The Real Reason for Global Warming

I’m not a trained scientist. Well, not trained in the sense that I have a multitude of degrees from prestigious institutions of higher learning. My training lies elsewhere. Yeah, there’s framed parchment on my walls with unpronounceable scientific words but none of it from an MIT-type institution. Nevertheless, despite this shortcoming, I do like to think that I’m a logical scientist. A logical scientist takes the following approach: if it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck and, most importantly, smells like a duck, guess what? It’s a duck regardless of evolution.

With that in mind I have successfully come to the conclusion that global warming is a definitive fact. I guess that’s good news and bad news depending on which side of the scientific fence you are on.

Actually coming to this conclusion was relatively easy. (No, it had nothing to do with the Theory of Relativity although the article I read which spawned this conclusion did mention Einstein.) (One more confession: I didn’t read the entire article. It’s way to scientific, technical and thus too confusing for me.)

Back to the application of logical science.

In the portion of the article that I did read, it stated that the universe is expanding. I would assume that’s correct; scientists have said so. If, then, the universe is expanding, there must be friction. Friction usually produces a certain amount of heat. You know how that works. If you’re stuck in the woods on a cold, rainy day with no matches or lighter, rub a couple of sticks together or a couple of rocks and you get friction which produces heat which produces fire which you can use to warm yourself up.

So, when we deal with the universe and its expansion we will get a certain amount of friction probably just a microscopic amount since it is not expanding at a rapid rate. This friction would most naturally cause heat in the universe which we would feel as global warming.

Voila, there’s the reason for global warming. It was right in front of Al Gore’s nose all the time.

The Bible under Attack - Again: Christians Need to Take Action

The mainstream media in the form of Newsweek magazine has given us a little Christmas present, albeit a re-gifted one. It’s the annual tirade against the Bible. The title of the article is “The Bible: So Misunderstood It's a Sin,” written by pseudo-scholar of the Bible Kurt Eichenwald.

I say it’s re-gifted because, well, we hear this virtually every year and there is really nothing new in the contents. It’s becoming an annual media right-of-passage. Some secular publication feels the urge and obligation to excoriate the Bible and/or Christianity

If you want to read this festering garbage-heap of an article you can go here although I suggest it should only be consumed by full-blooded believers. Those who have no true relationship with Christ won’t need to waste your time because you’ve been fed all of this refuse your entire life.

I’ll leave the refutation to scholars who are a lot more versed in this material than I am. Here’s three you should digest well.

1. You can find an excellent rebuttal from NT scholar Daniel Wallace at this link.
2. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has a pointed refutation on his blog.
3. Michael J. Kruger takes on the task of disproving Eichenwald’s claims quite well at canon fodder. It’s says “Part 1” so there is obviously more to come.

But I also want to give some credit to Mr. Eichenwald for throwing the gauntlet at Christians. Perhaps it will wake them up to what’s going on in the world outside of their church or parachurch walls. Eichenwald’s piece should be a clarion call to defend the faith with vigor.

No more Mr. Nice Guy; no more “convictional kindness.” Christians need to step forward with the gloves on an be ready to do battle. The kind of poppycock that Eichenwald puts forth is what Christians face every day in the marketplace. We need to be ready to give an answer instead of conducting another fellowship feast.

Book Review - Preaching by Ear

Preaching by Ear: Speaking God’s Truth from the Inside Out

Well, here’s another book on the how-to’s of preaching. But before you dismiss this book (or review), hear this out. This book has a completely unique approach from virtually all other preaching improvement volumes. This is not a technical volume on the form of preaching. It’s not the usual three points, stay to the text and don’t force something onto the text.

Rather, author Dave McClellan takes us on a journey of two parts. In Part 1, Preparing the Preacher, he appeals to the oratory skills of Augustine and Quintilian encouraging us to present sermons that are not so technically perfect but are delivered from the heart. In Part 2, Developing an orally Based Model of Preaching, he leads us through the development of a sermon that comes from within the preacher. His emphasis throughout the book is for all preachers to preach to communicate; pastors should deliver sermons prepared for listeners.

McClellan is a long time pastor and professor. He also holds a PhD in Rhetoric and Communication. Obviously he is well qualified to tackle the subject.

The book does get a bit “heavy” at times with discussions of rhetoric, but these are necessary for McClellan to establish his point. Don’t let them throw you. Enjoy the discussion at it moves along.

Every preacher should benefit from the reading of the book if for no other reason than it presents a distinctive challenge, a challenge for every person that delivers a sermon of teaches a class. It is a book not just to read, but more beneficially to be studied.

This book was provided to me by the Weaver Book Company for review with no anticipated pretense.

Book Review - Invitation to James: Persevering through Trials to Win the Crown.

Whether or not this volume will appeal to you really depends on what you are looking for. I realize that may sound like a summary or recommendation that could be applied to any book, however, with this particular volume, it is effective. It is not a commentary on James. It is not a “how to” book on preaching or preaching through James. Rather, in an effort to demonstrate what the author believes is the proper approach to preaching through James; it is a sermon series through James. It is another approach in the education of homiletics.

This volume is one of six in this series: Biblical Preaching for the Contemporary Church. All are to be written by Sunukjian. Currently Invitation to Philippians and Invitation to the Life of Jacob are also available at Weaver Book Company.

Donald R. Sunukjian, author of Invitation to Biblical Preaching. Sunukjian has taught preaching at Dallas Theological Seminary and currently teaches at Talbot School of Theology.

With that preliminary information being said, this is a book that should be on your list if your are planning to preach or teach through James. It is full of illustrations, practical examples and practical application. At the same time the structure of each sermon can be studied and dissected in an effort to strengthen one’s own preaching ability.

So, if you preach or teach, this is a volume to have at your side.

This book was provided to me by the Weaver Book Company for an impartial review.

Biblical Portraits of Creation - Book Review

Biblical Portraits of Creation: Celebrating the Maker of Heaven and Earth is written by Walter C. Kaiser and Dorington G. Little. Kaiser is a professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and it can be fairly said that he is a (or the) leading scholar in his field. Little is the senior pastor of the First Congregational Church of Hamilton, MA. Together they have combined to produce a unique little volume on Creation. (Note: The book is predominantly Kaiser – nine of the twelve chapters plus the Preface, Prologue, Epilogue and Appendix.)

The first question based on the title might be is this another volume defending one of the myriad of positions on creation found in Genesis 1-2? Answer: Absolutely not. However, you will find some answers to that question in the book. Rather Kaiser and Little rejoice in, applaud and commemorate God’s creation. They accomplish this by working through those portions of Scripture that focus on God’s creation. Only two of the chapters are from Genesis 1 and 2. Five are from the Psalms – 104, 8 & 19, 29, 33, and 148.

Each chapter centers on a particular passage of Scripture and I would highly recommend that you read that portion several times before reading through the text. I will provide you with a deeper grasp of what is being said.

If you are a student of Hebrew, you will greatly enjoy Kaiser’s exegetical skills of the language. In many verses he digs deep into the language to explain the wonder of God’s creation. It's worth the time to take advantage of Dr. Kaiser's knowledge of the language.

Kaiser also includes a lengthy appendix, 22 pages, in which he discusses “The Literary Genre of Genesis 1 – 11.” He covers and virtually defeats all of the arguments that have been proposed in the past two hundred years concerning the language of these chapters and in the end gives his own conclusion. It’s a bit heavy duty, but, if one is interested in these matters, it’s worth the read.

I would highly recommend this volume but it’s not one to be just “read.” Rather, it is to be studied. If this approach is taken, it will be greatly appreciated.

 

This book was provided to me by the Weaver Book Company.

How will the world end? - Book Review

What! Another book about the end times you ask? Well, “Yes” is the answer to that question. But before you accept any notion of not reading the book because of its lack of volume, let me put the summary of the book at the beginning. It’s short – 93 pages with six chapters; it’s fairly comprehensive on the basics of the end times; it’s a very quick and easy read; and will serve very well for a small group Bible study and surely open up a room of discussion.

The official title is How will the world end? And other questions about the last things and the second coming of Christ and the author is Jeramie Rinne. Rinne is the senior pastor at South Shore Baptist Church in the Boston area.

Renne answers the question presented in the title of the book in the very first chapter – How will the world end? Sorry, you’ll have to read the book to get the answer, but here’s a hint: With the dire conclusion comes a message of hope.

For ongoing interest Rinne has sprinkled throughout the book a number of “asides” that present discussions to questions to which everyone wants an answer: Who is the antichrist? Are we in the end times yet? Will there be a secret rapture? And – When is Jesus coming back?

Chapter four, Will Jesus come back before or after the “Millennium”?, is a well done discussion.  Rinne offers arguments for the two most prevalent answers – a pre- and post-millennial return. Within each of these two answers he debates the most common viewpoints. It includes four charts giving visual explanation to each viewpoint. It’s well worth the reading of the book for this discussion.

Whatever your view of the end times might be this book is worth the swift and trouble-free read. On the other hand you might want to take your time to research what Rinne has produced. Either way, it’s recommended for another assessment.

This book was provided by “thegoodbook company” for review.

What a Week We're Having

At least as far as Christianity is concerned. And probably a bit is spillover from the previous week.

 

And a lot has been festering inside the volcanic slime for a while.

So here’s a few headlines from the past few days:

Gungor Rattles Christian World With Revelation That They Don’t Believe the Bible Literally

Worship Songwriter Vicky Beeching Comes Out as Gay

What’s the deal with modern, pop Christian music artists? Call me skeptical, but it sounds like a money grab.

Top UK Christian Singer Investigated for Alleged Sex Abuse at 1985 Billy Graham Crusade

Now granted these are allegations and investigations are ongoing. But, let’s face it, the headlines don’t look good. The damage has been done.

Acts 29 Removes Mars Hill, Asks Mark Driscoll To Step Down and Seek Help

Don’t get me started on “celebrity” Christians and Pastors.

Well, never mind.

It would seem to me that pastors who become celebrities and travel to speak at conferences around the country (and the world) have little time to spend with their flock which would seem to be the job description of a pastor.

And the most disappointing fact is there’s more.

And a further disappointing fact is that these are internal, self-afflicted wounds. If you want a view of a few shots taken at Christianity from the outside take a look at Todd Starnes’ Todd’s American Dispatch.

Yes, brothers and sisters, the evil one is alive and well and hard at work.

 Are we?