Christian Carnival CCXL: Just the Posts Edition

OK, that’s a really creative title. That’s why I used it. It is in no way because I couldn’t think of a good theme today. Well, maybe a little. On third thought, quite a bit. OK, so i couldn’t think of a creative theme.

Christian Apologetics

Jason Hughey presents Suicidal Apologetics posted at Logical Consistency. All Christians bear a responsibility to understand their faith. Though apologetics gives Christians the tools to rationally defend their faith, we must be careful to utilize apologetics correctly, reasonably, and Scripturally.

Doctrines and Standards

Diane R presents Ye Olde Synthesis posted at Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet. Today’s Christianity is becoming a hodgepodge of all types of other religions’ ideas. Maybe we need to get back to the cross?

Weekend Fisher considers different approaches to God’s condemnation of sin in the world, focusing on how believers can wield those condemnations against our own sins, in God’s Law: what to make of condemnation, presented at Heart, Mind, Soul, and Strength.

Ethics and Christian living

Raffi Shahinian presents Can Anything Good Come Out of Law School? posted at parables of a prodigal world. I’ve wrestled with the thought that someone cannot simultaneously be an attonrey and a disciple; but there’s a twist in the analysis…

Have you ever neglected a project or relationship only to regret it later? John realized how he literally fulfilled a passage in Proverbs in the post Five Ways Passivity Robs Your Life.

Tiffany Partin presents Scared . . . Did Someone Say Scared? posted at Fathom Deep: Sounding the Depths of God.

Mark Olson presents Christianity and Poverty: Two Views (Introduction) posted at Pseudo-Polymath. I begin a overview of two short articles from very different eras on the Christian response to poverty.

Michael presents Are You a Hearer or a Doer? posted at NEWS.MICHAELMADDOX.COM.

Rodney Olsen presents Abuse, adultery and desertion posted at RodneyOlsen.net.

Financial Discipleship

ChristianPF presents Why you should get out of debt posted at Christian Financial Help. There are bigger reasons than our checkbooks for us to get out of debt…

FMF presents A Simple Bible-Based Budget posted at Free Money Finance. Simple Budget based on the Bible.

Politics, of course!

John presents “You shall not give false testimony . . .” posted at Brain Cramps for God. As we roll up to the election, what are our responsibilities as Christians to sort through the truths, half-truths, and outright lies of the political process?

ChrisB presents What’s a Deal Breaker? posted at Homeward Bound. Summing up “the Bible and the Ballot Box,” I finally answer the question, who can we, in good conscience, vote for?

Jeff Dawson presents Sarah Palin–Good for the Jews and Israel? posted at Gator Tales.

Science and Religion

Drew Tatusko presents Evolution is Theory, Not Doctrine posted at Notes From Off Center. The point is that belief that God structures this reality is a claim of faith in the reality of God, and not because we have faith in science. The fact is that evolution, as with all science, predicts events in reality with an astonishing rate of consistency. That is why it is the theory.

Pastor Brad presents Trends in Bible Translations posted at New and Interesting Bibles and Versions. This provides an extensive list by date.

Scriptures

Jeremy Pierce presents Numbers 5 and Abortion posted at Parableman. A response to the pro-choice use of Numbers 5. (I had placed this under “Ethics and Christian Living” based on the title, but I think it deals more with how we derive principles from scripture, so I moved it here.)

First time carnival participant Dr. James McGrath of Exploring Our Matrix presents material related to a series of Sunday School classes he is teaching. A good entry point is here, which links to a summary which in turn links to another several elements. Since this is part of a series, I’m also providing this link, which will provide a better entry point, even though it is outside the date range for this week’s carnival.

Claudia presents A Wonderful Father? posted at Standing Straight. Every time we get ready to prepare a Christmas play I remember this interview of Mary and Joseph I read awhile back, translated from the ancient Sanhedrin records, and conducted by Gamaliel. Joseph does not come across as the traditional haloed saint.

And for my own entry, here’s Book Notes: The Gospels for All Christians, from my Threads blog. I make notes, not properly called a review, of my thoughts on reading The Gospels for all Christians edited by Richard Bauckham.

Conclusion

OK, let me make a suggestion. Go beyond just reading a post or two from today’s carnival. Read, comment, debate, post something on your own blog about it. I think I could conceive of responses to practically every post here. The carnival can be a real aid to Christian community in the blogosphere–if we read it!