The NEW In Defense of the Faith

Friday, March 30, 2007

Testimony Tuesday

Hello Blog Readers,

Tim Challies has issued a cool proposal called "Testimony Tuesday" over at his blog.

I'm inviting any of my readers to submit their testimonies to me sometime before next Tuesday, April 3, in order to have them posted on my blog. I will also send a link of each testimony to Mr. Challies and he will collect everyone's links that are submitted to him and post a list of links on his blog.

If you have any questions, simply read his blog entry above or post a question on the comments section of this entry and I will do my best to answer. Then E-mail me your testimony if you would like it posted!

I hope you will take this opportunity to share your experience of God's grace and faithfulness to the rest of the Internet world. Enjoy the writing if you don't have one written already!

In Christ and In Defense of the Faith,

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Building Stonehenge - This is one reason I'm an Engineer

This is simply an awesome testimony to the great mind that God has given mankind to understand His creation.

If you ever thought that Aliens were involved in building Stonehenge, THINK AGAIN!

God said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech." (Gen. 11:6-7)

The modern mind, mixed with evolutionary theory, has to appeal to aliens to explain how 'stone age' men could build the great wonders of the earth. But for Christians, all we need to understand is the reality that mankind is made in God's image and capable of doing anything that is really possible in this universe!

Thus, modernity proves simultaneously that is makes people as dumb as it does smart.

Enjoy the video and damn the alien theories!!!

Monday, March 26, 2007

McGrath vs. Dawkins

This is great news! The recent and unexpected debate between Richard Dawkins and Alister McGrath is now available in MP3 for free online...

Therefore, you should all download these two MP3s and listen to them and enjoy the dismantling of Richard Dawkin's arguments by Alister McGrath.

Here they are: Part 1 and Part 2

[HT: Justin Taylor]

In Christ and In Defense of the Faith,

Saturday, March 24, 2007

J.I. Packer Lectures on God

Monergism has just posted an awesome new page of 19 lectures from J.I. Packer. Check it out and enjoy the audio!
 

Atheist Debate - McGrath vs. Atkins

Darwin and humanity: Should we rid the mind of God?

A special debate between Alister McGrath, Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University, author of "Dawkins' God" and "The Dawkins Delusion" and Peter Atkins, Professor of Chemistry at Oxford University, well-known atheist and supporter of Richard Dawkins. As seen on Channel 4's "The trouble with atheism".

This event was organised jointly by The University of Edinburgh Philosophy Society and The Christian Union. It was held in George Square Lecture Theatre which seats 500, however was overwhelmed by the number of people wanting to attend, over 300 people had to be turned away.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Jesus and the Sinner’s Prayer

Over at Christianity Today you will find a great article well worth your read.

It is entitled: Jesus and the Sinner’s Prayer - What Jesus says doesn’t match what we usually say

I, as well as most of my blog readers, grew up being taught by the local church that Christians should do evangelism a certain way (*cough* easy believism *cough*) and that it lined up with what the Bible says.

Well, simply put, it doesn't line up with what the Bible teaches and we had all better re-evaluate our thoughts about sharing the Gospel and what Jesus actually calls us to do. For those of you who know me well, you will see why I liked this article's critique of modern Christianity's teaching about how to do evangelism.

Enjoy the article!

In Christ and In defense of the Faith,

Colbert gets it right! Well sorta...

For those of you who do not know who Stephen Colbert is, you might be up for a shock. But I think he's actually showing us what the rest of the world sees when they think about the religious right and politics. Here is the video. Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

D.A. Carson MP3s

Go to this page.

Andy Naselli has compiled a great list of Dr. Carson's online sermons and lectures. Keep the blog entry in your favorites and listen to as many of them as you can!

[HT: Justin Taylor]

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Are People Born Gay?

With the many recent developments in science and research, a continued push is being made by many to find a genetic/natural cause for homosexuality. In most cases, this push is being made in order to remove the reality of any moral or subjectively chosen cause for homosexuality in human beings. In other words, the pro-homosexual crowd is eager to find a reason that will prove that their lifestyle should be acceptable to others and that religious dogma should be silenced.

The problems that arise out of this are numerous and the continued results from science are very intriguing and provocative.

So, let us revise the question... Is it possible that people are born homosexual (in terms of a disposition towards practicing the sin of homosexuality)?

First, I would like to point to an article from Albert Mohler that was recently published on his weblog. Click here to view it. This article has received a firestorm of criticism from both sides of the issue. But the people from both sides who have been critical of Dr. Mohler have overwhelmingly misread or not read his article at all. For an example of the responses, please read this news article here. Update: See Time Magazine's article on Dr. Mohler's statements.

Lastly, regarding the first article, Dr. Mohler has responded to his critiques here at this link. I encourage you to read through these links and think about what is going on in our current culture and how those of us, who are Christians, should respond.

So, getting back to the revised question... Is it possible that people are born homosexual?

I believe that all Christians should answer this question with a resounding... YES.

Now, don't jump to any stereotypical and negative conclusions, especially if you have not read the links referenced above. I do not want to repeat all the arguments that Dr. Mohler made, but I would like to comment on this issue and talk to you about how my views have developed over the years.

For some time now I have thought about and struggled with the possibility that some people are born with a disposition toward certain sins and that those dispositions might have a genetic origin. Due to recent scientific developments, it has become very probable that certain people are genetically pre-disposed toward certain sins as they grow up in their communities and cultures and as they develop their 'mature' understandings and desires.

Now wait, notice that I have not done what many people have done when accepting the possibility of genetic origins... Those people conclude, "Then it must not be sinful!"

On the other hand, it is my "crystal clear" position... that if in fact researchers do find a genetic link for why some people become homosexuals... then homosexuality will still be sinful!

As I was growing up, I came to know that I had a close relative who was a homosexual and that he was dying of aids. In the end he died from a sickness due to what the AIDS virus did to him. Now, rather than talk about the consequences of homosexual sin, I would like to discuss one way that people respond to family members or close friends who 'come out of the closet' as homosexuals...

Many people who are faced with the fact of a brother, sister, parent, or child being a homosexual begin to look for reasons to understand why it is that someone could do something so unnatural in the created order. Many of those people today (unlike the early 1990's when my relative died of AIDS) have heard about the scientific research that is being done and the connections that are being made regarding why certain people end up doing certain unnatural things to their bodies. And because of this information they end up rejecting the Bible and accepting some other form of final authority for what is good/righteous.

I point to a Disciples of Christ pastor who recently revealed (on his weblog and in his local paper) that his brother was gay and that he had come to accept his brother’s homosexuality as a good thing - given that his brother lives in a responsible lifestyle with the one he loves. In other words, promiscuity is not good, but monogamous and faithful sexual partnerships (regardless of gender) are acceptable in the eyes of God. For more information you can see his initial post here at his web site and also the post in his local town paper: Ponderings on a Faith Journey, Faith in the Public Square article

To quote his position from a portion of the E-mail he sent me in response to a couple of questions I asked him: "The seeds of welcome, as I see it, can be found in the broader theology of God's redemptive love. If, as I believe is true, this is not a choice but genetic, then I believe that in God's grace, responsible homosexual relationships are not sinful."

In a second E-mail, he responded with an article for me to read and consider. Click here for that article: Like the Wideness of the Sea? By Lewis B. Smedes

To resolve some of the questions you might have about my comments above, here are some points of clarity for your consideration...

1) I believe that God's curse (after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden) on the creation reaches down into the genetic code of every living creatures since all are subject to death and physical diseases.

2) If, and this is a big IF, God chose to curse mankind by creating in them genetic weaknesses toward certain sins, then what better way to curse mankind for their rebellion against Him? (this is a rhetorical question)

3) Since the Bible teaches that everyone inherits a sin nature from their first father, Adam, then why would that nature not infect their whole being? After all, it is the body/flesh that the New Testament speaks of as being the thing that will not be redeemed until the resurrection (Romans 8:23). It is also the teaching of the Bible that there are sins that easily beset people (Heb. 12:1), therefore we must put away those sins by the power of God's Spirit and continue to run the race set before us. The Bible also says that human beings are "slaves to sin" (Romans 6:15-18; Romans 3:9-20) before any receive salvation/freedom from sin.

4) To be specific, if homosexuality does have some genetic background to its existence, then it will be even more imperative for us to better understand it in order to help homosexuals out of their lifestyle.

5) The previous point (No. 4) is only a possibility and nothing is concrete regarding the genetic origin of homosexuality. But as Dr. Mohler said, we are simply in need of having a conversation about all this, especially since homosexuality is a rising reality in all of our communities and towns.

6) There are always major issues to be dealt with in terms of Scripture: Therefore, please note that it is still my position that homosexuality is primarily a sociological and cultural development originating from the general effects of the sin nature we are all born with. Many people become homosexuals because of certain experiences in their life which cultivated that particular sin issue. Since everyone is born with a sin nature, that nature can feed off of anything in the experience of that person and if God decides to turn them over to a certain sin, then there is nothing within that person that will make them not want to practice that particular sin. (Romans 1:18-32)

7) In the end the Bible points us to God and it also points out the things that keep us from God. Therefore, since homosexuality is a clear and abominable sin - no matter what researchers discover about human genetics, people will still be responsible for that giving in to that sin as much as any other. In fact since Adam and Eve sinned, everyone has been born into sin and death (not having chosen that reality for themselves - this is a main point in the Bible). And the only way that they can overcome sin and death is by God's Spirit working in them the new birth, in which they are set free from the bondage of sin and death.

In conclusion, it is the Bible's teaching that people are fully condemned for choosing to do the things that they do - even though they are born with a disposition toward sinning and are already condemned for Adam's sin in the Garden.

I understand that homosexuals will not like to hear this, but Christians must struggle and deal with these issues as the Bible informs them and directs them to give an answer for the hope that they have.

I would love to hear your thoughts, so please post comments or send E-mails.

In Christ and In Defense of the Faith,

Monday, March 19, 2007

I can't stop laughing!!!

Just to keep this blog up-to-date and hip! =)

How about some White and Nerdy???

Enjoy!

Saturday, March 03, 2007

May the Judgment of God...

This latest news about Germany's attack on homeschooling families shows just how evil its government is as it continues to echo Hitler's wishes.

My hope... May the judgment of God fall more severely upon that nation in the coming days for its continued idolatry and worship of the Nazi regime. And may this happen to bring about the countries repentance and reconciliation to God and His Christ.

Pray for these families, especially this family in the link above, that they will have their children returned to them and be united once again.

In Christ and In Defense of the Faith,