The Cornerstone

Shocking!

That’s all one can say about what newly inaugurated Governor Robert Bentley said in a church.

“Anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I’m telling you, you’re not my brother and you’re not my sister, and I want to be your brother,…”

Governor Bentley was speaking at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Church after the official inaugural ceremony.  Bentley told the crowd (in the church) that he considered anyone who believed in Jesus to be his brothers and sisters regardless of color, but anyone who isn’t a Christian doesn’t have that same relationship to him.

Simply Shocking!

Bill Nigut, the Anti-Defamation League’s regional director said, “His comments are not only offensive, but also raise serious questions as to whether non-Christians can expect to receive equal treatment during his tenure as governor,”  …  “It is shocking that Governor Bentley would suggest that non-Christians are not worthy of the same love and respect he professes to have for the Christian community,” … .

Dr. Gill Mckee, another Baptist pastor added some personal context:   “He was in a church, in the presence of many Christians, his spiritual brothers and sisters,” …”What is so ironic is that his strong Christian faith is what causes him to love other people, no matter who they are, black, white, rich, poor, Christian or not,” McKee said Tuesday. “I know the heart of the man: Robert Bentley loves other people.

“Anyone who raises questions like that (favoritism) about him doesn’t know him,” McKee said. “As the committed Christian I know him to be, one of his priorities is to love his neighbors – and that has nothing to do with whether the neighbor is Christian or not.”

The Rev. Dr. David Freeman, senior pastor of Huntsville’s Weatherly Heights Baptist Church commented:

“Gov. Bentley was using ‘insider’ language,” Freeman said. “People in his church knew exactly what he meant. I grew up with that language, so I understand it, too. However, I now believe that that language points to one of the great failures of fundamentalist Christian theology.    …  “The greatest Christian theology entreats us to see all human beings as our sisters and brothers. That is a gift {to} the world’s faiths.”

Amen!  Preach it!  All religions and worldviews are ultimately the same!  How dare a politician imply anything otherwise  – especially in a sacred place like a church that Martin Luther King preached in!  Let justice, no, “Sameness” roll on!

Or, … maybe not.  I wonder how Jesus would define brothers and sisters?

Matt 12:46-50 “While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”  He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

That is even more shocking than Governor Bentley!

Matthew 10:32-39  “Whoever acknowledges me before others,  I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to turn   ‘a man against his father,   a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

OMG! Now that is really shocking!  Oh, how shocking My God and Savior really is.  Good thing Jesus didn’t say that in a church with reporters present.  They might have tried to kill him or something.  Governor Bentley needs to learn to be more careful or he will end up becoming more like Jesus.  Let that be a warning to all of us.

The site is undergoing some minor construction. We should have all up to date soon…

One of our goals as a ministry is to offer resources to help people think through various issues. Because of this, we stock about 1,000 titles on a wide range of topics, and we often have books that represent different viewpoints within each topic. Some issues are clearer than others – some have solid answers while others are more elusive – in either case, we encourage people to look for truth and see how Jesus Christ is relevant to the issue.

In order to make these resources available, on topics like systematic theology, health care reform, intelligent design, the slave trade, and journalism, we offer all books (of a value greater than $4) at a 20% discount. If you are looking for a book that we do not have in stock, in most cases, we are able to apply the discount to special orders. Large orders of a single title may be eligible for a greater discount.

We are a ministry first and a bookstore second; the small profit that is made from sales we use to pay for books that we give away! It is our desire to be able to offer good resources and make them affordable for people.

Make sure you take advantage of this opportunity to work through issues and questions that you have. College is a great time to reflect upon the beliefs that you have and the reasoning that underlies them. It is also a great time to explore topics that interest you and that you can become more involved in. Not to mention, reading or giving away books can be a great way to enter into conversations with other people in an informed way.

The first week of the semester has already passed and there is still much to do. Over the summer we have planned, worked, and organized, but, nevertheless, in order to get everything done we need a small army. This is where you come in. Since there are so many opportunities, no matter what your gifts or interests are, there is something for you to do. Not only will you be helping us check off our lists, but you will be blessing other people. This is also a great opportunity for you to practice your gifts and skills. Here is a partial list of things that we need help with. If anything interests you, please contact us.

• Graphic design: creating posters, flyers, pamphlets, etc.

• Taking artistic photos of Cornerstone, people, and campus.

• Finding professional articles to be posted on our website (or writing good articles).

• Writing reviews of books on our list.

• Leading or attending special topic discussion groups.

• Leading or attending a Bible study.

• Being an officer or member in our student club.

• Evangelizing on campus, helping with book tables, helping distribute resources to students, etc.

• Help with any technical computer problems.

• Help organize and categorize the loan library.

• Help clean and organize Cornerstone.

If you haven’t been to our new location yet, we strongly encourage you to stop by and visit the new facility. Our new location is at The Biblical Studies Center building (aka The Center) at 1025 Belmont St.

Overall, we believe this new location and ministry partnerships allow The Cornerstone to have even higher levels of ministry potential.  There are currently three main ministries based out of The Center, with several other campus ministries using the building on a regular basis.  The three main ministries are The Cornerstone Ministry,  The Biblical Studies Center, and Impact/Synergy.

At the core of these ministries is the idea that we are one body in Christ with many different gifts and functions.  The result of applying this principle with all the groups involved is that Christ’s kingdom is strengthened and even more ministry is happening at Boise State.

The new location is also a great multipurpose facility, which has always been a key component of Cornerstone’s ministry – now bigger and better.  There are three levels to the building.  The main level houses the Cornerstone’s bookstore and The Center’s offices.  Downstairs, there is a kitchen, a game room with pool, pingpong, foosball, air hockey, and a lounge or small group meeting area.

The upstairs has a library, large classroom, a prayer room, and a conference room.  All of these rooms mean that the building is able to be used by several different groups for ministry all throughout the day, which is exciting to see!

Come in and visit us sometime.  Take a tour. Find what new books are out and what’s happening with the ministries.  We would love to share what God is doing here and are always looking for new partnerships in the ministry.

Moving Again?

Yes, again. It seems that our current location is once again highly desirable for the University. We’ve been told that the BSU “needs” this property. And they will not renew our planned lease option, because legally speaking, they do not have to. We originally leased this property from a private owner who, unfortunately, passed away a couple years ago. The unfortunate part for us was that his family donated this business complex to Boise State.

Yes, we did try, long and hard, to persuade the University of our value to the BSU student community, and why we should stay where we are at for some time to come. We were thorough in all angle of our argument. But, ultimately, they viewed their “mission” to be more important than our mission. Well, they are the “big kid on the block” and you can’t fault them for desiring to expand as the student population reaches the 20,000 mark.

Congratulations to BSU Alumni – Hope You Like It:

We were surprised to find out how much BSU really liked our construction work and decor. We had presumed they would completely remodel the place, but it appears that our classy color scheme, the built in book shelving, the kitchen with appliances, the second floor mezzanine, the two bathrooms, the office, etc. – in other words, all the support structure and atmosphere that makes The Cornerstone to be such a great place for students to visit and hang out, also will make a very fine BSU Alumni Center as well. (So, really, this is a compliment – sort of!)

Brownie Points:

And, to the University’s credit, they recognized that Cornerstone has on a number of occasions been “prejudiced negatively by the university’s actions.” (I have an annoying habit of reminding them of that fact in most of my correspondence.) Although they did not believe they were under any legal obligation to do anything, they agreed to give us time for what they termed as an “exit strategy”. Naturally, we had already been discussing our “exit/entrance strategy” with The Biblical Studies Center on the other side of campus. Also to their credit, BSU also agreed to three months free rent (equivalent of $6,000) and recently, they agreed to $2500 cash for various fixtures that we had wanted to take with us. So, I give them some “brownie points” for consideration. They have insisted that, despite appearances, the University is not “out to get Cornerstone.” Thanks!

…For The Good:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28) Joseph’s recap in Gen. 50:19 also comes to mind: “You intended to harm me…but God intended for good…” But, for the public record, we are saying that the implied “you” in our circumstances equals the darker spiritual forces around this campus, not the BSU administration!

How will it work for the good? Well, look at some of these advantages:

o The Biblical Studies Center facility has more space, about two and a half times as big as our current location! In this main floor entrance area, we can re-create much of the Cornerstone atmosphere that students like so well and have our book resources. There are also three offices rooms on this floor.

o Downstairs is a large kitchen and recreation room. It has dining room tables, couches, two ping-pong tables, a Foos ball table, a pool table, and even a big screen TV. In other words, all vital components for spiritual growth and discipleship! (Well, for college students, they really help!)

o Upstairs there is a large library which also serves as a meeting room, a classroom which can hold several dozen students and a more private conference room for small groups. There is even a fairly large “closet” which we will convert to a personal and group “Prayer Room Closet”!

Not too shabby!

I should confess that this location is very near two of Cornerstone’s previous locations, and (here I hang my head in shame), I confess to having “coveted” this building many times in the past, especially in our early days. “Oh the things we could do with a larger facility like that!” By admitting this, I am not advocating “coveting”, just remembering that God knows the desires of your heart.

The Ministry:

The Biblical Studies Center used to be quite active in the past, providing bible classes for the students and for the community. These classes are accredited through Oklahoma Christian University and our transferable to Boise State. The director, John Moreland, was the primary teacher then and had a very effective ministry. But the Lord called him elsewhere and for a variety of reasons, not the least is the cultural shift that is happening in a younger generation, the ministry diminished. Unfortunately, it has not been used to anywhere near its potential for a long time. But that is now changing!

The Center has a new, inter-church board and a revitalized vision for the campus. Furthermore, they have opened their doors wide not only to us but to other campus ministries. And, indeed, with Cornerstone’s influence and connection to campus ministries, we hope to, in time help fill this facility with students pursuing truth and fellowship together.

The Center staff will continue to focus on teaching accredited Bible classes and we will focus on our relational & more informal teaching approach to student ministry while promoting top quality worldview resources both to the students and the community. We at The Cornerstone also strive stay in touch with the pulse of this increasingly post-modern culture, always seeking to bridge the gap between the eternal truths of Scripture and the ever changing, rather fickle culture of the campus.

With this in mind, we will be striving to make The Center into a place that any student, believer, or seeker, would feel quite comfortable at. The facility, though well laid out, was constructed thirty years ago and is in need for considerable “modernization”. But God has already provided many resources for these changes and we will trust Him to continue that process.

The Center is also blessed to house “Impact Ministries” led by Bill Westfall. Bill is a close friend and also the “president” of the Campus Minister’s Association. Under his voluntary leadership and the cooperation various campus ministry staff, we have an outstanding example of Biblical unity among the evangelical campus ministries.

…For The Good, Indeed!

So, while the enemy may have thought he won a battle, we know that this concentration of God’s spiritual forces and campus ministry resources will prove to be even more effective as we continue to reach out to the students at Boise State University. And please remember, you are part of the team here too. We need your prayers and support to further this work.

Steve Barry

by Jesse Barnum

I recently realized a misconception that Americans often have regarding the values of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. I was studying The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, and discovered a discontinuity between what Machiavelli taught and what people commonly believe about their American Ideals.

Many people believe that government exists so that the people under that government can experience and seek the aforementioned values, at least, this is the ideal. The foundation for many of the principles laid out in the American constitution can be readily identified in the teachings of Machiavelli. Machiavelli asserted that in establishing governments, rulers should seek the welfare of the common people and not the wealthy few , because the desires of the common people are better than those of the wealthy. The wealthy desire to oppress, but the common people desire only not to be oppressed. Thus, liberty takes on an important role in the establishment of government, because by this the rulers satisfy the people, establishing peace, stability, and control.

However, Machiavelli was not teaching that liberty was something to be pursued because it was good; rather, he taught that liberty was merely a means and not an end. In fact, the very essence of Machiavelli’s teachings is that people should not act and think in terms of what is good and evil, but they should act and think only in terms of what is necessary and unnecessary. It is upon this teaching that much of the foundation of western thought and politics was established.

The misconception I noted was this; Americans often conceive of liberty and freedom as being good, and that these should be protected and valued because they are good. However, the foundation for our liberty and freedom as seen in Machiavelli denies such lofty sentiments. Liberty and freedom are necessities in political life, and are only good and virtuous in so far as they are necessary.

If someone wants to herald Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness as truly good things, and not as mere matters of necessity, then that person needs to discover upon what sort of foundation they can do so. He or she cannot look to the American constitution as the foundation, because the constitution is founded upon the principle that what is necessary is virtuous. The kind of foundation necessary for this must assert that there exists something that is good simply because it is good.

by Brent Towell

Everybody has a worldview; Doctors, teachers, firemen, Christians, Muslims, scientists and authors alike. People who do not know they have a worldview possess one even as people who can articulate theirs. Read the rest of this entry »