Animals get how we feel during these tough times-though cats aren’t exactly stressed

“The End of Christian America” by Jon Meacham

Don’t take it for gospel, but you need to read this article by Meacham. He is warmer rather than a colder Episcopalian, (gosh, I never can spell Episcopalian right on the first try) but you can tell he didn’t major in evangelicalism in college.

Another Ponzi Scheme – does this ever stop?

Here’s another article on a Ponzi scheme. Wow. Do we ever learn this lesson? I mean, how easy are we?

When is a bow not a bow? – only Obama knows

You decide. Obama said it wasn’t a bow. Does he always lean over when the person he is talking to is short? I think not. He certainly didn’t for Queen Elizabeth. Maybe, to rephrase Alice in Wonderland, “a bow means exactly what I want it to be, nothing less and nothing more.”

Every elementary student knows that American leaders don’t bow to royalty. Never have. Until now.

Deepak Chopra on “Does Satan Exist?”

Last night we viewed the debate held at Mars Hill Church on the question “Does Satan Exist?” It is good to have that discussion out in the open. Actually it sounded like some of the classses I have taught in Philosophy. People are eager to discuss such things and the opinions start to fly. Most of the time people do “normal” talk about their work, their day, their kids, their health, the Red Sox, whatever. But not far beneath all that there is a bag of opinions about spiritual things that don’t often find a reason to get out. But when they do, watch out. It’s a torrent. I am surprised at how strongly people who seem otherwise uninterested in spirituality have firm views.

I thought Driscoll did a decent job of making some basic Christian assertions, though he needed to admit some of the difficulties and mysteries in the Christian position. Chopra was right to keep pressing the assertion there is one reality while Driscoll kept saying there is Creator and Creation, almost as if there are two ultimate realities, which he tried to hedge but didn’t actually explain. I was waiting for Driscoll to repeat the words of Martin Luther that the Devil is God’s Devil. He didn’t. Maybe that would have gotten him into more hot water.

The real problem for me was the pathetic responses of Chopra. Ultimately eastern thought bows out of the problem of this duality by wishing evil out of existence (of course, that means a real good has to go to, not so easily admitted). Chopra affirmed a real good but not a real evil. And he is left with the same problem all eastern religions are left with – a passive response in the face of great suffering. Since the great virtues they teach are acceptance and altered consciousness so that we see through apparent evil to its true nonexistence, there is a tacit acceptance of things as they are. And in the more radical forms of eastern thought that embrace karma, to interfere with evil is actually to interfere with the necessary rhythm of evolution to a higher life form until we reach “The One.” I would have thought Driscoll would have pressed this home but maybe his sensitivity to Hindus and Buddhists kept him from heaping on.

I would not want to have Chopra in the foxhole with me in a war. But then again he would probably not be in the foxhole but writing books to totalitarian dictators trying to enlarge their self-consciousness and come to grips with their dark side. Obviously, this kind of thought has no place for what happened to Judas, the bible reporting that the devil entered into him. A real devil entering a real person to engender a real evil deed! Make it metaphorical if you wish. The Bible gives no clue that it is speaking in terms of metaphor.

Carlton Pearson hasn’t really made up his mind on much of anything yet, except to say he is uncomfortable with evangelicalism and will say pretty much anything depending on he is talking to. He’ll cast out demons if you want him to, though he does not believe they exist as real entities. And he’ll teach you to speak in tongues, though he doesn’t believe tongues have their origin in God. (Gosh, come to think of it, he could be an evangelical-we end up saying all kinds of things if you will come to our church!!!!)

As to Annie Lobert, let’s just say she has had real experiences of evil. I think we can all relate. Having sex with demons might be a bit much for most of us, but the darkness of the world she went into was substantially a first hand combat with the demonics, I have no doubt.