This week there is no grand thesis, just some random stories that caught my attention. . .

Hindus calling for Comparative Religion Classes in High School

Johnny may not be able to read or write but he should be able to tell  Krishna from Christ. At least that is what some Hindus are claiming. US Hindu leader Rajan Zed says that we should start teaching our highschoolers comparative religions in light of a recent poll that indicates that when it comes to religion most Americans don’t know Mohamed from a whole in the ground. Mr. Zed extolls the virtues of giving a purely informative class in all religious traditions including “non-believers”

Zed, who is President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, argued that opening-up American children to major world religions and non-believers’ viewpoint would make them well-nurtured, well-balanced, and enlightened citizens of tomorrow. It also makes good business sense to know the beliefs of “others” in a global community. Moreover, students should have knowledge of the entire society to become full participants in the society.

Since the above statement wasn’t uttered by an evangelical, protestant or Catholic, Continue reading …

 The Federal Court of Appeals has thrown out a case concerning Los Angeles City College and Christian student Jonathan Lopez regarding an alleged violation of his free speech rights when he expressed his approval of California’s vote to ban gay marriages back in 2009. Details are conflicting about just how closely Lopez was following the assignment and what he said. The LA Times and the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) says it was an “open ended” assigment. The court documents indicate that Lopez was supposed to be  an informative speech. Lopez apparently read from the dictionary definition of marriage and at least two Bible verses. Lopez’s rights were violated when he was interrupted and the professor called him a “fascist” (among other things I can’t print). ADF says that after the professor instructed those who were offended that they could leave, and no one did, the class was dismissed, threats of expulsion were made, and Professor Matteson wrote on Lopez’s evaluation the now infamous “Ask God what your grade is.”

It may shock you that I actually agree with the Court of Appeals. Continue reading …

This past week has certainly pushed religion to the forefront of public discussion. The ACLU, secular humanist organizations and Federal Government have worked hard over the last 50 years to eliminate religion and religious discussion from the public sector. Muslims from other countries have launched and are carrying out a holy war on the United States to bring the nation into submission to Islam. Imam Rauf announced that he is going to be building a 100 million dollar “community center” at ground zero. His claim is that it is to bring peace and be a uniting force among religions. Florida pastor, Terry Jones, had planned to burn about 200 Qur’ans on Saturday, September 11, the ninth anniversary of 9/11. All of this collided last week and erupted into a full blown exhibition of the double standards of the old media (mostly liberal), Federal Government along with accusations of “intolerance” from all sides. How should we respond? Continue reading …

Radio and television personality, Glenn Beck, is admittedly a controversial and polarizing figure. He has grabbed the attention of conservatives across the nation and religious affiliation with his call back to a Constitutional based government, grounded in the first 39 words of the Declaration of Independence. These words assert the creator, creation and unalienable rights based on creator and creation. The biggest question we receive about Beck can be summed up, “Is he a Christian?” In all honesty my answer has to be, I don’t know. That may sound odd coming from an apologetics ministry but the question of whether an individual is saved or not is different than the question of the official or authoritative teachings of a particular group. In the case of the LDS (Latter-Day Saints), more commonly known as Mormons, there is voluminous material written containing their official teaching. Based on that we can say they are not Christians in any biblical or historical sense since the church teaches a different Jesus, different salvation and a different gospel than biblical/historical Christianity. Even Mormons seem to realize there is a problem here. On the Controversy tab of the Glenn Beck: An Unlikely Mormon website. We read: Continue reading …

As some of you readers know, I have made a cross-country move to a new university. This is the reason for my long hiatus from the Crux. This week we take a brief pause from Don’s excellent investigation and critique of the “social justice” movement to look at a spiritual conundrum. How to pray for the world’s most cantankerous atheist. First the news. Christopher Hitchens has cancer. And not just cancer but cancer of the one part of his body that means the most to him–his throat. Hitchens announced recently that he has throat cancer. He will be cutting short his book tour for his memoir Hitch-22 to undergo chemotherapy. As usual anything Hitch does or says is a lightning rod for controversy. The lastest is whether or not believers should pray for him and for what should they pray: his recovery, his damnation, his speedy demise, his conversion. You get the idea. It seems to me there are a few questions that are paramount:

Should we pray for Hitch?  If yes, what should we pray for? Should Christians announce that they are praying for Hitch? Finally, what should we expect in return?

The answer to the first question seems simple. Continue reading …