Beginning Anew

According to a 1991 study, 67% of the population of this country do not believe in absolute truth. 52% of Evangelical Christians said they didn't believe in it!

In 1994, 75% of the U.S. population rejected the concept of absolute truth and 65% of evangelicals rejected it. (McMullen)

Are issues too black and white? Does a gray area exist when it comes to morals? Is lying okay for some situations and not for others?
Christians "typically" fall into a Traditional thought group.

First of all, let’s define some basic terminology.

One definition of truth is: (according to Dictionary.com) Fidelity to an original or standard.

This definition has a couple of dimensions to be considered. Firstly, it is important to note that a standard must exist. So truth is based on the existence of other truths. Also, what would truth be without deception? Is that a standard to which truth must be compared?

Morals are: (again, dictionary.com) Conforming to standards of what is right or just in behavior; virtuous: a moral life.

So again we have a comparison to a standard. We have guidelines that we follow to get us to truth and moral behavior. Where are these guidelines derived? For Christians they are given to us in the form of God’s word. We find that we as humans don’t get to choose what is right and wrong when we look at the guides such as the Ten Commandments and other writings that define the will of God with wrong and right in mind.

But what about people who do not believe in God or the Bible? They will fall into one of the other categories of thought. They are modern and post-modern.

A person who tends towards the modern thought will say “if there is no absolute truth, then there can be no absolute right and wrong”. With God out of the equation, is there really truth? So if the answer to that is no, then how can we judge morals? Morals must be based on truth. (McMullen)

There are some subgroups of this group such as “Conventional Relativists” They believe Right and wrong; good and bad are determined by the conventions of one's society, not by any ultimate truth. This brings up some problems because if no one society is wrong then what?

Next is Individual relativists, who basically believe “what’s right for me is right for me, and what’s right for you is right for you” This presents a similar problem as before except on a much larger scale because everyone’s idea of right and wrong will clash if there is no standard.

The problem with having no moral absolutes is that all things then become permissible, even those things such as Slavery and Racism that it are pretty firmly considered to be a bad idea. If you are in the “Modern” or “Relativist” viewpoint, then you are concerned with what is acceptable by society. If this is the case than people who owned and mistreated slaves were “right” in their society. They were engaging in a practice that was accepted as a part of their culture.

Lets take another example. Murder. Is it ever good? Society says no, most individuals say no, the bible says no. We have 3 agreements that it is a reprehensible act. But if you don’t believe in an Absolute NO, then how can you convict and punish this person for murder?

'If a person doesn't think that there is a God to be accountable to, then what's the point of trying to modify your behaviour to keep it within acceptable ranges? That's how I thought anyway. I always believed the theory of evolution as truth, that we all just came from the slime. When we died, you know, that was it, there is nothing, and I've since come to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is truly God, and I believe that I, as well as everyone else, will be accountable to Him.'

These words above are those of Jeffery Dahmer, one of the worst serial killers in the history of mankind. He realized that his belief of there not being an absolute truth to answer to gave him the authority to behave in a way that is unacceptable because there were no after death consequences. Unfortunately for his victims this realization came too late.

We as humans are expected to behave in a particular way, our entire justice system is based on the idea of truth (in the United States, at least). But what is truth? Is it provable fact? How do you really prove facts? There must be a standard on which those facts are based!

Let’s take the concept that “I saw him do it”. You have to believe that the person is giving an accurate representation of what they saw… but it isn’t even that simple. You must first believe that they can see, and that they can commit what they see to memory and reproduce that memory into a communication that we can understand! Do we know that what we remember is fact? Well, often it can be proven through other means, but to what standard are those means held?

We are given a set of standards for our lives. They are great standards. Take sexual sin for example. It is clearly addressed many times in the bible. If we remain sexually pure we are rewarded. We don’t get STD’s, we don’t get pregnant, and we don’t have to deal with the emotional issues of being sexually active. Most would agree that sexual purity is a Biblical principle.

If you don’t believe in the bible, are the consequences any different?

The obvious answer here is NO! All those things can happen whether you believe the bible or not. So truth exists whether you belive or not!

An earlier discussion brought up this point about recent news involving Billy Graham: “he sees things not as black and white, but as issues that have compelling sides and needs to be walked through.”

I contemplated that for a while, and here is my response: There are many issues that could be dealt with in the realm of this comment, but I’ll focus on one of them. We, as a society and as Christians, must have a standard by which to live. If we have no standard then chaos will ensue. We as people have not done very well setting up our own utopia (i.e. the fall of communism) and we cannot rely on our own understanding to guide us. Someone somewhere has to have some moral absolutes or societies as we know them will not continue.

What is important to note about Rev. Graham is his way of loving the sinner and hating the sin. He doesn’t feel the need to attack them as people, but rather he ministers to them through love and appeals to their sense of reason. We don’t need to break out the “30lb Bible on a Stick” and start going around telling people how wrong they are, but we need to build relationships and SHOW them that they should change to conform to the standards set for us by God in the Bible. I’m not saying our message should change, by any means, but the method used by some could be more in the image of Jesus. Remember that Jesus got angry with sinners once too, though. He did not take kindly to the dishonesty that was going on IN THE CHURCH!

Back onto my other topic, ethical relativism. This principle says that “what is right in one situation is not always right in another”. Plato would argue that if given the choice between telling the truth and someone’s life being taken or telling a lie and their life being saved, he supports the lie.

In his book, Ethics in Media Communications. Cases and Controversies. 2^nd ed Louis Day gives a great summary for this topic: telling the truth never needs any moral justification; lying and deception ALWAYS do. (Sourced from McMullen)

Why is this? Because truth is the basis of all morality. Without it, there is no standard to which our actions are to be compared and proven to be the best or right choice!

The age old question of stealing a loaf of bread to feed ones family being right or wrong. How do you think God would view that? Not only is it a direct violation of the Ten Commandments, but it shows a total lack of faith that God can provide for our family within the guidelines he has set forth!

Ok… wrapping this up…

Moral and ethical absolutes are important, and Truth must exist.

I know that seems like an abrupt end to this whole tirade, but that summarizes everything I’ve said and could say on the topic.

OH! One more thing… any good and believable lie has some element of truth. Think about that and leave some comments, if you’ve read this far!

Here’s a link to some of the Dr. McMullen stuff I’ve been sourcing all along here. She was my favorite prof in college and really got me to thinking about this stuff!

http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jmcmulle/310truth.htm

http://www2.una.edu/jmcmulle/310lecture2part2.htm

http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jmcmulle/truthcross.htm

http://www2.una.edu/jmcmulle/400firstamendment-part3.htm

I think I have a good post coming on Moral Absolutes and Ethical Relativism. I'm still researching it and reading some resources from a respected mentor of mine, and some others out on the web, as well as (of course) What God's word says about it. It may take me a couple of days to get it out there, but hopefully i'll get some good thoughts put together, and hopefully it won't be too boring!

UPDATE: I'm having a hard time making this NOT turn into a college term paper. I've been writing for a half hour and i'm already on page 2. I may have to get everything out and condense it. It could take a while!

Thanks for being patient!

Billy Graham says "that the former president (Clinton) should become an evangelist and allow 'his wife to run the country.'" -Story from the AP.

I think maybe this was taken out of context... Surely what he meant was "Bill is slicker than a TV preacher" and "Hillary might as well run the place, she's already done it once."

But I wasn't there...

Tonight while driving I gave Sean Hannity a listen. I haven't intently listened to him in a long time, but this show caught me by surprize. He was interviewing Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham who is regarded as being probably the greatest evangelist of our time, possibly of all time.

Sean asked Franklin about following in his fathers footsteps, and taking over the Graham crusades. Franklin responded by saying that a ministry like what his dad has isn't something that can be passed down like a business or property (i'm paraphrasing, of course). The part that really spoke to me was this great illustration that he used about his father's ministry.

"It's like a turtle sitting on top of a fencepost, you know he didn't get there by himself"

God puts us all where he wants us to be, and it's even more beneficial if we find ourselves in the center of his will for our lives. Certainly I find myself having this realization all the time in the last 6 months. 8 months ago, if you had told me i'd be living in Arkansas right now, I would have laughed you out of town. In fact that was the attitude with which I first met God. "Ha, real funny... me moving to Arkansas... that's a good one Lord" *wipes a tear from laughter*

Here I am, and I am probably the happiest i've ever been in my career. I know God can maintain it, but I worry about having hit a peak to early, and that it might go downhill from here. But I am like that illustration earlier... I am the turtle. I am sitting on top of a fence post. God had to have put me here or I would have never had the strength, courage, or even the sheer ability to climb up by myself. God put me on a fencepost for a reason. That reason is still somewhat unknown to me and I don't know what the next fencepost will be.

So for twice in all of history, the turtle has been used as a great illustration for living life.
1: Slow and steady do the job.
2: If you are a turtle you don't get on top of a fencepost by yourself.

Franklin Graham went on to say that he is called to evangelism ministry, and that he is following that calling, but I thought it was very insightful of him to realize that without God allowing him that venue he would never be able to achieve it on his own.

It's amazing how tensions can reach an unbelieveable level, only to be thrown over the edge by one misplaced and perhaps misintentioned comment or e-mail. Last night we had problems with our scheduling software outputting a corrupt file. This is an uncommon, but previously documented problem that from time to time raises its ugly head. Unfortunately, to solve this problem means that 2 people (myself and one person from the scheduling department) have to be disturbed after hours. Now I could go on about how that could have been averted if procedure had been followed and the logs had been prepared by the staff before 8pm, but at this point it's irrelevant.

The other person who was called in was NOT happy about being disturbed during her evening with her husband. I, being on call, am quite used to it. I don't like being taken away from a nice meal with my wife or the enjoyment of a movie to answer a phone call or to have to leave and go back to work, but you learn to deal with it.

The scheduling person sent a rather irresponsible and inaccurate e-mail about the support she recieved not only from me, but from my boss (who told her that he wasn't on call, he was at a rehearsal and she needed to call me) . She sent a segment of this workplace into an inferno of blown-out-of-proportion. My boss pointed out to her supervisor the inaccuracies and general bad attitude of the person during our support call last night, and that perhaps it was inappropriate to place blame on Engineering/MIS because we had no control over the export of schedules. IF there was blame to be placed, perhaps it should have been placed on the people who did not do their job before 8pm.

This was taken wrong, blown into quite an explosive argument, and even a few remarks were made claiming that our department was racist in some way. I put a stop to that immediately.

Why do people feel the need to stir? There was no purpose in the original call, there was no purpose in the e-mail... and there was no purpose in the responses given.

I have wasted minutes of my life dealing with this childish stuff... why?

So, next time someone ticks you off... before you fire that e-mail off, be sure and think about it ... read it out loud to someone and get a feeling for it before you send it off. It could really save everyone, including you, some heartache!

I know there is some dual readership between this blog and the one of my friend Wayne, but this was just too good to not post for those who don't read both blogs.

Lets just say that some members of PETA are being charged with cruelty to animals. More from Asian reporter Trisha Takanawa... or Fox news... which ever. (Ok... here's the real link)

At least that's what the Doc says... no appendicitis, just some pain that will pass in a couple of days. I don't even get any good drugs out of the deal. Stinks...

Oh well.

I would like to start out by noting that i'm okay. I'm not sure yet what's wrong with me, but i've got a little (okay, a lot) of pain in my left side. My loving wife asked me to go to the doctor today. I went thinking that perhaps i'd get poked around on, maybe a little bit of questioning and a prescription for some muscle relaxers because it's just a pulled muscle.

No such luck.


First off, they wanted a sample. I had to have a glass of water. No one told me there would be a test when I got here.

Secondly, they want my blood. I'm fond of my blood. I like to keep it. And the first nurse was a really bad shot. She dug around for what seemed like minutes trying to find a vein. Nope... nada. Second young lady comes in, slaps on a tourniquet slings a needle in and she's done in 3 seconds. It was kinda nice, as pain goes.

That's all well and good, but they think I may have appendicitis. Problem. "The pain is on your left side", you say. Good point. But I think i'm backwards. It's rare, but it happens, and my family is prone to it.

SO we go to CT scan. Where I am given 900Ml of liquid to drink. That's the easy part. The hard part is holding it for an HOUR while it gets to the appropriate location. Ugh.

So again, we have to stick my arm for an IV. And what happens... yep you guessed it... she missed. 2 times. Blood is spurting everywhere. I've already lost enough blood, people.. come on! Lets not forget that I can't get too stressed.. 900 Ml of liquid... that could be embarrasing.

Finally we get my CT scan over with about 3:00, and now it is nearly 11:00pm. I don't know the results of my tests... still hurting, and now I have a headache from the CT scan contrast they pumped in my veins. That stuff cannot be good for you.



So that's why I didn't make it to church tonight... sorry about that everyone. I would have rather been there... i'd have rather been at work all day too. (but that's not a stretch for me... I love my job!). Mad props to my Boss who rocks the world... he's not only covering on-call for me, he's actually very concerned that I get well. Kids, get a boss like that and life gets good. It's always better to work for a christian. Especially one who trys to live it.

I took this quiz that Wayne suggested on his blog.

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists. Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 89% Fundamentalist 75% Emergent/Postmodern 75% Charismatic/Pentecostal 71% Classical Liberal 61% Reformed Evangelical 61% Neo orthodox 46% Modern Liberal 21% Roman Catholic 14% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

I had a thought and e-mailed an old friend of mine a couple of days ago. Today I got an e-mail back that said this:

"I was screwed over by *former employer* my mom died, puppy died last month as result of being caged while tending to my mom in numerous hospitals trying to save her life. I've been unemployed for 10 months and am losing stuff left and right. But enough about my good fortune, thanks for saying hi."

This guy is known for being cynical, for feeling like the whole world is against him, and that no one cares. He's been that way as long as i've known him and probably longer. You can probably tell from his words, he's hurting... but he's defensive. He doesn't want anyone to get in, he just wants to throw his hurt outward onto everyone one else.

"Bob" is an awesome musician, he's played on records and tours for famous people and bands such as country supergroup "ALABAMA". He's known as one of the best in the industry at the instrument he plays. He is a good person. He has a rough exterior and to look at him, you'd think "Grizzly Adams", but he's just a big teddy bear at heart.

Why can't "Bob" find some peace? Because he repeatedly turns his back on God. He's walked away more times than I can remember. I once invited him to church, and he said "okay, but only if I can sit in with the band". I said "I can't guarantee that the worship leader will take to that idea". "Then i'm not going".

This is one of several examples I have in my experiences with him. He could be such a powerful witness for God, such a great person for the kingdom, but he won't turn loose of what he thinks makes him happy. What he's holding on to is the one thing that is holding him down... himself.

Please pray for my friend "Bob" . God knows the situation, and he can help.

He may be the only one who can.

My wife and I fight about the stupidest stuff... I want an LCD projector for the house... why does she have to come up with all the "logical reasons" why I shouldn't buy one?

Sheesh....

:-)

(Note that anyone who sides with me will be invited to watch a movie and/or play Xbox on my projector if I get one. Those who side with her can walk the plank.... er... something.)

(Also note that I must know you in order for an invitation to be extended.)

(and I don't have an X-box, so you gotta bring your own, but i'll provide the DSL!)

Today I had some realizations, and I just need to write them down...

The first one: I am still mourning. I have not gotten over leaving my church back in Alabama. I feel like I failed them, that I left them out to dry, only giving 2 weeks notice that i'd be gone . They understood and we had musicians to fill in, but I was one of the principle players. People depended on me. Since I left, there have been big changes... the worship leader took a different job, the childrens minister left, and from the sound of things it's gone from organized chaos to just plain-ol'-everyday-run-of-the-mill chaos.

I realize that my leaving probably didn't change any of that, but the fact that i'm not there to help with the transition is killing me. I know that I would be used there, except that for some reason God has me here. Maybe it's because I would have changed it and I didn't need to.. I don't know. That's part of my problem too. I don't know.

Number 2: I don't know what i'm supposed to be doing here other than my job. I don't know where i'm supposed to get plugged in. I don't know how i'm supposed to handle my finances. I don't know how i'm supposed to fit in this place . I don't know.

Number 3: I don't have time. I don't have time to get out and make friends, I don't have time to play music. I don't really even have a place to play music other than occasionally at church. I am used to playing at least 2 times a week, usually more like 3-4 times a week, and here I feel like i'm in a drought. I have let my skills get weak because I have no goals. I have no reason to practice because I know i'm not playing this week. Is it all excuses? Probably...

Number 4: I'm really good at wallowing in my own self pity. See? I'm doing it now. Watch!

Number 5: The prospect of an uncertain future is torture. I am a structured kind of guy. I like to have a plan, or at least a map that I can make a plan out of. I'm not talking about spiritually here, i'm talking career. I don't know where I will be living in 2 years. I want some stability, but I sure as heck didn't pick a great career path for that did I?

I'm sure there is WAY more than this to my complecies (I think that would be plural of complex, right?) Right now i'm at the point where I know I have to turn loose of all the STUFF and give it to God, but I just can't . I want control, I need some dominion over my own fate.. but I know that I can't have it, because no matter what... God is in control. I just have to let go of the wheel and quit fighting him on it.

This post brought to you by: the words "self pity", the inablity to relinquish control and the letter "I" (because of heavy usage in this post).

So i'm probably one of the last people on the planet to go see it, but I finally made it out today for the matinee showing at the nearby theater.

I can honestly say that it was mostly a waste of my time. Ok... so how does Leia become a Princess? How does Obi-Won get so old so fast? I mean it's only 18 years or so, right? Why did the cute one have to die?? And why did she have to die in such a depressing fashion?!!?

And while we're on the subject, have you ever seen some carrying twins with a belly that small??? I think not!!!!

I can suspend my disbelief only so much. George... would it have killed you to get one size bigger of the pregnant belly suit? HUH? Really.... I mean lets throw in SOME reality.

On the other hand, it was kinda cool to see what finally broke Anakin to make him become Darth Vader. I have to admit that did tie up some loose ends.

Overall, I award it a B- . Mostly because I could not keep from laughing out loud during the really "ooozzhie booozzhie" scenes. Give me a break.. you're telling me that Lord Vader, commander of pretty well the whole freakin dark side was all huggy-bear with somebody? Some "tough leader" you've got there Empire....

There.. most people didn't like the way that the Matrix trilogy ended, and I did... so all your SW fans out there, here is your revenge... I thought that it was a pitiful way to end a really great series.

At least Natalie Portman wasn't *really* injured in the making of this film.
Only her career was hurt.
Ok, I take it back... geez... can't you people take a joke? sheesh!

*Ring*
"It appears we've taken a lightning hit"
"Crap"

That's how my week started off. Monday night I got a phone call from my boss, whose initial evaluation was that we didn't have much damage. It seems to take some time for lightning damage to really show it's face. Lots of stuff is/was broken. It stops working when you let the smoke out.

Such as...

One station has 2 transmitters... a main, and a backup. Good plan, right? Yes.. until they both go BOOM!

That's the first time i've ever been a part of setting a transmitter on fire. THAT was fun!

Did I mention that they both went boom at 6am? yep... my favorite time of the morining.

Well, words can't express the level of tired i'm at this week, but i'm thinking i'm gonna sleep late tomorrow... oh I sure hope so. I may even take my phone off the hook..

Let us never mind why I had to buy a toilet plunger... I believe we all know that sometimes these things happen.

What I cannot figure out is why it is impossible to be cool while purchasing a toilet plunger.

If you see a guy buying feminine products, you say to yourself... "gee what a guy, sacrificing his dignity for the one he loves... "

If you see someone buying toilet paper.. it's not a big deal, right? I mean we ALL require that product... so why then does buying a toilet plunger become such an uneasy experience?? Here's why...

After parking in another county in order to walk about a half mile to the front door of what I refer to as the "Ghetto Wal-Mart" I begin my search in the place I feel to be most logical... cleaning supplies. Seems reasonable, here we have things with handles... mops, brooms, etc... and we have cleaning supplies, toilet cleaner, draino these sort of things right? So it seems like a great place for me to start.

Wrong.

After much searching I decide to approach a rather grandmotherly looking Wal-Mart employee, thinking that if anyone can discuss toilet plungers without giggling... this is it. So I say, in my most confident, but non-attention drawing tone "Excuse me ma'am, but I am looking for the toilet plungers"

"SAY WHAT?!?!?!"

Great... Gramma here didn't put in her new hearing aid battery today... so I say little louder... "Toilet Plungers"... gigling from behind me begins....
"TOILET PLUNGERS"....

"OH TOILET PLUNGERS!!!" She says "THOSE ARE IN HARDWARE RIGHT NEXT TO THE PLUMBING SUPPLIES"

Smirking continues in the background...

Hardware is, as fate would have it, on the entire opposite side of the store from where I parked.. not to mention that it is in the back corner. So I proceed. I quickly pick out the most sturdy looking one and start the seemingly mile long trek to the front of the store.

Lets keep in mind that I have no buggy full of goods... you know, milk, bread, magazines, toilet plunger... nope.. I have one item... that's right just one...

I carried it with pride, as if someone had given me an award for excellence in... something, anything...
This was NOT easy.

I finally endure the journey to the front, where i see a line that is short and seems to be the quickest way out. The folks in line ahead move along and the lady just starts to walk away. I'm holding a toilet plunger... I don't want to draw too much attention, but I do want to get out some time today. So I say nicely "excuse me? Ma'am?"

"I'm Closed"

"Oh, but I only ha..."

"I said, i'm Closed"

Great.

I get my items scanned and out the door... But lets remember where I parked. Yes friends, the journey the half mile back to my car was quite possibly the worst of all... people are free to laugh loudly in the security of their cars. I don't know if anyone did, but I can imagine. Maybe i'm paranoid, but I still conclude that....

"There is no way to be cool while buying a toilet plunger. "

Yep.

This week has been above all things.... BORING. Nothing good or even interesting has happened all week. When the highlight of my week is a lizard hanging on my car from Wal-Mart at 55MPH all the way to work where our resident lizard expert (the overnight guy for KARN) plucked him off the car and released him, you know that it's been one uneventful week.

Today, however will be a first for me. It's one of those things that I see as a rite of passage into this industry, and into Broadcast Engineering more specifically. Today an audio processor company is taking the Boss and I out to a (supposedly) nice lunch, and I get to play with their converted Suburban full o' processors. These are the big boys, ORBAN, which is what you will find processing about 60% of all commercial radio stations. Possibly more. It's kinda like a big EQ for the whole station, and they have some cool stuff, if you are a total radio dork like me. Orban has been around for a long time, and they are very good at what they do. We use alot of their products but we are looking at HD radio in the next few years, and that means NEW PROCCESORS!!! (Read: NEW TOYS!!!)

Some stations have already started broadcasting in digital. One for example, is WOR 700AM in New York. They have some audio samples availible to give you an idea of what HD radio can do. It's not perfect, but it sure is an improvement. I just worry that skywave will be a thing that I tell my grandkids about and they won't believe me

So the boredom will cease for a couple of hours today, but overall it will continue until tomorrow evening. Saturday morning we head to Branson for a day or two. I know... it's lame, but hey it's out of town again! I'll take all the out of town I can get right now!

We are looking at vacation in september too... BEACH!!!! W00T!

I have no spiritual insights to share right now, but I think maybe I will in a couple of days. That would be a nice change, wouldn't it!