Thursday, May 18, 2006
Stem Cells-Darwinism
Welcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.
Recently I mentioned a bill up for debate before the Senate that would allow the destruction of 400,000 human embryos for the harvesting of their stem cells. And what we talked about then was the exploitation of an ethic of “the ends justify the means.” There is another important angle at work here-the fact that naturalistic Darwinism has sunk deeply into our culture.
The Darwinistic contribution to innocent and helpless people, as is the case with embryos, is that they lack the value the rest of us have. They quickly become dispensable for the ends of science, politics, and the furtherance of the human species. Without a deep sense of human nature such as we find in Christianity, human embryos become nothing but another variable in the grizzly calculation for survival. A Christian worldview teaches us that each human is of inestimable worth-and that includes each and every embryo. They can’t simply be treated as political or scientific fodder for our future benefit.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director for Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information please visit, everythoughtcaptive.org.
Recently I mentioned a bill up for debate before the Senate that would allow the destruction of 400,000 human embryos for the harvesting of their stem cells. And what we talked about then was the exploitation of an ethic of “the ends justify the means.” There is another important angle at work here-the fact that naturalistic Darwinism has sunk deeply into our culture.
The Darwinistic contribution to innocent and helpless people, as is the case with embryos, is that they lack the value the rest of us have. They quickly become dispensable for the ends of science, politics, and the furtherance of the human species. Without a deep sense of human nature such as we find in Christianity, human embryos become nothing but another variable in the grizzly calculation for survival. A Christian worldview teaches us that each human is of inestimable worth-and that includes each and every embryo. They can’t simply be treated as political or scientific fodder for our future benefit.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director for Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information please visit, everythoughtcaptive.org.
Jeremiah-Ahikim and Influence
Welcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.
At the very end of Jeremiah chapter 26 we read this innocuous verse, “But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death.” This comes as the resolution to a court case in which the priests and prophets wanted to kill Jeremiah. The man Ahikam steps in and helps save his life.
This verse would be unexceptional if it were not for the phrase, “son of Shaphan.” It turns out Shaphan was a religious reformer a generation earlier. We also learn later in Jeremiah that two more sons of Shaphan stand up for Jeremiah, save his writing and save his life a second time. This little “throw-away” verse is about influence-the influence of a godly father that literally saves Jeremiah’s life at least twice through the actions of his sons. It causes me to reflect on my influence-will it have those kinds of long term results?
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director for Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information please visit, everythoughtcaptive.org.
At the very end of Jeremiah chapter 26 we read this innocuous verse, “But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death.” This comes as the resolution to a court case in which the priests and prophets wanted to kill Jeremiah. The man Ahikam steps in and helps save his life.
This verse would be unexceptional if it were not for the phrase, “son of Shaphan.” It turns out Shaphan was a religious reformer a generation earlier. We also learn later in Jeremiah that two more sons of Shaphan stand up for Jeremiah, save his writing and save his life a second time. This little “throw-away” verse is about influence-the influence of a godly father that literally saves Jeremiah’s life at least twice through the actions of his sons. It causes me to reflect on my influence-will it have those kinds of long term results?
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director for Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information please visit, everythoughtcaptive.org.
Stem Cells-Utilitarianism
Welcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.
There is a bill before the Senate that if passed would allow the destruction of 400,000 human embryos in order to harvest their stem cells. The medical promise of stem cells from embryos is just that-a promise. No viable treatment has resulted from their use to date, but the scientific community continues to promise great things.
Part of what is being exploited by this bill and its supporters is the idea that we can affect the greatest good for the greatest number if we kill a few embryos and use them for research. A few will die, but at least we have a shot at helping so many.
There is a lot wrong with this mindset, not the least of which is it ignores the virtue or value of our actions. The act of killing an innocent human for possible gain is always wrong. We certainly thought so when we condemned Nazi doctors at Nuremberg, and we should think it is morally wrong now.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director for Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information please visit, everythoughtcaptive.org.
There is a bill before the Senate that if passed would allow the destruction of 400,000 human embryos in order to harvest their stem cells. The medical promise of stem cells from embryos is just that-a promise. No viable treatment has resulted from their use to date, but the scientific community continues to promise great things.
Part of what is being exploited by this bill and its supporters is the idea that we can affect the greatest good for the greatest number if we kill a few embryos and use them for research. A few will die, but at least we have a shot at helping so many.
There is a lot wrong with this mindset, not the least of which is it ignores the virtue or value of our actions. The act of killing an innocent human for possible gain is always wrong. We certainly thought so when we condemned Nazi doctors at Nuremberg, and we should think it is morally wrong now.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director for Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information please visit, everythoughtcaptive.org.
Peterson-Worship
Welcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.
In his book, Run With The Horses, Eugene Peterson says this about worship and life, “Worship defines life. If worship is corrupt, life will be corrupt.” This statement is based on example after example of the life of God’s people in the Old Testament. Every time they allowed corruption into their temple and their places of worship, their lives degraded and moved further away from God.
What is it I worship? Not just on the weekends when I sing songs and take communion, but what are the principles that guide my life? Those are the things I worship, and those are the things that have a place of reverence in my heart and mind. If I value leisure, my time, my work, my family will be all about my leisure. If I worship self or money they will all be about me or my money. If I worship God, everything fits into its proper place, and everything becomes about Him.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director for Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information please visit, everythoughtcaptive.org.
In his book, Run With The Horses, Eugene Peterson says this about worship and life, “Worship defines life. If worship is corrupt, life will be corrupt.” This statement is based on example after example of the life of God’s people in the Old Testament. Every time they allowed corruption into their temple and their places of worship, their lives degraded and moved further away from God.
What is it I worship? Not just on the weekends when I sing songs and take communion, but what are the principles that guide my life? Those are the things I worship, and those are the things that have a place of reverence in my heart and mind. If I value leisure, my time, my work, my family will be all about my leisure. If I worship self or money they will all be about me or my money. If I worship God, everything fits into its proper place, and everything becomes about Him.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director for Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information please visit, everythoughtcaptive.org.
Oprah and Spiritual Leaders
Welcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.
If I asked you for a short list of important spiritual leaders in your life, who would make the grade? According to several recent polls, Oprah would make the top of that list for a lot of people. One author referred to her influence by saying she is “today’s Billy Graham.”
Though Oprah does many wonderful things for people with her wealth and influence, we need to be discerning enough to know that does not qualify anyone as a spiritual leader.
So for the Christian, what does qualify someone as a spiritual leader? First that person needs a deep and enduring relationship with Jesus Christ. It does not count if they just have a fuzzy sense of their own spirituality. And secondly they need to be able to speak into my life in harmony with the words and wisdom of Jesus Christ. What I need is not someone nice who tells me what they think; I need someone wise to lead me to Christ.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director for Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information please visit, everythoughtcaptive.org.
If I asked you for a short list of important spiritual leaders in your life, who would make the grade? According to several recent polls, Oprah would make the top of that list for a lot of people. One author referred to her influence by saying she is “today’s Billy Graham.”
Though Oprah does many wonderful things for people with her wealth and influence, we need to be discerning enough to know that does not qualify anyone as a spiritual leader.
So for the Christian, what does qualify someone as a spiritual leader? First that person needs a deep and enduring relationship with Jesus Christ. It does not count if they just have a fuzzy sense of their own spirituality. And secondly they need to be able to speak into my life in harmony with the words and wisdom of Jesus Christ. What I need is not someone nice who tells me what they think; I need someone wise to lead me to Christ.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director for Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information please visit, everythoughtcaptive.org.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Oprah-Spiritual Guru
Welcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.
A recent article in USA Today notes the popularity of Oprah Winfrey as one of our culture’s top spiritual leaders. One writer called her a “hip and materialistic Mother Theresa” and our “symbolic figurehead of spirituality.”
Now, it is true that Oprah has done with her wealth and influence what few do; she has worked to better the lives of a lot of people, many of whom absolutely need her kind of help. But we need to be careful and discerning about who qualifies as a spiritual leader.
As Christians we need to note that Oprah believes there are many paths to God. That means it doesn’t matter which religion you believe to be true-they all get you to God. We also need to note that a spiritual leader needs to be in touch with the truth of the God of the Bible, not just some amorphous form of personal spirituality. We should choose our spiritual leaders through the lens of Scripture, not through popularity polls.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director of Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information please visit everythoughtcaptive.org.
A recent article in USA Today notes the popularity of Oprah Winfrey as one of our culture’s top spiritual leaders. One writer called her a “hip and materialistic Mother Theresa” and our “symbolic figurehead of spirituality.”
Now, it is true that Oprah has done with her wealth and influence what few do; she has worked to better the lives of a lot of people, many of whom absolutely need her kind of help. But we need to be careful and discerning about who qualifies as a spiritual leader.
As Christians we need to note that Oprah believes there are many paths to God. That means it doesn’t matter which religion you believe to be true-they all get you to God. We also need to note that a spiritual leader needs to be in touch with the truth of the God of the Bible, not just some amorphous form of personal spirituality. We should choose our spiritual leaders through the lens of Scripture, not through popularity polls.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director of Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information please visit everythoughtcaptive.org.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Cloning
Welcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.
When we think of human cloning, it is unfortunate that we hold in our minds images given to us by science fiction of whole bodies of 30-year olds stacked in freezers somewhere. It is an unfortunate image because it leaves us with an almost humorous reaction to the science of cloning and we may fail to take its reality seriously. In fact the science of cloning human embryos is already so far along that most Western nations have adopted legislation regarding it.
For instance, the UN has encouraged all member nations to ban cloning entirely. The Council of Europe has adopted proposals forbidding the cloning of embryos for any reason. And several European nations also forbid this kind of research in no uncertain terms. Currently the US position allows cloning for medical research reasons. In other words, we might be the only Western nation that allows the cloning of human embryos for their destruction. This is not that humorous.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director of Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information, please visit everythoughtcaptive.org.
When we think of human cloning, it is unfortunate that we hold in our minds images given to us by science fiction of whole bodies of 30-year olds stacked in freezers somewhere. It is an unfortunate image because it leaves us with an almost humorous reaction to the science of cloning and we may fail to take its reality seriously. In fact the science of cloning human embryos is already so far along that most Western nations have adopted legislation regarding it.
For instance, the UN has encouraged all member nations to ban cloning entirely. The Council of Europe has adopted proposals forbidding the cloning of embryos for any reason. And several European nations also forbid this kind of research in no uncertain terms. Currently the US position allows cloning for medical research reasons. In other words, we might be the only Western nation that allows the cloning of human embryos for their destruction. This is not that humorous.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church and Director of Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information, please visit everythoughtcaptive.org.
Sheilaism
Who needs the God of the Bible if I can be the source of my own religion? In a famous study, the sociologist Peter Berger tells the story of Sheila. Sheila is a young woman who describes her faith as ‘Sheilaism’. She says, “I believe in God. I can’t remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. It’s…just my own little voice.” She goes on to tell how Sheilaism is really about being good to yourself and to others and concludes that that is all God really wants.
There is obviously nothing wrong with trying to be nice to yourself and others, but I am not so sure how far Sheila’s little voice is going to get her. Ultimately, we are pretty small and limited creatures. I would much rather be a disciple of someone much bigger and wiser than myself. Who needs their own little voice when we can hear the one that called the universe into being?
There is obviously nothing wrong with trying to be nice to yourself and others, but I am not so sure how far Sheila’s little voice is going to get her. Ultimately, we are pretty small and limited creatures. I would much rather be a disciple of someone much bigger and wiser than myself. Who needs their own little voice when we can hear the one that called the universe into being?
Chesterton-White is a Color
In a great little essay titled, “A Piece of Chalk,” G.K. Chesterton tells of a time as a young man when could not find his white piece of chalk. It dawned on him while reflecting on the episode that white is a color-not the absence of color-and that it is the same with the Christian life. Being a disciple of Christ, being virtuous, is not the absence of character but it is the completion of character. As he says, “Virtue is not the absence of vices or the avoidance of moral dangers, virtue is a vivid and separate thing.” Mercy is not the absence of cruelty, it is the active application of Christ-like wisdom and kindness.
It is unfortunately popular in our culture to view virtue as dull. That is certainly a deep misunderstanding of what it means to be a person of character. The more we develop virtue the more like the Creator of the universe we become. To me that seems far from dull.
It is unfortunately popular in our culture to view virtue as dull. That is certainly a deep misunderstanding of what it means to be a person of character. The more we develop virtue the more like the Creator of the universe we become. To me that seems far from dull.
Jer 26-Knowing Your Bible
What do I need from God to know what He wants from me today? In Jeremiah 26, we read an episode in Jeremiah’s life in which he is on trial for blasphemy, and the prosecution wants death. After the priests present the case against him, the officials stand up in his defense. In order to show that Jeremiah should not be put to death, they cite precedent-they tell the story of Micah the prophet and Hezekiah the king.
I find it fascinating it was the common man-not the priest-who was able to tell a story from Scripture, quote a verse, know what it meant, and apply it to their current situation. At a pivotal moment in Jeremiah’s career, his life was spared because someone from the pews, if you will, knew their Bible. Those officials didn’t need a crack of thunder or an audible voice from God. They knew their Bible well and therefore, they knew what God wanted them to do that day.
I find it fascinating it was the common man-not the priest-who was able to tell a story from Scripture, quote a verse, know what it meant, and apply it to their current situation. At a pivotal moment in Jeremiah’s career, his life was spared because someone from the pews, if you will, knew their Bible. Those officials didn’t need a crack of thunder or an audible voice from God. They knew their Bible well and therefore, they knew what God wanted them to do that day.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Making Jesus Look Bad
In his recent book, “Damage Control: How To Stop Making Jesus Look Bad,” Dean Merrill makes the point that though all believers are ambassadors for Christ, there may be no real enforcement mechanism when it comes to claiming Christ. In other words, literally anyone can claim, “I’m a Christian,” and get away with it. This of course leads to a multitude of problems as people who claim to be followers Christ do plenty of un-Christlike things in His name.
This should raise a question we need to ask ourselves from time to time-am I part of that problem or part of the solution? We are all profoundly imperfect, but on the whole, do we make Jesus look good? If I claim to follow Christ, there need to be important ways in which my life is more like His than not. If there are plenty of people out there making Jesus look bad, what can I do to counter that trend?
This should raise a question we need to ask ourselves from time to time-am I part of that problem or part of the solution? We are all profoundly imperfect, but on the whole, do we make Jesus look good? If I claim to follow Christ, there need to be important ways in which my life is more like His than not. If there are plenty of people out there making Jesus look bad, what can I do to counter that trend?
Harvard Evangelicals
Welcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.
According to a recent report in the Harvard Crimson, a Harvard campus paper, the number of evangelical students there is on the rise. According to the University President, the number of students who identify themselves as evangelical Christians on the campus has doubled in the last decade. In addition in the last 30 or so years, the number of official chaplains connected with Harvard who identify themselves as evangelical has grown from zero to about half a dozen.
I find this to be an encouraging sign. I know there are those who would say that Christian students don’t belong in a place like Harvard, but it seems to me that the more of them there are thriving on campuses like Harvard, the better chance our culture has at redemption. Places like Harvard are where our future politicians, lawyers, doctors and influential businessmen come from, and the more of them there are who are wholly devoted to Christ, the better we will all be.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger pastor at Quail Lake Community Church, and Director of Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information, please visit everythoughtcaptive.org.
According to a recent report in the Harvard Crimson, a Harvard campus paper, the number of evangelical students there is on the rise. According to the University President, the number of students who identify themselves as evangelical Christians on the campus has doubled in the last decade. In addition in the last 30 or so years, the number of official chaplains connected with Harvard who identify themselves as evangelical has grown from zero to about half a dozen.
I find this to be an encouraging sign. I know there are those who would say that Christian students don’t belong in a place like Harvard, but it seems to me that the more of them there are thriving on campuses like Harvard, the better chance our culture has at redemption. Places like Harvard are where our future politicians, lawyers, doctors and influential businessmen come from, and the more of them there are who are wholly devoted to Christ, the better we will all be.
This has been Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger pastor at Quail Lake Community Church, and Director of Dayspring Center for Christian Studies. For more information, please visit everythoughtcaptive.org.
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