Good News in Adult Stem Cell Research

Posted on September 2, 2008 by Bill Haynes

One of the greatest desires of our generation, and rightly so, is to find a cure to the diseases that plague mankind. For many, myself included, there is a moral question in using embryonic stem cells because it requires starting a life and then destroying it. Arguments are made the the “greater good” should prevail, and that good being finding cures.

For some time now many scientists have been saying that the real key to making significant progress is in work with adult stem cells rather than embryonic cells. Last week the Washington Post ran an article that indicates that scientists have made real progress toward significant results with adult cells. In an article entitled Scientists Reprogram Adult Cells’ Function they stated:

“Scientists have transformed one type of fully developed adult cell directly into another inside a living animal, a startling advance that could lead to cures for a variety of illnesses and sidestep the political and ethical quagmires associated with embryonic stem cell research.

Through a series of painstaking experiments involving mice, the Harvard biologists pinpointed three crucial molecular switches that, when flipped, completely convert a common cell in the pancreas into the more precious insulin-producing ones that diabetics need to survive.”

May this develop into something that will bring great relief to many people in the not so distant future. For this we should diligently pray.

One of the scientists expressed his enthusiasm this way:

“One day, this may allow the doctor to replace the scalpel with a sort of genetic surgery,” Lanza said. “If this can be perfected, it would represent one of the holy grails of medicine.”

Filed under: Ethics, medical research | Leave a comment »

A Drunken Sailor?!?!

Posted on August 24, 2008 by Bill Haynes

I have heard repeatedly that our government spends money “like a drunken sailor.” Upon pondering the following data, I don’t think the sailor in question can hold a candle to our congress.

How much is a billion?

A billion seconds ago was 1959 . . . I was only 8 years old.

A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive.

A billion hours ago, the earth was in the stone age.

. . . and a billion dollars ago was 8 hours and 20 minutes at the rate our government spends money!!

Filed under: Government, Just interesting, Politics | Leave a comment »

A Most Heated Discussion Most of the Time

Posted on August 5, 2008 by Bill Haynes

Have you ever gotten into a theological discussion that just seems to invite disagreement? There are a lot of different subjects that can lead to that, and most of the time the problem is that one side or the other “assumes” what the other believes without letting him define it himself. One such subject is “Free Will.” When people ask me if I believe in “the free will of man,” I usually answer, “Of course I do and I don’t.” Michael Patton, over at the Parchment & Pen blog of Reclaiming the Mind Ministries has written an excellent article entitled What Do You Mean By “Free Will”. I highly recommend this to you, especially if you struggle with this issue or you find your views being misunderstood.

Reclaiming the Mind Ministries has some of the best theological studies for online that I have ever seen. I encourage you to spend some time checking them out.

Filed under: Christian controversies, Free Will | Leave a comment »

Trivializing the Gospel

Posted on July 23, 2008 by Bill Haynes

It always amazes me that men who are called to simply proclaim God’s Gospel through the exposition of God’s word trivialize their calling by gimmicks and tying to make something of nothing. A good example of that appeared in our local newspaper. Rather than finding his sermon material in the Bible he found it on a pizza box. And then went on to basically preach a works-righteousness sermon that brought great gain — not spiritual gain, but weight gain no doubt.

Donatos pizza box pledge inspires sermon

Special to the CJ

Some may say that pizza and church are foods for the soul. The two came together recently when one local minister stumbled onto the promise of one pizza chain and thought it would become a key ingredient for a great sermon.

Ed Bialon, minister of the Cumberland Church of Christ, was about to throw his Donatos Pizza box away one evening when he noticed the company’s pledge printed on the box top.

It reads: “We believe in great pizza, which means we believe in only the finest and the freshest toppings used in abundance. And, we believe in getting those toppings in every bite. We believe in pizza making without shortcuts. Because great pizza is a passion, and we believe that passion is contagious. In turn, we believe great pizza can change the world. Yes, we believe in absolutely everything pizza should be. And we invite you to believe the same.”

Those well-crafted words left an impression. “I didn’t want to be outdone by a pizza company,” quipped Bialon, who is well known for injecting every-day life into his Sunday sermons. “When I read those words I just knew I could incorporate them into a great sermon.”

And he did, dishing out a heaping helping of pizza anecdotes in a sermon about Acts of Random Kindness to a congregation of more than 120 in early June. The sermon in its entirety can be seen at the church’s Web site, http://www.cumber-landchurchofchrist.com.

Meanwhile, local Donatos franchisor Chuck Coldiron learned of the sermon and immediately delivered a copy of it to company founder Jim Grote in Columbus, Ohio.

“I was blown away,” exclaimed Coldiron, who opened the Somerset restaurant in March 1998. “Our principles are not just words, and I believe Ed (Bialon) absolutely shared the essence of our principles. It’s humbling that our values can be used for such a higher cause.”

When Coldiron heard about the Acts of Random Kindness sermon at the Cumberland Church of Christ and the parallels the preacher shared about Donatos’ mission, he was moved to act. Coldiron decided to serve Donatos Pizza to more than 150 churchgoers following Sunday morning worship service July 13.

Also there to help serve was company founder Grote and his daughter and current Donatos President and COO Jane Grote Abell. Both have a passion for their pizza principles but stop short of comparing it to Bialon’s higher cause.

“We listened to his sermon,” said the elder Grote. “He said he has a better product; and he does.”

Donatos Pizza was founded in 1963 by a 19-year-old Grote on a promise “to make the best pizza and make your day a little better.” Today, Donatos and its franchise partners operate nearly 175 stores throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama and North and South Carolina.

http://www.somerset-kentucky.com/archivesearch/local_story_201212758.html

Filed under: Denying Truth | Tagged: , | 6 Comments »

Standing Firm

Posted on July 8, 2008 by Bill Haynes

I was honored to be asked to write a “Pastor’s Perspective” article in the July, 2008, issue of TableTalk the devotional magazine of Ligonier Ministries. The entire issue deals with 8th Century and Christian controversies of that era. You can read my article by clicking HERE or you can read the entire issue on the 8th Century by clicking HERE.

If you want to read the most recent issue click HERE.

TableTalk is one of the finest resources for daily study and spiritual growth that I know of. It draws on the work of R.C. Sproul who was one of my professors in DMin study. Dr. Sproul is one of this generations premier theologians. I highly recommend subscribing to TableTalk. You can do so by clicking HERE.

Filed under: Christian controversies, Personal writing | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

When Baptists Deny God’s Truth

Posted on June 23, 2008 by Bill Haynes

I remember during the days of the “Conservative Resurgence” in the Southern Baptist Convention being told that there was no such thing as a “liberal” in the SBC.  Some were “moderate,” whatever that means, but no one denied the basic tenets of the Christian faith.  A group developed in protest and/or opposition to the conservatives and called themselves the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF).  They said that they were still committed to Baptist doctrine but didn’t like the new leadership of the SBC.  Many churches developed a dual alliance with both the SBC and the CBF, given a little to SBC causes and channeling most of their giving through the CBF.  It may be that the lines between the two are getting more clearly drawn.  And it may be a line, not between liberal and conservative, but a line between believer and nonbeliever in God’s truth.

The CBF meeting this year may give many people who do believe in Baptist doctrine, and the Bible for that matter, reason to give pause and rethink who the CBF really is.  One of the key speakers and workshop leaders was John Killinger.  In his seminar  on  “The Changing Shape of Our Salvation” Killinger made this statement:  “Now we are reevaluating and we’re approaching everything with a humbler perspective and seeing God’s hand working in Christ, but not necessarily as the incarnate God in our midst.”  For starters this denies the deity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity.  Of course for him that is not problematic because he believes that “doctrine is a thing of the past now religiously.”  Killinger encouraged pastors in attendance to “follow this cultural shift by preaching about Jesus’ human side rather than insisting that He was God and that He always existed.”  I don’t have space here to refute these heretical statements, but suffice it to say this flies in the face of all that the Scriptures teach.

To be fair, the CBF’s General Assembly Guide says that “the opinions presented in the General Assembly ministry workshops are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of . . . the Fellowship or its members.”  But that begs the question, why would you invite someone who has beliefs that are in no way Biblical to come and teach, not one, but three, workshops at your meeting?  Killinger has been, and evidently continues to be, a darling of the CBF crowd.  He is a rebel, but a rebel with a cause – to deny all of God’s Word that he possibly can.

May God help us as we seek to remain faithful to God’s Word, not the “cultural shift” that some seem to think is a good thing.

Filed under: Denying Truth | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Horatius Bonar on Truth

Posted on June 6, 2008 by Bill Haynes

In my reading this week I ran across another “excerpt” that I want to share with you. It is a little lengthy and was written in 1868 so it can be a little more difficult to read than what we are used to today.  But it is well worth working your way through.  Horatius Bonar was a contemporary of Charles Spurgeon.  Spurgeon insisted that Bonar was one of those 17th century writers that must be read and on one occasion stated: “Unlike many writers of the Evangelical school Dr. Bonar is not content with baling out milk for babes, but gives us real thought and teaching.”  

The excerpt that I want to share with you comes from the works of Bonar, Light & Truth: Bible Thoughts and Themes, Vol. I, 1868.  It is keeping with the theme, truth, which we began last week with the prayer of Charles Spurgeon.  Hear Bonar – he will bless you and teach you.  He is one of those great Christian ministers who, though dead, still speaks.  Thanks be to God.

“O Lord, are not Your eyes upon the truth?” –Jeremiah 5:3

“The word “truth” in Scripture refers both to doctrine and practice. It points both to the “error” and the “lie.” It classes both together. It condemns both. False speaking, whether in reference to teaching or witness-bearing, is declared to be abominable to God. His eyes are upon the truth. They watch over it, to guard it and to maintain it.

The theory of many is that God’s eyes are not upon the truth, and that therefore a man may believe what he pleases, and say what he likes, without fearing God’s displeasure. It is only when the untrue thing which he thinks and says interferes with human rights, or social privileges that he is to be visited with punishment. Jehovah’s eyes, then, are upon the truth,–the truth as found on earth among the sons of men.

In this watchfulnesss, this discernment, this justice, there are some things specially to be observed.

1. There is but one standard of truth. God fixes the standard and acts on it, without caprice, or partiality, or compromise. Error is a thousandfold,–pliable, moveable, uncertain,–truth is ONE. On this God calls on us to act, on this he acts himself. So that man cannot excuse his error or his falsehood on the ground that there were more standards than one.

2. This one standard is definite. It is not vague or shadowy. It does not merely settle certain great principles, but smaller ones as well. It is so very definite and precise as to leave man without excuse. It lets man know explicitly God’s present estimate of truth and falsehood, as well as his future judgment on these. It is so distinct that no one with an open ear and eye can hesitate about it. In our day men call this narrowness, bigotry, littleness. But if we only insist on being of one mind with God, he that condemns us condemns God himself. Let us be as broad as he is, but no broader; that is enough, whatever the age may say.

3. That one standard is universal. It is for every age and time. It never becomes obsolete. It is like God himself,–unchangeable; like the Christ of God,–the same yesterday, today, and forever. It was given to our fathers, it is given to us. It suited the East, it suits the West. It suited the Jew, it suits the Gentile also; barbarian, Scythian, bond, or free. It suited the Asian, it suits the European. It suits the Briton, it suits the Indian, and the African. It suits the unlearned, it suits the learned too. One standard for all! One universal test or measurement of truth.

4. That one standard is the Bible. It is no secret standard that He judges us by, or by which He tests truth and error. The test which He gives to us He acts upon himself. The Bible is His book of truth as well as ours. That book contains what God calls truth,–truth definite, fixed, certain, not moveable, nor waxing obsolete, nor falling behind the age. The Bible is the one book of the age, nay, of the ages,–of all ages and all climes. Man’s present unbelief seeks to loosen its authority, to dilute its statements, to render indefinite its doctrines. But the word of the Lord endureth forever. God is not a man that he should lie. His word is sure, his truth is everlasting, his book is like the sun in the firmament; a light for all ages and lands.

Thus God’s eyes are on the truth. It is truth that he delights in, it is error that he abhors. It is truth that he is seeking for among the sons of men. What a condemnation to the laxity of thought in the present day! As if man were at liberty to think as he pleases, irrespective of God and his book! God watches over the truth; he marks each error, each deviation from his one standard.

O man, hast thou received the very truth, and the whole truth of God? He has given man a book for a standard, not that he may speculate, but that he may not speculate, but believe. What God, in and by that book, demands of men is not criticism, opinion, speculation, but BELIEF. God’s eyes are on the truth, to see if men believe it.

The day is at hand, the great day of the Lord, when TRUTH only shall be set on high, and error put to shame. O man, God’s eyes are on the truth, let yours be on it too. Be true to truth; be true to yourself; be true to God.”

Read . . . meditate . . . rejoice!!!

Filed under: Dead yet they speak | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

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