~Interview: AZ Treasurer Dean Martin
~Should we thank God for stuff we like?
~What should we learn from Jeremiah 28 and 29?
~Why is Acts 6 so interesting?
~Why did God do what He did in 2 Kings 1?

Ethics Class 9: Ethical Implications of Origins Views

Tonight is a little bit different. We won’t be covering any of the criteria, but instead will be taking a quick departure to talk about the relevance of origins views to ethics. This segment of the class is not on the criteria for a variety of reasons. Next week, we’ll be back to normal. If you want more information about the class, click here.

Science, Epistemology, Evolution, and Creation

One of the common discussion topics in therealm of human origins is whether belief in creation is science or faith. Since taking the Bible seriously is usually dismissed as non-scientific, we'll talk about the nature of science and epistemology and then look at whether either Evolutionary Theory or Creationism qualifies as science and whether that matters. Also, we'll discuss what these two theories actually have to say, something which many presenters mistakenly take for granted.

Various Current Events

Polar bears not dying out (Telegraph)
Obama’s Trojan horse (Wash Times)
Neda and Obama (Wash Times)
Obama’s Iran Policy (Jonah Goldberg)
Religion of peace (WSJ)
Obama: Don't worry about government health care (CNS News)
AZ doctor challenges Obama’s numbers (CNS News)
Loop 101 cameras making roads safer (AZ Republic)
Court stays out of budget debate (AZ Republic)
DTV = no battery-powered TVs in storms (Houston Chronicle)
AZ Legislature passes abortion bills (AZ Republic)
Abortion bill index HB 2564
Obama doesn’t smoke in front of the kids (Breitbart)
Obama’s change on medical penalties (ABC News)
Sanford more bad news for Republicans (NY Times)
Two years later, surge worked (CNS News)
The only public health plan we need (NY Times)
Dollar-a-day to not get pregnant? (WXII 12 News)
VA partial-birth abortion ban upheld (Wash Times)
Waxman’s economy killer (Human Events)
Iran arrests 70 professors (CS Monitor)
What to do with unbiblical unions (Christianity Today)
Cap and trade fiction (WSJ)
C&T smoke and mirrors (LA Times)
Why CA can’t be governed (LA Times)
Gov’t health plans always ration care (WSJ)
College ain’t for everyone (Reason)
Conflicting rulings on Christian outreach (Christian Post)
Justice Bork on Sotomayor (Newsweek)

Cross International

Cross International is an interdenominational Christian relief and development organization working in more than two dozen countries in the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Latin America to assist the poorest of the poor, including Haiti, Guyana, Mozambique, Vietnam and Zambia. By working together with pastors, missionaries and churches, we ensure that the aid is reaching those who need it the most. Today, we are focusing on Mozambique, where local families are interested in taking AIDS orphans into their homes to care for them and raise them in a Christian environment. For $68 as a one-time gift, a child is rescued from the slums of Mozambique for an entire year. To rescue a child, call 1-888-515-2005 or visit Cross International on the web.

Ethics Class, Session 8: Criteria 21-24

Tonight we are going to try to get through the next set of criteria in the ethics syllabus. (You can get more information at http://andrewtallmanshowethics.blogspot.com.) This means we will be talking about:

21. Liberal Flaw/Excellence Mode
22. Presumptive Morality
23. Tolerance and Judgment
24. Temptations vs. Dilemmas

In order to facilitate discussion amongst those of you either taking the class or wanting to discuss these ideas in more depth, I will be posting each of the criteria separately without much (if any) actual explanation simply so you can have your discussions on those particular ideas.

Memories With Dad

As we do most every year the day after Father’s Day, I wanted to take some time just to focus on and honor the father’s in our lives by sharing our favorite memories of them. What activities did your dad do with you? Which of those activities are you determined to replicate with your kids? And if you are a dad, what is your favorite memory with your kids?

Various Current Events

Obama the ninja President (YouTube)

PETA reacts to Presidential fly-murder (PETA)
Gay activist appointed safe-school czar (CNS News)
Obama signs gay partner benefits memo (CBS News)
FCC nominee opposes fairness doctrine (CNS News)
Obama health care speech to AMA transcript (WSJ)
Papers selectively quote Obama’s medical speech (CNS News)
PBS banning religious programming (Fox News)
Obama cutting missile defense (Fox News)
Elderly drivers upset at blanket criticism (Boston Globe)
Five ways Obama could promote freedom in Iran (WSJ)
Couple wins in remo fight with HOA (AZ Republic)

Wacky Wednesday--Forgiveness Is A Mistake

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.

~Forgiveness is fundamentally unjust.
~You’ll notice that our “justice system” doesn’t employ the principle of forgiveness.
~When you forgive people, they just abuse you for it.
~It’s unloving to allow evil people to walk all over you because it enables their self-destruction.
~When people do wrong, they need to learn that there are consequences.
~When someone does bad, you either teach him that it was bad or else you teach him that it was okay.
~Evil unchallenged is evil condoned.

Wacky Wednesday--The Bible Can't Be Trusted

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.

~The text itself is historically unreliable. It’s just a bunch of legends added later by the church leaders.
~There are all sorts of contradictions and conflicting accounts in the Bible.
~The Bible was written by and believed by primitive, naïve people.
~The Bible describes impossible things happening like people being raised from the dead and a guy walking on a large body of water.
~The Bible is socially and morally regressive, endorsing polygamy, child abuse, and slavery.

Links:
Countering Bible Contradiction (Bringyou.to)

Theological Tuesday

~What are Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8-9 saying?
~How does loving God change us?
~What should we learn from Jeremiah 28 and 29?
~Why is Acts 6 so interesting?
~What does Mark 6 have to teach us about Jesus?

Various Current Events

Ten Commandments ruling (Christian Post)
Trump fires Prejean (Christian Post)

Prejean loses her crown (Fox News)
A spike in domestic terrorism? (CS Monitor)
Obama looks to overhaul executive pay (CS Monitor)
AMA opposes public insurance plan (NY Times)
How to stop socialized health care (Karl Rove)
Arizona GOP advances limits on abortion (AZ Republic)
Videos show more about Sotomayor (NY Times)
Handouts for Hummers (WSJ)
Blame Angelina Jolie (LA Times)
Five questions for Sotomayor (CS Monitor)
Obama’s Cairo University address (White House)
Not all abortions are equal (NY Times)
Weather malarkey (CNS News)
Cash for clunkers deal moves ahead (Politico)

Wacky Wednesday--Science Has Invalidated Christianity

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.

~Doubt and skepticism are the heart and soul of science, yet faith and credence are the essence of Christianity. Doubting Thomas is not held up as an ideal.
~Science is constantly fluctuating, but Christianity claims dogmatic and permanent certainty about so many things.
~With the rise of science, we see the decline of Christianity.
~Many of the things science discovers are opposed by Christians, such as flight, contraception, and embryonic stem cell research.
~Don’t you remember what happened with Galileo and the church? Science learns by experiment and evidence, Christians by prayer and Bible study.
~When you have a headache, do you read a psalm or take an ibuprofen?
~When you have cancer, do you pray or get chemo?
~Do you lay hands on a broken bone or get an X-ray and a cast?

Links:

Scientific principles in the Bible (GodandScience)
Science and the Bible (ClarifyingChristianity)
Scientific proof of the Bible (KingJamesOnline)

Wacky Wednesday--We Shouldn’t Plant More Churches Here

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.

~It takes people away from churches that are struggling already.
~It takes money away from other churches.
~With the Recession, now is a horrible time to plant a church.
~It costs more to start up a church than to keep one going.
~Advertising for a new church only entices people who are fed up with their current church.
~We already have plenty of churches that have lots and lots of room for all the new people who come to the area. Let’s get them filled before we go off building any new ones.
~So many churches in this community used to be more filled than they are today. With the churchgoing pie shrinking, building more churches will only accelerate the problems of each existing church.
~A new church will just take people from churches already hurting and weaken everyone.
~Why not redeem the churches that are already struggling to stay alive? The last thing that troubled churches need are competition from other new churches.
~You are enticing people to commit congregational adultery by leaving the old, flawed church they’ve been in for years for a hot, young, new, exciting church.

Links:
Why to plant churches (pdf) (Tim Keller)

Theological Tuesday

~What are Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8-9 saying?
~Does God understand our guilt and regrets?
~What’s scary about the Gospel?
~How does loving God change us?
~What should we learn from Jeremiah 28 and 29?
~Why is Acts 6 so interesting?

Ethics Class, Session 7: Criteria 18-20

Tonight we are going to try to get through the next set of criteria in the ethics syllabus. (You can get more information at http://andrewtallmanshowethics.blogspot.com.) This means we will be talking about:

18. 95% Rule
19. Fruit on the Trees Principle
20. Principle of Association
21. Liberal Flaw/Excellence Mode

In order to facilitate discussion amongst those of you either taking the class or wanting to discuss these ideas in more depth, I will be posting each of the criteria separately without much (if any) actual explanation simply so you can have your discussions on those particular ideas.

Best TV characters ever

For the most part, television shows are successful because they either have outstanding plots or because they have fascinating characters, and the best shows, of course, have both. With all the tremendous variety of television, I know it’s hard to pick. But if you were forced to say who were the best television characters ever made, who would you name? Consider some of these categories: characters you like, characters you admire, characters you love to hate, characters who fascinate you, characters who always entertain you, and characters to whom you relate.

Wacky Wednesday--Home Bible Studies Are A Bad Idea

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.

~Traffic and parking issues.
~Such inconveniences to other people are a bad witness
~If the state allows this, it’s taking a side, and they should be neutral on such matters.
~Zoning restrictions exist for a reason.
~If you can’t raise enough money to rent a space, what makes you so sure such a thing is good anyhow?
~Every cult began as a home Bible study.
~A coffee shop would be a much better idea anyhow, since at least it’s set up for parking and it’s a good witness.
~If I’m a pastor, I’m not sure I want my people just hanging around with whomever at a home Bible study.
~I’m uncomfortable with a gathering of religious fanatics next door.

Links:
San Diego backs down (SD Union-Trib)
Bible study temporarily allowed (Christian.UK)

Wacky Wednesday--Loving God Wouldn’t Send People To Hell

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.

~When you think of hell, do you think of love?
~If I told you that I was willing to disown my sons because they broke even just one of my rules, what would you think of me?
~If a fellow citizen is not just inferior to you but so radically inferior that she is destined to torment in hell, how exactly do you keep that belief from treating her with any sort of contempt and degradation imaginable? After all, she’s going to hell anyway.
~How can God judge people for doing what they sincerely believe is correct?
~Even if you come to believe in a God like this, what sort of fear-mongering tyrant must He be for creating and promising an eternity like this?
~How can God send people to hell who have never heard about Jesus?
~What can a person possibly do in this brief life which would justify eternal punishment and misery?
~Such a vengeful God can only produce vengeful people who do all the evils that religious wars and persecution have ever done. When Muslims kill infidels, at least this makes sense in a way.
~Religion is just the opiate of the people, encouraging them to seek satisfaction in a future life which will never come. They think evildoers will be punished eventually, so they do nothing to improve the situation of the world now. How can a loving God lead people into such indifference?
~It’s narrow-minded to think that only people who agree with you go to heaven.

Links:
The importance of Hell (Timothy Keller)

Theological Tuesday

~The murder of Dr. George Tiller.
~What are Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8-9 saying?
~Does God understand our guilt and regrets?
~What’s scary about the Gospel?
~How does loving God change us?

Links on Tiller:

Albert Mohler on Tiller
James Dobson on Tiller
Holman on Tiller (CNN)
Murder in Kansas (NY Times)
Dr. George Tiller (Wikipedia)
Anti-abortion violence (Wikipedia)
Reformation Lutheran Church of Wichita
Tiller persisted despite threats (Fox News)
Details of slaying emerge (USA Today)

Class, Session 6: Criteria 14-17

Tonight we are going to try to get through the next set of criteria in the ethics syllabus. (You can get more information at http://andrewtallmanshowethics.blogspot.com.) This means we will be talking about:

14. Programming and Relativism
15. Experience and Empiricism
16. Reason and Rationalism
17. Faith and Realism.

In order to facilitate discussion amongst those of you either taking the class or wanting to discuss these ideas in more depth, I will be posting each of the criteria separately without much (if any) actual explanation simply so you can have your discussions on those particular ideas.

How Much Freedom Should We Give Our Kids?

We’ll be speaking with author Lenore Skenazy about her new book, “Free-Range Kids.” Is it healthy that our kids are given massively less freedom than we or our parents were given? She thinks yes, and she’s out to dismantle the fear-oriented society we find ourselves immersed in.

Links:
Free Range Kids book, by Lenore Skenazy (Amazon)
Lenore Skenazy's blog - Free Range Kids