Tag Archives: Worldview

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

The Monistic Occult Worldview

You don’t have to do an in-depth study of popular culture to see how prevalent the occult is today.  From Vampire Diaries and Goosebumps to newspaper horoscopes and Ouija boards, magic and sorcery are all around us.  Usually presentations of the occult in TV, movies, comic books, novels and the like are presented as simple, innocent entertainment.  The dangers inherent in the genre are dismissed and denied.  However, the danger is still there.  One of the greatest concerns, often unrecognized, is that when a person views a horror movie or a TV show with a paranormal theme, reads a supernatural thriller, or plays at having a séance, that person exposes himself to an entire worldview.  There is an occult paradigm present, whether recognized or not.  This is true because the world of the occult does indeed embody a particular belief system, a specific perspective on reality.  To give but one example, the worldview of the occult is monistic in its view of ultimate existence.  Let us take a moment and examine this. Continue reading

Black Mass at Harvard

There is going to be a Black Mass at Harvard University on Monday night, May 12. Yes, you heard me correctly. A Black Mass. At Harvard. Here in the good ol’ USA. The Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club has organized a Black Mass reenactment at the Queen’s Head Pub, which is on the university campus. This is being done for “educational purposes.” And how does Harvard University itself respond to this upcoming event? Harvard says it “supports the rights of students and faculty.” Humph! Continue reading

By the Pricking of My Thumbs

I remember counseling a woman who was suffering from a great deal of fear in her life. Over the course of several weeks, I discovered that this woman had had several experiences with occult undertones. I felt that an intensive exploration of occult influences in her life was necessary. We sat down one evening and spent about two hours diagnosing her exposure to the occult. Although she was raised in church, and had a rather ordinary life, we found that she had experienced about 25 different instances of involvement in things of a demonic nature. This included everything from yoga and seeing ghosts to ouija boards and seances. No wonder there was a spirit of fear in her life! Continue reading

Welcome to Their World…

One of the most hotly contested controversies in educational, political and scientific circles has been Intelligent Design, or I.D. It has popped up in presidential press conferences. It has become an issue in local elections. And it is the subject of discussion on television, radio, scientific journals, and popular magazines. Indeed, just a few years back I watched a debate on C-Span dealing with I.D. and whether it should be taught in public schools. It has appeared everywhere. So, let’s join the fray, and discuss the issue of I.D. Continue reading