Praying for Haiti

In light of the recent earthquakes in Haiti, I interviewed Christine Elsas, a student at Colorado Christian University who has served as a missionary to an orphanage in Haiti. When asked how we could be praying for Haiti in the aftermath of this disaster, she stated that a lot of people are asking the question, “How could this happen?” She feels that the earthquakes are already an answer to prayer.

Success in Haiti, says Christine, is different than success in the United States. Americans envision wealth, skyscrapers, and materialistic things, but the Haitians don’t need money, necessarily. They are run by corrupt leaders, and they need to be educated about proper nutrition. Christine also says that although the demographic reports say that people in Haiti are 80% Catholic, this is actually a Catholicism mixed with voodoo (a religion that is based on witchcraft).

Christine says that sometimes God does drastic things in order to get the attention of those who have strayed from Him. She says that the Haitians need a heart change that can only come from the Lord, because their entire mindset is ingrained in voodoo. She wants people to pray that missionaries would be sent who are willing to give the Haitians what they need and who will help in the Lord with love. She wants us to pray that God will open the heart of our nation to Haiti, because “the workers are few.” She also says that Haiti needs humble missionaries who do not have preconceived notions about what the Haitians need.

Christine says that God works in brokenness, and she hopes that the Haitians will be more open to Jesus after this disaster.

A recent news report from CBN by senior reporter George Thomas indicates that Christine’s hope is becoming reality. After telling the story of an 83-year-old Haitian woman who has been a voodoo priestess since she was 14, Thomas says that “the earthquake brought serious doubts about her religious practices,” and that she has made the decision to turn away from voodoo. She now regularly attends a Christian worship service. Pastor Camille, the one who took care of her after the earthquake struck, states, “‘So many people are accepting Christ…. Almost every day, right after the meetings some walk forward to proclaim their new faith.’”[1] So, we can see that this earthquake is not merely a horrendous disaster; it is a horrendous disaster that God, in His sovereignty, is using to bring newly humbled hearts into a loving relationship with Him.

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[1]“Turmoil in Haiti Turns Woman from Voodoo” <http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/January/Turmoil-in-Haiti-Turns-Woman-from-Voodoo/>

God and Money Problems

Only For the Poor?
Why are there so many people in the midst of money problems today? Is it really because of high living expenses and the gap between the “haves and the have-nots” driving people to live outside of their means?

Many people seek financial counseling for answers, and some who take that route do find solutions which help them begin to live within their means. It is also true that financial problems are not entirely confined to those without what is deemed as adequate financial resources — for many with larger incomes also find themselves in the same boat of living from paycheck to paycheck.

Stewardship
Correcting money problems is a matter of being a good steward of the resources we have and allocating those resources in a manner that brings benefit rather than burden. This is a learned skill and begins with the choice to be the master of money rather than allowing money to master us.

Therefore, in order to correct money problems we must change the way we view and use the money we already have through self-discipline. How do we find the self-discipline it takes to correct our money troubles?

Every freedom we have comes with responsibility, and income is no different. How we use what we are given determines our contentment with what we have, for money does not bring happiness nor contentment. So if we seek to satisfy the desires of our hearts with things then we will always need bigger and better things to satiate us.

Biblical View
“The biblical view of money is that we use it for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Rather than seeking to gain more and more of what the world has to offer we need to seek after the things of God, and He in turn will supply all of our need.

Christianity vs. Science

Christianity vs. Science
Secularists claim that the God hypothesis does nothing other than put an end to scientific inquiry. They assume that God is only used to fill in the answers to the questions that scientific knowledge hasn’t yet discovered. However, I would contend that such a God of the gaps mentality is not a legitimate use of the God hypothesis. Rather, the biblical God has very explicit attributes that may be explainable scientifically. Certain events documented historically in the Bible may be subjected to scientific evaluation. However, scientific materialism places detour signs that block potentially open roads of scientific inquiry into these arenas.

An End to All Religions?
Since so many religions have proven themselves detrimental to society, can one assume that none of them have any merit? We agree that not all religions are true, but this doesn’t prove the falsity of every religion. It is possible that one religion is actually true. May I suggest that the reason Christianity represents the dominant faith in America today is because so many Americans have already put other religions (and atheism) to the test and found them wanting? Orthodox, evangelical Christianity has found support from soft sciences like archaeology, history, and philosophy. Christianity should be put to the test in the hard sciences as well.

Separation of Church and State

The Controversy Today
While the Supreme Court’s current position on the separation of church and state protects those of minority faiths or no faith, it often leaves those of majority faiths feeling that their free exercise of religion is being infringed. It is also deeply troubling to those who believe that faith is necessary, or at least conducive, to moral and lawful living. The Court’s position has also become increasingly controversial as the role of government has expanded through the years. Because the government is involved in many aspects of community life today, from maintaining the public school system to administering many social benefits, preserving a strict wall between state and any religious idea pushes religion to the margins of public life. Many Americans believe this is a result the Country’s founding fathers never intended.

Separation of Church and State – Differing Interpretations
There are two main schools of thought as to how the courts should interpret the minimal references to religion in the Constitution and apply them today.

• Original Understanding or Intent – Some Americans believe the courts should make every attempt to discern what the original drafters of the Constitution and First Amendment intended at the time of drafting and apply this intent to today’s circumstances. They argue that this is the law of the land enacted by the people through legal procedure and can be altered only by Constitutional amendment. This view tends to favor a greater level of government accommodation toward religion since it is undisputed that government at the time the Constitution and First Amendment were adopted both recognized and respected religious belief and made many allowances for the religious nature of Americans, including public prayer and Bible reading.
• Moral Understanding or Intent – Others argue that the Constitution reflects certain principles of general morality which courts must translate as best as possible into current reality, adapting as necessary.

Popular Issues

Are you up-to-date on the latest news releases? What’s hot and what’s not? Discover the true importance behind the popular issues of today here at College Souls.

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