Value of Life

The June 28th commentary by Dr. Mohler discusses a chilling article by Anne Lamott. You can read it here. I don't know if you could find a more striking example of the antithesis between a Christian worldview and a non-Christian worldview. This seems to be the cultural issue of our age: human value/dignity and the right of our creator to give and take life by His providential plan. What makes this even more tragic is the fact that Ann Lamott considers herself a Christian. Who's fault is that? I would suggest it is the Church's fault.

After reading this article how would you tackle this issue? Do you want to wage war against cultural elites like Ms. Lamott, or would you like to explain to her why she is not thinking as a Christian, since that is her self description of herself? Can we do both simultaneously?

Lets get introspective. If we confess to believe that all humans are made in the image of God, are we living our lives and treating every single other person we meet with that understanding? Should we be?

QOD

The Patriot Post
Founders' Quote Daily

"This gave me occasion to observe, that when Men are employ'd
they are best contented. For on the Days they work'd they were
good-natur'd and chearful; and with the consciousness of having
done a good Days work they spent the Evenings jollily; but on the
idle Days they were mutinous and quarrelsome, finding fault with
their Pork, the Bread, and in continual ill-humour."

-- Benjamin Franklin (Autobiography, 1771)

Reference: Franklin: Writings, Lemay, ed., Library of America
(1447)

Toward a Biblical/Kingdom Focused Worldview

I have not blogged in over a week. Couple of reasons for that. Been very busy, and haven't found anything really interesting to blog about. Well, both changed a little today, so here's what I have to offer.

If you are interested in developing a Biblical Worldview, which involves so much more than just having your doctrine right (you need to have it right, there is just more to it than that), then you need to check out these two articles by Anthony Bradley. Here they are, with intro paragraphs to wet your appetite.



Toward A Missional Worldview: Remembering the Kingdom

The Kingdom of God is a central theme in the preaching of Jesus and, by extension, the preaching and teaching of the apostles. Theological liberalism has emphasized the kingdom while leaving behind Jesus' mission and call to obedience and discipleship. Many evangelicals while having great passion for the church and mission often forsake the forest for the trees and loose full implications of the gospel into their local culture. A missional worldview orients all of one's life toward the kingdom (Matt 6:33) and ignites Jesus followers into radical living here and now.

Toward A Missional Worldview: Creation, the Imago Dei, and BMWs

Nature is good. Being human is good. Work is good. Rest is good. Culture is good. Sexuality, making babies, and having a family is really good. In fact, everything that God created is very, very good (1 Tim 4:4-5). A missional worldview implores Jesus followers to engage all of life reflecting what God intends for his world (Col 3:23) and to invite others to do the same (Acts 17, Psalm 34:1-8). Every Jesus follower is to show the world what being united with Jesus looks like. Since all of life is spiritual, a missional Church calls all people to live all of life as they ought.

Let us do both. Let us tell and show the world what it is to be a Christian.

Patterson & Mohler De-scussion over Election

Patterson, Mohler: Calvinism shouldn’t divide SBC

I found the last two paragraphs by Dr. Patterson interesting.

Patterson urged Southern Baptists not to follow the example of the English Baptists who divided over the issue. After the split, those who held to limited atonement (the particular Baptists) became "anti-missionary and anti-evangelistic," while those who held to general atonement (the General Baptists) emphasized doctrine so little that they "became universalists," Patterson said.

“The splitting of the two did them no favors and pushed them in opposite directions that were very unfortunate,” he said. "… If we allow Satan to have his way, we'll divide up over it, as we certainly should not," Patterson said.

What sayeth ye?

Distressing thoughts for a new Dad of a Daughter

Even though my daughter is not even 4 months old yet, my wife and I have already had a conversation about our daughter's college education, if she chooses to go that route. My initial reaction to that thought process is...I have been to college, know what the college culture is like, and don't want my daughter anywhere near a brazenly secular post-secondary instituion.

After reading Hookup Culture, Biblical Patriarchy, and Campus Ministry by Russell Moore, my initial response seemed to be a good one. Rest assured, while I am no fan of anything Duke related, the environment and attitudes of the students there are not drastically different from college students all over this country, at least that is my conclusion. While reading this article my heart sank as I processed the thought that every woman at every college is some daddy's little girl. As Dr. Moore stated, the clarion call here as a Christian man is to be a Christian father and husband, to raise my daughter as a Christian woman, and to promote this attitude and dedication to family calling as of the utmost import to our current generation of moms and dads, for our next generation of Christian men and women.

SBC Politics

Calvinist pastor, Georgia evangelist likely to square off as 1st VP nomination
By Robert Marus

QOD

The Patriot Post
Founders' Quote Daily

"There are certain social principles in human nature, from
which we may draw the most solid conclusions with respect to the
conduct of individuals and of communities. We love our families
more than our neighbors; we love our neighbors more than our
countrymen in general. The human affections, like solar heat,
lose their intensity as they depart from the centre... On these
principles, the attachment of the individual will be first and
for ever secured by the State governments. They will be a mutual
protection and support."

-- Alexander Hamilton (speech at the New York Ratifying Convention,
June 1788)

Reference: The Works of Alexander Hamilton, Henry Cabot Lodge,
ed., II, 70.