In case you haven’t noticed, it is an election year. 😉 Politics are in full swing; along with certain appeals to what the Bible does and doesn’t say about politics. Opinions vary; my conviction is that we should vote according to a Christian worldview and for the public good (i.e., the flourishing of a society). But what does that mean, specifically?
Here is a blogalogue between two thinkers on various ends of the spectrum (the Christian spectrum). It is worth a read.
What do you think?
Would this make (ultimately) any difference? I think so…here is what Dr. William Lane Craig shared on this question:
“If God does not exist, life is ultimately meaningless. If your life is doomed to end in death, then ultimately it does not matter how you live. In the end it makes no ultimate difference whether you existed or not. Sure, your life might have a relative significance in that you influenced others or affected the course of history. But ultimately mankind is doomed to perish in the heat death of the universe. Ultimately it makes no difference who you are or what you do. Your life is inconsequential.”
“Thus, the contributions of the scientist to the advance of human knowledge, the research of the doctor to alleviate pain and suffering, the efforts of the diplomat to secure peace in the world, the sacrifices of good people everywhere to better the lot of the human race—ultimately all these come to nothing. Thus, if atheism is true, life is ultimately meaningless.”
Nope…God is alive and well (contrary to what many postmodernists might say). The cover article of this month’s Christianity Today is “God is Not Dead” by Dr. William Lane Craig (of Talbot School of Theology and Reasonable Faith). In this article he talks about the fact that there are good arguments for the existence of God that are plausible, powerful, and sophisticated. This is due to the renaissance of Christian Philosophy. The rest of the article is good as well, pick up a copy today and be encouraged in your faith.
While talking heads are saying that gas prices will be the main issue in this November’s presidential election (and who isn’t being hit hard by this???), others are right to bring up the balance of power in the supreme court.
In a recent Washington Post article, this point was discussed:
“A victory by the presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, would probably mean preserving the uneasy but roughly balanced status quo, since the justices who are considered most likely to retire are liberal. A win for his Republican counterpart, John McCain, could mean a fundamental shift to a consistently conservative majority ready to take on past court rulings on abortion rights, affirmative action and other issues important to the right.”
Considering that Supreme Court Justice appointments are for life (and the president picks these), this election has implications for far more than 4 years. Something to think about as we weigh the issues in this election.
This is an important victory for critical thinking and academic freedom. May other states be as courageous as Louisiana!