Tag: Human rights

Gino Geraci on the Image of God & General vs. Specific Revelation

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Last week Gino Geraci, nationally syndicated radio show host based in Littleton, Colorado, came up to record a few episodes for the Theology for the People podcast. Those episodes are available now, and links and descriptions for them can be found below.

Gino is the founding pastor of Calvary South Denver. He recently stepped down as Lead Pastor of that church, and his son Jon took over in that role. Gino now focuses his time on his daily radio show, Crosswalk with Gino Geraci, which can be heard on the Salem Radio Network.

Gino also works with one of my favorite online organizations: GotQuestions.org – a great internet resource based out of Colorado Springs that provides concise, biblical answers to the questions that people are asking about God and the Bible.

Check out these episodes, subscribe to the podcast, and share with others if you find this content helpful!

Episode 1: Imago Dei: What Does It Mean that We are Created in the “Image of God”?

In this episode, Gino and I speak about what it means when the Bible tells us that we, as human beings, have been created in the image of God (Imago Dei in Latin).

What are some of the implications of this doctrine as relates to the value of human life, and what would be the implications if this were not true?

Something I am concerned with is how Christianity, because of our belief in the Imago Dei, believes that people with disabilities have inherent dignity. There are other implications of this, which we explain and discuss in this episode.

Imago Dei: What Does It Mean that We are Created in the "Image of God"? – with Gino Geraci – Theology for the People

Gino Geraci is a pastor, Bible teacher, and syndicated radio show host. He is the founding pastor of Calvary South Denver in Littleton, Colorado, from which he recently retired and is now focusing fully on his radio and online ministries. In this episode, Gino and Nick speak about what it means when the Bible tells us that we, as human beings, have been created in the image of God (Imago Dei in Latin). What are some of the implications of this doctrine as relates to the value of human life, and what would be the implications if this were not true? You can find Gino's teachings on his website: ginogeraci.com. His radio show can be heard here: Crosswalk with Gino Geraci, and make sure to check out the other ministry he works with: gotquestions.org — Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theologyforthepeople/support

Episode 2: General vs. Specific Revelation: How Do We Know What We Know About God?

Is it true that “all truth is God’s truth”? What does it mean when the Bible talks about a “mystery” that has been revealed?

In this episode Gino and I discuss the topic of “revelation,” and the question of how we know what we know about God, including His will for us, our lives, and the world. 

In the previous episode, we talked about what it means that we are created in the “image of God” and what the implications would be if we were not created in God’s image. That discussion ended with a comment that the doctrine of the Imago Dei hinges on the question of revelation.

The Bible talks about two specific kinds of revelation: general and specific. In this episode we give some examples of each and answer questions like: “Does one have greater value than the other?” and “What are the benefits of each, and what, if any, limitations do these different forms of revelation carry?”

General vs. Specific Revelation: How Do We Know What We Know About God? – with Gino Geraci – Theology for the People

Is it true that "all truth is God's truth"? What does it mean when the Bible talks about a "mystery" that has been revealed? This week Gino Geraci joins the podcast once again to discuss the topic of "revelation," and the question of how we know what we know about God, including His will for us, our lives, and the world.  The Bible talks about two specific kinds of revelation: general and specific. In this podcast we give some examples of each and answer questions like: Does one have greater value than the other? What are the benefits of each, and what, if any, limitations do these different forms of revelation carry? In last week's episode, we talked about what it means that we are created in the "image of God" and what the implications would be if we were not created in God's image. That discussion ended with a comment that the doctrine of the Imago Dei (Image of God) hinges on the question of revelation. In this episode we delve into that question.  Check out the Theology for the People blog, and find Pastor Nick's sermons on the White Fields Church podcast and whitefieldschurch.com  — Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theologyforthepeople/support

Why Ethics Depends on Origin

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In my last post I mentioned how much I appreciated the intellectual integrity of Penn Jillette for saying that he respects Christians who share their faith and evangelize, because if you really believe the gospel, then the only appropriate response is to share it with others.

Today I’d like to address the opposite approach: a very common and yet completely contradictory set of beliefs about the meaning and value of life.

I recently came across this quote from well-known atheist Steven Pinker, author of the book, “How the Mind Works.”

“When it comes to ethics, ethical theory requires free rational agents whose behavior is uncaused. Now, ethical theory can be useful even though the world as seen by science does not really have uncaused events.” – Steven Pinker

Do you catch what he’s saying? He’s essentially saying that ethics are useful to society, but that they really have no basis in reality. In other words: ethics help society function, but in a view of the world in which there is no God who created you, ethics are completely baseless.

To put it simply: if there is no God who created you, there is absolutely no rational reason for saying that you are any more important than a stick. And you really have no original thoughts or creativity. Everything you do is programed, nothing is uncaused. You are just a hunk of matter, and therefore your life is utterly insignificant.

And yet, Pinker is saying that in spite of this, we should live as if human life is special and we as human beings are valuable, because it is helpful to the functioning of society, even if it isn’t true.

Here’s the point: an atheistic/humanistic worldview is incredibly conflicted.

On the one hand, modern Western society is obsessed with self-esteem. Our schools put a huge focus on telling kids that they are unique and valuable. We affirm that every life has innate value. And yet, at the same time we have a secular worldview which says that if there is no God, you still have to live as if human beings are significant, even though in reality they are not at all.

In other words, if your origin is insignificant and your destiny in insignificant, then the conclusion is that your life and everyone else’s life is insignificant. However, at the same time we are told to believe that we must pretend that it is.

That’s not intellectual integrity, that’s intellectual schizophrenia.

Atheism has an inherent problem with human rights: on the one hand our modern Western culture believes in individual human rights, and yet on the other hand, there is a push for an existential and eschatological narrative which undermines the very foundation for believing in equal individual human rights.

I have written more on this subject here: Atheism and Human Rights: An Inherent Problem.

Christianity, on the other hand, tells us that human beings were created by God, in His image, and therefore our lives have innate value and purpose – even if there is nothing that we can contribute to society, such as in the case of handicapped individuals.

Furthermore, the message of the gospel is that the lord of the universe left His heavenly throne and came to the Earth in order to save us by giving His life in order to redeem us — which means that you and your life have more value than you can even comprehend.

Modern Western culture has held onto the belief in individual value and human rights, something which has its basis in Christian doctrine and theology, while trying to eschew Christian doctrine and theology in the areas of origin, existence and destiny.

Ethics depend on origin. If you believe that human life has equal and inherent value, please remember where that idea comes from: the Word of God.

Atheism and Human Rights: An Inherent Problem

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I recently heard someone mention something, which made me want to probe a little deeper. What this person said was that there is an inherent problem for atheists who believe in human rights, which is probably most of them in our modern age.

Why is that?

Here’s the problem: If there is no God, then how did you get here? Why are you alive?  It was through a series of natural selection which saw the survival of the fittest and the death of the weak.

In other words, the reason you are here, in an atheistic evolutionary model, is because your ancestors trampled on their competitors, who were the weaker of that given society.

So, if that is the entire basis of how humanity evolves and makes progress, then on what basis should we advocate for human rights?  To do so would not help further the progress of humanity, but only slow us down, according to this line of thinking.

Here are a few examples of people, who are atheists and who realize this inherent problem with atheistic evolutionary belief and our modern notion of universal human rights:

“The Darwinian worldview must look upon the present sentimental conception of the value of the life of a human individual as an overestimate completely hindering the progress of humanity.”

“The human state, like every animal community, must reach a higher level of perfection through the destruction of the less well-endowed individual. The state has an interest in preserving the more excellent life at the expense of the less excellent.”

Robert Kossmann, “The Importance of the Life of an Individual in the Darwinian Worldview”, 1880: German medical professor whose views influenced later Nazi regime attitudes and actions.

Richard Rorty (1931-2007), a committed atheist, also acknowledged that the basic assumptions upon which his worldview operated could not account for human rights since the struggle for survival eliminates the weak with no regard for any overarching morality.

Rorty admitted that “the concept of human rights came from ‘religious claims that human beings are made in the image of God,’ and admits that he reaches over and borrows the concept of universal human rights from Christianity, even though at the same time acknowledging that his atheistic Darwinian view gives no basis for a belief in universal human rights, but actually encourages just the opposite: the extermination of the weak by the strong.1

It was in fact this very view which led to the attitude in Nazi Germany that people with handicaps were an unnecessary burden on society, and that it was therefore better to put them to some good use for the common good, i.e. inhumane medical experimentation without consent. It was this same view which led to the devaluing of human life by the Soviet regime.

And yet, in our day, it is generally thought that it is perfectly normal to be an atheist and to believe in human rights at the same time. The problem with that is that such a person is ignoring the inherent contradiction between these two, and borrowing the concept of intrinsic human value from Christianity although it is not a natural result of atheistic reasoning. At least Rorty was willing to admit it!

Because if human rights means that we are not supposed to trample upon weak individuals, then that contradicts the basic premise of how atheistic evolutionary theory of human progress works!

Rorty and other atheists see this inherent problem, and yet they have no answer other than to say: if there is no God, there should be no human rights, but yet I believe that human rights are there.

The problem is: they stop right there and don’t allow reason to take them to the next logical step, which is to say: Okay, if there is no God, there should be no human rights, but yet I know that human rights are obviously there…  and so: maybe I was wrong about there being no God…

I can’t help but believe that there are some who sense this inherent problem and allow it to lead them to belief in God – I pray that more will – and not just any god, but the God of Christianity, the only God who gave his life to redeem people of all tribes, tongues, nations, ages and ability-levels, because he believed that they all had an equal level of intrinsic value as human beings. He is a God who associated with the weak and marginalized, even to the point of becoming one himself in order to save others. If you believe in human rights, you got it from him.

 

1. [Nancy Pearcey, Finding Truth, pp. 225-226, quoted by Gary DeMar in ‘Why Atheists Can’t Account for Human Rights’]↩

Opinion Article in Longmont Times-Call Advocates that Fertilized Eggs are Human

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I was surprised to see today that the Longmont Times-Call posted an opinion article by a Longmont resident on the topic of when an unborn child becomes a true person – since this is a controversial topic which is very much at the heart of debates over abortion and human rights.

I was even more surprised when I realized that the article was advocating for seeing fertilized eggs as fully human – not what I had expected to find when I saw the title of the article.

The author, Brad Jolly, is writing in response to atheist doctor Richard Juday, who believes that humanness develops over time.

Check out the article – I found it surprisingly refreshing, especially that it appeared here in the local paper: http://www.timescall.com/columnists/opinion-local/ci_26964706/brad-jolly-fertilized-human-eggs-are-human

Thank you Longmont Times-Call for representing a broad spectrum of viewpoints!