Gregory Koukl's Blog, page 89

End of Life Care Includes Euthanasia in Quebec

Wesley J. Smith reports that Quebec has created a new right – the right to be euthanized with the help of a medical professional. Positive rights such as this law create obligations on others. In this case, every institution that provides medical and nursing care in the province is required to find a medical person to administer aid in dying. It also requires medical organizations and institutions, and nursing homes to offer classes in how to do this, even if they are run by church organizations. "Aid in dying" is defined as part of end of life care.

The law does not require individuals to provide the service, but Smith correctly points out that it's only a matter of time since that has been the path of other issues of conscience. In the U.S., pharmacists cannot opt out of filling prescriptions for abortifacients because the courts have ruled it's a right to have prescriptions filled and opting out presents a burden on the patient. The burden on the pharmacist isn't relevant. The state of Massachusetts requires all children's service organizations to open adoptions to same-sex couples, so Christian organizations who handled a great deal of the social services in the state have had to close their doors rather than violate their consciences.

The same will no doubt be true for Christian hospitals and nursing homes, and eventually for medical professionals, in Quebec.

Smith writes more about the spread of euthanasia law and how easily it has slipped into abuse.

Generations of Medical Missionaries

Rev. Dr. John Scudder, Sr., founded the first Western Medical Mission in Asia in Ceylon in 1819. He also founded a family of medical missionaries whose combined service covers four generations, 42 members, and 1100 yeas of service, mostly in India.

Scudder, Sr., studied medicine at Princeton University and practiced in New York City, but then became convinced he could serve God best by practicing in Ceylon, and later India. He was especially effective at treating cholera and yellow fever. In 1836, he started a printing press in Madras, India, to print Bibles. He and his wife had six children; all of them became medical missionaries in India.

His son Henry Scudder was involved in translating the Bible, books, and tracts in Sanskrit, Tamil, and Telugu. He founded a dispensary and practiced medicine. After a stint as a pastor in the U.S., he worked in Japan for the last years of his life.

Another son Silas Scudder founded a hospital and dispensary in Ranipet, India, and had a large outdoor practice treating people. The hospital had such a high standard of care that the Madras government closed their own dispensary and encouraged people to go to the missionary hospital.

The third generation of Scudders include Ida Sophia Scudder, who didn't intend to become a missionary, but was moved by three women who died in childbirth. She opened a clinic for women at Vellore, and later founded a medical school for women, the Vellore Christian Medical College. She became so well known that a letter addressed "Dr. Ida, India" would be delivered to her. A commemorative stamp was issued in her honor in 2000.

Ida's brother Dr. John Scudder specialized in blood transfusion and worked with Dr. Charles Drew to sart a plasma transfusion project during World War 2.

Ida's sister Ethel Scudder and her husband became medical missionaries in Iraw, Kuwait, and Oman. Other family members followed in their footsteps.

Ida's niece Ida Belle Scudder took over her work at the hospital and school in Vellore, and founded the diagnostic radiology and radiotherapy departments there. She oversaw the transition of the school to be coeducational and its affiliation with the University of Madras. An essay contest in her honor continues to this day; the essays focus on her values of service.

Ida's other niece, Marilyn, was head of the eye department at a hospital in Mvuni, Tanzania.

You can read more about the Scudder family here.

Questions to Help You Study Well

If you regularly read this blog, you’re probably interested in ideas—learning them, examining them, explaining them, and passing them on. This worthy passion has its own particular dangers and pitfalls (such as forgetting the bigger picture of why we do what we do or losing sight of the purpose of all gifts and talents: the service of others to the glory of God).

The ever-interesting Fred Sanders of Scriptorium Daily has a post on Edward Bickersteth (1786-1850), who compiled some “Questions for Self-Examination” for students that are worth reading and considering:

What is my great design in giving myself to study, and what is my daily view and purpose in pursuing it?

Have I entirely given up myself to our Lord Jesus Christ to serve him unreservedly and supremely?

Do I every day seek direction and blessing from God in all my studies?

In labouring after knowledge in human sciences, do I always make the service of Christ my supreme design?

Do I pursue my studies daily as one that must give account of my time and of all my advantages?

How many hours have I this day spent in study, or for the pursuit of knowledge, allowing for the great maxim, that to pray well is to study well?

Do I pursue practical divinity as well as the knowledge of doctrines and controversies?

Am I solicitous that my soul may grow in grace by every increasing degree of Christian knowledge?

Do I choose my company by their seriousness, as well as by their ingenuity and learning?

Do I take constant care to avoid all company which may be dangerous to my morals or to my studies?

Have I been in any company where I have received good myself, or done good to others?

Have I indulged myself in anything so as to put my mind out of frame for evening worship?

Have I suffered any thing to carry away my heart from God, so as to make me neglect devotion, or perform it in a slight or careless manner?

Do I watch against all evil appetites and passions, and endeavour to subdue them early, that I may learn by my own experience, and teach others by my own example?

Am I ever seeking the spiritual good of all around me?

Read more.

Links Mentioned on the 6/10/14 Show

The following are links that were either mentioned on this week's show or inspired by it, as posted live on the @STRtweets Twitter feed:

Colleges and Evangelicals Collide on Bias Policy – New York Times
Judge tells woman to forgive her rapist (her husband) – Daily Mail
Does God Whisper Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (PDF) by Greg Koukl

Listen to today's show or download any archived show for free. (Find links from past shows here.)

To follow the Twitter conversation during the live show (Tuesdays 4:00–7:00 p.m. PT), use the hashtag #STRtalk.

What Are the Top Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection?

Greg shares the top three reasons to believe Jesus' resurrection took place.

A Warning from the Death of Christian Britain

Craig Hazen’s comments in Biola Magazine on a book by Callum G. Brown titled The Death of Christian Britain should serve as both a warning and an encouragement to us:

There is another part of Brown’s study that is truly provocative. And that is the speed at which he claims this massive shift took place that discarded the national Christian identity. Upon his analysis, and against traditional theories, Brown believes Christianity was lost in a single generation and maybe in as little as a 10- or 20-year time span. His data is quite convincing on the question of the velocity of change. It was a catastrophic and abrupt cultural revolution. Of course, he then tried to paint a picture of how such a thing could happen so rapidly and he offered up a number of factors with special focus on the “feminization of Christianity.” But in his analysis he seemed stymied in one area: How could a whole nation just seem to wake up one morning and simply not believe anymore?

Brown’s training as a social historian, with expertise in counting and measuring people and behaviors, did not serve him well in his attempt to answer the question. But for those of us who study the history of ideas, the question isn’t quite as baffling. Christian beliefs and practices did stop relatively abruptly. But something that was not part of Brown’s study was that the intellectual seeds of Christianity’s demise had been sown for decades prior to this abrupt drop off. And these ideas that seem to render Christianity untrue and irrelevant came to full flower between 1960 and 1975 — a period of time that Brown identifies as the crucial period of demise. Atheist, agnostic, skeptical and pluralistic professors at all the great British universities had been hammering on the faith for years before this — and there were very few defenders in their midst. Indeed, one reason C.S. Lewis was such a standout in Britain in his day is that he was so unusual. There were very, very few believers willing to make an intelligent public case for Christianity — and that is still the situation today.

The great lesson to be learned is one that was taught by Richard Weaver decades ago: that “ideas have consequences.” Once the British people thought there were no good reasons to believe or practice Christianity, they stopped.

The work you do to learn about, explain, and defend good and true ideas is important. Keep at it!

Brett Kunkle on Jesus' Claim to Be God

Here’s a clip of Brett speaking to students at Summit on “Is Christ the Only Way?” where he makes an argument for the deity of Jesus (he doesn’t cover the claim that Jesus was a legend in this section, but Melinda posted on that recently here and Greg wrote about it here):

 

The full video is available from Summit as part of the Summit Lecture Series (Volume 1), and Brett’s lecture on “Is Jesus the Only Way” is also part of his “Truth and the Real World” collection (created especially for students).

A Reverent Scientist

William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, helped lay the foundation for modern physics. He was also a mathematician, engineer, and inventor. His most significant work was developing the laws of thermodynamics with James Joule. He invented submarine telegraphy and worked on the project laying the trans-Atlantic telegraph line. He was the first scientist to be honored with a peerage and received 21 honorary degrees. His work "portended the relativity theory and quantum theory."

He did not believe evolution could explain the creation of man and the variety of life, which angered Darwin and Huxley. He believed God created, and his scientific inquiry led to greater worship for the Creator.

Some quotes from Lord Kelvin:

We feel that the power of investigating the laws established by the Creator for maintaining the harmony and permanence of His works is the noblest privilege which He has granted to our intellectual state....As the depth of our insight into the wonderful works of God increases, the stronger are our feelings of awe and veneration in contemplating them and in endeavoring to approach their Author ... So will he [the earnest student] by his studies and successive acquirements be led through nature up to nature's God.

Overpoweringly strong proofs of intelligent and benevolent design lie all around us and if ever perplexities, whether metaphysical or scientific, turn us away from them for a time, they come back upon us with irresistible force, showing to us our nature, the influence of free will, and teaching us that all living beings depend on one ever-acting Creator and Ruler.

We only know God in His works, but we are forced by science to admit and to believe with absolute confidence in a Directive Power – in an influence other than physical, or dynamical, or electrical forces.

He was President of Largs and Fairlie Auxiliary of the National Bible Society of Scotland from 1904-1907.

He is buried at Westminster Abbey near John Newton.

All You Need to Help People Rethink Abortion Is Clarity on These Three Questions

Scott Klusendorf spoke on “How to Make the Case for Life in a Post-Christian Culture” as part of Impact 360’s speaker series, and it’s a great video to watch and pass on to others. Here’s the encouragement Scott gives at the beginning:

When it comes to an issue like abortion or an issue like killing embryos for medical research, many of you feel that you’ve been dropped into an environment where you’re in way over your head, you’re outgunned, and you wonder if you have what it takes to be a faithful witness for Jesus Christ on a key human rights issue of our day….

I want to talk today about how we bring moral clarity on an issue like abortion when we’re in a culture that thinks truth can’t be known on it. And I want to focus our attention on three questions in particular. And my contention is that if you have clarity on these three questions, you will be equipped to engage on this issue.

You don’t need a Ph.D. in philosophy, you don’t need a master’s degree, you don’t even need a bachelor’s degree, I don’t even care if you have a high school degree. If you have clarity on these three questions, I’m convinced God can use you to start a conversation….

These are the three crucial questions Scott clarifies in the video:

1. What is the unborn?
2. What makes us valuable as human beings?
3. What’s our duty in all of this?

  

If you enjoyed this, I also recommend Jay Richards’s Impact 360 talk on “How to End Poverty in Ten Tough Steps.” All of the videos of their past speakers are available here.

Links Mentioned on the 6/03/14 Show

The following are links that were either mentioned on this week's show or inspired by it, as posted live on the @STRtweets Twitter feed:

The European Leadership Forum
Strive for Clarity by Amy Hall
God, Evolution, and Morality, Part 1 (PDF) by Greg Koukl
Plantinga Reviews Mind and Cosmos by Amy Hall (Summarizes Thomas Nagel's book Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False)
J.P. Moreland on Supervenient Physicalism by Victor Reppert
The Mass Delusion of Transgenderism by Justin Taylor
What Dawkins Really Thinks by Amy Hall (Includes Dawkins's quote mentioned by Greg)
Christianity: Bolted to Reality by Greg Koukl
Does God Whisper Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (PDF) by Greg Koukl
Is Mormonism Just Another Christian Denomination? (PDF) by Greg Koukl

Listen to today's show or download any archived show for free. (Find links from past shows here.)

To follow the Twitter conversation during the live show (Tuesdays 4:00–7:00 p.m. PT), use the hashtag #STRtalk.