Amid American interfaith dialogue, a terrible question

Gary Burge in his commentary on John’s Gospel:

In my academic community, the Jewish/Christian dialogue is predicted on the notion that together we will find religious commonalities that do not offend the other party.  To speak otherwise is to “blaspheme” the process of interfaith discourse (cf. John 5:18).  In the university marketplace of ideas, Christian religious belief is generally held suspect because most assume that lurking beneath the surface is an absolute argument for truth that wants to upend secular systems of thought and faith.  They are right. (more…)

Do You See This Idaho Shack?

Summer RespiteThis picture of an Idaho shack is a good illustration of our present earth (Isaiah 24:20). Morally polluted, the earth is on its last leg, swaying like a drunk before the judgment of God. Al Gore is leading
a crusade to save it. But we definitely have bigger problems like mankind’s lack of acknowledging and exalting the majesty of God.

There is a scene by far more grand and beautiful than the sun filling the skies, it is when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion and in Jerusalem (Isaiah 24:23). One thing stands out before his ancients. It is glory.

His GLORY.

Stop dwelling on man’s glory.

More Blogspotting Questions

Are there any more blog stories by Sahar or others in Turkey?  I realize it has been a while.

Do Latter-day Saints believe we are saved by faith or works?  Is this the contemporary LDS Church answer?  Because it dwarfs the power of Christ’s atonement and robs the promise of glorification freely given.  Does Geoff over here, speaking of “Amazing Grace,” differ with this answer?  Speaking of Geoff, I need to catch up with this guy. (more…)

How was your worship this Sunday? Using your mind.

I have been reading J.P. Moreland’s book, Love Your God With All Your Mind:  The Role of Reason In The Life of the Soul (NavPress, 1997).  The book is in our Idaho Falls public library.  Take a peek at it sometime.

He writes:

“Theologians describe God as a maximally perfect being.  This means that God is not merely the greatest, most perfect being who happens to exist.  He is the greatest being that could possibly exist.  If God were merely the greatest being who happens to exist, it would be possible to conceive of a case where a greater god could come along (even if such a being did not actually exist) or where the real God grew in His excellence.  In these cases, our degree of worship ought to increase and, therefore, a God who just happened to be the greatest being around (and who could be surpassed in excellence) would not be a worthy object of total worship.  Fortunately, the God of the Bible is a maximally perfect being; that is, He is the greatest being that could possibly exist.  It is impossible for a greater being to supersede God or for God Himself to improve Himself in any way.  Thus, God is owed our supreme, total worship.  This is why Scripture calls idolatry the activity of giving more dedication to something finite than to God.  God is worthy of the very best efforts we can give Him in offering our respect and service through the cultivation of our total personality, including our minds. . . . (more…)

LotoJa Training

Today, my buddy and I did our second 100-mile run in our training for the LotoJa classic (Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming) coming up September 8, 2007.

Not too far from Heise along the South Fork of the Snake River, we parked our van on Highway 26.

Around 6:00 a.m., we put the pedal to the metal.  We had a goal—to reach the top of the Teton Pass (8,429 ft) near Jackson Hole, Wyoming and then bike back to Idaho.

A nice, challenging ride.  First, Pine Creek Pass after Swan Valley.  And then the granddaddy mountain Pass of the intermountain West to follow!

Coming back down the Teton Pass, we roared.  I have never in my life experienced anything like this.

In Victor, Idaho, we stopped in for the world-famous, thick huckleberry shakes.  The girl servers give you half-inch diameter straws to suck up the berries.  Incredible.

Personally, I believe that ice cream shakes are crucial for any athletic training.  How come this isn’t listed in the Deseret News Tips for the race?  It happened to be a key ingredient to my magical formula for running a marathon.  Works great for all cross-training.  Of course, when my buddy and I climb Mt. Rainer someday, maybe I can make homemade ice cream right on top the summit.  Sound good?

The Goddess Cult and Creedal Christianity

I picked up these books on display in the Idaho Falls library.

1.  When God Was a Woman (Harcourt Brace & Company, 1976) by Merlin Stone

The author writes,

“This is not intended as an archaeological or historical text.  It is rather an invitation to all women to join in the search to find out who we really are, by beginning to know our own past heritage as more than a broken and buried fragment of a male culture” (xxv).

“In the beginning, people prayed to the Creatress of Life, the Mistress of Heaven.  At the very dawn of religion, God was a woman.  Do you remember?” (1) (more…)