Part of the Oscar Straus Memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring the right to worship. "Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom & no such thing as publick liberty without freedom of speech", Benjamin Franklin, 1722. Our country was founded on the belief that we have the freedom to disagree with one another. That simple edict … [Read more...]
Politics & God: Should Christians be involved in Politics?
Should Christians be engaged in politics? The answer to that question is "yes!" Christians are called to participate in society as a whole. Christians always have been deeply involved in politics in the U.S.A. The founders of the United States were deeply religious people including George Washington, John Adams, and many others. 51 of the 55 signers of the Constitution were … [Read more...]
Christian Activism: Can Christianity Survive The Modern Cultural Attitudes?
The loyal Christian, dedicated to the Heavenly Father must be an activist in the pluralistic global environment post 9/11. We've put up with a lot in the United States. Many decisions have been made, and many changes have occurred in recent years. How are Christians to respond to the new cultural attitudes of casual sex, the embracing of homosexuality, child … [Read more...]
The Positive Impact of Religion (Tolle Lege)
In chapter 20 of their recent book Did God Really Command Genocide? Coming to Terms with the Justice of God, Paul Copan and Matthew Flannagan take up the question, "Does Religion Cause Violence?" This is by now a well-worn trope of new atheist accusation, typically stated without explaining what "religion" is, or how it is uniquely violence-producing in comparison to any other … [Read more...]
Does the Mosaic Law Apply to Christians?
Approximately thirty-five hundred years ago, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai and soon after, other commandments followed. These together formed what is called the Mosaic Law. It consisted of six hundred and thirteen laws (or commandments) that were both positive (“you should”) and negative (“you should not”) and are contained in the first five books of the … [Read more...]
Ask the Alliance: Does God permit torture?
:::Ask the Alliance #9::: Does God permit torture? Question submitted by Jason: Is there any circumstance under which God would approve of torturing a person, such as if a terrorist is being interrogated? Jason, thank you for your question. Here are some responses from The Christian Apologetics Alliance: Damoksa writes: This is not an easy question - and hence I suspect … [Read more...]
Church & State
[This post is a work in progress as part of the CAA Catechism.] [Add the title only in the title field, not in the body of the post.] Summary in 400 words or less: Scripture for YouVersion: Short audio/video: Three questions (1 fill-in-the-blank, 1 multiple choice, and one discussion question): References for further reading: Collaboration notes: Need to address just war and … [Read more...]
Should the State look like my Church?
What a week in politics (both US and Australian)! What was very evident to all was the passionate actions and reactions of individuals and groups within our communities on a range of topics including marriage of homosexuals and abortion. Rather than focus on the political, let me unfold a fascinating accusation that caught my attention during the war of words. … [Read more...]
The Establishment Clause, Religious Expression and a "Christian Nation"
I personally do not care for the term “Christian Nation” because it implies a Church-State union that is contrary to the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. History teaches us that whenever religion has become politicized, it has been abused. We see this phenomenon in the history of Christianity and in many Islamic nations today. However, I also believe that … [Read more...]
Secularism's Ongoing Debt to Christianity
In his post in the online journal American Thinker called “Secularism Ongoing Debt to Christianity,” Secular Atheist and author John D. Steinrucken made quite a surprising admission. One only need to read the title of the article to see that what followed was a drastic departure from the normal anti-religious rhetoric coming from more prominent Atheists and Secularists. And … [Read more...]