Template: response to "Wake Up America !" blogs

Just so I don't have to go over it again, and again, and again... Because unwary Christians keep posting "Wake Up America !!" blogs over, and over, and over again.

You know the type. Secret evil conspiracies against America, especially in the Middle East, especially by Muslims and/or communists. Dark plottings in our government to steal our "rights:" invariably by Muslim-loving socialists (read "Obama").

The first line is a (very typical) quote from one of these rants.

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"When a nation is being taken over by such darkness and great DECEPTIONS..."

Is the danger to "a nation" (presumably America), or to the Church ? Which is the Body of Christ, and mandated by God to follow Jesus, its Head ? Which is God's own creation to glorify Himself ?

Which dangers should Christians wake up to: the machinations of Middle-Eastern politicians, or those of the evil political faction misleading the Church in our own nation ?

Isn't it the latter which has led American Christians to embrace rebellion ("Government is the problem." Ronald Reagan), lies (such as David Barton's "history" of America's "Christian" heritage), blasphemy (George W. Bush' claim that America is "the light of the world") ? Isn't it the latter which persuaded millions of Christians to profess, by their votes, that they want to be led by the priest of a demon who claims to be the REAL "Jesus" ?

When a nation's CHURCH follows the enemy and his ways, what hope is there for that nation ? What hope for a Church which so forsakes the King of Glory ?

The Hollow Days

A beloved former pastor gave a Christmas sermon one year on "the hollow days." (He credited a friend with that great phrase.)

He spoke about a real spiritual problem: the ennui and let-down many people experience at, and after, Christmas. He didn't exactly say the holiday itself was hollow. But he came as close to taking on that shibboleth as any pastor I've ever heard.

The "hollow"ness of Christmas that always stands out for me is its astounding lack of spiritual content. At least, in the Church. The world undoubtedly puts on a temporary spirit of "good will toward men:" much-needed, even if only superficial, short-lived, and merely-sentimental. But the Church is where we would expect that continuing message of God's good news to be most deeply manifest.

The opposite seems to be the case. In my experience, the Church' entire month of December, perhaps even a few weeks before and a few weeks after, is given over to the "Christmas" spirit. There is at least a month every year when my church puts on hold all of our Bible-studies, sermons, prayer-groups, worship services and all the other distinctives of a Christian church, to focus entirely on special "Christmas" festivities and presentations. It feels very much like a break from the Church' God-given work, when we can relax and join unbelievers in idolatry of the holiday.

There are of course the obligatory, usually formulaic, sermons...about the wonderfulness of Christmas. But Sunday School classes, Bible studies, prayer groups...the places where we hear God's thoughts and ways, where we approach Him and enjoy His Presence...are put on hold for Christmas activities: decorating the sanctuary, practicing the pageant, organizing, advertising, and driving forward all the Christmas events. There is never less awareness and sense of God's Real Presence in the Church than at the season we claim to celebrate His Presence among men.

I've written several times before about the false history of Christmas, its origin as an expedient for a half-pagan Church, its revival in modern times as a Christ-less sentimental narrative. A "holy-day" exactly of, and to, the world's tastes. But only the Church manifests the deep hollowness of Christmas. Only the Church can.

The spirit of facebook

Upfront, let me say I hate facebook. (The local newspaper made their sign-on your facebook ID, so I had to have one.) What need it serves, except superficial opinioneering, is hard to see. When I want to talk to friends, I send them an e-mail: when I want to express my thoughts, I write a blog-entry. But that's (evidently) just me.

Nonetheless, no work of man, including facebook, is spirit-free. Even facebook's superficial opinionating is sufficient to show what spirit it rises from.

Doubtless the content we experience on facebook depends largely on who our "friends" are. Most of mine are my long-time (real-world) friends and family, their wives and husbands and children. Most of my friends are like me: in their 60s or older, middle-class, middle-American Christians. Their posts are probably a fair reflection of the spiritual-temperature of that demographic.

It's disheartening. What I see there, endlessly repeated, is violent hatred for anyone my friends consider their flesh-and-blood enemies: Obama, "liberals," Muslims, Democrats. Contempt for the poor, sick (or anyone who dares think "Obamacare" might help the sick), aliens. Every day there are approving re-posts of belligerent anti-government opinion, belligerent assertions of our rights (especially gun-rights), fawning tributes to our military, historical lies a la David Barton, current-events lies a la Glenn Beck, mindless Americanism.

It's all leavened with "Christian" posts. Many are mere sentimentality: some are just nonsense, or worse ("I love Jesus: if your (sic) not ashamed of our Savior, re-post this to all your friends and you will receive a special blessing!!").

If my friends' facebook posts are any indication, the spirit of this time is rebelliousness, lies, violent hatred, nationalism...tricked out with a few pious bumper-stickers to present itself as "Christian." If lies and hate-mongering masquerading as Christ isn't the definition of the spirit of antiChrist, I don't know what is.

May God move our nation and our generation to deeply REPENT its evil spirit !!

David Barton: Another Level of Deception

I only read two Christian blogs regularly. One is Rick Frueh's Spiritually-perceptive "Following Judah's Lion" (http://judahslion.blogspot.com/).

One of Rick's recent posts was "The Intoxicating Effect of Condemnation," about how we LOVE to condemn the world and its celebrities for (as we perceive it) their "...declining moral culture." That attitude is probably pervasive among Christians.

Rick's question that struck to my heart was simply, "...how can something decline when it is completely fallen to begin with?"

I've written several times here about David Barton, a leading minister of deceit to the American Church. I've written about Barton's gross falsification of history. That was my first gripe with Barton: how is telling a stream of lies in any way "Christian," or even honest history ?

In addition to lying about America, Barton lies about himself. He has no training as a historian, which he claims to be. And he studiously avoids, in his Who's Who entry and on his own "Wallbuilders" website, any mention that he is a professional political operative: co-chair of the Republican Party of Texas 8 times, and an official of the national 2004 and 2012 Republican Presidential campaigns. Barton's reticence, or rather deceit, about his political involvement is clearly because his politics reveal his agenda in falsifying American history.

Rick's question points up for me Barton's deepest deceit. Like most "conservatives," Barton wants to believe: and in his (mis-) teaching, wants us to believe: there was a better, wiser and more moral, human past. It's an unexamined belief even...rather, ESPECIALLY...among people who never consciously think about history: which may be one reason most unthinking people tend to latch onto "conservatism" as an agreeable philosophy.

Christianity is love of "the Truth," Who Jesus IS. History is a study that seeks truth about the past. By both measures, Barton reaches a new and deeper level of deceit.

His teaching that America's moral decline was caused by "liberal" courts, "liberal" social changes, and "liberal" laws of the past few decades clearly serves his Republican agenda. But framing as "moral decline" the very real changes America has undergone in our recent past makes that history subject to a Christian, not a Republican, interpretation.

So, Christian...when was Americans' society not completely fallen ? When were the hearts of men (American or any other nationality) not desperately wicked ? When was mankind not entirely in the grip of sin, and when did all men NOT fall short of the glory of God ?

Honoring a Righteous Politician

Honoring political courage that led to Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990:

We forget that South Africa’s apartheid government was a divisive political issue in the U.S. Many nations had ceased doing business with South Africa after the U.N. urged sanctions against the racist regime in 1962. But America's conservative politicians and business-interests thwarted attempts to get tough against apartheid, and kept South Africa’s economy afloat.

In 1985 an anti-apartheid bill was killed by a Republican filibuster. But the bill was re-introduced the next year, and unexpectedly passed the House. A revised version passed the Senate as well, and was sent to President Reagan for his signature. He vetoed it.

Congress set a vote on over-riding the President’s veto. Reagan fought back. He asked the country on T.V. to support his position: and even enlisted South Africa’s Foreign Minister in lobbying members of Congress. But the anti-apartheid law was overwhelmingly passed over Reagan’s veto: the first time in the Twentieth Century a President’s foreign-policy veto was overridden.

Cut off by its major supporter and trade-partner, the government of South Africa was forced to dismantle apartheid in the next few years...and release apartheid's most famous prisoner, Nelson Mandela.

Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas was the key person in getting the anti-apartheid law past Reagan’s veto. Sen. Kassebaum bucked her party and its popular President because she believed America should “be on the right side of history.” And she was able to sway other Republicans to join in her moral stance.

The chief aide of her party’s Senate leader at the time said, “Her voice carries a lot more weight than those blow-hards out on the floor.” Another inside-observer said Kassebaum was able to change Republicans' minds because they recognized that “…she had done her homework, she had no political agenda, [and] she just thought it was the right thing to do for both countries.”

In this week of well-deserved tributes to Nelson Mandela, it’s worth remembering that his release from unjust imprisonment was due to an American politician who put doing the right thing above party politics.

see http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=249652844

The Superstar Preacher Bible

I had to buy a new Bible this week. The one I've relied on for over 40 years had been re-bound once, and had again reached the state where it needed re-binding. Pages and sections were falling out when I turned the page as I read. But binderies seem to be few, and distant: and those I contacted quoted charges in the hundreds of dollars.

As much as I hate to lose the availability of the notes, underlined passages, and highlighted sections that represent my entire walk with Christ, I had to buy a new Bible.

I prefer a translation as close to the original languages as possible, and nicely readable in English. The New American Standard (as 40 years ago) best suits my criteria for serious study, and that's what I bought.

I'm not a Bible snob. Anything on which I have a question, I go first to the Greek or Hebrew, and research the original word(s) in Strong's and other sources. Sometimes I look at other English translations to see how they've translated a word or passage: and occasionally I find another version may be closer to the sense of the original language, or read more felicitously. On the latter consideration, the King James version (perhaps simply because we were all raised with its diction as the standard of "Biblical") often appeals.

One of the old ladies in Sunday School uses a paraphrased version. When she reads from it, sometimes it's helpful in capturing the sense of a passage. But often it's SO paraphrased that I can't recognize the passage in my NASB to follow her reading ! Either way, a "paraphrase" is obviously not suited to serious study.

I glanced at some of the other versions when I was shopping; but quickly decided the NASB was the best version for my next 40 years of study. But there was a great variety of editions of NASB to choose from. Many contained maps, an introductory paragraph with the historical context of each book, or a short section of concordance. One even contained an abbreviated version of Strong's in the back. I could see the use of all those additions.

What appalled me was the "Superstar Preacher" versions. The NASB translation, for example, could be purchased in the Charles Stanley and the John MacArthur versions, with those preachers' running interpretation of what scripture said, printed on the same page as the scripture !

I was amazed at the gross HUBRIS of anyone (superstar preacher or not) who would consider his interpretation of scripture merited the appearance of equality with scripture ! They surely realize that Christians who study scripture superficially (who are the vast majority) will tend to take their word as somehow equivalent to God's.

Especially should preachers who proudly boast their biblicism, as Stanley and MacArthur do, be utterly horrified at such a thing. Why are they not ?

Looking at "their" editions of the Bible, one answer was clear. Their interpretations of scripture...handily printed on the same page as the scripture...reflected exactly their own theologies. Surprise, surprise. Most notably, MacArthur's notes on I Corinthians 12-14 flatly stated that the gifts that passage teaches about are no longer valid.

Clearly MacArthur's self-vaunted biblicism is less love for scripture's truth, than love for his own interpretation of scripture. Were he to "consider it possible, in the bowels of Christ, that [he] might be wrong" (Oliver Cromwell's wonderful phrase), I doubt he would dare think so. But MacArthur clearly considers his interpretation the only true one.

The first parallel that comes to mind is the pope's alleged infallibility on matters of faith. Perhaps (in MacArthur's mind, and among his followers) there's some of that. But there's also a sort of Muslim sensibility to his acts: that "there is no Bible but the Bible, and MacArthur is its interpreter."

Is the Church led by such people...or misled ?

May the Church, and especially its leaders, REPENT !

Letter to Larry Page, Head of Google

Dear Larry:

I'm really concerned that Google is involved with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Here in Kansas, we've long ago figured out what ALEC and the Koch Brothers are up to. And in Kansas, we're already suffering from their success in pocketing our state's governorship and legislature.

I'd hope Google would not find its social conscience perverted by a false idea of what it means to be even-handed. Perhaps an "honest broker" should contribute to both Democrats and Republicans, as your public policy folks do. But choices between political parties or candidates very rarely involve a straight and clear moral choice.

"Public policy" choices do: and by definition, those moral choices are predicated on what's GOOD for "the public," human beings and society. That's a trickier matter than distinguishing between clearly-labeled politicians.

But clearly groups which advance private business agendas, or the interests of the super-rich becoming richer and more powerful in society, are contrary to the GOOD of all the rest of us, the majority. ALEC's intents in that regard: against worker's rights, against middle-class financial stability, and against environmental commonsense: are notorious.

Please understand that supporting public policy intended to do GOOD, and an equal number of ill-intentioned policies, does not produce even-handedness. It instead makes us morally-compromised. "Doing the right thing" is an exclusive orientation.

Please re-consider your involvement with ALEC and other groups promoting "public policies" which work to the harm of people's lives and societies.

Sincerely, Steve Hicks

Deceived

It's sobering to see, or hear, the boasts of past deceivers. And listening to the rants of Saddam Hussein, Jim Jones, Hitler, Rev. Moon, or others of their ilk, it's striking that sometimes, carried away in their own oratory, such men will reveal the frightening truth to their followers.

With the retrospect of history, it's incredible to hear such men baldly proclaim their evil intent: that (for example, paraphrased) "Truth is the enemy when it contradicts our beliefs !" Or, "I am to you, in all ways, as your God !" Or, "The New Man must steel his heart against the weakness of pity and forgiveness !" Or, "If the nation fails to triumph, better that it be destroyed than survive !" Or, "If we find ourselves at the mercy of those who oppose us, we must all die together !"

More incredible is that when the deceivers reveal the evil truth to their followers, the adoring crowds shout their approval and clap enthusiastically, with joy on their faces ! They wildly cheer the announcement of their own destruction, with fanatic devotion to their destroyer !!

More even that Hitler, Jim Jones, Saddam Hussein or Rev. Moon, the flesh-and-blood AntiChrist will be attactive in every way, a winning personality, the height of human intelligence and attainment. Jesus Himself says that in the days of AntiChrist his spirit of deception over the entire world will be so strong that, "if it were possible," God's Own chosen ones would follow him (Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22).

I don't consider we're in those days yet. But according to Jesus, they are coming. Should God decide to allow AntiChrist's run during our day, most Christians are in trouble.

A year ago, the vast majority of America's (white, anyway) Christians were easily persuaded, by mere human politics, to follow the priest of a false Christ. How then will undiscerning Christians be able to resist the full spiritual force of Satan's master-deceit ?

When God Himself gives over to "strong delusion" the hearts of all who "do not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved," how can those so sovereignly deluded avoid destruction ? Would they be dissuaded even by their beloved destroyer revealing the truth, announcing "I AM the Beast of Revelation !!", or "I AM come to destroy you all !!" ?

That day is not yet. God still holds out hope to the rebellious and the deceived. Whoever will, can lay hold of that hope. Christians, Repent.

Never Say Die ?

I posted a short comment today on Facebook (sewer of mindlessness that it is, I post there on occasion), that it was the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis' death.

It raised an interesting question: what terminology is correct for such a Christian's death ?

That he was ushered into God's Presence ? He lived in the Lord's Presence.

That He entered God's Kingdom ? He was already a citizen of God's Kingdom.

That he "died" ? He began to live fully.

I didn't find a good term for a saint's death.

God's Schedule

A republican Congressman who voted that public assistance-recipients be subject to drug-testing was arrested this week for possession of cocaine.

I don't feel outraged at his hypocrisy. Like "pro-life" Republican Congressmen who force their wives and mistresses to have abortions (as at least one is PUBLICLY-known to have), or others who take millions in government agricultural subsidies while cutting poor food-recipients off government aid, it only convinces me God's schedule is proceeding.

God hates hypocrites. He hates especially hypocrisy that victimizes the poor. He hates the vicious pride of hypocrites who characterize 47% of their fellow-citizens (some say a higher percentage) as worthless parasites. He hates the lying hypocrisy of those who pride themselves that their nation's every cent proclaims "In God We Trust," and spend billions of dollars on military "strength" to keep America safe.

God hates the proud, liars, those who trust in their own murderous strength, and hypocrites. He hates politicians who so vaunt themselves. How then does He regard those who parrot the politicians' attitudes as "Christian" ?

God's enemies even now war against the King of Glory with implacable fury. But His justice is even more implacable, and His mercy and His power are irresistible. He promises to deliver those who trust in HIM completely, and to destroy utterly those who hate Him.

It's God's comfort and encouragement to know that His schedule for the hypocrites and liars is inexorably proceeding: and "Lo, their doom is sure."

Praise You, Father ! Glorify Yourself in crushing underfoot all who take Your name blasphemously in their mouth to cover their evil deeds !!

Our Spiritual Warfare

Every day that I see "Christian" e-mails, Facebook posts, and blogs, I want to re-affirm the Spirit's leading.

Because we follow Jesus, we are subject to fierce and continual spiritual attacks by those who hate Him.

The lines of that warfare are simple and absolute. Jesus identifies Himself as "the Truth," and His enemy as "the father of lies."

When we choose to follow Jesus, we choose to follow Truth.

That choice determines our stance towards every "issue of life." Indeed, II Thessalonians seems to make our "receiv[ing] the love of the truth" the whole determinative between life ("salvation") and death ("perish[ing]").

Every day's flood of "Christian" e-mails, Facebook posts, and blogs shows many "good" people, Christian people, even friends and family, are working for the enemy, spreading his lies. It's very discouraging.

The Spirit's unvarying witness of encouragement is that Truth (Jesus) conquers and rules over all His enemies.

AMEN, Lord Jesus !! Maranatha !!

Christian "Political Correctness"

"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:3-5)


I've been hearing for 30 years...everyone in America has been hearing...the repeated incantation of "political correctness" as a criticism of...you name it. Criticism of anything in our national life that smacks of bending-over-backwards fairness or sensitivity to the feelings of others. The take-away is that "political correctness" is stupid because it sometimes goes to ridiculous extremes. That it is specifically liberal stupidity, because that faction makes the biggest show of its civic inclusiveness. And that "politically correct" treatment of "them" (here's the real sting) victimizes US and deprives us of our "rights."

Somebody else can hash out the relative value and the relative threat of "political correctness." That's not my concern, and indeed seems rather pointless.

What seems very much to the point is that Christians (who often squawk the loudest against anything they perceive as "p.c.") operate by their own politically-correct mindset. Doing so is, in fact, part of how we're expected to signal our membership in the "Christian" club.

Far from a comprehensive catalog, and in no particular order, the attitudes and thoughts of "politically correct Christianity" include:


that the world's "conservative" faction is our friend:

that Christianity is ITSELF, in fact, "conservative;"

that "liberals" and all their works are therefore evil;

that "liberals" are flesh-and-blood enemies of Christianity;

that "the media" is "liberal," and always lies (Fox "News" excepted);

that America's "activist courts" are "liberal" and anti-Christian;

that "conservative" political and legislative action can bring America back to God;

that God is served when we support "conservative" candidates and causes;

that our "liberal" enemies are out to take away our God-given "rights."


"Christian p.c." is a complex of many other pervasive attitudes. I could mention the "American Christian Heritage" historical lies of professional "conservative" operative David Barton and others; false patriotism, and adulation of the military; contempt for science as "anti-Christian;" and unthinking acceptance of unscriptural "conservative" positions on every other current "issue" (gun-control, global-warming, small government, etc., etc.). Those attitudes all have their political repercussions, of course, and may even (as with Barton's lying "history") be intended primarily for political ends. They are not, however, strictly political beliefs in themselves: so I don't regard them as core "Christian p.c."

Each above belief of "Christian political correctness" is quite simply false, and based on a lie. That in itself should give any thinking Christian pause, knowing who Jesus said is "the father of lies." I've written many times in this blog about most, if not all, of those lies. I hate lies, every denial of "The Truth," as must anyone who believes Jesus IS The Truth. But that's not my point here.

The fact is that "political correctness" is predicated on a righteous ideal: kindness to others. But as with all human-devised systems, its implementation becomes ineffectual, ridiculous...and ultimately destructive of the righteousness it intends. But that's not my point either.

The point is that Christians despise "political correctness," and those (whom they perceive as their "liberal" enemies) fostering it.

At the same time, Christians follow their own lock-step "political correctness" in the image of the world's "conservative" faction; and regard "Christian p.c." as a prerequisite for membership in their religious club.

The first (but only the first) problem there is that Christians accept in themselves what they condemn in others. Jesus rightly calls that hypocrisy. (Matthew 7:5)


May the American Church repent its gross hypocrisy !!

Two Kinds of People...

No human being is one-dimensional. Any single person, at any given moment, may be kind, judgmental, anxious, funny, assertive, clever, careless, vulnerable, out-going, suspicious, angry, reserved,... It's every individual's free-will choice. We can also choose to scale and combine any of our responses in any given circumstance, or in relation to any specific other individual(s).

But we like to believe other people are one-dimensional. That their responses are wholly pre-determined by our (OUR !!) perception of them as "one of those people." They always talk that way, think that way, and act that way because they are (take your choice, or add your own) Italian-American, "conservative," a druggie, Catholic, a union-member, white, a mother, an academic, an immigrant, wealthy, a hunter, a New Yorker, oriental, a veteran, an attorney... And because they are "one of those people," they will never be (like us) honest, well-intentioned, trustworthy, loving, right-thinking, decent people.

God...Himself the Creator of all human beings, all their diversity, and of free-will...has a different criteria. He looks among the billions of human hearts to find one which is completely His; who knows Him, loves Him, obeys Him.

"There are only two kinds of people." We have our human thoughts and ways of sorting them out. God has His. If it's not already completely obvious, He tells us straight-out that our thoughts and ways are not His at all (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Can two walk together unless they are agreed ? (Amos 3:3) They cannot. But God delights to walk with any who will agree in His thoughts and His ways.

Wisdom for our course

Here is wisdom.


No worldly political faction is a friend of God's Kingdom.

No worldly political faction loves The Truth.

No worldly political faction has any heart-motivation except seizing political power for themselves.


So why is the Church in America in bed with a worldly political faction ?

Why does the Church in America cling fanatically to a faction whose ways are rebellion, saying that "government IS the problem" ?

Why does the Church identify with a faction which teaches blasphemy, that "America is the light of the world" ?

Why does the Church follow a faction which puts forward a priest of anti-Christ to lead America ?


Two reasons.

Because, as Jesus warned us, the enemy will do everything in his power "...in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect." That is exactly what he has done, and is doing.

Because the Church has chosen to be spiritually blind. That is exactly what Christians have done, and are doing.


May the Church in America immediately repent !!

The Church of Limited Jesus

There's a pervasive problem in the thinking of America's current unbelieving Church. They know Jesus is in the Bible, and consider He's inside their church' walls. They don't really believe Jesus is in the world...even though they'll make a big pious deal in a couple months of celebrating that God came to earth in human flesh.

But few believe that fact in the scriptural sense: that it changes their daily operative thinking.

It's easy that they see Him in the natural world. Many quote the scriptures about God's power being manifest in creation, and smugly marvel that unbelievers can't see Him there. But man is also God's creation, and bears His "image" in a way nothing else does. The Church' unbelief is that it cannot see His image there.

The Church is spiritually blind to Jesus' Presence in the "world" of human society. Indeed, following the teaching of their "Christian" and political mis-leaders, they view "the world" as irremediably evil, and its people as flesh-and-blood enemies. It's one of the major ways these deceivers have fostered their thinking in the Church' heart, thinking contrary the mind of Jesus.

I see Jesus every day. He's more often in "the world" than in the Church' superficial religious club. It is Jesus when the parents of a murdered child tearfully forgive her killer: it cannot be any other. When a drug-addict of 40 years turns from that destructive life, it is Jesus. When the convenience-store clerk returns an overpaid quarter, a man smiles and stops to talk to a filthy homeless person, a child spontaneously hugs a playmate: that's Jesus, whether or not any of the people themselves are formally members of the Christian club.

He is not among individuals only. He rules over all human works as well. When a journalist busts his ass to make sure he's got the facts right, a judge agonizes to make a decision that is both just and merciful, a scientist spends his life trying to discover how nature truly works: their standard is Jesus. But the Church, as it's been taught, hates "the media," hates government, and despises science as anti-Christian.

Jesus is here. He's among people, between people, and IN people. But the Church' "Christian p.c." thinking blinds their spiritual eyes to seeing Him.

How then can the Church worship One Who is not in their hearts ? More to the point, how can they follow Him they can't see ?

"Rightly dividing the word of truth"

It’s been suggested that the kind of worship outlined in I Corinthians 14:26ff was only directed to the church in Corinth in Paul's time. But this teaching about the proper use of prophecy in worship ends with the words “as in all the churches of the saints.” If these teachings apply to how “all the churches of the saints” use prophecy in worship, clearly all the churches worship this way.

The implication is that all the churches of the saints should worship this way. Paul's opening words in v. 26 flatly state "When you assemble," this is how you worship. I take his words there as prescriptive, with a descriptive example.

I also take it as a given of Biblical teaching that, if we truly believe the Bible is God's written word to man, it applies to us. This is the absolute mindset of the Bible, affirmed in numerous scriptures. Several which stress the universal applicability to believers of scriptural teachings are found in I Corinthians. That's probably significant, since the teachings of I Corinthians (particularly chapters 12 and 14) are the primary ones which some want to disallow.

In I Corinthians 4:17, Paul says he sent Timothy to them “…to remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.”

All should remain in the circumstances where God called them (specifically marriage), he says in I Corinthians 7:17, “And so I direct in all the churches.”

Women should cover their heads when praying or prophecying, I Corinthians 11:16: “…we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God.”

Rather than tailoring his message to the Corinthians and their church, Paul seems to go out of his way to stress that his teachings to them are the same he gives in all the churches. The criteria he holds before them is the Godly practices of all the churches.

We know Paul’s letters to the Corinthians addressed specific problems in that church, in their cultural context, at that time. We could say the same about (for example) the Old Testament prophecies God directed to the Jews, and their culture, in their time. The problems God addresses in those portions of scripture may or may not be present in current-day believers, or our culture, or our time. But I doubt the nature of the human spirit, its temptations and sins, have changed since those scriptures were written.

There’s an argument to be made that, regards human cultural and temporal situations, God has sometimes been merciful to “wink” for a time at mens’ ignorant unbelief (Acts 17:30). Jesus said God let some religious traditions grow up because of our “hardness of heart” (Matthew 19:8). But note that in both cases, these words were followed by a call to repent.

We also know that Paul carefully distinguishes between what he "received of the Lord" and what is his own opinion. In I Corinthians 7:12, for example, he says, "But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not leave her." Similarly, in v. 25 of that same chapter, he writes, "Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who has had mercy shown on him by the Lord to be trustworthy."

Taking all of that into account, the big question here is what principle we will choose to bring to understanding scripture. I'd expect any believing Christian would start from the premise that scripture's words are God’s word to us, and apply to us.

God doesn’t change. It’s possible He may mercifully temper His words to the cultural or temporal (mis-) understanding of specific people He’s addressing. The teaching that women should cover their heads when praying or prophecying may indeed be such a case, specifically tailored to the cultural understanding of Christians in First Century Corinth. But deeming we may set aside His teachings for any reason should be approached with fearful and absolute humility, and only under the Spirit's express leading.

The typical argument for what some call "cessationism" is usually predicated instead on some element of pride. It seems extremely presumptuous to set aside scripture's teaching, for example, on the supposition that our Twentifirst Century understanding grounded in American culture is superior to that of First Century Corinthians for interpreting God's intent. Making such an argument probably evidences that it is not of God: God is fiercely opposed to the proud. (James 4:6 and elsewhere.)

Perhaps some incidental scriptural teachings may be less than universal and absolute commands for all times and places. I doubt that God's endowing His followers with charismata to edify (build up) the Church is ever incidental. Nor is scripture's instruction about Spiritual gifts' use in worship. I Corinthian 14's portrayal of the Spirit operating in worship through His gifts seems rather to correlate scripturally with what Jesus commends as "worship in Spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)

If we're unsure whether a Biblical teaching is incidental, and applicable or inapplicable, we probably need to be wise as well as humble. On any such question, simple wisdom would be to err on the side of being scrupulously obedient to God’s teaching, rather than running the risk of offending and disobeying The King. Especially is that true when the teaching is based specifically in God’s unchanging Nature. That’s the case in I Corinthians 14:33, where prophecy’s use in worship is governed by the fact that “…God is…a God of…peace.”

But the bottom line is not yet.

After all these considerations weighing against a "cessationist" interpretive-system, the fact is that there's no real scriptural evidence for it. God can be expected to do things we don't expect: new things that we find hard to believe, even when He tells us. (Habbakuk 1:5) But in His mercy we CAN expect Him to tell us, in an unmistakable way, when He is pleased to guide us into His new way. Jesus is THE prime example of His setting forth His new Way in the full Blaze of His Glory.

In the 40+ years I've been a Christian, the "cessationist" theorists have never been able to present a scriptural basis for their contention that, after scripture was completed, God's new way is to remove Spiritual gifts and ministries from the Church, or that God intends we worship without them.

That's the bottom line for me. I consider it the absolute criteria on which any believing Christian should weigh any interpretive theory.

Amen.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Interestingly...I don't believe in "coincidences"...I hadn't heard anything about John MacArthur's new "cessationist" volume, in which he removes all charismatics' names from the Lamb's Book of Life, until last week. At the time, I was already working through a scriptural consideration of the proposition put forth in our Sunday School class the preceding week, that I Corinthians 14's teachings about gifts and worship don't apply to Christians today.

I've heard that proposition ever since I became a Christian over 40 years ago, and it's never seemed to me to hold up to honest scriptural scrutiny. But I wanted to re-check my thinking against scripture, and bring to class the scriptures that seem relevant.

At the start of Sunday School yesterday, I gave a very abbreviated summary of the above post. Simply saying that it was central to how we will interpret the Bible, I quoted the four scriptures in I Corinthians (above) against the idea that its teachings were applicable only to First Century Corinthians. (I consciously avoided saying that its teachings apply to us: it's God's part to convince any hearts that will receive His words.)

The responses were illuminating, as to what "spiritual strongholds" exist among everyday evangelicals.

I was told first that what I said was only my opinion. (That those scriptures are relevant, I presume.)

Someone else said that was the problem with our Sunday School class, that it became a forum for people's opinions and got away from what the Bible says. (!!)

(These reactions were from two older sisters who primarily offer opinions in class, often opinions based on the week's news-stories.)

The first added that it was legalism to teach that you're not a Christian unless you follow certain rules.

Someone else suggested that we should use an approved study-guide, preferably from our denomination, to keep from being led by opinion.

I asked if that isn't just following someone else' opinion ? Yes, she said, but they're trained in theology and interpretation. I said the first rule of Bible interpretation is that "scripture interprets scripture;" and we can all do that by reading the cross-referenced scriptures on any verse we're trying to understand. She said her Bible doesn't have cross-references.

It all struck me as a bit surreal. And I couldn't help thinking that sometimes the "sweet old ladies" of the congregation can be the most deep-dyed rebels. LOL.

Reaganites, Repent !

America’s government is operating again: for now. But the faction that wanted it shut down promises they’ll try again.

They illustrate the fact that people's acts reflect their deepest beliefs. Scripture puts it well: “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7)

The shut-down faction’s operative principle is hard-core Reaganism. That President announced at the start of his first term his principle of governing: that “government IS the problem.” His followers embrace the same principle. They wish to shut down our government because they, like Reagan, view government as inherently evil.

I've said it before, and it's still true: that principle has insoluble problems.

First, that it is illogical. Anti-government governance is impossible in reality.

Second, that it's the foundational principle of anarchism. (see Point One.)

Third, that it contradicts America's founding principle, that “We the People” ARE the government. In Reaganism, America's government is an extraneous predatory force, and "We the People" its prey.

But Reaganism's greatest problem is that it contradicts scripture's principle: human government is put in place, and endowed with God's authority, under His mandate to be “a minister of God to you for good.” (Romans 13:4, my emphasis). Human beings fail to meet God's standard: that's a given. But the fact of human failure hardly negates God's characterization or intent.

Scripture's judgement of those who operate on the anti-government idea is that they "oppose...the ordinance of God." (Romans 13:2) That's sin. Not just a sin: it's satan's own heart-motivation, rebellion against the Great King's rule.

America has just had a small real-world preview of what results from following Reaganism's doctrine. That experience affirms another scriptural principle: acting in accord with an evil idea produces bad results.

Reaganites and those who elect them need to re-examine their operative ideas. If they’ve learned anything from the harm they've caused America thus far, perhaps they’ll change their thinking.

Scripture has a specific word for “re-think and change your mind.” It's exactly the right word for America's anti-government faction. Followers of Reaganism must repent.

Government Shutdown

American government’s mandate is the good of its citizens. The preamble to our constitution outlines the purposes of our government, among them "to promote the general Welfare.” For Christians, this is also the scriptural mandate of government: to be "a minister of God to you for good" (Romans 13:4). (Which operative idea is much more a "Christian heritage" of America than the lying "history" of David Barton and others who claim our deist "founding fathers" were devout Christians.)

So when our government ceases to function as intended, it harms us all. And each political faction blames the other.

But it couldn't be clearer where the blame truly lies. The faction whose guiding principle is that "government IS the problem," is not invested in the constitutional (and scriptural) purpose of government, doing good toward its citizens. That faction's “good” is rather that government cease functioning: as we now have.

All of Kansas' Congressional delegation (and most of our state government) is of that faction. My own Congresswoman, Lynn Jenkins, approvingly quoted the Reaganite anti-government principle in last year’s campaign; but all her factions espouses it. And it becomes clearer every day that their philosophy of anti-government governance is unworkable, and harms our country.

During Vietnam, I held that view for a few years. It made a lot of sense to me at the time that our government was the source of all America's problems. But my thinking reached a point where I couldn't deceive myself that it was a viable philosophy. I had to admit anarchism was a dead-end principle, and give it up.

When I became a follower of Christ, I also came to understand anarchism as a great spiritual evil, in flat contradiction of scripture's teaching. Accepting scripture's characterization of government as a "minister of God...for good," I could see many examples of human government failing in that God-given mandate: but I could not regard government as essentially evil. Nor could I deceive myself that anarchism's spirit of extreme rebelliousness has any other source than satan, the father of spiritual rebellion.

I'd hope for our country's "general Welfare" that the current anarchist faction disavows its principles. Politicians often do.

But in the meantime, blaming the other faction for government shutdown is de facto acknowledgement that Reaganism's bad principles cause harm...for which Reaganites don’t want the blame. Congresswoman Jenkin’s website, for example, recently claimed she is "fight[ing] to keep the government open:” contrary the evidence of her votes in Congress. But again, she’s hardly alone in that hypocrisy.

William Penn on Economic Inequality

"It is a reproach to religion and government to suffer so much poverty and excess"

-- William Penn, 1693

Christian Slavery

“I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason.”

-- Frederick Douglass, from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass


Douglass' truth probably goes to the heart of the Church' problem in its "Christian p.c." thinking. Group-think takes over when individuals fail to think. And group-think enslaves its followers, incapacitating them for any but programmatic thought, and conditioned response.

But independent thought in itself doesn't make us free (indeed, it can be its own snare). Everything depends on the end to which we set the thoughts of our hearts. Only Truth (Who Jesus said He IS) makes people free.

Prize Pumpkin

Competitions for the "largest pumpkin" produce some amazing results. Last year, for the first time, the winning pumpkin weighed over a ton. It broke the record not only for largest pumpkin, but also for the largest fruit humans have ever grown.

It goes without saying that prize pumpkins are tasteless and inedible. They're only grown for their size; every other quality (including all those for which pumpkins are normally grown) is sacrificed to that single purpose.

The "evangelical" distortion of Christianity puts the Church in the same game. A Church whose goal is "saving souls" easily adapts a fleshly criteria of success: how many souls ?

There can only be one "world's largest church" but thousands of others share that criteria. Every city has its big church trying to be a bigger church, and maybe even a mega-church. To the extent they buy into the "evangelical" delusion that success is a matter of size, these might be called "Prize Pumpkin" churches.

Jesus' has a different criteria: whether His church has "lost its savor," become tasteless. If so, He says, "...it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." (Matthew 5:13b)

Thoughts of the Heart

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7) So we have to zealously guard our hearts, for from it flows the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

Simply: our thoughts guide what we do, which defines who we are. And our attitude toward life determines how we understand it, and live it.

The Puritans had it right, and practiced it daily. We examine ourselves rigorously "...to see if [we are] in the faith...that Christ Jesus is in [us]." (II Corinthians 13:5)

That means looking over our deeds, certainly, to see if we have done what is right. I consider it means even more examining our operative thinking rigorously, since it is the parent of our deeds. As Jesus said, a bad tree can't produce good fruit.

On trial are our "thoughts of the heart:" the attitudes, assumptions, and purposes by which we operate.

Christians obsess about their minuscule deeds: "Can I have a beer with this man without damaging my Christian witness...?" Christians seem to pay no attention whatever to the operative thoughts they let into their hearts. How else could they have drunken so deeply of the "spirit of this world" ?

Here, as in all other considerations, foolishness is a moral quality. Christians have been profoundly foolish, especially in their politics...tithing their mint, and dill, and cummin, they have neglected the "weightier" demands of the gospel for justice, truth, and mercy.

May God open the blind eyes of the self-satisfied, hypocritical American Church !!

Transformed

Sunday School recently was reading Romans 12.

Its context is the great choice every Christian must make: to be "transformed," and not "conformed" (v. 2)

To be "transformed" is to be changed: in this verse, away from going along with ("conformed to") the world. More important is the question of what we are changed to. Here, we're told it's to a mind "renewed" to prove (test, examine, approve) the perfect will of God.

The change is to what is called in Phillipians 2:5 "the mind (or "attitude") which was also in Christ Jesus." And we know what that attitude was. The mind that was in Jesus was to do the will of the Father. (John 5:30)

As a man, Jesus had a choice to make. Every man has the same choice. With Frank Sinatra, some choose to do it "My Way." Scripture tells us instead to choose as Jesus chose: to do it God's way.

God's very clear about the choice. In Isaiah 53, He says that "going astray" is exactly "turning to our own way. He says that that is how He defines "iniquity," sin. Do you want to agree with God, and not go along with the world ? Start by using God's definitions. Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus: what God says a thing is, is what it is.

Have this attitude too. God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our way: He says so in Isaiah 55. Human thoughts and human ways are never going to get it right, for one unchangeable reason: no human thought is God's thought, and no human way is God's way. The only way to ever get it right, is to view things as God Himself views them. That starts with making God's definitions our own: and it becomes our operative mindset as we do what God Himself does ("My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working," said Jesus), the way God Himself does them.

That's the choice Jesus made. It's the choice every human being has, to make.

But at least Frank Sinatra was honest about it. The world never is. The enemy cloaks his thoughts and ways in humanly-attractive forms. Going our own way is "independent-mindedness." Seeking our own good is "self-responsibility." Greed (to quote a movie-character) is good !

None of those were Jesus' attitudes. Yet many Christians operate by the world's thoughts and do things the world's way...and claim they follow Jesus.

Many Christians need to repent deeply, and seek the mercy of the King they continually offend !

Evangelicals' Anti-Christ Deception

The prevailing view of most American evangelicals: the "Christian p.c." of the American Church: is that Anti-Christ is very near. He will be a world-uniting political-religious leader empowered by, and entirely in the spirit of, satan. He will be a miracle-working false Christ so accomplished and so attractive that the world will rush to follow him: so pleasing in every human way that he will "lead astray, if possible, the elect."

All of that is true, attested by scripture. Evangelicals' deception regards Anti-Christ is self-deception. We expect Anti-Christ's coming to be a super-dramatic event on the world stage a la the "Left Behind" series, which Christians can spiritually recognize and flee. But maybe scripture is right, that the spirit of anti-Christ is already at work...the father of lies even now spreading rebellion, blasphemy, and apostasy.

For a generation evangelicals have followed teachers of "Christian" lies like David Barton, because they want to believe America is a "Christian" nation. They followed (and still revere) a "Christian" leader who told them that government is evil: contrary scripture which says government is "...a minister of God to you for good" (Romans 13). They followed another of that faction (who claims he was personally converted to Christianity by Billy Graham), who proclaimed to the world that America (not Jesus) is the "light of the world." Less than a year ago, evangelicals voted overwhelmingly their heart's-desire to be led by the priest of a demon who claims to be "Jesus."

Evangelicals deceive themselves that they will spiritually recognize Anti-Christ when he comes: their actions show otherwise. The American Church lies to itself that it will stand against Anti-Christ, when so far it has completely embraced his spirit of lies, rebellion, blasphermy, and apostasy.

May God open the Church' spiritual eyes !!

All Things New

God makes all things new. (Revelation 21:5)

Man's "conservative" impulse is to save what we think is good from our past. For those who've been "...rescued...from the domain of darkness, and transferred...to the kingdom of His beloved Son..." (Colossians 1:13), it's hard to see what good there is to carry into our new life.

The "conservative" impulse can be a means of opposing God. The Pharisees of Jesus' time are a prime example.

Hemingway's Symbolism

It may be apocryphal: the exact quote is verified nowhere that I've looked for it: but it rings true with Hemingway's rejection of the "symbolism" critics found in his writing. Supposedly he once disgustedly told an earnest student who asked how he knew what symbols to put in his writing, and where: "If you write it right, the symbols put themselves in."

That's probably true of how any person perceives life/the world/reality, whether or not we go so far as to set it down in writing: if we perceive accurately, the "symbolism" is simply there to be found.

I don't much care for Hemingway's writing: but I share his disgust for the mentality that believes it must formulate and superadd its symbolism to reality. That seems to be a core feature of the "religious" mentality: as if God's creation were incomplete until humans' critical faculty had interpreted it.

That seems part of the problem with "Christian media." Even when the "symbols" it chooses are God's, and truly present in His creation: morality, Jesus, righteousness: being extraneously inserted there comes across as artificial. It's a false endeavor, and perceived so even though its falseness is worked by manipulation of what's true.

God's thoughts and God's Ways

“ 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
'For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.' "

Isaiah 55:8-9


It's no secret that the white American evangelical Church marches in lock-step with our country's (falsely so-called) "conservative" political faction. Every "conservative" thought and way is faithfully parroted by white American evangelicals. On every "issue" of the day, white American evangelicals will take the same "position," and adduce the same reasoning for it, as their political manipulators: social issues, foreign policy, legislation, military affairs.

It's a simple question: are human politics God's thoughts and ways, or man's ? If the latter, the white American evangelical Church has forsaken God, His thoughts, and His ways.

Religious People Are SO Full of Crap

It's not the way Jesus chose to express it: but "religious people are SO full of crap" lines up with His reviling the religious leaders and people of His time as "hypocrites," spiritual fakers.

It's a message (surprise, surprise) we seldom hear from the religious leaders and people of our time: at least, not as applicable TO our time. But it is.

Religious people are SO full of crap.

Jesus had God's Own authority to judge the deep motives of men's hearts. I don't. And I know that even well-intentioned Christians, whose honest desire is to follow and glorify Jesus, can do morally foolish deeds; because God gives me glimpses of my OWN moral foolishness. Only He Who is without sin can judge sinful men.

But scripture teaches that "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." From our heart-ruling spirit flow the "springs of life:" and what we do shows what we truly, deeply, ARE. Jesus Alone has God's Own wisdom to see, and authority to judge, what people are. But in the Body of Christ, we have His wisdom and and His authority to judge men's deeds: to be "fruit-inspectors."

The observation that "religious people are SO full of crap" fills the bill. It speaks God's Own disgust at the false and foul "religious" works of men...even Christian men. And speaking God's disgust surgically lays bare the diseased heart: no one takes offence at the words except those who, in their deepest being, believe they ARE "religious people."

I love to speak God's message: religious people are SO full of crap.

Like Swatting Flies

Swatting flies, I'm always amazed that (despite their well-known multiple eyes) they let me get within swatting range without taking flight. I find I can get into swatting stance over them, and they take no notice. Even when I raise the fly-swatter above them, they blithely ignore me. It's advantageous to me that they don't take alarm, or try to flee, until the last instant before destruction: I'm able to kill most of those I target.

If I were satan, I would look at today's American Christians the same way.

Vance Havner

A generation ago, the preacher of righteousness Vance Havner said, "The devil's not fighting churches today, he's joining churches."

That was 40 years ago. After a generation of church-membership, the enemy has worked his way into leadership.

How else can it be that the Church eagerly follows politicians after satan's own heart ?:

a rebel who denies Romans 13, proclaiming to the nation that "government IS the problem;"

a blasphemer who perverts John 1, telling a world-wide audience that America is the light of the world;

the priest of a demonic "other Christ" and his other "bible."

For readers whose spiritual eyes have been blinded by the political gospel subverting our country and its Christians, I'm referring to Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Mitt Romney, "conservative" Republicans all.

Who do you follow, Christian ? If you follow the enemy's men and message, how do you call yourself "Christian" ?

Simplified theology

Everyone has a theology, operative ideas about God. As the old bluesman said about the kind of music he preferred, there are only two kinds of theology: good theology and bad theology.

Bad theology is false ideas of God. Good theology is true ideas about God. The only One who knows the truth of God IS God. And the only way we can learn good theology is to hear Him.

For many years, the touchstone of my operative theology has been to hear Jesus, and follow Him. It's what He said His people would do. The fact that He is "the truth" (John 14:6) grounds that theology in everyday experience, as He Himself IS: hearing truth, loving truth, and following truth is what it means to be Jesus' disciple.

God' been opening a second point of operative theology to my understanding. That all our purpose and love is bound up in seeking His Presence. Anything less than His Presence is mere religion, pointless and worthless.

His Presence is everything we need, for there His limitless power, love, protection and wisdom IS. His Presence is His Kingdom and His Glory manifest, for where He IS He IS sovereign. The Spirit He has given us vouchsafes His Presence, and His Rule is enacted by The Spirit in our hearts.

A complete true idea of God is doubtless beyond my limited capacity. But these are the operative understandings God's given me to walk in thus far. Knowing the Teacher, I know I can take each as fully truth.

Different Than Christian

I've written about it here before: that when you really set out to think as God thinks, it sets you apart from the world . . . and from other Christians. I know how it has happened. There are specific Spiritual choices I've made, and I can see that they make the difference.

I was meditating on Jesus' revelation Who He IS, "...the way, and the truth, and the life." God impressed on me that if you love Jesus, you must love truth. He's worked that into to my thinking as a fierce and absolute criteria. It's been a key spiritual gift: above anything else, love-of-truth has kept me from the political snares by which the enemy has deceived and defiled very many American Christians.

Even before that, James' words had hit me hard; "if any lacks wisdom," he only has to ask God in faith. I knew I lacked wisdom, so I asked God for it in faith. In faith, I know God stands by His promise. (Indeed, "wisdom" would be a good summation of what it means to operate by God's thoughts and God's ways; Isaiah 55:8)

I remember being impressed when I read that Solomon himself, the wisest man ever, asked God for for understanding, and that his prayer pleased God. I wanted to please God too, so I prayed for understanding.

Probably because these things were already at work, a few years ago I felt a great need to press closer to God. I desperately felt a need for comfort and protection, as I watched more and more Christians turning away after deceivers. He said that I should discipline myself to spend time with Him regularly. I did what He said, and He has blessed that obedience by letting me come into His Presence.

Most recently, He's impressed on me a similar word about fasting, so I've also begun fasting unto Him regularly.

I look at it all as an increasing experience of God. Like prayer and the desire to hear what He says, they aren't even particular things to do, anymore. It just feels like life, continual and pervasive.

I'm satisfied it's God's Spirit working and growing in me. None of these are things my flesh would have ever desired or sought.

I find myself at odds with the world, and with many other Christians. I've whined about that here in the past: but I'm coming to see it as no cause for whining. It's hard evidence that God is Faithful to His promises, and able to perform them...even in this heart I know (better than I know any other) to be weak, and foolish, and desperately wicked.

Praise to our Father, Who reigns in power even in our own weakness !

Culture War Christianity

The root-problem of "culture-war" Christianity is that culture is a human construct.

We live amidst human culture continually in this world. We cannot but grieve at its utter godlessness. But we only recognize its abject darkness by contrast, if we ourselves walk in the light.

Jesus, The Light, has told us that His Kingdom is not of this world, and so His followers do not fight there (John 18:36). His word to us is that our war is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), and that we do not war according to the flesh (II Corinthians 10:3-5).

"Culture-war" fights exactly where and how God has told us not to. The Church of culture-war necessarily takes up the kinds of weapons appropriate to that war (in the current American Church, political weapons): and worse, takes up the mindset and attitudes of those who war against flesh and blood. That mindset is well exemplified by Galatians 5:20's list of the "deeds of the flesh" ("...enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions..."). And in disobeying God, the "culture war" Church forfeits His Spiritual power: the only force on earth that can ever change men's hearts.

Like its methods, culture war Christianity operates on assumptions, and to purposes, contrary to God's. Its purpose is to veneer our nation and culture with what the Supreme Court perceptively termed "civic deism"...through politics, that most unGodly of all man's ways. But where did God say He came into the world to save, patch-up, or improve man's works and kingdoms ?

We know the immediate origin of "culture-war" teaching is from the self-interested political faction foolish Christians have chosen to follow. And it's not hard to see who is the spiritual author of any doctrine that misleads the Church and teaches it disobedience. But the enemy's chief purpose in "culture-war" is to demean God's sovereignty. And indeed, the God of"culture-war" Christianity is a mere adjunct to human acts, human works, and human purposes.

The sovereign King Who gives Himself as the only Alternative to the works of man and satan despises "culture war" Christianity and all its ways. Nothing of it glorifies Him, to whom alone glory belongs. His word to "culture warriors" is "Repent !!"

Divider

It becomes increasingly clear to me that how a Christian reacts to my "non-standard" views tells me what's in their heart.

Those whose operative thinking is political convince themselves I cry out against the Church following Republican lies, rebellion, blasphemy and apostacy because I'm a Democrat.

Those whose operative thinking is governed by the Spirit understand it's a cry against the Church being led in the enemy's spirit.

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Jesus said it, and so it is. People show what their hearts are set on, by what they hear.

Do We Preach the Gospel ?

If the Church in America looks at itself honestly...as we're commanded to do...I think we have to have to ask ourselves if we are preaching the gospel, as we are commanded to do ?

That question hinges on another: does the Church in America know what the gospel IS ? How can we preach what we ourselves don't know ?

To my subjective experience, what we preach is some variation of salvationism: that we can be forgiven our sins if we accept Jesus as Lord, and we'll go to heaven when we die. In the meantime, we can know we're saved if we do right things.

That's a vast simplification of what we preach, of course. And none of the message is false in itself.

But what increasingly seems lacking in the Church' gospel is the good news that we can walk with our Father experientially. "Heaven" and "right things" miss the point: neither has any reality separate from God's Own Presence. The good news is His Presence: even in this dark world, and even in us.

And where His Presence is, God reigns. The good news is that (in the words of Luther's hymn) "His Kingdom is forever:" and "now" is a part of "forever." When God is Present with us, we are not struggling through, doing right things in this life until we "get there" by dying. Living in God's Presence, our hearts are not set on doing "right things" at all: we desire to do what pleases our Father. Our purpose isn't to "get there:" we are there.

If we struggle, it's against our human weakness to set our hearts on some other purpose than doing His will. But it's not that great a struggle. No one in His Presence wants any lesser thing. And our hearts deeply desire to please Him because His Presence only rests with those who do.

God's living Presence seems vastly different from the gospel the Church preaches.

God's Presence seems vastly different from the good news the Church itself knows.

Imagine that

It may be a stretch, but try to imagine:

a nation whose Christians think God calls them to be a "culture-warriors." Christians who seek to please God by loudly taking "righteous" stands on cultural "issues," and forget that culture is a human construct. Christians who believe their war actually IS against flesh-and-blood enemies.

a nation whose Christians set their hearts not on Jesus, "the Truth" (John 14:6), but on the lies of a slef-serving political faction. Christians who forget that factionalism is a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:20).

a nation whose Christians believe their "godly" stance toward human authorities is rebelliousness, because their faction teaches that government is "the problem," and evil. Christians who argue against the Biblical teaching that God establishes human authorities as "minister[s] of God to you for good." (Romans 13:4)

a nation whose Christians believe that patriotism is a Christian value: even when their faction's leader blasphemously announces to the world that their country...not Jesus...is "...the hope of all mankind," and "the light that shines in darkness."

A nation whose Christians profess Jesus' mercy toward the poor, the sick, and the immigrant: and hypocritically follow their political faction in despising the poor, the sick and the immigrant.

a nation whose Christians' hearts overwhelmingly desire to follow their faction's leader, even when he is the priest of a demonic spirit who claims to be a different Jesus.

Imagine that God remains merciful to such Christians, and sends servants to call them back to Himself. Imagine that those Christians angrily reject God's rebuke of their unbelief, rebellion, and apostasy as a political attack on their "righteous" faction.

Imagine God's anger against those who continue to walk contrary to the mind of Christ, yet pridefully call themselves "Christians." Imagine His consuming fury toward those who profane His name, and scoff at His rebuke.

Imagine that.

Selling Out

If we are attentive, we watch how much we are being charged for our purchases, to make sure we're not over-charged. Even with bar-code scanners, mistakes sometimes happen, and no one wants to be overcharged. But everybody's probably also had the experience of being undercharged by a distracted or harried clerk. Those are the times we show more than our money: we show who we are.

Do we point out a mistake in our favor if the clerk gives us back a dime too much ? Surely most of us are that honest. What if it's a dollar ? A convenience-store clerk recently undercharged me $10.

We often read news stories about someone: a homeless man, a cab-driver, a welfare-mother: who finds a large sum of cash somewhere...and returns it to its owner, or turns it over to the police. It's a "feel good" story, especially if the owner amply rewards the finder. It feels good because it proves there are people whose honesty is not for sale, regardless of their circumstances, at any price.

Because that's what happens if you take that money that doesn't belong to you. Before, you had your honesty: afterwards, it's gone. You sold it. How much did you get for it, a dime ? a dollar ? Or maybe it's for sale, but you're holding out for a higher price ?

Scripture says we have the mind of Christ. For every Christian, that's the core of who we are. But we can sell that too, as surely as we can sell our honesty.

You could make a lot of money in business, for example, if you'll operate by the prevailing spirit of the world: that business is governed by amoral "market forces" such as the law of supply and demand, or "what the market will bear." But you'll have to swap out Jesus' teachings that business too is under His moral authority, through your moral decisions about fair prices and fair pay.

But the real sale you make there is not for money. The "mind of Christ" which we have is a complex of spiritual attitudes and operative ideas. So is the currency with which Christ's mind is bought and sold. To buy the idea that Christ is King, you must pay with your idea that you are master of your own life. To sell out Christ's idea that your purpose here is doing what pleases the Father, you must exchange for it the idea that your purpose is to please yourself, or someone else, or some organization of men.

Why do so few American Christians not have the mind of Christ ? They've sold it. Most of them have sold it for the political ideas of the earthly faction they choose to follow: love of the Truth has been sold for love of lies, rebelliousness accepted in exchange for submissiveness, Jesus' mercy to the poor and sick traded for their faction's disdain for the poor and sick.

Most of them have never considered the price they've been paid. Or even considered that they are selling: so little are most Christians aware of what life in Christ is.

Father, awaken those who are sleeping. Father, deal with as You will those who sell out Jesus with their eyes fully opened.

No Need for Repentance

Another men's Bible study. One of those side-tracks of doubtful relevance to the Bible, which I'm not sure how we get off onto. One of the men was telling of his brother's friend, a Vietnam vet, who told him, "I've been extremely fortunate. Forty-one times, I saw an enemy soldier before he saw me, and I was able to shoot first."

Someone said, "It makes you think God must have some great work for that guy to do." A couple offered opinions about what great work God might have so signally saved that man for.

I spoke the thought that came into my mind. "I've heard combat veterans say the experience of shooting someone only really hits you later, when you get older. Someone who killed 41 men, maybe God will send him a spirit of repentance, " Not said to be controversial: it just seemed that God would want anyone who killed so many people to repent.

The silence must have lasted two full minutes. It caught me by surprise. It was extremely uncomfortable, all the more so since I couldn't quite figure out whar it was about. I wanted to say something, just to break the silence, but felt like God said, "Don't speak." Eventually someone else spoke again, about something else, and conversation resumed.

It seemed then, and still seems to me now, a common-Sprirtual-sense view. It's inconceivable to me that someone who killed 41 people would not need to repent. It's inconceivable to me that anyone would think otherwise: least of all Christians.

I've written about it here before: when you really set out to think as God thinks, it sets you apart from the world...and also from other Christians.

Platte River Christianity

In these Great Plains water is often in short supply. On a map, it appears there are many rivers to sustain life. But Plains rivers are often poor sources of water. Too many are like the Platte River, "a mile wide and an inch deep."

More than water, our lives are dependent on the flow of Christ's Spirit. But heart-deep Christianity also seems in short supply among us. We resort to prayer...when we need something. We fast when we want to impress God that we really, really need something. A few of us actually read His word, but only in specific limited contexts: Sunday School, or Bible study. We try to listen to what God's saying to us....when ? Not often. Our Christianity is nothing that permeates and soaks our lives in the Spirit.

Like the political faction it chooses to follow, America's Church is "issue"-oriented and opinion-driven. Any who want to drink deeply of the Spirit will find its Platte River Christianity a false hope, a "faith" a mile wide and an inch deep.

The Kingdom of God

Doing Romans 13 in Sunday School.

Hearing all the usual arguments against subjection to human rulers.

I'm more sure than ever that the Christian's way in this world is an absolute and stark choice between two ways. We respond to whatever God's given us with rejoicing acceptance, as Jesus did: or with rebellion, as Satan did.

Submission to what God's chosen to give us: whether it's pleasing to us or not: is faith in His wisdom, goodness and (most of all) His absolute sovereignty. Rebellion manifests disbelief in God's wisdom, goodness and (most of all) His absolute sovereignty.

In God We Trust

We've all heard the lie that goes around "conservative" circles periodically: that "they" are going to remove "In God We Trust" from American currency. That lie, of course, is supposed to make us fearful and angry against "them," and make us follow the "Godly" liars...who (we're supposed to believe) will KEEP that motto on American currency.

And keeping that motto on American currency will...what ? What is it supposed to mean ? That America is a Godly nation, that trusts God MORE than its wealth ?

Perhaps America SHOULD take "In God We Trust" off our currency. How can it not be an affront to God that we shout such a hypocritical lie on our every penny and every dollar ?

The Current Church in America

I'm glad to live in a time and a country where, after 2000 years, we've finally got it right. Thanks to the political "Christianity" we've chosen to follow, the American Church at last practices the kind of fiscally-conservative, self-determined, individual-rights Christianity that Jesus taught.

Conspiracy-thinking

"For thus the Lord spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying,

'You are not to say, "It is a conspiracy!"
In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy,
And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.
It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy.
And He shall be your fear,
And He shall be your dread.' " (Isaiah 8)

It's a very timely word to anyone who seeks to follow God in America these days. My e-mail is continually awash in warnings
of conspiracy: shamefully, most of it from Christians whose thinking has been corrupted by "conservative" politics.

What is "conspiracy" ? It's those people who are plotting (usually secretly) to harm us. Richard Nixon (a master plotter himself) put
the conspiracy-mindset well on one of his secret Watergate tapes: "Make no mistake about it: they are out to get us."

Conspiracy-thinking grows from a partisan worldview: that it all comes down to "us vs. them." Nixon could have been the poster-boy for that worldview. It's clearly widespread among current "conservatives" too, and the Christians who follow them. But like conspiracy-mindedness, partisanship (or "factionalism") is a sure sign we're not walking in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:20)

God put His finger on the matter. People who see the world filled with enemies plotting against them are fear-stricken. People driven by fear tend to be irrational and violent. Inducing fear has always been a powerful tool of unscrupulous politicians (Nixon again comes to mind, as do current "conservatives") for those reasons.

Most of the conspiracy e-mails I see add lying to their sinfulness. (If there's any doubt who's behind the partisanship, fear and irrationality of conspiracy-mindedness, just call to mind who Jesus said is the "father of lies.") You know the e-mails I mean: "they" are going to remove Christian crosses from military cemeteries, take our guns, make our courts recognize Sharia law, take "under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" off our money, and outlaw Christmas.

The media won't tell us about this grand conspiracy, of course: they're part of it. So (the anonymous e-mails say) is our secretly-Muslim President, the United Nations, the World Council of Churches, the World Monetary Fund, and the Boy Scouts. Make no mistake about it: they are ALL out to get us.

Those who choose to believe lies can always be easily manipulated by Satan. But God's warning doesn't make a distinction between imaginary and real conspiracy. He spoke to Isaiah about a real pact of foreign kings joining to destroy Israel. Similarly, the Communist leaders of the recent past were very candid about their purpose, publicly proclaiming, "we will bury you." But God told Isaiah even a real conspiracy was not to be feared: it was HIS determination that man's plot "will not stand." So he determined about Communism in our time.

Those who feared the real conspiracy of Isaiah's foreign kings, and those who feared Communism, were no different in God's eyes than those who today fear that our human government will make it a crime to say "Merry Christmas." They fear man more than they fear God. They fear conspiracy (a sin which God forbids): and manifest their disbelief that God rules, and that His power is greater than anything evil men and the enemy can do.

The conspiracy-minded show that their real faith is in Satan.

"Christian Media"

There's always seemed something a little bogus about the idea of "Christian media."

Christian media's offerings have never really been to my tastes; but it's more than just personal tastes. In practice, it's always seemed somewhat inauthentic: news, music and opinion deliberately skewed to fit a narrow predetermined purpose. Something like people who set their news feed to ONLY provide them gossip about professional wrestling or rap-music. It ends up being a fragmentary reflection of reality, and not-quite-true.

Seems like "true" and "reality" should be the watchwords for Christians, since Jesus is the Ultimate of both. In practice, for those whom I know to be typical consumers of Christian media, it seems primarily a way of identifying yourself as a member of "the club." In practice, I find good secular news-organizations (not Fox News, for example), reporting mundane daily news on the traditional journalistic criteria of setting forth facts, have more of Jesus about them, more truth and reality, that "Christian media."

Our theology is that Christ is in the world: "built-in" as the Logos through Whom all that exists came into being, born and living in human flesh among men as Jesus, and active today through the Holy Spirit. Even today I've heard two "secular" news-stories on NPR to which my spirit excitedly said, like Peter from his fishing-boat, "It is the Lord !!" Yesterday Jesus spoke unmistakably from a book I was reading, in the words of a Vietnam veteran describing his 40-year after-war struggles.

I don't know that any of the people in these instances were Christians. It doesn't matter: they witnessed of Jesus. I'm impressed that in His final hours, the Roman governor Pilate, Pilate's wife, the High Priest Caiaphas, the thief crucified beside Him, the Roman soldier standing guard as He died, even the sign posted above His head on the cross, witnessed in their different ways Who Jesus IS...and none were His followers. "Christian media" would not have interviewed or put any of them on the air.

Do we believe our theology ? Or is Jesus' Presence so hazy in the real world He created, where the Holy Spirit works, that we can't see him ? Is His voice so indistinct it's drowned out by reality, and we can't hear Him ?

Peter recognized Jesus when he saw Him. Recognized Him even though He couldn't possibly be there, alive. "Christian media"...indeed, the Church itself...doesn't act as if it believes He's here at all, except within the walls of our club-house.

"Christian" media, and the widespread "conservative" hatred of secular media, have the same deleterious effect on the Church. Both promote the idea that Christ can't be found "in the world." Deleterious because it's untrue, according to our Christology. Deleterious because it teaches Christians to only look for Him within church walls: and that atrophies the spiritual expectation, and ability, to see Him anyplace in the "real world" !

Wrong again, Church.

Wake up, Church.

Church, Repent your unbelief !!

Two Questions for the Church

If your religion doesn't equip you to tell right from wrong, what good is it ?

If you don't care about the difference, what's wrong with you ?

Christian Orientation 101

Orientation as a Christian is a simple process: one step, the same step each time, in every circumstance. Skipping that step insures that you will miss Jesus.

Jesus said He IS "the truth" (John 14:6). He said satan is "the father of lies" (John 8:44). All who believe what Jesus says will orient their lives, hearts, words, and acts accordingly.

Like Jesus, truth is real. Truth is verifiable, and owes nothing to opinion. Like Jesus, truth is one: "I'll follow my truth, and you follow your truth" is a lie (see above, "father of lies"). Like Jesus, truth is sovereign: every other criteria is subject to it.

There are no lying Christians, and no Christian lies. "No lie is of the truth." (I John 2:21)

The whole of a Christian's orientation in life consists in this: who loves Jesus must love truth. Who follows Jesus must follow truth.

Hocus Pocus

The magician's main trick is misdirection. If the audience' eyes are all on the pretty assistant as she secures each lock with a loud "click!!", it's a simple matter for the magician to slip a hidden key from his mouth to his hand without anyone noticing.

Misdirection: get the rubes to look the wrong direction, so they miss the obvious, and they'll BELIEVE the deception.

Abortion, gay marriage, and all the other MORAL "issues" by which "conservatives" claim Christians' allegiance...who exactly told Christians the place to fight those moral battles was the political arena ? Was it Jesus: or politicians on the make for Christians' votes ?

Misdirect Christians' focus to political "issues," and the deceiver can even slip a priest of anti-Christ past us as the "Christian" party's candidate.

And nobody will notice.

Drawing the Line

Ted Williams was the last man in baseball to bat over .400 (.406 in 1941). He credited his visual acuity. Williams claimed he could see the spin of the ball's stitches from the moment it left the pitcher's hand, letting him distinguish a fast ball from a curve and anticipate the ball's placement and motion.

An interviewer asked Williams about his legendary batting skills. It was simple, Williams said: he made it an absolute rule to never swing at a ball unless its path would touch the strike-zone.

"But with your eyesight," said the interviewer, "surely you could have connected with pitches that were only an eighth of an inch outside, or a quarter-inch. Couldn't you have gotten even more hits that way ?"

"No !" Williams said. "If I did that, where would I draw the line ?"



The Church' first charge is to draw the line. God's has entrusted no one else with His spiritual acuity to distinguish good from evil. But the Church follows its own batting philosophy.

Ronald Reagan took office preaching rebellion: "...government is the problem."

George W. Bush used the anniversary of 9/11 to teach blasphemy. In the same words with which scripture lauds Jesus, Bush told us the "ideal of America" is "the hope of all mankind," and "the light [that] shines in the darkness."

Eighty percent of American evangelicals in 2012 voted their personal choice was to be led by a priest of anti-Christ.

Where does the American Church draw the line ?

A parable

Two rival politicians were on the platform, ready to pitch their candidacy to a crowd of voters.

The first politician took the microphone and began to build his case. He represented the party of the great Abraham Lincoln, he told the crowd. Moreover, he espoused the principles of Lincoln. As his speech progressed, he compared himself to Lincoln in more particulars. By the time he made his final humble plea for listeners' votes, it was clear the candidate was the near-reincarnation of Lincoln.

The second candidate took the microphone. "It's true my opponent bears a striking resemblance to the great Abraham Lincoln," He began, and paused. When he had the full attention of the surprised crowd, he rasped, "If you can imagine a short, fat, dishonest Lincoln."

Some say America is a Christ-like nation. That may be true...if you can imagine a rebellious, violent, greedy Christ.