The Christian Vanguard

The issue of immigration and what to do with illegal immigrants is one that I have avoided for years. I am a Mexican-American (though I would prefer it if you would just call me an American) living in Southern California, and I feel like most people expect an opinion about the issue from me. I don't have one, and I really don't want one. Expecting something of me based on that makes me uncomfortable. Unfortunately, I now see the issue as an unavoidable one, and since people have started asking me about it again, I have begun to put some serious thought into it. The following letter I think provides an adequate enough foundation. The question was asked to me, Do I think God sees illegal immigrants as being in sin? This is how I responded. 

This Valentine’s holiday, my church held a Casino Royale themed dance. Unfortunately for me, securing a ride proved too difficult an obstacle to overcome, so I was not able to put my luck with cards to the test. I was looking forward to it, and had thought about gambling away all my play money in bold (or stupid) and exciting ways. I could, after all, take that risk, since I am not actually wagering any real money. Wagers is what I want to talk about now, and a very famous wager put forth by Christian philosopher, Blasé Pascal.

How many times have I heard the phrase, "The gap between the rich and the poor is getting bigger"? If I had a nickle for every time I heard that, the gap would get even larger. It's a misleading phrase, and it is supposed to reinforce the idea that the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. And in one sense, that is true, but that's a good thing, not a bad thing. Allow me to explain.

Science is a tool. Because it is a tool, it is therefore an amoral thing in and of itself, that is to say, there is nothing inherently wrong or right about it. For example, an axe is a tool, and can be considered a helpful tool to chop down wood so a man can provide warmth for his family. An axe can also be used as a weapon by that same man to chop down his whole family, but to say that the axe is bad or good, right or wrong, would be a category mistake. In the same way, science, especially those in the areas of medicine and life and death issues, is also amoral. However, guidelines and restrictions must be placed on the use of science. Some uses of science are clearly prohibited just as the use of an axe to murder a family is clearly prohibited. In a new and emerging area of science, that of Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), popularly known as “Designer Children”, new questions will arise that have not yet been answered in virtue of the fact that it is a new f...

It's been a while since I've posted anything up in a while. So here is an old essay I wrote. Unfortunately, the people of the Republic of California did not see things my way and passed the initiative.  2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” There has been much local talk about the “Living Wage” initiative here in Long Beach. Here are two articles from the Long Beach Post. http://www.lbpost.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2000000157%3A30-000-signatures-to-be-submitted-to-city-hall-today-for-living-wage&catid=85%3Anews&Itemid=650 http://www.lbpost.com/business/2000000168-long-beach-hospitality-workers-one-step-closer-to-living-wage-contentious-campaign-to-come The argument is a classic one. Because the workers cannot make a living off their wages, their wages must increase and if you oppose this, then you are greedy and heartless scum. I do not ...

From the early church up to 1930, virtually every church believed contraception was a sin. That fact alone should have us induce that contraception is in fact a sin. Yet, there are many Christians today, even in my own congregation, that will never entertain the possibility of contraception being a sin.

There have been debates emerging about gun control after each tragic shooting that I have seen on the news. Virginia Tech, Aurora, and now Newtown (I was too young to remember the reaction after Columbine). The debate that has emerged after the Newtown shooting seems to be fiercer since many of the victims were little children, and as responsible Christian citizens, we ought to have some biblical background to the debate, so that we may safely navigate through the issue. So, what does the Bible say about gun control?