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Scopes Monkey Trial 2: Intelligent Design on Trial
The New York Times reports today about an upcoming court case in Pennsylvania. “Advocates on both sides of the issue have lined up behind the case, often calling it Scopes II, in reference to the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial that was the last century’s great face-off over evolution. “On the evolutionists’ side is a legal team put together by the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. These groups want to put intelligent design itself on trial and discredit it so thoroughly that no other school board would dare authorize teaching it. “Witold J. Walczak, legal director of the A.C.L.U. of Pennsylvania, said the…
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A Song for Family & Friends Waiting for Rita
“God Moves in a Mysterious Way” by William Cowper (1731-1800) ————— God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill He treasures up His bright designs And works His sovereign will. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have…
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More on Bethlehem’s Position on Baptism
After my last blog, people asked why the elders at Bethlehem Baptist (John Piper‘s church) are proposing to change its requirements for membership. The new policy being proposed by the elders is that under certain conditions members need not be baptized by immersion after coming to faith. Of course, the change would have to be approved by the congregation before the policy would go into effect. One of the reasons that the elders are moving in this new direction is that “the doctrinal bar of the eldership at Bethlehem” has been raised significantly in a statement of faith titled “Bethlehem Baptist Church Elder Affirmation of Faith.” Here is the section…
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John Piper on Accepting the Unbaptized as Members
John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN Pastor John Piper has just made a stunning announcement concerning who will be accepted as members at his Baptist church. “The Council of Elders believes that membership requirements at Bethlehem should move toward being roughly the same as the requirements for membership in the universal body of Christ . . . The most obvious change this involves is allowing the possibility that a person may become a member who has not been baptized by immersion as a believer but who regards the baptismal ritual he received in infancy not as regenerating, but nevertheless (as with most Presbyterians) in such a…
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Military Chaplains Pressured Not to Pray in the Name of Jesus
Lt. Gordon James Klingenschmitt, a chaplain and a priest with the Evangelical Episcopal Church, has accused the Navy of religious discrimination. The Washington Post reports today on an little known controversy among the ranks of chaplains in the U.S. military: “Evangelical Protestant chaplains are fighting what they say is a legacy of discrimination in hiring and promotions, and they are bridling at suggestions they not pray publicly ‘in the name of Jesus.'” You can read the full story here.
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What do college students do when they aren’t studying?
My Greek teacher Rev. James Lipscomb and I during one of our tutoring sessions at his home in Ruston, LA (circa 1994). “What do college students do when they aren’t studying?” According to the Wall Street Journal‘s Naomi Riley’s review of two books about college life, college students are primarily engaged in idleness. No, they are not studying and going to class forty hours a week. They certainly are not becoming avid readers. Rather, they are in pursuit of the ideal represented in their ubiquitous watchword: “fun.” “Fun” includes among other things a great deal of binge drinking (often beginning on Thursday night and going through the weekend) and frequent…
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Mohler and Moore on Pornography
In light of my blogs from last week on the XXXChurch, I would like bring your attention to R. Albert Mohler and Russell D. Moore’s blogs. Dr. Mohler investigates “Pornified America—The Culture of Pornography” in a review of a book by Pamela Paul. Dr. Moore’s essay is about “Praying for Porn Stars.”
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“No Miracles Allowed”
Today’s Washington Post runs a story on the Intelligent Design (ID) debate titled “In Explaining Life’s Complexity, Darwinists and Doubters Clash.” One opponent of Intelligent Design explains why he thinks ID is unscientific: “One of the rules of science is, no miracles allowed. That’s a fundamental presumption of what we do.” Isn’t it telling that the proponents of Darwinism reject ID based solely on the presumption that ID can’t be right. There’s no serious engagement of the arguments and data cited by ID proponents, just an a priori dismissal. This just goes to show the atheistic naturalism that is at the heart of much of modern science. This God-less presumption…
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“Politicized Scholars Put Evolution on the Defensive”
Even the title of the story reveals that the New York Times is on the war-path against intelligent design: “Politicized Scholars Put Evolution on the Defensive“. This article reads like an opinion piece, but it’s not. It’s reported as straight news. There is no serious engagement of arguments in this article, just the usual ad-hominem accusation that Intelligent Design scientists are politically motivated culture warriors.
