Penal Substitution and the Early Fathers

There has been a Lot of talk about the matter of "Penal Substitution" in recent years.   Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA) is the view that the death of Christ on the cross paid a penalty of guilt on behalf of others – hence “penal” and “substitution”.  The gist of the objection to PSA is that it allegedly makes God look like some sort of monster, since the penalty is paid to God and the “wrath of God” is satisfied, a point sometimes expressed forcefully in revivalist settings and/or among the neo-Calvinists.  Steve Chalke and others have used the term "cosmic child abuse", since God pouring out wrath on his own Son seems offensive to modern sensibilities. 

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Conservative Pundits vs Birthers

I was recently forced to sit through an extended segment at the health club where journalist extraordinaire Al Sharpton mocked Donald Trump's feud with Bill Maher - heavy stuff, I know.  It was all mockery and fluffed up controversy and not much substance.  Woulda preferred to turn it off.

This is way off topic an I'm wading into slimy waters here, post Obama's second election it probably doesn't matter at all.  But this post is not so much about where Barack Obama was born as it is about how the "birther" question has been handled by the conservative media.
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News Flash: Legalized Gay Marriage Harms Society

One common argument made by proponets of gay marriage is the emotional appeal that no one will be hurt by legalized same-sex marriage and that those heterosexuals who wish to honor their marriages can still do so.  Apparently, in the UK, the argument has even been made that by opening up an official status of "married" to gay couples, marriage as an institution will be strengthened.   

That kind of argument has been forcefully answered by Dr. Patricia Morgan in her testimony before the House of Commons.  She argues, and support her view with statistics, that gay marriage will further erode the cultural commitment to the institution of marriage, and in fact, by decoupling marriage from the procreation and nurture of children, it will in fact harm society.

Her testimony is summarized at the Telegraph.
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The Hidden Censorship of Scientism

I do read Uncommon Descent daily. Interesting article last week regarding Professor James Tour is listed as Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Computer Science, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Rice University.

Tour has stated his opinion that no scientist alive really understands macroevolution.  His primary concern is with the mechanism of chemical evolution.  He "makes molecules" he says, and he knows how hard it is to get all the pieces to fit together, so the question of how it all happened in nature a long, long time ago leaves him with questions.  But the ugly secret is that behind the scenes he is not alone.  Here is his claim:

"Let me tell you what goes on in the back rooms of science – with National Academy members, with Nobel Prize winners. I have sat with them, and when I get them alone, not in public – because it’s a scary thing, if you say what I just said – I say, “Do you understand all of this, where all of this came from, and how this happens?” Every time that I have sat with people who are synthetic chemists, who understand this, they go “Uh-uh. Nope.” These people are just so far off, on how to believe this stuff came together. I’ve sat with National Academy members, with Nobel Prize winners. Sometimes I will say, “Do you understand this?”And if they’re afraid to say “Yes,” they say nothing. They just stare at me, because they can’t sincerely do it."  More

Justin Lee and the Queen James Bible

It is my strong belief that the reason there is so much controversy over homosexuality in the church and culture is not because belligerent and rather disgusting figures like Fred Phelps have suddenly started persecuting gays.  It is not as though homosexuality is something new and the church has never dealt with the issue in the last 20 centuries.  Nor do I believe the primary issue is a lack of compassion for those who struggle with same-sex attraction, although certainly that common failure is worth noting.

The reason there is controversy is that a political movement has attempted to make homosexuality a civil rights issue and has aggressively and relentlessly forced that issue into public debate.

Conservatives have responded, of course, oftentimes inartfully.   And in true Alinskyite fashion, the reaction by conservatives has often been used by the political wing of the LGBT movement as a club to beat key targeted figures with, to use the emotion associated with perceived injustice as evidence of rampant injustice and sway the opinions of those who don't bother to think too deeply.

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C.S. Lewis on Scientism

I recently finished reading The Magician's Twin subtitled "C.S. Lewis on Science, Scientism and Society".   The book is edited by John G West.  It is a good read and it was fun to reengage with Professor Lewis' ideas once again. 

A few internet articles have made a bit of a point about Lewis' views of Darwin or Intelligent Design, but the central theme of The Magician's Twin is really not Lewis' view of Darwinism.  At the heart of the book is Lewis' view of scientism, his distrust of an overconfidence in the value of natural science to lead us to ultimate truth about the universe.  And more to the point, Lewis feared the manipulation of science by those in power.  (More)

A Conversion Story

Stunning article in CT called "My Train Wreck Conversion" the story of one Rosaria Champaign Butterfield.

The header for the article reads, "As a leftist lesbian professor, I despised Christians. Then I somehow became one." 

What was her worldview?  "As a professor of English and women's studies, on the track to becoming a tenured radical, I cared about morality, justice, and compassion. Fervent for the worldviews of Freud, Hegel, Marx, and Darwin, I strove to stand with the disempowered. I valued morality. And I probably could have stomached Jesus and his band of warriors if it weren't for how other cultural forces buttressed the Christian Right."  More