Its The End of the World as We Know It and I Feel...Hot!?!

While many in our culture denounce Christians for hysterically spreading fear-mongering rhetoric about the end of the world, you and I have been bombarded in the media with talk of a coming global apocalypse caused by--are you sitting down?--the "carbon footprint" left by pollution from our cars & homes (insert shriek of horror here!).

As this becomes a bigger topic of discussion in movies and news coverage of the coming elections, many will face this kind of rhetoric in our families, classes and at our jobs. The results can be quite subtle, however, often in the form of a quasi-compassionate, self-righteous attitude as evidenced by accusations like "You aren't going green?" and condemnation for those who aren't obsessed with recycling, or driving a hybrid (Have you experienced any of this?)

After all, they confidently assert, "Almost all scientists believe human-caused global warming is a closed case." Therefore, their condemnation is justified, saying "Everyone knows the danger is real and they aren't doing their part to save the planet!"

But, is that true? Is it really a closed case? Please take 3 minutes and read this article, cut & paste it on to a Word document and file it on your hard drive where you can access it later. It is the truth needed to battle the global warming rhetoric that's so rampant in our day and only getting louder. The opening line says it all: "Nearly 32,000 scientists sign a petition that says they reject the claim that humanity is causing global warming."

Thanks to the Bible, we know how this world is going to end and it's not going to be the result of human carbon emission! It'll be the result of God's wrath against human sin at "the day of the Lord" which "will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare" (2 Peter 3:10). That's real global warming!

Since we know this, Peter goes on to say "live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (3:11-12) and "make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him" (3:14) because "we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (3:13). I want to make sure I'm doing my part to usher in that day! Don't you?

Groothuis on Expelled

Read an excellent review of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed by Dr. Doug Groothuis here, a man I don't always agree with but who I highly respect after reading his excellent book Truth Decay. I will write my own review after I see it this week.

Expelled: The Movie

I am really excited to see the new documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, which opens today!

It's about the scientific establishment's censorship of intelligent design. Watch the trailer here and search youTube for many clips. You can watch an older trailer below. Enjoy!

Radical Islam's Next Target: Rome

While you were going to church this weekend, one TV preacher from Hamas told his listeners:

"Very soon, Allah willing, Rome will be conquered, just like Constantinople was, as was prophesized by our Prophet Muhammad. Today, Rome is the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital, which has declared its hostility to Islam, and has planted the brothers of apes and pigs [the Jews] in Palestine in order to prevent the reawakening of Islam."

This part was especially encouraging...

"I believe that our children or our grandchildren will inherit our Jihad and our sacrifices, and Allah willing, the commanders of the conquest will come from among them. Today, we instill these good tidings in their souls, and by means of the mosques and the Koran books..."

Read more about it here, and even watch the "sermon" here.

Fox News Questions Mormons

Thank you to Between Two Worlds for making me aware of this FoxNews.com article, 21 Questions Answered About Mormon Faith, and that Rob Bowman responded to the article here.

Homosexuals in Iran

I happened to be listening yesterday to the question and answer session at Columbia University with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he said "We do not have homosexuals like in your country."

Here's why. To all you "open-minded" and "tolerant" students at Columbia who gave him a standing ovation--and to all of you who agreed with them--here is what you were cheering.

For the article and more pictures about the execution of these TEENAGERS, click here.

U.S. Senator Suing God

Read the article here. Only a U.S. government official would do something like this.

Obsession THE Movie

I don't buy many movies (maybe one every 2 years), but I purchased and watched Obsession, the movie about radical Islam, and I have to tell you it was absolutely riveting. I think I'm going to watch it again right now.

If you don't buy it, I'm sure you can rent it--but either way, you HAVE TO see it. For you own good, you HAVE TO see it.

Two More 9/11's?

John Piper's weekly Taste & See is about Three 9/11's We Need to Know.

It is thought-provoking and utterly challenging, especially for us fat, happy, lethargic and apathetic American Christians.

Obsession the Movie

I've tried to keep this a purely religious blog, but when geo-politics and religion are colliding like they are in our day I cannot help but recommend that you go here and watch the trailer for the award-winning Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West.

You can also watch short clips of the movie here:

• Jihad in the Classroom (clip)
• Jihad and the Media (clip)
• Jihad and Hitler (clip)
• Jihad and the West (clip)

If you do nothing else, you should watch this 12-minute version of the documentary.

Mohler on Mother Theresa

Dr. Al Mohler insightfully comments on Mother Theresa's religious doubts and struggles here.

The title of the post bottom line's it well: Rest is found when you trust Christ, not your feelings.

Bush Vetoes Democratic ESCR Bill

It is for reasons like this that voting is so critical.

Don't forget that when it come to embryonic stem cell research around the world there is NO scientific evidence that it will help anything, regardless of what Sen. Clinton says:

"This is just one example of how the president puts ideology before science, politics before the needs of our families, just one more example of how out of touch with reality he and his party have become," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., told the Take Back America conference of liberal activists Wednesday."

Call me crazy, but further funding projects that have offered NO evidence for success seems to me to be the definition of putting ideology before science, politics before the needs of our families and being out of touch with reality.

If you want to know more about the scientific reasons to further fund adult stem cell research without killing and dismembering embryonic human beings, click here.

More Anti-Christian Bigotry from Homosexuals

Every argument used against President Bush's nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. James Holsinger, for his Bible-based view of homosexuality (as seen here) can be used against the homosexuals who are against him. It may take a little thinking, but they really do.

Now, is it controversial to say that homosexuality is not "complementary" physically? Sorry for the graphics, but do the sexual "parts" complement each other in homosexual sex, or heterosexual? That's a no brainer, and it's no wonder that this will therefore lead to more injury and disease. Tell me again what's controversial about this?

The president of the Tauro University Gay Straight Alliance, Mr. Hopping said Dr. Holsinger's views offended him. Is it just me, or does living in a society where speech is free mean there will always be a risk of offending and being offended. When someone says "I'm offended" it does not mean the offender is automatically wrong! Sometimes truth and offense go together.

So, it seems to me that people need to grow some thick skin. Welcome to adulthood where people get offended and where you offend people. In fact, I'm offended by what many homosexuals say about Christians.

And, concerning Mr. Hopping saying Dr. Holsinger has to be neutral. Why? And I'm sorry, Mr. Hopping, but if doctors are good / qualified if they're neutral, I have to ask if you're neutral? I don't think so since you are the PRESIDENT of the Tauro University Gay Straight Alliance.

This paragraph is telling:

"Holsinger's role on the national Judicial Council of the Methodist Church also is proving to be a source of concern for gay rights groups. He cast a dissenting vote in 2004 in a decision on whether to retain a pastor who was lesbian. The majority agreed to maintain her position. Last year, he also favored a pastor who wanted to block a gay man from joining his congregation. "He has a pretty clear bias against gays and lesbians," said Christina Gilgor, director of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, a gay rights group."

If this is not religious discrimination by homosexual activists I don't know what is. Her words demonstrate a pretty clear bias against Christians, especially those who disagree with her.

Finally, to demonstrate the bias of the article they end with these words of Mr. Hopping: "It's a leadership issue. It's showing that he's not even aware of the problems that we have in the United States with healthcare."

What Dr. Holsinger's views have to do with his leadership and awareness of healthcare problems in the U.S. is beyond me. In fact, I'd say it's a pretty good bet that DR. Holsinger, Kentucky's top public health official and chancellor of the University of Kentucky's medical center, knows more about healthcare in the U.S. than MR. Hopping the third-year med student. Just a guess.

Many may say what I wrote above was not loving. First, remember that it is very difficult read tone into printed material so giving the author the benefit of the doubt is a must when reading her. Second, the most loving thing a person in the right can do to another who is misled is to lovingly explain the truth and expose falsehood. Third, I've spoken / witnessed to a number of gay men, and each one has told me how refreshing it was to hear the Christian worldview from me.

I don't say that out of pride, but to say that hatred or disgust of homosexuals was not driving anything I wrote above, but actually I was driven by a desire to expose the fallacious reasoning made by the homosexuals in the article, and to defend someone who is probably going to be "tarred and feathered" in the media (I heard a pejorative news report of this good man made by a radio news reporter today).

21% of American Muslims...

..., out of an estimated 2.35 million, believe homicide bombings against civilians are OK to "defend Islam" while "5% of [all] Muslim Americans express even somewhat favorable opinions of al Qaeda."

Those statistics can often pass by without impact. I thought 21% was kind of high, that is until I did the math. For the sake of clarity, 21% of 2.35 million is 493,500 and 5% is 117,500!

The Pew Research Center poll also writes that Muslims under 30 are "much more religiously observant and more accepting of Islamic extremism than are older Muslim Americans."

Don't believe me? Click here to read the Fox News article and here to read the full report, which is less alarming than the two important statistics above.

Interestingly, the Fox News article gave the percentage as 26% who think homicide bombing of civilians is OK while I only counted 21% after adding the percentages from the textbox on page 6 of the report found at the Pew website. I don't know where they got that number, so one of us is wrong by 5% (or 493,500 vs. 611,000 Muslims), but I just can't figure out who.

Jerry Falwell (1933-2007)

***UPDATE***

Unlike the totally distasteful TMZ, Dr. Al Mohler gave a very nice tribute to Rev. Falwell.

Wow! When you're done with his tribute check out the comments below it. They hate Falwell for his intolerance, but are totally blind to theirs. I guess if you disagree with them it's OK to be intolerant back? For all their preaching of tolerance they are the most intolerant among us. If you disagree and want to argue about that, read their comments first.

******

My condolences to the family and friends of the Rev. Jerry Falwell who was found unconscious today at his Liberty University office.

My first thoughts were not about his politics, but here's a guy who woke up this morning not knowing that before noon he'd be standing in the presence of God. I have thought about that one fact more in the first four months of 2007 than I have for the first 29 years of my life.

I am challenged by this to make the most of the time God's given me (Eph 5:16), not knowing when my number will come up, so that I may present a heart of wisdom to God (Psalm 90:12), and to remember that while death is tragic and difficult for us, even as Christians, it is precious to God when one of His own comes home (Psalm 116:15).

Oh God! Give me Your perspective on death, and the heart to trust You when death comes.

Jesus Has Returned!!!

Did you know that Jesus came back? He did and he's in Orlando, Florida (having been there, Jesus messed up returning there) and his name is Dr. Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda.

Thank you to the Drudge Report for making me aware of this ridiculous story. You've got to love all their 666 tattoos, huh?

Don't forget these very important words from Jesus Himself, which totally refute this and all the rest of these false Messiahs:

"For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. ... if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it" (Matt 24:5, 23-26).

Three Martyrs in Turkey

I want to thank James White for posting this story, which the BBC gives just the facts about, concerning three Christian Bible publishers who were tortured before being murdered by their Muslim captors.

Dr. White also posted on this article, which is an unedited English translation from the terrorist forces in Iraq.

Please take the time to read these articles, and add the persecuted church in Muslim lands to your prayer list.

Virginia Tech Massacre II

First, I am just sick and livid at NBC for airing that psychotic murderer's videos. Even in death, he played them for fools who gave him exactly what he wanted: 15 minutes of fame. I agree with Hugh Hewitt "what is rewarded is repeated." We'll see if he's prophetic.

And in our rush to find out what caused this senseless massacre, I just heard a radio host suggest that maybe it was the chemical in the murderer's parents dry cleaning business that threw his serotonin levels off and made him do this!

So much for personal responsibility for one's actions! How long until we're pushed to feel sympathy for this devil because his crimes against humanity really aren't his fault?

Enough of that. The real reason I opened this post was to tell you about Liviu Librescu.

I know this wonderful man I am singling out is well-known now, but I have to talk about him on the off-chance you don't know about him already. What follows comes from an excellent tribute to the victims on msnbc.com:

"Liviu Librescu, 76, an engineering science and mechanics lecturer. Born in Romania, he survived the Nazi Holocaust and emigrated to Israel in 1978 before moving to Virginia in 1985.

An Israeli citizen, he had taught at Virginia Tech for 20 years and was internationally known for his work in aeronautical engineering.

"His research has enabled better aircraft, superior composite materials, and more robust aerospace structures," said Ishwar Puri, the head of the engineering science and mechanics department.

After surviving the Nazi killings, Librescu escaped from communist Romania and made his way to the United States before he was killed in Monday’s massacre, which coincided with Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Librescu's son, Joe, said his father's students sent e-mails detailing how the professor saved their lives by blocking the doorway of his classroom from the approaching gunman before he was fatally shot.

“My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee,” Joe Librescu said from his home outside Tel Aviv, Israel. “Students started opening windows and jumping out.”

There are so many more profiles to read here, here and here on msnbc.com. I cried as I read and know I'd cry more if I stayed on the site longer.

Please take the time to at least scan the photos and personalize this. Put real faces to the vague "32 killed" we see and hear in the news. I think it helps us see the massacre and that piece of human scum in the correct light.

Partial-Birth Abortion Banned!!!

In the midst of all the anger and sadness in our country after the Virginia Tech massacre, we can find much joy in this significant day in the history of the U.S.A.!

Today, in Gonzales v. Carhart, 05-380 (read official decision here), the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that "the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act that Congress passed and President Bush signed into law in 2003 does not violate a woman's constitutional right to an abortion" (Breitbart). In other words, Congress' banning of abortion does not violate previous laws permitting abortion.

However, that means this decision does not outlaw first-trimester abortions, when most abortions take place, nor the usual second-trimester procedure called "dilation and evacuation" (D&E).

For clarity's sake, in D&E "the doctor dilates the cervix and then inserts surgical instruments into the uterus and maneuvers them to grab the fetus and pull it back through the cervix and vagina. The fetus is usually ripped apart as it is removed, and the doctor may take 10 to 15 passes to remove it in its entirety" (Gonzalez v. Cathart). No, that's not outlawed with this ruling.

What was banned is called "partial-birth abortion" or "intact D&E" (don't you just love euphemisms?). I once asked a class of college students "How many of you have heard of partial-birth abortion?" Most nodded or raised their hands. Then I asked "What is it?" Blank stares. No one knew. So I asked them to break the words down, and as they did the lights went on.

Well, what was it that went on in their minds? Why would Congress' 2003 Act say "there was a moral, medical, and ethical consensus that partial-birth abortion is a gruesome and inhumane procedure that is never medically necessary and should be prohibited" (Gonzalez v. Cathart)?

Here's what the decision describes as "intact D&E": "The procedure that prompted the federal Act and various state statutes...is a variation of the standard D&E [described above], and is herein referred to as "intact D&E." The main difference between the two procedures is that in intact D&E a doctor extracts the fetus intact or largely intact with only a few passes, pulling out its entire body instead of ripping it apart. In order to allow the head to pass through the cervix, the doctor typically pierces or crushes the skull" (Gonzalez v. Cathart).

Did the lights go on for you? Let the mental images sink in. That was happening in this country until today. I wonder if there was a rush this week to get them in before this ban took effect.

Sadly, the moral confusion on this issue still exists as 4 justices dissented and doctors only get two years in prison for performing an "intact D&E." And, what do the Democratic candidates for president think? Edwards said he couldn't "disagree more strongly" with the Court. Obama said "I strongly disagree," and Hillary said this decision is an "erosion of our constitutional rights." Don't forget to read their comments in light of what "intact D&E" actually is.

In the end, I hope this moral haze lifts soon, and I pray that this day will be remembered as the day the crack started in the armor of legalized abortion in the U.S.

If you want to better understand this procedure from the Christian worldview--and you should--and how to knowledgeably and persuasively argue against it, please read these excellent articles by Greg Koukl from Stand To Reason:

• Partial-Birth Abortion Is Not About Abortion
• Partial-Birth Abortion: Objections and Misunderstandings
• Stepping Over The Line
• Morally Velocitized
• Nothing Hidden in D&X

Virginia Tech Massacre

In the midst of this tragedy, one can miss a very important lesson about the value of human life.

I've seen a bunch of news stories about this and all of them are saying 21 then 24 and now 32 dead. This may be an accurate count of those that died, but it misses a critical distinction.

News stories should read "32 murdered" NOT "33 dead." Only one person was killed today. 32 were murdered.

Lumping the murderer in with his victims is disgusting and I tend to agree with Dennis Prager that even in this small detail we see the totally inability of many to identify and name evil.

I also agree with him that we should grieve and be angry over this evil. It is the right thing to do. In fact, there's something seriously wrong with a person who is not grieving and angry, but just wants to "get over it."

One caller said he can't wait to hear about the murderer's family life and socio-economic status rather than the wickedness of his crimes.

You can see this shift taking place even now as the blame and anger has already moved from the murderer to second-guessing Virginia Tech and their security for not getting an email out fast enough! It sounds like lawyers are getting ready to make money off this already.

What is that!?! Why are things so backwards?