Why are we surprised that the godless are also lawless? As history has shown, the rejection of God and truth always leads men to lawlessness, corruption, and tyranny. ~ Chris Banescu
Tyranny Must Be Resisted Before It Exists
“The wisest thing in the world is to cry out before you are hurt. It is no good to cry out after you are hurt; especially after you are mortally hurt. People talk about the impatience of the populace; but sound historians know that most tyrannies have been possible because men moved too late. It is often essential to resist a tyranny before it exists. It is no answer to say, with a distant optimism, that the scheme is only in the air. A blow from a hatchet can only be parried while it is in the air.” ~ G.K. Chesterton
Men Without Chests, Men Without Honor, Threaten Civilization
by Chris Banescu –
Mid-twentieth century C.S. Lewis witnessed and wrote about the increasing moral breakdown and intellectual decay of Western civilization. He observed how secular and atheistic academics, philosophers, politicians, intellectuals, and cultural elites abandoned reason, denied universal truths, undermined Christian doctrines, and rejected moral principles that formed the foundation of civilized society. “Lewis walked our cultural ground,” explained Chris R. Armstrong. “He lived, as we do, in a society that denied objective value; lacked a coherent social ethic; wallowed in instant gratification, sexual license, moral evasion, and blame-shifting; and failed to pass on a moral framework to its children.”
In his book, The Abolition of Man, Lewis warned that moral relativism (the denial of universal and objective moral truths and principles), foolish emotionalism, and the rejection of reason would bring about cultural decay and growing depravity. [Read more…]
Design, Beauty, and Order in Nature Cannot be Explained by Darwinism
by Chris Banescu –
The “Biology of the Baroque” documentary explores the amazing patterns, order, and beauty in biology that go beyond what can be explained by Darwinian evolution. In the video, geneticist Michael Denton, author of “Evolution: Still a Theory in Crisis” (2016), explains that there are patterns “in the natural world for which you can’t imagine what function it served. And that’s a fantastically serious challenge to Darwinism.”
Denton began wondering about the standard Darwinian explanation of nature while studying the red blood cell to complete his Ph.D. at King’s College in London. He came across many features in biology that did not seem to possess any particular survival benefit. Denton started to realize just how much order in biology was actually non-adaptive. He began to see life more as a piece of baroque artwork than as a purely functional machine.
Transcript from the Biology of the Baroque video (embedded below):
“Ornate mathematical patterns, lavish design, exquisite detail. Nature surpasses even the most talented artists in her extravagant beauty, richness, and deep order. Her forms are marked by an overabundance that cannot be reduced to mere utility. But can such order and beauty be explained by Darwinian evolution? And if it can’t, what does that mean for our understanding of nature? [Read more…]
Christian Life Lived in the Midst of Enemies
“Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the Cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. There is his commission, his work.
‘The kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would ever have been spared?’ (Martin Luther).” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The Parable of the Atheist and the Globe
by Elizabeth Banescu –
An atheist professor was on vacation exploring a town. He walked inside an Orthodox church and heard the priest teaching a Sunday class. The priest was explaining to the children how God created the whole universe, the solar system, and the earth.
The professor listened and when the class was over, approached the priest. “Father,” he began. “You still believe those children’s fairytales about some imaginary “god” who created the world and rules over everything in it?” The priest looked up from his notes. “Well, yes, of course we do. It’s certainly not a child’s tale,” he replied. The atheist smirked, “I thought so.” He then turned to leave.
But, as he was walking away something caught his eye. There on top of the pew, he saw the most beautiful globe. It had an intricate stand of silver, with oceans of blue stone, and the different continents and countries were fashioned out of various colorful gem stones. A ray of sunshine streaming through the window made the globe sparkle. It was magnificently crafted, thought the professor.
“Father,” the atheist gasped. “Who made this beautiful globe?” [Read more…]
Have the Courage to Be Fools for Christ
“God assumed from the beginning that the wise of the world would view Christians as fools…and He has not been disappointed. Devout Christians are destined to be regarded as fools in modern society. We are fools for Christ’s sake. We must pray for courage to endure the scorn of the sophisticated world. If I have brought any message today, it is this: Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world.” ~ Justice Antonin Scalia