Persecuted Church: Christians in Libya face threat of violence during Easter

Is it too hard to go to church for four days in a row during the Triduum and Easter Sunday?  You don't face the the possibility that someone will try to kill you for going to church services like the Christians in Libya. Pray for these persecuted members of the Body of Christ.

 http://www.persecution.org/2013/03/29/christians-in-libya-tighten-security-at-churches/

Persectued Church: Christians in Pakistan celebrate Easter in the face of persecution

Is it too hard to go to church for four days in a row during the Triduum and Easter Sunday?  The situation of the Christians in Pakistan should put this into a much clearer perspective for us. Pray for these persecuted members of the Body of Christ.

http://www.persecution.org/2013/03/29/christians-in-pakistan-wont-allow-persecution-to-stop-them-from-celebrating-easter/

Life news: It is so horrible that Planned Parenthood won't come out and say it - they just want to do it

In an earlier post I made reference to the fact that Planned Parenthood is opposing legislation in Florida that would protect children who survive an abortion (http://surburg.blogspot.com/2013/03/planned-parenthood-opposes-florida.html).  This does happen. God's gift of life is tenacious and babies survive late term abortions - babies that given medical care are able to live.

Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEv1afKaLhA

It is video of a Planned Parenthood lobbyist answering questions about this matter.  Notice how she is never able or willing to come out and say that the abortion doctor will kill the baby on the table. She is not willing to say it because it is too horrifying to say - and yet this is what Planned Parenthood does.  If you support Planned Parenthood, you need to answer the question regarding why you think this is acceptable. Why is it acceptable to kill a baby that is outside of the mother?  And when you cannot answer that question you need to ask another one: Why is it acceptable to kill this same baby thirty seconds prior when it is still inside the mother?

Culture news: Smart people make really dumb arguments

So much of the line of questioning by the Supreme Court justices, and the discussion in society, has involved basic philosophical confusion. This is a nice piece that explains why this is.

http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2013/03/summa-contra-dowd

Culture news: The suicide of a nation and a culture

The United States and Western culture are committing suicide.  There are Christians who dismissively respond: "So what?!" It is true that the Church is not the nation and the culture. But it is facile to act like this doesn't matter for the life of the Church in the world.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/can-one-nation-have-two-moralities/

Thanks to Robert Smith for sharing this.

Good Friday and the righteous character of God

Ben Witherington is a New Testament scholar whose writing output can be described in no other way than prodigious.  He is someone to be taken very seriously, and I have deep respect for his work.  He has some very good observations about Good Friday as he writes:

The cross stands sentinel against all of our cliches and trite assumptions about God and God’s character. It tells us that God has set up a moral universe reflecting his character, in which its a matter of ‘truth’ or consequences. Those who do not embrace the truth, suffer the consequences of their sins. But if anyone is in Christ, God’s Friday is a good Friday indeed. In fact it is the TGIF best Friday ever.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/bibleandculture/2013/03/29/gods-friday/

Life news: Planned Parenthood opposes Florida legislation that would provide legal protection to babies that survive an abortion

A baby survives an abortion and is alive outside the body of his or her mother.  As an Illinois state senator, President Obama voted against legislation that sought to provide protection to a baby in this situation.  Planned Parentehood is now opposing the same kind of legislation in Florida.  There are few places where the evil of abortion becomes more clear than this.

http://www.lifenews.com/2013/03/28/planned-parenthood-opposes-bill-protecting-babies-born-after-botched-abortions/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lifenews%2Fnewsfeed+%28LifeNews.com%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher