March 25, 2010

The Perils of a Strong National Government

Capitol Building

The President just signed health care reform legislation that will greatly expand the power of the federal government. In this article, I do not intend to praise or condemn this new set of laws and regulations. This is not a political article at all. Instead, I want to use the Bible to address the potential impact of a powerful, centralized government on our lives as Christians.

The word of God contains warnings of the dangers that are presented by a strong national government. It also contains teachings that will help us deal with this. Currently in our country, an expanding government is a reality. Let us turn to God’s word for wisdom and instruction in dealing with this present condition.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , , ,
March 17, 2010

Give Us More

More

Our society has produced a large number of people who expect others to provide for them. While there are certainly some with legitimate needs, many abuse the kindness of others and demand help rather than helping themselves. Young people grow up, yet continue to live at home and be supported by their parents because they do not want to move out and support themselves. Families remain on welfare from one generation to another because it is easier to receive a modest living for free than to work hard for a decent living. Americans, in general, have grown dependent upon the government for education, retirement, and health care. This mentality is everywhere in our society. But is this what God expects from His people?
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , ,
March 11, 2010

Obamacare and Abortion

[This article was written by Tim Haile for the Parkway church of Christ.]

President Obama and his democratically controlled congress are now in a frenzy to pass their national health care plan. An effort is currently under way to get the plan passed in the House of Representatives, then use a “budget reconciliation” procedure to pass it in the Senate. This procedure requires a simple majority of only 51 votes for passage. This reconciliation procedure is now being pursued, for since the election of Scott Brown, the Senate lacks sufficient votes to pass the bill with a 60-vote majority.

I strongly object to the nationalized health-care plan on several grounds, but my primary concern involves the practice of abortion. The Senate health bill, in its present form, provides for taxpayer funding of elective abortions through federal funding of Community Health Centers. The House bill originally provided 7 billion dollars for these centers, but Obama raised the amount to 11 billion. Because this funding is a part of the actual bill, it will not be subject to the Hyde Amendment that bans federal funding of abortions. The wording of this bill will have to be changed by Senate procedures in order for abortion funding to be prevented.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: ,
March 9, 2010

Choose Life

Life

Shortly before Moses’ death and the Israelites journey into the promised land, Moses spoke to them about the choice they had before them. This choice was so important that it was literally a matter of life or death.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , , , ,
March 5, 2010

A Leap of Faith

Leap of Faith

It is not uncommon to hear one talk about taking a leap of faith. Often this phrase is used to refer to some aspect of our response to God – believing in His existence, acknowledging His work in Creation, accepting the Bible, meeting His terms of salvation, or trusting that His way is best.

What is a leap of faith? While it may be true that people use this phrase in different ways, it seems that there is one way in which it is generally used. For many, a “leap of faith” is a willingness to believe something even if they have their doubts about it. If something cannot be proven, a “leap of faith” is required to accept it. Again, not everyone will use this phrase in this way, but this is generally the way in which it is used. Therefore, this is the definition we will consider in this article.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , , , ,
February 25, 2010

The Curse of Adam

Adam and Eve expelled from the Garden of Eden

Calvinism teaches that man is born totally depraved, separated from God, and unable to come to Him apart from a divine operation of the Holy Spirit upon his heart. Why is man allegedly in such a state? It is because of Adam’s sin.

The basic idea is this: God created Adam and Eve in the beginning. Later, these two sinned (Genesis 3). Because of Adam’s sin, all of his descendants are cursed, having inherited the guilt of Adam’s sin. One key verse for this doctrine is Romans 5:12 – “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

What we need to remember is that the Bible speaks of two different types of death – physical death (the separation of the spirit from the body) and spiritual death (the separation of man from God). Adam suffered both of these. One was a punishment for his sin. The other was a consequence of his sin.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , ,
February 22, 2010

Conservative vs. Liberal

Conservative vs. Liberal

These two terms are used a lot in discussions about religion and politics. For this study, we want to focus on the use of these terms in the area of religion, particularly as they relate to our approach to God’s word. Should we have a conservative or a liberal approach to the Scriptures? Does it matter? While the Bible does not use these terms, it does address the concepts. One of them describes the mindset we must have when studying and seeking to apply the word of God.

First, we must be clear about these terms. What do we mean by conservative and liberal? One who is conservative favors traditional views and values and tends to oppose change. As it relates to Bible study, this means a strict adherence to the word of God and opposing changes to the gospel. One who is liberal does not view themselves as being limited to established or traditional attitudes or views. Regarding Bible interpretation, a liberal approach favors a loose or approximate view of the Scriptures rather than a strict, literal interpretation. Basically, one with a liberal approach to the Bible believes there are a number of ways in which one may acceptably interpret God’s word, while a conservative approach seeks to find the one way that God intended us to receive His word.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , , , ,