Contemporary Ethics: No Such Thing

Ethics, as defined by Merriam-Webster Online, are "the principles of conduct," or, "a guiding philosophy" (MW Online). As modern culture progresses, it is only fitting that a culture so steeped in hedonistic self-worship would approach the issue of ethics in a manner that seems to change with the times, and vary depending on circumstance and situation. Many times we hear about human ethics, business ethics, ethical education, and so on. There is even an entire organization devoted solely for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA.org). As the world so quickly turns to self-glorification and various forms of idolatry on a daily basis, it is far too easy to see how this term has been so easily misconstrued. In order for one to claim to have a truly Biblical worldview, he must be uncompromisingly set in the same manner that the great Puritan pastor of the Great Awakening, Jonathan Edwards, once stated: "Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory." The purpose of life and all existence for that matter is endowed by our Creator. Each human's purpose on this earth is not unique, however each is responsible and will be held accountable for how he handles it. In his letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul states, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God" (emphasis added) (1 Cor. 10:31). The seriousness of Paul's message is found not only in his use of language, but in the very words themselves. Eating and drinking to God's glory? There is no prescribed method in Scripture for how one is to do this, but rather it is a condition of the mind, which ultimately starts in the heart. What college do I go to: where can I most glorify God? Should I date this person: can I glorify God more? Should I go out to eat or make a sandwich at home: what will most glorify God? For anyone to truly claim a Biblical worldview, they must have this attitude, this mindset, this purpose. What will most glorify God in any situation or circumstance; regardless of the consequences. This is the only time any decision or practice can legitimately be labeled ethical.

Thanks Jan, thanks a lot.

Recently I had a brief conversation with a lady I work with, she's Mormon. She boldly proclaimed to me as we closed the store one night, "you know what turned me off about Christianity? One time I was watching the 'Christian' channel on TV, and I saw a lady wearing big diamond rings and pink hair, and she was begging me for money... that's when I became Mormon." After explaining to her that people like Jan Crouch, and most of the people on TBN--the "Christian" channel--are not preaching the true gospel, she still wouldn't believe it. Friends, this is the impression the world is getting about Christians. Though its more prevalent today than ever, Satan doesn't need Playboy or Marilyn Manson anymore, he's got Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes, and a truck-load of other false teachers, just pick your poison. Satan isn't working hard to infiltrate the church anymore, he has way more than his foot in the door. Rather, it appears that many times he's the very one speaking from the pulpit. Let's pray that God would continue to raise up His men to boldly yet humbly proclaim the inerrant truth from the Word of God, to "be ready in season and out of season," (2 Tim. 4:2) and that He alone would be exalted through the repentance of sinners. Later in the night another girl asked me, "you're a Christian right?" to which I replied, "only by God's grace." I pray that the Lord would continue to grow our hearts more in tune with His Word for His Worship, always seeking to proclaim His wonderful Name above all things! Soli deo gloria!

"For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 3:11).

Skype!

Recently my friend Genci told me about an internet program that would allow he and I to talk through the internet, just as if it were a telephone- absolutely free. At first I had reservations: the quality will be bad, it'll be complicated, etc. Recently I was over at my friend Josh's house, and I noticed that he too had this program. "Oh yeah! It's great, watch this..." Ring, ring... hello? Just like that his dad, all the way in the tiny village of Polokwane, South Africa, answered. The connection was so clear it was as if Mr. Beakley (Josh's dad) wasn't even on a phone, but sitting across the dinner table! All you need is a microphone connected to your computer ($14.99 at Wal-Mart) and of course speakers. It's as easy as that! Thanks Skype for connecting us all for free! www.skype.com

Bam!

Being from the south, it's kind of expected that people learn how to cook, at least enough to keep them from starving in college! Last night my mom taught me how to make an extremely easy but awesome Italian Baked Chicken. I can't give away the secret recipe, but let me say this- bam! I felt like Emeril Lagasse, only with a southern accent, haha. This delicious meal was started and in the oven in less than 3 minutes- no kidding. For a taste of my new specialty, come on over and I'll have to make it for you! Praise be to our Lord for boneless, skinless, chicken breasts- they make life SO much easier! Y'all have a great rest of the week!

"And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

AlbertMohler.com

Hey guys! I recently added a new link to the sidebar on the right. It's a link to www.albertmohler.com. This is the site of Dr. Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. I'd encourage anyone who reads my blog (which isn't many, so thank you very much whoever is reading right now, haha) to click over there whenever you think about it. Before you write off Dr. Mohler as being a stale seminary professor, read a couple of his blogs and you'll see that he is anything but dated. His insight isn't mere opinion, but daily wisdom from the word of God on very relevant issues today. Thanks again for reading!

Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth

Forgive me if I can't stop raving about this book by recent graduate of UCLA, Ben Shapiro. It's absolutely staggering the quotes, facts, and statistics that are accumulated in this book regarding the obscenely one-sided, liberal, nature that is found so often in the modern realm of academia. In one paragraph Shapiro writes,

Liberal Democrats dominate the university scene... the percentage of Democrats teaching in the university system closely parallels the percentage of communists in the Cuban government... At Williams College, there are only four registered Republican professors on campus out of two hundred professors. At Brown University, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 54-3; at Berkeley, 59-7; at Stanford 151-17; at the University of California at San Diego, 99-6. Stanford's History Department has twenty-two democrats but only two Republicans. Cornell's has twenty-nine Democrats and zero Republicans. Dartmouth's has ten Democrats and no Republicans. At the University of Colorado at Boulder, the English, History, and Philosophy Departments have a combined sixty-eight Democrats, and not a single Republican. At that same university, 184 of the 190 social science and humanities professors identified themselves as Democrats.

It's also amazing how far left some of these professors can go. Regarding the topic of economic theory, Shapiro goes on to write,

Professor Richard Sklar of UCLA described socialism as a "great idea" and communist dictator Mao Tse-Tung as a "great leader." Implementation of socialism has resulted in more deaths than all the international wars of the twentieth century combined. Is socialism really a "great idea?" Mao caused the deaths of millions of his own people. Does that constitute great leadership?... An assigned article for UCLA's Geography 5 course in Winter 2001 stated, "'market-oriented' systems of production and distribution do not have a good track record of feeding people, nor in tackling the underlying structures of poverty which consign over one quarter of the world's population to hunger." That's a surprise. Last time I checked, non-"market-oriented" systems had starved twenty million people in the USSR, thirty million in China, and millions more thoughout the world. Guess I must have missed the part in America's history where its market-oriented system killed millions of citizens.

Regarding social and ethical controversies, Shapiro again writes,

UCLA Professor Kenneth Schultz says, "Republicans have not historically been the party of human rights." Oh. So all that stuff about Lincoln and the slaves was a big lie?

It's truly amazing how far left today's universities, specifically professors, have shifted. In a final statement Shapiro writes, "On a wide variety of issues, the professors hew to the party line, and that means Right can do no right. It's no coincidence, and it's an educational travesty."

Thanks again for reading- y'all have an awesome weekend!

Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?

I'm convinced that procrastination is slowly ruining our lives. And I blame my depravity for that, because if I wasn't a sinner, I would always have my priorities in order! Should I work on that essay or watch basketball? Oh, I should work on the essay- but click, on comes the NBA Playoffs! It's amazing how much of a grasp pleasure and pointless wastes of time take up my attention. Thank the Lord that He resets our minds to focus on Him, because if our salvation were up to us, I'm confident that we'd put that off until the last minute as well. Soli deo Gloria! 1 Cor. 10:31

Hey!

Hey thanks so much for reading my blog! I hope y'all enjoy it! Thanks again- hope to talk to you guys soon!