Category: Subject Index

There is a simple mathematical principle that children learn early on in their education, as they are taught “sets” of numbers.

Simply, we could state that one set of numbers would be all “positive, whole” numbers. The set would be described in the following manner:

{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,…}

Within that set of whole numbers, we could have a subset of all odd whole numbers that have a positive value. Described as:

{1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,…}

Other similar sets could be represented in similar ways. Continue reading “Sets and Subsets” →

“Atlanta – A federal judge on Thursday ordered a suburban Atlanta school system to remove stickers from its high school biology textbooks that call evolution ‘theory, not a fact,’ saying the disclaimers are an unconstitutional endorsement of religion.

“‘By denigrating evolution, the School Board appears to be endorsing the well-known prevailing alternative theory, creationism or variations thereof, even though the sticker does not specifically reference any alternative theories,’ U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper said.

“The stickers were put inside the books’ front covers by Cobb County public school officials in 2002. They state: ‘This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.'”

The Indianapolis Star [January 14, 2005]

Analysis:

The preceding article is yet another indication of the active antagonism modern culture expresses toward the faith the Christian holds dear.

Continue reading “Evolution Stickers Must Go” →

In our last article we indicated that at certain times God’s commands are general in their nature. Such generic authority allows room to exercise discretion.

For example, in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gave his disciples instructions, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The command to “Go”, given by Jesus, is generic in nature. Jesus did not specify the means of going, so the disciples had discretion in fulfilling the command. These areas of discretion can be categorized as expediencies. Continue reading “Expediency” →

“The scientist who attracted the world’s attention by cloning Dolly the sheep is taking another major step for medical research: cloning human embryos and extracting stem cells to try to unravel the mysteries of muscle-wasting illnesses such as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“Ian Wilmut, who led the team that created Dolly at Scotland’s Roslin Institute in 1996, was granted a cloning license Tuesday by British regulators to study how nerve cells go awry to cause motor-neuron diseases.

“The experiments do not involve creating cloned babies, but the license has nonetheless stirred fresh controversy over the issue and prompted abortion foes and other biological conservatives to condemn the decision.”

Thomas Wagner
The Associated Press
Fort Worth Star Telegram, Wednesday, February 9, 2005

Analysis:

Embryo: 1. a. An organism in its early stages of development, especially before it has reached a distinctively recognizable form. b. An organism at any time before full development, birth, or hatching. 2. a. The fertilized egg of a vertebrate animal following cleavage. b. In humans, the prefetal product of conception from implantation through the eighth week of development. (Dictionary.com)

Continue reading “License to Clone Human Granted” →

A study of authority reveals that it can be categorized in two ways, Generic authority, and Specific authority.
By Generic we mean “general, opposite to specific” (Webster’s). So, Generic authority is inclusive. It includes all the methods or ways in which the thing authorized may be accomplished.

In contrast, by Specific we mean “precisely formulated or restricted; specifying or explicit” (Websters). So, Specific authority is exclusive. It only includes that which is expressly stated or specified.

On the surface, this may seem to be rather confusing. In reality it is a matter of simple common sense, and can readily be determined. Continue reading “Generic and Specific Authority” →

We have asserted that Bible Authority can be established from the written scriptures in three ways: Expressed Statement, Approved Example, and Necessary Inference. In this article we deal with the third means, Necessary Inference.

The concept is ridiculed by many as being a legalistic, and humanly devised means of establishing authority. We will show from scripture that this is not so. However, to begin, let’s note that we often learn things by inference. Continue reading “Necessary Inference” →

Artifacts from Iron Age fortress confirmOld Testament dates of Edomite kingdom

“Canadian archeologist Russell Adams’s interest is in Bronze Age and Iron Age copper production. He never intended to walk into archeology’s vicious debate over the historical accuracy of the Old Testament — a conflict likened by one historian to a pack of feral canines at each other’s throats.

“Yet by coincidence, Prof. Adams of Hamilton’s McMaster University says, he and an international team of colleagues fit into place a significant piece of the puzzle of human history in the Middle East — unearthing information that points to the existence of the Bible’s vilified Kingdom of Edom at precisely the time the Bible says it existed, and contradicting widespread academic belief that it did not come into being until 200 years later.

“Their findings mean that those scholars convinced that the Hebrew Old Testament is at best a compendium of revisionist, fragmented history, mixed with folklore and theology, and at worst a piece of outright propaganda, likely will have to apply the brakes to their thinking.

“Because, if the little bit of the Old Testament’s narrative that Prof. Adams and his colleagues have looked at is true, other bits could be true as well…”

By MICHAEL VALPY
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 – Page A3

globeandmail.com

Analysis:

It is not uncommon to hear of modernists who deny the inspiration of scripture. What is interesting is the basis of most claims that the Bible is inaccurate, and thus uninspired.

Continue reading “Archeologist Unearths Biblical Controversy” →

In our previous article, entitled Expressed Command, I wrote:

To properly understand how authority is established in religion, it is necessary to understand the nature of communication. God created man with the ability to communicate his will or desire to others. He chose to reveal Himself to man by the same methods. The divine hermeneutic (way of interpreting the Bible) is in accord with the logical rules of communication using written or spoken language.

One of these “logical rules of communication” can be identified as an approved example. The premise is simple. If in the New Testament we find Christians participating in an activity, and the example we find is spoken of as approved of God, we can rightly surmise that this practice is divinely authorized. Continue reading “Approved Example” →

Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) — Two U.S. Supreme Court justices rejected a California atheist’s bid to block clergy-led prayer at tomorrow’s inauguration ceremony for President George W. Bush.

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justice John Paul Stevens, in separate orders, today denied an emergency-injunction request filed in Washington by Michael Newdow.

Two Christian ministers — Episcopal Rev. Luis Leon of Washington and Methodist Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Houston — are slated to say prayers at the inauguration.

Newdow said in court papers that the past 17 public inaugurations, dating back to 1937, have all included “blatantly Christian prayer.” He said he has tickets to the event, yet “cannot in good conscience attend an exercise where his government forces him to endure religious dogma he finds highly disagreeable.”

Newdow last year unsuccessfully urged the Supreme Court to bar public school teachers from leading recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance with the phrase “under God.”

Greg Stohr
Bloomberg.com

Analysis:

The preceding column contains information regarding a typical attack from secularists upon the Christian faith. It has long been held by a segment of our society that “freedom of religion” should be understood as “freedom from religion.”

Continue reading “Inauguration Prayers” →

In our previous article, we noted that the existence of the universe indicates either “self-existence”, or a divine first cause. Since the universe is finite with regard to time, with energy which remains usable (The Law of Entropy), the evidence suggests that a self-existent being created it at some point in the past.

Continue reading “The Divine Watchmaker” →

To properly understand how authority is established in religion, it is necessary to understand the nature of communication. God created man with the ability to communicate his will or desire to others. He chose to reveal Himself to man by the same methods. The divine hermeneutic (way of interpreting the Bible) is in accord with the logical rules of communication using written or spoken language. Continue reading “Expressed Command” →

We accept that God exists. We can not see God, or touch him, yet we believe that He exists. This is faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Those who do not believe that God exists argue that since God can’t be seen or touched, our belief in His existence is irrational.

Continue reading “The Existence of God” →

Jesus Christ is our source for authority today. Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).

However, none living today has ever seen Jesus. Also, despite claims to the contrary, Jesus does not speak to us directly today. So, how is it we are to know the will of Jesus? He is the authority, so how are we to know what he authorizes?

The New Covenant

First, note that the New Testament is the will of Jesus. Continue reading “The New Testament: Christ’s Authority Revealed” →

BANDA ACEH, JANUARY 5: US Secretary of State Colin Powell flew over the worst scenes of devastation from Asia’s tsunami on Wednesday and said it was more horrifying than wars he had witnessed during decades as a soldier…

…”I have been in war and I have been through a number of hurricanes, tornados and other relief operations, but I have never seen anything like this,” said America’s former top soldier.

Continue reading “Tsunami Worse Than War” →

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

As Christians we accept the truthfulness of the Bible, and its claims regarding its own inspiration, the existence of God, and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. While we accept this, we must realize that others are not so inclined. Skeptics are common, and it is our responsibility (as noted in Peter’s admonition above) to seek to establish proofs to convince the unbeliever of the veracity of claims regarding God and His will for man..

Continue reading “Christian Evidences: Introduction” →