Dec
30
Yet Another Year-End Top 10
Following the “A View from the Right” year-end tradition, this year’s final post is a sampling of my favorite posts ranging from 2010 thru 2018. Hopefully, readers new and old will find something of interest from the archives that they may have missed. There is no actual ranking involved, but I have tried to present a variety of science, religion, and socio-political topics. Happy reading…
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The Thinker
“It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then to loosen up. Inevitably though, one thought led to another and soon I was more than just a social thinker.
I began to think alone – “to relax,” I told myself – but I knew it wasn’t true. Thinking became more and more important to me and finally, I was thinking all the time.
I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don’t mix, but I couldn’t stop myself.
I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thomas Sowell and Charles Krauthammer. I would return to the office dizzied and confused asking, “What is it exactly we are doing here?””
“Before You Claim II Chronicles 7:14, Read This”
“II Chronicles 7:14 is a passage beloved by many Christians. It is particularly popular when churches and parachurch organizations want to encourage people to pray for “national revival” — e.g., during the National Day of Prayer…. But, I have “a problem” with using that verse in such a manner. (It didn’t help that the AP piece called it “the formula for national healing”. God doesn’t perform according to formulas. That smacks of sorcery!) So, I linked to the AP announcement on Facebook with a few comments of my own. As I said then,
“I appreciate the sentiment, and a prayer campaign focused on socio-cultural/political issues is a fine idea. But, there is no Biblical “formula” for national healing or revival. Not even II Chronicles 7:14.”
I then explained why the verse should not be used in this way. But, before I get into the specifics, I think it would be good to give a little more background….”
“In Favor of the Legalization of Medical Marijuana”
“You may be surprised by my position here, but this issue is one of those rarities where my libertarian streak shines through. Of course, it would really be apparent if I argued for the legalization of marijuana and/or other recreational drugs across the board. I’m still pondering this and gathering reports pro & con, but at this point I’m not quite ready to go that far. Too many things in the negative column. But, marijuana for legitimate medicinal purposes? Absolutely.
Marijuana/cannabis should not be vilified outright, simply because some people use it as a mind-altering “drug” and other, violent people make money cultivating and selling it….”
“Why I Don’t (Usually) Recommend the King James Version”
“I am sure that some who love the King James Version (KJV) will immediately be defensive. (Especially if they are KJV Onlyist, but I’m not even going to delve into that whole mess.) So, let me begin by assuring my readers that I am *not* saying that the KJV should never be read. Far from it. Many Christians (and others) read it and like it and are spiritually fed from it, and that’s fine. Some prefer the lyrical structure of much of the KJV for memorization. That’s great. I would hope that they read it along with a decent modern translation or two, too, though. (And there are several options available.) But, if they prefer the KJV while acknowledging its deficiencies (see below), more power to ’em….
With all of that said, if someone were to ask me which translation they should get to read and study, I would probably not recommend the KJV. This is especially true if it is to be the first or only Bible for a new believer or curious non-believer. The first reason is the archaic language….”
“Sola Scriptura – What It Is and Isn’t”
“If you are a Christian (and maybe if you aren’t), you have probably heard of the term sola scriptura. It is one of the “Five Solas”, Latin phrases that came out of the Protestant Reformation and represent central, theological principles held by the Reformers in opposition to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Given its origin, it’s not surprising that sola scriptura is held most dearly by those who identify with a conservative and “Reformed” theology. Other groups, Protestant and otherwise, may claim to hold to some form of “sola scriptura”, but it is often a misrepresentation or misunderstanding of what the term actually means. Even some who identify as Reformed can be a bit confused as to what it does and doesn’t mean.
So,… What does sola scriptura mean?”
“Snippets of True Reason” (4 parts)
“One of the books I’ve been reading of late is True Reason, edited by Tom Gilson and Carson Weitnauer. It’s a collection of essays (originally published in electronic format) by various Christian professors and apologists, addressing issues related to the claims by today’s “New Atheists” that non-theists “own” reason & rationality, while theists are characterized by blind faith and obvious irrationality. Not only do the contributors disagree with that assertion, but they propose that, in many cases, the exact reverse is true. Christianity holds the proper claim to rationality and atheism is, upon closer scrutiny, at least as often irrational. Quite a bold claim to make these days,… or is it?”
“How Hackable Is Your Vehicle?”
“If you watch much TV, you’ve probably seen at least one show/movie in recent years where someone was killed or seriously hurt when someone/thing remotely took over their vehicle — i.e., by overriding the steering, disabling the brakes, messing with the wipers or radio, etc. — and caused them to crash. (An episode of “Elementary” comes to mind.) Or, you may have read an article in Wired or some other periodical or maybe watched a news segment in which such a situation was described. Is this a legitimate fear to have? Or, is it just fear-mongering by way of technophobia, paranoia, overactive imaginations, or merely overzealous journalism? Well, it depends who you ask, of course.”
“Difference Between Samson and a Suicide Bomber”
Aftermath of suicide bombing in Kabul
“[A]s God often uses very flawed characters to carry out His will, He used Samson to wipe out a large number of Philistines. The supernaturally strong Samson had on previous occasions wreaked havoc (though not without provocation) on the Philistines, who dominated the region at the time. But, once they managed to capture, mutilate, and make a spectacle of him, Samson was still able to commit one final, suicidal act that literally brought the house — well, a pagan temple — down on thousands of Philistine leaders and nobles. (Judges 16:21-30) Doesn’t this sound like what today’s Muslim suicide bombers would do? We call them evil. Why is Samson any better?”
“The above verse is one of the most familiar and often memorized Bible verses in the English language, whether among orthodox or heterodox, Christian believers and non-believers alike. (The only rival I can think of is Genesis 1:1, the first verse of the Old Testament (aka Hebrew Scriptures).) The above wording from the King James translation is arguably the most well-known version, too. It is fairly easy to memorize and is essentially a summary of the Gospel message, which is why it is so popular.
Recent linguistic studies coupled with careful exegesis, however, indicate that not only has the phrasing not been the most accurate, but most of us probably misunderstand what a few key words/phrases mean. There are four sections I would like to address….”
“Review of Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design”
“This book is an answer to prayer. (Though, to be honest, I can’t remember ever articulating it as such.)…
With the 2017 publication of Zondervan’s Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design, ed. J.B. Stump, we have a “sequel” or replacement volume that does indeed have contributions from principal figures for each of the three main positions (who also lead their own organizations), plus one representing the Intelligent Design Movement. They are all eminently qualified, of course, and were the editor’s first choices. This time around, Ken Ham (founder and President/CEO of Answers in Genesis) represents the case for YEC; Hugh Ross (founder and President of Reasons to Believe) is the OEC proponent; Deborah B. Haarsma (President of BioLogos) advocates for Evolutionary Creation (aka TE); and Stephen C. Meyer (Senior Fellow of the Discovery Institute) presents the ID position.”
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Have a Happy New Year, and I’ll see y’all in 2019!
P.S. For more select posts, here are the previous “Top 10” lists: “Celebrating 5 Years of AVftR (plus a Top 10)!”, “Top 10: The Sequel”, “Top 10: The Threequel”, “Top 10, Again”, “Another Year-End Top 10”.
