Samson's Jawbone

Did you see the recent TIME magazine article announcing the coming of age of Pastor Rob Bell of Michigan's Mars Hill church's? The article says he has come to a new realization of faith. He says has come to realize that the Bible teaches there is no hell. According to the article Bell sees the concept of a God who would send people to hell because they have rejected Christ was an invention of intolerant fundamentalism and shows a convoluted view of God. The prominent evangelical leader, Dr. John Piper, responded, "bye bye Rob Bell". What he meant was Bell's affirmation is nothing more than an abandoning of the faith. He has apostatized. Let me make it very clear: I like and respect Rob Bell. There are few churches in the world that have been as effective at renewing their communities, helping individuals solve their personal crises more than Michigan's Mars Hill Church. Rob Bells video's and books have been especially effective at bring a skeptical gener...

The United States military has a history of leaving a conflict before the job is finished. Vietnam, the first Persian Gulf War as examples. I was surprised to hear Kate Mc Farland, a former Regan, national security advisor suggest that we might consider pulling out of Afghanistan. Some people feel the costs are too high and we have lost too many lives. I understand people's weariness with the war. We are going on our 10th year there and like every conflict it has had its ups and down. The current occupant of the White House ran on an election plank that this was the war we should be fighting rather than Iraq. He promised to pull us out of Iraq which he has not done, and promised to end Afghanistan by July 2014, which now appears to be a noble goal. With huge budget deficits and calls for reduction of spending some argue we can ill afford the 2 billion dollar a day price tag. Some will argue that Afghanistan is a rugged terrain that cannot be conquered and point to the Soviet defea...