It's getting a little press in the Christian Blogosphere but I haven't seen anything on the major news outlets. It appears Reuters carried the story about the Bibles being destroyed first...here
CNN had the original story of the video that aired on Al Jazeera that started the ball rolling...here
Christ tells us that even at the end of all things, "Heaven and earth shall pass away but My words will not pass away." -Mark 13.31
Showing posts with label May God have mercy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label May God have mercy. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Republicans beware???
The GOP a "religious party"
What an interesting article that actually turns out not to be about political parties as much as it is about morality. Still a good read.
Dr. Dobson's quote about the pendulum swing is what I find so interesting. Sometimes in history we do see this swing that he mentions. And I would agree to a certain degree with the proverbial saying that states, "All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
As followers of Christ we are to be involved in the culture as an agent of transformation but it isn't the culture that needs transforming it is the human heart. I think we lose sight of that sometimes. We cannot legislate that transformation and if we spend too much time and energy in trying to do so we will not see the desired results, flawed as they are. If we, however, aim our time and energy at the transformation of the human heart, through the Gospel, then maybe those who legislate will reflect more into the culture the values that we ascribe to in following Christ.
Let me try and ask it from another perspective. Let me assume for a minute that the elected official of a state is NOT a follower of Christ. Why would I expect from that official behavior and legislation that is in accord with values that reflect Christ? Believe me, I fully appreciate the truth that God can and does move the human heart of a non-follower to accomplish His will. But for me to assume that a non-follower will do so in a redeemed way is well off the mark. That does not absolve me, or any other follower of Christ from our responsibility but for me to engage in the "culture war" for the sake of the culture is wrong. It is those on the other side of that "culture war" that should be the actual target...right?
I don't know about the condition of the followership of the woman from California who was involved with the Miss USA pageant but according to the morning buzz she lost her crown because she stood up for what has been termed traditional marriage. She has been booed and ridiculed. And maybe she did lose her crown for being so politically incorrect. I applaud her for taking a stand. I believe that her stand reflects the truth of God. Without knowing the condition of her followership I cannot draw any conclusions about the impact on the culture war or the way the pendulum is swing.
What an interesting article that actually turns out not to be about political parties as much as it is about morality. Still a good read.
Dr. Dobson's quote about the pendulum swing is what I find so interesting. Sometimes in history we do see this swing that he mentions. And I would agree to a certain degree with the proverbial saying that states, "All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
As followers of Christ we are to be involved in the culture as an agent of transformation but it isn't the culture that needs transforming it is the human heart. I think we lose sight of that sometimes. We cannot legislate that transformation and if we spend too much time and energy in trying to do so we will not see the desired results, flawed as they are. If we, however, aim our time and energy at the transformation of the human heart, through the Gospel, then maybe those who legislate will reflect more into the culture the values that we ascribe to in following Christ.
Let me try and ask it from another perspective. Let me assume for a minute that the elected official of a state is NOT a follower of Christ. Why would I expect from that official behavior and legislation that is in accord with values that reflect Christ? Believe me, I fully appreciate the truth that God can and does move the human heart of a non-follower to accomplish His will. But for me to assume that a non-follower will do so in a redeemed way is well off the mark. That does not absolve me, or any other follower of Christ from our responsibility but for me to engage in the "culture war" for the sake of the culture is wrong. It is those on the other side of that "culture war" that should be the actual target...right?
I don't know about the condition of the followership of the woman from California who was involved with the Miss USA pageant but according to the morning buzz she lost her crown because she stood up for what has been termed traditional marriage. She has been booed and ridiculed. And maybe she did lose her crown for being so politically incorrect. I applaud her for taking a stand. I believe that her stand reflects the truth of God. Without knowing the condition of her followership I cannot draw any conclusions about the impact on the culture war or the way the pendulum is swing.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Bloggers Beware
When I started this blog I mentioned that I had another blog that is still out there but I don't write there anymore. Every once in awhile I go and see if anyone has been reading it through sitemeter. I found out that the Sargent of Arms at the Senate had read the article I posted on Pat Leahy when Senator Leahy was in the news earlier this year. I chuckled. Then I broke out in a cold sweat. Then I chuckled again. Now I'm not sure what to do...
is this big brotherish?
bad for believers
I mean, I know what I will do if this Bill is signed into law and used to convict me of a crime as a preacher of the whole council of God. But, man alive, there are quite a few bloggers out there that say some inflammatory things about a lot of issues. I thought the jails were overcrowded already. Maybe they'll make room? Maybe the separation of church and state is just a one way street?
is this big brotherish?
bad for believers
I mean, I know what I will do if this Bill is signed into law and used to convict me of a crime as a preacher of the whole council of God. But, man alive, there are quite a few bloggers out there that say some inflammatory things about a lot of issues. I thought the jails were overcrowded already. Maybe they'll make room? Maybe the separation of church and state is just a one way street?
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Blair, Catholics and Truth
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair rejects the Catholic teaching on Homosexuality.here
I find this news article interesting on so many fronts. Catholic Doctrine, Conversion, Tradition, Truth, Church/Culture just to list a few. But I think what strikes me the most is an underlying premise that FPM Blair and so many people have with respect to faith. People seem to think that faith is by one's personal design. "Oh, I like this teaching and can live with it but oh this one is too strict it just can't be right", is a pitiful and pitiable stance.
When FPM Blair speaks of the OT and the passages in Leviticus I am willing to give him the BOTD and assume that he has actually read the OT and discussed the ideas relevant to the issue with his clergy. Knowing what the Pope has said and what the official stance of the Catholic Church is on the matter what can we do with FPM Blair's comments?
Dismiss them as some kind of grab for the face time in print. After all he may be running for the first Presidency of the EU and if his claims are accurate that the greater percentage of catholics in the pews disagree with the official Catholic position, which I don't actually believe is the case, then it would be politically expedient for him to align himself with those pew sitters. Let's face it the Catholic church doesn't have the pull it used to have back in the days of Henry the 8Th. Then again what church does.
Which leads me to why I started this post. As a follower of Christ, a reader of blogs, a minister of the Gospel the current trend of replacing truth with anything that is expedient is beginning to become laughable. I started this blog to earnestly contend for the faith. That faith which has been revealed in Scripture. Tony Blair is not the supreme arbiter of truth or faith. His use of cultural change to be the beacon of truth is pathetic at best. Truth is truth. Does that mean that the truth which we now hold to be truth will not change? Yes and no. If what we hold to be truth is truth then it will not change. If what we hold needs modification to be "more true" then yes it will change...it was simply incomplete. But if the truth we now hold is untrue then it must change. Is FPM Blair saying that the Biblical Truth of the nature of homosexuality, as revealed in Leviticus and in Romans, as sin is in need of change because times have changed? I think he is and I think he is wrong. Culture cannot be the grid we pass truth through. Culture is too easily manipulated and truth is unyielding.
I find this news article interesting on so many fronts. Catholic Doctrine, Conversion, Tradition, Truth, Church/Culture just to list a few. But I think what strikes me the most is an underlying premise that FPM Blair and so many people have with respect to faith. People seem to think that faith is by one's personal design. "Oh, I like this teaching and can live with it but oh this one is too strict it just can't be right", is a pitiful and pitiable stance.
When FPM Blair speaks of the OT and the passages in Leviticus I am willing to give him the BOTD and assume that he has actually read the OT and discussed the ideas relevant to the issue with his clergy. Knowing what the Pope has said and what the official stance of the Catholic Church is on the matter what can we do with FPM Blair's comments?
Dismiss them as some kind of grab for the face time in print. After all he may be running for the first Presidency of the EU and if his claims are accurate that the greater percentage of catholics in the pews disagree with the official Catholic position, which I don't actually believe is the case, then it would be politically expedient for him to align himself with those pew sitters. Let's face it the Catholic church doesn't have the pull it used to have back in the days of Henry the 8Th. Then again what church does.
Which leads me to why I started this post. As a follower of Christ, a reader of blogs, a minister of the Gospel the current trend of replacing truth with anything that is expedient is beginning to become laughable. I started this blog to earnestly contend for the faith. That faith which has been revealed in Scripture. Tony Blair is not the supreme arbiter of truth or faith. His use of cultural change to be the beacon of truth is pathetic at best. Truth is truth. Does that mean that the truth which we now hold to be truth will not change? Yes and no. If what we hold to be truth is truth then it will not change. If what we hold needs modification to be "more true" then yes it will change...it was simply incomplete. But if the truth we now hold is untrue then it must change. Is FPM Blair saying that the Biblical Truth of the nature of homosexuality, as revealed in Leviticus and in Romans, as sin is in need of change because times have changed? I think he is and I think he is wrong. Culture cannot be the grid we pass truth through. Culture is too easily manipulated and truth is unyielding.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Martyrdom continues
Although reports indicate that there are a significant number of new church plants in Baghdad we do well to also remember that people all across the globe die for their faith in Christ each day. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
4 martyred in Iraq
4 martyred in Iraq
Friday, March 6, 2009
Missing the obvious for Jesse Logan
Not many news wires have picked up on this tragedy. Not sure if they will but it was on the Today show this morning and so MSNBC had the print version. It is linked through the title if you want to read the story.
I am glad the Jesse's Mom, Cynthia will be working to make her daughter's story public so that teens everywhere will be warned of the dangers that her daughter faced. It's hard enough being young without the added bullying from irreverent, disrespectful, thoughtless others. I am deeply grieved that this young woman felt the only way to end her pain was to take her own life.
And so I am writing to ask Mrs. Logan to seriously consider making a part of her presentation a call to personal purity for young people. The story admits that Jesse made an error in judgement when she sent her boyfriend those texts. Maybe it was an error in judgement that the young man sent the picture to others? Or maybe it was an error in judgement that the other girls taunted her with names and such? And maybe it was an error in judgement that the School Administration didn't do more? And we all make errors in judgement. So I am not sitting here impugning Jesse's morality but rather I am impugning the decades long assaults upon moral standards, given by God for personal purity, manufactured by those portions of our culture that have systematically tried to remove God and His standards from all aspects of our society. How many will have to die before we wake up to what we have done?
1 Thessalonians 4.2-5 "For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is God’s will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, that each of you know how to possess his own body in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God."
http://www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm
I am glad the Jesse's Mom, Cynthia will be working to make her daughter's story public so that teens everywhere will be warned of the dangers that her daughter faced. It's hard enough being young without the added bullying from irreverent, disrespectful, thoughtless others. I am deeply grieved that this young woman felt the only way to end her pain was to take her own life.
And so I am writing to ask Mrs. Logan to seriously consider making a part of her presentation a call to personal purity for young people. The story admits that Jesse made an error in judgement when she sent her boyfriend those texts. Maybe it was an error in judgement that the young man sent the picture to others? Or maybe it was an error in judgement that the other girls taunted her with names and such? And maybe it was an error in judgement that the School Administration didn't do more? And we all make errors in judgement. So I am not sitting here impugning Jesse's morality but rather I am impugning the decades long assaults upon moral standards, given by God for personal purity, manufactured by those portions of our culture that have systematically tried to remove God and His standards from all aspects of our society. How many will have to die before we wake up to what we have done?
1 Thessalonians 4.2-5 "For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is God’s will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, that each of you know how to possess his own body in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God."
http://www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm
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