Austin, Texas (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
Author Archives: Anthony Baker
The Magnificent Fifty: Foundation of Faith (Texas)
Filed under America, Apologetics, politics, The Magnificent Fifty
The Magnificent Fifty: Foundation of Faith (Tennessee)
Nashville, Tennessee (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
Tennessee Constitution, Article 1, Section 3 (1870)
That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience.
Tennessee is my home State. I am thankful that the Constitution of my State affirms my right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of my conscience. However, federal law trumps State law, and one day this freedom may be taken away in its entirety. Nevertheless, the right to worship God is not a right given by Tennessee or Washington, D.C.; it is a commandment given by the Almighty, Himself.
Should the right to worship according to the dictates of my own conscience be denied, including the right to publicly speak the name of Jesus, I will have to echo the words of Peter in Acts 4:20, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
The dictates of any constitution will have no bearing on the command to “go into all the world and preach the gospel,” including Tennessee.
Go Vols! 🙂
Filed under America
Life Unexpected
“Look on the bright side, at least I have more sermon illustrations.” -Anthony C. Baker
Filed under Uncategorized
The Significant Contributions of Christianity to Healthcare and Education
What a fantastic and well-written argument against those who have nothing else to say but stuff like, “Christianity is responsible for wars, oppression, discrimination, etc.” In reality, Christianity has saved more lives – literal, not just spiritual – than many imagine. It’s time the truth be taught again.
In 2001, 75% of those polled by the Pew Research Center indicated that religious institutions have played a role in solving important social problems (Stonestreet, 2016), yet by 2016, the percentage had dropped significantly to only 58% (Lipka, 2016). This figure is disappointing, suggesting that the memories or knowledge of positive Christian influences have diminished. Accordingly, the intention of the following blog is to identify and share the significant contributions of Christianity to healthcare and education.
Healthcare in Ancient Times
In the Croatian Medical Journal, Tatjana Buklijas (2008) states that “while institutions providing some form of medical treatment existed in ancient Greece and Rome, neither of these cultures organized community care for the sick, poor, and needy (Risse, 1999). A radical change occurred in the late Antiquity, with the rise of Christianity, which embraced charity as one of its basic doctrines. The first hospitals were founded when Christianity became the…
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Happy Earth Day 2018
Embracing Diversity
Let’s face it, I have a wide variety of people who follow this blog. They range from the ultra-right-wing conservative branches of the political and religious spectrum to the left-wing, tree-hugging, tofu-eating, god-hating leftist trolls who do nothing all day but listen for billy goats to cross their pitiful bridges. Obviously, I’m happy you’re here reading this, no matter who you are.
It may be strange to hear a conservative Christian say it, but I embrace this diversity! My arms are extended and waiting to offer hugs to anyone and everyone who would let me show love. I may not affirm how you choose to live, and I may disagree with what you believe, but at least I care about you.
That being said, I know someone is going to be offended by what I’m about to write. However, there’s always another day and another blog post that you can enjoy. As the climate fluctuates, so do the posts of this blog 😉
Another Earth Day
A lot of melted glacial water has floated to the ocean since the first days of Earth Day celebrations. Predictions have come and gone, and yet the world is still flowing right along. A little warmer, maybe, but still here.
Early predictions from the first Earth Day in 1970 guaranteed that we would not be around until the year 2000. Some predictions had the world ending by 1985. Yet, here we are in 2018 and nothing much has really changed.
Do I believe that the earth might be a little warmer than it was in 1970? I guess it could be. I mean, I haven’t really been checking the temperature every day since I was three years old. But what I do know, is that we still have four seasons every year. Just like it’s always been, seasons change, and so will the epochs of nature.
If global warming is truly a thing, do I believe that man is contributing to it? No, I don’t. It has been warmer, then it got colder (they called it the ice age). Then, for some reason, long before man used coal and gasoline-powered engines to industrialize the world, things got warmer! Man had nothing to do with it!
A Proper Perspective
What I do believe is that God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). He created both the earth and day, and night, and time, and matter, and us. This is His world, not ours; but we are to be good stewards of what He has given us to manage.
I do not believe it is the Christian thing to do to waste resources, t0 pollute the environment, to run crazy with all of our self-pleasing pursuits at the risk of damaging creation. God cares about his creation, which is why one day He will remove the curse that is upon it because of sin. However, because creation belongs to the Creator, it is not the creation that we should be worshiping; we should be celebrating the One who made it.
If kept in the proper perspective, World Earth Day could be a good thing. On the other hand, if all it is meant to be is an anti-capitalist, anti-God, celebration of a deified planet, one where humans are taught to be the scourge of the earth, rather than the epitome of creation, you can keep it!
In reality, I sort of feel like paraphrasing the apostle Paul when he was writing to the church at Corinth: “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you” (1 Thessalonians 5:1).
Just take care of what God has given you, praise God for it, and leave the season changing to him (Daniel 2:21).
PS, here’s a great article for today by reporter John Stossel.
Filed under blogging, community, current events, General Observations, Global Warming, Weather, World View
The Magnificent Fifty: Foundation of Faith (South Dakota)
Pierre, South Dakota (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
South Dakota’s State Motto and Seal (1889) and Flag (1992)
Under God the People Rule
To read the purpose behind this series of posts, CLICK HERE to read the introduction.
I would encourage you to share these posts.
Filed under America, Apologetics, Christianity, Culture Wars, God, politics, The Magnificent Fifty
The Magnificent Fifty: Foundations of Faith (South Carolina)
South Carolina Executive Proclamation (1994): WHEREAS, We each have been richly blessed by The Almighty whose divine providence our founding fathers sought as they established these United States of America…WHEREAS, The importance of our Christian Heritage to the Institutions, values and vision of our nation is immeasurable…THEREORE, I, Carroll A. Campbell, Jr., Governor of the State of South Carolina, proclaim November 20-26, 1994, as “CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK” in South Carolina.
Well, there ya’ go. 🙂
Filed under America, Apologetics, Christianity, Culture Wars, politics, The Magnificent Fifty
The Magnificent Fifty: Foundation of Faith (Rhode Island)
Providence, Rhode Island (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
Constitution Preamble (1842)
We, the people of the State of Rhode Island, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing.
If you want to read the purpose behind these posts featuring state capital buildings, CLICK HERE to read the introduction.
I would encourage you to share these as much as you would like, even with those in your state capitals.
Filed under America, Apologetics, Culture Wars, Faith, politics, The Magnificent Fifty
The Magnificent Fifty: Foundation of Faith (Pennsylvania)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
Constitution Preamble (1776)
We, the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance.
Folks, is there no such thing as irony? The men and women of the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) make bold claims about a “godless” Constitution and the godlessness of our Founding Fathers, yet the words above seem to stand in stark contrast to their claims. Again, the “wall of separation” as defined by the modern “intellects” was nowhere to be found in 1776.
Filed under America, Apologetics, Faith, God, politics, The Magnificent Fifty, worship
Barriers to Church Growth, #6 (Selfish Prayer)
A very revealing study was done, leading to a book detailing how 300 churches went from declining or dying, to growing. In Comeback Churches, written by Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson, there is a list of 30 different barriers to church growth. Having received permission from the publisher (B&H Publishing Group), I would like to discuss several of these.
People think of prayer as being for themselves (Matt. 6:5).
“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” – Matthew 6:5
Recently I preached from Romans 12:1-3 and verse 12. There is a great need for prayer that is not self-centered, but sacrificial and “other” focused.
The Hypocrite Prayer
It should always be considered a great honor to be called upon to lead a congregational prayer. When this happens, what is not needed is a long, drawn-out speech meant to make everyone else think the one praying is practicing for an oral theological exam. However, there are those who use this opportunity to do almost that.
How many times have you been in a church service when some “godly” gentleman was asked to give the closing prayer, the result being you fell asleep and hit your head on the pew in front of you? Many times the reason for a prayer like that is simply to make the one praying sound righteous. Is that not what the Pharisee did (Luke 18:11)? His intent was to be heard of men, not God.
On the other hand, if the intent is for God to hear, do we think He is going to be impressed with our seminary-level language? More often than not, when somebody goes on and on in a public prayer, God is no more impressed than the people in the audience…nobody is fooled. Fancy words can never hide a faulty character.
The Selfish Prayer
What I believe is more dangerous than the hypocritical prayer is the prayer that focuses only on one’s personal needs, not the needs of others. The reason these prayers are dangerous is that they cause us to be narrow-minded and self-centered. They are the opposite of sacrificial prayer.
Does anyone seriously think that Christians pray as much as they should? And when we do pray, how often do you think we pray for the needs of our neighbors, our friends, or even our enemies before we “name-and-claim” our own desires? My friends, this is a barrier to church growth. The lack of prayer is far more deadly to the church than the few who “stand in the corner of the streets” to be heard.
Sacrificial Prayer
In the first verse of Romans 12 the Apostle Paul begs us to “present [our] bodies” as living sacrifices. “Living sacrifices” don’t care about self, only the glory of the One to whom the sacrifice is made. And when we are transformed by “the renewing of [our] minds,” we have the mind of One who would lay down His own life for the sake of others.
When we look further down into this chapter it becomes obvious that we not to think of ourselves as better than others, but to minister to their needs as our own. With that in mind, when we come to verse 12, what kind of prayer should we be continuing in?
When we become more like Christ, our prayers become more like His. We don’t know every prayer Jesus prayed, but of the ones we have a record of, how many included requests for better jobs, a better car, a nicer home, better health, etc? More often than not, He prayed for the Church, for unity, for His Father to receive glory, for His Father’s will to be done.
How awesome it would be if we all spent more time on our knees in prayer? How powerful would it be if we sacrificed our time in prayer for self and focused on others within the body? What would happen if we would just spend time praying, not just for our own congregations, but for the Church, the body of Christ?
Filed under book review, Christian Living, Christian Maturity
