Why I D/Won't Own Apple Products

The Apple Store has again refused an app promoting the Manhattan Declaration, a statement of Christian faith, because it is allegedly 'likely to expose a group to harm.' The supposed harm comes from the "anti-gay, anti-choice" language in the declaration, defending the Biblical positions that homosexuality and abortion are sin. According to the Apple Store, my Christian faith is harmful to others. The folks at the Manhattan Declaration summed it up, saying, "it is difficult to see how this is anything other than a statement of animus by a major American corporation against the beliefs of millions of Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox citizens."

So, even though I am looking forward to one day owning a handy little pad/tablet device, there is yet another reason not to purchase an iPad or any other Apple product. Heck, I don't even have iTunes or QuickTime on my computers.

There are some levels of politically correct insanity I can deal with (and have to if I want to buy almost anything these days), but when a company decides that a basic statement of Christian beliefs is "likely to expose a group to harm," I have no use for that company or its products.

Happy New Year!

It's CHRISTmas!

The second best holiday of the year has arrived! In the next days, we celebrate the Incarnation, that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His Glory, the Glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). The eternal Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, uncreated deity, fully God, stepped into time, taking on a human nature in addition to His divine nature. The almighty Son became a helpless baby, needing His mother to care for His every need and requiring protection from His step-father. For the first time, He was cold, felt pain, and identified with our weakness. He did not cease to be God, but instead "emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant" (Philippians 2:7), choosing not to exercise His abilities of God, but to live as one of us, depending on the Father and Spirit for strength and wisdom.

The Incarnation is a magnificent demonstration of the love, power, and wisdom of God. It was the necessary prerequisite for our salvation at the cross. It enabled Him to fulfill the promise to David that one of his descendants would sit on the throne of Israel forever and to be the Servant promised in Isaiah. It prepared the Lord Jesus Christ to be our High Priest, ever interceding for us to the Father and bridging the gap between us and Him.

In the midst of the gifts, the time with family and the wonderful food, take time to reflect on the Miracle of CHRISTmas, the Incarnation. Share it with your children and rejoice with the world that God has come near, Immanuel, God With Us.