Articles Comments

From Law to Grace » Archive

Muslims, Headgear & Amusement Parks

August 31st, 2011 | Add a Comment

One of the wonderful freedoms that we enjoy in America is the freedom of religion.  Enshrined as the first right in the First Amendment, Americans are free to practice (or not practice) the religion of their choice without fear of undue or unreasonable government interference.  While the First Amendment is directed primarily at what government can and cannot do regarding a person’s religious expression, there are safeguards in place to accommodate religious beliefs in the workplace and in other venues as well. Our religious beliefs and practices should not trump common-sense regulations designed to protect all citizens.  For example, no one, regarless of their faith, should be able to have a driver’s license picture taken with their face fully or partially covered so as to obscure the identity of the license holder.  … Read entire article »

Filed under: Islam, Law, Religion

Michele Bachmann, Politicians & God as a Prop

August 30th, 2011 | 20 Comments

Count me as unimpressed.  That is, unimpressed with one of the top-tier Republican Presidential candidates, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.  Ms. Bachmann maybe a smart politician and a down-the-line conservative, but she comes across (at least to this observer) as somewhat of a flake.  You never know what might come out of her mouth.  And that, in Presidential politics, is a huge problem. While she maybe the darling of the Tea Party, the best way to ensure that Barack Obama is re-elected to a second term would be to have Michele Bachmann on the Republican ticket.  If she were leading the ticket, President Obama wins in a landslide.  Ms. Bachmann is such a polarizing figure that I do not see how she can pull off an electoral victory against a sitting President, no matter … Read entire article »

Filed under: Government, Politics, Religion

In Climate Change Debate, Al Gore Plays the Race Card

August 29th, 2011 | 9 Comments

Former Vice President Al Gore has officially become a permanent resident in the land of kooks and nuts.  Gore, a former Southern Baptist who used to oppose the murder of innocent pre-born children until he (like other former Southern Baptists Bill Clinton and Richard Gephardt) realized he would not have a future in the pro-abortion Democrat Party, has played the race card in support of his pet cult cause, global warming (k/n/a “Climate Change”). Gore, in an interview broadcast on UStream on August 26, 2011, emphatically stated: “We have to win the conversation on climate,” How might one “win” the conversation on an increasingly debated theory?  You would think that scientific evidence would be enough to convince climate change skeptics that this phenomenon is real.  However, when science cannot conclusively prove the validity of your new-age religious belief, then why not … Read entire article »

Filed under: Environmentalism, Religion

Demanding Clergy Be Included in 9/11 Ceremony

August 27th, 2011 | 6 Comments

Should clergy intentionally be excluded from participating in the NYC ceremony marking the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our nation?  That, I would submit, is the wrong question to ask.  However, after reading news reports that NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided that no clergy will participate in this year’s ceremony, one could reasonably conclude that the Mayor has lost his mind (at least politically speaking).  Now granted, there is much evidence without the 9/11 clergy kerfuffle to conclude that Mayor Bloomberg is a petty politician who wants to impose a nanny state mentality on New Yorkers (the obsessive regulation of salt comes to mind), but I digress.  I love New York City, but I’m glad that I don’t live there — at least while Bloomberg is Mayor. When I first heard … Read entire article »

Filed under: Freedom of Religion, Government, Politics, Religion

Communion: Who Has Better Table Manners?

August 26th, 2011 | 35 Comments

In a provocative post, Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at my alma mater, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, argues that Baptist churches who practice what is known as “closed communion” actually win the prize for best table manners.  From what I gathered from his article, if you practice communion any other way but closed, you are doctrinally sloppy. While I disagree with Dr. Moore’s argument, I certainly can appreciate his clarity in presenting it.  There is no question as to where Dr. Moore stands on this issue.  He is free, as the Teaching Pastor of Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, to “fence the table” according to how he interprets Scripture in regard to the observance of the Lord’s Supper.  However, his interpretation is not binding on any other church apart from his own.  One … Read entire article »

Filed under: Autonomy, Christianity, Religion, Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Next Page »