If you are a Christian, there is a decent chance you've heard Tertullian1 quoted as saying, "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church." I could not find that exact quote in my Logos library, but perhaps this is its basis: Nor does your cruelty, however exquisite, avail you; it is rather a…
Category: Thoughts
Not the Same…
One of the web pages I check on pretty much daily is The Corner at National Review Online. A couple weeks back I ran into the article "You're a Good Man, Cardinal Dolan." Michael Potemra's piece starts off with: The highly mediagenic archbishop of New York, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, visited a mosque on Staten Island…
Good Ideas or Bad Ideas?
I was at one of my favorite haunts in Dublin, California (Half Price Books) and saw this: Followed by this: Thoughts? Are these "good ideas"? Now, I can tell you this…whether or not a Liberty Bible or an American Patriot's Pocket Bible is a good idea, this is not:
Christian Snarkiness
Although I think this is also applicable outside a Christian context, ultimately it's appeal to certain Judeo-Christian mores may limit its relevance to non-Christians. Throughout web and podcast dialogue it has become popular to be snarky toward people and/or views that one significantly disagrees with. I use the word "snarky" in the context of my…
What I Think About Homosexuals and Homosexuality
Since current events once again force me to write about the issue of the pro-homosexual agenda, I wanted to make a clear and concise statement about what I believe about homosexuals (the individuals) versus homosexuality (the behavior). No one human, homosexual or not, is better than any other. We are all afflicted with the same…
Is a Rubber Ducky Nativity Sacrilegious?
A few days back I shared a post about "the 42 worst nativity sets" which included a rubber ducky nativity…and today this tweet came through (via a retweet): The rubber duck nativity has arrived – I have warned the congregation this years crib will be different 🙂 pic.twitter.com/u5OZ6skc Here's the conversation that ensued:
More Depravity
After yesterday's post about depravity, I didn't think I'd immediately have another one so soon after. I am at a loss for words to say just how terrible "Now sick babies go on death pathway: Doctor’s haunting testimony reveals how children are put on end-of-life plan" is. To the parents and medical personnel involved, I…
Depravity
Perhaps God wasn't clear enough in this list… 6Â "None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD. 7Â You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 8Â You shall not…
When it Is Hard to Be Thankful
On Facebook, a couple of my friends have been posting daily entries as part of November "Be Thankful" Month. I'll admit that I skip right past those—not because I have anything against them—I'm just not a Chicken Soup for the Soul kind of guy. 🙂 There is much to be said for the practice though,…
Jesus’ 7 “I Am” Statements in John
Jesus’ 7 “I am” statements in John for my Twitter friends Julie and Mike: John 6:35 (ESV) Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. John 8:12 (ESV) Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light…
Psalms == Praise?
During this morning’s “wing-it” Bible study (please note I didn’t say “wing nut” Bible study :-)) the last minute leader, Stan, spoke about the various parts of worship…and signing came into scope. These two verses came up as I did a search in Crossway’s English Standard Version Study Bible on my iPhone: addressing one another…
Forgiveness
I’ll be writing next week’s bulletin article on forgiveness…it was inspired by a passing thought I had during my (work) trip to Hawaii. As a Christian it would almost seem “easy” to say, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do” if someone is torturing and then killing you. I’m sure “easy” isn’t the…
Is free will an illusion?
Interesting video about free will (hat tip to Hot Air): [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q40PfsLxMzY&w=420&rel=0] During college I watched a debate between a Calvinist and a…well…I guess you would say a “non-Calvinist.” In it the Calvinist spent a little time waxing philosophical about free will, and whether it actually exists. Ultimately, he was arguing, you cannot do anything outside…
“Two rival religions? … The real struggle is between Christianity and Post-Christianity.”
There is a very interesting article by Albert Mohler that is worth your time titled, “Two Rival Religions? Christianity and Post-Christianity.” Not only does it explain why it is near impossible to convince a liberal Christian of something outside their worldview, but it (in great respect) puts into words how secularism is itself a religion with…
Truth About Truth
Although there is still a part of me that enjoys a good verbal sparring, I greatly prefer discussion over debate. However, for a conversation to be truly objective and not subjective (e.g. "Will the sun rise tomorrow?" versus "What is the best ice cream flavor?"), there are some fundamental rules about truth I think people…