Love Truth Blog

Anne Rice in her diatribe on quitting Christianity yet remaining committed to Christ said “I refuse to be anti-Democrat.” This of course implies all Christians are in fact Republican or political party of another stripe asides Democrat, which is something that is Christianity yet not a real commitment to Christ. The same sentiment appears to be implied in loaded questions like “Why are most Christians Republicans?” or “Why are so many Christians conservative Republican?” I really wonder how people who have thought deeply about politics and privy to the political landscape of Christianity could assert such things. To say Christians are “anti-Democrat” is quite presumptuous. This statement really marginalizes all the Christians I know personally who are committed to following Christ of genuine faith and registered as Democrats. How bigoted it would be to go to them and say, “Oh, you’re a Christian, you must be a Republican?” In a Pew Forum survey to the question “do you consider your

Someone once inquired with me about an apparent contradiction in the Bible having to do with Jesus call to the disciples to become fishers of men. The problem is setup this way: Matthew 4:18-22 and Mark 1:14-20 record that Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, spotted Peter and Andrew casting nets into the water, then the Lord called them to be fishers of men and the two immediately left their nets. Jesus then finds James and John with their father, Zebedee, mending their nets, the Lord calls them, and the two sons follow Him. Luke 5:1-11 records that Jesus was preaching along lake Gennesaret (also called the Sea of Galilee), and a large crowd gathered to listen to Him. The Lord sees Simon (Peter) and his two boats, and then the Lord requested to be taken in one of the boats a little off shore so that He could teach the crowds, and Peter obliged. After finishing the talk, Jesus asks Peter to let down the net to catch some fish. Peter is reticent because he just spent the night wor

Anne Rice, the famous vampire novel writer, announced on July 28, 2010 via her Facebook that she “quit being a Christian.” Her initial declaration along with subsequent entries created such a buzz in social media realm that she even received interviews on popular television news programs. Note that it was several years ago that Rice announced she embraced Christianity, namely Roman Catholicism, and that her spiritual pilgrimage is explained in a book entitled Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt . But now things have changed. Just how does Rice reason all this out? The following Facebook updates by Rice tell the story: “For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being ‘Christian’ or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten ...years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My con

I recently came accross the Wikipedia article on the “Historical Reliability of the Acts of the Apostles,” which was an interesting read with an obvious slant in favor of the presupposition Luke’s work is unhistorical. Acts 5:36-37 is one of the article’s alleged problematic passages, which tells of a Pharisee named Gamaliel saying, “For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered” (NASB). The Wikipedia article, for example, indicates, “[Gamaliel] refers to two movements other than the Way. One lead by Theudas (v 36) and after him led by Judas the Galilean. Josephus placed Judas about 6 AD. He places Theudas under the procurator Fadus 44-46 AD. Two problems emerge. First

Inception (Warner Brothers) 1 is great mind bending science fiction thrill ride that came about at the last minute when I began to wonder “are there any good movies coming out this summer?” It is about a team of thieves led by Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) whom use technology to enter into the minds of others to steal their secrets all the while navigating around the target’s subconscious, which manifests itself as various people within the dream world intent on killing the dream invaders. As the story goes, Cobb is hired to do a special kind of job, which involves “inception,” or the implanting of an idea into the target’s subconscious that would determine a future action delivered via a dream within a dream within another dream. There is a definite critique against the basic reliability of sense perception woven into the storyline of Inception. For instance, the downside of those continually entering into the dream world is they become unable to determine whether or not they are aw

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances. I am exceedingly afflicted; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word. O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, And teach me Your ordinances. My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts. I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, even to the end (Psalm 119:105-112, NASB). It is always a blessing to read and meditate upon Psalm 119. These 176 alliterated lines of poetry spanning the Hebrew alphabet represent the art of ancient Hebrew’s at its finest. This morning at church the pastor preached from Psalm 119:105, reminding us that life can take many unexpected turns and there are seasons wherein one might experience “a dark night of

As I’m watching and reading news reports on the public reaction to US District Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling to overturn California’s ban on gay marriage on the basis that Proposition 8 violates rights of individuals provided for in the 14th Amendment, I find one of the driving assumptions held by those opposing the law is that homosexuality is a nature and not a behavior. The general idea is that a person is born gay, and that is who they are, it is their nature. As such, to deprive a same sex couple of marriage is tantamount to depriving an inter-racial couple of marriage. Conservative opposition might scream out that the people of California have spoken so it is simply unfair for one judge to impose his will upon the masses. If it is a person’s nature to be gay, and the law forbids the gay person from basic human rights, then an appeal to the majority rule really does not hold much water. If the majority is wrong, then someone needs to stand up for what is right. The idea of homo

Glenn Beck is a popular author, media personality on the FOX News Channel, brainchild of the 9/12 Project, 1 and a devout Mormon. In an interview with Deseret News , Beck stated, “I presently serve as a ward missionary, elder’s quorum teacher and serve with my wife in the stake’s addiction-recovery program.” 2 Beck’s views on faith and politics appeals to many conservatives; however, Christians are encouraged to use discernment. Mormons typically take Christian terminology, such as “Jesus,” “God,” and “The Bible,” and redefine them with their own cultic meanings, and the result is the “skin of the truth stuffed with a lie.” Mormonism, therefore, teaches “Jesus” is the spirit brother of Lucifer, “God” was once a man who became a god, and “The Bible” is old divine revelation but new divine revelation can be found in the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. These beliefs make Mormonism a cult of Christianity. Christians are to use discernment with Glenn