Meanwhile, en France: Gynecologists must treat men who say they are women

From The Bridgehead which I quote in full, 

A French gynecologist has been suspended from practicing medicine for one month and penalized with an additional five months of probation by the French Medical Council for declining to treat a 26-year-old man who identifies as a woman.

In August 2023, a trans-identifying man and his partner showed up at Dr. Victor Acharian’s office in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques in the Pau region of southwestern France. Acharian, naturally, treats only women, and after several moments, his secretary told the man that Acharian wouldn’t see him. “I told her that I’m not competent, but I can guide you,” Acharian explained. “I can refer you to services that can take better care of you. But after I said that, things went south.”

The prospective patient began to insult the staff, yelling “You’re transphobic!” at Acharian, and stormed out with his partner, who left a Google review stating: “It was my trans partner’s first appointment. He refused to see her, his secretary threw us out coldly. I advise against [visiting]. Never again.”

Acharian responded in an attempt to defend himself:

SIR, I am a gynecologist, and I take care of real women. I have no skills to take care of MEN, even if they have shaved their beards and come to tell my secretary that they [have] become women. My GYNECOLOGICAL examination table is not suitable for examining men. You have specialized and very competent services to take care of men like you. Thank you for informing TRANS people to never come for consultation with me.

The trans-identifying man promptly sent a complaint to Conseil National de l’Ordre des Médecins (CNOM)—the regulatory body that oversees the medical profession in France—and the LGBT activist organization SOS Homophobie released a statement, tagging the French Minister of Equality between Women and Men and the Fight against Discrimination Bérangère Couillard: “We denounce the transphobic and discriminatory remarks of gynaecologist Victor Acharian in Pau. Transphobia is a reality with serious consequences, particularly in access to health. It affects the entire territory.”

The tactic worked. Acharian was summoned to appear before the disciplinary board of the French Medical Council on December 16th, 2024, where he was suspended from practice for the month of March, with an additional five-month probation. He was warned that if he “engaged in transphobia” or similarly denied treatment to a trans-identifying male during that period, he would be further disciplined. Acharian’s insistence that he lacked the expertise to treat such patients was ignored.

Acharian noted that he’d never had a “transgender” patient before and pointed out, with a hint of plaintive defiance, that: “Just because it’s a cavity doesn’t mean it’s a classic vagina.”

Reduxx noted that Acharian had previously responded similarly to a one-star review with the statement: “Dear Sir. I do not know you. You cannot know me, since I am a gynecologist, and I only treat women. As for your political militancy, that does not concern me.”

Acharian, like so many other ordinary citizens targeted by the transgender movement’s attempts to conform society to their ideology and force collective compliance, found out the hard way that trans militancy very much does concern him. Édouard Martial, the lawyer for the spurned trans-identifying man gloated about his suspension: “We are pleased to have confirmation that what happened that day was totally abnormal.” The suspension and probation weren’t enough for SOS Homophobie, which suggested that his actions were “also punishable by criminal sanctions.”

 He/She/it clearly intended to create a scene and get this doctor in trouble. This is similar to the tactics that the LGBTs have used against Christian bakers.

 This patient should have been referred to a psychiatrist. 

The French Medical Council needs a shrink too.

Don't tell it on the mountain

This Sunday's reading from Luke 9:28-43 tells the story of the Transfiguration,

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

They told no one.  

On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.’ Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.’ While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God.

The world was not ready to hear about the appearance of Moses and Elijah or the voice from heaven saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" 

People would not listen to him until after the Resurrection proved him to be the Son of God. 

They still don't want to listen, and because of that they certainly won't tell it on the mountain.  

"Queer and bisexual" woman as "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Here's a production that I hope is going nowhere,

From Premier Christian News

British actress and Grammy Award-winning singer Cynthia Erivo is set to make history as the first black woman to portray Jesus Christ in a major production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

The decision to cast Erivo, who came out as queer and bisexual in 2022, has ignited strong reactions from both critics and supporters.

Erivo, best known for her role as Elphaba in Wicked, will take on the iconic role in a special production at the Hollywood Bowl, running from 1st-3rd August, 2025.

Screwtape is smiling.

So when the Mary Magdalene character sings "I don't know how to love him", what pronoun will be used? If Mary uses "her", then the play will have more explaining to do than just trying to justify a "queer and bisexual" female Jesus. 

I remember when "Jesus Christ Superstar" (JCS) first came out. We had to review the musical's songs for a religion class in school. I thought Herod's song  had the best tune and lyrics: "Prove to me that your no fool. Walk across my swimming pool." I don't think the priest in charge of the class ever pointed out the major flaw in JCS which is that there is no Resurrection. 

As St. Paul wrote,

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If in Christ we have hope[a] in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. - 1 Corinthians 15:14-19 English Standard Version

I fully expect the Hollywood bowl to sell out for this performance. L.A. is not a bastion of orthodox Christianity. 

It just won't have the legs or the theological strength to make it in my neck of the woods. 

 

Loving your enemies

This Sunday's reading from Luke 6:27-38 contains instructions that seem to go beyond our human nature to follow.

‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

 ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’

How opposite of the world we live in is the world Jesus desires for us. 

Yet another reason why we need a savior. 

How U.S. Churches were profiting from illegal immigration

I have been receiving emails from the Episcopal organization bemoaning the fact that due to cuts by the Trump administration they are having to lay off 22 employees who were handling their illegal immigration (they call it "migration") ministry. 

 From The New York Post,

Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde’s sermon to President Trump during an inaugural prayer service, coupled with her church’s advocacy for humanitarian immigration programs, reveals a striking hypocrisy — one that could be seen as self-serving and even a conflict of interest.

That’s because the federal contracting arm of the church, Episcopal Migration Ministry (EMM), is paid to bring in people on resettlement programs that Trump has temporarily paused and targeted for re-evaluation.

EMM budget figures for 2024 are not available yet, but in 2023 it earned $53 million from various taxpayer-funded government programs to resettle 3,600 individuals.

EMM “sponsored” 6,400 individuals from 48 countries in 2024. The leading nationalities were Afghans under a special humanitarian program, refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and others in smaller numbers from seven distinct special resettlement programs.

In an wild understatement, a 2012 Government Accountability Office report quotes an official noting that “funding is based on the number of refugees they serve, so affiliates have an incentive to maintain or increase the number of refugees they resettle each year rather than allowing the number to decrease.”

Since EMM’s ability to lobby is restricted, the Episcopal Church itself, being a separate legal entity from EMM, lobbies in D.C. for more programs that benefit EMM.

EMM brings in LGBTQ refugees and asylees in a special federal refugee program started during the Obama administration called “Preferred Communities.”

This program pays a premium over standard refugee resettlement for contractors that resettle “refugees experiencing social or psychological difficulties, including emotional trauma resulting from war and/or sexual or gender-based violence; survivors of torture; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) refugees; refugees who are HIV positive; populations with physical disabilities or other medical conditions.”

”Of course, it is not fair to question the Episcopalians alone on this.

Add this from Crisis, 

According to recent numbers obtained from Complicit Clergy, the Biden administration granted Catholic non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and charities nearly $3 billion in immigration-related funding over the past four years. In comparison, Catholic charities received $0.8 billion during the first Trump administration. Since 2009, Catholic Charities and related organizations have received over $5.2 billion tax dollars by providing immigration-related services to the federal government. 

Churches had been facilitating illegal behavior and have likely passed along violent criminals into our cities. These "migrants" were not properly vetted entering the U.S.A. 

The money the NGOs got created more of an incentive for illegal entry as well as creating incentives for the NGOs to provide more services to more people.

Good for Trump for cutting off that gravy train of unaccountable dollars. 

 

 

Four Blessings and Four Woes

 This Sunday's reading is from Luke 6:17-26,

He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. ‘Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.'

‘But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. ‘Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. ‘Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.

 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.'

Jesus is reminding us that there is good and there is evil, and we must be thankful and joyful even when things do not seem to going our way. This helps explain why Paul and Silas could sing after being beaten and thrown into prison.

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.  After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.  When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.  Acts 16:22-25

I wonder if I would be able to do that. 

"Speechcrime" goes in one direction

I had not seen "speechcrime" (one word) in print before reading the post below, but "speech crime" (two words) is something that shares a commonality with "hate crime" legislation. Initially, speech crime was intended to restrict the incitement of genocide, or other horrors, but now we see speech crime being applied to other forms of expression.  

We are all aware that to burn a Bible in public will not land you in jail or cause you to go into hiding for fear of your life, but to burn a Koran...

From Spiked Online,

A man was arrested at the weekend after allegedly burning a copy of the Koran – no, not in Iran or in Saudi Arabia, but in Manchester, in the UK. Apparently, it can now be a criminal offence in 21st-century Britain to express your distaste for a seventh-century religion.

The arrest followed a livestream on social media that appeared to show a 47-year-old man setting light to the Koran, page by page, on Saturday. This was just two days after Salwan Momika, an Iraqi atheist, was assassinated in Sweden, seemingly as punishment for burning copies of the Muslim holy book in public.

You might have imagined that in a modern, liberal democracy such as Britain that blaspheming against a religious text would be none of the police’s business. After all, laws criminalising blasphemy against Christianity were officially repealed in England and Wales in 2008, with the last successful blasphemy conviction obtained in 1977. But the old crime of blasphemy has been slowly replaced with a new raft of criminal offences against so-called hate speech.

According to Greater Manchester Police, the alleged Koran burner was arrested under suspicion of a ‘racially aggravated public-order offence’. Assistant chief constable Stephanie Parker told GB News that police felt compelled to make a ‘swift arrest’, fearing the livestream could cause ‘deep concern… within some of our diverse communities’. The modern language of diversity and multiculturalism disguises the medievalism of the decree that’s being enforced.

The injunction to police so-called hate speech, especially when it comes to ‘Islamophobia’, has led British police forces to routinely do the bidding of Islamic reactionaries. In 2023, when four boys in Wakefield brought a Koran to school, and one ended up lightly scuffing it, police recorded it as a ‘non-crime hate incident’. Ten miles down the road, at Batley Grammar School, a teacher was forced into hiding in 2021 after showing a cartoon of Muhammad in his religious-studies class. He remains in hiding to this day, but no action has ever been taken against those who maliciously circulated his name or sent him credible death threats. If anything, in the eyes of the authorities, his hardline Islamist aggressors, whose religious sensitivities were offended, were the actual victims here.

The Europe-wide expansion of hate-speech laws to cover blasphemy against Islam means there is now an alarming affinity between the authorities and hardline Islamic conservatives and even violent Islamist extremists. It is striking that when Salwan Momika was assassinated last week in Sweden after burning the Koran, he was due to face trial for exactly the same alleged ‘crime’. Of course, the modern European state insists it is punishing hate speech, not blasphemy, and it does so with arrests, fines and prison sentences, not with violence or executions. But both our secular authorities and Islamist radicals agree that ridiculing Islam must be punished as a speechcrime.

Alarmingly, in Britain at least, restrictions on what we can say about Islam are only likely to get tighter. The Labour government is considering whether to impose a broad and controversial definition of Islamophobia on all public bodies, which would chill discussion on just about any issue that might touch on Islam or Muslims. Home secretary Yvette Cooper and security minister Dan Jarvis have both vowed to expand the recording of non-crime hate incidents to tackle Islamophobia. This would further entrench the role of the police as enforcers of Islamic blasphemy law.

In a modern, free society, the right to mock, scorn and reject all gods, prophets and religious texts ought to be sacrosanct. This new regime of speech policing, however ‘progressive’ and ‘inclusive’ it purports to be, represents a catastrophic step backwards.

Fraser Myers is deputy editor at spiked and host of the spiked podcast. Follow him on X: @FraserMyers.

As Christians, we are saddened when someone burns a Bible. They may be rejecting God, but they are in need of our love, and they cannot harm God or us by burning a book or by drawing a cartoon. The Word will live on.

C'mon Muslims, it is just ink on paper that is burning. Don't worship a book. Worship God.

"And So You Have Come to Believe"

In this Sunday's reading from 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Paul testifies of the early witnesses to the Resurrection.

Now I should remind you, brothers, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 

Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 

Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

Paul mentions that most of the witnesses are still living, and that lends veracity to his testimony and to the historical truth of the Resurrection.  

 

Meanwhile, "en France"

I saw this at The European Conservative and thought I should re-post it here.

French TV Channel Fined for Calling Abortion the World’s Leading Cause of Death

Hélène de Lauzun — November 21, 2024

The French media regulator has fined the conservative channel CNews €100,000 for, during a Catholic programme, saying that abortion is the world’s leading cause of death. The episode reveals the extent to which the debate on abortion is deadlocked in France.

In February 2024, presenter Aymeric Pourbaix, during the Catholic programme “En quête d’esprit,” broadcast every Sunday on the conservative channel CNews, showed an infographic on the causes of death, ranking abortion as the leading cause, with 73 million deaths each year worldwide. That translates to 52% of annual deaths, far ahead of cancer (10 million) and smoking (6.2 million).

The journalist’s comments sparked a wave of indignation in the mainstream press, on the grounds that abortion cannot be considered a “cause of death” because the foetus should not be considered a living being.

Violent criticism was levelled at the CNews channel, owned by Catholic businessman Vincent Bolloré, prompting an investigation into the channel in the following weeks. The channel was accused of being dangerous and of broadcasting biased information—in other words, contrary to the canons of progressive thought. The alleged scandalous nature of the comments made by Pourbaix justified, according to the Minister Delegate for Health at the time, the inclusion of the right to abortion in the French constitution, which was achieved a few months later.

The violence of the attacks forced the channel to backtrack and apologise for what was presented as a handling ‘error’: the computer graphics should never have been broadcast on screen. On X, the channel was even asked to apologise “for the people who may have been hurt by this infographic.”

I consider that apology to be a spineless act of capitulation.  

After several months of proceedings, the French media regulatory authority Arcom has fined CNews €100,000 for this episode. According to Arcom, the broadcaster failed in its “obligation of honesty and rigour in the presentation and processing of information.” 

In the weekly magazine Valeurs Actuelles, Jean-Marie Le Méné, head of the Fondation Jérôme Lejeune, denounced the totalitarian nature of this decision, which proves the denial of reality that surrounds the practice of abortion in France:

Arcom writes: “Abortion cannot be presented as a cause of death.” Equating an aborted child with a dead person would make abortion a homicidal act. So that abortion can be carried out with a clear conscience, it is forbidden to say that abortion takes away life. Otherwise the keystone of the system collapses. But who believes this fiction?

He adds: “Abortion, the leading cause of death in the world, is unfortunately a fact, not an opinion.”

CNews and C8—also owned by Vincent Bolloré—are the only channels ever to have been subject to financial penalties in France.

Hélène de Lauzun is the Paris correspondent for europeanconservative.com. She studied at the École Normale Supérieure de Paris. She taught French literature and civilization at Harvard and received a Ph.D. in History from the Sorbonne. She is the author of Histoire de l’Autriche (Perrin, 2021).

The word police are out there. I wonder when hate speech laws will be applied here to anyone who even hints that an abortion "kills" a "living" human being. 

Truer Words

The next time an Episcopal bishop or priest says something about speaking truth to power, I want you to ask them if they included the words of this Sunday's psalm and Old Testament readings in their sermon/lecture.

 Psalm 71 In te, Domine, speravi

1 In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge; *

let me never be ashamed.

2 In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; *

incline your ear to me and save me.

3 Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe; *

you are my crag and my stronghold.

4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, *

from the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.

5 For you are my hope, O Lord God, *

my confidence since I was young.

6 I have been sustained by you ever since I was born;

from my mother's womb you have been my strength; *

my praise shall be always of you.

Jeremiah 1:4-10

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,

5 ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’

6 Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ 7 But the Lord said to me,

‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”;

for you shall go to all to whom I send you,

and you shall speak whatever I command you.

8 Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

says the Lord.’

9Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,

‘Now I have put my words in your mouth.

10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,

to pluck up and to pull down,

to destroy and to overthrow,

to build and to plant.’

God knows us before He forms us in the womb, and He is our strength even before we are born. Truer words have never been spoken.

Lord, save the unborn. Those are the words of truth that will never be spoken by those in power in the Episcopal organization. 

The Bishop and the President

After "Bishop" Budde lectured President Trump and Vice President Vance from the pulpit of the National Cathedral, I have witnessed reactions from many sides. My revisionist friends rejoiced and placed images of the Budde onto their social media posts while my Christian friends posted well reasoned responses to the "Bishop's" lecture like this one from Campbell. 

"Christians must speak about the conditions which exist in the world, and play our part in shaping society. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us we are salt and light, the salt which prevents corruption and the light which pushes back darkness. We should act from a biblical standpoint, holding the world and its ways up to the bar of God’s judgement, not our own.

The pronouncements of liberal Christians like Bishop Budde make that task more difficult. She makes it easier for unbelievers to dismiss Christian intervention in social affairs as ill-thought-out regurgitation of progressive talking points garnished with a few Christian terms. If Christians are to speak out, we must do the serious and hard work of examining our world from a biblical perspective. Only then will we deserve to be heard."

The President and Vice President probably never thought a "Bishop" would put on such a performance as a "sermon". I was not at all surprised. I remember when Budde was elected, and she behaved exactly as predicted back then.

 

When I heard her speak I thought, "I've heard this before." 

Indeed I have from many a pulpit, and that is one of the many reasons why I am no longer an Episcopalian. 

I am glad that Budde has gotten so much publicity. She has shown the world what it takes to be an Episcopalian, and what you must believe if you want to join their club. While my die hard Episcopalian friends loved it, I think the majority of Christians saw it as a stark warning to avoid the Episcopal denomination.

Making it too easy

This Sunday's Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) reading is Nehemiah 8: 1-3, 5-6, 8-10. You may note that verses 4 and 7 are left out. I have re-inserted them below (highlighted in blue). After reading them, I can guess why they were omitted.

1 all the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. 2 Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. 

4 The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. 

5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen’, lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 

7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places. 

8 So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’

I have sat and listened as readers struggled with Old Testament names, and I suspect the editors had as well. Not wishing to scare away potential lay readers, the editors of the RCL decided to remove the list of those assisting Ezra.

We pewsitters should not be deprived of the pleasure of watching our friends struggle at the lectern with all of those names!

Pre-emptive pardons vs. pardoning sins

I for one had never thought about pre-emptive pardons as a constitutional power granted to a President of the United States. I always thought a pardon was issued for someone who has been convicted in a court of law.  

I guess for a revisionist President, the plain meaning of the Constitution is something to be ignored if it stands in the way of your agenda. Much like he must hold a revisionist view of the Bible where it comes to marriage and abortion, he feels free to make it up as he goes.

Fortunately, he is gone.

Still it makes me wonder how God, the only one who can pardon us, feels about pre-emptive pardons. 

Mark 2:3-12 comes to mind,

And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.  And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 

Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,  “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—  “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”  And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

The man's past sins were forgiven, but what about the next sin he incurs?

As Anglicans, we beg for forgiveness every time we confess, and we confess a lot.

A pre-emptive pardon would seem to something that is given to those who have not confessed to any wrongdoing, but who probably could be convicted of such. 

Jesus' ministry began with a call to repentance, so I don't think God gives us a pre-emptive pardon in the same sense as these recent Presidential pardons even though He knows that we are going to sin again, and again. 

I'll have to think this one out a while longer.

The Injustice of the Revised Common Lectionary

This Sunday we have another example of how the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) sanitizes the Bible. In Psalm 36, Dixit injustus, only verses 5-10 are to be heard by the congregation. 

5 Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, *

and your faithfulness to the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the strong mountains,

your justice like the great deep; *

you save both man and beast, O Lord.

7 How priceless is your love, O God! *

your people take refuge under the

shadow of your wings.

8 They feast upon the abundance of your house; *

you give them drink from the river of your delights.

9 For with you is the well of life, *

and in your light we see light.

10 Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, *

and your favor to those who are true of heart.

 That sounds so sweet. The pewsitters will never know the real context of the Psalm because they won't hear the introduction, 

1 There is a voice of rebellion deep in the heart of the wicked; *

there is no fear of God before his eyes.

2 He flatters himself in his own eyes *

that his hateful sin will not be found out.

3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; *

he has left off acting wisely and doing good.

4 He thinks up wickedness upon his bed

and has set himself in no good way; *

he does not abhor that which is evil.

And they won't hear the conclusion,

 

11 Let not the foot of the proud come near me, *

nor the hand of the wicked push me aside.

12 See how they are fallen, those who work wickedness! *

they are cast down and shall not be able to rise.

Important warnings are lost by these edits, and that is to the detriment of the pewsitters, most of whom will never in their lifetime hear the full messages and as a result will not know to heed their calls.

Now that is an injustice.

Shame on you RCL.

I Can't Imagine... Do We Need a "Funeral Channel"?

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood singing John Lennon’s song, Imagine, at Jimmy Carter's funeral in the National Cathedral.

 Atheistic drivel at a funeral no less. 

I didn't believe it until I pulled up the video on YouTube. Interestingly, YouTube has turned off comments and "Thumbs Down" votes for this one. 

So much for free speech.

The National Cathedral is run by Episco-pagans, and Jimmy Carter's Baptist church tolerated his revisionist views, so I would expect no less from this service. 

I am glad that I didn't tune in.

This makes me second guess my proposed "Funeral Channel ™" (I added the little trademark) for television. Since people seem to love to watch celebrity send offs, I thought that endless hours of royal funerals, matinee idols' "celebrations of life", expert commentary with play-by-play analysis, cross cultural funerary programming, and advertising from casket makers, local funeral homes, and anti-aging remedy manufacturers would be a sure-fire money maker. 

It certainly would get some attention initially.

But would it have legs?

Maybe, if I could get Garth and Trisha involved.

Imagine that!

The Revised Common Lectionary: Use at your peoples' own risk

 This Sunday's reading from Luke 3:15-16,21-22 has another of those curious deletions found in the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL).

15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with* the Holy Spirit and fire.

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

The deleted verses, 17-20, contain then bad news that the editors of the RCL felt should be withheld from the Sunday pewsitters.

17 His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

18 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. 19 But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, 20 added to them all by shutting up John in prison.

See what can happen when you proclaim the good news. You get locked up and beheaded.

Guess what happens when you don't proclaim the good news. 

John the Baptist tells us.

Chaff.

Musn't let the congregation hear that!

 

Oh Virginia!

 Those of you who are employed or in the wage-earning years of life should be wary of what you post on social media. I quote from CBN,

A Virginia realtor accused of "hate speech" for posting a Bible verse on Facebook has been found "guilty" of an ethics violation.

The Virginia Association of Realtors ruled on December 11 that Wilson Fauber of Staunton violated the ethics code that prohibits realtors from "certain religious expressions."  Fauber maintains he did nothing wrong and is expected to appeal. 

This started to come to light last year when the 70-year-old Fauber, a realtor and pastor, decided to run for Staunton City Council. Long before his decision to run, Fauber had reposted a scripture from Rev. Franklin Graham on his personal Facebook page in 2015. It stated that homosexual sex is a sin, based on Leviticus 18:22. Then last year, two Staunton realtors, including an openly gay man, filed a complaint with the Virginia Association of Realtors accusing Fauber of "hate speech." 

Sounds like a political hit job to me. 

When asked why he believes this is all coming out now in 2024, Fauber said, "Because the National Association of Realtors is woke. The leadership of the National Association of Realtors has made it very clear about their involvement in endorsing and approving of the LGBTQ community, and just recently, just a few weeks ago actually, in Charlottesville, Virginia, the National Association of Realtors provided funding for a Drag Queen Show." 

The Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors did host a Drag Show in November in the name of a "Fair Housing Symposium", which was reportedly funded in part by the National Association of Realtors' "fair housing grant." We contacted the N.A.R. for a comment and no one has responded to our request. 

Fauber's attorney sees it as a double standard that the N.A.R. can use realtor money to fund drag shows but Fauber can't post a Bible scripture on his Facebook page. "That's the position that's being suggested, correct," said Michael Sylvester with Founding Freedoms Law Center.

He tells CBN news that while this is a violation of free speech, there's a catch.  "So, it all changed in 2020 when the National Association of Realtors adopted a rule that prohibits anybody from speaking what they deem 'hate speech' against certain protected classes such as sexual orientation or gender identity. But what's incredible here is the post that Wilson made was in 2015, five years before that rule even existed. He simply was presenting his religious views about marriage that should not qualify for a hate speech charge," Sylvester said. 

For now, Fauber can keep his real estate license while pursuing a possible appeal. He says this "guilty ruling", however, sets a bad precedent and will likely affect other organizations, not just realtors. 

"Christians don't have rights, and this is just totally wrong. And the National Association of Realtors being the largest trade organization in America, they have set a precedent by adopting this policy. If I'm guilty because I post my religious beliefs in a meme or a scripture on my Facebook or social media accounts, and if that's guilty of "hate speech"… there are millions and millions of Christians that agree with my position, and we don't have a voice," Fauber said.

If the guilty verdict stands, Fauber could face fines as high as $15,000 and possibly lose his license which would likely end his real estate career. 

As Christians, we are called to spread the Gospel, even the parts that are offensive because it would be wrong to promise people a rose garden when Jesus never said it was going to be easy. 

To the homosexual realtor who was offended by Leviticus, I say, just wait until you read Romans 1.

 

Screwtape and the Revised Common Lectionary: Hiding the Horror

 The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) used in many churches gives the following options for the reading from the Gospels this Sunday. You can choose from Matthew 2:13-15,19-23; or Luke 2:41-52; or Matthew 2:1-12.

So why does Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 omit verses 16-18 (highlighted in red)? 

13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ 14 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’

16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

18 ‘A voice was heard in Ramah,

   wailing and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

   she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’

19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.’ 21 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He will be called a Nazorean.’

Since Holy Innocents was not on the Sunday calendar for churches using the RCL, the congregations will never get to hear the missing verses. They will be protected from hearing about the horror of slain children in the ancient world.

All the better to advance the abortionists' agenda in the present world.

Well done Wormwood.

Signed, 

Screwtape

Resolutions

 Every New Year people make resolutions and within two weeks they drop them. That day is called "Quitting Friday". 

This year I resolve to try to do two things that I know I can't do even if I resolve to do them. 

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." - Matthew 22

Try as you might, you won't be able to keep these past Quitting Friday. 

And that, my dear readers, is why we need a Savior. 

But don't give up trying!