3-Ring Binder Is Moving!

Hello Everyone,

While working with Rethinking Hell, I have been turned on to Wordpress, so come check out the 3-Ring Binder blog at http://3ringbinder3.wordpress.com/

Enjoy!

Why the 3/5 Compromise Didn't Denigrate Blacks

In this post, I'll be going in a little bit of a different direction than I normally do. Today, I'm gonna look at U.S. History, specifically, the 3/5 Compromise, and explain why those who point to it as denigrating to African Americans have things reversed.

The 3/5 Compromise refers to Article I, Section 2, Paragraph 3 of the U.S. Constitution, which reads:

Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to Service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other persons (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey A32).

In the Abortion Debate, "Extremists" Are the Only Ones with a Leg to Stand On

I try not to go into politics much, especially topics like this. But one thing does need to be said about abortion: I don't for the life of me understand how people can be all that moderate about it.

Why do I say that? I say that because of the one issue that matters, the one question that makes all the difference. When does life begin? Does it begin at conception? Does it begin at birth? Does it begin some time in between? That isn't just an important question; it is the question. I'm even tempted to say that it is the only issue that matters (although that probably isn't totally true).

America, Capitalism, and the Difference Between Intentions and Results

Intentions Vs. Results
In most things, results matter far more than intentions. I tutor kids, and if I can't help them understand the material and get better grades, I won't be kept as their tutor for very long. Even if it's not my fault and the kid is just unreachable and I won't be replaced by anyone, there is still no use in keeping me on if nothing results from it. That is true for most any job. The one exception to this rule, of course, is also the most important judgment we have: It is judgment before God.

Before God, where are hearts were when we acted are far more important than the actual deeds. As religious and pious as the Pharisees were, Jesus could only lament their hearts, quoting what God said centuries before about His people, the Israelites: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" (Matthew 15:8; cf. Isaiah 29:23). Jesus condemned those who would be His killers (Matthew 21:33-46; 26:24), and yet by them doing so, we were saved. They were condemned for sin, because they did not intend for good, but for evil, and so it was held against them. God killed Jesus to save us, but they murdered who they knew to be, at the very least, an innocent man, out of malice and wickedness.

Capitalism, Economic Philosophy, and America
With the upcoming presidential election here in the US, economic issues have been central (which makes sense, given the economic collapse and snails-paced recovery since). The last 4 1/2 years have been pretty awful from an economic standpoint. Tens of millions of people out of work or woefully underemployed (like myself). Many have just given up on searching (which keeps the official unemployment rate artificially low). Being a somewhat recent college graduate myself, I'm well in the thick of things. America has had serious economic downturns, but not since the great depression have they lasted this long. The middle class is dying. Beyond that, we have the long-term problem of the national debt, which has increased by more than 50% in the last 4 years (and is more than twice what is was 10 years ago, a time when it was still sustainable). At over $16 Trillion, it is greater than the GDP of any country on earth (including our own), and with enormous projected increases in Social Security and Medicare costs, there is no end in sight.

Shift in Focus

Hello all of my readers,

Recently, I have become a contributor at the website Rethinking Hell (www.rethinkinghell.com), a website devoted to expressing and defending the evangelical conditionalist view of final punishment, namely, that the Bible teaches that the lost, after the resurrection, will be permanently killed, destroyed, or otherwise stripped of conscious existence, as opposed to the traditional view that Hell is a place of eternal torment. It is a view I have openly expressed and defended here at 3-Ring Binder, as well as in my free online books The Bible Teaches Annihilationism.

Anyway, since I will be regularly contributing  to that website (along with Chris Date of the Theopologetics podcast, Dr. Glenn Peoples of the Beretta blog and podcast, and others), I will be posting less about Hell on 3-Ring Binder because, well, for anything about it from me you might want to read you can just go there and read as freely and easily as you could here (actually, it's easier, because Rethinking Hell is pretty easy to find on Google). So, if you love my insights on the topic, do no be sad or disappointed, because you can still get plenty of it. And if it was something you kind of were turned off by, or something you didn't find ll that relevant (since if you follow Jesus you won't be going there), then here you'll be able to get more of the stuf you're looking for.

So then, I recommend you all check out www.rethinkinghell.com. You might love it, you might hate it, but at the very least if you go there and read some of the material (most of which is by Chris who is by far the most active contributor), you can at least say you've read it ;)

Once again, that's www.rethinkinghell.com. Joey out.

The Depths of True Christian Forgiveness in Light of Matthew 18

As Christians, we know we are supposed to forgive, and that forgiveness is supposed to go deeper than some may suspect.

Now, if you've been going to church for any extended period of time, I have no doubt that you're aware of the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18. I realized a good summary was almost as long as the passage itself, so I have posted the text below:

10 Things That Aren't Taught in the Bible (But That Are So Common You'd Think They Were)

I'm feeling kind of snarky (and as observant as always), so here you go:

1. If you are a woman, and a man says anything that you don't like, anything at all, no matter what it is and whether or not he is right or wrong, saying he's being "inappropriate" will put an end to any unpleasant conversation.

2. Similar to #1, as a female you can always get out of ever having to deal with anything unpleasant by rebuking the man for addressing you directly, and insist that he has someone of your same gender talk to you. It is especially effective because you don't have to be at all consistent about it - it's a sin for that particular male to address you directly about whatever it is, even if it's okay for others to do the same thing.

Book Review - Hell: A Final Word by Edward Fudge

For what it sets out to do, Edward Fudge’s Hell: A Final Word, is very successful. It gives a good overview of the arguments for conditional immortality and against the traditional view of Hell as a place of eternal conscious punishment. It gets just in-depth enough to where you can understand what he means and to where you can follow his reasoning, without getting specific enough to demand a much more lengthy book. This book is relatively short, and it actually reads much more like a first-person novel than a doctrinal theology book, drawing the reader in.

Things Are About To Get Real - Would You Only Marry A Virgin?

As the title indicates, things are about to get real. If open talk about sex, sexual sin, and sexuality make you uncomfortable, then you should not read further. You also shouldn't read the Bible, since it talks about sex a lot more than I will (despite what your pastor may have told you)...

Anyway, I was directed to this website and poll yesterday:
http://thechristianmanifesto.com/archives/4820

"Would You Only Marry A Virgin?" was the poll question. I'm not totally sure what to make of the overall message of the blog post (since they have left us hanging, waiting for part 2). That said, would you only marry a virgin?