Sweet Sermon (well actually a lecture)….

I love talking to people about religion… I love talking about religion with people who don’t agree with me… I love Tim Keller… Therefore, I love this video! Take the time to watch it!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

 

 

Free Stuff…

Amazon is kicking off their week of Black Friday sales by offering a Free $3 MP3 Credit at Amazon MP3. Click on the link, click on the yellow Enter Your Code button and type in the code GET3MP3S to receive a free $3 credit towards Amazon MP3s.

 

Unearthed… Fighting Against That Which Needs Fighting…

Sex trafficking is becoming an issue that is more and more something that I want to be involved in combating. From what I know, I think this organization is doing really good work fighting the good fight… and deserves some attention. Please, keep this issue on your mind and in your prayers. Warning: Some Graphic Images

As I was playing with my beautiful nieces today… this was not on my mind. But for millions of families this is a reality…

Organizations Websites:

Unearthed

Rapha House

The Bible is Full of Contradictions?

You may have heard the old argument about “Bible contradictions.”  This argument has of course been shot full of holes, answered, and refuted thousands of times. But since the New Atheism movement likes to take old arguments and make them sound and look new (i.e. cool charts, angry blog rants, and scholarly sounding arguments), people are still running around (like my Profs at school) thinking they have figured out the ultimate argument against the Bible.  Most recently, Sam Harris and Fast Company have made a chart about Bible contradictions. But anybody with a little sagacity can see that it is a old argument with a new skin.

Chart on Bible Contradictions (439 lines)…

Infografic on Bible cross-references (over 60,000 lines).

“This cross-reference chart does not prove the Bible is not filled with contradictions, but it is a graphic representation of the unity, harmony, and consistency of the Bible.”

Here are some helpful resources if you want to refute the Bible contradiction argument, or here are some things to think about Bible naysayers:

The Bible is Very Consistent By Justin Holcomb

Why Fast Company and Sam Harris Need to do Their Homework By Justin Holcomb

A Few Thoughts on the Fast Company Article, “What the Bible Got Wrong” By Matt Perman

Ignorance is more concerning than religion By Simon Smart (Not directly about this issue, but good thoughts)

A Little Thing Called Context By Doug Wilson

The Four Holy Gospels…

Take a look at this “new” book (by new, I mean that the book is old, the art is new). I have seen this artist’s work before and it is very cool. This is a perfect example of being a Christian and an artist, not just making some weird form of “christian art.” This project is on amazon for 37% off (pre-sale price)! Christmas gift idea?

From the Crossway blog:

Makoto Fujimura, one of the century’s most highly regarded artists, has illuminated the Four Holy Gospels. Fujimura is known for his use of traditional Japanese Nihonga techniques and his passion for reconnecting Christian faith with fine art. This will mark the first time in nearly 400 years that an illuminated book of the four Gospels has been undertaken by a single artist. . . .

Editions of The Four Holy Gospels will be available January 31, 2011. An exhibition of the works featured in The Four Holy Gospels will take place from December 9 through January 9 at the Dillon Gallery in New York City.

If you want to see a few pages of the book click this: BOOK PREVIEW PDF

Also, check out his website.

 

Buddhism… the peaceful religion?

warning: some graphic images

 

Remember To Vote…

It is easy to think that this point in history is unique… especially when it comes to politics. Most people think that this country (USA, for my foreign readers) is the most divided it has ever been, and its nasty political ads prove this. Well… this clever video using actual quotes, should give some perspective on this idea…

Weekly Web Surf (Oct 31 – Nov 6)

Weekly Web Surf will (depending on how much time I have) show up more than once a week. Weekly web surf will have links to news, theology, and other stuff that I find interesting. Ok, have fun reading and learning…

 

Serving: A Distraction to listening?

-”She was shocked to hear that Jesus didn’t value her serving as much as Mary’s listening.”

One Year Later: An Interview with Matt Chandler

-”Last November—November 26, 2009, the morning of Thanksgiving to be exact—Matt Chandler’s life changed forever.”

Sin Neutralizers

-”Sin demands a response. And it will get one. The question is not, “Will I respond to sin?” You will. I will. The real question is, “How will I respond to sin?” Sin, like gravity, is one of those unalterable laws: it happens and, therefore, I must interact with it. It is not that we are helpless, or that we are victims of sin, at least not for the Christian.”

Who Needs Porn When You’ve Got MTV?

-”This is the content of the MTV video clips that are playing on the television screens when I visit my local gym each week. It’s nothing short of soft-core pornography, and I’m over it.”

The Conspiracy Theory Of The Gospels

-”Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These are the Bible’s familiar four Gospels, received as Holy Scripture by all major branches of Christianity. From ancient times to the present, these four books have been the gateway to Jesus and his teaching. Friends and foes alike have formed their ideas about Jesus mainly from these books. But why these? Weren’t there once other Gospels which for some reason were excluded?”