Moving Notice...

I've started the long process of moving to my new home...

United 3 - AC Milan 2

Room to Read

Saw this on Oprah, yesterday and I think it's worth highlghting...

"Our mission is to ensure that every child receives the lifelong gift of education. With the help of the "Oprah Winfrey Show"® we can dream big and reach our goal of establishing 20,000 bilingual libraries by the year 2020."

Donate here...

Ravi Zacharias responds to the Virginia Tech shootings

"On April 16, 2007, when Cho Seung-Hui opened fire on his victims, shooting with deadly force and at random, another dark and painful chapter was written in our shared lives as human beings, and as Americans in particular. So much is unknown and so much spadework is being done to figure it all out. There is, however, in the midst of it all one powerful clue that gives us the only hint of an answer...."

I Love This Game!

The real NBA season now begins. The Spurs have the Nuggets first up, the same team they had in the first round when they last won the championship. Wishful thinking though. I just hope the have a good showing in the post-season.

Advice to Christian Apologists

Dr. Craig shares some tips for budding Christian apologists (a category in which I have been placed)...

Reasonable Faith

Got this link from over at Bewteen Two Worlds. William Lane Craig has a new website for "...providing an articulate, intelligent voice in defense of biblical Christianity in the public square." Check it out...

Did Christianity Arise Out of the Mystery Religions?

By Dr John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon

Virginia Tech Campus Shootings

"Virginia Tech Rampage" (@ CNN)

The blame game

It’s easy to play the blame game. Some communities would lead you to believe all their problems are due to “external forces” and that they are in their current condition solely due to these outside influences. We blame the Willie Lynch letter (which is a myth), the “white” man, the government, Babylon system and on and on. It’s always somebody else’s fault. Now we are demanding our pound of flesh in the form of reparations. Will reparations mean we won’t portray ourselves like idiots in the mindless “music” videos on BET? We are so impressed with someone kneeling down next to an overpriced car, pointing at equally overpriced and oversized rims. But of course it’s probably the “white” supremacist record executives who portray us in that way. It’s always somebody else’s fault. That’s the problem.

Death of the Willie Lynch Speech

Part 1

Part 2

Why Philosophy?

J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig put their case in Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview:

“For centuries, people have recognized the importance of philosophy. In particular, throughout the history of Christianity, philosophy has played an important role in the life of the church and the spread and defense of the gospel of Christ.”

…

“Unfortunately, today things are different. Theologian R.C. Sproul has called this the most anti-intellectual period in the history of the church, and former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Christian statesman Charles Malik warns that the greatest danger facing modern evangelicalism is a lack of cultivation of the mind, especially as it relates to philosophy.”

“But is philosophy really that important for the life, health and witness of the church? Are God’s people not warned in Scripture itself to avoid philosophy and worldly wisdom?”
…

“There is a general perception among many believers that philosophy is intrinsically hostile to the Christian faith and should not be of concern to believers. There are at least four reasons frequently cited for such an attitude:

The claim is made that human depravity has made the mind so darkened that the noetic effects of sin, that is, sin’s effect on the mind, render the human intellect incapable of knowing truth. However, this claim is an exaggeration. The Fall brought about the perversion of human faculties, but it did not destroy those faculties. Human reasoning abilities are affected but not eliminated.

It is sometimes claimed that faith and reason are hostile to each other, and whatever is of reason cannot be of faith. But this represents [a] misunderstanding of the biblical concept of faith. The biblical notion of faith includes three components: notitia (understanding the content of the Christian faith), fiducia (trust) and assensus (the assent of the intellect to the truth of some proposition). Trust is based on understanding, knowledge and the intellect’s assent to truth. Belief in rests on belief that. One is called to trust in what he or she has reason to give intellectual assent (assensus) to. In Scripture, faith involves placing trust in what you have reason to believe is true. Faith is not a blind, irrational leap into the dark. So faith and reason cooperate on a biblical view of faith. They are not intrinsically hostile.

Some cite Colossians 2:8 as evidence against philosophy: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (NIV). However, on an investigation of the structure of the verse, it becomes clear that philosophy in general was not the focus. Rather, the Greek grammar indicates that “hollow and deceptive” go together with “philosophy”, that is, vain and hostile philosophy is the subject of discussion, not philosophy per se. In the context of Colossians, Paul was warning the church not to form and base its doctrinal views according to a philosophical system hostile to orthodoxy. His remarks were a simple warning not to embrace heresy. They were not meant in context to represent the apostle’s views of philosophy as a discipline of study. Those views are not relevant to the context and do not square with the grammar of the passage.”

"Rampant Reds rout Roma"

"Having first invoked history, Manchester United then made it in thrilling fashion. After the acrimony at the Stadio Olimpico, Roma were battered at Old Trafford in United's latest great European recovery." Read full story at Soccernet.com...

Scientism

I couldn’t help but agreeing with Gil Grissom from CSI when he quipped, “Most people assume that scientists are ethical. The truth is, a lot of them are no better than politicians.” Science is often portrayed as a discipline that is the most serious, most authoritative and most valuable. But is this really so? Is every other intellectual activity inferior to science and does science have no limits? Strong scientism would say yes, and it would be very wrong. In fact, it is actually self-refuting. According to J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, “Strong scientism is not itself a proposition of science, but a second-order proposition of philosophy about science which asters that only scientific propositions are true and/or rational to believe.” No amount of progress in science will have the slightest effect in making strong scientism true.

Nicholas in The Limits of Science sums it up nicely: “The theorist who maintains that science is the be-all and end-all – that what is not in science textbooks is not worth knowing – is an ideologist with a peculiar and distorted doctrine of his own. For him, science is no longer a sector of the cognitive enterprise but an all-inclusive world-view. This is the doctrine not of science but scientism. To take this stance is not to celebrate science but to distort it.”

7 Up!

Manchester United stormed into the UEFA Champions League semis by trashing Roma 7-1 at Old Trafford. uefa.com match report...

Isaac Newton [Mathematical Principles]

"He [God] is eternal and infinite; ... that is, his duration reaches from eternity to eternity; his presence from infinity to infinity ... He is not eternity and infinity, but eternal and infinite; he is not duration or space, but he endures and is present. He endures forever, and is everywhere present, and, by existing always and everywhere, he constitutes duration and space. Since every particle of space is always, and every indivisible moment of duration is everywhere, certainly the Maker and Lord of all things cannot be never and nowhere."

Fishers of men

Here is an excerpt from Charles Spurgeon's, The Soulwinner: "The fisherman is a daring man. He tempts the boisterous sea. A little brine in his face does not hurt him. He has been wet through a thousand times; it is nothing to him. He never expected to sleep in the lap of ease when he became a deep-sea fisherman. In the same way, the true minister of Christ, who fishes for souls, will never mind a little risk. He will be bound to do or say many things that are very unpopular. Some Christians may even judge his words to be too severe. He must do and say that which is for the good of souls. It is not his to entertain a question as to what others will think of his doctrine or him."

The Lamb is Christ

Another exceptional Slice from RZIM. Here is the opening paragraph:

"Ralph Wood, professor of theology and literature at Baylor University, once asked a group of seminary students to compare two individuals: an astute collegian who tells you insistently that sin and the fall of man are fallacies invented by the superstitious, and a young pagan in a remote village whom you find in the woods sacrificing a chicken on a makeshift altar. "Which man is farther from the truth?" he asked. The students hemmed and hawed but hesitantly agreed that the pagan boy, however primitively, understood something the other did not. There is a need in our lives for atonement. There is a need for blood." Read full slice...

Any Old God Won't Do

From Stand to Reason:

"Most people believe in God. But the word G-O-D won't get them very far. The real question is, "How does one know if his particular view of God is true or not?" The old adage "All roads lead to Rome" is misleading and false.

In this practical tape Greg tells why. He outlines three different questions used to test a religion for truth. He then shows why belief in Christianity as the one true religion is reasonable.

Worshipping God your own way is not as important as worshipping God His way. This teaching helps you to know the difference."

The presumption of atheism

Here is J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig's take on the presumption of atheism. This excerpt is taken directly from their outstanding book, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview:

“This is the claim that in the absence of evidence of God, we should presume that God does not exist. Atheism is a sort of default position, and the theist bears the weight of burden of proof with regard to his belief that God exists.

The assertion “God does not exist” is just as much a claim to knowledge as the assertion “God exists” and therefore the former requires justification just as the latter does. It is the agnostic who makes no knowledge claim at all with respect to God’s existence, confessing that he does not know whether God exists or does not exist, and so who requires no justification.

But its protagonists are using it in a nonstandard way, synonymous with nontheist, which would encompass agnostics and traditional atheists.

Flew confesses: “the word “atheist” has in the present context (presumption of atheism position) to be construed in an unusual way. Nowadays, it is normally taken to mean someone who explicitly denies the existence … of God … But here it has to be understood not positively but negatively, with the originally Greek prefix “a-“ being read in this same way in “atheist” as it customarily is in … words as “amoral” … In this interpretation an atheist becomes not someone who positively asserts the non-existence of God, but someone who is simply not a theist.”

Such a redefinition of the word atheist trivialized the claim of the presumption of atheism. For in this definition, atheism ceases to be a view, and even babies, who hold no views at all on the matter, count as atheists. One would still require justification in order to know either that God exists or that he does not exist. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

The debate among contemporary philosophers has moved beyond the facile presumption of atheism to the discussion of the so-called hiddenness of God – discussion of the probability or expectation that God if he existed, would leave more evidence of his existence than what we have.

Atheists argue that God, if he existed, would have prevented the world’s unbelief by making his existence starkly apparent (say, by inscribing the label “made by God” on every atom). But why would God want to do such a thing?

On the Christian view it is a matter of relative indifference to God whether people believe that he exists or not. He is interested in building a love relationship with us, not just getting us to believe that he exists. Even demons believe and tremble, for they have no saving relationship with him (James 2:19).

To believe in God, we must believe that God exists. But there is no reason at all to think that if God were to make his existence more manifest, more people would come into a saving relationship with him. Mere showmanship will not bring about a change of heart (Luke 16:30-31).

Interestingly enough, as the Bible describes the history of God’s dealing with mankind, there has been a progressive interiorization of this interaction with an increasing emphasis on the Spirit’s witness to our inner selves (Romans 8:16-17).

In the Old Testament God is described as revealing himself to his people in manifest wonders: plagues in Egypt, pillar of fire and smoke, parting of the Red Sea. But did such wonders produce lasting heart-change in the people? No. Israel fell into apostasy with tiresome repetitiveness. Therefore we have no way of knowing that in a world of free creatures in which God’s existence is as obvious as the nose on your face that more people would come to love him and know his salvation in the actual world.”

The Portrait (Da Vinci Code Snapshots)

This is definitely one my favourite songs from The Faith...

Song Explanation, Resources & Lyrics

Faith & Reason

Here are some key thoughts that jumped out at me from the essay, "The Relationship Between Faith and Reason" by Thomas A. Howe and Richard G. Howe in To Everyone an Answer:

• Too many people think of faith as: believing in something when commonsense tells you not to (accepting something against the evidence.)

• "Our contention is that religion is more than something to give us peace of mind, a purpose for life, and happiness ... We believe that true religion must be grounded in reality, that it must make true claims about reality - who we are as human beings, who God is, and how we relate to God. The religion that cannot answer these questions is false, not because it fails to give one peace of mind, but because it makes false claims about the way things are."

• The Role of Reason - While it it the Holy Spirit who enables someone to believe, he may sometimes use the presentation of evidence for the Christian faith as the means whereby someone can come to see the truth of the gospel. There is conflict between the work of the Holy Spirit and the use of evidence and reason. The evidence and reason as such were never intended to supplant the work of God's Spirit but rather are intended to be the means by which the Holy Spirit brings someone to faith in Christ.

• Biblical Mandate to give reasons: 1 Peter 3:15; Jude 3; Acts 18:24-28; Acts 9:22; Acts 15:2; Acts 17:2-4; Acts 17:17; Acts 18:4; Acts 19:8-10; Acts 28:23-24.

• What is faith? "Faith is a personal trust in someone or something. Saving faith is a personal trust in God, who is true to his Word. Sometimes people will argue that faith is contrary to reason - the notion of believing in something in spite of reason. But this is not accurate. Faith is not contrary to reason or irrational. In fact, trusting God is eminently reasonable. God has demonstrated his faithfulness and trustworthiness again and again. Even in those times when it seems that the promises of God will not be fulfilled, it would in fact be unreasonable not to believe in God. Faith is trusting God to do what he says he will do. Faith is a personal trust."

• "The intellectual aspect of faith is belief. The intellectual aspect of faith is the stable and unchanging commitment that is grounded in truth. This is perhaps what people are talking about when they say believe in spite of reason. Often, circumstancts of life may influence us to question the truth of God's Word. The intellectual aspect of faith, however, is not grounded in the appearances of the moment but in the truths about God and reality. Although I may feel strong in faith, my mind can remain committed to trusting in God because I know to be true about him. This is not mere opinion but is a firm commitment of trust in God based on who he is."

• Faith and Reason - "The best way to understand the relationship between faith and reason is to see that each has its proper role to play and that faith and reason complement each other in their respective roles."

• Reason - believing those things demonstrated by appropriate disciplines e.g. philosophy, science and mathematics.

• Faith - believing those things revaled by God through Christ and Scripture that could not be discovered by reason alone e.g. the Trinity, Human fallenness, The Gospel.

• "Reason does not cause faith, but our faith is not unreasonable."

Thy Will Be Done

Today's Slice of Infinity by Joe Boot deals with the rather unpleasant doctrine of hell. I've been thinking about this quite a bit recently and this article is very useful. Here is an excerpt:

"For obvious reasons, the biblical doctrine of hell has never been a favorite theme for Christian people, even amongst the most fervent of puritan preachers. The very thought of an endless separation from God and his presence, where communication and community are utterly negated, is an intolerable thought to the one who loves God. It is a doctrine we do not like and often do not understand, especially since scripture identifies our moral barometer as broken."

Read full Slice article here...

Faith in the Son of God

"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:1-5)".

Do Not Love the World

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:15-17)."

New Apps (worth the download)

Mozilla Firefox for Windows (Gran Paradiso) 3.0 Alpha 3 alpha

Paint.NET (Beta) 3.05 Beta beta

VMware Workstation for Windows 6.0 Build 42757 Beta beta

Britain protests Iran seizure of sailors

"Iranian naval vessels on Friday seized 15 British sailors and marines who had boarded a merchant ship in Iraqi waters of the Persian Gulf, British and U.S. officials said. Britain immediately protested the detentions, which come at a time of high tension between the West and Iran..."

The Tolerance Principle

"According to the classical sense, a person holds that his own views (religious, moral or other) are true and those of his opponent are false. But he still respects his opponent as a person and his right to make a case for his views. Thus someone has a duty to tolerate a different view (religious, moral or other), not in the sense of thinking the other views are right, but quite the opposite, in the sense that a person will continue to value and respect one’s opponent, to treat him with dignity, to recognize his right to argue for and propagate his ideas and so forth.

On the classical view, one tolerates persons, not their ideas. Consistent with this view, a person judges his opponent’s views to be wrong and dedicates himself to doing everything morally appropriate to counteract those views, such as using argument and persuasion. The modern version of tolerance claims that one should not even judge that the other person’s viewpoint is wrong."

Therefore all viewpoints are to be accepted no matter how foolish they are. Would any sensible businessman accept the modern version of tolerance and run with an idea that would ruin his operation? One would hope that he points out the folly of the idea, but does so with “gentleness and respect” to the person who puts forth the suggestion.

In the real world, we tolerate every person not every idea. In the dream world, replete with one-ended sticks; we tolerate all ideas. Which world do you want to live in?

Download Skype for free

"Skype is a little piece of software that lets you make free calls to anyone else on Skype, anywhere in the world. And even though the calls are free, they are really excellent quality. If you and your friends, family or business contacts are using webcams, you can also make free video calls. You can even call landlines and mobile phones at really cheap per minute rates."

The myth of moral neutrality

Stand to Reason's President Gregory Koukl has written a good article on the myth of moral neutrality at Townhall.com...

The Challenge of Relativism

John Piper has a very good article on relativism. You're bound to come across some form of relativism in the public square, so this article is worth the read...

Suffering for being a Christian

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good (1 Peter 4: 12-19)".

The Empirical Demonstration of Truth

Here is an excerpt from today's Slice of Infinity by Ravi Zacharias:

"After identifying his Lordship in a kingdom that was not of this world, he said, "They that are on the side of truth, listen to me" (John 18:37). Jesus was not merely establishing the existence of truth, but his pristine embodiment of it. He was identical with the truth. This meant that everything he said and did, and the life he lived in the flesh, represented that which was in keeping with ultimate reality. Therefore, to reject him is to choose to govern one's self with a lie." Read full article...

Two Kinds of Wisdom

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness" (James 3:13-18).

Good (free) CD Image Burner

ImgBurn is a free tool that enables you to burn CD/DVD images with ease. All the latest drives are supported (including booktype / bitsetting on many of the major ones). Advanced functionality can be found in the ImgBurn context menus.

Quotable Quotes

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." -- Galileo Galilei

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers." -- Socrates

"I'm not sure I want popular opinion on my side -- I've noticed those with the most opinions often have the fewest facts." -- Bethania McKenstry

"The only way of knowing a person is to love them without hope." -- Walter Benjamin

“Many people hear voices when no-one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up on rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing.” -- Meg Chittenden

“While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.” -- Henry C. Link

“He who sees the truth, let him proclaim it, without asking who is for it or who is against it.”-- Henry George

“The office of government is not to confer happiness, but to give men the opportunity to work out happiness for themselves.” -- William Ellery Channing

“The most violent element in society is ignorance.” -- Emma Goldman

Spectacular night in Manchester

"Dignitaries from the worlds of football and politics came together tonight to celebrate both Manchester United FC's 50 years in Europe and 50 years of Europe since the Treaty of Rome – but it was a fairly hefty footnote that Sir Alex Ferguson's United team defeated a Europe XI by a 4-3 scoreline."

Baha'i Faith or Universalism?

An ex-Baha'i speaks:

"Many people come to the Baha'i Faith because they are attracted to progressive, tolerant, universalist views of religion, and this is how the Baha'is present their faith in public. On the surface, the Baha'i Faith seems like an organized form of universalism because of its emphasis on the oneness of all religions, the oneness of mankind, race unity and peace among nations. It was primarily because of the appeal of a broad-minded, universalist philosophy that I decided to become a Baha'i. I wanted to believe that all people can go to heaven regardless of which specific religious faith they profess, and that all the world can be united as one global civilization despite our differences. As I got more deeply involved in the Baha'i community, my illusions about the Baha'i Faith as an open-minded and tolerant organization were shattered. What I found instead was an authoritarian, narrow-minded group hiding..."

Turtles All the Way Down

Here is an excerpt from today's Slice of Infinity:

"Everyone from philosophers to three-year-olds has encountered a similar problem when curiosity leads them to the question, "Who Made God?" For if someone made God, then that being too would have to have a cause, and from there on out it might as well be "turtles all the way down." Instead of suggesting that some other being made God, theists claim that, by definition, God is the uncaused cause, what Thomas Aquinas called the "First Cause."

Read full article...

GOM Player

GOM is a free media player with popular audio & video codecs built-in. Simple, free, light & it just plays...

Hall of Shame Awards

The Hall of Shame 2007: The World’s Ten Worst Persecutors of Christians.

You'll need Adobe Reader to view the PDF document.

Nothing is Ordinary

Today's Slice of Infinity by Cyril Georgeson is definitely worth reading and sharing.

Here is an excerpt:

"There is a certain comfort in knowing that God has chosen us. We are not in the kingdom because we are the most intelligent, but because He has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. We are not heirs because we are people of inherent honor, but because He extends to us his glory. We are not his children because we are strong, but because we are weak. Not only do these things prevent us from boasting in anything but Christ, they also offer us a confidence in living out our lives."

New Link Added

"Apollos.ws is an academic resource for Christian research and education."

The Ministry of Reconciliation

"Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:11-21).

Wise as Serpents, Gentle as Doves

"Joe Boot highlights the need for us to always be ready with a defense for our faith. The world desperately needs answers to life's questions, and since there is only one truth that provides the answers, it's our responsibility to share it with them. Join us as Joe points us to the tools to fight against the world's lies. Christ tells His followers to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves. As are many of the commands we're to follow, this one is very different from how our natural inclinations would lead us."

2007 Spring offer @ RZIM

These two look particularly interesting:

Asked & Answered



Attacks on the Bible

Who can be saved?

There are those who do not care enough about religion; even to oppose it. Then there are genuine seekers who wonder: what happens to those who refuse to believe in Jesus as the only divine Saviour or those who die before hearing the gospel.

People who hear and freely reject are already condemned: “whoever believes in him (Christ) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already…” (John 3:18).

Those who die before hearing will be judged on the basis of God’s general revelation in their conscience and nature. Scripture states, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20, emphasis mine).

If we decide to reject Christ’s sacrifice for our sin, then God has no choice but to give us what we deserve. He sends no one to hell; we shall send ourselves. “Does this offend you” (John 6:61), it really shouldn’t. God wishes that every human be saved: “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

The real tragedy lies, not with those who do not have the gospel and perish (for they have their conscience and general revelation in nature.) The real tragedy lies with those who have the gospel, their conscience and general revelation in nature; yet refuse to repent. “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23). His mercies, not patience, endures forever; so turn and live.

The "Intolerance" of Christ

One of the worst things Christians can do to the world is to minimize or marginalize the person and work of Christ. The teaching that there is salvation in Christ alone is offensive to some folks; but it is the truth. It always has been and always will be the Church’s message; if she is to remain faithful to her Lord. If we were trying to please men, we would not be servants of Christ.

Christ warned his disciples that the world would be offended at the gospel. “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own … but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:19). But this world needs Christ more than Christians need to be liked.

Let’s think carefully about this. Why would Christ, being the good teacher that he is, instruct his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations … teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”; if all paths to God were right? Why would he want “disciples of all nations”, “obeying everything” he commanded if there was another way?

By the world’s definition of intolerance (merely saying that someone is wrong); Christ was intolerant. He told the Samaritan woman that she was wrong – “You Samaritans worship what you do not know … for salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). If Jesus is right, then salvation is, one, necessary and, two, available only from “the Jews.” But then that would imply that those who say salvation is unnecessary are wrong along with those who deem it necessary, but available outside of “the Jews.”

There remain two big problems in our world today. The idea that there is no such thing as “wrong” or “evil” and that there is “no room in the inn” for Christ. Apparently, some people are so full of themselves, that there is no room for Christ.

Which script? Whose story?

I'll definetely be getting a copy (or copies) of this from RZIM. Read the product description below...

"The inaugural RZIM Summer Institute 2006 was designed to motivate and equip you to discern, interpret, and critique ideas and moods that you are confronted with in the contemporary marketplace of worldviews by embodying an apologetic lifestyle. Last June, 100 people spent a week together on the campus of Wheaton College learning to actively engage the beliefs and related emotion of culture through a relevant understanding of the gospel. To be people of not only intellect but imagination, not only words, but deeds. This CD features 6 messages taken from the week."

The Establishment of a Worldview – Ravi Zacharias

Relativism – Stuart McAllister

Islam – LT Jeyachandran

Science and Morality – John Lennox

New Age Spirituality – Alison Thomas

Jesus Among Other Gods – Stuart McAllister

The Lost Tomb of Jesus

"We saw the documentary thanks to an advanced copy from the Discovery Channel. We've seen all their evidence..." "Here are some of our thoughts..."

Source: Stand to Reason

The Bones of Jesus Controversy

Did They Really Find Jesus’ Bones?

The Dawkins Confusion

Alvin Plantinga responds to Richard Dawkins', The God Delusion...

Greg Koukl/Deepak Chopra debate

Greg Koukl exposes the flaws in Deepak Chopra's worldview.

The Dawkins Delusion?

From bethinkers February 2007 e-mail:

In The Dawkins Delusion?, Alister McGrath and his wife, Joanna Collicutt McGrath, have responded directly to Richard Dawkins claims. The Dawkins Delusion? picks up various themes from Dawkins’ book and exposes them to a ruthless and clear analysis. If you’ve read The God Delusion but weren’t always quite able to pinpoint the flaws in his arguments, then get The Dawkins Delusion? and it will show you the errors and hidden assumptions that Dawkins makes."

The Dawkins Delusion? isn’t necessarily the last word on Dawkins, but it will give most people enough material to respond to those who wave a copy of Dawkins and blithely announce “This is why I’m not religious!” If you need any further encouragement to buy the book, consider the recommendation of the atheist Michael Ruse, Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University. He is quoted on the front cover: “The God Delusion makes me embarrassed to be an atheist, and the McGraths show why.”

No condemnation?

Christ is often portrayed by humanists as this loving and forgiving person who never condemns: sin away my lad, everything will be fine in the end; in fact it is even doubtful if sin is a real concept to them. It was Joseph Kruth who said, “Logic is the art of going wrong with confidence.” Many humanists seem to embody that statement so well.

It is true that Christ accepts people as they are; but what our humanist friends forget, is that he does not leave people as they are. He did not condemn the woman caught in adultery, but he did not condone here behaviour either. “Go now and leave your life of sin” was his dictum.

Christ also pointed out that not to believe in him was a sin. If we are serious about the respect we ascribe to him, this point is especially worth thinking about. He told his disciples that the Holy Spirit “will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin because men do not believe in me.”

“As true as John 3:16” is an oft quoted phrase, but what Jesus says afterwards is even more important. He added, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” Can we want it any clearer?

God is love. He is forgiving. But one of the characteristics of love is that it “rejoices in the truth”. The truth is, Christ said we would obey him if we loved him. We can obey him by doing the work of God, which is this: “To believe in the one he has sent.” Nothing more, nothing less.

The Problem with Pluralism by Greg Koukl

"I would like you to consider for a moment how something can be good and evil at the same time. Then I want to explain why this insight is so important for you as an ambassador of Christ." Read full article...

Politicians & Lying

If there is one true thing which could be said of everyone, it is that we have lied at some point in time. “Humankind cannot bear much reality,” wrote T. S. Eliot, and no group of people seem to take that statement to heart more than politicians.

Politicians lie to us; and often. They woo voters with promises they know they cannot deliver on to get elected. This is even truer during wartime. If there is one thing we have learnt from war, it is that the truth is very often the first casualty.

In the January/February 2007 issue of The Atlantic, Carl Cannon writes: At a conference in Tehran in which the Allies discussed opening fronts against Nazi Germany. Churchill stressed the need to keep the Allie’s plans secrets. To Joseph Stalin he said, “In wartime, the truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.”

President George W. Bush has been accused of misleading the American public and the wider global community about the reasons for invading Iraq. If the present Bush administration has lied to us, then they are about par for the course. Many, if not all, American presidents have lied to their country (or the global community) at some point in time. I doubt we need to be reminded of: Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Land-Lease issue, Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, Watergate, the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon who lied to saved his presidency or Regan who in November 1986, “misled” the public about trading weapons to Iran in return for hostages.

The general consensus (especially during campaign or war time) is that politicians are “unusually good liars”. It is a sad state of human affairs when the perception we have about our leaders is that they are not being completely honest with us. Especially when it comes to issues that directly affect the lives of our families and loved ones, like, the state of the economy, education, health care, housing and the reasons for the high cost of living.

In, The Politics of Lying, David Wise describes it this way, “In place of trust, there was widespread mistrust; in place of confidence, there was disbelief and doubt in the system and its leaders.”

Maybe the electorate needs to examine itself. At the end of the day, they lie to us because if they didn’t we probably wouldn’t vote for them. Maybe the problem lies with the electorate and not the politicians. Maybe T. S. Eliot was right.

Reasonable Faith

A tour of lectures and debates with William Lane Craig.

"Bill Craig is an instinctive communicator as well as a fine thinker. He is in great demand across Europe and the USA, yet remarkably is largely unknown in the UK. His lectures and debates are world class and appeal to sceptics and believers alike."

Source: bethinking.org

Finally...

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally got my Oracle University RAC course organized. I'm taking the Oracle Database 10g: RAC for Administrators Release 2 course in New York and will be staying at the Grand Hyatt. Only drawback is that I'll be in the air when SuperBowl XLI is being played. I hope the Colts win this one.

This is a nice shirt ;)

SQL Query tee @ ThinkGeek.com

The "Wow" starts now...

Today, Microsoft released the newest version of their operating system, Windows Vista. ActiveWin.com has already posted a review of Windows Vista Ultimate, one of the many (and I mean, many) flavours Vista comes in.

The Children of the Devil

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

Windows Live Messenger 8.1. Final Released!

Get it free!

For Lack of Knowledge

Today's Slice of Infinity by Betsy Childs is a great read...

Manning and the SuperBowl

"There they were, standing together in the hall, just begging for a joke to be cracked. Peyton Manning and Dan Marino at one end, a crowd of people at the other, everyone killing time late last week in the Colts' facility." Read full story...

Christianity and Humanism

"It is important to understand that a Christian cannot be a humanist. There are those who claim to be “Christian humanists” or “religious humanists.” But humanism and Christianity are not compatible. Paul Kurtz, former editor of The Humanist, addressed the subject of “Christian humanism” and observed: “Humanism cannot in any fair sense of the word apply to one who still believes in God as the source and Creator of the universe. Christian Humanism would be possible only for those who are willing to admit that they are atheistic Humanists. It surely does not apply to God-intoxicated believers” (1973, p. 177). Humanist writer Corliss Lamont has gone so far as to state: “Passing to the New Testament, we see plainly that its theology, taken literally, is totally alien to the Humanist viewpoint” (1977, p. 50)." Read full article by Bert Thompson

STR: Resources on religious pluralism

Religious Stew

The Problem with Pluralism

Manning finally playing in the SuperBowl

w.bloggar

Main Features

• Post and Publish on most blogs/cms
• Edit Posts and Templates
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• Import Text files
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Download here...

I use a lot of Alcohol...120% to be exact!

"Alcohol 120%, is a powerful Windows application that makes it easy to create backups of DVDs* and CDs. In addition, the program lets you store your most used CDs as images on your computer, so you can call them up at the click of a button."

I use this program quite often and it's very good. Small, easy to use and it just works. Can't say any of that about Nero 7.

Jeff Han Presentation on Multi-Touch Sensing

This is incredible:

Barack Obama joins White House race

"Barack Obama, America's fastest rising political star, on Tuesday beat Hillary Clinton to the punch when he announced he was taking the first legal step towards declaring his 2008 presidential candidacy."

NFL Final Four

I hope this is the year Peyton and the Colts get it done!

Expanding Horizons

Stand to Reason equips Christian ambassadors with knowledge, wisdom, and character. An effective ambassador has three essential skills:

• Knowledge - an accurate grasp of the foundational precepts of the Kingdom
• Wisdom - skillful, tactical, fair, and diplomatic use of knowledge
• Character - a mature expression of virtue, warmth, and personal depth

Read more about Stand to Reason and their mission...

Christian particularism in a pluralistic society

The essence of political correctness is this: power reigns over truth. Where there is no commitment to truth, power gains the upper hand. No wonder so many people today believe the politically correct view that at all religions worship the same “god” in different ways. Nobody is really wrong (or right) – all roads lead to Rome.

Diametrically opposed to this is the idea of Christian particularism – “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The New Testament is crystal clear on this issue. Christ’s atoning death alone provides salvation – Jesus is the only way.

This particularistic doctrine was just as repugnant and scandalous in the polytheistic world of the Roman Empire; as in contemporary Western culture. Materialism and consumerism pervades our culture and shapes how many think about everything, including worldviews. Consumers want choice. Christianity’s claim to be the only way to God and salvation seems narrow and cruel. Christians are therefore branded as narrow-minded and intolerant.

To be honest, much of what is said against Christianity in this regard is unimpressive and amounts to little more than ad hominem attacks on Christians. The fact that someone believes they have the truth does not automatically mean they are arrogant or intolerant. Everyone holds the view they do because they think they are right (at least we hope so). Conviction does not equate to intolerance. Furthermore, the truth of a proposition is quite independent of the moral qualities of those who believe it. Even if all Christians were arrogant and intolerant, this is no way proves their view is false.

Now, Christ was a particularist if ever there was one. “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews”, could hardly be considered as open-minded statement by popular culture. John Piper wrote, “If a worshiper of God does not see in Jesus Christ the person of his God, he does not worship God.” Why? Because Jesus makes known to man the image of the invisible God – “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” Paul puts it this way, “For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness, "made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). Again, in Hebrews 1:3 we read, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…”

No religion leads to God. Only following Christ, totally dependent on God’s grace and Spirit, leads to God. That is not religion. That is relationship. The Christian teaching that Jesus is the only way to God is no less tolerant that any other view. Every belief system has certain non-negotiables, or else they will inevitably end up dying what philosophers informally call “the death of a thousand qualifications.”

By definition, truth is narrow and exclusive. 2 + 2 = 4, not 4 or 5 or 6. It is the same with Christ – “No one comes to the Father, but through me.” He meant what he said.

The problem of evil revisited

“Epicurus’ old questions are yet unanswered. Is he willing to prevent evil, but not able? then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? whence then is evil?” This was how David Hume framed the problem of evil in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion.

But if we only tackle this problem at an intellectual level it would be of little help to most people. For most, this issue is emotional, not intellectual. People are hurting deeply and don’t care one bit about philosophical solutions. God is in the dock, charged with allowing gratuitous evil and suffering in the world (especially in people’s lives).

Reflection on the cross of Christ can bring this problem into perspective. Christ endured physical and emotional pain beyond human comprehension. None of us can even begin to imagine what he went through in bearing the punishment of sin for the entire world.

Only when we fully comprehend what Christ went through on our behalf will we realize that it is not God, but man who is in the dock. The real problem of evil is the problem of our evil. So the question is not how God can justify himself before us; but rather, how can we justify ourselves before God? The answer is the cross of Jesus Christ.

The cross is mankind’s only hope. It is where Christ redeemed us from the evil in our hearts. All we are left to do is to accept his invitation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me … and you will find rest for your souls.” In the midst of life’s pain and suffering, there is one who is both willing and able to help. May we accept his invitation; this very day, this very hour.

Beckham to quit Real and head for L.A.

Becks now has $250 million more reasons to smile.

Recommended Reading from RZIM

"Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man." – Sir Francis Bacon

Recommended reading list from RZIM

Blogger offering custom domain hosting

Blogger is now offering the option of using your own domain name. I might now rethink my move to TypePad. Hmm...

e-Sword Updated

E-Sword has been udated to version 7.8.5. Read more here...