Waynesville Church Fire

Hat tip to my blog and real life friend Karma for pointing to this video. Deacon chair of the church I serve called early this morning to pray for this situation. Our prayers are with Pastor Jack Holland and the membership and community surrounding Barberville Baptist Church.

The Personhood Question Arises in Colorado

Not too long ago at the collaborative blog I posted on whether or not abortion is a religious issue. A good discussion ensued and boiled down to mostly a policy discussion. A good-natured debate in respect to the inequality of different religions was the primary topic of the thread and that different religions say that life begins at different times, whether in the womb or not.

I find it amazing that we must debate when life begins. Only because we have the unnatural capability of stopping a life from growing in the womb does this debate arise. In Colorado last Tuesday, a measure was taken by their court system to define when a life begins. A constitutional amendment was passed unanimously in the state supreme court and will go to a ballot vote in November of '08. The language of the amendment is as follows:

"Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution defining the term 'person' to include any human being from the moment of fertilization as 'person' . . . in those provisions of the Colorado constitution relating to inalienable rights, equality of justice, and due process of law."

I walked through the argument for personhood and its endowment by God in the womb at the post at sbcImpact. Michael J. Norton, a lawyer who represented supporters of the proposal, said the real impact of the proposal would be in its simplicity, asking a profound philosophical and moral question.

“The whole issue centers on when does life begin,” Mr. Norton said. He said that though the word “abortion” would not appear in the language of the proposal, it would effectively make an abortion “the destruction of a person” and therefore illegal.

“Whatever rights and liberties and duties and responsibilities are guaranteed under the Constitution or other state laws would flow to that life,” Mr. Norton said.

Crying foul, Vicki Cowart, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said this then "would give fertilized eggs the state constitutional protections of inalienable rights, justice and due process." Opening a Pandora's Box of legal implications, birth control and in-vitro fertilizations would also be called into question.

This is an important debate that needs to happen. It is the responsibility of a free, civilized society to protect the weak and oppressed and certainly the unborn fall into this category. Several states (GA, MS, MI, OR) have attempted such measures, but thus far only Colorado has been successful, and Colorado would be the first state to vote on such an initiative.

Remember the Graham Family

Ruth Bell Graham dies at 87.

Creation Museum Opens this Weekend

Staff and volunteers at the new Answers in Genesis creation museum have prepared diligently for this weekend--opening weekend--of the new $27 million facility formulated to "uphold the authority of the Bible from the very first verse." The museum is 65,000 square feet, located in Petersburg, Kentucky and features animatronic dinosaurs, state-of-the-art models and graphics, more than 50 educational videos, a model of the Grand Canyon, and a bookstore.

Pundits and naysayers will also turn out in droves as this article contends.

As the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum prepares to open Monday with its message that the Bible's story of creation is literally and scientifically correct, a growing group of scientists, educators, clergy and concerned citizens will be countering the Creation Museum's message with their own "Rally for Reason."

"We're people interested in science over superstition," said Edwin Kagin, a Union lawyer and Kentucky state director of American Atheists.

Even more scathing was Kai Ryssdal's commentary on NPR yesterday, quoting physics professor Lawrence Krauss.

How much money and glitz does it take to institutionalize a scientific lie? In the case of the Creation Museum, about $27 million worth.

The reason for this museum is quite simple: The historical record in Genesis must literally be true. Since this is incompatible with essentially all of modern scientific knowledge, therefore modern scientific knowledge must be incorrect.

But if you want to renounce modern science as flawed, then an intellectually honest approach would be to also renounce technologies such as airplanes, cars and even radios that work using precisely the same scientific principles that tell us the earth is well over 6,000 years old.

But that's not the approach the Creation Museum takes. It renounces knowledge, but has spent lavishly on creating the illusion of science.

So, they've created a museum that appears scientific, but that simply lies about the science instead.

The Creation Museum uses dazzling and expensive animatronic displays made possible by hard-won advances in science to suggest the viability of a literal interpretation of Genesis.

That includes a six-day creation of the Earth, a 6,000-year-old universe, and a world where dinosaurs and humans happily roamed together. All of these are inconsistent with everything science tells us about the natural world.

Alas, such scientific fraud is not subject to legal intervention unless there is a financially injured party.

But what of the intellectual injury to thousands of young children who might visit the museum — built to be within a day's drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population — and who come out confused about science, the very thing that can give them a competitive edge in the modern world.

Religion doesn't have to be bad science. And, similarly, bad science shouldn't be defended simply because it might have a religious basis.

While religious tolerance is important, there should be little tolerance for promoting or consuming such religiously motivated scientific fraud.

A statement of the museum's intentions are in the "about" section of their website.

The Creation Museum will be upfront that the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice, and in every area it touches upon.

We’ll begin the Museum experience by showing that “facts” don’t speak for themselves. There aren’t separate sets of “evidences” for evolution and creation—we all deal with the same evidence (we all live on the same earth, have the same fossils, observe the same animals, etc.). The difference lies in how we interpret what we study. We’ll then explore why the Bible—the “history book of the universe”—provides a reliable, eye-witness account of the beginning of all things.

How much of the Bible should we accept as fact and how much should we receive as metaphor? This is the question behind this issue and one that will never be settled. If an extreme metaphorical position is adopted, then where should the line be drawn that certain events, people, etc. cease to be metaphorical? Krauss did not advocate abandoning the Bible altogether, just those parts that do not agree with scientific fact. But the creation museum does not advocate abandoning science altogether, just those parts that do not agree with the Biblical record. Who is right? Who is wrong? What do you think?

Rod Parsley: Dr. Falwell's Successor?

Speculation about Dr. Falwell's "successor" abounds in the blogosphere and across the Internet. It seems that Rod Parsley, Pentecostal megachurch pastor in Columbus, Ohio, may be positioning himself to do just that.

In a recent statement on his website, Moral Majority clone Center for Moral Clarity, he stated his profound admiration for Dr. Falwell and claimed that Dr. Falwell was a mentor of his in the early years of his ministry, having grown up Southern Baptist. Parsley has been given nicknames like the "raging prophet," the "patriot pastor," and a "talibangelist" by severe leftists. This past Friday evening, an honorary doctorate of humanities degree was conferred upon Parsley at commencement exercises at Liberty University. Parsley was saddened that Dr. Falwell would not be able to hood him himself, because Falwell was a "gracious friend and patient teacher."

What saddens me is the parroting of the religious right rhetoric.

Like Falwell, Parsley believes Christians must be the moral watchmen for their nation. "The liberal left media continue to pound away and tell the church to get back within the confines of its sanctuary walls," he asserts, "and if there's anything Dr. Falwell taught us, it's that we, having an experience with Christ, must be salt and light and infuse ourselves into every strata of society. And it is not only our privilege but it is our God-given right in
this Judeo-Christian worldview nation to vote -- to vote our values."

Parsley says one way conservative, Bible-believing Christians can carry on the legacy of Dr. Jerry Falwell is by staying active in the public square [emphasis mine].

Have God and conservatism merged into one? I agree that Christians should make their presence known in the public square, but if Christians are only making their political views known, then of what benefit is it? Being involved in politics as the sole source of transformation is to hack the Gospel off at the knees. To "vote our values" makes Christians nothing less than proselytizers, not witnesses. Too often Christians have substituted voting values for testifying to God's work of grace in their lives. It cannot be the only thing you do for Christ! This is not the only voice conservative Christians should have.

I also must remind everyone that Parsley is the same man that not too long ago, called for the imprisonment of adulterers. Never mind that Jesus actually released an adulteress, and if Parsley is consistent in his application of this belief, then three of the top contenders for Republican nomination for 2008 would therefore be in jail, the party he has historically endorsed.

Christians should be salt and light, but in my opinion, this misuse of Jesus' command has become code and has been divested of its true Scriptural meaning. We are failing in what it means to be salt and light. What was it that turned the world upside down in the first century church? It certainly wasn't Paul's and Silas' engagement of the Roman Empire in diplomatic and political discourse. It was by the faithful proclamation of the Gospel, both individually and corporately. That alone will bring the transforming power of God into our midst, not proselytization into
religious clones.

Even in His Death...

...he still polarizes. Dr. Jerry Falwell is one of the most polarizing firgures to have ever called himself an evangelical.In reading many blogs about Dr. Falwell as a man, a visionary, a leader, a pastor, and a preacher of the Gospel, the opinions have ranged from "glad he is dead" to "bold man of God."

I have had a decided opinion of Dr. Falwell, and as a conservative living in Virginia, one cannot listen to Virginia Baptist news without the names Dr. Falwell, Liberty University, or Thomas Road Baptist Church eventually coming up. As a preacher of the Gospel, few could rival Dr. Falwell for his bold proclamation, his tender invitation, his compassionate identification even with the poorest of sinners. As a pastor, the Thomas Road Baptist Church family loved him; he was willing to get his hands dirty with ministry, reaching out to the lowliest of drug addicts and alcoholics, condemning abortion yet doing all in his evangelical sway to open another shelter for unwed mothers.

One thing I can say about Dr. Falwell, as some have already noted on their blogs, Dr. Falwell made some onerous statements. I will not rehearse those. Regardless of the sharpness of his tongue, no one would have ever caught Dr. Falwell in an adult book store. His integrity in witness and committment to his family, immediate, church, and to the larger Body of Christ, rose above every other character flaw he may have had, and if anything, I respect his boldness and courage. Greatness as a man of God is not precluded by any personal bias one may have for any man, whether conservative or moderate in their theology.

I disagreed with Dr. Falwell on politics. He was too close to too many politicians, nor were his political affiliations consistent, and his galvanization of a "values voters" block was too single-issue and too polarized for my tastes. His legalistic and fundamentalist bents made political favor part of a personal relationship with Christ and with that I take issue. Christ is part of no political party. But all that is personal bias.

Dr. Falwell was radical. He was extreme. He made people mad. However, having met Dr. Falwell, shook his hand, attended services at Thomas Road, heard him preach in person and on radio, he was a sweet man. But when he became political, he morphed into something entirely different. Here is where I diverge with the man, for better or worse.

I appreciate, admire, and respect the contributions of Dr. Jerry Falwell to evangelical Christianity, culture at large, and even to us as Baptists. May God bless his family, watch over them during this time of crisis, and may a man of God be raised to fill his enormous shoes.

Dan Edelen's Comments on Falwell

Dan Edelen, well-respected God-blogger, had this to say about the sorrowful passing of Dr. Jerry Falwell. A great quote, I will let it stand on its own merit.

No matter what any Christian thinks of Jerry Falwell, he decisively answered a most important question that all Christians must consider: Does a sacred/secular divide exist?

For most of Christian history, the answer has been yes. Jerry Falwell said no. And I believe he was right.

We can’t underestimate the profundity of pulling down the curtain between the sacred and the secular. Many of us today fail to realize how much we’ve gained by understanding that all of life is sacred, and it loses none of its sacredness when it intersects with everyday living. Eliminating that divide better frames the Kingdom of God in its proper context. The Kingdom penetrates everything it touches when Christians advance.

Jerry Falwell believed that Christians should not be ashamed to enter secular realms with the Gospel. Before he came on the scene, too many of us lived a double life. He didn’t found the idea, but he made it popular for Christians to go into the highways and byways of the world confident in Christ.

We forget what it was like before Falwell, don’t we?

Sadly, while the idea reflects God’s heart, the execution of that mandate doomed itself by going too far. Instead of letting the light of Christ speak, we decided to make something happen. Like Moses striking the rock, we overstepped our bounds and made a laughingstock of Evangelicalism. We equated expanding the Kingdom into secular realms with attempting to rule it with a not-so-subtle iron fist. In effect, the mishandling of the elimination of the sacred/secular divide led to power grabs from overly smug Evangelicals, rather than a humble glowing of light from within the traditionally dark areas of life long ago abandoned by believers.

Dr. Falwell Dead

From CNN:

The Rev. Jerry Falwell, the television minister whose 1979 founding of the
Moral Majority galvanized American religious conservatives into a political
force, died Tuesday at age 73. Falwell was found unconscious and without a pulse in his office at Liberty University, the college he founded in Lynchburg, Virginia, said Ron Godwin, the school's executive vice president.

I disagreed with Dr. Falwell on many things, primarrily his political method. However, I also held many things in common with him, mainly a great love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Our prayers are with the Falwell family during this difficult time.

All Things New...

The tragedy last Monday has occupied a lot of my thoughts and prayers over the past week. I will continue to pray and seek God's face to help me process everything, particularly the content of the last post. However, I was gladdened to come across this story ran in the state Baptist rag. It represents in a way the next step needed to cope with the Tech tragedy.

Some carrying lunch pails, and all bundled against the cold, Amish children walked to their new school in Lancaster County on Monday [April 2, 2007], six months to the day after a gun-toting neighbor walked into their old schoolhouse and shot 10 students, killing five.

[...]

The Amish community demolished the old schoolhouse to erase a reminder of the horror experienced there. Four of the five girls who were shot Oct. 2 have returned to the new school, called New Hope Amish School.

Yes indeed, He makes all things new. I think the name of the new school is very appropriate and communicates much to the world about their faith in God and His ability to redeem any situation for His purposes and for good. May the victims' families of this past Monday's tragedy find the same hope, the same healing, as these dear people have. May the Virginia Tech community also be able to move past this tragedy and embrace hope, the hope that is only found in Jesus Christ.

But we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces
perseverance, and perseverance, character, and character, hope.
Now hope does not disappoint...
Romans 5:3-5

Can I Scream Now?

Currently there is a lot of right-wing entertainment of ridiculous what-ifs and theatricality in print over the tragedy of this past Monday at Virginia Tech. This article from The Conservative Voice is a farce, absolutely inappropriate and frankly, disturbing.

If five or ten unarmed students had rushed the shooter and mobbed him and beat him to a pulp, some would undoubtedly have been wounded or killed, but the rest of the students would have been saved. Charge! Throw textbooks, staplers, anything handy. Pick up pens, pencils. Jump the shooter, tackle him, pile on, crush him to the floor with massed bodies, stab him in the eyes or neck with pencils or pens. (Click the ballpoints out first--makes a better stabbing instrument that way.)

To run this article with the title "The Virginia Tech Massacre's Lessons" totally overlooks that those were people killed, a deranged young man, desperately seeking something (albeit clueless as to what that was), who, incidentally, also has a family who is utterly humiliated over their son's actions, and that there are families who need love and care right now; not macho posturing.

But what I find even more horrific is the comparison to the Flight 93 heroes of 9/11.

I am reminded of Flight 93: Todd Beamer, Jeremy Glick, and all the other passengers who were brave enough to charge the hijackers and prevent that plane's crash into the Capitol Building or the White House.

In my mind, there is no comparison. Regardless of what the Flight 93 heroes did, inaction would have guaranteed death; but the alternative also meant death. These were kids with a thread of hope that they might live, not men doomed to die whether they were successful in their plan of attack on the terrorists or not. At Virginia Tech, there was a potential way out; on Flight 93 there was no way out.

Equally horrific is the writer's comparison to the war in Iraq.

I am reminded of our soldiers who have charged the terrorists, taking the fight to them overseas, rather than sitting passively at our desks waiting to be shot or bombed or gassed or nuked here in the USA.

No comparison. At all. Period.

A Ministry of Presence

I had considered entitling a post "Please Don't Blog About This," to plea with fellow bloggers to delay offering dry, theological sentiment in the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, but I know the voice will not be heeded. Blog friend Streak has already addressed the ridiculousness of the media in covering mass tragedies and blathering on and on about, well, nothing.

But Pastor Chris, the Evangelism Coach, expressed my sentiment about this better than I could.

Questions about the sovereignty of God will come. Questions about the character of God will be asked. Question about evil and questions about human responsibility will be examined.

But now is not the time for theological discourse.

We have theolgoical answers. Scripture informs us, teaches us, and guides us. But it's not the time for logical and dry explanations.

People hurt.

It’s time for compassion and a ministry of presence.

Thanks, Chris.

VA Tech Tragedy--Update

Please remember to pray for the families of the ones who died yesterday in the tragic deaths of 33 students at Virginia Tech. The convocation today has been moved from the originally scheduled 12:00 to 2:00 this afternoon.

Many remain in area hospitals in critical condition and Tech administration is in the process of contacting next of kin.

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:25-26

Virginia Tech Shootings Update

From WaPo:

Thirty-two people reportedly were killed and more than two dozen injured during a shooting rampage this morning at Virginia Tech, making it the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, law enforcement sources said this afternoon.

The unidentified shooter was among the dead, according to officials, at West Ambler Johnston, a dormitory, and Norris Hall, which houses the College of Engineering. Authorities said the first shooting was reported shortly after 7 a.m. at the dorm and the second about two hours later at Norris Hall. Law enforcement sources said a single shooter was responsible for both incidents.

Several area hospitals are caring for the injured and some are in surgery. A convocation is scheduled at noon tomorrow so the campus can begin healing. Continue to pray...

Virginia Tech Shootings

Some things strike too close to home. Please keep this situation in your thoughts and prayers. Think of the families affected and that God might redeem this for His glory. From CNN:

A lone gunman is dead after police said he killed at least 21 people Monday during twin shootings on the Virginia Tech campus -- the worst school shooting incident in U.S. history.

"Some victims were shot in a classroom," university police Chief Wendell Flinchum said during a news conference in Blacksburg.

Police believe there was only one gunman, Flinchum said.

"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," said university President Charles Steger. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified."

The the shootings mark the deadliest school shooting incident in U.S. history, topping an incident at Columbine High School in 1999 and an incident at the University of Texas in 1966.

The Associated Press quoted officials saying more than 20 were wounded. A hospital spokeswoman told AP that 17 Virginia Tech students were being treated for gunshot wounds and other injuries.

Having just checked in with the local news, the number dead is up to 22. There were also shootings in dormitories as well as other classrooms.

What is this world coming to?