Freedom of Religion Challenged

The name of this blog is “Eye on Christianity.” And while we usually like to keep a close eye on events that are happening within the born-again believer world, we also feel it necessary to observe those events happening outside of Christianity that can or could affect how believers walk in the world. The following is one of those.

If you care about freedom of religion and the right to live out your faith in the market place, you should put this on-going situation at the top of your reading list and then the top of your prayer list. It’s all about a grandmother who is being persecuted by the state of Washington.

You can also get a Southern Baptist perspective on the state of affairs at this link.

The most disturbing element is the statement made by the judge. The Seattle Times reported that Judge Ekstrom determined that “while religious beliefs are protected by the First Amendment, actions based on those beliefs aren’t necessarily protected.”

These two previous links are the background to this sad, ongoing  saga. You can go here to get an update and view an interview from The Kelly File:

This situation is truly disturbing. It should genuinely upsetting regardless of one’s religious or political affiliation. This is the slippery slope that will erode religious freedom in the United States.

 

 

 

The A to Z Guide to Bible Signs & Symbols - Book Review

In a world of Biblical literature that is overflowing with reference books, you would think it would be a monumental task to produce a volume that is unique, informative, practical and just plain fun to hold in your hands and peruse. But not so with The A to Z Guide to Bible Signs & Symbols; Understanding their Meaning and Significance by Neil Wilson and Nancy Ryken Taylor and published by Baker Books.

Wilson and Taylor have endeavored to catalogue and explain 131 signs and symbols found within the sixty-six books of the Bible. All 131 are arranged alphabetically for ease of access. (Thus the lack of need for an index.) The book is printed on glossy paper with illustrations included for every entry.

Entries range from Altar to Zion/Jerusalem with items like Fire, Light and Salt sprinkled in between. Each entry also contains a short practical application/devotional just to get you thinking. There are even several “numbers” – forty, one, seven – that are included.

Sure they may have omitted one or two of your favorites but they do not claim the list to be exhaustive. This volume is not written for an ivory tower inhabitant who dabbles in the minutia of this fascinating topic, but rather for the busy pastor or the die-hard Bible student who seeks to glean all he or she can out of scripture.

And a note about format: You’ll want to get this is the paperback style. Baker Books is very adept at producing glossy books with great illustrations – Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary/Dictionary/Handbook. This one you’ll want to hold in your hands to more easily enjoy the layout of the book and the illustrations.

The end of the matter is this: if you are at all serious about Bible study, this book will enrich your endeavors.

What's Worse?

Here’s the What’s Worse question for today based on some news from yesterday.

Here are your two “What’s Worse” choices:

Christian bakers have been determined to be in violation of discriminatory laws in Oregon after they refused to bake a cake for a lesbian couple. That, according to an Oregon administrative judge, is blatant discrimination based on sexual orientation. You can read about the legal goings-on at this link - baker faker.

NBC News anchor Brian Williams admitted yesterday that the story he’s been telling about being shot down in a helicopter is a fabrication – alright, it’s a bold-face lie. Williams finally fessed up when America’s true heroes confronted him on his recollection of the facts. Be aware that Williams provides so much crap in his excuse that you’ll probably have to read the piece with hip boots on. Here’s a link for some more info on the story - news faker.

 

So now you choose.

 

Who are we going to put into the stocks in the village square a then pelt with rotten fruit?

 

A. Will it be the Christian bakers in Oregon who were simply standing up for their religious beliefs or

 

B. Will it be the famous newsman with the foggy memory who lied in the face of our heroes and nation?

Think hard. Pray Hard. It’s a tough choice.

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.