Just a quick note about an interview I read at:
www.theamericanview.com/index.php?id=331
I mentioned in a previous post that the terrible consequence of taking God out of our public discourse and government is the loss of our GOD given rights. The Declaration of Independence rightly identifies the source of our rights as being God Himself. As I just learned, Gingrich agrees...
Lofton: What in your opinion ought to be the relationship between God and government.
Gingrich: Well, I think it’s pretty clear in the original document, the Declaration of Independence of the Founding Fathers, that we are endowed by our Creator certain inalienable rights which are the rights of liberty, life and the pursuit of happiness. And I think what every listener needs to understand is that in the minds of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the people who wrote that document, they literally meant that your rights come from God, that you then loan them to the government, which is why the Declaration of Independence begins “We the people…”. And therefore if we drive God out of the public square we drive out the source of our own rights and our own source of power. And that’s why I started from that premise that if you don’t have some understanding that your rights are a gift from God, and you, not the politician, you and not the liberals, you, not the bureaucrats, are the center of the society, I think you can’t explain America.
I haven't really been a fan of Gingrich for the 2012 run but he is sounding more and more presidenttial and right. Check out this clip...
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=qtjfMjjce2Y
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Easter Apologetics
Some of you know the meaning of the word apologetics. It is not to say I'm sorry about Christianity. It is to give a defence of Christianity. This weekend I am part of a panel that will give a defense of the biblical account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The reason I am writing this is to share a resource I have rediscovered.If you have never read "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist" by Frank Turek and Norman Geisler I highly recommend it. It is encyclopedic in its defense of Christianity including the Resurrection. It is very compelling.
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=i+dont+have+enough+faith+to+be+an+atheist&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCN&nav_search=1&cms=1&search==
I would also like to mention another resource. I have just recently finished a book that helps with understanding the significance of the Resurrection. "The Message of Pain" starts from the beginning and explains the significance of the the Cross and the Empty Tomb in terms that relate it to us as individuals. (If I may recommend it to you.)God bless everyone reading this and may you receive the blessings that come from the One who overcame the power of evil to offer life to all.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The Paradox of Love
I have just finished listening to a CD recording of John Lennox review of Steven Hawkings book, The Grand Design. Steven Hawking recently released this book in which he claims the the Laws of Physics are all that are necessary for the universe to have come into existence. His claim is that since we have the Law of Gravity the universe can and will create itself. There are a number of problems with this claim alone and I will leave that discussion to Dr. Lennox. You can get the CD from RZIM in Atlanta, GA if you would like to hear it. Dr. Lennox dismantles Dr. Hawkings claims with clear logic. In any case, This CD got me started...
If what atheist say is true and we are here by evolution (chance, time and matter interacting) then Love is an aberration, a notion that does not fit into the logical progression of this thinking. It defies the survival of the fittest doctrine of evolution. It cuts through the rationality of self interest to connect with someone out of own skin.
What a contradiction it is for an atheist to marry, have children, take care of their parents in old age... But their actions betray them, they do marry, have children, take care of their parent in old age... Why?
Because it may just be that in the psyche of every human being there is a place for, a desire for, and a reverent respect for Love. Everyone wants to be loved whether they admit it or not. The heart craves it. No one consistently rejects the efforts of someone else to act on their behalf for their good (love). They may try because they recognized the danger of accepting Love from someone; if you are loved and love someone you are admitting the existence of Goodness and the need for it and defying the doctrines of evolution.
The strongest argument for the existence of good is Love. An experience of Love is a powerful influence on behavior. Consider what life would be without it. What percentage of the population in prisons say they were from a loving, supportive family where they felt loved and respected? This is just a guess but I bet it's less than ten percent.
Love makes a difference. Love makes sense when you believe the there is a God. An experience of love opens the mind and heart to the possibility that there is something more than the survival of the fittest at work in the universe. A genuine experience of Love opens up the heart to the possibility of the the super natural because friends, Love is not natural. It directly contradicts the naturalist's line of thought (survival of the fittest). In the naturalist's mind, Love does not compute. A real experience of it then gives evidence of something greater than or at least different from the natural world.
Yet, the atheist continues to tell us that love is just a glandular secretion influencing our behaviour. No, Love changes things. It may be the only thing that makes things better.
The Christian world view is founded on Love. The main Character of scripture is Jesus Christ. He was asked once what is the greatest commandment in Scripture...
Mat 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Love is the foundation for the teachings, rules of interaction, and principles of Christianity. So profoundly is this ingrained in the teachings of Christ that in this passage He states the second commandment is like the first. Does He mean it is like loving God to love others? I think so. He says a couple of chapters later in Matthew...
Mat 25:34-40 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' (ESV)
Yes, according to the Bible the Creator of the universe says that love is important; that it changes things; it makes a difference. And when we love others it is like loving Him.
So if there is no God, Love does not makes sense. It will require sacrificing of your resources for the benefit of another. That doesn't compute with the survival of the fittest.
The experience of Love keeps atheism from making sense. Does love and good make sense or does atheism make more sense?
I'm bias. I have experienced His love. It has made a difference in my life.
1Jn 4:7-12 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (ESV)
Yeah, I believe love changes things. It is powerful in that regard. Nothing can stop it when it is expressed in the purest of motives.
If what atheist say is true and we are here by evolution (chance, time and matter interacting) then Love is an aberration, a notion that does not fit into the logical progression of this thinking. It defies the survival of the fittest doctrine of evolution. It cuts through the rationality of self interest to connect with someone out of own skin.
What a contradiction it is for an atheist to marry, have children, take care of their parents in old age... But their actions betray them, they do marry, have children, take care of their parent in old age... Why?
Because it may just be that in the psyche of every human being there is a place for, a desire for, and a reverent respect for Love. Everyone wants to be loved whether they admit it or not. The heart craves it. No one consistently rejects the efforts of someone else to act on their behalf for their good (love). They may try because they recognized the danger of accepting Love from someone; if you are loved and love someone you are admitting the existence of Goodness and the need for it and defying the doctrines of evolution.
The strongest argument for the existence of good is Love. An experience of Love is a powerful influence on behavior. Consider what life would be without it. What percentage of the population in prisons say they were from a loving, supportive family where they felt loved and respected? This is just a guess but I bet it's less than ten percent.
Love makes a difference. Love makes sense when you believe the there is a God. An experience of love opens the mind and heart to the possibility that there is something more than the survival of the fittest at work in the universe. A genuine experience of Love opens up the heart to the possibility of the the super natural because friends, Love is not natural. It directly contradicts the naturalist's line of thought (survival of the fittest). In the naturalist's mind, Love does not compute. A real experience of it then gives evidence of something greater than or at least different from the natural world.
Yet, the atheist continues to tell us that love is just a glandular secretion influencing our behaviour. No, Love changes things. It may be the only thing that makes things better.
The Christian world view is founded on Love. The main Character of scripture is Jesus Christ. He was asked once what is the greatest commandment in Scripture...
Mat 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Love is the foundation for the teachings, rules of interaction, and principles of Christianity. So profoundly is this ingrained in the teachings of Christ that in this passage He states the second commandment is like the first. Does He mean it is like loving God to love others? I think so. He says a couple of chapters later in Matthew...
Mat 25:34-40 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' (ESV)
Yes, according to the Bible the Creator of the universe says that love is important; that it changes things; it makes a difference. And when we love others it is like loving Him.
So if there is no God, Love does not makes sense. It will require sacrificing of your resources for the benefit of another. That doesn't compute with the survival of the fittest.
The experience of Love keeps atheism from making sense. Does love and good make sense or does atheism make more sense?
I'm bias. I have experienced His love. It has made a difference in my life.
1Jn 4:7-12 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (ESV)
Yeah, I believe love changes things. It is powerful in that regard. Nothing can stop it when it is expressed in the purest of motives.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Budget Debate
It seems the Dems only want to discuss a budget if the Republicans are drafting one. Otherwise forget about it. They lost all credibility for debate when they failed to pass a budget when it was their responsibility. Of course no documented budget meant no accountability. Don't get me wrong the Republicans are not saints on this topic, but for the Dems to show up and say yay or nay about a budget now is beyond hypocrisy.
They want NOTHING cut. ANY cut is a tax cut for the rich or an attempt to starve seniors or children. So their stance is that America MUST go bankrupt, no exceptions, no alternatives. That should tell voters who they put in office. It is of no satisfaction to me to see us come to this.
All this said, I want to encourage everyone. America, the original spirit of the United States, is not financial or material in nature. She is a nation of ideals, principles, standards and morals that proved superior to all others. It is because of these values that we embraced at our birth that financial and material wealth was amassed more than in any other country in history.
Even the Chinese have come to understand this now.
www.ionainstitute.ie/index.php?id=1336 (Hat tip to dyspepsiageneration.com/)
Even if we are driven off the precipice of financial ruin, all we need to do is reaffirm those values and acknowledge the God from whom they came and we will lead the nations once again in every pursuit known to mankind. (If only we can do this before complete disaster.) A nation that discerns good from evil and pursues good has everything to look forward to and nothing to fear.
They want NOTHING cut. ANY cut is a tax cut for the rich or an attempt to starve seniors or children. So their stance is that America MUST go bankrupt, no exceptions, no alternatives. That should tell voters who they put in office. It is of no satisfaction to me to see us come to this.
All this said, I want to encourage everyone. America, the original spirit of the United States, is not financial or material in nature. She is a nation of ideals, principles, standards and morals that proved superior to all others. It is because of these values that we embraced at our birth that financial and material wealth was amassed more than in any other country in history.
Even the Chinese have come to understand this now.
www.ionainstitute.ie/index.php?id=1336 (Hat tip to dyspepsiageneration.com/)
Even if we are driven off the precipice of financial ruin, all we need to do is reaffirm those values and acknowledge the God from whom they came and we will lead the nations once again in every pursuit known to mankind. (If only we can do this before complete disaster.) A nation that discerns good from evil and pursues good has everything to look forward to and nothing to fear.
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