Is this hate speech?

[Christian Post]

Matthew Murray, the gunman who is believed to have shot and killed four people in Colorado, appeared to have acted out of revenge against Christians, police officials indicated.

Authorities believe Murray, 24, posted an anti-Christian message online on Sunday – the day of the shootings – in a language almost identical to the text of a manifesto written by one of the Columbine killers, Eric Harris.

“You Christians brought this on yourselves,” Murray wrote, according to KUSA-TV in Denver. “Feel no remorse, no sense of shame, I don’t care if I live or die in the shoot-out. All I want to do is kill and injure as many of you … as I can especially Christians who are to blame for most of the problems in the world.”

Read about it here.

[From me]

This whole tragedy is just sad. I wonder if the hate crimes legislation will apply to this?

What do you think?

Can you be a “life coach” when you can’t coach your own?

[Christian Post]

When life coach and televangelist Paula White went into her marriage 18 years ago, she thought she’d end her life with her husband, Randy. Divorce was not anything she ever wanted to happen, she recently said. Now separated from Randy and continuing her own ministry, White has found herself in the midst of a wide debate as more evangelicals show acceptance of divorce.

“The fact is as many have been critical or judgmental [about the divorce] … I’ve also found thousands that have reached out to me in a way that maybe they never did,” said White in a live interview Monday with CNN’s Larry King.

The famed pentecostal preacher’s divorce announcement in August compounded with the divorce case of another power couple – televangelist Juanita Bynum and Bishop Thomas Weeks III – that same week fueled discussions on whether Scripture allows the separation of marriage partners as both couples received support.

“I think conservative Christians are becoming more liberalized in the sense of, I guess, making more room for the acceptance of divorce and remarriage,” said Mark Galli, Christianity Today magazine’s managing editor, according to Religion News Service. “You’ll see a lot of churches that plunge right in and have divorce ministries. … Marriage is a really difficult thing in our culture right now.”

Meanwhile, theological conservative John Piper called the widening grounds of legitimate divorce “tragic.”

Both Paula White and Bynum continue to have a strong following even after their highly public divorces. White has out a new book, You’re All That!, and Bynum said she believes her experience may broaden her ability to reach people.

Read about it here.

[From me]

How can we as believers talk about family values when ministry and career seem to be valued more than the family?  I agree with John Piper.  This is tragic.  Marriage isn’t a high school steady that you break up with and move on.  God can and does use people who have experienced divorce.  But it is not His ideal.  Divorce happens to fine people and many never wanted it. But shouldn’t people regardless if they are in ministry or not be doing whatever it takes to save their family instead of making statements like it has broadened my ministry?

Our priorities should be God, family, and ministry in that order.  But too often people confuse ministry with their personal relationship with God. It is a sad day for God’s Church when the divorce rate among believers is the same as those outside the faith.

What do you think?

Christian Students, Faculty Forced to Don Muslim Garbs

[Christian Post]

Students and teachers at a primary school in England were forced to dress up as Muslims to celebrate a belated Muslim festival although most were Christians.

All 257 students and 41 teachers at Rufford primary school in Lye, England, were ordered to wear traditional Muslim dress in an effort to promote multi-culturalism, reported the U.K.-based Daily Mail newspaper on Wednesday.

“Staff have got to go along with it – or let’s face it, they would be branded racist,” reportedly said a relative of one of the staff, according to British tabloid The Sun.

Father Jonathan Morris, an analyst for Fox News pointed out that the story will probably not receive much attention in the United States because of the “can-do-no-wrong” thinking linked to diversity, pluralism, and multi-culturalism among mainstream media. Instead, they would agree that promoting tolerance in any way is good.

“There is nothing tolerant about cowing Christians into acting like Muslims, intimidating Jews into acting like Christians, scaring Muslims into acting like Westerners, or even worse, suggesting that we should all be nothing,” said Morris.

“This, I would say, is a sign of a dictatorship of cultural relativism. Such absurdity has nothing to do with tolerance.”

Read about it here.

[From me]

What would happen if the Muslims were forced to dress like Priests or average Christians?  I don’t get the point.

What do you think?

Can we be good without God?

[Ottawa Citizen]

Can we be good without God? That’s a very old question believers like to ask because, the author suspects, the answer is very pleasing to believers.

Some would say — faith has eroded over the centuries. Today, substantial numbers of people have decided that until such time as there is proof of the existence of Santa Claus, they will not believe Santa Claus exists. Ditto for god. And they’re open about their disbelief.

“People who don’t believe in God can be good,” writes Reginald Bibby, a theist and University of Lethbridge sociologist. “But people who believe in God are more likely to value being good, enhancing the chances that they will be good.”

Read about it here.

[From me]

I have no question that there are people who act good and have no relation with Jesus.  But no one is good.  We all have selfishness, hatred, anger, lust, etc… That is why I believe the only pure goodness that we can have comes from a personal relationship with God.

What do you think?

I-Curious?

For some reason debates between atheists and followers of Jesus have become more and more common. The Washington Post writes about a debate between .professor of historical theology at Oxford University, Alister McGrath and atheist Christopher Hitchens here.

In my home state of Alabama there was a debate between biologist Richard Dawkins and mathematician John Lennox last week. Read about it here.

I wonder if this is something that is new or has the internet, cable TV, satellite TV, blogs and other media just brought this out more? I am intrigued at the many atheists, pagans, Mormons and other non-Christians come to this site on a regular basis. I’ve never thought of myself as a Christian Apologetic expert. I read Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell and Bob Larson but it is not necessarily a passion of mine. My passion is to see people’s lives changed by Jesus. I make no bones about it. I’m glad people of different faiths or lack of faith feel like you can give your views here. I’m just curious as to why you keep coming back. I want you too continue feel welcome. I’m just curious what draws you to comment and read what is said here?

Curious?

Can we have morality without God?

[Christian Post-ChuckColson]

One of the biggest obstacles facing what’s called the “New Atheism” is the issue of morality. Writers like Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens have to convince people that morals and values are possible in a society that does not believe in God.

It’s important to understand what is not in doubt: whether an individual atheist or agnostic can be a “good” person. Of course they can, just as a professing Christian can do bad things.

The issue is whether the secular worldview can provide a basis for a good society. Can it motivate and inspire people to be virtuous and generous?

Not surprisingly, Richard Dawkins offers a “yes”—grounded in Darwinism. According to him, natural selection has produced a moral sense that is shared by all people. While our genes may be, in his words “selfish,” there are times when cooperation with others is the selfish gene’s best interest. Thus, according to him, natural selection has produced what we call altruism.

Read about it here.

[From me]

I know many fine moral people who don’t consider themselves believers.  I have a question though.

For those who do not have a relationship with God–what is the reason you are moral?  Why do you?  Who holds you accountable for your actions?

For those who are believers–what motivates you to be moral?

Athiests put less value on love than believers

[National Post]

A new Canadian survey has found that believers are more likely than atheists to place a higher value on love, patience and friendship, in findings the researcher says could be a warning that Canadians need a religious basis to retain civility in society.

The survey of 1,600 Canadian adults, led by University of Lethbridge professor Reginald Bibby, gave a list of 12 values – from honesty to family life to politeness to generosity – and asked the participants if they found each “very important.” In each case, theists ranked the values as more important than atheists.

Read about it here.

[From me]

This doesn’t surprise me.  God commands believers to love.  Love isn’t a feeling it is an action.

What do you think?