Catholicity, Orthodoxy, and Lordship
I have sold many books on Half.com in the last 5 years. Here are the listing and prices of all the books currently listed. Prices range from $0.75-$10.00. Books range from theological to popular novels.
Also see the fantastic deals at Brightlight Books, specializing in buying and selling used and new books.
This occurred right before I closed the store where I work. An elderly woman (maybe in her 60’s) was checking out. As she approached the counter to pay for her book she noticed that there are two books on display. One by Barack Obama and the other by Hillary Clinton; so the brief conversation unveils.
Customer: I hear rumors that these two will join forces.
Me: What do you mean?
Customer: Well, Barack will run for Vice-President and Clinton for president.
Me: But… (interrupted)
Customer: That should be an interesting match.
Me: (At this point I am hesitant to say anything…you know, you don’t want to scare customers away… but I couldn’t resist)
Customer: What do you think?
Me: ( Thank God she asked) Well, I pray they not be elected.
Customer: I feel the same way. Do you have a candidate?
At this point I am thinking: She’s just testing me.
Me: Yes. I am voting for Congressman Ron Paul for president.
Customer: Ron Paul? (She seems confused)
Me: He’s the only one that embodies Constitutional principles.
Customer: I see. I thought about that Romney guy, but…(she seems hesitant) that faith thing.
Me: You mean the Mormon issue?
Customer: Yes, I didn’t want to say it. I just don’t think I can vote for him.
Me: Well, I certainly agree. You see, I enjoy sleeping well at night. That means that I must vote my conscience and my conscience is a Christian conscience. So, I will only vote for a Christian candidate.
Transaction unfolding.
Customer: I respect you for that. Have a good night.
Me: Good night and come back again.
Note: Nothing too profound of an exchange, but a simple opportunity to tie in politics and faith. They do overlap…you do know that, don’t you?
Robert Novak writes about Senator Tim Johnson’s return and ends with this footnote:
Republican leaders report that the most enthusiasm among grassroots activists is for Gingrich and libertarian Rep. Ron Paul.
My friend Chris Ortiz wrote:
For a few years now, I’ve sought to clarify just how much Christian Reconstruction differs from the fully developed Religious Right. During this process, I read a great deal of the concerns by those outside of Conservative Christian circles regarding the apocalyptic drive of the “Left Behind” believers and their push for Armageddon. This group represents untold millions of simpletons that essentially worship the state of Israel and have marked muslims and non-Christians for tribulation and death. They have aligned themselves with Republican leaders like Tom DeLay and Rick Santorum, and their desire for war is the one of the greatest distortions of Christianity in the modern age.
This video by Max Blumenthal (NOT a Christian) of a recent CUI (Christians United for Israel) event is one of the most disturbing clips I’ve seen this year.
Thanks Barb for sending me this link. This will save you a lot of time and rid you of unnecessary guilt. Listen and watch carefully.
Meyers’ second article on why Presbyterians don’t like liturgy is worth 3 minutes of your time. Here is his first article in case you missed it.
Ron Paul’s Freedom Under Siege: The U.S. Constitution after 200 years was written in the late eighties. Lew Rockwell’s introduction speaks better than anything else concerning Ron Paul’s character in the early days of his political career. Here are some great quotes from the foreword to the book by Rockwell:
And in the often corrupt and always superficial city of Washington, D.C., he was a beacon of honesty and decency.
His only concerns were freedom, peace, the Constitution, and honest money, and these same ideals animate his latest book.
The backslapping,vote-trading politicians and lobbyists felt uncomfortable around Ron Paul, almost as though their shirt collars were too tight.
He educated millions, spreading the ideas of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard on runaway government, sound money, and the free market. Continue reading “Quotes from Freedom Under Siege, Part 1”
Looking through some of my notes on a Sunday School class entitled: The Immutability of God, I came across this paragraph. This is the first of the three perspectives I list on how Christians approach the attributes of God. a
The first obvious perspective is the philosophical one. William Lane Craig (who is a philosopher and natural theologian) says that: Someone desiring to learn more about Gods attributes of omniscience would be better advised to read the works of Christian philosophers than of Christian theologians. b What is he saying with this quote? Bill Craig argues that natural theology, that is, philosophy c explains Gods attributes better than theology or Biblical revelation. In fact, some theologians today are coming out with books defending natural theology. d They are saying that Gods general revelation gives us a better way to understand Gods world, Gods ethics, and God Himself.
It is a stunning reality that the church has substituted the unchangeable character of the ever-living Word, for the likes of unbiblical philosophies. Natural law never leads to Biblical civilizations, but again, these same men who hold to such views, can never fathom a Christian society abiding by the principles of God’s unchanging word. They have succumbed to the other-worldly philosophy, whereby, this present age has nothing to offer the manifestation and sovereignty of God over the nations, except spiritual realities. e This, of course, is not always the case, however, an increasing number of scholars have abandoned the exhaustive application of the whole Word to the whole world. What I propose is that natural theology has little to offer in terms of ethics and, furthermore, it offers minimal and insufficient data to understand the nature of God and His salvific work among the nations.