June 2009

With the progress in Iraq dominating headlines, I wanted to link to one of the most superb speeches on the subject. Delivered at The Heritage Foundation in 2005, the greatest professor in America, Dr. J. Rufus Fears, offers the most-thought provoking comments.

The piece, “The Lessons of the Roman Empire for America Today,” begins:

I am honored to give a lecture named after Russell Kirk, who told us to ponder the permanent things, such as history and human nature. It is about human nature and history that I want to speak to you this afternoon.

We are on patrol today in Iraq. Men and women of the United States armed forces in armored vehicles patrol the streets of Baghdad. They pass in the way of so many who have come before them: the Egyptian charioteers of Ramses II, the Macedonian phalanx of Alexander the Great, the Roman legionnaires of Cae­sar and Trajan, the Crusaders of Richard the Lion-Hearted, the legionnaires of Napoleon, the Camel Corps of Lawrence of Arabia.

All of these have come through the Middle East. Many of them have come with the best of intentions, by their lights, to bring stability, even freedom to the Middle East. All have passed away. The Middle East has been the graveyard of empires.

In the course of history, we have come to take up that burden. We live in a time as momentous as that of the American Revolution, the Civil War, the days after Pearl Harbor. In each of these watersheds in our his­tory, we have not only taken up the burden, but we have advanced the cause of freedom.

In the American Revolution, we saw to it that a nation could be established under liberty and law. In the American Civil War, we purged ourselves of the great evil of slavery so that we could go on and become a model for the world. In World War II and the Cold War that followed, we advanced the cause of freedom so that today, more people live in free­dom than at any other time in history. That is the result of America bearing this burden.

I think that September 11 is just as important a date as Pearl Harbor, and we now advance into a new and dangerous era. Think of Winston Churchill when he said how Britain set out across unknown seas, through uncharted waters towards unknown shores, guided only by the beacon of freedom. We have another guide, and that is history and the les­sons of history. For the founders of our country, his­tory was the most important single discipline that every citizen of a free republic should study.

Enjoy the rest here.

“The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.”

—Martin Luther

Frank Turek, of I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist fame, writes in his blog at crossexamined.com that Bob Cornuke, “a Christian Indiana Jones,” claims that the real Ark of the Covenant has been found. I won’t duplicate his post here, so go there and read it for the details. As Turek notes, who knows if this is true, but wouldn’t that be something if it is…

Mike Huckabee’s website has a new look. Not bad at all.

One thing I neglected to mention in my convention update post was that, following his ringing oration, Huckabee broke out the bass guitar and jammed with the SBC praise band.

Having recently returned from the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in Louisville, Kentucky, I wanted to pass on some thoughts:

Speakers

The list of speakers for the Pastors’ Conference/SBC meeting included former Gov. Mike Huckabee, Chuck Colson, Richard Land and more. I was inspired by all on the program, including Okie pastor and author Tom Elliff.

Elections

Without opposition, the convention re-elected Johnny Hunt, who is doing a stand-up job as SBC president.

Key Issues

There were some unusual motions made from the floor, such as a request that LifeWay bookstores no longer carry Mark Driscoll’s books. The resolutions, meanwhile, were fairly predictable and innocuous (with the exception of the one I am about to mention).

The Aftermath

The mainstream media, as best as I can tell, picked up on two developments from the meeting. The first was the resolution about Barack Obama. What was meant to be a resolution showing our willingness to support (insofar as biblical ideals allow) and pray for him was taken to be an insult. The media highlighted only our opposition to his pro-choice stance.

The second was the action to break fellowship with a Baptist church in Ft. Worth that is actively embracing the homosexual lifestyle. The vote to break fellowship took only a moment but led to huge headlines. Go figure.

First Things

What struck me most about the convention was the fervent desire to return to the Great Commission and rely on the Lord during dark times. Perhaps Baptists are not the most correct of all Christian denominations on every single issue, but they are a good people, set on spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness and new Life He brings.

Why We Love The Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion
by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck

“The authors of the award-winning Why We’re Not Emergent return to tackle another set of theological innovators. Whether committed, disgruntled, waffling, or disconnected from the local church, this book will help you love the bride of Christ.”

In the face of the Emerging Church’s “we love Jesus but hate the church” sentiment comes this breath of fresh air. Having read Why We’re Not Emergent, I am confident this work will be worth its weight in gold.

Last week, David Letterman made a “coarse” joke about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and her daughter who were visiting New York City. The joke was done in poor taste, and all who were offended and outraged by the joke have legitimate grounds to respond the way they did.

I could give a lengthy analysis of why Letterman’s joke was bad, give an interpretation of his intent, accuse him of being an angry liberal, so on and so forth. But I won’t do that; rather I will focus on something all of us should be ready and willing to do when we have done something wrong. That is admit the wrong and begin the process of forgiveness.

Monday night, Letterman gave a sincere apology:

David Letterman Apologizes

I commend him for what he said. He admitted there was a misunderstanding, and he gave a thorough explanation. He also was genuine in apologizing to everyone involved.

Forgiveness is not a quick remedy. Time is needed. But the greatest thing about forgiveness is watching how God can work. I recently received a good description about forgiveness from Rick Warren’s book  The Purpose Driven Life. I think it is applicable to this situation.

Christianity Today has a must-read article on public policy and abortion in America. It claims, “The current proposals to lower the abortion rate will only make things worse.”

The piece goes to analyze some of Obama’s words and actions pertaining to abortion, which in this case are not the same.

The article, part of a complete series on the pro-life cause, even examines the next wave of abortion on demand: chemical abortions under other names, like “emergency contraceptives.”

Christianity Today‘s journal, LEADERSHIP, has an important analysis on recently reported trends within the Church. An excerpt reads:

Spiritual growth, then, may be occurring for many of today’s Christians in non-traditional ways. Instead of attending church on Sunday mornings, many opt for personal, individual ways to stretch themselves spiritually.

There is some good news in the story, as well as some action steps that could stem the tide.

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.”

-BARACK OBAMA, in a recent White House press release

Hat tip: BTD

I’m not a frequent viewer of The O’Reilly Factor, but once in awhile I do tune in to see what Mr. Bill is reporting. On Monday night, he did something that is rarely done in the state of Oklahoma — accuse Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry of being irresponsible and apathetic. He also called out Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson.

According to the McAlester News-Capital a district judge sentenced a child rapist a year in prison after a plea bargaining agreement with the rapist’s attorney. O’Reilly said he called both Henry’s and Edmondson’s offices to get their reaction to this sentence. Henry’s office declined to comment, and Edmondson said he was “too busy” to talk to O’Reilly.

O’Reilly has been on a crusade against judges who give short sentences to child rapists and sex offenders. He also is an advocate for Jessica’s Law and will call out lawmakers who appear to make decisions that contradict the popular law that is designed to punish sex offenders and reduce their ability to re-offend.

I am curious to see how this accusation on national television will pan out for both Henry and Edmondson. Henry is a lame duck, but Edmondson plans to run for governor. Regardless of their future plans, O’Reilly’s bulldog-like tactics could make it troublesome for both politicians, especially in this conservative state.

Recently, I read an article by Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com criticizing NBA All-Star Dwight Howard for thanking God for Howard’s team the Orlando Magic making the NBA Finals. Here is what Howard said in the press conference after Orlando defeated Cleveland in the Eastern Division series:

“First, I want to thank God, man, because without Him none of this would be possible. I told my guys before the game if we come out, we play 100 percent, play hard for 48 minutes, then God is gonna do the rest, and He did tonight. We got a good victory; man … it’s all because of Him.”

Freeman gives a common rebuke to comments like Howard’s, saying God doesn’t care about sporting events, that He is more concerned about world tragedies and other severe issues. He has a point, but it is easy to forget that God has no limits to his care and the concerns of this world. And because we are limited to the understanding of God’s will, it is possible that God has a purpose and plan that involves the NBA Finals and specifically Dwight Howard.

But as Jesus reminds us, God cares for the sparrow and the lilies of the field, so he also cares and provides for us. Also, we are reminded that in everything we do, we are to give all the glory to God. Howard is to be commended for showing his thanks.

The Oklahoman points to a site created by two Okies. The site, ArtofManliness.com, discusses in detail the idea of a gentleman. “The idea grew from Brett McKay’s own search for the essence of manliness, what influences boys, or the older version, guys, to morph into men.”

I cannot endorse all of their writings, but it is worth a good look.

Making sure you saw this good news:

“Oklahoma Democratic Gov. Brad Henry has signed into law bills banning sex-selection abortions and human cloning.”

We are not at the end of fighting Brave-New-World creep in Oklahoma. We are not even at the beginning of the end. But this bill may signify we are at end of the beginning.

We speak with one voice today in condemnation of the recent murder of George Tiller.

From following our blog, you know we have no admiration for the man, who was a notorious late-term abortionist. Yet this heinous crime brings us no joy whatsoever, only grief. An immoral, evil act like this deserves the utmost penalty under the law.