Category Archives: religion

The Read and Share File

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overloadIt’s a short list, but I wanted to go ahead and share. Pay particular attention to the second entry.

Christians sometimes need to be careful when using our own lexicon of “Christianese” words that outsiders should not be expected to understand. Tim Challies warns us not to over-simply our vocabulary, pointing out the value in learning new terms. We are expected to grow, and that growth includes knowledge of God.

Mikey Weinstein is the founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. He equates the sharing of the Gospel to spiritual rape and wants to see military chaplains court martialed for sharing it. Thanks to Loopy Loo for writing this article at Army of God. This article suggests any soldier, including chaplains, may be court martialed for sharing his faith.

William Boykin

The Read and Share File

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overload

At 105 years of age this pastor in Minneapolis has no plans to retire. He said he tried once at 90 and it didn’t work out.

We borrowed that first link from the Wednesday Link List, published weekly at Thinking Out Loud. 

Shifting gender roles is a serious issue, but if you need to laugh to keep from crying check out why this blogger is thankful for skinny jeans.

Continue reading →

A Short Lesson About Reading the Bible

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bibleThere’s an old saying about a little knowledge being a dangerous thing.  The key to understanding scripture is context.  If you quote half a verse to support any argument, the first thing I’m going to do is go find the whole verse, then read the whole paragraph.  We need to know who is writing, to whom, and under what circumstances before applying any particular verse to our situation.

There are always critics of religion in general and of Christianity in particular that insist religion was invented or the Bible was written to control people.  Roman emperors used religion to build an empire, Medieval kings used it to build wealth and add territory, and Christians today use scripture to justify everything from suppressing women to persecuting homosexuals.  Sadly, to some extent, each of those arguments have some merit.  Emperor Constantine made the switch from persecuting Christians to embracing Christianity in order to defeat the enemies of the Roman Empire.  I think we should blame Rome for that, not Christ.  The problem with the Middle Ages is that the vast majority of Europeans were illiterate.  If the kings and knights of Medieval Europe could have read the Bible for themselves, they would not have been so easily manipulated.  Thank God for Gutenberg,  am I right?  Which brings us to today. Continue reading →

Religious Freedom and Stark Trek

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starfleetOne vision of the future involves the advancement of scientific thought, the proliferation of world peace, and an abandonment of religious dogma.  Many hope for (and some Christians fear) a future in which the logic and reason of science leads to the death of faith.  Perhaps you wouldn’t know it by reading this blog, but I am a big fan of Star Trek.  There are several things I try not to make a habit of posting on, sci fi being one of them.  For those of you familiar with the Star Trek universe, please consider the level of religious tolerance in that particular view of the future.

Despite the advanced level of science and technology on Vulcan, that culture remains deeply rooted in the traditions of their past.  Ancient temples and philosophies are revered.  Even after joining the Federation, Klingons continue to meditate, keep ancient festivals, and even expect the return of Kahless (a messianic figure who parallels Christ in many ways.).  Captain Sisko of DS9 is also the Bajoran “Emissary of the Prophets” and bearer of a mysterious orb.  The Voyager series introduced us to Chakotay, a Star Fleet officer of Native American decent.  Although he rebelled against his spiritual heritage as a boy, he would eventually have visions and talk to animal spirits.  All without a conflict with what he knew of scientific investigation.  By the 24th century, Starships have traversed much of the galaxy at many times the speed of light, allowing contact with thousands of species and cultures.  And yet we do not witness religious persecution or mockery between scientific minds and primitive folk beliefs.  Even as scientists witness the birth and death of star systems, they hold their own religious convictions in high regard.    

Gene Roddenberry envisioned a future in which nations and worlds co-existed without losing one’s cultural identity.  And that mutual respect extended to religious belief and practice.  Just a thought.  Is your idea of the future so optimistic?

Government Mandated Abortion Coverage

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hobby lobbyI wish more attention were being drawn to this issue.  Millions of people lined up at Chick-fil-A back in August to support a Christian business owner’s right to free speech, but the plight of Hobby Lobby and other businesses fighting mandated health care – including chemical abortion – have garnered less support.

The new health care mandates that took effect Jan. 1 require employers to provide access to birth control, including emergency contraception.  Plan B is just one such method which causes a medically induced (or chemical) abortion.  Beginning on the first day of January, Hobby Lobby was facing a fine of up to $1.5 million per day – one and a half million dollars per day – for refusing to provide abortion coverage to its employees.  The new new loop hole buys them some time as the court battle continues. Continue reading →

To Whom Are We Giving Thanks?

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I was reading a blog post debunking several historical myths about Thanksgiving (original link no longer available).  At one point he has this to say about George Washington:

“George Washington, as the first American president, declared November 26, 1789 as a national day of thanksgiving and prayer, and a few months after his inauguration issued his famous ‘Proclamation Number One’ stating that it was a ‘duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God.’”

But the last “myth” he identifies is Thanksgiving is a religious holiday, and he reasons this way:

“While some would like to believe that the Thanksgiving holiday is religious, and George Washington did issue a proclamation bringing God into the picture, this is not only an invented holiday, but its correlation with football and rescheduling to enable better economic performance for merchants makes it clear that Thanksgiving is a secular holiday.”

Then who are you giving thanks to?

It has become a tradition at this time of year to list things we are thankful for, but we sort of read off the list without directing our thankfulness in any particular direction.  Perhaps families go around the table and each member takes a turn, which forces children to think about the things they have and teaches a lesson about being thankful.  It is no doubt safer in our politically correct culture for elected officials, public school teachers and others to say “we should be thankful” than to make a religious statement.  But seriously, who are we thanking when we list the things we are thankful for?

George Washington didn’t bring God into the picture.  It is God’s picture, and we should be thankful he included us.

Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
(Psalm 115:1 ESV)

Three Scriptures on the Incarnation

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Four verses from Philippians, two from Hebrews.  Each describe the voluntary act of Jesus humbling himself to the Father’s will.  Each describe him as smaller, weaker or lower than his original state, and each ends in death.  But as far as we are concerned, his death was his greatest moment.  He tasted death so that none of us have to.  Death that is separation from the body maybe, but not the death that is total separation from God.  And he defeated the one with the power of death, that is the devil.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
(Philippians 2:5-8 ESV)

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
(Hebrews 2:9 ESV)

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
(Hebrews 2:14 ESV)

Continue reading →

FRC Shooting Leads to Calls for Civil Discourse

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A lone gunman entered the Family Research Council in Washington D.C. and shot an unarmed security guard before being subdued.  The only thing he said before opening fire was “I do not like your politics.”  There have been a lot of accusations from both sides, conservative and liberal, about who is at fault.  The most sensible thing I’ve read all week is a statement from Richard Land, president of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission: “”We need to lift the level of civil discourse where we can disagree without demonizing our opponents.”  Ed Stetzer wrote on his blog “We must be able to disagree without demonizing or labeling as ‘haters’ those with whom we disagree.” Continue reading →

Romney, Obama and Christianity

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Some conservative Republicans are concerned that Romney being Mormon will divide the voting base, turning away some mainstream conservative Christian voters.  So will they vote for Obama instead?  25% of Americans still believe Barack Obama is Muslim.

For those that believe Romney is a Christian, I’d like to point out that Obama is also.  If you believe Mormons are not Christian, may I suggest that perhaps Obama is a Muslim.  Now…

This an election year.  In November we will select a president for the next four years.  We’re not electing a pope, you will not be attending his church.  Regardless of who sits in the Oval Office, we still have 535 members of Congress ensuring nothing will get passed and 7 Supreme Court Justices to overrule it if it does.

The issues in this election are unemployment, national debt, immigration, health care and mid-east wars.  Let’s pretend both candidates are scientologists and move on to discussing the political views of both men.

When the Church Does Not Understand the Gospel

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We’ve all seen the same news stories, right?  A pastor in North Carolina (Charles Worley) suggests we put all the “gays” inside an electric fence, provide food and water, and wait for them to die out.  Another pastor in Kansas sites Old Testament scripture that homosexuals should be stoned to death.  And then there’s the kid with the questionable song lyrics, but let’s leave him to his parents.  In the first place he is a minor; secondly, and more importantly, he is probably a reflection of his parents’ world view and has not yet developed his own.

The internet can give a national or even global voice to writers, preachers, etc. that are in otherwise obscure places (such as myself).  What I think we’re really dealing with in the North Carolina story is culture shock.  Fundamentalist preachers in the Carolina’s, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and so forth probably say a hundred things every week that would shock people, including Christians, from other backgrounds.  I can only imagine what would happen if journalists in New York started listening to every fundamentalist, Pentecostal, charismatic or even Southern Baptist sermon from below the Mason-Dixon line each week. Continue reading →