To celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, I am posting this simplified version of the afore mentioned document. This was paraphrased by Edward Fudge.

The Declaration of Independence Simplified

We are about to do something drastic and rare in human history. This document sets forth our justification to the world.

The Laws of Nature created by Nature’s God give any people the right to undo political ties binding them to another nation, and to take their own separate place among earthly powers as full equals. This is the case because the Creator made every person equal, and gave certain permanent rights to them all. These include the rights to live, to be free, and to pursue happiness. All this is so

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Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist and author of The God Delusion, is subsidizing a five-day retreat for kids that is intended to provide an alternative to faith-based summer camps normally run by the Scouts and Christian groups. I find the rationale of Dawkins’ “neutrality” interesting:

I’m very keen on not indoctrinating them with religion or creeds. I would rather equip them with the tools to learn how to think, not what to think.

Would not a camp for kids who are atheists betray this sentiment? Isn’t his goal to further this belief since it is a belief he shares and wants to promote?

One more reason to understand that a worldview is not neutral. It is either advancing …

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War is an unfortunate way of life for this fallen world. The 20th Century was perhaps the bloodiest of all. But wars between nations are not the only types of conflicts we endure. The result is destroyed friendships, divided families, ruined businesses and even split churches. Today, we look at the root cause of wars, quarrels, and fights as is described in James 4:1-3. MP3 download.

 

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Have you ever been told that those who struggle with homosexuality cannot change, it’s just the way they were born. Therefore, it is not a choice, but a genetic disposition that we must accept (and not even question) or we are guilty of being bigoted or even prejudice. Functionally, this argument has even been used to begin to distinguish homosexuals as a type of people-group that should have all the rights as any other people-group (e.g. the right to marry and be accepted legally with the same standing and rights as a heterosexual couple). Well, new research indicates that homosexuality, like any other behavior that is harmful to a person or society in general, should not …

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Have you ever been given bad advice? When bad advice or personal insight masquerades as biblical teaching it can actual obscure our understanding of God. This will, in turn, change the way we relate to Him. This leads to a fabrication of God, which is a fancy way of saying “idolatry.” When this happens, we all lose. This is precisely why we need to listen to what James says in James 3:17-18 about what true wisdom looks like and what wisdom produces. MP3 download.

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My Dear Wormwood,

I have counseled you in the past to teach your patient and his family to hop from church to church like gluttons at the stations of a buffet, or even better, like spiritual connoisseurs with an impossibly refined idea of “how church ought to be done.” The aim was to have them go to church with the mind of a critic or a spectator — anything but a pupil, which, alas, is precisely what you have allowed to happen.

As your people have become thoroughly settled into a church, I see no point in your continuing your feckless attempts to start them church-shopping again. Humility and earnestness of the sort we see in your people calls for different measures. …

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In Part I, we considered the establishment of the Old Covenant within the ceremony between God and the people of Israel as outlined in Exodus 24. It is vital to notice that within the story of God rescuing Israel, it is God’s choice that is the dominant feature. God’s saving activity was to deliver the people from Egypt. While it is true that a sense of obligation on Israel’s behalf would naturally flow out being rescued; there is no reason to believe that the Covenant of Exodus 24 is the motivation for God’s acting.

God’s motivation was simple; He had made a promise (Gen. 12:1-3; Judges 2:1) to do something great through the people He had chosen …

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Maybe you have heard the phrase, “Christ is at the center of all the Bible.” Or, “the whole of Scripture points to Jesus Christ.” How about, “The Bible is a love-story of God chasing His creation.” Did you know that Jesus is the one who started this type of Jesus-centric thinking? It’s true. We actually see Jesus making this point the very day of his resurrection in his discussion with two men on the road to Emmaus:

“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:26-27).

Someone will …

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Last week we were reminded that “no one can tame the tongue”. That is because the heart is depraved and that translates into the tongue being depraved. James continues addressing those who would presume to be teachers. Our text today, James 3:13-16 begins with a question: “Who is wise and understanding among you”? This is an ecellent question that we can use as a test for our own lives everyday. James spends the concluding verses of Chapter 3 contrasting two kinds of wisdom. The characteristics of these two types of wisdom can serve as indicators of the kind of wisdom we employ in living our lives. MP3 download.

 

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As we get ready to launch the first of our mission trips this Sunday, I want to remind all of an encouraging word I was introduced to by Desiring God ministries. It has as its focus the cultivation of cultivate a desire to spread God’s fame in missions within our families.

1. Pray for missionaries as a family. We keep a stack of prayer cards on the dinner table and rotate through them during mealtime prayers.

2. Read missionary biographies to your children. The stories of Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, William Carey, Gladys Aylward, and other missionary pioneers are captivating ways to orient a child’s heart on the most important things in life.

3. Draw the whole family into supporting …

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