by Melissa Ohden
Sixty-two days. Today, my dear son or daughter, you are 62 days old. I say son or daughter, because, you are 62 days old in the womb today, so we don’t know a whole lot yet about you. But what we do know is this. You are ours and you are loved.
Without yet even seeing you, I feel your presence each day, and I look forward to your presence being made more aware to the world through a soon-to-be burgeoning belly and through movements that make your sister and father squeal with joy.
If you could look into our house right now, you would already find your room being prepared by your older sister, who the days until your birth just can’t pass by quickly enough for. You would see her wrapping her arms around me multiple times a day, laying her head to rest on my belly, where I can already feel all of the twinges and pulls of your growth, and kissing the spot where you lie deep within. You would also see her curled up by my side, reading books to you each morning.
For a woman who thought she knew what love was, I have been greatly schooled so far in your life. Your sister, Olivia’s, love for you is one of the truest, deepest loves that I have ever experienced, and your father and my love for you, of course, runs just as deep.
If you could look into our world right now and understand what was happening around you, I’ll be honest—some things would make you stare in wide-eyed disbelief and others would likely make you cry. Euthanasia thrives in countries like Belgium; parents must fight to have their children provided medical care; and abortion up until the point of birth in many states across the U.S. The culture of death is all around us. Continue reading…
Has Feminism Helped or Hurt Our Daughters?
Posted on January 17, 2014 in Family, Marriage by Nathan Cherry
I’ve always thought that feminism was an effort perpetrated by a few really angry, hurt women to get otherwise happy women to become angry and hurt. Of course I’m thankful that certain unjust inequities were righted; such as voting. But to me it seems the overall point of feminism has been not to achieve equality, but superiority over men. Since the movement began it has seemingly lost roots in mere equality and rights and instead sought to elevate the worth of women over that of men in a perceived battle of dominance.
Perhaps no other aspect of society has been more impacted by feminism than that of sexuality. Feminism has consistently encouraged women to shake off any traditional mores and morals and “be like men” through casual sex. The feminist ideal seemed to be that if men could have non-committed sex then so should women; and they shouldn’t feel guilty about it. Feminists further asserted that if women would act this way that they would be truly respected. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The reality is that to this day in society a man that somehow manages to sleep with numerous women and engage in casual sex is regarded as a “stud.” Yet a woman that engages in this same behavior is still thought of as a “slut,” and considered promiscuous. Another result of the feminist influence is that women that intend to save sex for marriage and consider purity a virtue worth defending are now considered “cold,” “prudish,” and “icy.” Somewhere along the way sexual virtue became a value despised by both men and feminists.
Mona Charen recently wrote an article at National Review in which she explains the detriment to society feminism has been. She writes: Continue reading…
Pope Francis: Abortion is “Horrific”
Posted on January 16, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
Pope Francis delivered his most strongly worded address on the subject of abortion to date at his recent “State of the World” address. Critics of Pope Francis have often attacked the Pope for not speaking on the critical issue and leaving the world guessing as to where he really stands. The Pope removed all doubt when he said:
“It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day…Unfortunately what is thrown away is not only food and dispensable objects but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as unnecessary.”
There’s no more guessing on where the Pope stands on this issue. But it’s not really all that surprising that pope Francis would come down on the pro-life side of this issue. The Catholic church has historically been one of the most ardent defenders of life and it would be odd to think that the Pope would not lead that charge.
It’s also no surprise that Pope Francis would frame his remarks in the context of the trending “throwaway culture” we live in. Far too many people see everything in our society as consumable, an attitude that has spread to humans as well. The result is a lack of respect for property and material possessions that leads to a lack of respect for human life. Certainly, with the push for euthanasia and abortion on demand from some, this attitude is clearly visible.
It was good to hear Pope Francis address this subject in strong terms. Perhaps now the Pope’s critics will be satisfied.
How to Deal With Entitlement in Kids…and Parents!
Posted on January 16, 2014 in Family by Nathan Cherry
Every parent holds their newborn child and speculates on what his first word will be. Perhaps she will say “dada” or “mamma,” or even “pfluglhis.” Either way we are excited about what they will say. In recent years though it seems that kids are far more “me” centered and before we know it words like “mine,” “want,” and “give me” are being thrown around.
And many of us want to give our kids every advantage, we want them to have everything we didn’t have growing up, so we struggle with giving our kids the latest and greatest of everything. One by-product of our sincerely good intentions is a generation with an entitlement mentality believing they are owed anything and everything. Those items we would have described as “wants” and “privileges” when we were growing up are now called “needs” and “necessities” by our kids. Something went wrong.
Carey Nieuwhof has written an excellent article discussing this entitlement epidemic taking place in our country. Listen as he describes the cycle and how it escalates:
“On the day your child is born, it’s easy to decide as a parent that you need to give your child every advantage…So you compete. You made sure he had bright colors in his nursery and exactly the right kind of mobile to stimulate his brain, but now it’s an all-out frenzy to ensure your preschooler can swim, skate, hit a ball, paint frameable art, read, write and speak classical Greek before his fourth birthday…And don’t worry, because by the time you’re done with the race to kindergarten, the culture has taken over feeding the frenzy…And then other inalienable rights emerge: the right to a phone for texting, iPod touches, Facebook and so much more.” Continue reading…
Well-known author, preacher, teacher, and theologian John Piper has not been one to shy away from difficult topics. Piper regularly engages cultural issues with a biblical wisdom and perspective that serves to benefit many. Piper recently wrote an article at Desiring God called “Don’t Let Your Mind Go To Pot,” in which he sets out to show, biblically, why Christians ought to refrain from recreational drug use. He writes:
“…there are at least two biblical truths that would lead us away from the recreational use of marijuana. The first is that, for the Christian, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. That simple teaching, in context, should have a huge effect. The second biblical truth that would incline us away from the recreational use of marijuana is that God gave us minds and hearts to know him and love him and discern his will.”
It’s bizarre to me that we are even having this discussion. The Bible’s clear teaching on how a Christian should take care of his body and not be addicted to anything seems to make clear that drugs would be wrong. But our culture has called into question everything Christians have formerly believed to the place that we now need to discuss whether or not it’s acceptable for Christians to use recreational drugs.
I very well may be in the minority on this one, but I’m with Piper. His evidence for Christians to refrain from recreational drug use is spot on and biblically sound. I go a step farther and don’t even drink caffeine regularly (only once every couple of months). I also seek to avoid pain medications if at all possible. For me, at issue is being addicted to anything. Being addicted to food or caffeine is just as sinful as being addicted to drugs or alcohol. So I am seeking to guard against any addiction.
Where do you fall on this issue? Is Piper right in his assertion or does he need to “lighten” up?
If Home School Students Do Better Academically – Why Criticize?
Posted on January 15, 2014 in Home School by Nathan Cherry
It’s not surprising to me that people are choosing to home school their kids rather than send them to one of the nation’s many failing public schools. Try as they may, everyone from lawmakers to talking heads openly criticizes anyone who considers home schooling, yet the trend continues to grow. One lawmaker in Ohio even proposed a bill that would require social services investigation, background checks, and approval before parents be allowed to home school.
At one time the majority of people that home schooled did so for religious reasons. These families wanted to instill certain religious convictions in their kids that would result in a worldview based on their religious beliefs. And while many continue to home school for that same reason, it seems many others are choosing to home school for academic reasons. (A small percentage chooses home schooling for safety reasons.)
I’ve spoken before (here) about the fact that home schoolers almost always fare better academically than their public school counterparts. This fact calls the criticism of home schooling into question. If the academic success of a child is the ultimate goal of a parent, and home school students have been shown repeatedly to outperform public school students, what exactly is there to criticize?
In a Washington Times article, Robert Knight relays the comments of a college professor that has spent years educating girls that were home schooled. The educator writes of his home schooled girls: Continue reading…
Poll: Most Americans Favor Abortion Waiting Period
Posted on January 14, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
The percentage of Americans that are pro-life is growing, that much is sure. As that number grows, so does the percentage of people that favor other common sense measures. A mandatory waiting period before an abortion is a common sense measure that is gaining support nationwide. An article at LifeNews.com comments:
“In a poll from just last Sunday, January 5, 2014, Rasmussen Reports starts off with this:
While most voters identify themselves as pro-choice, support for a mandatory waiting period prior to an abortion is at its highest level in over two years.
“That number, though not a majority, is just below that, at 49%, which is a plurality of voters. Only 39% are opposed to mandatory waiting periods, with 11% undecided. The Guttmacher Institute’s“State Policies in Brief” from January 1 of this year on ‘Counseling and Waiting Periods for Abortion’ mentions that of ’35 states requir[ing] that women receive counseling before an abortion is performed[…] 26 of these states also require women to wait a specified amount of time—most often 24 hours—between the counseling and the abortion procedure.'”
What confuses me is why West Virginia has yet to enact any common sense health and safety regulations at all. Currently the mountaineer state has an unregulated abortion industry that continues to harm women without so much as a visit from the state once a year. While other states talk about caring about women and then do something about it, West Virginia continues to talk and do little else.
Why Shouldn’t You Experience Pain and Suffering?
Posted on January 14, 2014 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Have you ever gone through difficult circumstances and uttered that immortal phrase that runs through every mind at the time, “why me?” Sure, we’ve all done that. It’s a passphrase into the club of commiseration that every person wants to join as we loathe our circumstances together. And with the ability to network and share every detail of our lives on sites such as Facebook and Twitter we can quickly gain sympathy for “how awful” and “unfair” our trial is from lots of very well- meaning people.
And, as cyber friends remind us that “this too shall pass” we are increasingly pushed to focus on the day when our trial will be over and we’ll all look back and have a good laugh about it; rather than considering the purpose for the trial in the first place.
Instead of asking “why me?” in a time of difficulty we may be wiser to ask “why not me?” while seeking the purpose for our temporary suffering. Instead of lamenting the fact that we have to experience this dark valley and seeking a quick exit we would be better to use it as a time of reflection as we seek God’s purpose for it.
There’s a power-packed theological lesson in this thought but let me break it down into a basic idea that can be unpacked in a few moments. The first thing to understand is that God is Sovereign (Psa. 135:6). Simply put, God does whatever He wants. This is a powerful truth that should bring comfort into the heart of every believer to know that any trial we are asked to endure is allowed by God. Continue reading…
A question being considered by some in our society is one of fundamental importance. The question is whether humans are exceptional among other living things. The belief in human exceptionalism was once a nearly universally held one. Recent attempts to elevate animals – to the detriment of some humans – have called the idea into question.
For centuries humans have occupied the prominent place as the dominant and most respected living creature on earth. This was first due to the special creation of mankind by God at the outset of human history (Gen 2). God further told man to “be fruitful and multiply” on the earth (Gen. 9:1) and that he would be “feared” by other living creatures as the blessed creation of God (Gen. 9:2).
This idea of human exceptionalism has been a foundational principle in our society for generations. Western civilization has fashioned laws around this idea and even attempted to convince other peoples of this idea in an effort to secure human rights. The belief that mankind is the greatest creature on earth is being threatened now by efforts of animal rights activists, among others, that want us to see animals as co-equals with mankind.
Logically the idea that an animal, a dog, monkey, or dolphin, is equal in any way to humans is hard to grasp. While these and other animals have certain innate abilities that mirror human capabilities, language, hunting, procreation, they still cannot hope to achieve the same levels as humans. There’s no doubt that dolphins are smart; but they are smart compared to other sea creatures. Dolphins don’t come close to being as intelligent as humans; have you ever witnessed a dolphin inventing something, or opening a jar of jam. Continue reading…
Powerful: New Pro-Life Movie “Gimme Shelter” Tells a Gripping Tale
Posted on January 12, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
A new star-studded pro-life movie set to release January 24th has a gripping tale to tell. Based on a true story, Vanessa Hudgens stars as Apple, a girl that’s been in and out of the foster care system nearly her entire life. After leaving her mother’s house again because of the abuse Apple seeks shelter with her father, played by Brenden Fraser. But after finding out that Apple is pregnant her father encourages her to abort the child. Since Apple wants to keep her baby she decides to leave her father’s house. After a near fatal car accident Apple is shown kindness by a hospital chaplain (James Earl Jones) and consequently finds shelter in a home for pregnant young women.
This powerful tale has the potential to reach a wide audience with its star-studded cast. The message of life will come through clearly as Apple seeks to make decisions to benefit her unborn baby.
Take a look at the intense trailer below and share it with someone else. This movie needs to gain attention and support across the nation. If the video doesn’t appear automatically please refresh your browser. Click here for original article.