Should Christians ‘be fruitful and multiply’?

Yes, according to Daniel Akin, president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary:

“There is a scriptural mandate for it, and you have admonitions in the psalms that speak of the blessedness of God providing many children to a husband and wife. And there’s a general tenor throughout scripture that children are a blessing and a heritage from the Lord. So, should Christians be fruitful and multiply? I say absolutely.  …”

No, according to a church committee of Australia’s Anglican Church:

“A church committee has asked the General Synod of Australia’s Anglican Church to adopt a statement calling for citizens to have fewer children, recommending that the government cut childbirth incentives to new parents and instead offer incentives for parents to have fewer children. The country is on track for overpopulation, the church warned, which could break the eighth commandment by stealing resources from future generations.”

Read how other Christian leaders have responded to the question in an article from Christianity Today:

“Be Fruitful and Multiply?”

<<Read my response on my Answers blog>>

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This week in the Washington Post series “On Faith” the major topic is:

All religions the same?

A great discussion. Make sure you read

John Mark Reynolds Take:

Pressing beyond “niceness”

Also here is my most recent simplistic response to this issue:

-”All Religions Are Basically the Same?”

Nearly half of the New Testament is ascribed to the Apostle Paul and after Jesus himself he was perhaps the greatest shaper of the early Christian church.

Lately it has become fashionable to ‘blame’ him for how the church ‘turned out’ and how it became a separate religion from Judaism.

Yet we really know only a little about him personally. Here’s a great synopsis of what we do know about the ‘historical’ Paul in Christianity Today by Stephen M. Miller:

Highlights: The Quest for the Historical Paul

Here some of the questions he addresses in the article:

What did Paul look like?

Was he married?

What was his “thorn in the flesh”?

What happened to him during the unreported gaps in his life?

When did he die?

A very good short article that is mainstream and not speculative –which is saying a lot when it comes to most scholarly treatments of Paul lately.            *Top

I thought NASA’s mission was all about space exploration- apparently not?

According to Charles Bolden the head of NASA in the video interview above with Al Jazeera, the number one primary mission that President Obama assigned to NASA was to boost Muslim self-esteem. <<Read my response on AFTF blog main page>>

The 4th of July 2010, a great day to celebrate and to pray for the future of America.

Today’s Prayer

Gracious Father, as we approach our nation’s Independence Day, we give  You thanks for the Guidance You gave to our founders, and for the way You have blessed this country with so much.

As a people, Lord, urge us to return to You, to seek Your face, to repent of our sins, and to rely each day upon You.

You have promised to bless the nations where You are Lord. We desire that for America. Grant us a revival, for Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

(From: The Presidential Prayer Team)

Here’s an interview with UK Muslim leader Anjem Choudary who says basic Islamic teachings from the Quran shaped his pro-jihad message. Hear what he says in his own words about Islam not being just another religion but an ideology that is all encompassing and worth fighting and dying for.

He applauds the 9-11 terrorists and considers ‘Jihad’ against Christians and Jews as mainstream and authorized by the Quran. He is hoping to overthrow the British government and replace it with one based upon Sharia law. Well worth 6 1/2 minutes.

Response: For some reason in the West, our political correctness has run amuck and doesn’t allow the media or the political establishment to consider the real character and teachings of Islam. Most of us are hoping for some kind of moderate form which really doesn’t exist in any official way even though there are moderate individual Muslims living in our midst.

Fact is, there are no ‘moderate’ Islamic schools and all of the Mullahs in the USA were trained in the Middle East. We consider Choudary to be a radical but in the context of Islamic thought in the Middles East he is far more ‘mainstream’ than any of us wish to acknowledge.

Fact is, Sharia Law is a major component of Islam and cannot be separated from it though many of the fundamental laws are in direct conflict with Western traditions, laws, and democratic institutions.

Some Muslims are content and happy to live under Western laws and governments and adapt well to it. However, many others like Choudary call for the establishment of Sharia Law in the West which is tantamount to calling for the destruction of Western civilization, Western jurisprudence and democracy, and the free-enterprise economy.            *Top

Early icons of four Apostles have been discovered in catacombs in Rome.

The likenesses of Peter, Paul, John, and Andrew dating from the late 4th century are being touted as the earliest known icons of the Apostles.

But is that really the case? I would expect earlier examples from Asia Minor, the 4th century seems rather late to me. Nevertheless the pictures are rather spectacular:

Link to pictures

Just as I thought. Ben Witherington actually names several places in Turkey which could well have earlier icons.

No!

However, lots of atheists lately are insisting that Hitler was really a Christian. They start with the fact that He was baptized into the Catholic Church as a baby and never renounced his membership in the church. Also, that he used lots of Christian ‘God’ language and references in his speeches.

Here’s a great discussion of this issue on Aplogetics Review.

The author responds with this:

Some Questions to Answer if Hitler was a Christian…

1. If Hitler was a Christian, why did he not attend mass? or go to confession? (Lord knows he could have spent some time in there).

2. If Hitler was a Christian, why was he married in a civil ceremony by a Nazi officer and not by a priest? He had the means to have had anyone brought into the bunker he wished, but he did not invite a priest to officiate the ceremony.

3. If Hitler was a Christian, how to you explain the explicit anti-Christian statements made in private that are recorded in Table Talk?

Read the article and the ‘Table Talk’ quotes that show Hitler’s real opinion of Christianity.

Here’s a link to an article by Dr. Albert Mohler responding to the grandioso claims of some in the aftermath of the recent news that a scientific team lead by  Dr. Craig Venter has ‘created’ the first synthetic life form. A bacterium with DNA sequenced entirely by computer.

The article contains links to a number of different takes on the accomplishment.                   *Top

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Today (May 20,2010) was the day set aside by the famous Facebook page to be the official “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day”.

Should Christians participate in this activity?

No.

Why? Because Jesus taught his followers the Golden Rule.

Many times lately Christians have been on the receiving end of offensive assaults on our religion and faith. Crosses in urine, Bibles desecrated, cartoon shows making fun of our Lord, and etc. None of it really feels all that great. Do we really want to be party to needlessly offending and hurting others? I don’t think so.

Remember also that the response to the Danish cartoons a couple of years ago ended rather poorly with riots in several cities in the Middle East and a number of deaths. Do we really want to be part of an activity that could end up harming others even indirectly?

However, I do support free speech and freedom for everyone who chooses to participate. Also, I really do oppose the threats coming from radical Muslims towards cartoonists and anyone else who opposes or unwittingly insults Islam. Muslims should not be allowed to impose their culture and sensibilities on the rest of us in Western countries.

When I read stories about Muslim immigrants that refuse to check out pork products while working at Wal-Mart, or Muslim cabbies that refuse to pick up folks that have been drinking or carrying alcohol, or Muslim workers in bookstores who refuse to handle Bibles or Christian books, or Muslims who complain in libraries because the Quran is not on the top shelf above the Bible –it really does bother me. The rest of us should not have to change our entire culture in order not to offend immigrant Muslims.

Toleration should go both ways.

Unfortunately, there is no toleration in Islam and in Muslim countries. That is a fact.            *Top

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