Academics and other astute observers seem to agree--the modern era of society has ended. A new era of thought has emerged, i.e., postmodernism. This new thought dominator says that there is no such thing as truth, meaning (even in written literature), and individual identity. These are social constructs. Human life has no special significance, no more value than animal or plant life. All social relationships, all institutions, all moral values are expressions and masks of the primal will to power. Convulsed over "political correctness" and "diversity," universities no longer operate under the modernist assumption that one, objective, rational, truth, exists.
The old system, carried to its natural extreme, i.e., the society of the USSR, has collapsed. Their system based on materialism, atheism, and social engineering did not work to the advantage of people. Traditional American ideals of free market economics and individual freedom are sweeping the globe.
However, society is segmenting into antagonistic camps. Tribalism, terrorism, ethnic cleansing, and culture wars are tearing the globe apart.
Despite all the fracturing of society we see before us, we should still remember that in every age, orthodox Christians have had a presence; and this new age will always have us around reminding the world that Christ and the Bible still exist to point the way to truth, unity of belief and causation, redemption from our sin and error, and eternal significance for the individual. We, Christians, must use these days to effectively express our understanding of Christ and His ways--He is the only way to help and life!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
What's Beyond Charity?
Have you ever wondered what you can do to alleviate the poverty, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and disenfranchisement problems in the inner cities of America? Dr. John Perkins has outlined three things that need to be done:
One: RELOCATION. Christian people need to relocate their residences into the ghetto of the inner-city (or, at least, as near the problem as they can tolerate). Only by doing that can the values of Christian society be transmitted to our deteriorating neighborhoods.
Two: REDISTRIBUTION. This does not mean redistributing money. Redistribution means redistributing skills, values, and ethics. Our inner cities need people who value faithfulness in marriage; trustworthiness in business; commitment to stable marriages and healthy, productive, children; a sense of value in life issues, i.e., avoiding abortion and euthanasia; valuing stable, heterosexual marriages; bringing helpful professional skills; and, above all, a commitment to Christ, the Savior.
Three: RECONCILLIATION. A Christian witness, well communicated by words and deeds, is absolutely required to bring real peace and productivity to the inner city.
Is all the above what Barack and Michelle Obama are talking about when they talk of “community organization?” Absolutely not! They are talking about the Saul Alinsky type of godless pragmatism which will accomplish any desired goal at the cost of ethical rightness. There is no hint of Christian charity in that kind of “community organization.”
Some of the ideas in the above post come from the thinking of John Perkins, the author of Beyond Charity. I would strongly recommend that you read that easy and informative book.
One: RELOCATION. Christian people need to relocate their residences into the ghetto of the inner-city (or, at least, as near the problem as they can tolerate). Only by doing that can the values of Christian society be transmitted to our deteriorating neighborhoods.
Two: REDISTRIBUTION. This does not mean redistributing money. Redistribution means redistributing skills, values, and ethics. Our inner cities need people who value faithfulness in marriage; trustworthiness in business; commitment to stable marriages and healthy, productive, children; a sense of value in life issues, i.e., avoiding abortion and euthanasia; valuing stable, heterosexual marriages; bringing helpful professional skills; and, above all, a commitment to Christ, the Savior.
Three: RECONCILLIATION. A Christian witness, well communicated by words and deeds, is absolutely required to bring real peace and productivity to the inner city.
Is all the above what Barack and Michelle Obama are talking about when they talk of “community organization?” Absolutely not! They are talking about the Saul Alinsky type of godless pragmatism which will accomplish any desired goal at the cost of ethical rightness. There is no hint of Christian charity in that kind of “community organization.”
Some of the ideas in the above post come from the thinking of John Perkins, the author of Beyond Charity. I would strongly recommend that you read that easy and informative book.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
What’s Wrong With Our Government, Today?
The economic policies being proposed these days are very bad. But the principles behind them are worse. They represent a return to the idea that the American Revolution repudiated—the idea that some are equipped by nature or training to manage the lives of others without their consent. The underlying principles of our new laws, today, are based on the idea that government bureaucrats and czars are better suited to govern us than we are, ourselves. The idea of equality under the law is apparently gone from government! Our political leaders today have been taught to look on us common people as material to be shaped and perfected by experts who have the proper technical training.
Our government leaders have been conditioned to deny the existence of absolute truth. The “good” has become subjective and the only standard of behavior is what we want—“we” in the political sense, meaning the government or bureaucracy. This thinking reduces politics not to right, but to force. That is why there is a seeming bullying spirit about our government today.
Christian people believe that there is a higher rule, a higher loyalty than that of the bullying bureaurocrat. We believe that God rules by His sovereignty and His love. We are far, far, from that concept, today, however, in our government.
If you doubt what I say, you should read what Barack Obama, himself has written in his book, The Audacity of Hope: “Implicit in [the Constitution’s] structure, in the very idea of ordered liberty, was a rejection of absolute truth, the infallibility of any idea or ideology or theology or “ism,” any tyrannical consistency that might lock future generations into a single, unalterable course....” From this, we can plainly see that according to our leader in the White House, today, that the idea of “laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” as stated in the Declaration of Independence, are reduced to “tyrannical consistency.” Well, as for me, I prefer this kind of “tyrannical consistency” in my life, the rule of God over the rule of men.
Much of this post has been excerpted from Imprimis, December 2009.
Our government leaders have been conditioned to deny the existence of absolute truth. The “good” has become subjective and the only standard of behavior is what we want—“we” in the political sense, meaning the government or bureaucracy. This thinking reduces politics not to right, but to force. That is why there is a seeming bullying spirit about our government today.
Christian people believe that there is a higher rule, a higher loyalty than that of the bullying bureaurocrat. We believe that God rules by His sovereignty and His love. We are far, far, from that concept, today, however, in our government.
If you doubt what I say, you should read what Barack Obama, himself has written in his book, The Audacity of Hope: “Implicit in [the Constitution’s] structure, in the very idea of ordered liberty, was a rejection of absolute truth, the infallibility of any idea or ideology or theology or “ism,” any tyrannical consistency that might lock future generations into a single, unalterable course....” From this, we can plainly see that according to our leader in the White House, today, that the idea of “laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” as stated in the Declaration of Independence, are reduced to “tyrannical consistency.” Well, as for me, I prefer this kind of “tyrannical consistency” in my life, the rule of God over the rule of men.
Much of this post has been excerpted from Imprimis, December 2009.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Save the Uighurs
The Uighurs are a tribe of Turkik, Muslim, people who live in East Turkestan (also known as the Uighur Autonomous Region); and for decades they have been the victims of systematic human-rights abuses at the hands of the Chinese government.
In November, 20 Uighurs, including two children, escaped their homeland and sought asylum in Cambodia. Initially, the Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that it would cooperate with them and offer them asylum. However, two days later, these poor people were declared “illegal entrants,” handcuffed, and detained. On 19 December 2009, a Chinese plane, under cover of darkness, departed the Phenom Penh airport carrying the 20 escapees back to China, where they will undoubtedly be mistreated severely, as former escapees from that country have been treated. Chinese practice has been to declare such persons criminals without any proof of that charge.
Why did this happen? Cambodia is the recipient of hundreds of millions of dollars of aid from China and $1 billion in foreign direct investment from China. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has called China Cambodia’s “most trustworthy friend.”
Hmmm...! I wonder, could this deportation of 20 Uighurs be due to a bribe? Let us remember that as these poor people are abused unjustly, so are we, fellow members of the human race.
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of your friends or of your own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” John Donne 1572-1631
In November, 20 Uighurs, including two children, escaped their homeland and sought asylum in Cambodia. Initially, the Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that it would cooperate with them and offer them asylum. However, two days later, these poor people were declared “illegal entrants,” handcuffed, and detained. On 19 December 2009, a Chinese plane, under cover of darkness, departed the Phenom Penh airport carrying the 20 escapees back to China, where they will undoubtedly be mistreated severely, as former escapees from that country have been treated. Chinese practice has been to declare such persons criminals without any proof of that charge.
Why did this happen? Cambodia is the recipient of hundreds of millions of dollars of aid from China and $1 billion in foreign direct investment from China. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has called China Cambodia’s “most trustworthy friend.”
Hmmm...! I wonder, could this deportation of 20 Uighurs be due to a bribe? Let us remember that as these poor people are abused unjustly, so are we, fellow members of the human race.
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of your friends or of your own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” John Donne 1572-1631
Monday, December 21, 2009
Humble Settings for Our Lives
One part of the Christmas story we often forget is the part which tells where Joseph led his family to live after the danger from Herod was past-—Nazareth, a small town in Galilee, an insignificant place. Jesus lived there, grew there, learned there, and worked there. What a small and ignominious situation that must seem to us, who seek and strive after fame, glory, and importance! Yet, it was not too mean and insignificant for our Savior. He, the young prince of Glory, worked in a carpenter’s shop. He moved among humdrum tasks, petty cares, village gossip, and trifling trade. He was always faithful in that which was least.
When I am tempted to repine
That such a lowly lot is mine,
There comes to me a voice which saith
“Mine were the streets of Nazareth.”
So mean, so common and confined,
And He the Monarch of mankind!
Yet patiently He traveleth
Those narrow streets of Nazareth.
It may be I shall never rise
To place or fame beneath the skies
But walk in straitened ways ‘till death
Narrow as streets of Nazareth.
But if through honors arch I tread
And there forget to bend my head
Ah! Let me hear the voice which saith,
“Mine were the streets of Nazareth.”
Excerpted from Springs In The Valley by Mrs. Charles Cowman
When I am tempted to repine
That such a lowly lot is mine,
There comes to me a voice which saith
“Mine were the streets of Nazareth.”
So mean, so common and confined,
And He the Monarch of mankind!
Yet patiently He traveleth
Those narrow streets of Nazareth.
It may be I shall never rise
To place or fame beneath the skies
But walk in straitened ways ‘till death
Narrow as streets of Nazareth.
But if through honors arch I tread
And there forget to bend my head
Ah! Let me hear the voice which saith,
“Mine were the streets of Nazareth.”
Excerpted from Springs In The Valley by Mrs. Charles Cowman
Friday, December 18, 2009
Manufacturing a Consensus on Climate
(This blog was partly excerpted from the Wall Street Journal of 18 December 2009, page A25)
In 1985 I was listening to a speech at a Michigan State University graduation by the then president of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Frank Press. Dr. Press’s main point was that the greatest challenge to useful science in the coming decades was plagiarism and falsification of data by “scientists” trying to justify the conclusions of their research. (fhttp://tinyurl.com/y8wo4kp)
Today, we are faced with so-called scientific data justifying the idea that CO2 is causing the warming of the earth to the great detriment of all earth’s inhabitants. These “scientists” are mainly located at the East Anglia Climatic Research Unit in Great Britain, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Many scientists scattered all over the earth are vested in propagating the idea of global warming and it’s supposed cause, greenhouse gasses.
They have organized a systematic cover-up of data that indicates that the earth was actually warmer in the Medieval period than it is now. Furthermore, they fail to point out that there has been absolutely no evidence for surface or atmospheric warming in the last ten years. They also do not emphasize that the temperature on Mars and Jupiter’s moon, Europa have been rising in recent years.
The scientists are calling CO2 a pollutant. It is well known that market gardeners pump extra CO2 into their greenhouses to increase their crop yield. That hardly sounds like CO2 is a pollutant—rather, it is acting as a fertilizer!
We need to look carefully at “scientific” justification for global warming and the dangers of greenhouse gasses. Some of this data is just not good science.
In 1985 I was listening to a speech at a Michigan State University graduation by the then president of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Frank Press. Dr. Press’s main point was that the greatest challenge to useful science in the coming decades was plagiarism and falsification of data by “scientists” trying to justify the conclusions of their research. (fhttp://tinyurl.com/y8wo4kp)
Today, we are faced with so-called scientific data justifying the idea that CO2 is causing the warming of the earth to the great detriment of all earth’s inhabitants. These “scientists” are mainly located at the East Anglia Climatic Research Unit in Great Britain, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Many scientists scattered all over the earth are vested in propagating the idea of global warming and it’s supposed cause, greenhouse gasses.
They have organized a systematic cover-up of data that indicates that the earth was actually warmer in the Medieval period than it is now. Furthermore, they fail to point out that there has been absolutely no evidence for surface or atmospheric warming in the last ten years. They also do not emphasize that the temperature on Mars and Jupiter’s moon, Europa have been rising in recent years.
The scientists are calling CO2 a pollutant. It is well known that market gardeners pump extra CO2 into their greenhouses to increase their crop yield. That hardly sounds like CO2 is a pollutant—rather, it is acting as a fertilizer!
We need to look carefully at “scientific” justification for global warming and the dangers of greenhouse gasses. Some of this data is just not good science.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Pay Benefits for Congressmen
Did you ever wonder what your Congressmen and Senators are paid? The answer is $165,200/ year, four times the median household income in the United States.
Another perk is that their pension benefits are out of this world. Last summer Congress passed a new Pension “Protection” Act, a bill that undermined the funding rules for pensions which significantly limits pension benefits. However, Congressional pensions were specifically exempt from these limitations.
After only five years on the job, Congressmen and Senators are entitled to a regular pension, bigger than almost all other federal workers' at the same pay and twice what a midlevel executive would expect. Their pensions rise regularly with the cost of living and can never be taken away — short of a conviction for espionage or treason-related offenses.
Health care benefits are also a generous perk for our Congressmen. Congressmen enjoy more than a dozen options in health insurance, including the prized indemnity plans only 3% of workers with coverage receive. On top of that, for an annual fee of $480, they can get just about all the medical attention they want at the Capitol Office of the Attending Physician, which has five doctors and a dozen assistants on call for routine checkups, tests, prescriptions, emergency care and mental health services. Who's paying for all this above the $420 each Congressman pays? Taxpayers, naturally, to the tune of at least $2.5 million this year alone.
This litany of fringe benefits goes on and on; and I recommend that you look at http://tinyurl.com/y8vyyy7 for more information on this subject.
Another perk is that their pension benefits are out of this world. Last summer Congress passed a new Pension “Protection” Act, a bill that undermined the funding rules for pensions which significantly limits pension benefits. However, Congressional pensions were specifically exempt from these limitations.
After only five years on the job, Congressmen and Senators are entitled to a regular pension, bigger than almost all other federal workers' at the same pay and twice what a midlevel executive would expect. Their pensions rise regularly with the cost of living and can never be taken away — short of a conviction for espionage or treason-related offenses.
Health care benefits are also a generous perk for our Congressmen. Congressmen enjoy more than a dozen options in health insurance, including the prized indemnity plans only 3% of workers with coverage receive. On top of that, for an annual fee of $480, they can get just about all the medical attention they want at the Capitol Office of the Attending Physician, which has five doctors and a dozen assistants on call for routine checkups, tests, prescriptions, emergency care and mental health services. Who's paying for all this above the $420 each Congressman pays? Taxpayers, naturally, to the tune of at least $2.5 million this year alone.
This litany of fringe benefits goes on and on; and I recommend that you look at http://tinyurl.com/y8vyyy7 for more information on this subject.
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