Doctrinal Matters

At what point does a baby get human rights?  Presidential hopeful Senator Barak Obama was asked that question in a 2008 interview by Pastor Rick Warren held at Warren's church. The transcript to that interview can be accessed here. Obama's answer? Well, you know, I think that whether you're looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.   Senator John McCain, also aspiring to the presidency, answered the same question: At the moment of conception.  Obama's claim that he was not able to answer that question with "specificity" seemed to be an attempt to dodge the question.  His lack of clarity on the issue also brings up other questions.  If he cannot say when a baby gets human rights then what about infants?  How can he be sure infants have human rights if he cannot specify when those rights are endowed?  Could post-birth babies not have rights yet?  Mc

Breaking News... The investigation into the tragic death of Cecil the Lion, the beloved male lion from Zimbabwe, has recently taken a decisive turn.  Investigators have uncovered a possible motive for the senseless murder of the iconic cat.  Initial clues led detectives to one suspect, American dentist Walter Palmer.  Police are sure they have the right man.  Palmer's confession to the crime has all but made their case for them.  Police already knew that the murdering dentist fit the profile of an extremist; white, rich, gun-toting.  What had not been determined with certainty was the motive behind Palmer's barbaric act.  That is until investigators received an anonymous tip about the murdered lion's progressive ideology.  Park ranger Pete "PETA" Perkins reported to police that he had received a mysterious phone call from an informant who wished to remain anonymous.  The caller's tip led investigators to search the lion's Facebook page. What they fou

Thomas Jefferson, writing the Declaration of Independence courtesy of freeimages.com The United States is a world leader in many good ways.  Unfortunately she also leads in one way that no American should be proud of.  Upon founding our nation, our Fathers wrote: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.     - The Declaration of Independence Today is not a proud day for America, but rather one that marks the anniversary of one of America's most shameful moments, the legalization of abortion in our country. Since the Roe v. Wade decision, 42 years ago today, over 50 million Americans have been legally murdered in their mother's wombs. Instead of leading the world to protect and promote the unalienable right to life of every person, the United States sadly leads in the opposite direction: it has the highe

In my recent post A Sad Dance Around a Simple Question: Did God Use Evolution to Create Man?   I reported on the way that Ravi Zacharias, when asked by a man in his audience at a seminar if he believed in theistic evolution, avoided answering. I have great respect for Mr. Zacharias and his ministry of Christian apologetics, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries ( RZIM) .  However, the way he avoided answering that question concerns me.  It seems like a straightforward question and the Bible clearly provides a straightforward answer in the opening chapters of Genesis. Why would a man whose ministry is to give a defense of the Christian faith not be willing to commit himself to answer such a basic question?  Did God create the first man, Adam, from the dust of the ground? or did God guide evolution through millions of years to result in the first man "Adam"? Where could we find an answer to how God created man?  In Genesis, of course.  At least that is what Jews and Christ

I am somewhat reluctant to write this post for fear that it will be seen as an attack on Ravi Zacharias, a man I greatly respect.  Mr. Zacharias is one of Christianity's great apologists and has a brilliant mind.  Please understand that it is not my intention to attack Mr. Zacharias.  This post is a critique of what he and an associate said (and didn't say) in a question and answer session while they were speaking at the University of Hong Kong.  It is only worth mentioning because I think that their answers to a question asked from the audience have the potential to do more harm than good. In the video, an audience member who identifies himself as a "scientist and also a Christian" ask this question: Do you believe in natural selection and evolution?  Or do you think it's a disgrace for humans to be created this way? Apparently Mr. Zacharias cannot hear all of the question so the man re-states it: Natural selection and evolution... Do you think this is

courtesy of freeimages.com Foxnews.com recently posted an article entitled, Kraken rises:New fossil evidence of ‘sea monster’ .  Written by Stephanie Pappas and published on November 1, 2013, the article reports on a debate between two scientists concerning the existence of a giant squid (kraken) large enough to kill an ichthyosaur.  What I want to do in referencing this debate is to draw attention to some statements made by both scientists, who are most probably evolutionists.  Their own statements point out some logical flaws of the belief in macro evolution. The proponent of the kraken theory is Mark McMenamin, a paleontologist who found what he describes as the fossilized beak from a giant squid near an unusual arrangement of the fossilized bones of an ichthyosaur.  McMenamin suggests that the ichthyosaur’s bones are arranged in a pattern that indicates intentional placement by an intelligent being.  McMenamin thinks that a kraken arranged the bones of its ichthyosaur vi

courtesy of freeimages.com What's the point?  Is there any more meaningful reason for my existence beyond simply walking the earth for a few years?  I live and I die.  Is that all that there is to my life?  These are the big questions that people have grappled with throughout every generation.  How one answers these questions depends upon his worldview. What is meant by worldview ?  The term refers to the way we view our world around us.  Everyone has a worldview of some sort.  Some view the world as being influenced by spirit beings (spiritism), others view it as being under the control of an eternal, holy, righteous, omnipotent, omniscient, transcendent God (biblical).  Still, others see the world through the eyes of naturalism. Naturalism is the worldview that says that matter is all that there is, there is no God or spiritual realm that influences our world and our lives. How does naturalism answer life's biggest questions: questions about purpose and meaning?  A co

courtesy of freeimages.com Now that a new year has started, I thought it would be fun to look back at my posts from January 2014.  It happens that my posts from last January are some of the most often viewed posts on my blog. They are (in order of most viewed): The Lord's Supper and Eating Unworthily  -an attempt to explain 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Thoughts on Our Adoption   - a reflection on our adoption after 1 year Do Not Judge?  -an attempt to explain Matthew 7:1 A Personal Testimony  -my salvation testimony.