Friday, November 06, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Christian Soccer Camp Sues School District for Flyer Distribution Discrimination
www.LC.org
Today Liberty Counsel filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Victory Through Jesus Ministry Foundation against Lee’s Summit School District. Victory Through Jesus Ministry Foundation offers Victory Soccer Camp (VSC), a Christian summer sports camp program, throughout the Midwest.
The District refused to include the soccer camp’s flyers along with other information given to students about community activities for youth and discriminated against VSC by allowing other nonprofit organizations, including another local soccer program, to be promoted through take-home flyers placed in the students’ backpacks.
The District’s censorship of the camp’s flyers is unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and violates the First Amendment when it discriminates against certain after-school programs on the basis of the program’s sponsor.
Religious speech is not an orphan to the First Amendment. These are simple and settled concepts. What the educators did not learn in college and refused to learn through a demand letter, they will now learn in court.
Today Liberty Counsel filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Victory Through Jesus Ministry Foundation against Lee’s Summit School District. Victory Through Jesus Ministry Foundation offers Victory Soccer Camp (VSC), a Christian summer sports camp program, throughout the Midwest.
The District refused to include the soccer camp’s flyers along with other information given to students about community activities for youth and discriminated against VSC by allowing other nonprofit organizations, including another local soccer program, to be promoted through take-home flyers placed in the students’ backpacks.
The District’s censorship of the camp’s flyers is unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and violates the First Amendment when it discriminates against certain after-school programs on the basis of the program’s sponsor.
Religious speech is not an orphan to the First Amendment. These are simple and settled concepts. What the educators did not learn in college and refused to learn through a demand letter, they will now learn in court.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Worldwide Flood, Worldwide Evidence
When the Bible refers to a worldwide Flood in Genesis 7–8, that’s exactly what it means. Not local, not metaphorical, not some crazy dream—the waters covered the whole earth. Don’t just take our word for it, though. Take a look at the evidence right beneath your feet.
Evidence 1. Fossils of sea creatures high above sea level due to the ocean waters having flooded over the continents
We find fossils of sea creatures in rock layers that cover all the continents. For example, most of the rock layers in the walls of Grand Canyon (more than a mile above sea level) contain marine fossils. Fossilized shellfish are even found in the Himalayas.
Focus in: High & Dry Sea Creatures
Evidence 2. Rapid burial of plants and animals
We find extensive fossil “graveyards” and exquisitely preserved fossils. For example, billions of nautiloid fossils are found in a layer within the Redwall Limestone of Grand Canyon. This layer was deposited catastrophically by a massive flow of sediment (mostly lime sand). The chalk and coal beds of Europe and the United States, and the fish, ichthyosaurs, insects, and other fossils all around the world, testify of catastrophic destruction and burial.
Focus in: The World’s a Graveyard
Evidence 3. Rapidly deposited sediment layers spread across vast areas
We find rock layers that can be traced all the way across continents—even between continents—and physical features in those strata indicate they were deposited rapidly. For example, the Tapeats Sandstone and Redwall Limestone of Grand Canyon can be traced across the entire United States, up into Canada, and even across the Atlantic Ocean to England. The chalk beds of England (the white cliffs of Dover) can be traced across Europe into the Middle East and are also found in the Midwest of the United States and in Western Australia. Inclined (sloping) layers within the Coconino Sandstone of Grand Canyon are testimony to 10,000 cubic miles of sand being deposited by huge water currents within days.
Focus in: Transcontinental Rock Layers
Evidence 4. Sediment transported long distances
We find that the sediments in those widespread, rapidly deposited rock layers had to be eroded from distant sources and carried long distances by fast-moving water. For example, the sand for the Coconino Sandstone of Grand Canyon (Arizona) had to be eroded and transported from the northern portion of what is now the United States and Canada. Furthermore, water current indicators (such as ripple marks) preserved in rock layers show that for “300 million years” water currents were consistently flowing from northeast to southwest across all of North and South America, which, of course, is only possible over weeks during a global Flood.
Focus in: Sand Transported Cross Country
Evidence 5. Rapid or no erosion between strata
We find evidence of rapid erosion, or even of no erosion, between rock layers. Flat, knife-edge boundaries between rock layers indicate continuous deposition of one layer after another, with no time for erosion. For example, there is no evidence of any “missing” millions of years (of erosion) in the flat boundary between two well-known layers of Grand Canyon—the Coconino Sandstone and the Hermit Formation. Another impressive example of flat boundaries at Grand Canyon is the Redwall Limestone and the strata beneath it.
Focus in: No Slow and Gradual Erosion
Evidence 6. Many strata laid down in rapid succession
Rocks do not normally bend; they break because they are hard and brittle. But in many places we find whole sequences of strata that were bent without fracturing, indicating that all the rock layers were rapidly deposited and folded while still wet and pliable before final hardening. For example, the Tapeats Sandstone in Grand Canyon is folded at a right angle (90°) without evidence of breaking. Yet this folding could only have occurred after the rest of the layers had been deposited, supposedly over “480 million years,” while the Tapeats Sandstone remained wet and pliable.
Focus in: Rock Layers Folded, Not Fractured
What now?
The Bible’s history is reliable throughout—from the creation of man from the dust of the ground to the worldwide Flood to the coming of Jesus Christ. But just reading the evidence isn’t enough. The message of salvation founded in the Bible's history is also true, and, God wants us to accept the gift of salvation He freely offers us.
The evidence is real. God has revealed Himself to us in His Word and in His creation (Romans 1:20).
How will you respond?
http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/features/worldwide-flood-evidence
Evidence 1. Fossils of sea creatures high above sea level due to the ocean waters having flooded over the continents
We find fossils of sea creatures in rock layers that cover all the continents. For example, most of the rock layers in the walls of Grand Canyon (more than a mile above sea level) contain marine fossils. Fossilized shellfish are even found in the Himalayas.
Focus in: High & Dry Sea Creatures
Evidence 2. Rapid burial of plants and animals
We find extensive fossil “graveyards” and exquisitely preserved fossils. For example, billions of nautiloid fossils are found in a layer within the Redwall Limestone of Grand Canyon. This layer was deposited catastrophically by a massive flow of sediment (mostly lime sand). The chalk and coal beds of Europe and the United States, and the fish, ichthyosaurs, insects, and other fossils all around the world, testify of catastrophic destruction and burial.
Focus in: The World’s a Graveyard
Evidence 3. Rapidly deposited sediment layers spread across vast areas
We find rock layers that can be traced all the way across continents—even between continents—and physical features in those strata indicate they were deposited rapidly. For example, the Tapeats Sandstone and Redwall Limestone of Grand Canyon can be traced across the entire United States, up into Canada, and even across the Atlantic Ocean to England. The chalk beds of England (the white cliffs of Dover) can be traced across Europe into the Middle East and are also found in the Midwest of the United States and in Western Australia. Inclined (sloping) layers within the Coconino Sandstone of Grand Canyon are testimony to 10,000 cubic miles of sand being deposited by huge water currents within days.
Focus in: Transcontinental Rock Layers
Evidence 4. Sediment transported long distances
We find that the sediments in those widespread, rapidly deposited rock layers had to be eroded from distant sources and carried long distances by fast-moving water. For example, the sand for the Coconino Sandstone of Grand Canyon (Arizona) had to be eroded and transported from the northern portion of what is now the United States and Canada. Furthermore, water current indicators (such as ripple marks) preserved in rock layers show that for “300 million years” water currents were consistently flowing from northeast to southwest across all of North and South America, which, of course, is only possible over weeks during a global Flood.
Focus in: Sand Transported Cross Country
Evidence 5. Rapid or no erosion between strata
We find evidence of rapid erosion, or even of no erosion, between rock layers. Flat, knife-edge boundaries between rock layers indicate continuous deposition of one layer after another, with no time for erosion. For example, there is no evidence of any “missing” millions of years (of erosion) in the flat boundary between two well-known layers of Grand Canyon—the Coconino Sandstone and the Hermit Formation. Another impressive example of flat boundaries at Grand Canyon is the Redwall Limestone and the strata beneath it.
Focus in: No Slow and Gradual Erosion
Evidence 6. Many strata laid down in rapid succession
Rocks do not normally bend; they break because they are hard and brittle. But in many places we find whole sequences of strata that were bent without fracturing, indicating that all the rock layers were rapidly deposited and folded while still wet and pliable before final hardening. For example, the Tapeats Sandstone in Grand Canyon is folded at a right angle (90°) without evidence of breaking. Yet this folding could only have occurred after the rest of the layers had been deposited, supposedly over “480 million years,” while the Tapeats Sandstone remained wet and pliable.
Focus in: Rock Layers Folded, Not Fractured
What now?
The Bible’s history is reliable throughout—from the creation of man from the dust of the ground to the worldwide Flood to the coming of Jesus Christ. But just reading the evidence isn’t enough. The message of salvation founded in the Bible's history is also true, and, God wants us to accept the gift of salvation He freely offers us.
The evidence is real. God has revealed Himself to us in His Word and in His creation (Romans 1:20).
How will you respond?
http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/features/worldwide-flood-evidence
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST
Most of us have probably heard or indeed had the occasion to repeat the so-called Apostles’ Creed. Here is the language as found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried:
He descended into hell;
The third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholic Church;
The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins;
The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.
You will note I have put Suffered under Pontius Pilate in bold print, as it seems to suggest, that this was the extent of Jesus’ suffering prior to the cross. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality suffering was part and partial of his earthly ministry. Here is a listing of some of the sufferings he endured:
THE SUFFERINGS ENDURED BY JESUS CHRIST
Rejected
— By his nation (Jn. 1:11)
— By his hometown (Lk. 4:28-29)
— By his friends (Mk. 3:21)
— By his family (Jn. 7:5)
Tempted
— By Satan (Lk. 4:1-2, 13; 22:28)
Ridiculed
— Because of his hometown (Jn. 1:46; 7:52)
— Because of his background (Jn. 8:41; 9:24, 29)
Threatened
— By Herod (Mt. 2:16)
— By his hometown (Lk. 4:29)
— By the Jews
± Because he healed on the Sabbath (Jn. 5:16; Lk. 6:10-11)
± Because of his claims (Jn. 8:58-59; 10:30-33)
± Because of his sermons (Jn. 8:40; Lk. 11:53-54; Mk. 12:12; Mt. 26:1-4)
± Because of his miracles (Jn. 11:53; see also Jn. 12:10)
— By the devil (Mt. 26:37-38; Mk. 14:33-34; Lk. 22:44)
Homeless
— (Mt. 8:20)
Betrayed
— By a follower (Jn. 13:21)
Denied
— By a friend (Mt. 26:58, 69-75; Mk. 14:54, 66-72; Lk. 22:54-62; Jn. 18:15-18, 25-27)
Misunderstood
— By his disciples (Mt. 15:16; 17:6-11; Mk. 6:52; Jn. 10:6; 12:16)
Forsaken
— By all (Mt. 26:56)
Misquoted
— (Mt. 26:61)
Tried
— Illegally seven times:
± First trial, before Annas (Jn. 18:12-14, 19-24)
± Second trial, before Caiaphas (Mt. 26:57-68; Mk. 14:53-65)
± Third trial, before the Sanhedrin (Mt. 27:1-2; Mk. 15:1; Lk. 22:66-23:1)
± Fourth trial, before Pilate (Jn. 18:28-38; Mt. 27:2, 11-14; Mk. 15:1-5;
Lk. 23:13-25)
± Fifth trial, before Herod (Lk. 23:7-12)
± Sixth trial, before Pilate (Jn. 18:39-19:16; Mt. 27:15-26; Mk. 15:6-15;
Lk. 23:13-25)
± Seventh trial, before the Roman soldiers (Mt. 27:27-31; Mk. 15:16-20)
Indicted
— On false charges (Lk. 23:1-2)
Mocked
— By Roman soldiers (Lk. 23:36-37; Mk. 15:16-20)
— By the watching crowd (Lk. 23:35)
— By the chief priests (Mk. 15:31)
— By the two thieves (Mk. 15:32; Mt. 27:44)
Tortured
— Slapped (Jn. 18:22)
— Blindfolded (Lk. 22:64)
— Spit upon (Mt. 26:67)
— Buffeted (Mt. 26:67)
— Scourged (Mt. 27:26)
— Pierced with thorns (Mt. 27:29)
— Struck upon the head (Mt. 27:30)
Crucified
— (Matt. 27; Mk. 15; Luke 23; John 19
Copyright©2009 by Dr. H. L. Willmington
Dean, Willmington School of the Bible
Liberty University
I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried:
He descended into hell;
The third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholic Church;
The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins;
The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.
You will note I have put Suffered under Pontius Pilate in bold print, as it seems to suggest, that this was the extent of Jesus’ suffering prior to the cross. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality suffering was part and partial of his earthly ministry. Here is a listing of some of the sufferings he endured:
THE SUFFERINGS ENDURED BY JESUS CHRIST
Rejected
— By his nation (Jn. 1:11)
— By his hometown (Lk. 4:28-29)
— By his friends (Mk. 3:21)
— By his family (Jn. 7:5)
Tempted
— By Satan (Lk. 4:1-2, 13; 22:28)
Ridiculed
— Because of his hometown (Jn. 1:46; 7:52)
— Because of his background (Jn. 8:41; 9:24, 29)
Threatened
— By Herod (Mt. 2:16)
— By his hometown (Lk. 4:29)
— By the Jews
± Because he healed on the Sabbath (Jn. 5:16; Lk. 6:10-11)
± Because of his claims (Jn. 8:58-59; 10:30-33)
± Because of his sermons (Jn. 8:40; Lk. 11:53-54; Mk. 12:12; Mt. 26:1-4)
± Because of his miracles (Jn. 11:53; see also Jn. 12:10)
— By the devil (Mt. 26:37-38; Mk. 14:33-34; Lk. 22:44)
Homeless
— (Mt. 8:20)
Betrayed
— By a follower (Jn. 13:21)
Denied
— By a friend (Mt. 26:58, 69-75; Mk. 14:54, 66-72; Lk. 22:54-62; Jn. 18:15-18, 25-27)
Misunderstood
— By his disciples (Mt. 15:16; 17:6-11; Mk. 6:52; Jn. 10:6; 12:16)
Forsaken
— By all (Mt. 26:56)
Misquoted
— (Mt. 26:61)
Tried
— Illegally seven times:
± First trial, before Annas (Jn. 18:12-14, 19-24)
± Second trial, before Caiaphas (Mt. 26:57-68; Mk. 14:53-65)
± Third trial, before the Sanhedrin (Mt. 27:1-2; Mk. 15:1; Lk. 22:66-23:1)
± Fourth trial, before Pilate (Jn. 18:28-38; Mt. 27:2, 11-14; Mk. 15:1-5;
Lk. 23:13-25)
± Fifth trial, before Herod (Lk. 23:7-12)
± Sixth trial, before Pilate (Jn. 18:39-19:16; Mt. 27:15-26; Mk. 15:6-15;
Lk. 23:13-25)
± Seventh trial, before the Roman soldiers (Mt. 27:27-31; Mk. 15:16-20)
Indicted
— On false charges (Lk. 23:1-2)
Mocked
— By Roman soldiers (Lk. 23:36-37; Mk. 15:16-20)
— By the watching crowd (Lk. 23:35)
— By the chief priests (Mk. 15:31)
— By the two thieves (Mk. 15:32; Mt. 27:44)
Tortured
— Slapped (Jn. 18:22)
— Blindfolded (Lk. 22:64)
— Spit upon (Mt. 26:67)
— Buffeted (Mt. 26:67)
— Scourged (Mt. 27:26)
— Pierced with thorns (Mt. 27:29)
— Struck upon the head (Mt. 27:30)
Crucified
— (Matt. 27; Mk. 15; Luke 23; John 19
Copyright©2009 by Dr. H. L. Willmington
Dean, Willmington School of the Bible
Liberty University
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
"Man is the master of his own destiny!"
If man is in total control of his future, then he should at least be in control of his own body. Instead, he is subject to involuntary yawning, sneezing, breathing, swallowing, sleeping, salivating, dreaming, blinking, and thinking. He can’t even control hair and nail growth. He automatically does these things, irrespective of his will. God has set his body in motion and there is little he can do about it. He also has minimal control over his daily bodily functions. His kidneys, bladder, intestines, heart, liver, lungs, etc., work independently of his will. It is ludicrous to say that man controls his future when he has trouble predicting the stock market, political outcomes, earthquakes, and even the weather, let alone having control over these things.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Double Standard on the Problem of Evil
If the truth were known, we do not judge disasters based on unprejudiced moral assessment, but rather on what is painful, awkward, or inconvenient for us. We don't ask, "Where is God?" when our pleasure comes at the price of another's pain (e.g., when our adultery destroys a marriage and the lives of the children involved).
The reason is we don't want God sniffing around the darker recesses of our own evil conduct. Instead, we fight intervention when any evil that God allows brings us personal benefit. We don't really want Him stopping us from hurting others; we only cry foul when He doesn't stop others from hurting us.
by Gregory Koukl
The reason is we don't want God sniffing around the darker recesses of our own evil conduct. Instead, we fight intervention when any evil that God allows brings us personal benefit. We don't really want Him stopping us from hurting others; we only cry foul when He doesn't stop others from hurting us.
by Gregory Koukl
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