Who Can Forgive Sins But God Alone?

“We can all understand how a man forgives offences against himself. You tread on my toes and I forgive you, you steal my money and I forgive you. But what should we make of a man, himself unrobbed and untrodden on, who announced that he forgave you for treading on other men’s toes and stealing other men’s money? Asinine fatuity is the kindest description we should give of his conduct. Yet this is what Jesus did. He told people that their sins were forgiven, and never waited to consult all the other people whom their sins had undoubtedly injured. He unhesitatingly behaved as if He was the party chiefly concerned, the person chiefly offended in all offences. This makes sense only if He really was the God whose laws are broken and whose love is wounded in every sin.

-C.S. Lewis 

The Truth About Tolerance

“What then is the truth about tolerance? The meaning of this virtue is not tolerating per se, but tolerating what ought to be tolerated. Practicing it means putting up with just those bad things that, for the sake of some greater good or of moral law, we ought to put up with. We are not practicing the virtue when fail to put up with bad things that we ought to put up with, such as the expression of false opinions in debate; nor are we practicing it when do put up with bad things that we ought not to put up with, such as rape. But making such distinctions requires knowing the truth about goods, bads, greater goods, and moral law. There is nothing neutral about that. It requires that we avoid not strong convictions, but false convictions; it requires not refusing to act, but acting. As Abraham Kuyper, J.B. Phillips, and C.S. Lewis have said in nearly identical words, ‘There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.’”

--J. Budziszewski, "The Revenge of Conscience" 

Calling Abortion by Name

“Most abortion-minded women pretend to themselves that they are boxed in by circumstances; they say things like ‘I know abortion is wrong, but I just can’t have a baby right now.’ One counselor I know simply asks, ‘What do you call what’s in you?’ Unless thoroughly drilled, hardly anyone calls it a ‘fetus;’ no matter what her conscious views about abortion, almost every pregnant woman instinctively replies, ‘I call it a baby.’ But then my counselor friend can say without offense, ‘Then it sounds like you already have a baby. The question isn’t whether to have one, but what you’re going to do with the one you’ve got.”

--J. Budziszewsi, The Revenge of Conscience

How Deep is the Wisdom and the Knowledge of God?

"How deep is the wisdom and the knowledge of God? God knows every word in every language in every sentence in every paragraph in every chapter of every book ever written. He knows every fact of history past and future, every bit of truth discovered and undiscovered, and every proof of science known and unknown."

--Matt Chandler, The Explicit Gospel 

 

 

An Amazing Invention that Will Lift Millions Out of Poverty

“Imagine a spectacular invention: a machine that can convert corn into stereo equipment. When running at full capacity, this machine can turn fifty bushels of corn into a CD player. Or with one switch of the dial, it will convert 1500 bushels of soybeans into a four-door sedan. But this machine is even more versatile than that; when properly programmed, it can turn Windows software into the finest French wines. Or a Boeing 747 into enough fresh fruits and vegetables to feed a city for months. Indeed, the most amazing thing about this invention is that it can be set up anywhere in the world and programmed to turn whatever is grown or produced there into things that are usually much usually much harder to come by.

Remarkably, it works for poor countries, too. Developing nations can pout the things they manage to produce—commodities, cheap textiles, basic manufactured goods—into the machine and obtain goods that might otherwise be denied them: food medicine, more advanced manufactured goods. Obviously, poor countries that have access to this machine would grow faster than countries that did not. We would expect that making this machine accessible to poor countries would be part of our strategy for lifting billions of people around the globe out of dire poverty.

Amazingly, this invention already exists. It is called trade.”

--Charles Wheelan, Naked Economics

Why Do People Kill Black Rhinos?

“The black rhinoceros is one of the most endangered species on the planet. Fewer than 2,500 of them roam southern Africa, down from about 65,000 in 1970. This is an ecological disaster in the making. It is also a situation in which basic economics can tell us why the species is in such trouble—and perhaps even what we can do about it.

Why do people kill black rhinoceroses? For the same reason they sell drugs and cheat on their taxes. Because they can make a lot of money relative to the risk of getting caught. In many Asian countries, the horn of the black rhino is believed to be a powerful aphrodisiac and fever reducer. It is also used to make handles on traditional Yemenese daggers. As a result, a single rhino horn can fetch $30,000 on the black market—a princely sum in countries where per capita income is around $1,000 a year and falling. In other words, the black rhino is worth far more dead than alive to the people of impoverished southern Africa.

Sadly, this is a market that does not naturally correct itself. Unlike automobiles or personal computers, firms can’t produce new black rhinos as they see the supply dwindling. Indeed, quite the opposite force is at work; as the black rhino becomes more and more imperiled, the black market price for rhino horns rises, providing poachers even more incentive to hunt down the remaining animals. This vicious circle is compounded by another aspect of the situation that is common to many environmental challenges: Most black rhinos are communal property rather than private property. That may sound wonderful. In fact, it creates more conservation problems than it solves. Imagine that all the black rhinos were in the hands of a single avaricious rancher who had no qualms about making rhino horns into Yemenese daggers. This rancher has not a single environmental bone in his body. Indeed, he is so mean and selfish that sometimes he kicks his dog just because it gives him utility. Would this ogre of a rhino rancher have let his herd fall from 65,000 to 2,500 in thirty years? Never. He would have bred and protected the animals so that he would always have a large supply of horns to ship off to market.—much as cattle ranchers manage their herds. This has nothing to do with altruism; it has everything to do with maximizing the value of a scarce resource.”

--Charles Wheelan, The Naked Economist (2002 A.D.)

How Fear and Anger Relate

"Anger

Many people are familiar with depression. We are all familiar with anger. Anger says, "You are wrong, I am right." But if you listen closely, it can say more. 

How do you explain an overly aggressive animal? If it is domesticated or accustomed to sharing its space with humans, you suspect that fear is the problem. Though some run in fear, others attack, defending something important that is at risk. Listen to anger and you will frequently find fear. A woman rages at her husband for coming home late with alcohol on his breath. Sure, there is the "You are wrong" component. But there is also "I am afraid you are losing interest in me. I am afraid you could be tempted by another woman. And when you add alcohol, I get even more afraid." 

The problem is compounded with men because men aren’t supposed to be afraid. With no permission to discuss fears, men opt for anger. Sometimes their anger says, "This is the only way I know to get some control in an out-of-control world." But it’s a stopgap measure. Control that emerges out of anger is strictly temporary. Scripture says this about anger: "What causes fights and quarrels among you? You want something but don’t get it" (James 4:1—2). You want power, love, the TV remote, perfect children, but you don’t get them. 

Fear and anxiety say this: "You want something, and you might not get it." You want power, love, the TV remote, perfect children, but you might not get them. You want financial security, health for yourself and those you love, safe passage to work, and you know you can’t presume any of it. 

Fear and anger can be the same words spoken with a different attitude.

--Edward T. Welch, Running Scared: Fear, Worry & the God of Rest