Category: In The News!
Articles analyzing current events.
In The News: A Messed Up World
As we enter a new decade, it is amazing to look at how humans have messed up the world in which we live.
As always, the problem is sin (cf. Romans 3:23), and one has only to look at the headlines of the day to see how decrepit our world has become. Let me give you a sample, taken from some of yesterday’s headlines:
New Year Drunks Should Pay for Hospital Care? Taken from a Reuters report, the headline references the toll intoxication is taking upon Great Britain’s public health care program. British citizens do not have to pay for their health care, and in the last decade hospitalization for alcohol intoxication has doubled. The government is considering charging the equivalent of $845 to anyone who is admitted to the hospital in a drunken stupor. (Health care costs for alcohol related illness in Great Britain are in the area of 5 billion dollars a year).
In The News: A Philandering Tiger
Just about everyone knows who Tiger Woods is. He is the most famous golfer, and perhaps the most famous athlete in the world. He has also become one of the most infamous athletes due to being a serial philanderer.
Numerous women have been linked to him. Despite initial denials it was obvious that he had been unfaithful to his wife on numerous occasions with multiple mistresses. When denials proved futile, he finally admitted his infidelity, and has taken a sabbatical from golf to try to save his marriage, and regain the trust of his wife.
In The News: Ungodly Leaders
On Tuesday, November 3, the state of Maine voted on a referendum regarding a state law that would have allowed homosexual couples to marry.
According to an Associated Press article, the pro-homosexual lobby had a tremendous advantage:
The stars seemed aligned for supporters of gay marriage. They had Maine’s governor, legislative leaders and major newspapers on their side, plus a huge edge in campaign funding. (David Crary, AP National Writer)
In The News: Is Evolution Fact or Theory?
This past week I came across an article titled, “Evolution is a Fact and a Theory,” from The TalkOrigins Archive. The article is written by an evolutionist, Laurence Moran, and seeks to explain why the attacks of creationists against the theory of evolution are invalid.
In the article Moran quotes from a 1981 article, written by Stephen J. Gould, that appeared in Discover Magazine in 1981. Gould asserts that certain aspects of evolution are a matter of fact, and others are a matter of theory.
Continue reading “In The News: Is Evolution Fact or Theory?”
In The News: Government Abuse of the Family
Justin Carrell sent me a link to a press release by the ADF (Alliance Defense Fund). The subject of the release was a decision made by a New Hampshire court which would require a mother to stop homeschooling her 10 year old daughter, and put her in public schools.
This is one of the scariest things that I have read in quite a while, and I felt it important to share it with you. Following are the facts, and the reasoning behind the court’s decision.
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In The News: The Muslims are Here
A couple of weeks ago I was handed a copy of an email that has been making the rounds on the internet. The email was written by an elder at the institutional Green Lawn church of Christ in Lubbock, TX, and mentioned a rather scary situation that had occurred at a prison in Snyder, TX.
I have since received at least 3 copies (forwarded) in my email box, the latest of which was titled, “The Muslims are here!”
The email was definitely disturbing. The post noted that shortly before three members of the Green Lawn congregation began worshiping with some Christian prisoners, they were asked by about 15 other inmates for permission to join the group. They readily agreed, but it turned out the men were antagonistic, continually interrupted the service, and threatened violence. The elder wrote in the post that the men were Muslim.
The email, as these things do, went viral. That means, like a virus, it has spread quickly. Unfortunately, people forward these messages without checking them out.
In The News: The Origin of Life on Earth
On Friday morning, the space shuttle Endeavor safely returned to earth, landing at the Kennedy Space Center after a 15 day trip that took it 248 times around the earth, and a distance of 6.5 million miles.
While in space, the Endeavor spent time docked with the International Space Station, performing some maintenance, and replacing one astronaut who had been in space for 5 months, Koichi Wakata with another, Timothy Kopra.
In The News: Multiple Memberships
I recently came across the following letter to Dear Abby. It initially appeared in the paper in May of 1994. So, while certainly not recent news, it still appeared in a newspaper, and so technically fits the parameters of this column. It certainly gives an opportunity to teach.
DEAR ABBY: I am 45 years old, financially comfortable and would like to get married.
I would like to meet a man about my age who enjoys going to church.
I belong to the First Methodist Church, Blessed Angels Catholic Church and the Mount Zion Jewish Temple.
I also attend the Christian Science Church regularly, but I do take aspirin occasionally.
Can you please help me find a man of good character who is interested in marriage, and belongs to any of the above-mentioned places of worship?
A moderate cigarette smoker is O.K., but please, no beer drinkers. – VICTORIA
DEAR VICTORIA: You seem to have all the bases covered. I cannot understand how you can be a member of all the above-mentioned churches.
To find a good churchgoing gentleman, have a talk with any of your clergypersons and be up-front about your interest in finding a man. I am a firm believer that there’s somebody for everybody. Good luck.
Analysis:
You will note that Abby, in her response to the advice seeker, says, “I cannot understand how you can be a member of all the above-mentioned churches.” I daresay that just about all who read the article thought the same thing, wondering if the lady were a tad imbalanced – perhaps criticizing her lack of conviction.
In The News: Jon and Kate Plus 8
You may not be aware of it, but in pop culture the biggest piece of news is the impending divorce of Jon and Kate Gosselin. The Gosselin family resides in Pennsylvania, and the two with their 8 children (one set of 8 year old twins, and one set of 5 year old sextuplets) are the subject of a very successful reality TV series, Jon and Kate Plus 8.
The series has been on television since January of 2007, and is widely viewed. Until recently the show revolved around the children, and the challenges of raising such a large and young family. However, the Gosselin’s marital problems have dominated reports in the entertainment media, and have been dealt with in the most recent episodes of the television show, which airs on TLC.
In The News: Maine 5th State to Allow Same Sex Marriage
Maine’s governor signed a freshly passed bill Wednesday approving gay marriage, making it the fifth state to approve the practice and moving New England closer to allowing it throughout the region.
New Hampshire legislators were also poised to send a gay marriage bill to their governor, who hasn’t indicated whether he’ll sign it. If he does, Rhode Island would be the region’s sole holdout.
The Maine Senate voted 21-13, with one absent, for a bill that authorizes marriage between any two people rather than between one man and one woman, as state law currently allows. The House had passed the bill Tuesday.
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In The News: Miss California and Marriage
In the Miss USA beauty pageant last week, Miss California made it to the top five, where each contestant was asked a question by one of the celebrity judges. The judge she drew is a man named Perez Hilton. Hilton is openly homosexual, and is famous as a gossip columnist, though he does not write for any paper. He created a blog (weblog) where he gossips, and “outs” homosexual celebrities. He is a very controversial character, and it is surprising that he was recruited to judge the competition.
Hilton’s question and Miss California’s (Carrie Prejean) answer follow here:
Q: Vermont recently became the 4th state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit. Why or why not?
A: “Well I think its great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you very much.”
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In The News: Founded on the Rock
Last Monday President Obama delivered a speech on the economy at Georgetown University. In the speech, he was asking the American people to be patient as his administration seeks to deal with a sluggish economy, and to change the “foundation” upon which the economy rests. Notice the following quote, as reported by the Associated Press:
“We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand,” he said, invoking a Biblical reference to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. “We must build our house upon a rock. We must lay a new foundation for growth and prosperity a foundation that will move us from an era of borrow and spend to one where we save and invest, where we consume less at home and send more exports abroad.”
While some may have doubts as to whether his actions mirror his rhetoric, we will leave such discussions for a more appropriate forum. It is the purpose of this article to note the President’s reference to Jesus’ words.
In The News: “Word of the Lord”
On Tuesday an envelope came in the mail at the church building. The return address from the envelope was:
The WORD of the LORD
P.O. Box 1483
Mesa, AZ 85211-1483
The two pages, printed on front and back had the following heading:
The
Word of the Lord
to
His Church in the Wilderness; and to All the Nations of the Gentiles
BEING THE WORDS OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD
At the end of the pages, which are apparently a sample of a longer work, was a paragraph stating that “a copy of this book containing the Word of The Lord given by revelation to this generation” could be obtained by mailing a self addressed 7 X 10 envelope with $1.52 in postage to the aforementioned address.
There was no other identification, and a quick internet search turned up nothing. There is nothing in the material to identify who it is who claims to have received a further revelation from Jesus Christ. There is also no evidence to support the contention that these words are the words of Jesus. Unlike the signs and wonders that were performed in the first century to confirm the words of our Lord (cf. John 20:30-31; Hebrews 2:1-4).
In The News: The Michael Phelps Bong Imroglio
A photograph of Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps was recently revealed, showing the talented swimmer smoking marijuana from a large pipe or “bong” at a party. The picture was taken by cell phone camera, and has led to a national furor as the seriousness of his inappropriate and illegal behavior is debated.
First it should be noted that Phelps is doing nothing different than millions of other Americans. A good portion of our society sees little wrong with smoking marijuana, and advocates often compare the practice with the use of alcohol. Such comparisons are legitimate, at least with regard to the morality of the practice. Both substances are drugs, and the use of either is indefensible for Christians (cf. Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Peter 4:1-3).
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In The News: A “More Diverse Context”
An article in the January 3 New York Times related the religious convictions of Tom and Claudia Riner of Louisville, KY.
Tom is the pastor of a small Baptist church, and has served as a Democratic representative in the Kentucky state legislature for the past 26 years. He is constantly introducing legislation that is designed to keep faith in God at the center of government and society. As such, he and his wife are constantly opposed by such groups as the ACLU, and have had numerous pieces of legislation overturned by the Supreme Court.
