My daily Bible reading plan had me in Leviticus 4 and 5 yesterday and got me to thinking about the Bible’s teaching on unintentional sin. The Bible makes a distinction between sins committed intentionally and those that are unintentional. The Law of Moses, for instance, distinguishes premeditated murder from manslaughter and assigns the death-penalty for the former but not necessarily for the latter (Numbers 35:6-34). Intentional evil brings greater judgment under God’s law.
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Tebow’s Intolerant Critics
“If the pro-choice stance is so precarious that a story about someone who chose to carry a risky pregnancy to term undermines it, then CBS is not the problem.” That line is from Sally Jenkins’ must-read column in the Washington Post. Jenkins is a feminist and is pro-choice. Nevertheless, she believes that the National Organization for Women (NOW) needs to stop hyperventilating about Tim Tebow’s forthcoming pro-life Superbowl Ad. She writes, “Apparently NOW feels this commercial is an inappropriate message for America to see for 30 seconds, but women in bikinis selling beer is the right one. I would like to meet the genius at NOW who made that decision.…
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The Legacy of Feminism
‘Feminist leaders would have us “Make the ‘choice’ that’s right for you,” but that sort of me-first mentality merely produced a generation of self-absorbed, Xanax-popping corporate climbers.’ –Katie Walker, Washington Post
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“Lost” Is Back
How many of you are fans of the television series “Lost”? The new season starts this week, and Newsweek has an interesting report on it titled “The End Is Near.” “As fans start speculating about the show’s final season (set to launch on Feb. 2), they would do well to remember that more than anything else—and more than any other acclaimed show ever on television—Lost is a show about faith.” This assessment is certainly correct. I would, however, take it a step further and say that “Lost” focuses on themes related to the Christian faith in particular. It constantly alludes to the Bible, one of the main characters is named…
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Pastoral Complaints
“A Pastor should not complain about his congregation, certainly never to other people, but also not to God. A congregation has not been entrusted to him in order that he should become its accuser before God and men.” –Life Together (Harper & Row, 1954), pp. 29-30
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Matt Chandler on a Big Platform
As I write this, the Associated Press story about Matt Chandler is the featured article on MSNBC.com. Chandler’s cancer has led to the gospel being proclaimed in the AP. And it’s not coming from a guy who just won a gold medal or the Superbowl. It’s coming from a guy who is suffering. Praise God that Chandler is not wasting his cancer. The AP writes: His theology teaches that all men are wicked, that human beings have offended a loving and sovereign God, and that God saves through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection — not because people do good deeds. In short, Chandler is a Calvinist, holding to a belief…
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Laissez les bons temps rouler
I have enjoyed hearing reports out of my home state this week. Louisianans are beaming with pride in their team, and I am too. Since there’s no football today, you can watch this. It never gets old. (HT: Mom)
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TIME on Gay “Marriage” Trial
Don’t miss Michael Lindenberger’s TIME magazine article on the closing arguments of the gay “marriage” trial in California. He sums up the stakes of this case very well: “What’s equally clear now, after nearly three weeks of evidence, is that no matter what happens, the debate over gay marriage will never again be the same
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Craig Blaising on a False Antithesis
“The antithesis of spiritual is not academic. The antithesis of spiritual is unspiritual. And the academic can subsist in either a spiritual or an unspiritual mode.” -Craig Blaising, quoted in “Knowledge Puffs Up?” by Jeff Miller
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Tim Challies’ Scathing Review of the iPad
I’ve not known Tim Challies to be one given to hyperbole, so I was struck by the title of his recent review of the iPad: “iPad: The Greatest Disappointment in Human History.” He explains: