A great deal of confusion exists in the church over the definition of legalism. There are those who conclude that a legalist is someone who “keeps the commandments.” This cannot be legalism since the Bible commends those who keep God’s commandments. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Others imagine that a legalist is a person who works at keeping God’s law. S [...]
The world seems morally directionless. Dr. Robert Foote of Cornell, in his testimony before the federal Ethics Advisory Board on in vitro fertilization, opened with the following statement: “In some of this research, I am reminded of a story where the pilot came on and said, ‘This is your captain speaking. We are flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet and the speed of 700 miles an hour. We have some [...]
In yesterday’s article, I pointed out that the history of Harvard’s slide into theological liberalism and moral libertinism was gradual but methodological. Those holding the minority and opposing worldview were willing to bide their time as conservatives set the stage for their own self-destruction. Conservatives believed that “playing nice” and inviting the opposition to the party in terms of “di [...]
How did Christians lose formerly Christian institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton to the humanists? The humanists never fired a shot. The take over came by way of a generous spirit of acceptance of less orthodox views in the name of tolerance. At his founding, Harvard required students to base their studies on the foundation of a comprehensive biblical worldview with Jesus Christ as the fo [...]
Worldviews are constructed like houses. A foundation must first be laid before any building can take place. Four of the most basic foundation stones of all worldviews are principles dealing with material reality (physics), questions touching on the different types of things that exist (metaphysics), how we attain knowledge (epistemology), and ways in which right and wrong are determined (ethics). [...]
All law, even law as it developed in pagan societies, is based on a belief that some god or god-force is behind it all. Consider the Code of Hammurabi. A stone tablet that depicts the Babylonian ruler Hammurabi, who ruled Babylon from 1792 to 1750 B.C., is shown receiving the law from the god Marduk. Babylonian law, like all law, is inherently religious (Dan. 1–3). Even religions like Buddhism and [...]
In the 1920s, Walt Disney began a new career as a cartoonist. A rarity in those days since the industry had no large market. Once this new entertainment medium became profitable, Disney hired additional artists to draw the thousands of still pictures needed to produce a high quality animated feature. Disney’s early success was with an animated character named Oswald Rabbit. The copyright, however, [...]
The Southern Poverty Law Center, with headquarters in Montgomery, Alabama, is one of the nation’s top fund-raising organizations. Founded in 1971 by lawyers Morris Dees and Joe Levin, the SPLC describes itself as being “internationally known for its tolerance education programs, its legal victories against white supremacists and its tracking of hate groups.” From the years 2000 through 2003, SPLC [...]
IRS Commissioner Mark Everson is warning churches not to speak out on political issues. Churches who violate IRS regulations could lose their tax-exempt status and be forced to pay a ten percent excise tax on all donations. Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU), led by Executive Director Barry Lynn, has been monitoring the content of Sunday sermons since 2004. If these self-appo [...]
“One of the most useful tools in the quest for power is the educational system.”[1] The implication of this statement is obvious: Whoever controls the educational system will set the goals for the nation, establish its religious values, and ultimately control the future. From Sparta and Athens to Geneva and Harvard, education has been the primary means of cultural transformation. Christian educato [...]
I was not surprised when an Associated Press article reported that more people are familiar with pop culture than the Constitution. The article states that “only one in four Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment (freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition for redress of grievances.) But more than half can name at least two members of [...]
“Politics as usual” is a familiar refrain heard during an election year. It simply means that people expect politicians to act in their own best interests and contrary to the oath they took to protect and defend the Constitution. There is nothing new in this. But because of America’s unique constitutional protections, the citizenry has an almost limitless freedom to expose and block the efforts of [...]
By the time the United States entered World War I, Theodore Roosevelt was a private citizen. Though no longer president, the nation continued to look to him for advice and wisdom. In 1917, when American troops were preparing to sail across the Atlantic for the battlefields of Europe, the New York Bible Society asked Roosevelt to inscribe a message in the pocket New Testament that each soldier woul [...]
Have you ever wondered why people don’t understand things the way you do? The facts are there for everyone to see and comprehend. So what keeps them from believing? At one level we know it’s a spiritual problem. In some cases God blinds their eyes (John 12:40) or hardens their heart (Ex. 4:21) so they will not understand (Matt. 13:13). In other cases God gives “them over to a depraved mind” (Rom. [...]
In 1960, J. B. Phillips wrote a little book with an extraordinary title—Your God is Too Small. “For many persons,” he pointed out, “the greatest stumbling block to mature faith lies in the fact that they haven’t found a God big enough for their needs—big enough to ‘account for’ life, and to command their respect and worship.”[1] What’s true of peoples’ perception of God is also true about their pe [...]
Without a proper understanding of the State’s purpose and function, the citizenry can be trapped into believing that the State ought to promote policies beyond its legitimate role and authority. This can lead to the people turning to the State for protection and security. For example, Adolf Hitler studied the policies of Otto Von Bismarck because Bismark understood the German citizen’s state of mi [...]
Some of the emails I received last week are real gems. The homosexual network has gone into overdrive to slam any public figure that does not approve of homosexuality. I’m one of their main targets. Newsweek magazine called to interview me. I can’t wait to see how my words will be twisted. My wife tells me to quit granting interviews. Some interviews I do turn down. Somebody has to tell the truth [...]
A brochure published by officials of the state Supreme Court of Pennsylvania shows a blurred depiction of a mural depicting the Ten Commandments which included the following words: “The Decalogue—Hebrew Idea of Revealed Law.” One photograph shows state Supreme Court justices at the bench in the courtroom with the blurred image of the mural behind them. Elsewhere in the brochure the mural is printe [...]
For years I have been collecting articles on genetic explanations for various abnormalities. Some are behavior related (eating too much), and some are disease related (prostate and breast cancer). In each case, however, the genetic cause is viewed as undesirable. Extraordinary measures and funding are recommended to fix the flaws. When scientists say they had discovered a “fat gene,” “the finding [...]
Can you believe the reaction of the press over the hunting accident Vice President Cheney was involved in? The media are outraged that they weren’t called immediately after Mr. Harry Whittington was accidentally peppered with bird shot. One reporter asked White House Spokesman Scott McClellan if Mr. Cheney was going to resign because of the shooting. Another wanted to know if the “accident was a c [...]
