Blog Tour: 9/13 - 9/19

Wherein I look around the web - hopefully once a week - and draw some attention to things I see there that interest me.

If you want to know where I go, look at the links on the left of my blog under "Places I Frequent". From there, I will go places those places may point me. Typically, I will also list up to three of my favorite posts from the current Christian Carnival - and may go somewhere those blogs take me.

Sometimes they will be topically organized, and sometimes just in order of the links I visited. Enjoy:

• Christian Carnival posts:
  
  • Jeff at Returning King.com finishes up his series on Pastoral Soterilogy with "Atonement in the Old Testament Law"
    

    As noted in the last post, the Penal Substitution Theory of the atonement is by far the best and most accurate understanding of the work Jesus provided on the cross according to the scriptures. While the nature of the atonement has been observed, a true understanding of penal substitution requires a comprehension of the underlying principles which had been put into effect by God prior to Jesus’ work on the cross.
    

    
    
  • Since my series on Romans looked at Hebrews 11 quite a bit: Annette presents some reflections on Hebrews 11 in her post, “Faith is….” at Fish and Cans.
    

    With closing off more of my facebook games, and having a boy who sleeps in a bit I'm discovering a bit more time in the morning. Ah...to put it to good use having devotions again!!!! :) Yes, sometimes I'm a dunderhead, but getting back to priorities is a good thing
    

    
    
  • Look at Andrea’s post, “Listening for the Voice of God” where she underscores the importance of quieting our hearts and attending to the voice of God. Her blog is Unfailingly Loved.
    

    Early in the morning, I sat along the shore of the lake. The sun was glistening off of the top of the water. A gentle breeze refreshed the air with the aroma of Autumn. I set out to practice “intentional listening.”
    

    
    
  
  
• Fundamentally Changed points to a post at Glory and Grace titled "Dropping Anchor on the S.S. Heresy". I was drawn to read the post because of this note at Fundamentally Changed:
  

  “here’s my basic stance on this: (1) our church and ministry will not have fellowship with any who claim for an English translation what can only be properly claimed for the autographs; and (2) we will not have fellowship with those who refuse to break fellowship from those who hold such false doctrine.”
  
  Interesting manner in which he calls for us to deal with KJVO believers. What do you think of it?
  

  My initial thought was #1 was theologically true - but pretty harsh. #2 is just plain divisive and sectarian. However, I wanted to go read it. Now, I just view it as a counter-point to my post on how we have to criticize other Christians.
  
• As the US removes itself as the military guarantor of Iraq, the question arises for the Iraqis of what kind of military they need to build - and for the US government what kind of weapons they should sell them. Omar from Iraq the Model co-wrote a piece on this issue in the Wall Street Journal - "Iraq Needs a Real Air Force"
• For someone who both loves the basic simplicity of evangelicalism, and the solidity of the Catholic liturgy, I felt that Scot at The Jesus Creed wrote his post - "Is (low church) Evangelicalism Protestant?" - was aimed right at giving me another Brain Cramp.
  

  Early in September October I sat down with Bryan Chapell's new book, Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice , and studied his chart on the order of services in the Church, what he called the "Liturgy of the Word" which is to be distinguished from a eucharist service (Liturgy of the Upper Room). He compared the ancient Roman order with Luther's, with Calvin's, and with Westminster's (c. 1645). The witness to a common order was clear, and what each included - Catholic and Protestant - was a liturgy that involved the Psalms, an OT reading, a New Testament reading or two, a sermon, and some kind of ordered ending, involving either the Nicene Creed or a Psalm.
  
  The first thought that came to my mind was this: where did low church evangelicalism drop its connection to this ordered liturgy, this ordered exposure of God's people to hearing the Word of God read, and to the connection to the Church of all ages?
  

  
  
• Do you think these statements are "clearly and obviously compatible"?:
  
  1. There are people who oppose President Obama and everything he does, in part because they can't stand the idea of a black president.
  2. The vast majority of opposition to President Obama's policies is because people simply oppose his policies.
  
  I think so, and Jeremy at Parableman thinks so - and yet he thinks President Carter and Senator Pelosi somehow think they are not. He examines the problem of accusing someone of racism falsely in "Racism and Opposing a Black President"
  

  I've long argued that it's counter-productive for those who oppose racism to throw racism charges around when there's no good evidence of racism, especially when there's plenty of reason against it . . . People who regularly get accused of racism when they know full well that it's not remotely true are right to get upset and to think those who are making the charge have no good reasons to make it. They will tend to assume, then, that whenever there's a racism charge it must be manufactured. They'll be likely to think genuine charges of racism are similarly invented. They'll think we've moved beyond racism and that we no longer need to worry about racial problems.
  
  This is in fact what many conservatives have wrongly concluded from the election of President Obama.
  

  
  
• Where do I start at Rightwing Nuthouse this week?
  
  • How about his post on "Rush and Race: Through a Glass Darkly?":
    

    This was amply proven by that ample talk show host, cotton candy conservative, and pop righty Rush Limbaugh who took a story about a beating of a white nerd by black bullies on a school bus and tried to turn it into a spiel involving dire portents of a coming race war enabled by our president . . .
    
    Those who have tired of having their emotions manipulated by Mr. Limbaugh have long since stopped listening to him and have seen through the bombast, the sneering put downs that passes for humor among many on the right, and the bilious sarcasm that drips so often, and so expertly from his lips.
    
    I will go to my grave wondering how in God’s name so many people who think themselves “conservative” can find anything of value by listening to such a pompous lout.
    

    
    
  • Or, his toasting of President Carter for the same racism comment the Jeremy referenced above:
    

    “I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man,” Carter said. “I live in the South, and I’ve seen the South come a long way, and I’ve seen the rest of the country that share the South’s attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African Americans.”
    
    Carter continued, “And that racism inclination still exists. And I think it’s bubbled up to the surface because of the belief among many white people, not just in the South but around the country, that African-Americans are not qualified to lead this great country. It’s an abominable circumstance, and it grieves me and concerns me very deeply.”
    

    
    
  • Or, giving President Obama kudos for correctly identifying the issue (almost):
    

    Barack Obama, to his credit, said yesterday that opposition to his policies is not based on race, but on the fear of change:
    
    

    In a number of interviews that will air in fuller form Sunday morning, the president also addressed the tone of a heated summer debate over health-care, and the contention of one former president that much of the criticism Obama faces is because he is black.
    
    Some of the most heated opposition to the president’s initiatives are not racially motivated, Obama suggested in response to comments that former President Jimmy Carter had made earlier this week, but rather reflective of the turmoil that is common “when presidents are trying to bring about big changes.”
    
    “Are there people out there who don’t like me because of race? - I’m sure there are,” Obama told CNN’s John King. “That’s not the overriding issue here.”
    
    Instead, Obama maintained, it is concern about sweeping government change that has fueled much of the “passion.”
    
    “It’s an argument that’s gone on for the history of this republic,” Obama told NBC News’ David Gregory. “Wbat’s the role of government?… This is not a new argument, and it always invokes passions.”
    

    He is absolutely correct, of course. Not sure that “fear” is exactly the right word to describe what conservatives are feeling. Anyway, I am very glad he said this.
    

    
    
  • Or, "No Wonder Bush was a Failure as President" :
    

    Were we taken in? Partly, yes. But an honest appraisal of my former support for the man must include the fact that I was fooling myself more than anything. The writing was on the wall all along regarding the man’s faux conservatism - not to mention his many screw ups including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the prosecutors fiasco, justification for torture, and his curious habit of promoting and appointing incompetents for important jobs in government who also happened to be big campaign contributors or other cronies.
    
    Now a book has been written by a former Bush speechwriter which has pretty much confirmed what most on the right now think of the ex-president. Matt Latimer reveals Bush to be an arrogant, self centered, elitist who looked down his nose at the conservative movement
    

    
    
  Rick Moran is doing what I think a conservative needs to do right now - get his own house (our own house) in order.
  
• The Evangelical Ecologist looks at the connection between population control and climate change - "Birth control "could help combat climate change" - Really?":
  

  Anna wants to know what Christians should be so afraid of about climate change agendas. Well, does one really need to put a fine point on what are "other birth control methods" and "contraception and service delivery"?
  
  And then there's this pesky problem: Population control doesn't equate to greenhouse gas reduction
  

  
  
• There is a new science website:
  

  If you’re a science news junkie, you may have noticed that many news outlets have cut back on their coverage of science news in recent years. The trend sparked concern among scientists who worried about how they would share their research with the public. One resulting solution was the creation of a new website, Futurity, which features research news from 35 universities in the United States and Canada. [HT: World Mag Blog]
  

  
  
• Apology tools for Christians and atheists alike:
  
  • From Tom at Thinking Christian wonders if a video is "The Final Answer to All Theistic Arguments?":
    

    Geoff left a comment yesterday pointing us to what he called “a simple presentation explaining why all of these arguments are ultimately unconvincing to most atheists.” The video, “Putting faith in its place,” represents itself as a kind of ultimate answer to all theistic arguments.
    

    
    
  • Please Convince Me has an online training curriculum:
    

    Scripture tells us that God wants us to love Him with all our heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37), and using our mind to reason out the things of God can actually bring us closer to Him. But even more than that, when we think about all that God has done for us, we can't help but want to share this truth with others. Paul is a pretty strong role model for us as Christians, and he regularly “reasoned” with people and many people were ultimately “persuaded” (Acts 17:2, 4). Peter also shared the truth through reason, even in hostile environments (Acts 2:14-41). They were simply following the model of their Lord, Jesus Christ, who was also in the business of sharing “convincing proofs” (Acts 1:3). While I do believe that it is GOD alone who changes the hearts of those around us, I still think it is our responsibility as Ambassadors for Jesus Christ to do our best to provide answers to life’s big questions, and these materials are intended to help Christians do just that.
    

    [HT: Stand to Reason Blog]