So Nimm Denn Meine Hande...

Thursday, March 31, 2005

13 Days...

Terri Schiavo died today, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed. Michael Schiavo, her husband...let that sink in for a second...her husband who made a marriage vow before God to be with her for better or worse...let her starve for 13 days until she died. Michael Schiavo just unplugged her and walked away, as if that makes it less of a murder. Michael Schiavo didn't even let the family be with her when she died (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7293186/?GT1=6305). 13 days. Thirteen Days...and she died alone. I think I'm going to throw up. These last few days have been dark, seeing that I've been closely following this whole series of events...I'd like to apologize to those of you who usually read my blog for it's deep or funny content. None the less, this is reality and the reality is that we live in an excessively sinful world full of horrible people who murder defenseless cripples and infants and their own wives. Who's kidding who? Mankind, and I mean every single one of us, especially myself, deserves to suffer eternally and infinitely for our wickedness. In these dark hours remember:

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthisans 5:14-21

Although I really want to hate Micheal Schiavo I am faced with another reality; I am Micheal Schiavo. Not literally mind you, but my sin (among other things my hatred of Micheal Schiavo, if you like that irony) put Christ, who was infinitely more innocent than Terri Schiavo, to death. Before a holy God I am equally as guilty as Micheal is, and only by God's grace do I have any hope of escaping my wretchedness. Sobering thoughts indeed. Mankind is wicked but God is certainly Glorious! Until next time,

The Armchair Theologian

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Something ironic indeed...

Well, with Terri Schiavo filling the news, I was watching CNN while I was on the treadmill at the gym tonight and I was reminded that God indeed has a sense of irony. It seems that while Terri Schiavo, apparently a very unimportant person, is having her feeding tube removed and being allowed to starve to death because she's apparently not 'human' anymore. In a bizarre, and somewhat divinely ironic twise, I learned that the arguably most important man in the world is also on a feeding tube and now needs a tracheotomy to breathe. Check out this link:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/03/30/pope.monday/index.html

Yup. Pope John Paul II is breathing and being fed through a tube now, though only apparently in an effort to boost his caloric intake. I'm sure that people have already drawn the parallel, but it's definitely a stroke of the almighty's witt, none the less. I don't really have a lot to say about this...it's just interesting how one person is unfit to live and another is fit to rule an empire. I'm not saying that they are in the same boat; the pope is cognitively still 'there' while Terri is almost gone. Regardless, if John Paul is allowed to live, let alone rule, is there not a place for Terri?

Wow.

Until Next Time,

The Armchair Theologian

Life, Death and Persistent Vegitative States...

I'm sure everyone has heard about Terri Schiavo and the absolute insanity that has played out in the Florida courts recently. For those of you who don't know, check out the 100,000+ websites and blogs that are buzzing about it. In as much as I am completely and utterly disgusted and sick to my stomach at how the judicial system is allowing a handicaped person to starve to death at the request of a husband who's decided to abandon his marriage vows (sickness and health, right?), I must actually say that I'm definitely not shocked. I mean, hasn't North America been headed this way for years? The courts are using evolutionary terminiology and autonomous moral reasoning to re-define 'human' in order to portray Terri Schiavo as no longer really human. I understand their reasoning, and in their worldview it actually makes sense:

1. If Humanity is based on a condition (like cognitive function), then humanity can be lost.

2. If truth is socially constructed and the mass agrees to change truth (about anything, not just the definition of 'human') or language (thereby attacking the underlying truth), then the mass wins and whatever they say goes.

Funny thing is that I can argue that loads of people I know are not really human...I meet cognitively malfunctional people everyday. Not tremendously malfunctional, but malfunctional none the less. Should any of them be deemed not human? What about the handicapped? I know plenty of handicapped people who would be in danger of not being human either. In the end, any condition that makes one 'human' can be lost or legally overridden. 'Humanity' must be intrinsic in being a human being. Sum Ergo Sum.

As for the relativity and social construction of truth, the critique falls into two questions:

1. Is the statement that truth is relative and socially constructed itself a relative and socially constructed statement or is that statement and absolute? (The statement of 'all truth is relative' is such obvious circular reasoning that it shouldn't surprise anyone)

2. Can you explain how language is relativistic and not correspondent to any ultimate reality without using words to do so? (This idea again is absurdly circular reasoning...somehow people think you can communicate propositions without using propositional statements that are meaningful. Didn't G.K. Chesterton mention something about how we 'educate ourselves into idiocy'?)

Truth is not that which corresponds to reality, nor is it that which corresponds to the whims of the masses. Truth is that which correponds to God and his self revelation, specifically in the scriptures (through nature too, though nature is neither propositional nor articulate).

Is Terri Shiavo alive biblically? Well, she's breathing and thereby meets the requirements of being nephesh. Also, seeing that God is utterly and meticulously sovereign, she wouldn't be here if he didn't want her here. Does Terri appear alive? Check out the videos at this page:

http://www.blogsforterri.com/video.php

Also, check out Al Mohler's Blog. That dude is so much smarter than me...from now on, don't read my blog. Just read Al Mohler's blog at:

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/mohler/

Still, we should pray for our nation(s), that God would grant us grace to return to our sense and return to himself. Also, we should support encourage expository preaching and teaching, forgetting the whims of the masses for entertainment and disctraction. We've gotta teach our children to think biblically, not just selfishly. Also, everyone should support the up and coming pastors and teachers by giving them money for seminary...especially those with blogs that you're currently reading. HA! Okay. I'm on my day off today and I've gotta go get some things done....well, eat New York Fries. Until next time,

The Armchair Theologian

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

Man, it's been a while since I've been online and putting anything up here...not that anyone except my room-mate and maybe one other person (from Lethbridge maybe?) ever read this at all. I've been reading a lot of Edwards, Augustine and D.L.Carson in preparation for a class I'm teaching on the Love of God. Can't teach on doctrine, so I'm talking about God's love for himself; the foundation of every doctrine...pretty sneaky eh? None the less, I've got company coming over in a little so I'm going to postpone posting something for a while...until then,

The Armchair Theologian