December 2008 Archives

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 30, 2008 | Permalink

Joshua looks over the top ledge from the summit of Huana Picchu—approximately 8900 feet.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 30, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 30, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 30, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 30, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 30, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 30, 2008 | Permalink

After a good seven hours of hiking, Joshua takes an afternoon break from his own Peruvian adventure to read about the adventures of Tintin in the Andes.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 30, 2008 | Permalink

From the summit of Huana Picchu at 8900 ft...

...to the gates of Intipunku.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 30, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 30, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 30, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 30, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 28, 2008 | Permalink

The girls, not the alpaca.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 28, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 28, 2008 | Permalink

I rose at 4:00 a.m. and journeyed to a strategic location at about 8000 feet in the Andes Mountains to shoot this image. Click to enlarge.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 27, 2008 | Permalink

A persevering Beall treks across South America with her handy dandy Vision Forum backpack.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 27, 2008 | Permalink

The first three people, 18 or under, who tell me what city I took this picture from today, win a copy of Ballantyne’s Martin Rattler.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 25, 2008 | Permalink

Tonight I ate a llama!!!

Tastes like chicken.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 25, 2008 | Permalink

When members of our team began suffering from bad altitude sickness, the kind man who was serving the delicacies you see above left our dinner and came back with his hand full of leaves and a small vial which he poured on the leaves. He then put the leaves in the hands of the team members who were sick and told them to rub their hands together. Finally he instructed them to breathe the leaves in their hands. And it was simply amazing to see the results. One moment they could barely walk or talk, and the next moment they were back to their old selves.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 25, 2008 | Permalink

Here is how dinner began for Liberty.

Here is how it ended.

The first person to tell me the precise name of this delicacy wins a set of practice throwing knives from Vision Forum.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 25, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 22, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 19, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 18, 2008 | Permalink

The Scottish Ballads of Robert Burns.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 17, 2008 | Permalink

Joshua Phillips, reader of more than 90 G.A. Henty novels, and Editor-in-Chief of Ballantynethebrave.com. Image taken at the 2008 Christian Boys’ and Mens’ Titanic Society.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 16, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 16, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 16, 2008 | Permalink

Please pray for Matt Chancey and my brother Brad Phillips of the Persecution Project Foundation as they bring aid, support, and Gospel encouragement in the very troubled portions of the Sudan. Here is a note we received today:

“In Kibera, Africa’s largest slum, raw sewage flows in the middle of the narrow streets and lanes. Over 1 million people are crammed in this huge shanty town. A family of 6 will easily live in a room 10X10. We delivered a bunch of medicine to the Revival Family Clinic— an oasis in Kibera where people can go for affordable medical treatment. It is run by a pastor, who has been in the community for 25 years. What I loved most of all was playing with the children. They were all so happy and loved posing for pictures.”

Check out more on Matt’s trip at his blog.

Please Pray for Dr. Joe Morecraft, one of the great heroes of the faith alive today, as he recovers from a very painful knee replacement surgery. His precious daughter, Mercy, sent a note of encouragement today with some remarkable pictures of Dr. Joe’s “battle scars.” I have not included the images, but here is the note:

“Dad wanted me to share with you how “gorgeous” his battle scar looks. This was just taken today, so looks much better than when he first came out of surgery. And then, of course, there is a picture of him smiling, so as to reassure his grandchildren that everything, is going to be alright.”

Please pray for the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. It is just a few weeks away and our biggest SAICFF to date. We want every element to give glory to the Lord and we desire His blessing and favor on our efforts.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 15, 2008 | Permalink

...And the winner please.

This year’s award for “Most Vitriolic Film Review of a Theatrical Release” goes to...Roger Ebert for his review of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

The more you know about evolution, or simple logic, the more you are likely to be appalled by the film. No one with an ability for critical thinking could watch more than three minutes without becoming aware of its tactics...This film is cheerfully ignorant, manipulative, slanted, cherry-picks quotations, draws unwarranted conclusions, makes outrageous juxtapositions (Soviet marching troops representing opponents of ID), pussy-foots around religion (not a single identified believer among the ID people), segues between quotes that are not about the same thing, tells bald-faced lies, and makes a completely baseless association between freedom of speech and freedom to teach religion in a university class that is not about religion.

Toward the end of the film, we find that Stein actually did want to title it “From Darwin to Hitler.” He finds a Creationist who informs him, “Darwinism inspired and advanced Nazism.” He refers to advocates of eugenics as liberal. I would not call Hitler liberal. Arbitrary forced sterilization in our country has been promoted mostly by racists, who curiously found many times more blacks than whites suitable for such treatment. Ben Stein is only getting warmed up. He takes a field trip to visit one “result” of Darwinism: Nazi concentration camps. “As a Jew,” he says, “I wanted to see for myself.” We see footage of gaunt, skeletal prisoners. Pathetic children. A mound of naked Jewish corpses. “It’s difficult to describe how it felt to walk through such a haunting place,” he says. Oh, go ahead, Ben Stein. Describe. It filled you with hatred for Charles Darwin and his followers, who represent the overwhelming majority of educated people in every nation on earth. It is not difficult for me to describe how you made me feel by exploiting the deaths of millions of Jews in support of your argument for a peripheral Christian belief. It fills me with contempt.

Congratulations, Mr. Ebert. And congratulations to Logan Craft and the team at Expelled. Not only have you been targeted by one of the High Apostles of Hollywood as the recipient of a now award-winning diatribe, but congratulations are in order for your selection as a finalist in the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 15, 2008 | Permalink

“Just wanted to thank you for Jonathan Park! I cannot put into words how much it has blessed our family! My husband and I enjoy it as much as our eight year old son. My son is fascinated and is learning so many scientific and Biblical facts. We are very excited to visit the Creation Museum in Ohio and are very anxiously awaiting Volume 6 of Jonathan Park! Please continue to produce these! Audio series are so important to families in the car on trips frequently. As homeschoolers, we find no opportunity for learning is wasted when Jonathan Park or The Chronicles of Narnia are playing in the car while we must sit in traffic or travel to a distant field trip. In a day when tv gives little benefit, and at times reading isn’t possible (while driving) we feel the need for such exciting audio series is great and there is much opportunity for new series filled with Scripture and life lessons, as well as humor and action. Keep them coming! Thanks so much!”

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 15, 2008 | Permalink

Paul Butler recently interviewed Dr. Voddie Baucham, Scott Brown, and me about Family-Integrated Churches on the Moody Radio station. Click here to listen to the interview.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 15, 2008 | Permalink

Even the world around us recognizes the value of family strength. In an article in the Wall Street Journal this weekend, journalist and former presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan noted:

And people want to belong to something. If you’re a vibrant member of a church in America, or a casual member of a vibrant church, you’re part of something. If you’re a member of a family that’s together, you are part of something. A lot of Americans do not have these two things. (Emphasis added.)

If you are a part of a family that is together, praise God. You enjoy a rare blessing.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 15, 2008 | Permalink

Last week, Newsweek ran the controversial cover story on Christianity and same-sex marriage. The same week, the article’s author Lisa Miller, Newsweek’s religion editor, declined to be interviewed on the Laura Ingraham Show along with Dr. Al Mohler.

However, today Dr. Mohler is scheduled for a live interview today on NPR’s Talk of the Nation during the 3pm (Eastern) hour, along with Lisa Miller. You can listen to the show at NPR.org.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 15, 2008 | Permalink

Here is a guy you can pray for, deeply admire, and now you can even vote for him. Take a few moments and read the thoughts of Perry Coghlan (father of nine), Joshua Phillips (brother to seven) and the remarkable Jennie Chancey (mother to eight) as they make their case for why Matt Chancey is the Manly Man of the Year!

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 12, 2008 | Permalink

The 2009 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival is excited to be joined by the Von Trapp Children for a special performance during the Friday evening World Premiere event.

Justin, Amanda, Melanie, and Sofia Von Trapp are the great-grandchildren of Captain and Maria Von Trapp from The Sound of Music. The children are currently performing to rave reviews in Philadelphia with the Philly Pops Orchestra.

Peter Dobrin at the Philadelphia Inquirer writes: “And they’d be easy to dismiss as apple-cheeked kitsch were they not so good. In airy soprano voices, in a good-humored stage persona neither saccharine nor self-mocking, they made their most purely musical strong impression in “Noël nouvelet,” the French carol, in which their high, breathy tones captured a few moments of otherworldly escape. Justin, at 14, is living in two worlds vocally as boys do at that age, but he skillfully straddles his falsetto and adult voice. Impeccably in tune and hinting at stylistic capabilities beyond this act, the four make you wonder where their careers might lead when it comes time to leave dirndl and lederhosen behind.” Read the rest of the story here.

To learn more about the 2009 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival or to register for the event go to www.saicff.org.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 12, 2008 | Permalink

A half a decade ago, I wrote this birth announcement for my most precious little son.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 11, 2008 | Permalink

CNN posted this video of a military mother who just returned from the Iraq war to surprise her eight-year-old son. This young boy didn’t think his mother would be home at the end of the year because after all “she was fighting to protect him.” The eight year old boy Hunter Hartberger described his feelings as “I’m in heaven” because he “missed hugging” his mother while she was over fighting terrorism.

This is truly the world turned upside down.

Thanks to all of you moms out there who prioritize your duties as Christian women as wives to your husbands and mothers to your precious children—and you often do so in the face of ridicule by vicious feminists, rejection by undiscerning friends, and, sadly, sometimes even without the praise of the Church itself. Stand fast!

Click here to watch this heartbreaking account.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 11, 2008 | Permalink

Now is the time to consider an exciting internship opportunity with the National Center for Family Integrated Churches. The NCFIC internship is a men’s discipleship program consisting of personal study, local church involvement, and ministry to churches around the nation through conferences and internet communications.

Men could search a long time for a spiritual mentor and not find a leader with as much wisdom, knowledge, and passion for discipleship and the local church as Scott Brown. I wholeheartedly recommend that if you are serious about building family-friendly, Christ-centered churches for the glory of God, and want to be immersed in a hands-on, Bible-based discipleship program, then you should consider quickly going to www.ncficinternship.com for more information.

The NCFIC is getting ready for a significant expansion of its ministry. The NCFIC was founded on September 11, 2001 and after seven years of ministry and laying a foundation, 2009 will be the most important year for expansion and vision casting to date.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 10, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 10, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 10, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 10, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 10, 2008 | Permalink

(To view this video clip, you must have QuickTime 7 installed.)

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 8, 2008 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 4, 2008 | Permalink

Crown Financial Ministries Wednesday aired an interview about the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival and Christian Filmmaker’s Academy, announcing the special role their ministry will be playing in the event this year. You can hear this interview using Flash Player by clicking this link to take you to Crown’s website.

We are delighted to be working with Crown Financial Ministries to premiere their soon-to-be-released film Abraham & Isaac, with Dean Jones (star of numerous Disney movies such as Herbie’s The Love Bug). Crown has released a blog on the production of this film and the others in this series which will premiere at the SAICFF.

This year’s film festival is quickly shaping up to be a delightfully encouraging and unforgettable experience. To sign up to attend the festival, click here.

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 4, 2008 | Permalink

Saint Harvey Gets Three Stars
By Geoffrey Botkin

For several years, frustrated American readers have been wondering just who in the world is discipling the writers at Christianity Today magazine. The recent CT review of Milk may hold clues - important theological clues. The review appears to reflect doctrines of an obscure religious order which uses uniquely creative theology to unchain the human spirit, respect diversity, and expiate stigmatic guilt, especially in the interpretation of popular culture.

This order and its teachings would appear to be in theological syncretism with the CT review of the Gus Van Sant movie Milk. The film glamorizes the life and legacy of California revolutionary Harvey Milk, who was murdered the year before the founding of the religious order in Milk’s political district. Now, three decades later, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is an international order with more than 35 chapters, and an influence that appears to have seduced Christian journalists with a politically correct Christianity for today.

In the same ways that the film celebrates personal irresponsibility and creative irreverence, CT praises the film as valiant and empathetic, “an inspiring tale of one man’s quest to legitimize his identity, to give hope to his community.”

It is a cruel religion that beatifies Harvey Milk. Milk’s personal theology was hatefully anti-family and anti-Christian. The freedom to which he aspired was license, to be legally free of family disciplines, Christian disciplines, and the restraints of higher law. CT seems to write with a freedom Harvey Milk only dreamed about, legitimizing in print twisted theological doctrines, somehow made valid because they are portrayed with artistic passion.

Christianity Today gives Milk three out of four stars. Why not four? According to the reviewer, the film is full of passion. But not quite enough for the Christian moviegoer. The main criticism we find of director Van Sant is that the film is “too safe.” After all, the review seems to suggest, sophisticated Christian movie watchers are cool with unsafe. Give us more unsafe.

Back in February, CT lamented the effects of the Hollywood writers’ strike. “The strike has brought the film and television industry to a standstill...and angered fans across the world now deprived of their favorite television shows.” The article then praised Christians who were trying to get Hollywood back into business. After all, how can Christians prove their theological and cultural sophistication without a continued diet of unsafe Hollywood movies?

What has Christianity Today done with the soteriology of safe? What does the Savior think of professing Christians who revel in those things from which they were saved?

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 2, 2008 | Permalink

(To view this video clip, you must have QuickTime 7 installed.)

Posted by Doug Phillips on December 2, 2008 | Permalink