Blog
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Review: The Language of God by Francis Collins
Collins presents his personal testimony as well as his understanding of topics concerning science and religion. He argues for a synergy between the two and lays out his views on theistic evolution or “Biologos.” Many of his beliefs may not sit well with conservative evangelicals, but his discussion of modern science as it relates to matters of faith is worth reading. This book is neither rigorously intellectual nor particularly theologically insightful, but it does provide a perspective that merits attention. For more work in a similar vein, see http://www.biologos.org/. -
Post-Election Perspective
Post-election, regardless of the results, it’s important to keep things in the proper perspective:Matthew 28.18
Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Romans 13.1
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God.
1 Peter 2.13−17
Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether to a king as supreme or to governors as those he commissions to punish wrongdoers and praise those who do good. For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. Live as free people, not using your freedom as a pretext for evil, but as God’s slaves. Honor all people, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Regardless of who we voted for and who won, we have a responsibility to submit to governmental authority — an authority that was put in place by God. And when we encounter those with whom we disagree, politically or otherwise, how are we to respond to such “ignorance of foolish people”? By doing good. Not by arguing with them or ridiculing them, not by reveling in victory or wallowing in defeat, not by withdrawing from discussion and not by merely accommodating opposing views at the expense of our own beliefs — no, we are to do good by reflecting God’s love for the world through our lives.
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Why Are You A Christian?
Something Dr. Norman Ericson said many years ago has always stuck with me. Although I don’t remember his precise words, it was essentially this: “Why are you a Christian? For most of us, it’s because our parents were Christians, and because their parents were Christians and so on. Our faith was passed down to us by our families. And that’s ok. It’s ok to embrace the faith of your family.” (more…) -
Rebuke Him!
Christians often cite Luke 17.3 as commanding us to condemn sin in the lives of other Christians: “If your brother sins, rebuke him.” This is sometimes followed by a reference to Ephesians 4.15, where we are admonished to “speak the truth in love.” Given these clear teachings, Christians are to eschew timid tolerance in favor of boldly confronting the sin in our fellow Christian’s lives. We are responsible for holding one another accountable for our actions and we are remiss if we let obvious transgressions go unchallenged. Surely if we had some unknown sin in our own life we would want to be told about it — so we have a Christian obligation to do the same when we see sin in others.Or possibly not. (more…)
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Vote Biblical Values
Billy Graham entered the political fray last week with a Vote Biblical Values campaign. While not endorsing a specific candidate, he does provide some helpful voting tips:I believe it is vitally important that we cast our ballots for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of Israel. I urge you to vote for those who protect the sanctity of life and support the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman. Vote for biblical values this November 6, and pray with me that America will remain one nation under God.
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Social Media Links
Just a reminder that we have a Facebook Page, a Twitter feed, an RSS feed and an email subscription option. There’s no excuse for not keeping up with the action around here. -
Love vs. The Bible
I’d like to take a more focused look at one of the criticisms I discussed in my post All You Need Is Love. Specifically, progressive Christians are often accused of overlooking, ignoring, tolerating and even accepting clearly sinful behavior because of their infatuation with love. This is perhaps no more evident than in the ongoing debate within Christianity regarding homosexuality. (more…)
