Category Archives: Culture

HOMOSEXUAL DIFFERENCES UNBRIDGEABLE

Culture, Ethics June 27, 2017 Leave a comment

PMT 2017-051 by Denny Burk (The Aquila Report)

David Gushee has a column at Religion News Service about Jonathan Merritt, Jen Hatmaker, and LGBT “inclusion” within the church. Gushee says that he exited evangelicalism 30 months ago, and since then he has concluded this:

I now believe that incommensurable differences in understanding the very meaning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the interpretation of the Bible, and the sources and methods of moral discernment, separate many of us from our former brethren – and that it is best to name these differences clearly and without acrimony, on the way out the door. Continue reading →

POSTMILLENNIALISM AND APOLOGETICS (5b)

apologetics, Creation, Culture June 23, 2017 Leave a comment

PMT 2017-050 by Mike Warren (Christian Civilization Blog)

Point 5 (continued):
Postmillennialism was an important influence in the Scientific Revolution.

Postmillennialism supports the argument for the Christian basis for science since postmillennialism was an important influence in the Scientific Revolution.

The founder of British empiricism and experimentation, Francis Bacon (1561-1626), concluded his famous book on experimental method, Novum Organum, by saying: Continue reading →

POSTMILLENNIALISM AND APOLOGETICS (5a)

apologetics, Culture, Science June 20, 2017 Leave a comment

PMT 2017-049 by Mike Warren (Christian Civilization Blog)

Point 5:
Postmillennialism was an important influence in the Scientific Revolution.

Postmillennialism supports the argument for the Christian basis for science since postmillennialism was an important influence in the Scientific Revolution.

The influence of the postmillennial eschatology of the Puritan Revolution in England (1626-1660) on the Scientific Revolution requires some discussion of related issues of biblical hermeneutics and belief in a literal Adam and Eve. Continue reading →

PRACTICING POSTMILLENNIALISM (4)

Culture May 30, 2017 Leave a comment

PMT 2017-043 by Jeffery J. Ventrella, J.D.

In this series on the practice of postmillennialism we now come to our fourth installment. We will now consider:

Practicing Cultural Engagement

Certainly God works “all things according to the counsel of his will,” but the Lord also “works in you, both to will and to do his good pleasure.” (Eph. 1:11; Phil. 2:13, ESV). The Creator of the universe has ordained that men, and especially redeemed men, should be agents for accomplishing His eschatological purpose. As morally responsible agents, men choose and men make critical (and not-so-critical) decisions. A postmillennial eschatology demands that, when choosing, men consciously practice courageous, strategic, and principled cultural engagement. Continue reading →

HOW CARL SAGAN RUINED SCIENCE

Creation, Culture, Science May 9, 2017 Leave a comment

PMT 2017- 037 by Robert Tracinski (The Federalist)

The organizers of the ‘March for Science’ follow the legacy of substituting a political narrative for the distinctive language and methods of science.

Robert Tracinski writes: I am a Carl Sagan fan from way back. His 1980 TV miniseries “Cosmos” hit me at just the right age and inflamed a lifelong love of science. But we’ve had nearly 40 years to assess the long-term effects and see how Sagan unwittingly contributed to a trend that muddled public understanding of science. This weekend’s so-called “March for Science” is a perfect example of what went wrong. Continue reading →

GAY CONVERSION THERAPY?

Culture, Ethics April 25, 2017 Leave a comment

PMT 2017-033 by Christopher Doyle (Christian Post)

On March 10, ABC’s “20/20” aired a year-long investigation on several “Christian camps” reported to be practicing so-called “gay conversion therapy.” Shockingly, the exposé revealed unspeakable abuse and torture by several unlicensed “pastors” operating reform schools for troubled youth, some of whom identified as gay or lesbian.

Unfortunately, ABC was more sensational than accurate in their reporting when comparing these rogue, abusive camps to licensed therapy for youth struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions and gender confusion, a practice that gay activists have aggressively sought to shut down in more than 25 states and cities across the country. Continue reading →

CHINA’S REMARKABLE RELIGIOUS RESURGENCE

Church, Culture, missions April 18, 2017 Leave a comment

Interview of Ian Johnson by Rob Moll (Christianity Today)

Under Mao Zedong’s dictatorship, Christianity, Buddhism, and Taoism suffered persecution and near-extinction. In recent decades, however, they have each made an astounding comeback. In The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao, Ian Johnson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who has covered China for The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and other publications, offers an intimate look at this remarkable recovery. CT editor at large Rob Moll spoke with Johnson about the reasons for spiritual ferment among the Chinese people.

What spurred your interest in China’s religious resurgence?

When I first went to China in the 1980s, I thought there was probably no religious belief at all. Continue reading →