First of All, What? 

     As we noted yesterday, America - founded mostly by men who desired freedom of religion, and other freedoms - is 23 days to our July 4th "birthday." We will be 250 years old. 

     We also wrote of the divide - the war - our founders like Benjamin Franklin hoped would never happen. People who don't believe in God are working, plotting and planning to take control...as happened in China.

     So, what do Christians and Jews in America do?   

     Pastor Jim Cymbala, in New York City where a Muslim mayor reigns, says Faith is the opposite of worry. Worry is the opposite of faith The only cure is to bring everything to God in prayer. 

     He quotes Timothy: First of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people - for kings and all those in authority. In Acts, Jerusalem where the Lord birthed the church, believers were devoting themselves to prayer...and other acts. 

     Cymbala notes, When Peter got imprisoned, they prayed him out. Paul continually asked the churches to Pray for me that I may speak boldly. Cymbala adds, "God has chosen sovereignly that through the conduit of prayer - asking in childlike faith - He answers. The disciples never said to the Lord, "Teach us to preach." They asked, "Lord, teach us to pray."

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

       Jimmy

 What's Your Worldview?

     We still have lots to share from our book, Creation and Evolution 101. But today we fly right to the last chapter where the authors present two views of our world and our lives. 

     One. God created everything and the Bible is well written, with history recorded by 40 authors over hundreds of years. No theories.

     Two. There is no God, and everything from earth to outer space just happened. Everyone can decide how they want to live, and when they die, that's it. No truth necessary. 

     The Bible covers the good and not so good about God's chosen people, and others. It tells the miracle story of Jesus' birth, the disgusting crucifixion (to pay our debts), and his glorious resurrection. But the Bible isn't just history. It foretells what's to come, the last chapter best of all. 

     Christianity as it is known, had ups and downs over the centuries. Humans, you know. Advances in science in the 20th century have helped Christian and non-Christian scientists understand much. 

     Boom! Some scientists don't accept the new truth, and rather than just disagree, they make war against Jews and Christians, fabricating and well, raising hell. Along with them are American politicians striving to thrive at the expense of everyone else. Their lies are well known: What they accuse of others, they themselves are doing. Clever. 

     Their heroes are Darwin, Marx, Neitzsche and Freud. Communism best describes their goals.

           Jimmy 

     

 Friday: Darwinists and Marxists war on America. 

 Scientific Stagnation

     We know. Many of you readers aren't into science. Me too. But what does or doesn't happen among scientists can mean something for any of us, over time. 

     At his Imprimis talk, Jay B. (last name still too difficult) said "for every dollar we spend on science, we get far less scientific advancement than we did over the past 50 years. We need to keep funding and make that research more effective. Younger scientists are the most likely to have new ideas. They triumph only because their opponents eventually die." 

     "We will have potential to solve type 1 diabetes, reduce the mortality rate from breast cancer, and prevent heart disease. Scientists who review applications now will be empowered to approve projects on the bleeding edge of science."

Funding Concentration 

     "About one third of all NIH grant money goes to about 20 institutions. We have to empower young and innovative scientists wherever they are. Scientists who receive grants need to have access to labs with expensive equipment. Our solution is severe the link in the HIH grants between the direct money for research and the indirect money for facilities." 

     "We can solve the nation's health problems...with science that is replicable at the bleeding edge and supports scientists with new and promising ideas wherever they are."

We have a nephew, a scientist in New York State.

Maybe our blog would benefit him. 😉

A Scientific Revolution 

     Yours truly is one of 7,500,000. What? Scientists? I can't even spell science without my computer reminding me. Sometimes it even guesses what word I will use before I type it. I can spell Jay, the director of National Institutes of Health. What I can't spell or even pronounce is his 12-letter last name. 

     Along with 7 million, 500 thousand others, I read "Imprimis," a publication of Hillsdale College. In a speech Jay D. addressed the issue of scientists with the power to say what is true or false in science. "If you, me or any of our friends and relatives have a serious health issue, we would appreciate the best treatment science can offer."

     Jay D. delivered his speech in three parts: The Replication Crisis, Scientific Stagnation, and Funding Concentration. If you don't think we need better healthcare, the U.S. life expectancy is slightly above age 78. In Sweden, it is 86. Yes, there are issues other than healthcare. 

Replication. "Scientists publish studies and we take them for granted. Other scientists don't come up with the same results. Most ideas do not work or are not true. This is normal. Peer reviewers do not double check the data. The only way to check one another is replication. If I (Jay D.) propose a theory, other scientists should be able to replicate those experiments." 

     If yours truly is still with it tomorrow (I am well above U.S. life expectancy) we will continue with "scientific stagnation" and "funding concentration." If not, Imprimis will have 7,499,000 readers. 

           Jimmy    

      

     

 Five Essential Beliefs 

     One more blog thanks to the authors of Creation & Evolution 101. They believed there are essential things about God and the world we must agree on...if we are to call ourselves "believers" in the God of the Bible. 

1. God created the universe and everything in it, including human beings, whom He created in his image (Genesis 1-2.) 

2. Sin and death (consequence of sin) infected the entire human race when we disobeyed God and turned to our own ways, thereby separating us from God (Genesis 3; Isaiah 53:6, Romans 5:12). 

3. God's eternal plan is to save us from the consequences of sin and to bring us back into relationship with Him through his only Son, Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man. The only way to God is through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 3:16; 14:6; Romans 3:21-24; 1 Corinthians 15:3). 

4. The Bible is the completely true and completely trustworthy word of God, inspired by God and useful to teach us everything we need to know about Him and how we should live (1 Timothy 3:16). That does not mean we know everything about God and his ways.

5. Jesus is at the right hand of God preparing a place for us in heaven. At some future time known only by God, Jesus Christ will return to earth to gather all who believe in him, both the dead and the living, to join him in heaven. Jesus will defeat all the enemies of God, and God will judge all who rejected his plan to save humankind (John 14:1-4; Thessalonians 4:15-18; 1 Corinthians 15:20-24; Revelation 20:11-15).  

NOTE: We thought the authors omitted some essential beliefs, especially in Revelation. But after reading all the scriptures (above), we think they have it right. I'm going to type each one for myself and you may consider the same. 

The Universe Points to God  

Who   The two men who wrote Creation & Evolution 101 share David's Psalm 104. "In 35 verses David used the names God, Lord and Spirit 14 times. The personal pronouns You and Your are used 48 times. The who of creation is the most important issue. No question, God - speaking through Moses - and he wants us to know that God is responsible for the universe, our world and our lives." See the first five verses of Ps. 104. 

How   "The Bible is not a scientific book, written in scientific terms. Nothing in the text of Genesis 1 and 2, written in the B.C. 1400s, contradicts the latest (as of 2001) scientific discoveries. The universe points to God. He created it - out of nothing. 'What we now see did not come from anything that can be seen' - Hebrews 11:3. All God had to do is say the word." 

When   "In Hebrews, the original language of Genesis (which means beginning), is indefinite. A Hebrew language expert says, 'Beginning refers to an indefinite period of time. We can't say for certain when God created the world of how long it took. This period could have spanned as much as several billion years, or much less. As for the word day in Genesis 1 & 2, the original Hebrew is even less definite. It can refer to three different periods of time." 

     So, our authors say, "We know the who, and we know the how. We don't know the when."  

Tomorrow: Five essential beliefs

The Real Issue 

     It's not the age of the universe or the length of creation days. The real issue is God. Either He created the heavens and the earth or He didn't.

Mrs. Donut in Pittsburgh was overseeing 50 Christians who volunteered to befriend children whose families were not so caring. Two other people each oversaw 50 volunteers. And there were those who oversaw the overseers. One of them had been the backup quarterback for Navy. Who could beat out Roger Staubach? Well, this backup and a friend later wrote Creation & Evolution 101 in 2001. Views will quote them this week beginning today. Everyone needs to know what they knew. Beginning with:

     "God is real because He made the world." - Romans 1:20.

     "God is real because He made you in his image." - Genesis 1:26-27 

     "God has given you a real life and real hope because He made you into a new person through Jesus Christ." - 2 Corinthians 5:17. 

     "There's nothing wrong with doubt, as long as you are truthfully seeking God for who He is, not for who you want him to be. You're never going to figure out God completely, which is part of the joy and excitement of the Christian life." - James 1:5. 

     "God breathed - inspired - into 40 different human authors to write down His message. - 2 Timothy 3:16. He got what He wanted. There are three creation accounts: Genesis 1 and 2, and Psalm 104, told by King David."

Tomorrow: Who, How and When