The Shepherd's Fields

This week's reading is from Luke 2:15-21,

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

While we were touring the Middle East, we visited one of the possible sites of the shepherd's field. 

I was asked to read Luke 2:8-21 to our group. We read passages from the Bible at different sites. Putting place and scripture together was a special experience one may never forget. 

I bet those ancient shepherds' experience was too.

 

Tears for Bethlehem

 During our recent trip to the holy land we witnessed the marked difference between areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) and those governed by Israel. Our first impression was that there was trash in the streets  and buildings were not well kept in the P.A.’s cities as opposed to the Israeli cities. The next impression was the general demeanor of the people was different. There was not much happiness in Bethlehem, and in fact I had a little kid toss a four letter word my way. It appears that Christians are being driven out of Bethlehem. Israel365 News reports that, 

“In 1947, Christians made up 85% of the population but by 2016, the Christian population of Bethlehem had declined to only 16%.”

At this rate, Christians there will be extinct in a few more years.

We visited a small cave that held a chapel near Bethlehem.

 I had a feeling that Christians will go back to worshipping in secret places soon there, and perhaps that will be our future as well.

Merry Christmas

 Pewsterson is home and staying with us during his recuperation from "Evali" and pneumonia. Your prayers have been answered. your precious gift to us. As a result of your prayers we have seen several people throw away vaping pens including a young college coed who we met Friday night at a Christmas party. She tossed hers into the lake and posted it online. On Christmas morning we will pack up the oxygen concentrator and make the perilous trip to the in-laws' cave. 

Give thanks to God for all things! 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Prayer Request

Pewsterspouse and I have been spending the past week at the hospital with adult Pewsterson who has been in the ICU. Pneumonia and vaping induced lung disease got him. Our church prayer group and prayers from friends and family have helped, and he is now off the ventilator and out of ICU but still on 100% oxygen. We must continue to pray that he heals spiritually, and that his eyes are opened to see Jesus at work in all of this trying to reach him. Only Jesus can heal the sick, unstop the ears of the deaf, and the eyes of the blind.

Come Lord Jesus! 

God is with us

 This Sunday's reading is from Matthew 1:18-25,

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

 ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

   and they shall name him Emmanuel’,

which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Joseph is instructed to name him Jesus, and they (the people) shall name him Emmanuel.

Indeed God is with us still.

Doctors gone bad

 One of the disturbing consequences of the rise in secular humanism is the loss of humanity of medical students and physicians. The new breed of medical professionals is chock full of men, women, and others who have no or a best a faulty moral grounding. So it is no surprise when we see them promoting the legalization of brain damaging substances, physician assisted suicide, puberty blockers, and genital mutilation of adolescents. What ever happened to "Physician do no harm"?

Two stories this week brought this to mind. First was the case of the Canadian man who got one physician to approve the man's request for "Medical Assistance in Dying" (MAID) because the man was poor and did not want to become homeless. The man has reportedly reconsidered after GoFundMe raised $60,000.

The second story was about the "American Girl Doll" booklet for kids that discussed puberty blockers and "transitioning" much of which was written with the advice of a physician.

Physicians, your education is lacking. Please study the Great Physician, Jesus. Confess your sins, and accept Him as your saviour. 

He is our only hope.

"Go and tell John what you hear and see"

 This Sunday's reading is from Matthew 11:2-11,

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

   who will prepare your way before you.”

Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

"Go tell John..." might just as well be rewritten for today's situation and repeated as, "Go tell the world...", and when the world rejects it, should we shake the dust from our feet, or should we shout it from the hill tops? 

Or maybe a bit of both. 

Episcopalians see hope despite their falling numbers

 The Episcopal organization recently released its 2021 numbers which show a continued fall in membership along with a drop in average Sunday attendance (ASA). The fall in ASA may be partially attributed to Covid-19, but the longer impact of the pandemic will not be known until numbers come in for 2022-24. 

Jeff Walton at the Institute on Religion and Democracy reported on this, 

"Data from 2021 parochial reports shows that domestic membership fell 56,314 persons to 1,520,388 (-3.57%) from 1,576,702, while average Sunday attendance fell in an unprecedented rate of decline of 165,328 persons to 292,851 (-36.08%) from 458,179 in 2020. A total of 62 congregations were permanently closed."

"Median Average Sunday Attendance in the denomination dropped from 55 persons in 2017 to 21 persons in 2021. Long-term, 88% of Episcopal parishes saw their attendance decline 10% or greater in the past five years, and 90% of congregations report attendance of less than 100 persons."

The Episcopal News Service (ENS) for some reason remains optimistic,

"Other figures from 2021 leave room for optimism. The number of active baptized members, though down by more than 3% for the second straight year, is nearly in line with recent historical trends, showing a more gradual decline that is mirrored by other mainline Protestant denominations. "

That's like saying, "Don't worry about the icebergs and freezing waters. Our sister ships are sinking just as fast."  

"The pandemic, meanwhile, did not halt the ongoing trend of rising pledges. The average Episcopal pledge increased in 2021 to $3,339, and overall plate and pledge income was up more than 3% for the year."

 Don't be fooled by that statistic Episcopalians. The rate of inflation in 2021 was 7.0%, so a 3% increase in pledges is not going to cut it. In the past I have pointed out that on a parish level, as ASA declines there is often seen a paradoxical rise in plate and pledge. I call this squeezing the last drop of blood out of the turnips.

Advent is supposed to be a season of hope and anticipation, not a time for lies, damn lies, and statistics. I don't think the statistics here lie, but the reporting by the ENS lies by omitting the fact that giving did not keep pace with inflation, and by reporting it as a reason to be optimistic. 

Needless to say, the ENS did not speculate as to the reasons for the sinking numbers of her sister mainstream denominations. It would have been interesting to see the spin on that.

Does anyone really see hope in these statistics? 

 

What bugs me about John the Baptist

The story of John the Baptist always bugged me a little.

 We heard it this Sunday in Matthew 3:1-12,

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,

‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

“Prepare the way of the Lord,

   make his paths straight.” ’

Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

 ‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

While locusts may be considered tasty (they are said to taste like shrimp), and certainly the addition of wild honey would help, they are forbidden to the Jews. Specifically in Leviticus 11:41, 

“And every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth is a detestable thing; it shall not be eaten.” 

That seems to make the presence of  many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism by this unclean John all the more surprising.

I wonder what John smelled like. 

The Jordan river I guess.

I won't let it bug me.

 

Breaking up is hard to do: The UMC split

On Thanksgiving Day I had a chance to talk to my brother in law about the split occurring in his 

no longer "United" Methodist Church. His church recently had a problem when they got a "celibate" lesbian minister. Needless to say, membership shrunk as did giving. The church ditched her, but they have not recovered their numbers. I told him about what happened in eastern North Carolina where 32% of churches voted to leave as documented below,

 From WITN,

 Over 200 congregations within the United Methodist Church in North Carolina were approved Saturday to leave the church over disagreements regarding LGBT clergy and marriage within the church.

The North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church gathered for a special called annual conference at Methodist University in Fayetteville.

The purpose of the conference was to receive requests and ratify disaffiliation for 249 churches.

“The complete process requires a two-thirds approval vote of eligible church members in each church wishing to disaffiliate and then ratification by a majority of the members of Annual Conference,” the North Carolina conference said in a press release.

The result of the conference vote was 957 yes to approve disaffiliation and 165 no.

The North Carolina Conference is made up of churches from 56 counties in Eastern Carolina.

According to the church, the 249 disaffiliating churches represent 32% of the congregations in the conference and around 22 percent of the membership.

“Rev. Dr. Smith called for a ruling by Bishop Fairley as to whether the Conference could approve disaffiliation agreements for churches that were not based on Discipline Paragraph 2553, which specifically is about disagreement on matters of human sexuality. Bishop Fairley has 30 days after the special session to make a ruling, which will then go to the denomination’s Judicial Council. The Judicial Council is the church’s highest judicial body,” the conference said.

The conference in its press release said that most of the local church votes were not unanimous.

Ratified disaffiliations are effective Dec. 31, 2022, if the church completes all parts of the agreement by that date.

For a look at the churches here in Eastern Carolina that voted to disaffiliate, click here.

My brother in law does not know what his church is going to do, and I suspect that he and most of his fellow congregants do not fully understand the theological problems and heresy involved when one goes over to the LGBT+ side and changes what the Bible calls sinful into a blessing.

The newly formed Global Methodist Church is all the more richer with these 249 churches. Let us pray that they keep the faith and thrive.

 

Rapture Time

 The sudden disappearances described in this Sunday's reading from Matthew 24:36-44 have been argued over for ages about whether they represent pre-tribulation rapture or post-tribulation. 

‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

For the pre-tribulation folks I quote Revelation 7:2-4,

Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea,  saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”  And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

For the post-tribulation folks, I give them the following from Revelation 7: 9-14, 

 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,  saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?”  I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

I am not 100% convinced that being "taken" means being "raptured" in the first place, but one day I will find out, and there will be no need and no time for arguments. 

Giving Thanks

This year as I make the ever treacherous drive to the in-laws' house for Thanksgiving Day, I will be concentrating first on the traffic and second on all the things we have for which we are thankful. I   must thank God not only for the "good" things (good in my mind), but also to thank Him for the things I considered to be "bad" at the time. With God's help I got through those times, and with His help I will get through them when they come around again. That is the hope Christians carry as they encounter the joys and sorrows of this life, a hope that non-Christians can't understand. Our sadness for them should motivate us to explain why we have hope. 

Lord will give me the words when that time comes. 

The Colossian Creed

 In this Sunday's reading from Colossians 1:11-20, Paul writes what I consider to be the Colossian Creed:

May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 

 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

What an impressive statement of faith! 

Recent Trans Legal Actions

 A couple of recent posts came through concerning the trans craze in which underage children are put through mutilating surgery or hormonal treatment. One post with bad news and the other with possible good news coming out of a bad situation.

First, the bad news from Premier Christian News,

Retired midfielder Vasilis Tsiartas has been sentenced by an Athens court to ten months in prison and a 5,000 fine after he was charged with hate speech following comments he made in 2017.

Tsiartas wrote on his Facebook page that he hoped "the first sex changes are carried out on the children of those who ratified this abomination," according to news outlet The Greek Times.

"Legitimise paedophiles, too, to complete the crimes," he continued. Tsiartas later added "God created Adam and Eve”.

The law being criticised by the Tsiartas removed the medical requirement from the process of changing legal gender, and dropped the minimum age to 15.

Following his comments, prominent Greek trans activist Marina Galanos filed a lawsuit against him.

The 49-year-old has become the first person to be convicted after Greece introduced an anti-racist law for public incitement of violence or hatred on the basis of gender identity.

This is the danger of criminalizing "hate speech". Anyone who is offended by anything can accuse the offender of "hate speech".

Let us pray that he wins his appeal.

Now the possible good news from The Christian Post, 

Chloe Cole, an 18-year-old detransitioner residing in California, has filed a notice of intent to sue the medical facilities that performed procedures that have left her disfigured. The notice of intent to sue in California Superior Court lists three doctors practicing in the Los Angeles area and two medical companies based in California as defendants in the pending lawsuit..

In a statement announcing the of intent to sue, Cole described her teenage years as “a culmination of excruciating pain, regret, and most importantly injustice.” Cole recalled that she was “emotionally and physically damaged and stunted by so-called medical professionals in my most important developmental period.”.

“I was butchered by an institution that we trust more than anything else in our lives,” she added. “What is worse is that I am not alone in my pain. I will ensure that the blood and tears of detransitioners like me will not be in vain. It is impossible for me to recoup what I have lost, but I will fight to ensure that no other children will be harmed at the hands of these liars and mutilators.”

The notice of intent to sue elaborates on Cole's circumstances: “Chloe is a biological female who suffered from a perceived psychological issue ‘gender dysphoria,’” the document states. “Under Defendants’ advice and supervision, between 13-17 years old Chloe underwent harmful transgender treatment, specifically, puberty blockers, off-label cross-sex hormone treatment, and a double mastectomy.”

The notice classified Cole’s experience as a form of “medical experimentation,” adding, “She now has deep emotional wounds, severe regrets, and distrust for the medical system.” Specifically, the letter adds that because of acts carried out by the defendants, Cole “suffered mutilation to her body and lost social development with her peers at milestones that can never be reversed or regained.”

“Defendants coerced Chloe and her parents to undergo what amounted to a medical experiment by propagating two lies. First, Defendants falsely informed Chloe and her parents that Chloe’s gender dysphoria would not resolve unless Chloe socially and [medically] transitioned to appear more like a male. Chloe has been informed by her parents that Defendants even gave them the ultimatum: ‘Would you rather have a dead daughter or a live son?’”

The notice of intent to sue notes that “the vast majority of childhood gender dysphoria cases resolve by the time the child reaches adulthood, with the patient’s self-perception reverting back to align with their biological sex.”

According to the letter, “Despite an undeniable body of relevant medical literature, Defendants never once informed Chloe of the possibility, indeed the high likelihood, that her gender dysphoria would resolve, without cross-sex treatment, by the time she reached adulthood.”

“Defendants fraudulently concealed that information from Chloe that the only way to resolve her psychological condition was to undergo physical, chemical, and social transition to a male role,” the document added. 

Citing a longterm study finding that “gender dysphoric individuals who undergo sex reassignment continue to have considerably higher risks for mortality, suicidal behavior, and psychiatric morbidity as compared with the general population,” the letter lamented that “Defendants intentionally obscured these facts and defrauded Chloe and her parents in order to perform what amounted to a lucrative transgender medical experiment on Chloe.”

Although Cole was “advised that the distress she experienced because of her gender dysphoria would resolve as she transitioned,” her “distress always came back worse” following the “initial relief” that occurred after “each phase of transition.” Cole’s double mastectomy, which was performed on her at 15, caused her to experience suicidal thoughts and a deteriorating state of mental health.

Cole told Fox News opinion host Tucker Carlson last week that the doctors named as defendants in the letter committed medical malpractice. The notice of intent to sue outlined some of the claims of medical malpractice, including the absence of “specific information regarding the actual risks of the testosterone and puberty blockers” she was first prescribed at age 13. 

If this lawsuit succeeds, maybe, just maybe, physicians and hospital systems will end this practice. 

Dire Predictions

In today's reading from Luke 21:5-19, Jesus gives some dire predictions.

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’

 They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’ And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and, “The time is near!” Do not go after them.

‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

All of His predictions seem to have come true in the past and continue into the present.

What more will come? 

Re-read the Book of Revelation.

 

When "what you feel in your heart" is the proper moral compass

 From The Christian News, 

A study by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University surveyed 2,275 US adults in July and asked them what they would like to see as America's moral guide. 

The America's Values Study found 42 per cent of respondents believe that "what you feel in your heart" is the proper moral compass. 

We all know that some people have evil feelings in  their hearts. I think that disqualifies the heart as a moral compass.

It also discovered that 29 per cent of people believe that majority rule is the best way to decipher between right and wrong. 

When there is no belief in absolute truth, and a true right and a true wrong, moral relativism rules. So how can the majority rule when everyone judges right and wrong for themselves, and your morality is your morality, and my morality is mine?

George Barna, director of research at the Cultural Research Center said people used to get their moral compass from faith. However, the government now seems to have more influence in that area. 

"The research indicates that people are now more likely to take their moral cues from government laws and policies than from church teachings about biblical principles," he said. 

Oh great, our oh so moral politicians are going to set our moral compass. 

"Americans have historically said that when they elect a president they are choosing a chief executive, not a pastor-in-chief, but that distinction appears to be passé. One could reasonably argue that the nation's ideas about right and wrong are now more likely to come from the White House and the halls of Congress, than from our houses of worship. 

I recall Judges 21:25

"In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

How did that work out for Israel back then? 

Will history repeat itself?

 

The Revised Common Lectionary Strikes Again

 This Sunday's reading from 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5,13-17 is another example of how the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) commits sins of omission by deleting verses which might disturb the pewsitters.

As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you?

(Verses 6-12 were deleted)

13 But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, 17comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

Let's look at the verses that offended the RCL committee,

6 And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed when his time comes. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, 10 and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false, 12 so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.

I can see how preachers might struggle with the lawless one and Satan, and God sending people delusions, but I think the RCL doesn't want us to hear about judgement and condemnation of unbelievers because those are the types of things the RCL usually shields churchgoers from.

 

Imaginary Bogeyman: The White Christian Nationalist

Okay, first we heard that "Christian Nationalism" was the next existential threat to America. Then, it was Christo-fascism. Now it is "White Christian Nationalism" that is the new bogeyman. All of these terms have come to my inbox in just the past three months. The left needs a new enemy, and it is desperately trying to identify it with something that will stick. I personally think that they are imagining monsters in their closets, but they are taking it seriously enough to hold seminars about this new Frankenstein, and the Episcopal organization has to get in on the act. The report below demonstrates how deluded, in a paranoid sense, Episcopal leadership is.

 

 From the Episcopal News Service,

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, in an Oct. 26 seminar at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., reiterated The Episcopal Church’s position that white Christian nationalism is a gross perversion of Christianity, and that Christians must refute such ideologies.

The seminar, titled “How White Christian Nationalism threatens our democracy,” took place at the university’s Center on Faith and Justice and was hosted by the Rev. Jim Wallis, the center’s founding director and founder of Sojourners. Co-sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, Washington National Cathedral and the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, the discussion brought together Wallis, Curry, BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler and University of Oklahoma sociology professor Samuel Perry.

“I would say that white Christian nationalism is the single greatest threat to democracy in America,” Wallis warned in his introduction. “It’s also the greatest threat to the integrity of the Christian witness.”

Perry, author of “The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy,” helped define the term that has rocketed to prominence since the election of Donald Trump in 2016. Though it spans a variety of political and cultural phenomena, Perry said, white Christian nationalism is at its core a reactionary movement fueled by anger about shifting power dynamics.

“It is an ideology that idealizes and advocates a fusion of American civic life with a very particular kind of Christianity,” Perry said. “That is a Christianity that isn’t characterized by, say, giving my life to Jesus or wanting to be a good disciple, but it is about white Christian ethno-culture, a traditionalist Christian subculture that characterizes ‘people like us,’ that we have been in charge and that we are the rightful rulers and our culture should hold sway and it should be institutionalized in American political life.”

Curry agreed with that characterization and argued that the basis of white Christian nationalism is not about differing opinions or interpretations of Christian teaching, but a uniquely dangerous movement. It should not be equated with the broad spectrum of evangelical Christianity, for example.

“It’s not conservative Christianity. Obviously, it’s not liberal Christianity either,” Curry said. “What we’re actually describing is an ideology that’s not really a religion, but it looks like a religion and invokes language and symbols that have religious traffic. … If you look at the complex of white Christian nationalism, as an ideology, you lay it alongside Jesus of Nazareth and we’re not even talking about the same thing.”

Curry echoed Wallis’ assessment of the present movement as a revival of Christian-associated white supremacy that has surfaced throughout American history, citing the significance of Christian voices in defending slavery in the 19th century.

When Wallis asked Curry how white Christian nationalism has affected him personally and what he fears most, Curry recalled being warned by his grandmother about “the hooded men” of the Ku Klux Klan, which claimed to be a Christian movement.

Wallis, Perry and Tyler provided the context for the current wave of white Christian nationalism, which is now being openly espoused by some Republican elected officials and candidates, such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano. In a Politico national poll in May, 61% of Republicans supported declaring the U.S. a Christian nation, and more Republican candidates are supporting such ideas in their campaigns for the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

In the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, during which right-wing rioters invoked Christian language and imagery, The Episcopal Church committed to the work of “deradicalization”; at its meeting later that month, Executive Council voted to ask the church’s Office of Government Relations and Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations “to develop a plan for The Episcopal Church’s holistic response to Christian nationalism and violent white supremacy.” The Episcopal Public Policy Network released an educational series on how churches can join in the deradicalization effort this past summer.

Perry said that in addition to being the biggest threat to American democracy, white Christian nationalism is the biggest threat to religious liberty because its proponents have weaponized the Christian identity.

“I think it’s a huge threat to a faithful Christian life and to a flourishing Christianity in this country. And I think it’s the single biggest threat to religious freedom for all that we face in America today,” Perry said, “because Christian nationalism as a political ideology and a cultural framework creates second-class citizens for everyone who’s not Christian in their view.”

Personally, I think these people have created a strawman. After they first shout, "Its alive, its alive!" , and then they imagine it destroying every radical progressive utopia they ever envisioned. As they see their average Sunday attendance and membership plummet, they have to blame something other than themselves, so it falls upon the "white Christian Nationalist" (A.K.A. Donald Trump and his supporters - real or imagined) to blame.

These people need to wake up from their nightmare and face the facts. What they have created with their revisionist theology is the real monster in the closet. 

I always said that the monster returns to its creator, and you know what happens then.

I hereby invite Presiding Bishop Curry to my little church for a few weeks for a dose of reality.

 

Saving the Lost

This Sunday's reading is from Luke 19:1-10,

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax-collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycomore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.’ Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’

The story of Zacchaeus is commonly used by revisionists to justify their argument that, "All are welcome at the table." Which is to say that the LGBTQ+ are welcome to come as they are, and that the people who need to change are you, me, and the Church. Nothing could be farther from the truth of the story of Zacchaeus. In it, he is the one who is transformed. The same should be true for the LGBTQ+ who come to church. Sadly, many churches have abandoned this teaching in favor of full "acceptance" of what the Bible teaches is sexual immorality.

It does more harm to let the lost continue to wander in the wilderness when Jesus is waiting to lead them to salvation.

Sit down with Jesus and you will be changed.

Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin: Words to the Church of England

 Once large numbers if parish priests are corrupted, it is only a matter of time before they become bishops who can corrupt the whole Church. The results of a recent survey in England foretell its doom.

From the Church Times,

"MORE than 1100 licensed priests in the Church of England have indicated that they are willing to conduct same-sex marriages if they become legal.

The survey was conducted by the Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England over the course of the last month. In a statement announcing the results, the chairman of the organisation, the Revd Nigel Pietroni, said: 'It is clear from the feedback after Living in Love and Faith that the majority want the current situation to change.'

The list of signatories is being kept private, but the names were cross-checked against clergy databases, and only those who are currently licensed were counted.

According to the Campaign for Equal Marriage, every diocese was represented among the signatories, who ranged in experience from assistant curates to bishops."

This survey spells doom just as in Daniel 5, when God wrote upon the wall,  "Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”  

Orthodox Anglicans must escape to GAFCON. 

Self-righteous Pride

This Sunday we read from Luke again (his feast day was this week). In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus makes a Pharisee the bad guy and a tax-collector the good guy.

 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’

These days we might substitute a virtue signaler, a politician,  or a woke corporate CEO for the Pharisee, but we might keep the tax-collector in the parable. 

Self-righteousness and pride go hand in hand, and neither are pleasing to God.

 

Christian Nationalism Explained

Have you noticed the rise in memes and posts on your progressive friends' social media pages in which the term "Christian Nationalist" is used in a derogatory manner? I sure have. Here is the easiest explanation as to what it is and why we are seeing the term used. 

From Crisis Magazine, 

"In a prior day, these mainstream folk were called social and fiscal conservatives or 'values voters.' But today, as the progressive utopia (not the Republic, as claimed) is slipping away at the ballot box, they’re labeled 'Christian Nationalists'—this, despite the fact that a vanishingly small percentage would fit the nefarious descriptions presumed by most critics and denounced by all decent people, including those who are being so labeled."

"It is a clever strategy intended to marginalize and delegitimize anyone and anything standing athwart the progressive march to new moral norms and government expansion." 

"What better way to silence your opponents than to associate them, and their beliefs, with the darkest examples of human history? What better way to impose your will on them and undermine democracy?"

 

Keep Praying

Continuing our Sunday journey through Luke, we heard Luke 18:1-8 today and the parable of the persistent widow,

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.” For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.” ’ And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’

God's justice may not be the kind of justice that we pray for, but it will be just. 

Will the Son of Man find faith on the Earth when he comes? 

Not if we roll over and play dead in the face of the zeitgeist. 

Keep praying that people will continue to pray.

Skeletons don't care about the pronouns you use

Now the wackos are concerned about offending skeletons. From Mercator,

Yes, a group called the Black Trowel Collective has issued a manifesto — Archaeologists for Trans Liberation. It calls upon colleagues to acknowledge gender fluidity in the bones found in ancient burial sites.

“There is overwhelming evidence from past societies that our current ways of understanding sex and gender are fleeting and contingent. Neither sex nor gender are fixed in aspect or immutable over time and between cultures.”

 The Black Trowel Collective argument that, "There is overwhelming evidence from past societies that our current ways of understanding sex and gender are fleeting and contingent. Neither sex nor gender are fixed in aspect or immutable over time and between cultures.”, undermines the whole LGBTQrs argument that their modern way of understanding sex and gender is the correct one.

I don't expect the skeletons to care what pronouns you assign to them.

In this Sunday's reading from Luke 17:11-19, Jesus heals ten lepers,

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’

Only the Samaritan came back to thank Jesus. 

Do we remember to thank him and praise him when things go our way?

I have known some remarkable Christians who thank him and praise him as they suffered from cancer.

We have no excuse when we forget to do so during the good times. 

Same sex blessing's starting to create a wedge between Rome and its churches

Like a virus, the notion that the Church can somehow bless something that scripture condemns is spreading to the Roman Catholics. From Premier Christian News,  

Flemish Roman Catholic bishops on Tuesday issued a document effectively allowing the blessing of same-sex unions, in direct defiance of a ruling against such practices by the Vatican's doctrinal office.

The document published on the website of the Bishops' Conference of Belgium suggested a ritual that included a prayer and a benediction for stable same-sex unions. But it stressed that it was not "what the Church understands by a sacramental marriage".

It said the Church wanted to be "pastorally close to homosexual persons" and be a "welcoming Church that excludes no one."

The ritual would start with prayers and includes a commitment by the two people in front of family and friends to be faithful to each other. It would end with more prayer and what the document called a "benediction".

A Vatican spokesman had no immediate comment.

In March 2021, in response to formal questions from a number of Roman Catholic dioceses on whether the practice of blessing same-sex unions was allowed, the Vatican's doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), ruled that it was not.

WWTPD (What would the Pope do)?

From Crisis, 

"This has been a long time coming. Though the Vatican has held the line regarding the illegitimacy and immorality of same-sex 'marriage,' Pope Francis’ chaotic papal style has certainly flirted with that line over the years. From his infamous 'Who am I to judge?' to broad condemning of homosexual discrimination in Amoris Laetitia, to his off-the-cuff, out-of-context comments in the documentary Francesco where he claims support for civil unions for homosexual couples, the way has been pretty well paved for this Belgian scandal."

If this continues, we can expect to see the day when pairs of Roman Catholic priests will be standing at the altar, holding hands, and receiving their "benediction".

 

Growing in Faith

This Sunday's reading from Luke 17:5-10 appears to contain two separate teachings from Jesus,

The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.

‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!” ’

Notice that Jesus does not answer the apostles' demand directly. Instead he first tells them to see where their current state of faith stands and then launches into a story about a slave's standing and duty. 

It seems to me that Jesus is letting the apostles know that they have a long way to go, and that it is going to take a lot of hard work for their faith to increase. 

For most of us, growth in faith is a lifelong effort with lots of duties to attend to as we progress.

Governor Newsom Using Bible Verses To Promote California's Abortion Services

And this guy might run for President!

From the Christian Post,

A new billboard campaign promoting abortion services in conservative states cites a Bible verse with the words of Jesus as an apparent endorsement. 

Newsom's tweet read in part: "To any woman seeking an abortion in these anti-freedom states: CA will defend your right to make decisions about your health." 

... a billboard image that reads: "Need an abortion? California is ready to help."
The billboard partially quotes Mark 12:31: "Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these." 

Funded by Newsom's reelection campaign, the billboard omits the context of the exchange in the previous verse, in which Jesus is asked by a scribe, "Which commandment is the most important of all?"

 Abortion, and its worship is the greatest commandment to Gov. Newsom, and that certainly is the opposite of ,

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." - Matthew 22:36–40

Of course this is the Governor of the state of California, a state that is trying to become a "refuge" for transgender teens.

One of his billboards showed up in downtown Columbia, SC near the State House.

I think the old story rings true that when God created the U.S.A., he tilted it on its side so that all the nuts would roll to California.

Who Says, "There Ain't No Hell"?

There once was a new couple in town out house hunting with a realtor. After being shown around the town the realtor asked what they thought. They asked, "Why do you have two First Baptist churches right across the street from each other?" The realtor replied, "They had a theological split. One  said, 'There ain't no hell', and the other said, 'The hell there ain't!'"

Many churches avoid teaching about a literal hell and its perils. They tend to put it like this, "Hell is separation from God." Lord Jesus was not shy about describing the realities of hell as related in this Sunday's reading from Luke 16:19-31,

‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.” But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.” He said, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment." Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” He said, “No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” ’

According to Jesus, hell sounds like a very real place, with torments and fire, and there is no crossing between heaven and hell.

Why won't revisionists preach it as He saw it?

It all started when "Adultery" became an "Affair"

Thanks everyone for bearing with me while I was away.

Ian Paul over at Psephizo recently wrote a review of  a book titled, "The Case against the Sexual Revolution" by Louise Perry which I found interesting, but I am certain that the general population of Western civilization will not.

Peter Wyatt writes: According to Philip Larkin, ‘sexual intercourse began in nineteen sixty-three’. Until today, this sexual revolution, brought about by more effective forms of contraception, has been hailed as an emancipation of human beings. No longer were we subject to the restraints of traditional morality as policed by religious faith, and family mores. Instead, they could act according to our desires, to find pleasure and happiness in any way they saw fit. Why should society have any opinion on what happened between the sheets, as Stephen Fry once said?

About that time they dropped the word "adultery" and started calling it an "affair".

In her provocative new book, The Case Against the Sexual Revolution, Louise Perry argues that the picture is far from rosy. Instead of liberation, society has created new forms of oppression: rough sex, hook-up culture, and pornography to name a few. She argues that in all of these women have been the losers. In her view, the much-touted concept of “consent” as the answer to everything has failed and we have arrived at a situation that benefits a minority of men, at the expense of women...  

Consent hmmm... What ever happened to the good old days when the boss could chase the intern around the desk in the Oval Office and not get in trouble?

Skip to,

...Chapter 8 outlines Perry’s proposal for a corrective to the sexual revolution: marriage. Some feminists argue that marriage is the single biggest vehicle for the oppression of women, but Perry argues that marriage solves several extremely difficult problems in society, given that human beings are constrained by their biology. Firstly, it solves a problem she calls dependency. As she says, if you value freedom above all else, then you must reject motherhood, because motherhood creates dependency in the form of a child. Instead, marriage creates a solution and a rationale for dependency, where a father can provide support, resources, protection to the mother and child. Secondly, it provides encouragement for men to adopt the ‘dad’ mode of sexual behaviour as opposed to the ‘cad’ mode. As Perry discusses all the way through the book, the ‘cad’ mode of male sexuality is extremely detrimental to women and the source of many of the ills mentioned in previous chapters. According to anthropologists, monogamous marriage is successful in pushing men away from cad mode, and in providing a stable environment for child-rearing. Perry argues that marriage is not perfect but that there is no better system that has been tried in history.

The past sixty years proves her right on the value of marriage to society.

This should be what they are teaching in school instead of Critical Race Theory.

 

The Head of the Church... of England

 With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, heaven has gained another mere Christian, and we have lost a shining example of what the head of a Church should look like. A regular Sunday churchgoer, and friend of Billy Graham, she was "Defender of the Faith", but never struck down a Bishop's appointment as far as I know. 

Maybe she should have for progressive bishops are present and increasingly influential in the Church of England (CofE).

What will Charles III do when presented with the name of a candidate? Who will he dub as the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

As an Anglican in America, I don't have any skin in the game, but it would be nice to see someone with a spine as Defender of the Faith in England. We shall have to see what Charles III does in this role.

God warned us not to raise up a king,

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”  But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord.  And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.  According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you.  Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” 1 Samuel 8:4-9

God save the King!

God save the CofE

God save us all! 

Nobody else can.

The Meaning of "A Welcoming Church"

How many times have you seen a church's web page, literature, or even street sign proclaim that they are a "Welcoming Church"? We all know what that means to the modern ear. It means that the LGBTQrs+ are welcome to come in, their identities and behaviors are accepted and even celebrated, and that you can come to Jesus and not expect Him to change you. This is called "radical inclusion, inclusivity, or inclusiveness".

Well, in today's reading from Luke 15:1-10, the first two verses of which are commonly used as an argument for radical inclusion, lays that argument to rest in the parable of the lost sheep and lost coins.

 

Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’

So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’

Indeed, Jesus welcomes all, sinners included, to come to the table with him, but repentance is key, not pride. 

Churches that advertise that "all are welcome" are usually not going to preach about sin and repentance. Instead, they rejoice in the unrepentant sinner. 

So all that talk about being a "welcoming church" is so much modern day virtue signaling which makes those congregations oh so proud of their heretical teaching.

Disturbing Survey of American Pastor's Beliefs

A few months ago I hesitated and did not post the results of a Barna study that found just 37% of 1000 Christian pastors surveyed held a biblical worldview because I wanted to see a breakdown of more of the data. 

The Christian Post provided an update this week with the following findings (my bullet points)

1.)  At least a third of senior pastors in the United States believe one can earn a place in Heaven by simply being a good person, according to a nationwide survey.

2.) one-third or more of senior pastors surveyed also believe the Holy Spirit is not a person but rather “a symbol of God’s power." 

3.) Others said that moral truth is subjective; sexual relations between two unmarried people who love each other is “morally acceptable" and biblical teaching on abortion is “ambiguous.”

4.) At least a third of those surveyed also said they believe “socialism is preferable to capitalism and that allowing property ownership facilitates economic injustice,”...

5.)...39% of Evangelical pastors surveyed said there is no absolute moral truth and that “each individual must determine their own truth.” 

6.) Roughly the same percentage (38%) said human life is sacred, while 37% said having faith, in general, is more important than in what — or more specifically, Whom — one has faith.

7.) three in 10 Evangelical pastors (30%) do not believe that their salvation is based on having confessed their sins and accepting Jesus Christ as their savior.

How is this possible? 

George Barna, CRC's director of research, said the results could be linked to another trend he observed in the data.

“While studying the spiritual behavioral patterns of pastors, it became evident that a large share of them do not have a regular spiritual routine,” Barna said. “There was a correlation between possessing biblical beliefs and a consistent regimen of Bible reading, prayer, worship and confession.

“In some of the denominational groupings, a majority of pastors do not engage in those foundational spiritual practices on a regular basis,” he added. “Yet, among the pastors who have the most consistently biblical beliefs, there is also a daily routine that incorporates all of those disciplines.”

While my first reaction to this information is anger directed at those errant pastors, the data indirectly shows that pewsitters are not keeping up their daily foundational spiritual routines, otherwise they would be forcing those false teachers out.

 

 

Give it up for Jesus

This week's reading is from Luke 14:25-33 in which tells his followers to give up all of their possesions,

Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

Is Jesus acting like a cult leader here? So are we all to give away everything and become communists?  How has that worked out in countries that have tried it? 

 Matthew Henry (1662 – 1714) in his Concise Commentary on Luke 14:25-35 puts it this way, 

Though the disciples of Christ are not all crucified, yet they all bear their cross, and must bear it in the way of duty. Jesus bids them count upon it, and then consider of it. Our Saviour explains this by two similitudes; the former showing that we must consider the expenses of our religion; the latter, that we must consider the perils of it. Sit down and count the cost; consider it will cost the mortifying of sin, even the most beloved lusts. The proudest and most daring sinner cannot stand against God, for who knows the power of his anger? It is our interest to seek peace with him, and we need not send to ask conditions of peace, they are offered to us, and are highly to our advantage. In some way a disciple of Christ will be put to the trial. May we seek to be disciples indeed, and be careful not to grow slack in our profession, or afraid of the cross; that we may be the good salt of the earth, to season those around us with the savour of Christ.

Monastics who take the vow of poverty try to follow this teaching to the letter, and in small communities like that this mostly works out. 

Once Christianity became the religion of the rich, people wanted to hear that the possessions we needed to give up were our sinful desires, and that indeed is true, but don't forget to not let your other possessions possess you. 

Forgiving Our Debtors

 Bill Meuhlenberg in his recent post, "Jesus, Socialism, and Forgiveness", takes on an analogy you may have heard concerning the student loan bailout,

 "far too many clueless Christians have said we should happily 'forgive' student debt, since Jesus offers us forgiveness of sins."

(Recall the translations of the Lord's Prayer which read, "forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors." - UGP) 

"Um, talk about apples and oranges. Talk about a basic inability to think straight. Talk about biblical illiteracy. Talk about historical, political and economic ignorance. Governments forcing taxpayers to pay for the mistakes or irresponsibility of others has NOTHING to do with what Christ did on the cross – absolutely nothing..."

"...It is our sins’ debt that we are over our heads in – not college loans. And there is no way that we can ever get out of this crushing burden of debt. Only by Christ taking our place at Calvary, and taking the punishment that we deserved for our sin (and NOT on an innocent third party), is it possible for the sin debt to be wiped clean so that we can be reconciled to God.

Again, it was entirely voluntary on Christ’s part, and it had utterly zippo to do with the state and coercive fiscal policy. Those who come to Christ in faith and repentance can indeed find their sins forgiven. That is glorious news. But it was the voluntary action of God which we simply respond to in gratitude and thanksgiving.

There is no coercion here whatsoever. Biden’s student debt plan – like all socialist programs – is entirely based on coercion. The taxpayer WILL pick up the tab for these students whether he likes it or not. And if he has been through college himself and managed to pay all his bills, he is being slammed here twice – it is double jeopardy. He paid his own bills and now he is being forced to pay the bills of others."

I like many others had a government backed student loan to the tune of only $5,000 which I used to pay my rent, and I paid it back as planned once I started earning money (actually when I could defer it no longer ;-)). 

Today, student loans are ten to twenty times that amount in part because colleges and universities raised their tuitions once the government started loaning kids all that money. It is simple economics. 

Jesus has nothing to do with it except that wasteful government spending is sinful, and this nation needs to get down on its knees and pray for better leadership.

 

Lessons in Humility

In this week's lesson from Luke 14:7-14, Jesus teaches us the need for humility and charity.

When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. ‘When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, “Give this person your place”, and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, “Friend, move up higher”; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’

 He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’

Such simple lessons, so hard to live up to. 

Children's Hospital Boasts of Providing Genital Mutilation Surgery

As reader Katherine pointed out last week, physicians are complicit in the recent fad of cutting off youngsters sexual organs in the name of the trans god. This was from the Daily Wire,

  Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), ranked the number one children’s hospital in the United States, touted “gender-affirming hysterectomies” in a video even though the patients it sees are children and young adults up to the age of 21...

“The Center for Gender Surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital offers gender affirmation surgery services to eligible adolescents and young adults who are ready to take this step in their journey,” the hospital’s website reads. “It is the first center of its kind in the U.S. in a major pediatric hospital setting.”

“A world renown pediatric facility proudly talking about removing the uteruses of healthy young girls in the name of gender affirming care is terrifying,” Erika Sanzi, director of outreach at nonprofit Parents Defending Education, told The National Desk.

According to the BCH website, children as young as 15 can go under the knife for breast augmentations or double mastectomies in the name of gender affirmation — with parental consent. At 17, a trans woman can receive a vaginoplasty — and at 18, a trans man can receive metoidioplasty or phalloplasty.

Remembering my teenage years, I don't think I would have been mature enough to make such a decision. According to Duke University, brain maturation is complete by age 24. 

The trans movement ignores reason and science. 

I think that lack of God, faith, and family are major causes of this phenomenon.

 

"Our God is a consuming fire"

 In the first paragraph from this Sunday's reading from Hebrews 12:18-29, St. Paul combines imagery with theology in a way that is rarely heard from the pulpit these days. In the second paragraph he pronounces a warning that is rarely spoken on Sunday mornings in churches that use the Revised Common Lectionary followed by the hope of those who partake of the sacrifice represented in our worship.

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. (For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.’ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.’) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.’ This phrase ‘Yet once more’ indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire.

The image of God as a consuming fire harkens back to the ancient Hebrews practice of animal sacrifice, but Paul applies it here in a couple of new contexts. First that our worship be a sacrifice acceptable to God, and second the unspoken idea that He consumes our sinful nature and makes us worthy and acceptable to Him. 

Paul's writings are not easy for young readers or hearers to digest, but as we grow in Christ they become more intelligible and more eloquent.

 

Who would endorse genital mutilations at any age?

The Episcopal sect that's who. 

I admit that I have been ignoring the Episcopal sect's latest General Convention because I read "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" one too many times. Others have been digging through the detritus of the last gathering of Episcopal bishops and deputies and pulled out this whopper that has been making the rounds.

D066

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,

That the 80th General Convention celebrates the diversity of human experience, recognizing that we are all made in the image of God, and be it further

Resolved, that the 80th General Convention calls for the Episcopal Church to advocate for access to gender affirming care in all forms (social, medical, or any other) and at all ages as part of our Baptismal call to “respect the dignity of every human being”; and be it further

Resolved, that the 80th General Convention affirms that all Episcopalians should be able to partake in gender affirming care with no restriction on movement, autonomy, or timing; and be it further

Resolved, that the 80th General Convention understands that the protection of religious liberty extends to all Episcopalians who may need or desire to access, to utilize, to aid others in the procurement of, or to offer gender affirming care; and be it further

Resolved, that this 80th General Convention supports public policies at the local, state, and national levels in all our countries to support gender affirming care.

I have noted in previous blog posts the problematic phrase "respect the dignity of every human being" added to the Baptismal Covenant by the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and how it opens the door for all kinds of innovations once the meanings of the words "respect" and "dignity" change to mean "tolerate, accept, affirm, celebrate" and "personal desires" respectively. The Covenant's words were invoked repeatedly when same sex blessings and marriage were the burning issues. This is also how other dangerous ideas like church sanctioned genital mutilation can easily become part of a sect's "baptismal call". 

What will they think of next?

Polygamy, Physician assisted suicide?

How anyone can support the Episcopal organization any longer is beyond me. 

 

Divisions on Earth

This Sunday's reading from Luke 12:49-56 should have been read at the opening of the recent gathering of Anglican bishops at Lambeth, 

‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided:

father against son

   and son against father,

mother against daughter

   and daughter against mother,

mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

   and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’

 He also said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, “It is going to rain”; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, “There will be scorching heat”; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

If they had heard it at Lambeth, I don't think the revisionist bishops would have made the connection. 

Theology According to Whoopi

I usually don't pay attention to what celebrities have to say about anything. I regard them as actors and actresses and not as experts in things political, scientific, and certainly not theological. The following report from Premier Christian News proves my point.

 "Movie star, comedian and TV personality Whoopi Goldberg says God made us smart so we can make wise decisions over abortion.

Defending a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy she said: 'God doesn't make mistakes. God made us smart enough to know when it wasn't going to work for us. That's the beauty of giving us freedom of choice.'"

"Goldberg was speaking on US talk show The View following a week where the issue of abortion has again hit the headlines..."

"...Speaking further on the issue, Goldberg said: 'My relationship with God is always choppy. I also know that God made me smart enough to know that if there are alternatives out there that can work for me, I will investigate them.'"

"I also know God said, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'"

"I will not make that decision for anybody."

"God made us so smart that we can make wise decisions..." does not account for the fact that we make stupid decisions all the time, and it ignores the Biblical history of His people making those unwise decisions time and time again. 

The theology of Whoopi mirrors the theology of the zeitgeist, and its resulting belief system that places human will over God's will. 

I gave up on celebrities long ago, but I confess that I have neglected them in my prayers. 

Join me in praying for them now.

Your Father’s good pleasure

This Sunday's reading is from Luke 12:32-40, and, like last week, Jesus warns us about possessions. In addition, he tells us to be ready at all times for his return

 ‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 ‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

 ‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’

 

Just When I Thought The Episcopal Sect Had No Causes Left...

A friend sent me this latest affrontery from the Episcopal sect, 

The Episcopal Church Foundation is excited to announce the three individuals named to the 2022 Fellows class – Matthew Lukens, Kerlin Richter and Dustin Seo. These innovative and emerging leaders are pairing their expertise with their passion to make a positive impact on the Episcopal Church and beyond.

As ECF’s longest running program, the Fellowship Partners Program has been supporting entrepreneurial leaders since 1964. Initially started to support academics with intentions to teach in seminaries, the Fellowship has expanded over the years to lift up emerging academic and ministry leaders who seek to impact the wider Church. ECF is proud to partner with our 2022 Fellows and is excited to journey with them as they shape the Episcopal Church of the future. To view a list of all ECF Fellows, click here.

The three recipients’ ministry projects show a Church that is engaged in a changing world. The 2022 Fellows are exploring a new ministry on a college campus, rethinking sex education for clergy and using music as an outreach tool. Read more about the 2022 Fellows and their projects below.

The Rev. Kerlin Richter is the Rector of Saint David of Wales Episcopal Church in Portland, OR, and was church planter of Bushwick Abbey, a creative Episcopal church plant in Brooklyn, NY. Her visionary project, In The Flesh: Intimacy, Consent, and Pleasure for Faithful People, will allow her gifts of inquiry, creativity, and imagination to open a conversation at the intersection of faith and sexuality that seeks to reframe how we talk about sex in our faith communities. Kerlin currently sits on the Diocese of Oregon’s Task Force for Trans and Non-binary Rights, and she also serves on the Oregon Human Rights Commission for the Decriminalization of Sex Work.

The Oregon Human Rights Commission for the Decriminalization of Sex Work appears to be a private group and not one commissioned by the state government.

Just when I thought The Episcopal Sect had no causes left to defend this pops up. Is it any wonder that Episcopalians are dying out. 

Some visionary.