Issues In Perspective

Without question, one of the most hotly debated issues in American evangelicalism is the role of women in the church. One issue that cannot be debated, however, is that the Scriptures affirm the equality of men and women, both in the image of God, in their position in Christ and as joint heirs.

With the ongoing financial struggles of the American economy, Asia (especially China) is gloating. Furthermore, many are now suggesting that America is no longer the world?s leading economic giant but, rather, a declining one.

After US SEALS killed Osama bin-Laden, they brought home a significant amount of intelligence from more than 100 computer storage devices collected from his compound. According to columnist David Ignatius, three major themes emerge from all this intelligence:

Our son, Jonathan, lives in London, UK and this August my wife and I were in London for his wedding. It was a very special time for our family. But during the time we were in London we saw the London police carrying machine guns and other weapons, something I had never seen in all the times I have been in London.

Worldview issues?the thoughts, ideas and convictions that explain the nature and qualities of organized civilization. If you believe that there is no God to which you are accountable or that there is no God who has provided redemption for you, you will live your life quite differently than one who affirms such propositions.

A New York Times writer recently published one of the most chilling and shocking articles I have read in some time. Entitled, ?Unnatural Selection,? the article uses a phrase new to me, ?pregnancy reductions.? A seemingly neutral term, it actually refers to a frequently used procedure of eliminating one of the twins growing in a woman?s womb.

As I am writing this, it appears that Libya is now completely in the control of the rebels.  Decades of authoritarian rule under Qaddafi are over.  In addition, regime change has now occurred in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen?and Syria remains very unstable.  It is appropriate now to ask, where is this ?Arab Spring? headed?  Quite frankly, no one really knows what all this means and what the results will be.  Perhaps it is better to refer to this as a time of ?Arab Transition,? rather than ?Arab Spring.?  The term ?spring? connotes an emerging democratic Arab world.  I am not certain that is true.  Many of these Arab nations are characterized by tribal societies and how these various tribes will mesh together in these respective nations is truly not known.  Further, in several of these nations, other Middle Eastern powers are very much working behind the scenes.

Permit me to focus on several aspects of this ?transition.?

* First of all, a thought about Syria.  Columnist David Ignatius writes that ?The Syrian confrontation is already devolving into a regional proxy war.  Iran has been rushing assistance to Assad, who is Tehran?s key Arab ally and provides a lifeline to the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.  To counter the Iranians, a newly emboldened Saudi Arabia has been pumping money to Sunni fighters in Syria.  Damascus is a fault line?for Sunni-Shiite tensions, and for the confrontation between Iran and the United States and Israel.?  As Ignatius argues, it is doubtful that this time of transition in the Arab world will be good for economic development.  Indeed, it will probably slow it considerably.  Few will be interested in investing in these societies until there is some certainty about the nature of this emerging new order.  Secondly, if indeed a democratic order emerges in these nations, it will likely disappoint many, if not most everyone.  The protesters in these various nations have been demanding jobs, freedom from the secret police and personal dignity.  The impatience of the protesters is obvious but it is doubtful they will see these rights realized soon!  For example, Asia (e.g., China) placed economic reform ahead of political reform?and it has worked, at least to some extent.  Will these Arab protesters who have led this transition be patient?  Will they wait?  Finally, these various Arab nations now in transition will need to rise above their sect and tribal loyalties and embrace a tolerance and a spirit of cooperation to build a new nation based on respect and tolerance of differences in religion, ethnicity and tribes.  This is a tall order and many are not convinced that this will occur.  Civil war is a real possibility in some of these nations as the various tribal groups and sects begin to compete for power.  An example of what this could look like is Iraq.  With Saddam gone, the old tribal and religious loyalties are now paramount?the good of the nation as a whole is not!  This time of Arab transition is problematic and perplexing!  No one knows where this will all end.

* Second, what about Israel?  It faces Hezbollah to the north and the uncertainty in Syria could dramatically affect the status of Hezbollah.  Let me explain.  Israel fought two wars in Lebanon, one that ended in 2000 and one in the summer of 2006.  From the first war emerged Hezbollah, playing on the long-oppressed Shiite population in Lebanon and with the bounteous blessing of Iran.  The second war did indeed deter Hezbollah but the UN peacekeepers have proven both unable and unwilling to fulfill their mandate of keeping rockets and arms from flowing to Hezbollah.  In fact, Hezbollah now has some 50,000 rockets, four times the number it had in 2006.  Israel?s antiballistic missile system is very effective and has intercepted 8 missiles fired by Hezbollah.

The provision in President Obama?s health care law requiring Americans to purchase health insurance or face tax penalties was ruled unconstitutional on 12 August 2011 by the US Court of Appeals of the 11th Circuit in Atlanta. For the first time since it was passed, this provision of the health care legislation is in real jeopardy.

In the July 2011 edition of Christianity Today there is an interview with Bishop Kallistos Ware, formerly known as Timothy Ware, who had converted to Orthodox Christianity as a young man and who wrote a rather definitive book entitled The Orthodox Church.

The division of the church between East and West is rooted deep in church history. First of all, early on leaders noticed the difference and discrepancies that language brought.