Around the Horn – 4.29.10

Army Disinvites Franklin Graham to Prayer Day
Evangelist Franklin Graham‘s invitation to speak at a Pentagon prayer service has been rescinded because his comments about Islam were inappropriate, the Army said Thursday. Graham, the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, in 2001 described Islam as evil. More recently, he has said he finds Islam offensive and wants Muslims to know that Jesus Christ died for their sins.  Army spokesman Col. Tom Collins said Graham’s remarks were “not appropriate.  We’re an all-inclusive military,” Collins said. “We honor all faiths.  Our message to our service and civilian work force is about the need for diversity and appreciation of all faiths.”

Legal Skirmish Colors National Day of Prayer
As Rep. Randy Forbes sees it, the decision by a Wisconsin federal judge that the law creating a National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional is little more than one person’s opinion.  Millions of Americans, Forbes said, think otherwise.

Why Doctrine is Only Half the Message
In a perfect world, people would make decisions about what they believe based on it’s philosophical merit, but that isn’t how people decide what is true at all. The truth about how people decide what is true is simple: If a philosophy creates a person that affirms my intrinsic value as a human being, it has merit, and if it doesn’t affirm my intrinsic value as a human being, it does not have merit.

Jennifer Knapp & Larry King: Why We Always Lose This Debate
After viewing Friday night’s Larry King Live with Jennifer Knapp, pastor Bob Botsford, and Ted Haggard, I was struck with the question: Why is it that whenever a proponent of Christianity’s historical view of sexuality goes head to head with an advocate for gay rights, the traditional Christian almost always loses the argument?

A Past Mired in Porn, A Future Molded by Faith
Members of Christ Church Jacksonville Anglican (Florida) were stunned by their discovery as they explored Playtime Drive-In Theater,  property the church had just purchased (in 2008) for a new building. Among old films still in the building were such titles as “Kinky Business” and “Private Teacher.”

Expository Listening
As Christians we (rightly!) have high expectations of our pastors as they preach the Word of God. We expect that that they will dedicate themselves to studying and understanding the Bible, that they will live lives marked by their commitment to holiness, that they will expend the effort necessary to craft Gospel-centered, Spirit-empowered sermons. In short, we expect that they will come to the pulpit prepared, having dedicated themselves to the task they’ve been called to. How odd it is, then, that we are content to have such low standards for our own preparation and our own diligence in listening. We expect to turn up at church and be blessed by the preaching of the Word, even while we have expended no effort in seeking to prepare ourselves to hear it and even while we sit passively throughout.