Category: Reflections Articles

(A Secular Approach to the Problems of the Lottery)

The following article originally appeared in Christianity Today, July 10, 1987. The article was written by a man by the name of Charles Colson. It addresses the problems with the Illinois lottery from a secular point of view. I thought this article would be a good addition to the other two at this site examining the sinful nature of the lottery. If you have read the other two articles, you know that participating in the lottery is sin, no disputing it, it is fact. Now, read on, and see some reasons why the lottery is dangerous both to your pocketbook, and your soul…

Continue reading “The Myth of the Money Tree” →

Author’s Note: I wrote this article around the time that the lottery was established in Texas. The article serves to show the ridiculous nature of such an activity.

The signs are popping up all over town, and presumably, all over the state. TEXAS LOTTERY…Play the Texas Lottery Here! It’s quite a phenomenon. I was in a 7-11 just a few days ago, waiting in a much longer line than usual, to purchase a few groceries. The reason for the long line was the lottery. Almost to a man, the people in front of me bought 1,2,5,6 lottery tickets, all hoping for the possible lucky ticket. It struck me at the time that the behavior of the people could be summed up in one word…GREED! Or to use a biblical term, COVETOUSNESS! Continue reading “Sobering Thoughts About the Lottery” →

The state of Texas is one of many states that run a lottery. This rapidly growing phenomenon brings to the forefront questions concerning the morality of gambling. Is gambling a sin? This article will attempt to answer honestly that question by an appeal to scripture.

A quick point as we begin. The amount you gamble is irrelevant. The principles we are about to address show gambling to be wrong. On principle. With no regard to amount. Just gambling a little can no more be justified than telling a “little white lie” or saying a cuss word “only every once in a while”. If it is wrong, IT IS WRONG! Continue reading “Is It A Sin to Play the Lottery?” →

Immediately following the Dallas Cowboys victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game in December 1995, Michael Irvin, one of the Cowboy’s stars, was interviewed live on the national broadcast. While profanity is common these days on television, one of the words Irvin said caused quite a furor in that it is still considered unacceptable for use on TV.

The same scenario had taken place with a Pittsburgh Steeler’s player a few hours before. Continue reading “The Pervasiveness of Profanity” →

The second in Peter’s list of attributes to be added to our faith, (cf. 2 Peter 1:5-11), is “knowledge.”

The English term knowledge is derived from the Greek (gnosis). It is defined by Vine as “primarily a seeking to know, an enquiry, investigation. Denotes, in the N.T., knowledge, especially of spiritual truth. (Vol. 2, page 301).

Continue reading “Knowledge” →

Author’s Note: Yes, I am a fan. Therefore it is not surprising that events such as the Superbowl might be the inspiration for some the articles I write. However, I am very aware of the excesses of society as well. As such, I hope this article, written in January of 1994, will cause you to think about our misplaced priorities.

Just in case you have had your head in the sand for the past two weeks, I wanted to let you know that the Dallas Cowboys are playing in Super Bowl XXVII today at precisely 5:18 pm. It used to be, a long, long time ago, that the game was played during the afternoon. However, someone got the idea that viewership would increase if the game were to be played in “prime time”. That was certainly the case, and since then all Super Bowls have been played at 6:00 or after, Eastern Standard Time. Continue reading “The Superbowl, Our Misplaced Priorities” →

Author’s note: Sometimes my thoughts are inspired by current events. This makes it necessary to explain the context of the remarks when reprinting the article. This article was written following the first of three recent Dallas Cowboy victories in the Superbowl (January, 1993). I believe the message to be even more timely now.

Last week the city of Dallas had a parade and pep rally to celebrate the Super Bowl victory our Cowboys had two weeks ago. I watched the parade on television, and as soon as it was over I turned the television off. You have to understand that I am a big fan, and so when I turned off the television, I was in a very good mood. It was fun to see the fans and the players having such a good time.

Of course, you know what happened after the rally broke up. (A riot ensued). Continue reading “The Superbowl, and the Answer to Society’s Problems” →

The following comments are inspired by this short article I ran across in a bulletin entitled Preacher Talk.

So It Seems

Norma McCorvey is the “Jane Roe” of the Roe V. Wade Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion. Mrs. McCorvey uses the name of a husband she left. She is 46 and has had three pregnancies, the second and third out of wedlock. The third, though born before the Supreme Court decided Roe, was the baby of that decision.

Mrs. McCorvey announced herself a lesbian after the birth of her first daughter, Melissa, now 29, but she nevertheless conceived two more times. She has been living with a “pro-choice” Catholic woman, Connie Gonzalez, for 21 years. Gonzalez met McCorvey when she caught her shoplifting at a store where she worked.

Mrs. McCorvey reports that, when she first met her attorney, Sarah Weddington, whom the case made famous, she did not know the attorney had herself had an abortion. “When I told her than how desperately I needed one, she could have told me where to go for it. But she wouldn’t because she needed me pregnant for her case.”

As Raffaelo Balestrini remarked in his 19 century book on abortion in antiquity, abortion is a symptom of a widespread social degeneracy.

Reported by Harold O.J. Brown, The Religion and Society Report, 10/94, p. 8.

Raffaelo Balestrini’s observation is demonstrably true. Continue reading “Be Wary of a Dangerous Society” →

The apostle Peter, in his second epistle gives a list of characteristics that we are to “add to” our faith, that we might be supplied an entrance into “the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1: 5-11). The first of these characteristics that we are to add to our faith is “virtue.”

The term translated in the NKJV “virtue” is the greek word (arete). Vine says that the term “properly denotes whatever procures pre-eminent estimation for a person or thing; hence, intrinsic eminence, moral goodness, virtue” (Vol. IV, pg. 189).

Continue reading “Virtue” →

Gibbons, in his well respected work entitled, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, lists 7 reasons he contends were the major culprits resulting in the fall of the greatest of the ancient empires. The seven reasons listed are:

1. The divorce rate rose.
2. Taxes got higher.
3. More public money was spent for welfare.
4. The craving for greater pleasure and leisure increased.
5. Sports appeared to get more exciting, more brutal.
6. The building of gigantic armaments continued.
7. Religion was thought by many to be on the decay.

Now, it doesn’t take a genius to see the parallels of the ancient society with our day and time. And this is a pretty strong indicator of the present state of our society as well. Continue reading “The Decay of America” →

Author’s note: Obviously, this article is not newly written. It was written shortly after the initial release of the book entitled SEX, a “coffee table” book, “written” by pop singer Madonna. However, it is a timely message. I hope you benefit from reading it.

I heard an interesting tidbit on the radio a few days ago. It seems that a public library in Austin is removing their two copies of the pop singer Madonna’s new book, SEX. The book was released about a month ago, and consists of a series of pornographic photographs depicting Madonna’s sexual fantasies. It is supposed to be one of those “artsy” “coffee-table” books. From what I have read in the paper and seen on television, even the secular media has branded it as in poor taste, and revolting. Continue reading “On Madonna, Homosexuality, Euthanasia, etc.” →

It is evident that Humanism has permeated every aspect of our society. The areas of danger are many, and it can be argued that the most insidious is the incorporation of Humanistic philosophy into the classroom. My children attend public schools. I don’t mind admitting to what I consider a quite justifiable fear for my children’s spiritual health. The Humanistic philosophy has infiltrated our public education, and is poisoning the minds of our children as many stand idly by. Continue reading “Secular Humanism In Our Schools” →

In a recent edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the religious editor had an article dealing with the methods modern day denominations use to deal with the sin of adultery. The different methods ranged from a withdrawal of fellowship to a complete acceptance and fellowship of this sin.

There are two things I would like you to especially notice about the attitudes towards adultery. First, the laxness of the different religions in dealing with it. Only a few of those surveyed indicated a willingness to withdraw fellowship from an adulterous individual. Most suggested counseling, but few were willing to go that final step. There were a few, but even these were unwilling to mark a man publicly, and withdraw, as commanded in scripture. One Baptist minister stated that it might be necessary to force one to leave because of the disharmony and problems it might cause in a congregation; but the thought of making a man confess the sin of adultery publicly, was, as he put it, “Terrible.” Continue reading “Redefining Adultery” →

The second epistle of Peter, chapter 1, verses 5-7 reads as follows:

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”

You will note that the Christian graces mentioned in the text are to be added to a foundation of faith.

Continue reading “Add To Your Faith” →

Since the medical practice of abortion was legalized in this country in 1973, literally millions of women have undergone the procedure to terminate unwanted pregnancies. Depending upon who you talk to, the legalization of this particular surgery is either a landmark victory for the rights of women in the country, or the greatest sign of the immorality and decay of our nation.

There is very little gray area regarding this procedure, and rightfully so. Your perceptions regarding abortion depend mainly upon one simple question, Is abortion murder? If you believe it to be murder, then there is absolutely no justification for abortion. If you believe it to be a medical procedure that results in the simple removal of fetal tissue, then you have no more qualms at the practice than you would the removal of your appendix. Continue reading “Is Abortion Sinful?” →