Live As If

2011-04-26T09:01:00.003-04:00

4. What should I be aspiring to on the basis of this text?
5. Why are you telling me this today?

2011-04-26T09:01:00.001-04:00

or false attitudes result in me when i forget this? Every problem is because you have forgotten something..What problems are you facing?

2011-04-26T08:59:00.001-04:00

1. How can I praise him?
2. How can i confess my sins based on this text?
3. If this is really true, what wrong behavior, what harmful emotions

2011-04-26T08:54:00.001-04:00

Five questions to ask of yourself as you read the Bible might be:

2010-12-30T13:01:00.001-05:00

Capitalism saved the Chilean miners.

This is so very moving ...

2010-11-02T12:49:00.000-04:00

h/t: Powerline

Humbly grateful

2010-11-02T12:17:00.000-04:00

I have come to be grateful and appreciative, the more time I have with my son when he's really lucid, aware, and not buried in (by) his autism. Sometimes it seems he's really growing up and maturing (or at least developing his own sense of independence and personality, which is a good thing too). It's humbling and gratifying to witness. God has blessed me with this boy He created and I strive to remember to not worship the creature, but to stay focused on worshiping the Creator for his handiwork.

Often, I am blessed just to be in his company, and to watch him. He’s not the same person he was a year ago, and, God willing, will not be next year who he is now; and, progressing even more, one hopes.

Yesterday evening was one of those amazing times. We were at the Honda dealer for a half hour, with him looking at one model, then off to the next one, while he provided a running commentary of differences and benefits of the “many features” of each model. Funny thing is, he really is aware of the differences, and is accurate in reporting them. Later, at Wal-Mart, he was very serious, earnest, really, in explaining why some new headlight bulbs would benefit Deb while driving at night; he explained how the performance numbers on the packaging (he believes them to be accurate, doesn't yet understand the nuances and dishonesties of advertising) separated the average lights from the ‘high-performance’ ones in a very grown-up way.

It was difficult to hide the tears, but I succeeded. The lights were expensive, but worth the cost just to give us a process and goal which he could be a big part of, and feel really successful in having done something "super-important" for Mom's safety. The look on his face when he saw the results of the new headlights was phenomenal – he was so proud and excited at having completed this project. And I was so proud of my son, grateful that I can be there for him in ways my dad never was for me.

Sometimes, being a Dad is humbling, sometimes it's hard, but the rewards are amazing.

Remember

2010-10-11T14:16:00.000-04:00

A vague bad feeling that you are a crummy person is not the same as conviction for sin. Feeling rotten is not the same as repentance.

2010-03-07T11:01:00.001-05:00

So we're told the recent Chilean earthquake influenced earth's axial spin. Ok but how does that news influence your faith Colossians 1:18 comes to mind...

2010-02-09T07:19:00.001-05:00

Remember built-in intercoms in homes in the 70s? So funny that now my wife (who never liked such trappings) & son use their cell phones like an intercom.

2009-08-07T20:18:00.001-04:00

Ok God, its true that being obedient to you is the better way. By following you, you put us in touch with someone who is hungering for more of you and searching

Bias? What bias?

2009-08-05T14:42:00.001-04:00

You've heard about the Episcopal church's liberal direction, right?

It's hard to miss when the media praises the "inclusiveness" etc., ad nauseum, of the Episcopal church.

Well the American branch of the Episcopal church has about 2 million members, and with the frequent (and fawning) news coverage of the ordination or promotion of yet another liberal and/or gay person within the American church, you'd think the Church as a whole is in decline...

But did you know ...

Recently the General Conference of the United Methodist Church voted against rules that would liberalize the church and set in place more of a pro-gay agenda. Didn't hear about it in the New York Times or Newsweek, did you? That's because there was no coverage... Apparently the U.S. liberals are angry at the growing influence of African and Asian church who (are you ready?) actually believe what the Bible says.

Read the article. It's fascinating, and encouraging.

Is there an appropriate response to sinning against God?

2009-07-27T21:43:00.001-04:00

Yes, there is. It is brokenness; brokenness and repentance. Those of you who listen to
James MacDonald know of his meme "me in the dirt, and God on the throne;" though not
specifically the same as brokenness, having a right relationship to the Creator of the Universe
does require humility and the acknowledgment on our part that we are completely
dependent on Him for our being and salvation.

Contrary to popular culture, we should be broken when we sin.

Voddie Baucham delivers an hour-long sermon split up into six ten-minute videos that is one
of the most moving sermons I have heard. I encourage you to listen/watch also, and share
your thoughts.

The sermon is at http://thefoolishgalatian.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/voddie-baucham-brokenness/

God's blessings,

Lawrence

Experience

2009-07-16T10:52:00.001-04:00

We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it— and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again— and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.

— Mark Twain

Less of a man

2009-07-15T10:56:00.002-04:00

I felt sad and lonely,

old, worn out and

somehow less of a

man than before I'd

began

To be together last

night for

companionship was like

looking at a shell of a

man: somehow still

alive and yet,
not so much

a total lack of

one might expect

from a friend who

accepted your help and now

had no gratitude

no awareness there

might be give and take (usually),
not just take

this

sounds harsh perhaps,
and yet, sadness rushed in

because his friendship

I miss

and now

I feel sad and lonely,

old, worn out and

somehow less of a

man than before I'd

began

2009-07-13T16:22:00.001-04:00

Interesting question: does having more people praying for healing (for example) going to see result in a different outcome than only one or two people praying?

Some humor this morning

2009-07-10T12:15:00.001-04:00

Enjoy some laughs at the new "Real-time polling" technology . . .

New Live Poll Allows Pundits To Pander To Viewers In Real Time

Words of Wisdom . . .

2009-07-09T22:17:00.005-04:00

So I said to him, "Barack, I know Abe Lincoln,
and you ain't Abe Lincoln."

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening
the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging
thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the
wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting
class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking
away people's initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them,
what they could and should do for themselves.

...Abraham Lincoln

Car design parody video

2009-07-03T22:28:00.001-04:00

Hello,

The below link points to a YouTube video that is a parody of the government's efforts to direct the car industry's work.
It's rather amusing and perhaps a bit too prophetic, given how things appear to be headed. Enjoy!

The 2012 Pelosi GTxi SS/RT Sport Edition Vehicle

Prayer is like a walkie-talkie

2009-06-23T22:46:00.000-04:00

Pyromaniacs: What prayer is and isn't [requested classic re-post]

Fascinating article defining prayer as "you talking to God;" nothing more, nothing less.
The points of view mentioned (along with apparentl biblical references for substantiation)
is a new one to me and challenging ... your thoughts?

Pyromaniacs: Sister... show mercy! (Annual repost #2)

2009-06-18T21:48:00.000-04:00

Pyromaniacs: Sister... show mercy! <i>(Annual repost #2)</i>

Incredible advice and wisdom. It is difficult to defend against what Dan supports, but if you can do it,
I really want to hear from you. Just ... read the article!

Set Apart

2009-06-18T11:08:00.002-04:00

Do not be afraid to stand apart from others if others are following the world's ways. Following God often means not following what's popular or what the majority wants. Peter speaks to this in 1 Peter 4:4

When you stand apart, but in God's will, you will appear beautiful to those around you. Maybe not always welcome, but beautiful in the aura of obedience to God.

Think about it.

2009-06-17T13:49:00.001-04:00

If you have a relationship with a fellow believer, being open with him/her is much easier than with someone with sion you don't have that relationship.

Shut Up!

2009-06-16T10:43:00.002-04:00

It is interesting, really, to notice that people who call themselves Christians often are the ones must unable to cope with the reality of suffering by others in their congregations. You know, the ones who always respond with that beautiful smile as they say, "fine" when asked how they are doing.

But what about the people in church who are suffering? To whom can they turn? Shouldn't church be the first place you would turn when you experience a crisis, or need to talk about how you want to cheat on your spouse, or how to process the awful news you just heard?

Instead, how many of us turn to gossip, judgment before its appropriate, backbiting and just mean selfish behavior instead of helping someone stuck in sin?

My friend Anne Jackson has put up an interesting post asking what things people wish they could say in church... take a look - you may see yourself in the list.

Solitude and Reflection

2009-06-16T10:33:00.003-04:00

Israel: Did you know?

2009-06-11T20:26:00.002-04:00

Recently George Will gave a speech in which he properly dealt with many of the awful declarations by President Obama in Cairo:

"...How many Americans understand that when Israel was founded in 1948, no Palestinian state was invaded, no Palestinian state was destroyed? There had not been a Palestinian geographic entity since between the departure of the Romans and the arrival of British rule...

"How many know that the West Bank, referred to by the President as "occupied territory," inferentially as occupied Palestinian territory, is under international law [an] unallocated portion of the Palestine Mandate rightfully occupied by Israel, because it occupied it in repelling aggression that came from that territory in 1967...

"...How the President believes that if we return to the 1967 borders, the antipathy to Israel, which predated the 1967 borders, will disappear, I do not know..."

Somehow, that quote from George Santayana seems really appropriate just about now: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Did you know the above facts about Israel? How many do? How many assume that Israel is "illegally occupying" Palestinian land?

The truth will set you free.

Facebook Profiles: photos you delete -- are they really gone?

2009-05-21T11:39:00.001-04:00

Friends,

Found this today while perusing tech & security sites.

You may wish to consider advising those you know who use Facebook of this potential privacy concern.

Personal photos uploaded to Facebook and later deleted, do not actually get deleted: a real privacy concern!

url = http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2009/05/20/attack-of-the-zombie-photos/

-Lawrence

A Guide to recognizing your sinners

2009-03-17T20:41:00.002-04:00

A well-written summation, maybe even exposition, of what it means to be a Christian. . .

At the very heart of the Christian way of life is the belief that we individual Christians, no matter what our faith, can best effect society with gentle nudges towards God by living a Christ-like life the best we possibly can, while recognizing at the same time that there has in fact only ever been one real Christian to walk the Earth - Jesus. We’re not capable of that kind of perfection. We know this. We are merely asked to try. [emphasis mine]

Secularists don’t know that simple fact about faith and feel threatened by their own ignorance, which quickly spirals into enmity as a defense against what they deeply fear is the truth. After all, Pride is what made the Devil. And the Devil’s main goal is your total separation from any kind of relationship with God, which can easily be described as anxiety, loneliness, fear, panic attacks, suicide…anything to get you away from sincerely trying to follow God. In other words, people of faith go to church while secularists go to therapy.

To quote C.S. Lewis, my favorite atheist convert, “Christianity has not been tried and found false — it’s been tried and found too difficult.”

Indeed.

Secularists throw their hands up and give in to “humanity” instantly, under the guise that urges and desires must be completely natural (which they are) and are therefore just fine to enjoy with wild abandon (which they are not). They do not understand that resisting is the real road to that spiritual Utopia we’re always striving for.

We Christians know all to well that we are human and that sin drives a wedge between us and God. No you’re not “going straight to hell” because you happen to sit in a hotel room with a steady diet of hookers and drugs between movie shoots. Although you may wind up in jail at the hands of your fellow Man, what that behavior will really do is gently and pleasurably separate you from knowing God.

By “separate” I mean you will slowly not be able to tolerate anyone you meet of faith (even if they’ve never bothered you) and you will soon find yourself shaking your fist at organized religion as the root of all evil. Your mind will become incapable of accepting that there is anything bigger than your own self and all the other “selfs” you socialize with. You will be, quite literally, out on a limb with no real friends and sooner or later you will realize that, either to your great horror or sinister joy. Welcome to free will.

Yet, even if Christ were not God, the urgency and hatred that secularists use to deny there’s any moral truth to His plainly obvious teaching of what it means to be good, is evidence enough that we’re dealing a wholly evil mindset. This isn’t Atheism. This is Devilism.

The precise goal of a Devilish society is to get as many people away from God as possible through a steady diet of media distractions and stories and role models all meant to edify their Devilish position while tearing down ours. It’s completely harmless to us if others in society are not up for what Christianity asks of its faithful, but where we draw the line is the distorted representation of faithful people in our pop culture entertainment, a culture dominated by secularist ideals and themes.

Look, If you want to know where all the real sinners are, go to church. You’ll see them on their knees begging for forgiveness and admitting they cherished something else in their hearts over God. But if you want to know where the real Devils are, go to Hollywood where the path to hell is paved in gold.

Amazing . . .

CrossLoop Badge

2009-01-27T21:14:00.001-05:00

This is really hilarious

2008-12-01T22:34:00.000-05:00

Pyromaniacs: Trump Card

Merry Christmas, My Friend

2008-12-01T09:14:00.003-05:00

The below poem was written 17 years ago by a Marine and reading it brought tears to my eyes. I hope you may be touched as I was...

Merry Christmas, My Friend

Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house made of plaster & stone.

I had come down the chimney, with presents to give
and to see just who in this home did live

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.
On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kind,
a sobering thought soon came to my mind.
For this house was different, unlike any I'd seen.
This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I'd heard stories about them, I had to see more,
so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.
And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor in his one-bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene, Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine.
Was this the hero, of whom I'd just read?
Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan.
I soon understood, this was more than a man.
For I realized the families that I saw that night,
owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the Nation, the children would play,
And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year,
because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.
Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye.
I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice
I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more.
My life is my God, my country, my Corps."

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I watched him for hours, so silent and still.
I noticed he shivered from the cold night's chill.
So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,
and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.
Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold,
with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.
And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,
and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn't want to leave him so quiet in the night,
this guardian of honor so willing to fight.
But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure,
said "Carry on, Santa, it's Christmas Day, all secure."
One look at my watch and I knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and goodnight.

Reduction Gear

2008-11-21T22:13:00.002-05:00

When I was a kid my mother would sometimes speak of "reducing down" a concoction of stuff on the stove to reduce the amount of water in the mix, so that final result would be stronger, or more potent. In the case of my mother's cooking, potent is probably a good word to describe the stuff; 'nuff said.

It's been a little over 3 years since God saved me, and so often I hear people work hard at making the truth and process of the gospel into a complicated, lofty, intellectual endeavour.

I like to indulge in the sin of pride, ego-building, etc., and sometimes have been a partner in crime with those who want to do the complicated lofty intellectual version of the gospel.

But tonight God convicted me of that behavior and attitude and brought to my attention (again) a video that first captured my heart nearly 2 years ago. Just Stop and Think delivers the truth of the gospel that God love you. and me. and the jerk at your office and the idiot at church that you can't stand. he loves you, he's patiently waiting for you to come to him in openness and honesty.

Like they said to Mikey: "Try it, you'll like it!"

Is it the beginning, or the end?

2008-11-19T21:17:00.000-05:00

Is that the start, or the end? thanks to Pyromaniacs

"Honesty" Without Truth?

2008-11-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

"Honesty" Without Truth? -- Hardly

You like orange juice?

2008-11-15T23:43:00.003-05:00

A conversation with a friend turned to those things we might want to be aware of when living like Christians. I told him that Romans is like an instruction manual for how to think and act when considering choices to make in one's day-to-day and long-term living and relationship with God.

While meditating about that I came across some of the early church documents & creeds online and found them to be utterly fascinating. Many of these are new to me and one that is especially cool contains the canons of the Council of Orange.

That would be the second Council of Orange (the first happened started on November 8, 441 [not 1941, but 441] and the second started on July 3, 529 (ya think there was an independence day celebration the next day?).

This information is from wikipedia and crta.

The Council was an outgrowth of the controversy between Augustine and Pelagius. This controversy had to do with degree to which a human being is responsible for his or her own salvation, and the role of the grace of God in bringing about salvation. The Pelagians held that human beings are born in a state of innocence, i.e., that there is no such thing as a sinful nature or original sin.
As a result of this view, they held that a state of sinless perfection was achievable in this life. The Council of Orange dealt with the Semi-Pelagian doctrine that the human race, though fallen and possessed of a sinful nature, is still "good" enough to able to lay hold of the grace of God through an act of unredeemed human will. The Council held to Augustine's view and repudiated Pelagius. The following canons greatly influenced the Reformed doctrine of Total Depravity.

Following are the conclusions, or canons that came out of that assembly:

CANON 1. If anyone denies that it is the whole man, that is, both body and soul, that was "changed for the worse" through the offense of Adam's sin, but believes that the freedom of the soul remains unimpaired and that only the body is subject to corruption, he is deceived by the error of Pelagius and contradicts the scripture which says, "The soul that sins shall die" (Ezek. 18:20); and, "Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey?" (Rom. 6:16); and, "For whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved" (2 Pet. 2:19).

CANON 2. If anyone asserts that Adam's sin affected him alone and not his descendants also, or at least if he declares that it is only the death of the body which is the punishment for sin, and not also that sin, which is the death of the soul, passed through one man to the whole human race, he does injustice to God and contradicts the Apostle, who says, "Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned" (Rom. 5:12).

CANON 3. If anyone says that the grace of God can be conferred as a result of human prayer, but that it is not grace itself which makes us pray to God, he contradicts the prophet Isaiah, or the Apostle who says the same thing, "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me" (Rom 10:20, quoting Isa. 65:1).

CANON 4. If anyone maintains that God awaits our will to be cleansed from sin, but does not confess that even our will to be cleansed comes to us through the infusion and working of the Holy Spirit, he resists the Holy Spirit himself who says through Solomon, "The will is prepared by the Lord" (Prov. 8:35, LXX), and the salutary word of the Apostle, "For God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).

CANON 5. If anyone says that not only the increase of faith but also its beginning and the very desire for faith, by which we believe in Him who justifies the ungodly and comes to the regeneration of holy baptism -- if anyone says that this belongs to us by nature and not by a gift of grace, that is, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit amending our will and turning it from unbelief to faith and from godlessness to godliness, it is proof that he is opposed to the teaching of the Apostles, for blessed Paul says, "And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). And again, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). For those who state that the faith by which we believe in God is natural make all who are separated from the Church of Christ by definition in some measure believers.

CANON 6. If anyone says that God has mercy upon us when, apart from his grace, we believe, will, desire, strive, labor, pray, watch, study, seek, ask, or knock, but does not confess that it is by the infusion and inspiration of the Holy Spirit within us that we have the faith, the will, or the strength to do all these things as we ought; or if anyone makes the assistance of grace depend on the humility or obedience of man and does not agree that it is a gift of grace itself that we are obedient and humble, he contradicts the Apostle who says, "What have you that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7), and, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10).

CANON 7. If anyone affirms that we can form any right opinion or make any right choice which relates to the salvation of eternal life, as is expedient for us, or that we can be saved, that is, assent to the preaching of the gospel through our natural powers without the illumination and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who makes all men gladly assent to and believe in the truth, he is led astray by a heretical spirit, and does not understand the voice of God who says in the Gospel, "For apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5), and the word of the Apostle, "Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God" (2 Cor. 3:5).

CANON 8. If anyone maintains that some are able to come to the grace of baptism by mercy but others through free will, which has manifestly been corrupted in all those who have been born after the transgression of the first man, it is proof that he has no place in the true faith. For he denies that the free will of all men has been weakened through the sin of the first man, or at least holds that it has been affected in such a way that they have still the ability to seek the mystery of eternal salvation by themselves without the revelation of God. The Lord himself shows how contradictory this is by declaring that no one is able to come to him "unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44), as he also says to Peter, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 16:17), and as the Apostle says, "No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3).

CANON 9. Concerning the succor of God. It is a mark of divine favor when we are of a right purpose and keep our feet from hypocrisy and unrighteousness; for as often as we do good, God is at work in us and with us, in order that we may do so.

CANON 10. Concerning the succor of God. The succor of God is to be ever sought by the regenerate and converted also, so that they may be able to come to a successful end or persevere in good works.

CANON 11. Concerning the duty to pray. None would make any true prayer to the Lord had he not received from him the object of his prayer, as it is written, "Of thy own have we given thee" (1 Chron. 29:14).

CANON 12. Of what sort we are whom God loves. God loves us for what we shall be by his gift, and not by our own deserving.

CANON 13. Concerning the restoration of free will. The freedom of will that was destroyed in the first man can be restored only by the grace of baptism, for what is lost can be returned only by the one who was able to give it. Hence the Truth itself declares: "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).

CANON 14. No mean wretch is freed from his sorrowful state, however great it may be, save the one who is anticipated by the mercy of God, as the Psalmist says, "Let thy compassion come speedily to meet us" (Ps. 79:8), and again, "My God in his steadfast love will meet me" (Ps. 59:10).

CANON 15. Adam was changed, but for the worse, through his own iniquity from what God made him. Through the grace of God the believer is changed, but for the better, from what his iniquity has done for him. The one, therefore, was the change brought about by the first sinner; the other, according to the Psalmist, is the change of the right hand of the Most High (Ps. 77:10).

CANON 16. No man shall be honored by his seeming attainment, as though it were not a gift, or suppose that he has received it because a missive from without stated it in writing or in speech. For the Apostle speaks thus, "For if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose" (Gal. 2:21); and "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men" (Eph. 4:8, quoting Ps. 68:18). It is from this source that any man has what he does; but whoever denies that he has it from this source either does not truly have it, or else "even what he has will be taken away" (Matt. 25:29).

CANON 17. Concerning Christian courage. The courage of the Gentiles is produced by simple greed, but the courage of Christians by the love of God which "has been poured into our hearts" not by freedom of will from our own side but "through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Rom. 5:5).

CANON 18. That grace is not preceded by merit. Recompense is due to good works if they are performed; but grace, to which we have no claim, precedes them, to enable them to be done.

CANON 19. That a man can be saved only when God shows mercy. Human nature, even though it remained in that sound state in which it was created, could be no means save itself, without the assistance of the Creator; hence since man cannot safe- guard his salvation without the grace of God, which is a gift, how will he be able to restore what he has lost without the grace of God?

CANON 20. That a man can do no good without God. God does much that is good in a man that the man does not do; but a man does nothing good for which God is not responsible, so as to let him do it.

CANON 21. Concerning nature and grace. As the Apostle most truly says to those who would be justified by the law and have fallen from grace, "If justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose" (Gal. 2:21), so it is most truly declared to those who imagine that grace, which faith in Christ advocates and lays hold of, is nature: "If justification were through nature, then Christ died to no purpose." Now there was indeed the law, but it did not justify, and there was indeed nature, but it did not justify. Not in vain did Christ therefore die, so that the law might be fulfilled by him who said, "I have come not to abolish them, but to fulfil them" (Matt. 5:17), and that the nature which had been destroyed by Adam might be restored by him who said that he had come "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10).

CANON 22. Concerning those things that belong to man. No man has anything of his own but untruth and sin. But if a man has any truth or righteousness, it from that fountain for which we must thirst in this desert, so that we may be refreshed from it as by drops of water and not faint on the way.

CANON 23. Concerning the will of God and of man. Men do their own will and not the will of God when they do what displeases him; but when they follow their own will and comply with the will of God, however willingly they do so, yet it is his will by which what they will is both prepared and instructed.

CANON 24. Concerning the branches of the vine. The branches on the vine do not give life to the vine, but receive life from it; thus the vine is related to its branches in such a way that it supplies them with what they need to live, and does not take this from them. Thus it is to the advantage of the disciples, not Christ, both to have Christ abiding in them and to abide in Christ. For if the vine is cut down another can shoot up from the live root; but one who is cut off from the vine cannot live without the root (John 15:5ff).

CANON 25. Concerning the love with which we love God. It is wholly a gift of God to love God. He who loves, even though he is not loved, allowed himself to be loved. We are loved, even when we displease him, so that we might have means to please him. For the Spirit, whom we love with the Father and the Son, has poured into our hearts the love of the Father and the Son (Rom. 5:5).

CONCLUSION. And thus according to the passages of holy scripture quoted above or the interpretations of the ancient Fathers we must, under the blessing of God, preach and believe as follows. The sin of the first man has so impaired and weakened free will that no one thereafter can either love God as he ought or believe in God or do good for God's sake, unless the grace of divine mercy has preceded him. We therefore believe that the glorious faith which was given to Abel the righteous, and Noah, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and to all the saints of old, and which the Apostle Paul commends in extolling them (Heb. 11), was not given through natural goodness as it was before to Adam, but was bestowed by the grace of God. And we know and also believe that even after the coming of our Lord this grace is not to be found in the free will of all who desire to be baptized, but is bestowed by the kindness of Christ, as has already been frequently stated and as the Apostle Paul declares, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake" (Phil. 1:29). And again, "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). And again, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and it is not your own doing, it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). And as the Apostle says of himself, "I have obtained mercy to be faithful" (1 Cor. 7:25, cf. 1 Tim. 1:13). He did not say, "because I was faithful," but "to be faithful." And again, "What have you that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7). And again, "Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights" (Jas. 1:17). And again, "No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven" (John 3:27). There are innumerable passages of holy scripture which can be quoted to prove the case for grace, but they have been omitted for the sake of brevity, because further examples will not really be of use where few are deemed sufficient.

According to the catholic faith we also believe that after grace has been received through baptism, all baptized persons have the ability and responsibility, if they desire to labor faithfully, to perform with the aid and cooperation of Christ what is of essential importance in regard to the salvation of their soul. We not only do not believe that any are foreordained to evil by the power of God, but even state with utter abhorrence that if there are those who want to believe so evil a thing, they are anathema. We also believe and confess to our benefit that in every good work it is not we who take the initiative and are then assisted through the mercy of God, but God himself first inspires in us both faith in him and love for him without any previous good works of our own that deserve reward, so that we may both faithfully seek the sacrament of baptism, and after baptism be able by his help to do what is pleasing to him. We must therefore most evidently believe that the praiseworthy faith of the thief whom the Lord called to his home in paradise, and of Cornelius the centurion, to whom the angel of the Lord was sent, and of Zacchaeus, who was worthy to receive the Lord himself, was not a natural endowment but a gift of God's kindness.

November 15, 2008 "What Is That to You?"

2008-11-15T23:41:00.000-05:00

Peter . . . said to Jesus, ’But Lord, what about this man?’ Jesus said to him, ’. . . what is that to you? You follow Me’ —John 21:21-22

One of the hardest lessons to learn comes from our stubborn refusal to refrain from interfering in other people’s lives. It takes a long time to realize the danger of being an amateur providence, that is, interfering with God’s plan for others. You see someone suffering and say, "He will not suffer, and I will make sure that he doesn’t." You put your hand right in front of God’s permissive will to stop it, and then God says, "What is that to you?" Is there stagnation in your spiritual life? Don’t allow it to continue, but get into God’s presence and find out the reason for it. You will possibly find it is because you have been interfering in the life of another— proposing things you had no right to propose, or advising when you had no right to advise. When you do have to give advice to another person, God will advise through you with the direct understanding of His Spirit. Your part is to maintain the right relationship with God so that His discernment can come through you continually for the purpose of blessing someone else.

Most of us live only within the level of consciousness— consciously serving and consciously devoted to God. This shows immaturity and the fact that we’re not yet living the real Christian life. Maturity is produced in the life of a child of God on the unconscious level, until we become so totally surrendered to God that we are not even aware of being used by Him. When we are consciously aware of being used as broken bread and poured-out wine, we have yet another level to reach— a level where all awareness of ourselves and of what God is doing through us is completely eliminated. A saint is never consciously a saint— a saint is consciously dependent on God.

November 14, 2008 "Discovering Divine Design"

2008-11-15T23:39:00.001-05:00

As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me . . . —Genesis 24:27

We should be so one with God that we don’t need to ask continually for guidance. Sanctification means that we are made the children of God. A child’s life is normally obedient, until he chooses disobedience. But as soon as he chooses to disobey, an inherent inner conflict is produced. On the spiritual level, inner conflict is the warning of the Spirit of God. When He warns us in this way, we must stop at once and be renewed in the spirit of our mind to discern God’s will (see Romans 12:2 ). If we are born again by the Spirit of God, our devotion to Him is hindered, or even stopped, by continually asking Him to guide us here and there. ". . . the Lord led me . . ." and on looking back we see the presence of an amazing design. If we are born of God we will see His guiding hand and give Him the credit.

We can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the growth of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail. Never believe that the so-called random events of life are anything less than God’s appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs anywhere and everywhere.

Beware of being obsessed with consistency to your own convictions instead of being devoted to God. If you are a saint and say, "I will never do this or that," in all probability this will be exactly what God will require of you. There was never a more inconsistent being on this earth than our Lord, but He was never inconsistent with His Father. The important consistency in a saint is not to a principle but to the divine life. It is the divine life that continually makes more and more discoveries about the divine mind. It is easier to be an excessive fanatic than it is to be consistently faithful, because God causes an amazing humbling of our religious conceit when we are faithful to Him.

November 13, 2008 "Faith or Experience?"

2008-11-15T23:32:00.001-05:00

. . . the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me —Galatians 2:20

We should battle through our moods, feelings, and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus. We must break out of our own little world of experience into abandoned devotion to Him. Think who the New Testament says Jesus Christ is, and then think of the despicable meagerness of the miserable faith we exhibit by saying, "I haven’t had this experience or that experience"! Think what faith in Jesus Christ claims and provides— He can present us faultless before the throne of God, inexpressibly pure, absolutely righteous, and profoundly justified. Stand in absolute adoring faith "in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God— and righteousness and sanctification and redemption . . ." ( 1 Corinthians 1:30 ). How dare we talk of making a sacrifice for the Son of God! We are saved from hell and total destruction, and then we talk about making sacrifices!

We must continually focus and firmly place our faith in Jesus Christ— not a "prayer meeting" Jesus Christ, or a "book" Jesus Christ, but the New Testament Jesus Christ, who is God Incarnate, and who ought to strike us dead at His feet. Our faith must be in the One from whom our salvation springs. Jesus Christ wants our absolute, unrestrained devotion to Himself. We can never experience Jesus Christ, or selfishly bind Him in the confines of our own hearts. Our faith must be built on strong determined confidence in Him.

It is because of our trusting in experience that we see the steadfast impatience of the Holy Spirit against unbelief. All of our fears are sinful, and we create our own fears by refusing to nourish ourselves in our faith. How can anyone who is identified with Jesus Christ suffer from doubt or fear! Our lives should be an absolute hymn of praise resulting from perfect, irrepressible, triumphant belief.

Because "daily" means, well .... daily

2008-11-15T23:28:00.002-05:00

Last week I decided to share what has become a central part of my walk with God -- Oswald Chambers' devotions "My Utmost for His Highest" and have pretty much stunk at keeping up with posting it right from the start.

So here we go again...

Pyromaniacs: The Fuller's Soap

2008-11-14T00:11:00.000-05:00

Pyromaniacs: The Fuller's Soap

November 12, 2008 "The Changed Life"

2008-11-12T20:15:00.000-05:00

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new —2 Corinthians 5:17

What understanding do you have of the salvation of your soul? The work of salvation means that in your real life things are dramatically changed. You no longer look at things in the same way. Your desires are new and the old things have lost their power to attract you. One of the tests for determining if the work of salvation in your life is genuine is— has God changed the things that really matter to you? If you still yearn for the old things, it is absurd to talk about being born from above— you are deceiving yourself. If you are born again, the Spirit of God makes the change very evident in your real life and thought. And when a crisis comes, you are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you. There is no possibility of imagining that you did it. It is this complete and amazing change that is the very evidence that you are saved.

What difference has my salvation and sanctification made? For instance, can I stand in the light of 1 Corinthians 13 , or do I squirm and evade the issue? True salvation, worked out in me by the Holy Spirit, frees me completely. And as long as I "walk in the light as He is in the light" ( 1 John 1:7 ), God sees nothing to rebuke because His life is working itself into every detailed part of my being, not on the conscious level, but even deeper than my consciousness.

Have I really

2008-11-12T20:12:00.002-05:00

It's a good question, and one often I'm not interesting in answering honestly: have i been doing my utmost for his highest glory? how about you? nope? Thought so.

To help get me and others out of that rut I'm going to start posting daily devotionals from Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest. Let's pray the process is transformative for all.

Talkin' 'bout God -- is troubling!

2008-11-11T20:25:00.002-05:00

Oh puhleeeze ...

Chris Matthews has found something new to whine about:
Is, is this commentary about theocracy and going to God for approval? We've been through that with President Bush who said he, "didn't take advice from his father, he got it from another father." And we've been through this sort of Joan of Arc period. Are we gonna get another piece of this where God's leading candidates to run for president? I mean that sort of keeps us out of the conversation doesn't it? I mean, seriously, I mean God is telling her to run? And she's saying it openly on a secular television show? This isn't the religious hour....Talking about God, in a political setting is troubling to a lot of people. If you're talking about a big tent, this looks more like the church tent, not the big tent.

If he only knew how wonderful the LORD is . . .

Take Back the Culture?

2008-11-10T21:52:00.002-05:00

When Christians speak of "taking back the culture" are they (generally) speaking to "taking over" the government and moving the country towards a theocratic society?

or

Do they mean to speak of proclaiming the gospel and facilitating individuals' changed hearts (and lives, choices, really) by the redemption offered in the gospel?

Because these are two very different and divergent points... be careful out there . . .

Oddly Enough

2008-11-10T21:32:00.002-05:00

Earlier I was searching for a verse that speaks to what I was thinking of as "being ready to give an account of what you believe and why" and sure enough found it over at Team Pyro.

Their logo includes a reference to 1 Peter 3:15 which reads,

but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;

Wow! There it was, exactly the verse I was looking for -- having seen it before but not having kept it tightly enough in my heart to remember it more effectively...

Thank you, Phil.

My 1599 Geneva Bible has some study notes about this verse that are, well, mind-blowing, imho...

1. "Give him all praise and glory, and hang only on him"

2. He will have us when we are afflicted for righteousness' sake, to be careful not for redeeming of our life, either with denying or renouncing the truth, or with like violence, or any such means: but rather to give an account of our faith boldly, and yet with a meek spirit, and full to godly reverence, that the enemies may not having anything justly to object, but may rather be ashamed of themselves.

I object

2008-11-10T21:01:00.002-05:00

Phil over at Team Pyro raises a number of valid and important questions in the context of behavior (and the thoughts behind it) that some Christians evince around political issues.

To wit:

Is it OK for pastors to use their pulpits to organize voters rather than teach the Bible and proclaim the gospel?
Is it OK that when the average unbeliever today hears the word evangelical, he thinks of a voting bloc rather than anything spiritual?
Is it OK that most evangelicals are overwhelmingly on the same page politically, but their movement is doctrinally so diverse that they can't even agree what the gospel is?
Is it OK that the average evangelical could not give a coherent, biblically sound summary of the gospel or a theologically accurate explanation of justification by faith—yet be more worried about an Obama presidency than they are about the disintegration of their own testimony?

Phil continues:

If we take George Barna's data at face value (and I don't recommend that, but even a nuanced interpretation of his statistics would probably bear this out), the typical "evangelical" hasn't got a clue what the biblical idea of redemption is about. He isn't really sure he needs to be "saved" from anything other than the wave of immorality and economic crises liberal policies have foisted upon us. He believes the work of God in this world is all about a handful of highly-publicized moral issues involving sins other people commit. And he is convinced the first and most important remedy for our culture's moral meltdown is government-imposed legislation.

And even goes so far as:

As a Christian, I have a more important message to proclaim than "God hates fags," and I know a better, more long-term remedy for drunkenness and all its associated evils than Prohibition ever managed to be. The gospel is what Christian ministers ought to be known for, not for getting themselves arrested barricading clinic doors or screaming hateful slogans at their political opponents. Yes, I do realize most politically-oriented pastors and evangelical organizations do not go that far, but the evangelicals in the political arena who are most savvy about public relations tend to be the very ones who have perfected the art of compromise. It's really pretty hard to think of evangelical organizations or church leaders who are deeply involved in political causes and who are also known for being clear and uncompromising heralds of gospel truth. The two things simply don't work well together [emphasis courtesy of Live As If].

And to close the deal, so to speak:

But if we're talking about doing ministry (as opposed to sheer political lobbying) then once we've established that homosexuality is an abomination, the rest of the message we are obliged to proclaim as ambassadors of Christ is the good news of how sinners can be redeemed from the guilt and bondage of those sins and be reconciled to God. If we focus our energies instead on secular legislative "remedies," we are simply not doing what Christ called us to do.

I don't think it's a complex issue at all.

And my guess is that if you look back in history and contemplate the question of prohibition vs. the sin of drunkenness (instead of gay partnerships and constitutional amendments defining what marriage is)—even if you only consider the pragmatic side of the issue—you'll probably see the point.

In short, there's a reason Spurgeon's preaching is still relevant and powerful today, but Billy Sunday looks like a bad parody.

You're right, Phil, its not a complex issue at all. It's simple, like all great answers: not simplistic, but simple for sure

Help Someone Be a Sole Survivor!

2008-11-10T18:24:00.001-05:00

This was originally brought to my attention by Anne Jackson of Flower Dust. This effort is a worthy one and I am joining Anne in asking you to support this awesome charity!

Nashville, TN -- November 7, 2008 -- Soles4Souls, the international charity dedicated to providing free footwear to those in desperate need, has announced plans to launch a new fundraising website, www.50000shoes.com. The charity is challenging bloggers and social media users to raise funds for 50,000 pairs of new shoes in 50 days.

Through the new world of blogging, emailing, twittering, and through many other forms of online media, the non-profit hopes to achieve not only the fundraising goal, but also to spread their mission far and wide. The Soles4Souls www.50000shoes.com charity challenge will be live on Monday, November 10, 2008 and end on Wednesday, December 31, 2008.

"We have been utilizing the basic Web-based marketing tools such as e-mail blasts, social networking and YouTube videos. However, this website, www.50000shoes.com, is the natural evolution of our viral marketing plan," said Soles4Souls Founder and CEO, Wayne Elsey.

"A strong grass-roots effort, combined with an effective web-based social marketing platform, will allow Soles4Souls to form online community in a creative manner while being effective with raising funds and helping those in need," he said.

Both the tech savvy and the computer challenged can visit www.50000shoes.com to download their choice of four (4) Soles4Souls banners ad and blog widgets. Using the tools provided, users will be able to easily email, blog, or twitter the challenge to friends, family and co-workers as well as ask everyone to continue spreading the message.

"This is a huge challenge to meet a huge need. We want to virally attack the issues of poverty and make it simple for the end user to play a role in it," Elsey stated.

Donating is easy and takes just a click and a couple of minutes. It requires no shipping, no wrapping and no trips to the post office. The monetary donation is small with $5.00 buying two pairs of new shoes. Anyone can click and give, and all donations are tax-deductible.

After 50,000 pairs have been donated, one person (with a guest of their choosing) will be selected at random to deliver the shoes they purchased to someone in need on one of Soles4Souls' trips to Mexico!

"Can you imagine what it would be like to personally give someone their very first pair of shoes?! We look forward to connecting the tangibility of handing someone a pair of shoes with the virtual world of the Internet," Elsey said.

Social networking has become a very powerful communications tool; however, no one knows when life will hit hard or where a disaster will strike. One day you have everything you need; the next you may only have your life. A pair of shoes can help people begin the rebuilding process. Shoes not only bring hope, but in millions of cases they can save lives. It is estimated that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unworn shoes lying in their closets while over 300 million children around the world have never owned a pair of shoes. This is an opportunity to "Step Up" and to help Soles4Souls with their mission of "Changing the World, One Pair at a Time" with "One Click at A Time."

About Soles4Souls

Nashville-based Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Since its inception, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 3.5 million pairs (or one pair every 23 seconds) to people in 61 countries, including Honduras, Romania, Thailand, and the Sudan. The charity has been featured on CNN Headline News, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, ABC News, FOX, CBS, and hundreds of regional outlets around North America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit www.giveshoes.org for more information.

For more information please contact:

Chris Carmichael, Soles4Souls, 615-391-5723 ext 143, chrisc@giveshoes.org

Kim Dettwiller, Soles4Souls, 615-330-5656, kimd@giveshoes.org

Uh, guys?

2008-11-09T20:19:00.005-05:00

This was just too funny to pass up... The site is not one I would necessarily recommend, but after seeing it, noticed there is a "G-Rated Pics and Movies Only" option which makes the site funny and, apparently, safe for viewing.

And for those of you using Vista, enjoy this:

Parenting Fail

2008-11-09T18:59:00.002-05:00

The video is "Parenting Fail" and I do not know what happened to the child, but a dance competition is the last place one should be irresponsible with one's kids.

Ouch!

This is just too humorous to pass up

2008-11-06T09:46:00.001-05:00

"LHC (Large Hadron Collider) Forces Bookmaker to lower odds on the existence of God":

http://idle.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/05/1516236

Gee, ya think God is worried the scientists might find something out?

Does anyone know?

2008-11-05T20:43:00.001-05:00

The past 24 hours have been filled with sadness, hope, joy, despair and worse -- and better. I refer to the reactions (as opposed to responses) that so many have had since the election results.

With that in mind, I believe the situation begs important questions:

Do people around you know that you are a Christian, based on how you have responded or reacted to the recent election results?

If yes, how, and if no, why?

In light of this I have put together some links that will be beneficial for you to read. This is not an exhaustive list; rather it represents a few of the links/blogs which I have visited in an attempt to find out how others have been responding from the Christian (and the occasional just-intelligent) perspective. I look forward to hearing from you on these:

http://www.flowerdust.net/2008/11/05/dont-rely-on-obama/

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2008/11/election-day.html

http://thepoint.breakpoint.org/

http://www.worldmag.com/webextra/14617 ("Honoring the lesser king")

http://thepoint.breakpoint.org/2008/11/what-on-earth-i.html#more ("What on Earth is the Christian Worldview Argument FOR Obama?")

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2008/11/021999.php

Thank you

Pyromaniacs: Election Day

2008-11-05T00:06:00.003-05:00

From Dan at teampyro: Just amazing how little today's election has meaning in context of what God did to and for me when he Elected me . . . just ... amazing.

Today's American election takes place (normally) every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.

The election I'm thinking of took place once only, before the foundation of a world (Ephesians 1:4).

Today's election involves votes cast by millions of people of wildly varying circumstances, characters, levels of intelligence, and worldviews.

The eternal election only had three participants: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each the quintessence of perfection in power, wisdom, holiness, and goodness (Ephesians 1:3-14).

Today's election requires that I take into account the career, character, accomplishments, stated convictions, and proposals of the candidates. My vote must be earned, in my estimation.

The eternal election actually is not only irrespective of (Romans 9:11), but contrary to the deserts of its objects. It is an election "that we should be holy and blameless before him" (Ephesians 1:4). If that is the objective (or outcome) of the choice, then what were we before that choice, if not altogether unholy, and blameworthy?

Wow ....

A refresher course, Part III

2008-11-03T21:55:00.003-05:00

"2. The Reformed Faith is Predestinarian
The term "Reformed," for some reason, early became attached to the Swiss branch of the Reformation (Zwingli, Bucer, Bullinger, Calvin), and eventually became synonymous with "Calvinist." The most controversial teaching of these men was their doctrine of predestination, and that is often seen as the chief distinctive of Reformed teaching as over against other forms of evangelicalism. In 1618-1619, an international Reformed synod meeting at Dordrecht (or Dordt) in the Netherlands was presented with five "points" summarizing the teachings of Jacob Arminius ("Arminianism"). In opposition to those, the synod adopted what have been called the "five points of Calvinism," summarizing its doctrine of predestination. These points are popularly summarized by the initials of that fine Dutch flower, the TULIP: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints.
We should not look at the five points as a summary of the Reformed system of doctrine. At Dordt, the five topics were in effect selected by the Arminians, not the Calvinists. The five points are actually a summary of "what Arminians don't like about Calvinism," rather than a summary of Calvinism itself. They summarize, not Calvinism as such, but the controversial aspects of Calvinism. I suspect that had the synod been asked for an actual summary of the Reformed faith, they would have structured it rather differently-- more like the Belgic and Westminster Confessions.
Controversial points are not necessarily the most fundamental concerns of a system. In the case of the Reformed faith, the doctrinal system is far more than five points; it is a comprehensive understanding of Scripture, and thus a comprehensive world-and-life view. I shall try to summarize that in the next section.
Here, however, I would like us to look briefly at the "five points." Although their centrality can be exaggerated, they are nevertheless certainly important, and often misunderstood.
My treatment here will not begin to anticipate the detailed analyses of your later courses in systematic theology, but I trust it will start you in the right direction. Let us look at the five in turn:
(1) Total Depravity: Although fallen persons are capable of externally good acts (acts that are good for society), they cannot do anything really good, i.e., pleasing to God (Rom. 8:8). God, however, looks on the heart. And from his ultimate standpoint, fallen man has no goodness, in thought, word, or deed. He is therefore incapable of contributing anything to his salvation.
(2) Unconditional Election: When God elects (chooses) people for salvation, therefore, he does not choose them because of anything in them. He doesn't choose them because of their own goodness, or even because he foresees they will believe, but simply out of his totally unmerited favor-- out of grace (Eph. 2:8, 9).
(3) Limited Atonement: This is the most controversial of the five, because of Bible
passages apparently teaching that Christ died for every individual. See, for example, 2 Cor. 5:15, 1 Tim. 4:10, 1 John 2:2. There are "universal" dimensions of the atonement: (a) it is for all nations, (b) it is a recreation of the entire human race, (c) it is universally offered, (d) it is the only means for anyone to be saved and thus the only salvation for all people, (e) its value is sufficient for all. Nevertheless, Christ was not the substitute for the sins of every person; else, everybody would be saved. For the atonement is powerful, efficacious. It does not merely make salvation possible; rather it actually saves. When Christ "dies for" somebody, that person is saved. One of the apparent "universal atonement texts," 2 Cor. 5:15, makes that point very clearly. Thus he died only for those who are actually saved. The biblical concern here is more with the efficacy of the atonement than with its "limitation;" perhaps we should call it "efficacious atonement" rather than "limited atonement," and, having then lost the TULIP, develop through genetic engineering a flower we could call the TUEIP. But of course efficacy does imply limitation, so limitation is an important aspect of this doctrine.
(4) Irresistible Grace: Grace is not like a box of candy that you can send back if you don't want it. Grace is divine favor, an attitude of God's own heart. We cannot stop him from loving us, if he chooses to do so. Nor can we stop him from giving us blessings of salvation: regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification. His purpose in us will certainly be fulfilled, Phil. 1:6, Eph. 1:11.
(5) Perseverance of the Saints: If you are born again by the Spirit of God, justified,
adopted into God's family, you cannot lose your salvation. God will keep you: John 10:27-30, Rom. 8:28-29. Perseverance does not mean that once you profess Christ you may sin all you please and still be saved. Many people have professed Christ hypocritically and have later renounced the Christian life. Those who apostatize, and do not return to embrace Christ from the heart, die in their sins. But if you have confessed Christ from the heart, you will certainly persevere, for you will not be dominated by sin, Rom. 6:14.
3. The Reformed Faith Teaches the Comprehensive Covenant Lordship of God
Let me now proceed to a more comprehensive summary of the Reformed system of
doctrine. What I will argue is this: the Biblical God is the "covenant Lord," and all his work in creation and salvation is a working out of his covenant Lordship. "God is covenant Lord," therefore, summarizes the biblical message. The Reformed faith can also be summarized in this way: all the essential elements of the Reformed faith can be seen as outworkings of God's covenant Lordship. The fact that "covenant Lordship" is central to Scripture and also to Reformed theology is a major argument in favor of Reformed theology as the best formulation of scriptural teaching.
You will discover that "covenant" has been defined differently by different theologians, even within the Reformed camp. But the following seems to me to capture the essential elements of the biblical covenants between God and man. A "covenant" is a relationship between a "Lord" and a people7 whom he has sovereignly called to be his. The people may be called the Lord's vassals or servants. He rules over them by his power and law and brings upon them a unique blessing (or, in some cases, a unique curse). To better understand "covenant," therefore, we must better understand "Lordship."
The Meaning of Lordship
"Lord" represents, first of all, the mysterious Hebrew term YHWH (generally pronounced "Yahweh," sometimes found as "Jehovah" or "Lord" in English translations). It is somehow related to the verb "to be," as in the "I AM" of Ex. 3:14 (note the presence of YHWH in verse 15). Besides Ex. 3:12-15, there are several other passages in the Scripture that seem in some measure to be expounding the meaning of that mysterious name. See Ex. 6:1-8, chapters 20, 33, and 34, Lev.
18-19, Deut. 6:4ff, Isa. 41:4, 43:10-13, 44:6, 48:12f. In the New Testament, Jesus takes the name kurios, a Greek term used to translate YHWH in the Greek Old Testament. As He takes that name, he takes the role that Yahweh had in the Old Testament as the Lord, the head of the covenant. In my mind, that is one of the most powerful Scripture proofs of the deity of Christ.
Therefore, certain passages in the New Testament are also important to our understanding of the biblical concept of Lordship, such as John 8:31-59, Rom. 10:9, 1 Cor. 1 2:3, Phil. 2:11.
In my lectures on the Doctrine of God, I shall examine these passages in some detail to show you how they combine to teach a certain concept of divine Lordship. In this paper, however, I shall merely present the conclusions of my study. You will find it edifying, however, to examine these passages, to see how the following concepts are interwoven through them.
My conclusion is that Lordship in Scripture involves three aspects: Control, Authority, and Presence.
(1) Control: The Lord is one who is in total control of the world. When God redeems Israel from Egypt he does it with a strong arm and mighty hand. He controls all the forces of nature to bring curses upon Egypt and to defeat the forces of the greatest totalitarian ruler of the time. See Ex. 3:8, 14, 20, 20:2, 33:19, 34:6, Isa. 41:4, 43:10-13, 44:6, 48:12f.
I have already expounded this biblical theme in connection with the doctrine of predestination. It should also be mentioned that, not only salvation, but also the entire course of nature and history, is fully in God's control. Eph. 1:11 and Rom. 11:36 state this truth specifically, and many passages of Scripture relate various happenings to God's direction."

A refresher course, Part II

2008-11-03T21:34:00.004-05:00

"What, then, is the Reformed faith? In what follows, I will argue that (1) the Reformed faith
is evangelical, (2) the Reformed faith is predestinarian, and (3) the Reformed faith teaches the comprehensive covenant Lordship of Jesus Christ.

1. The Reformed Faith is Evangelical
It is often difficult for Bible-believing Protestant Christians to know what to call themselves. "Christian" itself, even "Bible-believing Christian," can be too vague, even misleading (see above discussion). "Orthodox" suggests priests with beards. "Conservative" sounds like a political position or a temperamental stodginess rather than a religious conviction. "Fundamentalist" today is a reproach, suggesting anti-intellectualism, though it has in the past been applied to some very great Christian scholars.

I think the best term to describe all Bible-believing Protestant Christians is the term "evangelical," though that term also has become somewhat ambiguous through history. It was used by the Lutheran reformers to indicate the character of their movement, and to this day in continental Europe the word "evangelical" is more or less a synonym for "Lutheran." In the English-speaking world, however, the predominant use of "evangelical" stems from the revivals of the "evangelical awakening" in the eighteenth century under the preaching of John Wesley, George Whitefield, and others. Wesley's theology was Arminian, Whitefield's Calvinist; so the evangelical movement itself had both Arminian and Calvinistic elements.

Many denominations in the English-speaking world were profoundly influenced by this movement.

In the nineteenth century, many denominations which had earlier been influenced by the evangelical movement became liberal. It was not unusual to hear people like the liberal Charles Briggs described as "evangelical;" "liberal evangelical" was not at that time considered an oxymoron. One still hears that phrase in reference to the English theological scene, though their usage is not consistent on that point. But in America, the term has since World War II been generally limited to theologically conservative positions. After that war, a number of conservative Christians came to the conclusion that "fundamentalism" was a discredited concept, and they adopted the term "evangelical" as a self-description, reverting to something like the eighteenthcentury usage. Many of these, such as Carl F. H. Henry, Harold John Ockenga, and J. Howard Pew were Calvinistic in theology; others were not. Thus "evangelical" became an umbrella-term, covering both Reformed and non-Reformed Christians who held high views of Scripture and adhered to the "fundamentals of the faith."

Not all Reformed people have been willing to accept the label "evangelical." For one thing, Reformed people have sometimes opposed revivalism, although some great revival preachers, like Whitefield, have been Reformed. Thus some Reformed people have been reluctant to accept a label which arose out of a revivalist context. For another thing, many Reformed people do not want to be joined to Arminians under a common label, believing that the differences between the two types of theology are too great. Thus, for some Calvinists, including Cornelius Van Til, "Evangelical" means "non-Reformed Protestant."

I reject this usage, despite the example of my mentor Van Til. That usage is unhistorical, because the word has, historically, included Calvinists. More important, it seems to me that we do need some term which unites Bible-believing Protestants, and the only label suitable for that purpose is "evangelical."

And in my view, the Reformed and the Evangelicals are united on many significant doctrinal points, arguably on the most important ones. Thus, I maintain, the Reformed faith is evangelical.

What are the main beliefs of evangelical theology? An evangelical, in my definition, is one who professes historic Protestant theology. That includes the following beliefs:

(1) God is a person, infinitely wise, just, good, true and powerful, the ultimate reality,
exclusively deserving religious worship and unquestioning obedience, who made the world out of nothing.

(2) Man, made in the image of God, willfully disobeyed God's command, and thereby
became worthy of death. From that time on, all human beings save Jesus Christ have been guilty of sin before God.

(3) Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man. He was (literally, really) born of a virgin. He worked miracles. He fulfilled prophecy. He suffered and died for our sin, bearing its guilt and penalty. He was raised physically from the dead. He will come again (literally, physically) to gather his people and to judge the world.

(4) Salvation from sin comes to us not by our good works, but by receiving the free gift of God by faith. Saving faith receives the sacrifice of Christ as our sacrifice, as our only basis for fellowship with God. And such saving faith inevitably motivates us to obedience.

(5) Scripture is the word of God, which makes us wise unto salvation.

(6) Prayer is not mere meditation or self-improvement, but a genuine conversation with our creator and redeemer. In prayer we praise God, give thanks, ask forgiveness, and make requests which bring concrete changes in the world.

These statements might be called "the fundamentals of the faith." They represent the
central biblical gospel, and on that gospel, Reformed people are united with all evangelicals.

It hurts me when I hear Reformed people saying that "we have nothing in common with Arminians." In fact, we have the biblical gospel in common with them, and that is a great deal. I would certainly argue that Arminian theology is not consistent with that gospel. But I cannot doubt that most of them believe that gospel from the heart.

In this respect, Reformed people not only stand with their Arminian brothers and sisters in confessing biblical truth, but they also stand with them against common corruptions of the faith.

We stand with all evangelicals against secular humanism, the cults, the New Age movements, and the liberal traditions in theology. By "liberal" I mean any kind of theology which denies any of these "fundamentals." In this sense, I include as "liberal," not only the modernists of J. Gresham Machen's day,6 but also the neo-orthodox tradition (Barth and Brunner, the "new modernists" according to Van Til) and the more recent movements such as liberation theology, process theology, and pluralist theology. The more recent movements are often contrasted with liberalism, but just as I believe we need a term to describe all Bible-believing Protestants, so I believe we need a term to describe professing Christians who deny the one or more of the fundamentals; and "liberalism" is the best term for that purpose.

Let me summarize some formulations typical of the liberal tradition in categories
corresponding to statements (1)-(6) above:

(1) God is "beyond personality," "beyond good and evil," does not demand obedience or punish sin or answer prayer.

(2) Sin is not disobedience to a law external to man, but alienation from others and from one's own true humanity.

(3) Jesus was a man who was in various ways aligned with God. Literal miracles and
resurrection are impossible, but they are symbolic of some higher reality.

(4) Salvation comes not through the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ, or through faith in Christ as the exclusive way of salvation. Either all are saved, or the "saved" are those who adhere to various ethical and political programs.

(5) Scripture is a human writing, fallible and prone to error, which somehow
communicates a divine message.

(6) Prayer is essentially self-referential.

As we see the evangelical gospel in stark contrast to the liberal denial of that gospel, it is important that we take a clear stand. I would especially urge students who are starting their course of theological study to take these issues personally. This is the time when you must be clear as to your own relation to God. Do you believe that the God of Scripture really exists? that he is the majestic Lord of heaven and earth? Do you believe that you are personally guilty of sin and deserve only his fierce anger and eternal punishment? Are you trusting in your own works (which may include church attendance, Christian service, intellectual correctness) to save you, or only in the perfect righteousness of Christ?

If you have never answered this sort of question, I implore you for Christ's sake to answer it now! Not everyone who comes to seminary is a believer in this sense. It is easy to deceive yourself when you have been going through the motions of the Christian life. As you study at seminary, it will become more and more difficult to go back to basics in this way. As you become yourself a theological expert, you may become proud of your achievement, and therefore impatient with anybody who suggests that you need to become as a little child and put your whole trust in the wisdom of another. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast," Eph.2:8, 9."

A refresher course, Part I

2008-11-03T20:10:00.002-05:00

Today was a good day to start becoming familiar again with the fundamentals of what we generally refer to today as "Reformed Theology."

With monergism being an awesome portal for so many things Christian, the reformed theology section was a logical starting point for me.

From a John Frame essay on Reformed Theology:

...The Reformed faith is a wonderful discovery for many Christians. I have heard many people testify that when they began to study Reformed theology they saw for the first time that the Bible really made sense. In other forms of theology, there is a lot of artificial exegesis: implausible divisions of verses, rationalizing "hard passages," imposing extra-scriptural schemes on the text. Reformed theology takes Scripture very naturally, as the authors (human and divine) evidently intended it to be taken. There are, of course, difficulties within the Reformed system as in others. But many people, when they begin to read the Bible under Reformed teaching, experience an enormous increase in comprehension and in confidence. The Word of God speaks to them in greater power and gives them a greater motivation toward holiness.

What is Reformed Theology?

Reformed theology...

...presupposes God's Word alone as our ultimate authority.
...stresses the sovereignty of God, that is, His reign over all things, meticulously determining (Eph 1:11) all that comes to pass (i.e. God is never taken by surprise). [Editor: James MacDonald likes to say that "God rules the universe with his feet up on his desk!]
...ephasizes a Christ-Centered proclamation of the gospel, that salvation is wholly of God, by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone as revealed in the Scripture alone to the Glory of God alone.
...views the Bible as a redemptive-historical organic unfolding of revelation which is structured by three covenants (redemption, works and grace).

It goes without saying that those in the Reformed Tradition hold to the doctrines of grace (the five points of Calvinism), man's helpless condition apart from Christ, the necessity of evangelism and the work of the Holy Spirit who (monergistically) quickens the dead to life through the preaching of the word as God turning their heart of stone to flesh, and opening their eyes to the excellencies of the gospel (uniting them to Christ). In other words, RT stresses the way the objective, written Word together with the inner, supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit work together. For the Word without the illumination of the Holy Spirit remains a closed book. We (the church) cast forth the seed of the gospel and the Holy Spirit germinates it, so to speak, with the blood of Christ bringing forth life in people from every nation, tribe, language, and people (Rev 14:6). RT traces its historical and theological lineage back to the theology of Christ, Paul, Augustine and to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century.

Because an explanation properly rendered (and by men better and smarter than I) of what Reformed Theology consists in, I'll render this message in multiple sections.

Thanks for your patience!

One of these is not like the other

2008-11-03T19:44:00.001-05:00

Does God love everyone, or just those whom he has chosen?

Yes.

John MacArthur:

So an important distinction must be made. God loves believers with a particular love. It is a family love, the ultimate love of an eternal Father for His children. It is the consummate love of a Bridegroom for His bride.

It is an eternal love that guarantees their salvation from sin and its ghastly penalty. That special love is reserved for believers alone. However, limiting this saving, everlasting love to His chosen ones does not render God’s compassion, mercy, goodness, and love for the rest of mankind insincere or meaningless.

When God invites sinners to repent and receive forgiveness (Isa. 1:18; Matt. 11:28-30), His pleading is from a sincere heart of genuine love. “‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezek. 33:11).
Clearly God does love even those who spurn His tender mercy, but it is a different quality of love, and different in degree from His love for His own.

Bark for Barack!

2008-11-03T19:21:00.005-05:00

Looks kind of original, right? Cute, maybe?

But wait, someone already used that theme . . . let's see, where could it have come from?

Alexander Rodchenko was a Soviet-era (propaganda) artist. Some of his work on is on display at the Hayward gallery and runs until 27th April 2007, if you are in London check it out.

Rodchenko used photo montage to enhance his images to create more powerful images that would be used for propaganda for the USSR.

Yeah, I want this guy as my next President.

Breathe -- You're on Holy ground

2008-11-02T20:41:00.002-05:00

Because I Suck

2008-11-02T19:37:00.003-05:00

Earlier today I was tempted to revel in the accomplishments done this summer: some things were done that were really cool and never would I have been doing them 6 months ago. Things like: intervening to keep my oldest brother from losing his house; stepping into the marriage of friends to save it from destruction by sin; sharing (generally) Godly wisdom with my other brother to keep him from falling off a figurative cliff.

Not bad.

And then I was reminded by the Holy Spirit of how I never could have done any of these things if it hadn't been his will and empowering of me to do his will.

Ouch.

Ok, kind of humbling, but then being reminded of what his word says about me was just uncool:

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
(Rom 8:8 ESV)

Big Ouch.

I sucketh.
Big Ouch, big time.

But then the cool part happened. Because God was kind enough to remind me that that was only part of the story, he took me to another spot in his word:
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Rom 5:8 ESV)

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
(Rom 5:9 ESV)

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
(Rom 5:10 ESV)

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
(Rom 5:11 ESV)

Constant condemnation isn't cool, but neither is making much of myself. Maybe there really is a better way . . .

Who is John Galt?

2008-10-23T12:11:00.001-04:00

Standards.

Some people have them, some don't . . . who do you want to support?

Shut up -- you can't say that!

2008-10-20T20:26:00.002-04:00

Recently a good friend suggested reading Anne Jackson's blog and her refreshing honesty and candor in dealing with issues is way cool.

Have you been there? Please go -- amazing site, it is. . . really!

Enough

2008-10-13T19:27:00.002-04:00

I have had enough. I just can no longer be quiet while watching the Obama campaign spin its lies and deception (with the help of the media, no less) and just let it happen.

What will it take for McCain to actually fight for a victory??? Why is he afraid to stop being afraid and start being fearless??? This race is his to lose, unless he starts doing something constructive, and soon.

An Obama presidency is not something to look forward to -- just as Jimmy Carter's presidency is not something to look back on fondly; people are forgetful, I think, of just how bad things were back then, how sanctimonious Carter and his liberal cronies were, and how miserable most everyone was -- "misery index" anyone? Do you really think a conservative (leaning, at least) presidency of McCain would give into the same sort of analysis rather than leadership?

There's a key distinction between Republicans and Democrats: the latter are content to inventory, collate, catalog and analyze their situation while proclaiming how bad things are. Republicans see the situation and exercise the leadership necessary to change the situation, not merely catalog the situation and bemoan the lack of a solution . . . so why, again, do people want an inexperienced man like Obama to be president?

When I was a kid . . .

2008-10-13T19:19:00.002-04:00

When I was a kid, phone calls were carried over wires and TV went through the air...

What Caused the Crisis on Wall Street?

2008-09-27T00:33:00.001-04:00

When the Bible Blows Your Mind

2008-04-20T00:16:00.001-04:00

Hello,

This material is from John Piper's Desiring God website, and is, I believe, useful to remind ourselves that while it may sometimes seem to be contradictory from one passage to another, the Bible actually is not.

The takeaway is this:

The Bible teaches us to expect mental jolts when we think about God. It teaches us that our familiar ways of seeing things may be replaced.

I humbly invite you to read the article and share any thoughts/insights you have.

For myself, I especially appreciated the reference to Colossians 3:12 and how that command may be useful when reading scripture that may not fit one's preconceived notions of who God is.

Peace,
Lawrence

If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, please reply to this email with "REMOVE" in the subject line.

Thought for today

2008-04-15T21:21:00.001-04:00

God does not work all things together for the good of those who merely believe that he will.

He works all things together for the good of those who love him, that is, who are satisfied with all that he is in Jesus.

—John Piper, Future Grace, p. 236.

Which verse is your favorite? It doesn't matter anymore!

2008-03-13T22:20:00.001-04:00

Step right up, folks, and get closer to God by getting closer to your bible ... Yes, that's right, it's the new, improved, nano-bible!!!!
Not only will you have your favorite bible verses near your heart (if you can even remember that verse in Philippines that you liked so much as a child) but you'll have ALL the verses near you heart! It doesn't matter that the words are so small you can't even read them except with a microscope -- just carrying them all with you is all that's required to gitcher self saved!

http://www.nano-bible.com/

In all seriousness, this ridiculously-expensive trinket struck me as being so wasteful and selfish that it was hard to not comment on it satirically. What a waste of money that could otherwise be spent on charitable efforts.

Is Preaching Bad?

2007-12-28T14:25:00.001-05:00

Here is an interesting document from “down under.” Well, sort of. It’s from New Zealand, by a David Allis, who makes the proposal that Christian Preaching in the western church, and in its current form, is problematic. To quote from Mr. Allis:

Preaching as it is practised in modern
churches is extra-biblical, a poor form
of communication, and creates
dependency.

He goes on to say that preaching, in the current form of sermons to people who are already Christians, originated as a form from Greek culture, not the Bible, and therefore is extra-Biblical (you know, as in "extracurricular").

How about this one, that its not an effective way to communicate:

Scientific studies of education show that passive listening leads only to a small percentage of
retention. Few people can remember a sermon the next day, week or month (often the preacher can’t remember it either). Although modern communication methods are improving through the use of visual aids, the monologue remains one of the least effective forms of communication.retention. Few people can remember a sermon the next day, week or month (often the preacher can’t remember it either). Although modern communication methods are improving through the use of visual aids, the monologue remains one of the least effective forms of communication.

Another argument: preaching as a one-way means of communication disallows discussion, debate, and clarification. Ok, I'll agree with that one.

He goes on to make additional arguments, such as that preaching fosters dependence on an individual, tends to increase Biblical illiteracy, etc., etc., blah blah blah

What he fails to note, however, is that the Christian church does not consist in solely preaching. Can one say Bible study groups, small home groups, etc.? Familylife.org's HomeBuilders?

Friend, if you are in a church where the only thing approximating what you think of as "christian" is the preaching, get out, get out now, and find a church that glorifies God and lives out the New Covenant!

A Bridge in Minnesota

2007-08-13T21:52:00.000-04:00

John Piper. A man serving God in amazing ways and with Joy. He wrote the following after the I-35 bridge collapsed in Minneapolis. Read it and know that "...but for the grace of God go I" rings truer than many of us may realize.

One set of thoughts from Piper's discourse was especially poignant:

But you and I know that God did not do anything wrong. God always does what is wise.

...know that God could have held up that bridge with one hand.”

...which means that God had a purpose for not holding up that bridge, knowing all that would happen, and he is infinitely wise in all that he wills.”

Amen.

Putting My Daughter to Bed Two Hours After the Bridge Collapsed

What Do Tragedies Like This Mean for Us?

By John Piper August 1, 2007

At about 6 PM tonight the bridge of Interstate 35W over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. I am writing this about three hours after the bridge fell. The bridge is located within sight of Bethlehem Baptist Church. Most of us who minister at the church cross this bridge several times a week. At this point I don’t know if any staff was on the bridge. Desiring God offices are about a mile from the bridge.

There are no firm facts at this point about the total number of injuries and fatalities. When we crossed the bridge Tuesday on our way out of town, there was extensive repair work happening on the surface of the bridge with single lane traffic. One speculates about the unusual stresses on the bridge with jackhammers and other surface replacement equipment. This was the fortieth anniversary of the bridge.

Tonight for our family devotions our appointed reading was Luke 13:1-9. It was not my choice. This is surely no coincidence. O that all of the Twin Cities, in shock at this major calamity, would hear what Jesus has to say about it from Luke 13:1-5. People came to Jesus with heart-wrenching news about the slaughter of worshipers by Pilate. Here is what he said.

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

Jesus implies that those who brought him this news thought he would say that those who died, deserved to die, and that those who didn’t die did not deserve to die. That is not what he said. He said, everyone deserves to die. And if you and I don’t repent, we too will perish. This is a stunning response. It only makes sense from a view of reality that is radically oriented on God.

All of us have sinned against God, not just against man. This is an outrage ten thousand times worse than the collapse of the 35W bridge. That any human is breathing at this minute on this planet is sheer mercy from God. God makes the sun rise and the rain fall on those who do not treasure him above all else. He causes the heart to beat and the lungs to work for millions of people who deserve his wrath. This is a view of reality that desperately needs to be taught in our churches, so that we are prepared for the calamities of the world.

The meaning of the collapse of this bridge is that John Piper is a sinner and should repent or forfeit his life forever. That means I should turn from the silly preoccupations of my life and focus my mind’s attention and my heart’s affection on God and embrace Jesus Christ as my only hope for the forgiveness of my sins and for the hope of eternal life. That is God’s message in the collapse of this bridge. That is his most merciful message: there is still time to turn from sin and unbelief and destruction for those of us who live. If we could see the eternal calamity from which he is offering escape we would hear this as the most precious message in the world.

We prayed during our family devotions. Talitha (11 years old) and Noel and I prayed earnestly for the families affected by the calamity and for the others in our city. Talitha prayed “Please don’t let anyone blame God for this but give thanks that they were saved.” When I sat on her bed and tucked her in and blessed her and sang over her a few minutes ago, I said, “You know, Talitha, that was a good prayer, because when people ‘blame’ God for something, they are angry with him, and they are saying that he has done something wrong. That’s what “blame” means: accuse somebody of wrongdoing. But you and I know that God did not do anything wrong. God always does what is wise. And you and I know that God could have held up that bridge with one hand.” Talitha said, “With his pinky.” “Yes,” I said, “with his pinky. Which means that God had a purpose for not holding up that bridge, knowing all that would happen, and he is infinitely wise in all that he wills.”

Talitha said, “Maybe he let it fall because he wanted all the people of Minneapolis to fear him.” “Yes, Talitha,” I said, “I am sure that is one of the reasons God let the bridge fall.”

I sang to her the song I always sing,

Come rest your head and nestle gently
And do not fear the dark of night.
Almighty God keeps watch intently,
And guards your life with all his might.
Doubt not his love, nor power to keep,
He never fails, nor does he sleep.

I said, “You know, Talitha, that is true whether you die in a bridge collapse, or in a car accident, or from cancer, or terrorism, or old age. God always keeps you, even when you die. So you don’t need to be afraid, do you.” “No,” she shook her head. I leaned down and kissed her. “Good night. I love you.”

Tonight across the Twin Cities families are wondering if they will ever kiss a loved one good night again. Some will not. I am praying that they will find Jesus Christ to be their Rock and Refuge in these agonizing hours of uncertainty and even loss.

The word “bridge” does not occur in the Bible. There may be two reasons. One is that God doesn’t build bridges, he divides seas. The other is that usually his people must pass through the deadly currents of suffering and death, not simply ride over them. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you” (Isaiah 43:2). They may drown you. But I will be with you in life and death.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life . . . will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-38)

Killed all day long. But not separated from Christ. We go through the river. Not over it. He went before us, crucified. He came out on the other side. He knows the way through. With him we will make it. That is the message we have for the precious sinners in the Twin Cities. He died for your sins. He rose again. He saves all who trust him. We die, but because of him, we do not die.

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25)

Talitha is sleeping now. But one day she will die. I teach her this. I will not always be there to bless her. But Jesus is alive and is the same yesterday today and forever. He will be with her because she trusts him. And she will make it through the river.

Weeping with those who weep, and those who should,

Pastor John

Psalm 71:20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again.

Hurry to get your iPhone today!

2007-07-09T21:50:00.001-04:00

This is good … and the last part is just about right on! Ok, it’s a parody for those who don’t know what the iPhone is.

Lawrence

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/06/its_coming.html

The sparkle in her eyes

2007-06-13T20:19:00.000-04:00

Her eyes gleamed, positively sparkeld, as he brought another catch up on the pier. "Wow, this is so much fun!" she squealed. Her dad had caught another large bass and she was so thrilled to be out here, on the pier again, just the two of them.

Yeah it was Wednesday, middle of the week, and dad had been at the office all day, but he'd made time for her, again, to do something fun - together, again.

It was bittersweet sometimes, actually. Wendy had lots of friends in her third grade class, and she had learned, sadly, that she needed to stop telling them about how awesome her dad was. They'd get mad and accuse her of bragging, but it had taken until last Christmas to finally understand what the problem was.

Well, what the real problem was.

It was the first week of class after Christmas break, and Lily started telling her friend about how her dad had taken her to Rockefeller Center to go ice skating; occasionally her mom would come too. But then her mom started saying that sometimes it might be good for just Lily and her dad to do things together.

She didn't get that -- she didn't understand why the three of them couldn't always do everything together. She loved her parents so much and was closer to them than anyone else.

Lily's mom started to explain that while moms were great for a lot of things, like fixing scrapes and giving hugs, and making great pancakes, only her dad could teach her about how girls should be treated by boys, and why.

After excitedly telling her friends about her dad taking her on their "date" to Rockefeller Center, Lily could tell some of her friends didn't want to hang with her anymore, and that they would get sad whenever she was around.

And that's when she found out about most of them having only one parent, their single moms. Oh sometimes there might be a boyfriend or two, but these were sort of like revolving doors in these girls' lives, and didn't treat them or their moms very well.

So the last thing they wanted to hear was Lily getting all happy about how "perfect" her dad was; she learned to be quiet about her dad in school, but that just made it feel more like her own "secret" -- how great her dad was!

The things he did for her -- helping her clean up her room when she was discouraged by the mess, being nice to her even when she was mad about stuff, and always so strong (she never would forget the time her dad faced down the guy calling her bad names on the street that day - he was really brave!) and yet always so kind and gentle with her.

That was it -- he was always kind and gentle with Lily, no matter what. Not like some of the other kids' moms or their boyfriends -- it was like her friends were always getting yelled at, just because their parents didn't want to be nice to them. Not her dad, though. Nope, he was awesome!

"What do you think, honey, think we can catch another bass today?" asked her dad. "Nope! I want to go get some ice cream on the boardwalk with my favorite daddy in the whole world!" she exclaimed.

Don't overlook the you can have on a child's life as a father. It's an awesome gift and responsibility that God has given you.

The Better Covenant

2007-06-04T19:12:00.000-04:00

Cent,

thanks for posting Piper's quote. I'm going to "reprint" your post here, and my comment, because i just can't say it any better. thanks.

"One of the most edifying and personally-challenging series of sermons I have been listening to recently has been the Desiring God Radio series through Romans, particularly as Dr. Piper has been advancing through Romans 9. I commend it to you no matter who you are or what you believe if you want to get a grasp of the Gospel and its implications for real assurance regarding the goodness of God.

However, there is a real gem in the introductory remarks to today's installment which is not necessarily in the body of the sermon. The excerpt that struck me as especially powerful goes like this:
Surrounding that sacrificial system was a system of cultic practice of clean foods, and certain keeping of certain holidays, and circumcision. Those three things in particular – the food laws, the circumcision laws, the festivals – those are all gone, and wiped away by Jesus' decisive work. [also] Israel was a political, ethnic entity, governed, therefore, by a constitution laid down in the Torah which had the death penalty for several dozen things. You curse your parents, you're dead. You sleep with a woman, you both are stoned. Those things have gone. Jesus didn't require the death penalty for these kinds of things – in fact, he pointed the other direction. And the reason they're gone is because the church is not an ethnic, political entity located somewhere in the world with a capital: the church is permeated through all governmental structures, and all societal structures so that it isn't governed, per se, the way the Old Testament people were with statutory laws that govern all of our legal repercussions to misbehaviors. Rather, we live under various regimes, we operate there, and we show, we teach, the Biblical morality but we don't exercise, as though we were a political entity, the right to do capital punishment.
It is interesting that Dr. Piper here underscores that what is evident in the church ought to be something which transcends the merely political and ethnic..."

amazing isn't it, when the clarity of Scripture is spoken into one's life by someone as gifted as Piper? amazing not because it's Piper or Cent or whomever, because that's just the person who God is using at that moment. but because God's word is just like this: sharp as a sword -- piercing yet discerning. Transcending the culture in which you & i live; how cool is that, that God knows so much about us (duh, like everything) yet called us out of His grace. To live for Him who saved me, doesn't get much better than that.

This comes to my mind, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:12-16 ESV)

An Inconvenient Truth . . . for Al Gore & GW "Truthers"

2007-06-03T09:12:00.000-04:00

Is there really a consensus among scientists re: “global warming”?

Increasingly, the answer appears to be “no.” Does that mean global warming is not happening? No. Does it mean we should steward well the resources we have been given by God? Yes.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=c47c1209-233b-412c-b6d1-5c755457a8af&k=23365

No, really, it's ok to lie . . .

2007-05-18T06:50:00.000-04:00

Sick.

Twisted.

Your tax dollars at work, as reported by Michell Malkin & CNSNews

Statement of Faith

2007-05-17T22:08:00.001-04:00

Ok, i didn't write it, and those who did didn't consult me, but looking it over, it's pretty good.

This is pretty cool

2007-05-17T21:43:00.001-04:00

Used to be i'd think that if it went faster than the other guy's, or if it was more technologically advanced, or made me look/feel better about myself to myself/others, it was cool.

But not anymore.

See, God did something really cool, and it's not deniable in any plausible sense. And since i found out about it and since God invited me, hey, stuff that used be cool to me, just is irrelevant.

How's that going with you?

Train up a child in the way he should go . . .

2007-05-17T21:29:00.000-04:00

Recently discovered this blog, and want to share a post from it. Be warned that if you watch the video, there is some errrr . . . not-good language.

But the post? Well that's a different thing; here you go:

A teenager sits down in front of his mother, and announces to her that he is an Atheist. Her reaction is to announce that, henceforth, the family will start attending church every week.

The boy reiterates his disbelief, to which his mother counters that he was "confirmed" in the presence of "the Bishop" as some sort of irrefutable claim. As a Protestant, I cannot help but find a small theological amusement in this.

"A lot can happen," the boy responds and seems to start to explain something of what led him to this view - when his mother angrily interrupts with a rather clumsy attempt to belittle her son's stance. "All of a sudden you can just quit believing in God?" she asks.

Yes. Yes you can. Especially if the depth of your faith consists of a brief catechistic rite that took place when you are barely old enough to think and reason.

I do not wish to make light of this episode, and I do not feel any of the raucous mirth that accompanied the sending of this video to me by a familiar of mine.

Foolish, irresponsible, and painful - yes, but hardly the stuff of playful jest. I can only wonder at what would follow such an exchange between a mother and a son...

...and what of the man who sits so idly by while all this is taking place? Surely he is not the father, to have so little control over his own household. 'Tis curious.

Despite the exaggerated tone of this display, which would incline one into thinking it a clever parody, I find it all too true to form - consonant with my own experiences as well as those with whom I have known.

We would think that we can barter with the Almighty, that we would negotiate Grace and force His acquiescence to a covenant of our own devisings... but it is now as it has always been: the Just shall live by Faith.

What do you think?

Nothing to see here, folks

2007-05-17T21:20:00.000-04:00

Want to see something fun? Read this article by Jim Wallis and then read this article by Frank Turk.

See what i mean?

One has depth of feeling and thought, and an admonition ("Don't waste your life."), while the other . . . has pretty much none of those things.

Remember those tests in elementary school, "...One of these is not like the other . . ."

Heh.

A Thought to Think

2007-05-16T20:50:00.001-04:00

While at one of my now more-frequented blogs, i saw that Centurion had posted about Jerry Falwell, and the amazing thing is that he (Centurion) can express so eloquently thoughts on living as a Christian (or on others who live well the Christian life), not just wearing the t-shirt. Thanks for using the gift God has given you, Cent; certainly it has spurred me to think about issues more deeply, and from the perspective of a Christian - something I am convinced we should all be doing more of.

As I said yesterday, I wasn't a fan of Jerry Falwell, but in reviewing the responses toward him through the media, I am struck by two really amazing things:

[1] The shear volume of people who despised him -- so much so that even at his death they cannot say anything about him but nastiness.

[2] The response of Larry Flint toward the death of Rev. Falwell, which I site here:

The Reverend Jerry Falwell and I were arch enemies for fifteen years. We became involved in a lawsuit concerning First Amendment rights and Hustler magazine. Without question, this was my most important battle – the l988 Hustler Magazine, Inc., v. Jerry Falwell case, where after millions of dollars and much deliberation, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in my favor.

My mother always told me that no matter how much you dislike a person, when you meet them face to face you will find characteristics about them that you like. Jerry Falwell was a perfect example of that. I hated everything he stood for, but after meeting him in person, years after the trial, Jerry Falwell and I became good friends. He would visit me in California and we would debate together on college campuses. I always appreciated his sincerity even though I knew what he was selling and he knew what I was selling.

The most important result of our relationship was the landmark decision from the Supreme Court that made parody protected speech, and the fact that much of what we see on television and hear on the radio today is a direct result of my having won that now famous case which Falwell played such an important role in.

It's probably not so remarkable that Flynt took this opportunity to exemplify himself as a maker of history, but there is something extraordinary about this statement: somehow, Jerry Falwell was able to reach across the moral divide to the pornographer Larry Flynt.

There is a lesson there for those who are heaping hatred on Rev. Falwell: they are clearly wrong about who he was and what he was intending to do in this world. Megalomaniacs and demagogues don't make friends with people who hate everything they stand for. They don't imagine that there's a redemption for the "other side". But there is a lesson for the rest of us as well.

Listen: the viciousness with which some circles are saying "so long" to Rev. Falwell ought to be considered against the fact that Jerry Falwell spoke the truth -- insofar as he spoke it -- and also extended himself as an ambassador even to someone as diametrically-opposed to God's law as Larry Flynt.

This is a lesson in apologetics and evangelism, folks. Jerry Falwell was a flawed human person -- but guess what? So am I. And for the record: so are you. If, upon our deaths, there are none of the unsaved in the number who will say, "this one was my friend," perhaps we have wasted our time here.

Don't waste your life.

[emphasis added]

real judgmental. . . not

2007-05-08T22:33:00.000-04:00

Hey LD, Thomas, John, and everyone else,

Cling to your faith for dear life is right -- because without faith and Jesus' saving grace, me, you, all of us are hopelessly lost, and doomed to eternal punishment.

It seems that my previous comments were perceived as being judgmental, or condemning, and for that, I deeply apologize. It was not my intent nor motivation to come across as condemning or harmful.

I never have said that God magically takes away the sinful desires of the natural man, nor do I believe anything approximating that! God has said that He will not take us out of this world, but rather that His grace is sufficient to see us through any situation.

Constant, or at least consistent, prayer, is a must. Without it, none of us can actually claim to have a walk with God, and no matter how "right" one is with God, none of us has a right to judge others' intentions, or look down on our Christian brothers & sisters, or whether their claims to salvation are legitimate -- that's for God to judge.

One thing that is so awesome about Christ is that despite the sinful, evil, nasty creatures that we are (including me, John), Christ is willing to get down in our mess with us, and help us up by His grace, to lead us into salvation. Such a gift as that is beyond measure, to be treasured and desired above all else.

What you don't know is that i've been praying for Jesus to create in you a desire for Him that is stronger than anything else in this world, not because you need that more than me or anyone else, or that i need it less, but because we all are sinners and fall short of God's glory.

In the interest of transparency, honesty, and full disclosure, please note that in your comments on my blog, you called me a liar, you claimed that I placed myself in authority over you. None of these things you said about me are true. you said i should examine my heart, and get real. well, i did examine my heart and get real 2 years ago. And then Christ came into my heart and redeemed me; he's still got a ton of work to do, too. i do know the extent of my sin, and it does make me sick to witness my own sin. That's why i almost continually ask him to search my heart and reveal to me any hidden sins that need to be confessed.

should anyone be interested enough to discuss what i have written tonight or any other time, my email address is agoodplacetobe@gmail.com and my blog (on which John posted some rather nasty comments) is http://liveasif.blogspot.com

perhaps you can turn over some of your rage to Christ -- it would be far more beneficial for you than directing it at me. Please examine your own heart and turn over anything that is not of God to Jesus at the Cross.

In summary, i claim that Christ is perfect. i claimed, and here do claim again, that i am imperfect, a fallen sinner prone to dishonoring Christ as much as anyone else. Of course i'm a sinner; a pretty good one, too. Which is exactly why i need Christ.

sigh

2007-05-08T22:00:00.000-04:00

well he's still at it, complaining about my supposed "judgmental" comments while leaving nasty ad-hominem arguments on my blog, while seeking sympathy from my awful onslaught of evil words. interesting, what some people find really important.

So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?
(Galatians 4:7-9 ESV)

oh really?

2007-05-07T22:57:00.000-04:00

As of late i've been reading some of the articles on James MacDonald's blog and tonight decided to post a comment to the article listed above.

"John" got bent by my comments, and proceeded in an anonymous post to attack me on my own blog, in a most un-Christian like manner.

So let's address some of his comments, starting with

I was really offended by your post on James Mcguires blog

it's James MacDonald's blog. i'm sorry you were offended; that was not my intent or desire or goal.

You place yourself in authority

No I don't. i claim that Jesus redeemed me and cleansed me through His blood.

You (basically) inferred that you are living in a state of perfection

No, i did not. i have never made such a claim about myself. i openly admitted to you my struggles, past and present. Perhaps it was just more convenient for you to forget that?

You claim the perfection of Christ, which makes you a liar. You are a sinner, and you will be, until God calls you home.

Let's address your claims. i claim that Christ is perfect. i claimed, and here do claim again, that i am imperfect, a fallen sinner prone to dishonoring Christ as much as anyone else. Of course i'm a sinner; a pretty good one, too. Which is exactly why i need Christ.

Examine your heart and get real! You may not know the extent of your sin, but God does! Ask him to search your heart! It will (or should) make you sick!

i did examine my heart and get real 2 years ago. And then Christ came into my heart and redeemed me; he's still got a ton of work to do, too. i do know the extent of my sin, and it does make me sick to witness my own sin. That's why i almost continually ask him to search my heart and reveal to me any hidden sins that need to be confessed.

perhaps you can turn over some of your rage to Christ -- it would be far more beneficial for you than directing it at me.

Just Like Me . . .

2007-04-20T20:43:00.001-04:00

So i was reading a Christian blog site the other day and saw this article. It's really a bold and uncompromising statement of our sinful state before God written in light of the recent VA Tech tragedy and honestly, i am not sure yet what my complete reaction to it is. My first sense was "no way," but then as i went to Romans 3 to read again the Scripture quoted in this blog article, the overwhelming sense of just how fallen i really am. But its not just me -- it's you too, and while i "know" that i have fallen short of the glory of God, to be confronted with the sinfulness and awfulness of sin is . . . Discomforting. What do you think?

God bless,
Lawrence

Thinking about moving to Vista?

2007-04-02T21:56:00.000-04:00

Heh. You may want to think again after reading this. It becomes a fairly long and complex read, actually.
I've read the article, so this particular link is safe. Peter Guttman's pretty smart, and this is really discomforting stuff; suddenly Windows XP seems like utopia.

Was blind, but now, I see

2007-02-18T21:52:00.000-05:00

Blindness to the gospel is an awful thing. I'm currently reading John Piper's "When I don't desire God, the fight for Joy" and encountered the reference of II Corinthians 4:3-6 and was reminded of the words from "Amazing Grace."

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
(2 Corinthians 4:3-6 ESV)

Heh. See, God rocks!

Go and sin no err .. some more

2007-02-18T21:16:00.000-05:00

Timmy Brister wrote about Anna Nicole Smith's life and death, from a gospel-oriented point of view.

Here's the full article:

“Go and sin no some more.”

Those were the words that continued to ring through my head as I listened over and over again to all the news reports on the life and death of Anna Nicole Smith.
It was in 1983 when she quit high school at the age of 16 to work as a waitress and a cook. Shortly thereafter she married Billy Wayne Smith, another fry cook, and together they had a son, Daniel Smith VIII. The marriage lasted less than a year, and Anna Nicole, then known as Vickie Lynn Hogan, moved back to Houston to work at Wal-Mart, a restaurant, and a topless strip club as a dancer. It was there at a strip club in 1992 where she would meet her second husband, billionaire oil-tycoon, J. Howard Marshall II. In less than 10 years, she when from a high school drop-out and hometown waitress to the verge of marrying into billions (even though he was old enough to be her grandfather).

But the prospect of billions was not enough. A year later she made it on the cover of Playboy magazine, and Hugh Hefner made the public statement that Anna Nicole would be the next Marilyn Monroe. It is reported that throughout her life, indeed, she considered it her ambition to be just like Monroe, and tragically, her short-lived life ended in a very similar fashion.

The last chapter of her life began with a reality show (”The Anna Nicole Smith Show”) where cameras followed her life story. In between reality shows and bankruptcy, Anna Nicole’s life was constantly in the courts, trying to get the millions from the Marshall family after the death of her husband. And just last year, with the birth of a baby girl, her son overdoses and dies there in her hospital room. Mourning after the death of her son who apparently was the love of her life, she became more and more depressed and found new court battles to face, in particular over who was the father of her newborn baby. And just five days ago, Anna Nicole collapses and dies in her hotel room at the age of 39.

This is a brief summary of a woman who, for 39 years, heard the words “Go and sin some more.” She had everything this world could possibly offer: beauty, riches, sex, fame, etc. Coming from a small town in Texas a high school drop-out, this looks like the American dream. After all, what was it that America could offer that she did not receive?

Yet over the past week, I heard testimony after testimony from her friends, family, and associates about how lonely, depressed, and empty Anna Nicole was her entire life. One of her closest companions shared that Anna Nicole felt no one loved her and that no man cared enough to pursue her, so much that her last husband, her lawyer, came by default since he was her closest friend. This woman, having walked the red carpet, lived in mansions, and posed before thousands of cameras couldn’t look at herself in the face and accept who she was.

I hearkened back to Scripture and more specifically to the life of Jesus Christ to think about a couple of Anna Nicole’s in Jesus’ day. I recall a woman of Samaria who had many men in her life (John 4:1-42), a woman of the city who was characteristically known as “a sinner” (Luke 7:36-50), and a woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). Like the Samaritan woman, Anna Nicole had experienced many men in her life. Like the woman of the city, she prostituted herself for riches. Like the woman caught in adultery, she knew what it was like to be in a courtroom, being judged by others. Jesus was no stranger to the Anna Nicole’s of his day.

But Anna Nicole was a stranger to Jesus Christ. She had not met the man who “told me all that I ever did” (John 4:29). She did not hear the question, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” (Luke 7:49). She did not hear the words “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11). No, she heard the opposite from the world around her. At every point in her life, whether as a stripper, a Playboy Playmate, an unfaithful wife, or wrapped up in drugs, sex, and fame, she heard the words, “Go and sin some more.” And ultimately, such wages of sin lead to her death (Rom. 6:23).

Everything that she wanted she had, and everything that she had led to her death. Such is the story of a life wasted by the world, ruined by its supposed benefits, duped by its fleeting promises. What did Anna Nicole need?

She needed the gospel.
She needed forgiveness of sins.
She needed a man who could tell her all that she ever did.
She needed to hear the words, “Go and sin NO more.”
She needed Jesus.

The money, the sex, the riches and the fame, were all broken cisterns which could hold no water (Jer. 2:13), leaving a thirsty soul parched, barren, and empty. She drank of the water which made her thirsty again and again, but she never drank of the water that would be a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14). She knew many men in life, but she didn’t know the Son of Man who died so that we might live. Until her dying day, Anna Nicole fought up to the U.S. Supreme Court for $474 million only to find that riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death (Prov. 11:4). Having succumbed to death, an even higher court she must face as she stands before the Judge of the earth on that day of wrath where the wealth of the world cannot vouch for a bankrupt soul.

Turning to myself, I have to ask, “Who are the Anna Nicole’s in my life?” No, I am not talking about strippers or playmates or Hollywood superstars with millions to spare. I am talking about those who, like Anna Nicole, have never come to treasure Jesus Christ as the all-satisfying Savior and Lord of their life. Have I so presented Jesus to them that they would be lead to reply, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water” (John 4:15)? Or have I become a modern-day Pharisee who would tell Jesus, “If you were a prophet, you would have known what sort of woman this is who is touching you” (Luke 7:39)? Do I find my hands filled with stones or does my life reflect that I am a debtor to sovereign mercy?

The fact is that I am not better than Anna Nicole or the men who she stripped for, save the grace of God. What I most desperately needed was forgiveness of sin, for I am all the more a worm, wretched and blind, rotten and wicked. Yet, having become a debtor to mercy and a child of God, it is my privilege to go to the Anna Nicole’s with the love of Christ and say, “Go and sin no more.” It is my lifelong calling to call sinners to repentance who long to be like the Marilyn Monroe’s to long to be like Christ. It is my earnest prayer that, whether in life or in death, Jesus Christ would be on display, that words would be spoken of Him and His great salvation, and that all would be gain because I have treasured Him.

I tremble to think that my world might hear the words, “Go and sin some more” with the way I live my life. I shutter to think that the Anna Nicole’s in my world would find a Pharisee in me, questioning the worth of their alabaster box rather than kissing the feet of my Savior. May God spare me the horror of such disgrace and use these recent events in the death of Anna Nicole Smith to awaken me to the tragedy of a wasted life and the glories of treasuring the excellencies of Jesus Christ.

It may be that you may be reading this, and you can relate to Anna Nicole. You have tasted the bitter water of this world and find that it does not satisfy. You have bought into the bad deal of goods this world has to offer, only to find yourself restless all the more. To those weary, restless, and thirsty, come to Jesus and be satisfied in Him alone. Turn from your wretched ways and trust in Jesus to save you, and His promise is true and faithful, that He will accept you no matter where you are or what you have done. The only hope of God being satisfied with us is in the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the death he died was once and for all for sinners like you and me, so that we might be accepted in heaven because of His sacrifice and taking our place on the cross. The message the world tells you is to go and sin some more. Yet such sinful living has an eternal price tag to pay, and that is everlasting separation and punishment in hell. Jesus tells you to go and sin no more because He came that we might be forgiven of our sin through His victory over it on the cross. Flee to Him today, and treasure Him for a lifetime, yea for eternity.

Your thoughts?

(Re)united, cuz it feels so good?

2007-02-18T20:30:00.000-05:00

Read this development online today, and so far I just can only hang my head in wonderment. How hard can it be to unite under the banner of Scripture? Obviously, very hard indeed.

Article follows:

Churches back plan to unite under Pope

Radical proposals to reunite Anglicans with the Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope are to be published this year, The Times has learnt.

The proposals have been agreed by senior bishops of both churches.

In a 42-page statement prepared by an international commission of both churches, Anglicans and Roman Catholics are urged to explore how they might reunite under the Pope.

The statement, leaked to The Times, is being considered by the Vatican, where Catholic bishops are preparing a formal response.

It comes as the archbishops who lead the 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion meet in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in an attempt to avoid schism over gay ordination and other liberal doctrines that have taken hold in parts of the Western Church.

The 36 primates at the gathering will be aware that the Pope, while still a cardinal, sent a message of support to the orthodox wing of the Episcopal Church of the US as it struggled to cope with the fallout after the ordination of the gay bishop Gene Robinson.

Were this week’s discussions to lead to a split between liberals and conservatives, many of the former objections in Rome to a reunion with Anglican conservatives would disappear. Many of those Anglicans who object most strongly to gay ordination also oppose the ordination of women priests.

Rome has already shown itself willing to be flexible on the subject of celibacywhen it received dozens of married priests from the Church of England into the Catholic priesthood after they left over the issue of women’s ordination.

There are about 78 million Anglicans, compared with a billion Roman Catholics, worldwide. In England and Wales, the Catholic Church is set to overtake Anglicanism as the predominant Christian denomination for the first time since the Reformation, thanks to immigration from Catholic countries.

As the Anglicans’ squabbles over the fundamentals of Christian doctrine continue — with seven of the conservative primates twice refusing to share Communion with the other Anglican leaders at their meeting in Tanzania — the Church’s credibility is being increasingly undermined in a world that is looking for strong witness from its international religious leaders.

The Anglicans will attempt to resolve their differences today by publishing a new Anglican Covenant, an attempt to provide a doctrinal statement under which they can unite.

But many fear that the divisions have gone too far to be bridged and that, if they cannot even share Communion with each other, there is little hope that they will agree on a statement of common doctrine.

The latest Anglican-Catholic report could hardly come at a more sensitive time. It has been drawn up by the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, which is chaired by the Right Rev David Beetge, an Anglican bishop from South Africa, and the Most Rev John Bathersby, the Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia.

The commission was set up in 2000 by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton, and Cardinal Edward Cassidy, then head of the Vatican’s Council for Christian Unity. Its aim was to find a way of moving towards unity through “common life and mission”.

The document leaked to The Times is the commission’s first statement, Growing Together in Unity and Mission. The report acknowledges the “imperfect communion” between the two churches but says that there is enough common ground to make its “call for action” about the Pope and other issues.

In one significant passage the report notes: “The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the ministry of the Bishop of Rome [the Pope] as universal primate is in accordance with Christ’s will for the Church and an essential element of maintaining it in unity and truth.” Anglicans rejected the Bishop of Rome as universal primate in the 16th century. Today, however, some Anglicans are beginning to see the potential value of a ministry of universal primacy, which would be exercised by the Bishop of Rome, as a sign and focus of unity within a reunited Church.

In another paragraph the report goes even further: “We urge Anglicans and Roman Catholics to explore together how the ministry of the Bishop of Rome might be offered and received in order to assist our Communions to grow towards full, ecclesial communion.”

Other recommendations include inviting lay and ordained members of both denominations to attend each other’s synodical and collegial gatherings and conferences. Anglican bishops could be invited to accompany Catholic ones on visits to Rome.

The report adds that special “protocols” should also be drawn up to handle the movement of clergy from one Church to the other. Other proposals include common teaching resources for children in Sunday schools and attendance at each other’s services, pilgrimages and processions.

Anglicans are also urged to begin praying for the Pope during the intercessionary prayers in church services, and Catholics are asked also to pray publicly for the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In today’s Anglican Church, it is unlikely that a majority of parishioners would wish to heal the centuries-old rift and return to Rome.

However, the stance of the Archbishop of Canterbury over the present dispute dividing his Church gives an indication of how priorities could be changing in light of the gospel imperative towards church unity.

Dr Rowan Williams, who as Primate of the Church of England is its “focus for unity”, has in the past supported a liberal interpretation of Scripture on the gay issue. But he has made it clear that church unity must come before provincial autonomy. A logical extension of that, once this crisis is overcome either by agreement or schism, would be to seek reunion with the Church of England's own mother Church.

What do you think of this development?

The best defense is, well, a good defense

2007-01-31T22:04:00.001-05:00

Ok, i'll admit it -- i love the word of God. all of it -- even the parts that overwhelm my senses and understanding... which means that i chose to believe the implicit truth of even the parts that overwhelm me. let's face it, God's smarter than i am. This comes to mind:

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:11-18 ESV)

Used to be, i'd read some parts of scripture and be like Thomas Jefferson, picking and choosing. But after being saved, one day the thought occurred: if Jesus were alive and walking the earth and preaching, teaching and healing, and if when he read from the old testament scrolls, which would have been in the form of the Septuagint, he did not say to the priests and teachers "Hey, this stuff here is wrong, and here, and here! Let me correct it for you!" then it must be all good.

But the Septuagint, like the Geneva, King James, et al., is a translation. And as with almost any translation of any amount of source material, the end may not well represent the beginning; or, it just might.

And because accuracy of scripture is so important, I choose the ESV or English Standard Version of the Bible.

And the good folks at Mars Hill have posited an excellent defense of, and declaration for, using the ESV.

John Piper has many good reasons to use the ESV, too.

Take up and read!

Politics and Strange Bedfellows

2007-01-30T18:06:00.000-05:00

Over at Get Religion, dpulliam has written an illuminating article about Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

So besides the obvious parallels between him and Bill Clinton, what else do they have in common?

They're both Baptists.

But after reading this article's analysis of Huckabee's interview with Tim Russert, it would seem that there is more diversity to celebrate between Huckabee and Clinton than there is homogeneity to mourn. And that's a good thing.

Check it out. Good stuff to consider.

Amazing . . .

2007-01-29T21:51:00.000-05:00

This is an amazing post, i first noticed it on Centurion's site (thank you) and it is worth saving the mp3 and hearing it in its entirety.

Really.

But here's a summation:

Why am I a Christian? I can give you lots of reasons why the Bible is word of God; I can give you lots of reasons why I believe Jesus rose from the dead; I can … I can argue all those things, but fundamentally, why am I a Christian? Because I believe fully by God’s grace, as a very young person, I recognized that if God is good, if God has all power, then if I break God’s rules, if I rebel against the one who made me, there are dire consequences to doing that. I was a very young child, so I – I couldn’t use real complex language to describe that, but I do remember to this very day, realizing that because I was who I was, I had done things in God’s sight that were wrong. And from the world’s perspective I was a good little boy, but I knew in my heart of hearts that I did things that I knew were wrong. And I knew if God was truly good that he would have to punish me. And I didn’t like that idea. And I thankfully had heard the Christian message, and talked to my parents, and I said, “I don’t want to be punished by God. What do I do?” And they explained to me that there is only one way of escaping the punishment of God. It was – Jesus took it in my place. Will you believe in him, follow him?

And as a child, I said, “yes, I will.”

Now, you need to understand one more thing. When you say, “why are you a Christian?” There is a very real sense in which the reason that about 4 decades have gone by in my walk with the Lord that I’m a Christian today. It actually has nothing to do with me. What I mean by that is, that faith which expressed itself as a very young child in fear of punishment from God and the desire to know who Jesus was and to know how he can save me, that faith has continued not because of anything special about me but because that faith comes from God. It’s by something we call grace.

Grace is God’s way of working with people who don’t deserve anything from him, in fact they deserve his wrath, but instead for reasons that glorify him and him alone, God is gracious to people who don’t deserve anything but God’s wrath. And so the reason that even that day my heart was opened to understand the danger of the situation that I was in as a sinner, and why to this day I continue to believe, it all goes back to that one word “grace”. God has sustained me; God has kept me as a Christian. He’s done what I could not do in and of myself.

And so, why am I a Christian? On the one hand you might say it’s because I have seen all of these things, and I’ve agreed that these things are true. And in another sense, the reason I’ve done all of those things is because God in his grace has been merciful to me.

And so I ask a question of you: if you are not a Christian, why are you not? You know that God is holy. You know that God is your creator. You know that he is there; you’ve always known that he is there. Every time that you have sinned, every time you have gone your own way, there has been the sense that you’re being watched. Even when you were alone, you felt that guilt. You know God is there. And you know that you’re not at peace with him. So why aren’t you a Christian? Have you found some other way that can actually give you true peace with God? Is there truly any foundation that you’ve found to believe that by doing something in some religion you can buy peace with God?

Isn’t it obvious that the only way that you could ever have peace with God is if God is the one who provides it? And that in a very special way?

You say, “what am I supposed to do?” Cry out for mercy. Cry out for mercy!

You say, “that’s all?” The person who cries out for mercy is the person who has already confessed, “I need mercy. I’m justly condemned. I need mercy.” I can tell you this: God has never ever ever rejected one who has come to him in the name of his son seeking mercy. And he will not reject you.

So one last question you might ask is, if you’ve told many people this, why aren’t everybody Christians? Because sometimes you can tell this to someone and they’ll honestly look you in the eye and say, “I don’t care. I love myself. I love my life. And I’m not going to give it up for anything.”

Which one are you? If you realize, if you sense, if you know, if you recognize, “yes, I have broken God’s law – I – I know what’s right and wrong, and I know, I know the only God who makes sense is a God who must punish sin.” Does that make you numb? Does it make you want to run away and have nothing to do with it? If in your heart of hearts you desire to cry out for mercy, remember he will always, always be found in mercy for those who cry in mercy.

Just a thought, but . . .

2007-01-22T23:18:00.000-05:00

Is it possible that grumbling at our circumstances can actually short-circuit God's will for us at that point in our lives, or cause Him to choose someone else (when He'd wanted us) to carry out His will? More on this later . . .

Not there yet

2007-01-20T01:46:00.000-05:00

Being new to blogging (but not new to reading others' blogs), the posts have been less substantive than I'd like.

That having been said, my goal for now is to be consistent at posting, even though the posting consistently done be inane or incomplete.

Tonight we discussed the parable of the prodigal son; an amazing piece, if you ask me. There is so much applicability that can be gleaned, even though the parable has only one point: restoration of relationship.

God on the Internet

2007-01-14T23:22:00.000-05:00

While browsing the web recently for religious coverage of cultural and news events, this article caught my attention.

It's a long read, enumerating the various websites available for those of many different religious beliefs; as such, it is an engaging piece.

By Jonathan Last from November 2005, a commentary on religion-oriented websites and activity on the internet. A good read, it seems. If you want an "executive summary, it is this (from the article):"Isn’t religion supposed to enrich the world around us instead? Shut off your computer. Take a deep breath. Go to church."

Indeed.

Even diligent students of the papacy may be unfamiliar with the pontificates of Michael and Pius XIII. Pope Michael, born David Bawden, was crowned on July 16, 1990. He has spent his papacy mostly at home, in Delia, Kansas, where he writes self-published books such as Imposter Popes and Idol Altars. Pope Pius XIII, born Earl Pulvermacher, was elevated on October 24, 1998, and currently takes Springdale, Washington, as his seat. Both popes appear in traditional papal vestments, both trace the origins of their particular schisms to the misdoings of John XXIII, and both—ah, yes—maintain websites from which they carry out their ministries.

On Pope Michael’s webpage, for instance, you can sign up for his email list, order his writings, and follow links to his sister site, Vatican in Exile. Pius XIII’s website is even more elaborate, boasting a lengthy biography of the pope, a catalogue of his encyclicals, and extensive works on the catechism and other aspects of Church life, dating back to when Earl Pulvermacher was a mere Capuchin priest.

In a simpler time, these two men might have been town eccentrics, doing no more than attracting the snickers of their neighbors. Today, thanks to the vast wiring of the world, their pages have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, by onlookers from around the globe.

One hundred and twenty-eight million Americans use the web, and it has been integrated, if only as a formality, into nearly every facet of modern life. Law firms, politicians, manufacturers, charities, elementary schools—one is hard-pressed to find an entity without a web appendage.

This is true even—or perhaps the word is, particularly—for religious life. According to a 2004 Pew survey, 64 percent of Internet-using Americans—82 million people—say they use the web for religious purposes. They are more likely to be female, white, middle aged, and college educated. Catholics and Jews tend to use the Internet slightly more heavily than Protestants. Half of these users report that they attend church at least once a week.

Some of the pious web-surfers keep up with religious news (32 percent), some look for places to worship (17 percent), some use the Internet to plan religious group meetings (14 percent), and some to donate to charity (7 percent). At the same time, the Pew study claims, “the Internet seems to be fostering the development of religious and spiritual practices that are . . . more personally expressive and individually oriented.” Thus 11 percent of religious Internet users are going online to download spiritual music, 35 percent are sending online greeting cards, and 38 percent—the largest cohort—are simply passing along “email with spiritual content.”

The virtual religious universe is wide-ranging. The largest site is Beliefnet.com, a commercial, one-stop-shopping portal which serves evangelicals, Catholics, Scientologists, Earth worshippers, and everyone in between. Founded in 1999, Beliefnet attracts more than 20 million page-views a month and sends out 9 million free email newsletters a day to subscribers. Only a handful of other sites, such as Catholic Online, Christianity Today, and Crosswalk can claim readerships even close.

Meanwhile, there are all the endlessly proliferating weblogs. The first blogs appeared in 1999. By 2004 there were estimated to be some 4 million of them. Today the number is closer to 8 million. John Mark Reynolds, a philosophy professor at Biola University who organized, this past October, the first religious blogger convention, GodblogCon, says that there are “literally millions” of religious bloggers, but that “if you’re talking about people who write for folk other than their immediate church family and their immediate community, there are a couple of thousand serious Godblogs.” It is a sign of the metastasizing of blogs that within a few months of the announcement of the convention, the GodblogCon website already had two blogs about the upcoming event.

Unlike the big corporate sites, Godblogs have smaller readerships, ranging anywhere from Fructus Ventris, a blog run by a midwife, which gets about 115 page-views a day, to Amy Welborn’s Open Book, which gets nearly twelve thousand. (In the world of Godblogs, more than two thousand page-views a day makes you a fairly heavy hitter.)

And then there are actual houses of worship. From Episcopal Grace Church in The Plains, Virginia, which serves 400 parishioners, to Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, an evangelical mega-church with 8,000 members, nearly every American church has its own webpage. Some are merely static placeholders with service times and driving directions; some are fully-interactive online communities where members can download audio files of sermons, order books, and even submit prayer requests.

On this score, Protestant churches are, in general, more advanced and ambitious than Catholic parishes. The notable exception is the Vatican’s enormous, trench-deep site. Constructed in six languages, the Holy See’s offering is the single most impressive religious undertaking on the web. Part tourist information booth, part Great Library, Vatican.va provides searchable access to important documents as well as information about nearly every aspect of the Church. When John Paul II first began failing last March, Vatican.va published his email address. He received over twenty-thousand well-wishing emails in a thirty-six-hour period.

This electronic outpouring of affection for the pope was fitting, since he had been something of an early proponent of the Internet. At the World Communications Day in 1990, John Paul II said the Church must use “the full potential of the ‘computer age’”—this, at a time when the Internet barely existed. Two years later the Pontifical Council for Social Relations issued Aetatis Novae on the twentieth anniversary of Communio et Progressio, and while the document didn’t mention the Internet specifically, it defined communication as an act of “giving of self in love.” Insisting the Church must “communicate its message in a manner suited to each age,” Aetatis Novae called emerging communication technologies “a marvelous expression of human genius” which would be “essential in evangelization and catechesis.”

The capstone of the Vatican’s endorsement of the Internet was John Paul II’s apostolic letter about the New Media in January 2005. “New technologies,” he wrote, “create further opportunities for communication understood as a service to the pastoral government and organization. . . . One clear example today is how the Internet not only provides resources for more information, but habituates persons to interactive communication.” The pope warned that without proper formation, the Internet ran “the risk of manipulating and heavily conditioning, rather than serving people,” yet he concluded, with his typically joyous faith, “Do not be afraid!”

Some websites bear out the Holy Father’s highest hopes. CatholicFind.com is a simple and elegant search engine for the teachings of the Church. Catholic-Hierarchy.org gives readers an almanac-style view of the Church’s structure. CardinalRating.com allows readers to research the views and writings of members of the College of Cardinals. Meanwhile, Catholic.org provides biographies of over seven thousand saints, together with explanations of the Sacraments, the Rosary, Lent, and other aspects of the faith. One of its sister sites, the Oremus Network, hosts a prayer circle that recruits people to commit to daily prayer.

While individual dioceses typically do little with their websites, certain religious orders hold grander visions. The Maryknoll Sisters, for instance, have an expansive web presence. After launching their page in 1997, the sisters performed a major upgrade in 2002, and about 55,000 visitors a month are attracted to their site, which Sister Helen Philips calls “a great instrument” for their work. Using the Internet, the sisters tell their missionary stories, fish for vocations, send out email newsletters, and even perform online fundraising.

And then there are the blogs. If sites like Catholic.org hold out the promise of becoming the new archives and compendiums, Godbloggers could, in the best of worlds, become the new apologists. Godbloggers hail from all walks of life, from professional writers such as Domenico Bettinelli, Eve Tushnet, and Dawn Eden to laymen with day jobs: Emily Peterson and Annie Banno, for instance, at the blog After Abortion, or Marc, a UNIX administrator, who runs the blog Thickness.

Many in consecrated life run blogs, too. There is a fairly large ring of seminarian blogs, such as Christopher Decker’s Road to Emmaus, Dennis at Vita Mea, and Jeff Geerling’s Matthew 12:37.

Priests have gotten in on blogging, too. Father Bryce Sibley’s influential (although now dormant) blog, A Saintly Salmagundi, grew out of a bulletin board he kept as a seminarian in Rome in 1997. Sibley would clip articles from the Catholic Reporter or Modern Liturgy and tack them to his board, inviting comment from passers by. It became so popular among his fellow seminarians that once he became a priest stationed in Parks, Louisiana, he decided to start his blog as a virtual version of the bulletin board. “It began as a tool for laughing at things and goofing around,” he says, “which it still is, but it became a very powerful evangelical tool.”

Sibley recognizes potential pitfalls, particularly the “vapid spirituality of the web.” And he notes that in cyberspace, “Everyone can be their own magisterium”—a point the existence of Popes Michael and Pius XIII would seem to demonstrate. Even so, Sibley believes, the good outweighs the bad. “There’s so much nuttiness—maybe in their own parish,” he explains. “Or maybe there’s a lack of guidance. And so people can come to the Internet and they can come to blogs to find out the truth about what’s going on. And they can find answers to their faith.” As an instance, Sibley points to recent emails from a woman who converted to Catholicism and two men who have been inspired to the priesthood: All three said that the blog world played some part in their decision.

The growth of priest blogs has been slow but steady. In 2002, when Sibley started blogging, there were only five or six. Today the number is closer to fifty. Most of them are small, personal affairs. Started in August of 2004, Diary of a Suburban Priest is run by “Father Ethan” and gets about two hundred page-views a day. And then there’s Father Robert Johansen’s Thrown Back. A parish priest in St. Joseph, Michigan, Johansen was ordained in August 2001 and began blogging less than a year later. Like Sibley, Johansen sees the blog as “a good way to get the teachings of the Church out there.” “I have found it to be a real extension of my priestly ministry,” he explains. “Blogging is something that’s been fed by my priestly ministry,” Johansen says. “I blog frequently about things I encounter in my priestly ministry and it actually works vice versa as well. My blogging, and what I come to understand or learn from that, comes out in my preaching and my interaction with parishioners.”

Each of these bloggers commands a tiny audience, between a few dozen and a few thousand visitors a day. But taken together the bloggers wield disproportionate power in the virtual world, through what Hugh Hewitt, author of the book Blog, calls a “blog swarm.” Take, for example, the death of Terri Schiavo. Father Johansen was a long-time follower of the case, and he blogged about it often. On the strength of his blogging, he wrote a lengthy piece for National Review Online that chronicled the issue. Amy Welborn and others blogged about Johansen’s article. Eventually, his writing became part of the reportorial foundation for the movement which emerged to oppose Schiavo’s execution and had more impact than any of the statements issued by American bishops or cardinals.

All these blogs share two distinguishing characteristics: They’re Catholic, and they’re conservative. As the GodblogCon organizer John Mark Reynolds explains, “Most Godblogs in the United States are going to end up being Roman Catholic because most people who are Christian in the United States, in the Nicene Christian sense, are Roman Catholic. . . . And taken as a whole in our culture, it has been harder for traditional theists to get a microphone than for secularists—at least in print. So blogging has been, by and large, better for the right religiously than for the left.” Or, as Father Sibley puts it, “Orthodox blogs get more readership just as Rush Limbaugh gets more listeners than Air America does.”

But the left has its own web presence. Father Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation makes good use of the Internet at CAC Radical Grace, with online bookstores, an electronic version of the center’s Meditation Garden, and even a section of Rohr’s thoughts that functions like a blog. Mel White’s SoulForce, a group dedicated to stopping “spiritual violence” against homosexuals, also has a sophisticated website, as do the Paulists with Busted Halo.

Busted Halo calls itself a site for “seekers,” meaning those interested in finding a spiritual home. But more often than not it is simply a clearinghouse for leftist discontent. After Ronald Reagan died, the site’s director emeritus, Father Brett Hoover, wrote,

I couldn’t help it. “Good riddance,” I mumbled, as the news came through that Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th President of the United States, had died on Saturday, June 5, 2004.
In these days following his passing, it has seemed like nearly every other American was praising his achievements—the president-savior who gave us “morning in America,” the tough guy who felled the Berlin Wall, the grandfatherly “Great Communicator” who reassured us.

I scowl, feeling like the man in Bermuda shorts at the winter formal. By my accounting, President Reagan bequeathed our world one nightmare after another. How does someone like me honestly mourn his passing?

About the election of Benedict XVI, Busted Halo’s managing editor, Mike Hayes, wrote: “As the Papal conclave closed, fear crept into my heart. ‘Anybody but Ratzinger,’ I prayed. Moments before the announcement of who was to succeed Pope John Paul II, I even said to myself, ‘If it’s Ratzinger, I’m becoming an Episcopalian.’” Unlike the websites of Popes Michael and Pius XIII, Busted Halo carries the official seal of an actual Church-sanctioned society, which might leave some seekers confused. Blogger Amy Welborn says the Internet gives seekers the opportunity to “quietly observe the church or the faith; it’s like sneaking into the back pew of a church.” The problem is that in the virtual church of the web, the hymnal one finds in the back pew may be quite different from the hymnal in the front pew.

There are other troubling features of the web. It lends itself easily to politicization—as Father Hoover demonstrated with his “Good Riddance to Reagan” essay. Your Catholic Voice is a political action group devoted to “shaping” the government, “from the County Courthouse to the halls of Congress.” The website Priests for Life is similarly engaged in the nuts-and-bolts of political action. And occasionally serious people like Father Sibley are also sucked down by the allure of the Internet’s political reductionism. On March 4, 2005 he blogged: “This morning I went to visit the fourth grade class at the local Catholic Grade School to allow them to ask me questions. During our little session one child asked me, ‘Father, why can’t kids at public schools pray in class?’ I realized that this was a perfect moment for evangelization, so I walked to the chalkboard and told the kids that I would answer the question and teach them a new word. So I wrote in capital letters on the chalkboard: L-I-B-E-R-A-L-S.”

Another reason for the tyranny of the banal is the web’s general disposition toward consumerism. The Internet is filled with stores and businesses designed to siphon money from the faithful. There’s CatholicStore.com and the Discount Catholic Store and Catholic Supply (your source for GiggleWings® guardian angel dolls). Protestants have an array of shopping options, too. From Biblical Expressions to ShoppersForJesus.com , every conceivable bit of religious schmaltz is available online for immediate shipping. At Biblical-Gifts.com you can find a 24-carat-gold cross with a vial of water from the Jordan River. At Abbey Trade you can get “Blessings in a Bottle”—small inspirational messages stored in decorative bottles. At the Heavenly Hut you can buy Christian nightlights. Kerusso.com (company motto: “Innovation That Inspires”) offers Jesus poker chips—because “Jesus went all in for you!”

A more personal strain of consumerism leads people such as Stephen Ray to hawk their wares on the web. Ray, the author of several religious books, runs a website called Defenders of the Catholic Faith. On it he features a photo album of his family and his travels, conversion testimonials from readers, and even his own blog. But the primary mission of Defenders of the Catholic Faith is to move product. Books, audio tapes, videos, DVDs—it’s all there, mingled with explanations of “Why I’m Catholic” and lessons about St. Mark. There’s also a press kit describing Ray, showing his upcoming speaking schedule, and telling you how to book him at your event for a mere $600, plus expenses. (That’s for local talks; overnight events are $1,800, plus expenses and, as his site explains, “Steve rarely travels without his wife Janet.”)

Dating services are trying to cash in on religion, too, whether it’s Catholic Singles, JDate (“the largest Jewish singles network”), dharmaMatch (“where spiritual singles meet”), or Spirit Personals, a site with every possible permutation, from Christian, to Jewish, to lesbian matches: “SpiritGayandLesbianSingles promotes personal and spiritual growth, while encouraging a healthy lifestyle. Whether you’re interested in a sexy, traditional relationship or fun alternative online dating, we have what you need. Join now to enjoy your free membership!”

If you meet the partner of your dreams online, get married, and find things rocky, the web can help there, too. ExceptionalMarriages.com offers counseling and aid in the form of quizzes designed to test the health of your marriage, an advice blog, tele-counseling services, and a store with enough books, videos, and trinkets to fix any relationship, traditional or alternative. Think of it as the virtual mall for spirituality: Shopping, entertainment, and socializing—everything the faithful soul needs for earthly comfort, all marketed with the shiny gloss of religious morality.

Nowhere is the shape of modern religion better displayed than at Beliefnet, the ur-religious destination on the Internet. Beliefnet was launched in 1999 by Steve Waldman, a former national editor of U.S. News & World Report, and carried the mission statement promising to “Help People Meet Their Spiritual Needs.” To that end, Waldman originally designed Beliefnet to be a giant ecumenical web magazine, treating all faiths with the same degree of solicitousness. (During its webzine phase, I was a frequent contributor.) As the dot.com bubble burst, Beliefnet found itself in financial trouble. Casting about for additional revenue streams, the editors began designing and hosting church websites, but quickly found that market unfruitful. They then began offering email newsletters, into which advertising could be inserted—and that proved an enormous success. Today 4.5 million people are signed up and Beliefnet sends out some 9 million newsletters daily. The newsletters, Waldman says, offer “stuff for the head, stuff for the heart, and stuff for the soul.”

There are nineteen categories of Beliefnet newsletters, the most heavily subscribed of which is the Daily Inspiration, which carry messages such as “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people (Victor Borge).” Other heavily-subscribed to newsletter categories include the Angel of the Day (“Let your spirit burst forth like the sun’s rays and bask in the glow of your angel’s benevolence”), Daily Religious Jokes, and Astrology. The taste of the market may be illustrated by the fact that 2.4 million people are signed up for the Daily Inspiration, while 1.5 million are signed up for the Daily Bible Reading; 850,000 are signed up for the Angel of the Day, while 369,000 are signed up for the Daily Prayer.

But perhaps the hopes and needs of Beliefnet readers are captured most clearly by the advertisers pursuing them. Sign up for the newsletters and you’ll get a raft of advertisements, both embedded into the email and sent under a separate cover from “Beliefnet Partners.” Andrew Weill, the bald, bearded vitamin guru, is a Beliefnet partner, as is the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. DebtSX sends Beliefnet subscribers emails offering those struggling with debt a way to “get help now.” Soulmatch, another religious dating service (which is owned and operated by Beliefnet) also touts itself to subscribers, asking “Does God want you to be happy?” Dr. Susan Larson hawks her nutrition program explaining “Why diets don’t work for women over 40.”

This last topic is such a hit that Beliefnet recently launched a “Spiritual Weightloss” newsletter, which echoes the call of Joan Cavanaugh and Pat Forseth’s 1976 book, More of Jesus, Less of Me. But even here, Beliefnet takes a more ecumenical angle: One recent Spiritual Weightloss newsletter used George Bernard Shaw as inspiration, saying “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

The newsletters are designed to pull people onto the Beliefnet website where they can read stories about Wiccan Love Potions or participate in Virtual Conclaves or take quizzes about “the spiritual side of sleep.” There is even, for those just stepping up to the table, the Belief-O-Matic^TM—a battery of questions designed to help you determine whether your natural preferences make Liberal Quakerism, Unitarian Universalism, Neo-Paganism—or something else altogether—fit you best. My own turn at the Belief-O-Matic^TM revealed there was a 100 percent fit between myself and “Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants” and a 96 percent fit with the Baha’i faith.

Beliefnet also offers its own blogs, as well as a blog of blogs, called BlogHeaven, “where faith blogs go if they’re good.” And there’s loads of interactivity, from message boards to chat rooms to comment bars. “The user can customize their experience so much that it can be kind of a vertical experience or a horizontal experience,” Waldman explains, “depending on who you are at that moment.”

Waldman takes an ad-executive’s approach toward religion. “The Internet certainly makes it a wide-open marketplace, but the existing brands will have an advantage,” he says.

There’s been this move toward the creation of a religious marketplace. The Internet accelerates that. You can’t count on the propagation of your faith just from the fact that your parents were of a certain faith and they’re going to pass it down to their kids, because people are just exposed to too many other ideas and faiths now, so the faiths—the religions—have to understand that they’re competing. . . . People now view themselves a little bit as spiritual consumers, and they’re getting stuff from all over the place—books, music, TV shows, movies—and I’m not saying if it’s good or bad, that’s just the world we’re in now. And the Internet is a key player in accelerating that and probably accentuating both the positive and negative aspects of that trend: The negative being the kind of dilettante-ish surfing for designer religions. . . . But on the other hand a lot of people, through the Internet, have found a serious faith connection that’s really brought them closer to God and improved their lives.

For its part, Beliefnet continues to roll along, gobbling up new email subscribers at a rate of nearly fifteen thousand a day. The site has a four-book package with Doubleday, the first two books, on Evangelical Christianity and Kabbalah, due this Spring. They also have deals with wireless phone companies—“so you can get prayer on your cell phone”—and offer a large set of “religious ring-tones,” from the Christian pop sounds of Amy Grant to the theme song from The Dukes of Hazzard, at $1.99 a shot. Beliefnet is, quite successfully, helping people meet what they perceive as their spiritual needs.

Which should worry us all—for perceived needs aren’t always the same thing as genuine needs, and answers to bad questions can turn into very, very bad answers. Something is happening at the intersection of religion and the Internet that is like the old denominalization of American sects raised to a new and frightening power. On the Internet, those dissatisfied with what they find in their religious brick-and-mortar communities can simply retreat into a virtual world in which they are surrounded entirely by like-minded people.

Dissatisfied with Cardinal McCarrick’s wishy-washiness on pro-abortion Catholic politicians? Blogger Domenico Bettinelli sounds off about it so you can take comfort at his site. Unhappy with the liberal rector of your own parish? Find a conservative priest online to whom you can turn. It’s happening all the time. As Father Johansen tells it, “I get pretty regular emails from people asking me for advice on this issue or that, frequently because they feel that they can’t rely on the priests in their own area, unfortunately, so they read my blog and they decide, ‘Well, Fr. Rob is somebody I think I can rely on and I’ll ask what he thinks.’”

“The world is breaking up,” the mad poet Robert Bly once intoned, “into small communities of the saved.” These communities have resulted in the rise of what is known on the web as “Saint Blog’s Parish,” a ring of 758 websites where compatible Catholic bloggers can join forces to establish their own small group. Nearly every blogger links to similar bloggers, who link on to other bloggers, who all link back to the first site, until the circle closes and something emerges that does, in fact, look like a community. And yet, it is a community based on like-mindedness and tied together by remote interaction—which makes for a very strange community, indeed.

Another concern is how the Internet is demystifying religion. One of Joseph de Maistre’s pet theories was that the authority of the Church depended in large part on mystery. Blogger Mickey Kaus recently wondered if the notion of mysterious silence on the part of religious institutions has become outmoded: “If you were a respected authority you used to be able to get away with maintaining a meaningful silence. Now you’ve got to be blogging in your own ‘unique voice’ about every little thing that comes up, or else some ambitious lesser authority who posts more frequently will steal your flock.”

Beliefnet’s founder Steve Waldman speaks reverently of this new transparency. “We’re now in a world where the majority of people live in democratic countries,” he says. “People haven’t grappled fully with what the implications of that are for religion. . . . People in the suburbs go to their PTA meetings and ask their principal for the budget, and they get it. . . . They ask for information about their health plan, and they get it. Transparency is all around them, and so it would just seem natural to demand that of your church. The more democracy is everywhere, the more people may, for better or for worse, attempt to demand things of religious leaders. The Internet is part of that story.”

Of course, it’s one thing to want to know your church’s budget, and quite another thing to want to know why Mass is taking so long. Last March the priest-blogger Father Ethan ran a post asking, “A good priest friend of mine . . . wants to know about Mass lengths. He says, ‘All things being equal, (as much as is possible to imagine) at what point do people feel short-changed, and at what point do they feel Father needs to move things along.’”

Whether or not authority suffers from the disappearance of mystery, certainly the power of ritual is diminished by having every conversation in the sacristy broadcast for public consumption.

The next stop may be the digitizing of religious practice. Online confessions have been around at least since 1997, and although the Catholic Church has rejected the practice, that hasn’t closed down all the virtual confessionals. At Absolution-Online.com, for instance, you can enter the virtual booth, select your sins from five general classes of misdoing, and then proceed to the automated confessor, which doles out punishments normally consisting of some combination of fasting, Our Fathers, and Hail Marys. Although there is a disclaimer saying that the e-confessional isn’t sanctioned by the Catholic Church, most of its language is taken from the sacramental texts. Absolution-Online.com is also one of several sites that offers a virtual rosary. The website Universalis does an online version of the Liturgy of the Hours. Elsewhere there are cyber Seders and even Internet muftis.

Beliefnet’s Waldman thinks that this distancing of the self from the religious act can be helpful. “The anonymity of the Internet is what makes it work so well for religion,” he says. “It’s the flip side of why porn spreads. The same phenomenon that has led to pornography spreading, a variant of that has made religion one of the most popular topics online. It’s that you can explore religious matters in the privacy of your own home; ask questions you might be embarrassed to ask; have conversations with people with some anonymity; and do it anytime day or night.” This “anonymity combined with intimacy,” Waldman says, makes people “more inclined to open up,” since they aren’t revealing themselves totally.

To which one wants to say: Doesn’t that metaphor give you pause? Is a technique that has made pornography into the Internet’s number-one business really a good idea for religion, the Internet’s number-two business?

The failure of anonymous online pornography to be real sex is also the failure of anonymous online churching to be real religion: In both sex and religion, incarnation—the physical body—turns out to matter a great deal.

Back in February 2002, Archbishop John Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, released two documents: The Church and the Internet and Ethics in Internet. “The Church and the Internet” is a perceptive survey of the promises and dangers of the medium. Foley recognized that there are “benefits more or less peculiar to the Internet” in terms of geographical and temporal access to information and warned that “hanging back timidly from fear of technology or for some other reason is not acceptable” to the Church. And yet, he observed, “already, the two-way interactivity of the Internet is blurring the old distinction between those who communicate and those who receive what is communicated.” He also warned that aside from the obvious evils of luring users to pornography and drawing them into fetid hatreds, the Internet also carries the danger of fostering “consumerism” and “pathological isolation.”

“Ethics in Internet” explored these concerns more fully: “It takes no great stretch of the imagination to envisage the earth as an interconnected globe humming with electronic transmissions—a chattering planet nestled in the provident silence of space.” The web “lends itself equally well to active participation and to passive absorption. . . . It can be used to break down the isolation of individuals and groups or to deepen it.”

Later in the document, Foley moaned, in the approved Al Gore style of those days, about “digital divide,” “cultural imperialism,” and “transnational corporations.” But he did understand something about the dangers of weakened incarnation. “Virtual reality is no substitute for the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the sacramental reality of the other sacraments, and shared worship in a flesh-and-blood community,” he wrote. “There are no sacraments on the Internet; and even the religious experiences possible there by the grace of God are insufficient apart from real-world interaction with other persons of faith.”

Father Johansen adds that “Where we encounter mystery primarily is in the liturgy, in prayer. . . . The Internet can’t replace those things.” To their credit, many of the Godbloggers understand this, too. That’s why they convened in California last October to see, touch, and talk to one another at the Godblog convention. As Professor Reynolds explains: “Kneeling, on a kneeler made of oak, in front of a priest with trembling hands handing you the very Body and Blood of Christ which you taste and touch and smell is different than mouse-clicking your way through reality. . . . Is [the Internet] real fellowship? No, I don’t think so. I view it more as co-laboring.”

A tool for co-laboring. That’s the most we might hope for. And in the days of Pope Pius XIII and ceaseless politicking and Spiritual Weightloss, even that much seems a pipe dream. The great blessing of the Internet is that it lets people find each other. Of course, this is the great curse of the Internet as well—for not only can model-train collectors share their joint enthusiasm, but so can anti-Semites, child molesters, and gang members. But even at its best, the Internet is a weakening of reality, and with its consumer satisfactions, politicizing impulses, and substitutions for the body, it constantly lures us up into thinner and thinner air. Isn’t religion supposed to enrich the world around us instead? Shut off your computer. Take a deep breath. Go to church.

What if you stop and think?

2007-01-14T21:21:00.000-05:00

The other day I was reading posts at coffeeswirls and discovered that a pastor in California decided to make a "video tract" designed to reach out to those who don't yet know Christ. The video is about 15 minutes long, quite engaging, and has garnered both praise and criticism.

It has been fascinating to read the two "takes" on this video and I'm still sorting through the video and the response it has generated.

What are your thoughts on it?

Thoughts on Christianity

2007-01-01T15:35:00.000-05:00

At the end of 2005 I had started to post messages about Christianity on an old Blogger site which has been dormant awhile. Am reposting some of them now.

The original post is a response I had to an article on commondreams.org titled "Wasn't Jesus a liberal?"

Last month I had the opportunity to dialogue with a person who had
published an article titled "Wasn't Jesus A Liberal?" on the website commondreams.org in 2004.

I now am posting here my letter to the person, with some applicable
edits. I encourage your comments and feedback, and thanks for taking the time to read it.

I have some thoughts and wonder if we might be able to commence an
honest, open and respectful dialogue on some of the issues you raise, because reasoning together to learn more of the things of God is a Good Thing, in my opinion, and has the potential to glorify God in the process (yes, I am a Christian).It is unfortunate that people of both “conservative” and “liberal” political persuasions have so vociferously claimed to one degree or another a sense of legitimacy and mission based on what they say Jesus would do in this or that sociopolitical situation, and it begs the question of what did Jesus do, and what are we to learn from Him.I hope to start thought-provoking lines of inquiry that will hopefully spur substantive discussion on current events in light of Christian theology and a Christian worldviewLiberalism, as defined in Webster’s dictionary (New International, I believe), is not necessarily something that should cause feelings of threat or harm to people who want to see a society better off from the input and support of Christian men and women. However, liberalism as expressed by and large in today’s society, is a rabid, emotion-based (almost anti-intellectual) atheistic movement that is not going to bless those it
touches, in my opinion.Christians supported and helped advanced
of the labor movement in the early 20th century, and every time true Christian love, justice, charity and ethos have come into play, changed lives, and for the better, have resulted.But let us agree on at least this: the people who encouraged injustice to labor and the environment and wome

Here we go . . .

2007-01-01T12:53:00.000-05:00

The goal behind the title of this blog, "Live As If," is to explore the radical possibility that if what Jesus said and taught in the Gospels (and elsewhere in Scripture) is true, then it becomes my responsibility to find out as much as possible about whether what he said is true, and then to make a choice about what to do with that knowledge. I welcome your thoughts on this topic of discussion.