I know it has been a long time since I posted something on my blog, but I have been busy reading, studying, and preparing for the future.  I am teaching an Apologetics Class at Southbrook Church starting next Tuesday at 7:00 pm.  It is loosely based on the book by Frank Turek and Norm Geisler, “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist”.  A twelve week course that promises to be thought provoking and laying a solid foundation for faith.

Speaking of solid, the Apologetics Organization, Solid Reasons, is sponsoring a conference on September 6-7.  Information and registration can be seen at www.solidreasons.com/tactics.  The Conference is entitled Tactics and Greg Koukl will be there.  Should be fantastic.

Went to Bill Marris’s last summer Campfire Convocation tonight.  Very interesting.  He spoke about how the signs of the Zodiac are similar throughout history and throughout the world.  Different cultures, different civilizations had the same twelve signs, often with the same names.  When you think about how our solar system and galaxy is so perfectly set up for intelligent life to exist here on earth, is it any wonder that man looked to the heavens and tried to understand God.  As it has often been said, man has a god-sized hole in his heart that only God can fill.  All men hunger for God.

See you at the conference!

 

 

The Milwaukee Chapter of Reasonable Faith will hold a meeting on Wednesday evening, January 23, 2013, at Southbrook Church, 10101 W. St. Martin’s Road, Franklin, WI 53132, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.

A showing of the debate between Dr. William Lane Craig and Christopher Hitchens will be the highlight of the meeting.  This debate took place a few years ago.  Dr. Craig is one of the foremost defenders of the Christian faith and Christopher Hitchens was known as one of the “four horsemen”.   A group of New Atheists who not only don’t believe in God but who are anti-god and anti-religion.

If you have never seen this debate, you are in for a treat.  If you have and it has been a while since you have seen it, the time spent will be worthwhile.

Come to the meeting, bring a friend, bring an atheist.  Cookies and water will be available.

The Milwaukee Chapter of Reasonable Faith will hold its next meeting on Thursday, November 8, 2012 at 7:00pm at Southbrook Church in Franklin, WI.  Southbrook is located at 11010 W. Saint Martins Road, Franklin, WI 53132.

At the meeting we will discuss the upcoming EPS Apologetics Conference at Spring Creek Church and our chapter's participation.  Plans for the future of the chapter will be also discussed.

We will also show the debate between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox entitled "The God Delusion" Debate which is based on Richard Dawkins book of the same title. 

Any questions or comments, please contact me at markelstad@hotmail.com.

Today we moralize politics and politicize morality.  When we talk politics we talk values.  No matter what political party is speaking, they clothe their words in flowery language that speaks to a higher ethic.  Funny thing though, they never define what that higher ethic is. From where does it come?  When we talk values, ethics, and morality we politicize it.  We say they have to be kept separate.  We look right and left but never up or down! The problem occurs, however, when the two are kept separate because our ethics, our morality is intimately linked to our politics.  If it isn’t, it ought to be. 

Take the example of our Founding Fathers.  Their morality, their ethics were deeply woven into the politics of their day.  Their politics were based on their morality.  The ideas expressed in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution came more from the Bible than any other source.

Today we claim that our morality is relative and therefore personal.  That it has no place in our politics because everyone has their own sense of what is right and wrong.  Nothing is absolute; there is no “truth”.

If you are not honestly searching for something, chances are you will not find it.  The same is true of “truth”.  Truth is important and worth searching for.  Winston Churchill once said, “Truth is the most precious thing there is.  It is so precious it is often safeguarded by a body full of lies.”

I am teaching two Apologetics classes this fall at Southbrook Church.  They are Sunday mornings and Wednesday evening.  The next meeting of the Milwaukee Chapter of Reasonable Faith will be held during my first Wednesday evening class on September 12, 2012.  The class is from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.  The meeting will be at 6:30 pm before the class to discuss future plans for the chapter.  Anyone attending the meeting is welcome to stay for the class and participate in the discussion.

I normally do not get political on my blog.  There is plenty of that out there.  I tend to want to stick to defending Christianity and explaining many of the arguments for it.

There is a political issue, however, that really cries out for some comment.  The "death of common sense" is evident throughout our society.  It has never been more evident than in Wisconsin today regarding the Voter ID law.  This law, which passed the legislature and was signed into law by Governor Walker, has been stalled by a Madison judge.  The injunction against the law prohibits the law from being in force.  When you look at what happened in Racine during the recall election, the necessity for this law being in effect is paramount.  Opponents of the law say that it disenfranchises voters.  Yet how many voters are disenfranchised when an illegal vote cancels their vote? Think about it.

The idea that someone can go vote without properly identifying who they are and where they live is inviting voter fraud. 
If the voter ID law is stuck in the Madison court of this left-wing judge past the November election, an offense of greater magnitude cannot be imagined.



I have been thinking about death a lot lately.  The death of people close to me has brought this reality to the forefront of my consciousness.  I heard Ravi Zacharias share a short poem the other day that summarizes the truth beautifully.

"My knowledge of this life is small,
the eye of faith is dim.
But tis enough that Christ knows all,
and I will be with Him."

It puts it all in proper perspective.
 

Today I want to post a "Slice of Infinity" from Ravi Zacharias.  Ravi has a unique way of nailing truth.  The Slice is called "Point of Exclusion".   It talks about the argument that Christianity claims exclusivity.  All religions do this.  Here is the article.


Point of Exclusion

With the numerous religions in the world, how can Christians claim exclusivity? I am often asked this question in different settings. But I've always been fascinated by the fact that the Christian faith is the only one that seems to have this question posed. The truth is that every major religion in the world claims exclusivity, and every major religion in the world has a point of exclusion.

Hinduism, for example, is often represented as being the most tolerant and accepting of other faiths. That is just not true. All Hindus believe in two fundamental, uncompromising doctrines—the Law of Karma, and the belief in reincarnation. These will not be surrendered. In fact, Buddhism was born out of the rejection of two other very dogmatic claims of Hinduism. Buddha rejected the authority of the vedas and the caste system of Hinduism. The issue here is not who was right or wrong. The truth is that they were systemically different—both claiming rightness.

Islam, as you know, is very clearly an exclusive claim to God. A Muslim will never tell you that it doesn't matter what you believe or that all religions are true.

But before we get upset with such claims, let us remember that it is the very nature of truth that presents us with this reality. Truth by definition is exclusive. Everything cannot be true. If everything is true, then nothing is false. And if nothing is false then it would also be true to say everything is false. We cannot have it both ways. One should not be surprised at the claims of exclusivity. The reality is that even those who deny truth's exclusivity, in effect, exclude those who do not deny it. The truth quickly emerges. The law of non-contradiction does apply to reality: Two contradictory statements cannot both be true in the same sense. Thus, to deny the law of non-contradiction is to affirm it at the same time. You may as well talk about a one-ended stick as talk about truth being all-inclusive.

So where does that leave us? We must not be surprised at truth claims but we must test them before we believe them. If the test demonstrates truth then we are morally compelled to believe it. And this is precisely the point from which many are trying to run. As G.K. Chesterton said, the problem with Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting, but that it has been found difficult and left untried.

Christ is either the immeasurable God or one dreadfully lost. Apply the tests of truth to the person and the message of Jesus Christ. You see not only his exclusivity, but also his uniqueness. 

Ravi Zacharias is founder and chairman of the board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries

As I have said many times before on this blog, have an open mind and check it out for yourself.  Look at the evidence for all religions.  Test them and see if they provide coherent, logical answers to the fundamental questions of life.  Make it a front burner issue in your life to find out the "truth".  It is important.