Dr. Russell Moore has a convicting piece on his blog today. Here's the whole post (sensored a tad). (Thanks Rob for putting this up!)
Now these three abide: anger, outrage, and fear—and the greatest of these is fear.”
That’s not in the Book. But sometimes I wonder if I think it is.
The United States House of Representatives just passed a health care reform bill that I and lots of other Believers opposed. Such legislation should concern us. There are some bad consequences for the weakest and most vulnerable among us, principally unborn children. But should it also concern us that so many of us are talking today about how afraid we are?
Is it a problem that some of us who are tranquil as still water about doctrine and ecclesial mission are red-faced about Nancy Pelosi and the talking heads on MSNBC? Is it a problem that some who haven’t shared the Good News with their neighbors in months or years are motivated to vent to strangers on the street about how scary national health care will be?
It’s not that I think Believers should be disengaged from issues of justice (God forbid!). It’s just that I wonder if we wouldn’t represent our Savior and his kingdom better if we did it with a certain tranquility of Spirit, a tranquility that signals we’re not afraid of the rise and fall of temporal kingdoms and their policies.
The words “do not fear” and “don’t be afraid” are among the most common phrases on the lips of our Father—in both Old and New Testaments—and on the lips of his angelic messengers. I wonder why?
Isn’t it because “perfect love casts out fear” (1 Jn. 4:18)? Isn’t it because we “did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear” (Rom. 8:15)? Isn’t it because the Spirit prompts us not to “fear anything that is frightening” (1 Pet. 3:6)?
In fact, the H.S. through King David, in a context far more frightening than that of our own, calls us to “fret not yourself because of evildoers” who will soon pass but “trust in the Ld and do good” (Ps. 37:1-3).
Here’s why this matters.
Most of us don’t preach “hellfire and brimstone” sermons anymore, on hell and Gd’s judgment. But hellfire is exactly what J.C. said we should fear. “And do not fear the ones who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul,” our Ld tells his disciples. “Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
J.C. not only teaches this; he lives it. J.C. doesn’t fear the crowds attempting to stone him. He doesn’t cower before Pilate. He isn’t afraid of the Sanhedrin. He’s confident and tranquil, even when he’s being arrested. But when he faces drinking from the cup of judgment of his Father, he sweats drops of blood.
If we were half as outraged by our own sin and self-deception as we are by the follies of our political opponents, what would be the result? If we rejoiced as much that our names are written in heaven as we do about such trivialities as basketball brackets, what would be the result?
So if what you’re afraid of is a politician or a policy or a culture or the future of Western civilization, don’t give up the conviction but give up the fear. Work for justice. Oppose evil. But do it so that your opponents will see not fear but trust, optimism, and affection.
“So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13).
Fear Gd and, beyond that, don’t be afraid.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Easy Granola Bars
Wish I had a picture of these. They're amazing! Thank you Cathy Letherer for the recipe. I'll post a picture once I've made them. Try them out for yourself though...
Grease a 9x9 in. square pan with butter.
Put into large mixing bowl:
1/2 c. corn syrup or malt sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1tbsp. butter
1tsp. vanilla extract
Heat in a microwave for 2 minutes, until a bubbly liquid. Then, add remainin ingredients below.
2 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. rasins or dried cranberries
2 c. rice crispies
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/2 c. nuts (almonds, walnuts, or peanuts)
Mix and press into greased pan and set for 1 hr. Cut into squares. May sprinkle chocolate chips on top while warm.
Grease a 9x9 in. square pan with butter.
Put into large mixing bowl:
1/2 c. corn syrup or malt sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1tbsp. butter
1tsp. vanilla extract
Heat in a microwave for 2 minutes, until a bubbly liquid. Then, add remainin ingredients below.
2 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. rasins or dried cranberries
2 c. rice crispies
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/2 c. nuts (almonds, walnuts, or peanuts)
Mix and press into greased pan and set for 1 hr. Cut into squares. May sprinkle chocolate chips on top while warm.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Unborn Babies in China...What Will the Consequences Be?
Tue, Apr. 21 2009 08:38 AM EDT
When Abortion Collides with Totalitarianism
By R. Albert Mohler, Jr.|Christian Post Guest Columnist
The vast nation of China remains under the control of one of the few surviving Communist regimes on the planet. Over the last two decades, that regime has redefined Communist economic theory, allowing private capital and a consumer market to emerge alongside state control and ownership. Nevertheless, the totalitarian nature of the regime reaches even into the most intimate dimensions of life. The most insidious example of this totalitarian impulse is China's infamous "one child only" policy.
The policy limits most Chinese couples to only one child. Reports of forced abortions and sterilizations abound. Couples in rural areas with a girl as their only child may apply for permission for a second child, in hopes of a boy.
The preference for boys is overwhelming in the Chinese culture, and especially in rural areas. The urgent desire for sons has led to two horrifying developments - the abortion of girls and the abduction of boys. The abortion of baby girls is now a well-established fact. The abduction of boys in China is less known in the West, but it is now attracting attention. As The New York Times reported April 4, 2009, "Although some are sold to buyers in Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, most of the boys are purchased domestically by families desperate for a male heir, parents of abducted children and some law enforcement officials who have investigated the matter say."
The mentality behind the preference for boys is reflected in this comment made to the paper by a man who paid $3,500 for an abducted 5-year-old boy: “A girl is just not as good as a son. . . . It doesn’t matter how much money you have. If you don’t have a son, you are not as good as other people who have one.” The abduction of boys, usually very young, is now "a thriving business," according to the Times.
A clearer picture of the practice of aborting girl babies is also now available, thanks to the British Medical Journal. The picture is nothing less than horrifying. The arrival of ultrasound technology has made the identification of fetal gender a deadly reality for unborn baby girls. They are aborted by the millions.
The demographics are reported in stark terms:
In 2005 males under the age of 20 exceeded females by more than 32 million in China, and more than 1.1 million excess births of boys occurred. China will see very high and steadily worsening sex ratios in the reproductive age group over the next two decades.
In other words, the problem of the gender imbalance has now reached the point that there is, practically speaking, no way to do anything about the present generation. Millions of Chinese young men will have no opportunity to marry. The sociological impact is beyond imagination.
The British study points to a phenomenon known as the "at least one son practice." Many Chinese couples will do just about whatever it takes to have a son. If their first child is a girl and the couple receives permission for a second child, the report makes clear that the abortion of a baby girl at that point is exceedingly likely.
Consider this:
[T]he steady rise in sex ratios across the birth cohorts since 1986 mirrors the increasing availability of ultrasonography over that period. The first ultrasound machines were used in the early 1980s; they reached county hospitals by the late 1980s and then rural townships by the mid-1990s. Since then, ultrasonography has been very cheap and available even to the rural poor. Termination of pregnancy is also very available, in line with the one child policy.
As William Saletan of Slate.com explains, "It's a terrible convergence of ancient prejudice with modern totalitarianism. Girls are culturally and economically devalued; the government uses powerful financial levers to prevent you from having another child; therefore, to make sure you can have a boy, you abort the girl you're carrying."
Though sex-selection abortions are officially illegal in China, the totalitarian regime has made abortion a centerpiece of its "one child only" policy. Ultrasound machines and abortion clinics are available virtually everywhere in China - and both are put to deadly use.
Here we see abortion and totalitarianism hand in hand, resulting in the deaths of millions of baby girls and the abduction of at least thousands of young boys. When human life is devalued and abortion is state policy, the Culture of Death is institutionalized. When the "one child policy" and an ancient and ingrained preference for boys are combined, the womb becomes a deadly place to be a girl.
When Abortion Collides with Totalitarianism
By R. Albert Mohler, Jr.|Christian Post Guest Columnist
The vast nation of China remains under the control of one of the few surviving Communist regimes on the planet. Over the last two decades, that regime has redefined Communist economic theory, allowing private capital and a consumer market to emerge alongside state control and ownership. Nevertheless, the totalitarian nature of the regime reaches even into the most intimate dimensions of life. The most insidious example of this totalitarian impulse is China's infamous "one child only" policy.
The policy limits most Chinese couples to only one child. Reports of forced abortions and sterilizations abound. Couples in rural areas with a girl as their only child may apply for permission for a second child, in hopes of a boy.
The preference for boys is overwhelming in the Chinese culture, and especially in rural areas. The urgent desire for sons has led to two horrifying developments - the abortion of girls and the abduction of boys. The abortion of baby girls is now a well-established fact. The abduction of boys in China is less known in the West, but it is now attracting attention. As The New York Times reported April 4, 2009, "Although some are sold to buyers in Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, most of the boys are purchased domestically by families desperate for a male heir, parents of abducted children and some law enforcement officials who have investigated the matter say."
The mentality behind the preference for boys is reflected in this comment made to the paper by a man who paid $3,500 for an abducted 5-year-old boy: “A girl is just not as good as a son. . . . It doesn’t matter how much money you have. If you don’t have a son, you are not as good as other people who have one.” The abduction of boys, usually very young, is now "a thriving business," according to the Times.
A clearer picture of the practice of aborting girl babies is also now available, thanks to the British Medical Journal. The picture is nothing less than horrifying. The arrival of ultrasound technology has made the identification of fetal gender a deadly reality for unborn baby girls. They are aborted by the millions.
The demographics are reported in stark terms:
In 2005 males under the age of 20 exceeded females by more than 32 million in China, and more than 1.1 million excess births of boys occurred. China will see very high and steadily worsening sex ratios in the reproductive age group over the next two decades.
In other words, the problem of the gender imbalance has now reached the point that there is, practically speaking, no way to do anything about the present generation. Millions of Chinese young men will have no opportunity to marry. The sociological impact is beyond imagination.
The British study points to a phenomenon known as the "at least one son practice." Many Chinese couples will do just about whatever it takes to have a son. If their first child is a girl and the couple receives permission for a second child, the report makes clear that the abortion of a baby girl at that point is exceedingly likely.
Consider this:
[T]he steady rise in sex ratios across the birth cohorts since 1986 mirrors the increasing availability of ultrasonography over that period. The first ultrasound machines were used in the early 1980s; they reached county hospitals by the late 1980s and then rural townships by the mid-1990s. Since then, ultrasonography has been very cheap and available even to the rural poor. Termination of pregnancy is also very available, in line with the one child policy.
As William Saletan of Slate.com explains, "It's a terrible convergence of ancient prejudice with modern totalitarianism. Girls are culturally and economically devalued; the government uses powerful financial levers to prevent you from having another child; therefore, to make sure you can have a boy, you abort the girl you're carrying."
Though sex-selection abortions are officially illegal in China, the totalitarian regime has made abortion a centerpiece of its "one child only" policy. Ultrasound machines and abortion clinics are available virtually everywhere in China - and both are put to deadly use.
Here we see abortion and totalitarianism hand in hand, resulting in the deaths of millions of baby girls and the abduction of at least thousands of young boys. When human life is devalued and abortion is state policy, the Culture of Death is institutionalized. When the "one child policy" and an ancient and ingrained preference for boys are combined, the womb becomes a deadly place to be a girl.
"The Body" in China
World|Fri, Mar. 12 2010 04:36 PM EDT
U.S. Rights Report Criticizes China over Missing Christians
By Ethan Cole|Christian Post Reporter
The United States accused China of various human rights abuses in its new State Department report, including the disappearance of several Christian leaders.
In the human rights report, issued Thursday, the U.S. State Department specifically mentioned the disappearance of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who often represented Chinese house church Christians in court, and underground Catholic bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding, Hebei Province.
Gao, who himself is a house church Christian, was last seen being hauled off by a dozen police officers on Feb. 4, 2009. After more than a year, his family is still unable to confirm his whereabouts.
“In the last several years, more public interest, human rights, environmental lawyers have been taking cases. Law clinics and elsewhere are springing up. There seems to be a real crackdown,” said Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner during a media briefing Thursday. “And we learned today that there’s also a new press certification system in place which is going to give Chinese journalists training in Marxist news theories.
“So there is a sense that the space is actually closing for those, whether they’re journalists, lawyers, or NGO activists.”
Gao, who was once named by the Chinese government as one of the country’s ten best lawyers, was detained and severely tortured in 2007. He was released and told never to disclose what happened to him while he was in prison.
But after his disappearance last year, his wife released an open letter by Gao that detailed the horrific torture he endured.
Currently, some of the world’s leading human rights specialists have joined forces to call on the United Nations to assist in locating Gao.
Similarly, Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo was arrested last year on March 30 and his whereabouts are still unknown. Several other underground Catholic priests remain missing after being arrested a few years earlier.
China only allows its citizens to worship in religious institutions affiliated with bodies established by the Religious Affairs Bureau. For Protestant Christians, this means worshipping in churches affiliated with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the China Christian Council. For Catholics, they are legally allowed to worship at churches that belong to the state-approved Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
But many Chinese Catholics worship underground because they want to remain loyal to the Pope.
Likewise, many Protestant Christians refuse to worship in registered churches because they feel that joining a registered church compromises their belief that God is the head of the church.
There are up to 100 million underground Chinese Christians, and the number is growing.
U.S. Rights Report Criticizes China over Missing Christians
By Ethan Cole|Christian Post Reporter
The United States accused China of various human rights abuses in its new State Department report, including the disappearance of several Christian leaders.
In the human rights report, issued Thursday, the U.S. State Department specifically mentioned the disappearance of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who often represented Chinese house church Christians in court, and underground Catholic bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding, Hebei Province.
Gao, who himself is a house church Christian, was last seen being hauled off by a dozen police officers on Feb. 4, 2009. After more than a year, his family is still unable to confirm his whereabouts.
“In the last several years, more public interest, human rights, environmental lawyers have been taking cases. Law clinics and elsewhere are springing up. There seems to be a real crackdown,” said Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner during a media briefing Thursday. “And we learned today that there’s also a new press certification system in place which is going to give Chinese journalists training in Marxist news theories.
“So there is a sense that the space is actually closing for those, whether they’re journalists, lawyers, or NGO activists.”
Gao, who was once named by the Chinese government as one of the country’s ten best lawyers, was detained and severely tortured in 2007. He was released and told never to disclose what happened to him while he was in prison.
But after his disappearance last year, his wife released an open letter by Gao that detailed the horrific torture he endured.
Currently, some of the world’s leading human rights specialists have joined forces to call on the United Nations to assist in locating Gao.
Similarly, Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo was arrested last year on March 30 and his whereabouts are still unknown. Several other underground Catholic priests remain missing after being arrested a few years earlier.
China only allows its citizens to worship in religious institutions affiliated with bodies established by the Religious Affairs Bureau. For Protestant Christians, this means worshipping in churches affiliated with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the China Christian Council. For Catholics, they are legally allowed to worship at churches that belong to the state-approved Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
But many Chinese Catholics worship underground because they want to remain loyal to the Pope.
Likewise, many Protestant Christians refuse to worship in registered churches because they feel that joining a registered church compromises their belief that God is the head of the church.
There are up to 100 million underground Chinese Christians, and the number is growing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)