Lyrical Gospel

Not so different

Stephen Prothero on the Family Radio debacle:

I know my atheist friends are getting ready to party on May 21, and many Christians are already embarrassed by Camping and his followers. But I’m not convinced the rest of us are all that much different. 

When confronted with facts that disprove their pet theories, for instance, our politicians almost never say, “Nevermind.” They recalculate and equivocate and go about their business. The rest of us do much the same, often preferring in our relationships, our jobs and our worldviews (religious or otherwise) the comfort of the stories we carry around in our heads to the reality of the facts on the ground.

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The New (Old) Paganism

Dr. Peter Jones on the worship of Pachamama:

Bolivia is perhaps the first example of a Marxist state that is religiously, occultically pagan. Is Bolivia a picture of our global future–a spiritual, nature-worshiping collectivist state, where Caesar is Lord?

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N.T. Wright on Stephen Hawking

Wright writes:

Hawking is working with a very low-grade and sub-biblical view of 'going to heaven.' Of course, if faced with the fully Christian two-stage view of what happens after death — first, a time 'with Christ' in 'heaven' or 'paradise,' and then, when God renews the whole creation, bodily resurrection — he would no doubt dismiss that as incredible. But I wonder if he has ever even stopped to look properly, with his high-octane intellect, at the evidence for Jesus and the resurrection? I doubt it —

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Marx v. Christianity

Bill Flax:

Frederick Engels, Karl Marx's sidekick and benefactor, eulogized that Marx’s greatest insight was, "men must first of all eat, drink, have shelter and clothing before they can pursue politics, science, art, religion and the like."

Jesus asserted the opposite disavowing that faith is predicated on bodily well-being, "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'... But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:31-33).

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Review: The End of Sexual Identity

Dr. Peter Jones reviews:

So what should Christians do? Paris maintains that we must imitate Jesus, who said to the woman caught in adultery, "You are not condemned. Go on your way, and do not sin again" (123; see John 8). In this biblical text, the sin (adultery) is named and denounced, and forgiveness is granted. Paris misuses Jesus' words because she refuses to name homosexuality as sin. If the judged homosexual person goes on his way without sin ever having been named, he cannot have been granted forgiveness.

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Tornado Stories

Challen Stephens of The Huntsville Times follows the path of the Hackleburg tornado:

But Braden [...] wouldn't come outside. Kienlen said that Braden told them that this is Alabama, that he wasn't afraid of tornado warnings. "You could feel your ears popping," Kienlen recalled. The wheels from underneath Braden's trailer landed on the shelter door. They worked to let one person squeeze out to clear the exit.

Outside, just a few feet away, Braden lay dead atop the rubble.

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God & Osama bin Laden

John Piper:

In response to Osama bin Laden’s death, quite a few tweets and blogs have cited the biblical truth that "God does not delight in the death of the wicked." That is true. 

It is also true that God does delight in the death of the wicked. There are things about every death that God approves in themselves and things about every death that God disapproves in themselves.

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