I received this in an email the other day. While I don't agree with the theology of this, I still found it amusing. :)
If you don't know GOD, don't make stupid remarks! (Be careful what you ask for... You might just get it!)
A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist and a member of the ACLU. One day the professor shocked the class when he came in he looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, 'God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes.' The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop.Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, 'Here I am God. I'm still waiting.' It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him, knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.
The Marine went back to his seat and sat there silently. The other students were shocked, stunned, and sat there looking on in silence.
The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, 'What the heck is the matter with you? Why did you do that?'
The Marine calmly replied, 'God was too busy today protecting American soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot. So, He sent me.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Don't ask, don't tell
President-elect Obama is considering lifting the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy IRT to homosexual military members. What should the Christian response be? I’ve been struggling with this a bit, as it appears this pits two Biblical truths against each other….the command to submit to our governing authorities (Rom 13:1-7), and God’s condemnation of homosexuality.
Some history. The current “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was enacted by the Clinton administration in 1993. Prior to that, homosexuals were not permitted to serve in the U.S. armed forces.
In 1993, a primary argument for the new policy was it corrected (to some degree) a long history of discrimination against homosexuals. Supporters of “don’t ask, don’t tell” said this discrimination was exactly the same as past discrimination against African-Americans and women. Supporters of “don’t ask, don’t tell” were making precisely the same argument as those who favor lifting this policy today, (which would allow homosexuals to openly serve in the armed forces). I found the basis for the argument questionable then, and I do today.
Discrimination heaped upon African-Americans and women in the past by the military was wrong and short-sighted. In effect, our military was denied the talents and gifts those groups bring. The question is, is it legitimate to extend the same concept to homosexuals? Is restricting homosexuals from serving “discrimination”, as restricting African-Americans clearly was?
Does God have anything to say about this? The Bible is crystal clear that homosexuality is a vile sin, indeed a judgment. Other than those that reject Biblical inerrancy, no one denies this. Dr. Al Mohler wrote a paper recently that explains this far better than I ever could.
Please note one other thing. Scripture never says anything remotely negative about any minorities or women. Quite the contrary. This is a key difference, and the reason why discrimination on the basis of race or gender isn’t equivalent to “discrimination” based on “sexual preference”.
Former Chairman, JCS Gen Peter Pace expressed it well when he said "I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts," Pace said Monday. "I do not believe that the armed forces of the United States are well served by a saying through our policies that it's OK to be immoral in any way."
This is why Christians are troubled by this issue. However, if the policy is changed, we must comply, and set the example of law-abiding citizens. And we must remember individual homosexuals are made in the image of God and are in need of Christ, just as any other unbeliever is. We must treat them with dignity and respect.
Some history. The current “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was enacted by the Clinton administration in 1993. Prior to that, homosexuals were not permitted to serve in the U.S. armed forces.
In 1993, a primary argument for the new policy was it corrected (to some degree) a long history of discrimination against homosexuals. Supporters of “don’t ask, don’t tell” said this discrimination was exactly the same as past discrimination against African-Americans and women. Supporters of “don’t ask, don’t tell” were making precisely the same argument as those who favor lifting this policy today, (which would allow homosexuals to openly serve in the armed forces). I found the basis for the argument questionable then, and I do today.
Discrimination heaped upon African-Americans and women in the past by the military was wrong and short-sighted. In effect, our military was denied the talents and gifts those groups bring. The question is, is it legitimate to extend the same concept to homosexuals? Is restricting homosexuals from serving “discrimination”, as restricting African-Americans clearly was?
Does God have anything to say about this? The Bible is crystal clear that homosexuality is a vile sin, indeed a judgment. Other than those that reject Biblical inerrancy, no one denies this. Dr. Al Mohler wrote a paper recently that explains this far better than I ever could.
Please note one other thing. Scripture never says anything remotely negative about any minorities or women. Quite the contrary. This is a key difference, and the reason why discrimination on the basis of race or gender isn’t equivalent to “discrimination” based on “sexual preference”.
Former Chairman, JCS Gen Peter Pace expressed it well when he said "I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts," Pace said Monday. "I do not believe that the armed forces of the United States are well served by a saying through our policies that it's OK to be immoral in any way."
This is why Christians are troubled by this issue. However, if the policy is changed, we must comply, and set the example of law-abiding citizens. And we must remember individual homosexuals are made in the image of God and are in need of Christ, just as any other unbeliever is. We must treat them with dignity and respect.
Monday, November 24, 2008
MacArthur Sermons
Just found out John MacArthur sermons are now available for free! Fantastic resource........as long as you avoid all things eschatology! ;-D .
What do I do with the thousands of CDs and cassette tapes strewn all over my house? ;)
What do I do with the thousands of CDs and cassette tapes strewn all over my house? ;)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Vacation's almost over...
Got a call Friday indicating I'd been hired for the job I retired for. I expect to hear from my new boss tomorrow. I'm sure I'll start soon, how soon will be up to my new employer. Since I continue to collect active duty pay until my official retirement date of 1 Feb 09, anything I earn between now and then will be banked for who knows what.... The only downside is this means my vacation will soon be over, as will my 3 hrs/day in the gym...
Jan and I have been driving around town, looking at houses in various price ranges, different ages, neighborhoods, etc. We're not the fixer upper types, but there's something appealing about owning an older home, namely, a far lower mortgage payment. But some of the home's we've looked at show significant structural weaknesses even to our untrained eyes. All I need is to buy a money pit! I expect we'll probably play it safe, and spend money for a home commensurate with our income rather than go on the cheap. You know the saying - penny wise, pound foolish!
I'm reading John Frame's "Salvation belongs to the Lord", an introduction to systematic theology. I already own a bunch of different systematic theologies, but it never hurts to brush up. Anyway, he mentions something I've never heard before in the chapter on Eschatology. I find a lot to commend the "partial preterist" view, but about that Frame says this "It is also significant that the early church fathers of the generation following the apostles never speak of a return of Christ that occurred in AD 70. Significant indeed!
Jan and I have been driving around town, looking at houses in various price ranges, different ages, neighborhoods, etc. We're not the fixer upper types, but there's something appealing about owning an older home, namely, a far lower mortgage payment. But some of the home's we've looked at show significant structural weaknesses even to our untrained eyes. All I need is to buy a money pit! I expect we'll probably play it safe, and spend money for a home commensurate with our income rather than go on the cheap. You know the saying - penny wise, pound foolish!
I'm reading John Frame's "Salvation belongs to the Lord", an introduction to systematic theology. I already own a bunch of different systematic theologies, but it never hurts to brush up. Anyway, he mentions something I've never heard before in the chapter on Eschatology. I find a lot to commend the "partial preterist" view, but about that Frame says this "It is also significant that the early church fathers of the generation following the apostles never speak of a return of Christ that occurred in AD 70. Significant indeed!
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