Rush to Judgment

I hate that Rush Limbaugh got into this kind of trouble. I'd like to hear what he has to say about it on his radio program. I'll reserve judgment till I hear what he has to say.

Last time he got in trouble for pills, they were for pain, but these were for gain.

Good Godless!

Taking a break from mowing grass, I stopped at the library to pick up my reserved copy of Ann Coulter's latest book, Godless. I've read only the first three chapters so far, but I'm enjoying every sentence. She's the ultimate smartbutt. I'd hate her if she wasn't right. Every page is jam-packed with stinging sarcasm and satire, which I reward with a series of great-big grins.

I've skimmed through various anti-Coulter blogs, and they frequently criticize Coulter's style. They think her attacks are vicious and un-Christian -- Godless, if you will. What I haven't yet seen is serious refutation of her conclusions.

I can't help but think her satirical style makes her opponents jealous, because she's smart as a whip -- she gets away with her humorous, biting style because she presents her case with facts and common sense. And she can really sell her books.

Sarcasm, by the way, is not inherently bad. It can provide just the right leverage to pry open the mind of reason, unless its purpose is to simply be mean. When Jesus speaks of a speck in your brother's eye versus the plank in your own, He is thick on sarcasm, but also on truth.

I read this book not so much from a political but a Christian perspective. Ann does a good job documenting and explaining how seriously twisted society has become in its rejection of God. She makes out the enemy to be "liberalism," but the real enemy is the sinister being that lurks behind and "inspires" this our culture of death: "that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world" (Revelation 12:9). His deceit has surfaced in every age to one degree or another, in one form or another. Regrettably, in today's American politics, it can be seen in the form of liberalism that promotes abortion, homosexual unions, euthanasia, Darwinism, and other godless philosophies.

He who has an ear, let him hear what Ann says to the church of liberalism!

Front-Porch Apologetics

Behold, I give you a true saying:

You cannot reason somebody into believing the Christian faith, but you can show that believing the Christian faith is reasonable.

Humility Is . . .

Is humility synonymous with loathing oneself, deprecating oneself, walking around with slumped shoulders and seeing no value at all in oneself?

No. Humility is seeing things as they are. It is recognizing the truth, the true order of things.

If you're humble, you see that you are a speck in the cosmos, that you are small and weak compared to God.

And, if you're truly humble, you will also recognize that God loves us specks, that we have incredible value and potential, having been created in God's image.

Pride is the opposite of humility. It makes a person see himself falsely, in a more lofty position than he really is.

True humility is the key to effective prayer. That's why we must first recognize that God is "Our Father, who art in heaven," and that His name is hallowed.

A Thought That Hurts My Brain

I wish I could de-mystify this mystery. It bugs me, but I just have to let it go. Follow my logic and let me know if you can explain things in a way I can understand:

My two presuppositions are these:

1. All time and matter -- the whole physical universe -- must have had a beginning. It did not always exist.
   
2. God, who is not a part of Creation but is outside of it and thus timeless, does not have successive thoughts or acts. If He had one thought followed by another, then that means He is in time and not in eternity, for time is merely a measurement of the motion of matter, which He created out of nothing.
   

It seems, then, that God must have been thinking about this Creation in eternity. Since He is timeless, then that means there wasn't a "time" when He decided to begin acting on His thoughts and start creating. Yet this universe was born, was begun. It almost seems that if God was always thinking about us, He was always Creating us, so we've always been here, but that can't be.

Just as one can rightly say "God IS," can one say "God DOES"? How would that square with the physical universe having a definite starting point?

Am I missing something? Is there a better way to look at this apparent conundrum?

You don't know what the heck I'm trying to ask, do you? . . . Crap!

The Apologetics Subculture

Please read Mark Shea's blog post entitled "Some Thoughts on the Apologetics Subculture."

He articulates honestly and humbly what I've understood for a good while now, but have not always shown through my actions: that evangelism and apologetics are not the same thing, and that some things labeled "apologetics" are unproductive wastes of time.

Here is an excerpt:

Part of what fed (and feeds) the interest in apologetics is simply the thrill of learning and articulating the faith. That's certainly what motivates me. People call me an apologist. I generally don't call myself one, because I primarily think of myself as an amateur teacher. I think the Faith is fascinating and just like telling other people about it, because I love to watch the lights come on and I love to watch the Faith liberate other people as it's liberated me. Sometimes that involves "defending the Faith". A lot of times it simply involves proclaiming the Faith.

The two, by the way, are different and those who love apologetics would do well to remember it. The first and primary task of the believer is *not* to defend the Faith, but to proclaim it. In other words, evangelization comes first, and apologetics is, at best, its handmaid. You don't *need* to "defend the Faith* unless the Faith is being attacked. And if you enter into a conversation with a defensive mentality, don't be surprised if you ignite a hostile mentality in the person you are talking to. Not a few times have I seen hot-headed, testosterone-driven young single guys (in short, the sort of person who is typically drawn to apologetics) forget this and come on strong with a pugilistic attitude that radiates "You probably think there's something wrong with my Faith, don't you? Don't you? Come on, try me buddy. Just try me!" Such folk mean well usually. They are young bucks full of piss and vinegar. A thousand years ago, all that masculine energy would have been spent on something like a healthy crusade. But today, there are very few channels through which the Valiant Knight hormones can go, so they go into apologetics, often without anybody to instruct these guys that the medieval ideal also include the model of the verray, parfit gentil knyght who comes in peace before he comes in war.

Click here for the full write-up.

It Would Be a Mistake If . . .

After the Dallas Mavericks' disappointing loss to the Miami Heat last night for the NBA championship, I think it would be a mistake for Sesame Street to let Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban host the children's show on the day in which the program is brought to us by the letter "F."

That's just my suggestion in case Sesame Street has Cuban penciled in on the schedule anytime soon.

Chronological Bible-Reading Plan

I'm starting on a new abridged Bible-reading plan for a better sense of story flow.

Instead of reading Genesis straight through Revelation, I'm following Mike Aquilina's idea of reading the chronological, historical-narrative books of the Bible before going through the other books. That way you're not distracted by diversions from the main story flow, which ultimately is the story of Jesus Christ.

Here are the 14 chronological books of Bible history:

1. Genesis
2. Exodus
3. Numbers
4. Joshua
5. Judges
6. 1 Samuel
7. 2 Samuel
8. 1 Kings
9. 2 Kings
10. Ezra
11. Nehemiah
12. 1 Maccabees
13. Luke
14. Acts

I will try to read them swiftly, yet not following a schedule. Reviewing the events of salvation history makes it easier to understand the "big picture," putting the other biblical books and everything else in its historic context.

I Didn't Mean to Steal Gasoline . . .

I took my son to his Boy Scout outing today, and on the way home I stopped at a gas station, put $10 worth of gasoline in my car, and didn't pay for it.

You see, after I finished refueling, I pulled out a $20 bill from my pocket and walked toward the station, but the door was locked. I went to the other door, and it, too, was locked -- furnished with a sign that read "Closed."

Aaaargh! I said to myself. Doooooh . . . geeze!

After thusly articulating the frustration I faced, I walked around the building, peeked through windows, looked for any helpful information that may be posted -- but nothing. After a while, I figured I couldn't just hang around till the store re-opens (whenever that may be), so hesitantly I got into the car and left.

I was sure I would see flashing lights behind me as I drove, and I imagined that, since I was unshaven and looking somewhat bummy, I'd be featured on an episode of COPS. But I made it home without incident.

I will pay for the gasoline I accidentally took. I'll try to reach the gas station by phone tomorrow. Somehow, if possible, I will pay.

This story reminds me of the three factors that must be simultaneously present for a sin to be mortal:

1. Grave matter. Stealing gasoline in Bush country certainly qualifies. You just don't mess with Texas. Beside that, stealing is a violation of the Seventh Commandment. Anytime you violate the Big Ten, it's automatically a grave matter.
2. Full knowledge. I know that taking gasoline without paying for it is wrong, a sin. I can't plead moral ignorance.
   
3. Deliberate consent. Phew! This one lets me off the mortal-sin hook. Objectively, I stole, but not deliberately. I did not freely choose to steal. You might say I should have made sure the place was open first, but I didn't. I honestly but incorrectly assumed the pumps would have been shut down if the station was closed on a Saturday afternoon.

After my morning bowl of oatmeal tomorrow, I will try to get in touch with the gas station, because it's the right thing to do.

Hanging With Joel Osteen

Yep, it's true. That's Joel and me cuddling in the afterglow of one of his warm-and-fuzzy, feel-good positive messages at his Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. He let me know that if only I had a "can-do attitude," realizing I'm "a victor and not a victim," and that since I "come from a spiritual blood line of champions," I can live my "best life now." I just gotta have faith. Do I have an Amen?

When my best school friend since third grade visited me last month from Michigan, he thought it would be a shame not to see Joel Osteen while visiting Texas. So we went.

It is the largest church in the United States, with 30,000 members. Joel preaches where the Houston Rockets used to play basketball -- until it was purchased by Lakewood Church. If only the NBA team could have rocked the house like Joel can! Judging by the crowd's reaction, his sermon was a slam dunk.

I've been to only a few music concerts in my day (e.g., R.E.M., The Cranberries, Credence Clearwater Revival), but Lakewood Church puts on just as good a show.

I enjoyed the experience because of its entertainment value and Joel's celebrity status, but I must say it's no substitute for the sacrifice of the Mass. Even more impressive than Joel's presence is the Real Presence.

I Hate When Bloggers Quit

I hate when bloggers I enjoy stop blogging.

I noticed I haven't posted a blog entry in six months, and, while I'm sure that's not rocking anyone's world, it bugs me. So I'm renewing my personal commitment to blog. It does a body good.

My plan (subject to change in an instant) is to post smaller, but more frequent, entries -- and perhaps less formal ones. We'll see how it goes.

If you're even half-interested in what I say (or anyone else) when I let my fingers do the talking, I recommend getting a free news aggregator. It will show you what, if any, new posts I have published without having to actually go to my blog site. Not only that, you can read them in their entirety without visiting "So Let It Be Written . . . ."

If you use Mozilla's free Firefox Web browser, then you can use the "Live Bookmarks" that are built in. They can tell you my blog titles, and if you click on one, you will be directed to that page on my site.

However, since I'm such a Google fan, I recommend that you try Google Reader, a Web-based news aggregator. It has most of the features one would want in a news reader, plus the freedom to access your account from any computer. Right now I keep up with 26 different blogs (and podcasts) using Google Reader. I know for a fact I'd never visit all those sites individually. It's easier to let them come to me.