Friday, March 9, 2012

What Is A Carnal Christian?

   I received an email today from a person who asked a very good question.  The question is so pertinent to what we see in Christianity today that I thought it best to answer it via my blog so everyone would have the benefit of reading the answer.  The question concerns what it means to be a carnal Christian.  What does carnality mean and how might we see or experience it in the Christian life?  Let’s go to the Bible for the answers to these questions.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Costa Concordia, Compromise & Complacency

   On January 13, 2012 the cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground and sank.  As the details of this tragedy continue to emerge, a picture of compromise and complacency has begun to take shape.  Recent reports reveal the ship was moving through the water at some eighteen knots and at times not more than a few hundred yards from shallow water, clearly marked on navigation charts.  It seems Captain Schettino realized he was too close to shore and made a starboard turn toward deeper water.  However, when a large ship, such as the Costa Concordia, is moving eighteen knots, the rear part of the ship will move in the opposite direction.  As the bow or front of the ship moved toward deeper water, the rear of the ship moved closer to shore and made contact with submerged rocks.  In the same way the Titanic was damaged by an ice berg, the rocks cut into the side of the Costa Concordia, leaving a gash some 160 feet in length.  The ship is designed to handle a certain amount of flooding in water tight compartments, however, few ships, if any, can sustain a 160 foot gash below the water line.  The ship flooded and sank.  The chain of errors and poor judgment will no doubt be the subject of discussion for years to come.  However, this story is a real life example of the price of compromise and complacency. 
Let’s think about what that means.