Ruth lived in a land of darkness. In some ways her world was not unlike ours. Babies were sacrificed in order to gain personal well-being. Moab was a godless country. Despair reigned instead of hope. The one bright spot in Ruth’s life was her mother-in-law, Naomi. There is irony here. Naomi had lost her husband and two sons as a result of her husband’s ill-advised plan to find a better life in Moab. Yet, even in Naomi’s bitterness and sadness, she still retained her faith in the Lord of Hosts. This faith was observed by Ruth and began to grow within her. Ruth embraced Naomi’s God, the God of Israel, as her own God with these famous words: […]
Culture
252 posts
You were made for work. God created the earth to be a challenge for mankind. The creation was good and challenging. God’s creation was not without difficulty. The good creation had rough edges that needed to be smoothed. There was hard work to be done! Even though man was created sinless, he was still finite. Unlike God, Adam and Eve could not make things happen by force of will. God made them for work. Look again at the mandate given to Adam and Eve and to all mankind: God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky […]
MTV continues to push the envelope. On July 16th, the music network is offering a new reality show for its viewers. According to foxnews.com the name of the show is Virgin Territory. According to Fox: “The show follows 15 young adults, all between the ages of 18 to 23, who, for various reasons, are still virgins. During the course of the series, at least some of those featured will lose their virginity. “Some of them are hanging on to their virginity and others are desperately trying to lose it,” a description of the show on MTV’s website explains.” What would have been unthinkable 10 years ago is now served to the living rooms of millions of families […]
America has moved on from the Bible and its views of morality. Three “modern” replacements have been employed to succeed the supposed outdated structure of biblical Christianity. These replacements are: Public Opinion Public opinion has assumed the role of Scripture and the Holy Spirit. When politicians use phrases like the will of the people or the American people want they are typically referring to public opinion polls. Even the terms right and wrong are used subjectively, as in people feel something is right or wrong or this is wrong for America. These terms are seldom used in the absolute sense. Sexual preference or practice has become a matter to be decided by public opinion and personal choice. Biblical standards are […]
Fifteen-year old Jessica is a good student and popular with teachers and students. One day a teacher notices that Jessica seems down. She asks Jessica if she can help and Jessica shrugs her shoulders and walks off. Later in the day, this same teacher again sees that Jessica is still down. She puts her arm around her and walks with her to one of Jessica’s favorite teachers, a guidance counselor who also happens to teach the health class on sexuality. Together, they ask Jessica why she is so down. Jessica opens up. She tells the teachers that she thinks she is ready to have sex with her boyfriend. She tells the teachers that she and her boyfriend both went through […]
A review of The Fault in our Stars. John Green’s book, The Fault in Our Stars, is not to be taken lightly. Over 10 million copies of the book have been sold to date. It is currently ranked the number one best seller on Amazon and has been followed by a recent blockbuster movie. The book’s target audience is young adults and teenagers; the theme of the book is about two terminal cancer patients who are teenagers—not exactly what one would expect to be a winning formula. Green is a talented writer. The story is written in the voice of Hazel, a 16-year-old girl diagnosed with terminal cancer. Her life is transformed when she meets Gus, a 17-year-old boy who […]
Our culture’s stars are judged by how well they please their audiences. When the pleasing stops, the appreciation stops–scorn may even follow. But for their brief moment on the culture’s stage, they appear as Psalm 73 says. They have no worries, and they seem to be in control and able to mock God and his ways without fear of consequence. Their tweets are valued as if they were some form of enchanted Kool-Aid. But this vision of the prosperity of those who scoff at God is fleeting; it lasts but a moment. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. Psalm 73:18 If you try to understand the “prosperity” of the culture’s stars without an […]
Are you worth more than the birds or any other creature on the planet? Many would say no, you are not. But God says there is a particular order to life. God created life with an eye to his own plan and for his own glory. If random evolutionary process is the author of life then there is no purpose except to survive. If the ancient eastern religions are right and God is not separate from his creation, then one life form is just as significant as the next. Eastern mysticism and evolutionary thinking have become the dominate influence in western culture. Hollywood reveres the Dalai Lama. Education is wed to evolutionary theory. Christians on the other hand are accused […]
Tim Tebow is one of, if not the most, iconic and polarizing figures in modern sports. He had an 8-5 record as a starting pro quarterback in 2011. Not bad by today’s standards. He even led his team to a playoff victory. But then, barely after his career had begun, it was over. There were many reasons given as to why. He couldn’t pass. He was at the center of a constant media circus. He was too overt about his faith. He ran too much. He would kneel in prayer when something good happened. So, despite his winning record, there was no room on the field for him. In the NFL, winning is supposed to be the main thing, unless […]
Marijuana Changes Brains: I Told You So! It is time once again for my semi-regular harangue on the subject of pot. I have several blogs in which I have risked the wrath of those who believe it is their libertarian free born American right to smoke dope, I mean pot.J I have also been chastised by those who believe that it should be their right as a Christian to smoke marijuana if it is not against the law. Somehow they think whacky tobacchy (as a friend of mine once called it) fits well in the Paul’s Romans 14 construct of Christian Liberty. I have consistently warned anyone who will listen that there is little to nothing good about humans smoking marijuana. I’ve spent […]