The controversy over the role that religion plays in politics is an old one. Jesus was accused of subverting the political order by “misleading [the] nation and forbidding [people] to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King” (Luke 23:2). Christians were accused of promoting the idea that there was “another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:7). The designation of Jesus as “Lord” had s [...]
One group of Christians is trying to keep the name “Christmas tree” while a small minority of Christians is saying good riddance to the very idea of Christmas trees because they are of pagan origin. Who’s right? Some time ago, my wife was asked by a national ministry to create a quilted backdrop of a large sweeping rainbow for its presentation booth that was used at various conventions around the [...]
The editors and writers at Mother Jones claim that they are “religiously neutral,” even religiously indifferent. Their special edition attack on conservative Christians in the December 2005 issue should be viewed as a wake-up call to the church. The goal of the anti-Christian Left is to rally anti-Christians everywhere to put down the effectiveness of the gospel in the world even though it their o [...]
American Vision has received some interesting emails and phone calls about the December 2005 Mother Jones that takes on numerous Christian ministries and their varied roles on social and political change in America. It shows we are making progress. The underlying flaw in every argument that proposes to divorce religion from government is that its advocates can’t offer an alternative that is not go [...]
The editors of the December/January 2006 issue of Mother Jones magazine are on the war path. They have put together an issue that takes aim at some of America’s most impacting Christian ministries, American Vision included. Their beef is with the Christian religion and government. They want a completely secularized (atheistic) government, something similar to the Communist regimes of the former So [...]
If you are looking for day-old donuts or loaves of bread whose date has expired, you might want to try the dumpster behind your local grocery store. They’re still edible even if there’re a little stale. Pop them in the microwave for about ten seconds, and they’ll taste as fresh as they day they were made. Freegans are leading the way to minimalist consumption by plundering dumpsters looking for cu [...]
Abraham Foxman, the National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), is again attacking Christian conservatives and their involvement in politics, something the ADL does on a regular basis. Foxman wrote: “Today we face a better financed, more sophisticated, coordinated, unified, energized and organized coalition of groups in opposition to our policy positions on church-state separation than [...]
The Popular Mechanics’ version of Moses parting the Red Sea is inventive but not very original. Liberals have been pushing the strong-wind view for decades. It goes like this: “Because of the peculiar geography of the northern end of the Red Sea, a moderate wind blowing constantly for about 10 hours could have caused the sea to recede about a mile and the water level to drop 10 ft., leaving dry la [...]
My wife and I taught our two sons never to describe things or people as “stupid.” I explained that the use of a word like “stupid” shows a lack of critical thinking. If everything is “stupid,” then there is no way to assess differences and gradation in arguments. Also, saying “stupid” all the time dilutes the significance of the word when you really need to use it. Michael Newdow, the “under God” [...]
Ted Kennedy, the senior Senator from Massachusetts, has been blasting President Bush for striking a hornet’s nest of Islamic terrorism and exporting its influence abroad. Kennedy wants to believe that if we had just left the Islamic terrorists alone, everything would have been alright. There are lots of Americans who think the same way. The truth is, Islamic extremism is a festering sore that one [...]
So the LORD gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; [...]
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive (Gen. 50:20). How many times have you heard this verse quoted? Lots. How many people actually believe it? Pat Robertson doesn’t seem to believe it. The school board in Dover, Pennsylvania, was voted out of office in Tuesday’s election. Its members wanted Intel [...]
National Geographic has produced a series of special programs called Science of the Bible where modern technology and research are used “to explore a wide range of biblical accounts including crucifixion, faith and healing practices.” I’m suspicious. I’m all for science, but the people at National Geographic are secularists. They don’t believe in even the possibility of miracles because their evol [...]
Paris is burning. The disenfranchised Muslim communities are storming the Bastille of French Socialism. The principles of the French Revolution are coming home to roost. North African Muslims were lured by Europe’s promise of economic Paradise. What they got was warehousing in French ghettos where unemployment is around 30 percent. The enlightened French believed that language, food, and culture c [...]
A great deal of ink has been spilled over whether the Bible should be interpreted literally. But before interpretive methods can be settled, there must a discussion of literal translations. Too often debates over interpretation can be settled by noting what the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek actually say. For example, Matthew 24:14 is most often translated “all the world.” The casual Bible reader will [...]
An emailer to American Vision made the following comment in response to a guest column written by David New, Esq.[1] Perhaps the author is not familiar with the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. . .”, or Article 4, Section 3, “. . . no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” [...]
American Vision recently received an email response to “Where is God in the Constitution?: Part 1,” an article that was written by guest columnist David New and appears on our website. The emailer writes that he is “dismayed to see the propaganda displayed” in the article where the “author launches into a tirade against secularists.” He goes on to write that it is “laughable” to suggest “that it i [...]
John C. Danforth, an Episcopal minister and former Republican Senator from Missouri, has weighed in on Christian political involvement in social issues. His first broadside came by way of an article he had published in June 2005 with the title “Onward, Moderate Christian Soldiers.”[1] More about this article below. Most recently, after a speech he had given to students at the Bill Clinton School o [...]
Will America suffer the same fate as Europe and the rise of what Karen Armstrong calls “secular fundamentalism”? We seem to be headed in a similar direction with the secularization of our schools and courts. Christianity in America, like Christianity in Europe, is under attack. We see it every day. Judges are being scrutinized for their religious beliefs, especially on abortion and homosexuality. [...]
“Theists often assert that popular belief in a creator is instrumental towards providing the moral, ethical and other foundations necessary for a healthy, cohesive society.” Gregory S. Paul, writing in the Journal of Religion and Society (2005), takes issue with this claim. He argues that a religious nation like the United States is actually worse off morally than the newer secular nations of Euro [...]
