You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December, 2007.
I will be heading to Monroe, LA in a few days for the Auburn Avenue Conference. I am looking forward meeting many of my favorite bloggers personally.
On this last day of the year, I was fortunate to receive two Kenneth Gentry classics: Before Jerusalem Fell and The Beast 0f Revelation. Happy New Year!
These awards are granted to those who have influenced my thinking over the last twelve months of 2007.
Best Political Blog of the Year:
Lewrockwell.com – This website has shaped much of my political philosophy in 2007.
Best Theological Blog of the Year:
dougwils.com - This was a difficult decision. Nevertheless, Wilson captivated my attention with insightful comments on many topics.
Best Economic Blog of the Year:
mises.org/blog - Following the tradition of the great Austrian economist Ludwig Von Mises, Mises.org looks through all the economic debates and filters it through a free-market approach. Bravo!
Best News Blog:
lewrockwell.com - Another award for the tireless bunch at Lew Rockwell. They are competent and have incurred the wrath of a former Communist. This alone wins my support.
Honorable Mentions:
These are the blogs who make it into my Google Reader. I disagree with many of them, but I still find their insights valuable at times.
The Daily Dish with Andrew Sullivan
Drudge Report – Major news website
Vox Popoli – writer for World Net Daily
Leithart.com – Reformed scholar and pastor
The Stress Blog – Scott Horton; host of antiwar radio
Crooks and Liars – keeping the media in line
Reason – Libertarian website
Antiwar.com – detailing the failures of this war
The Huffington Post – liberal, but excellent newsource
Daily Kos – liberal, but excellent newsource
The Crossed Pond – Great young and libertarian blog
Third Party Watch – Keeping up with third party campaigns and news
Between Two Worlds – Justin Taylor keeps up with all things evangelical and non-evangelical in our world. Great source.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND CONSTANT ENDEAVOR TO EDUCATE.
Grant, Almighty God, that as You shine on us by Your word, we may not be blind at midnight, nor wilfully seek darkness, and thus lull our minds asleep: but may we be roused daily by Your words, and may we stir up ourselves more and more to fear Your name and thus present ourselves and all our pursuits, as a sacrifice to You, that You may peaceably rule, and perpetually dwell in us, until You gather us to Your celestial habitation, where there is reserved for us eternal rest and glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.[1]
Huckabee is a “compassionate conservative” only in the sense that calling him a conservative is being compassionate.–Ann Coulter
This is Vox’s new line, and now it’s mine.
This is probably the most prestigious compliments coming out of the media. It comes from someone who has studied and researched polls for many years. These are Zogby’s comments about Ron Paul:
FORMER Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto has been killed in a gun and bomb attack.
Babar Awan, Bhutto’s lawyer, said: “The surgeons confirmed that she has been martyred.”
A witness at the scene of the attack said he heard two shots moments before the blast.
The United States condemned the attack.
Police said about 15 people had been killed in the blast.
“Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause… for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country.” - George Washington, charge to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775
Thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David... [Luke I, 26-32]
The Annunciation!
Q 23: What offices does Christ execute as our Redeemer?
A. Christ, as our Redeemer, executes the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation.
A friend of mine told me recently that one of the reasons he loves Christmas is that even the atheist sings about Christ. Think about it: Even the atheist will sing about the First Noel. Now that may be a positive thing. God may use this Advent season to bring many to Christ through the great Christmas hymns. But my fear is that the reason most atheists can sing about Christ is that they probably don’t know enough about Christ to fear Him. The words “Jesus” and “Christ” are used so often in our culture that I have a deep suspicion that if the world knew this Christ, they would fear uttering these words. But to us who know him, it is the name above all names.
John Whitecross once told a story about Gideon, a converted Indian, who one day was attacked by a savage, who, presenting his gun to his head, exclaimed, ‘Now, I will shoot you, for you speak of nothing but Jesus.’ Gideon answered, ‘If Jesus does not permit you, you cannot shoot me.’ The savage was so struck with this answer,that he dropped his gun, and went home in silence.
Listen to how Jesus is described: as the Great architect, the sovereign one who controls all things. Do you think this is what most people think of when they sing: Born is the King of Israel?
But in our catechism he is even more than that: He is a prophet, Priest, and King in His humiliation, that is His Incarnation, and in his exaltation, that is when he ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father.
Jesus is the Triple Cure of Lost Humanity. First, He is a Prophet. Jesus represents God to man, because He is the God-Man. From the Prophet Moses to the prophet Elijah to the prophet Isaiah to John the Baptist to Jesus the prophet. In His incarnation He spoke to us words of wisdom and truth. In his exaltation he continually speaks to us through the Spirit and His Inspired Word.
Secondly, He is a Priest. The author of Hebrews spends thousands of words explaining Christ’s Priestly role. He is the spotless priest who intercedes for us because He died for us. No priest could accomplish such a task, but Christ laid His life to be our priest forever. It is to this priest that we confessed our sins this morning.
Finally, He is our King. Christ does not need our approval to make Him King. He rules heaven and earth. He was king in the First century, He is King now, and He will be King forever and ever. His Kingship provides us the wealth of comfort and assurance. If the nations rage against one another, when there is sickness and disease, Christ is still King.
In the first Noel was born unto you a prophet, a priest, and the King of Israel.
If you are a humanitarian you have to believe in the Constitution and in the free market.–Ron Paul
Despite my fierce opposition to the Huckabee campaign, there is still something refreshing about “religion” being brought back to politics. When he mentions that the real meaning of Christmas is Christ’s birth, I cannot but giggle religiously. But then I come back to my senses. Jimmy Carter ran in 1976 as a born-again Democrat and for the first time in decades made religion a central theme in a political campaign. Naive Christians flocked to his support only to find out they had been betrayed by his anti-Christian agenda. My fear, of course, is that it may be happening all over again. Every Republican candidate–with the exception of Mitt Romney (a Mormon) and Rudy Giuliani (a Catholic)- claims to be a born-again Christian. Some tout their Christianity like Huckabee, others are a bit more cautious (like Ron Paul). Let me be forthright: I am a theonomist in the tradition of Gary North and R.J. Rushdoony. I believe firmly in a free-market economy, but reject any notion that God is not part of the equation in the end of the day. I reject full Libertarianism, which favors euthanasia and abortion on demand. These political heretics have helpful commentary to offer, (even heretics make sense sometimes) but their worldview is warped with a fascination for human autonomy. Any form of libertarianism that denies the existence of God as the source of wealth, prosperity, and freedom is doomed to ultimate failure. This is a point Chirstian Libertarian Howard Phillips made decades ago and still makes to this day.
All this to say that religion, Christian religion, is accepted in the political arena–despite Chris Matthews’ future heart attack when talking about this issue–and should not be rejected by anyone. Political debates in 18th century America used the words “God” and “providence” so many times that should there have been an ACLU, their members would have worked 80 hours a week without vacation days. The Christian libertarian is frustrated, not so much because they despise religion in the public square, but because religion has been abused. Christians are so gullible for an evangelical figure-head in the White House that it appears they have forgotten their past betrayals. Have they forgotten Jimmy Carter? Have they forgotten Pat Robertson’s perfidy of Christians with his support of a thrice divorced Rudolph Giuliani or their full responsibility in re-electing George W. Bush in 2004 only to discover–surprise!–that he has abandoned any Constitutional or Biblical ideals? Evangelical Christians have a short memory. It is possible that they may elect another Bush-like to the White House. Then what? Will they cry again after taxing increases? After our military expands beyond the already 130 countries? After illegal immigration becomes the norm in this nation? After Pastor Huckabee imposes his health diet on all Americans? As Ron Paul once stated, “when you lose your liberty for the sake of security you end up losing both.” At this point in American History, we still have not learned our lesson.
Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is to speak at Pastor John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church in San Antonio. John Hagee has been a fanatic opponent of Catholicism and Islam. Hagee recently denied that Jesus came to be Messiah. After receiving numerous complaints, he attempted to re-interpret his own words. True or not, Hagee has been a liability in the evangelical world. While Huckabee has the right to speak wherever he pleases, his visit to John Hagee’s congregation demonstrates that there is much more in common between the two than anyone may imagine. It is more of an alliance than a mere speaking engagement. If anyone believes that Bush’s foreign policy is malicious and dangerous, wait until a Huckabee administration takes over with Hagee’s voice in the background. God forbid!
Last week I saw I am Legend with Will Smith. It reminded me both of the tenseness of Signs with Mel Gibson and the one-man dialogue of Castaway with Tom Hanks. Smith is the only survivor in a world destroyed by a virus, which was intended to eliminate cancer. Much of the movie consists of interactions with Will Smith and his dog. Throughout the movie one may wonder the results of such catastrophe in our own world. The movie touches on at least two important questions:
a) On the existence of God. This question arose in a pertinent point of the movie. It forces the Christian thinker to consider to what devastating extent would you still embrace God? Would suffering of any sort be sufficient to deny the Creator?
b) On the issue of vaccines. This may be a bit more implied on my part. Nevertheless, one can hardly deny the significance of vaccinations in our society. When a child is born parents are confronted with several vaccines. One vaccine is a preventative for future sexual encounter; another one deals with preventing unheard illnesses. These are issues serious parents will have to consider. There are legal ways to avoid taking these vaccinations. There may be legitimate vaccines, but others are clearly dangerous. Is it possible that so much of our problems with teen depression may have to do with excessive vaccinations?
Christians will be surprised at the level of cleanness in the movie. There are no sex scenes, nudity or blasphemous statements. Perhaps the most vivid parts of the movie are Smith’s encounter with those affected by the virus. These powerful living/dead creatures are not the typical zombies of horror classic, they run and destroy vociferously. I am Legend is not for the light-hearted. It contains strong images and harsh scenarios.
Rating: 7
Politicians who run in Jesus’ name run this one risk: compromising Jesus’ name. Politicians like Huckabee entered the race as a Baptist minister and now expects to minimize the importance of his theology when he is pushed to the corner. It is easy to deny evolution when you are second-tier candidate, but why can you not deny it now as a serious contender for the nomination, what has changed? Coulter well describes the compromising instances of Mike Huckabee.
Tancredo, who some months ago, argued in a national debate that he was tired of voting for the lesser of two evils, once again voted for the lesser of two evils.
Tom Tancredo has decided to step down from the race. As a result, endorsed Mitt Romney:
Mr. Tancredo said that he and Mr. Romney agreed on securing the borders, penalizing ’sanctuary cities’ and prosecuting employers who knowingly employed illegal immigrants.
This was a perfect opportunity to stand tall and leave the race. However, Tancredo fell prey to the unsanctified charm of Romney. Perhaps Tancredo would have more sense than to vote for someone who has made a career out of deception and lies. At least he has made one thing clear: only one man cares about the Constitution, and that is Congressman Ron Paul. So long Tom!
Cavuto continuously barked at Ron Paul because he received $500 from a white supremacist. Do the right thing Ron, give the money back, says Cavuto. I am not sure Cavuto was ready to hear the eloquence, finesse, and logic of Dr. Paul.
One month ago I wrote to Glenn Beck the following:
Last night, Glenn Beck brought in Dr. Paul for an hour interview. The interview was honest and covered almost every issue Paul cares about. Indeed, Glenn gave Ron sufficient time to expound his ideas and delineate himself from his more conspiratorial supporters, though not excluding them. Glenn brought to Paul’s attention some of the threats he has received from Paul supporters. He may be legitimately concerned about his safety and his family’s. Paul did a fine job in defending a non-violent approach to individual and national relations.
I must say that Beck has restored some of my trust in his work, though I still carry strong distrust of his apocalyptic viewpoints. As Rockwell points out:
Some of Mr. Beck’s supporters advocate genocide against Arabs and Muslims, and the nuking of Mecca and Medina.
It would have been better if Beck apologized to the majority of Paul supporters and clarified his earlier statements where he equates supporters with terrorists. Nevertheless, this interview did restore at least some of my trust in Beck’s commentary, though perhaps Beck’s kind words in his interview with Paul had something to do with his highest ratings since day one.
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