The Entitled Bus Driver

So often these weekly rants of mine seem a bit negative.  They tend to be critical of our culture, of wacky things happening in the church, and stupid things that people say and/or do.  So I purposed in my heart that this week, I was going to write something positive.  I don’t want to appear to be only a “doom and gloom” preacher.  (That is really not my nature.)

However, my good intentions were cast to the earth and ground into dust this morning.  My wife and I went out for breakfast.  As we were returning home, we came to an intersection where we needed to turn right to go home.  This is a rather busy intersection, the junction of a U.S. highway and a primary local road.  There is a right-turn lane there.  As I approached the intersection I saw a large touring bus in the turn lane.  At first, it seemed he was waiting to make a right turn.  Then I saw the bus door open and a man get off the bus.  He began to walk towards the convenience store located at that corner.  Whoa!  What was going on? Continue reading

Reason – A Double-Edged Sword

In the 17th century a giant intellect arose in France by the name of René Descartes.  He is considered by many as the father of modern philosophy.  His thinking certainly served as a harbinger for the period known as the Enlightenment that would follow in the next century.

Descartes was a son of the church.  He did not set out to reject faith or deny church dogma.  What he did purpose to do was explore with his mind the limits of human knowledge.  His pursuit of knowledge is said to have begun with a series of three visions, which he believed were divine visitations.  Following these heavenly encounters, he began to explore what could be known through reason alone.  There is an apocryphal legend that he enclosed himself in a barrel for these ruminations.  Although this is a fanciful tale, he did seclude himself in order to explore the power of his own reason. Continue reading

Questions for the Christian Freemason

We have dealt with Freemasonry elsewhere on this site.  I think that most men who are members of a Masonic Lodge do not truly understand the religious and spiritual basis of Masonry.  It is really not Christian at all.  However, there are many Christian men and women in the Lodge and in the Eastern Star who are unaware of the spiritual dangers of the Masonic system.  Our hope and prayer is that God will awaken them to the truth.  Our goal is not to attack Masons, but to reveal the truth about Masonry.  With this object in mind, we offer these questions for consideration by any Christian who is a Mason. Continue reading

Evil = Okay!?

We live in a day when everything is relative.  According to the popular mythology, nothing is absolute.  (How popular mythologists get by with this absolute I will never understand.)  Truth and morality are situational, personal, relational and relative.  The all-too common thinking runs something like this: “If I think it is okay, then it is okay.  If I perceive it as moral and good, then it must be moral and good.”  Usually what such thinkers actually mean is “if what I am doing is something I want to do—that makes me happy—then it must be good.” Continue reading

Of One Blood

Question:  Where did the various human races come from?

Answer:  According to the Scriptural account, there is actually only one human race.  Biblically all humans are part of is one family.  We are all descended from Adam and Eve.  This is plainly taught in the Scriptures.  Indeed, Eve’s very name means “mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20), thus indicating her as the primal ancestors of all men.  We are also all descended from Noah.  During the Flood, all human beings were destroyed on the earth, leaving only Noah and his family (see Genesis 7:21-23 and 1 Peter 3:20).  This is why the New Testament says that God has made all the peoples of the earth from one blood, one human stock (see Acts 17:26).

Continue reading