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Christians and the Abolition of Roe v. Wade
June 24, 2022, will go down in history as a great day! On this memorable day, the Supreme Court of the Government of the United States of America ruled that the court precedent of Roe v. Wade was illegitimately established and was overturned. Moments like this are rare in America’s history but are deeply cherished. In this article, I want to briefly assess some of the implications of this court decision and then provide some Christian reflections. What Does the Abolition of Roe v. Wade Mean? Samuel Alito, writing the majority opinion for the ruling, notes the following on page 6 (of 213): It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives. “The permissibility of abortion, and the limitations, upon it, are to be resolved like most important questions in our democracy: by citizens trying to persuade one another and then…
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Who Was Cain’s Wife? Was it Incest?
A natural question arises concerning Adam and Eve’s children. Who was Cain’s wife? If there were no other humans besides those who came from Adam and Eve, then by definition wouldn’t Adam and Eve’s children be committing incest? Cain would have no option except to marry his sister, which would be incest! If Cain married his sister, that would seem to be wrong because of Genesis 2:24’s definition of a “one flesh” relationship? Cain is not the only one who might be guilty of incest by that definition. Abraham married his half-sister (cf. Gen 20:12). At the very least, this would seem to be poor planning by the Creator; at the worst, it would be a plan where the Creator causes His creatures to sin. Although there have been a variety of answers to question of who Cain’s wife was and why apparent incest was allowed, one solution holds promise…
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Can God Love Us and Still Allow Evil?
Is it possible that a loving God would allow evil? Think about the evil we see all around the world. Rape, murder, death, accidents, suffering—all evidences of evil. If God is in complete control (i.e., sovereign), how can we justify His love when He allows such evil? This is a common argument brought forward by unbelievers. However, it is also a question that believers ask in the midst of suffering and evil. What should our response to this kind of statement? There are three things to remember which help us reconcile this apparent problem of evil as well as provide a proper answer to an unbeliever. 1. God defines love, love does not define God Adam Ford has a helpful Christian comic which illustrates this point brilliantly (see full comic here). We must not let the culture’s version of love form who our God is. The Bible not only reveals…
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What is the Catholic View of Salvation?
A question I occasionally get is what the difference is between the Catholic Church and the Evangelical church. Isn’t the Catholic Church just another option for where to go to church, based on the preference of the individual? To many people it is. However, the Catholic Church officially holds to beliefs which do not align with what the Bible teaches, and therefore it is not a true church. In fact, the Catholic Church is a pseudo-church which is leading millions of people to hell. Whoa now, is that a little strong? Now, I have many friends and relatives who go to the Catholic Church. So I don’t write this without knowing friends who are in the Catholic Church. But that personal experience does not affect what is objectively true—the fact that the Catholic Church teaches a different way of salvation. The Catholic View of Salvation In Catholic belief, one must enter into…
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Avignon: the Black Mark on the Catholic Papacy
One of the central doctrines in the Catholic Church is that of the papacy. According to Catholic theology, the pope is the successor of Peter, forming a link of apostolic succession back to that apostle. Although there are many other differences between Catholics and evangelicals, the Catholic view of the papacy is a major dividing line in Christianity. Catholics believe that each pope has “the totality and supremacy of the power Christ left on earth for the building up of the kingdom of God.” The idea of the authority of the papacy is integral to Catholic doctrine, since each pope is entrusted with the divine guidance of the Church. However, history has shown that the pope is not divinely chosen nor an infallible guide. There is no better example of this than the Avignon residence. The Avignon Papacy The Avignon residence (also called the Babylonian Captivity) lasted from 1309-1377 AD when…
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What is Marriage?
We are in the midst of a time where terms are being redefined to suit one’s own purpose. However, if we want to think rightly and accurately about an issue, we need to think in terms of the definitions laid out in God’s Word. Nowhere is this more evident than in the question, “What is marriage?” In contrast to how marriage would have been defined even 10 years ago, the first search result of the question, “What is marriage” (Psychology Today) defines marriage as follows: Marriage is the process by which two people make their relationship public, official, and permanent. It is the joining of two people in a bond that putatively lasts until death, but in practice is often cut short by separation or divorce. Notice how marriage is defined here. Marriage is simply two people making their relationship (which already exists) public. This cultural definition of marriage is in stark…
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Brief Analysis of Critical Race Theory
Almost everyone has heard of Critical Race Theory now, if for no other reason than the fact that Trump made major headlines when he came out with an executive order banning Critical Race Theory in government. This created quite the stir since many people view Critical Race Theory as instrumental in fighting racism. This mindset has shown up in the church as well. The Southern Baptist Convention, which is America’s largest Christian denomination, passed a Resolution in 2019, which stated that Critical Race Theory could be used as a helpful tool to combat racism. Although this is not the majority view of SBC churches (many prominent SBC leaders have publicly decried CRT), it is a prominent viewpoint which has been embraced by many Christians in many denominations. Christians cannot escape the influence of Critical Race Theory, nor can they ignore the tremendous damage that this worldview produces. Many secularists have…
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The Alliance of Postmodernism and Activism
In the past I have written about how understanding Marxism and understanding Critical Theory are imperative to aid the Christian’s analysis of the modern cultural upheaval. Yet, there remains one other essential concept to understand culture. That is Postmodernism. Marxism, and more specifically Critical Theory, have merged with Postmodernism and they exemplify an intricate, albeit anti-god worldview. Christians must understand the contribution of Postmodernism in order to understand the cultural infatuation with activism. The Beginnings of Postmodernism Postmodernism is a philosophical movement which began in the mid-1900s and attained popularity in the late 20th century. Encyclopedia Britannica defines Postmodernism this way: a late 20th-century movement characterized by broad skepticism, subjectivism, or relativism; a general suspicion of reason; and an acute sensitivity to the role of ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic power. Breaking down this definition is helpful. Postmodernism is characterized by skepticism, that is a denial or…
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Must You Have Experience to Truly Know?
It is very common in today’s culture to argue that experience is the ultimate authority. However, as I have written before, not only is it foolish, but it is dangerous to elevate experience as the determiner of truth. Additionally, Christians need to be adamant that lack of experience does not prohibit one from having an opinion or even speaking authoritatively on an issue. The idea that experience is not the decisive argument is counter cultural. It is extremely common to hear arguments like, “You don’t know what it is like,” “You have not been there,” or “You are not like me, so you don’t know.” Whether it is a culturally sensitive issue, like the racial minority decrying whites for not understanding their oppression, or whether it is an individual issue, like someone describing his or her depression or anger; the belief that experience is what ultimately leads to understanding is…
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Critical Theory and the Frankfurt School
Last time we talked about the influence of Marxism and Neo-Marxism on modern society. This is a foundational point, but it is really only part of the picture. The Neo-Marxist desire for cultural destruction needed a tool through which it could destroy Western culture. That tool is Critical Theory. As dynamite is to the field of demolition, so Critical Theory is to the Marxist worldview. The Frankfurt School and Critical Theory Although Antonio Gramsci is typically credited with being one of the more influential players in moving Classical Marxism into Neo-Marxism, he was far from the only player. Marxism was a powerful ideology, and a thinktank of Marxist philosophers were involved with starting The Institute for Marxism in Frankfurt, Germany. While the school began conceptually in 1923, the Institute decided to avoid the negative name association of Marxism, and went by the name, The Institute of Social Research. The…