17 Yr. Old Speaker, Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rally, Athens, GA

17 Yr. Old Speaker, Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rally, Athens, GA

 

Upcoming Film 'Hellbound?' Explores Ugly Debate on Hell

By Lillian Kwon , Christian Post Reporter

June 8, 2012|11:29 am

 

When it comes to the debate on hell, Kevin Miller sees nothing short of an ugly battle where Christians tend to dehumanize those who disagree with their views and show little humility.

"Something that tends to happen during these debates is that certain beliefs or doctrines ... become a sort of litmus test to help determine insiders and outsiders, to help people figure out 'are you one of us or one of them?'" the filmmaker observed.

Miller – whose previous work includes "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" with Ben Stein – is the writer and director of an upcoming documentary titled "Hellbound?" and in it he explores the many questions and the even greater number of beliefs people hold in regards to hell.

Along with theologians and pastors – including Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church and Brian McLaren – the documentary features heavy metal musicians, exorcists and people who claimed to have seen hell firsthand.

But this isn't just an academic discussion or a matter of... Read full article... Upcoming Film 'Hellbound?' Explores Ugly Debate on Hell

'For Greater Glory' Makes Box Office Top 10

'For Greater Glory' Makes Box Office Top 10 http://www.charismanews.com/culture/33567-for-greater-glory-makes-box-office-top-10 http://www.charismanews.com/component/content/?view=featured  Sun, 10 Jun 2012 19:00:00 GMT  

For Greater Glory earned more than $1.8 million on only 757 screens over its opening weekend--good enough for the No. 10 spot in overall box office for all films in release.

The film from Dos Corazones Productions, distributed by ARC Entertainment, finished at No. 5 in per-screen average among the top 10 at $2,378 per screen. (Read the Movie Guide review here).

For Greater Glory brings the brutal truth of the Cristiada to the big screen with vivid accuracy. Academy Award nominee Andy Garcia and Golden Globe winner Eva Longoria lead a stellar multinational cast that includes legendary Oscar® winner Peter O'Toole, rapidly rising star Oscar Isaac (DRIVE), recording star and actor Ruben Blades (SAFE HOUSE), Bruce Greenwood (STAR TREK, SUPER 8), Nestor Carbonell (THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, "Lost"), Bruce McGill (LINCOLN), Santiago Cabrera ("Heroes," CHE), Oscar®-nominated Catalina Sandino Moreno (MARIA FULL OF GRACE), and Eduardo Verástegui (BELLA). FOR GREATER GLORY also features teenager Muricio Kuri in a stunning portrayal of Blessed José Sanchez del Rio, who joined the Cristeros at 14 and served as a flag bearer before being martyred by Calles' Federales.

For Greater Glory opened its second week in theaters on Saturday, with a significant number of holdover markets being supplemented by opening in additional markets. Moviegoers around the country had a chance to continue supporting this film beginning on the day of the nation’s second round of rallies for religious freedom.

Social media has been alive with posts about the film from those who saw For Greater Glory over opening weekend. Here are samples of the posts that have appeared over the weekend on Facebook and Twitter.

Monica Aguilar wrote: "Just saw the movie with my mom and husband. We all loved it. It was very moving and inspiring. The theatre was almost full and the audience was really attentive. At the end, everyone applauded and even yelled, 'Viva Cristo Rey! Que Viva!' It was outstanding!"

Hank Keller wrote "An excellent & timely movie!!! We took the family to see the 10:40PM showing at Rave Motion Pictures at the Jefferson Pointe Mall in Fort Wayne. (The closest location we could find--71 miles) It is well worth the time & effort. Don't be afraid of the R rating if you took your children to see For Greater Glory."

What the Psalms Do

What the Psalms Do http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DGBlog/~3/gvpwe3bNVS0/what-the-psalms-do   http://www.desiringgod.org/blog  Sun, 10 Jun 2012 09:00:00 GMT  

From Pastor John's sermon, “Songs that Shape the Heart and Mind” (May 25, 2008):

If you read the Psalms only for doctrine, you’re not reading them for what they are. They are psalms, songs, poetry. They’re musical, and the reason human beings express truth with music and poetry is to awaken and express emotions that fit the truth.

One of the reasons the Psalms are deeply loved by so many Christians is that they give expression to an amazing array of emotions. Listen to this list of emotions I pulled together:

1. Loneliness: “I am lonely and afflicted” (Psalms 25:16).
2. Love: “I love you, O Lord, my strength” (Psalms 18:1).
3. Awe: “Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him” (Psalms 33:8).
4. Sorrow: “My life is spent with sorrow” (Psalms 31:10).
5. Regret: “I am sorry for my sin” (Psalms 38:18).
6. Contrition: “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalms 51:17).
7. Discouragement and turmoil: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me” (Psalms 42:5)?
8. Shame: “Shame has covered my face” (Psalms 44:15).
9. Exultation: “In your salvation how greatly he exults” (Psalms 21:1).
10. Marveling: “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalms 118:23).
11. Delight: “His delight is in the law of the Lord” (Psalms 1:2).
12. Joy: “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound” (Psalms 4:7).
13. Gladness: “I will be glad and exult in you” (Psalms 9:2).
14. Fear: “Serve the Lord with fear” (Psalms 2:11).
15. Anger: “Be angry, and do not sin” (Psalms 4:4).
16. Peace: “In peace I will both lie down and sleep” (Psalms 4:8).
17. Grief: “My eye wastes away because of grief” (Psalms 6:7).
18. Desire: “O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted” (Psalms 10:17).
19. Hope: “Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you” (Psalms 33:22).
20. Brokenheartedness: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalms 34:18).
21. Gratitude: “I will thank you in the great congregation” (Psalms 35:18).
22. Zeal: “Zeal for your house has consumed me” (Psalms 69:9).
23. Pain: “I am afflicted and in pain” (Psalms 69:29).
24. Confidence: “Though war arise against me, yet I will be confident” (Psalms 27:3).

More explicitly than all the other books in the Bible, the Psalms are designed to awaken and shape our emotions in line with the instruction they give. What happens when you read and sing the Psalms the way they are intended to be read and sung is that your emotions and your mind are shaped by these psalms.

What is the New Atheism?

Question: "What is the New Atheism?"

Answer: The early 21st century has seen secularism and atheism promoted throughout the Western world with an ever-increasing vigor and militancy. This has led to the emergence of the “new atheists,” notable members of which include best-selling authors such as Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens.

The contention of the new atheists is, obviously, that there is no God. Adherents to the philosophy of new atheism believe that blind, natural forces are responsible for all of reality which we perceive. The new atheists do not restrict themselves to a passive disbelief. Rather, they are actively engaged in admonishing others to follow suit, to declare their non-belief in God, and to take the necessary steps to rid the world of religious belief and practice. As outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins puts it in The God Delusion, “I do everything in my power to warn people against faith itself.”

An ironic feature of the new atheism is its strong faith in the inferiority of... "Read more: What is the New Atheism?

Why does unbelief appear to be increasing in the world today?

Question: "Why does unbelief appear to be increasing in the world today?"

Answer: Studies show that unbelief is indeed on the rise these days. We are living in increasingly secular times and, unfortunately, those who do not believe in the truth of Scripture often seem to have the loudest voices in the public domain. Skeptics are becoming bolder and more vocal, and their influence is seen in education, entertainment, court systems, and government. They have made significant progress toward their goal of having God’s name entirely removed from the public realm.

Add to this the fact that we are living in what some call the most “biblically illiterate times,” and it’s apparent why unbelief is on the rise and why moral standards continue to deteriorate. Other factors include the pervasiveness of secular humanism; the church’s halfhearted adherence to the hard truths God’s Word; the significant growth of New Age and Eastern religions; the attempts to redefine the family; the postmodern rejection of absolutes; and the aggressive rise of the New Atheists.

The bottom line is this... Read more: Why does unbelief appear to be increasing in the world today?

This day in WND History: June 3

ARE YOU SERIOUS… LOL! OMG!

This day in WND History: June 3WNDhttp://www.wnd.com/2012/06/this-day-in-wnd-history-june-3/

 

Was Jesus Christ really a woman?

June 3, 2005: A publisher of a new version of the Gospels, based on Thomas Jefferson’s selective editing of the New Testament, went one step further and changed the gender of the Messiah to female and named her Judith Christ.

The new version, according to the publisher, revised familiar stories, tranforming the “Prodigal Son” into the “Prodigal Daughter” and the “Lord’s Prayer” into the “Lady’s Prayer.” The familiar passage on the crucifixion, from John 19:17-18, was changed to read: “And She bearing her cross went forth. There they crucified Judith.”

Amazon.com readers, posting their reviews of the new Gospel, were not amused. One read:

“A friend with a Hebrew doctorate noted to me: ‘There is no feminine form of the name Jesus (or Joshua). Judith is the feminine form of the name Juda – or Judas.’ How perfectly fitting!”

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This day in WND History: June 3
-NO AUTHOR-
Sun, 03 Jun 2012 04:05:30 GMT

Rush Limbaugh raves about must-see new film

Rush Limbaugh raves about must-see new filmWND » Drew Zahnhttp://www.wnd.com/2012/06/rush-limbaugh-raves-over-must-see-new-film/

 

Radio host Rush Limbaugh raved on his show today about a new film opening this weekend, not only calling it a clear parallel to the fight for religious freedom under the Obama administration, but also pondering, “When’s the last movie you saw, a mainstream Hollywood movie, that was pro-Catholic or pro-Christianity?”

The movie, “For Greater Glory,” tells the true story of 1926 Mexico, when Marxist and atheist Mexican President Plutarco Elias Calles passed a series of dictates crushing religious liberty, prompting Los Cristeros, the Men of Christ, and the Feminine Brigades of St. Joan of Arc rose up to defend the Catholic Church.

Facing execution under Calles’ rule, all the Cristeros had to do to escape death was to deny Christ. Instead, their rallying cry was “Viva Cristo Rey!” – “Long live Christ the King!”

Limbaugh told his listeners the film’s epic story couldn’t be more suited to the times – not only 1926, but 2012.

“It’s eerie,” Limbaugh said. “The people that produced the movie and made it could not possibly have known at the time that they started this project that when their movie came out there would be a parallel to the Obama administration’s war on the Catholic Church in America in 2012.”

“Now, don’t anybody misunderstand here. What happened in Mexico is not what’s happening here in terms of the violence,” Limbaugh clarified. “But the effort to run roughshod over religious freedom as a part of Obamacare is a close parallel.”

Limbaugh was referring to mandates by Obama and his administration that organizations must provide contraceptive and abortion insurance coverage for their employees, even if it violates the employer’s religious beliefs. A number of Catholic organizations have launched legal challenges to Obama’s orders.

“These devout Catholics are fighting a leader of the country who has issued a mandate,” Limbaugh said of the film. “The first thing in the movie is he issues a mandate to take from them their religious freedom and to destroy the church. It’s his ticket to total control over the country, is to take away Catholic religious freedom.”

Limbaugh continued, “There are parallels to the attack on the Catholic Church today, to this movie. It’s pronounced.”

But Limbaugh also praised the film for more than its political content.

“It’s about the honor and character, the devotion to beliefs of people who are committed to their God,” Limbaugh said of the film. “It’s as moving as it could be, and it’s so unexpected. When’s the last movie you saw, a mainstream Hollywood movie, that was pro-Catholic or pro-Christianity?”

Speaking of the movie’s lead actor, Andy Garcia, Limbaugh said, “It’s such a departure for a major Hollywood star to take on a role that promotes Christianity, that does not impugn it, laugh at it, make fun of it. It promotes it.”

Limbaugh’s comments can be read in the transcript on his website.

A theatrical trailer for “For Greater Glory” can be seen below:

Rush Limbaugh raves about must-see new film
Drew Zahn
Sat, 02 Jun 2012 01:16:34 GMT

Evolution’s End? President Obama Calls for Same-Sex Marriage

Evolution’s End? President Obama Calls for Same-Sex MarriageAlbertMohler.comhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlbertMohlersBlog/~3/-JhKaObeWIg/

 

Is President Obama’s “evolution” on same sex marriage finally complete? His call for the legalization of same-sex marriage yesterday is an historic and tragic milestone. An incumbent President of the United States has now called for a transformation of civilization’s central institution. And yet, no observer of this President could be surprised. The arrival of this announcement was only a matter of time.

The White House confirmed this within hours of the President’s announcement. As The New York Times reported on May 10, “Advisers say now that Mr. Obama had intended since early this year to define his position sometime before Democrats nominate him for re-election in September.”

Previous news reports indicated that the 2012 platform for the Democratic Party would likely include a call for same-sex marriage. The pressure was on the White House, with the President caught in an awkward and embarrassing situation in which major figures on both sides of the controversy believed that his public position did not reflect his true convictions. Keep Reading

Evolution’s End? President Obama Calls for Same-Sex Marriage
Albert Mohler
Thu, 10 May 2012 06:47:08 GMT

"Change Your Clothes"

"Change Your Clothes"Desiring God Bloghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DGBlog/~3/l0wCx-U-LeM/change-your-clothes

 

What is the first thing Jesus says to us when we enter his school? Answer: Ephesians 4 verses 22–24 (my literal translation):

Put off the old person [or: old self; or: old man] which accords with the former way of life and which is corrupted in accord with the desires of deceit. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And put on the new person which was created in accordance with God in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

And so after you hear the voice of Christ and are made alive and brought to faith in him and enter into his school to let him teach you how to live, the first thing he says to you is: "change your clothes." Take off the old person and put on the new person.

Read or listen to the entire sermon, "Put on the New Person" (1986).

"Change Your Clothes"
Josh Etter
Sun, 03 Jun 2012 00:14:00 GMT

10 Ways Fear Robs Me

10 Ways Fear Robs MeThe Resurgencehttp://feeds.theresurgence.com/~r/TheResurgence/~3/HXstQekaViI/10-ways-fear-robs-me

I’m afraid of you. 
No, really.
I believe that people have power over me. Power to wound, expose, shame, injure, and expect something I’ll never be able to deliver. The thought of disappointing you all makes me want to run and hide. I am caught between the rock of their approval and the hard place of their rejection. 
I’ve sought refuge under the radar. My fear robs me daily. Here are 10 ways it does so.

1. Fear Robs Me of Experiencing God’s Favor

I’m way more concerned about what people think of me. Pleasing people is my goal and although it’s an ever-moving target, I keep trying to hit the bull’s-eye of their approval. If people compliment me, I exhaust myself making sure I never disappoint people—or I give up entirely. I must know what they think.

2. Fear Robs Me of Hearing God’s Voice

When things go well, when I receive accolades, I miss God’s kind and tender, “Well done,” believing that it simply can’t be true. My ears are tuned to their thoughts and opinions—they’ve become my standard. When God lovingly rebukes me, I run back to their latest compliments and feed on them for a while.

3. Fear Robs Me of Honoring and Obeying God’s Leading

When I receive direction in prayer or conviction through a sermon or sense the Holy Spirit while reading my Bible, I feel a momentary call, a renewed vision, a rush of freedom that encourages me to step out in faith. But if I do that, people will judge me, so I wait, rethink, and conclude that what I heard was probably just my own thoughts and ideas anyway. 

4. Fear Robs My Trust in God

I take great measures to ensure that I am safe from what people can do to me. My family’s health and behavior, my job, daily inconveniences, schedules, unpredictable relationships, even my pain—these must all be managed. It is all within my power to control. I am risk-averse. Circumstances are better determined by a spin doctor than the great physician, Jesus.

5. Fear Robs Me of Pursuing Conflict Resolution

Relationships wither as I refuse to address sin and allow its consequences to flourish. Prickly sinful patterns go unchallenged and I only hang out with those who “get” me. I’m certain that people won’t respond lovingly so I avoid building intimacy.

6. Fear Robs Me of Receiving Correction

I don’t trust people because I’m sure their words will hurt me. I miss the comfort of familiar lies. I internalize the worst interpretation possible and focus on my perception of reality. I prefer my own exaggerated version of events. What will they think of me if I’m wrong? Admitting I don’t know or saying I’m sorry just looks weak.

7. Fear Robs Me of Being Fully Known in Community

Exposure threatens my carefully crafted exterior. If I let people get close to me they’ll hurt me. Self-protection ensures my identity stays intact. Intimacy and deeper relationships are for other people. Opportunities to serve people should leave them in my debt. Isolation is my friend. 

8. Fear Robs Me of Gratitude and Joy

If I focus on resentment, I can remain entitled. If I’m too grateful for something it will be taken away. Childlike joy isn’t very dignified and my dignity is fragile.

9. Fear Robs Me of My Voice

I doubt that God could speak through the Holy Spirit in me. I cease to encourage or exhort others in case it’s not well received. I neglect opportunities to speak out in faith because I fear their evaluation, their disagreement, or their mockery.

10. Fear Robs Me of Rest and Peace

I’m so consumed with self-recrimination that my daytimes and my dreams are filled with mental tossing. I re-evaluate and reassess my words and actions. I’m defensive and irritable, under pressure to succeed.
I am convicted of how often I have found comfort in their commendation instead of the Holy Spirit’s conviction and I wonder, How can God stand to know that I have chosen to worship you instead of him? How can I be in his presence and confess that I’ve loved your approval more than his? That your words are louder than his voice? Oh Lord, forgive me for my unfaithfulness.

How Has Fear Robbed You?

You may feel exposed just talking about it. We hate to admit our idolatry, but our fear has cost us, and the wages of our sin is death. We chose slavery and condemnation when we chose to please man—all the while God offers the free gift of life in Christ (Rom. 6:23). As Paul says to the Galatians, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Those who fear man are described in Jeremiah 17 as parched wasteland, a picture of spiritual poverty and in John 12 the fearful authorities loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. We are glory thieves, and the struggle to escape this deception is not new.

Here Is Mercy

But here is mercy: “the fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” True comfort is found in the kind discipline of my heavenly Father, who I can trust completely. I worship him because, like David, I would rather fall into the hands of the living God than into the hands of man (2 Sam. 24:14). I love his correction, his approval, his guidance, and his voice. In learning to worship him, I have found freedom from the demands of man. He takes all my sin and fear and replaces it with holy fear of him. People, whom my flesh fears, exert power over me no longer.
Joyfully, the gospel tells us that for those who are in Christ, there is no condemnation—we’ve been set free in Jesus from the law of sin and death. All who are led by the Spirit of God are no longer slaves but sons. As it says in Romans, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry ‘Abba! Father!’”
No longer in bondage to each other, we are liberated to serve a kind Father who has made it possible in Jesus for us to do so: fearlessly.

10 Ways Fear Robs Me
Hilary Tompkins
Fri, 01 Jun 2012 07:00:00 GMT

The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage, Part Two

The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage, Part TwoAlbertMohler.comhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlbertMohlersBlog/~3/i_sGQqq2X-Q/

 

The Christian worldview must direct all consideration of sexuality to the institution of marriage. Marriage is not merely the arena for sexual activity, it is presented in Scripture as the divinely-designed arena for the display of God’s glory on earth as a man and a wife come together in a one-flesh relationship within the marriage covenant. Rightly understood and rightly ordered, marriage is a picture of God’s own covenantal faithfulness. Marriage is to display God’s glory, reveal God’s good gifts to His creatures, and protect human beings from the inevitable disaster that follows when sexual passions are divorced from their rightful place. Keep Reading

The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage, Part Two
Albert Mohler
Fri, 01 Jun 2012 10:58:12 GMT

The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage, Part One

The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage, Part OneAlbertMohler.comhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlbertMohlersBlog/~3/9kfhrAAuCRI/

 

The intersection of pornography and marriage is one of the most problematic issues among many couples today–including Christian couples. The pervasive plague of pornography represents one of the greatest moral challenges faced by the Christian church in the postmodern age. With eroticism woven into the very heart of the culture, celebrated in its entertainment, and advertised as a commodity, it is virtually impossible to escape the pervasive influence of pornography in our culture and in our lives.

At the same time, the problem of human sinfulness is fundamentally unchanged from the time of the Fall until the present. There is no theological basis for assuming that human beings are more lustful, more defenseless before sexual temptation, or more susceptible to the corruption of sexual desire than was the case in any previous generation. Keep Reading

The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage, Part One
Albert Mohler
Tue, 29 May 2012 07:18:12 GMT

Bragging about your good deeds via social media.

Bragging about your good deeds via social media.Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuffhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stuffchristianslikeblog/~3/ipy448yfTh0/

 

It’s guest post Friday!  Here’s one by Alicia Yost. You can check out her blog here and follow her on Twitter @nexttopmom1.  If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!)

Bragging About Your Good Deeds Via Social Media

As Christians, we have a knack at casually mentioning our good deeds while trying not to sound too prideful.  The Bible tells us to be careful not to perform them in front of people, and to not blow trumpets, and I would never do that! Psh, blowing a trumpet every time I do something good? That’s so “look at me!”

No, I wouldn’t ever do anything so hypocritical. I wouldn’t ever let people actually see what I do.  But God never said anything about social media, right? He never said that I couldn’t post my good deeds on Facebook or Twitter! I can announce that I’m fasting, but nobody can see me. And, besides, I put oil on my head and washed my face, so I’m cool.  I wouldn’t be actually bragging about it. I would just be keeping people up to date with what’s going on in my life. I can’t help it if what I’m doing just happens to be a good deed. Besides, maybe it will even inspire people, and that would be a good thing. I will be shining my light. Yeah, that’s it!

The truth is, we do this because we feel proud about what we’re doing, and we want everyone to know how awesome we are.  We think God is looking down at us, smiling and nodding and giving us the thumbs up, and we want everyone to know it! By doing this, we can make non-Christians feel like heathens, while simultaneously making Christians feel guilty and ourselves feel superior. It’s a win-win! I think it should be mandatory to add a tag to our social media posts, which adds an element of truth that explains what we really mean by our status and tweet.

What’s on your mind: ”volunteered at a battered woman’s shelter, donated food to the food bank, and helped an old woman carry her groceries.”  “My heaven stock just went through the roof, yo! Word to the Father!”

What’s happening? “Just boarded the plane to Africa where I will spend the next 3 weeks sleeping on a dirt floor and eating insects.”  “Enjoy your pillow top mattress and lobster tail in hell, kids!”

At least that would be truthful. We’d never admit it, but what we really want is for people to think we are a better person than they are. I hereby publicly plead guilty to this. “I’m changing the world, while you’re changing the channel and sitting on the couch.  I’m a better person. I’m a superior Christian. I care more about the poor than you do. I’m more obedient, therefore I have favor with the Lord and you don’t.  Neener, neener!”

Have you ever bragged about your good deeds via social media? ( I’ll do my best to respond, but I do have to deliver meals on wheels today, send in the check for the child I sponsor in Mozambique, and take my blind mother-in-law to the grocery store.)

For more great writing from Alicia , check out her blog.

Bragging about your good deeds via social media.
jon acuff
Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:00:43 GMT

Thirty Three Things (v. 10)

Thirty Three Things (v. 10)The Gospel Coalition Bloghttp://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/05/31/thirty-three-things-v-10/

 

1. What it means to love the sinner but hate the sin

There are two errors that are often committed in these areas. The conservative error is to reject both the sinner and the sin in the interests of purity and holiness. The liberal error is to minimize or even celebrate the evil of the sin as good in the interests of acceptance, tolerance, and "love."

Augustine helps us to avoid both errors. If we are at pains to legislate against certain types of behavior but are not undertaking evangelistic efforts to convert those who need it most, we engage in Pharisaic legalism. If we do nothing to rebuke sin, we engage in licentious antinomianism.

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2. 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Being a Dad

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3. From 613 to 1

It has been said somewhere that the whole Law, according to the Jews, was given to Moses in 613 precepts, that David reduced them in the fifteenth Psalm to eleven, that Isaiah further diminished them to six, Micah to three, Isaiah in a later passage to two, but Habakkuk condensed all 613 into one: the just shall live by faith.

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4. The Cost Of Being An Unbeatable Evil Overlord

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5. At Clifton's Cafeteria, someone left a light on. For 77 years.

During renovations of the Broadway eatery, a neon lamp that was switched on during the Great Depression is found behind a partition. The owner estimates it's generated more than $17,000 in electric bills.

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6. The Top Four Forgotten Conflicts in American History

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7. What is catnip, and why do felines love it?

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8. 10 Young Adult Books That Scarred Us For Life

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9. The Plant That Hunts Its Prey

Think that plants are just sitting around photosynthesizin', think again: some plants like the parasitic dodder vine actually hunt.

Consuelo De Moraes of Penn State University discovered that the parasitic plant can even sniff out its prey

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10. Top 10 Fascinating Facts About Castles

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11. The Monarchy: More Ancient than Modern

Commentators repeat with regularity the claim that the Queen's greatest achievement, besides simple longevity, is her modernisation of the monarchy. But, says Dan Jones, she still owes a great deal to her medieval predecessors.

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12. Animal Video of the Week: Cantaloupe the Kleptomaniac

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13. What Speed Do You Read?

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14. Is Kansas as flat as a pancake?

While driving across the American Midwest, it is common to hear travelers remark, "This state is as flat as a pancake." To the authors, this adage seems to qualitatively capture some characteristic of a topographic geodetic survey 2. This obvious question "how flat is a pancake" spurned our analytical interest, and we set out to find the 'flatness' of both a pancake and one particular state: Kansas.

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15. New Yorkers drink seven times as much coffee as the rest of us

New Yorkers really love their coffee: They drink 6.7 times as much as do people who live in other major cities. Philadelphians, however, look to be especially partial to pretzels, eating about five times as many as those who live elsewhere, according to the number crunchers at health-care start-up Massive Health.

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16. The Top Ten Botched Escapes from Gilligan's Island

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17. Socrates acquitted in ancient trial re-run

Judges narrowly acquitted Socrates, the philosopher whose teachings earned him a death sentence in ancient Athens, in a retrial Friday billed as a lesson for modern times of revolution and crisis.

Socrates spoke himself at his trial in the fourth century BC, but this time in his absence, a panel of 10 US and European judges heard pleas by top Greek and foreign lawyers at the event at the Onassis Foundation in Athens.

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18. 10 Highbrow Books to Read on the Beach

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19. Do You Really Want to Live Forever?

Cave identifies four immortality narratives that drive civilizations over time which he calls; (1) Staying Alive, (2) Resurrection, (3) Soul, and (4) Legacy. Cave gracefully marches through his four immortality narratives citing examples from history, psychology, and religion up to the modern day. "At its core, a civilization is a collection of life extension technologies: agriculture to ensure food in steady supply, clothing to stave off cold, architecture to provide shelter and safety, better weapons for hunting and defense, and medicine to combat injury and disease," he writes.

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20. Learn Proper Breathing Techniques for Different Exercises to Last Longer with Less Effort

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21. MIT Scientists Develop a Device for Needle-less Injections

MIT scientists are developing a needle-less injection that could make getting a flu shot as painless as a mosquito bite.

The device shoots a tiny, high-pressure jet of medicine through the skin as fast as the speed of sound.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, hospital healthcare workers incur about 385,000 needle-related injuries every year. Meanwhile, fear or discomfort from needles prevents many patients from complying with doctors' orders.

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22. How the 'Hatfields and McCoys' Feud Ruined the Image of Rural America

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23. Analog Father Writes To Digital Son

Your friends will become your surrogate family once the cruel, Darwinian abandonment of your parents and siblings is complete. And by friends, I refer to those rare few people who will bring you soup when you are sick, correct your tendency toward self-aggrandizement and do whatever onerous favors that are the Digital Age equivalent of driving you to the airport. A Facebook friend will not drag you to the health clinic when you develop a mysterious and fast-spreading rash.

(Via: Take Your Vitamin Z)

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24. Infographic of the Week: The Average Person Gets 9,672 Minor Injuries in a Lifetime

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25. It's Not Just You: 'Old Person Smell' Is Real

In a study published today in PLoS One, researchers report that young people aged 20-30 are able to accurately guess when a scent comes from an elderly individual aged 75-95. While study participants were also able to determine when a smell was associated with someone in middle age or in their youth, they were much better at smelling old people than young people

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26. Cracking Your Knuckles Can Give You Arthritis: Science or Myth?

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27. How the Golden Gate Bridge Was Built

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28. How-To of the Week: Turn an Old Cellphone Into a Super Cheap Home Automation System

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29. Anachronisms that aren't actually anachronistic

"Fly" mentioned above is one of my favorites (though it's considered dated by youngsters today -- they'll basically only use it ironically), but one not mentioned so is "crib" (also a bit dated) which has meant something like "house" or "home" since 1600. OED: "A small habitation, cabin, hovel; a narrow room; fig. a confined space. In N.Z. now esp. a small house at the seaside or at a holiday resort."

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30. How Headphones Changed the World

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31. Should We Be More Skeptical of Brain Scan Research?

Imagine you are playing two roulette wheels. Clearly, the result of one doesn't affect the outcome of the other but sometimes they'll both come up with the same number just due to chance. Now imagine you have a roulette wheel for every point or voxel in the brain. A comparison of any two scans could look like some areas show linked activity when really there is no relationship. Ideally, the analysis should separate roulette wheels from genuine activity, but you may be surprised that hundreds if not thousands of studies have been conducted without such corrections.

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32. 10 Fictional Characters People Need to Stop Idolizing

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33. Measuring the Universe: How Astronomers Learned to Measure Celestial Distances

Thirty Three Things (v. 10)
Joe Carter
Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:35:12 GMT

God’s Comfort When You Are Discouraged, Depressed & Fear the Future – Part 1

God’s Comfort When You Are Discouraged, Depressed & Fear the Future – Part 1John Ankerberg Showhttp://www.jashow.org/television-shows/comfort-discouraged-depressed-fear-future-part-1/

 

This Week on
The John Ankerberg Show

Facing the Fear of Death

(CLICK ARCHIVE BUTTON TO WATCH)

At some point, every person faces the fear of death. What does the Bible teach about the proper response to the end of life? Is there information to comfort us as we face our final days?  Joni Eareckson Tada and Michael Easley share the vivid accounts from their own lives about their encounters with death in a way that offers hope and inspiration. God’s Word has played a major role for both of them in responding to life-threating situations. We will learn what verses and principles helped them that can also be of benefit to our lives and to those we help.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER PACKAGE

God’s Comfort When You Are Discouraged, Depressed & Fear the Future – Part 1
ATRI Staff
Sun, 29 Apr 2012 04:00:15 GMT

The Rise of the Ezekiel 38 Nations – Part 3

The Rise of the Ezekiel 38 Nations – Part 3John Ankerberg Showhttp://www.jashow.org/television-shows/rise-ezekiel-38-nations-part-3/

 

This Week on
The John Ankerberg Show

The Roles of Syria & Egypt in the Ezekiel 38 War, Part 2

(CLICK ARCHIVE BUTTON TO WATCH)

On this week’s John Ankerberg Show, Dr. Ankerberg again discusses the Bible’s predicted Ezekiel 38 War and its relationship to the kings of the north and south mentioned in Daniel 11. You’ll learn more about the political events shaping the nations involved in addition to further information regarding the order of end time events discussed in these passages.

The Rise of the Ezekiel 38 Nations – Part 3
ATRI Staff
Sun, 03 Jun 2012 04:00:52 GMT

Liberty Institute Announces Huge Victory: Mojave Desert War Memorial Cross One Step Closer to Being Restored after Being Torn Down

 

A settlement has been reached between the U.S. government and the ACLU, who challenged the veterans memorial cross on Sunrise Hill in California’s Mojave Desert. In 2010, in Salazar v. Buono, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the cross is constitutional, citing Liberty Institute’s brief on behalf of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) twelve times. The Supreme Court also ruled that the lower court erred in striking down the congressional act that would have allowed the exchange of the acre of federal land surrounding the memorial for five acres of privately donated land elsewhere in the preserve. This settlement brings us closer to restoring the simple veterans’ memorial that stood for over 70 years to honor the brave Americans who lost their lives in the name of freedom. Although this settlement ends the ACLU’s lawsuit to tear down the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial, still pending is Liberty Institute’s lawsuit on behalf of the VFW (against the federal government) to ensure the implementation of the land transfer. Learn more about Liberty Institute’s work to preserve religious expression in the public arena, go to www.DontTearMeDown.com.

Liberty Institute Announces Huge Victory: Mojave Desert War Memorial Cross One Step Closer to Being Restored after Being Torn Down
jmccord
Mon, 07 May 2012 19:27:00 GMT

Liberty Institute Defends Students Rights To Pray During Graduation

 

High school graduation ceremonies are almost here, and Liberty Institute is preparing for a nationwide effort to protect the First Amendment rights of high school students. Top students, valedictorians and salutatorians have earned the right to speak to their classmates at graduation ceremonies and many will want to honor God. Some will be hindered, as our client Angela Hildenbrand was last year, when a judge decreed she’d be thrown in jail if she prayed. We won Angela’s right to pray and speak of Christ in her graduation speech. Your gift will help Liberty protect the rights of other students this graduation.  Donate Now

Liberty Institute Defends Students Rights To Pray During Graduation
jmccord
Mon, 07 May 2012 19:27:48 GMT

Elitist Film Critics Sneer at Religious Freedom Epic: 'Catnip for Crusaders' | NewsBusters.org

 

Elitist film critics at several big city papers, Friday, mocked the Christian-themed movie For Greater Glory as "catnip for crusaders," a movie that exploits the struggle for religious freedom with "maximum teary-eyed outrage."

The movie, directed by Dean Wright, tells the story of a Catholic uprising against religious persecution in 1920s Mexico. However, Los Angeles Times film critic Robert Abele sneered, "'For Greater Glory' is mostly single-minded, dying-for-the-cause fodder, catnip for crusaders but not so interesting to those looking for a deeper view into how politics and religion can tragically clash."

Abele huffed, "...The film is ultimately a stodgy, overblown and repetitive slog."

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2012/06/01/elitist-film-critics-sneer-religious-freedom-epic-catnip-crusaders#ixzz1wjLup9ak

Elitist Film Critics Sneer at Religious Freedom Epic: 'Catnip for Crusaders' | NewsBusters.org