Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 108, Ed. 1 Friday, November 18, 2016 Page: 8 of 21
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Denton Record-Chronicle and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries.
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RELIGION
9A
Denton Record-Chronicle
Friday, November 18, 2016
Psalm opens Pandora’s box of questions
Dear Thoughtful Pastor:
Can you help me with the theo-
logical underpinnings of this?
Do religious folks who object to
abortion believe that unborn
children are without sin?
I thought Christians believed
that all humans are conceived
and bom into sin. If not, why
baptize infants?
The Thoughtful Pastor:
Wow! That’s a question I have
not thought about before. And
one worth asking.
The idea that all humans are
bom irredeemably marked by
sin comes from Psalm 51:5, “In-
deed, I was bom guilty, a sinner
when my mother conceived me.”
This is part of a great song of sor-
row and repentance written by
David, king of Israel, after his af-
fair with Bathsheba and his sub-
sequent murder of Uriah, Bath-
sheba’s husband.
David arranged for the mur-
der so that he could bring the
then-pregnant Bathsheba into
the royal household as one of his
wives. His heart broke when he
faced what he had done.
This particular and exqui-
baptize infants. In those tradi-
tions, it is done so to mark their
membership in the household of
God.
ception destined for eternal
punishment? That’s a pretty re-
pugnant idea to most people.
As you can see, there are
some real problems here, no
matter which side your religious
tradition lands on.
In the end, I don’t think those
who oppose abortion have the
sinfulness or the non-sinfulness
of the unborn in mind.
Nonetheless, it is good to
think about.
Assuming life begins at con-
ception, that is, the embodiment
of an eternal soul takes place
within even the first cell division
of the fertilized egg, then I sus-
pect we all hope for the mercy of
God to take pity on the inno-
cents.
Other traditions will not bap-
tize until something generally
called the “age of accountability”
has been reached.
Somewhere between early
childhood and late teens, de-
pending on the particular
branch of Christianity, a person
is expected to gain awareness of
their sin nature and their total
inability to live righteously. At
this point, they declare faith in
Jesus and receive a baptism of
repentance, thus marking their
actual entrance into Christiani-
The unborn are innocent,
but in some Christian theologi-
cal worlds, they are also consid-
ered totally depraved; that is, the
sin nature is inherent in their be-
ings.
A
As the liturgy says, “Through
the Sacrament of Baptism we
are initiated into Christ’s holy
Church. We are incorporated in-
to God’s mighty acts of salvation
and given new birth through
water and the Spirit. All this is
God’s gift, offered to us without
There is no possibility of
hope for goodness or eternity
with God until and unless God
«f
chooses them. They may be in-
nocent but will inevitably act out
their innate depravity.
Assuming that life does begin
at conception, we now have to
ask: “Does God send aborted fe-
tuses marked with that indelible
sin nature to hell without some
sort of human intervention,
such as a non-viable fetus bap-
tism?”
The Rev. Christy
Thomas
THE THOUGHTFUL PASTOR
price.
When an infant is baptized,
the child’s parents and sponsors
make promises on the child’s be-
half. The larger church commu-
nity also pledges to surround the
child and help rear them in the
faith.
sitely beautiful psalm offers an
honest acknowledgment of
wrongdoing, a pleading for mer-
cy and the hope of restoration.
With its beauty, it also
opened a Pandora’s box of ques-
tions about the sinfulness of sex,
the eternal fate of infants and
the unborn.
The verse can be translated,
“In sin my mother conceived
me,” leading some theologians,
the influential Augustine among
them, to declare that the very act
of sexual intercourse is by its na-
ture sinful.
As I said, Pandora’s box.
But to get to the question, on-
ly some Christian traditions
ty
So, some traditions say,
“there is no danger of hellfire un-
til the child has reached the age
of accountability” whenever that
might be. Other traditions say,
“Let us baptize as early as pos-
sible to mark that child as a
member of the household of
God.”
When the children grow old-
er, usually somewhere in the
teen years, they are expected to
confirm the decision made by
their parents and guardians by a
public acknowledgment of their
own willingness to step more
fully into the life of faith.
The baptism itself is not seen
as a saving act, but as a way to
acknowledge God’s loving and
merciful gift of redemption to
humankind.
How about another Pando-
ra’s box here? At least 20 percent
of all pregnancies, and probably
many more, end in miscarriage,
i.e., the death and expulsion of
the fetus from the womb.
Many pregnancies are natu-
rally terminated even before the
woman knows she is pregnant.
She may not even know that her
womb is expelling an unviable
fetus.
The alternative is just too
horrific to contemplate.
Email questions to the Rea.
Christy Thomas to thoughtfiil-
pastor@gmail.com, ‘tike” her
Facebook page at Christy
Thomas or message her on
Twitter at @christythomas, or
by mail to: The Thoughtful
Pastor, 314 E. Hickory St.,
Denton, TX 76201.
Both traditions want to show
mercy as both recognize the es-
sential innocence of infants.
Now, in the midst of these
muddy waters, let us turn to
abortion and your question: Are
unborn children without sin?
Again, think “innocence” here.
Are those products of con-
Changes to no-mask law dropped after Muslim
backlash
rector of the Georgia Muslim
Voter Project, said the lawmak-
er’s proposal came at a frighten-
ing time considering “the rheto-
ric we saw during the election
season.”
Known as the “Anti-Mask
Act,” the original law was ap-
proved 65 years ago when
masked Klansmen used threats
and violence to intimidate
blacks and other minority
groups in Georgia. Supporters of
the law argued masked hoods al-
lowed Klan members to terror-
ize in anonymity. Victims of
Klan violence could rarely iden-
tify their attackers.
That law has never been used
to stop people from covering
their heads or faces for religious
reasons.
email to The Associated Press.
“While this bill does not con-
tain language that specifically
targets any group, I am mindful
of the perception that it has cre-
ated,” Spencer’s statement said.
“My objective was to address
radical elements that could pose
a threat to public safety.”
One thing neither side men-
tioned amid the controversy:
Georgia’s highest court has nar-
rowly interpreted the 1951 law to
apply only when one wears a
mask to intimidate others.
Spencer’s bill made no men-
tion of Islam or religious gar-
ments, but it clearly took aim at
women. Although the existing
law states that a person commits
a misdemeanor “when he wears
a mask” or other face-hiding
garment on public property,
Spencer’s version would amend
it to read “he or she.”
The proposal also would
have banned people from wear-
ing anything that conceals their
faces in photographs used for
Georgia driver’s licenses and
other official state IDs — some-
thing the Georgia Department
of Driver Services already pro-
hibits.
By Russ Bynum
Associated Press
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Advo-
cates accused a Georgia law-
maker of targeting Muslim
women with proposed changes
to a 1951 state law passed to un-
masked the Ku Klux Klan, creat-
ing a backlash that prompted
the Republican legislator to
quickly discard the idea.
State Rep. Jason Spencer
came under fire from the Amer-
ican Civil Liberties Union and
Muslim advocacy groups who
called his proposal a veiled at-
tempt to ban Muslim women
from wearing scarves and other
religious headgear that covers
their faces in public — just as the
law has prohibited Klan mem-
bers from wearing masks during
It [bill] is a naked and despicable attempt
to exploit the current wave of anti-Muslim
sentiment by targeting Muslim women.
— Heather Weaver, an attorney for the American Civil
Liberties Union
u
n
rallies and marches on public
property.
“It is a naked and despicable
attempt to exploit the current
wave of anti-Muslim sentiment
by targeting Muslim women,”
Heather Weaver, an attorney for
the American Civil Liberties
Union in Washington, said
Thursday.
Spencer said the bill he intro-
duced for next year’s session of
the Georgia Legislature would
simply be “adding clarity” to a
law passed decades ago to safe-
guard against what he called
“threats from masked terrorists.”
And he insisted he wasn’t target-
ing any specific group.
But by Thursday evening
Spencer announced in a state-
ment posted on the Georgia
House website that he was with-
drawing his proposal “due to the
visceral reaction it has created.”
He confirmed the decision in an
“It makes it clear the law is
targeted at people of faith, espe-
cially women who wear face
veils,” said Edward Ahmed
Mitchell, executive director of
the Georgia chapter of the
Council of American-Islamic
Relations. “This is a slap in the
face of Georgia Muslims.”
Aisha Yaqoob, executive di-
( CHURCH DIRECTORY )
BRIEFLY
IN RELIGION
ments through the Santa Loves
Seniors project.
More than half of the resi-
dents of Heritage Oaks qualify
for Section 8 Housing vouchers
because of their low to moderate
incomes.
Individuals, businesses, or-
ganizations and churches are in-
vited to donate small toiletries,
lap blankets, individually pack-
aged drink mixes such as coffee,
tea and cocoa, traction socks,
hard candies, hand wipes, tis-
sues, crossword puzzles and
large-print playing cards.
Donations for the project can
be dropped off from Dec. 2-9 at
the Interfaith office, 1109 N. Elm
Interfaith group seeks
donations for seniors
CHRISTIAN CHURCH
DISCIPLES OF CHRIST
ASSEMBLY OF GOD
BAPTIST
METHODIST
Interfaith Ministries of Den-
ton will see to it that up to 120
Denton senior citizens get
Christmas care packages.
The local nonprofit invites
Denton residents to donate
items to put in the care packag-
es, which will be given to resi-
dents at Heritage Oaks Apart-
ST. EMMANUEL MISSIONARY
BAPTIST CHURCH
509 Lakey St.
George Garnett, III, Pastor
[Lifeline
Church
fT§mc
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
(Disciples of Christ)
Inviting all to worship,
fellowship and serve.
Rev. Jack Mullins, Minister
1203 N. Fulton Street
(Just South of Hwy. 380)
(940) 566-4990
www.fccdenton.org
SUNDAY
St.
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
201 S. Locust
SUNDAY:
940-382-5478
www.fumc-denton.com
For more information, call
Allye Potter at 940-566-5927 or
send an email to allye@iftnden-
ton.org.
Sunday School .
Church Training.
Morning Worship
...9:00 a.m.
...9:45 a.m.
.10:45 a.m.
2800 Pennsylvania Drive
Denton, TX 76205
940-465-1685
Don Lee, Lead Pastor
TUESDAY:
......7:00 p.m. (eft 5/10/16)
WEDNESDAY:
Bible Study..7:00 p.m. (through 5/04/16)
Youth Ministry
Adult Choir....
Bible Study.
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
Celebration Worship.......
Contemporaroy Worship
3rd Day Family Service,
third Sunday of each month...11:15 a.m
5:30 p.m
Sunday School .
Sunday Worship
(Handicapped Accessible.
Nursery Provided)
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday Night Live
Youth Groups..............
...9:30 a.m.
.10:50 a.m.
.8:30 & 11 a.m.
www.lifelinechurch.net
.9:45 a.m.
7:00 p.m
8:30 p.m
Jerry Reagan, Pastor
— Staff report
Transportation Available
Call (940) 383-1823
Youth Fellowship
.6:00 p.m.
.7:00 p.m.
Sunday
10:30am
Nursery and Children’s Church
available
Our mission: To make disciples of
Jesus Christ for the transformation
of the world.
TOWNE NORTH BAPTIST CHURCH
Pastor, Ken Gray
526 Hercules Lane
Denton, TX 76209
(940) 565-9218
Sunday Services:
Bible Study for all ages............
Worship Services
10:30 a.m. & 6:00 p.m
Wednesday Evening Services
RA's & GA's......
Youth Activities...
Adult Bible Study
CHURCH OF CHRIST
Wednesday
LifeGroups for adults, youth
and kids
7:00pm
EVENTS
Televised Live each Sunday, 11 a.m.
on Cable Channels
25 & 39
NORTHPOINT CHURCH OF CHRIST
Philip Smith, Preacher
4224 N. I-35 - 940.220.9931
Greenway Plaza - Past Cracker Barrel
www.northpointcoc.com
northpointcoc@hotmail.com
Sun. Morning.
Sun. Evening.
Wed. Evening
9:30 a.m
MT. PILGRIM CHRISTIAN
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
339 Robertson Street
Denton, Texas 76205
BAPTIST
FRIDAY
cle course at its arena, 5926 FM455 in
Sanger. Books open at 9 a.m.
Visit www.ridinforthebrand.org or call
940-458-3076 for more information
about the event.
United Methodist Church, 201S. Locust
St. Patrons get a brunch meal and a
gospel concert. $25 for adults, $5 for
children under 12. To order tickets, or
learn about sponsorship opportunities,
email Carol Rogers at crog-
ersl903@gmail.com.
9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
......................1:00 p.m
......................7:00 p.m
7 p.m. — OUTreach Denton presents
a screening of From This Day Forward
at Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellow-
ship, Ull Cordell St., for Transgender
Awareness Month.
Director Sharon Shattuck’s documenta-
ry looks at how her family coped when
her father transitioned to female. Free;
donations accepted. Email
outreachdenton@gmail.com.
,6:30p.m
7:00 p.m
7:00 p.m
JJSsJDenton
Keaton R. Fuller, Pastor
SHERMAN DRIVE
CHURCH OF CHRIST
Preacher Weylan Deaver
SUNDAY
(940) 387-5452
1100 Malone Street • 940.382.2577
FirstDenton.org
BIBLE CHURCH
SUNDAY:
Sunday School.
Worship Service
..9:00 a.m.
.10:30 a.m.
SATURDAY, DEC. 3
Sundays
Worship
Classes.
Worship.
Worship.
...9:00 a.m.
.10:00 a.m.
...5:00 p.m.
DENTON BIBLE CHURCH
2300 East University Drive
Denton, TX 76209 (940) 297-6700
Senior Pastor: Tommy Nelson
SUNDAY:
Worship & Sunday School......9:00 AM
Worship & Sunday School ...,11:00 AM
Sign Interpretation -11:00 AM service
Evening Worship at 6:00 PM
Childcare (4-42 mo)
Awana Available.....
WEBSITE: www.dentonbible.org
Or call for any particular
information needed.
9:30 & 11:00 a.m
LIFE Groups......8:15, 9:30 & 11:00 a.m
6 p.m. — Ridin’ for the Brand Cow-
boy Church’s Christmas Ball, with
meal, music and dessert at the arena at
WEDNESDAY:
Prayer Meeting.
Bible Study.......
To tell us about your event or meet-
ing, visit DentonRC.com and click on
“Let Us Know” for our online forms;
email to drc@dentonrc.com; fax to
940-566-6888; or mail to Religion
Calendar, Denton Record-Chronicle,
314 £ Hickory St., Denton, TX 7620L
.6:00 p.m.
..6:30 p.m
TUESDAY
Wednesdays:
Dinner...........
Bible Study...
Awana..........
Ladies’ Class.
.10:00 a.m.
.5:00 p.m.
.6:00 p.m.
.6:00 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
5926 FM455 in Sanger.
Classes.
.7:00 p.m.
phone: 940-387-3531
PRESBYTERIAN
SATURDAY, DEC. 10
SATURDAY
email:
office @ shermandrivechurchofchrist.org
www.shermandrivechurchofchrist.org
2321 E. Sherman Dr.
Denton, TX 76209
5:30 PM
5:30 PM
10 a.m. to noon — Fred Moore Day
Nursery School’s Gospel Brunch in
the Monroe Fellowship Building at First
^^SGUTHMONT
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
1114 W. University, Denton, TX 76201
(940) 387-3894
Website: www.fpcdenton.org
10 a.m. — Ridin’ for the Brand
Cowboy Church hosts a horse obsta-
2801 Pennsylvania Dr.
940-566-3313
www.southmont.org
Rev. Debbie H. Spangler Preaching
Sunday School...9:30a.m.
Sunday Worship Services... 11:00a.m.
Wednesday Evening Prayer
Meeting.....7:00p.m.
EPISCOPAL
CATHOLIC
Brought to you by
We derive atheism from the Greek word, theos (god) and a
prefixed a (the Greek letter, alpha), which has the force of
negation. Atheism is thus the negation of the existence of God.
Dr. Anthony G.N. Flew (1923-2010) was for many years the
renowned champion of atheism. When he debated Dr. Thomas
B. Warren on the existence of God (Denton, TX, 1976, Univer-
sity of North Texas), he affirmed, “I know that God does not
exist.” He obviously believed he had reason on his side. How-
ever, Dr. Warren demonstrated that atheism does not have a
monopoly on logic and rationality, but rather represents a de-
nial of and retreat from logic and reason.
Contrary to atheistic assertions, genuine Christian faith is in
no wise “blind.” The Bible addresses itself to the mind and de-
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
ST. BARNABAS
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
1200 North Elm - (940)382-2748
The Rev. Donald K. Johnson, Rector
The Rev. Canon Jimmye E. Kimmey,
Priest Associate
Bible Study.........
Worship Service.
...9:15 a.m.
.10:45 a.m.
\\«Pos
ST. MARK CATHOLIC CHURCH
DENTON
Join Us At Our New Address
6500 Crawford Road
Argyle, TX 76226
NURSERY AVAILABLE
WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE
Dinner...............
Bible Study.........
Youth.................
Children’s Choir.
Adult choir..........
.5:30 p.m
.6:30 p.m.
..6:30 p.m
..6:30p.m.
..7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
.......Holy Eucharist, Rite I
..............Adult Bible Class
.......Sunday School,.Jr. &
Sr. High
940-387-6223
Fax: 940-464-7808
E-mail: jgodfrey@stmarkdenton.org
www.stmarkdenton.org
Fr. George, Pastor
Weekday Mass Schedule
8:30 a.m..
10:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Cl
$3j
A
SATURDAY
*
11:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
.Sung Eucharist, Rite II
...........Sunday School,
Preschool to 5th grade and Nursery
S’
tr
1st Saturday of each month
Worship Service
6:00 p.m
Q Of 5
Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri 7:30 am
Wed 12pm
TUESDAY
Saturday
Vigil Mass - 5:00pm
Spanish Mass - 7:00pm
Sunday
Mass-7:00, 9:00 & 11:30am
Life Teen Mass - 4:00pm
Adoration
Mon, Tues ,and Wed 8:00am-8:00pm
Fri 8::00 &-11:30AM
Reconciliation
Sat 3:00-4:00pm
.Morning Prayer
.. Holy Eucharist
8:30a.m..
9:30 a.m.
£ri aN ^
IS ATHEISM REASONABLE?
mands the proper use thereof. God urges us to reason about His
All forms of atheism (e.g., antitheism, Word; “Come now and let us reason together...” (Isa. 1:18).
Jesus always used flawless logic in His running debates with
the religious leaders of His time. The “first and great com-
mandment” includes loving God with “all thy mind,” rather
ents all dupes of “blind faith.” They aver than abandoning reason (Mat. 22:37-38). Instead of ignoring
that believers in God, the Bible, and Je- or denying evidence, genuine believers rely upon it: “Prove all
sus as God’s Son, are such not because things; hold fast that which is good” (1 The. 5:21).
of any evidence, but in spite of it. They
believe merely because they want to
believe. Atheists ridicule them as “pie-
in-the-sky-by-and-by” simpletons.
GATEWAY
V I CHURCH Ot ESN TO*
WEDNESDAY
www.saint-andrew.com
.Evening Prayer
. Holy Eucharist
6:00 p.m
6:20 p.m.
Gateway United Baptist Church
BELL AVENUE CHURCH
2401 N. Bell Avenue
Denton, TX 76209
(940) 382-9367
Pastor - Charles C. "Buddy" Owens
SUNDAY SERVICES
Morning Worship ..8:30 a.m., 10:55 a.m
9:45 a.m
6:00 p.m
naturalism, humanism, evolutionism,
Sunday School.
Worship Service.
..9:30am
,10:30am
materialism) allege that Christianity is
unreasonable and irrational—its adher-
THURSDAY
.Morning Prayer
8:30 a.m.
300 W. Oak Street, Denton TX 76201
940.387.3897
SATURDAY
.Morning Prayer
8:30 a.m.
CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Sunday School..
Evening Worship
WEDNESDAY ACTIVITIES
Morning Bible Study......
Children/Youth Activities
Prayer/Bible Study.........
SENIOR ADULT ACTIVITIES
I.Q. Breakfast (1st Tuesday) ...8:30 a.m
JOY Lunch (3rd Thursday)... 11:30 a.m.
Senior Pastor: Richard B. Culp
LUTHERAN
DENTON CHRISTIAN CHURCH
3130 North Elm 382-4115
Denton, TX 76201
Associate Pastor: Lisa Patterson
Is it reasonable to assert that even paper clips “just happen”
without designer or manufacturer? How much less “reason-
able” then are those who assert that our bodies, the earth, and
the universe “just happened” from a cosmic “accident.” Even
Contrariwise, atheism portrays itself the words, intelligent design, provoke irrational ire in atheists,
as the only path of rationality and rea- Lacking evidence for their negation, theirs, is the “blind faith.”
son (evincing the exclusiveness and in- The hubris and condescension of atheism are astonishing,
tolerance of which they accuse believ-
10:00 a.m
. 7:00 p.m.
..7:00 p.m
Sfpaul
Bible School
..9:30 a.m
10:30 a.m.
..7:00 p.m
List Your
Church
In This
Directory.
Morning Worship
Midweek Study..
Tom Marsh. Minister
l.uLherlrti Churtth
LCMS
HIGHLAND BAPTIST CHURCH
600 Thomas Street
Brandon McCarroll. Pastor
387-1745
Directory Advertisers
Receive A
Free Ad
On The
Devotional Page.
703 North Elm
940-387-1575
Christian Learning Center
940-387-6651
Website: www.splcdenton.org
E-mail: office@splcdenton.org
Pastor: Russell W. Tieken
Youth Minister: Ron DuPree
SUNDAY:
Bible Study..........
Morning Worship.
Sanctuary Choir..
Evening Worship
WEDNESDAY:
Wednesday Bible Study 6:30 p.m.
For the record, Dr. Flew renounced his atheism in 2004—
ers). The atheistic group, “The Coalition when he came to reason correctly concerning the evidence,
of Reason,” implies in its name that the-
ists are irrational. Is denial of an eternal
...9:30 a.m.
.10:45 a.m.
...5:00 p.m.
...6:00 p.m.
$15 Per Week
4224 North 1-35, Greenway Plaza, Denton, TX 76207
For free Bible study by mail, call 940.220.9931
or email northpointcoc@hotmail.com
Visit our Website at www.northpointcoc.com
Call Shelly
940-566-6807
supreme, Being’s existence reasonable
(i.e., is said denial the correct conclu-
sion on the basis of available evidence)?
www.highlanddenton.org
email:
highlanddenton@highlanddenton.org
Sunday Worship.....8:15 and 10:45 a.m
Sunday School
9:30 a.m
Nursery Provided
KK
KR
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Parks, Scott K. Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 108, Ed. 1 Friday, November 18, 2016, newspaper, November 18, 2016; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1127271/m1/8/?q=%22~1%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .