christianity

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Perhaps more so than she has ever done since the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling has started talking about the deeper theological meaning of her runaway bestselling books… and especially the profound Christian underpinnings that only really came into focus with the final novel of the Harry Potter series. Here’s the story at MTV.com.

Among the highlights…

But if she was worried about tipping her hand narratively in the earlier books, she clearly wasn’t by the time Harry visits his parents’ graves in Chapter 16 of “Deathly Hallows,” titled “Godric’s Hollow.” On his parents’ tombstone he reads the quote “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death,” while on another tombstone (that of Dumbledore’s mother and sister) he reads, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

While Rowling said that “Hogwarts is a multifaith school,” these quotes, of course,

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Dr. Bob Jones III, chancellor of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina and grandson of the founder, has endorsed Mitt Romney for President.

Which I don’t particularly have a problem with. Dr. Jones is free to endorse whoever he wants to for President.

Here’s where he goes totally wrong…

“This is all about beating Hillary,” Jones said.

What a wonderful Christ-like sentiment that Dr. Jones is expressing here. And yes, I am being sarcastic.

You know, so-called “Christian leaders” like Dr. Jones just don’t get it. They haven’t bothered to understand that not in a million years can they claim America for Christ. Because they can’t even let Christ take claim over their own hearts and minds. Christ cannot change America anymore than we let Him change us first.

And that is something that people like Dr. Jones refuse to do at all. To them, Christ is something ...

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According to The New York Times:

Alarmed at the chance that the Republican party might pick Rudolph Giuliani as its presidential nominee despite his support for abortion rights, a coalition of influential Christian conservatives is threatening to back a third-party candidate in an attempt to stop him.

The group making the threat, which came together Saturday in Salt Lake City during a break-away gathering during a meeting of the secretive Council for National Policy, includes Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, who is perhaps the most influential of the group, as well as Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, the direct mail pioneer Richard Viguerie and dozens of other politically-oriented conservative Christians, participants said. Almost everyone present expressed support for a written resolution that “if the Republican Party nominates a pro-abortion candidate we will consider running a third party candidate.”

After reading the story, I had ...

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The Politico today has a story about why evangelical Christians – who are almost entirely registered Republicans – will be opposing Fred Thompson.

Don’t believe it.

If Fred Thompson is nominated to be the Republican candidate for President next year, you will not only see most of these so-called “conservative evangelicals” not oppose Fred Thompson, but will see them support him with their wallets and their prayers.

You will hear preachers – as much as they can get away with it – crying out from their pulpits to their congregations that it is their “good Christian duty” to vote for Thompson.

You will witness the supposed “leaders” of Christian virtue in America do an about-face and instruct their followers via websites and radio programs and “voter guides” that they “cannot turn away from their God-given task” by failing to support Fred Thompson… especially if Hillary Clinton is the Democrat nominee....

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Our dear friend Jenna Olwin out in Washington state has just started a new blog called A Church in Godric’s Hollow. It promises to be quite an enlightening read because Jenna is delving into the Christian aspects of the Harry Potter books.

And it was because of Jenna’s new blog that I discovered artdungeon.net. This is quite simply the most beautiful art based on the Harry Potter books that I’ve seen. It’s absolutely breathtaking how Marta, the young artist behind the site, has captured the soul and essence of so many scenes and characters from the J.K. Rowling’s books. Want an example? Okay, this one is my favorite so far, but do not peek unless you have read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows....

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A man named A.J. Jacobs has spent a full year following all of the rules and commandments of the Bible. What was that like?

After A. J. Jacobs spent a year reading the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica for his book “The Know-It-All,” he figured he had the yearlong experiment thing down. How much harder could it be to follow every rule in the Bible? Much, much harder, he soon discovered, as he found himself growing his beard, struggling not to curse and asking strangers for permission to stone them for adultery. Jacobs spent the year carrying around a stapled list of the more than 700 rules and prohibitions identified in the Good Book, and also consulted with religious leaders and spent time with the Amish, Hassidic Jews and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Hit here for the rest of the story. Thanks to Kevin Bussey for the find!...

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Earlier tonight on WGSR, Richard Moore appeared with Charles Roark and was (among other things) talking about this week’s meeting of the Reidsville City Council. And Richard reported on something that I couldn’t believe that I was hearing, so I e-mailed Richard and he confirmed it…

Reidsville City Council has voted to ban new churches from the downtown area.

Here is what Richard told me…

“Current churches can continue to operate, but no new churches will be allowed in the Central Business District. It was put into law today with a 5-2 vote. I think John Gentry and George Rucker voted against it.”

Richard also tells me that the Reidsville City Council did not debate whether or not this measure to ban churches was constitutional, but the council did discuss the constitutionality of banning pit bulls.

Only in Reidsville.

Let’s review the First Amendment of the United States Constitution:

“Congress

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Early this morning Brian Sapient of the Rational Response Squad posted on the group’s site that YouTube had restored their account.

You might remember a few days ago when I wrote here about how the atheist Rational Response Squad had apparently been targeted by a Christian organization. Creation Science Evangelism Ministries allegedly filed “false DMCA copyright requests” against the Rational Response Squad with YouTube, and YouTube subsequently yanked Rational Response Squad’s account. But as you can see, it is now back up.

In the past few days since posting on this blog that I would “give the Rational Response Squad my full support in this matter”, plenty of e-mail has come into my box about that. A lot of the sentiment is reflected in the comments made on the earlier post. And many people are really, really angry that I took up sides with a group of atheists ...

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It is far too easy a thing to believe in Christ.

When I say that, there are two meanings that I have in mind: both radically different yet not mutually exclusive from each other at all.

The first meaning is the one that I discovered a long time ago: that to believe in Christ is something that the least among us can do. Even the smallest child can have faith and know the fullness and abundantly joyful life that is to be found in Him. Indeed, scripture tell us that “…unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

This has been at the heart of some of my greatest spiritual struggle, because I confess that I do not possess the heart of a little child. And there are times that I think that I would do anything to know what ...

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Here is a rendering based on various busts and statues of the mad Roman emperor Nero…

And here is George W. Bush during his speech yesterday…

“In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior.“

— Daniel chapter 8, verses 23-25

One of my best friends is fond of saying that “the eyes are the window of the soul”. Folks, I see that picture of Bush, and there’s only a pitch-black abyss staring back. No wonder he doesn’t care how many people die in this war of his....

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