I am so thankful I didn’t vote for Obama.
Everything he’s done so far has been anti-God and anti-Bible.
He revoked the Mexico policy, so we’re not only funding abortions in the U.S., we’re funding them abroad.
He’s been on Arab TV and thinks it’s his job to make the American people understand the Muslim viewpoint. Someone ought to tell him it’s his job to stand up for America and to protect her citizens.
Hate crimes legislation, one of Obama’s prime objectives, has now moved to the front of the legislation line. Everyone’s freedom of speech and freedom of religion will suffer with pastors being the first to go. If you want to see how it’s going to be, check out what’s going on in Canada.
The stimulus bill is an ‘Obamanation’ of frivolous spending and untold pork projects that will NOT stimulate the economy. All the welfare reform that has worked so well and gotten untold numbers of people off welfare is gone with the stroke of a pen. The bill includes provisions leading to government health care and mandatory electronic health records for everyone with no opting out. We’re rapidly heading down the road to socialism.
My heart breaks for my country.
The irony is that many people ignored God’s clear directive and voted for Obama thinking he would fix the economy. If history holds true, this bill and the mortgage bailout he's planning are going to shrink our economy and we’ll soon be a second rate, has-been superpower.
Since God is in charge, I can only think that America is being judged in the form of an Obama/Democrat/far-left liberal presidency. Romans 1 says when people reject God, their foolish hearts are darkened, that they become fools. We can see that happening everywhere we turn. Common sense seems completely absent in every avenue of society. Why else would people believe that a horrendously debt ridden country like we’ve become can get out of debt by spending more money, and on ‘stuff’ that we don’t really need. It’s totally unbelievable. We deserve every bit of judgment we receive. Perhaps this is also the way God is going to take America off the world stage to set up the situation needed for the end times to play out.
As a country, we’re ALL responsible for Obama being in power and all the other things which have led us to the state we’re in today. But those Christians who actually voted for him will have to answer to God for not doing their homework and finding out exactly what he really stood for instead of falling for his empty rhetoric about hope and change.
***********
I recently read about the Muslim man who murdered his wife. The uniquely Muslim twist to this is that he did it by beheading her, the favored killing method of Islam. She was trying to divorce him. How ironic that he’d started a Muslim TV station meant to bridge the gulf between everyday Muslims and Americans. The station wasn’t doing as well as expected, so I suppose his pride was at stake. I fear we’ll be seeing more of these kinds of 'honor' killings in the future. Perhaps it will wake America up to what this ‘religion of peace’ is really all about.
************
The Obama administration has given $700,000 to “The Future of Babylon Project” which aims to rebuild the city of Babylon as a ‘cultural tourist’ mecca. Saddam Hussein had visions of himself as a modern Nebuchadnezzar when he started rebuilding the city back in the days when he still held power. Now that the insurgency is dying down, the project is moving forward once again. Many cynics laughed at the Bible’s insistence that Babylon was slated to become the wealthiest and most powerful city on the face of the earth. As always, God will have the last laugh as Babylon’s rebirth gains momentum right before our eyes.
************
How sweet is this.... The pope called Nancy Pelosi on the carpet, giving her a stiff scolding on her recent visit there. How she thinks she can be a Catholic and push for every kind of abortion known to man is beyond me. After bum rushing the so-called Stimulus package (or the Great Generational Theft Act as many are calling it) through Congress so she could take this trip to Rome, she ended up being soundly rebuked. I especially appreciated the irony that our Speaker of the House, who never refuses any opportunity for an interview, gave out no interviews after she met with Pope Benedict XVI nor were there any pictures of her and the pope together. Until she toes the Catholic line on abortion, he obviously doesn't want to be seen in the same photo with her.
*************
I knew the movie MILK about the homosexual mayor of San Francisco would somehow be rewarded at the Academy Awards, if only to show the world that Hollywood is in favor of ‘gay’ marriage and thinks the rest of us are a bunch of homophobic bigots. And so it happened last night when Sean Penn won the Oscar for Best Actor. Of course, during his acceptance speech, he had to spout some nonsense about how the grandchildren of those who voted in favor of marriage being between one man and one woman would have nothing but shame for them somewhere down the line. Ho hum. I had been fearful that MILK would win Best Picture, but happily that didn’t happen thanks to that great little movie that could, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Monday Miscellanea
1. I saw a nifty cartoon recently. It showed a boss and an employee talking.
Boss: “Bob, you are the most honest, trustworthy, joyful, patient, kind, loyal, and respectful employee I’ve ever had work for me.”
Bob (thinking to himself): Honesty (Exodus 20:16), trustworthiness (Exodus 20:15), joy, patience, kindness (Galatians 5:22-23), and loyalty and respect (1 Peter 2:17-18).
Boss: “Keep it up, but just make sure you keep your Christianity and Bible stuff out of the office.”
How typical. People wants all the fruits of Christianity such as good employees, loyal friends, freedom, good laws, honesty in government, the Constitution, and yet they don’t want to acknowledge it as such.
2. In my Bible Counseling class our assignment was to take our Bibles to work for the rest of our lives!! What a great assignment for every Christian.
3. Nietsche said a couple of really interesting -- and true -- things:
a) “When one gives up Christian belief, one thereby deprives oneself of the right to Christian morality.”
I wish we could get this across to the many Americans who want religion out of government and yet want to keep the same morals. No wonder those morals are sadly disappearing -- they have no foundation to stand on.
b) “Christianity presupposes that man does not know, cannot know what is good for him and what is evil: he believes in God, who alone knows. Christian morality is a command; its origin is transcendent; it is beyond all criticism, all right to criticism; it has truth only if God is truth -- it stands and falls with the belief in God.”
Christianity and its morality has been proven time and time again. The answers to life are clear if only people would open their minds and hearts.
4. The secular mainstream media is not free of religion as they’re always claiming. They’re promoting atheism, a religion, because they want to remove all traces of God from our daily lives. This is not neutrality. There’s no such thing. Evolution supporters try to pull the same trick. If they were really interested in the truth, dialogue between both sides would be allowed.
5. Homosexual ‘bishop’ Gene Robinson is having to reduce clergy and support staff although not his own six figure salary. He thought the pews would be filled with hundreds and even thousands of homosexuals after he was ordained, but that hasn’t happened and he’s now being forced to cut back. Even more offensive is the fact that his salary includes $40,000 for his housing which he shares with his homosexual lover.
A similar result occurred when homosexual marriage became an option in Massachusetts. The huge rush by homosexuals to get married that many expected to see never happened either. Which just goes to show that the so called ‘gay’ agenda isn’t about rights, but about dismantling the laws and boundaries of society.
6. Speaking of homosexuals, the latest government statistics show that 65 % of syphilis cases are homosexual males. Turns out homosexual men are the ‘primary drivers’ of increased syphilis rates overall. Even more telling, this sexually transmitted disease was almost eradicated less than 10 years ago. The number of cases has been going up since the year 2000.
7. Where can you find true biblical teaching on a nation-wide basis anymore? Christian high schools are caving. Christian higher education is caving (just for starters many Christian colleges and seminaries embrace something called Christian psychology which is an impossible combination since the two systems have a completely different basis from which they operate). Churches are caving which explains in part how Obama got elected. Even so-called Evangelicals are no longer biblical. They have pieces of the truth and with those pieces they’re able to attract the hungry masses, but then they don’t deliver the most important aspects of the gospel.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could come up with a way to take people who make their entry into Christianity through people like Joel Osteen and Rick Warren, and somehow guide them to the next step. How can we do that? How can we reach them? I think Bill Keller of Liveprayer has the right idea -- he’s trying to infiltrate the ‘secular’ media with the message of Christ rather than ‘preach to the choir.’ At this time we Christians have no real platform -- the mainstream media, Hollywood, the music industry, TV, the major denominations, have all been stripped of the God of the Bible.
Christian and conservative talk radio remains a powerful force, but that might soon be coming to an end with all this talk of the ‘Fairness Doctrine.’ The most unregulated area right now is the internet. In fact, Christian radio might have to default to the internet (as Brannon Howse of Worldview Weekend is doing by having his radio show also shown live on the internet) in order to get out the message of God. But how many will take the extra effort when they get home to search out a program they used to listen to in their car? Probably the same sold-out Christians who are already holding the line on Biblical Christianity.
8. During a speech at Obama’s inauguration festivities, Al Gore assured a group of junior high kids that they know more than their parents, basically implying that kids shouldn’t listen to their elders. I remember hearing about Maria von Trapp (of Sound of Music Fame) recalling how during the days of Hitler’s rise to power, she and her classmates in school were also told that their parents were old and reactionary and that the future lay with their own younger generation.
9. Here’s a good argument against liberals who support everything homosexual. If they believe in evolution as much as they say they do, then how can they be for homosexual behavior? Evolution relies on heredity. Traits are passed on to future generations through DNA and the race is improved through survival of the fittest. Homosexuals must therefore have bad genes since their 'unions' don’t produce offspring and therefore can't pass on any traits at all. Of course, passing on their philosophy is another matter.
10. More insanity from the global warming nuts. Green writer James Lovelock says it’s too late to save the planet from global warming. The best we can do now is to cull the herd. I guess 4,000 abortions a day isn’t enough for them.
Boss: “Bob, you are the most honest, trustworthy, joyful, patient, kind, loyal, and respectful employee I’ve ever had work for me.”
Bob (thinking to himself): Honesty (Exodus 20:16), trustworthiness (Exodus 20:15), joy, patience, kindness (Galatians 5:22-23), and loyalty and respect (1 Peter 2:17-18).
Boss: “Keep it up, but just make sure you keep your Christianity and Bible stuff out of the office.”
How typical. People wants all the fruits of Christianity such as good employees, loyal friends, freedom, good laws, honesty in government, the Constitution, and yet they don’t want to acknowledge it as such.
2. In my Bible Counseling class our assignment was to take our Bibles to work for the rest of our lives!! What a great assignment for every Christian.
3. Nietsche said a couple of really interesting -- and true -- things:
a) “When one gives up Christian belief, one thereby deprives oneself of the right to Christian morality.”
I wish we could get this across to the many Americans who want religion out of government and yet want to keep the same morals. No wonder those morals are sadly disappearing -- they have no foundation to stand on.
b) “Christianity presupposes that man does not know, cannot know what is good for him and what is evil: he believes in God, who alone knows. Christian morality is a command; its origin is transcendent; it is beyond all criticism, all right to criticism; it has truth only if God is truth -- it stands and falls with the belief in God.”
Christianity and its morality has been proven time and time again. The answers to life are clear if only people would open their minds and hearts.
4. The secular mainstream media is not free of religion as they’re always claiming. They’re promoting atheism, a religion, because they want to remove all traces of God from our daily lives. This is not neutrality. There’s no such thing. Evolution supporters try to pull the same trick. If they were really interested in the truth, dialogue between both sides would be allowed.
5. Homosexual ‘bishop’ Gene Robinson is having to reduce clergy and support staff although not his own six figure salary. He thought the pews would be filled with hundreds and even thousands of homosexuals after he was ordained, but that hasn’t happened and he’s now being forced to cut back. Even more offensive is the fact that his salary includes $40,000 for his housing which he shares with his homosexual lover.
A similar result occurred when homosexual marriage became an option in Massachusetts. The huge rush by homosexuals to get married that many expected to see never happened either. Which just goes to show that the so called ‘gay’ agenda isn’t about rights, but about dismantling the laws and boundaries of society.
6. Speaking of homosexuals, the latest government statistics show that 65 % of syphilis cases are homosexual males. Turns out homosexual men are the ‘primary drivers’ of increased syphilis rates overall. Even more telling, this sexually transmitted disease was almost eradicated less than 10 years ago. The number of cases has been going up since the year 2000.
7. Where can you find true biblical teaching on a nation-wide basis anymore? Christian high schools are caving. Christian higher education is caving (just for starters many Christian colleges and seminaries embrace something called Christian psychology which is an impossible combination since the two systems have a completely different basis from which they operate). Churches are caving which explains in part how Obama got elected. Even so-called Evangelicals are no longer biblical. They have pieces of the truth and with those pieces they’re able to attract the hungry masses, but then they don’t deliver the most important aspects of the gospel.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could come up with a way to take people who make their entry into Christianity through people like Joel Osteen and Rick Warren, and somehow guide them to the next step. How can we do that? How can we reach them? I think Bill Keller of Liveprayer has the right idea -- he’s trying to infiltrate the ‘secular’ media with the message of Christ rather than ‘preach to the choir.’ At this time we Christians have no real platform -- the mainstream media, Hollywood, the music industry, TV, the major denominations, have all been stripped of the God of the Bible.
Christian and conservative talk radio remains a powerful force, but that might soon be coming to an end with all this talk of the ‘Fairness Doctrine.’ The most unregulated area right now is the internet. In fact, Christian radio might have to default to the internet (as Brannon Howse of Worldview Weekend is doing by having his radio show also shown live on the internet) in order to get out the message of God. But how many will take the extra effort when they get home to search out a program they used to listen to in their car? Probably the same sold-out Christians who are already holding the line on Biblical Christianity.
8. During a speech at Obama’s inauguration festivities, Al Gore assured a group of junior high kids that they know more than their parents, basically implying that kids shouldn’t listen to their elders. I remember hearing about Maria von Trapp (of Sound of Music Fame) recalling how during the days of Hitler’s rise to power, she and her classmates in school were also told that their parents were old and reactionary and that the future lay with their own younger generation.
9. Here’s a good argument against liberals who support everything homosexual. If they believe in evolution as much as they say they do, then how can they be for homosexual behavior? Evolution relies on heredity. Traits are passed on to future generations through DNA and the race is improved through survival of the fittest. Homosexuals must therefore have bad genes since their 'unions' don’t produce offspring and therefore can't pass on any traits at all. Of course, passing on their philosophy is another matter.
10. More insanity from the global warming nuts. Green writer James Lovelock says it’s too late to save the planet from global warming. The best we can do now is to cull the herd. I guess 4,000 abortions a day isn’t enough for them.
Monday, February 2, 2009
New Age Bible Versions Part 3
As promised in an earlier blog, here are the final six trends that appear in the newer translations of the Bible such as the NIV and NASB as shown in NEW AGE BIBLE VERSIONS: An Exhaustive Documentation Exposing The Message, Men and Manuscripts Moving Mankind To The Antichrist’s One World Religion by G.A. Riplinger.
7) The newer translations go beyond the psychology of self-esteem to show man becoming his own God. For example, instead of the KJV’s “around about the throne were four and twenty seats” (Rev. 4:4) the NASB has “around the throne were twenty four thrones”. The KJV says about man in Ps 8:5 “ For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels”. The NASB and NIV among others instead state “Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God” which is quite a promotion of status! Here’s a similar contrast in Heb 2:7 -- “Thou madest him a little lower than the angels” (KJV) vs “Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels” (newer versions). The word blaspheme doesn’t only mean slandering God, but includes the concept of claiming the prerogatives of the deity. Instead of translating the word as “blasphemy” as the KJV does, the new versions use “slander” in Col 3:8, Mark 7:22, and Matt 15:19 to name a few places.
8) The new versions have not only chiseled away at Christ and Jesus’ name. they have routed out many references to God. Compare Rev 21:4 in the KJV “God shall wipe away all tears” to the NIV and NASB “He shall wipe away.” Or Heb 10: 9 in the KJV “I come to do thy will, O God” to the newer versions’ “I have come to do thy will.” In 1 Tim 3:16 the new versions have “He who was revealed” as opposed to the KJV’s “God was manifest.” And in Matt 6:33 you find “the kingdom of God” (KJV) versus “His kingdom” (newer versions). Even more telling, in 2 Cor 10:4, the KJV says “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God” while the new versions have “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but divinely powerful” which is ambiguous to say the least.
9) The new versions tend to soften man’s sinfulness and guilt. In 1 Cor 4:4 we have “For I know nothing by myself” (KJV) whereas the newer versions say “My conscience is clear’ (NIV, NASB). Col 2:11 changes from “the sins of the flesh” (KJV) to “the body of the flesh (NIV, NASB). Matt 18:7 in the KJV reads “woe unto the world because of offenses” compared to “woe unto the world because of stumbling blocks”. Even more telling, Luke 7:30 in the KJV says “rejected the counsel of God against themselves” as opposed to “rejected God’s purpose for themselves” in the newer versions.
10) The KJV is actually easier to read when you compare grade levels and vocabulary. The grade level average of the KJV is 5.8 while the grade level average for the NIV is, amazingly enough, 8.4. The author includes a comparison chart of the hard words used in the NASB as compared to the easier words in the KJV. Here are a few quick examples: great plainness of speech (KJV) vs lividness of speech (NASB), carried away (KJV) vs deportation (NASB), coasts (KJV) vs environs (NASB), cast out (KJV) vs eliminated (NASB), band of soldiers (KJV) vs whole Roman cohort (NASB), and hall of judgement (KJV) vs Praetorium (NASB).
11) The newer versions are harder on women. The KJV says in 1 Tim 5:16, “If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them” while the new versions lay this burden solely on women, “if any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, let her assist them. Rev. 13:16 says “free and bond” (KJV) which includes everyone in both categories as opposed to “free men and slaves” (newer versions) which is more nebulous. James 4:4 translates as the all-inclusive “ye adulterers and adulteresses” in the KJV as compared to “you adulteresses (NASB). The newer versions also take the credit away from women. Check out Heb 11:11 in the KJV where it's Sara who shows faith: “Through faith also, Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful who had promised.” Now here’s that same verse in the newer versions with Abraham as the star of the passage: “By faith Abraham even though he was past age -- and Sara herself was barren -- was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.”
12) The newer versions show a decided lack of uniformity when it comes to servants and slaves. A servant is one who exerts himself for the benefit of another master while a slave is a person held in bondage, a thrall. The KJV uses the word “servant” in every case, along with “bondman” and “handmaid”. The newer versions can’t seem to make up their minds and are very schizophrenic in their translations. The KJV always translates the Hebrew ebed as “servant” while the new versions flip flop and use both “servant” and “slave”. The Greek pais is also inconsistently rendered in the newer versions as both “slaves” and “servants”. Doulos, the word most often translated as “slave” in the newer versions, becomes “servants” in those same versions in Revelation 10.
The bottom line is that it never hurts to cross check whatever translation you’re using with the venerable King James Bible.
7) The newer translations go beyond the psychology of self-esteem to show man becoming his own God. For example, instead of the KJV’s “around about the throne were four and twenty seats” (Rev. 4:4) the NASB has “around the throne were twenty four thrones”. The KJV says about man in Ps 8:5 “ For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels”. The NASB and NIV among others instead state “Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God” which is quite a promotion of status! Here’s a similar contrast in Heb 2:7 -- “Thou madest him a little lower than the angels” (KJV) vs “Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels” (newer versions). The word blaspheme doesn’t only mean slandering God, but includes the concept of claiming the prerogatives of the deity. Instead of translating the word as “blasphemy” as the KJV does, the new versions use “slander” in Col 3:8, Mark 7:22, and Matt 15:19 to name a few places.
8) The new versions have not only chiseled away at Christ and Jesus’ name. they have routed out many references to God. Compare Rev 21:4 in the KJV “God shall wipe away all tears” to the NIV and NASB “He shall wipe away.” Or Heb 10: 9 in the KJV “I come to do thy will, O God” to the newer versions’ “I have come to do thy will.” In 1 Tim 3:16 the new versions have “He who was revealed” as opposed to the KJV’s “God was manifest.” And in Matt 6:33 you find “the kingdom of God” (KJV) versus “His kingdom” (newer versions). Even more telling, in 2 Cor 10:4, the KJV says “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God” while the new versions have “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but divinely powerful” which is ambiguous to say the least.
9) The new versions tend to soften man’s sinfulness and guilt. In 1 Cor 4:4 we have “For I know nothing by myself” (KJV) whereas the newer versions say “My conscience is clear’ (NIV, NASB). Col 2:11 changes from “the sins of the flesh” (KJV) to “the body of the flesh (NIV, NASB). Matt 18:7 in the KJV reads “woe unto the world because of offenses” compared to “woe unto the world because of stumbling blocks”. Even more telling, Luke 7:30 in the KJV says “rejected the counsel of God against themselves” as opposed to “rejected God’s purpose for themselves” in the newer versions.
10) The KJV is actually easier to read when you compare grade levels and vocabulary. The grade level average of the KJV is 5.8 while the grade level average for the NIV is, amazingly enough, 8.4. The author includes a comparison chart of the hard words used in the NASB as compared to the easier words in the KJV. Here are a few quick examples: great plainness of speech (KJV) vs lividness of speech (NASB), carried away (KJV) vs deportation (NASB), coasts (KJV) vs environs (NASB), cast out (KJV) vs eliminated (NASB), band of soldiers (KJV) vs whole Roman cohort (NASB), and hall of judgement (KJV) vs Praetorium (NASB).
11) The newer versions are harder on women. The KJV says in 1 Tim 5:16, “If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them” while the new versions lay this burden solely on women, “if any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, let her assist them. Rev. 13:16 says “free and bond” (KJV) which includes everyone in both categories as opposed to “free men and slaves” (newer versions) which is more nebulous. James 4:4 translates as the all-inclusive “ye adulterers and adulteresses” in the KJV as compared to “you adulteresses (NASB). The newer versions also take the credit away from women. Check out Heb 11:11 in the KJV where it's Sara who shows faith: “Through faith also, Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful who had promised.” Now here’s that same verse in the newer versions with Abraham as the star of the passage: “By faith Abraham even though he was past age -- and Sara herself was barren -- was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.”
12) The newer versions show a decided lack of uniformity when it comes to servants and slaves. A servant is one who exerts himself for the benefit of another master while a slave is a person held in bondage, a thrall. The KJV uses the word “servant” in every case, along with “bondman” and “handmaid”. The newer versions can’t seem to make up their minds and are very schizophrenic in their translations. The KJV always translates the Hebrew ebed as “servant” while the new versions flip flop and use both “servant” and “slave”. The Greek pais is also inconsistently rendered in the newer versions as both “slaves” and “servants”. Doulos, the word most often translated as “slave” in the newer versions, becomes “servants” in those same versions in Revelation 10.
The bottom line is that it never hurts to cross check whatever translation you’re using with the venerable King James Bible.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Christians and the Decline and Fall of America
Christians need to take responsibility for the shape America’s in right now because Christians have abdicated their role in civil society.
Too many Christians have bought into the lie that says the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are not Christian documents. The rest of the world understands this quite clearly, but here in America, we seem to have lost our way. We also seem to be trying to destroy everything in this country that has made it strong and good, i.e. God and the Bible.
Not many people know that of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, 24 of them held seminary degrees. George Washington and Alexander Hamilton said they got the idea for our government’s separation of powers from Jeremiash 17:9. The concept for our three branches of government -- legislative, executive, and judicial -- originated in Isaiah 33:22 where God is described as judge, lawgiver, and king. The idea for the tax-exempt status for churches came from Ezra 7:24.
The text from Deuteronomy 17:6 can be found in Article 3, Section 3, paragraph 1 of the United States Constitution. The text for Ezekiel 18:20 can be found in Article 3, section 3, paragraph 2 of that same document.
John Adams himself stated that the founding fathers used the principles of Christianity to achieve independence. No wonder the United States of America is the longest running constitutional republic in the history of the world.
What I wouldn’t give to listen in on some of the sermons that were preached during the times of the founding fathers. Talk about applying the Bible to everyday life! Pastors in those days regularly preached in response to current cultural and social issues. They covered such current events as earthquakes, the great fire of Boston, and solar eclipses, After a man was sentenced to death, pastors often preached from the Bible about capital punishment. How many of our pastors today do this? How many know their Bibles well enough to even attempt it? And thus so many of the issues of today which are clearly laid out in the Bible fall into heated and unnecessary dispute.
Did you know that Jesus taught two parables on the issue of capital gains? He taught about minimum wage (once) and which kind of tax system is biblical (twice). The BIble addresses the issue of an unjust war vs the proper use of military action. How handy this might have been in the Iraq war among other instances.
The Bible speaks about the importance of Christians being involved in elections. In Exodus 18:21, God even gives the qualifications for an elected official -- they should be a person of faith who hates covetousness and who will rule with the fear of God. How many men and women in our Congress fit that description? And we wonder why the country is tanking on pretty much every front.
Christians need to realize that Congress doesn’t necessarily represent the values of Americans -- they represent the values of those who vote. Between 1992 and 1996, there was a 17% decrease in the number of evangelicals who voted. From 1996 to 2000, it decreased another 23%, for a 40% total decrease. In the year 2000, out of the 60 million evangelicals living in America, only 15 million voted. Can you imagine if the other 45 million had gone to the voting booth in this latest election? We would surely have a different president sitting in the oval office.
We could take back this country in a heartbeat if we only took the Bible seriously and did what God wants us to do. So why don’t we?
Too many Christians have bought into the lie that says the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are not Christian documents. The rest of the world understands this quite clearly, but here in America, we seem to have lost our way. We also seem to be trying to destroy everything in this country that has made it strong and good, i.e. God and the Bible.
Not many people know that of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, 24 of them held seminary degrees. George Washington and Alexander Hamilton said they got the idea for our government’s separation of powers from Jeremiash 17:9. The concept for our three branches of government -- legislative, executive, and judicial -- originated in Isaiah 33:22 where God is described as judge, lawgiver, and king. The idea for the tax-exempt status for churches came from Ezra 7:24.
The text from Deuteronomy 17:6 can be found in Article 3, Section 3, paragraph 1 of the United States Constitution. The text for Ezekiel 18:20 can be found in Article 3, section 3, paragraph 2 of that same document.
John Adams himself stated that the founding fathers used the principles of Christianity to achieve independence. No wonder the United States of America is the longest running constitutional republic in the history of the world.
What I wouldn’t give to listen in on some of the sermons that were preached during the times of the founding fathers. Talk about applying the Bible to everyday life! Pastors in those days regularly preached in response to current cultural and social issues. They covered such current events as earthquakes, the great fire of Boston, and solar eclipses, After a man was sentenced to death, pastors often preached from the Bible about capital punishment. How many of our pastors today do this? How many know their Bibles well enough to even attempt it? And thus so many of the issues of today which are clearly laid out in the Bible fall into heated and unnecessary dispute.
Did you know that Jesus taught two parables on the issue of capital gains? He taught about minimum wage (once) and which kind of tax system is biblical (twice). The BIble addresses the issue of an unjust war vs the proper use of military action. How handy this might have been in the Iraq war among other instances.
The Bible speaks about the importance of Christians being involved in elections. In Exodus 18:21, God even gives the qualifications for an elected official -- they should be a person of faith who hates covetousness and who will rule with the fear of God. How many men and women in our Congress fit that description? And we wonder why the country is tanking on pretty much every front.
Christians need to realize that Congress doesn’t necessarily represent the values of Americans -- they represent the values of those who vote. Between 1992 and 1996, there was a 17% decrease in the number of evangelicals who voted. From 1996 to 2000, it decreased another 23%, for a 40% total decrease. In the year 2000, out of the 60 million evangelicals living in America, only 15 million voted. Can you imagine if the other 45 million had gone to the voting booth in this latest election? We would surely have a different president sitting in the oval office.
We could take back this country in a heartbeat if we only took the Bible seriously and did what God wants us to do. So why don’t we?
Monday, January 26, 2009
What In The (Christian) World Is Going On?
A new Barna Group poll shows depressing results for any Bible believing Christian.
Half of Americans who call themselves Christians don’t believe Satan exists.
Fully one third are confident that Jesus sinned while on earth.
Another 40 percent say they don’t have a responsibility to share their Christian faith with others.
Twenty-five percent dismiss the idea that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches.
These results have huge implications. Americans are growing increasingly comfortable picking and choosing what they want to believe and leaving the parts they don’t like behind. They have no problem discarding huge portions of the Bible and what it teaches. Hey, if Oprah does it, it must be okay.
Not only are we living in a post-modern world, it seems to me we’re living in a post-Christian world as well.
When you think about it, people are being pretty darned arrogant to think they can pick and choose specific elements from God’s word and forget the parts they’ve decided are too hard or that they don’t want to have to apply to their lives. God is God. Why shouldn’t He be able to demand how He wants to be worshipped? Who are we to disagree? Not only that, God is all-knowing. That means He’s right on top of what works in our lives and what doesn’t. We don’t have to look far to see the utter mess we’re making by taking matters into our own hands and doing what seems right to us. Just walk down any city street and you’ll find that pornography, drugs, drinking, swearing, rudeness, and selfishness abound. And that’s just for starters.
How convenient that so many American Christians don’t believe in Satan -- convenient for Satan, that is. That kind of mindset gives him free rein to carry out the business of keeping as many souls from heaven as he possibly can before his time is up. Multiple express lanes on the already broad highway to hell are now wide open for business. Satan and his demons must be laughing all the way.
In too many places, Christianity has become a feel-good religion that leaves all the hard parts like sin and hellfire out of the equation. In this new ‘Christianity, we don’t even have to worry about sharing the gospel. Whew, there’s another uncomfortable task off our plates.
It’s only going to get worse. Our new president has set out a decidedly anti-Christian agenda. Many of our pastors, who have been during a lukewarm job already, may soon be muzzled in their preaching by new hate crimes legislation, especially when it comes to homosexuality. Many have already muzzled themselves on this topic. It’ll be interesting to see which ones stand firm on their Biblical principles.
We can’t count on our leaders to do what’s right and moral. The corruption and wrong-headedness of our elected officials has gone off the charts. Our politicians don’t even follow the straightforward precepts of our Constitution, never mind the Bible. Revival only comes from the grassroots up and always has. It’s time for those of us who are serious about Christ to step up to the plate.
Half of Americans who call themselves Christians don’t believe Satan exists.
Fully one third are confident that Jesus sinned while on earth.
Another 40 percent say they don’t have a responsibility to share their Christian faith with others.
Twenty-five percent dismiss the idea that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches.
These results have huge implications. Americans are growing increasingly comfortable picking and choosing what they want to believe and leaving the parts they don’t like behind. They have no problem discarding huge portions of the Bible and what it teaches. Hey, if Oprah does it, it must be okay.
Not only are we living in a post-modern world, it seems to me we’re living in a post-Christian world as well.
When you think about it, people are being pretty darned arrogant to think they can pick and choose specific elements from God’s word and forget the parts they’ve decided are too hard or that they don’t want to have to apply to their lives. God is God. Why shouldn’t He be able to demand how He wants to be worshipped? Who are we to disagree? Not only that, God is all-knowing. That means He’s right on top of what works in our lives and what doesn’t. We don’t have to look far to see the utter mess we’re making by taking matters into our own hands and doing what seems right to us. Just walk down any city street and you’ll find that pornography, drugs, drinking, swearing, rudeness, and selfishness abound. And that’s just for starters.
How convenient that so many American Christians don’t believe in Satan -- convenient for Satan, that is. That kind of mindset gives him free rein to carry out the business of keeping as many souls from heaven as he possibly can before his time is up. Multiple express lanes on the already broad highway to hell are now wide open for business. Satan and his demons must be laughing all the way.
In too many places, Christianity has become a feel-good religion that leaves all the hard parts like sin and hellfire out of the equation. In this new ‘Christianity, we don’t even have to worry about sharing the gospel. Whew, there’s another uncomfortable task off our plates.
It’s only going to get worse. Our new president has set out a decidedly anti-Christian agenda. Many of our pastors, who have been during a lukewarm job already, may soon be muzzled in their preaching by new hate crimes legislation, especially when it comes to homosexuality. Many have already muzzled themselves on this topic. It’ll be interesting to see which ones stand firm on their Biblical principles.
We can’t count on our leaders to do what’s right and moral. The corruption and wrong-headedness of our elected officials has gone off the charts. Our politicians don’t even follow the straightforward precepts of our Constitution, never mind the Bible. Revival only comes from the grassroots up and always has. It’s time for those of us who are serious about Christ to step up to the plate.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
End Times Miscellanea
Talk about watching the Bible and prophecy come alive right before our very eyes! The birth pangs keep getting closer and closer together as things continue to fall into place for the return of Jesus Christ.
1.) It’s been a puzzle to many Americans that their country, the land of the brave and the home of the free, a country founded on godly Christian principles and blessed above any other nation on earth, would not be present in the end times scenario. Fifty years ago this seemed well nigh impossible. Today, it’s all too easy to see how quickly this is going to happen.
America is well on its way to being a super-power no longer and out of the picture by the time Antichrist comes along. America is speeding down the road to perdition and straight into the arms of God’s totally justified wrath. Our new president is certainly no friend of God’s and has an agenda in direct opposition to almost every principle the Bible stands for from abortion to gay rights to the totally non-Biblical way he wants to continue to handle our economic meltdown.
We have gone from the most pro-life to the most pro-abortion president in our nation's history. We’ll see how quickly he signs the Freedom of Choice Act to allow every kind of abortion conceivable under the sun.
The inauguration has already given us further hints at what’s to come, just in case you weren’t paying attention during the campaign. Obama may have been sworn in using Lincoln’s Bible, but he also chose an openly gay Episcopal clergyman (if you can call him that) to give one of the prayers at the presidential inauguration, a prayer this so-called Christian addressed to the ‘God of our many understandings’ whoever that is. The Obama administration had their Hate Crimes agenda on their website within hours of him taking office, so we know what we’re in for on that front.
2.) The bird flu has hit Asia again with people dying in China and Thailand. Nepal and India have also been hit as they were forced to destroy thousands of birds to avoid the spread of the deadly disease. This is likely a precursor setting up some of the final plagues which are outlined in Revelation.
3.) Israel has done a number on Hamas. The terrorist group might even be weakened enough to allow Israel to live more securely in the land, one of the preconditions for Ezekiel 38 and 39 to occur.
4.) Speaking of Ezekiel 38-39, Israel has discovered huge quantities of natural gas reserves off the coast of Haifa. This could eventually make the country energy independent and might perhaps be part of the tempting loot that Russia and her allies want to plunder.
5.) Russia continues to build alliances with her Ezekiel 38 and 39 partners in a myriad of ways including working to establish navy bases in Libya and Syria. Russia is also helping Iran with her nuclear power plant.
6.) Turkey, another ally of Russia from Ezekiel 38-39, has recently called for Israel to be barred from the United Nations, thus aligning this formerly more secular and moderate country into line with the rest of the Muslim world.
1.) It’s been a puzzle to many Americans that their country, the land of the brave and the home of the free, a country founded on godly Christian principles and blessed above any other nation on earth, would not be present in the end times scenario. Fifty years ago this seemed well nigh impossible. Today, it’s all too easy to see how quickly this is going to happen.
America is well on its way to being a super-power no longer and out of the picture by the time Antichrist comes along. America is speeding down the road to perdition and straight into the arms of God’s totally justified wrath. Our new president is certainly no friend of God’s and has an agenda in direct opposition to almost every principle the Bible stands for from abortion to gay rights to the totally non-Biblical way he wants to continue to handle our economic meltdown.
We have gone from the most pro-life to the most pro-abortion president in our nation's history. We’ll see how quickly he signs the Freedom of Choice Act to allow every kind of abortion conceivable under the sun.
The inauguration has already given us further hints at what’s to come, just in case you weren’t paying attention during the campaign. Obama may have been sworn in using Lincoln’s Bible, but he also chose an openly gay Episcopal clergyman (if you can call him that) to give one of the prayers at the presidential inauguration, a prayer this so-called Christian addressed to the ‘God of our many understandings’ whoever that is. The Obama administration had their Hate Crimes agenda on their website within hours of him taking office, so we know what we’re in for on that front.
2.) The bird flu has hit Asia again with people dying in China and Thailand. Nepal and India have also been hit as they were forced to destroy thousands of birds to avoid the spread of the deadly disease. This is likely a precursor setting up some of the final plagues which are outlined in Revelation.
3.) Israel has done a number on Hamas. The terrorist group might even be weakened enough to allow Israel to live more securely in the land, one of the preconditions for Ezekiel 38 and 39 to occur.
4.) Speaking of Ezekiel 38-39, Israel has discovered huge quantities of natural gas reserves off the coast of Haifa. This could eventually make the country energy independent and might perhaps be part of the tempting loot that Russia and her allies want to plunder.
5.) Russia continues to build alliances with her Ezekiel 38 and 39 partners in a myriad of ways including working to establish navy bases in Libya and Syria. Russia is also helping Iran with her nuclear power plant.
6.) Turkey, another ally of Russia from Ezekiel 38-39, has recently called for Israel to be barred from the United Nations, thus aligning this formerly more secular and moderate country into line with the rest of the Muslim world.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Defeating the Totalitarian Lie
With the recent advent of VALKYRIE and DEFIANCE into movie theaters, there seems to be a minor upsurge of World War II flicks. And not solely for entertainment, since both of these are based on true stories. For a different perspective on Hitler and the Nazis, check out DEFEATING THE TOTALITARIAN LIE: A Former Hitler Youth Warns America by Hilmar Von Campe.
The author tells his story of growing up in Hitler’s Germany, joining the Hitler Youth, and eventually enlisting in the army to fight. Even more interesting, at least to me, he explains how Hitler built his totalitarian regime. The author considered himself a ‘Christian’ like most of the rest of Germany, and yet like everyone else, he did nothing to stop Hitler. Because he was morally compromised, he didn’t feel responsible for the Holocaust. He considered himself guilt-free because he personally hadn’t killed any Jews. The rest of the country pretty much felt the same way.
It wasn’t until he wrote down a list of all his sins and realized he’d been a Christian fraud rather than a true, Bible believing Christian that he was able to see the truth. He’s written this book because he sees the same kind of thing happening in America.
One of the main points the author makes and one that many people don’t realize is that Nazis are not right wing Fascists. The name of the party was National Socialism. Nazis are radical, left-wing socialists. They hold a philosophy similar to that of the sadly misnamed ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) in this country which was founded by a communist and which is trying its hardest to disconnect Americans from their history, their heritage, and their traditions. The ACLU works diligently to undermine anything to do with God and His moral absolutes. The Nazis also denied God and went to great lengths to remove Him from all facets of society. The ACLU does the same while promoting itself as upholding democracy and freedom.
The Nazis had godless judges who made the law subject to Nazi ideology. Here in America we have godless judges who are also pushing God aside and violating our Constitution by removing prayer from our schools, making abortion legal, and working to make homosexual marriage a civil right among other perverse concepts.
Children were a big target of the Nazis as they are in this country. Control how young people are taught and you can control the world. That’s why the Nazis insisted all children attend public school. In this country as well, the schools have taken control of our kids’ education and now show little desire to consult with parents. Even more alarming, various courts have upheld the rights of the schools over those of the parents. If you think the Nazis used biased textbooks, you should check out the texts they’re using in a public school near you, particularly in science and history.
The Terri Schiavo case is another example of America following a Nazi-like path. A judge condemned Terri Schiavo to die a slow and torturous death by dehydration and starvation. Hitler gave orders right after the beginning of the war that allowed the Nazis to murder hundreds of thousands of people they considered unfit to live because they were of no use to society. This euthanasia was just the beginning of the slippery slope leading to the Holocaust. Even now Oregon and other states have instituted policies of euthanasia and assisted suicide.
The author covers lots of other similarities between America and the Nazis. He talks about the corruption of the U.N., the push for a North American Union, how Israel fits into the picture, and the rise of liars and lying throughout our country and our government among other interesting topics. Free societies can only exist when they’re based on truth which is why America has prospered for so long. That truth is being trampled on all the time. It was the mindset of Germany that allowed Hitler into power. DEFEATING THE TOTALITARIAN LIE gives fair warning so something similar won’t happen here.
The author tells his story of growing up in Hitler’s Germany, joining the Hitler Youth, and eventually enlisting in the army to fight. Even more interesting, at least to me, he explains how Hitler built his totalitarian regime. The author considered himself a ‘Christian’ like most of the rest of Germany, and yet like everyone else, he did nothing to stop Hitler. Because he was morally compromised, he didn’t feel responsible for the Holocaust. He considered himself guilt-free because he personally hadn’t killed any Jews. The rest of the country pretty much felt the same way.
It wasn’t until he wrote down a list of all his sins and realized he’d been a Christian fraud rather than a true, Bible believing Christian that he was able to see the truth. He’s written this book because he sees the same kind of thing happening in America.
One of the main points the author makes and one that many people don’t realize is that Nazis are not right wing Fascists. The name of the party was National Socialism. Nazis are radical, left-wing socialists. They hold a philosophy similar to that of the sadly misnamed ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) in this country which was founded by a communist and which is trying its hardest to disconnect Americans from their history, their heritage, and their traditions. The ACLU works diligently to undermine anything to do with God and His moral absolutes. The Nazis also denied God and went to great lengths to remove Him from all facets of society. The ACLU does the same while promoting itself as upholding democracy and freedom.
The Nazis had godless judges who made the law subject to Nazi ideology. Here in America we have godless judges who are also pushing God aside and violating our Constitution by removing prayer from our schools, making abortion legal, and working to make homosexual marriage a civil right among other perverse concepts.
Children were a big target of the Nazis as they are in this country. Control how young people are taught and you can control the world. That’s why the Nazis insisted all children attend public school. In this country as well, the schools have taken control of our kids’ education and now show little desire to consult with parents. Even more alarming, various courts have upheld the rights of the schools over those of the parents. If you think the Nazis used biased textbooks, you should check out the texts they’re using in a public school near you, particularly in science and history.
The Terri Schiavo case is another example of America following a Nazi-like path. A judge condemned Terri Schiavo to die a slow and torturous death by dehydration and starvation. Hitler gave orders right after the beginning of the war that allowed the Nazis to murder hundreds of thousands of people they considered unfit to live because they were of no use to society. This euthanasia was just the beginning of the slippery slope leading to the Holocaust. Even now Oregon and other states have instituted policies of euthanasia and assisted suicide.
The author covers lots of other similarities between America and the Nazis. He talks about the corruption of the U.N., the push for a North American Union, how Israel fits into the picture, and the rise of liars and lying throughout our country and our government among other interesting topics. Free societies can only exist when they’re based on truth which is why America has prospered for so long. That truth is being trampled on all the time. It was the mindset of Germany that allowed Hitler into power. DEFEATING THE TOTALITARIAN LIE gives fair warning so something similar won’t happen here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
