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Harrison Scott Key posted earlier this week over at World Magazine's blog about the difference between values and virtues: The minister made a distinction between values and virtues. Values, he said, were subjective things, the kinds of things even Christians have been duped into embracing. We talk about values, your values, my values. It means nothing, except "that which I deem important."
Virtues, he said, were objective and timeless -- and terribly out of fashion. ...The seven virtues, written about by Prudentius in the 5th century A.D., are these: Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Kindness, Patience, Humility. Those aren't values, and they aren't subjective. They are timeless qualities that are appreciated and needed in every age and every culture.
His inclusion of chastity reminded me of a comment I heard last week that Christians who have heard much about abstinence don't always know as much about the larger concept of chastity that it's derived from. That comment came from Christopher West, a friend of Focus on the Family who briefed us recently on some of the rich insights on human sexuality from the Catholic tradition.
Christopher told us that he often hears people say, "You should be chaste until marriage." But that demonstrates a misunderstanding about chastity he explained. Chastity is bigger than abstinence. "When you understand what chastity actually is you know that you can't stop being chaste once you're married," he emphasized.
"In the western world, the term has become closely associated (and is often used interchangeably) with sexual abstinence, especially before marriage, due to the restriction of sexual relations to marriage deriving from the Ten Commandments," reads the Wikipedia entry on chastity. "However," it continues, "the term remains applicable to persons in all states, single or married, clerical or lay, and has implications beyond sexual temperance."
"Chastity," Christopher West explains, "is first and foremost a great yes to the true meaning of sex, to the goodness of being created as male and female in the image of God. Chastity isn't repressive. It's totally liberating. It frees us from the tendency to use others for selfish gratification and enables us to love others as Christ loves us."
Am I the only Evangelical who heard more growing up about abstinence than about the overarching (and amplifying) virtue of chastity?
I got an e-mail Monday saying, "Mr. Rosenberg has some time tomorrow morning." I was all over that.
I've been a big fan of Joel Rosenberg ever since he spoke at a Focus on the Family chapel three years ago. I'm not usually one for platitudes but he's brilliant. Yes, I know, he puts his pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us. It's just that when he does, he writes best selling novels that predict the future.
So yeah, we were excited to have him on The Boundless Show to talk about his new book, Dead Heat. The segment was so good, we alerted the media. Here's a portion of the release: On this special episode, which releases Friday, May 16, and is available free on both iTunes and Boundless, Rosenberg discusses personal failure, his commitment to family, and his own reflections on the Last Days as described in the Bible. He gives a special charge to young adults to live intentionally in light of Christ's return, something he feels is imminent.
"What if Jesus is coming back a lot sooner than we all thought?" Rosenberg asks listeners. "Are you ready to see Jesus face to face? Are you living a life of holiness? Are you living a life of spiritual impact? This is the moment we need to get in the game."
An evangelical Christian from an Orthodox Jewish heritage, Rosenberg was a Washington insider before leaving that fast-paced environment to write books, primarily novels. His success has come in part due to a knack for writing storylines that tend to "come true." The plot for The Last Jihad, written before 9/11, mirrors that day's tragic events.
I think you'll enjoy the interview.
I also think you'll enjoy the rest of the show. In our roundtable segment we answer the question, why quiet times? And in the Inbox we tackle one of man's greatest passions: sports. Is it possible to be a sports fanatic and a Christian? Listen in.
Also this week we've expanded the music bumpers. The music from The Museum is just too good not to.
Yesterday, four judges from the California Supreme Court decided to go against the will of the people and redefine the institution of marriage to include same-sex couples. It was a blatant act of judicial activism with no constitutional basis whatsoever.
Here is Dr. James Dobson's public statement addressing the ruling: "In 1863, Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg Address that ours is a government 'of the people, by the people and for the people.' Well, not in the state of California, where four imperious and unelected justices have just overridden the will of the voters. In 2000, Proposition 22 defined marriage as being exclusively between one man and one woman; the initiative passed by an overwhelming margin of 61 to 39 percent. That emphatic expression of the will of the people has now arrogantly been declared null and void.
"In so doing, the justices have undermined and endangered the basic building block of society, which has been honored and preserved in every nation on earth through most of human history. What an outrage. It will be up to the people of California to preserve traditional marriage by passing a constitutional amendment in the November elections. Only then can they protect themselves from this latest example of judicial tyranny."
Thirty-five years ago, judicial activists on the U.S. Supreme Court "found" a right to abortion. And 50 million dead pre-born babies has been the result. God only knows the ramifications of this outrageous ruling.
Some people have too much time on their hands, like these guys.
It's been almost five years since the release of the final movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you're pining for Middle Earth, with its walking trees, Fangorn forest, vengeful waters, dwarfs, epic battles, catapults, sword fights and such, then Prince Caspian is for you.
I saw it a couple of nights ago, along with a theater full of others who'd been invited to catch it before its official release tonight at midnight.
I had no idea what to expect, having not read the books. I thought it was a lot of fun, to be honest. Slick CGI, good acting, interesting plot, gripping battle scenes, and so on. It's better, in my opinion, than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but not as good as The Best Movie Ever Made, of course.
This is not a kid's movie. Though there's not much blood, it is quite violent.
I was disappointed that the scriptwriters had Susan give a pretty impassioned kiss to Prince Caspian moments before leaving Middle Earth Narnia. I don't think C.S. Lewis would have approved of his character's intentional defrauding of a man who was destined to marry someone else.
Regardless, I thought it was a fun movie. Before you decide whether or not to see it, as with any movie, I'd strongly encourage you to read reviews about it. Plugged In Online is a great place to start.
While commuting to work this morning, I put my car in neutral and coasted whenever I approached a downhill. It's a fuel efficiency technique called the Pulse and Glide. And it's part of my daily battle to see if I can get more than my current 22 miles per gallon average for city driving.
Other things I'm trying include:
- Driving slower
- Coasting to stoplights, stop signs and parking spots
- Accelerating slowly from stops
- Keeping windows and sunroof closed
- Parking in pull-through spots
- Clearing out my trunk
I found these tips on Ecomodder.com. They have tons more for all you polar bear savers out there (and I say that with great affection). My goal is simply to improve my gas mileage from 22 to 30+ miles per gallon. I estimate it'll save me about $25 a month.
Oh, and I'm also taking advantage of a local grocery store's promotion that saves me 20 cents a gallon for every food purchase over $50.
So what are you doing to cut down of fuel costs?
The thing is, if polar bears need to be saved from anything, they need to be saved from overpopulation.
"The Interior Department ruled Wednesday that the polar bear will be protected as a threatened species. Why special treatment for an animal whose population has more than doubled over the last 50 years?"
So begins an article explaining that, though the number of polar bears has dramatically increased over the past few decades, they are now considered -- despite facts to the contrary -- as an endangered species.
Why? Because of unfounded fears that the ice caps are melting, thus threatening the bears' habitat.
Let me challenge you to examine the raw facts. Let me challenge you to take a look at the actual data, rather than rely on a reporter's or bureaucrat's or pseudo-scientific huckster's misinformed spin. Check out the charts and satellite images for the north and south poles here. You may be surprised to see that, while ice does melt during summer (run for the hills!), for the past three decades the average global sea ice area has remained constant, at just over 22 million square km during the winter. Southern hemisphere sea ice area has actually increased over the past 30 years.
So why, despite the fact that polar bear populations have skyrocketed and global ice has remained pretty constant (taking into account seasonal fluctuations, of course), are these animals considered endangered? Simple: The politics of global warming alarmists have trumped scientific fact.
Thank God that we have access to the facts. Otherwise, these politicians and entrepreneurial alarmists might persuade us too to succumb to fear, rather than to trust in God and find our rest in Him.
Have I ever mentioned that I won't buy Girl Scout cookies? That's right. When those adorable little girls come to the door in their cute little brown outfits, I just smile and say no thanks.
It's my personal conviction. I simply cannot stomach giving money to an organization that has been taken over by radical feminists and supports Planned Parenthood.
Related to this is to today's Boundless article called "Basketball Jesus" by George Halitzka. It's about how Christians often have varying degrees of conviction about issues like politics, alcohol, R-rated movies, and when, and when not to, boycott something. Have you ever met folks who think R-rated movies are a tool of the devil? Or setting foot inside a bar is sinful, and voting Democrat means supporting baby-killers? If you ever question the views of those "Super-Saints," they'll cheerfully tell you how unspiritual you are.
Maybe on the flip side, you've encountered Believers who vote straight Democrat (because Big Oil has Republicans in their back pocket). They enjoy slasher movies and have nothing against a good chugging contest. When you wonder about their shady lifestyle, they scoff at your "legalism."
For 2000 years, Christians have argued over stuff that isn't covered in the Bible — only the topics have changed. In ancient Corinth, the disagreement was over meat.
Though I'd argue the sanctity of life is covered in the Bible, I do get his meaning. So go ahead and buy your box of Thin Mints, I won't judge. Really, I won't. As a matter of fact, my father-in-law often has them in his pantry. And I'll even enjoy one once in awhile when I'm visiting.
On May 14, 1948 Israel became a nation for the first time since Jerusalem was destroyed by Rome in A.D. 70. After Rome took over, the Jews were dispersed -- spreading out to many different countries -- no longer connected by a common land. But after the Holocaust the United Nations voted to make Israel a nation once again -- the Jews would again have a place to belong.
In the 60 years since Israel has been a country, there have been many wars and almost no peace. As we all know, the fight over this tiny piece of land continues. When asked by Time Magazine where Israel would be at in 60 years, Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel wisely responded: When it comes to Jewish history, it is dangerous to indulge in prophecy. Who would have predicted Abraham leaving the grandiose home of his father and his idols to discover that God alone ruled the world? And Moses, the man with a speech defect, an inspired spokesman for his people? And David the young shepherd, a warrior and king?
Had anyone predicted Hitler's crimes? Only three years after the saddest and cruelest chapter in Jewish history, a sovereign Jewish State was proclaimed: Was it predictable? Was its military victory over five well armed Arab armies predictable? And the Six-Day war? And the Yom Kippur war? And the influx of a million Jews from the Soviet Union? And the assassination, by a Jewish fanatic, of the legendary Prime Minister Itzhak Rabin?
To try to predict is ill-advised and dangerous.
When it's summed up that way, it does seem silly to try to predict what might happen with God's chosen people, although we do know that it all ends with a newly created Jerusalem. But in the meantime, the Bible calls us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Whatever your politics when it comes to Israel, the 60th anniversary of this small nation is a good time to remember to pray for peace within its walls.
I think the emphasis for May in my daughter's Sunday school class is "helping others." At least, that's the gist I got from the calendar she brought home from church which listed different ways to help others on different dates. Things like "pick strawberries for a neighbor" and "clean your room on National Clean Your Room Day."
But, among the different dates was one that made me stop. May 15th. National Chocolate Chip Day.
Can that be right, I wondered? So, I did a little checking and yep, the National Confectioners Association has dubbed May 15th, this Thursday, to be National Chocolate Chip Day.
Normally, I'm not all that into, you know, pagan holidays. But this is one I could really sink my teeth into (he, he). I also liked the encouragement of "helping others," so ... what to do with chocolate chip cookies? Turns out, my church needs some for their cookie ministry (the deacons take cookies after church each Sunday to each new visiting family because, I don't know, nothing woos the lost like delectable brown sugar, butter and pieces of cocoa delight).
Then, the words started echoing in my mind. Cookie. Ministry. Cookie. Ministry. So, here's my invitation (to girls and guys alike--both my husband and my brother-in-law make some mean chocolate chip cookies): Will you join my family in celebrating National Chocolate Chip Day? But, remember, we want to do ministry. So, maybe you could take some cookies to your church staff. Or to the homeless. Or to your neighbors that you haven't met yet. Or to those people at work that kind of annoy you (just make sure they don't read this blog).
I know that there are some big problems in this world. And cookies won't solve them. But, who knows? Maybe we could shine just a little of God's love in our own little corners of the world--one cookie at a time.
By the way, here's a recipe celebrating National Chocolate Chip Day that I'm going to try. Maybe Ted can perfect it after he wraps up that chicken wing thing.
Copyright 2008 Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. The Line and Boundless Line are trademarks of Focus on the Family.
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