World Trade Center Cross - Should It Stay?

If you haven't heard, recently a steel beam cross has been erected at the site of the World Trade Center as a memorial. It's set to become a permanent exhibit at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum. So the American Atheists have filed a formal complaint to have the cross removed (Atheist group wants to stop World Trade Center cross).


However, proponents claim the cross wasn't chosen because it represents Christianity, but because the symbol "provided comfort to so many people - it is a part of the history of the space." - Joe Daniels, President of the Memorial Foundation. As an interesting point, the cross-shaped girder was left standing in the midst of the wreckage, which is the why the symbol has gained fame (which makes sense given how buildings are constructed).


 He also went on to state that steel girders of other Eastern religious symbols would be part of the museum as well. Plus, proponents have stated that no complaints or concerns were filed during the discussion process. Does that matter here?


This has to do with the issue I brought up in my previous post of an "atheocracy" America's Atheocracy?. Should the government be indifferent towards religious expression in the public sphere, or should it seek to squelch religion expression in the public sphere? What do you think? How is an American Christian to view this?

Have Me Know, Yahweh, My End and The Measurement of My Days - Psalm 39

I don't have anything particularly profound to say about this Psalm, but when I read it yesterday and used it as my morning prayer it reminded me of this: I can't wait to immerse my own kids (future kids at this point) in the biblical texts and have them know the Psalter well.

There's so many good reasons that the Psalter has always been popular, but one is that there's a psalm, it seems, for every sentiment and every situation in life. How many young people today seriously contemplate their end? How many think about their death, and linked to that what or whom there hope is in?

What are other reasons you enjoy (or maybe don't enjoy!) the Psalter?

Michele Bachmann and the Antichrist Fiasco

I'm not really sure what to say about the recent media and blog storm over Michele Bachmann and former membership in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), but due to the number of emails and comments I've received and been asked to give, I figured I've say my two cents here.


First of all, this is purely political, and I think most people realize this. But what makes this more ridiculous is the fact that this is about a church body she LEFT prior to taking office and isn't a hot-button issue. People brought up similar discrepancies, to say the least, between President Obama's (former?) church, and obviously high profile politicians like Vice President Biden and Representative Pelosi belong CURRENTLY to churches with whom their politics don't agree (the Catholic Church declares homosexuality and abortion to be sinful). It's actually quite ironic that members of their party would lambaste a republican hopeful for saying the Pope is wrong...

Come, Let Us Reason Together

So for my personal Bible reading, I've chosen to go with year B, which has a general focus on Evaluation. This year has some big hitter books since it follows the major prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and has Job, along with Romans following. The main reason I'm doing year B now is because this upcoming year at the seminary I will be having classes on both Isaiah and Romans. So I'd like to know at least dominate the Hebrew and Greek by the time we read them in class.

I have to say, so far in reading Isaiah, it's starting to become my favorite book. It might just be my favorite by the end...In a general way Isaiah seems to crystallize very vividly themes that occur throughout the Bible (and imagery!), and give a complete picture of what the biblical texts are about from sin and rebuke, to grace and forgiveness, from judgement to mercy, kingdom and covenant, new heavens and new earth, it's all there. I almost feel that it gives you the grand overview picture of "Act 3 Israel" as I have it on my page http://bibleimmersion.blogspot.com/p/about-bible.html.

America's Atheocracy?

I'm not sure if the author coined the term or not, but I read an interesting article by Denver Bishop James D. Conley where he used the term "atheocracy." The article is found here, http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2011/07/americarsquos-atheocracy

I share here a few excerpts:


But as we celebrate this Fourth of July, we need to recognize that some of the deepest problems in our public life can be traced to our collective neglect of America’s great founding document.