Preparation H

Last night I was deeply moved by your simple statement.

Dum spiro, spero

Here is an article that was forwarded to me from my father about a week ago. I’ll have a response to it tomorrow. Feel free to leave thoughts on this.

THOUGHTS | “Tortilla wars” March 10, 2007
Single-issue politics
What a candidate believes about abortion tells us how he will treat other issues
Gene Edward Veith

As the political season gears up again, many Christians zero in on where candidates stand on abortion. For
this they often get criticized for being “single issue voters.”

Aren’t there other issues we should consider than just abortion? A particular political office may not even have anything to do with abortion. Might a pro-choice politician be worth voting for if he has good stands on other issues of more immediate relevance?

But voting on the basis of a single issue is perfectly legitimate. And abortion makes a good single issue.
What a candidate believes about abortion tells us a great deal about him and how he will treat other issues.

A candidate’s position on life issues reveals whether or not he is a moral relativist. Consider, for example,
the politician who waxes eloquent about how he personally opposes abortion. But, he goes on to say, that is
just his view. He feels he does not have the right to impose his belief on anyone else. Every woman should
have the right to her own views. Therefore, abortion needs to be legal.

Notice what this candidate believes about morality. The moral realm is something that exists within his own head and the heads of other people. To him, a moral principle does not have the status of objective truth. To his way of thinking, morality is not a reality that transcends individuals, governments, and cultures, and according to which they must be judged.

But if morality is merely subjective, as this candidate believes, how can he plausibly believe in human
rights? If there is no moral order above the state, how can anyone criticize the state? What would restrain
this particular politician from committing tyranny?

We can learn more about our candidate’s moral philosophy. He is likely to say, “I am not pro-abortion. I
am pro-choice.” This is a sign of the postmodernist. The assumption here is that we construct our own
reality, including our moral reality, by our will.

If a woman chooses to have the baby, that is right for her. If a woman chooses to have an abortion, that is
right for her. But there are no moral absolutes that apply for everyone.

Postmodernists generally apply this line of reasoning to every truth claim. They say there is no truth that
is valid for everyone. We choose our own truths. Religion, too, is not a matter of what is true or false. People
choose their religious beliefs according to what they want.

This means that everyone exists in their own self-contained universes of their own devising. Any universal
or collective structures of meaning are simply impositions of power.

Postmodernists believe that cultural institutions are nothing more than power constructions. The group in
power imposes its will on others. Government is thus inherently oppressive. A politician who is a
postmodernist could thus be expected to govern oppressively.

Some politicians are anti-abortion. But they nevertheless support embryonic stem-cell research. They
have become persuaded that destroying human embryos to “harvest” their stem cells is morally justified.
This is because those cells could do so much good. Isn’t killing babies of only a few cells in size worth it, they reason, if their stem cells could help cure diseases in adults?

These politicians may have pro-life records and even think they are still pro-life because they think stem-
cell therapy can save lives or improve the quality of lives. But in their moral philosophy, they are utilitarians.

According to utilitarian ethics, something is good if it is useful. Instead of considering an issue in terms of
objective moral truths—such as, “Thou shalt not kill”—utilitarians value what “works.”

For utilitarians, the end literally justifies the means. In politics, this position has always been the
philosophy of tyrants.

A candidate’s position on this single issue also reveals whether a person is a strict constructionist when it
comes to constitutional law or a judicial activist. It reveals assumptions about the nature of the family. It tells
us whether he will protect the weak, the helpless, and the unwanted.

Abortion is the single issue that tells us about all the others.
Copyright © 2008 WORLD Magazine
March 10, 2007, Vol. 22, No. 9
Page 2 of 2
WORLD Magazine Article
1/21/2008
http://www.worldmag.com/printer.cfm?id=12749

1. I had never thought to look for this before, but I’m glad I did…I wanted to read through the whole Bible this year. Turns out you can subscribe to RSS feeds for about any version of the bible you want, and then just read you daily section like a blog. I really like it! You can find ESV feeds here.

2. Something I have been thinking for a long time. I disagree with the statement “All God needs is men and money” made by church leaders. I think this elevates money above it’s proper place. Money is a resource that man can use, but it is in no way equal in importance or necessity as a disciple of Christ. Look at the Chinese house church movement–God can do amazing things without money.

3. Something I’ve never noticed before–Looking at the garden of Eden before the Fall of Man. Adam is in paradise, he is perfect and has a relationship with God–yet he is lonely. Why is that? Is God not enough? You could stray way off the proper theological path on this one. However I will say this…God seems to have made part of us to desperately need community. Healthy fellowship with each other seems to be able to fill a void that nothing else can.

4. The political debate is on and I keep getting asked some the best questions this season. The hottest one I’m hearing is the question “Is it a good idea for Pro-Life (or anti-abortion–or whatever you want to label it) supporter to vote only on that issue.” I personally say no…I will write more about this soon.

5. I just have to say this. Netflix is AWESOME!. Wendy and I are not subcuming to all the heavily marketed movies that you get inidated with at a movie store. Two I’ve enjoyed are “Remain of the Day” a movie about reminisce and regret. It asks the question how much leeway do you give to a good intentioned person who starts making bad decisions and judgments. Also check out Water a stunning film about life as a Hindu widow in India. Hindus believe that half a wife’s body becomes her husbands–making them unclean when their husband dies. This movie moved me deeply–I’ve been thinking about it all week. Deepa Mehta the director of the movie is someone I will start following closely like M. Night Shyamalan.

I don’t know why I think this is so funny, but I can’t stop laughing about it.

Follow this link and click on the Bad Santa Photo Sideshow. Something about kids freaking out on Santa’s lap just slays me.

http://www.wdsu.com/news/14897576/detail.html

I need a new backpack for my laptop, and I’ve found just one: It’s bulletproof. That’s right for $200 it’s mine. Please Santa!! Please!!

On second thought, maybe I’ll just go the full nine yards and get this suite for my executive meetings at work…

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning…
CS Lewis

This is how I feel right now. It is like a roller-coaster. You are strapped in, you are moving up a rickety rail to a gigantic plunge and there is nothing you can do about it. I’ve been fighting grief too long now…I’m tired and yawning. Part of me just wants to get the fall over with, and yet I’m stuck at the top. I wish I could just take the plunge, and yet some part of me has stopped the train and I can’t get it going…and I’m miserable because I know there are more rises and falls after this. The only comfort I can find is that I’m not the only one to experience this.

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
“Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!
John 11:33-36

My Grandpa Leon Bovenmyer passed away last night. While he died weak from cancer, I won’t remember him that way. His booming joyous voice would light the room as he entered. His eyes would twinkle with pride at the antics of his grandkids. His rough strong callous farmer’s hands would reach down and pull us high into the sky and yet we where completely safe. We were with Grandpa.

We were always welcome on Grandpa’s knee. My sister Rachel could always tame my Grandpa by simply crawling up onto Grandpa’s lap as a small girl. Grandpa loved his daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters.

When we drove to Grandpa’s farm us boys would be dying with anticipation. Grandpa would let us do chores with him, and we would ride conveyor belts pushing grain while cows pushed at our feet to get to the chow. Tractor rides, farm dogs, throwing slop to squealing pigs–Grandpa lived vicariously through his grandkids as we begged to do more chores or ride the tractor again.

Then into the house we would do and down to the old basement where the model railroad filled 300 to 400 sq feet of space. Railroad trains where Grandpa’s passion and this model railway in the basement was the jewel of his eye. They also symbolized a man whose life had changed. When I was older my dad told me how before I was born, Grandpa smoked, cussed and raged his way through life. His children didn’t know who would walk through the door at the end of the day–a father or an enraged man. One day however something changed. My grandpa quietly came home and at dinner he prayed for the food. On Sunday he went with the family to church. Soon after he quit smoking, and used his smoke money to finance his railroad. My grandpa had found God.

God wasn’t deeply intellectual to my Grandpa, but Grandpa prayed to God like he was really there. When Grandpa prayed there was no doubt in my mind of his sincerity and belief. Grandpa prayed for us Grandchildren–he often asked that we would experience God in a similar way to how he did.

People ask me how I’m doing with his passing. I feel like a 3 year old right now, standing at the door and waiving goodbye. Grandpa is leaving, and yet he’s promised that I’ll see him again. And while I’m sad to see him go–I share his faith.

I’ll see you again Grandpa. I can’t wait to see that joyous twinkle in your eyes again.

Hunting season is here!! And I think animals have an unwritten code–If those humans are going to use .50 cal pistols and massive shotguns to hunt us, we best gang up on them. I guess those devious critters got to this farm dog. Bring it on you fecal covered rodents!! You won’t draw me to the slaughtering field. I be at home with my hot chocolate and rabid 3 year old and my nine!!

….In case this post completely bores you, may I interest you in some of Microsoft’s finest marketing moments?

While we are at it, how about a tribute from Weird Al to the great Windows OS EVER!!

It is so easy to coldly argue about the theological points of homosexuality. But sometimes it is incredibly valuable to hear what it is actually like to struggle with homosexuality and be in church. Please read this story. It is well worth it!

I’ve made my decision. I’m thinking clearly. My moral compass is clear and straight. Chuck Norris has spoken. And when Chuck Norris speaks, this is one guy that jumps to attention. Around here, what Chuck Norris says is next to the word of God. And you know what? Chuck Norris cares about America. He cares big time. I smile now, for I know my children will live in security and peace. Jake will kill antelope with his bare hands, because that’s how Chuck Norris Texas Ranger did it.

Why is the world once again saved by Chuck Norris you may ask? Well, Chuck has selected our next president. And if Chuck says it, it’s good enough for me.

Update:Ok, I’m officially stunned–I can’t believe a presidential candidate would run this ad. I may turn republican just to caucus for him…