Anglican Mainstream

By Andrea Minichiello Williams, Christian Concern

King Solomon, considered by the Bible to be the wisest man in his time, had deep insight into the hearts of men. He saw our longing for eternity, for something other than ourselves, for a higher experience than our present condition affords us.

Mankind started in the Garden of Eden, not in a fallen world. In the Hebrew language, Eden means pleasure, delight or paradise. We still long for this now. We were created for eternity, and we still look towards heavenly realities. It is impossible to take God out of the heart of man.

This innate longing in mankind has led to many attempts to create a utopian world. Some have attempted to do this without God. All of these attempts have ended in dismal failure. They have been counterfeits of the real thing, failing to reflect the heart of God towards his creation.

The attempt by communists in the last century to create a society where wealth was equally distributed failed dramatically, and at great cost. As a result, our own generation thought that communism was finished. Unfortunately, the spirit behind communism lives on, and ideologies inspired by this spirit are guiding public discourse in the UK and across the West.

Moral relativism, multi-culturalism, socialism, secularism, humanism, the sexual revolution, the drive for equality and diversity and the iron grip of political correctness are all manifestations of this same utopian spirit.

Read here

By Eryn Sun, Christian Post

From Premier Events

Monday, 17 October 2011 from 7.30pm to 10pm
Westminster Central Hall, Storeys Gate
London, SW1H 9NH

"Does God Exist?"
The Great Debate between William Lane Craig and Stephen Law

William Lane Craig is a renowned Christian Philosopher from America and one of the most significant defenders of Christianity in the world, having debated the world's leading atheists, inclusing Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris.

Sam Harris recently described William as "the one Christian apologist who seems to have put the fear of God into many of my fellow atheists."

At Premier's invitation, Crais is visiting the UK from 17-to-26 October for an exciting line-up of lecutres on the truth of Christianity and debates with atheists on the existance of God.

The Tour begins at Westminster Central Hall, London on Monday, 17 October at 7:30pm and will be hosted by Premier Christian Radio's "Unbelievable?" presenter, Justin Brierley. William Lane Craig will be debating the atheist philosopher, Stephen Law, on the topic: "Does God Exist?".

The tour has already been making waves in the media as some of the best known UK atheists, including Richard Dawkins, have refused invitations to step up and debate with Craig. Polly Toynbee, Guardian columnist and President of the British Humanist Association, initially agreed to debate against Craig, but recently withdrew herself from the debate stating that she "had not realized the debating style of Mr. Craig."

What is making the UK's atheists so nervous? Find out by attending the first debate of the Tour as William Lane Craig presents compelling arguments for the existence of God and the truth of Christianity.

This is also a perfect event for inviting sceptics and questioning friends and family to. You can forward this email on to your friends and family so that they too can book tickets.

Tickets are only £12.50 each. There is a special student price of £5 per ticket, however, you will need to own a valid student ID in order to qualify for the discounted price.

Don't miss this opportunity to see the world's leading defender of the intellectual case for Christianity in action this October by booking your tickets now!

For bookings and details of other venues see here

By Tom O'Gorman, Iona Institute

In the West we are doing our best to destroy our Christian heritage but in China, Chinese intellectuals are coming around to the view that it is precisely this heritage that has made the West so successful.

Former editor of the Sunday Telegraph, Dominic Lawson, in a review in the Sunday Times of Niall Ferguson's new book, ‘Civilisation: The West and the Rest’, carries a quote from a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in which he tries to account for the success of the West, to date.

He said: “One of the things we were asked to look into was what accounted for the success, in fact, the pre-eminence of the West all over the world.

“We studied everything we could from the historical, political, economic, and cultural perspective. At first, we thought it was because you had more powerful guns than we had.

“Then we thought it was because you had the best political system. Next we focused on your economic system.

“But in the past twenty years, we have realised that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity. That is why the West is so powerful.

“The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics. We don’t have any doubt about this.”

Read here

By Tim Ross, Telegraph

Richard Dawkins has made his name as the scourge of organised religion who branded the Roman Catholic Church “evil” and once called the Pope “a leering old villain in a frock”.

But he now stands accused of “cowardice” after refusing four invitations to debate the existence of God with a renowned Christian philosopher.
 
A war of words has broken out between the best selling author of The God Delusion, and his critics, who see his refusal to take on the American academic, William Lane Craig, as a “glaring” failure and a sign that he may be losing his nerve.
 
Prof Dawkins maintains that Prof Craig is not a figure worthy of his attention and has reportedly said that such a contest would “look good” on his opponent’s CV but not on his own.
 
An emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, Prof Dawkins last year supported a plan to charge Pope Benedict XVI with crimes against humanity for his alleged involvement in the cover-up of sex abuse by Catholic priests.
 
Prof Craig is a research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, in California, and the author of 30 books and hundreds of scholarly articles on Christianity.

He has debated with leading thinkers including Daniel Dennett, A.C.Grayling, Christopher Hitchens, Lewis Wolpert and Sam Harris.

Prof Craig is due to visit Britain in October this year. Four invitations to take part in public debates were sent to Prof Dawkins from The British Humanist Association, The Cambridge Debating Union, the Oxford Christian Union and Premier Radio.

Read here

Read Cranmer here

By Karna Swanson, Zenit

What would happen if Christians turned the tables on atheists and challenged them on their belief that God doesn't exist?

This is the premise of the book "The Godless Delusion: A Catholic Challenge to Modern Atheism," written by Patrick Madrid and Kenneth Hensley (Our Sunday Visitor), in which the internal contradictions of a non-belief in God, as well as the various incoherencies in the atheistic worldview, are exposed.

According to Madrid, "atheists are not accustomed to Christians subjecting atheism to a rigorous critique on its own merits. This is why our primary goal was to take a different approach by providing a philosophical critique of atheism itself."

Madrid is the author or editor of 16 books, the director of the Envoy Institute of Belmont Abbey College, the publisher of Envoy Magazine, and host of the Thursday edition of EWTN Radio’s "Open Line" broadcast (3-5 p.m. ET).

In this interview with ZENIT, Madrid discusses the primary goals of writing "The Godless Delusion," as well as the precarious foundations of the naturalistic morality of atheism.

ZENIT: As you state in your book, atheists have been around for years, but there have also been various Catholic and Protestant responses to atheism. What is unique about your approach to atheism and your understanding of atheists?

Read the rest of this entry »

The reasons for unbelief are more complex than many atheists let on.

Don't Impose Your Morality on Me!   E. SRI

He was taking an ethics class with a professor who promoted moral relativism – the notion that there is no objective moral truth, no right or wrong. According to a relativist, all truth claims are subjective, merely reflecting one's own feelings, opinions, or desires. A relativist might say, "You can have 'your truth' and I can have 'my truth,' but there is no 'the truth' to which we are all accountable." 

In a relativistic culture like our own, it is quite difficult to talk about morality, especially if one believes in a moral standard that applies to all people. For example, if you try to defend Catholic teaching on moral issues such as abortion, premarital sex, or homosexuality with your coworker Joe during a lunch break, you are likely to be dismissed as rigid, fundamentalist, judgmental, and intolerant: "That might be your opinion, but don't impose your morality on me!"   Read here

By Anna Arco, Catholic Herald

January 24, 2011 (Breakpoint.org) – You have probably never heard of Lothar Kreyssig—I hadn’t until recently. Yet, after hearing his story, I realized Kreyssig was a hero for our times: a man whom, at almost unbelievable risk, stood up for the sanctity of human life.

In October, 1939, the Third Reich created what came to be known as the “Action T4” program. In furtherance of what the Nazis called “racial hygiene,” Reich bureaucrats, working with doctors, were authorized to identify and kill those deemed to be “unworthy of life,” that is, institutionalized patients with “severe disabilities.”

Of course, expressions like “unworthy” and even “severe” are subjective. In reality, they were a license for mass murder. Hitler called for at least 70,000 people to be killed under this program, so doctors and officials set about meeting the Fuhrer’s quotas.  Read Charles Colson here

By Albert Mohler

In one of his columns for The New York Times, Nicholas Kristof once pointed to belief in the Virgin Birth as evidence that conservative Christians are “less intellectual.” Are we saddled with an untenable doctrine? Is belief in the Virgin Birth really necessary?

Kristof is absolutely aghast that so many Americans believe in the Virgin Birth. “The faith in the Virgin Birth reflects the way American Christianity is becoming less intellectual and more mystical over time,” he explains, and the percentage of Americans who believe in the Virgin Birth “actually rose five points in the latest poll.” Yikes! Is this evidence of secular backsliding?

“The Virgin Mary is an interesting prism through which to examine America’s emphasis on faith,” Kristof argues, “because most Biblical scholars regard the evidence for the Virgin Birth … as so shaky that it pretty much has to be a leap of faith.” Here’s a little hint: Anytime you hear a claim about what “most Biblical scholars” believe, check on just who these illustrious scholars really are. In Kristof’s case, he is only concerned about liberal scholars like Hans Kung, whose credentials as a Catholic theologian were revoked by the Vatican.

Read here

By Iain Duncan Smith

Over the last ­fortnight, many of us will have been enjoying the ­familiar ­delights of the school ­Nativity play, sharing the excitement that a new generation of children ­always brings to it.

Their costumes may be fashioned from blankets, tea-­towels and old dressing-gown cords but you can see from their rapt expressions that the Christmas Story has lost none of its power and magic.

With Mother and the Christ Child holding centre stage, the final tableau, helped perhaps by a bit of prompting from ­parents and teachers, slowly assembles. On come the shepherds, ­earnestly clutching their crooks and toy lambs, closely followed by the three Wise Men, a riot of colour and gold gift-wrap.

It’s such a familiar and enduring image that most of us can conjure it from memory in a moment. But it’s an image that I believe runs the real risk of overlooking the most important character of all, an ­individual whose vital role in shaping the Christian message is downplayed and yet whose story couldn’t be more important, or more significant, in today’s society.

Read here

by Ed Beavon, Church Times

THE Archbishop of Canterbury has criticised attempts to ban nativity plays and other Christmas activities. People of other faiths and cultures “love the story”, he says.

In the Christmas issue of the Radio Times, Dr Williams writes: “The weary annual attempts by right-thinking people in Britain to ban or discourage nativity plays or public carol-singing out of sensitivity to the supposed tender consciences of other religions fail to notice that most people of other religions and cultures both love the story and respect the message.”

He describes Christmas as one of the “great European exports”, and says that the story of the nativity “is loved even in non-Christian contexts”. One of the “best and most sensitive recent film retellings of the story was made by an Iranian Muslim company”.

Dr Williams also writes about the theological implications of the Christmas story, which “should make us think twice about giving up on the human heart’s capacity for goodness and faith”.

Read here

By Albert Mohler

The Christian worldview is structured, first of all, by the revealed knowledge of God. There is no other starting point for an authentic Christian worldview—and there is no substitute.

One of the most important principles of Christian thinking is the recognition that there is no stance of intellectual neutrality. No human being is capable of achieving a process of thought that requires no presuppositions, assumptions, or inherited intellectual components. All human thinking requires some presupposed framework that defines reality and explains, in the first place, how it is possible that we can know anything at all.

The process of human cogitation and intellectual activity has been, in itself, the focus of intense intellectual concern. In philosophy, the field of study that is directed toward the possibility of human knowledge is epistemology. The ancient philosophers were concerned with the problem of knowledge, but this problem becomes all the more complex and acute in a world of intellectual diversity. In the aftermath of the Enlightenment, the problem of epistemology moved to the very center of philosophical thought.

Are we capable of knowing truth? Is truth, in any objective sense, accessible to us? How is it that different people, different cultures, and different faiths hold to such different understandings and affirm such irreconcilable claims to truth? Does truth even exist at all? If so, can we really know it?

Read here

Transcribed by Pageantmaster for Titusonenine

Sunday Programme 28th November 2010 – William Crawley Presenter [“Q”]

Not Ashamed Day

Q: ‘Wear your faith with pride this Christmas’, that’s the call being made by Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, in a nationwide campaign challenging Britain’s Christians to stand together to oppose any attempt to airbrush the Christian Faith out of public life. The campaign was launched by the organization ‘Christian Concern for our Nation’ and they have renamed December the 1st: ‘Not Ashamed Day’. Lord Carey told me why he thinks Christianity is being marginalized in the UK.

Carey: We are seeing it in terms of well, the general thing, local councils marginalizing the significance of festivals such as Christmas. There is also what is happening with individuals – Nadia Eweida – people like Gary Macfarlane – whose rights I believe have been taken away from them, and what worries me and so many people, that this marginalizing is a way, either deliberate or otherwise, of pushing Christianity into the private area of life so people can’t actually demonstrate their Christian faith in the work situation. You think of the lady in Exeter who was moved from her position as a nurse because she wore a cross. And so the campaign is saying: we as Christians should be proud of our faith which has done so much for our country.

Q: Critics will say that when you look at individual cases, such as those you have just mentioned, what you find, and what courts and tribunals have found when they have explored those cases, is often that those involved have not fallen foul of religious discrimination, but simply workplace uniform rules and the like.

Carey: No it’s not quite like that at all. I think there are too many cases for us to say it is isolated, William, and I think we must stand up and be counted.

Q: What does standing up and being counted mean?

Carey: Well I think we have got to admire the bravery of people who are prepared to stick their neck out, and support them. It is important to preach that Christianity has made a major contribution to our society and will continue to do so.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Albert Mohler

One of the most important principles of Christian thinking is the recognition that there is no stance of intellectual neutrality. No human being is capable of achieving a process of thought that requires no presuppositions, assumptions, or inherited intellectual components. All human thinking requires some presupposed framework that defines reality and explains, in the first place, how it is possible that we can know anything at all.

The process of human cogitation and intellectual activity has been, in itself, the focus of intense intellectual concern. In philosophy, the field of study that is directed toward the possibility of human knowledge is epistemology. The ancient philosophers were concerned with the problem of knowledge, but this problem becomes all the more complex and acute in a world of intellectual diversity. In the aftermath of the Enlightenment, the problem of epistemology moved to the very center of philosophical thought.

Are we capable of knowing truth? Is truth, in any objective sense, accessible to us? How is it that different people, different cultures, and different faiths hold to such different understandings and affirm such irreconcilable claims to truth? Does truth even exist at all? If so, can we really know it?

Read here

From Cranmer

At the sentencing of Roshonara Choudhry, the trainee teacher who attempted to murder Stephen Timms MP, the public gallery erupted with cries of 'Allahu akbar' ('God is great'), 'British go to hell' and 'Curse the judge'.

Quite why they were not immediately arrested for contempt of court is unknown.

[...] As Miss Choudhry was sent down ‘for life’, with a minimum term of 15 years, the Prophet’s loyal rent-a-crowd faithfully protested outside the Old Bailey with their usual offensive placards, hurling their usual inflammatory insults, which included 'Death to Timms’, presumably with the hope or expectation that he might join Margaret Thatcher in hell.

Why were they not immediately arrested for incitement to murder or, at the very least, the public order offence of causing alarm and distress?

If the police do not treat everyone equally under the law, irrespective of race or religion, they give the impression that ‘devout’ Muslims may indeed incite their co-religionists to murder Members of Parliament, and that they may do so with impunity.

But in passing sentence, Mr Justice Cooke observed something very interesting about Stephen Timms. He said:

Read here

By Michael Nazir-Ali, Standpoint Magazine

It is both rare and welcome to hear an educating and educated speech by the Secretary of State for Education at his party conference. Michael Gove's at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, particularly the section on the curriculum in our schools, repays careful study. He is generally right in his emphasis on the rigorous study of traditional subjects rather than wasting time on what he calls "pseudo-subjects". We would expect him, as a student of English, to focus on the teaching of language and literature — as he does. His choice, though, of the "greats" — Dryden, Pope, Swift, Byron, Keats, Shelley, Austen, Dickens and Hardy — could have been expanded to include Herbert, Donne, Newman, Hopkins, Eliot, Chesterton, Greene and Belloc.

It is, however, his comments about the teaching of history that are the most telling. He reminds us of that sundering of our society from its past which I have called "national amnesia", and asserts that until we understand the struggles of the past we will not be able to value our hard-won freedoms. All of this, and more, is music to my ears, but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

We must ensure that the teaching of history is not just about a number of significant events and personalities and that there should be a connected narrative. But how is this to be achieved and what is the "golden chain of harmony" that can provide the connection? Surely, this has to do with a world-view that underlies the emergence of characteristically British institutions and values: the Constitution itself ("the Queen in Parliament under God"); a concern for the poor; a social security net, based on the parish church, which goes back to the 16th century; and personal liberties as enshrined in the Magna Carta.

Read here