 24 hours. Only a twisted idea of freedom of speech protects public support of murder and mass-destruction.

Let the courts decide if Jesus really did exist????

Interesting story I came across today.

An athiest claims that the assertion that Jesus Christ existed is fraud - and he's going to court to prove it!

Osama bin Laden's message to the American People

Hey guys...did you catch this on the news yesterday? Osama bin Laden came out with another message to the American people.

What a crazy situation. If we stay there and keep fighting, he vows to "patiently and steadfastly" obliterate us. If we withdraw and "give up", we let evil prevail.

I am a little disturbed after reading the whole transcript of what he said. I mean best case scenario is that he's bluffing, right? After reading this...I really don't think he is:

My message to you is about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how to end them. I did not intend to speak to you about this because this issue has already been decided. Only metal breaks metal, and our situation, thank God, is only getting better and better, while your situation is the opposite of that.

But I plan to speak about the repeated errors your President Bush has committed in comments on the results of your polls that show an overwhelming majority of you want the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. But he (Bush) has opposed this wish and said that withdrawing troops sends the wrong message to opponents, that it is better to fight them (bin Laden's followers) on their land than their fighting us (Americans) on our land.

I can reply to these errors by saying that war in Iraq is raging with no let-up, and operations in Afghanistan are escalating in our favor, thank God, and Pentagon figures show the number of your dead and wounded is increasing not to mention the massive material losses, the destruction of the soldiers' morale there and the rise in cases of suicide among them. So you can imagine the state of psychological breakdown that afflicts a soldier as he gathers the remains of his colleagues after they stepped on land mines that tore them apart. After this situation the soldier is caught between two hard options. He either refuses to leave his military camp on patrols and is therefore dogged by ruthless punishments enacted by the Vietnam Butcher (U.S. army) or he gets destroyed by the mines. This puts him under psychological pressure, fear and humiliation while his nation is ignorant of that (what is going on). The soldier has no solution except to commit suicide. That is a strong message to you, written by his soul, blood and pain, to save what can be saved from this hell. The solution is in your hands if you care about them (the soldiers).

The news of our brother mujahideen (holy warriors) is different from what the Pentagon publishes. They (the news of mujahideen) and what the media report is the truth of what is happening on the ground. And what deepens the doubt over the White House's information is the fact that it targets the media reporting the truth from the ground. And it has appeared lately, supported by documents, that the butcher of freedom in the world (Bush) had decided to bomb the headquarters of the Al-Jazeera in Qatar after bombing its offices in Kabul and Baghdad.

On another issue, jihad (holy war) is ongoing, thank God, despite all the oppressive measures adopted by the U.S Army and its agents (which is) to a point where there is no difference between this criminality and Saddam's criminality, as it has reached the degree of raping women and taking them as hostages instead of their husbands.

As for torturing men, they have used burning chemical acids and drills on their joints. And when they give up on (interrogating) them, they sometimes use the drills on their heads until they die. Read, if you will, the reports of the horrors in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prisons.

And I say that, despite all the barbaric methods, they have not broken the fierceness of the resistance. The mujahideen, thank God, are increasing in number and strength -- so much so that reports point to the ultimate failure and defeat of the unlucky quartet of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz. Declaring this defeat is just a matter of time, depending partly on how much the American people know of the size of this tragedy. The sensible people realize that Bush does not have a plan to make his alleged victory in Iraq come true.

And if you compare the small number of dead on the day that Bush announced the end of major operations in that fake, ridiculous show aboard the aircraft carrier with the tenfold number of dead and wounded who were killed in the smaller operations, you would know the truth of what I say. This is that Bush and his administration do not have the will or the ability to get out of Iraq for their own private, suspect reasons.

And so to return to the issue, I say that results of polls please those who are sensible, and Bush's opposition to them is a mistake. The reality shows that the war against America and its allies has not been limited to Iraq as he (Bush) claims. Iraq has become a point of attraction and restorer of (our) energies. At the same time, the mujahideen (holy warriors), with God's grace, have managed repeatedly to penetrate all security measures adopted by the unjust allied countries. The proof of that is the explosions you have seen in the capitals of the European nations who are in this aggressive coalition. The delay in similar operations happening in America has not been because of failure to break through your security measures. The operations are under preparation and you will see them in your homes the minute they are through (with preparations), with God's permission.

Based on what has been said, this shows the errors of Bush's statement -- the one that slipped from him -- which is at the heart of polls calling for withdrawing the troops. It is better that we (Americans) don't fight Muslims on their lands and that they don't fight us on ours.

We don't mind offering you a long-term truce on fair conditions that we adhere to. We are a nation that God has forbidden to lie and cheat. So both sides can enjoy security and stability under this truce so we can build Iraq and Afghanistan, which have been destroyed in this war. There is no shame in this solution, which prevents the wasting of billions of dollars that have gone to those with influence and merchants of war in America who have supported Bush's election campaign with billions of dollars -- which lets us understand the insistence by Bush and his gang to carry on with war.

If you (Americans) are sincere in your desire for peace and security, we have answered you. And if Bush decides to carry on with his lies and oppression, then it would be useful for you to read the book "Rogue State," which states in its introduction: "If I were president, I would stop the attacks on the United States: First I would give an apology to all the widows and orphans and those who were tortured. Then I would announce that American interference in the nations of the world has ended once and for all."

Finally, I say that war will go either in our favor or yours. If it is the former, it means your loss and your shame forever, and it is headed in this course. If it is the latter, read history! We are people who do not stand for injustice and we will seek revenge all our lives. The nights and days will not pass without us taking vengeance like on Sept. 11, God permitting. Your minds will be troubled and your lives embittered. As for us, we have nothing to lose. A swimmer in the ocean does not fear the rain. You have occupied our lands, offended our honor and dignity and let out our blood and stolen our money and destroyed our houses and played with our security and we will give you the same treatment.

You have tried to prevent us from leading a dignified life, but you will not be able to prevent us from a dignified death. Failing to carry out jihad, which is called for in our religion, is a sin. The best death to us is under the shadows of swords. Don't let your strength and modern arms fool you. They win a few battles but lose the war. Patience and steadfastness are much better. We were patient in fighting the Soviet Union with simple weapons for 10 years and we bled their economy and now they are nothing.

In that there is a lesson for you.

A Fruitful Understanding

The College Ministry is getting ready to launch a study of Colossians next Sunday. Here are a few thoughts on verses 1:3-8.

Colossians 1:3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,

I love these verses. Here we have Paul thanking God for the Colossians because they have great faith in Christ and love for all the saints. If I got the impression that those little kids in Sunday School or unbelieving family and friends and peers had developed "great faith in Christ" and "love for all the saints", I can only imagine how my heart would brim with gratitude. I've tasted a little of this. Because I've tasted it, I understand how Paul feels, but because I've only tasted a little I'm jealous.

Colossians 1:5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,

Oh baby. Here we have the foundation. The fruit is the great faith and love for one another, but if we look down underneath the ground we see the root that's feeding the whole thing: hope laid up in heaven. Our hope is in heaven. Many things about my life have improved here on earth since I became a Christian, but it's only because of a supernatural hope. Minimize the otherworldliness our religion at your own peril. Living for a Pie in the Sky is dumb only if there's no pie and there's no sky. "If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied" (2 Cor 15:9).

Colossians 1:6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

This is not unique to Colossae, but indeed bears fruit everywhere. I see no reason why this process would work in 1st century Colossae but wouldn't work in 21st century northern Illinois. We may have all of the bells and whistles of modern life, but has human nature really changed since then? Has the gospel?
Also, if "hope laid up in heaven" is the foundation for the the great faith and love, then hearing and understanding the grace of God in truth must be the earth upon which the foundation lies. It's the "deeper magic" of Colossians 1. How can we have our hope in heaven if we don't know or understand the grace of God in truth?
And this is what a "faithful minister" does. He serves the church by laboring to proclaim the grace of God in Truth in the hope that it will be heard and understood leading to hope laid up in heaven leading to great faith in Christ and love for all the saints.

Learning->Understanding->Hope->Faith and Love.

The Old Testament for Today

I was watching an episode of scrubs a while ago. I'm not going to go through the whole plot, but at the end of the episode J.D. ends up being battered by a large crowd of people standing in a circle whipping tennis balls at him.

It set my wheels a'turnin'.

How about an Old Testament Sunday School lesson for the K-5th graders where, anytime someone misbehaves, we illustrate the way justice was administered in ancient Israel? We take the kid, put him in the middle, and just start pummeling him (let's be honest, it'll probably always be a him) with nerf balls or dodge balls or something. This way parents will be able to enjoy the service without the disruption of the little red numbers off to the side constantly pulling them away.

Note: I added "Purgatorio" to our measley little blog roll over here. It's one of my favorite sites. Also, though I'm not a regular reader of the JesusCreed blog, I think we need a permanent link to one of my all-time favorite internet exchanges (make sure to read the comments).

I'll Be Your David If You'll Be My Jonathan

Interesting hoedown going on about the revelation that the star of End of the Spear, Chad Allen, is a well-known homosexual activist. I'm not sure I care. After all, if a homosexual activist was comfortable with the script, you can bet this movie isn't exactly about thundering the word. Not only that, but I recently watched Beyond the Gates of Splendor, which was made by the same company and is the same story told as a documentary, and I'm pretty sure they managed to never actually mention Jesus Christ. I'd need to re-watch it to make sure. At any rate, the thrust of the movie was that the purpose of the missionaries was to bring the Aucas the good news: that is, the good news that God didn't want them to spear each other.

Nos Sobrii: No Way!

Triablogue: The Unregenerate and Gospel Art - Redux (Read this!)

Randy Brandt: Did They Fall on Their Own Spears?

Interesting Discussion

Pyromaniac has begun to post on Cessationism. Very interesting. I hope some worthy blogger takes up "the other side." I love a good conversation. I must be emergent.

Here's some previous posts that made the current discussion neccessary: Invasion of the evangelical soothsayers, Rubber prophecies, Prophecy revisited.

Another of My Favorite Quotes

Yet I should not take it at all amiss, to be called a Calvinist, for distinction’s sake, though I utterly disclaim a dependence on CALVIN, or believing the doctrines which I hold, because he believed and taught them and cannot justly be charged with believing in everything just as he taught.

From the preface of Edward's Freedom of the Will.

God would never do that... right?

Genesis 14:12-16

12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."

I was blown away by this verse again the other day. Did God just say that one reason he is sending Abraham's offspring to Egypt for 400 years is because he wants the Amorites to fulfill their iniquities?

Fulfilled Prophecy...

...or the bold predictions of a cynic? You decide.

I told the guys at small group last night that some people are probably interpreting Ariel Sharon's stroke as retribution. Thanks, Pat.

UPDATE: I thought this suggestion from Centurion was a good one -

Please: retire. Let someone else make Christianity look stupid. You have done your bit. Let CBN pay you an emeritus salary and just go enjoy your golden years in obscurity.

Update...

I am a published writer!!!

It's my favorite time of the month....

It's time for the latest Lark News!

Also, Justin Taylor reminds me of one of my favorite quotes (I was just trying to remember where this came from the other day). It's from Chesterton's Orthodoxy.

…what we suffer from to-day is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed. Nowadays the part of a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert—himself. The part he doubts is exactly the part he ought not to doubt—the Divine Reason.

Man Writes Letter to Editor

Here is a recent editorial from the Rockford Register star:
Pharmacists should follow law, dispense all prescriptions
I sent a letter to the editor:

I didn’t think the recent editorial board opinion concerning pharmacists who refuse to distribute the so-called “morning after pill” treated this sensitive topic fairly.

The first sentence implied that these pharmacists and the lawyers who represent them are “forces that want to limit women’s reproductive choices.” Are we to believe that the pharmacists are sitting around, twirling their moustaches and plotting to destroy “reproductive choice”?

Secondly, you state that pharmacists that refuse to distribute morning after pills “don’t take their professional obligation seriously.” It seems to me that the pharmacist who thoughtfully risks his own well-being so as not to violate his or her conscience is the one who is taking their professional obligation seriously. I don’t know how you can so flippantly dismiss their convictions.
This issue is deeper than you make it out to be and you should be more careful in your assessments.

I was going to sign it, "Angry White Christian Man," but I thought it might hurt its chances for publication.

What!?! No services on Christmas!

From Steve Camp:

I think this is great; a step in the right direction—answered prayer possibly. Have you noticed something of a common denominator here? The churches canceling their morning services are seeker-sensitive or emergent in nature. So be of good cheer! At least one Sunday out of the year, we should be grateful that those churches won’t be spreading their usual dumbed-down, self-focused, trying to be culturally relevant, non-biblical, skewed theology to their attendees. This is a blessing in disguise, trust me. Now, if we could only just find another 51 reasons for canceling their services… it could really have a positive spiritual impact on our nation and evangelicalism-at-large. Until then, thank the Lord for this small, but early Christmas gift in the form of an ecclesiastical stocking stuffer, if you please.

Ouch, Steve!

Also, Tim Challies chronicles Joshua Harris' decision to cancel services on December 25th, and then his cancellation of his cancellation.

My home-town church cancelled Dec 25th services (I think), but their having 3 Saturday evening services instead. Frankly, I'd rather go to church Saturday nights anyway. Even if you're a keeper of the Lord's Day, didn't the Sabbath start at nightfall?

At any rate, I'll be in Galena, kickin' it at the GBC Christmas morning before driving back to Rockford for an afternoon of ping-pong and familial skylarking.

I am offended...

Brothers
Some companies have been selling things called "Holiday Trees." These "Holiday Trees" are apparently used as decorations during the "Holy-days." The not-so-subtle implication that something called "holiness" exists is a blatant violation of the seperation of church and state. Be on the lookout for these Holy Trees and report such sightings on this blog. We are organizing a movement to buy all of these Holy Trees for a public burning, thereby banishing this holiness from our community once and for all.
Jay

Favorite Blogs

Hey we need to spruce up that blogroll...

Here's a few of my favorites:
Pyromaniac - Phil Johnson teaches John Macarthur's Sunday school class... and is hilarious.
Blog & Mablog - Doug Wilson. Hands down best blog name.
Camp On This - Steve Camp. CCM's rebel son.
Tim Challies - always interesting.

Gift Giving and Fairness

Giving gifts has a always been a somewhat sore subject for me. As a kid, my parents rarely got my brother and I what wanted -- possibly due to financial issues or naivety. As I grew older my brother and I would always take care of each other on Christmas. He would buy a gift I really wanted and I would buy him a gift that he really wanted, knowing that the gift would cost more money than what our parents were willing to spend.

Should equality in gifts given on Christmas be something that's desired? Admittedly, I never had to really deal with it until marriage, since I only had one brother to purchase gifts for.

When you have to give gifts to different related people do you:
1. Spend the similar amount of money on all parties, mostly so they will never feel bad?
2. Purchase gifts that each person will enjoy regardless of price (within limits of course), but not accounting for equality?

In bigger families, the equality thing seems to be the central aspect of gift purchasing. No one wants to feel like "He got something he really likes and all I got was this...". At the same time, can this reaction be avoided? I guess if you give many gifts, eventually everyone will at least have something they like. But a lot of money was probably spent on those other gifts that enabled you to feel that way.

What does the Bible have to say about equality in giving? God doesn't operate on fairness alone. He sees the means and the end and can adequately reward those who have proven themselves worthy. We, however, are not in the same position and to attempt to get to the concept of equality it seems we can lose sight of what the purpose in giving is all about. For extended family, we can't give as a reward, so we give that they may enjoy what they receive.

I say everyone should just give each other one gift they want for Christmas and let the monitary value of the gifts not determine their actual value or the value of the giver upon the recipient. I feel this issue is more of a heart issue than anything.