Evangelicals For Life: The Highlights

I have heard of the March for Life for many years now. However, I had never gone to Washington D.C. so participate or witness it. To be quite honest I was blown away. For the past few years there has been a evangelical conference that takes place called Evangelicals for Life. This is really what we went to DC to experience. I would say that the purpose of Evangelicals for Life  is to educate and encourage the people who are willing to listen, and desire to grow in their understanding of the Pro-Life Movement.

Needless to say, there were some highlights for the weekend that really stood out. I was very impressed by the speakers who made appearances. With a lineup such as, Matt Chandler, Russell Moore, Jeffrey Daly, Todd Wagner, and Eugene Cho you could expect greatness and powerful messages all around. They definitely did not disappoint. In fact they rose to the occasion and delivered so much, that it wouldn't be possible to capture it all in one blog so I will have to stick with the highlights. 

Highlight - 1: Dr. Russell Moore - The Blessing for the Children

Russell Moore - Human Dignity and The Gospel
The Framework for a Lasting Mission

One of the first to speak at this event was Russell Moore. Russell Moore is the President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, he has authored many books and has written for many different publications. When Russell Moore took the stage I wasn't sure what to expect because I have never heard him speak. However his reputation went before him and he brought a powerful message about the value that Jesus placed and continues to place on children. Dr. Moore explained how Jesus' was frustrated with his disciples when they turned the children away. He emphasized, that in the jewish culture, children were viewed as a nuisance when adults were talking, and similarly we as a country, treat the unborn as a nuisance. However, they are not. They are special, and valued as individuals created by God. Our children deserve to be invested in, and taught. They deserve attention and love. Children are a blessing from God and we must treat them as such. 

Highlight - 2: Pastor Matt Chandler - The Church as Community

One of the speaker I was anxious to see in person was Pastor Matt Chandler from the Village Church in Highland TX. Throughout the many series of sermons that I have listened to and learned from him.

Matt Chandler:
Pro-Life Issues and the Millennial:
Swimming Against the Culture

I naturally had high expectations from him. I was not disappointed. He spoke about the community, and how the church needs to understand that change starts with building relationships. Chandler emphasized the importance of getting out into our neighborhoods and actually looking for opportunities to build friendships and serve others.  One of the most profound things Matt said was, "God is crazy about some good things... not just against bad things."  There are so many people who focus on the things that God hates, the sins that alienate us from Him. We really do need to spend more time focusing on the good attributes that we need to cultivate in our lives.
Matt declared,  "We must as Evangelicals be a community of life that believes and declares... That God is the Author and Sustainer of all life from the womb to the tomb." We must choose as humans where to spend our energies and many make the mistake to spend all their time on focusing on the things that we shouldn't do, and are bad at, rather than focusing on what we've been instructed TO do, and what we have been gifted to do.
We must also seek the welfare of the city.

Three Theories of Truth and One Absolute Truth (But which one?)

We live in a world today where we have sadly abandoned sound thought and reason. As a country influenced by western philosophy we have given up on sound, logical reasoning. We seem to have traded it in for a much more ridiculous ideology that centers on our emotional comfort and needs. Throughout the history of philosophy, we have generally held to the belief in three different forms of truth and many people hold to the idea that there is only one form of truth out of the three that is actually accurate.

Our society has suffered from a departure from sound reason partially because many don't take the time to verify what they read on the internet or social media, and simply take it as truth. No wonder we have so many people in this world who struggle to think in a productive manner. Faulty thinking is an epidemic and needs to be dealt with. I will try to do my part and explain what I believe and how I got to my conclusions.

For obvious reasons this blog post will not cover everything in relationship to these three major theories of truth. This is meant as an introductory post to the ideas of truth and cause people to think a little deeper.

Pragmatic Theory of Truth
This theory of truth holds that something is true only if it is useful. If it works and is practical for your lifestyle then it is true. From the outset this seems like a good view and makes sense. However, after testing this theory it seems to fall apart because it is inevitable to come to a circumstance where you have to disregard a truth you had held and "believe" something that you formerly did not believe to be true because it is useful.

Correspondence Theory of Truth
This theory holds that truth is only true if it is consistent with reality. Truth is consistent to reality and nothing else. It is outside of our humanity and outside of our realm to decide what truth is, and what isn't true. often times, people who hold to this theory of truth believe in a God or gods who has defined what truth is, and how it impacts our world. Truth is beyond ourselves and outside of our worldview. It extends far beyond the scope of humanity.

Coherence Theory of Truth
This theory claims that something is true if it is consistent with other statements that are true. Truth is true as long as it is consistent with other truths in this world. This implies that everything that is true is consistent and cohesive. That sounds really good but in the end it falls apart because you have to start asking questions and the answers do not  hold up under scrutiny. At some point the question will arise, what is the original truth, and trumps all other truths? Something will have to be the original truth that does not need to be verified by any other source of truth.


Conclusion
Let's talk about it more. ;) Where do you land, and what do you believe, and more importantly... why?
until next time,

Merry Christmas!!
            Love,
               Duckie