John Broadus, in his Catechism of the Bible (1892), briefly answers various theological questions of the faith. I was intrigued when I came across the following question and Broadus’ response:

Q. Does truthfulness require us to tell everything we know or think?

A. No, we may keep to ourselves what others have no claim to know, when we are not professing to tell everything (I Samuel  16:2)

Q. B. When we say things that will damage others?

A. We may say things that will damage others when the things said are true, and it is needful that they should be known to prevent wrong.

Children hear simplistic moral slogans like: “always tell the truth” often, but sayings like this do not always work in many life situations. From the playful “Does this make me look fat?” question to the awful “Your dad is actually in jail because he was a pedophile,” the lines on truthfulness become blurred.

For pastors, being a trusted confidant in counseling carries serious legal obligations. For church leaders concealing knowledge on some issues is necessary and right. On the other hand, there are sins hidden for no other reason than shame and unwillingness to repent.

Broadus cites I Samuel 16:2: “But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

It’s an interesting passage. Samuel is called by God to anoint David as King over Israel as commanded. He is fearful and pleads with the Lord believing Saul will certainly kill him (and with good reason considering the previous occasions Saul tried to slay David!) It appears as though God gives Samuel a reason to go to Jesse’s house without disclosing the entire mission. He will, in fact, offer a sacrifice with Jesses and then anoint David there.  Samuel does not lie, but he also isn’t obligated to tell Saul everything about his intentions. Saul likely would’ve killed the prophet.

There are occasions where the absolute truth is damaging and even fatal if revealed. The lines, however, are not easily discerned.

What are your thoughts on Broadus’ stance as relates to truthfulness?

Does he rightfully interpret the intent of I Samuel 16:2?

Do people withhold the truth when they actually should tell it?

Do they fail to protect and preserve lives and reputation by gossiping under the guise of being honest?

One evening while I was spending time with my fiance’s family in their living room, her father turned on the television to ABC.  Usually I refrain from watching television but a show came on which instantly fixated my attention: “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.”    I had seen before, and others had told me about, the amazing things that the regular “Extreme Makeover” show had brought about for people — remodeled houses for people who couldn’t afford it yet needed it and for those who give their lives to some great cause and are without funds to repair their homes.  Yet, when I saw this same show having a “Weight Loss Edition,” I was shocked at the mere idea of it.  The first episode I saw consisted of someone who weighed over 500 lbs. and had to be weighed on a freight scale because no other scale was able to weigh them.  As the show progresses, usually this individual learns to eat healthy, exercise, and then by the end of the show they look like an entirely different person.  The makeover ends up being, well, extreme – sometimes people go from over 500 lbs. to a normal and average weight.  It is just shocking to see the transformation.

Watching this show and simply scoffing at the morbidly obese person is easy.  Yet, the situation is a little different when the spotlight is turned to ourselves.  Regardless of our weight and body appearance, are we actually serious about our own personal health management?  As strange as it reads, sometimes skinnier people who appear to look good can be unhealthier than someone who is slightly overweight, based on what they eat, how much they exercise, what they drink, and so forth. Given that most Americans, including Christians, are overweight, eat out often, and don’t exercise, it seems we are probably not very concerned about our own health management.  Just consider yesterday – how many calories did you eat versus how many you’re supposed to eat?  How many calories did you bur?  What was the difference between the two?  And how helpful was your exercise and those foods you ate?  Or do you even have any idea about those questions or the answers to those questions?

We must be serious about our health management because God who created our bodies is serious about them.  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So, glorify God in your body.”  If we are Christians, then the Holy Spirit actually dwells in us.  Therefore, we are to honor God with our bodies.  This transcends into even how we manage it physically.

If you are like me up until the past couple months, you probably have had little knowledge about how to manage your physical health.  That’s okay!  We have plenty of resources available.  Apps like LIVESTRONG and MyFitnessPal have helped me calculate how many calories I am supposed to have, how to track them for everything I eat, how to track my workout, to being to see a difference in my lifestyle, and then to track my monthly progress.  I would offer these apps and similar online resources to aid you as you learn to manage your health.  So, instead of making fun and simply be shocked at the morbidly obese person on television, let’s actually follow Paul’s teaching and glorify God with our bodies by managing our physical health in a way that is honoring to God.

The recent death of Osama Bin Laden has created a buzz in the world of Facebook, Twitter and online discussions. President Obama announced that after ten elusive years, the mastermind terrorist of the September 11 attacks had been slain by the fighting elite of SEAL Team 6. News coverage showed exuberant residents Washington D.C. reveling outside the White House in the wee hours of May 1.

In the following days, many evangelical Christians posted blogs and Tweeted Bible verses conveying their take on Bin Laden’s death. While some gave candid opinions, most were oblique and ambivalent.

There appeared to be indecision as to how we should react as Christians –as if some underlying guilt kept us from jubilation at a wicked man’s demise.  The rationale seemed to be that Bin Laden was an evil man who did know Christ; he is awaiting final everlasting judgment, incapable of repentance and salvation. Therefore, we shouldn’t be happy about it.

Something’s wrong with this perspective.  We should not rejoice because of vengeance, granted.  God is the final judge, not us. We should love our enemies as Jesus commanded. We should pray for them. We should’ve been more overjoyed at the possibility of a man such as Osama Bin Laden possibly being forgiven and saved. [...]

Human rights. The general consensus among people in the world today is in support of the protection, advocacy and defense of human dignity. Principles nearly universally favored – aid to the poor, help for the sick and marginalized, and the just treatment for people of all races – prompt people to assist in a number of possible ways. Individuals, governments and organizations have programs for the amelioration of weaker, downtrodden groups. It’s rare to find anyone who would dare question or criticize another helping the disenfranchised. Such a person would invariably be considered calloused and selfish: a base character worthy of neither respect nor admiration. [...]

I want to pose this question with discussion in mind.  I have pretty much formulated my opinion on this issue, and I can tell you that it leans toward a more conservative vantage point.  Although the purpose of this post is to facilitate good discussion on this issue, hear differing opinions, and have others respond accordingly.  Here are a few questions that I have personally been asked about this issue in the last year:

1. What are the pros/cons for legalizing cannabis?
2. Should Christians fight against the legalization of cannabis in the public square?
3. How should Christians respond if cannabis is legalized?
4. What should be the Christian stance against cannabis if it is actually legalized?
5. If it is legalized, should Christians partake of it?
6. How should this issue be preached from the pulpit?

I’m sure these are questions that you have been asked as well.  What are your thoughts on them?  How do you counsel others when they ask you such questions concerning the legalization of marijuana?

These are questions that every Christian must begin answering through the lens of Scripture.  I look forward to your responses and having good discussion with you here at TVN.

KOVR 13 News @ 10 has done their homework. They know the demographics of their viewers and most importantly, what issues evoke passionate and indignant response – the kind of emotional association which keeps them glued to the tube each evening. I reacted less-than amicably to KOVR’s apparently poignant, gripping headline of the night: A 20 year-old man killed a possum and posted the video online. [...]

For the last five years or so a number of European nations have implemented an innovative and novel plan to ensure survival for the future of their government, economy and native ethnic populations: financial incentives for having more children. [...]

I don’t want you to think that I am about to tell you what I think Jesus would think. That would be rather pointless. And stupid. If someone tries to base their opinion on their opinion of someone else’s opinion, leave them to it. What I want to do is examine a situation in which Jesus talks about marriage. From there we can dialogue about how his view of marriage relates to the homosexual community.

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Since 1973 when Roe v. Wade changed the landscape of the country there have been more than 50,000,000 aborted children. Even when the number of murders has decreased recently, there are still 1.3 million per year in the United States.

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Tolerance has been the egregiously venerated and relentlessly overused ethical catch-phrase (if one could call it a phrase) of our day. Politicians love its placement in their rhetoric, universities deem it a desired and appealing campus virtue and professors in teach its benefits to democracy and individual liberty. Conversely, “intolerance” the label being attached to either an individual, nation or religious belief system is a scathing insult; a repulsive “dirty word”.

But tolerance, when examined in its modern context; its premises, arguments and outcomes are blatantly fallacious. Nevertheless, society as a whole eats it up like chocolate cake. Tolerance is quintessential of the subjective morality adopted by so many today. Tolerance in this specific context denies absolute truth. By doing so is given to the ebb and flow of societal mores, ever changing with the tide of fickle humanity. But the most flagrant deception one finds in tolerance is how truly intolerant it actually is!

Events have demonstrated Christianity to be one of the most persistent and pernicious threats to this modern form of tolerance. A recent example is that of University of Florida (now Denver Broncos rookie) quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and star for the Gators made headlines for his thrilling play on the field and exemplary character off it. He has lived out the Christian life under close scrutiny of the public spotlight. It was publicized how he spent his Spring Break in the Philippines on a medical mission trip.

This year Tim Tebow along with is mother Pam Tebow supported a pro-life commercial funded by Focus on the Family on Super Bowl Sunday. The ad focused on his mother’s decision to reject a physician’s advising and even insisting on her having an abortion while pregnant with Tim due to possible complications from medications she had taken for dysentery. This half-minute commercial was anything but inflammatory. The message projected was “celebrate family, celebrate life”. However, the outcry from pro-choice groups was virulent and relentless.

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