Jul 3, 2018 | Parents and Family
One of my apologetic strategies for my children has been to annoy them, and if you ask them they will tell you I’m really good at it. Of course since the annoying has a purpose, they are willing to endure the annoyance of it all, most of the time. One thing I’m really annoying at is hounding my kids to read, and read some more. I still do it even though two of them are in their 20s, and one a teenager moving quickly toward college. I do this because I think there are few things more important in life than reading, than exercising our brains and imaginations with the written word (above all in books), and especially so in the Age of the Screen.
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Jun 30, 2018 | Parents and Family
Do you have a bad attitude? Do your kids have bad attitudes? If you and/or they do, I know why: wrong or faulty expectations. It’s probably hard to overestimate how many people suffer from a bad attitude (sometimes it’s called depression or anxiety or frustration or disappointment or anger or . . .) because their expectations don’t take into account one small factor: reality! When things don’t work out the way they expect or want them to, they think something must be wrong, or this or that wouldn’t have happened. It’s silly that anyone would think this way, but we all tend to, naturally. It is the bent of our fallen, sinful human nature.
So it goes to reason that the solution to a bad attitude is a realistic understanding of the way things are, not the way we wish them to be. Strangely, one of the most comforting passages of Scripture I’ve discovered as if for the first time this past year is in Genesis 3, where we read of the consequences of the curse because of Adam and Eve’s fall. As a result of their disobedience, the Lord confronts them with these horrible words: (more…)
Jun 17, 2017 | Parents and Family
The title of a recent piece at Scientific American tells us the “Nones” juggernaut continues:
College Freshmen Are Less Religious Than Ever: Data from a nationwide survey shows students who list their affiliation as “none” has skyrocketed
“Nones” are people who when surveyed about their religious affiliation pick “None of the above.” What this means is that our culture will continue to get more secular as religion gets less important to more people over time. Those who applaud the increasing secularization of America hope we eventually turn out like Europe where churches are empty, and those who take their Christianity seriously are a curiosity.
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May 20, 2017 | Parents and Family
Who is this Bill Nye guy anyway? I only became aware of him recently, but it seems he’s a popular “science educator.” He got his moniker, “Bill Nye the Science Guy” from a PBS children’s science show in the 90s, and we know that anything that has the word “science” attached to it has instant credibility in our secular age. Unfortunately, science has to be one of the most abused words of modern times. Instead of referring to an empirical method of inquiry, it’s become a weapon to shut down debate. Specifically, it’s used as a cudgel by the secular left to intimidate anyone who dares question the “scientific consensus” on things like global warming (which has transmorgified into the redundant term “climate change”) and evolution.
So it didn’t surprise me when I saw the provocative title of a piece at The Federalist, “Bill Nye’s View Of Humanity Is Repulsive.” You’ll see why below, but human dignity is only possible in a theistic universe. Without God all we are is lucky dirt. Material things don’t have any transcendent value in themselves. Keep in mind I am speaking logically; you cannot get to value from dirt. We step on dirt, we don’t fall in love with it, or cherish it, or treat it with respect. It’s dirt! If atheism is true, then all we are is lucky dirt and thus logically can be stepped on with impunity.
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Mar 17, 2017 | Parents and Family
In my previous post I made the argument that, for Christians, having children is not an option. Just this morning I was reading Jeremiah and discovered God actually agrees with me! I’ll admit, though, that I did get the idea from him first.
The book of Jeremiah is a tough read. Knowing that it was written by what some have called “The Weeping Prophet” gives you some indication that it’s not for the faint of heart. The northern kingdom of Israel had already been conquered by the Assyrians, and now God was warning Judah, the southern Kingdom, that if they didn’t repent and change their ways, they too would suffer the same fate as their northern brethren. The Lord tells Jeremiah to warn his people that the Babylonians are coming, and that they must submit to King Nebuchadnezzar and allow themselves to be taken into exile. Do not, he seems to be saying, resist the Lord’s judgment and your lives will be spared.
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Mar 12, 2017 | Parents and Family
No, I haven’t turned into a Catholic, but Catholic teaching regarding having children is something Evangelicals should embrace. I thought of this when I read a piece recently by John Stonestreet at Breakpoint: “Fur Babies:Pets, Children, and the Triumph of Autonomy.” I know for most Evangelicals, asserting that having children is not an option is “controversial.” But I would argue that it’s only controversial because we’ve too easily been influence by the culture of autonomy Stonestreet is talking about. The word means “freedom from external control or influence; independence.” In other words, our choice is the ultimate value. In the West, and especially for Americans, choice is as sacred a right as one can possess. Why would Christians, on the other hand, think having children is a choice? It certainly doesn’t come from Scripture.
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