The Bible Archive

A lot of Democrats (including those of the Christian persuasion) have been making a lot of noise about Obama winning the Presidency. They haven’t been making as much noise about a Democrat House and Senate but the noise has been there nevertheless. At points some of these same people (Christians included) come up to me and say “So what are you going to do now that McCain lost?” My answer is exactly the same if McCain had won.

Some time ago I wrote about how a Christian who stands on the Gospel is to act in regards to the government. But I want to address a different aspect by asking the following to us American Christians: should Christians vote?

Take 15 minutes. Go read this. Also read the comments. Honestly, you don’t have to participate but Jeremy does an excellent job of thinking through the issues as do his commenters.

Barack Obama has basically declared himself incompetent to make any judgments on one of the key issues of our day, and I have to say that I agree with him. The statements he’s been making show that he’s either hopelessly ignorant on some very important policy matters or deliberately contradicting himself in order to pretend to two opposing groups that he’s on both their sides. That means he probably should have a job where these issues really are above his pay grade. There are a lot of such jobs. Unfortunately for him, the job of U.S. President (not to mention U.S. Senator, Illinois State Senator, or constitutional law professor) would not be in the list.

As my parents got older they started putting away the salt from the table. It wasn’t that they didn’t like the taste it’s that they realized that too much of it was not good for them. They were realizing it was coming out all the time and that their blood pressure was steadily rising. But what I don’t think they noticed is that when they put it away they would slowly, imperceptibly miss it—and even need it back in their bodies. The rise of Calvinism and Charismatic Continuism seems to be doing the same thing.

by Tim Keller & David Powlison (HT: Justin Taylor via Jollyblogger)

One obvious genius of the internet is that it’s “viral.” Information explodes to the whole world. The old neighborhood grapevine and the postal service seem like ox-carts in a speed-of-light universe. (Do twenty-somethings even know what those antiquities once were? In the old days, people had to talk to each other or stick a stamp on an envelope.) Instantaneous transmission produces some wonderfully good things. Truth, like joy, is infectious. A great idea feeds into a million inboxes. But it also produces some disastrous evils. Lies, rumors, and disinformation travel just as far and just as fast.

I figured I should write something about the recent discovery of the Gabriel Tablet as they’re calling it. New York Times asserts that this tablet might actually prove that Christianity isn’t unique with its resurrections claims. What I found interesting about that bit is that most informed Christians don’t make a point of arguing about the uniqueness of the death and resurrection but rather the historicity of the death and resurrection. Let me flesh that out a bit.

Some have blurred the lines with the notion of earthly war and the concept of Biblical principles. For example, some atheists and agnostics use the wars in the Bible to show that Christianity is just as cruel as any other belief system when empowered but I think those groups make a faulty conclusion just as much as Christians do who claim the side of justifying any given war.

Steven Curtis Chapman’s daughter was killed Wednesday night in an accident in their driveway. Video he filmed some time ago (which references the little girl who was killed here with lyrics here).

Christmas, 2007 at 9:20 PM Bill MacDonald went home to the Lord. He left behind him a legacy of Prison Ministry courses, dozens of devotional books, a single volume commentary, and a group of simultaneously happy and saddened believers. He lived a long rich live of dedicated service and his testimony will live on.

RESPONSES TO SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE DOCTRINE ON THE CHURCH (highlight mine though it impacts little with what Protestants believe anyway)

Introduction
The Second Vatican Council, with its Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, and its Decrees on Ecumenism (Unitatis redintegratio) and the Oriental Churches (Orientalium Ecclesiarum), has contributed in a decisive way to the renewal of Catholic ecclesiolgy. The Supreme Pontiffs have also contributed to this renewal by offering their own insights and orientations for praxis: Paul VI in his Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam suam (1964) and John Paul II in his Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint (1995).

Ruth Graham, wife of Billy Graham, passed on yesterday.

Read it over at Newsweek.

Mohler (HT: Tim–>Links Below) tells parents to be careful with television and children by first showing an excerpt from recent research showing a statistical relationship with autism and television viewing. People, don’t get me wrong—kids shouldn’t be spending hours in front of the TV, but honestly—Christians, just because you read a bit of research don’t immediately wave it as your banner!

Protestant denominations are generally divided over creedal lines (since the disagreement over practical issues?sprinkling versus immersion?is improvable and disagreement over theological issues is very often a matter of degree: ie; how involved is the Holy Spirit in worship might reflect more in worship style than a Bible to Bible Cage-Match).