Peter Kreeft makes the case that the default position for most people should be prolife. It's short but sweet.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Free Audiobook
Christian Audio.com is giving away the audiobook of Tony Evans' How Should Christians Vote? (Amazon listing here) for the month of October. I haven't read or listened to it yet, but I've found him to be biblical and level-headed in the past, so I plan to listen to this soon.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Why I'm Still a Christian
The skeptics are right about one thing.
I was raised in a Christian home. We went to church every week — frequently, twice on Sunday and again on Wednesday. My parents are Christians, as were their parents, so it's no surprise, the skeptics point out, that I became one. And they're right.
But it didn't have to stay that way.
Many people find themselves having to re-examine those decisions as they grow up — especially in college. I went off and got a degree in physics, so you would expect me to face that (though it wasn't my physics classes that created the problem, and, frankly, I found more unbelievers in the humanities than the sciences). But the day came when I had to decide whether I could still believe in stories about men rising from the dead and things like that.
Fortunately, I had already been prepared and not the way you think. By the time my crisis of faith occurred, I had four years of physics classes under my belt. Out of the almost one thousand hours of classroom instruction, three lectures really stood out.
The first one was when we learned that the behavior of the gravitational force could have been anything at all, but if it weren't exactly what it is, we would never have been able to understand it — it would have simply been too complex to figure out by observation. I still remember one particularly profane classmate saying aloud, "Gee, I feel like I need to go to church."
The second was when we were told how all the matter in the universe formed when the energy of the big bang converted into matter and antimatter — and how they should have formed in equal amounts, but for some reason they didn't, leaving just a bit more matter to make everything we see.
The third was a special guest lecture by a famous visitor, Professor Stephen Hawking. He described how precisely balanced the energy of the big bang had to be — saying that if the expansion of the universe had been either greater or smaller by less than one part in a trillion trillion there would be no universe right now.
At the time of my crisis of faith I had never heard of intelligent design. I had not heard of Dembski or Behe. But Chen, White, and Hawking had taught me much of what they would later write.
I knew everything had to have come from somewhere — something had to be eternal, and the universe (by various laws of physics) couldn't be it. And I knew, thanks to those three lectures, the universe was a finely crafted machine, designed just so, enabling life to exist.
So there was one verse in the Bible I knew I couldn't doubt: the first one. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." And if that was true, every other miracle was possible.
That's important because if miracles aren't possible, Jesus didn't rise from the dead. No matter how bizarre the explanations for the evidence may be, they are less bizarre than a resurrection.
But if miracles are possible, Jesus actually rising from the dead is on the table. Evidence has to be considered and arguments evaluated, but it's not an automatic no.
And once the evidence is considered and the arguments are evaluated, the best explanation is that Jesus did rise from the dead. It's story that no one would make up. Christianity is true.
Someone may have questions, concerns, even doubts, but "Jesus really rose from the dead" is a solid place to begin the journey.
I was raised in a Christian home. We went to church every week — frequently, twice on Sunday and again on Wednesday. My parents are Christians, as were their parents, so it's no surprise, the skeptics point out, that I became one. And they're right.
But it didn't have to stay that way.
Many people find themselves having to re-examine those decisions as they grow up — especially in college. I went off and got a degree in physics, so you would expect me to face that (though it wasn't my physics classes that created the problem, and, frankly, I found more unbelievers in the humanities than the sciences). But the day came when I had to decide whether I could still believe in stories about men rising from the dead and things like that.
Fortunately, I had already been prepared and not the way you think. By the time my crisis of faith occurred, I had four years of physics classes under my belt. Out of the almost one thousand hours of classroom instruction, three lectures really stood out.
The first one was when we learned that the behavior of the gravitational force could have been anything at all, but if it weren't exactly what it is, we would never have been able to understand it — it would have simply been too complex to figure out by observation. I still remember one particularly profane classmate saying aloud, "Gee, I feel like I need to go to church."
The second was when we were told how all the matter in the universe formed when the energy of the big bang converted into matter and antimatter — and how they should have formed in equal amounts, but for some reason they didn't, leaving just a bit more matter to make everything we see.
The third was a special guest lecture by a famous visitor, Professor Stephen Hawking. He described how precisely balanced the energy of the big bang had to be — saying that if the expansion of the universe had been either greater or smaller by less than one part in a trillion trillion there would be no universe right now.
At the time of my crisis of faith I had never heard of intelligent design. I had not heard of Dembski or Behe. But Chen, White, and Hawking had taught me much of what they would later write.
I knew everything had to have come from somewhere — something had to be eternal, and the universe (by various laws of physics) couldn't be it. And I knew, thanks to those three lectures, the universe was a finely crafted machine, designed just so, enabling life to exist.
So there was one verse in the Bible I knew I couldn't doubt: the first one. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." And if that was true, every other miracle was possible.
That's important because if miracles aren't possible, Jesus didn't rise from the dead. No matter how bizarre the explanations for the evidence may be, they are less bizarre than a resurrection.
But if miracles are possible, Jesus actually rising from the dead is on the table. Evidence has to be considered and arguments evaluated, but it's not an automatic no.
And once the evidence is considered and the arguments are evaluated, the best explanation is that Jesus did rise from the dead. It's story that no one would make up. Christianity is true.
Someone may have questions, concerns, even doubts, but "Jesus really rose from the dead" is a solid place to begin the journey.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Rape and Abortion
In the wake of Congressman Akin's infamous statement about rape and pregnancy, the left had a field day attacking conservatives on their anti-abortion stance. Many on the right ran for cover, trying to distance themselves from his statements or even his position.
Let me go on the record as saying Mr. Akin's statement about pregnancy from rape is ignorant and demonstrably false.
Let me also go on the record as believing abortion should only be legal to save the life of the mother.
No rape and incest exception? No.
Even as they ridicule, pro-choicers are aware that a rape exception is inconsistent with the pro-life philosophy and use that against us. We may as well stand for what we believe in and be able to explain why.
The fundamental question about aborting an unborn child is this: What is it?
If the unborn is a blob of tissue, little more than a cancerous growth inside the mother or a parasite inside a host, then we shouldn't even be having this conversation. Aborting this little blob has no more moral significance than removing a mole.
If the unborn is a human being at a slightly earlier stage of development than an infant, then we must treat that life with all the care due any other human being.
The circumstances of his conception does not change that.
Rape is a horrible thing. Besides the physical violence, there is emotional trauma that will need a long time to heal, if it ever does.
And aborting the child produced by that attack will not change any of it. Allowing the child to be born, however, brings a little good out of that horrible thing.
After all, our society doesn't put rapists to death. Why would we kill their children? The child is not responsible for the act that brought him into the world.
You may be thinking, "Isn't it cruel to make a woman carry a child conceived in rape to term?" I don't think so. But even if it were, it's not all about her any more. There's another life involved. That innocent little life deserves to be protected. And many women, after carrying such children for nine months, realize they love and cherish that child as much as any other.
And if the mother doesn't want to raise the child, the line to adopt healthy infants is wrapped around the block ... many, many times.
All that said, though, I wouldn't make outlawing abortion after rape part of any party's platform. It's not something many people will be receptive to at this point in time. Tactically, it's something we should ease into.
Life is full of partial victories. If abortion was only legal in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of the mother, the vast majority — by some estimates, 99+% — of abortions would cease. If, in time, we were able to convince people that rape isn't a good reason to abort a baby, that would be ideal, but we shouldn't set ourselves up for a much more difficult fight when we still have the larger one to win.
Let me go on the record as saying Mr. Akin's statement about pregnancy from rape is ignorant and demonstrably false.
Let me also go on the record as believing abortion should only be legal to save the life of the mother.
No rape and incest exception? No.
Even as they ridicule, pro-choicers are aware that a rape exception is inconsistent with the pro-life philosophy and use that against us. We may as well stand for what we believe in and be able to explain why.
The fundamental question about aborting an unborn child is this: What is it?
If the unborn is a blob of tissue, little more than a cancerous growth inside the mother or a parasite inside a host, then we shouldn't even be having this conversation. Aborting this little blob has no more moral significance than removing a mole.
If the unborn is a human being at a slightly earlier stage of development than an infant, then we must treat that life with all the care due any other human being.
The circumstances of his conception does not change that.
Rape is a horrible thing. Besides the physical violence, there is emotional trauma that will need a long time to heal, if it ever does.
And aborting the child produced by that attack will not change any of it. Allowing the child to be born, however, brings a little good out of that horrible thing.
After all, our society doesn't put rapists to death. Why would we kill their children? The child is not responsible for the act that brought him into the world.
You may be thinking, "Isn't it cruel to make a woman carry a child conceived in rape to term?" I don't think so. But even if it were, it's not all about her any more. There's another life involved. That innocent little life deserves to be protected. And many women, after carrying such children for nine months, realize they love and cherish that child as much as any other.
And if the mother doesn't want to raise the child, the line to adopt healthy infants is wrapped around the block ... many, many times.
All that said, though, I wouldn't make outlawing abortion after rape part of any party's platform. It's not something many people will be receptive to at this point in time. Tactically, it's something we should ease into.
Life is full of partial victories. If abortion was only legal in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of the mother, the vast majority — by some estimates, 99+% — of abortions would cease. If, in time, we were able to convince people that rape isn't a good reason to abort a baby, that would be ideal, but we shouldn't set ourselves up for a much more difficult fight when we still have the larger one to win.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Until
The Revelation says the Lamb of God will become the Lion of Zion. Astride a great white horse, he will lead the armies of heaven and tread "the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty" (19:15).
Jesus? Our Jesus? The meek and mild Jesus? The one about whom the scriptures say
The other day as I was reading this, when that "till" jumped out at me, I was reminded of a song from some years ago:
First time around he came as a man
clothed in humility
He was the Father's sacrifice
sent to set us free ...
This time around
there'll be no speculation
the king will wear his crown.
This time around
the world will see his glory
watch is kingdom come down ...
As hard as it is to imagine sometimes, the day will come when Christ will return in glory and power to establish his kingdom on earth. And we will be able to say goodbye to sin and pain and grief and all the ills of this world.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Jesus? Our Jesus? The meek and mild Jesus? The one about whom the scriptures say
"A bruised reed he will not break,Sometimes it's hard to see Jesus as a warrior. But that passage is the key. The sentence continues:
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out..." (Matt 12:20).
"A bruised reed he will not break,That "till" is important. Jesus came with a purpose, a mission, and he carried it out. He was here to be a sacrifice, to be killed simply for claiming to be exactly who he was. Next time, the mission will be different.
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out
till he leads justice to victory."
The other day as I was reading this, when that "till" jumped out at me, I was reminded of a song from some years ago:
First time around he came as a man
clothed in humility
He was the Father's sacrifice
sent to set us free ...
This time around
there'll be no speculation
the king will wear his crown.
This time around
the world will see his glory
watch is kingdom come down ...
As hard as it is to imagine sometimes, the day will come when Christ will return in glory and power to establish his kingdom on earth. And we will be able to say goodbye to sin and pain and grief and all the ills of this world.
Come, Lord Jesus.
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