The Blasphemy Challenge Observed
Remember the The Blasphemy Challenge, sponsored by The Rational Response Squad, who were giving away 1001 copies of the movie The God Who Wasn’t There to people who will create a video of themselves denying the existence of God, and especially, the Holy Spirit? They posted their videos on YouTube.
So, what should Christians make of this atheist antic? I watched all of the videos, and have some comments
Science as Salvation – A Cautionary Tale
Leon Kass, former chair of the President’s Council on Bioethics from 2002-2005, has a nice three part lecture on the University Channel Podcast. He is also the author of many books, including Life, Liberty, and the Defense of Dignity: The Challenge for Bioethics.
We are largely unaware that we have, as a society, already embraced the eugenic principle, “defectives shall not be born.” Because our practices are decentralized, and because they operate not by coercion, but by private reproductive choice.
Mass Delusion – 10 Reasons Why the Majority of Scientists Believe in Evolution
Many evolutionary supporters claim that anyone who doubts evolution as a theory of origins is really daft or religiously driven. One defense they often resort to is the claim that “the majority of professional scientists believe in evolution – you think they are all wrong?”
The creationists answer to this question is a resounding “YES!” – but how could so many intelligent people be wrong about a scientific concept? I suspect it is not a conspiracy, but a DELUSION. And I believe that I can explain why this delusion is so appealing to scientists.
Atheist Atrocities
Atheists and secularists love to trot out the canard that religion has harmed more people than it has helped, and has been at the root of many or most world concflicts. However, in Atheism, not religion, is the real force behind the mass murders of history, Dinesh D’Souza, Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, argues that actually, atheism is responsible for more murders in history. His points are summarized below. Read more
Muslim Immigration – Enemy of Europe and the West
Essayist Fjordman has written another whopper of a post over at Dhimmi Watch entitled Why the European Union Must be Dismantled. It’s a little long, so let me select a few choice passages, as well as some passages from his response to angry commenters.
I must repeat that Islam is the primary contemporary enemy of freedom and peace in the world - a mix of racism, belligerence, institutionalized hatred, misogyny, and religious sickness that is more insidious and threatening to humanity than Nazism or Communism. While many Muslims have not succumbed to Islam’s wicked and awful teachings, too many have, and we need to face the facts and resist it. I wish I could say it more strongly, but the more you look into the face of evil, seeing the putrid depths of its roots, while everyone else is deceived by its wiles, the more you get incensed.
This is the message – God is light
I am working hard at getting back into the regular habit of prayer and scripture meditation/study. With two young kids and two hours of commuting per day, I’d all but lost any meaningful time w/ God. However, my wife and I are both trying to support one another in getting time with God regularly.
My study tonight was 1John 1:5-10.
The New Atheism
One of my top three favorite magazines, Wired, has a really good piece on The New Atheism this month. It covers the mouthpieces at the head of this movement (Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett), as well as articles on other notable atheists including Steve Olson, Penn and Teller, and Warren Allen Smith.
Thoughts On the Great Commission
Author’s note: I originally posted this on Daddypundit on November 15, 2004. I’m reposting it here in response to danielg’s post on Why Most Churches Suck as well as Aaron’s comment that most churches don’t emphasize discipleship enough. As you can see from this post, I agree with Aaron’s statement on discipleship. This is a topic I intend to explore further in an upcoming post.
The Great Commission – Matthew 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Three types of assertions
Was doing some reading today, and came across the word “assertoric,” which forced me to the dictionary. As it turns out, it is a word typically used in philosophy, and I found the definition below. What is notable about it is not just the interesting three types of arguments, but the fact that they were written by the now infamous Anthony Flew, the great atheist philosopher who recently decided that he had to be an agnostic based on his appraisal of the philosophical arguments, and wrote about it in There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind.
An assertoric proposition in Aristotelian logic merely asserts that something is (or is not) the case, in contrast to problematic propositions which assert the possibility of something being true, or apodeictic propositions which assert things which are necessarily or self-evidently true or false. For instance, “Chicago is larger than Omaha” is assertoric. “A corporation could be wealthier than a country” is problematic. “Two plus two equals four” is apodeictic.
~ Flew, Anthony. A Dictionary of Philosophy – Revised Second Edition St. Martin’s Press, NY, 1979
Dealing with Islam: Passive or Active Resistance?
The more I ready about incidents like that of the Nigerian teacher whose home was burned to the ground for disciplining a Muslim student, or any of the other ways that "radical" Islam is trying to intimidate the free world, the more I keep asking myself, what would I do if they were coming for me?
I’ll tell you what I would not do – I would not let myself be slaughtered like a sheep. I keep thinking of the movie The Mission, where Jeremy Irons and Robert Deniro play two Jesuits who have to choose to fight or passively resist – tough choice – it shows the value of both positions (and I think both are valuable and "right.")
Islam is Antichrist – So Say the Reformers
I am excited to have just discovered Dr. Peter Hammond, "the Founder and Director of Frontline Fellowship and the Founder and Chairman of Africa Christian Action. Over the last 21 years, Peter has been dedicated to assisting persecuted Christians and to working for Reformation and revival in Africa." His work in Sudan in confronting Muslim aggression has earned him death threats, and this latest article, The Challenge of Islam According to the Reformers, won’t make him any Muslim friends. Below, I discuss the article, but check out his other books, which include Slavery, Terrorism & Islam, Biblical Democracy, and Character Assassins, which looks really interesting.
10 Principles of Biblical Discernment – Part II
This is the second of two posts – here’s Part I if you missed it. I agree with jmb when he says in Ennui in the Evangelical Blogosphere that the following things bug him (and me), which is why I am adding this two part series:
- The hand-wringing attacks on the new flavor-of-the-month theological crushes.
- All the self-appointed watchmen who are alarmed by … everything.
- Willful ignorance parading around as discernment.
Here’s the rest of my treatise.
10 Principles of Biblical Discernment – Part I
Since I recently laid into Slice of Laodicea for being uncareful about condemning rock music out of hand, I found a couple of excellent critiques of “watchblog” sites, and their limits and foibles (Jim of SOL, this is for you, since SOL instigated the following chain of response articles).
After reading the anti-clown (I don’t like clowns either ;) SOL post, and the chain of response posts, including Guilt By Association, Regarding Guilt by Association (HT challies), and Diss Isn’t Discernment (great title, HT prosthesis), I have collated and distilled the following principles around the deeds and misdeeds of watchblogs.
Where is God?
This simple question came up in converstation the other day, and I thought to answer it. However, I would also like to answer, from a Christian perspective, where God is NOT.
Stick or Carrot in Gospel Preaching?
Liberals often rightly complain that the "bible thumper" who harps on sin often pushes people away from God, rather than drawing people to God. But fundies claim that to avoid the sin issue and only focus on love is telling half the truth. How do we present the truth of the gospel in both it’s aspects – that of guilt, and that of salvation which demonstrates the goodness of God?
