When Jesus took his disciples to Caeserea Philippi, he asked a very important question. Around Christmas time, we need to each answer that question. Here is a sermon that I preached as we began our Christmas Series, Vintage Christmas. (Text: Mark 8:27-30; 2:1-12)
More U.S. Christians mix in ‘Eastern,’ New Age beliefs
I came across an interesting article describing the religious landscape today and why we as Christians need to know the times and be ready to act. Here are some of the more striking conclusions:
- “Forty-seven percent to 59% of Americans have changed religions at least once, a Pew survey in April found. The top reasons for most: Their spiritual needs weren’t being met, or they liked another faith more or changed religious or moral beliefs.”
- “The percentage of people who call themselves Christian has dropped more than 11% in a generation, and so many people declined any religious label that the “Nones,” now 15% of the USA, are the third-largest “religious” group after Catholics and Baptists, according to the American Religious Identification Survey last March.”
- “Despite Americans’ overwhelming allegiance to someone they call God (92%), in Pew’s 2008 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, 70% said “many religions can lead to eternal life,” and 68% said “there’s more than one true way to interpret the teachings of my religion.”
The Apostle Paul reminds us that the Church is the “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15)…we must continue to equip and engage and be faithful in an increasingly pluralistic society.
Supreme Court will decide appeal of Christian student group
This story will be one to keep an eye on. Diversity, tolerance, identity, religious freedom, and other issues will be talked about.
Here is the press release from the Christian Legal Society:
U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear lawsuit against UC-Hastings
High Court will hear case involving right of religious student organizations
to determine their own leadership
WASHINGTON — “The U.S. Supreme Court Monday agreed to decide whether a public university can refuse to recognize a religious student group because the group requires its leaders to share its religious beliefs. Attorneys with the Christian Legal Society and the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom represent a student chapter of CLS, which Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco refused to recognize because the group requires all of its officers and voting members to subscribe to its basic Christian beliefs.
“Public universities shouldn’t single out Christian student groups for discrimination. All student groups have the right to associate with people of like-mind and interest,” said Senior Counsel Kim Colby with the CLS Center for Law & Religious Freedom. “We trust the Supreme Court will not allow Hastings to continue to deprive CLS of this right by forcing the group to abandon its identity as a Christian student organization.”
“Christian students have the right to gather as Christians for a common purpose and around shared beliefs,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Gregory S. Baylor with the ADF Center for Academic Freedom. “It’s completely unreasonable–and unconstitutional–for a public university to disrupt the purposes of private student groups by forcing them to accept as members and officers those who oppose the very ideas they advocate.”
CLS Litigation Counsel Timothy J. Tracey, now with ADF, argued the case Christian Legal Society v. Martinez before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in March. The appellate court refused to reverse a district judge’s decision against CLS, so the case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Senators Push for Amendment to Restrict Funding for Abortion Coverage in Bill
Abortion is again coming to the forefront in the health care debate. So how should the pro-life issue be discussed? See article here…
The Case for Life Website
First, there are the moral, philosophical, and scientific issues…and the best book on the topic is The Case for Life by Scott Klusendorf.
Then there are the Political and Legal issues…and the two best are Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case Against Abortion Choice by Francis Beckwith & Politics for the Greatest Good: The Case for Prudence in the Public Square by Clarke Forsythe.
Morality is important…
“Most people would not want to live in a society in which morality was unimportant, in which conceptions of right and wrong carried little weight. In fact, it is unlikely that any sort of civilized society could continue unless it had concern for important moral values such as fairness, justice, truthfulness, and compassion. Ethics are important because they give direction to people and societies, who have some sense that they cannot flourish without being moral.”—Scott Rae