Category: In The News!

A review of the book, Moses the Egyptian: The Memory of Egypt in Western Monotheism, 1997, appears in the March/April 1998 issue of the Biblical Archaeology Review. The book was written by Jan Assmann, the review by Ronald Hendel. It seems that both the author and reviewer have a modernist view of the Bible, and the history it records.

Continue reading “In The News: Moses the Egyptian” →

The question of our title is similar to other questions that have been asked. Can a Christian be a lawyer? Or, can a Christian tend bar?

Those questions speak of the morality of the two occupations. While I believe that a Christian could certainly practice law, there are certain types of lawyers who seem, if they do their job successfully, to violate Christian morality.

However, when I ask the question, “Can a Christian be President?” I am not so concerned with the ethics of the job; rather, I am referring to the electability of a Christian. I am convinced that one who truly holds to the teachings of Jesus Christ would be considered an extremist, and would have no chance of being elected to the highest office in America.

Continue reading “In The News: Can A Christian Be President” →

Last week I came across a news article relating the exhumation of a body in Italy. The body is that of Francesco Forgione, a Capuchin friar, popularly known as Padre Pio. He died in 1968, and was ordained a Catholic “Saint” by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

Many Catholics believed that Padre Pio had the “stigmata”, the wounds of Christ’s crucifixion, appear on his hands and feet by a miracle. Though some believe him to have been a fraud, and it is suspected that he used carbolic acid to create the wounds, he remains revered by millions of Catholics. His body will be contained in a glass topped coffin, to be viewed by Catholics for several months.

Continue reading “In The News: Bi-Directional Superstition” →

Danish newspaper Jyllands-Poste reprinted a cartoon Wednesday drawn by Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard one day after Danish police arrested three people suspected in a plot to murder Westergaard for his characterization of Muhammad. [characterization at right] Westergaard was one of 12 cartoonists who published cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad in 2005 that sparked widespread protests across the Islamic world. Several other Danish newspapers also reprinted Westergaard’s depiction Wednesday, accompanied by statements defending freedom of speech and the public’s right to see the cause of the backlash.

The Muhammad cartoon controversy led to a number of international lawsuits and arrests alleging defamation of character and disruption of the peace. A French court in March 2007 dismissed charges against Charlie-Hebdo magazine and its director after the court found that the defendants had not purposely meant to offend Muslims. In September, Bangladeshi authorities arrested cartoonist Arifur Rahman and suspended the publication of weekly satire magazine Alpin after it reprinted the cartoon. Last month, a former newspaper editor in Belarus was sentenced to three years in prison for reprinting the cartoons in the Zhoda newspaper.

The Jurist (Legal News and Research)

Analysis:

I appreciate and understand why Muslims would be upset about the characterization of Muhammad. While the cartoon is fairly innocuous compared to some of the obscene and blasphemous representations of Jesus Christ I have seen, it is easy to see why it would offend them. Similarly, I am disgusted about the way Jesus Christ has been represented in cartoons, movies, etc. It is blasphemous, and shows the ungodliness in the world today. I do not plot to harm these infidels, but I am distressed at the disrespect they show to my Lord.

Continue reading “In The News: Muslim Extremists Arrested” →

The atheist has an insurmountable problem in his efforts to explain the existence of humanity without the presence of a divine being. The theory of evolution, used to promote the idea of our physical development over eons of time, can in no way explain the existence the fixed moral standards that have been present throughout human history.

Below is a very interesting quote, contending that atheistic philosophy is lacking in this important area:

Continue reading “In The News: Atheists and Morality” →

Ash Wednesday is February 6, beginning the Catholic observance of Lent in the six weeks preceding the observance of Easter Sunday.

If you aren’t familiar with the terms, it is not surprising. There is no reference in scripture to either Lent or Easter, and the practice has its origins in Catholic church tradition rather than in the word of God.

One of those traditions is the practice of abstaining from eating meat on Friday during Lent. In certain areas of the country, such as Wisconsin, the practice is pervasive. Notice the following from an AP article, posted Friday:

Continue reading “In The News: Lent and Fish Fries” →

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

The second coming of Christ is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. We do what we do and are what we are because of the hope that is ours. The resurrection of our Lord is evidence that His promise to come again will certainly be fulfilled. Peter answered the scoffers of his day by saying, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…” (2 Peter 3:9-10). You may note that as a consequence of that coming, Peter states that we should conduct ourselves in holiness and godliness in hastening that day (cf. vss. 11-12).

Continue reading “In The News: The Second Coming” →

Chess master Bobby Fischer, one of the greatest chess players in history, has died, a spokesman for the World Chess Federation confirmed to CNN Friday. He was 64.

No cause of death was given.

Fischer became the first American world chess champion when he defeated Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in a legendary encounter during the Cold War in 1972.

Former Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov said Fischer would be remembered as “the pioneer, some would say the founder, of professional chess” and called his death “very sad news.”

According to media reports in Iceland, Fischer died at a hospital in the capital, Reykjavik. He moved to Iceland after being granted citizenship in 2005.

Fischer became almost as famous for his personality quirks and his renegade behavior as for his brilliance at chess.

He learned to play as a child in Brooklyn, New York, and quickly became a prodigy. He was only 15 when he reached the level of grand master in August, 1958.

— CNN

Analysis:

Bobby Fischer is one in a long list of examples that establish the truthfulness of the wise man’s words in Ecclesiastes 2:17, “Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.”

The life that Fischer lived was sufficiently significant that his death was reported world wide. His success in playing the game of chess was prodigious and noteworthy, but he was a failure as a man.

Continue reading “In The News: Chess Eccentric Bobby Fischer Dies” →

On November 29th, Harris Interactive released results of a poll that was designed to determine what Americans believe on the subject of religion. It seems that the results were near identical to a previous poll taken in 2005. Those interested can see the complete results of the poll, by going to http://harrisinteractive.com

There were certain interesting things to note about the results of the poll:

• First, the United States remains a nation where most identify themselves as Christians. 72% believe that Jesus is the Son of God. 70% believe that Jesus was resurrection from the dead. Of course, it is interesting that 2% of those who profess belief in the deity of Christ nevertheless deny his power over death. For those 2%, perhaps Paul’s words are in order, “For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable” (1 Corinthians 15:16-19).
• One thing that is disturbing is the small numbers of Americans that accept the Bible as God’s word. While 53% of Americans believe that the Old Testament is the Word of God, and 52% of Americans believe that the New Testament is the Word of God, only 33% believe that both are God’s word. This time, Peter weighs in, proclaiming that “no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). Further, Peter affirmed that the epistles of Paul were a part of those scriptures (cf. 2 Peter 3:15-16).
• Americans are very undiscerning in their beliefs. The Harris Poll also asked questions concerning common superstitions. In response, 41% of Americans professed a belief in ghosts; 35% in UFO’s; 31% in witches; 29% in astrology; and 21% in reincarnation. It is rather insulting that questions concerning faith in Christ are lumped together with UFO’s, but what is more disturbing is that so many Americans are so credulous. It is such undiscerning (blind) faith in the ridiculous that gives fodder to those who claim faith in Christ is without merit. Rather, our faith has a significant foundation. Paul, in his address to Festus and Agrippa, made that bold assertion. In the face of Festus’ claim that “much learning is driving you mad,” Paul stated that Agrippa knew the truthfulness of his claims concerning the resurrected Savior. As Paul stated, “this thing was not done in a corner” (Acts 26:26).

While the poll reveals the Christian leanings of our nation, it also clearly shows that such inclinations are seldom based upon true faith. As Christians, we must always remember that, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). May our faith be reasoned and established upon the verity of scripture, rather than the vagaries of human speculation.

The Bible teaches us that when God created man, he told him to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:26). He put Adam in the garden He had planted, for the man to “tend and keep it” (2:15).

God has given man the responsibility to be a steward of His creation. This is a charge we must not take lightly. Years and years of neglect and abuse have led to the fouling of our environment, the depletion of natural resources, and the unfortunate extinction of many species of fish, birds and animals. Such abuse is lamentable and inexcusable. We must be more careful in our stewardship of this world God gave us.

Continue reading “In The News: Radical Environmentalism” →

The film, The Golden Compass, is scheduled for a Christmas release, and New Line Cinema is hoping that it will be as big a blockbuster as Disney pictures The Chronicles of Narnia, released last year.

The films are both fantasies, both based upon books that were written to appeal to children. The difference is that one was written by C.S. Lewis, a member of the Anglican church and a well known Christian apologist. The other was written by atheist activist Philip Pullman, whose desire is to portray religion as evil and God as a fraud.

Continue reading “In The News: The Golden Compass” →

Now she tells us? When I first heard that J.K. Rowling had revealed the homosexuality of Professor Albus Dumbledore, esteemed headmaster of Hogwarts, before a packed congregation of children and adults at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 19, my reaction was half appreciation, half annoyance. Ten years, seven books, 4,000 pages, and it never occurred to her to mention this before? At least she didn’t make the gay character a fairy (or a troll), so we’ll be spared those jokes, I thought. Rowling’s announcement felt almost too strategic, a gotcha! she conveniently withheld until the multibillion-dollar revenue stream had had years to flow. And why bother? The outing of Dumbledore doesn’t seriously reshape any plotline in the Harry Potter novels, nor do the books ever drop the kind of hints that would inspire questions from readers. Also, the saga is over, and Dumbledore’s, you know, dead, so, like that infamous moment on Law & Order when viewers suddenly learned that one of the show’s main characters was a lesbian literally 10 seconds before she left the series, it all seemed a bit easy.

Mark Davis
EW.com (Entertainment Weekly)

Analysis:

First, there is no such person as Dumbledore. So, he can’t be a homosexual. He is not a person, he is a fictional character in the Harry Potter books.

Continue reading “In The News: Dumbledore is a Homosexual” →

Every month we get a copy of The Christian Chronicle delivered to our mailing address. It always makes for interesting reading, though it is disconcerting to see how steeped in liberalism many churches have become.

A few weeks ago we wrote an article on the subject of the “social gospel”, noting the fact that the paper was reporting on high school football as a part of the ministry of churches of Christ. I thought the article showed the upper limits of absurdity until I read an article in the October 2007 issue entitled, Churches mix faith, football, by Erik Tryggestad.

Tryggestad reported (favorably) upon various churches that are using football as a means of accomplishing spiritual gains. Note the following examples:

Continue reading “In The News: Churches Mix Faith, Football” →

In the September 22, 2007 edition of the Muskogee Phoenix, Assistant City Editor Elizabeth Ridenour wrote about the practice of two area churches, one a Methodist church and one an Episcopal church, of feeding area citizens.

“St. Paul’s [Methodist Church] breakfast is a good opportunity for a variety of people to get together at the church.

“It’s a good time to have fellowship,” said Bob Montgomery, who oversees the program.

Green [Emily, kitchen helper] sees the same benefits. People come for the physical, emotional and/or spiritual benefits they can receive, she said.”

Now, we do not wish to be combative with the kitchen help, but those interviewed about the meals did not seem to be overly concerned about any “spiritual” benefits. Note the following quotes:

Continue reading “In The News: Faith Through Food, Fellowship” →

Two decades after a nude photo scandal helped cost a Miss America her title, Americans may be adopting a more ho-hum attitude toward people who bare it all for the cameras.

Some experts say the Internet and more explicit TV are fostering a more relaxed response by Americans to public displays of bare flesh, even if many people profess to be more conservative.

Take, for example, the muted reaction to nude photos of 18-year-old Vanessa Hudgens, the star of Walt Disney Co.’s squeaky clean “High School Musical” franchise,

One day after the photos surfaced on the Web last Thursday, Hudgens issued an apology and family friendly Walt Disney Co. said it would continue negotiating her appearance in the third installment of the hugely popular series, one of the most popular programs in U.S. cable TV history.

While some expressed outrage, many fans pledged support on her MySpace page …

… Some lashed out at her critics.

“Quit moaning and if you have any kind of decent filtering on the computer, kids aren’t going to see it,” wrote one poster on a media blog Web site …

… It’s a far cry from the scandal in 1984 when Vanessa Williams, the first black woman named as Miss America, resigned after nude photos surfaced of her and another female model.
“I do think that general attitudes about nudity are becoming more relaxed, but these changes take time, which is why there’s still mixed responses,” said Paul Levinson, communication and media professor at Fordham University.

“We as a society are finally growing up and it’s a healthy thing,” he said.

Sex and nudity are also more prevalent on television, especially cable stations. Last week’s opening episode of the HBO drama “Tell Me You Love Me,” contained at least half-a-dozen sex acts.

Sue Zeidler, Reuters

Analysis:

Two peculiar things about this story. First, there is no outrage being heard about the 18 year old’s sexual relationship with her boyfriend. While some are upset that she took a nude photo of herself that, without her consent, became public; no one is condemning her for taking nude photographs of herself for her boyfriend, or maintaining a sexual relationship with him. Such has become so commonplace in our time that it no longer even raises questions in the mind of most.

Continue reading “In The News: Revealing Photos Are Becoming Passe?” →