Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Antony Flew quote
This quote is from a gentleman named Antony Flew. Flew, a philosopher, was the face of atheism for a majority of the 20th century. Of course, in the 2000's after much wrestling, he came out as a theist. He's got a book on it. I think my roommate has it.
"I now believe that the universe was brought into existence by an infinite Intelligence. I believe that this universe’s intricate laws manifest what scientists have called the Mind of God. I believe that life and reproduction originate in a divine Source. Why do I believe this, given that I expounded and defended atheism for more than a half century? The short answer is this: this is the world picture, as I see it, that has emerged from modern science."
Antony Flew
"I now believe that the universe was brought into existence by an infinite Intelligence. I believe that this universe’s intricate laws manifest what scientists have called the Mind of God. I believe that life and reproduction originate in a divine Source. Why do I believe this, given that I expounded and defended atheism for more than a half century? The short answer is this: this is the world picture, as I see it, that has emerged from modern science."
Antony Flew
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Well, if you've talked with me about books in the last few years, you've undoubtedly heard me refer to a book called Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. It's one of my favorites and it opened my eyes to alot of things and really helped me view my world and times in a different light. In short, read this book. It will be a paradigm-shifter for you.
Much to my surprise and delight, I just found this link to some men I deeply respect sitting around and shooting the breeze about a book that deeply impacted me. What it is is Albert Mohler, Mark Coppenger, Timothy Paul Jones, Bruce Keisling, and Owen Strachan talking about the book 25 years later.
I'll leave you with a bit from the foreword of this devastatingly prophetic book. Here, Postman is looking at two different "prophecies" told through fiction: Aldous Huxley in Brave New World (1932) and George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949):
Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing.
Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley’s vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.
What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.
Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism.
Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.
Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.” In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure.
In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.
This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right.
Much to my surprise and delight, I just found this link to some men I deeply respect sitting around and shooting the breeze about a book that deeply impacted me. What it is is Albert Mohler, Mark Coppenger, Timothy Paul Jones, Bruce Keisling, and Owen Strachan talking about the book 25 years later.
I'll leave you with a bit from the foreword of this devastatingly prophetic book. Here, Postman is looking at two different "prophecies" told through fiction: Aldous Huxley in Brave New World (1932) and George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949):
Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing.
Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley’s vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.
What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.
Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism.
Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.
Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.” In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure.
In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.
This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right.
Friday, November 5, 2010
J the B
Who would you compare John the Baptist to?
I think he'd be a cross between Francis Chan and Billy Graham.
I think he'd be a cross between Francis Chan and Billy Graham.
J the B and Brett's version of Mt 3:5-12
Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
(Matthew 3:5-12 ESV)
I think Mat. 3:5-12 if written today would be something like this:
Some fire and brimstone preacher comes to Pelican Rapids and he gets to preach at a church in town, maybe E-Free. Now he's a famous guy- he's been on CNN a few times and so all sorts of people show up- from the town drunk to pastors from Fergus and Detroit Lakes. As they sit down, the pastors sit with the good congregants, there's Campus Crusade college students, the sweet old man who frequents the Dairy Queen, and all the upstanding moral people in the community. Heck, even the mayor's there.
On the other side of the aisle are the people who haven't been to church in years, decades for some. Many of them are alcoholics. There's the guy who cheated on his wife, the guy who was in jail for stealing a car, and the guy who embezzled money from the company, and the town drunk.
As the preacher gets going, it heats up quick as he starts talking about the wrath of God and the need to repent. As he tells story after passionate story, many of the 'good' people on the right start smirking, "maybe now old Jim the adulterer will finally become a Christian and get his life straightened out." Just as the good guys are feeling like the sermon for the others is coming to an end, he stops and turns.
Then, he looks at all the 'good', responsible family people: "You scumballs! You smirk inside because you think you're better. You think this sermon is for someone else. You are the worst people in this room. Hear it again, you. are. the. worst. You have offended a holy God and there is wrath coming. Repent- and turn to Jesus."
You see for the religious people who smirked, they were farthest from the kingdom of God. For the adulterer, it's no mystery that he is a great sinner, that who he is actually offends God. He can feel the weight of his guilt and if he is to have any chance of forgiveness it is all based on what Jesus has done for him. Jesus' death in his place makes his standing with God perfect, apart from anything good the man has done.
For the pastors, the family men and women, the sweet old men, the ones who've gone to church their whole lives, who followed the rules, who played it right: how hard is it to see that they are in the same position as the drunkard. How hard is it to see that by trying to follow the rules and do the right thing and be the best they could be they were trying to save themselves, thinking they could be good enough because of their moral uprightness or the fact that they read their bible or go to church. And thinking you can somehow attain to the standard of God apart from a pure, 100% undeserved gift is the worst stink to the God of the Bible.
So when the preacher tells these 'good' guys to repent he is actually telling them to repent of their religion- of thinking that they're good people and that they're fine saying that Christ is their Savior without actually trusting him to save them from their sin. The little smirk during the sermon, whether inward or outward, pointed without a doubt to the sad state of their souls.
So be careful when you read this parable. Once you start to say, "Oh those dumb Pharisees", you, my friend have become a Pharisee. Don't be one of those. Recognize where you are one, and trust Jesus instead.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
(Matthew 3:5-12 ESV)
I think Mat. 3:5-12 if written today would be something like this:
Some fire and brimstone preacher comes to Pelican Rapids and he gets to preach at a church in town, maybe E-Free. Now he's a famous guy- he's been on CNN a few times and so all sorts of people show up- from the town drunk to pastors from Fergus and Detroit Lakes. As they sit down, the pastors sit with the good congregants, there's Campus Crusade college students, the sweet old man who frequents the Dairy Queen, and all the upstanding moral people in the community. Heck, even the mayor's there.
On the other side of the aisle are the people who haven't been to church in years, decades for some. Many of them are alcoholics. There's the guy who cheated on his wife, the guy who was in jail for stealing a car, and the guy who embezzled money from the company, and the town drunk.
As the preacher gets going, it heats up quick as he starts talking about the wrath of God and the need to repent. As he tells story after passionate story, many of the 'good' people on the right start smirking, "maybe now old Jim the adulterer will finally become a Christian and get his life straightened out." Just as the good guys are feeling like the sermon for the others is coming to an end, he stops and turns.
Then, he looks at all the 'good', responsible family people: "You scumballs! You smirk inside because you think you're better. You think this sermon is for someone else. You are the worst people in this room. Hear it again, you. are. the. worst. You have offended a holy God and there is wrath coming. Repent- and turn to Jesus."
You see for the religious people who smirked, they were farthest from the kingdom of God. For the adulterer, it's no mystery that he is a great sinner, that who he is actually offends God. He can feel the weight of his guilt and if he is to have any chance of forgiveness it is all based on what Jesus has done for him. Jesus' death in his place makes his standing with God perfect, apart from anything good the man has done.
For the pastors, the family men and women, the sweet old men, the ones who've gone to church their whole lives, who followed the rules, who played it right: how hard is it to see that they are in the same position as the drunkard. How hard is it to see that by trying to follow the rules and do the right thing and be the best they could be they were trying to save themselves, thinking they could be good enough because of their moral uprightness or the fact that they read their bible or go to church. And thinking you can somehow attain to the standard of God apart from a pure, 100% undeserved gift is the worst stink to the God of the Bible.
So when the preacher tells these 'good' guys to repent he is actually telling them to repent of their religion- of thinking that they're good people and that they're fine saying that Christ is their Savior without actually trusting him to save them from their sin. The little smirk during the sermon, whether inward or outward, pointed without a doubt to the sad state of their souls.
So be careful when you read this parable. Once you start to say, "Oh those dumb Pharisees", you, my friend have become a Pharisee. Don't be one of those. Recognize where you are one, and trust Jesus instead.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Confronting the New Atheists
A link to an interesting dialogue between PZ Meyers (atheist biologist) and Michael Egnor (writer for Discovery Institute). It starts with some questions to the New Atheists from Egnor. Then PZ responds with some snarky answers on his blog. After that, Michael looks at some of PZ's answers. I found the thing pretty cool.
Also, why the heck not: Did Physics Kill God?. This article looks at the relation between God and Physics, with a particular emphasis on Stephen Hawking's new claims.
Also, why the heck not: Did Physics Kill God?. This article looks at the relation between God and Physics, with a particular emphasis on Stephen Hawking's new claims.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
You are Made in the Image of God
“God’s children are pleasing and lovable to Him, since He sees in them the marks and features of His own countenance.”
- John Calvin, Institutes, 3.17.5
- John Calvin, Institutes, 3.17.5
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