CRN.Info and Analysis

I never ceased to be amazed at the arrogance and denseness of the writing staff at Christian Research Network. I will say it, the cowardly and haughty anonymous editor there has written a piece that shows their own spiritual blindness, lack of compassion and severe misinterpretation and misuse of the scriptures. A recent news organization gave an article highlighting the African American religious community coming together over the increasing AIDS crisis in the black community.

over 150 African American leaders proposed the National HIV/AIDS Elimination Act, which they plan to introduce to Congress as early as January. The act calls on the federal government “to declare the HIV/AIDS Crisis in the African American community a ‘public health emergency’” and urges “the Secretary of Health and Human Services to use his emergency authority to redirect resources to address this emergency.”

CRN called this story “rueful”, implying that they were sad or apologetic over the fact that the religious community had come together to fight this disease. In 2005, 49% of the AIDS population was African-American. That sounds like an epidemic worth fighting for. However, the CRN popular whipping-boy, T.D. Jakes, was a part of this movement. The article said that Jakes

“acknowledged that while the group represented different theological viewpoints on homosexuality, he asserted that those differences should not distort the issue. ‘Tomorrow we can save souls but today we must save lives,’ said Jakes.”

The editor said that Jakes was showing his spiritual denseness. He/she/it writes

This is indeed a shocking, heart-breaking and actually quite foolish statement by Jakes who is supposed to be a minister of the Gospel of Jesus— Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth… Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away (Proverbs 27:1; James 4:14).

Are you kidding me? They criticize him for wanting to save lives, and why — they say he is boasting of the future! In other words, Jakes’ efforts to heal the sick are boasting about what is going to happen tomorrow. By applying this passage to this situation, they are implying that human life is but a vapor and therefore insignificant, not worth their time, and not worthy of saving. Heck, why attempt to do anything that will affect tomorrow… evangelize, heal, love… it’s all boastful if you tell someone you are going to do it, right?  On top of all the scripture abuse, they add this verse to the opening of the article

Every man’s way is right in his own eyes (Proverbs 21:2)

What?!?  How on earth does this apply at all?  Does it mean that because Jakes has actually read the scriptures and seen that we are to care for the sick, that he is right?  This one easily falls into the “what can you say” category here at CRN.info.

In light of this article I have to ask: what’s the big deal with the 10 Commandments?

Why do Christians obsess over this particular (and tiny) part of the Law? Why do large chunks of the Christian populace feel that taking down the 10 Commandments is a “war on Christianity”? Or that ignorance of the 10 Commandments is some sort of benchmark for holiness?

This line particularly struck me:

More Americans know the ingredients of McDonald’s Big Macs than they do the Ten Commandments. This would explain why American morals are going down and weight is going up.

Really? Is it really reasonable to expect that knowledge of the 10 commandments makes for moral people?

I guess I missed the big meeting about the 10 commandments. Because I’m honestly at a loss as to why this particular section of the law is treated as if it was the gospel.

There has surfaced around this country a phenomenon that involves leaving a “noose” around people or their belongings, usually black people, in an outright expression of racism. We as Christians must strongly and abjectly reject any form, outright or subtle, of racism. It is against the teachings of Christ and the designs of our Creator to be racist in any way.

We all deal with prejudice, but let us as followers of Jesus Christ never be complacent or silent about that ugly sin. I know all of us at CRNinfo will agree, racism is unchristian and we must reach out to the human community at large regardless of race. And there is no race in Christ, we are all the sons of God by faith. We must be the voice of God in the midst of this darkness, pray that God will connect you with people who look different than you and by that connection He can use you to heal any wounds and reveal Christ and His colorless love.

Chris L. brings us a review of 3:10 to Yuma and it quickly spins out of control into a discussion about fatherhood.

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For those of you who missed it first time around - or wished you had taken your friends (Christian or non-Christian) - the video of ‘Everything is Spiritual’ will be available in early November from Zondervan publishers.  For those of you wondering where the title of the presentation (which runs about 1:45 minutes, but flies by quickly) comes from, here is the relevant clip:

the elusive “editor” at CRN posted an article about the largest 100 churches in America.  Among the list of mega-churches was good ol’ Johnny Mac and Grace Community Church with an impressive membership of 7,500.   I wonder if CRN applies all of their “research” on megachurches to them as well?