But we’re the intolerant ones.

Associated Press – 12/6/2008 4:10:00 AM

The Cincinnati Zoo has canceled a joint ticket promotion with the nearby Creation Museum in Kentucky, which presents the Bible’s version of natural history. 

Some scientists and bloggers had complained that the zoo should not work with a religious museum that rejects the theory of evolution. The promotion, granting 2-for-1 admission to the zoo’s holiday light show and the Creation Museum’s live nativity performance, was on the zoo’s website Sunday, but was gone by Monday afternoon.
 
Creation Museum president Ken Ham said, “We certainly understand why they’ve had to do this, but again it comes down to intolerant people who are intolerant of the Christian position in this nation — and unfortunately we see that sort of intolerance growing.”
 
Ham says it is not true that the zoo is scientific while the museum is not. “The zoo talks about animals and animal behavior and so on. We would agree with all of that,” he points out. “The only statements [with which] we would disagree is [sic] when they talk about the origin of the animals — where they came from in the first place — which is not observational science.”
 
The zoo did not immediately return calls to The Associated Press seeking comment.

Recently in chapel, Dr. Bob shared a letter from a visitor to campus who had a rather bad experience at the Turkey Bowl. A husband and wife, both handicapped, arrived extra early at the game in order to get a seat in the front where they could see. Unfortunately, their view was blocked by society fans cheering in front of them–so much so, that the couple finally left the game and drove home.

The letter mentioned that the couple’s son said to his parents that he would have said something to the society members, but he “knew how they would react.”

It is this last part of the story that bothers me most. I certainly sympathize with the plight of the visitors and am glad that some measures have been taken to ensure hospitality for guests with special needs. But the son’s statement reveals a common problem among Christians: jumping to assumptions.

Did he know personally every member of the society in the cheering section? I doubt it. Had this situation occurred in the past with bad results? Not that he mentioned. I try to picture myself in the place of the society members. More than likely, they were too caught up in the spirit of the game to have any idea they were causing an inconvenience to this couple. Quite possibly, some of the guys may have reacted just fine to a request to relocate. The point is, you don’t know until you ask.

Christians need to give each other the benefit of the doubt instead of assuming the worst.

I read Isaiah 38 in my devotions the other day. The context: Hezekiah has just found out that he is going to die shortly. He begs God to prolong His life, which God responds to by adding another 15 years to Hezekiah’s life. This is a portion of Hezekiah’s prayer.

For Sheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
It is the living who give thanks to You, as I do today;
A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.
The LORD will surely save me;
So we will play my songs on stringed instruments
All the days of our life at the house of the LORD.

I was struck by Hezekiah’s argument that God should allow him to live because he was better able to praise and glorify God by living, rather than dying. It made me wonder:

If God were to take my life today, would I have an argument that He would be ending a life that was glorifying Him? Could I prove that He would be losing a valuable representative of Christ on earth?

Witches, ghosts, Satan–anything goes for Halloween–except Jesus, evidently, according to this recent report.

A New Jersey eighth-grader was rebuffed at school over his Halloween costume — sandals, a robe, a fake beard, and a crown of thorns. 

Alex Woinski of Paramus came to school dressed as Jesus while other students wore witch, ghoul, and devil costumes. Matt Staver of Liberty Counsel <http://www.lc.org/>  points out the youngster was sent home.
 
“Seems to me there’s a direct discrimination here simply because of the Christian viewpoint. Satan is in, apparently; Jesus is not,” he contends. “This is obviously a blatant attempt to discriminate against religion, and particularly Christianity.”

Staver says something needs to be done to educate the educators on the Constitution. “Sometimes if education doesn’t work, litigation does,” he adds. “Sometimes school officials only listen when it affects their pocketbook. This is such a case that needs to catch the school’s attention.”
 
The youngster said school officials told him to go home because his costume might offend other students and it also disrupted the education process.

Toys and electronics may not be the only items manufactured in the USA, if genetic engineering trends continue down this slippery slope. Check out this disturbing article on “manufacturing children.”

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=309934

Well, I think I would be shirking my duties to not have at least one post commenting on the election results. Not surprisingly, the American people voted in Barack Obama as our next president. I was very interested in seeing how Christians would respond to the results. The reactions varied; I heard everything from dramatic cries of, “Oh, God, help us!” to mild disappointment to ”I don’t really care.” One guy adamantly assured me that it wasn’t going to be that bad, because since Obama won’t have the money to keep any of his promises, Americans will become disallusioned with him within two years and vote Republicans back into the House and Senate.

What reactions did you hear? How did you react? What should be our reaction as Christians?  

“So many good times, so smart, so amazing, so many good thoughts. So much potential. But then it slips away for moments…and you just desperately want it to come back. SO MUCH POTENTIAL!”

This comment from my friend struck me the other day during a talk we were having about leadership. What makes the difference between a good leader—one whom you respect and follow—and a role model—the leader you want to pattern yourself after?

I can respect the knowledge, skills and talents of many leaders. I love learning, and so being under leaders who challenge my mind excites me. I admire their vision and creativity and only hope that someday I will be able to do half as good a job as they do.

I can follow leaders who have passion and commitment for their work. Good leaders are dedicated to the excellence of their work and to the well-being of their subordinates. They are reliable, they are consistent, and they make you feel that you are working for a worthy cause.

But even these characteristics do not necessarily describe a leader who I would choose as a role model. In addition to the other characteristics, a genuine role model must display a wholehearted passion for God that drives every action and credits God for every success.

We love to take pride in our own successes. When we work hard to achieve things, we feel that we deserve some well-earned recognition for our efforts. But that is not God’s idea of a true leader.

Jesus, who could have come to Earth and commanded kingdoms, instead washed his followers’ feet. He doesn’t for a minute give up His authority. “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am,” He says. But the greatness of His leadership is not merely in His power. It’s in His humility. “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

God has gifted many of us with talents, and many of us have worked hard to develop our skills. But these are useless if not used out of a passionate, overriding desire to glorify God. “I must decrease; He must increase.”

A leader without humility is nothing short of a tyrant, and not the kind who will ever be a role model. 

What do you think makes a good leader? Role model?

I’ve been bothered by the number of conservatives I’ve heard declaring they will “leave the country” if Obama gets in, or at least that it is the “end of the world.” Is it? In the editorial I wrote for this week’s Collegian, I discuss how I think Christians should respond to the election results.

http://www.bju.edu/collegian/index.php?issue=105&article=1097

My salvation testimony sounds like many others of my generation and Christian “circle.” I was born and raised in a Christian home; my mom said I was saved when I was four, but I don’t remember it. I do remember praying to be saved when I was six, but I struggled for years with doubts, even after “rededicating my life” in junior high. However, I often consoled myself by looking back to that date my mom had written in the back of my Bible: it was there; I must be saved. But the doubts kept returning.

I have heard countless similar testimonies and often wondered about the nature of these “doubts.” Why do so many Christians saved at a young age struggle with doubts? Is it Satan’s temptations? Is it their conscience convicting them of sin? Or is it the Holy Spirit showing them they are not saved at all?

Perhaps it could be any of these causes. For me, I believe it was a misconception of salvation. I understood the “accept Jesus as your Saviour and you won’t go to hell” part. That’s what I grew up hearing.

It wasn’t until college that a professor explained salvation in a way I hadn’t heard before. Salvation does not depend on the date, the prayer, the wording or the amount of feeling behind it. These are all works centered on me. God does the saving, and if I in faith believe that He can and has saved me, my feelings are insignificant. My growing relationship with Him now is what matters.

I wonder sometimes if having that date written in my Bible didn’t keep me longer from realizing salvation was nothing I could earn. I turned to that date as my source of assurance, rather than to the promises of God. I don’t blame my mom for writing it, but I do wonder about the effectiveness of this common act.

My salvation decision is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and for me, I don’t need it written anywhere else.

Here is a link to my recent column in The Collegian on Obama and Biden’s socialistic policies. While this is not directly related to a current Christian trend or issue, I do feel that, especially given the importance of the upcoming election, Christians should be involved in politics and aware of the philosophies behind the candidates’ agendas.

Column: What is fair?