University of Texas Typo

Wow.  Embarrassing commencement program for the Longhorns of Texas.

Pelosi's religion (Roman Catholicism) compels her to support gay marriage?

I wonder if we'll hear from Rome on Ms. Pelosi's recent claim that her religion compels her to support "gay marriage"?

The central pillar in biblical religion

As I slog through the final books and writing assignments left in my doctoral studies...I find myself deep in to Carl F.H. Henry's six-volume masterpiece, "God, Revelation and Authority".  He spends all of the first volume building a case for the necessity of Scripture in order to know God.  Check out how he ends the volume-

Revelation is, in truth, the central pillar of biblical religion.  Around the living God's disclosure of his own reality, purpose, and activity range all the special affirmations of Judeo-Christian theology.  Biblical assertions of the creation of the cosmos, of the future judgment and the future life, of the divine salvation of sinners, of the meaning and worth of human existence in the days of our years, turn ultimately on the self-unveiling of God who confronts his fallen creatures as their Creator, Redeemer and Judge. 


That God is the eternal sovereign Creator to whom mankind is morally accountable is the central content of universal divine revelation addressed to the reason and conscience of every human through nature and history.  The scripturally given special revelation restates the will of God and clarifies it for humans in the sorry state of sin.  Redemptive revelation offers fallen humanity a renewal of the spiritual prerogatives which belonged to man on the basis of creation and the Image of God.  It does not stop there, however.  Redemptive revelation expands the knowledge of God's moral purposes beyond what Adam and Eve knew even before the fall.  Special biblical revelation is restorative and redemptive.  The un-obliterated Image of God has its ineradicable point of connection with the living God who reveals himself objectively and universally in nature and mankind, and also objectively but particularly in Judeo-Christian revelation. Published and written in Scripture, that transcendent revelation heralds good news worldwide to a famished and fainting race.  

Mariano Rivera- The greatest can sometimes be humble...

Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer Major League Baseball has ever seen.  Whether you are a Yankee fan or not, you must respect this humble master of his craft.  Mariano Rivera is a follower of Christ and has a deep peace about God's will. I have seen him display confidence in God's will in many interviews over the years.

This week, while shagging balls before a game (something he has done his whole career in order to stay in shape and sharp), he twisted his knee and tore his ACL.  Such an injury requires surgery and carries a six month recovery minimum.  By most estimates of Rivera's intentions, he was going to retire after this season. It is probable this season is now done.  Will he retire?  Will this be the way the most prolific closer in baseball history goes out?

Mariano said he will take time to pray and consider what is next.  Here is the interview with Rivera in Kansas City, after his injury was diagnosed.  Again, you have to love Mariano Rivera.

A Day of Rejoicing in the Felich Household

Monday was one of the greatest days of my family's life.  We officially adopted our daughter, Willow.  Below is a video clip of our lawyer asking us the pertinent questions and the judge officially decreeing the adoption.  We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and kindness from our loved ones (church and biological family).

Jordy and I on the pitch

I've been a Sporting KC season ticket holder for four years.  This year the team let season ticket holders get a picture  before a game.  Pretty cool.

Archaeological discovery verifies suspicions...

Barrels of Fun!

I am so glad I didn't see this when I was a teenager...I'd surely be dead trying this.

Trueman drops the gloves on new Roman Catholic book

OR

When people find I was raised Roman Catholic they often ask why I left "The Church" (if they are Roman Catholic) or "Romanism" (if they are an astute Protestant).  It's not an easy question to answer in simple fashion, but it came down to wanting to know God's will.  Where could I find God's will, especially about being right with Him?  The Roman Church said it was to be found with the Church, specifically the Papacy.  Papal authority is the "buck" for Romanism.  I understood that assertion very clearly and did my very best to appreciate it and be a good son of the Church, so to speak. I had several kind, learned priests and nuns instruct me during my time in CCD class.  But what about the Bible?  Through attending a vacation Bible school ministry at a Protestant church in the Reformed tradition, I was introduced to a different paradigm for finding God's will-the Bible.  I didn't read the Bible much in my Roman Catholic experience, including the CCD classes I attended faithfully.  There were a few short readings during Mass, and a very brief homily by the priest that would touch on some simple scriptural theme, but that was it. Bible reading was not encouraged much, at least in the 1980's. To this day, the only Roman Catholics I know who are biblically literate are converts from evangelical churches. There was a definite sense of enigma about the Bible and you were made to feel you could not really understand it on your own (as a side- one of the most liberating things I witnessed in my father was his discovery of Scripture- reading and studying the bible when he left the Roman Church to go to a Protestant bible-teaching church at age 70 and then joined our church at the age of 74. He almost never missed Mass for seven decades, yet knew very little about the content of Scripture). Given their view of authority, I understand why the Bible isn't emphasized too much in Romanism, at least not among the laity. Through the aforementioned Reformed Church I began reading the Bible and then about guys like Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and others.  These men wrote profoundly and prolifically about Scripture being THE authority in all matters of life and faith.

So, for me, it was a matter of authority- the Pope or the Bible.  Admittedly, there are challenges with either because on the one hand, the doctrine of the Papacy is racked with problems biblically, historically, morally, etc.  On the other hand, when you say the Bible is the authority, which interpretation is the right one? Any time I post something that criticizes Romanism, long debates break out that ALWAYS come down to the matter of authority mentioned. It's tiring...and not my point in drawing attention to Trueman's post.  

A new book just came out where the author tries to blame Protestantism for a host of things (a favorite approach by Romanists...to be fair...Protestants do it to).  Carl Trueman, a learned professor and exceptional writer, takes the author to task by addressing some of the tired Roman Catholic attacks on the doctrine of Sola Scriptura.  Trueman will use the more technical doctrinal designation- "Perspicuity of Scripture", but he is practically referring to the way Protestants say the Bible is the final authority on all matters. I won't re-state his line of argument, because he says it way better than I can.  At the same time, he does cover various problems with Romanism- particularly the ignoring of many glaring issues that strike at the heart of the doctrine of the Papacy- that I have been noting for years.

I don't expect any one committed to Romanism to agree with me or Trueman, so save the usual debate points.  Instead, I think Trueman's post will give Protestants sick of the tired Roman attacks on Sola Scriptura some confidence in their trust in Scripture over the Papacy.  I like how Trueman ramps up his argument-

I wonder if I am alone in finding the more stridently confident comments of some Roman Catholics over the issue of perspicuity to be somewhat tiresome and rather overblown. Perspicuity was, after all, a response to a position that had proved to be a failure: the Papacy. 


Thus, to criticize it while proposing nothing better than a return to that which had proved so inadequate is scarcely a compelling argument. Yes, it is true that Protestant interpretive diversity is an empirical fact; but when it comes to selectivity in historical reading as a means of creating a false impression of stability, Roman Catholic approaches to the Papacy provide some excellent examples of such fallacious method. The ability to ignore or simply dismiss as irrelevant the empirical facts of papal history is quite an impressive feat of historical and theological selectivity.


I highly recommend Trueman's post:  


Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain! Roman Catholic History and the Emerald City Protocol By Carl Trueman

The Resurrection = PAYMENT ACCEPTED

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof of God's acceptance of the Son's sacrifice on our behalf.  The Father was pleased with the Son's offering and raised Him to life.

So much commerce is conducted on the internet these days. I'll bet anyone reading this blog has purchased something off Ebay, Amazon, or some other online store.  You know how it works.  You select your item, add to your cart, then check out.  When you check out, you have to submit a payment, usually through Paypal or with your credit card straight up.  You plug in all your info, then hit the "PAYMENT" button.  In many cases there is a short delay as your credit card is being processed. Perhaps the little hour glass turns while the payment is processing.  The little rainbow circle thing spins on my Macbook screen while the site checks my payment info.  Then, after a few seconds (and maybe a touch of anxiety), "PAYMENT ACCEPTED" appears on the screen.  Now I know the item is mine and it will come to me soon, within a few days or so.

As I think about the death and resurrection of Christ, it's sort of like what I just described.  Christ makes payment for our sins on the cross. He hits the "PAYMENT" button, as it where.  Then a pause occurs, the three days His body stayed in the tomb.  On the third day God raised Him as if to say "PAYMENT ACCEPTED".  Because of God raising Jesus from the dead, we know salvation belongs to us.  Now we are waiting for the final consummation to that glorious work of God through Christ, when we take possession in full.

Why people do not believe, despite evidence of the Truth

Jesus rose again from the dead! How can people not believe?

Postmodern man, Americans especially, pride themselves on being open-minded.  A large number of people will claim they are teachable and ready to be persuaded of something if evidence is there.

Scripture teaches the minds of people are blinded (2 Corinthians 4:3-6, John 1:5) unless God gives spiritual sight, so no amount of "evidence" will ever convince natural man of the truth.  God must grant sight (faith) to see the truth.

Putting it another way- every person has a set of pre-suppositions about life.  One professor of mine called these pre-suppositions "pre-commitments".  People have a view of the world formed over time by many influences.  Only God can change a person's view of things.  This is why you can present all the evidence in the world for the fact of Jesus' miracles and resurrection, and still have a person deny the truth.  They have pre-suppositions that will not allow them to believe.  Giving more evidence will not make a person believe. Only God can change a person's presuppositions so he or she might see the truth.

Dr. Rayburn put it this way-


"If a person holds unsound presuppositions with sufficient tenacity, facts will make no difference at all.  They will be able to create a reality of their own, separate and untouched by, the truth."

God, and God alone, by His Holy Spirit, must convince a person of sound presuppositions for them to believe the truth.

The voting prowess of the state of Florida on (not so) brilliant display

I am posting this not to make a comment on the Trayvon Martin case, because I do not know the facts. It's a tragedy that a young man was killed, that much is for sure.

I am posting this because the CNN reporter does a great job with a bizarre interview.  It is also worth a look so you can fully understand the quality of the representatives being elected by some of our states.

You really do have to watch the whole thing to appreciate.







Wow Florida. 

Timothy Cardinal Dolan on Religious freedom

Timothy Cardinal Dolan is the best thing to happen to the Roman Catholic Church in America in a long time. He is a stellar spokesperson for his church. Notice how "in touch" he is with his church and her relationship with the cultural trends and connected politics.
  

Pelosi: Obamacare is "entrepreneurial".

Wow. So, quit your job and do "whatever"....you'll still have health care (whatever that means any more). Desperate times in the good ole' U.S.A.

Carl F.H. Henry on Divine Revelation

I have just begun the last of my reading and writing assignments for my Doctor of Arts in Religion degree.  It is Carl Henry's six-volume magnum opus- God, Revelation, and Authority.  I have just started volume 1 and it's excellent.

A summary of Henry's basic thesis is found in this quotation from the late scholar-

"That if we humans say anything authentic about God, we can do so only on the basis of divine self-revelation; all other God-talk is conjectural."