Richard Dawkins: “You only need to use the word ‘faith’ when you haven’t any evidence.”
John Lennox: “No, no, not at all. I presume you have faith in your wife. Is there any evidence for that?”
Dawkins: “Yes, plenty-”
Lennox: “Hmmm”

Just watched the first debate between Oxford professors Richard Dawkins and John Lennox (DawkinsLennoxDebate.com) – it was fantastic. The format was frustrating (favouring Lennox), but I thought Lennox dealt some very powerful blows to Dawkins’ straw-men and false dichotomies, while agreeing with his (many) valid points.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Dawkins’ assertion that faith is irrational will never be persuasive to anyone outside his fan club while-ever he persists in using his own definition of faith – as the above quote demonstrates. He is on safe but unpersuasive ground saying “Faith is irrational” having already defined it as such.

By my assessment, Lennox dealt deftly and swiftly with the 8 ‘theses’ of The God Delusion, dismantling them with precision. While I should like to hear the responses of my atheistic readers to Lennox’s critique, I simply cannot believe The God Delusion has been so celebrated. Were I an atheist, I could say it no better than philosopher Michael Ruse: ‘The God Delusion makes me embarrassed to be an atheist.’

The comments from Team Atheist at RichardDawkins.net show not everyone shares my assessment – but perhaps this could be proof that one can be just as blindly dogmatic and indoctrinated against religion as by it.

Don’t forget to watch the debate (or listen). Further reading: Lennox’s book ‘God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?’

I’ll conclude with a quote from a very famous scientist:

A serious case could be made for a deistic God. (Richard Dawkins, 2008)

“If you need more than Jesus dying for you, then I’ve got nothing else to give you.”

Amen!

18 very clever ways to save money.

This passage has always troubled me:

“And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:16, 17ff)

I always object: ”Isn’t salvation by grace alone?” But this morning I read Calvin’s commentary on it, and everything made sense:

Keep the commandments. This passage was erroneously interpreted by some of the ancients, whom the Papists have followed, as if Christ taught that, by keeping the law, we may merit eternal life. On the contrary, Christ did not take into consideration what men can do, but replied to the question, What is the righteousness of works? or, What does the Law require? And certainly we ought to believe that God comprehended in his law the way of living holily and righteously, in which righteousness is included; for not without reason did Moses make this statement,
‘He that does these things shall live in them’, (Leviticus 18:5),
and again,
‘I call heaven and earth to witness that l have this day showed you life’, (Deuteronomy 30:19)

We have no right, therefore, to deny that the keeping of the law is righteousness, by which any man who kept the law perfectly — if there were such a man — would obtain life for himself. But as we are all destitute of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23) nothing but cursing will be found in the law; and nothing remains for us but to betake ourselves to the undeserved gift of righteousness. And therefore Paul lays down a twofold righteousness, the righteousness of the law, (Romans 10:5) and the righteousness of faith, (Romans 10:6). He makes the first to consist in works, and the second, in the free grace of Christ.

Hence we infer, that this reply of Christ is legal, because it was proper that the young man who inquired about the righteousness of works should first be taught that no man is accounted righteous before God unless he has fulfilled the law, (which is impossible,) that, convinced of his weakness, he might betake himself to the assistance of faith. I acknowledge, therefore, that, as God has promised the reward of eternal life to those who keep his law, we ought to hold by this way, if the weakness of our flesh did not prevent; but Scripture teaches us, that it is through our own fault that it becomes necessary for us to receive as a gift what we cannot obtain by works.

Yew!

At a party this arvo, a guy had been talking to a couple of other people when I joined the conversation. I shook his hand, and the conversation was going great guns.
Or so I thought. After about 5 minutes he said:

“Well, I gotta go inside… Gotta go wash my hands. Got dip on them.”

Sweet.

What is it with old people and telling you your shoelaces are undone?

The routine for meeting new people seems to be: look them in the eye, say g’day, and check their shoes.

At least their making themselves useful to society. I wonder how many people are alive today thanks to these dedicated individuals…

A complete stranger told me today that I didn’t look like a Christian.

That’s good, I think.

(Apparently, I do look like a mormon though… that’s probably not good.)

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19)

Huh? I don’t keep the least of the commandments in the Old Testament! Should I? Can someone please explain?

Dear Christian, is this your attitude to Jesus: “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go”?

Then what have you done with His reply: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” ? (Mt. 8:20)

Look around you – Jesus lived in poverty. Have you followed Jesus there? Will you?

I’m feeling really rich at the moment. Because I have a bed (actually, 2 beds). And clothes. And food.

While you’ll never see the headline above, it’s true. It hurts to keep caring. Don’t stop.

Mark Driscoll:

“… One we are in early discussions about my possible return to Sydney for some evangelistic preaching to as many as forty thousand people if we can work out the details.

Two Pastor Scott Thomas and Pastor Tyler Powell who run the Acts 29 Church Planting Network are working out the details of a return trip to evaluate church planters and to see if we can be of assistance to some major denominations while also helping independent church planters….”

Read the rest here. And be praying.