Category: Social Issues

Remembering Mumbai

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While we celebrated Thanksgiving in the United States, on the other side of the world evil was running rampant. To me, this reinforces the need to take the gospel to the whole world. If people really understood the call of Christ to come and follow Him, they would realize that we are called to life transformation, regeneration, becoming a new creation, and are to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. This is the gospel according to Jesus. To love and serve God, to love and serve others … what greater task can the church have?

 

Many people I know serve God faithfully on the international mission field. My heart is for world missions and reaching other cultures with the life changing message of Christ… not only does He bring salvation but also forgiveness, meaning, purpose, hope, peace, security, strength, joy…  

 

Where was God last week? God does not necessarily protect us from evil that is around us, but He does give us His presence while we are in the midst of it. I like how the three Hebrew young men responded in the face of capital punishment: 

 

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” – Daniel 3:17-18

Read what my friend Debbie Warnock has written… beautifully put.

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Christians Influencing Culture

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Christians are supposed to influence culture for the better, despite what many non-Christians might want. Richard Dawkins, the famous atheist professor at Oxford recently put signs on London busses stating that “There’s probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” Probably? Perhaps he is not too sure about his atheism or the bus company made him tone down his message. Either way, the message is pretty clear, he wants people to live their lives as if there is no God… I wonder what that kind of world would be like?

I wonder what professor Dawkins might think about a world were no Christians exist. Gone are the 90% of Christians who desire to serve mankind in a positive fashion, help others when they are in need, offer comfort to those who are suffering or in grief, those who are the first to rush in with disaster relief… Dawkins must long for a world with no hope at the end of life, with no purpose in this life other than to eat, drink, conquer, procreate and die. Without Christians or the Holy Spirit of the Bible in this world, all that is left is the base of human cruelty, the survival of the fittest where only the strong survive.

My question is, “What does it hurt for people to believe in God?”

I recently read the Southwest Virginia Christian Leadership Network newsletter that quotes Reggie McNeal, from his book Practicing Greatness. He outlines seven spiritual habits or disciplines that lead to the spiritual influence we need within our culture. Since leadership is the art and science of influence, this is what McNeal writes:

  1. Self-awareness – understanding who God created you to be
  2. Self-management – managing emotions, expectations, temptations, mental/physical well-being
  3. Self-development – lifelong commitment to building on your strengths, not your weaknesses
  4. Mission – living out of a sense of God’s purpose for your life and leadership
  5. Decision-making – knowing the elements of good decisions and learning from failure
  6. Belonging – nurturing relationships with family, followers, mentors, and friends
  7. Aloneness – the intentional practice of soul-making solitude and contemplation

Seek ways to influence our culture with intentionality; not just seeking people to believe the way we do, but to allow people to see Jesus for who he really is!

Sarah Palin and Women in Leadership

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Texas pastor Voddie Baucham participated in a CNN interview with Margaret Feinberg. Is he serious about female leadership in the community? Notice, it’s not just spiritual leadership within the church, but for a woman to be in leadership at all.

So, the woman’s place is in the home (Titus 2:4-5)? And one could assume a woman should keep her head covered, at least keep her hair long (1 Corinthians 11:6) but not braided, nor should she adorn herself with gold or pearls (1 Timothy 2:9)! Do the women of his congregation take the Bible that literally? For fear of sounding liberal, I have a problem with his interpretation. 

For one, if Sarah Palin is going to lead spiritually, Voddie Baucham might have a point, but since she has the potential to lead politically, I don’t get it.

Secondly, if women can’t lead in the church based solely upon their gender, those who agree with that position must logically take women out of all leadership positions, like even with children and youth. If women are not to have authority over “a man” (singular in 1 Timothy 2:12, like a husband, not necessarily over the community at large) support for male-only senior pastors might be legitimate. If they are not to have authority over a man because Eve was deceived first (like women may be more prone to heresy) why would we allow women to be in charge of our smallest and most vulnerable community members who can’t discern truth from error?

Third, it seems to me that Rev. Baucham should not have women in any leadership positions in his church. I’m thinking that is not the case. I would argue that his position applied politically might mean we remove women from most any community leadership… military, police, judges, the PTA, high school teachers, college professors. I tend to see God gifting all of His children with abilities to be used in His service. Heaven forbid that women would use the excuse of gender for not “stepping out of the boat” to do what they sense God calling them to do.

I cannot tell my daughter that although God has given her certain gifts of leadership and a passion to make a difference in the world, but she cannot do certain tasks because she did not get the right private parts.

The Real Cause of Global Warming?

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Amazing information from the scientific community in the UK… this is from an article in the Chicago Tribune, which informs us that having kids promotes global climate change!

Family planning as a means to reduce climate change has been little talked about in international climate forums, largely because it is so politically sensitive. China’s leaders, however, regularly argue that their country should get emission reduction credits because of their one-child policy, and many environmentalists—and even a growing number of religious and ethics scholars—say the biblical command to “be fruitful and multiply” needs to be balanced against Scripture calling for stewardship of the Earth.

Who knew the only commandment that mankind has never broken would be the cause of so much catastrophe? — Genesis 1:28

In a nation where Texas’ 23 million people account for more greenhouse gas emissions than all 720 million Sub-Saharan Africans, even small rates of U.S. population growth may have a disproportionate impact on global warming, said the UN’s Haug.

So it’s not just having kids, but having American kids!

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Lowering the Legal Drinking Age?

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Have you heard this argument regarding under-age drinking? “The law only makes youth want to drink because it’s a ‘forbidden fruit.’ If drinking alcohol was legal at 18, it wouldn’t be a big deal and those under 21 would be less likely to drink.”

Consider this response: When the “forbidden fruit” is no longer forbidden, youth simply drink more. According to www.why21.org:

In states where the drinking age was 18, those under 21 drank more than youth in states where the minimum drinking age was 21 and they continued to drink more as adults in their early 20s. In states where the drinking age was 21, teenagers drank less than youth in states where the minimum drinking age was 21 and continued to drink less through their early 20s.

But drinking more is not the only issue. Because alcohol impairs decision-making capabilities, young people who drink are more likely to engage in risk-taking behavior. And this risky behavior can lead to unintentional deaths and injuries associated with driving or engaging in other activities that lead to homicide and violence, suicide attempts, sexual assault, risky sexual behavior, and vandalism and property damage.

Drinking at earlier ages is also associated with higher rates of drinking later in life. In fact, 40 percent of those who started drinking before 15 meet criteria for alcohol dependence at some time in their lives.

More info may be found at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

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