Sunday, September 22, 2013

Jesus Was Dangerous

Jesus wasn't crucified because he was a nice guy. He was crucified because the powers that be were afraid of him. He challenged them. He called them out and called them names. He refused to play along with their rules. He could not be controlled.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Miscarriage Rates (NMAWOT)

When people discuss the difficulties of women over 30 having a child, the focus is always on fertility rates—how easy (or hard) it is for a woman to actually get pregnant. That's only part of the story. You also have to consider the ability of a woman to carry the child to term. The chart below shows the miscarriage rates for women by age1.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Gentle, Not Meek

Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (Mt 5:5 AV)
Christian men are taught not only to be meek, but that it is a sin to act otherwise. The problem is the modern definition of meek. Look up meek in a recent dictionary, and this is what you find:
Easily imposed on; submissive in disposition or nature; spineless or spiritless; compliant; tame; humble and not likely to complain, argue, or react strongly; deficient in spirit and courage; an obsolete word for gentle.
Notice the last definition: “an obsolete word for gentle.” The 1828 version of Webster's dictionary defines meek in this way:

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Your Gifts Were Given to You, Not Your Pastor

Years ago our church choir had a guest soloist—a member of the church who normally didn't sing. He had a fantastic singing voice. When he was done the music leader said: “wasn't Dave great; can you believe he's been hiding his gift under a basket instead being part of the choir?” It was an obvious attempt to shame Dave into joining the choir.


God has given us all certain gifts—gifts to be used for the glory of God. Rather than talk about the nature of those gifts, I'd like to talk about a concept that appears along side them in the Bible: the body of Christ.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Marriage is Optional for Christians

There is tremendous pressure on Christian males to marry. Some suggest Christian men have an obligation to marry, and that those who don't are falling short of God's plan. Widespread in Christian culture is a feeling that there is something wrong with a man that doesn't marry, as is evidenced by this quote from a book endorsed by the Southern Baptist Convention leadership:

Monday, September 2, 2013

Never Marry a Woman Over 30

I am not opposed to marriage, but I can see that the institution of marriage is in dire trouble. When something that starts with a promise of “till death do us part” ends in divorce over 50% of the time, it's broken. One of the reasons is the feminist meme that goes something like this:
Blah blah blah, and when I reach 30 blah blah blah.
There are a thousand variations on this meme, but they all have one thing in common: the belief that a woman can have it all. That prior to 30 she can live her life one way and pursue one set of goals, and that when she reaches 30 she can make a sudden turn and pursue an entirely different set of goals. The most common variant of this meme is this:
I'll go to college and get an education; I'll have a career and move up the corporate ladder; I'll explore my sexuality, and when I reach 30 I'll get married; I'll have a wonderful husband; I'll have children; I'll be a phenomenal mom and my life will be fantastic.
She can have it all, if she follows the plan. Unfortunately, the plan rarely works out. The plan is why 40% of female college graduates won't marry before they reach 40. The plan is why the divorce rate in America is over 50%. The plan is why marriage in America today is a disaster.