Month: December 2013

Tuesday, December 31st, 2013     . It’s still there, tapped in deep, Antarctic ice. The passengers have been on board for nearly a week with nowhere to go. An Australian vessel has tried reach them. Same for a Chinese rescue boat which came within six nautical miles before turning back because of the unusually thick ice. As I write this, a French ship is also attempting a mission of mercy. Aboard the stranded vessel are 74 researchers, crew and tourists. So far they are all in good spirits, but if weather conditions worsen, things could get dicey. The stranded ship, Russian registered, has been stuck since last Tuesday after a blizzard pushed sea ice around the ship, freezing it in place. It won’t sink, experts say, and there is plenty of food aboard; but it isn’t going anywhere soon.

Now for the punch line, if you’re not familiar with this story. The jaunt was organized by an Australian professor of climate change and paid for by the Australian government. Its purpose was to report first-hand on how much global warming has adversely affected the planet. Unfortunately, an awful lot of ice, a record-breaking amount of ice, got in the way. So much for the science of global warming. My purpose isn’t to necessarily disdain Al Gore and friends, although they must be a bit red-faced at the moment. (Or is it even possible to embarrass a political liberal with facts?) My observation is on the uncertainty of human certainty. There isn’t space enough to admit how many times “science” has got it all wrong. (Piltdown Man anyone?) So when we’re told that Christians beliefs in a real Adam and Eve, a real Noah’s ark, and a real rapture are ridiculous, remember this stranded ship. And remember Peter’s words in 2 Peter 3:3: There shall come in the last days scoffers who are willfully ignorant. And that includes not only their assessment of Antarctic ice but also their opinion on the Second Coming.

Friday, December 27th, 2013     Typical crossword puzzle matrix. Mormon Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah. I see people playing them all the time, mostly to pass the time. On planes, in waiting rooms, on trains, wherever people need something to occupy their minds. Mental health experts says it is one way to stay sharp the older one gets; but to most, it’s not a matter of retaining the acuity of brain cells. They just like to do them. I find them boring, but not to those obsessed with crossword puzzles. They wouldn’t think of starting the day without opening the newspaper to figure out, “What is a four letter word starting with H that means______.  You may have done one or more crossword puzzles yourself but likely didn’t realize that they were originally known as “Word-Cross” puzzles. The first one was printed December 21, 1913 as “Fun’s Word-Cross Puzzle.” By January 11, 1914 they were called “Cross-Word” puzzles. The change came as a result of a printing error, the typesetter accidentally inverting the words. But the error stuck because it just sounded better and no one was yet vested in the original wording.

So much for a common diversion; but when it comes to theology, words have such significance that no inadvertent change can pass muster. For example, atonement, the reconciliation of man with God by the blood of Christ has been changed to “at-one-ment” by certain Mind Science and New Age cults. To these deniers of biblical truth, atonement means we become “at-one” with the “ultimate reality” by realizing our “inner spark of divinity”: AT-ONE-MENT. That’s not the same thing as orthodox Christianity teaches. For another example, Mormons these days speak of knowing Christ as their “personal Lord and Savior,” words Mormons never used to speak. Why the change? Their target audience is often biblically shallow Christians who are familiar with born-again lingo. But “salvation” to a Latter Day Saint isn’t the same thing as being “redeemed” is to a true Bible-believer. (Mormons are saved by believing that Joseph Smith Jr. was a prophet of God and by being secretly baptized in one of their temples.) You can call a puzzle of fill-in-the-boxes-with-letters anything you wish, but if you speak of being “saved” you’d better get the definition of your terms correct!

Thursday, December 26th, 2013     Flipper flips out of the water. Einstein in a moment of deep contemplation. It’s not even a contest: Flipper v. Einstein. Yet there was a time several decades ago when the brightest and best among us believed that dolphins were super-smart creatures who held in their high-pitched squeaks the hope of extraterrestrial communication. This idea, promoted by a secret society called the Order of the Dolphin, hoped to establish contact with aliens on other planets by enlisting the help of the Flippers of the oceans. By cracking the code of dolphin-speak, a form of communication the Order supposed was a constructible language, they could eventually decipher alien languages. Members of the Order actually wore insignias shaped like bottlenose dolphins and sent each other coded message to better their skills at understanding dolphinese. And who were the members of the Order? Luminaries such as evolutionary biologist J. B. S. Haldane, Nobel-Prize-winning chemist Melvin Calvin, neuroscientist John Lilly, and PBS atheist gadfly Carl Sagan.

That’s right. Some of the brightest minds of the 70s and 80s wanted to talk like Dolphins. Lilly even injected dolphins with LSD to help the creatures along the path of human language connections. Reflect for a moment about how Christians are vilified in society as bigoted, right-wing, ignorant anti-intellectuals for believing in Intelligent Design. This story of dolphin communication is likely something you never heard of, conveniently buried in the archives of history lest it embarrass the pseudo-intellectual, liberal left. Leave it to me to unearth this bit of humiliation for political and religious “progressives.” The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 53:1) No kidding. Look how foolish the likes of the late Sagan look now. Too bad we couldn’t have confronted him about this before he died. His perpetual smirk when dissing Christian beliefs might have turned slightly sour.

Monday, December 23rd, 2013     At last the mystery has been solved: How does Rudolph’s red nose glow? Researchers in Sweden caught the phenomenon on a thermographic camera which measures heat emissions. Rudolph’s redness is due to an oversupply of blood to that part of the famous reindeer’s anatomy to keep his nose form freezing. Reindeer forage for food in the snow and God (evolution and Mother Nature to unbelievers) arranged for reindeer to have warm blood in their noses so their proboscises can function in the deep of winter. That’s not all that’s interesting about reindeer. They pause to pee. They are unable to walk far without relieving themselves, about every six miles, and the Laplanders of Finland in olden times actually used this information to measure distances. Flying? The 1820s poem by Clement Clarke Moore immortalized the idea of Santa’s reindeer whisking him through the air. That idea may have come from reindeer eating hallucinogenic mushrooms and then shamans drinking their urine to get high, and thinking the reindeer were flying.

Fascinating speculation, but what’s the spiritual point of this? Myths, legends, and cultural stories develop fanciful exaggerations from real facts. But myths, whether “urban” or cartoonish shouldn’t be the basis of belief, especially when it comes to eternity. Creation to Hindus began when either the god Vishnu projected his thoughts into material substance or the god Brahma, sitting on a lotus flower, expressed his essence into the world we know. Buddhism has no beginning for anything, only endless cycles of reincarnation. In fact classical Buddhism sees even asking the question of origins as pointless.  For Christians, “In the beginning God . . .” is the source of all that is, including morality, meaning, and eternal life. Unlike Rudolph’s nose, Creation by the God of Scripture is no myth. It’s rooted in actual historical reality. The writers of the New Testament said so (Hebrews 11:3) and so did Christ who validated the Genesis account (Matt. 12:40). Whether it’s flying, red-nosed reindeer, or the truth of man’s beginning, it best to get your facts straight.

Friday, December 20th, 2013     Strange medical procedure to save man’s hand. Honestly, I don’t mean to gross you out. But look at that photo again. It’s not retouched. It actually shows a man’s hand medically attached to his ankle. What’s going on? A few weeks ago a man in Changsha, Hunan province, China named Xie Wei had his hand cut off in a work accident. Doctors determined the only way to save the hand was to temporarily graft it to his leg, so it could have an instant blood supply. As you can see, both foot and hand seem to be doing well. Subsequent to this photo the hand was removed from the ankle and attached to Wei’s arm. Even though the photo might make some a bit uncomfortable, the outcome was positive. An oddity that had a good result.

Seeing this photo got me thinking about strange things spiritually that might make one feel uneasy, but have a divine intention. Like the baby in the manger this Christmas season. Stables are smelly, filthy places. Animals carry all kinds of diseases. Hardly a sanitary environment to welcome the Son of God. The Passion of Christ was also odd. No other God in any other religion redeems His creation by the kind of sacrifice we witness concerning the crucifixion of Christ. A bloody beating followed by a torturous, ignominious death. Even the resurrection was strange. A tomb, a rolled away stone, angels announcing the miracle, and Jesus walking the earth afterwards, teaching his followers the meaning of it all. Strange, very odd. I’m sure that Xie Wei cares little about how unusual his medical procedure was. He has his hand back. Likewise, people shouldn’t be put off by the unconventional way that God in His purposes chose to redeem humanity. Wei accepted and loves his new hand. We should accept God’s plan of salvation and love Him for how he redeemed us, no matter how odd it may seem to our human minds.

Thursday, December 19th, 2013     A family outing in the ’50s. Dinner time of a bygone era. It’s not easy being a parent. I know. My wife and I have three girls, 12, 16 (well, almost), and 19. No matter who you are, what your race or religion, being a good parent is one of the most difficult jobs on earth.  Life changes, hormones, cognitive acquisition, social skills, religious faith, the list of challenges is endless. Things just aren’t like they were back in the 50s and 60s, even the 70s when there was no Internet, no texting, and no Snapchat. Ask most moms and dads and they’ll admit that their roles get harder every year that passes. But a series of recent studies discussed, in of all places, the liberal huffingtonpost.com concludes that parents who are religious have a less stressful job than those without belief. The liberal canard has been that religious teachings set standards of behavior impossible to achieve and thus put parents in a guilt trap when failing. The truth, born out by several reports, is that Christian parents are ahead of the game.  There are several reasons for this. First, seeing parenting as a sacred responsibility sanctifies or sacralizes the role of a mother and father. They see themselves as helping to fulfill God’s plan on earth through their children. They are performing a religious duty. And they get validation for doing a good job.

A psychology professor at Bowling Green State University says that in the battle to be good parents “some emerge from struggling with doubt to develop a strong faith that enables them to be happier mothers and fathers.” Also, according to one study, “The more husbands contributed to daily infant care, the lower their parental aggravation.” Once again, religion plays a role since good fathers are often validated by their church and Christian friends. Sociologist Richard Petts of Ball State University reported the followiong findings in the Journal of Marriage and Family: Religious participation “was associated with greater involvement with children, reduced parenting stress and a lower likelihood of engaging in corporal punishment.” So much for the misconception that Christian parents who believe in not sparing the rod are will be abusive because of their faith. Furthermore researchers found that daily prayer reduces stress for married mothers (Surprise, surprise!). It’s sort of sad that it has taken an academic study to note what’s obvious to my family and the Christian families we associate with. The family that prays together is more likely to stay together, and have a whole lot easier time doing one of the hardest jobs in the world – being a good parent.

Wednesday, December 18th, 2013     Sixteenth Century ink and pigment Scripture text and artistic depiction of Christ casting out demons from the demoniac of Gadara. In a new book by Michael Brown, entitled Authentic Fire: A Response to John MacArthur’s Strange Fire (a book I admittedly haven’t read yet), there is an excellent quote that I found on a web site, a quote on which I’d like to put a spin. Brown quotes noted Christian writer A. W. Tozer as having said, “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.” I agree completely with that observation. Contemplating the ministry of healing and deliverance to which the Lord has called me, I’d also put it another way. If every instance of healing and deliverance ceased in the church today, most Christians would hardly notice. If miracles, signs and wonders, and healing and deliverance had been removed from the Early Church of the first three centuries A. D., there would be no Church as we know it today!

To put it more directly: if the casting out of demons and the healing of sick bodies and souls had been ignored when the Church started, there likely wouldn’t be much of a Church today, including those preachers and denominational bodies who actively oppose deliverance. In my new International School of Exorcism� (call 303-980-1511 to register and find out about special scholarships), Level 1, Course 2, I cite the observation of Dr. Geoffrey Lampe, British Anglican priest who for ten years was professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Lampe argues in his writings that exorcism was the dominant miracle of the Early church and that it “provided support of a person’s authority, character, and doctrine.” In short, if there had been no exorcism in 200-300 A. D. (The First Century was the apostolic age and Scripture clearly tells us they cast out demons during that period.), the Church could not have survived the opposition of Rome, the mightiest pagan empire on earth. Every preacher who opposes deliverance is part of the legacy of deliverance which started in early Christianity. Even a John MacArthur can do what he does because those first Christians cast out demons!

Tuesday, December 17th, 2013     Book that coined the word affluenza. Ethan Couch, whose drunken driving killed four people. Four people are dead, killed by 16-year-old Ethan Couch who was driving drunk and hit them. Surely this absolutely irresponsible kid should pay some kind of price for taking the lives of four people, but no. A clever lawyer got him off with just 10 years of probation in a cushy rehab by presenting an “affluenza” defense. The word affluenza was popularized in the late 1990s by Jessie O’Neill, the granddaughter of a past president of General Motors, when she wrote the book The Golden Ghetto: The Psychology of Affluence. Bear in mind that the American Psychological Association doesn’t officially classify this “affliction.” No wonder. It describes spoiled brats, like Couch, who come from rich families and act out bad behavior. Usually the term refers to kids who skip school or abuse drugs. In this case, its homicide. But can what happened be excused by partially blaming the parents, whom defense lawyers claim never set limits for their child and gave him everything he wanted? Does this kid need treatment, as the judge declared, or the tough lessons of a no affluence prison cell for a very long time?

It’s obvious that this crime was without any serious consequences. And if that doesn’t make you mad enough, consider who was killed: a youth pastor, two young women, and a mother – all Christians. Plus this utterly irresponsible driver was dumb enough to let two kids ride in his truck’s bed, and they were seriously injured. Oh, and if your blood isn’t boiling by now, Couch, the killer, was drunk from booze he’d stolen from a Walmart! One more thing: Couch bragged to one of the passengers after the accident, “I’m Ethan Couch, I’ll get you out of this.” And there’s more. Three days before the accident, Couch threw a wild, drunken party at a private mansion given to him by his father!!! Whether or not there will be any reversal of this outrageous decision, the judge who rendered this ridiculous verdict would do well to heed the words of Psalm 89:14 regarding the attributes of God: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your [God’s] throne.” His Honor who let this kid off with murder may preside over a respectful perch in the courtroom, but the “throne” of his jurisprudence has a very shaky foundation.