Monthly Archives: November 2010

6 posts

Is Marriage Becoming Obsolete?

Is marriage becoming obsolete? Apparently a growing number of Americans think so. An article in the November 17 edition of USA Today Online states that “among the 2,691 adults surveyed by the Pew Research Center last month, 39% say marriage is becoming obsolete, up from 28% who responded to the same question posed in 1978 by Time magazine, which participated in the survey.”

Childish or Sinful, The Gospel or Irritation

In the last post we considered a scenario posed by one of our readers. The point of consideration was this:  why would a child perceive his parent’s concern over falling in the mud as anger? Let’s start with the child’s perspective. Falling in the mud can be unsettling. The child might be concerned about dirty clothes or an interruption in play time. While there are some children who will delight in such a “catastrophe,” most will not be pleased to be covered in mud. Furthermore, the child might equate falling in the mud with the unpleasant consequence of being disciplined for sinful behavior. The child’s reasoning might run something like this:  “Mommy is unhappy with me when I do bad […]

Childish or Sinful

One of our readers posed a thought-provoking question that I want to consider with you. One of your children is playing outside. He trips over a stone and falls down into the mud.  You rush over to him and help him up. You take him inside, clean him up and make sure there are no injuries.  Even after everything is all taken care of you notice that he is reserved and unsettled.  You ask him what the problem is and he says, “Nothing.”  A little later on, his brother comes to you and says, “Mommy I know why he didn’t say anything to you—he thought that you would be mad at him for making a mess.”  You are deeply puzzled. […]

Change and Hope

Another election is over.  More change is on the way. But what about hope?  Will the changes brought about by this mid-term election bring hope?  For many, the answer to this question is, “Well, we hope so.”  In this sense, yesterday’s election is like every other election.  Political change creates hope, but it seldom delivers satisfying change.  Not unexpectedly, the aftermath of the 2010 elections offers as much uncertainty as it does hope.  One reason for this is that political hope is based upon the ability of people to deliver on promises that are impossible for them to fulfill.  Hope in the wisdom and plans of men in a fallen world will always disappoint. True hope only comes from the […]

The Gospel and the Election

For Christians, tomorrow’s elections are about the gospel. Yes, I know about the separation of church and state. Yes, I am aware that no one is running on a gospel platform. I also know that there are no national polls being done on the relevance of the gospel message to the issues of this campaign. To my knowledge, there are no state referendums on the ballot as to whether the gospel should be believed or not.  But I am still confident that this campaign is about the gospel. You see, after tomorrow, the balance of power in the U.S. Congress will be different than it is today. But this election will not change the condition of men’s hearts.