Scientism and Big Pharma

A recent ad from Pfizer begins with this shocking assertion: "At a time when things are most uncertain, we turn to the most certain thing there is - science."  Now, is that true?

Pfizer should go back to school and read books like Science is a Sacred Cow which came out in 1950.  The author was Anthony Standen (d. 1993) who went to Oxford, studied Chemical Engineering at MIT and was an assistant editor of the Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology.  Standen starts off his work with this:

No one ever doubts what is said by a scientist.  Statesmen, industrialists, ministers of religion, civic leaders, philosophers, all are questioned and criticized, but scientists - never.  Scientists are exalted beings who stand at the very topmost pinnacle of popular prestige ... [1]

Standen goes on to say this, "The idea that science is infallible and beyond criticism, is a delusion, and even a dangerous one.  ... hardly anyone is able to recognize science for what it is, the great Sacred Cow of our time." [2]

Speaking of philosophers, Pfizer should also read Mortimer Adler's Truth in Religion:  The Plurality of Religions and the Unity of Truth (1990).  Mortimer Adler (d. 2001), who wrote the popular How to Read a Book, was the chairman of the board of editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica and was the man behind the Great Books series that came out in the early 1950's.  Adler's conclusion on faith was that truth must lie in one of the three dominant world religions: Judaism, Christianity or Islam. [3]  On Judgment Day the issue will be quite clear.  Although his family background was Jewish, Adler became a committed Christian in 1984 at the age of 82.  Let us follow his example and find the true identity of the Higher Power and worship Him, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Another excellent work Pfizer should get hold of is Sacred Cows in Science - No Objectivity Allowed edited by Norbert Smith (2011).  This book challenges Deep Time, Darwinism, Materialism, extreme environmentalism and animal rights, climate change and other critical worldview issues.  Musician Dennis Jernigan, and father of nine kids, wrote the chapter "No One is Born Gay."  Jernigan points out how Big Science has changed its mind on the gender controversy:

Until 1973, homosexuality was considered a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) ... after many years of protest by the pro-gay movement ... In 1973, the Board of Trustees of the APA voted to remove homosexuality as a disorder ... and thus began our slide down the slippery slope ... My belief (and experience) and my observance (having personally talked with HUNDREDS of men and women desiring to walk away from unwanted same sex attraction) is that the facts of truth do not bear witness to the current and popular conventional wisdom of this age concerning homosexuality. ... Sex is for procreation ... for making babies.  Of course, man is his wisdom, believes everything is about him and life is all about getting the most pleasure. ... We pervert our desires when we substitute something else to meet that need or when we go outside the boundaries God established for our own good. [4]  

Is true truth decided by a vote?  Let science make your waffle iron - trust Jesus and the Bible for your eternity.

... No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun.  Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning.  Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it. (Eccl. 8:17)

Notes:

1) Science is a Sacred Cow by Anthony Standen (E.P. Dutton, NYC, 1950), p. 13.

2) Standen, p. 34.

3) Truth in Religion: The Plurality of Religions and the Unity of Truth by Mortimer Adler (Macmillan, NYC, 1990), p. 108.

4) Sacred Cows in Science ed. by Norbert Smith (Create Space, 2011), p. 332, 333.

JD Greear, Christianity Today & the Six Day Apocalypse

J.D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit Church in North Carolina and the President of the SBC.  He was recently on an Ask Me Anything (AMA) podcast hosted by Matt Love.  Unfortunately, Greear waffles on the First Six Days:

I know godly, biblically faithful theologians who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible and who think that the timetable of Genesis 1 was not a literal week (which, by the way, isn’t a new interpretation, but is a position that has been around since the first few centuries of Christianity).

He mentions Augustine in the podcast.  Augustine actually held to a young earth.  In general, the Early Church Fathers held to creation in six days and a young earth. [1]

Thankfully, Greear opposes theistic evolution (Theo-Evo).  One wonders if he has read Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique by Moreland and Meyer et al.  One chapter by Christopher Shaw is on "Pressure to Conform Leads to Bias in Science."  I think many preachers are influenced by the culture more that Scripture.

The Summit Church has this on their "Beliefs" page:

We believe the Bible to be God’s Word, a true and fully accurate account of God’s love for us. Its purpose is to teach us how to have a relationship with him, worship him, and bring him glory.Psalm 19:7-10; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21

Is it not loving that the Lord gives us a day of rest?

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy (Ex. 20:11, cf. Ex. 31:16,17).

Both Muslims and Jews agree that the earth is younger than mainstream science claims.  The traditional Jewish calendar states that Creation Week was 5780 years ago. [2]  Maybe Greear should read Is a Young Earth Possible? to get the deep info that favors a youthful planet.  

Where does the apocalypse come in?  That's the slippery slope - once church leaders compromise on Genesis, this often leads to other errors.  Harold Lindsell was at one time the editor of Christianity Today and died in Laguna Hills in 1998 (I've been there).  His book The Battle for The Bible exposed the trend towards theological liberalism.  Lindsell took a very strong stand for the Historical Adam.   

Who's the editor of Christianity Today now?  Daniel Harrell is, former senior minister at Colonial Church (MN) and before that the pastor of the famous Park Street Church in Boston.  Here's Harrell's conclusion on the creation/evolution controversy:

The Bible says six days, but there's no way that's right unless astrophysics and geology are patently false.  ...The scientific evidence is too strong in evolution's favor to reasonably deny its occurrence.  You can refuse to believe it, but that still won't make it untrue any more than denying God exists proves that he does not exist.

Harrell even wrote a book supporting Darwin - Nature's Witness: How Evolution Can Inspire Faith (2008).  Yet, in a talk in 1992 at Park Street Church, he admitted that evolution can't be proven and went further to say that Darwinism is not strictly science since it can't be disproven either.  Did Harrell's position on origins evolve?  He even mentioned Phillip Johnson, the father of the Intelligent Design (ID) movement in a positive light.  Johnson seems to lean towards the young earth view and has visited the Creation Museum in Kentucky.  Has Harrell done the same?

Now let's look at the theological connection.  Park Street Church has a very streamlined "Statement of Faith" including points on the Father, the Son and the Spirit, the authority of the Scriptures, salvation by grace through faith etc.  In contrast, Colonial Church has "Five Core Values" where we find this ...          

Immerse in Sacred Spaces & Rhythms: There are places, traditions and particular practices of faith and worship wherein we tangibly encounter the holy and living God.  Regular immersion in such places and practices forms and reforms us in line with the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).  In these transcendent places and moments, we experience realties larger than ourselves and realize the fullness faith in Christ makes possible.

Jesus surely favored a youthful world ... shouldn't that end the argument (Mk. 10:6, Mk. 13:19, Lk. 11:50,51)?  Please check out TotalYouth.us for more powerful young earth evidence. 

   >>  for Total truth, support earth's Youth  <<

Notes:

1) Coming to Grips with Genesis ed. by Terry Mortenson and Thane Ury (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2008), pp. 23-51.

2) Is a Young Earth Possible? by Jay Hall (Institute for Catastrophism and Tectonics - iCAT, Big Spring, TX, 2019), p. 339.

Maya Angelou - New Age Prophetess?

Dr. Maya Angelou (d. 2014) was a powerful creative and poet who stood strong for hope and human potential.  You can read my interview with her from 1980 here.  According to IMDB:

Maya Angelou was an American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist.  She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years.  She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. ... [she was a] journalist in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. ...  In 1982, she was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. ...  Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" (1993) at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.

One might think that she is a fairly traditional believer from this report for the LA Times:

The one-hour documentary follows Angelou’s visit inside San Francisco’s rough Tenderloin district, where she goes inside Glide Memorial Church, which has an ethnically and economically diverse Methodist congregation.  She also briefly attends Mount Zion Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., which is steeped in a tradition of African-American belief and faith.

Maya had been a member of Glide for around 20 years.  She spoke of her journey:

I have studied everything.  I spent some time with Zen Buddhism and Judaism and I spent some time with Islam.  I am a religious person.  It is my spirit, but I found that I really want to be a Christian.  ... I really believe that Christ made a sacrifice and for those reasons I want to be a Christian. But what kind, I don’t know.

One wonders if this statement of Maya's was a typo? “It’s a wonderful thing to know that there is something to know there is something greater than I am, and that is God itself.”  The true God who made the universe is personal and a Trinity (Mt. 28:19).

In an interview with Oprah, Maya spoke of how she became an adherent to the Unity School of Christianity (Unity) while she was in her 20's.  Unity denies that God is personal; thus, they deny the Trinity.  They reject the substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross.  Unity accepts reincarnation and based on Mt. 22:42, claims that Jesus was the reincarnation of David. [1]  The teaching that souls return into new bodies flatly contradicts Hebrews 9:27,28:

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Eric Barger (Take a Stand Ministries) had this to say about Maya:

So she [Hillary Clinton] has Jean Houston and Marianne Williamson [fmr. presidential candidate] and Maya Angelou pushing New Age spirituality and [Rabbi Michael] Lerner pushing Marxism to her at the same time and mixing these things together.

Let us know what you think:  ned_oa_1657@yahoo.com

Note:

1) The Kingdom of the Cults by Water Martin (Bethany House, Minneapolis, 1985, rev. ed.), pp.  284-286.

Big Spring - Really Big LIFE

Big Spring, Texas is now a sanctuary city for the unborn as of January 28th, 2020 AD.  Baby-Murder is bad.  I was a witness to the vote for the ordinance which passed 4 to 2.  Councilmember Hartman was not in attendance.  It was such a thrill to see folks stand up and clap as the vote was announced!  To find out more to help make your city safe for babies, go here:

https://sanctuarycitiesfortheunborn.com

Big Spring now joins these Pro-Life Texas Towns:  Waskom, Naples, Joaquin, Tenaha, Gilmer, Westbrook, Rusk, Colorado City and Gary.  Big Spring is the home of Howard College, a VA hospital, a state hospital, Hotel Settles, a federal prison and a refinery (at one time the largest inland refinery in the USA).  We are not that far from two universities - Texas Tech (Lubbock) and University of Texas - Permian Basin (UTPB, I was there just a few days ago).

One of the key leaders of this effort came outside of the council chambers for a minute.  A group of  Abortionism supporters came over and confronted him, saying things like "You're not a woman!"  I thought this might escalate, but thank the Lord it did not.  There was a police vehicle right in front of the entrance, in addition, two officers came out to help calm the situation.

A news reporter was hanging out with the Abortionism group.  She never asked me my name, nor solicited a comment.  Things that make you go "hmmm."  One lady from the opposition had "Abbey Road" on her jacket  - were any of the ♫Beatles♪ aborted?

Consider Rebekah's experience with Jacob and Esau:

The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?”  So she went to inquire of the Lord.  The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated ..." (Gen. 25:22,23)

There was a war within her womb - how does that speak to the humanity of Jacob and Esau? 

Compare this with Luke 1:41,44.  The Greek word for baby is "brephos" (βρέφος) which refers to babies inside or outside the womb.  So, even the Alexander the Great knew that unborn babies are real humans too!

President Trump spoke as the March for Life in DC recently (a first):

https://youtu.be/3RjuADPBo-Q

Note that Alveda King was by his side.  Alveda is the niece of Martin Luther King Jr.

I was a journalist for a year and had the privilege to interview Maya Angelou (Clinton's poet):

https://app.box.com/s/ccxe9brhv31ox368vd9051ktd51wyvkq

#SC4DU #LIfe #Pro_Life #Trump #MartinLutherKing #Abortionism #Babies #AlexanderTheGreat #MayaAngelou #TrueNews

2020 New Clear Vision Books (#TrueTruth)

Brian Morley has written Mapping Apologetics which provides a survey of the dominant apologetic approaches.  Morley is professor of Philosophy and Apologetics at The Masters University in Santa Clarita, California (been there 2x).  He is also the cofounder of the Faith and Reason Forum:

https://www.faithandreasonforum.com/

Straight out of West Texas and Howard College comes a courageous and strikingly compelling defense of young earth theory.  Assistant Mathematics Professor Jay Hall has written Is a Young Earth Possible? which argues for a youthful world from history and science.  Have the scientific experts misdated the earth?  Hall tackles such diverse topics as Eisenhower and old maps, depression, the Solar System and dinosaurs.  The age-of-the-earth controversy relates to key issues in the public square such as climate change, homeschooling, government funding of science, bullying, depression, fake news, net censorship and free speech (Sacha who?).  You can get the book on Amazon by searching “Young Earth Possible.”

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1088860788

What is Young Earth Science (YES)?  How old is the world?  Are radiometric dating methods reliable?  Is Darwinism substantiated by scientific evidence and valid arguments?  How does the Renaissance of Catastrophism relate to the age of the Earth?  Has plate tectonics occurred more rapidly in the past?  These and other queries are answered in this exciting and fully documented work, YES - Young Earth Science:

https://www.amazon.com/YES-WorldView-Fallacies-Collapse-Darwinism/dp/0692320075

Hall & Smith (not to be confused with Hall & Oates ♫) have written a complete topical treatment of Proverbs and James.  They categorize all of the proverbs and all the verses from the book of James.  God’s Wisdom provides the context for wise thinking in its Introduction and Conclusion.  If you are looking for a guided tour through the divine wisdom of Proverbs and James, you will find this volume most helpful:

https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Wisdom-Norbert-Smith-Ph-D/dp/1463754345

Sacred Cows in Science applies critical thinking to the absolute authority of "science."  Edward Blick, who has three degrees in Engineering, validates doubts about Darwin and discusses climate change.  Jerry Bergman, who wrote Slaughter of the Dissidents (like EXPELLED), critiques Haeckel's recapitulation theory. George Howe (Ph.D. Plant Physiology) shows how homology is consistent with intelligent design (ID).  Norbert Smith (Ph.D. Zoology, Texas Tech), the editor, describes how wild animals respond to fear.  Dr. Smith appeared on the BBC with alligators.  J. Y. Jones, an ophthalmologist, tackles the issues of animal rights and endangered species.  Charles Imes was the president of Oklahomans for Better Science Education and former director of the Association of Professional Oklahoma Educators.  Mr. Imes comes to grips with the controversies of climate change, abortion and eugenics.  Jay Hall (M.S. Math, 53 hrs. Science) argues for the reality of global catastrophe (recall the film 2012) and the historicity of Noah.  Fritz Ward (degrees in English, American History and Math Education) targets the fundamentalist nature of the global warming  movement.  Denyse O'Leary deals with neuroscience and the reality of the mind. Emanuel Tundrea (Ph.D. Modeling Software Product Lines) is from Romania and writes on the devastation of online pornography.  David Williams, recipient of the No Child Left Behind American Star of Teaching award for the state of Oklahoma in 2006, probes pro-homosexual activism and public schools.  Dennis Jernigan, who has recorded with Natalie Grant, Twila Paris, Ron Kenoly and Rebecca St. James, writes the chapter "No One is Born Gay."  The Lord rescued Jernigan from a homosexual background.
https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Cows-Science-Objectivity-Allowed/dp/1456585169

Do you hate Maths? ... you have found the cure.  This 190 page powerhouse includes 39 chapters (3*13) and includes such mind-expanding topics as limits, differentiation, chain rule, Mean Value Theorem (MVT), optimization, integration, Arc Length, Surfaces of Revolution, L’Hopital’s Rule, Hyperbolic Functions, integration by parts, numerical integration, Taylor series, polar coordinates y  mucho mas!  Are you allergic to MathTalk? Here is your solution. Feel the energy of Calculus in your life today‼

https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Easy-Jay-Hall-ebook/dp/B00B3YWYNI

This book answers the question that Ben Stein has brought to the attention of today's culture conflict with his film "Expelled" ... Who is the Intelligent Designer?  Can Intelligent Design and Darwin work together?  What is the source of extra-cosmic information?  Can we find any good news along this cosmic odyssey?  Is it true that, "Intelligent Design is Creationism?"

https://www.amazon.com/Who-Intelligent-Designer-Jay-Hall-ebook/dp/B0018NFVWK

J. V. Fesko (Ph.D., Univ. of Aberdeen) is academic dean and professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Westminster Seminary (Escondido, CA).  Do you know the classical Reformed approach to apologetics?  Read Fesko's tome to get the info on Creation and Scripture.  Believers should always rest on the authority of Scripture but nature speaks truth as well (Job 12:7-12):

https://www.amazon.com/Reforming-Apologetics-Retrieving-Reformed-Defending-ebook/dp/B07FCTQDBV

Big Spring, TX - Sanctuary City (for the UnBorn)

Per KBST, 1490 AM - "The Mighty 1490" ...

Big Spring City Council Members urged to make Big Spring a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, 11/12/19 ... During last night’s meeting of the Big Spring City Council, several members of the public took time to urge to council members to make Big Spring a sanctuary city for the unborn.  This would require council members to pass an ordinance that outlaws abortion within the city limits of Big Spring.

https://www.facebook.com/KBestMedia/posts/2896524723704598

Mark Lee Dickson said this at the meeting, “They [Planned Parenthood] kill babies, they prey on the most vulnerable.  I ask that you expedite the passing of this ordinance.”

https://www.news-journal.com/news/local/longview-pastor-takes-sanctuary-city-for-the-unborn-pitch-to/article_009419f6-ad5e-11e9-8232-63699555a09d.html

Dickson of White Oak is the pastor of Sovereign Love Church in Longview.

https://www.news-journal.com/news/local/longview-pastor-takes-sanctuary-city-for-the-unborn-pitch-to/article_009419f6-ad5e-11e9-8232-63699555a09d.html

If you could hear your baby say "I love you Mommy!" would you say "goodbye" to your precious son or daughter?

What about assault and abortion?

https://adamslostdream.blogspot.com/2012/09/rape.html

Man-on-the-street interviewer Ray Comfort has a super video on this topic:

http://180movie.com/

From the Big Spring Herald:

Support for the ordinance was overwhelming, as half a dozen residents from the standing-room meeting spoke about their personal experiences, moving members of the audience and the Council itself.  When Dickson asked for a show of hands as to how many in attendance supported the ordinance, nearly everyone raised their hand.

In the early 1970's even the funny papers were Pro-Life‼  Have you ever heard of Eggbert?  Just search "Eggbert cartoon."

Ban the Ads - Ban the Bibles?

Twitter recently decided to ban political ads.  Hmmm ...  Bradley Smith (Institute for Free Speech, Law Prof. @ Capital University) had this to say:

Twitter’s new policy, and [Jack] Dorsey’s explanation for it, demonstrate a muddled understanding of the purpose of speech. ...  By Dorsey’s logic, free speech should be allowed only when it is ineffective. ...  He wants "regulators" to “ensure a level playing field.”  Does that mean limiting the dollars that Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez can raise online? Does it require MSNBC and CNN to give equal time to conservative voices? ... A primary reason why the Founders adopted the First Amendment was their recognition that we couldn’t trust government to decide what is “fair.”

You can hear Al Mohler's take on this issue here.

According to Jerry Johnson (NRB), "Silicon Valley does not want conservative talk and Christian talk; they want to push progressive and Leftist values.  It's just the fact."

CBN reports that,

The NRB wants Congress to hold [Mark] Zuckerberg’s feet to the fire over these allegations of censorship.  They say there are five major questions he should answer, including how the social media juggernaut defines “hate speech” and how they respond to comments by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, who acknowledged that some social media platforms "routinely block or discriminate against content they don’t like."