This ministry needs your financial support! Donate now!
Posted by Anthony on March 24, 2010
“the “right” within the church attempt to leverage the gov. to legislate morality. The “left” within the church attempt to leverage the gov. to legislate compassion. Both approaches fail miserably and are an abdication of our responsibility to be the voice, hands and feet of Jesus in this world.” – spoken by a friend.
Someone slid this article across my desk that inquires as to why evangelical Christians are against universal health care. Now, strictly speaking, I’m not an evangelical. Also, I don’t think that all Christians oppose universal health care, and I will not presume that Christians who do will share all my reasons. I hope this caveat spares me the litany of comments accusing me of ‘generalizing.’
I will take the article as my foil as it is one of the finest expressions of liberal hubris and arrogance that I’ve seen in a while. The author begins by indicating he seriously wanted to know why Christians who are supposed to be all about love would oppose health care. The end includes a long screed:
(p.s. this opinion is reserved for those Christians who have not actually thought about the consequences, and decided that more people are harmed than helped by the new law. They are being consistent with their beliefs. That being said, if you think you are in that camp of people excluded, you probably aren’t. You probably are just being geedy [sic], selfish and jerkish, but convincing yourself that this is why you oppose it, while the truth remains you just dont want taxed, or adhere to some abstract notion of how this bill is UnGodly).
Read the rest of the entry… »
Posted by Anthony on November 20, 2009
I came across this recently and it took me a bit to track down the original document. It seems that it may only be available in pdf? Here is the PDF I found of the original. So that it might get wider exposure, I asked a trusted ACM volunteer to transcribe it for me. I think the insight into the mind of certain folks gained from reading it is valuable. It’s also more evidence that this way of thinking didn’t die with the Nazis.
(Ron Weddington was co-counsel for the pro-abortion camp in the Roe vs. Wade camp)
****************************
Dear President-To-Be Clinton,
Some years ago another Southern Governor, when asked about the possibilities for prison reform, supposedly said something to the effect of, “Well, I don’t think we’re going to get very far until we get a better class of prisoner.”
Well, I don’t think you are going to get very far in reforming the country until we have a better educated, healthier, wealthier population.
Face it; you know that anything that even resembles the programs of Democratic Presidents in the past is going to make you a one term President. Reagan spent all our money on bombs and even if there were money for programs such as pre-natal health care, job training and day care centers, it would be years before we would see and dramatic results. And, as anyone who follows education can see, more money doesn’t necessarily translate into better educated kids. Read the rest of the entry… »
Posted by Anthony on April 7, 2009
I just saw two posts on Worldnetdaily.com blaming the Christian church itself for the interesting predicament it finds itself in today in America. I submit them for your reading pleasure and have just a few comments of my own below.
Article one- The Church’s desertion in a time of war.
Article two- Christians, We are to blame.
I certainly agree with much of their analysis, having said similar things for awhile now. For example, I think it is clear that our attempt to reverse Roe vs. Wade relied far too much on the political process. That does not mean, as one of the authors above pointed out, that we shouldn’t be involved in politics at all. Pundits and analysts (and Republican party members themselves) fail to comprehend why Christians gravitated to the Republicans in the first place. We put them into office- they failed to deliver. Today it is practically impossible to distinguish between the parties in many respects and I am not alone in being disgusted, not impressed, by the tough sounding words out of the Republicans who are still in office. Read the rest of the entry… »
Posted by Anthony on September 8, 2008
This morning I woke up to a fascinating news report describing out the ADF is seeking churches to make political statements so that the IRS can penalize the churches, giving the ADF a vehicle to challenge the tax exemption requirement that such entities refrain from making political statements.
This is the sort of ‘fighting fire with fire’ approach that we need today. The ACLU and the FFRF have been going bonkers trying to create court cases that further their cause. It is high time Christians and religious people did the same.
One of the reasons why I have not made my own ministry tax exempt is precisely for the reasons described in this article. I did not want to be muzzled on political affairs. Moreover, one of the underlying themes of my apologetics ministry is that beliefs and actions are intertwined. One’s politics are not in a separate box that never touch the ‘religion’ box. A person who says he has no such box certainly does. He might just call it something a little different, like an ‘inferred metaphysical statement.’ So, we all have this box, whatever we call it.
Despite the close connection between beliefs and actions in reality, we like to pretend that connection isn’t so clear. It must be confessed, too, that in today’s day and age it is much easier to believe one thing and act another way. With the all out assault on the idea that there is an objective truth and reality out there, many people have their beliefs but are timid about expressing them in action. But this isn’t really a case where beliefs don’t lead to actions, it is really the exact opposite. The timidity itself arise from a belief, expressed in a question like this: “Who am I to say what is true?” Read the rest of the entry… »
Posted by Anthony on June 25, 2008
You may discuss this post at the corresponding discussion forum thread.
In the midst of my various activities lately (finishing my own book, finishing books for review, etc) I have been contemplating and discussing what the proper attitude and conduct should be among Christians towards things like oppressed workers in China and things of that sort. In the current climate that pits left versus right, even among Christians, I believe that I have a unique view that deserves a hearing.
Here it is in a nutshell: The Bible calls Christians to reach out first to their own family, than the family of believers, and then the outside world. It is my view that most of the emphasis on social affairs, from both the left and the right (speaking here only of the Christians on that spectrum), is on the outside world. Like for example, oppressed workers in China. Like for example, the Alaskan tundra. And yes, even issues like gay marriage and abortion on demand.
But the New Testament is clear about the scope of our efforts and I’m afraid we’ve failed dismally about what we’ve already been told. In short, even if the Christian ought to be concerned about some of these other larger issues, until they’ve done the duties that have been clearly set before them, it is dubious how much effort they should place on doing the things that are extended from principles derived from what is clearly set before them. If you should like a direct example of what I mean, it is nonsense for the Christian community to be heavily involved in pro-family iniatives while the Christian community itself endures a divorce rate as high as the non-Christian community.
It might be argued that something like Jesus’ words in Matthew 23 applies: “But you have neglected the more important matters of the law- justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”
I am calling attention to the former things that have been neglected, notwithstanding the fact that in some of these issues what we attempt to strain out may not be a gnat anymore, but a ‘camel’ in its own right. Read the rest of the entry… »
