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Death In The Rearview Mirror

Death In The Rearview Mirror

I had a new life experience last week — a brush with death. I was on my way from school to meet with my son-in-law Jake and friend Brandon at a Starbucks in West Des Moines.  Torrential rain was making visibility a bit difficult, but not impossible.  I...
Death In The Rearview Mirror

Easter 2009

Who is Christ? The Son of God the Everlasting Father. He is fully Man and fully God! He is unique in His Being, His Glory, His Sacrifice, His Love, His Grace, His Power, His Eternal Presence! He died so that we could have eternal life! We know this is true because three days later, after He was crucified and buried, He rose from the grave and appeared to many witnesses! And we can look forward to rising from our own graves because He has promised it and shown He has the power to make it true! He is ALIVE!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Christ not only died for us and our sins, he also [...]
Death In The Rearview Mirror

Good Friday: The Day That Changed The World

  • July 4. 1776: British Colonies In America Declare Independence
  • August 12, 1861: Southern Rebels Attack Fort Sumter
  • December 7, 1941: Japan Attacks US at Pearl Harbor
  • September 11, 2001: Terrorists Fly Jets Into World Trade Center

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Listed above are some of the key events in the history of the United States that signaled the beginning of war. One could make a similar list of events related to events signaling the beginnings of economic turmoil. Others that signaled the beginnings of territorial expansion and industrial advances. None holds a candle to the day we celebrate today. Today is the day that signaled the beginning of peace between God and Man. The beginning of a greater war for our hearts. The beginning of a new level of relationship with God. Good Friday is called "good" because this is the day that Jesus Christ, God and Man in one, died on a cross to pay the price for all of our sins. Pope Benedict stated today in his Good Friday remarks that Jesus was unique in that he impacted the world not by taking the lives of others, but by allowing his own life to be taken for the sake of others. I cannot imagine the pain that Jesus experience, both physical and emotional, as [...]
Death In The Rearview Mirror

Christians and the Sphere of the State

Reprinted from The Iowa Family Policy Center Blog, with permission.
Hugh Hewitt recently interviewed theologian J.P. Moreland on the evangelical understanding (or lack there of) of being a responsible Christian citizen in our democratic republic. Moreland, who has written extensively on Christian truth in the public square, had this to say: "Being involved in politics is not unchristian. In fact, it’s a part of our calling as Christians. Why? Because we are supposed to do good to all people including the household of faith. And to do good to all people means establishing just laws and a just and a stable social order. And that’s the job of the state. It’s political. So the first thing a pastor should do and the Church should do is to enlist people like the dickens to be involved in the political process and vote. It is unconscionable that we have these rights, and that we have an obligation as disciples of Jesus to try to bring goodness and truth to society, that we don’t use all means available to promote just laws and a just and stable social order through the political process. And so voting is absolutely critical." In addition to
Christmas Greetings

Christmas Greetings

Yes, we've been out of pocket for a few weeks now. After returning from family matters, work (yes, I have a real job) was a bit overwhelming for many reasons. At any rate, we hope that the new year will provide us both more opportutnity to share daily thoughts and to begin expanding the focus of The Conservative Reader to more principled discussions. Tonight and tomorrow many of us will be visiting our local churches to share in celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our family will be worshiping this evening. Three things to share today.

The First Amendment

Thank God for the freedom in our society, as declared by the wisdom of the founders of our country, to worship freely as we see fit, or not to worship at all. I'm sure that some of the motivation behind this right comes from the surprising amount of diversity and infighting among different groups (denominations) who all profess to worship the same Christ, and the history of violence of government against those who do not worship the government's official "church". And yet I'm also confident that the generation that established our Bill of Rights also perceived the need to protect any who chose to worship other than the norm, including Jewish, Islam, Native American religions, Oriental religions, or none at all. This is a precious freedom, and one of a handful that if we ever [...]
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