Scots Wahey!!

Book Review - Christ Formked in You (Part V)

2010-09-30T22:43:00.000-04:00

While the previous section outlines some helpful practical thoughts on change, the final three chapters outline in more detail some helpful, and often overlooked, factors in our transformation into the image of Christ.

The first chapter, on disciplines, is perhaps the most obvious factor (and certainly most written about recently) - spiritual disciplines. A single chapter will obviously not cover these in detail (found more fully in works by the likes of Don Whitney and others), but Hedges discusses how these are involved in our change. We cannot expect to successfully be holy without discipline, but they are spiritual disciplines because we cannot succeed by effort alone, and only with the Spirit's help. The amazing reality of change is that Christ was holy with no other means than those available to us, such as prayer, biblical meditation, and other disciplines (outlined in a very helpful table as inward, outward and corporate [more on corporate later] - Hedges uses few diagrams and tables, but they are always very useful. Ultimately, the spiritual disciplines are methods in which to keep our hearts full of the gospel and Christ.

The last two chapters discuss elements not often covered in detail when discussing the process of change in the Christian life. Suffering is first...life is full of it, and we have little choice over how much and what kinds we suffer. But how we react has an enormous role on how we change. We must remember that suffering is always for the good of the believer, from the providential hand of God, a loving Father. It is used to teach us many thing - discipline, compassion, drawing us away from idols and this world. Finally, community is vital in our process to change. I personally found this a very helpful reminder, and it is often forgotten in books such as this. We were made to be relational, with God and with others, and those relationships are essential to our growth - not easy, but essential! Hedges outlines obstacles to community (individualism, busyness and other factors), and discusses the nature of the church (form Acts 2:42-3, covering the essential elements), but ultimately the point is that transformation is a community project. We cannot make it on our own. In community we get together and show love, speak truth, confront sin and stir up one another. I especially liked the thought that the people in our lives will last forever...transformation is not all about how I can grow...its about how we can grow.

I have enjoyed the book tremendously. I will read it again, soon, and try to make the concepts more real and well practiced in my life. I may even use it as the basis for a series of Sunday School lessons. It has been manna for my soul, and I heartily add my voice to the recommendations of others far better and wiser than I.

Note: I am reviewing this from a PDF version provided by the author, Brian Hedges

Book Review - Christ Formed in You (Part III)

2010-09-30T19:36:00.006-04:00

The last three chapters in the first section cover the reality of the gospel in further detail. The first chapter discussed Justification, something of a battleground in evangelical circles today. This is a really helpful chapter, emphasizing the vital fact that transformation comes from grace (based in the finished work of Christ), not to gain grace. The bad news is we are guilty, and we cannot work it off, but the glorious news of the gospel is that while we cannot achieve righteousness in ourselves, we are declared it based on the death and life of Christ. This righteousness is achieved by faith, not striving, and Christ is the basis of our acceptance before God, not our own goodness. We love Christ not for fear of repercussions, but from grateful hearts of those forgiven and cleansed, walking with God as sons, not slaves.

The heart is the center of who we are, and the next chapter covers the reality that at salvation we are made new creatures, and given a new heart. We are transformed not by changes in our behavior, but from within, by changes in our desires. We can now seek God where before we could never have done so. Hedges provides a helpful listing of the characteristics of this new heart (with accompanying verses for each one): godly fear, hope, desire, joy, hatred of evil, brokenness for sin, gratitude, compassion, zeal and love. We have been saved, given a heart transplant, born again...we can be transformed, for 'the cure has begun'.

After showing us the reality of our change in position, and our transformation within, Hedges discusses sanctification. The reality is we are positionally sanctified already, but the rest of the book will be about how we practically progress in our walk to live up to this reality! The foundation for our sanctification is the gospel, and the reality is that sin no longer has the power on the believer it had before salvation, as Romans 6 clearly describes. The gospel story is that sin did its worst to Christ on Calvary, but he rose again victorious, and we share in that victory! If we are in Christ, we have died to sin, and risen to new life with Him. The reality is that sanctification, like justification, comes through faith alone in Christ. Transformation then comes as we think on these truths and the Spirit applies then to our hearts. Sanctification does not bring us into union with Christ, but union with Christ enables our sanctification. So how do we make this a reality in our lives? Hedges spells it out. Count on the truth of Scripture as it speaks on these things, and on the basis of this, do not allow sin to have dominion over you (for it really does not). We must instead yield to Christ, for He alone is the source of our change and transformation.

The reality is that we have extraordinary, supernatural resources in Christ. The rest of the book will discuss in more details how we apply these truths to our lives in practically undertaking the metamorphosis God designed for us to know.

Note: I am reviewing this from a PDF version provided by the author, Brian Hedges

Book Review - Christ Formed in You (Part IV)

2010-09-30T19:36:00.005-04:00

The next section of the book covers 4 chapters, outlining the pattern of personal change.

Holiness is often seen as a dull concept, but Hedges helpfully outlines that the real thing is made to be irresistible. There is a tension here of course, God is other, morally perfect, causing a reaction that Sproul calls the 'trauma of holiness'...yet this same holiness, seen most clearly in the person of Christ, is what we were made for. Genuine holiness both alarms and delights us (a pleasing pain). And it is the gospel that enables this holiness - something that is not mere morality, but transformation.

This holiness is both a putting off and putting on, a mortification and a vivifivation (the second and third chapters in this section). We first kill sin in our lives. After outlining some wrong views on this, Hedges outlines 10 ways in which we can kill sin, such as yielding to God, making no provision for the flesh, replacing sin with grace, the spirit, etc - outlining not merely principles, but scattering in several helpful examples to illustrate (something done frequently and helpfully through the entire book). While get rid of sin, we also strive to replace with godly character (branches are pruned not just to be pruned, but to bear fruit). Holiness is a lifelong walk ever more closely towards the image of Christ. Motivated by the mercies of Christ, we give all in return (Rom 12). This is first an inner change that reveals itself in outward change, being transformed by the renewing of our minds and with the empowerment of the spirit. Hedges finally outlines some realities about this transformation, such as the fact it is relational (vertically and horizontally), it will involve conflict, and it is symmetrical (I found this very helpful...we are only as spiritual as our weakest trait.

Finally, holiness is motivated by joy. The reality is, as God made us, we cannot know full joy without knowing the full reality of holiness. Looking to writers such as Brooks and Piper, Hedges points out that one of our greatest hindrances in holiness is a lack of desire, longing for the pleasures God alone can give...this is key in transformation (in the wonderful title of Chalmer's essay, through "The Expulsive Power of a New Affection"). The section closes with some very practical examples of how God's promises can help fight very specific issues (greed, lust, etc).

Note: I am reviewing this from a PDF version provided by the author, Brian Hedges

Book Review - Christ Formed in You (Part II)

2010-09-29T10:12:00.000-04:00

In the introduction, Hedges lays out his purpose. The Christian life is about conformity to Christ, and he will strive to map out the trail to get there. There are many wrong expressions and emphases of the gospel message that pervade modern Christianity, such as intellectualism, experiential pietism, 'lot go and let god 'thinking, etc, and hedges wants to guide us safely as the twin precipices of legalism and cheap grace - to show us how the transformation that God wants for all believers happens. Noting that there are a lot of excellent books that emphasize certain aspects of the path towards Christlikeness (Holiness, community and suffering, Gospel content, gospel application, motivating power, etc), Hedges looks to try and bring these all together in a single accessible volume. Following Owen, Hedges points out that holiness and christlikeness is not something we get after the gospel, but simply the implanting, writing and living out the gospel in our souls", the the rest of the book will work through this.

The first two chapters aim at laying out where we are going and what the gospel is as foundations for the rest of the book. In Chapter 1, Hedges lays out the grand themes of the Scripture, Creation, Fall and Redemption, showing how man was made with the purpose of glorifying God by reflecting Him, but how that purpose was shattered at the Fall with the entrance of sin. Redemption is thus not simply about salvation from punishment, but also to restore the shattered image, that we might again display God's glory in growing ever nearer to the image of Christ (as a side note, I love the reference to Lewis, Tolkien, and others throughout, Hedges finishing this chapter with an illustration from Narnia...enjoyed this through the whole book).

In Chapter 2 Hedges delves deeper into the nature of the Gospel. Starting with aspects of the Cross (substitution, restoration, rescue, triumph, etc), the book shows that the Gospel does not stop there. Christ rose from the dead the the first fruits of a glorious new harvest, was exalted and sent the Spirit as the "agent who personally effects our transformation." Christ died, rose and was exalted not simply for Himself, but that we could share in His victory and His image. Our response should be to turn (repent) and trust (have faith), seeking to enter into a life of ever closer communion with and conformity to Christ.

Note: I am reviewing this from a PDF version provided by the author, Brian Hedges

Book Review - Christ Formed in You (Part I)

2010-09-23T19:08:00.005-04:00

A number of things draw me towards a newly published book. First, there are some publishers that I have come to trust, so when they release a new title, I am naturally drawn to find out more about it (the current book is by Shepherd’s Press, one of these publishers). Then there is the topic: Christ Formed in You – The Power of the Gospel for Personal Change. That’s a great topic…there is lot out there on spiritual formation that is, at best, less than helpful. Good topics on this central theme – the power of the gospel to transform us into the image of Christ – are a treasure. There is also the author. In this case I had heard nothing about Brian Hedges, but he has a blog (Light and Heat: Meditations on Pursuing God with Both Mind and Heart), where I found many helpful posts, and saw from his blogroll that we would probably share a lot of the same theological leanings. Finally, I look for endorsements, and Paul Tripp (“This is a Gospel primer I will recommend again and again”) and Kris Lundgaard (whose own The Enemy Within I found particularly helpful) confirmed that I would want to read this title.

When I first pick up a book I look for another couple of things. I read the forward (here from Don Whitney, who lays out the importance of the theme, for the knowledge of true saving faith, the effectiveness of our evangelism, and most importantly, the closeness of our walk with Christ – “those who know the gospel best are most likely to become closest to Christ and most like Christ.”) I then scan the table of contents, and I love the flow – The Foundation of Personal Change (the Goal, the Gospel, Justification, the Hearth, Sanctification), The Pattern of Personal Change (Holiness, Mortification, Vivification – who wouldn’t want to read a book that uses words like vivification!, Motivation), and The means of Personal Change (Disciplines, Suffering, Community). Finally, I glance over the whole book (more in the next few posts), and scan the endnotes (wish they were footnotes, but can’t have everything). In the endnotes I found a lot of authors I have personally profited from, particularly writers like Sinclair Ferguson, Lloyd Jones, Sproul, Carson, MacArthur, Powlison, Ryle, Owen, Packer, Stott and several other, confirming that this was a book to look forward to.

Enough for just now. I’m really looking forward to reading the book, and will write more over the next week…hoping it lives up to expectations!

Note: I am reviewing this from a PDF version provided by the author, Brian Hedges

Back

2010-09-23T19:06:00.001-04:00

It's been a while! Hopefully I'll post a little more often, though no promises. I am about to start into a book I've been looking forward to a great deal though, so we'll be starting with that...perhaps if time allows I'll get round to updating the Christian Scholar's page as well...

Christ Precious - Book Review (Part III)

2005-12-13T22:11:00.000-05:00

The final part of our review, reviewing the final major section of the book: The HI What Respects is Christ Precious to Them That Believe. It's almost needless for me to say that this was as good as the rest, again a mixture of inspiration, challenge and encouragement. In this section, Fawcett discusses over fifteen reasons that the believer finds Christ precious. Indeed, beginning the section, he writes: “He is not only precious to you, but preciousness itself. He is your jewel, tour treasure; and should you be robbed of all besides, you are superlatively and everlastingly rich.” (p 97) Christ is precious above all things, and so Fawcett continues his theme...

First, the history of Christ is precious. A friend of mine heard one of the pastors of one of the megachurches that have decided to close over Christmas speaking about it on the news. The substance of his answer was that it was a message people had heard over and over, and it would be best for people to spend Christmas Day with their families. That amazes me. For Fawcett, the Christmas story, the record of Christ’s ministry, His death and resurrection – they are precious, and bear repeating again and again. To those who believe, there is a wonder in the pages of the four Gospels, reading some of the wonderful reality of the Saviour. The ten pages in which Fawcett outlines the life of Christ are some of the more moving I’ve read, perhaps helped by the slightly more reverent language of a century or two ago…each line forces thought upon his beauty.

The person of Christ is precious. The Gospels are precious because they tell us of the Man, Christ Jesus, a Person infinitely above all others. The knowledge of this Man, writes Fawcett, is “more valuable than any other kind of knowledge whatever.” (104) After several pages detailing the wonders of the Person of Christ, Fawcett comes to a place all who love Christ known well – “I freely own, that I am lost when I meditate on the glory of Immanuel,” humbled and awed by His “incomparable and transcendent excellency.” (p 110)

The names of Christ are precious. Again, apt for the season, Fawcett begins with the passage that first popped into my mind when I saw this section heading: Isaiah 6:9 – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders; and His name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” What’s in a name indeed!, and Christ’s name, to those that believe, is truly as ointment poured forth. Just as to hear the name Jesus used as a curse makes me feel sickened, to hear His name used reverently, worshipfully, lovingly, fills us with warmth and joy above almost everything else. As well as the name Jesus, Fawcett writes on other names of Christ: Messiah, Prince of Peace, Lord of Glory, Strength, the Consolation of Israel, and yet so many more names there are, each one beautiful, and each one precious as they speak of the character and person of the Christ we adore.

The offices and characters of Christ are precious (while I am outling very briefly, again I would emphasize just how encouraging and beneficial reading this book has been…to read Fawcett’s discussion of the person, the work and the beauties of the Saviour is inspiring and challenging – the best of both worlds. Even if this review does nothing for you, his pen is far sweeter than mine, and his thoughts of Christ far more exalted – get the book if you can). Fawcett writes of the Christ Who is a Priest after the order of Melchizedek – Who Himself bought our redemption; the King of Zion, who reigns in majesty, with all power in heaven and earth; the Prophet of the church, Who teaches, guides, illuminates, and proclaims the glory of God. But there is far more to Jesus than the fulfillment of the Old Testament offices. He is the Shepherd of His flock, from Whose hand none shall be plucked; the Redeemer of our souls, having paid a perfect sacrifice; the Everlasting Father (that’s always confused me to – read what Fawcett has to say!); The bridegroom, beloved of His bride;, Who loves her unto death.

The blood and the righteousness of Christ are precious – and oh how much so!! Without that perfect life lived to fulfill the law, without that blood shed on Calvary, without that agonizing death, and without that perfect righteousness to clothe us, we are without hope, destined to a life, bath here and thereafter, apart from God.

His love is precious – the love that caused Him to spill His blood for you and me. This, writes Fawcett, “is the most powerful inducement that can be proposed to us, to excite our ardent affections towards the gracious Redeemer” (p. 148) – or as John put it, we love Him because He first loved us. With Fawcett, the one who loves Christ can pray “To thy love I ascribe my full salvation; and through all the ages of blissful eternity, I humbly hope and trust, I shall proclaim the wonders of redeeming love, and tell to listening angels what this love has done for my soul.” (p.152)

His throne is precious. It is before this throne of grace that we bring our prayers, not only of love and adoration, but of petition and pleading prayer that is “not only a duty but an inestimable privilege.” (p.153) (I wish I would remember that more often – as Fawcett rightly continues, not holding anything back, “the condescension of God is wonderful in lending His gracious ear to sinful worms.”)

The doctrine of Christ is precious. In saying this, Fawcett sums up so much of what He has already written, but at this point, we can stop and think, by the measure of what we have read, just how precious is Christ to us? But there is more to come…

The promises of Christ are precious. The one Who loves Christ delights in the promise of the Spirit to empower us for the lives we should lead, and in the promise of His return (crying “even so, come Lord Jesus”)

The commands of Christ are precious. This would sound strange to one who does not know and love Christ – commands precious? And yet it’s true – as Fawcett comments: “the laws of His mouth are better than thousands of gold and silver. To be under divine restraints is sweeter than liberty.” (p. 160)The lover of Christ realizes that it is slavery to sin or to Christ, and the only true freedom is yielding to Him.

Following this, His ways are precious. Pursuing Christ, and walking with Him, is the path to true joy. Fawcett quaintly writes that this supreme love that attaches itself to Christ “governs all the active train of human passions, and leads them, in sweet captivity, to cheerful obedience. And as the inward affections will thus be engaged towards the Redeemer, the outward powers will be employed in corresponding exercises.” (p.162) To those Who love Christ, it is the way without Him that is hard.

His people are precious. I recall when I write my dissertation on Moody and Sankey’s Scottish revival in the 1870s that there was a lot of opposition and in one of the local newspapers at the time (the Glasgow Herald), the comment was made by one cynic: “look at these Christian’s; see how they love one another.” Ouch! By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, Christ said, and how often we fall short as a Church on this one. Sure, we will have genuine differences with brothers and sisters in Christ, but if we find Christ precious, writes Fawcett (and He is only following the Scripture) we will find each other precious. As Fawcett concludes after a few pages discussing this, “How careful we should be to cultivate brotherly love both in ourselves and others!” How indeed.

His interest is precious. I like Fawcett’s opening paragraph here: It is not enough for a man to talk in high strains of melting affection and moving of his affections to the Redeemer, to tell of the inward experiences he has had, at certain periods, of love to Him, how His hearty was drawn out to Him at this time or the other time, when in the general course of his life, he is indifferent to the cause of Christ, and unwilling to lay out Himself for the promoting of His Kingdom among men. We are to make manifest that Christ is precious to us, by constant endeavors to advance His cause and interest in the world.” (p.170) Simply stated, those who love Christ, walk the walk as well as talk the talk. It is their delight to see Him exalted and His kingdom extended.

His day and house are precious. I don’t know why I am thinking about all those megachurches which are closing again. Perhaps Christians of old went over the top in the extremes in which they limited what could be done on the Lord’s day, but we certainly have not improved things with the license we reveal today, and the take it or leave it church attitude even among Christians today is not the sign of those who love Christ. The one who finds Christ precious loves the house of God, to gather with other believers and the day of His rising, and celebrate the person and glory of Christ with other who love Him too.

Hi benefits are precious. The one who loves Christ finds His gifts, not unnaturally, precious – but that means they show thankfulness.

His chastisements are precious. Perhaps not so obvious! But precious are the wounds of a friend, and Christ chastises, not out of some vindictive pleasure, but out of a desire for our good and for His glory, seeking to guide us back to the right path (i.e. the best path).

His example is precious. Again, as we read the Gospels, and see the life of Christ in action, we are thrilled, by his tenderness dealing with the woman caught in adultery, to his righteous anger in dealing with the moneychangers at the temple. In all He did, He attracts the believers admiration and awe. As Fawcett states, “the more I contemplate His amiable character, while He sojourned on earth, the more I am delighted with it.” (p. 185)

I had intended to finish the review by recapping these points and challenging us to reread the points above, and measure our own love of Christ by them. But no need – Fawcett finishes with a dozen or so pages as “An Improvement on the Subject”!, and here he suggests the thoughts with which we should leave this book.

First, we should be convinced the evangelical system is righteous and equitable, and second, we should be convinced of our need for Christ. Beyond this, he gets very challenging. First, from considering what we have read, and from observation of the world, we must conclude the number of those who find Christ precious is small. In light of this, we should examine ourselves, and not take for granted our salvation on light grounds. This is the most important thing we will ever deal with in our lives, as it means the difference between eternal bliss and eternal torment. It should be obvious that we should and must love Christ, and we should forget comfort in this world below, through which we are simply passing, and rather aspire after more knowledge of Christ. Then, having seen just how precious Christ is, we should be ashamed we don’t love Him more (I know I am from my reading of this book). In building our love for Him, we should allow our faith, love and knowledge of Christ to pervade all we do, and in the end, we should realize that the life of the true lover of Christ is a happy lot.

Again, I encourage the purchase of this book (you can get it here). In fact, if you can, get copies for friends!! It’s an investment, for you will read it more than once! But it is a far greater investment in your own spiritual walk with Christ. All in all, if you are serious about your faith, and want to be challenged in your pursuit of Him, John Fawcett’s Christ Precious is a worthy place to begin.

My New Resource Blogs

2005-12-03T23:25:00.000-05:00

I've started a couple more (and am working on getting a fourth going), just to let the few people who read this blog know!! The original is

Christian Scholars Directory

The new ones are:

Christian Journals Directory , and
Christian MP3s Directory

The first will give a range of theology Journals from from differing perspectives (so far there are the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Trinity Journal and FOunders Journal, for example, which I agree pretty much with on a lot, and on the other side there is Theology, News and Notes, from Fuller, which I haven't read a lot of, but probably disagree a lot with! The MP3 directory will list MP3 lectures (not music) that I come across from folks who do generally agree with me (i.e. tend towards conservative evangelicalism), though we may disagree on a few details here and there. I won't include people who deny the fundamentals of the Christian faith on that one (it was inspired by the fact I got a Dell DJ, and can now listen to MP3s at my leisure, so I wanted a list online I could refer to - there is a ton of great stuff out there. As with my original blog, I only link to free resources.

Enjoy...

Christ Precious - Book Review (Part II)

2005-12-03T13:00:00.000-05:00

Part 2 of Fawcett’s work is entitled “The Evidence Believers Give That Christ Is Precious To Them”, and continues the exceptionally challenging nature of the book. “God has magnified His love, and set forth His grace towards us, in a manner which should effectually allure our hearts to Him,” Fawcett begins, outlining in beautiful language the ways in which God has show this love (I would emphasise again that the devotional quality of this book is far beyond the vast majority of what you would read today, and it is far more edifying than most modern Christian literature I have come across). In the next 50+ pages, Fawcett goes into detail on what the life of someone truly besotted with Christ, who truly finds Him precious (and remember from the review of the first section that such people are to Fawcett the only ones with true claims to a real Christian faith, for real Christianity is transformational).

First, Fawcett states the one who find’s Christ precious shall trust their everlasting concerns into his hands. Here he is contrasting the type of faith that trusts in itself and it’s own might to bring redemption, and the faith that rests wholly on Christ, realizing that we are incapable of adding in even the smallest way to our own salvation. “When the sinner understands and realizes what God says of the evil of sin, of the misery of fallen man, and of the appointed way of salvation by a glorious and all–sufficient Mediator, he, in consequence, flies for refuge to the hope set before him, and ventures the whole weight of his everlasting interests in His hands.” (p. 43) Christ, writes Fawcett, “is precious on account of all those glorious qualifications which render Him the fittest object of a sinner’s hope and trust,” (p.46) and the true believer recognizes this.

Next, Fawcett comments that true believers, those who find Christ precious, delight to hear, think and speak of Him. As every one is “best pleased with that intelligence, and that conversation in which the object of His dearest affections is the principal theme,” (p. 51), Fawcett clearly sees the one Who finds Christ precious should naturally find all discussion and meditation of Him sweet to the believer. A challenging thought is one that is almost a throwaway statement: “No sermons are so precious and so animating to him, as those in which the Redeemer’s Excellencies are most fully displayed.” (p. 51) I recall sometimes, when I lived in Scotland and used to have the breaking of bread every week (an hour long service), that on the odd occasion it seemed to drag (I was tired, or not in the mood) – that’s shameful, and this is very challenging. The true believer is also grateful for the benefits they receive from Christ. Fawcett points out the all too evident truth that “we are far more frequently more ready to ask favours at the hand of God, than to return thanks for those we receive from Him.” (p.52) At point I should perhaps say that while Fawcett is outlining the ways in which the true believer does act, He is not saying it is 100% always like that, for he also clearly acknowledges the reality of sin and failure in the Christian life, but this should in no way lessen the truth that the inclination of the believer’s heart is now Christward, and should be moving ever more in that direction. I like what he goes on to write in regard to our thankfulness: “The religion we profess is far from requiring us perpetually to put on a mournful countenance. On the other hand, it enjoins upon is cheerfulness, gratitude of heart, and joy in the Lord.” (p. 53) Amen!!

Next, we will prefer Christ to every other object, and give Him chief place in their affections: the love of the Christian for Christ “penetrates and possesses the heart.” (p.56) I like that a lot. Yes, says Fawcett, we should have a deep love for others, for friends, family and the people of God, but none should compare with that we have for Christ. If Christ is truly precious to us, “the bent of our souls will be towards Him…we shall choose Him above and beyond every other object.” (p. 61) Echoing Augustine, he writes, “the heart of a believer is restless till it finds its Saviour; till it obtain a solid hope and persuasion of his love, a growing conformity to Him, and sincere delight in Him.” (p.61) It is foolish in the extreme to run after other things. Further, the one to whom Christ is precious sincerely desires his presence, and longs to enjoy inner communion with Him. This is simply obvious, as it is “well known this is the tendency of a sincere attachment, whoever be the object of it.” (p.64)

One who has true faith is further concerned that others may know and love Christ. Calling heavily on Paul, and his repeated refrains that he desired the salvation of the lost (even to the point for his own brethren that he would wish himself accursed if it may save some), Fawcett outlines that real Christian faith desires other’s to know the preciousness of Christ. The one to Whom Christ is precious longs that others may likewise taste and see that the Lord is good. Such people are also grieved when Christ is dishonoured. Here (p. 71-73), Fawcett reveals something of himself, more so than in other places, discussing how he is personally grieved by the sin around him in his day, of the world, and of others professing to know Christ, but evidencing otherwise. The true Christian is hurt when others diminish, demean, reject and mock their Christ.

The true believer is ready to deny themselves for Christ. Here’s a challenging one for us in the comfortable West, and our often sanitized Christianity. This denial is something considered, after a “deliberate counting of the cost, [choosing] the religion of Jesus, with all that appertains to is; [choosing] it as attended with all its difficulties.” (p.74) Again, Fawcett is no fan of easy-believism…Christianity when embraced should be done so with a true realization not only of the benefits, but the trials that will follow. Christians are distressed by their want of conformity to His Blessed Image and Holy Will: “In proportion as He is precious to us, will be our aversion to sin and all unholiness.” (p.77) Again, all I can say is that this is exceptionally challenging. Fawcett realizes that believers are in different stages of their walk with Christ, that we do battle with sin, but no true believer (and I say that, with Fawcett, unapologetically) does not feel some measure of discontent and dis-ease with their lack of purity and holiness. God has changed our hearts, and we cannot be content in the grips of sin. “From love to Jesus Christ will arise, hatred of those things which are contrary to His will, and which oppose and hinder us in our endeavours after conformity to Him.” (p. 78) The one who finds Christ precious will fail, but will hate it, and will strive to grow more like the Saviour they love.

The believer shall adhere to Christ in all conditions: when the hard times come, those who find Christ precious keep walking with Him anyway. And they shall also seek to glorify Christ in all they do. With Paul in Philippi, we will magnify God whether in life or in death. The purpose of God in redemption was His own glory, and while this “will be our delightful employ through the revolutions of a blissful eternity.” (p. 88, I like that too!), it will equally be our goal here in our lives on earth. And finally, the one who finds Christ precious will long to be with Him. It is simply common sense, but perhaps harder in our day when there is so much here that battles to keep our hearts tied to things below. Yet with saints of old, we will cry, “Even so, Lord, com quickly” – “we shall not only entertain joyful hopes of a future felicity, but we shall live, in expectation of the promised inheritance. We shall feel, at certain seasons, ardent desires of seeing Him upon the throne of glory, to whose humiliation, agonies and death, we are indebted for all our salvation” (p.89) Every true believer has experienced those seasons. Life here, lived as a Christian, has its hardships, and is a battle, and the one who finds Christ precious understands the desire of Fawcett, longing “with increasing desire, that indulgent Heaven would sign [our] release, and speedily dismiss [us] from this scene of combat.” (p.95)

So Fawcett’s work continues to be encouraging, edifying and challenging. It is a welcome antidote to much of the light and all to often trite writing that comes out of Christian publishing houses today, and I wonder how easily modern ears and eyes will take to this book, devoid of the accompanying stories and feel-good emphases of a great deal of modern Christian literature. But the reality is that we need to read things like this. We need to be challenged. “Christ Precious” is a welcome antidote to much of what labels itself Christianity today. For me personally, the twelve evidences of one who finds Christ precious have been exceptionally challenging, and have spurred me on to walk more consistently and closely with my Saviour. I hope that many other find the same.

A review of the third section will arrive in a week or so…

Christ Precious - Book Review (Part I)

2005-11-28T00:06:00.000-05:00

This review is starting off a little later than I had planned, and so apologies to Ben over at Paleoevangelical who kindly sent me the PDF of the book to review. In fairness to me, it is not a book to be read quickly (unlike so many Christian books being produced today), but is a work of depth, and a book I am finding thoroughly enjoyable, challenging and inspiring only 40 or so pages into it.

Christ Precious is written by John Fawcett, a Baptist pastor of the 1800s, famous for his hymn “Blest be the Tie that Binds”, and it is a tremendous little book thus far. The book is divided into three major sections:

1. The Character Of Persons To Whom Christ Is Precious
2. The Evidence Believers Give That Christ Is Precious To Them
3. In What Respects Jesus Christ Is Precious To Them That Believe

I have just finished part 1, and thought I would share my observations thus far.

The books aim is to unpack the little statement from Peter: “Unto you therefore which believe He is Precious” (I Pet 2:7), and before receiving the book I was expecting a satisfying exposition of the preciousness and of Christ, which this is. What I wasn’t so much expecting was the challenging nature of the book, which focuses not only on the beauties of Christ, but on the character of those who claim Christ is precious to them. As Fawcett writes in his preface:

“The subject to which the reader’s attention is invited in these pages is of the highest, since the love of the divine Redeemer is the distinguishing characteristic of a real Christian, and most indispensably requisite, in order to our serving God acceptably in this world, and to our dwelling with Him in the next. Without a sincere attachment to the Author of eternal salvation, whatever the works of morality we may perform, our obedience will be materially and essentially defective, as not flowing from a proper principle.” (p.1)

Thus, reading through the book so far has certainly been a convicting experience as well as an edifying one, and Fawcett was certainly not a subscriber to the easy-believism so characteristic of much of modern day evangelicalism. Indeed, he states clearly in the beginning paragraphs of his first major section (“The Character Of The Persons To Whom Christ is Precious) that it is “necessary to pay strict attention to those things which accompany true faith, and distinguish it from that which a man may possess, and yet die in his sins”. (p.9) In essence, what Fawcett goes on to outline in the rest of the section is the radical idea that a real faith makes a real difference, and that those who are born again, given news hearts and made new creations will reveal this in their daily lives and the direction of their affections. In describing this true faith, ten points are outlined, the substance of which is entirely founded in Scripture (Fawcett’s writing is saturated with Scripture references and quotes in a way in which very little modern Christian literature is) and which I have found exceptionally challenging to my own Christian walk.

First, true faith comes through divine illumination (p.9). Second, that divine illumination is illumination of the testimony f God contained in His Word – true faith is simply the belief of the Truth (p.10). Third, real faith is the result of serious enquiry, and not a passing thought or happenchance event (p.13). Fourth, faith is a “hearty approbation of Christ, not a “feeble, wavering assent, but such a firm persuasion as, in some measure, confirms with the clearness and evidence with which the truth is confirmed”. Fawcett very clearly believes that there is a danger of false faith, that people “may profess to believe this and the other thing, but in fact, it is a mere pretence, as is evident from the general tenor of their actions” – i.e. he believes real faith reveals itself in a changed life(p.13). Fifth, true faith has a strong conviction of the importance of that which is believed (p. 15). Those who talk of faith, yet have no concern for their souls of eternal things, are simply deceiving themselves. Sixth, true faith is always accompanied by repentance (p.17), for “if sin is not made bitter to us, if it does not appear hateful, if our hearts are not penetrated with sorrow, grief, and self-abhorrence on account of it, in vain do we imagine ourselves to be believers in Jesus”. Fawcett understands the real Christian will understand what the Puritan Ralph Venning called “the sinfulness of sin”. (As an aside, I loved the expression he gave on this topic that repentance was often called back then “the tear drop of love dropping from the eye of faith”). Seventh, true faith reveals itself in subjection to the revealed will of God, and if we truly live by faith in Christ, “there will be some rays of holiness in our conversation [our lives lived out]” (p.21). Eighth, true faith gives the believer an entirely different perspective on all things, looking at life anew through the lens of Scripture (p.21). Ninth (and here, building on the previous points, we get to the preciousness of Christ to the believer), true faith “endears Christ to the soul…it enthrones Him in the heart” (p.23). Finally, true faith is attended by real and lasting joy and peace, in different degrees in believers to be sure, but with certainty existing in the true Christian (p.23). Upon these points, Fawcett urges the reader to examine to see if they are truly in the faith (p.25), and outlines in the next few pages the character of a false believer: a man whose heart is not changed by the grace of God, who does not cleave to the Word of God, and whose heart is “not attached to Christ above all” (p.28).

The last third of this section is written with unbelievers in mind, and as a plea to them to come to know the Christ Who is precious. Characteristic of the rest of the section, the words are punctuated with references or allusions to Scripture, but what I found most interesting was the last three pages (p.37-39), in which is found a nineteenth century version of the sinners prayer. In this prayer we find clearly the radical difference between the today’s religious literature (and Christianity it is representative of) and the writings of centuries gone by. There is seriousness about the prayer, a depth that is not in the modern “say this prayer after me” kind of thing we have become so used to hearing. Upon the ten pages devoted to the requirements for unbelievers to embrace Christ, Fawcett’s prayer is filled with all that evidences the true Christianity he outlined earlier in the section: the horror of sin and the need for repentance (p.37); illumination of the truth and strong convictions regarding the truthfulness of God’s testimony (p.37-38); a sincere desire to change (p.39); and finally, a sincere attachment to Christ (“let me be a partaker of that faith which is connected with unfeigned repentance of sin, a sincere attachment to Christ, a subjugation of heart and life to His will and government, an holy indifferency to all that this present world can afford, and a sincere and constant endeavor to obey…” When was the last time your heard a sinner’s prayer like that?)

All in all, this is a tremendous book so far, and I anticipate getting the time to read the remaining sections. As I do so, I’ll blog on those also – stay tuned, and consider strongly buying the book – you won’t be disappointed (unless you are satisfied with shallow faith).

Steve Chalke and the Atonement - Update and reply by Daniel Strange

2005-07-28T23:32:00.000-04:00

I wrote before on Steve Chalke and his position on the atonement. Well, he has continued to write and make very clear his poition against the biblical teaching of penal substiution in a recent article, titled (ironically) "Redeeming the Cross". Here, very clearly, are his own convictions:

In "The Lost Message of Jesus" I claim that penal substitution is tantamount to 'cosmic child abuse - a vengeful Father punishing his Son for an offence he has not even committed.' Thought the sheer bluntness of this imigary (not original to me [ed: more on that in a minute]) might shock some, in truth, it is only a stark 'unmasking' of the violent, pre-Christian thinking behind such a theology. And the simple truth is that if such a God does not relate to his only Son as a perfect father, neither can we relate to him as such.

A couple of initial things. First, the idea that God's chastisement of His Son in our place means we cannot relate to Him as perfect Father is simply ridiculous. And two points can be made. First, Jesus' relationship to God is never in any way precisely like ours (and missing this point is the reason for many a misguided fad, as Phil Johnson recently blogged about, such as WWJD - What Would Jesus Do is not the question we should ask, but what would he command, and how does Scripture guide us). Sure, Jesus is the Son of God, yet the relationship of Sonship can never be the same as ours, as He is also coequal with the Father in Godhood. Jesus is also the Servant of God, yet in a way we can never be, being also King of Kings and Lords of Lords. To argue we cannot relate to God as a perfect Father because God punished Christ in our place misses the simple point that "things that are different are not the same" (and oh that modern evangelicalism would heed this point more clearly). Second, the fact is that Christ was a willing substitute. The Father did not just say Christ had to go to Calvary, like it or lump it. Christ went to Calvary of His own volition. He hung there of His own volition. He bore in His body our sins on the cross of His own volition. He gave up His spirit died there of His own volition. This was not some "cosmic child abuse", with a mean father battering His defenceless child, but a plan of the Triune Godhead from eternity past, devised that God may draw out a people for Himself, show His victory over sin, and glorify Himself. The more one reads of Chalke, the more it seems completely apparent that he misunderstands what penal substitution is all about, and the true meaning of Calvary and Christ's triumph over death hell, sin and the grave.

Partly in response to Chalke, and partly as an exposition of the full-orbed meaning of the atonement, Daniel Strange has delivered an excellent address at the Evangelical Library in the UK: The Many-Splendoured Cross: Atonement, Controversy and Victory, which I thoroughly recommend. Explaining that it is vital we do not deemphasise the cross as victory over Satan, or a moral example, for instance, he conludes that it is imperative to keep the penal aspect of the cross always central, because the Scripture does. He writes:

Second, and with great sadness, we need to say one more thing because in our current situation [i.e. the emerging writings of peoople like Chalke] the issue is not just one of different perspectives but of substantive disagreement: the explicit rejection of penal substitution. In affirming any perspective of the cross, (and remember revelation must guide us as to what are legitimate perspectives on the cross and what are illegitimate perspectives) and deny vicarious punishment, we are guilty not only of exegetical blindness and gross theological incompetence, but also theological bankruptcy. At this point I would contend that given the analysis of the human predicament, without penal substitution we have no ‘good news’ to offer, but have a different gospel which is really no gospel at all. To continue willingly to teach, preach and lead others astray in an explicit denial of penal substitution is extremely serious and warrants censure and separation.

Those are powerful words, but sadly true. Chalke is leading many sincere searchers away after another gospel which is truly no gospel at all.

May God show Him the truth, and may he have ears to listen.

My final note, getting back to the term "cosmic child abuse." Where did it originate? I can't be certain, but I know one well known writer who uses language verymuch like it. Here's the quote:

Moreover, an atonement theology that says God sacrifices his own son in place of humans who needed to be punished for their sins might make some Christians love Jesus, but it is an obscene picture of God. It is almost heavenly child abuse, and may infect our imagination at more earthly levels as well. I do not want to express my faith through a theology that pictures God demanding blood sacrifices in order to be reconciled to us.

The writer - John Dominic Crossan, one of the most vocal liberal theological scholars currently living. Not the theological company we should be keeping...

Resources on Stem Cell Research

2005-06-24T16:29:00.000-04:00

This is a topic I'm looking at a bit just now, as important as it is and as controversial just now. I thought I would go ahead and share the good resources I've found so far, on nop particular order"

Embryonic Stem Cell Misconceptions by R. Henry Williams

The Real Promise of Stem Cell Research by Dr. David Prentice

Yes, for Adult Stem Cell Research by Barbara Quigley

"Ethical" Embryonic Stem Cell Research? by Daniel McConchie

Stem Cell News That Isn't Fit For Print: The mainstream media is ignoring promising news about adult stem cell research By Wesley J. Smith

The Wrong Tree: Embryonic stem cells are not all that by Wesley J. Smith

Of Stem Cells and Fairy Tales: Scientists who have been telling Nancy Reagan that embryonic stem cell research could cure Alzheimer's now admit that it isn't true by Wesley J. SMith

A Stem Cell Tale: Why one type of stem-cell research gets fawning media coverage by Wesley J. Smith

Stem-Cell Sleight of Hand: Mario Cuomo Accuses President Bush Of Letting Religion Run His Stem-Cell Policy, But Bush Isn't The One Ignoring Actual Science by Wesley J. Smith

The “Wrong” Cure: Adult stem cells get the shaft by Wesley J. Smith

The Continuing Controversy over Stem Cells by Dr. Ray Bohlin

Is Embryonic Stem Cell Research Morally Complex? by Scott Klusendorf

Embryo Stem Cell Research Help by Scott Klusendorf (scroll down the page to find the link - requires a free subscripion)

Harvesting the Unborn: The Ethics of Embryo Stem Cell Research by Scott Klusendorf

The Confusing Moral Logic of Embryonic Stem Cell Research by Greg Koukl (requires free subscription)

Are You Against Stem Cell Research and Cloning? by Steve Wagner

Cure Me Even If You Kill - A Response to Michael Kinley by Steve Wagner

Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Means and Ends by Greg Koukl

Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity Stem Cell Articles by various authors (a lot here!)

Do No Harm (lots of resources on Stem Cell Resaerch here too!)

As always, I'll add more as I find them.

Book Review - "Hell Under Fire" by Christopher Morgan and Robert Petersen (eds.)

2005-06-24T03:32:00.000-04:00

My first book review

This is the third book in what seems to be an "under fire" series from Zondervan. (The two previously published books being God Under Fire (which I read with profit) and Jesus Under Fire (which I intend to read soon)). Having read other works by most of the contributors to the present volume under review, I expected to gain from reading Hell Under Fire. I was not disappointed, and the essays contained in the book were all of a consistently high standard.

The first essay was by Albert Mohler, and outlined the modern demise of the doctrine of hell from the 17th century onwards. His article outlines how hell began to be questioned in mainline denominations, gradually moving to a doctrine repellent to many in the church by the Victorian Era, and eventually being regarded as nothing more than a myth in the 20th century. Mohler then outlines how these attitudes have recently been entering even evangelical circles, with annihilationist leanings in the writings of such prominent theologians as John Wenham, John Stott, and of course, Clark Pinnock.

Following Mohler's historical review are four essays on the teaching of certain parts of the Scripture: Daniel Block on the Old Testament, Robert Yarborough on the teaching of Jesus, Douglas Moo on Paul's teaching and Gregory Beale on Revelation. Block's essay is an interesting read for those who are unacquainted with the way in which the Old Testament lays the backdrop for the teaching of Christ and the apostles on hell in terms of imagery, and I especially appreciated his discussion of the Netherworld in the OT and Daniel 12:1-3. The essays by Yarborough and Moo met the high expectations I had of them from reading some of their previous works. Yarborough summarized the large amount of Gospel teaching on Hell very well, as well as including an interesting section refuting the charge that His teaching came from Plato, and concluding with a reflection on the teaching in light of September 11th, while Moo excelled in his discussion of Paul's teaching on the issue of eternal punishment and the justice of God (Paul never uses the term `hell'). Beale's essay was good, but was the most disappointing to the reviewer (all things are relative!), but still argued powerfully against the annihilationist teaching that is becoming ever more prevalent in evangelical circles.

The next two essays covered hell in Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology. Christopher Morgan (the only author the reviewer had not come across before, but whose two essays were not out of place in the book) commented briefly on the doctrine from each of the New Testament authors, concluding with a discussion of hell pictured as punishment, destruction and banishment. Robert Petersen (who has written on thee subject more fully elsewhere) presented a very interesting and rewarding paper on the theology from three vantage points: those of the trinity, human responsibility and divine sovereignty, and the `no' and `not yet' tension on the Bible.

Two essays followed on universalism (by J. I. Packer) and annihilationism (by Morgan again). Both essays were useful, and showed the flaws in these approaches according to the clear teaching of the Bible, though Morgan's is most useful in the context of modern evangelicalism as universalism is not really proposed by many serious theologians who label themselves as evangelicals. The final essay was, in this reviewer's opinion, the finest, with Sinclair Ferguson discussing the pastoral implications of the Biblical doctrine of hell. Ferguson's pastoral heart was obvious throughout as he wrestled with the reality of hell in preaching and evangelism, and his essay is the most important contribution of the volume I would say, as the other material is covered in other volumes elsewhere, though the reviewer has not come across another essay quite like Ferguson's.

Overall, a fine volume on a difficult topic, and perhaps the best summary the reviewer has read on the topic (though find also Robert Petersen's other books, and John Blanchard's Whatever Happened to Hell). I hope Zondervan will continue to release more books in this series...my suggestion for the next volume would be Justification Under Fire, edited by Don Carson!

Wesley Smith on Terri Schaivo

2005-06-21T15:08:00.000-04:00

This is my last post on Terri Schiavo I expect, and is simply a couple of excellent links. The reason I started this blog was to vent when everything was still happening in the courts regarding the situation, but there is no real profit in keeping posting, for no minds will be changed, as Smith says, from continuing to sift through her ashes.

His final paragraph hits the mark of where it all leaves us:

We are in danger as a society of accepting the odious notion that there is such a thing as a life unworthy of life. True, the advocacy pushing us toward this end isn't generally steeped in the language of hate as it was when we ventured down this path before. But just because the lexicon of the culture of death and bioethics are often steeped in "compassion" and a supposed regard for individual autonomy, doesn't make these emerging attitudes less dangerous or insidious. Or to put it another way, actions speak louder than words.

also read: John Leo, An Autopsy Won't Change It

Resources on the Emergent Church

2005-06-20T12:45:00.000-04:00

I've just been reading Sam Storms series reviewing (positively) Carson's recent book on the topic. Well worth dipping into, and here's the links:

D. A. Carson Critiques the Emerging Church by Sam Storms
Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7

There are a lot of resources out there, but some of the most useful are:

Albert Mohler - "A Generous Orthodoxy" - Is It Orthodox? A review of Brian McLaren's book.

R. Scott Smith - Ch. 3 Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, and The Emerging Church, Ch. 6 Critiquing McLaren & the Emerging Church. Two draft chapters from a forthcoming book

Tim Challies - Emergent Church Archive. A few blog posts by Tim Challies on the subject

Justin Taylor - Introduction to Reclaiming the Center

Thomas Howe - Book Reviews of A New Kind of Christian, A Generous Orthodoxy and The Church on the Other Side (all by Brian McLaren)

Ron Gleason - The Dangers of the Emergent Church

Bob DeWaay - A Critique of Brian McLaren, A Generous Orthodoxy

Mark Dever - Review of "A New Kind of Christian"

Greg Gilbert - Review of "The Church on the Other Side"

Doug Groothuis - A New Kind of Postmodernist - Review of "A New Kind of Christian"

Mike Horton - Conversation on the Emergent Church Part 1, Part 2

Juston Taylor - Critique of Andrew Jones' Critique of Carson

Albert Mohler - Three art series on the Emergent Church (NEW!!!)
Part 1; Part 2; Part 3

Albert Mohler - Review of Chalke's The Lost Message of Jesus (New!!!)

Donald MacLeod - Review of Steve Chalke's The Lost Message of Jesus (New!!!)

D. A. Carson - The Emerging Church (adapted excerpt from his book)

For regular updates on materials and issues, the blog Emergent NO is the place to go. A with the other resource lists, I'll add as I find more materials (feel free to let me know of any!)

Online Bible Study Resources

2005-06-20T11:29:00.001-04:00

Removed this post...resources were not posted with permission of the publishers

Michelle Malkin Brings Balance to the Terri Schiavo Autopsy

2005-06-18T23:13:00.000-04:00

The link is here (HT: Powerline)

Unlike most of the journalists, it would seem, who have commented on the autopsy, Malkin has read it all, and noticed that the comments do not quite tally with the reporting in the MSM. Some would say commenting on this issue again is excessive, and we should let it rest, but as the final comments by Malkin well sum it up:

Terri Schiavo, a profoundly disabled woman who was not terminally ill and who had an army of family members ready to care for her for the rest of her natural life, succumbed to forced dehydration at the hands of her spouse-in-name-only.

This is something to gloat about?

Not something to gloat about indeed - something to mourn about. And a precedent to worry profoundly about.

Mohler Series on Cloning

2005-06-16T12:25:00.000-04:00

An excellent series of articles by Albert Mohler on Cloning, from Dolly the Sheep, to the present day, and the dangers of eugenics. Must reading:

Part 1: Cloning Animals and the Ethics of Dominion
Part 2: Cloning Humans and Reproductive Issues
Part 3: Genetic Manipulation and Eugenic Temptation
Part 4: Artificial Reproduction and the Destruction of the Family

Christian Counterculture Confusion

2005-06-16T09:20:00.000-04:00

I loved Christian Counterculture when it started. It was a wonderful resource, as was it's sister site, The Discerning Reader. It's been well documented that in recent times, the sites have drifted from their strong Reformed base to more dangerous waters, and that all doesn't need repeating. However. when I go to the site today, I see the most recent issue simply seems to reveal the confusion that is lying with the folks around Christian Counterculture.

On the plus side, the new issue has an article by D.A.Carson, adapted form his article in Telling the Truth, on the issue of worldviews and evangelism. Indeed, at the sister site, there is even a pretty positive review of Becoming Conversant with the Emergent, Carson's recent book stonrgly critiquing the Emergent Church movement. The review states:

Don Carson does an outstanding job highlighting the relative strengths and weaknesses of this burgeoning movement, taking note of its varied forms. Those who consider themselves ÂemergingÂ would do well to listen to these concerns from a wise older statesmen Â particularly his concern that "emergents" strive to be rooted in Scripture and avoid becoming easily enamored with a popular, truncated version of Postmodernism.

All very good. However, the review can't leave it there....it goes on:

At the same time, those already critical of the movement would do well to consider its strengths, especially the desire it has to see the Gospel freed from its cultural accommodation within the conservative establishment Â lest we put an unnecessary stumbling-block before younger unbelievers. Conservative (and "Reformed") fellowships need to clean up their own "backyard" before pointing the finger at others' . . . Must reading.

Oh. Things haven't quite changed then at Christian Counterculture. Indeed, as we go to another article, we see they haven't changed much at all.

In the same edition as Carson's article, and the review of his book, another essay leads the bill - Now for Some Good News, by Steve Chalke and Alan Mann. Now, for those who have read Carson's book, they wrecognizenise the name Steve Chalke as someone Carson is highly critical of, and the essay at the site is adapted from his book, The Lost Message of Jesus, the book in which he denies the substitutionary atonement (I've blogged on this before, for those who want to follow up on the issue). While the particular excepert from the book here does not include the denial of the substitutionary atonement, it sets the stage for it. In the article, Chalke and Mann write:

The fact is, however else God may have revealed himself, and in whatever way he interacts with the world he has created, everything is to be tempered, interpreted, understood and seen through the one, primary lens of God's love.

Now I don't deny the importance of God's love - far from it. I am saved as a result of his love, a love greater and more vast than I can ever comprehend though given eternity to try, and from which I can never be separated! But to call it the one, primary lens through which to see God is surely mistaken. As good a case could be made, I would say, to choose God's holiness, for example, as the primary lens, but in reality, we must strive to comprehend God in fullnessness of His Person, and all His attributes, as far as we can in our limited capacity.

Chalke is reacting to what he sees in the preaching of the likes of Jonathan Edwards in his famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. He writes:

Preaching like Edwards' has been all too representative of the portrayal of the gospel by the Church over the last few hundred years, and, by implication, of any popular understanding of the message of Jesus. And though today, for the most part, the worst of this ferocious rhetoric is a thing of the past, the residue of such portrayals of the gospel still echo across the world. People still believe that the Christian God is primarily a God of power, law, judgment, hell-fire and damnation. A God whose strapline is probably, "Get in line fast or I'll squash you!"

It's here that the Christian Counterculture editor can't help but jump in. Immediately after that paragraph, we find:

[Editor's Note: Could this be why so much "Reformed" and "Fundamentalist" Christianity exhibits a spiritjudgmentment and harshness, as opposed to a spirit of grace, love, and kindess? I think so.]

So things, it seems, haven't changed at all at Christian Counterculture. ANy opportunity is still taken to bash those of a Reformed persuasion, generally by buildincaricatureture of what Reformed people really believe (or by picking the extreme examples of those calling themselves Reformed). The editorial note is truly telling.

Back to the article, though. Towards the conclusion, we read:

Too often we fall to look at others through the eyes of Jesus. While we have spent centuries arguing over the doctrine of original sin, pouring over the Bible and huge theological tomes to prove the inherent sinfulness of all humankind, we have missed a startling point:

Jesus believed in original goodness!

God declared that all his creation, including humankind, was very good. And it's this original goodness that Jesus seeks out in us. That's not to suggest that Jesus is denying that our relationship with God is in need of reconciliation, but that he is rejecting any idea that we are, somehow, beyond the pale.

To see humanity as inherently evil and steeped in original sin instead of inherently made in God's image and so bathed in original goodness, however hidden it may have become, is a serious mistake. It is this grave error that has dogged the Church in the West for centuries. In the fourth century Augustine developed his influential theology that the material world and everything in it was inherently evil and corrupt. This "fallenness" he said, was like a virus, and in humans was passed on through the act of sexual intercourse and conception. So from the seeds of Augustine's thinking, the doctrine of original sin was born. However, the Eastern Church instead followed the teaching of Irenaeus, who believed that all people were God's imagebearers and though flawed were, as he put it, like flowers in bud Â slowly coaxed into full bloom by God's love.

It's hard to know where to start with that. First, no Reformed person denies original goodness in terms of the fact creation of "very good". And no Reformed person believes that anyone is "beyond the pale". The paragraphs are unnecessary, and seem to be painting a picture of those believing in original sin as somehow denying the opportunity of the Gospel to some, which folks like Chalke and Mann are the embrassive, open ones. Further, the doctrine of original sin is not an error, but is testified to clearly in Scripture: I was born and conceived in sin (Ps 51:5); we are "sons of disobedience", by nature "children of wrath" (Eph 2:2,3); the heart is deceitful above all (Jer 17:9); and our sin brings both physical and spiritual death (Rom 5:12; 6:23). And when we look beyond Scripture, experience, of our world and our own lives and hearts, testifies eloquently to the reality of our sinfulness. The denial, however, of original sin, lais the groundwork for Chalke to deny the necessity of a substitutionary atonement.

The article then concludes:

In the words of John Stott, perhaps we in the West "have been dogmatic about what we should be agnostic about and agnostic about what we should be dogmatic over." Jesus could not have been clearer:

What we should be dogmatic about is God's outrageous grace,
his boundless forgiveness and his limitless love.

It is time to get dogmatic about the lost message of Jesus!

Remarkable. Again, of course, noe one would deny we should be dogmatic about God's grace, forgiveness and love. But to imply, as the article leans towards doing, that this is all we should be dogmatic about is ridiculous, not honoring to God's revelation of Himself in His Word, and dismissive of centuries of Christian history. What I find most ironic about the closing paragraphs, however, is that Chalke brings Stott to his cause, and while I have my disagreements with the late theologian (his flirtation with annihilationism was very troubling), if Chalke had read, understood and embraced what Stott clearly wrote of Christ's substitutionary death in his The Cross of Christ, he may have been kept from denying the true Gospel. In reality, however, Chalke has Lost the Message of Jesus.

Anyway, as for Christian Counterculture, they seem as confused as ever, and presenting an inconsistent message at best, with continued digs and misrepresentations of mainstream Reformed thought wherever possible. I hope they change - they started so well, and it's sad to see.

Liberal Bias in Commencement Addresses

2005-06-16T08:10:00.000-04:00

This article points out the extreme bias towards liberal speakers at university commencements. Smething I'm sure we all knew, but interesting to read nonetheless (HT: Ardel Caneday)

Terri Schiavo's Autopsy finished...

2005-06-14T18:49:00.000-04:00

...and to be released Wednesday according to Fox News. I'm not holding my breath. I can't understand why it has taken so long...

Putin Your Foot In It!

2005-06-14T10:14:00.000-04:00

In Britain we could always rely on the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, for a little light relief in his ridiculous comments and remarks (my favourite, this being a Scottish blog, was his comment to a Scottish driving instructor: "How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to get them through the test?" It seems that Russia has their own Prince Philip in Vlademir Putin. I've noticed some remarks by him in the past being less than, well, politically correct, but this story in The Sun, is hilarious:

He lashed out at the [Africa's] past after being challenged about his human rights’ record.

In an astonishing outburst, Mr Putin said: “We all know that African countries used to have a tradition of eating their own adversaries.

“We don’t have such a tradition or process or culture and I believe the comparison between Africa and Russia is not quite just.”

I burst out laughing reading that. Tony Blair, who was with him at the time, was left squirming with embarrassment. Scary thing is this man is in charge of a country with a huge nucler stock-pile. At least Prince Philip is powerless!!

Abortion Resources

2005-06-14T08:04:00.001-04:00

This is as much for me as anything else, so as with the Da Vinci Code Resources, I'm going to list resources on other issues of the day that concern Christians so that I have a handy links page to things I've found useful. The List is by noe means exhuastive, but if you read through the resources here, you will be pretty well prepared to discuss abortion with others in a cogent, biblical manner:

General Sites

Pro Life Training from Scott Klusendorf

Abortion Resources from Stands to Reason

Center for Bio-Ethical Reform

LifeDynamics

Arguments Against and Responses to Abortion

Answering the Arguments for Abortion Rights: Part One: The Appeal to Pity Francis J. Beckwith

Answering the Arguments for Abortion Rights Part Two: Arguments from Pity, Tolerance, and Ad Hominem Francis J. Beckwith

Answering the Arguments for Abortion Rights: Part Three: Is the Unborn Human Less Than Human? Francis J. Beckwith

Answering the Arguments for Abortion Rights: Part Four: When Does a Human Become a Person? Francis J. Beckwith

How To Defend Your Pro Life Views in Five Minutes Scott Klusendorf

Toddler Tactics Scott Klusendorf

Abortion Debate: A Short Defense of the Pro Life Position Scott Klusendorf

Five Bad Ways to Argue About Abortion Scott Klusendorf

An Argument Against Abortion Paul Cox

The Pro-Life High Ground: Effective Arguments to Pro-Choice Arguments Richard Land

Fifteen Pro-Life Truths to Speak John Piper

10 Reasons Why It Is Wrong to Take the Life of an Unborn Child John Piper

Life and Abortion: A Pro Life Defense in Dialogue Form John Crandall

A Back to School Survival Guide Scott Klusendorf

Why Pro Life Advocates Should Not Link Abortion to Contraception Scott Klusendorf

What can the Average Person do to Stop Abortion Scott Klusendorf

Abortion : A Failure to Communicate Paul Swope

One Issue Politics, One Issue Marriage and the Humane Society John Piper

Standing for Life Tom Schreiner

Abortion and Human Rights by Greg Koukl

Pro Life: The Epitome of Bologna by Greg Koukl

Problem of Heaps by Greg Koukl

I’m Pro Choice by Greg Koukl

Abortion and Brunch by Greg Koukl

The Moral Logic of Being Pro Choice by Greg Koukl

Babies and Begonias by Greg Koukl

Trespassing in the Womb by Greg Koukl

Unstringing the Violinsit by Greg Koukl

Abortion Sue Bohlin

Arguments Against Abortion Kerby Anderson

Abortion Facts and Counter Arguments Massimo Lorenzini

The Bible and Abortion

Why is the New Testament Silent on Abortion by Micael Gorman

Abortion: Biblical Consideration Donal P O’Mathuna

Argument for the Silent: A Biblical Case Against Abortion by Robert Bowman

Answering the Theological Case for Abortion by Scott Klusendorf

Dead Silence: Must The Bible Say Abortion is Wrong Before We Know It Is? By Scott Klusendorf

Exodus 21 and Abortion John Piper

The Biblical View on Abortion John MacArthur

What Exodus 21:22 Says About Abortion by Greg Koukl

Is Violence a Response?

Killing Abortionists: A Symopsium

Killing Abortionists by Greg Koukl

Does Pro Life Rhetoric Lead to Violence Scott Klusendorf

A Pro Life Loss of Nerve James F Fitzpatrick

Pro Lifers in the Horms of a False Dilemma by Greg Koukl

Complicated Circumstances

What if She Was Raped? Steve Wagner

What of Mother’s Life In Danger Steve Wagner

Rape and Abortion by Greg Koukl

Life Before Birth

How Should Pro Lifers Feel About Fetal Pain? Steve Wagner

No One Knows When Life Begins Steve Wagner

Facing up to Infanticide J Bottum

Infanticide for Beginners James Neuchterlein

Are All Human Persons? A New Assault on Human Dignity Albert Mohler

A Smile from the Womb David Koyzis

Fetal Development : From Conception to Birth

Does a Fetus have a Soul? by Greg Koukl

Murder is OK for the Unborn? by Greg Koukl

Fetal Personhood,: It’s Simple by Greg Koukl

The Murder of a Fetus by Greg Koukl

Abortion Bioethics and Personhood: A Reflection Beckwith

An Open Letter to the Star Tribune John Piper

Life: Defining the Beginning by the End by Maureen Condic

When Do Human Beings Begin? Dianne Irving

Neonaticide by Greg Koukl

Partial Birth Abortion

Partial Birth Abortion Kerby Anderson

Partial Birth Abortion Transcripts

Partial Birth Abortions: Misunderstandings and Objections by Greg Koukl

Partial Birth Abortion is not About Abortion by Greg Koukl

Nothing Hidden in the D&X by Greg Koukl

Stepping Over the Line by Greg Koukl

Roe v. Wade

The Women of Roe Vs Wade Mary Ann Glendon

Roe vs McCorvey Norma McCorvey

Roe: 25 Years Later (First Things)

Harvesting Human Parts

The Sanctity of Human Life: Harvesting Human Fetal Parts Ray Bohlin

Baby Parts for Profit by Greg Koukl

Uncategorized/General Aricles

Abortion Information Sarah Jane Head

The Gospel According to Jane Roe: Abortion Rights and the Reshaping of Evangelical Theology Russell Moore

Pictures and the Use of Visuals (be aware these are graphic)

Why Pro Life Advocates Should Use Visual Aids Scott Klusendorf

Abortion Photos Center for Bio-Ethical Reform

Prolife America 3D/4D Ultrasound Photos

100 Abortion Pictures

Legal Issues

Is Abortion Legal All 9 Months? by Steve Wagner

On This Day In Scottish History- June 14th (Death of John Logie Baird)

2005-06-14T08:01:00.000-04:00

On June 14th, 1946, John Logie Baird, widely regarded as the inventor of the television, died. For an interesting bio covering his struggles to get television off the ground, see here.

On This Day in Scottish History - June 12th (Birth of James Gilmour - Apostle to Mongolia)

2005-06-13T00:44:00.000-04:00

In my occasional posts on important events in Scottish history, I want to focus where I can on Christian themes - things that may not be important to many out there, but in the eternal scheme of things are perhaps more important than we may think. So today I note the borth in 1843 on June 12th of James Gilmour, often called the Apostle to Mongolia.

James Gilmour trusted Christ as a child in a home of godly parents, and excelled at school. While he loved his home of Scotland (he was born near Glasgow), God put a burden for Mongolia on his heart, and in 1870, he sailed to spend the rest of his life seeking to share the Gospel with the Mongolians. In his first 14 years, learning the language, culture, and living on an average of 6 cenets a day, Gilmour saw only one person converted. Things never got much better, and writing in his diary of a later 8 month period, he noted "preached to 24,000 people, treated 7,500 patients, distributed 10,000 books and tracts...and out of all this there are only two men who have openly confessed Christ." Yet he continued on, dying at the age of 47 from Typhus continuing the task that God had burdened him with. On reviewing his famous book, Among the Mongols, one critic wrote of Gilmour: "If ever on earth there lived a man who kept the law of Christ, and could give proof of it, and be absolutely unconscious that he was giving it to them, it is this man whom the Mongols called 'our Gilmour."

I'd encourage reading the materials about Gilmour I list below, but for me the most remarkable thing his life speaks to me is of persistence and commitment. We live in a results-driven society, and numbers are the big thing. Who can get the most converts, whose got the biggest church, and so on. Over twenty years work, and Gilmour saw very few commit to his Master - 1 in the first 14 years would perhaps be enough to have all support withdrawn from him in these days, sad to say. Yet his life, and his example speak to us of determinism and faithfulness that is seldom seen in our day, certainly in our "advanced" western countries.

May it be that God would turn our hearts back to him, that we may know the faithfulness and devotion of James Gilmour and others, and that we may look through the lens of eternity at our lives and world.

For more go to: James Gilmour: Online Biographies

Da Vinci Code Resources

2005-06-11T01:56:00.000-04:00

I went to see Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith today with my wife (who, to my surprise, enjoyed it thoroughly!) While there, I saw the poster out for the film version of the bestselling book, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It's going to do very well, I'm sure, and mirror the book's success, and thus the whole thing becomes a big issue for Christians, and we need to know the details to defend our faith. The book is a ripping yarn, as they say, exciting and full of twists and turns. But as a historical novel (as it purports to be), it is severely lacking - actually, it's pretty much hogwash. Sadly, while easy refutation can be made of many of the books errors, and its fundamental thesis, most Christians know they believe its not true while not knowing how to explain why. To help overcome this, I thought I would create a list of resources for the few interested readers of this blog! First, for those unfamiliar with the book, here's a good summary of some of the major theses:

1. Early Christianity entailed "the cult of the Great Mother" and Mary Magdalene represented the feminine cult and the Holy Grail of traditional lore
2. She was also Jesus' wife and the mother of his children
3. Magdalene womb, carrying Jesus offspring, was the legendary Holy Grail (as seen in Da Vinci's encoded paining, The Last Supper)
4. Jesus was not seen as divine (God) by His followers until Emperor Constantine declared him so for his own purposes
5. The Nicean Council of the 3rd Century was the context for Constantine's power grab and the relationship of Magdalene as paramour of Christ was quashed there
6. "Mary Magdalene's remains and the secret documents that tell the real story were found on the Temple Mount when Jerusalem was conquered in the First Crusade.Â
7. Brown sees a connection between the Nag Hammadi documents (a.k.a., Gnostic Gospels) discovered in 1945 and this storyline
8. The "truth" about Christ and Mary Magdalene has been kept alive by a secret society named the Priory of Sion that was lead by great minds like Da Vinci
(source: The Da Vinci Code: Of Magdalene, Gnostic, the Goddess and the Grail)

A quick perusal of these points will show the absurdity of the book to anyone with a decent understanding of early Christianity and the Biblical record. However, many resources are available to help to combat Brown's ridiculous and baseless assertions - in no particular order:

The Da Vinci Code - Seriously? by Jim Lapp. Lists 30 historical innacuracies in Brown's book.

Mary, Mary, Extraordinary by Ben Witherington III. Explains why the proposed idea of an intimate relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene is in error.

The Good News of Da Vinci by Darrell Bock. Arguing the Book is actually a good opportunity for witness, and it's success shows a deep interest in its themes.

Review of the Da Vinci Code - part I, Part II by Carl E. Olsen. Extensive refutation of many of the main errors.

Dismantling the Da Vinci Code by Sandra Miesel. Good medium length article on Brown's errors.

The Da Vinci Code Corrected by Craig Keener. Refutes the idea of a suppression by Constantine of a large number of "lost gospels".

The Da Vinci Code Breaker. Has some fact sheets, and a large number of links to relevant material.

Breaking the Da Vinci Code by Collin Hansen. Deals with the fallacy that the Council of Nicea instituted the doctrines of the divinity of Christ and the infallibility of the Bible.

Deciphering the Da Vinci Code by Albert Mohler. The always reliable Dr. Mohler chips in.

The Bible vs. The Da Vinci Code by Chip Ingram. Covers succinctly many of the main issues.

Newsletter 1 and Newsletter 2 on the Davinci Code by Peter Jones. Argue the book can be an impediment to faith among unbelievers, but also an opportunity to witness for the informed Christian.

Decoding the Da Vinci Code by Michael Gleghorn.. ANother good medium length article dealing with the main issues.

Was Jesus Married? by Mark D. Roberts. A five part series covering the evidence well.

Dan Brown: Da Vinci Code by Doug Beaumont (NEW !!!). A good article summarising the main errors and brief responses.

Book Review of the Da Vinci Code by Craig Blomberg (NEW!!!)

Davinci Code Workshop by the faculty of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. A 10 part audio series on the book.

For those who want to spend money, or prefer the feel of paper to a computer screen, a number of good books have been written. Four of the best are:

Breaking the Da Vinci Code by Derell Bock

The Gospel Code by Ben WItherington III

Cracking Da Vinci's Code by James Garlow and Peter Jones

The Da Vinci Deception by Erwin Lutzer

The Da Vinci Code is a ripping yarn, but a poor work of history, and easily refuted. With the film coming out soon, we need to be prepared, so get reading!

Do I Really Deserve to be Happy?

2005-06-10T15:01:00.000-04:00

Just reading the most recent issue of World Magazine, and an article on unfaithfulness among Christian women had an excellent quote on the whole "right to be happy issue". Often we put our sin down to our right to be happy, in areas such as affairs (my husband/wife isn't satisfying me, but I have a right to happiness, so it's fine to seek it with someone else) and many others. The counselor in the article comments this way, and puts the issue very clearly:

Their number-one excuse is the 'Don't I deserve to be happy?' lie. I'm tough on them. I tell them pretty much what my dad told me: 'You deserve to be happy' is not in the Bible. They actually think it is. I tell them, we're all sinners. You don't want what you really deserve.

That's the reality - we should never cling to our rights, because if we truly wnat justice, then we'll all face the wrath of a pure and hloy God against sin. I, for one, am very happy and thankful that I don't get what I deserve, and that I often get belssings I don't - thank God for mercy and grace.

Mohler and McHugh Refelect on the Death of Terri Schiavo

2005-06-10T12:56:00.000-04:00

Dr. Mohler's most recent commentary reflects on the death of Terri Schiavo and the culture of death in the U.S. In the commentary, Mohler discusses the the recent article bu Paul McHugh, Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University, Annihilating Terri Schiavo.

While I recommend the whole article, McHugh's conclusions were:

In Terri Schiavo’s case, [the culture of death] is what won out over the hospice’s culture of life, overwhelming by legal means, and by the force of advanced social opinion, the moral and medical command to choose life, to comfort the afflicted, and to teach others how to do the same. The more this culture continues to influence our thinking, the deeper are likely to become the divisions within our society and within our families, the more hardened our hatreds, and the more manifold our fears. More of us will die prematurely; some of us will even be persuaded that we want to.

Not happy conclusions, but sadly realistic.

Tory Leadership Contest

2005-06-10T01:42:00.000-04:00

The place to go for info on the leadership race for the Conservative Party in the UK is the Conservative Home Leadership Blog. An intersting poll they point to gave the following results:

Ken Clarke - 26% (24%)
David Davis - 11% (20%)
Sir Malcolm Rifkind - 5% (6%)
John Redwood - 4% (5%)
Liam Fox - 3% (6%)
David Cameron - 2% (3%)

Ken Clarke does very well (the bracketed figures are just tory voters, the other figure the general population), and was, they say, ecouraged by the results. Hard to believe the party ould pick him, but it would be a more intersting race if he joined. The pundits say Davies is almost certain, but it is often pointed out, the favourite never wins the Tory leadership race...

Comments on the Texas Abotion Decision from STR

2005-06-09T23:50:00.000-04:00

Steve Wagner makes good comment on the recent decision in Texas to imprison a man for stomping on his girlfriend's stomach to abort her twin babies, while not prosecuting her due to the right to abortion. He responds to the "Mystery Passage" in Planned Parenthood Vs. Casey, noting that is basically says what a person believes about the fetus makes it what it is. However, he notes that the case in Texas only goes to illustrate that this only really applies to what a woman thinks about the fetus, writing, " the highfalutin language of the Mystery Passage applies only to the woman’s beliefs and not to the man’s."

Wagner goes on to comment:

What makes a woman’s perceptions of reality so much more durable and far-reaching than a man’s? The woman is physically connected to the fetus. So a woman’s metaphysics are superior to a man’s, but not because her reasons are better or her view is more accurate. Rather, her physical proximity to the being in question makes her view true! Under this rule, a pregnant woman who thinks she is carrying Swiss cheese is correct and her embryologist husband, who believes she’s carrying a living whole human organism, is mistaken.

The inconsistency in applyinf the law regarding fetuses (or rather, the inconsistency of the law) is quite astounding, and the idea that proximity makes one a better judge is astonishing. Proximity, in my experience, more often than not only goes to cloud rational and clear judgement. The decision in Texas is logically absurd, and morally reprehensible. Two babies are dead at the hands of their parents, and while I can applaud the incarceration of their father, the fact the their mother, the one whom God created to nurture and care for them most of all, gets off scot-free, is unjust beyond words.

Scots are the most neighbourly people in Scotland (not surprising!)

2005-06-09T22:58:00.000-04:00

The story is at the BBC here.

The Scots scored highest of the eleven regions in Britain measured by the Halifax Insurance company, scoring 100 out of a possible 121 (the lowest were the North East of England, scoring 41, and London, scoring 46 - 100 seems pretty impressive!). Here's a description of the theory:

We looked at factors such as strength of friendship with neighbours, the extent to which we would seek advice from neighbours, the sense of safety and security within neighbourhoods and a variety of other measures. What the results reflect is the enduring human need for a sense of belonging with others around them.

We then rated each region based on the responses and from this were able to create a map of British neighbourliness which represents a fascinating insight into community relations in Britain today.

A quick WAHEY for us Scots, I would say!!!

On This Day In Scottish History - June 9th (First U.S. Troops Arrive in Europe)

2005-06-09T22:35:00.000-04:00

An interesting, if short post. On June 9th, 1942, the first U.S. troops arrived in Europe, coming on the Queen Mary. Around 10,000 men were on board, and the ship arrived at the Clyde in Scotland, a fact I had been entirely unaware of until this point. Of course, the arrival of the U.S. in the war was a major turning point (the major turning point, I'd say), and it's interesting now writing from my new home in the States to note that the land of my birth was the place of arrival for the first U.S troops into Europe.

Double Standards in Abortion Laws made clear

2005-06-07T15:10:00.000-04:00

An amazing article from the AP here (HT: Worldmag Blog)

In the article, the story is told of a Texas man who stomped on his girlfriends stomach to bring about the death of her twin unborn babies. This was done at her request. The result? He gets life for the murder of the children, she gets off with nothing because of her legal right to abortion. I've not seen much that reveals the deep, deep wrong in the abortion laws quite so clearly.

Christian Scholar's Links

2005-06-07T14:45:00.000-04:00

Afriad that I simply have not the time to get the site I had hoped to up and running, however, I will be adding some more links to the Blog on this topic I've started, and try to continue this. If people have recommendations, then please let me know - it seems to me still a useful venture in it's present form.

Here's the link:

Christian Scholars

On This Day In Scottish History - June 7th (Death of Robert the Bruce)

2005-06-07T13:59:00.000-04:00

Been a while since any posts, but here's a new one, continuing the Scottish history theme. On this day in 1329, King Robert the Bruce died at his monr in Cardross, Dumbartonshire, Scotland. The reason for his death is not known with certainty, though speculation is that he had long battled with leprosy (though is this is quite strongly refuted by an article by the Society for the History of Dentistry, of all places!).

While not going into an extended history of the Bruce (for that see the links below), a couple of interesting comments can be made. I remember being impressed with a story (possibly/probably? legend) that after many a lsos to the English, Brce was hidden away in depression in a cave. In the cave he watched a spider try to get a web cast from one side to the other, and after several failures, the spider eventually made it (some say it failed the same number of times as Bruce had lost major battles). At any rate, from this episode, Bruce resolved that "If at first you don't succeed, try, try try again". The year was 1314, and the next battle (the next try!) would be Bannockburn, perhaps the most famous Scottish victory ever. It's a nice story, and whether or not true, the sentiment leading to the victory (continuing on despite loss) is a good one.

The second episode came on Bruce's deathbed. Turning to his friend James Douglas, the dying King spoke these words:

Sir James, my dear and gallant friend, you know well the many troubles and severe hardships I have undergone in recovering and defending the rights of my crown and people, for you have participated in them all. When I was hardest beset of all, I made a vow, that if I ever overcame my difficulties, I would assume the cross, and devote the remainder of my days to warring against the enemies of our Lord and Saviour. But it has pleased providence, by this heavy malady, to take from me all hope of accomplishing, what, in my heart and soul, I have earnestly desired. Therefore, my dear and faithful companion, knowing no knight more valiant, or better fitted than yourself for such a service, my earnest desire is, that when I am dead, you take my heart with you to Jerusalem, and deposit it in the holy sepulchre, that my soul may be so acquitted from the vow which my body is unable to fulfil

I don't know what Bruce's personal walk with Christ was, and the reality of his faith, but I like to think it was true, and that he dwells wth the Saviour. As it was, Douglas was killed, andf Bruce's heart never made it to the Holy Land, but was instead buried in Melrose Abbey in the South of Scotland.

For those looking for more on Robert the Bruce, see the following links:

Robert Bruce, King of Scots (seven part series)

Called King of Scots (on his post-Bannockburn (1314) reign)

Robert I, 'the Bruce' (1274-1329) (a brief history)

Robert Bruce (A short summary of his life, as well as book reviews)

Also, for those who want to read Robert Burn's stirring poem on Freedom written as a fictional address by Robert Bruce on the eve of the Battle of Bannockburn, see my inaugural post
here.

On This Day In Scottish History - May 14th (The Appin Murder)

2005-05-14T01:03:00.000-04:00

I've decided I'm going to try and post from time to time on Scottish history. Each day I want to write a little on a significant event in Scotland's past, whether a battle, a poltical event, a birth or death, or anything at all really, as a tribute to the land of my birth. So here's the inaugural 'On This Day' post.

On May 14th, 1752, Colin Campbell was murdered near the town of Ballachulish in Scotland. Campbell, also known as the "Red Fox", was a Scottish landownerand ersecutor of the Jacobites, and he collected taxes for the English government. The murderer was unknown, but James Stewart (James of the Glen), was tried by three judges and a jury of fifteen, being found gulity and hanged.

Through the many years since the event, speculation has been rife as to whether Stewart killed Campbell, but the general consensus now is that he did not, and the trial was biased, firstly because the Campbells hated the Stewarts, but secondly because of the political necessities of the time and the requirement to find a perpetrator. The standard work now is by an American academic, Lee Holcombe, who argues that it was actually Donald Stewart, relying largely on the testimony of his descendants in 2001, a secret which had only been passed on by word of mouth.

The Appin Murder was brought to the public attention mainly because of Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped, which embellishes the story somewhat! For those interested in reading more, see:

The Appin Murder

The Appin Murder II

Bloody Scot's Whodunnit is Solved by American Academic

Moderation and Balance?

2005-05-07T09:38:00.000-04:00

A couple of things this morning I've noticed. First was a comment from Justic Scalia, given to a group at Texas A&M. In arguing that the Constitution is a legal document, and thus unchanging, he aimed his fire at those who claim to view the constitution moderately, taking a balnced view, stating:

"What in the world is a moderate judge? What is a moderate interpretation of the Constitution? Halfway between what it really says and what you'd like it to say?"

I think that is very well put, and sums it up perfectly. Justice Kennedy, please pay attention.

On another issue, this time intelligent design, Albert Mohler writes (in his new blog) on the issue of Intelligent Design being proposed for the curriculum in Kansas. He notes the fact that some professing Christians say they take a moderate position on the issue of God as Creator:

Take this statement from a mother of two Kansas teenagers: "I believe in God, but I'm not sure He created everything. I'm right in the middle." Right in the middle of what? Just what does she think God did create?

As Christians we cannot afford to be accomodated to the culture, and afraid to take true moral stands, indeed, Biblical stands, on truth. Balance and moderation is imporrtant in many ways, but not on issues of truth, and certainly not on issues where the Bible is clear.

On this, see also the article in the most recent WORLD, Mental Filibusters, for how we sometimes nuance ourselves out of following Christ.

Steve Chalke and the Atonement

2005-04-28T17:58:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking of blogging on this for a while now, and have sifted through some interesting links and discussions. Then yesterday I findAlbert Mohler has commented on it, and I find our D. A. Carson has written on it in his book on the Emergent Church (all of the negatively).

Before getting to their comments, some background. Steve Chalke is a Baptist minister in the UK, and one of the most visible 'evangelical' faces in Britain. He founded the Oasis Trust, which does a great deal of admirable work reaching out to people society often ignores, and he appears often on television to represent Christian perspectives, or hosts religious programmes (such as 'Songs of Praise'). He is, I am certain, a genuinely caring, compassionate man, with the best motives in the world. All of this, then, makes what he has written all the more serious.

In his book, The Lost Message of Jesus, Chalke aims to details his view of how God favours the poor, and has a special compassion fo them. However, among all that he wites, he makes some brief comments that the cross was a demonstration of God's love, and that the idea of penal substitution is a form of'cosmic child abuse - a vengeful Father, punishing his Son for an offence he has not even committed'. And so in the sweep of a pen, Chalke disassociates himself from traditional evangelical doctrine (central doctrine), and demeans all those who believe in the substittionary atonement, and worst of all, the God Whom the Bible clearly teaches ordained such an atonement as the central aspect of the Gospel. Indeed, one blogger in England rightly comments that

Chalke differs from earlier liberals in only two respects that I can perceive: he has written a book that is easy to read and widely popular; and for reasons that I cannot fathom he still wishes to be considered an evangelical, despite having abandoned one of the hallmark doctrines of evangelicalism.

The whole episode has been quite shocking to me for a number of reasons. First, Chalke will reach a lot of people with this, and will influence many people who profess Christianity, yet know not their Bible (a great number today - and for some of the results, see this thread, filled with many judicious comments, but also many exhibiting, how can I say, a great deal of faulty reasoning and ignorance of biblical truth). The second shocking thing I'll mention, however, is the position of the Evangelical Alliance (EA) in the UK. There was a debate, after which they strongly spoke out against Chalke's position. That was good. However, within a month, they had softened their position, partly (largely?) in response to the fact that there were many voices within British evangelicalism speaking in support of Chalke (again, deeply worrying). The head of the Evangelical Alliance, Rev. Joel Edwards, noted that while the EA statement of faith seemed to imply penal substitution, said:

It is not explicit, therefore the question we have to ask honestly and biblically together is, whether or not someone could deny penal substitution and legitimately remain in the Evangelical Alliance.

Wow. Indeed, they have orgainsed a symposium to debate the issue at London School of Theology (formerly London Bible College), for July 6th to 8th, which will include I' Howard Marshall and Joel Green as speakers. Now, I believe the symposium will come down strongly for the truth of penal substitution, and I hope the EA will strongly reaffirm that (indeed, indications are that the symposium is sided towards biblical truth). But a few months ago I would have never thought that evangelicals in Britain would seriously be talking about whether penal substitution is the only true understanding ot the meaning of Christ's death.

UPDATE: Read Mohler's Article again...noted that they EA are changing their statement of faith to be far clearer on penal substitution - excellent...I am very relieved.

A;so, it seems the symposium is moved to 2006 according to Mohler...can't find any more info online, but interested to see what comes of it.

There are some very good responses (other than the ones I mentioned above), and I list them here:

Punished in Our Placeby Garry Williams

Have We Lost the Message of Jesus? by Andrew Sach and Mike Ovey

Steve Chalke and the Cross of Christ by Nick Needham

Made a Curse for Us in Free Presbyterian Magazine

A Scandelous Attack on the Cross by Martin Downes

I could write exposition on the substitutionary atonement, but it would be poor compared to other resources. In particular, for perhaps the best brief statement (relatively) of the truth of the substitutionary atonement, go here:

What Did the Cross Achieve: The Logic of Penal Substitution by J I Packer

Finally, on Joel Green, who will be speaking at the symposium I mentioned, see these articles by David Linden

Recovering the Scandal of the Cross - Part I Recovering the Scandal of the Cross - Part II
The Current Downgrade in the Doctrine of the Atonement

A final note - I hope the get Carson, Sinclair Ferguson, or some other excellent theologians for the symposium.

How can politicians just lie and lie part 2

2005-04-26T09:56:00.000-04:00

A few minutes after my previous post, I come across this quote from Senator Leahy:

I have stated over and over again on this floor that I would refuse to put an anonymous hold on any judge; that I would object and fight against any filibuster on a judge, whether it is somebody I opposed or supported; that I felt the Senate should do its duty. If we don't like somebody the President nominates, vote him or her down

What can you say? (HT: Powerline)

How can politicians just lie and lie?

2005-04-26T09:29:00.000-04:00

Maybe I'm just naieve, but why is it that poiticians state over and over things they know not to be true? Shouldn't they be held accountable, or do we just not care, accepting it as part of the way politics is? In a recent article by Rich Lowry (who is becoming one of my favourite commentators), it is noted that Sanator George Mitchell, former Democratic Senate majority leader, stated recently that neither he nor any of his colleagues would ever have tried to get rid of the filibister like the Republicans are now. hmmmm. Lowry then points out that in 1994 Mitchell stated to CNN that the filibuster should be severely curtailed. And as I noted in an earlier post, in 1995 Democrats intorduced an attempt to limit it in the extreme (with the support of Kerry, Lieberman and Kennedy). In other words, the Senator (unless severely limited in his memory), knowingly lied. Am I the only one who is appalled and disgusted? From the lack of commentary on the way politicians act, there don't seem to be many. It would be nice if the culture would change and lying politicians would be held truly accountable.

Oh well, just an annoyed post...

Bible Loving Scotland?

2005-04-25T08:41:00.000-04:00

I've heard my homeland affectionately referred to as Bible Loving Scotland, but sadly, if ever true (and it's probably a romanticism version of Scotland at any time - read the books by my former tutor, Callum Brown, who is an excellent historian on religion in Scotland), it certainly isn't so any more. I've blogged on the Scottish Episcopal church, and their willingness to ordain practicing homosexuals, and now I read this article in the Scotsman giving details of a vote by the students at Stirling University to get rid of Gideon's Bibles from student's rooms in halls of residence. This may seem logical in order not to offend students of other faiths, but it certainly doesn't support any image of Scotland as the Land of the Book (another misnomer, I fear, at any time in her history).

Scottish Episcopal Church and Homosexuality - Part III

2005-04-23T06:47:00.000-04:00

As noted in my previous post, a meeting was arranged for April 22nd, and the results were that the meeting was cordial, but no retraction of the bishops statement supporting the ordination of practicing homosexuals will be forthcoming. A meeting with the whole College of Bishops is arranged for May 4th, but change seems unlikely just now. Keep on praying...

Democrats Previous Views on the Filibuster (before it suited their needs)

2005-04-23T06:41:00.000-04:00

An article in National Review, The Filbuster: Then & Now, points out that in 1995, Leiberman, Harkin, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry (plus 15 others) all supported getting rid of the filibuster - entirely. Guess it suited them then and not now. Back then it was called "legislative piracy"...how things change.

This fact should be made far more widely known.

The Constitutional Option - Hewitt Summarises the Issue

2005-04-22T11:24:00.000-04:00

Hugh Hewitt summarises the issue involved in the issue over the filibuster and the judical nominations in the Senate - this is what should be told to the media consistently, he argues:

"There was exactly one refusal to close debate on a judicial nominee in the entire 20th century, and that was a favor to a sitting Supreme Court justice about to be embarrassed by defeat who withdrew his nomination immediately afterwards and resigned soon after because of ethics problems.

Since January, 2003, there have been 20 different refusals to close debate on judicial nominees. This disfigurement of Senate tradition, disguised as the appropriate application of a rule intended for legislative debates, must and will end."

That sums it up as well as anything for me - now lets hope the media report it fairly (not holding my breath...)

For good coverage, go to Hugh Hewitt and ConfirmThem

Cookie Monster, Catholicism and Political Correctness

2005-04-22T10:12:00.000-04:00

This article by Jonathan Goldberg is very funny! Sesame Street has changed some of the fundamental reasons for Cookie Monster's existence in order to be more politically correct...by changing his focus, Goldberg argues, they make him act contrary to his nature!!

It's a funny post, but I can't help but see parallels with my previous one. In expecting the Catholic Church to change to adapt to modern society and liberal pressures and agendas, they are trying to get the Roman Catholic Church to go contrary to it's nature, just like they've caused PBS to do with Sesame Street's Cookie Monster. Thing is, they're apoplectic because they haven't had the same success with Roman Catholicism as they've had with children's programs! And don't they realise how unfair they are being. Asking the Catholic Church to go pro-choice and support the homosexual agenda would be like asking the liberal commentators to be nice, balanced and judicious in the columns. I sure don't expect change any time soon from the liberal columnists, and they shouldn't be surprised at the lack of change by the Roman Catholic Church.

Update: Another short article, Is The Pope A Catholic. It seemed to come as a surprise to some.

Benedict XVI, Accusations, Evangelicalism and Reality Checks

2005-04-22T09:18:00.000-04:00

I've been fascinated to see the process of the election a new Pope, and I expected Cardinal could be a likely winner. The liberal reaction to his election, from sadness and repulsion, to shock and anger, has been interesting to note. This Pope is not a happy choice for the liberals, as he is as conservative as they come on social issues (and, indeed, on doctrinal issues). No support for women priests, abortion or homosexual unions with Benedict XVI. Examples of the reaction from the press can be seen in this article at the Weekly Standard. The charges range from his being out of touch with modern society, being unbending and unloving, to being an active Nazi. In terms of being a Nazi Pope, the charge, I have to say, is below even the poorest of writers and researchers. This article shows A German take on such charges, and this article discusses the charges made by British papers. Ratzinger was a member of the Hitler Youth, but he had no choice...every German child his age was at the time. Yet he left at the first opportunity, saying it was incompatible with his desire to enter Seminary. The baselesness of the accusations can be seen in the fact the Jerusalem Post contradicts them and is supportive of Ratzinger. Indeed, the low accusations against the new Pope stem, I would propose, from the hatred of what he stands for morally and theologically. The Post responds again to charges of anti-semitism against Benedict XVI, made because he believes the Jews should accept Jesus, by saying: "To all this we should say, 'This is news?'" It's ridiculous. What did the liberals expect from the Conclave? Did they really expect that their news coverage and liberal bias would move the Roman Catholic Church to choose a Cardinal (if one exists) that was liberal in the way they were? The need a reality check...the Catholic Church is a, wait for it, Conservative institution, that gets its morality from the Bible, not the front pages of the New York Times of LA Times. The whole commentary over the last week or so has been amazing to watch.

From my Evangelical point of view, for a few reasons I am happy that Ratzinger was elected to the Papacy. First, he takes a Biblical view of morality, from his pro-life position, to his pro-marriage position, he is on the same page as Evangelicals (well, as Evangelicals should be!) Second, he is strongly in defence of the reality of Truth with a big T, and against relativism. In his HOMILY AT THE MASS FOR THE ELECTION OF THE ROMAN PONTIFF, April 18, 2005 (see Hugh Hewitt's article for the text), Ratzinger wrote:

We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires.

Our present narcissitic culture could hardly be summarised better, and it is good to have someone so visible stand so clearly for the reality of Truth greater than ourselves. Finally, I think the fact that Ratzinger is Pope will simply go to further show the real differences between Evengelicals and Roman Catholics. No man has written more voluminously on Catholic doctrine, or so clearly and dogmatically that Ratzinger, and the differences between us are clear through his teachings. This will, for example, make things such as the Evangelicals and Catholics together enterprise of Neuhaus and Colson etc. far harder, I expect.

My troubles are simply what they would always have been, in that the Papacy is an unbiblical office, and the Roman Catholic teaching on soteriology is far removed from my understanding of the teaching of Scripture. Thus, as much as I am happy with their choice, I am more sad, as I believe that when tru Roman Catholic doctrine is embraced, it takes people away from the reality of Christ and His all-sufficient sacrifice for them, and that more subtly than most things that would draw people away from God. Yes, Pope Benedict XVI is very right on the reality of Truth with a big T, but as gifted as he is, I believe with all my heart that he has missed the most important element of that Truth, the One Who is Truth and the real meaning of His death and resurrection, and the nature of salvation...And thus I grieve.

For commentary on the new Pope from a position most close to my own, see:

Albert Mohler
Paul McCain
Tim Bayley

I would love to see Roman Catholicism and Protestantism./Evangelicalism united, but it must be on the basis of the Truth. May God make it so...

Apologetics - My Goals

2005-04-12T00:19:00.000-04:00

I've been reading on apologetics lately, and two articles online that I think are good in outlining the needs and goals of apologetics. First, is Matthew Slick's article at his excellent CARM (Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry)website, Eight Reasons Why We Need Apologetics. The reasons are:

1. It is commanded

2. It helps Christians know their faith

3. It attempts to keep people out of hell

4. It helps counteract the bad press Christianity is often given

5. It helps combat apostasy in the church

6. It helps combat false ideas in the culture

7. it helps combat immorality in society

8. The schools are very biased against Christianity

The second article is Doug Groothuis' Christian Apologetics Manifesto 2003: Sixteen Theses. I won't outline the theses here, but the impetus behind them is covered in an introductory paragraph:

Because of (a) the waning influence of the Christian worldview in public and private life in America today, (b) the pandemic of anti-intellectualism in the contemporary church, and (c) the very command of God himself to further divine truth, I strongly advise that the following statements be wrestled with and responded to by all followers of Jesus Christ.

Having read these, and many other articles, I am aiming to cover several areas of apologetics in the coming months, perhaps taking one area every two weeks or month (depending on time), and writing posts on thoses themes. This is primarily for me, and if noone else reads this, that's fine, as my primary aim is in preparing myself as a good soldier ready always for the apologetic battle. If others benefit, so much the better. My first themes are lilely to cover ethical areas, such as abortion, euthanasia, stem-cell research, homosexuality, and so on. As I go, I will hopefully end up with a good grasp of each area myself, some helpful posts on the subjects, and links to helpful resources. In ever darker days with ever bigger challenges from anti-Christian elements of our society, I for one want to be prepared.

Infanticide in Europe

2005-04-08T14:39:00.000-04:00

Wesley J. Smith points to this article in the Lancet noting that soon Belgium may move in the direction of the Dutch in legally permitting the killing of critically ill babies and infants, noting what took the Dutch 30 years is taking the belgians only 5. As he says:

Such is the inescapable logic of euthanasia. Once killing is transformed from "bad" to "good" as a remedy for suffering, it doesn't take long before those who can't exercise the killing "choice" have it made for them.

Our culture, even here in the States, with Terri Schiavo a prime example, is turning killing from bad to good...where's it going to lead us if it's not stopped now?

Scottish Episcopal Church and Homosexuality - April 7th Meeting

2005-04-07T22:47:00.000-04:00

The information I received was basically as follows. The meeting took place today between the members of the Scottish Anglican Movement and the Scottish Episcopal Church leaders between 3 and 6 p.m. Accounts say the meeting was cordial, and David McCarthy wrote:

1. We are still talking to one another.

2. We will meet again on the Friday, 22nd of April. This will be a
crucial meeting as we continue to 'discuss across difference'.

3. We agreed that we would not talk too the press between now and
the next meeting.

We realise for some there is a desire for more news, but this is a
delicate situation. Suffice it to say - We heard the bishops'
concerns, and they certainly heard ours.

We need to continue in humble prayer for our church and bishops.
They are under huge pressure and our voice is but one that they are
listening to.

Be patient, and slow to anger. God is good (all the time!).

Now, I sympathise with the fact that everything should be done to bring reconciliation between the two groups, and I realise that the bishops obviously have a lot of different groups pressuring them. But in the end, surely the one group (a Trinity, indeed) should be God. And surely that makes the deliberations simple?

The Bible makes clear what God wants done in this situation - for His Word to be upheld, and Him to be glorified...and that would mean rejecting not homosexuals, but the active participation of practicing homosexuals in the body of Christ. In the end, patience must give out to Truth. The pressures to ordain practicing homosexuals are primarily from the world, of which we are not to be of...

I earnestly pray God opens the episcopal bishops' eyes and hearts to His Truth, and that they submit to Him, not other pressure groups. But if not, then let those who are truly commited to Him come out.

More updates on APril 22nd I expect (or before if there are any).

Websites of Biblical Scholars and Theologians - Update 1

2005-04-07T12:24:00.000-04:00

Update: Sent out emails to a lot of scholars at evangelical seminaries, and got some reposnses (expect quite a few more)...I've added the first results.

I've wanted for a while to start a page devoted to biblical scholars and theologians who have homepages that have a decent amount of useful material (and are evangelical in outlook and sound inthe foundational doctrines of the Bible). As I've started this blog, I thought this a place I could at least start on it, and I'll pin this thread soon, So, here's a start, and I'll add to the thread as I find more sites (please, anyone reading this, if you know of any, please recommend them - my decision on the ones I find useful and sound is final, but I accept a pretty wide range, and want this to be useful to others...

Albert MohlerPresident of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary here in Louisville, and one of the most insightful Christian commentators around. His site has articles, a link to his radio program, and a link to his daily Crosswalk Commentaries.

Robert A. J. GagnonAssociate Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. His site has a lot of excellent material on Christianity and homosexuality.

Doug Groothuis Professor of Philosophy ar Denver Seminary, and very well known Christian author. Site has many articles and book reviews he has published, focusing on Christian apologetics (also, links to his wife, Rebecca's site).

Mike StallardProfessor of Systematic Theology at Bible Baptist College. His site has a lot of good articles worth reading.

David S. DockeryPresident of Union University, and an excellent theologian and cultural commentator. His page has links to many of his articles and addresses.

Francis WatsonProfessor in New Testament Theology, King's College, Aberdeen. Has several of his published and unpublished articles (including a couple on the new perspective).

Wesley J. SmithSenior Fellow at the Discovery Institute, Smith is at the forefront of discussion of contemporary cultural movements (such as abortion, stem cell research and so on) from a Christian perspective. His site has a wealth of material, inncuding articles and a link to his Blog.

Simon GathercoleLecturer in New Testament, and young evangelical scholar with ever growing credentials. Site has links to some articles he has published.

Peter HeadNew Testament Research Fellow, Tyndale House. Links to a wide range of his published and unpublished work.

Richard G. HoweWith his brother (see below), a Christian Apologist and writer. His site has several of his articles.

Thoms A. HoweProfessor of Bible and Biblical Languages, Southern Evangelical Seminary. Site has good articles on biblical issues, and good reviews of Brian McLaren and the late Stanley Grentz.

William DembskiSoon to be Director of Center fo Science and Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. A site with a LOT of articles on intelligent design and associated issues.

William Lane CraigExcellent Christian Apologist and Research Professor of Theology at Talbot School of Theology. Not with him on his neo-Molinist views, but very good apologetic articles at his site.

Norman GeislerPresident of Southern Evangelical Seminary, and well know Christian apologist. Not much on his site by way of articles, but some good articles on the recent controversy over Clark Pinnock and John Sanders in the ETS and open theism.

John WhitcombFormer Professor of Theology and Old Testament at Grace Seminary. About a dozen articles he has written on this site.

R. Scott ClarkAssociate Professor of Historic and Systematic Theology at Westminster Seminary. Excellent materials here from his taught classes

David LindenAction International Ministries. A lot of theological work here, including commentaries on Isaiah and Hebrews, with many other articles.

H. Wayne HousePresident and Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, Oregon Theological Seminary. A good number of articles on theology, law, ethics and other subjects.

Paul CopanChair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University. Copan has several articles, mainy on christian philosophical issues.

Daniel AkinPresident of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. A vast array of materials from Dr. Akin on many theological issued. You could spend a lot of time here.

Thomas COnstableSenior Professor of Bible Exposition, Dallas Theological Seminary. Dr. Constable's Expository notes on the whole Bible - a lot of material!

Ron RhodesAdjunct Professor of Theology, Biola University. Christian apologist, with many articles on apologetics.

David HowardProfessor of Old Testament, Bethel Seminary. Well known Old Testament scholar, with many of his published articles available on his site.

Robert RakestrawProfessor of Theology, Bethel Seminary. Links to some of his published articles and bibliographies.

Dennis SwansonSeminary Librarian and Direcotr of Israel Studies, The Master's Seminary. Links to articles, and also Swanson's blog.

William BarrickProfessor of Old Testament, The Master's Seminary. Links to many of his articles.

John Mark ReynoldsAssociate Professor of Philosophy, Biola University. Has many of his articles, and also links to his excellent blog.

Wayne McDill Senior Professor of Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina. His site has over a dozen articles on preaching, evangelism and pastoral care, as well as a book on preaching available for free download. The site also has a blog.

Alvin Reid Associate Dean of Proclamation and Professor of Evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina, His site contains around 10 articles on evangelism and Christian living, as well as a number of links on evangelism.

David Black Professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina. His personal site contains a vast amount of information in the forms of essays and columns on a wide range of issues from a Christian perspective, as well as a blog.

Ravi Zacharias Visiting Professor at Knox Theological Seminary, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and a highly respected Christian apologist. His ministry website contains a wealth of apologetic material.

Mark D. Futato Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. He is also serving as the acting Academic Dean. His site contains some personal information and a handful of essays.

Calvin Beisner associate professor of historical theology and social ethics at Knox Theological Seminary in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and an adjunct fellow of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty and of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow. His site has a large number of articles on Biblical studies, economics, environmental issues and politics.

Reggie Kidd Professor of New Testament and Dean of the Chapel at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando. Dr. Kidd’s site has a wide range of essays and class materials focusing on worship and on Pauline studies.

Carl "Chip" Stam Associate Professor in the School of Church Music and Worship at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. His site has an interesting worship quote for the week with discussion, and a link to his personal home page.

That will do for a start...really looking forward to finding out about more useful links - thanks in advance...

Conrad Gempf Lecturer in New Testament at London School of Theology, London, UK. He has a blog which he adds to often with devotional thoughts, and the site includes some articles and book information.

John Kilner Franklin Forman Chair of Ethics at Trinity International University, Illinois. His page contains links to a good number of articles he has written as well as book information, primarily in the field of bioethics.

C Ben Mitchell Professor of Bioethics and Contemporary Culture at Trinity International University, Illinois. His page His page has links to a lot of articles he has written as well as book information, primarily in the field of bioethics.

John Frame Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida. This site contains a very large amount of his articles on a wide range of subjects, from a very well respected theologian. More can be found throughout the site: Reformed Perspectives.

Rodney J. Decker Associate Professor of New Testament, Baptist Bible Seminary, Clark Summit, PA. The site has some of Dr. Decker’s materials on the New Testament, as well as a wide range of links on New Testament and Theological issues.

Alan Ingalls Associate Professor of Old Testament Languages and Literature, Baptist Bible Seminary, Clark Summit, PA. The site has a strong focus on Hebrew language studies, with some material and many links.

Gary Gromacki Associate Professor of Bible and Homiletics, Baptist Bible Seminary, Clark Summit, PA. Contains several of Dr. Gromacki’s articles, and a great deal of information on his investigation of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

P B Ryan Professor of Biblical and Historical-Theological Studies as Baptist Missionary Association Seminary, Jacksonville, Texas. His site contains many articles on theological, historical and Baptist issues.

Jack Willsey Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and World Missions, Northwest Baptist Seminary, Tacoma, WA. His page has five articles on postmodernism, hermeneutics and the trinity.

Ralph Wood Professor of Theology and Literature at Truett Theological Seminary, Waco, Texas. Dr. Wood’s site contains articles on writers such as Tolkein, C. S. Lewis, P. D. James and G. K. Chesterton.

Carl Laney Professor of Biblical Literature, Western Seminary, Portland, Oregon. His page has a link to five of his articles on theological issues.

Gary Breshears Professor of Theology, , Western Seminary, Portland, Oregon. Links to a very wide range of papers providing outlines of theological themes.

James Hamilton Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies, Harvard School for Theological Studies, Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Hamilton has links to a few of his articles and presentations on his page.

William Pinson Jr. Distinguished Visiting Professor at Truett Theological Seminary, Waco, Texas. This growing site covers Baptist distinctives.

Leftish Language in the UK Elections...definitions!

2005-04-05T09:49:00.000-04:00

Conservative Home has started posting the odd blog entry on leftish language - pretty funny. See here and here.

UK General Election for May 5th 2005

2005-04-05T09:45:00.000-04:00

This is my first UK election as a new resident of the US...going to be a little strange, but at least I can get the oddd bit of BBC news on TV! I'll be keeping up with the coverage at the BBC, and also here...I'll post as intersting things come up...

In the meantime, Andrew Marr's column is excellent as a summary of the issues and serves as a good background to the election

Terri Schiavo - The End of the Affair (John Leo)

2005-04-05T09:06:00.000-04:00

A last post on Terri Schaivo for a while is this link to an article by John Leo. He notes some of the most disturbing aspects of the case: the behaviour of some supporters of Terri, and their threatening behaviour and radical language; the amazing lack of liberal support for Terri and their amazing support of governmental non-intervention in family affairs, and the dreadful coverage in the media of the case.

Another intersting recent item worthy of note was the recent poll by zogby (HT: Justin Taylor). The polls taken by ABC and other news bodies were very biased in their wording, and gave results that made it seem around 70% of the population wanted Terri to die. However, the Zogby poll asked this question:

If a disabled person is not terminally ill, not in a coma, and not being kept alive on life support, and they have no written directive, should or should they not be denied food and water.

These were the facts in the case of Terri Schiavo, it's just that the media didn't really let the public know. The poll resulted in 79% saying in such a case, the patient should not have food and water removed, with only 9% saying they should.

My final thought that just stuck me is this: the indifference of people to the whole case. The facts were readily availabvle over the internet at many, many sites, yet most people were willing simply to accept the media reports as factual, and not really get interested in the issue for themselves. That's worrying, for indifference could lead to many, many bad decisions in this country...

Evolution's Unatural Selection of the Facts

2005-04-05T08:42:00.000-04:00

In a new blog, Michael Behe notes the comment of one of the most vocal proponents of Darwinian evolution, Eugenie Scott:

They harp and harp on natural selection, as if natural selection is the only thing that evolutionary biologists deal with," says Scott. "Who knows whether natural selection explains the Cambrian body plans. ... So what?

That's a big so what! Natural selection is a foundational plank in the evolutionary hypothesis. It amazzes me that evolutionary scientists will hold thier belief even when important facts that underpin the theory are taken away while dismissing non-evolutionary scientists as holding to a blind faith...

The Passing of a Pope

2005-04-05T08:27:00.000-04:00

Pope John Paul II was undoubtedly a great man, and on many of the central issues of the modern day, such as truth against postmodernism and morality, very much on the side of the evangelical. However, he held a position that evangelicals (at least traditionally!) cannot find to be biblical, and more worrying, he had an extra-biblical devotion to Mary and held strongly to the Catholic teachings on salvation that brought about the Reformation. Albert Mohler posted a good column yesterday on the passing of the Pope that covers these tensions in the evengelical response to his life. You should read the whole thing...

On Roman Catholicism, two books I would recommend are, The Roman Catholic Controversy (James White) and A View of Rome (John Armstrong)

I saw a play...

2005-04-03T15:27:00.000-04:00

last night at the school connected to our church, and it was powerful.

The theme was abortion, and I was amzed just how well the kids did (juniors and seniors in High School), and how it impacted not only yhe audience but the kids themselves, as they testified afterwards. It included some of the most pertinent facts, including photos of aborted babies (I refuse the word fetuses) in the second and third trimesters (fully formed, and obviously human), details of the procedures used to kill them, details of the fact that babies are born and taken to have the parts harvested, and sometimes when opened up, their hearts are still beating! There is no other conclusion other than the fact we are barbaric, when we kill our children, our weakest, most helpless children. Shame on us, and we will have an enormous price to pay. And for the 7 judges who voted in Ro v. Wade to allow abotion (i.e. musdre of babies) legal, what a responsibility they will hold before God.

I also came across this report of Matt Drudge's firing from Fox, bacuase he wanted to run a story on his show about a 21 week old baby (in the womb) who was having surgery for spina bifida...the photo at the site show the perfectly formed hand of this 21 week old unborn holding the doctor's hand.

Shame on us, and God forgive us...

Happiness is

2005-04-03T15:03:00.000-04:00

I was away yesterday, as Cheri and I were at the wedding of a work-colleague of Cheri's. It was a very nice wedding, down in Princeton, KY, about a three hour drive from where we are here in Louisville. But best of all, it was our six month anniversary of marriage! God hes certainly been very good to me in giving me such a wonderful woman for my wife...I am blessed!

James White on Terri Schaivo - Darwin Killed Terri

2005-04-01T14:16:00.000-05:00

James White writes that he hadn't written until this point because everyone else was saying it all anyway (unlike me, who started a blog, even if little read, because I couldn't help but vent) In this blog entry, James White echoes a thought I had as I was writing my last post...that Terri's death is a result of Darwinism. As I wrote that the common theme in abortion and the death of Terri Schiavo was that we were killing the most helpless and defenseless among us, it struck me that this seems a simple result of survival of the fittest. James White's point, however, is that Darwinism simply sees us all as animals, biological accidents, and therefore not anything inherently worthy of fighting for. Indeed, reading some of the commentary, many bioethicists seem to think that Terri was no longer even a person. As White concludes

Terri Schiavo is gone, but the forces that killed her are not only still with us, but they are now setting their sights upon doing more and more to continue to suppress the truth of God in culture.

The battle is only just beginning...

WORLD Magazine on the End of Life at Both Ends of the Spectrum

2005-04-01T13:33:00.000-05:00

The most recent edition of WORLD is out, and contains a great deal of good writing on the Terri Schiavo case, abortion, and end of life issues at both ends of the age spectrum.

Terri Schaivo receives the most treatment. After the cover story outlines the issues, the magazine has five articles covering different and trubling aspects of the whole situation.

1. One article discusses the issue of living wills and medical proxies. Noting the way in which hearsay evidence resulted in the death of Terri Schiavo (and theat hearsay from a person with at least conflicted loyalties), the writer suggests that both living wills and the appointment of medical proxies is the only wise way to go for Christians.

2. Joel Belz makes the case (disturbingly well), that all of us have actually become practicing secularists. Noting the attempts made to save Terri's life, he notes that lack of follow-through. Noting ways the case could have gone differently if people had acted differently (not sure I agree with all his suggestions, but the first, that the President had taken a couple of the well-respected doctors who said Terri was not in a PVS and given them a national platform was great), he then notes that while to say we must foster a culture of life is commendable, we are not really living in a culture of life - we need to create one, a far harder task.

3. The vitriol of some commentators and doctors against a supposed religious right responsible for prolonging the case is discussed in this article by Hugh Hewitt.

4. The fourth article Gene Veith discusses what the Christian reaction should be to the whole episode, quoting Shaeffer's response: with "resistance, compassion, hope, and restoration." (He also makes the point that this was never about the right to die - Terri was not dying - it was about the right to kill). From the reactions of some Christians's, this is a must read article.

5. Looking towards the debate that needs to be had (and no doubt now will), a final article discusses the role Oregon plays in all this, as the only state with a law permitting euthanasia, and with the Supreme Court going to rule later this year whether that law violates federal drug policies...the ruling could be a huge step in whether other states follow suit.

At the other end of the spectrum, the magazine has an article on Florida and the abortion rate - 1 in 3 babies aborted last year - and how they are trying to combat the ever growing abortion rate in that State (is it coincidence the courts of that state were so heavily weighed against Terri Schaivo?) Another article tells of the growing number of women who are telling of the awful effects they have suffered as a result of their abortion (also including a disturbing interview with a woman who set up a website for women to record why they are not sorry). A final article details some of the deep-rooted Democratic support of abortion.

The common theme I see in abortion and euthanasia, for thos who are interested to know? -simply that they are two different ways of extinguishing the life of the most defenseless and helpless among us...

In Retrospect - Musings on the Tragic Case of Terri Schiavo

2005-04-01T00:45:00.000-05:00

Just a few of the thoughts that have been in my head over the pas couple of weeks regarding Terri's death (judicially sanctioned/ordered death), and thought I'd write some of them down, in no particular order, before I go to bed...

1. Why was Terri given morphine if she was in no pain, and George Felos (along with many 'experts') were saying her starvation was a peaceful death...

2. Thinking about that, why is it that the faces of those we see tragically dying in African countries of starvation and malnourishment not serene and peaceful (perhaps they haven't been fortunate enough to have 'experts' to tell them starvation is a gentle death)

3. Terri is dead for many reasons, but one of those weighing most heavily on me is that she was simply unlucky...several people have pointed out that along the way Terri would be alive today if she had had a kinder draw at the bench, in nay of the courts (a single judge at the State level, a sympathetic judge instead of Whittemore at the first appeal level, a 1-2 desicion at the 11th Circuit rather than a 2-1 against). That her life in the end came down to the luck of the draw does not inspire me to have the courts legistlate in end of life issues (I don't know the alternative, but I don't like what we have).

On the issue of the way the courts failed Terri, see William Anderson's article in the most recent Weekly Standard. In it he writes:

To withhold minimal comfort measures such as water is gratuitous cruelty. But the judge must be convinced of his probity and rectitude, for he alerted every sheriff in Florida to be vigilant in preventing a chip of ice from entering Terri's mouth. And appellate courts declined to interfere with this travesty of justice on the grounds that proper procedures were followed. Thus they became complicit in the evolving tragedy.

Much mischief is set loose when the uncertain judgments of medical diagnosis are conflated with the rigid categories of the law. Unlike coma or brain death, persistent vegetative state is a diagnosis that depends on subjective judgment. It requires a finding of unresponsiveness in an awake and alert person. Even skilled diagnosticians may disagree on this assessment. It does not necessarily preclude the possibility of improvement. It has no definitive laboratory tests

Thus the diagnosis of PVS is not reliable in a forensic sense, and should not be used in life and death decisions.

In the end Terri's death was largely based on unproven (whatever happened to the presumption of innocence?) assertions by at most a handful of physicians, the main one of which was a well know euthanasia supporter, even for people with Alzheimers.

4. I've been actually slightly encouraged by the support from unusual secotrs Terri received. While several liberal commentators have charged the Republicans with pandering to the religious right, on Terri's side have been people such as Ralph Nader and Jesse Jackson...much as I disagree on many things with these two men, I must commend them on thesir support of life.

5. Another support has been the many disabled activist groups, such as Not Dead Yet. One of the posts on their website states:

"It's time for the press to talk to the real experts on the Schiavo case - the disability rights movement", declared Diane Coleman, president and founder of Not Dead Yet, leading the disability community's opposition to non-voluntary euthanasia for a decade.

"That's why 26 national disability rights organizations, including groups like Not Dead Yet, independent living centers, DQIA, and others have adopted a position in support of Terri Schiavo's right to continue to receive food and water," affirmed Stephen Drake, research analyst for NDY. "People on the right are killing us slowly with cuts to the budget and Medicaid while the people on the left kill us quickly and call it 'compassion' -- either way we end up dead -- AND WE OBJECT."

It seems that many of the disability groups who have traditionally seemed so supportive of the left are beginning to see where the Left's ideology actually takes them. Among the eight things that the group states they want in ways of safegaurding the lives of the millions of disabled Americans are meaningful federal review in cases such as Terri's and a morotorium on the removal of food and water for people in PVS until the issue has been fully debated in the public arena.

6. While sympathising with those who have been protesting, I have found the extremes worrying, with people threatening judges and Jeb Bush, for example, and people taking the name Christian while spuoting rhetoric that is anything but. I hate it because they do more harm to the cause of Christ than good, and give the liberal commentators food for their own rhetoric against the so-called 'religious right'. But I hate it most because it is not the way of Christ - it's simply wrong.

7. I think it is monsterous that judges can rule that sustenance be withdrawn from a woman they are meant tp protect, and yet rule that her parents cannot even give her ice to wet her lips. And I think the step taken by Judge Greer, of not only ruling food and water can be withdrawn, but must be, is a historic and terrible step in the wrong direction by the courts.

8. Just as some of the people supporting Terri spoke with remarkable certitude about her being able to recover if therapy was given (maybe she would and maybe not - but it does seem there was a possibility), so others have spoken with certitude of the fact she would want to die in this case - partly based on the hearsay of her husband, but mainly, I think, on their own perception of what they would want. Now obviously noone would want to live like Terri was, but if that were the only life you had, would most people want to die - I'm not so sure.

Anyway, the certainty with which people have dogmatically stated that Terri would rather die than live is dealt with in a column by Paul Vitello. In the column, Vitello writes about his own daughter, who suffered brain damage at 10 months and was written off my most doctors as vegetative. Now she still has very little function, but can sometimes grab yuor hand, differentiate between two colours, and other such simple things. He asks a question all who speak with dogmatism on the obvious fact Terri would chose death:

How can anyone know what constitutes another being's life-worthiness?

How indeed?

Vitello notes Not Dead Yet's stand:

"We totally object to any cognitive test for 'personhood,'" said Diane Coleman, president of Not Dead Yet, a Chicago-based national organization of disabled people opposed to assisted suicide and what they see as a growing euthanasia movement in the U.S. "The use of such testing will inevitably result in the non-voluntary euthanasia of many people with disabilities -- based on society's prejudiced judgment of our 'quality of life.'"

It's a fear worth holding in light of Terri Schiavo's death. Society's prejudiced judgement of the quality of life of many people may be rather less high than we thought, if the polls a re anything like a true reflection of public opinion.

9. Michael Schiavo's lawyer, George Felos, seems downright strange. Here is his record of an encounter with a woman in a nursing homs:

As Mrs. Browning lay motionless before my gaze, I suddenly heard a loud, deep moan and scream and wondered if the nursing home personnel heard it and would respond to the unfortunate resident. In the next moment, as this cry of pain and torment continued, I realized it was Mrs. Browning.

I felt the midsection of my body open and noticed a strange quality to the light in the room. I sensed her soul in agony. As she screamed I heard her say, in confusion, "Why am I still here ... Why am I here?" My soul touched hers and in some way I communicated that she was still locked in her body. I promised I would do everything in my power to gain the release her soul cried for. With that, the screaming immediately stopped. I felt like I was back in my head again, the room resumed its normal appearance, and Mrs. Browning, as she had throughout this experience, lay silent.

Very strange...

10. Finally, an article for the few who come here and have got this far through the post (I'm going to read it tomorrow properly) - How Liberalism Failed Terri Schiavo, by Eric Cohen.

Good night, and my prayers go with the Schindler family, and as distasteful as I've found his actions, Michael Schiavo too...

Canada, Religion Expression and Freedom of Speech

2005-03-31T20:02:00.000-05:00

This article is incredible. It was an address given by Dr. Chris Kempling, a counsellor in Canada, to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and he received a standing ovation. In it he records something of the way in which Canadian laws are affecting religious expression in Canada, and the examples he gives are incredible. Here are the examples:

1. A man is now in British Columbia's maximum security prison for protesting. His protest - holding a sign saying thou shallt not kill outside an abortion clinic, entirely peacefully.

2. A Christian nurse was fined $15,000 by his association and $20,000 by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission. Why? - speaking out against homosexuality.

3. His own case, where he was convicted of conduct unbecoming a member of the BC College of Teachers. The charge - writing a letter outlinging the dangers (as recorded in the scholarly literature) of homosexuality.

His address is well worth consulting, and seeing just how bad things have got in Canada with their new laws. He writes on the potential implications if his appeal fails:

I appealed the conviction to the BC Supreme Court, but lost in February of last year. If this verdict is upheld by the courts, teachers will not be able to write privately to their own supervisors to question a new curriculum resource, or write privately their own elected officials on a matter of public policy, nor will they able to address the topic of homosexuality in post graduate research papers. I was disciplined for doing all of these things. This is an unacceptable restriction of freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and freedom of intellectual expression.

I can hardly believe it. At least we still have freedom of speech (for now...)

N. T. Wright on Gay Ordination and the Scottish Episcopal Church

2005-03-31T16:55:00.000-05:00

I appreciate N. T. Wright's defense of the Christian faith and the resurrection. I am not at all supportive of his work on the so-called New Perspective. Whatever your fellings about him (and he as a very gifted man), as the fourth ranking bishop in the Church of England, his opinion on matters such as the American and Scottish Episcopal Churches' support of gay ordination is worthy of consideration. Here is his response to questions on the issue while at Pittsburg Theological Seminary this week:

"We're looking at questions of how you hold the church together when that happens," Wright said. "Only secondary is the question of homosexuality."

Very intersting comment - outward church unity comes above doctrinal and biblical truth. Sure, homosexuality is not as fundamental as issues such as the resurrection and substitutionary atonement, for example, but it's there, and it's clear...such a stance, if held church wide, can only result in both church disunity and theological and biblical error.

More from Mohler on Terri - Part III

2005-03-31T16:29:00.000-05:00

Dr. Mohler's analysis of the implications of the last two weeks for American culture, and his final questions are what does this mean for patients? and what does this mean for doctors?

In answer to the first question, Mohler fears that the culture is moving (or has moved already) to a place where quality of life is the deciding factor in end of life issues, not the inherent dignity and instructed worth of life. He also notes the way in which not only life and death have been redefined, but eating and drinking, with 'experts' stating Terri is feeling no pain (then why the morphine?), and one even stating that she was not denied food and water - of course she was, and it's deceptive and disingenuous to state otherwise (see the Editorial in the National Review on the euphemisms surrounding the case). It is frightening that our end of life choices are being taken out of our hands.

On the second question, Mohler points out the vehemence with which doctors have been attacked who have disputed the cliaims of those the court followed in making the PVS diagnosis - by their fellow doctors. Claims of religious bigotry and ineptitude have been made, and as Mohler points out, the extreme language and bitterness reveals that more than simply a single life or death decision has been made here. It is a sign of a bigger battle to come, in which physicians and medical experts are going to be at the centre. And as many have disregarded the claims of some doctors because of the religious beliefs they hold (such as Stanford's rejection of Chershire's diagnosis), this does not bode well.

I'd encourage the reading of the columns...

Terri Schiavo is Dead

2005-03-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

...an indictment on us all...

Should People of Faith be Allowed to Make Laws

2005-03-31T07:55:00.000-05:00

I've often been amazed at the arguments to keep people of faith out of politics, and the liberal outrage that Christians and others with religious moral values have such a sway in this country (less and less, however, I fear). Christians are wrong in the beliefs they hold by definition of the fact that they are religious beliefs (and therefore, by definition, irrational). Liberals, gay rights supporters, abortion supporters, stem-cell reasearch supporters, etc., etc., are right by virtue of the fact that they are not religious (and therefore, by definition, rational). Of course, the definitions of religious and rational in those statements would have to be those defined by the liberals, but that's OK, because being liberal, by virtue of the fact it's not being conservative, is to be unbiased and fair-minded!!

Anyway, Hugh Hewitt's most recent Daily Standard column is worth reading on this. Noting the liberal outrage and criticism of the religious right, he comments:

All of these charges--from the most incoherent to the most measured--arrive without definition as to what "the religious right" is, and without argument as to why the agenda of this ill-defined group is less legitimate than the pro-gay marriage, pro-cloning, pro-partial-birth abortion, pro-euthanasia agenda of other political actors.

It's not enough to define the terms in ways you like (or not define them and intead just throw them around), or to make charges without defending them. In eseence, what the liberals say in response to questions on why their position is the right one is to say, 'because', or 'it just is', much like my sister used to reply to my mother in sticky situations when she was a teenager. And if other can't understand it, well, they're just really not worth explaining it to.

Hewitt continues his essay by arguing the uprise in religious activism is simply a response, however, and brought by the liberals, secular elites and courts on themselves. In bringing all these issues, such as gay marriage, Terri Shciavo, and others, into the spotlight, and making law by 'judicial fiat', the response by religious people who wee their whole world-view being attacked is entirely unsurpising.

Hewitt finishes by commenting on the attempts to silence religious political activists:

Attempts to silence them, marginalize them, or to encourage others to do so are not arguments against their positions, but admissions that those positions represent majorities that cannot be refused a place at the law-making table.

The argument really is that the liberals and secularists are fear the power of a majority who think unlike them. My fear, looking at the way things have gone over the last year or two, is that their fear is becoming less and less justified...

More from Mohler on Terri - Part II

2005-03-30T16:34:00.000-05:00

Here we have Mohler's second part (of what I now see will be a three part series) on the Terri Schiavo case. Following his questions in the first part, Dr. Mohler now asks what is the future for the courts and for conservatism in light of this episode?

To the first, the article argues that in the descisions such as Roe vs. Wade and the definition of food and water as medical treatment demonstrates

... a horrible set of legal precedents and court decisions. The courts have increasingly identified a "right to die" as a matter of legal protection and, in some cases, of constitutional right. In so doing, the courts have put themselves into inevitable conflict with larger moral questions.

Mohler also points to the fact that many commentators have referred (often with satisfaction) to the judicial supremacy, and he comments that

Unless these trends are checked, we are increasingly facing a government ruled by judges, for judges, in the name of the courts.

Whatever the case, Terri Schiavo's death has certainly made people look very much more closely at the relationship of the three branches government.

In response to the question of where conservatism goes from here, the article points to what Mohler sees as potentially dangerous divisions in the conservative movement:

At the same time, this controversy points to larger issues that might well divide the conservative movement in years ahead. The libertarians, focused almost exclusively on individual liberty, are increasingly averse to morals legislation. Fiscal conservatives are more willing to negotiate on matters of deep moral concern. All conservatives must recognize that deep worldview implications underlie every significant question.

The divisions are there to see. But as Mohler rightly states (in my view), if there is indeed a lack of moral courage in the conservative movement just now, tehre is little reason for it to continue, for a conservative movement that will not contend for the sanctity of human life is a conservative movement that does not deserve to survive.

I think Mohler may be a little harsh here, but having seen the way the House and Congress backed away from the moral issues of the case as soon as the poll figures turned, I can't be anywhere near certain.

Homepages of Theologians and Biblical Scholars - Links

2005-03-29T23:27:00.000-05:00

Update: Sent out emails to a lot of scholars at evangelical seminaries, and got some reposnses (expect quite a few more)...I've added the first results.

I've wanted for a while to start a page devoted to biblical scholars and theologians who have homepages that have a decent amount of useful material (and are evangelical in outlook and sound inthe foundational doctrines of the Bible). As I've started this blog, I thought this a place I could at least start on it, and I'll pin this thread soon, So, here's a start, and I'll add to the thread as I find more sites (please, anyone reading this, if you know of any, please recommend them - my decision on the ones I find useful and sound is final, but I accept a pretty wide range, and want this to be useful to others...

Albert MohlerPresident of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary here in Louisville, and one of the most insightful Christian commentators around. His site has articles, a link to his radio program, and a link to his daily Crosswalk Commentaries.

Robert A. J. GagnonAssociate Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. His site has a lot of excellent material on Christianity and homosexuality.

Doug Groothuis Professor of Philosophy ar Denver Seminary, and very well known Christian author. Site has many articles and book reviews he has published, focusing on Christian apologetics (also, links to his wife, Rebecca's site).

Mike StallardProfessor of Systematic Theology at Bible Baptist College. His site has a lot of good articles worth reading.

David S. DockeryPresident of Union University, and an excellent theologian and cultural commentator. His page has links to many of his articles and addresses.

Francis WatsonProfessor in New Testament Theology, King's College, Aberdeen. Has several of his published and unpublished articles (including a couple on the new perspective).

Wesley J. SmithSenior Fellow at the Discovery Institute, Smith is at the forefront of discussion of contemporary cultural movements (such as abortion, stem cell research and so on) from a Christian perspective. His site has a wealth of material, inncuding articles and a link to his Blog.

Simon GathercoleLecturer in New Testament, and young evangelical scholar with ever growing credentials. Site has links to some articles he has published.

Peter HeadNew Testament Research Fellow, Tyndale House. Links to a wide range of his published and unpublished work.

Richard G. HoweWith his brother (see below), a Christian Apologist and writer. His site has several of his articles.

Thoms A. HoweProfessor of Bible and Biblical Languages, Southern Evangelical Seminary. Site has good articles on biblical issues, and good reviews of Brian McLaren and the late Stanley Grentz.

William DembskiSoon to be Director of Center fo Science and Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. A site with a LOT of articles on intelligent design and associated issues.

William Lane CraigExcellent Christian Apologist and Research Professor of Theology at Talbot School of Theology. Not with him on his neo-Molinist views, but very good apologetic articles at his site.

Norman GeislerPresident of Southern Evangelical Seminary, and well know Christian apologist. Not much on his site by way of articles, but some good articles on the recent controversy over Clark Pinnock and John Sanders in the ETS and open theism.

John WhitcombFormer Professor of Theology and Old Testament at Grace Seminary. About a dozen articles he has written on this site.

R. Scott ClarkAssociate Professor of Historic and Systematic Theology at Westminster Seminary. Excellent materials here from his taught classes

David LindenAction International Ministries. A lot of theological work here, including commentaries on Isaiah and Hebrews, with many other articles.

H. Wayne HousePresident and Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, Oregon Theological Seminary. A good number of articles on theology, law, ethics and other subjects.

Paul CopanChair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University. Copan has several articles, mainy on christian philosophical issues.

Daniel AkinPresident of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. A vast array of materials from Dr. Akin on many theological issued. You could spend a lot of time here.

Thomas COnstableSenior Professor of Bible Exposition, Dallas Theological Seminary. Dr. Constable's Expository notes on the whole Bible - a lot of material!

Ron RhodesAdjunct Professor of Theology, Biola University. Christian apologist, with many articles on apologetics.

David HowardProfessor of Old Testament, Bethel Seminary. Well known Old Testament scholar, with many of his published articles available on his site.

Robert RakestrawProfessor of Theology, Bethel Seminary. Links to some of his published articles and bibliographies.

Dennis SwansonSeminary Librarian and Direcotr of Israel Studies, The Master's Seminary. Links to articles, and also Swanson's blog.

William BarrickProfessor of Old Testament, The Master's Seminary. Links to many of his articles.

John Mark ReynoldsAssociate Professor of Philosophy, Biola University. Has many of his articles, and also links to his excellent blog.

Wayne McDill Senior Professor of Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina. His site has over a dozen articles on preaching, evangelism and pastoral care, as well as a book on preaching available for free download. The site also has a blog.

Alvin Reid Associate Dean of Proclamation and Professor of Evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina, His site contains around 10 articles on evangelism and Christian living, as well as a number of links on evangelism.

David Black Professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina. His personal site contains a vast amount of information in the forms of essays and columns on a wide range of issues from a Christian perspective, as well as a blog.

Ravi Zacharias Visiting Professor at Knox Theological Seminary, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and a highly respected Christian apologist. His ministry website contains a wealth of apologetic material.

Mark D. Futato Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. He is also serving as the acting Academic Dean. His site contains some personal information and a handful of essays.

Calvin Beisner associate professor of historical theology and social ethics at Knox Theological Seminary in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and an adjunct fellow of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty and of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow. His site has a large number of articles on Biblical studies, economics, environmental issues and politics.

Reggie Kidd Professor of New Testament and Dean of the Chapel at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando. Dr. Kidd’s site has a wide range of essays and class materials focusing on worship and on Pauline studies.

Carl "Chip" Stam Associate Professor in the School of Church Music and Worship at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. His site has an interesting worship quote for the week with discussion, and a link to his personal home page.

That will do for a start...really looking forward to finding out about more useful links - thanks in advance...

Conrad Gempf Lecturer in New Testament at London School of Theology, London, UK. He has a blog which he adds to often with devotional thoughts, and the site includes some articles and book information.

John Kilner Franklin Forman Chair of Ethics at Trinity International University, Illinois. His page contains links to a good number of articles he has written as well as book information, primarily in the field of bioethics.

C Ben Mitchell Professor of Bioethics and Contemporary Culture at Trinity International University, Illinois. His page His page has links to a lot of articles he has written as well as book information, primarily in the field of bioethics.

John Frame Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida. This site contains a very large amount of his articles on a wide range of subjects, from a very well respected theologian. More can be found throughout the site: Reformed Perspectives.

Rodney J. Decker Associate Professor of New Testament, Baptist Bible Seminary, Clark Summit, PA. The site has some of Dr. Decker’s materials on the New Testament, as well as a wide range of links on New Testament and Theological issues.

Allen Ingalls Associate Professor of Old Testament Languages and Literature, Baptist Bible Seminary, Clark Summit, PA. The site has a strong focus on Hebrew language studies, with some material and many links.

Gary Gromacki Associate Professor of Bible and Homiletics, Baptist Bible Seminary, Clark Summit, PA. Contains several of Dr. Gromacki’s articles, and a great deal of information on his investigation of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

P B Ryan Professor of Biblical and Historical-Theological Studies as Baptist Missionary Association Seminary, Jacksonville, Texas. His site contains many articles on theological, historical and Baptist issues.

Jack Willsey Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and World Missions, Northwest Baptist Seminary, Tacoma, WA. His page has five articles on postmodernism, hermeneutics and the trinity.

Ralph Wood Professor of Theology and Literature at Truett Theological Seminary, Waco, Texas. Dr. Wood’s site contains articles on writers such as Tolkein, C. S. Lewis, P. D. James and G. K. Chesterton.

Carl Laney Professor of Biblical Literature, Western Seminary, Portland, Oregon. His page has a link to five of his articles on theological issues.

Gary Breshears Professor of Theology, , Western Seminary, Portland, Oregon. Links to a very wide range of papers providing outlines of theological themes.

James Hamilton Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies, Harvard School for Theological Studies, Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Hamilton has links to a few of his articles and presentations on his page.

William Pinson Jr. Distinguished Visiting Professor at Truett Theological Seminary, Waco, Texas. This growing site covers Baptist distinctives.

Misinformation Rules

2005-03-29T18:43:00.000-05:00

Wesley Smith has a post on why people are not aware of the facts surrounding Terri Schiavo...worth a read.

John Leo on Terri Schiavo

2005-03-29T18:14:00.002-05:00

Came across this column from Wesley Smith's blog Leo makes some excellent and incisive points in his column, and the whole is worth reading. Quoting John Neuhaus on the decline of ethics in general over the last few decades, we read:

Thousands of ethicists and bioethicists, as they are called, professionally guide the unthinkable on its passage through the debatable on its way to becoming the justifiable, until it is finally established as the unexceptional.

Puts it pretty well, I think. Then, on the relation of bioethics to the Terri Schiavo case, Leo ums up:

The killing of Schiavo is a scandal successfully redefined as unexceptional and therefore moral.

That's very true, and one of the most disturbing things of all - that this state sanctioned killing of a helpless woman can be viewed by so much of the population of this country as moral. Our society is, to paraphrase Alice in Wonderland, turning upside down and downside up...and it seems with every passing year there are a lot more downsides...

Terri's Personhood

2005-03-29T10:18:00.000-05:00

Wesley Smith's article on the denial of Terri's personhood by bioethicists, and the implications of such denials...

Also, see Rich Lowry's excellent article on the mumbo-jumbo double-speak surrounding Terri's death. He quotes Felos in one of the most sickening quotes I think I've read in the whole affair:

In all the years II've seen Mrs. Schiavo, I've never seen such a look of peace and beauty upon her.

He also has this comment on a supposed expert's comment that nobody is denying Terri of food and water (!?):

This expert's argument is that, since she is in a persistent vegetative state, she has no knowledge of food. By this logic it would be morally acceptable to suffocate her with a pillow since she has no knowledge of air. She could be dropped out of a 15-story window because she has no knowledge of gravity. She could be shot because she has no knowledge of ballistics.

Can we really put Terri to death on the recommendation of experts such as this?

Scottish Episcopal Church and homosexuality

2005-03-29T09:36:00.000-05:00

A link for the Scottish Anglican Network (a group of churches in the Scottish Episcopalian church with Charismatic leanings...we disagree a little there, but we share our fundamentals!...one of the churches is around 5 minutes from my old church in Ayr). They have their meeting with the bishops on April 7th concerning their disagreement with the church's stand on openly supporting the ordination of practicing homosexuals.

Scottish Preachers and Theologians - Links

2005-03-29T09:17:00.000-05:00

I'm going to start a few blog entries to do with Scotland, and the first is a links thread (which I'll pin soon) on Scottish preachers and theologians, both past and present. Just a single link to start off, but an excellent one:

Scottish Preacher's Hall Of Fame Maintained by Alan Newbie, and Englishman!!, this site has photos, links and sermons from many of Scotland's greatest preachers from the past, from Robert Murray McCheyene, to the Bonar brothers, to Thomas Boston, and a whole host more...spend a lot of time here!

Iain D. Campbell A minister at Back Free Church of Scotland in Stornaway, Dr. Campbell has written an excellent book entitled The Doctrine of Sin. This site contains many of his articles and sermons.

Scottish Preachers This site has links to articles or sermons by several modern and older scottish preachers and theologians, such as John Kennedy, John Knox, Thomas Chalmers, and the excellent Sinclair Ferguson.

More links to come !

More from Mohler on Terri

2005-03-29T08:56:00.000-05:00

His most recent commentary is Terri Schaivo - Enduring Questions, Part I. In it he asks two questions stemming from the whole tragic episode.

First, Mohler asks what does this mean for the culture in the United States? The answer is that the division between two widely divergent views of life exist in America, with an impassable gulf between them. First, the social conservatives, who believe all life is intrinsically valuable and precious, and second, the social liberals who believe that quality of life is what matters. Mohler cites several writers, and I'd encourage any readers to go to his article as I won't steal his thunder, but I do appreciate the response he gives to Andrew Sullivan (a brit who I used to read in the Sunday Times before moving here, and who has gone off the rails even more in the last year or two). Sullivan was horrified at the intervention of Congress over the State powers of Florida, and vehemently defends state rights. Dr. Mohler's response:

His argument that "moral" issues should not trump federalism, if taken seriously, would have meant the continuation of slavery.

I'm sure Sullivan would back away from that, but the logical conclusions of liberal arguments often seem unclear to the proponents of those ideas.

Mohler's second question is what does this mean for the future? He begins his answer with these words:

Every significant moral precedent leads to the formation of new moral habits and the framing of new moral issues.

As he goes on to argue, the signs are ominous. Over half the population, and over half the conservatives and evangelicals, if polls are anything to go by, believe the decision to remove the feeding tube was correct, and accept the quality of life argument of the social liberals. Pointing to other related issues such as abortion and stem-cell research, Dr. Mohler concludes:

On issue after issue, the American public seems to be shifting into a worldview based in utilitarianism and a radical vision of individual autonomy.

That's scary to me, and I can be certain that it grieves that heart of God, and angers Him.

The second part of Dr. Mohler's response comes tomorrow...

An Autopsy for Terri?

2005-03-29T08:44:00.000-05:00

It seems, from Blogs For Terri, that Michael Schaivo wants her to have an autopsy. Why? To prove the extent of her brain injury. The comment from the writer of the blog bears repeating:

Regarding the rationale reported above, doesn't it seem more appropriate to determine the extent of Terri's brim damage before she is starved to death?

It is extraordinary that they would want to prove it was right to kill Terri after the event, rather than have the required MRI and PET scans before withdrawing sustenance. And further on this point, listening to Hugh Hewitt the other night, I find that Terri is being given morphine. Why? To relieve the pain. But haven't we heard that Terri is in no pain, because she has no brain function to be able to feel it?

And further on starvation, comments in the Daily Texan from a philosophy student (HT: World Mag Blog):

Last week, The New York Times published an article citing expert claims that starvation results in a "gentle" death. According to the article, the process of starvation "is relatively straightforward, and can cause little discomfort."

At least now I don't have to feel guilty about little kids with bloated bellies in Somalia. Don't worry, kids. The doctor says it doesn't hurt

The language surrounding Terri's death from so-called experts, and the protestations that this is a dignified way to die, are stomach-turning.

If there is an autopsy (and I'm not holding my breath), I just hope it is by an unbiased third party.

Supreme Court and Abortion

2005-03-28T15:22:00.000-05:00

The Supreme Court just ruled against reinstating an Idaho law requiring parental consent for abortions in teens under the age of 18 (High Court Lets Stand A Parental Consent Ruling). So, the Supreme Court is unwilling to stand up to protect the life of a helpless, defenseless Terri Schaivo, but willing to make it much easier for girls who know very little of life to destroy the helpless, defenseless on inside them. I guess at least they are consistent...

Lets hope, then, the least the court can do is go after abortion doctors who don't hold up their statutory duty to report abortions in under age girls.

Scottish Episcopal Church and Gay ordination, part II

2005-03-28T15:15:00.000-05:00

Update on the debate in the Scottish Episcopal Church over gay ordination from the BBC. An evangelical group, The Scottish Anglican Network (where did they get that name!), has threatened to split from the Scottish Episcopal Church if they do not withdraw their support of the ordination of homosexuals. A Gay Advocacy group (Changing Attitude Scotland) has accused the network of

"Those who are calling for the bishops to withdraw their statement appear to be frightened of that discussion taking place," he told BBC Scotland's news website.

I wonder if they have ever just thought that they are appalled by the watering down of Biblical truth and orthodoxy? Anyway, watch this space for more.

Pat Sajak Says - Who'd Have Thunk It?

2005-03-28T14:36:00.000-05:00

When you think of interesting conservative commentators, the world of Television Game Shows is not where you generally run to...however, having being pointed to an article by World Mag Blog, I went to Pat Sajak's site, and found he does a weekly commentary that is actually quite good!! The most recent is Arguing With Liberals, Why I've Stopped. He notes the irrationality of much of the liberal debate in his conversation with liberal friends (he probably has a few!) Here we have a representatively sane quote, talking of much of the liberal debate (this example based on a friend stating Justice Scalia was worse than the Nazis!):

They tend to do things like accusing members of the Right of sowing the seeds of hatred while, at the same time, comparing them to mass murderers. And they do this while completely missing the irony.

Another quote I liked, speaking of the disdain much of the liberal elite holds for the backward Red States:

It turns out it is superiority, not familiarity, which breeds contempt.

I've found that to be all too true in my university experiences.

In the previous weeks column, Mr. Sajak points to the slant of the liberal media (i.e. the great proportion of it [see, for example, the newest potential fraud, the so called Republican Talking point Memo on the Terri Schiavo Case, which could be a huge embarrassment to ABC who ran with it, Fake But Accurate Again). The column discusses the slanting of the coverage of Terri Schiavo in particular, and in it he makes this very true comment concerning the honesty of the coverage among bloggers more than in the mainstream media:

But don’t these bloggers also have a slanted view of the issues? Of course they do, but, in most cases, they acknowledge it and the consumers can factor in that slant when they read. When you check out something called “The View from the Right”, you know what you’re getting, but when you read The New York Times, you think you’re getting “All the news that’s fit to print”.

It's the same in apologetics, I find...those opposing Christianity, or defending evolution, and so on, and so on, are the sane ones, who by the nature of the beliefs they hold are somehow granted a position of greater rationality and lesser bias than those believing the irrational special creation or resurrection. Christians generally admit their biases more readily than liberals - it's simply true. But that's because liberals believe they have no biases.

For the record, I am a Bible believing Christian, believe that God created me and this world for His pleasure, that He reigns in Heaven and Earth, and that the Word of God is our sure foundation through which to view the world and all in it. Just in case you hadn't got that!

Anyway, never thought I'd be doing this, but go to Pat Sajak's site, and read his commentaries - you'll be pleasantly surprised!!

Mohler on Terri

2005-03-28T06:43:00.000-05:00

Al Mohler's most recent Crosswalk Commentary summarizes the case well, even in the title - The Bell Tolls for Humanity. Mohler makes several points that have been repeated often and bear repeating. First, that spousal privilege, although a well set precedent, should not trump every other consideration in cases like these...the fact that Michael Schaivo should be given the life or death decision for his wife, while living with another woman with whom he's borne children and having a potential financial motive in desiring her death (whether or not these two facts have influenced his decision), is deeply troubling. Second, medical science has come on leaps and bounds in the ten years since the medical evidence the courts relied on to make the decision was proposed, and PVS (if Terri is in a PVS, which as I say, it seems very likely she is not, if only the courts would listen to the countless doctors willing to testify so) is not necessarily completely irreverible - as Wilson pointed out in his article in the previous post:

The chances that such a recovery will occur are very small, but they are not zero.

If they are not zero, then withdrawing a patient's feeding tubes and allowing her to die from a lack of water and food means that whoever authorizes such a step may, depending on the circumstances, be murdering the patient. The odds against it being a murder are very high, but they are not 100%.

Further, Michael Schiavo has denied Terri the medical tests necessary to really tell for certain one way or the other (MRI and PET). Further, Mohler comments on the notion of food and water being medical treatment:

Some observers attempt to find recourse in the legal definition of food and hydration as medical treatments. This is yet another of the perversities currently established in legal precedents. Since when is food and water a form of medical treatment? There can be no doubt that numerous courts have now agreed in this finding, but the moral consequence of this distinction is both fundamental and far reaching. Infants are obviously unable to feed themselves, but no one would rationally characterize the feeding of a healthy infant as a medical treatment. Those attempting to justify the courts' determination to end Terri Schiavo's life would immediately jump to a distinction between a healthy infant, who may be presumed to advance towards healthy adulthood, and Terri Schiavo, who, it is claimed, has little hope of any recovery or advance. This is a tempting distinction, but where does it end? Who will be next in line to be judged to have an inadequate quality of life or an inadequate chance of recovery? The logic of death advances on our refusal to face these questions directly.

Mohler further comments on the rulings of James Whittemore against the obvious intent of Congress. The fact that Congress took such extraordinary actions to pass legislation to allow Terri a further hearing based on the multitudes of new evidence, and that this man ignored this (and not only him, but the judges of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals (well, most of them, or at least half - enough to send it up), and the Judges of the Supreme Court), is astonishing. And claiming his reason was that they were not likley to win an appeal on the merits of their case - that wasn't his judgement, in just a few hours - that was meant to be the judgement of a court based on the merits of their case, not his view of the expected outcome. As Mohler writes,

Judge Whittemore's decision not to hold such a hearing was not only a devastating loss to Terri Schiavo and the Schindlers, but to the cause of life itself and to hopes for a recovery of moral sanity within the judiciary.

This Easter period, the thought of Pilate comes to mind, washing his hands of the blood of Jesus...but the water couldn't wash away his guilt. The judiciary in this case stands in exactly the same position - Terri's blood is on their hands. But not just theirs: ours, as a society as a whole. The moral indignation has been muted, and many people are content to let Terri die.

The last word from Mohler again:

If one member of the human race can be so devalued as to be considered unworthy of life, every single human life is effectively discounted. As the poet John Donne would remind us, the bell that tolls for Terri Schiavo tolls for all humanity.

Playing God

2005-03-28T06:27:00.000-05:00

James Wilson writes a good column. In it he argues that it was entirely unnecessary to kill Terri (a revelation, it would seem, to many out there). Basically he repeats the simple points that she was not in state as many others where she would die quickly without life support (and the idea food and water is life support is ridiculous - how did that ever become legal argument?!), and that she could (even if in a PVS, which she probably is not) have recovered.

In another column, John Fund interestingly compares the case of Terri with the case of Elian Gonzalez. Janet Reno and the Democrats went in and by force got the boy, while there is no such action in the case of Terri. Is it simply the case that here it's not politically expedient to do so? Surely Terri isn't going to die because of simple political expediency (though I guess history teaches us people do all the time - I don't see why it should be different today).

American Idol - Telling the Truth

2005-03-25T17:42:00.000-05:00

Interesting article here at Opinion Journal. Talks about the success of American Idol, and suggests that the following may be the reason:

We live in an age in which being "judgmental" is a social vice; where our vanities are puffed and our lives misled by the moral disengagement of Randy Jackson and self-esteem diet of Paula Abdul. Mr. Cowell's judgments may be stern, but they are sharp, and his stardom attests to the fact that, deep down, Americans still hunger for some unvarnished truths. Funny that it takes a Brit to remind us.

I remember watching the first American Ido back in Scotland (it started in Britain), called Pop Idol, and thinking that Simon was indeed refreshingly honest. It was a big draw. Interesting comment from the article mentioned above, that "deep down, Americans still hunger for some unvarnished truths". I hope it's true. It seems, however, that over the past week or so, the judiciary and the media do not. Had they sought the truth, Terri would still be being fed and not starving to death. I hope the public at large begins to find out the real facts at the basis of this case, and while it seems every more likely it will tragically be too late for Terri and the Schindlers, may it not be too late for the United States...may Terri's lagacy be a step towards a Reformation for a culture of life and not death, and may Americans really be struck with a burden for Truth...

Terri's Legacy...

2005-03-25T17:24:00.000-05:00

Editorial from Opinion Journal (require's free online subscription) is worth reading:

Democratic Party politics will be affected too; of the 100 House Democrats who made it back to Washington, 47--including nine members of the Congressional Black Caucus--voted for Congress to intervene. Even within their own party, liberals will find it harder to make the argument that the "right to die" is part and parcel of the "right to privacy."

I hope it's right on this point...indeed, the leagacy of Terri Schaivo could be to make the whole right to die issue a whole lot more transparent. I hope and pray her death is not in vain, and that in looking back, with debate and discussion, many good things could result. I do believe it willmake the Republicans have to look harder at the whole nuclear option, and getting rid of the judicial filibuster so misued in Persident Bush's furst term by the Democrats (see Payback Time by Hugh Hewitt) in the most recent WORLD magazine.

See also Joe Belz's column in WORLD, A Solomonic Decision. The last paragraph says it very well:

It could all have been so simple. All it would have taken was a Solomonic decision by any of a dozen judges—all of whom in this case overcomplicated the case before them. One profound difference, of course, was that in Solomon's case, the court saw to it that the baby lived.

Andrew McCarthy - Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

2005-03-25T16:50:00.000-05:00

In this article, Andrew McCarthy writes the following:

If I am right, if reasonable doubt is the minimum constitutional requirement, then the court should proceed to a full-blown hearing at which the evidence of Terri's supposed PVS and desire to die are weighed anew — de novo — on the more demanding evidentiary standard. Perhaps then we would learn why basic, easy-to-do scientific tests to measure brain damage were not done in Terri's case; whether the clinical observation on which the Florida court relied (essentially, a 45-minute examination by a neurologist who is a right-to-die zealot) was adequate for a death case; and whether Michael Schiavo was credible when he suddenly remembered, seven years after the fact, that Terri happened to mention that she wanted to die if she were ever in a PVS.

He argues the minimum standard in a course like Terri's is that it is necessary for proof beyond a reasonable doubt (can I say, duh!, but it seems a point that needs to be repeated, as so many of the justices that have considered the case have forgotten it). I mean, this is a life and death case...how can the courts possibly say they are right to have ingnored the mountain of evidence that suggests Terri would not have wanted this, and that Michael Schiavo has possible motives that were inconsistent with his role as Terri's guardian?? Despair does not even begin to cover what I feel about justice here in the States just now...

Evolving Standards of (In)Decency?

2005-03-25T16:31:00.000-05:00

Excellent short article by William Kristol:

Evolving Standards of Decency

Init he summarises many of the most disquieting problems about the Terri Schaivo case, noting the willingness of the Supreme Court to overrule the states on the death penalty for murderers, but not, it seems, on the death penalty for fraglie defenseless, innocent women who may or may not (probably not) have said in a passing moment they wouldn't want to live with artificial medical support, based on the word of an unfaithful husband. At the time of writing, it seems very much as though Terri has run out of options, and her tireless, courageous family are going to be left heartbroken by a court system that should have served them far better...

See also the other articles in today's weekly standard on the case:

The ABCs of Media Bias by Fred Barnes (on the spin the media gave about Terri, not covering the facts much at all, except from Michael Schaivo's perspective - nothing about her true state, the many doctors willing to state she was not in PVS, the fact the main doctor who's testimony the court accepted that she was is a evehment euthaniasia supporter, and so on, and so on..)

How Liberalism Failed Terri Schiavo by Eric Cohen

The Politics of the Schiavo Case by Jeffrey Bell and Frank Cannon

The last paragraph of the last article:

The judicial confirmation debate will now unavoidably be about whether democratic decision-making on abortion should continue to be prohibited by our courts and (effectively) by the American legal profession. From the beginning, those who believed Roe would corrupt the rule of law feared that state sanction of private killing would put all public order and all private restraint in doubt. The fate of Terri Schiavo makes clear that those fears were utterly on target.

Terri's case is jet another stumble down a slippery slope that America stated on over 30 years ago...

A Husband's Right To Choose?

2005-03-24T14:41:00.000-05:00

I was just writing a comment in another blog (the excellent Between Two Worlds), and some of my thoughts were inspired by the comments of Michael Schiavo on Larry King Live:

M. Schiavo. This is not about them, it's about Terri. I've also said that in court. We didn't know what Terri wanted, this is what we want...

Not usre if it was a slip of the tounge or not, but as there are several others who are willing (and have) sworn Terri wanted differently, the best that can be said is that Judge Greer has decided Terri's death based on nothing more than hearsay, and not very strong hearsay at that...Here were my comments:

Appreciate all you are writing on this - it's gut-wrenching and deeply troubling, the whole Schiavo case. I even started my own blog to be able to vent about it yesterday...so many people are being so moved by it - but none in the judiciary it seems (save the notable exceptions of a couple in the 11th Circuit Appeals Court. How in the world can justice be so blind. We'll save cows, or even onions (as Hugh Hewitt pointed out yesterday), but not a life. It's no surprise, perhaps, as the most vulnerable have been being killed en masse for the last 30 odd years (via abortion) - seems that in addition to a woman's right to choose, we now have a profligate, adulterous, unfaithful husband's right to choose...

I'm truly disgusted and horrified by the way this defenseless woman has been not only neglected, but conspired against by the very ones who are meant to protect her...

The Law and the Intent of Congress

2005-03-24T14:30:00.000-05:00

Hugh Hewitt makes a very good point in his most recent post - in reponse to some professors arguing that the federal courts in the Schiavo case were simply following thier reading of the law passed by Congress at the weekend, and that they should not be looking at the discussion (i.e. intent) in Congress over the bill, he asks why in the world not if Justices in the Supreme Court are going to look as far afield foreign courts for advice (e.g. Anthony Kennedy in the recent judgement on capital punishment)? Surely the intent of Congress is at least of as much merit as the rulings of countries such as Zimbabwe?!?

A Judicial First - Not A Good One

2005-03-24T10:50:00.000-05:00

From Worldmag Blog:

While covering the Schiavo story for WORLD's upcoming issue, I interviewed Lynda Bell of Florida Right to Life (FRTL). We were discussing Judge Greer's most recent order to terminate Terri's life. It's been noted before here that his ruling didn't merely give permission to remove Terri's feeding tube, but ordered it removed. Ms. Bell told me the ruling marked the first time in American history that a judge has ordered a non-criminal put to death. After letting the implications of that sink in a minute, I started trying to think of other, previous examples, but couldn't...can you?

Supreme Court Denies Request

2005-03-24T10:39:00.000-05:00

The Supreme Court has denied the request to hear the case...I hold out very little hope that Governor Bush can do anything, that the Flordia Couts will allow him to. This is a very sad day for the United States, and I hope this case brings changes to the consciousness of America as the facts eventually come out to the population a at large. I pray some miracle can still happen, but I pray most for Terri and her family...

And the Loser is...

2005-03-24T09:46:00.000-05:00

According to an article I just read by Richard Cohen (at the Washington Post), remarkably, the democrats - read here:

Where Are The Democrats

From my reading, a woman dies, and the democrats are the losers (not Terri, or her family) because they failed to stand up in Congress and support her prolonged starvation more passionately...forgive me for not being able to even begin to comprehend that argument. Could the States be more divided - I don't even like to think where we'll be in five years. I'm hopeful, though, that most are not so out of touch with the reality of what's happening on the Democtratic side to agree with Cohen.

In Love with Death

2005-03-24T08:42:00.000-05:00

The title of an article from Peggy Noonan today, asking why the keep-the-tube-out-and-let-her-starve people as so vehement and passionate in their support of Terri's death - well worth reading...

In Love With Death

In the meantime, Terri has gone almost 6 full days without food and water...the Supreme Court looks the only real hope...

Terri's Hopes Pinned on the Supreme Court

2005-03-23T23:47:00.000-05:00

Not good news...finding it hard to write much. Kennedy is considering the appeal to the Supreme Court now, amd Terri is still starving. I've read reports that not only did the Forida legislation fail again, but that Judge Greer has ordered DCF cannot get access to protect Terri. The only hope seems to be the Supreme Court - keep praying.

I did find this quote that sums up the state of the case well - "The Terri Schiavo Case in 70 Words":

Since we have no reliable way of knowing whether Terri Schiavo would have wanted to live in her current condition and since there is at least one highly qualified expert who has examined her and believes that she could improve if given rehabilitation, it would be monstrously cruel & unethical to deliberately allow her to die without doing more testing to verify that she is truly in a persistent vegetative state. John Hawkins

Keep Praying...

Down to the Governor

2005-03-23T16:50:00.000-05:00

It seems now that Terri's life is in Jeb Bush's hands...the 11th Circuit Appeals rejected the appeal, and there is very little chance of the Supreme Court taking up the case. The Florida House has just rejected a bill to save Terri. However, Sean Hannity is reporting that it is possible Jeb Bush could take Terri into protective custody...it would be a polarizing thing, but it would be the right thing, and the brave thing. He seemed to say he would at 3 this afternoon - pray he follows through...

Going back to full 11th Circuit Appeals Court

2005-03-23T12:58:00.000-05:00

Just read on Fox News that they schindler's (Terri's parents) are going back to the Atlanta court to have the case heard by the full court...obviously not too hopeful of the Supreme Court taking the case (they've rejected that twice). Again, pray....

Charles Krathammer on Terri

2005-03-23T12:40:00.000-05:00

A recent good column from the Washington post:

Between Travesty and Tragedy

I hear Jeb Bush is pushing for the Florida Legislature to pass a law to save Terri again...be surprised if it passes, but pary hard. In the meantime, Terri has been starving for 120 hours...

Andrew McCarthy on the 11th Circuit Appeals Court Decision

2005-03-23T11:40:00.000-05:00

Here's the link from his most recent article:

Another Loss, But A Glimmer of Hope

Interesting, and again, my applause to the judge, Judge Charles Wilson, who voiced the minority opinion. I wonder at the title. A glimmer of hope, only if Terri manages to stay alive, and if she does, how much dmage has already been done to her? I hope the Supreme Court takes it, but the Circuit Justice for the Court is Justice Anthony Kennedy, who recently backtracked on his earlier ruling in the recent case on the death penalty. Doesn't inspire me with confidence (see a post by Hugh Hewitt here: Will Justice Kennedy Cite the Gronigen Protocol?). I hope I'm wrong. Keep praying for this porr woman and her family...

World Water Day

2005-03-23T04:58:00.000-05:00

Over at another blog worth reading on Schaivo case:

AllThings2All

a rather tragic irony is noted - today, the day that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals vboted 2-1 against reinserting the tube to allow Terri to stop starving and to be able to drink, it is World Water Day. Enjoy your drinks today, and enjoy the fact that you can...

Ed: Just discovered the theme of World Water Day this year: Water for Life...

Scottish Episcopal Church follows United States on Gay priests

2005-03-23T04:31:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of good Scottish-American links and ties, but this is one that I'm not exactly thrilled about. The Scottish Episcopal Church has announced that being homesexual is not a bar to ordination. Actually, that would not be so bad, but they actually say being a practicing homosexual should not be a bar to ordination as a priest, and so follow the Episcopal Church in the United States. Here's the story from the BBC:

Scottish Church Supports Gay Ordination

It seems the Bible doesn't matter any more. I don't deny people the right to believe what they believe, but why do they have to call themselves Christian...biblically, the Scottish Episcopal Church is heading towards apostasy, so why claim the Bible as their guiding light...why not simply admit that they are making up their own faithm, and be done with it, rather than claiming to be something the are definitionally notm (the Bible being the source of the definition and descriptiuon of a true church). The Church of England is a bit of a mess just now, and the best thing Archbishop Rowan Williams could do would be to take the advice of the African and Asian communions (and the evangelical wing back in England, though thyis group is diminishing, I would say, with the death of Stott, Packer leaving, and so on). Get back to the foundations of the church, ideally to the teaching of the 39 articles, and the Church of England may again perhaps become somewhere that a Ryle could be happy again.

Terri Schiavo

2005-03-23T02:55:00.000-05:00

I've just heard that Terri Schiavo has been ruled against again, this time by the 11th Circuit Federal court in Atlanta, 2-1. I have to say that I like millions of others , have been horrified by the happenings in this case. Michael Schiavo stands to gain financially from what I've read a very large amount of money, he has denied rehab for his wife for the last 15 years, is living with another woman with two kids, seemed to be waiting for his wife's death and seeming to look forward to it (from sworn depositions from medical staff looking after Terri), and gives conflicting stories about whether she did or didn't say she wanted to die (he only remembered she did several years after her medical problems began, and after he received an award of around 1 million dollars which he said he would put towards Terri's care - he's not spent it on her care...the court approved him spending it on legal bills to kill Terri instead). The courts have ruled her to be in a Permanent Vegatative State (PVS) on the basis of two or three doctors (one of the main ones being a doctor who used to be on the board of the Euthanasia Society of America), while by all accounts dozens are willing to testify she is not, including one doctor nominated for the Nobel Prize for his work in exactly this area. Indeed, Michael Schiavo has refused a PET scan or MRI scan for Terri, which would give a far more reliable picture of whether she is indeed in a PVS. There are even allegations of possible abuse against Michael Schiavo against his wife. Yet in light of all these facts, because he has a ring on his finger it seems, Michael Schiavo gets to decide, it seems, whether his wife lives or dies. I can't even begin to explain how horrific all of this is to me...and while almost 2 dozen judges now (my congratulations to the one in Atlanta who voted for Terri) have ignored clear evidence against Michael Schiavo, refusing to listed to many depositions against what Michael Schiavo has been saying, Terri enter's day five of her state sanctioned starvation to death. As many have pointed out, even death row prisoners get treated better, and are permitted to die with far greater dignity.

For those who may come across this blog, the following links give some good commentary on the issues, and outline the facts:

From the National Review (mostly Andrew McCarthy's articles):

Starving for a Fair Diagnosis (on the lack of necessary care provided by Michael Schiavo)

Too Vigourously Assisted Suicide

Torturing Terri
Conservatives and Terri Schiavo
Lingering Questions
Ducking Tough Questions

From Other Sources:

Terri's Fight (the official site, with videos of a happy Terri with parents etc)

Terri Schiavo and the Law: The Case for Life(Wall Street Journal Editorial)

Blogs for Terri(a collection of many relevant articles from all over the Web)

It seems to me that the culture of death is just making further inroads into our society, and it's saddening - too soft a word - sickening, to see so early into my move to this new country the way in which the fragile vulnerable woman has been treated by those who should be defending her. I can't believe it's come to this - a week ago I was sure they would find legal remedy, but against a generally misinformed and misinforming media (purposefully?), and a largely untroubled population (there are many who feel as I do, but it seems to be a minority), the family and supporters of Terri Schiavo have lost - even the government could not overcome the courts.

And that for me is one of the scariest thing about the whole story. Beside the terrible tradgedy of a vulnerable and weak life being cruelly and inhumanely taken by court sanction (and there should be no surprise there - with countless millions of unborn babies having gone the same way in the last three decades) is the ever growing power and unconstitutionalism (if there is such a word) of an ever growing liberal reactionary court, not defending the law, but making it (and arguably bending if not breaking it). How they can go against the obvious will of congress and government in the bill passed over the weekend is , I think, frightening. Legistlation from the bench is never what the founders envisioned, and yet here it is happening before our eyes again, and precedent is being established making the taking of the life of family members all the easier. How the courts cannot agree with the President that we should err on the side of life is beyond me, but the fact that they can, and that they can enforce the starvation of a helpless woman is, frankly, terrifying. I have to say in light of the happenings of the last few days, the much talked about nuclear option in the Senate has to surely become a reality, lest the Supreme Court become simply a wing of the more liberal elemnts in our culture to legislate in the way they cannot acheive through the elected government.They say the law is an Ass - I wish it were that harmless.

The Terri Schaivo case says very unsavory things about the world in which we live, and gives me a sense of forboding about the my new country will go in the next ten years - I can only hope the backlash is enormous, and my sense of gloom is misplaced. I fear it is not. But at the center of all of this lies a woman, slowly, painfully, starving to death, and a family grief-stricken by the ever growing likelihood of the death of a daughter and sister. So pray for our country, but pray hard for Terri, and for her family. What they are suffering I cannot imagine.

Scot's Wha Hae - Wahey!!

2005-03-23T00:46:00.000-05:00

Being a Scot recently moved to America to marry, and thus a Scot who is now far more proud and fiercly posessive of his Scottish heritage, I decided the title of the Blog, "Scot's Wahey!", was a good one. Actually, I'd wanted to call it Scot's Wha Hae (Scot's Who Are), after the opening lines of Robert Burn's immortal poem which he wrote as an imagined air that Robert Bruce and his army marched against Edward's English army at Bannockburn in 1314 - a fantastic piece I remember learning at primary school (elementary, for my new American brothers and sisters!). The words are worth putting in this, my inaugral post:

Scots, wha hae wi' WALLACE bled

Scots, wham Bruce has aften led

Welcome to your gory bed

Or to Victorie

Now's the day and now's the hour

See the front o' battle lour

See approach proud EDWARD'S power

Chains and Slaverie

Wha will be a traitor knave?

Wha can fill a coward's grave?

Wha sae base as be a slave?

Let him turn and flee!

Wha for Scotland's King and Law

Freedom's sword will strongly draw

Free-Man stand, or Free-Man fa'

Let him follow me!

By Oppression's woes and pains

By your Sons in servile chains!

We will drain our dearest veins

But they shall be free

Lay the proud Usurpers low

Tyrants fall in every foe!

Liberty's in every blow!

Let us Do or Die!

Powerful, especially so for a Scot abroad! Give me liberty, or give me death!!! So I thought that would be a good start to my blog, and I also thought scotswhahae.blogspot.com would be a good and memorableblog address, but to my annoyance, somebody got there first. And to my greater annoyance, that someone has written precisely no posts - what a waste of a fantastic domain (as bad as the person who chose my first domain - blogaholic.blogspot.com - who hasn't used it since 2003!!) Anyway, with these depressing discoveries, I adapted my choice, and came up with Scot's Wahey!

Scot's Wahey seems to me a most apt title for a blog by the son of one of the greatest nations on God's good earth! Scotland is the home of invention: the telephone (Alexander Graham Bell), the television (John Logie Baird), the steam engine (James Watt), radar (Robert Watson Watt), refrigerators (James Harrison), and as all Star Trek fans are aware, teleportation (beam me up, Scotty!!) It is a home of medicine: the hypodermic syringe, quinine (George Cleghorn), anaesthetics (James Chalmers) and penicillen (James Fleming). It is a home of economics, from the foundational text , The Wealth of Nations (Adam Smith) to the Bank of England! It is a home of literature, with the historical novel (Sir Walter Scott) and the greatest poet of the last 500 years (Robert Burns), Treasure Island and Jekyll and Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson) and Peter Pan (J M Barrie). It is the land of some of the most attractive and haunting scenery anywhere on earth, from the beauty of the highlands to the grandeur of it's castles, the evocative Isle of Skye to the splndid architecture of it's cities. It is a home of mathematics and the sciences: the decimal point and logarithms (John Napier) Scotland is a home of sports, from golf and the famous links courses, to football (trans: soccer), with Glasgow Cerltic, Glasgow Rangers, and of course, Kilmarnock (my local team!!) And for my new homeland, Scotland is the home of the Buick (David Dunbar Buick) and the US Navy (John Paul Jones)!! Indeed, if it is true that everyone I meet has sScottish ancestors here in the US, as I am told by everyone I meet, we are actually the founders of the United States. Scotland has an output of genius far beyond its size, so as I say - Scot's Wahey!!

However, my blog will probably be far less filled with things about Scotland than it will with things about my faith, and comment on Biblical themes or my faith in relation to what is going on in society around me. Scotland has a proud heritage of Christianity, from John Knox, to the Covenanters, to the many sound Christian theologians and pastors of previous centuries (Thomas Chalmers, Horatius and Andrew Bonar, Robert Murray McCheyne, Alexander MacLaren, Thomas Guthrie, Samuel Rutherford, David Livinstone, Robert Haldane, Sir Robert Anderson, and Mary Slessor) to the superb theologians and pastors, (such as Sinclair Ferguson, Alastair Begg, Eric Alexander, Donald MacLeaod, Douglas Kelly). A proud heritage indeed.

So welcome to my blog, and I'll try to write now and again when time allows!!

Angus