~Best and worst of 2008.
~Bible Stories 41: Joseph’s Coat (Genesis 37)
I figure most all of us parents reward good behavior, either with praise or with incentives or simply by not punishing the child, since the conceptual parallel of rewarding for doing good is to not punish for not doing bad. But the real question is whether this is good parenting or merely common parenting? Here’s my concern. If we reward children for doing good, then they ultimately learn to do good in order to get a reward. But what if the reward is not forthcoming? Will they simply stop being good because they aren’t being paid enough? And even if the pay suits them, have we grown good people or merely prudent people? If a person only does good because of what it will get him, how is that any different from a person who does bad because of what it will get him? The worldview for both is to get what they desire, never imagining that anything other than self-servingness is the goal of human life. So what I’m really wondering (and very much wanting to talk with you about today) is how we can cultivate goodness rather than merely good behavior.
Though some people mistakenly claim that Christmas is not an important part of Christianity, the Bible says otherwise. God didn’t just give us Jesus suddenly. He prepared the way for Him with many prophecies that confirmed His identity in advance of His birth and His miraculous life. What are these prophecies, and how were they fulfilled? We’ll read the Scriptures and discover the answers.
Bible References: Gen 3:13-16, Gen 12:1-3, Gen 17:15-21, Gen 18:16-19, Gen 21:9-13, Gen 22:15-18, Gen 49:10, Numb 24:17, Deut 18:14-19, Psalm 2:7, Psalm 132:11, Isaiah 7:10-16, Isaiah 9:1-7, Isaiah 11:1-10, Isaiah 16:5, Isaiah 37:31, Jer 23:5-6, Jer 31:15, Jer 33:14-18, Daniel 9:24-26, Hosea 11:1, Micah 5:1-5, Matt 1:1-25, Matt 2:1-23, Matt 4:13-16, Luke 1:1-2:38, Luke 2:1-38, Luke 3:23-38, John 18:37, Acts 3:22-26, Rom 15:12, Gal 4:1-5, Eph 1:10
Links on Christmas and Prophecy:
Messianic prophecies by Christiananswers.net
Prophecy, the Bible, and Jesus by CARM.org
Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by Biblia.com
Biblical prophecies fulfilled by Jesus by BPRC.org
Messianic prophecies fulfilled by Godonthe.net
Prophecy of Christ's birth by Bibletools.org
Messianic prophecies by ClarifyingChristianity.com
~Bible Stories 40: The Birth of Jesus (Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2 )~What does it mean that “God’s Word does not return void?”
~Does the Sermon on the Mount require us to cut off our hands and poke out our eyes?
~Is prayer only about words?
Dangers from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.
Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.
~Bible Stories 39: John the Baptist (Luke 1:11-17, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 3:1-22, Matthew 3:13-17, Luke 7:18-39, John 3:22-36, Mark 6:11-33, Luke 9:12-27)
The news has long bothered me for a fairly simple reason, it purports to inform us, but it usually winds up misleading us grotesquely. Not because the things the news reports are false, but because they are only a small slice of the truth. And if all we see on a regular basis is the most strange and shocking slices of the truth, in the process our picture of the whole truth has become badly distorted. So, today I thought it would be fun to pretend to be newscasters who do the opposite: report on the vast majority of the truth of any subject rather than only the most captivating exceptional cases.
Tribune Company files for bankruptcy by LA Times
Chambliss wins Georgia by Boston Globe
Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.
Africa is the second largest continent in the world with over 900 million people, a number which is expected to triple by 2050. In this land of 3,500 ethnic groups and over 2,000 languages, where one third of the people live on less than one dollar a day, the most pressing need is not economic reform, political reform, or even basic sustenance. The most pressing need is for Bibles. The vast majority of African Christians do not have a Bible they can study for themselves, and the even greater number of African Muslims do not have access to a Bible which they are in fact eager to read for themselves. The Bible League is helping to end this Bible famine by providing copies of God’s Word to people who participate in bible studies and then help plant churches. For every four dollars you contribute, an African desperate to study the Bible for herself receives one. You can call 1-800-YES-WORD (1-800-937-9673) or click on this link to send the most valuable form of aid you can to these precious people. For more general information about the Bible League, click here.
Recently, I’ve done several shows on the value of money in an effort to remedy what I think are some of the most pervasive wrong-headed notions about money and capitalism. But in the process of undoing those mistakes, I haven’t taken very much time to talk seriously about some of the real problems that come with money. So, as a way of making the conversation more complete, I thought we could discuss some of the real dangers that are associated with or caused by money.
In asking people today what their favorite Thanksgiving food item was, I inadvertently discovered that people seem to have far more passion in sharing which item they can’t stand rather than sharing the ones they love. So, what’s your favorite and also your least favorite traditional (or not) Thanksgiving food item? Also, we’ll be sharing tips and tricks for making it better next time around, particularly cooking and organizational ideas. And, if you encountered a Thanksgiving problem, ask and our highly talented radio audience will surely have an answer.
~Bible Stories 38: The Stoning of Stephen (Acts 7-8)
Relationship books are great, especially if you are starting from a position of knowing nothing about how to relate to the opposite gender. But relationship books all have one significant flaw: they are books about spouses, not about your spouse. And, as with so many other things, what is true for most women may not be true for your woman, and what is true for most men may not be true for your man. Perhaps your wife doesn’t like jewelry or chocolate. Perhaps your husband is the talker in the relationship. So, both for the sake of a little fun and also to demonstrate this point, I’d like us to talk about some things about our spouses which don’t fit the model laid out in relationship books for most spouses.
Major mistake at climate agency by Telegraph
Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.
Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.
Dr. Seuss was a brilliant crafter of moral allegories. One of the most well-known is a short story called simply, The Sneetches, in which a shyster comes to take all the money of a small community simply by finding a way to profit from their class divisions and class envy. It was certainly meant by Seuss as an antidote to racism, but like so many other Seuss works (especially Horton Hears a Who), he overshot unintentionally. I think there’s much broader implications to this story, especially for Christians. So tonight we’ll talk about it.
Chances are that you don’t ask yourself this question a lot. If you love your job enthusiastically, answering this might be easy. If you don’t love your job, it could be that you’re in one that’s wrong for you, but it could also be that you’re in the right one and don’t deliberately remind yourself of just how good you have it. Me, I’m fascinated by what people do and why they do it, so I thought it would be both a great opportunity to learn about some of you and also a chance to remind people how to be happier in their own jobs to talk about this subject today.
Secret 2004 order allowed covert attacks by NYT
Bible Stories 36: Desert Rebellions (Numbers 16-17, 21)
I recently wrote an article on exactly this question, and I want that to be the launching point for our discussion in the second hour. Based on the response I got from some Christian forums, the idea that the rich owe everyone else is a deeply held belief that many people have. It’s even represented in the archetype of Robin Hood, who took from the rich to give to the poor. But does this belief come from an accurate view of money? Is this belief compatible with what the Bible teaches about money? Supposing that the rich do not owe us, does that mean that they have no moral obligations with regard to their money? Do moral obligations equate to an obligation?
For most of us “good Christians,” our first response to this question is to say that we despise no one. After all, we are called to love everyone, and despising anyone would be a violation of that command. Okay. But back to reality. If we’re honest with ourselves (first) and others (second), most of us despise some people. In fact, it’s probably true that an awful lot of us despise an awful lot of people. So here’s a slightly easier way to think of it. Who do you look down on? And what does it mean that you look down on them? Who has the capacity to make you angry? And why do you get so angry at them? I don’t so much mean particular people so much as kinds of people. Perhaps it’s people who are wealthier or more beautiful than you. Perhaps it’s fans of the wrong sports team. Perhaps it’s people who have no taste in clothing. Perhaps it’s people who eat unhealthily. Perhaps it’s people who drive rudely. Perhaps it’s subscribers to pornography. Perhaps it’s people who preach heresy. So, today, let’s talk about who you despise and what we can learn from despising.
Fairness Doctrine and Obama by WSJ
