Theology Central
Theology Central exists as a place of conversation and information for faculty and friends of Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Posts include seminary news, information, and opinion pieces about ministry, theology, and scholarship.The New Criterion and Current Campus Culture
The New Criterion is not a Christian publication–far from it. It is not even a thoroughly conservative publication. But it does take culture and meaning seriously, and it is almost always worth reading. Here is a recent commentary on “Campus hi(s/r)jinks.”
China Imposes New Religious Rules
Read the law here. Excerpts:
Article 4: Individuals and organizations must not create contradictions and conflicts between different religions, within a single religion, or between religious and non-religious citizens; must not advocate religious extremism, and must not use religion to undermine ethnic unity, divide the nation or carry out terrorist activities.
Article 5: All religions shall adhere to the principle of independence and self-governance; religious groups, religious schools, and sites for religious activities and religious affairs are not controlled by foreign forces.
Article 6: All levels of people’s government shall strengthen guidance of religious work, establish religious work mechanisms, and ensure the strength of religious work and necessary conditions for religious work.
The religious affairs department of the people’s government at the county level or above are to lawfully carry out management of religious affairs that involve State or public interests, and the other departments of the people’s government at the county level or above are to be responsible for the management of relevant affairs within the scope of their respective functions and duties.Villagers’ committees and residents’ committees assist people’s governments and relevant departments in managing religious affairs.
All levels of people’s governments shall hear the views of religious groups, religious schools, sites for religious activities, and religious citizens, and coordinate the management of religious affairs so as to provide public services to religious groups, religious schools and sites for religious activities.
Article 19: Religious activity sites include temples, Taoist temples, mosques, churches (hereinafter temples and churches) and other fixed premises for religious activities.
Standards for distinguishing temples and churches and other fixed sites for religious premises are to be formulated by the religious affairs departments of provincial, autonomous region, or directly governed municipality people’s governments, and reported to the religious affairs department under the State Council to be filed for the record.
Article 20: Religious activity sites shall meet the following conditions to be established:
(1) The purpose of their establishment is not contrary to articles 4 and 5 of this Regulation;
(2) The local religious citizens have need to regularly conduct collective religious activities;
(3) there are religious professionals or other personnel meeting the requirements of the religoin who intend to preside over the religious activities;
(4) have the necessary funds from legal sources and channels;
(5) Have a reasonable configuration meeting the requirements of urban and rural planning, and not impeding the ordinary lives and production of surrounding units and residents.
Article 36: Upon affirmation by a religious group and reporting to the religious affairs department of a people’s government at the county level or above to be filed for the record, religious professionals may engage in professional religious activities.
Those that have not obtained or have lost religious professional credentials, must not engage in activity as religious professionals.
Article 40: Collective religious activities of religious citizens shall , in general, be held at religious activity sites, be organized by religious activity sites, religious groups, or religious school organizations; and be presided over by religious professionals or other persons meeting the requirements of that religion’s rules; and conducted according to religious doctrines and canons.
Article 41: Non-religious groups, non-religious schools, and non-religious activity sites, must not hold religious activities, must not accept religious donations, and must not organize citizens leaving the country to participate in religious training, meetings, activities and so forth.
Article 67: Where a religious activities site is established without authorization, or where a religious activity sites site that has had its registration certificates cancelled continues to carry out religious activities, or where a religious school is established without authorization, the religious affairs department, together with the public security organs are to shut it down and confiscate the unlawful gains or illegal assets if any; where the unlawful gains or illegal assets cannot be determined, a fine of up to 50,000 yuan is imposed; the illegal houses or structures, if any, shall be disposed of by the competent department for construction in accordance with law; and where there is conduct in violation of public security management, a public security administrative sanction is be imposed in accordance with law:
Where a non-religious group, non-religious school, or non-religious activity site organizes or holds religious activities or accepts religious donations, the religious affairs department, together with the departments for public security, civil affairs, construction, culture, tourism, cultural artifacts, and so forth, will order it to discontinue the activities and will confiscate the unlawful gains and illegal assets, if any; and may give a fine of between one and three times the value of unlawful gains; where a crime is constituted, criminal responsibility is pursued in accordance with law.
Analysis from Christianity Today here.
Religious Liberty In Decline
Trevin Wax suggests four reasons why at Kingdom People. Along the way he draws a useful distinction or two.
Charles Hodge and the Science of Theology
Yes, Charles Hodge spoke of theology as science and the Bible as a storehouse of facts. Is that a problem? Kevin DeYoung answers that question at DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed. (For what it’s worth, I like Hodge about as much as a Baptist dispensationalist can–which is to say, quite a bit.)
What About Those Israeli Settlements?
Plenty of people believe that the “Green Line” is a matter of international law and that many Israeli settlements are illegal. Malcolm Lowe replies at the Gatestone Institute.
Central Student Saves Life of US President
Yep, you read that right. In addition to our for-credit students, we also have many individuals who audit or even visit classes. Several years ago, we had several men from Rochester who would drive up to audit night classes. One of them, Haidong Dong, was a research physician for the Mayo system.
Dr. Dong has been looking for ways to treat cancer. His team developed the drug that was used on President Jimmy Carter. Want to know more? Here’s the story from Mayo Clinic, and here is the story from a Rochester television station.
We are grateful for the contribution that Dr. Dong has made, and we congratulate him on the recognition that he is receiving.
Vineyard Leaders Gain Audience with Pope Francis
“On behalf of the global Vineyard family, we (VIE) bore greetings to Pope Francis during a remarkable conversation at the Vatican today.” Thus quoth John and Ele Mumford (coordinators of the Vineyard International Executive) in a tweet.
The Vatican recognized the visit as an ecumenical overture.
Catholics are pleased.
The Swinburne Paper
You know, the one that provoked all the controversy in the Society of Christian Philosophers. You can read it here.
How the Left Thinks
Gretta Vosper has been a minister of the United Church of Canada. The UCC has been an openly liberal denomination on a whole range of issues, but it has a problem with Vosper. She is an outspoken atheist, and a group within the UCC is challenging her qualifications to continue in its ministry. The Humanist magazine accuses the United Church of Canada of burying its head in the sand by “ignoring [the] growing body of secular spiritual seekers.”
No matter how far to the Left you go, there’s always somebody who is further Left, ready to accuse you of being a fundamentalist. You might just as well become a real fundamentalist to begin with.
Plagiarism
It’s an ongoing problem, particularly for those who read much and write much. I admit to living in nearly pathological fear that something I write will turn out to be something I once read, which then became part of my mental furniture, and which I then repeated without ever remembering that the idea was not mine. Randy Alcorn discusses plagiarism here.
SolO Scriptura Versus SolA Scriptura
Gene Edward Veith discusses the difference at Cranach.
In What Country is Shimon Peres Buried?
Evidently, President Obama’s remarks at his funeral, as reported by the White House, leave that issue unresolved. Read Elliott Abrams at Pressure Points.
Yusuf Islam Helps Fund Nashville Islamic Center
One of my favorite soft-pop singers used to be Cat Stevens. Now he’s Yusuf Islam. Sojourners has an article on what he’s doing now.
The Politics of J. R. R. Tolkien
This is an older article, but still worth reading. Ignore the Catholicism, relish the jab at Peter Jackson, and learn about “The Ten Points of Tolkien’s Politics,” by Bradley J. Birzer at The Imaginative Conservative.
Have You Ever Wanted Your Own Flight Simulator?
The old Northwest / Delta Airlines training center in Eagan is being sold, and all the stuff is up for auction. Including several flight simulators.
I wish my garage was just a bit bigger!
Warren Throckmorton on David Barton (Again)
I’ve occasionally written and spoken against David Barton’s largely fictional account of American history. Particularly egregious is Barton’s book, The Jefferson Lies, which was challenged by Warren Throckmorton and Michael Coulter in Getting Jefferson Right: Fact Checking Claims About Our Third President. Barton has been at it again, claiming a conspiracy to remove Christianity from American history. Throckmorton responds on his blog.
Credo Magazine
The current issue is “Doctrine Matters.” Download a PDF version here.
Thoughts on Kim Davis
D. A. Carson considers the case of “The Woman from Kentucky” at Themelios.
U of Toronto Prof Defies Pronoun Law
Pink on the Attributes of God
Arthur W. Pink’s study on The Attributes of God (with study questions) is free for Kindle right now.