Tuesday
WORLDVIEW
LET'S FORGET THE CLINTON-OBAMA
NEWS AND FOCUS ON ONE OF THE
"IN-WORDS"-- WORLDVIEW
There is a long list of socially, politically and even
religiously accepted "in-words," and perhaps the
most useful and understandable is "worldview." The
use of the term "understandable" may be a bit extreme.
This seems such a simple word, until you attempt to
define or explain it.
The American Heritage Dictionary (3rd edition, 1992)
defines it as: "The overall perspective from which
one sees and interprets the world; a collection of
beliefs about life and the universe held by an
individual or a group." Dr. James Sire, a recognized
Christian speaker and author of several Intervarsity
Christian Fellowship books defines our word as, "a set
of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true,
partially true or entirely false) which we hold
(consciously or subconsciously, consistently or
inconsistently) about the basic makeup of our world,"
and suggests that "we should all think in terms of
worldview, that is, with a consciousness not only
of our own way of thought but also that of other
people, so that we can first understand and then
genuinely communicate with others in our
pluralistic society."
Not quite as simple as might be thought, but in its
present, everyday use by Evangelical Christians it has
come to be a goal for international Christian witness --
we should have a world view, and a concern for
those beyond our national shores who need to hear
the Gospel in line with the Great Commission of
Jesus Christ.
At the present moment we have ample opportunity
to adopt and demonstrate our own personal worldview.
There are at least two major disasters affecting
hundreds of thousands of people -- in Myanmar
(Burma) the number of dead nears 100,000, with other
thousands still missing, and with millions homeless,
without shelter, food, water or medical care, and
a heartless despotic government impeding the relief
assistance from countries all over the world. In China
one earthquake follows another, with deaths in the
75,000 range, and the number of buildings destroyed
beyond comprehension, and despite massive efforts
by the government, the task is fast becoming impossible.
Aside from giving to relief agencies who can provide
help, we should hold both of these disasters and the
people affected by them in our prayers for God to help
those who are in such desperate need.
And even within our own nation, tornado destruction,
and the accompanying loss of lives is very real in Iowa,
Minnesota, Oklahoma and throughout the center of
America. Again our gifts and prayers are needed.
One recalls the old motto for fulfilling the Great
Commission: "Some can go . . . others can give . . .
all can pray."
Memorial Day, 2008. We began this week with the
national observance date for Memorial Day when we
remember the members of the nation's military who
have given their lives in defense of our country. One
remembrance message posted on the Internet reminded
us of those who were killed in action in recent wars:
WWI, 1917-1918: 116,516; WWII, 1940-1945:
405,339; Korean War, 1950-1953: 36,568; Viet Nam
War, 1964-1975: 58,203; First Gulf War, 1990-1991:
382; Iraq Freedom War, 2005 - present: 4082. Our
prayers for our military personnel should not be limited
to one day each year, but should be ongoing, as part
of our Christian worldview.
And if the Memorial Day observances stirred your
patriotic feeling, click on this link for a great musical treat:
Defense of Marriage, traditional marriage, that is:
In 1996 President Bill Clinton signed into law the federal
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines
marriage as a legal union between one man and one
woman, and provides that states need not recognize a
marriage from another state between persons of the
same sex. 40 states have their own DOMA, and 26
states have similar definitions of marriage as amendments
to their constitution. To date only two states --
Massachusetts and California -- have by court action
made same-sex marriage legal. In California there is
intense action under way to put the marriage amendment
on the November ballot, which would over-rule the court
action. It is interesting that California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger has put state income above traditional
marriage by stating last week: "I'm wishing everyone
good luck with their marriages and I hope that
California's economy is booming because everyone
is going to come here and get married." The Federal
and State DOMAs follow the teaching of Jesus, "From
the beginning of creation God made them male and
female. For this cause shall a man leave his mother
and father and cleave to his wife." (Mark 10: 6-7)
Among our presidential candidates, opinions vary.
Senator Obama wrote to the lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transsexual (LGBT) community earlier this year,
"I support complete repeal of the Defense of
Marriage Act ... while some say we should repeal
only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of
that statute altogether." Senator Clinton has favored
repeal of part of DOMA, as explained by Ethan Gato,
her senior national adviser, "As several states have
legalized gay marriage ... Senator Clinton has come
to believe that the restrictions imposed by DOMA
on federal government recognition of same-sex
relationships are unfair." On the other side, Senator
McCain voted for DOMA, and last week said on
national TV, "I just believe in the unique status of
marriage between man and woman..." Good facts
to remember when we vote in November.
And from a Founding Father: "The general
principles upon which the Fathers achieved
independence were the general principles of
Christianity ... I will avow that I believed then
and now believe that those general principles of
Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the
existence and attributes of God." --John Adams,
July 4, 1776
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
Al Gore's theory is still in the news, but not with any
increased support. Joe Bastardi, the senior meteorologist
at AccuWeather.com says that supposed man-made
catastrophic global warming cannot be blamed for any
unusual weather event. Recently Al Gore blamed the
Myanmar cyclone on global warming. Bastardi refutes
that claim, "No, the Indian Ocean temperatures
were near normal ... that was not a product of global
warming. It's a product of the fact that these poor
people live in a poor country in a low delta, and one
of the storms finally took off to the northeast ."
And Mr. Gore was in the news yet again -- this
time because last week he received a $1 million prize
from Tel Aviv University in Israel for alerting the world
to the "crisis" from overuse of fossil fuels. It's difficult
to understand and believe.
An Anglican priest active for evangelism -- Paul
Eddy (make a note of that name) is a priest-in-training
and a member of the Anglican General Synod. He has
made this assertion, "Both Christianity and Islam are
missionary faiths. We have sent missionaries
throughout the whole world, but when we have the
privilege of people of all nations on our doorstep,
we have a responsibility as the state church to
share the Gospel of Jesus Christ." He has gained so
much support that his call to evangelize the lost will be
debated at the next Synod meeting. Some British church
officials fear that proclaiming the Gospel publicly and
boldly will cause a backlash. This young man may start
a revolution in an otherwise lethargic church.
Watch out for "Media-bias." Robert Knight, former
Los Angeles Times news editor, points out some of the
examples of "media bias." In the case of the present
marriage issue, Conservatives speak of "natural marriage,"
or "biblical marriage," and some more objective reporters
use the term "traditional marriage." But the medis uses
headlines ike "Gay Marriage Ban Upheld" -- giving out
position a negative connotation. The same type of bias
appears elsewhere -- prostitutes are now called
"undocumented sex workers;" abortion is called
"reproductive choice," and illegal aliens are called
"undocumented immigrants." The one good aspect is that
when you start reading their accounts you know at once
which side they are on.
From a former US President: "America was born a
Christian nation for the purpose of exemplifying to the
nations of the world the principles of righteousness
found in the Word of God." - Woodrow Wilson, President
1913-1921
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