Maybe if I had a big nose I'd be able to swim well, too.(And I heard that, too!)
A motorcyclist was shot and killed today as he rode with others along an L.A. freeway access road. Under normal circumstances this would be just an average news story, probably about road rage. But the killed biker was a member of the Mongols. You may not have heard of them, but they are the the chief rivals to the Hell's Angels, and have a reputation for being even more violent. The two gangs have had ongoing wars in the past, interrupted by a series of truces. You can bet law enforcement in L.A. are expecting the worst. Stay tuned.
We've entered that season when it seems like the majority of ads on TV are political. It's odd to watch back-to-back ads, the first extolling the work of the incumbent and the next calling him a scoundrel for the very things the first ad touted. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.
I read today that they've come up with a promising option to embryonic stem cells. It seems testicular cells also show the ability to grow into a variety of cell types. The article I read said the problem is that this method only works for 1/2 of the population - men.
Uhm, excuse me, but should be one person less than 1/2 of the population.
I'm working ahead on the series we'll begin at Pathway this Sunday - 1 Corinthians. In the first few verses of chapter 2 Paul says he didn't bring the gospel to them with eloquence or human wisdom, but with the power of the Holy Spirit. He develops that thought in the subsequent section. Some of the Corinthians thought they were pretty sophisticated thinkers because of their proximity to Athens, the center of philosophy, 45 miles to the northeast. Yeah, like if I stood next to Brad Pitt I'd turn into a handsome hunk.
So Paul makes it clear that the power of the gospel is the work of the Holy Spirit. That's how they came to know Christ.
That got me to thinking about apologetics, the field of study which seeks to demonstrate the logical consistency of the basic Christian doctrines.
Note: Defending the faith against false doctrine has also been categorized under the heading apologetics, but that usage is much older. The contemporary meaning - presenting a logical case for the faith - is what I'm concerned with.
The best known apologeticist (is that a word?) is Josh McDowell, but those who seek to make a scientific case for biblical creationism also fall under this heading.
Is apologetics an attempt, however sincere, to do through human wisdom what can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit? To replace the foolishness of preaching with the wisdom of this world?
I think Christianity is a reasonable faith. It doesn't fly in the face of common sense. But no one ever came to faith in Christ because they were logically persuaded. It is always the work of the Holy Spirit.
Can the reasonableness of the faith be one of the tools the H.S. uses in his regenerative work? Methinks so. Exhibit A would be C.S. Lewis who described his as a "conversion of reason." But there is at least the risk that apologetics will become an ineffective substitute for what only God can do.
We've entered that season when it seems like the majority of ads on TV are political. It's odd to watch back-to-back ads, the first extolling the work of the incumbent and the next calling him a scoundrel for the very things the first ad touted. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.
I read today that they've come up with a promising option to embryonic stem cells. It seems testicular cells also show the ability to grow into a variety of cell types. The article I read said the problem is that this method only works for 1/2 of the population - men.
Uhm, excuse me, but should be one person less than 1/2 of the population.
I'm working ahead on the series we'll begin at Pathway this Sunday - 1 Corinthians. In the first few verses of chapter 2 Paul says he didn't bring the gospel to them with eloquence or human wisdom, but with the power of the Holy Spirit. He develops that thought in the subsequent section. Some of the Corinthians thought they were pretty sophisticated thinkers because of their proximity to Athens, the center of philosophy, 45 miles to the northeast. Yeah, like if I stood next to Brad Pitt I'd turn into a handsome hunk.
So Paul makes it clear that the power of the gospel is the work of the Holy Spirit. That's how they came to know Christ.
That got me to thinking about apologetics, the field of study which seeks to demonstrate the logical consistency of the basic Christian doctrines.
Note: Defending the faith against false doctrine has also been categorized under the heading apologetics, but that usage is much older. The contemporary meaning - presenting a logical case for the faith - is what I'm concerned with.
The best known apologeticist (is that a word?) is Josh McDowell, but those who seek to make a scientific case for biblical creationism also fall under this heading.
Is apologetics an attempt, however sincere, to do through human wisdom what can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit? To replace the foolishness of preaching with the wisdom of this world?
I think Christianity is a reasonable faith. It doesn't fly in the face of common sense. But no one ever came to faith in Christ because they were logically persuaded. It is always the work of the Holy Spirit.
Can the reasonableness of the faith be one of the tools the H.S. uses in his regenerative work? Methinks so. Exhibit A would be C.S. Lewis who described his as a "conversion of reason." But there is at least the risk that apologetics will become an ineffective substitute for what only God can do.
That's just what I've been thinking.
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