Bruce Szwast October 11th, 2010

Happy Columbus Day to everyone:

The holiday liberals love to hate. Or do they love to use it incite hatred for the latest buzz word 'colonialism'. I do not see them making reservations to return to their home of ancestry, so they must be using it to practice their manipulation skills. I have to ask, would the world be better off if colonialism never happened? What if Jesus never came? What if the great missionary movements never occurred? Maybe the liberal view of 'utopia' (their version of the lost Garden of Eden) could be accomplished if they change our view of the past and design our future.

I talked to a customer this week from Pennsylvania (my home of ancestry, via Poland). He told me about a number of cool rainy days with a touch of fall and a memory of last year's winter in the air. I told him we open our windows this time of year (Orlando). He snickered. Then he asked me, how do you guys get Columbus Day off – I told him my company is still patriotic. Then he said what about Good Friday – I told him my company is still religious. Silence.

The last time I saw my previous boss, he was singing in the Methodist choir. My current boss (a NJ company who bought us out) is active in Catholic charities. However I noticed, NJ has holiday parties and send holiday cards. We have Christmas parties and send Christmas Cards. A few years back Rhonda pulled off a coup and had our Christmas party at First Baptist's Singing Christmas Tree celebration. Priscilla even signed a card, God Bless her. Imagine sitting around a large dinner table with soft Christmas music in the background and we could actually hear each other speaking. I understand there was a secondary party later, and that Rhonda was told: never again. Oh well, it was magnificent.

Even my co-worker and friend, Larry the Evolutionist said the First Baptist presentation was first class, but too bad it wasted on Bible stories. Larry and I have been going at it for a number of years now. Whenever I get a Creationist idea, I bounce it off of Larry. He is very good at science and I have learned about secular science from Larry: mostly at best, life is the result of an unknown being who is no longer around, or is waiting to reappear, maybe as a space alien who will deliver us from all our troubles – read the papers.

Thursday last week, I asked Larry what he thought about the Creationist Inflation theory (you know God created the primordial soup (about a light year across – the thing universes are made of) and it collapsed and inflated into the material universe we say today) and what if it was hyper inflation and what affect would it have on the so called red shift measurements of the age of light that we see. Of course Larry got on Wikipedia and showed me where Hugh Ross said it does not agree with current scientific understanding. But I said it seems to agree with Genesis 1 a whole lot more than current scientific understanding.

Well, then came Friday (and my Saturday tension headache). Larry brought in this chart full of scientific equations that made Einstein's E=MC2 look like tic, tac, toe. He told me I had to understand all this before we could discuss anymore. I said if I took that amount of time, Jesus would have come back and it would be too late for you. As the day went on Larry kept taking pot shots at me (we do get some work done) and it eventually culminated into 'wait until we take over and start burning you Christians at the stake'. And I said who is we? Silence, back to work.

Now about David Horowitz, whom I really appreciate as an ally – it is us Christians and Jews who have the common enemy; has been since the Beginning; via time of course; and has implications of Revelations. But his comment about how the arts or the philosophical side of college academia is the problem and the sciences, which deal with facts is not, was very Larryesque. What about Ben Stein's 'No Intelligence Allowed? Well if secular philosophy is the thought process, then evolutionary science is/are the legs that it runs on and those legs support the humanistic agenda. It influences people to believe that we are alone in the universe and have to save ourselves.

Will 'evolution evangelism' work? Hasn't worked with Larry yet, and he has already stated about Christ, 'if that's the way it is, I do not want it'. Our mutual conclusion is that it is either evolution or it is creation, nothing works in between.

I am off today, some say 24/7, but I do appreciate the opportunity to blow off some steam. Let me close with the story of Big Ernie, a Jehovah's Witness, who when he knocked on our front door shook the windows. He was so big I thought a sense of humor would sooth the savage beast. I told him that as a Christian (Jesus is my God and my justification) I too have to evangelize, and that I appreciate not walking in the hot sun, but wait for you guys to come to my shaded carport. He roared with laughter.

But after and lengthy and thoughtful discussion of our ideas, I kindly said as he was walking away 'I wish we both could be right'. He turned very dramatically, and Mr. Spock could not have said it better, 'no way…'.

Sail the ocean blue, in 1492, today.

Ps: today is trash and recycle day. And a beautiful sunrise too. Just like Saint Christopher may have seen.

Kenny Johnson October 12th, 2010

I was a bit disappointed with the show this week (I listened today). Full disclosure. I'm a self-identified liberal and usually vote Democrat. I'm also a self-identified Evangelical Christian.

I think Mr. Horowitz certainly brought up some good points and even as a liberal, I recognize that the universities are generally overrun with liberals (though not completely) and that it would be nice to see more balance. But I also wonder if it's not as bad as some suggest. I certainly saw some intolerance (honestly, I only remember one professor who was bad in that regard), and certainly some bias, but many of my professor encourage thinking, debating, and considering other points of view. I read conservative and liberal thought in many of my history and poli sci classes. I challenged views of professors in papers I wrote and still graduated with honors.

I think Mr. Horrowitz was just as bad as the worst liberals he spoke of. He called them names, stereotyped them, and argued for using unethical methods of getting his views across (because he says, "they do it, why shouldn't we?"). He was also very closed-minded about his own biases. I'm not intolerant. I'm not a communist or a Marxist or any of the other things he accused liberals of. Radicals on both sides are intolerant, name-callers, etc. It's not a left vs right issue. It's a radical vs moderate thing. Radicals, fundamentalists, and extremists of all stripes have the same attitudes. It doesn't matter what their point of view is. The radical right is just as bad as the radical left.

The whole interview left a bad taste in my mouth. I appreciate other points of views, but Mr. Horrowitz was bordering on uncivil.

marc October 14th, 2010

I have to admit that I haven't listened to this show yet because I can't usually stand to listen to Horowitz. I find him pretty smug, honestly, and get really tired of all the right-wing whining about how the liberals won't let them talk when, in fact, they do even worse when given power (see Limbaugh, Rush.)

Like the previous poster, I haven't found controlled thought in the university (I currently teach in one of those awful things!) The closest I've seen to not tolerating opposing points of view was actually in a conservative Christian university I once attended. I once received a low C on a paper there because the professor thought that the political pov I was offering (regarding US nuclear missles and foreign sovereignty) was "unpatriotic".

pot/kettle, you know.

West III October 15th, 2010

What Kenny Johnson said. Would love to hear a joint interview of him and Tony Campolo.

I particularly think he needs to pull that log out of his own eye before he criticizes the speck in liberals when calling them uncivil.

While of course there are exceptions, overall I find uncivility to be far more characteristic of conservatives than liberals.

And he certainly exemplified this point.

Susan October 17th, 2010

I think David is completely right. We need an academic bill of rights. However, since the schools are full of leftist leanings, I doubt that it would do much good. For instance, I was required to take an evolution course. The professor had us buy three books: one on creationism, one on evolution and one on the in-between, moderate view that God created matter and it evolved under His guidance. The professor clearly believed that the best view was evolution, and he put down "discrepancies" in the other books. This is what would happen, even with the bill of rights. The only way to win this cultural war is to raise our sons and daughters with an ability to critically think about the issues. They should expect ridicule and stand up under it. I believe it is shameful that our universities claim to be bastions of open-mindedness when this kind of thing goes on. It went on when I was a college student 20 years ago, and I can only imagine how it is now.The divide between left and right just gets deeper. What David doesn't understand is that this is, at root, a spiritual problem.

Brian K. October 26th, 2010

I think Horowitz is great, and I'm so glad you had him on the show. Too many campuses have become propaganda tools for leftists.

Karen Golden December 14th, 2010

I don't understand the need for Christians to stereotype and name call. We are to be salt and light. It upsets me when I find myself thinking or speaking that way. And the labeling (that divides) within this broadcast and within our country by followers of Jesus is disheartening.

I also don't understand why there is this idea that individuals are not responsible for their own discernment and understanding. If scripture teaches us anything, it emphasizes that we don't go it alone, God is with us, for us and among us. There will never be a "group" that is in the right. Humans will always fail us. Thankfully God has provided His Holy Spirit to guide us. David may have some valid concerns but his process is not following the example Christ has given us.

Is it too much to ask for God's people to act like God's people regardless of their political views?

Perhaps as Christians we all need to spend more time learning how God works, so we can learn how to do our work.

And to Steve –
I refer many to your website and radio broadcast for messages of hope and grace through Jesus. I believe that is your call. God has used you to bless my family and many others. And we are very thankful. Please don't walk away from your call with a broadcast like this. The information may be important to you but God's grace and the message of His salvation will trump political agendas every time.

Let the Word of Christ – His gospel message – have the run of the house! We are very thankful that your broadcast often does just that.

Erik Guzman December 14th, 2010

Hi Karen. Thanks for listening!

I love what you wrote here. One thing, just want to be sure you know that Horowitz isn't a Christian. Hey, even God has the Devil to do the dirty work ; )

Karen Golden December 14th, 2010

Thank you, Erik.

Sorry I got preachy and lost focus. I guess I should have just commented on the way in which David's message was delivered and seemed to be encouraged and endorsed by SBE. I understand you may not always be in agreement with the way a guest makes their point, but you are accountable for your response and the overall message you put out there. David speaks of freedom, but he's bound by labels and stereotyping when he makes his point and when SBE goes along with and encourages those labels, it seems to be bound as well.

I regret the impulse to comment when I first heard the broadcast. I have never commented online before, so it is a first. But I felt compelled as God is continually working with me on stereotyping and labeling. It is such an overwhelming part of our American culture and it is so dangerous. We often seek meaning and understanding by grouping and categorizing but it can turn harmful. A quick re-read of That Hideous Strength by Lewis is a great reminder.

Erik Guzman December 15th, 2010

I say go with the impulses! You speak truth.