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Showing posts from January, 2021

The Biblical Basis for Christian Creativity

In his scathing indictment of an unrighteous world system in Romans chapter one, the Apostle Paul provides a list of twenty-three evil practices of those who refuse to worship God.   As believers we read that list and remind ourselves that our conduct should be the opposite of the unrighteous. They are “haters of God,” we should be lovers of God. They are “untrustworthy,” we should be trustworthy. When others display an “unmerciful” spirit, we should be merciful. In the middle of that list we see the phrase “inventors of evil things” (Romans 1:30). In contrast to those who use the God-given gift of intelligence to invent that which dishonors Him, we as believers should direct our minds toward becoming “inventors of good things.” That is the purpose of Christian Creativity. Do you believe that evil, Satanic music exists in our world? Invent music which honors God. Is your anger aroused concerning sites on the Internet which promote evil in the form of pornography?   Invent sites w

Dangers of Creative Lying

  As a long-time communications professor I have often tried to impress my students with the importance of checking their sources. The source you choose to quote can be valuable, but it can also be dangerous. Though it has always been true, the present    era demonstrates clearly how pre-conceptions definitely color the way news gets reported. We must also be aware of sources which are self-serving. A story from history illustrates the danger of creative lying. According to Richard Shenkman and Kurt Reiger in “One-Night Stands With American History” (Quill, 1982) the Boxer Rebellion in China originated with a fake news story fabricated by four Denver journalists. They met on a slack news day and made up a story about a party of engineers who stopped in Denver on their way to China. The purpose of their trip to China involved a negotiation with the Chinese government to demolish the Great Wall of China. The reporters shared their “scoop” with the four Denver papers they represente