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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.
~What is the purpose of them? To make the Word of God clearer than it already is?
~God chooses to reveal Himself to some but not all people. Who are you to try to make Him more known to everyone?
~Was Scripture not written well enough to just be read?
~So many sermons are really quite bad.
~So many wonderful people just don’t have the gift of preaching effectively.
~Many sermons mislead toward moralism or fail to proclaim Christ or even to present Scripture at all.
~Paul did not preach with clever words. 1 Cor 2:4-5
~Jesus told us not to prepare our words beforehand. Matt 10:19, Luke 11:12
~You don’t need a teacher. 1 John 2:25-29
~Sola Scriptura doesn’t include sermons, does it?
~Isn’t Scripture enough? 2 Tim 3:13-16
~Preaching in the church today is completely different from preaching in the Bible.
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.
~We outlawed slavery over a hundred years ago, but working for minimum wage is practically the same thing.
~No one can make a living or raise a family working in a minimum wage job.
~Paying anyone so little is just a way of exploiting their inability to command a higher wage.
~Stimulates growth by raising the purchasing power of workers.
~Stimulates economic growth by requiring development of technology rather than labor-intensive jobs.
~If the price of something is artificially low because of unfair wage rates, then we should be forced to pay more for it anyhow.
~With the wealthy in America always becoming more wealthy, how can we look at a guy earning minimum wage and seriously tell him this is a land of fair opportunity?
~“In the United States of America, we should not have anybody working full time and living in poverty.” Sen. John Edwards
~“I believe that anyone who works 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, should not live in poverty in the richest country in the world.” Sen. Ted Kennedy
~Encourages those who would take low paying jobs to stay in school and develop their earning potential.
~“A job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you poor.” Paul Sherry Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign in Cleveland
Bible Resources: Gen 2:5, Gen 2:15, Gen 3:19, Exodus 20:9-11, Deut 24:14-15, Matt 10:8-10, Matt 20:1-16, Luke 3:13-14, Acts 18:1-3, 1 Cor 9:4-14, Gal 6:6, Eph 4:28, 1 Thess 2:9, 2 Thess 3:7-15, 1 Tim 5:8, James 5:4
Links:
MW Q&A (Dept of Labor)
History of MW (Dept of Labor)
MW in the 50 states (Dept of Labor)
MW (Wikipedia)
MW resources (Economic Policy Institute)
MW and fairness (Mackinac Center for Pub Pol)
Raise MW to minimize opportunity (Heritage Fdn)
MW, max folly part 1, part 2 (Walter Williams)
MW, keeping prosperity away (Vision and Values)
~What should you look for in a church?
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:
35. If and How
36. Why moral theories matter
--An overview of all the moral theories we will discuss
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.
Okay, I know from the start that I am treading on dangerous territory here in a couple of different ways. First, this must seem like nearly the most uninteresting topic in the world to many women. Second, I am woefully underequipped to have this conversation with those of you gearheads who have memorized engine sizes and the most arcane details of various muscle cars. Don’t get me wrong. I have great admiration for your knowledge, I just do not share it. Nevertheless, we have long thought this might be a fun discussion topic for a Monday. Of course, there are additional questions we might address. What sort of car would Jesus drive? If you were to teach something about God using a particular car or car feature, what would you teach? And something I’m personally interested in: what is the appeal of working on cars?
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.
~Why haven’t we gone back in the last 40 years?
~As many as 20% of Americans believe the moon landing was faked.
~There are no stars visible in the background of the photos.
~The flag waves in the wind, but there’s no atmosphere on the moon.
~There was no dust from the landing or during walking.
~The extremes of day and night temperatures weren’t accounted for.
~There are all sorts of lighting discrepancies, especially the famous picture of the astronaut in front of the sun, his mask reflecting the lander and the flag. He should have been a black silhouette.
~Two different pictures show the lunar landar both present and the missing with the exact same mountain range in the background.
~The crosshairs in the photos are sometimes behind the images and sometimes in front of them.
~There’s no blast crater where the module landed, but that’s a pretty powerful rocket engine.
~Radiation in the VanAllen belts would have roasted any of the astronauts who tried to cross it. This is why trips to outer space always stay well under those high limits.
~The Hubble telescope can see things ridiculously far away in space, why not a photo of the moon lander as evidence?
Links:
Pro: Did we go to the moon?
Pro: Fox TV and the Apollo moon hoax
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’s unloving to try to beat someone in an argument.
~It’s a fallacy to assume that two people arguing on opposite sides will bring out all the relevant ideas.
~Debate is oppositional, whereas real thinking should be more collaborative
~Rhetoric rather than substance wins debates.
~Debating emphasizes speed, not quality of thought.
~Debating is more about ego and winning than about discovering truth
~In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty. Therefore, we never need to disagree.
~Disagreeing gives people the impression that Christians are not united.
~The Bible warns us against indulging in vain disputes.
~Disagreeing agreeably just doesn’t happen very often.
~Love and disagreement aren’t synonyms, and we’re supposed to be known for our love.
~Disagreement is the first step down the path of schism and church-split. Just like you shouldn’t look at other women because it’s the first step towards an affair.
~Disagreements often lead us to question other people’s Christianity.
~Only sinners disagree, and we’re not supposed to imitate sinners are we?
~Whether we disagree doesn’t matter as long as we love each other.
When it comes to baptism, one of the few things all Christians agree about is that all Christians should be baptized. That’s where the discussion begins, not where it ends.
As infants or as adults?
By immersion, by sprinkling, or by pouring?
By a pastor/priest or by anyone?
Symbol or sacrament?
What is the relationship between baptism and salvation?
Of course, what’s fascinating about all this is that a practice which was intended to signify the unity of the Christian Church has now become a massive point of division among people who all claim to love Jesus.Here is a cursory outline of how various important texts on baptism tend to fall on the questions above. Passages which indicate that baptism is necessary for salvation (8)
Matthew 3:14 (I have NEED)
Mark 16:14-18 (Although there is dispute over the authenticity of these verses)
John 3:3-5
Acts 2:38-41Acts 8:35-39 ( Notice the Eunuch's immediate reaction to Philip's preaching, and then notice that the Holy Spirit takes him away immediately after baptism is completed, as though that's the complete transaction.)
Galatians 3:27
Titus 3:3-7
1 Peter 3:18-22
Passages which indicate that baptism is not necessary for salvation (13)
Luke 23:39-43
John 1:12-13
John 3:14-18, 36
John 5:24
John 15:3
Acts 10:44-48Acts 22:16
Romans 10:8-11
1 Corinthians 1:11-17—especially verse 17
1 Corinthians 6:9-11—Seems to indicate the word and the name do the washing.
2 Corinthians 5:17—Although when combined with 1 Corinthians 12:13, perhaps means in Christ by baptism.
Ephesians 1:13-14
Ephesians 2:8-9
Passages which indicate that children should be baptized. (9)
Genesis 17:1-14
Matthew 19:13-15
Mark 10:13-16
Luke 1:41—John the Baptist was a believer in his mother’s womb
Luke 18:15-17
Acts 16:14-15
Acts 16:30-33
Acts 18:8—Does not say it very clearly, so give this one only some weight.
Romans 4:11
Passages which indicate that believers should be baptized.(3)
Acts 2:38-41
Luke 3:8—Some were turned away from being baptized by John.
Acts 8:37—Although this verse is of uncertain authenticiy.
Passages which indicate baptism by sprinkling (5)
Numbers 8:5-7
Numbers 19
Ezekiel 36:22-28
Hebrews 9:19-22
Hebrews 10:22
Passages which indicate baptism by immersion (4)
Matthew 3:13-17
Mark 1:4-11
John 3:22-23
Acts 8:35-39
Passages indicating that water baptism was to be replaced by Holy Spirit baptism.(7)
Matthew 3:11
Mark 1:4-8
Luke 3:16
John 1:25-34
John 4:1-2 (Jesus’s baptism is not of water, else He would have been baptizing.)
Acts 1:5
Acts 11:16
Passages indicating that water baptism was not to be replaced by Holy Spirit baptism.(2)
Acts 10:44-48—Also it’s clear that baptism with water does not have to precede HS, although usually it does
Acts 19:1-7—Paul rebaptizes in Jesus’s name and thereafter they receive Holy Spirit
Passages indicating baptism is more than merely symbolic.(6)
Matthew 28:18-20
Romans 6:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:12-14
Ephesians 5:26-27
Hebrews 6:1-2
Colossians 2:8-12
Passages supporting rebaptism.(1)
Acts 19:1-7
Passages opposing rebaptism (1)
Ephesians 4:4-6
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:
32. Is and Ought.
33. Moral Authority and Religion
34. Can, Should, and Must
35. If and How
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.
All too often, I hear someone say something that I know I’m supposed to understand, but I don’t. Sometimes (rarely) it’s because I just don’t get the intended meaning. Other times (mostly) it’s because I start thinking about the expression itself and realize that it is confusing. But there’s a third kind of emerging difficult expression, the Biblical reference, which depends on the rapidly fading public knowledge of the Bible. So, let’s share our collective ignorance today and come up with all the expressions that baffle us or we think might baffle others.
Links:
Expressions explained (World Wide Words)
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.
~You can’t make yourself be good. Have you ever tried?
~You can’t choose your desires, and it is the desires of your heart that really define your goodness.
~All morality can do is teach you to not act upon your desires. But this only leads to frustration as you try to suppress your sinful tendencies.
~Ethics can’t be taught. Good people wind up having immoral children, and awful people wind up having decent children
~All people have sin, and all sins fully separate us from God, so what difference does it make which sins or how big they are?
~You’re saved by faith, not by works, anyhow, so what does it matter?
~You can’t prove what is right or wrong, which is really just a matter of opinion anyhow.
~There are four possibilities when you pronounce on morality
~1. You anger those who disagree with you
~2. You increase the frustration of people who agree with you but find themselves unable to change.
~3. You cultivate pride in the few people who can change.
~4. You cultivate contempt in the people who are lucky enough to already be in the morally superior category.
~Celebrities are more entertaining than ordinary people
~Most lives are fairly dull and boring, why should you be forced to contemplate your ordinariness when you could be thinking about the Jet Set?
~Culture is a blend of events, arts, and people.
~All cultures have heroes and important people
~Free markets show that they must satisfy some very deep need we have. Just look at how many outlets focus on them.
~It’s normal and healthy for people to affiliate themselves with and invest themselves in the lives of other people. Sports fans do this, right?
~Actors and artists have important things to say to us.
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:
28. Hypocrisy and Ideals.
29. Little Things and Big Things
30. Segmented vs. Unified Character
31. Tallman’s Theory
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.
Two scenarios have recently been occupying my thoughts. One is the first-time homebuyer’s tax credit, which allows people buying a primary residence to receive $8,000 from the Federal Government so long as they stay in the home for three years. Question is, “Is it virtuous to take $8,000 from the government to buy a house?” The second is a scenario I’ve heard is occurring more and more frequently: people abandoning their houses because they owe so much more on them than the houses are worth. Sometimes they’re renting, sometimes they’re even buying new homes first, but the essence of it is simply defaulting voluntarily to escape a bad investment. The obvious question is whether this is morally virtuous.
Does Obamacare require euthanasia consults? (Politico)
