Greetings!
It’s another week to enjoy another DHD!
Thanks for reading. Because we are in the Christmas season, I may bring out some of my favorite yesteryear Christmas DHDs in the coming weeks.
For now, here’s my take on six timely topics. Here we go!
- Mohler writes on Left’s Religious Liberty enmity
Albert Mohler has a great article analyzing the outpouring hatred from those who have a liberal worldview toward Religious Liberty. Check out his article here.
This is a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling on New York’s COVID-19 restrictions against churches and synagogues. On the day before Thanksgiving, the Court’s majority favored the religious groups over N.Y. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s limitations on assembling for worship.
As always, Mohler breaks down why there is such hostility from liberal legal analysts, which is basically deducted to their desire to uphold the sexual revolution, which is a major clash to the Constitutional right of Religious Liberty.
Here’s one of my favorite parts of Mohler’s article:
“The Left now understands that those enumerated rights (including Religious Liberty) threaten their artificially constructed rights, such as the ‘right’ to abortion or same-sex marriage.
“These newly declared artificial rights are not enumerated in the Constitution. Read the text, and you will find no mention of a Constitutional right to an abortion. You will find no right to same-sex marriage.”
Mohler is right about these rights—both the enumerated ones and the “artificial” ones.
But this is a clear example of how the Christian worldview is a counterview to the secular worldview.
- Another great Zylstra article
Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra wrote this week about David Wells, author of the book “No Place for Truth: Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology?” As always, she educated me on somebody who is making a difference in current Christianity.
I confess, I never heard of Wells before reading Zylstra’s article, but I am familiar with many of his peers and mentors such as Os Guinness, John Stott and Martyn Lloyd Jones. I was fascinated by the progression of Wells’ journey becoming a theologian who is helping modern-day Evangelical Churches stay on the right path.
Zylstra also has a podcast interviewing Wells titled “David Wells: Voice in the Evangelical Wilderness.” If you listen to it, pay attention to Zylstra’s intro. “My job is to find and report on places where God’s Spirit is at work in the world,” she explains.
In my humble opinion, nobody shares God’s current work in the world better than Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra.
- ‘No Quarrelsome Christians’
Henry Blackaby challenged me this week—as he often does. I’m reading his devotional book “Experiencing God Day By Day” for my morning quiet times this year. On Dec. 1, Blackaby wrote “Not Quarrelsome (2 Tim. 2:24).”
“There should be no quarrelsome Christians,” he penned. “The truth of God is within us; we need never be intimidated or frustrated by those who do not accept God’s truth.
Blackaby continued to challenge me, especially when he wrote, “You will never persuade someone that God has spoken to you by outarguing them!”
He wrote that I need to ask God to clearly reveal my motives and to forgive my disobedience to His clear command—“The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach and patient” (2 Tim. 2:24).
Blackaby concluded, “Arguing may never win people to your view, but loving them as Christ does will win you many friends over time!”
As I said, I was challenge. I thought maybe you would be challenged too.
- Losing holiday arguments ‘on purpose’
In similar line of exhortation, Joy Allmond wrote an article prior to Thanksgiving about spending the holidays with those of different views.
“Why You Should Lose the Thanksgiving Dinner Argument—On Purpose” opens with Allmond sharing about a friendship ending over differing views of politics and mask-wearing. How drastic is that?
I have strong feelings about many issues, but I suppose I value my friendships more than most of my views, especially those involving politics and whether or not I should wear a mask for health reasons.
Allmond mentioned Rosaria Butterfield’s book “The Gospel Comes with a House Key.” I have not read this book, but I have friends who have, and they all found the book challenging.
I can understand why my friends were challenged by Butterfield. I heard her speak at a conference a few years ago and found her story fascinating. Formerly a college professor, Butterfield used to fully embrace the homosexual lifestyle, but a pastor welcomed her to his home to have meals with his family. It was through this Christian hospitality that Butterfield found Christ and is now a leading Christian author and speaker who is married to a pastor and is raising children.
Want to know why you should “lose more arguments”? In order to win more people to Christ.
- A dedicated Christian pitcher in MLB
I always enjoy reading about genuine Christian athletes. Josh Fields shared his experiences of being a professional athlete with Josh Atherstone.
Check out “Jesus, Baseball and Stealing Signs,” and read Fields’ take on his former team Houston Astros getting caught for stealing pitching signs.
“Knowing what I know now,” Fields said, “I would like to think that I would have said something. In order to do the right thing, you have to abide in the Lord and trust His direction.”
- A COVID Christmas
Aaron Earls, who works with LifeWay Research, shares many Americans will continue to celebrate Christmas this year.
In his article “COVID-19 brings Christmas changes to many Americans,” Earls reported 91 percent of American adults plan to celebrate Christmas this year, but there are going to be changes. Check out the percentages to see of those surveyed will make adjustments. The one that sticks out to me was 50 percent said they will go to church during Christmas.
Also, 10 percent of religiously unaffiliated said they will spend more time in spiritual reflection. I pray this 10 percent will grow, not in religion, but in a relationship with Christ this Christmas.
