Logan, the Sky Angel Cowboy!

My new friend, brother and minister for the Gallatin Church of Christ Noel Quinn lost his father on Thanksgiving Day. Shortly before his death a friend of Noel’s sent him the following video. This is real stuff that will touch your heart.

The New Atheism

John Allen Turner recently appeared in a taping for Coral Ridge Ministries concerning The New Atheism. Worth you time to take a look.

The Dogs Bark…

Most folks who read this blog are aware of the struggles that the Madison Church went through some years back. What you may not be aware of is that since that time we have had, for lack of a better term, a religious stalker who hangs out in the balcony and reports on what he perceives to be our “religious departures from the pattern”. He even has a web site where he spews out his venom, along with a couple others self appointed keepers of the truth, who are determined to straighten out the change agents that they see on ever corner. His reports had dropped off almost to zero since Keith Lancaster resigned as our worship minister. Keith seemed to have been the main target of his poison pen. But of late he, along with his associates, have begun there attacks on others at Madison.

 

What is truly sad about this whole scenario is that the mission and purpose for the church’s existence has been set aside in the interest of “contending for the faith”, which is really not contending for the faith, but what “I” want. The real problem in most church fusses is not about doctrine, it is really about power. It is about who is going to be in control.  So someone doesn’t get his/her way, and they go off and set up a web site, or publication, etc. to straighten out everybody who doesn’t agree with them.

What is more sad is that those who set themselves up as “the” authority in what is or is not truth have a pompous arrogance about them that tries to intimidate others into submission. As they preach to correct all comers they sound like a little self appointed pope who in some way has been anointed with divine understanding. There is no, “come let US reason TOGETHER”, it come and submit to MY understanding.

Back in the old west when wagons traveled in caravans and they would pass through a town, inevitably the home town dogs would come out and bark at the wagons and nip at the heels of the horses. A word of wisdom comes from that picture from the past that can be applied to the Nay Sayers of our day. “The dogs bark, but the caravan keeps on moving.”

Huckabee…A Politician That Tells It Like It Is.

Absolute Truth

Some time ago I had an email discussion with some of my former students and one of the other instructors that taught with me. The discussion was about who is right and wrong in the religious world. It eventually boiled down to a discussion as to whether a person could know “the” truth. The mentality that our tribe has had for so many years is that we have arrived at truth, and if you don’t agree with us you are mistaken and in danger of losing you soul.

Fred Peatross recently posted an excellent brief article that I want to share with you. It really helps to clarify this whole debate.

When Christians say they have absolute (objective) truth they need to clarify. Are we talking about absolute (objective) truth or absolute knowledge?  Absolute knowledge means incorrigible knowledge (incapable of being wrong or corrected). From a Christian perspective this would be a God-attribute. Since we are finite creatures and “know only in part” and possess an amazing capacity for self-deception and error it would be ridiculous for us to claim absolute knowledge. But that’s what our culture hears when a Christian says they have absolute (objective) truth. So, for the sake of truth, please clarify!   John Allen Turner comments about this post…I prefer Art Lindsley’s approach. He says that there is such a thing as absolute truth, but since I am not absolute I’ll never be able to grasp it absolutely. Still, partial truth can be taken as real truth as long as we don’t assume it is the whole truth. 

This doesn’t mean that a person become wishy washy and stands for nothing. I still have strong convictions and beliefs…I just don’t see them as exclusive truth.  

So what do you think?