July 2008

In 11th grade English, we had to write an essay on our favorite invention. At the time, I selected, if memory serves me correctly, the air conditioner. Even with the record heat we are seeing, I would like to change my vote to the Ultrasound machine. Not only have my wife and I personally enjoyed the benefits of this technology, it has given the pro-life cause an enormous boost.

Today’s edition of The Oklahoman has an interesting story on how getting Ultrasound photos is quite fashionable. There is a story, unfortunately, published right by it questioning the safety of recreational Ultrasound. Nevertheless, the trend is in our favor, and I stand by amending my (mediocre) high school essay.

Today, July 29, is voting day for the Oklahoma primaries. The polls are open 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. If my experience at the polls is at all telling, it is going to be light turnout today, even though a U.S. Senate seat and other important offices are at stake.

Of course, Pilgrims Progress readers are just about the brightest in the country, so you probably knew this already.

If you do not know to whom I refer, count yourself lucky. Mr. Tolle is the New Age spiritual rock star created by Oprah Winfrey who likes to quote Jesus. In an important piece, Christianity Today magazine explores the answer to the question I pose in the title of this post. Read it here.

NewsOK.com has a very important interview with the greatest professor in Oklahoma and the country, Dr. J. Rufus Fears. If you have heard Dr. Fears speak even once, then you are bound to click on the link here.

If you are not, please drop whatever you are doing and listen to him discuss the superb art exhibit on ancient Rome now in Oklahoma City. Wait for the end, when you will hear Dr. Fears reveal the most important legacy of the Roman Empire, which may surprise you.

“The righteousness of God is that righteousness by which through grace and mercy God justifies us by faith. I felt myself reborn! … The passage of Paul became my gate to heaven … Works do make one righteous. Righteousness creates good works.”

-Martin Luther

In the past, I have referred to Father Jonathan who does a column on Fox News’ website. A couple of weeks ago he wrote a column that disappointed me, giving a theological perspective that is contrary to mine.

His latest, though, is a really good one. I encourage you to read it especially if the difficulties of life have you down. Check out his column ”Happiness on the Isle of Capri.” 

National Review has an insightful piece about the struggle going on inside the United Methodist Denomination. Below are some excerpts from the piece, which centers around Hillary’s long-standing membership in the UMC:

This pervasive advocacy for legalized abortion is one of the reasons Hillary says with a smile, “I’m comfortable in this church.” But Hillary Clinton may begin to feel less comfortable. The UMC recently concluded its 2008 General Conference — Hillary has addressed the conference in the past — where it made some positive steps back from the abyss of the Culture of Death advanced by its most liberal members.

Among the steps taken was a statement encouraging the church to “assist the ministry of crisis pregnancy centers and pregnancy resource centers that compassionately help women find feasible alternatives to abortion.” The conference made some important changes in language, deleting a previous assertion that advocating legalized abortion was “in continuity with past Christian teaching,” and even adding a sentence informing Methodists that they are “bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother and unborn child.”

Read the rest here, and pay notice to the important positive role the Methodists in Africa are playing.

Last night, I had the unique privilege of taking my wife to a sneak preview of the movie, Fireproof. If you are familiar with the movie, Facing the Giants, you may have known about this forthcoming release. Here is my brief take on it.

What to like

Two words: Kirk Cameron. OK, I’ll admit: Left Behind: The Movie left a bad taste in my mouth, but he more than redeemed himself is his role as “Captain Caleb Holt,” a firefighter who struggles to keep alive the cooling embers of his marriage.

If I had to place the movie in a single genre, it is a love story. It is not, however, a so-called (and I really dislike this term) “chick flick,” like You’ve Got Mail. But unlike that, it can put wind in your sails if you are (or hope to be) married. Further, the movie had plenty of comic relief and some good, hearty masculine aggressiveness. The movie contains some tense scenes and some violence (which I think can be a good thing), which may make it not for children. Yet it did not have profanity or inappropriate content, which is a huge plus.

What critics won’t like

With the exception of Cameron, the actors in the movie are amateurs. It shows in only a few parts though, and all of the main actors were good. And that is point two: it is a movie in pursuit of goodness, not beauty. In other words, it was more like a good meal from Chick-Fil-A than a fine French restaurant. But that’s okay by me and it achieves the goals it sets out for itself. I mean, this film isn’t supposed to win an Oscar, it is supposed to help change lives and thus the culture. Finally, many will see the film as more of a sermon than a movie, and I will be the first to admit that it is a heavy-handed presentation of the Gospel. Of course, isn’t that our call as Evangelical Christians, to engage the culture and present Christ to all?

Overall

I give this movie two enthusiastic thumbs up, and I will be encouraging my Evangelical brethren (and neighbors) to see it come September 26. My movie date dubbed it “simply awesome,” and I would agree.

For more information or to see the trailer, visit the movie’s website.

The Iowa Independent has published an open letter to Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama. The powerful piece, which has an Oklahoma connection, begins:

You recently spoke with Cameron Strang, publisher of Relevant magazine. During that interview, Strang asked if you could clarify your position on “third-trimester and partial-birth abortion,” and you replied:

“…I have repeatedly said that I think it’s entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother. Now, I don’t think that “mental distress” qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term. Otherwise, as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions.”

Your response leads me to believe that you’ve either never had a one-on-one discussion with a woman who has had a late-term abortion, or that you’ve been too uncomfortable to ask such a woman difficult questions concerning not only the procedure but what led her to make that choice. Because a president needs to be given as much first-hand knowledge as possible as he develops policy, I’d like to help remedy this deficiency.

Thirteen years ago I had a late term abortion.That’s the concise sentence I use when I don’t want to talk about what really happened.

Me: You may or may not want to read the rest of this gripping, heart-breaking story here. But I certainly hope the Senator reads it.

Just last week, I heard a contrast made between being a “conservative” and a “progressive” (by the way, that’s the new term for liberal). A “conservative” was defined as someone who looks back, who holds on to things of the past, whereas a progressive is someone who looks forward to the future, ready to embrace new ideas, even new truths. Of course, carefully defining the words like this is a thinly veiled attempt in pejorative monikers by those on the left. That being said, there is some truth in the definitions. Read the rest of this entry »

… for John McCain’s running mate, as their latest feature column attests.

It turns out, though, at least 90 Evangelical leaders do. And I suspect there are many more in the pews who are like them.

If you follow Christian fiction at all, you’ve likely heard of The Shack, a novel by Oregon salesman William P. Young.  You might even have seen it on the shelf of a local Christian bookstore, as I did just last week.  The novel, which was written by Young to help explain all of the perceived contradictions between the existence of a good God and all the evil in the world, is a run away best seller.

While many view it as simply a work of fiction, since it discusses the very nature of God (specifically, the Trinity), it deserves a very careful and thoughtful analysis.  Is it a wonderful piece of writing, as Eugene Peterson and Michael W. Smith think it is, or is it a the heresy-ridden tome as Albert Mohler claims?  In this fairly short piece, Tim Challies, author of “The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment,” analyzes The Shack to see where the truth lies.

If you’ve read this book or know someone who has, you owe it to yourself to see what the fuss is about, as ideas have consequences, and truth matters.

On behalf of the Pilgrim’s Progress bloggers, I say: May you and your family have a very blessed Fourth of July. And may the Lord make us ever more grateful for the nation in which we live.