Students at Reformed Theological Seminary, where I was a student from 1974 to 1979, who were interested in worldview thinking first were directed to Abraham Kuyper’s 1898 Lectures on Calvinism. It was here that we were told that we would find a fully developed, comprehensive, biblical world-and-life view. Kuyper’s brand of Calvinism has been described as the “only modern exception” to the tendency [...]
[caption id=“attachment_4836” align=“alignleft” width=“220” caption=“William Blackstone”][/caption] When Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas appealed to Natural Law theory in some of his legal opinions and writings, there were those on the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearings in September 1991 who took exception. The most voc [...]
New York’s recent decision to legalize same-sex marriage marks a big triumph for the homosexual community. The decision passed, partly due to two Republican senators who had previously been undecided voting yes and partly due to stronger religious exemptions than previous versions of the law. Gary talks about the pitfalls of this “two-kingdom” mindset, in this edition of Vantage [...]
When I was a student at Reformed Theological Seminary (1974-1979), I was taught that certain cultural applications flowed from a consistent application of Calvinism. Calvinism is synonymous with a comprehensive biblical world-and-life view. It’s not just about TULIP (Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, Perseverance of the saints). Simply put, we were tol [...]
While driving to an appointment, my wife and I were listening to a radio quiz show. One of the questions had to do with sport’s teams that had swastikas on their shirts. When I later had access to the Internet, I did some searching and found the photographs. Sure enough, the swastikas were big, black, and bold. I showed them to a group of young people at a worldview conference where I was speaking [...]
The verdict in the Casey Anthony trial caused quite a stir, many people criticizing the jury’s decision. Casey Anthony was on trial for murder and if convicted, would have received the death penalty. Did the jurors make the right decision? Watch this edition of Vantage Point for a biblical look at this issue. [...]
We get a mixed message from many pastors, John MacArthur is a prominent example, in the area of politics. In his book Why Government Can’t Save You, MacArthur seems to say on one page that it’s okay to get involved politically but then on other pages he seems to say we shouldn’t waste our time. Should Christians be politically active? Find out right now, on this edition of Vantag [...]
Former theist and now self-avowed atheist Dan Barker, who is co-president of the Freedom of Religion Foundation, promoted a “Beware of Dogma” campaign using billboards that also included the line “Imagine No Religion,” borrowed from John Lennon’s atheist national anthem “Imagine.” I wonder if the FRF’s call for everyone to “beware of dogma” includes the dogma of atheism which is funded by my tax d [...]
After the defeat of Hitler’s Third Reich, war crime tribunals were set up in Nuremberg, Germany. The purpose, of course, was to judge those who had participated in the grossest of atrocities, the planned extermination of the Jewish race. John Warwick Montgomery explains the problem the tribunal faced: When the Charter of the Tribunal, which had been drawn up by the victors, was used by the prosecu [...]
Abortion could be the tool that brings Christians back into the majority. Several more years of liberals limiting their progeny and the “right” people aborting at the rate they are now and we will outnumber them. It seems logical but *should* Christians support abortion? Find out right now, on this edition of Vantage Point. [...]
Wealthy people get a bum rap. In spite of the higher taxes they already pay, most people are in favor of punishing them for their wealth by taxing them even more. The truth is that wealthy people have made possible many of our modern technological advances as well as creating most people’s jobs. Watch this edition of Vantage Point for a biblical view of wealth and economy. [...]
Most children’s literature is innocuous. There’s no stated social, moral, or political worldview found in Pat the Bunny or Toes, Ears, and Nose!, but there is always an underlying worldview that gets more specific with age. This is why parents and grandparents need to be careful. Books are more than their covers and what other people say about them. For example, And Tango Makes Thre ((Cristina Car [...]
While there is great disdain for mixing traditional religious principles with science, politics, and morality, secularists don’t seem to have a problem mixing their own brand of religion with their ideology. “For many,” Douglas Young, a professor of political science and history, argues, “their new religion is politics, their faith is their ideology, and their church is their political party. Like [...]
What is the first principle of economics? Some economists will claim that it’s supply and demand, while others insist that it’s scarcity or the division of labor. The first principle of economics is “thou shalt not steal.” The word economics is derived from two Greek words: oikos, meaning “house,” and nomos, meaning “law.” Combined we get “rules or laws of the house.” Economics is ethical before i [...]
Some claim that the first rule of economics is supply and demand, others insist that it is scarcity. Neither of these answers is correct. Want to find out if you know the correct answer? Watch Vantage Point now to find out! [...]
Worldview permeates everything, even children’s literature. In this episode of Vantage Point, Gary examines several children’s books and the worldviews they contain. Christian parents and grandparents should be aware of the worldview implications and take advantage of every opportunity for exercising worldview discernment. [...]
Atheist Michael Newdow has been pestering the courts to rule that the phrase “under God,” found in the Pledge of Allegiance, and “In God We Trust,” imprinted and stamped on our currency, are unconstitutional. In 2010, even the usually liberal San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Newdow’s legal challenges that the references to God are unconstitutional and infringe on his [...]
Shortly after Congressman Paul Ryan’s appearance at the 2011 Faith and Freedom Conference in D.C., a Bible-waving protester confronted the Chairman of the House Budget Committee and questioned him for modeling his proposed budget after “the extreme ideology of Ayn Rand rather than the basic economic justice values of the Bible.” The protestor offered Ryan a Bible and advised him to “bone up on wha [...]
Although Gary DeMar and Jack Van Impe have vastly different beliefs in regard to Bible prophecy, they can agree on Islam. TBN recently refused to air one of Van Impe’s programs because it criticized “chrislam”. Watch this episode of Vantage Point for more on the lunacy of trying to blend Christianity and Islam. [...]
The folks at the Christian Post web site have published a news article about American Vision’s National Prophecy Conference. I go to Christian Post several times a week. It’s a very good site for up-to-date news. Here’s how the article by Michelle A. Vu begins: Mainstream Christian end times theology, subscribed to by many respected evangelical leaders, is wrong, said the preside [...]
