(ht: Challies)

So…I finally got around to it (Christmas break and all that) and I’m discovering a few books that I have not read…

Covenant Theology, Peter Golding

Darwin’s God, Cornelius G. Hunter

The Case for Covenantal Infant Baptism, Gregg Strawbridge

(more to come, I’m sure)

Books I want to read again:

• Prodigals and those who love them, Ruth Bell Graham

I ran across this book…it’s my all-time, hands-down favorite book to give away to either adopted kids or adoptive parents or teachers of adopted kids.

These are my resolutions for 2006

• 1. What am I going to do more of? Read the Bible.

I actually did pretty well on this one.  No, I’m not all the way through my plan, but I’m digging into other places

• 2. What am I going to do less of? Leave unfinished projects.

We’re going to keep working on this one…

• 3. What am I going to do more of? Healthy activity.

My new job took care of that.  Between that and my commitment to weight watchers is helping further.

• 4. What am I going to do less of? Over indulge.

The first half of the year, not so well.  The second half, good.  Even on holidays…but I’m indulging in targetted areas that allow me to not be deprived, while still getting on the track to real health.

• 5. What am I going to do more of? Take care of my family.

As my kids grow older, this means different things.  Being less of a safety net, letting them/pushing them. I think I did ok.

I thought I had a better week…but I did lose 1 1/2 pounds.

this stuff…I think I’m just a porter gal…and this is not porter.

my frustration at my current “stuckness” (even if it’s for a couple of days) is here.

I showed a little gain this week (that seems to be my pattern – a really good weight loss, followed by a little gain, then another loss, so I’m not unhappy at all). I’ve got my recipes lined up for Christmas dinner, so tomorrow will be a good diet day.

I have “Walking Away the Pounds” dvd’s – my goal is to “walk” 35 miles while I’m off on break. One of the things that I do is log all this stuff on the little (very little) “MzEllen’s Weight Loss Journey” blog – it won’t work for everybody but I have MasterCook and I put everything I eat (most days, some days it just doesn’t work) in a “recipe” and put it on that little blog. I also keep websites that I really like on that site. I put recipes there also.

So…my goals for on break (starting today)

• drink all my water
• log all my food (good days or bad days)
• walk 35 miles

The final science grade is posted – “B”.

That’s 4 credits.  The 2 credit class (Graphics Software) is not posted, but I know I’ve got a solid “A”.

Back to the land of the living for a few weeks… 

my final final is tonight (in about an hour). Then I’ll be off for about 3 weeks and I’ll be happy to be off for about 3 weeks.

Actually, I’m doing pretty well, all things considered.

Today, my baby is:

Read more »

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this section, it is not a theology that I’m familiar with. The author doesn’t go into the name of the belief or where it came from, he merely presents it.

The belief that is discussed in this chapter is the concept of “salvation after death“.

The teaching is convoluted and depends solely on 2 Peter, where it says that the gospel was preached to those who are dead. That can mean either spiritually dead, or those who were alive when they heard the gospel, but who had died by the time of the writing of the letter.

Applied to infants, this teaching says that when a baby dies, they are brought to a point of maturity where they can hear the gospel and choose to accept it or not.

The problem with this theology is that it is not found in Scripture. It also is akin to throwing your theological hands into the air and stating that the question of where babies go when they die has no answer in this life.

Another problem is that there is no comfort for hurting parents.  Is there child in heaven or not?  There is no answer here, because with this theology the answer does not depend on God’s goodness, it depends on the (post-death) choice of the child.

When the Bible speaks of judgement day, and the final judgement, a person is judged on acts committed during their life – not on a choice made after death.

Teaching that a baby goes to heaven or hell, based on their own choice made after they die is not the anser.

One of the sites I read often is LifeSite.

This story appeared of December 4, with a history going back to July.

MIAMI, December 4, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An autopsy report has been released by Operation Rescue showing that a baby who died in a Florida abortion mill in July was born alive. Abortion facility staff placed the child still breathing and moving into a plastic medical waste bag. (…)

On July 20, an 18-year old woman went to a for-profit abortion facility owned by Belkis Gonzalez and Siomara Senises. She gave birth to a living baby girl while sitting in a recliner in the facility’s recovery room. The child’s mother, Sycloria Williams told police that she had watched her daughter moving and gasping for air for approximately five minutes.

The Dade County Medical Examiner report dated October 28, said that the baby died of “extreme prematurity” and lists no “contributory cause.” The report lists the “manner of death” as “natural.”

The report says that the child, who has since been named Shanice by her mother, then 22 weeks gestation, was delivered “and placed to the side. A staff member cut the umbilical cord and placed the neonate into a red biohazard bag.”

Jessica Simpson should NOT sing “O Holy Night”

Imagine (and this will hurt your brain)…

Marilyn Monroe, leaning over John Kennedy’s shoulder (with her best “happy birthday” voice”) singing “Amazing Grace”.

It’s like a pole dancer singing…I don’t know.

From AsiaNews.IT:

Lahore (AsiaNews) – The situation of Christians and other minorities in Pakistan has “gone from bad to worse in 2006” whilst “blasphemy regulations are increasingly being used in twisted ways against the weakest groups in society,” Shahbaz Bhatti, chairman of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, told AsiaNews on International Human Rights Day.

“The misuse of the blasphemy law increased alarmingly,” he noted. “Many cases filed against Christians are baseless. The number of rapes and kidnappings of minority women have also increased.”

Let us all pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted for their faith around the world.

Although, confession time…I did not have a good last two weeks (microbreweries are not good for diets, nor is airport food).  I am now (after losing five pounds this week) only 1/2 pound less than I was three weeks ago.

Anatomy and Physiology.  I said that if I got a “D” on the final, that would be a good thing…yup.

66%.

The lecture final is next Tuesday.  There have been 11 exit quizzes from lab, three practicums (including this one) and five lecture tests (including next week).  All of this mess will be averaged.

Right now I’m sitting at 83%, so if I do at least fairly decently on this next test, it will be a solid “B” (which is low for me).

The lecture tests are not cumulative and this next test in on the urinary and reproductive systems.  There are too many body parts.

(the only thing annoying is that he’s on my keyboard.)

When a Baby Dies, by Ronald Nash.

Most Christians believe that infants that die (either born or preborn) go to heaven. I believe that is true. I also believe there is wrong theology to get to the right conclusion.

It is vital (as Nash writes) that this discussion not fall into abstraction – a mere theological topic to be pounded to death. There are very real people with very real pain who are searching for very true answers.

The hurting ones want real, Biblical answers and this book will help us find them.

In the second part of the book, Nash looks at the teaching that all babies go to heaven because everybody will eventually go to heaven.

This heresy is called “universalism” – the belief that all humans will be reconciled with God for eternity; that there is no eternal damnation. Everybody will go to heaven, because God is Love and a loving God would not condemn anybody to hell.

What does the Bible say?

Matthew 7:13-14:  Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

John 3:17-18:  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Revelation 20:11-15:  Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Conclusion:  comforting those who have lost babies cannot include the teaching that all babies go to heaven because of universalism.

When a Baby Dies, by Ronald Nash.

Most Christians believe that infants that die (either born or preborn) go to heaven. I believe that is true. I also believe there is wrong theology to get to the right conclusion.

It is vital (as Nash writes) that this discussion not fall into abstraction – a mere theological topic to be pounded to death. There are very real people with very real pain who are searching for very true answers.

The hurting ones want real, Biblical answers and this book will help us find them.

Nash does this by first examining beliefs that are wrong – the first is the belief that infants are saved becasue they are born innocent of all sin.

Otherwise known as “Palgianism“, this belief teaches that all humans are born free of original sin, we are born morally innocent. Large numbers of people base their belief that all babies go to heaven on the mistaken belief that babies are born without original sin (or sin nature).

If we accept the Bible as our only infallible rule of faith and conduct, our teaching must be based on Scripture.

Pelagius taught that Adam’s sin ended with Adam – that we are not at all affected by original sin; we have free will in this matter. It is possible for us to go throughout our life without sinning and (without the need for Christ), we will go to heaven. This implies that without faith it is possible to please God, to satisfy God’s justice, without any assistance from God.

If children and the mentally impaired were sinless, there would be nothing in their nature to deserve God’s judgement.

What does the Bible say?

• The claim that humans are born sinless is denied throughout Scripture:

Psalm 143:2 Enter not into judgment with your servant,for no one living is righteous before you.

Romans 3:10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;

Ecclesiastes 7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

• The Bible teaches that all humans need forgiveness – and that presupposes that all humans are sinful.

Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

• The Bible tells us that our sinfulness is from the very beginning of our existence

Psalm 51:5
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Psalm 58:3
The wicked are estranged from the womb;they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

It’s pretty easy to see that children do not need to be taught to sin – the Bible tells us that it is in our very nature.  Sinning comes as natural to humans as breathing does.

If this is not so, then why do sinless, morally innocent infants who are (supposedly) born without a “sin nature” always grow up to be sinful adults?

Conclusion:

Unless we deny the Scriptural teaching that we are born with a sin nature, we cannot teach that infants go to heaven because they are sinless.