Christian journalists: seeking and reporting the Truth

Today and more than ever, people fear being censored for speaking the truth, especially when the truth does not agree with the narrative perpetuated by the majority stakeholders. Our academic environment is ever more intolerant to differences in opinions. Whether one has a liberal or conservative bent, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly are very precious rights and freedoms in a liberal democracy or democratic republic.

If we do not defend these freedoms, we will all lose out in the end. End result: no one will have the freedom to speak the truth. We need to stand together to defend these freedoms, even if we do not always agree with everything the other says. The common denominator must always be to speak the truth, and to abide by a professional code of ethics as journalists. Otherwise, a free and democratic society will be weakened. A strong democratic republic depends on ethical journalism.

As a Christian, I was taught in church and from my parents to tell the truth, even when it’s not convenient. I remember many opportunities to fudge a little, to bend the truth when it wasn’t convenient to provide the full truth. I know, as a young person, as a student, as a young adult, as a colleague in work places, the opportunity to shift the truth a little to the left or right was always there.

To tell the honest to God truth was not always easy. It even hurt me to tell the full truth. I lost respect when I told them the truth. I also lost some self-respect, and respect from others when I did fudge the truth a little. I might be too open here in my post. I admit it—-I am not perfect and will never be perfect. I am always prone to falling into temptation as long as I am a human being.

This corruption of innate/original sin exists in every person, even in those who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Every person of every religion, persuasion, creed and color, has within him- or herself an inner dark side. We need redemption, or simply put, forgiveness of original sin and of sins we commit each day. That is why I am a believer in Jesus Christ who provides me confidence to start fresh each day.

As a young adult, I used to be an avid reader of news. In recent years, my faith in mass media and journalism has waned. Distrust in the mainstream media has seeped into my consciousness. In my university days, one of my professors used to work as a reporter and editor for the New York Times. He emphasized good journalism and seeking and speaking the truth. He was one of the most admired teachers at the school but is now deceased. He is a rare gem these days.

Truth is something we still need to strive for. As journalists and people who work in media, the temptation to fudge the truth is glaring. This temptation haunts every journalist who claims impartiality in the world of a free press. As I observe a daily dose of news in the media and free press, I see much misinformation and disinformation. Lies perpetuates more lies and other falsities in our world. When this happens, it also perpetuates anger, frustration and dissatisfaction. Sad.

As people who seek truth, we need to seek the truth. Journalism schools requires people who are seekers of truth. Several bible verses are a good reminder of the importance of speaking the truth.

“Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth, so that you bring back truthful reports to those you serve?”

Proverbs 22:20-21, NIV, Holy Bible

“Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty. In your majesty ride forth victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice; let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.”

Psalm 45:3-4, NIV, Holy Bible

If you are a Christian journalist or a Christian looking at a career in journalism, one needs to stay in the light and continue in God’s grace and mercy because the temptation to bend the truth always exists.

Editors will force you to bend the truth to fit the narrative of what they want. News editors will be forced by the corporate heads and governments to remove important pieces of information and provide mis- and disinformation in order to sway public opinion. We need good ethics and morality. These are good but rare virtues these days where journalism sometimes seem more akin to state and corporate sponsored propaganda outlets.

If one wants to succeed in disseminating truth in journalism, then for God’s sake, remain in the vine and be in tune with God’s Holy Spirit. Allow truth to guide your writing, speaking and editing. May God’s Spirit of truth penetrate into the hearts and minds of every editor, journalist, media, news reporter and columnist. May God be with you always, and in your endeavors in seeking and speaking the truth.

Society of Professional Journalists, Code of Ethics: https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

The Source of our Rights and Freedoms

The Source and Defender of our Rights and Freedoms

In Canada, we have been inherently endowed with human rights and freedoms.  We recognize these rights and freedoms not because we received any of it from the state. We recognize these freedoms as blessings from the Sovereign One. It is from the Sovereign who graciously provides blessings. Such blessings of life and liberty come from one Source. We point back to the Source as an acknowledgement of God’s grace.

On earth and in these earthly kingdoms, such as the lands of the British Commonwealth, the Sovereign is represented by a regent, that is, the appointed person in the Queen or King of the Commonwealth. As a child of the Commonwealth, we do well to acknowledge this true and Sovereign One. As humble and glad recipients of these blessings that flow down to us, we also do well to give glory back to the Sovereign God for such Providence.

Our natural expression as recipients result in worship of the holy Sovereign. Thus, we will come full circle—from being recipients of free speech to one who freely offers worship. As natural citizens who receive rights and freedoms, we also use our rights and freedoms to live out our lives as free citizens.

Today, her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Second remains as the defender of the Faith and is the regent of the heavenly Sovereign. As Canadians and subjects of the Crown, we honour the defender of the faith, her Royal Majesty. She is the representative of the Sovereign God from whom we have received our natural and inherent rights and freedoms.

Our Rights and Freedoms are recognized:

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
(d) freedom of association.

Section 2, The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

The freedom of peaceful assembly in section 2(c), is one of the fundamental freedoms of a Canadian citizen. Peaceful assembly is a right of every Canadian citizen.

Another fundamental freedom in section 2(b) is freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression. These two freedoms of assembly and expression are inherent rights of each Canadian citizen. It expresses the right of every Canadian to freely assemble and to express their thought, belief, and opinion.

All peoples of Canada have freedom of speech to speak and share one’s religious opinions and beliefs, to preach and speak from one’s faith, and to freely assemble together to sing and worship according to the dictates of one’s conscience.

Our churches and places of worship are sacred assemblies of peoples of faith who worship together in community. Worship is a sacred act of all individuals which must never be encroached upon by anyone. When these rights and freedoms are infringed upon by the state or government, we must not hesitate to recognize such infringement as violations of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Such freedoms are usually the first encroached upon and are a bell-weather of government overreach. People of faith are most sensitive to such infringement.

Our Purpose and Destiny

To continue to live freely as Canadians, we must vigorously and continuously strive to protect and defend our inherent rights and freedoms to worship, to speak and to assemble. As we sing the national anthem, O Canada, we are reminded to “stand on guard for thee.” The object and purpose of standing guard is to defend our God-given rights and freedoms. This is why Canada is called by God to be one of the most free nations on earth.

Sometimes, I wonder if we have begun to lose our God-given freedoms. I wonder if we have forgotten about the One from whom we have received our blessings of freedom. If we have, we may be in danger of losing our rights and freedoms. We pray this will never happen.

As Canadians, we ought to be concerned about the potential loss of freedoms. Perhaps many of us have begun or have already fallen asleep. We have been put into a deep slumber where we cannot awaken to our purpose and destiny. Some might only be half awakened but still remain half asleep.

We have not fully awakened to the knowledge of our Source and Sovereign. If we fail to recognize the Sovereign One, we will inevitably fail to recognize what we have been endowed with as creatures of the Creator. Occasionally, there will be times when we must vigorously defend our freedoms. In the face of tyranny, Canadians will rise up to push back against tyrannical policies that infringe upon our rights and freedoms.

Canada, God is calling. God is calling you. Arise from your slumber. Awaken from your dreams. Awaken from your slumber and arise. (e.g., Ephesians 5:14; Romans 13:11)

If we were to begin to awaken and recognize the source of our freedoms, who is the Sovereign One and the Creator of each individual, we can begin to acknowledge who we are in relation to the Sovereign. As Canadians, we are blessed to be subjects of the Sovereign One, the holy and mighty one of Heaven and Earth. Our hope as Canadians is that each person, each citizen, either naturalized or born by birth, come to a full awakening as recipients to one’s natural rights and freedoms. This is part of our destiny. May this destiny be manifested fully one day.

[added video link]: The last living signatory of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms:
Honourable Brian Peckford, former Premier of Newfoundland

We’re sick of the lies from the left and globalist elites

In my post on “A need to investigate the anamolies in election“, this YouTube video was removed by YouTube. This recent attaco by the left-wing to censor any voice, conservative or not, who merely expresses an opinion are now labelled as “inciting violence”.

Well, guess what. I am a conservative. I’m not white. I’m Asian. I never thought of myself as racist; nor violent. I teach and preach about tolerance and peace. But as the left-wing would have it, they would love to label anyone who doesn’t see the world as they do with a derogatory term, like violent, extremist, racist and intolerant and whatever other B.S. line they have for people who don’t agree with them. Why? In order to de-legitimize people who hold a different view from them. They cannot tolerate freedom of thought and free speech; neither does the Chinese Communist Party. This is what they have in common. They are intolerant!

So I ask myself: Am I violent? If you were to meet me in person, I don’t think you would think of me as violent. The left will find it more convenient to label peaceful people like myself as a racist, bigot, and intolerant. They prefer to call what is wrong, right; and what is right, wrong.

Isn’t the left and liberalism all about tolerance and civility toward differing voices? I had thought so. Isn’t classical liberalism about tolerance? We know about free speech and freedom of thought and ideas but today merely expressing another different opinion makes one “violent”? What a horribly intolerant display from the left! This is inexcusably hypocritical. That’s why we are sick of their lies, hypocrisy and censorship of speech they disagree with.

If you are reading this and feel the same, don’t give up hope. There is hope that in the end, evil and wrong will be found for what they are–evil and wrong. If you are sick and tired of blatant disregard for truth and honesty, God understands. I believe God will raise up a generation of people who will speak the truth with courage. We must continue to pray for strength and pray for the next generation of young people who will not tolerate lies and corruption. In the end, truth will prevail.

The post-resurrected Jesus

Picture depicts a post-resurrected Jesus with nail scars still on his hand.

When most of us think of Easter, it’s usually a simple one. Jesus rose from the dead, then ascended into heaven.  What we don’t hear much about is what happened just after Jesus resurrected.

Some dismiss or try to explain away the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection, saying that he was only a spirit-being (like a ghost).  Jesus rising as a spirit-being does not qualify as a resurrection. That’s a Star Wars myth like what we see in Obi-Wan Kenobi (New Hope) or Luke Skywalker (Last Jedi).  To be resurrected in a physical form is much harder to believe.  A resurrection is a bona fide miracle.

After Jesus had resurrected from the dead, left the tomb, he walked and talked with people in a physical form as a real human being. A week after Jesus had resurrected, we know the bible says he was still around before his ascension.  The resurrected Jesus walked around, made himself known to a lot of people, and he showed himself to people.  He was not hiding himself.

Furthermore, he wasn’t just a spirit-being floating around in ethereal space somewhere.  He actually had life in physical form. It was not the same physical body that we have today but it was a resurrected body.

In the bible, the word used for “spirit” is pneuma, but in 1 Cor. 15:44, Paul used the words: soma pneuma (“σωμα πνευματικον”) which means “spiritual body”.  This is the type of body that we, as believers in Jesus, will also be raised with.

Here are some places in the bible where the post-resurrected Jesus showed himself to his disciples in that “spiritual body”:

John 20:19-23  Enters locked room
John 20:24-29  Doubting Thomas
John 21:1-14  Another big catch
Luke 24:13-35  Road to Emmaus
Matthew 28; Mark 16:9   Women
1 Cor. 15:6    500 followers
1 Cor. 15:8    Apostle Paul

Think about it.  First Corinithians 15:6 said that Jesus appeared to over 500 of his followers!  Jesus became a legendary figure.    Witnesses testified they had been with the real live walking-and-talking Jesus.  Their testimonies would have been very hard to dispute.  No wonder the church grew.

God of miracles turns water into wine

The story of Jesus turning water into wine in John 2 shows us something about Jesus’ grace. God is a holy God but yet, he is loving and merciful enough to engage in the earthly and common things in this world. God humbly comes into our world, uses a common object (water jugs used for cleaning) and uses it for a holy purpose

“Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.” (John 2:6-9)

This shows us a few things about God.  First, God who did not need to become human did become God incarnate in the humanity of Jesus Christ.  He did this to transform a sinful people into a holy people.  If God can transform water into wine, then He can surely transform a common unholy person into a holy person.  This gives all of us hope.

Second, the earthly secular things of this world, like the water jugs he used when he turned water into wine shows that he is willing and able to take what is common and use it for his divine purpose.   As vessels of God, He can make us holy and sanctified, and be used for his purposes.  No one is beyond the reach of God who can pull us up from the deepest and darkest muck.

Third, God has the miraculous power in this earthly world to transform all of this world’s material things (organic and inorganic).  God is omnipotent, all-powerful, and unlimited in His potential

Today, millions of lives have already been miraculously turned around and have come into the kingdom of God from lives that have been totally messed up.  Even if a person were the worst and greatest of sinners, Christ has the desire and power to come into one’s lives (justify us), clean us up (sanctify us), and still use us for his kingdom’s purpose (missio Dei).  This is why God’s love for us is eternal, and amazing.

God also has a plan for each of our lives.  When we are feeling down, hopeless and useless, we needn’t stay down.  Don’t give up hope because God has never given up on you.  You are God’s vessel if you allow him to come into your life, cleanse you and transform you for his purpose.  This was always God’s divine plan for humanity.  He does this because He loves you and cares for you.  If you welcome Jesus into your life and receive God’s forgiveness of your sins, then you have just become God’s child.  Follow Jesus.  Find a local church, learn more about Jesus, and begin worshiping the Lord together with God’s holy people.

Ethic of pre-emptive strike on North Korea

Recently, President Kim fired a missile past Japan into the Pacific Ocean.  We certainly have more reason to fear an apocalyptic end-of-the-world scenario with the likes of Kim Jung Un of North Korea.

These days, political and military operatives are seriously considering the options of a pre-emptive strike by taking out Kim Jung Un. See Washington Posts article here.  Many of us would feel safer without Emperor Kim.  He is an unstable person who just might launch a missile.

What are the ethics of taking out a political leader to create a safer situation?  If we can and it’s convenient to do so, then why not?  I’m sure many have considered committing the deed, then repent later for our consequences.  We’ve done it before so it’s nothing too serious, right (e.g., Saddam Hussein)?

As a Christian, I wish Scripture were more clear about violent commitments of war but there isn’t.  What are the ethics of pre-emptive strikes?  Sure, there are many examples of war and battle in the Old Testament/Hebrew scripture, but are there clear biblical rules and statutes about this issue?

Gospel of John: a partial account of signs and wonders

In the Gospel of John 21:30-31, Jesus said:

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Sidenote: a fragment of an Egyptian papyri containing a text of Gospel of John 21:20-23

These few verses are rarely discussed, as to its implications, in how we perceive Jesus’ earthly ministry. Upon taking a closer look at what the writer of John’s Gospel said himself, the Gospel represents only a partial account of the totality of Jesus’ earthly ministry because he explicitly said, “…which are not recorded in this book” meaning there are many more signs and wonders that we haven’t read about but that were performed and witnessed by the apostles.

If so, then is it possible that we also may have a partial written account of miraculous signs in the Acts of the Apostles, and of the New Testament epistles? 

Then does the bible as a whole represent a full or partial account of Jesus’ and the apostles’ history and ministry on earth? 

On the surface, this question itself is suspect and smells of heresy because the sufficiency of scripture is questioned.  Before I went to seminary, I might have thought so because I was taught to believe the bible was the entire revelation of God. The word of God was the be-all and end-all.  Do I believe that God is fully revealed in Jesus and that the gospel is fully sufficient for our salvation?  Yes, indeed! But this differs from what some call Bibliolatry.

Acts 5:12 says,

“Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles.”

Let’s allow ourselves to ponder… how many of these signs and wonders were actually recorded in the book of Acts?  Back then, it is a fact that few people knew how to write, and to even find a scribe or writer to record everything would have been next to impossible.  The actual total number of acts of God’s miracles and healings would fill up multiple volumes of books. The books of the Gospel of John and the Acts of the Apostles are only a fraction of what Jesus and his apostles actually did on earth. It only gives us a small impression of what their earthly ministry was like.

Moreover, to say that some things were not recorded means that the accuracy, validity and historicity of recorded signs were important to the writer of John’s Gospel. He also implicitly understood that the visible and powerful signs of God would have a major influence in the faith of future generations of believers.

He says that these were written with the intention that future Christ-followers would come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God; and that by believing, we may have eternal life.  Today, this has come true.  Our belief in Jesus as the Son of God was the goal of the disciples in these written instances of God’s signs.

The glory of God in creation… or modified creation?

Psalm 19:1 says: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

Thomas Merton, a Catholic contemplative said:

“A tree gives glory to God by being a tree.  For in being what God means it to be it is obeying Him.  It “consents,” so to speak, to His creative love.  It is expressing an idea which is in God and which is not distinct from the essence of God, and therefore imitates God by being a tree.  The more a tree is like itself, the more it is like Him.  If it tries to be like something else which it was never intended to be, it would be less like God and therefore it would give Him less glory.”  Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation (1961), ch.5.

In our new age of science and genetic re-engineering of GMO foods, chimera and cyborg technologies, there is always the possibility that these bio-technologies can go sideways.  If human beings try to re-create something into what it was never intended to be,  I wonder if it would then be glorifying to God?

It used to be that chimeras (part human–part animal) and cyborgs (part human–part machine) were a thing only from science fiction movies, comic books, and fantasy animations, but these are now a reality today.  Many of the products we eat today have been genetically modified. They’re able to implant animal DNA into the foods we eat in order to allow it to grow faster and be less prone to disease.  If you knew what science and technology can do, you may never look at your food the same way again. Science today can manipulate genes in plants, animals and human beings that might shock people to their core.

This week, our family was eating seedless watermelon and grapes; and homemade popcorn, possibly from GMO kernals.  Many people buy foods from the grocery stores, eat it, and never consider how it’s already been genetically modified.  Many might even be dangerous to human health.  Did God ever create edible fruits without seeds?  No, I doubt it was ever God’s intention.  According to the book of Genesis, you would think that God intended for all living things to reproduce itself and multiply.  Is this type of human re-creation (or manipulation) glorifying to God or distorting God’s creation?

•    Thousands of sheep, buffalo, and goats in India died after grazing on Bt cotton plants
•    Mice eating GM corn for the long term had fewer, and smaller, babies
•    More than half the babies of mother rats fed GM soy died within three weeks, and were smaller
•    Testicle cells of mice and rats on a GM soy change significantly
•    By the third generation, most GM soy-fed hamsters lost the ability to have babies
•    Rodents fed GM corn and soy showed immune system responses and signs of toxicity
•    Cooked GM soy contains as much as 7-times the amount of a known soy allergen
•    Soy allergies skyrocketed by 50% in the UK, soon after GM soy was introduced
•    The stomach lining of rats fed GM potatoes showed excessive cell growth, a condition that may lead to cancer.
•    Studies showed organ lesions, altered liver and pancreas cells, changed enzyme levels, etc. (Source: website here; see here)

We like to play God, and as a result, we do things that God likely never intended.  Some things may bring better health and advancement to society, but some things can just be plain frightening.  No wonder why cancer and autism rates have skyrocketed and infertility has increased.  What’s been killing the bee and butterfly populations around the world?  The end of the birds and the bees may spell an end to the human race as we know it.  We might never fully know the harms done to us as human beings until 50 years down the road when it’s all too late…and it’s irreversibly damaged our health and human genetics.

If we move into an age of Iron Man and Planet of the Apes, we will need strong morals and ethics to keep us from re-creating some really weird things before they’re introduced into our world.

Bishop T.D. Jakes on Larry King Live

It seems like Christians are the CNN spotlight tonight: Sarah Palin critiqued on AC360.  Bishop T.D. Jakes, pastor of The Potter’s House Church, was also on CNN’s Larry King Live for an hour and gave him the opportunity to promote his new book “The Memory Quilt: A Christmas Story for Our Times”.  However, his book was not the attention grabber–at least not for me.  As I watched Jakes, I was very impressed with how he handled himself with Larry King. King certainly seemed to carry different tone when interviewing pop culture stars; he seems more human with them, but King does not seem as personable with Jakes and other conservatives and evangelicals.  Nevertheless, Jakes gave his honest opinion and expressed them directly and with a sense of firmness, yet while showing his compassionate human side. Bishop Jakes has previously been on Larry King Live so he knows what kind of questions to expect and how to respond with clarity and grace.

While King asked him potential time-bomb questions that would make many evangelicals squirm in their seats, Bishop Jakes remained positive. You should have seen Larry – he kept his eyes on his sheet of questions and didn’t hold back on the tough time-bomb questions.  King fired away, one provocative question after another, as if trying to see what might evoke a certain response from Jakes, e.g., President Barack Obama and his faith, gay marriage and gay unions, health care and abortion, prosperity gospel, the economy, Islam and the Ft. Hood massacre, war, Sarah Palin, death penalty.  I strongly sensed King was trying to get a sense of Jakes’s religious and political positions and fired them with machine gun speed.  King asked Jakes tough questions that could potentially evoke controversial responses from other evangelicals but Jakes handled King’s questions honestly and adeptly.  Through it all, Jakes remained very gracious and carried with him a clear set of moral values. He is a great clergy-interviewee.  I can see why King would invite Jakes back to his show.  Way to go Bishop Jakes!