Glory

     My wife has a saying that she says anytime she sees someone naked running through the house. She says they are "in all their glory."  Now I must clarify that naked people running through our house doesn't happen often and now that the kids are older it hasn't happened recently.  Of course the typical situation where this would occur would be a child escaping a diaper changing or an unwanted bath.  You know, NORMAL situations that occur in a NORMAL family.  It's all very NORMAL. Just sayin'.

     But the point I wanted to make is not about streakers but more about this idea of a person being "in all their glory" when they are unclothed.  As I thought about the oddity of that statement, it struck me that it might be closer to the truth than we would care to think.

     It is interesting to me that Mankind was created by God "in our image" and that it wasn't until after the Fall Mankind was clothed in any way.  There is much in the Bible about the Glory of God and it seems to be a much more tangible thing than how we typically view glory in our world.  What if we also had Glory when we were created and that Glory was so diminished by our sin that  it had to be hid, and we have been hiding it ever since?  We dress ourselves up, we style our hair, we "make up" our faces, and we spend billions modifying our bodies and those of us who are good enough at it often become "glorified" at some level.

Imagine; being glorified for covering up our Glory.

     To wrap it all up, I also found it interesting that in Scripture when it talks about our re-uniting with our bodies, they are referred to as our glorified bodies.  It seems we are being restored to our previous state that is in a much closer relationship with God than we are capable of now.  And maybe at even a more basic level that has been lost for so long, we have forgotten it ever existed.  I find it intriguing that we might be considering as shameful, our very God-given Glory.

     Now, I am not bringing this up to advocate some crazy idea that nudity should be celebrated not covered as our society seems more and more comfortable in doing. Not at all.  I am throwing out these speculations (and speculations are what they are, I have done 0 research, I am writing as I am thinking about it) because what has come to my mind while considering this idea is that this might just be a physical presentation of what has happened to us spiritually through the Fall.  Just think about the last time you paused for a moment in front of the mirror stepping out of the shower. And think of the thoughts that went through your mind. What if what you were looking at was your Glory? How humiliating would that be, that the thing that should bring you the most praise of anything you have done or possess is that thing that was staring back at you from that mirror?  I don't know, maybe you have the perfect body by society's standards and maybe you are just vain enough to think you are just that amazing, but I would imagine that the other 99.9% of us would find this idea appalling.

     What a devastatingly sad state we are in and how desperately do we need God's Glory to shine through our lives while we remain in this diminished state.  To think that this image in the mirror is the best we have to offer is truly humbling.  But equally humbling is the thought that the most beautiful example of a human being is so diminished from its intended Glory that is should be covered in shame.  Wow. That makes the thought of what awaits us in Heaven quite inconceivable. And then to think that even as unbelievable that will be, it will be so overwhelmed by God's Glory that we may not even notice it.

     Who are we to consider equality with God something to be grasped at any level? So maybe the next time you find yourself entertaining the idea that you might know better than God or that you can accomplish something without Him, you should take a peak at yourself "in all your glory".  That should snap you back to reality rather quickly I would think.  

How about you?

The Truth of Being an Agent of Reconciliation

I must start this post with an admission of guilt. I have been kicking myself in the face all day (figuratively of course, I am far too portly to literally kick myself in the face) because as I have dealt with this idea of the “Gospel of Reconciliation” I have consistently argued against it using my knowledge of Scripture and reason which was easy enough to do, any fifth grader who had read the Bible could have done it, but never once did I actually go to the Bible to read what is actually says about reconciliation! And that is shameful! How can I accuse others of not reading the passages about it when I haven’t done it either?  But now that I have taken the plank out of my own eye and have committed myself to not inserting it again, I can write this post about the truth of what the Bible really says about reconciliation.  So here we go.

I just finished listening to a recent chapel service from the MidAmerica Nazarene University, the college I attended, as well as my wife, my brother, my wife’s sister, and now my son and other’s from my church and district.  They had guests speaking about being “missional” and that all of us are called to be “agents of reconciliation”. Now, one point that was made was that as Christians we can no longer sit back and expect the missionaries to be the one’s taking part in God’s mission in the world while we remain cozy in our world of tasteless salt and dim light.  (my words not his)  And in this I am in full agreement with him. However, it seemed as though no one on that stage had even the slightest clue what God’s mission actually is and what being an “agent of reconciliation” means.  How 7 or 8 Christians could sit on a stage for over a half an hour and talk about how they are doing God’s mission and living out being His agents of reconciliation without once mentioning the Gospel amazes me. So the following is a look at the primary passages where this concept of reconciliation is revealed in Scripture.

Romans 5:1-11

¹ Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God's glory. ³Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance, character, and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

⁶For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷(For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.) ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous by his blood, we will be saved through him from God's wrath. ¹⁰For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life? ¹¹Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.

   “This entire passage is about the Hope that we have in Christ and that is our inclusion in God’s glory at our resurrection. The point of the cross is laid out clearly. That is to be made righteous and to be spared His wrath. The words “reconciled” and “reconciliation” here refer to our Salvation from His wrath and the forgiveness of our sins.  Notice that it is only AFTER our reconciliation that we are “saved by His life”.  This phrase means that our hope of the resurrection and God’s glory are secured by the reality of Jesus’ life after His resurrection.  This is a great promise for us.  In this passage, reconciliation is synonymous with salvation.”

Romans 11:11-15:

¹¹I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, did they? Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous. ¹²Now if their transgression means riches for the world and their defeat means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full restoration bring?

¹³Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Seeing that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, ¹⁴if somehow I could provoke my people to jealousy and save some of them. ¹⁵For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

   “Here again we see that the word “reconciliation” is synonymous with the word “salvation”. Additionally, the word “world” is referring to the people called the Gentiles, or all peoples who are not Jewish.  So Paul’s point is that by the Jews rejecting Christ as Messiah, the opportunity for salvation was afforded to the rest of the people of the world. And salvation can safely be defined by Paul’s earlier definition in Romans 5 as being saved from God’s wrath, having sins forgiven and having a hope for a resurrection into God’s glory.”

II Corinthians 5:1-21:

¹For we know that if our earthly house, the tent we live in, is dismantled, we have a building from God, a house not built by human hands, that is eternal in the heavens. ²For in this earthly house we groan, because we desire to put on our heavenly dwelling, ³if indeed, after we have put on our heavenly house, we will not be found naked. ⁴For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment. ⁶Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth we are absent from the Lord - ⁷for we live by faith, not by sight. ⁸Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹So then whether we are alive or away, we make it our ambition to please him. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil.

¹¹Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people, but we are well known to God, and I hope we are well known to your consciences too. ¹²We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may be able to answer those who take pride in outward appearance and not in what is in the heart. ¹³For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. ¹⁴For the love of Christ controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ died for all; therefore all have died. ¹⁵And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised. ¹⁶So then from now on we acknowledge no one from an outward human point of view. Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view, now we do not know him in that way any longer. ¹⁷So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away - look, what is new has come! ¹⁸And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. ¹⁹In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people's trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea through us. We plead with you on Christ's behalf, "Be reconciled to God!" ²¹God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.

   “Here we have an entire chapter highlighting the very points made in Romans 5 and 11 but this time written to the Corinthians.  The first part of the chapter is stating the fact that we do not belong here on this earth and that all of our longing should be for Heaven. But we are able to have courage in this life and can be content in this life while God’s will is for us to remain here because God has given us the Holy Spirit as a promise that one day we will be with Him in Heaven.  Paul then proceeds to reiterate again what it means to be saved and that it is not just something offered a select few but it is offered to every person in the world.   

   One thing to point put is that Paul is clear that the reconciliation proceeds from God NOT from us.  Reconciliation is not something we do, ever.  It is something God does.  Paul also defines reconciliation again for us with very clear and precise language.  Here he defines it as “not counting people’s trespasses against them”.  To restate that in more modern language, that is the forgiveness of sins. Immediately following that definition, Paul then says that God has given them that very message, the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation.   

   Finally, to make sure his point is well taken, Paul again defines what he means and likewise what Christ means, by reconciliation when he says, “God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.” This entire chapter is about the forgiveness of sins in order that people can someday be with God in Heaven!  And THAT is the message of reconciliation that we are to take to the people of the world

Ephesians 2

¹And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ²in which you formerly lived according to this world's present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience, ³among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest...

⁴But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, ⁵even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you are saved! - ⁶and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹it is not from works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.

¹¹Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh - who are called "uncircumcision" by the so-called "circumcision" that is performed on the body by human hands - ¹²that you were at that time without the Messiah, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility, ¹⁵when he nullified in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees. He did this to create in himself one new man out of two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by which the hostility has been killed. ¹⁷And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, ¹⁸so that through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household, ²⁰because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²²in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

   "Once again, just as in Romans 11, Paul makes the point that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles and that through the cross, both are equally reconciled to God, so much so that they are to become one body and that the Church. The point is clear; the cross of Christ reconciles us to God."

Colossians 1:9-23

⁹For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects - bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints' inheritance in the light. ¹³He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

 ¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,

 ¹⁶for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him - all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers - all things were created through him and for him.

 ¹⁷He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.

 ¹⁸He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.

 ¹⁹For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son

 ²⁰and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross - through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

²¹And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your minds as expressed through your evil deeds, ²²but now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him - ²³if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.

   “And again, we have Paul writing the same points to the Colossians that he had written to the Ephesians and Romans before.  We should not expect that this rendition would be any different than his previous two writings nor that the definitions of the words used would be different.  In this part of the letter Paul does specify that they should bear fruit in good deeds but that in order to please Him, saying nothing about those fruits attributing to their redemption which he clearly states in verse 14 is “the forgiveness of sins.”   

   Further on Paul describes Jesus Christ in great detail culminating in His purpose which is reconciling “all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross - through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”  The language here is slightly different than what is used in the other letter’s but the idea being expressed is identical; we are reconciled to Christ by His death on the cross.    

   If there is any question, Paul continues by stating the fact that they are reconciled by Jesus’ physical death so that they might be presented “holy, without blemish, and blameless…”.  Paul leaves no question as to what he means when he uses the words “reconcile” or “reconciliation”. He is the only one to use these words in the New Testament and he clearly defines them each time they are used as the forgiveness of sins.

   Its amazing how deceived Christians have become. The “Gospel of Reconciliation” that is being preached from our pulpits and taught on our universities is directly from the mind of Satan and it is time to cut away the sheep skin from the wolves who have invaded our churches and school.”

Romans 8:18-23

¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

   “Finally, I must include this passage from Romans because it is used in combination with the verses about reconciliation to create this impression that Scripture teaches that we, as agents of reconciliation, are to bring about this redemption of creation. I have already explained fully the passages regarding true reconciliation so it seems this passage should be moot but let’s look at it anyway.   

   This passage first begins with stating that the things we go through, the suffering, ‘are not worth comparing with the glory’ to be revealed.  And what is the ‘glory’?  It is our entrance to Heaven.  Paul further describes this glory as the ‘revealing of the sons of God’, ‘adoption as sons’, ‘the redemption of our bodies’.  Additional clues that Paul is strictly talking about Heaven comes when he refers to this glory as ‘this hope’.  And not simply “this hope” but that in this hope we were saved.  This language matches the other passages exactly.  Paul is consistent in his presentation of the Gospel as being the forgiveness of sins which saves us from God’s wrath and gives us the hope of Heaven. He says the same thing here in regards to those who are to be adopted as sons.  Then he makes a connection that we see nowhere else in Scripture.  He tells us that all of creation longs for the day of our final redemption so that it too may be set free from its bondage to decay wrought on it by Adam’s sin.  Yet it is clear that creation’s hope does not lie in us but in our redemption by God.   

   He also makes clear that this will take place at the redemption of our bodies which will take place upon Christ’s return. So in the end anything we do to attempt to redeem or reconcile creation to God is an effort in futility.  It isn’t pure vanity since we are called to be stewards of what God has given us and made us rulers over but if we expect our work for the planet or even for our fellow man to somehow be a part of their redemption, we are being duped.”

It's All O.K.

    I have been a Youth Pastor since 2005 and it has been the best position I have ever held in my life.  However, over the past several months I have been going through the process of resigning my position.  I will still be involved in the Youth Group and even more with the Young Adult group at my church.  My final Sunday as a Pastor will be in the next couple weeks but the Youth Group has been aware this day was coming for a couple months now and they have been going through this process with me.
     I have had many conversations about my leaving with the teens and have received many nice comments and I have appreciated them all.  But this morning a conversation I had really made it all very real.
     A young girl asked, as we were about to begin Sunday School, when I was leaving.  I told her that I was going to be the Youth Pastor a few more weeks but I wasn't leaving.  So she asked when I was moving.  I told her that I wasn't moving.  A little confused, she qualified her question and asked if I was still going to be attending our church.  I responded that yes, I was still going to be a part of the church.  To this she settled into her seat and said, "Oh, that's ok then." And with that it was done.
     To realize that your presence attributes to the "o.k.ness" of a young person's life is a truly life changing thing. It is a humbling thing. It is something that until that moment I hadn't really understood.  Well, I am not sure I still fully understand it but it will be something I will never forget for as long as I live.  Deserved or not, in someone's life it's all o.k. because I am around.  Wow. What else is there to say? It's all o.k. And I am forever thankful for that.

The Twisted Nature of the Liberal Mind

As I drove through Bismarck on my errands Saturday, I was listening to NPR. (only God knows why) Actually, the reason I stopped on that station which I usually avoid like the plague (in reality I have never really avoided the plague as it were so maybe it should be "avoid like a pair of Nike shoes") was because the person being interviewed was talking about his travels around the world using the lowest forms of "conveyance" (his word) in the world. Having recently visited Guatemala and experiencing some similar travel situations, it peeked my interest. But as I listened, I began to realize that there was something more to his story than simply revealing these sad stories of destitution to the general public who may never experience them firsthand.

 My first inclination that something was amiss was when he was describing his trip over the Andes mountains in Peru. Without going into all the details, he described traveling in a packed bus(he was sitting in the stairwell with his legs hanging out of the bus)down steep mountain roads made of mud, with cliffs rising and falling mere inches from the bus at times. There were no bathroom facilities because a man was using the bathroom to store the crates of fruit he was selling to the passengers and the man next to him had a sick child who was vomiting on the bus and defecating out the windows during the terrifying ride down the mountain. All of that is horrible enough but what he said after that description was what made my ears perk up. He said (and I am paraphrasing here) that after he just accepted all of the dirt and filth and discomfort, it was one of the most invigorating and heartening trips he ever took. He went on to describe some of the positive things of the trip such as that the passengers were kind and people brought him food (the host had to point out that they were SELLING him the food, a fact that he deliberately left out and we will see why in a moment).

 After discussing this part of his trip a little more, he went on to describe returning to the United States and how he took a Greyhound bus from the West coast to his home in the East. I am guessing that this was his idea of the lowest form of "conveyance" in the U.S. He described this leg of his journey as the most depressing and discouraging part of his travels. Why? Because the people were not very open, and he had to buy food from a vending machine. It was clear now what his message was as he continued to describe the shortcomings of the United States. His message was that no matter how bad things may be in Third World countries, the United States is much worse.

 This reveals the corruption of the Liberal Mind. In order to twist reality to to fit the liberal way of thought he had to disregard all the negative aspects of the horrific conditions in which he was traveling, and there, in this world of his own creation, he could find utopia of liberal thought, people living in harmony. That is the ideal of the liberal mindset. It doesn't matter if those harmonious people are starving to death, or plummeting off mountain passes to their deaths as long as they were living in harmony. So, instead of being concerned about the suffering of the child who was vomiting on the bus, or the indignity of being forced to defecate out the window of a public bus, or the humiliation of needing to purchase food stored in the toilet of a bus, or living in constant fear of death every time they had to take to the road, the liberal mind is concerned about the impersonal nature of buying food from a vending machine or the unwillingness of strangers on a bus to speak openly to each other. You see, America's goal is not harmony, it is freedom and prosperity. That is anathema to the liberal mind.

 As I listened, this all played out in front of me. He would not have been so candid if he had not thought he was speaking to friends, which is why he was on NPR. He was honest about ignoring the negatives in order to bolster his position, yet he was caught in his dishonesty by an only slightly more honest host when talking about people bringing him food on the bus. He would have been just as well with giving us the impression that he was being fed free of charge out of the kindness of their hearts because it lent itself to his point. If a person is willing to lie to support his position, it makes me question the validity of that position. He complained about the vending machines as if it were the only food offered to the passengers of this bus on their 72 hour trip across the U.S. I simply don't believe that. And somehow he found vending machine sandwiches more repulsive than unrefrigerated fruit stored in a public toilet. He complained about the "standoffishness" of the passengers of the bus on Grey Hound when I can imagine he made no effort to strike up a conversation. If he had, he may have found things very different. And finally, while I am sure the Peruvian Andes are more breathtaking than the deserts of the Southwest U.S., he made no mention of the natural beauty of the country side he experienced in that last leg of his journey. I am sure there was beauty somewhere along the line. But that is the liberal mind. It is a twisted view that requires a twisted reality. Remember this as you vote tomorrow. Would you rather live in America, or take a Peruvian bus to work each day? Providing you have a job at all.

Repuclican YouTube Debate...What would Jesus Do?

There were alot of subjects addressed tonight in the debate which, in fact, is still going on as I type.  However, there were two questions that were presented by YouTube users concerning Christianity and the Bible.  Both questions reeked of emerging types. The first question regarding Capital Punishment, asked "What would Jesus do?"  What I  wish was that Huckabee had the quick thinking or guts to answer the question properly which is that Jesus has put to death more people than any government ever and possibly than all governments in history combined.  And there is no where that He has ever suggested that governments should not have that authority or should not exercise it.  You want to know what Jesus would do?  Why  not try reading the Bible?  It is very clear.The question that followed the first was, I suspect, a back handed attempt to pigeon hole the candidents as "fundies".   The question was "Do you believe every word of this book?" He was  holding up the Bible in front of the camera. All of them understood the the trap but did not have the proper answer.  The answer to that trap is that, as a true Christian, we should interpret the Bible exactly as the writers intended it to be.  And that is what the word "literal" means, to take the writings just as the writers intended them, whether that be  as history, allegory, prophetic, etc. And it is easy to understand.  Emergents are ruining Christianity and it is about time we wake up and begin to fight back...

Open Letter to the Editor of the Journal of Student Ministries

In reference to:  http://rapidshare.com/files/32808618/Archive.zip Mr. Penner, When I read the first issue of this journal, I was excited to see a differently styled and interesting publication directed toward Youth Ministers. Even in that first issue though, there were little red flags popping up. I addressed those in a letter to the Journal, which never saw the light of day nor a response. As each subsequent issue has arrived, those little red flags have become huge banners blotting out the sun (or Son, which ever you prefer). With this latest issue and the article entitled “The Irritating Truth”, you have successfully proven that there remains no discerning spirit within your publication and all precepts of Biblical integrity have seemingly been thrown to the wind amidst your proud, red banners. As such, I am compelled to cancel my subscription and ask for a refund of the remaining amount paid. This article on illegal immigration is one of the worst written, worst documented and worst twisting of Scripture that I have read anywhere, including in your pages, (which has had quite a few contenders over the months). And worst of all, you presented it with no alternate view expressed. Essentially saying that if you support any law that requires any prerequisite for any person from any nation to enter this country and enjoy full rights of citizenship, you are bound for the burning fires of Hell. Let’s begin with the Scriptures that Mr. Fletcher posited as undeniable proof that we Jesus, Himself, wants us to cease being a country called the United States of America. First, I can’t see anywhere in any of these verses where ILLEGAL immigration is mentioned or even eluded to. These passages are all speaking of the mistreatment of foreigners within a country. I ask who is advocating cheating or murdering foreigners who are in the USA? No one. Mr. Fletcher is trying to suggest that having a requirement to enter the USA is paramount to stealing from and murdering these people. Wow. Additionally, equating the “aliens” referred to in these passages with illegal aliens in the United States is one of the worst misapplications of Scripture I have ever seen. It’s apples and oranges at it’s best. Mr. Fletcher also quotes a few passages about justice. My question is, what is just and who gets to decide? Later on Mr. Fletcher makes a comment that God is more interested in justice for the poor and downtrodden than for the rich. Again, wow. He has just made God the worst kind of cosmic Robin Hood. News flash for Mr. Fletcher, God is concerned about justice period, whether that falls on the side of the rich or the poor. Scripture is clear about that. (Leviticus 19:15; Job 34:12; Isaiah 11:1-4) He goes on to quote Proverbs 31:8-9 which doesn’t mention aliens at all, not even the unrelated kind that the previous passages referred to. It tells us to stand up for the rights of the needy and destitute. What are the rights of illegal immigrants in the U.S.? Well, they have basic human rights that all but the unborn have in this country (I would be curious to see where Mr. Fletcher stands on that issue, but I digress). But that is not what Mr. Fletcher is implying by inclusion of this passage. I don’t think it is. Is he saying that it is the right of every illegal alien to be a full fledged American, no questions asked? Where does it say that in Scripture? He finally ends his mutilation of the Holy Scriptures by quoting from Ezekiel 47. This is an isolated incident in the history of Israel. And Mr. Fletcher seems to forget that God referred to these very same people as “detestable” in chapter 44, not allowing them to even enter the future Temple. The Israelites were reprimanded by God for allowing these people into the land at all. Even so, is Mr. Fletcher really suggesting that the United States divvy up all the land in the country equally among all people who live here whether American or not? And who gets the portions that were to be set aside for God? The Church? Which church? Mr. Fletcher’s Church? The whole thing is ridiculous. Mr. Fletcher then dives into the absurd, declaring, among other things, that the USA is directly to blame for the failure of other countries to prosper (it has nothing to do with government corruption, Socialism, and Communism apparently), that Christians, as a whole, were pro-racism, pro-slavery (despite the fact that Christians were THE driving force behind the elimination of these evils in American society, inasmuch as they have been eliminated), it is un-Christian to expect people to obey the laws of a nation, and the “pièce de résistance”, America’s borders are closed to LEGAL immigration. Finally, Mr. Fletcher’s twisting of Scripture in his use of the story of Jesus and the adulterer found in John 8 is something Satan would be proud of. It is so asinine that I really can’t even comment on it. He ends by claiming that Jesus and Scripture demand open borders in America. In the end, I am not so much concerned that Mr. Fletcher believes and writes this sort of tripe but I am amazed that you printed it. And all along I thought I was a Christian...I guess I was wrong. I hope there is room in Mr. Fletcher’s heaven for me...come to think of it, there should be since God demands that we open citizenship to everyone regardless, I would expect no less of Him. If that is the case, heaven isn’t going to be much different that earth, is it? That’s a bit of a let down. Please, cancel my subscription and refund the remaining amount. Thank you. Nyk Edinger

War Is Not The Answer

   I saw that bumper sticker yesterday and again today.  "War is not the answer".  Of course, I have seen it a hundred times before and it always did ring a sour note in my mind but I guess I never really thought much about it.  Yesterday, while I was continuing on my journey after seeing it, I was able to put some thought to it.  Why did it seem like such an odd statement to me?    First, the logical thought for me at least, was that if war is not the answer, peace must be.  Peace is the opposite of war, right?  But that didn't make sense.  "Peace is the answer."  That statement doesn't make sense.  Peace is not the opposite of war.  War is an action, whereas peace is a state of being.  Someone could certainly be at peace and at war simultaniously.  Regardless, peace is not the opposite of war, negotiation and compromise is the opposite of war.  So were the makers or bearers of the bumper sticker meaning to tell me that compromise is the answer?  Maybe.  But that begs the question...what IS the question?   If we are talking about war, and a war that presumably (since we are in the U.S.A.) the United States in involved in, then, maybe the question is this; "How can we defeat tyrrany and oppression?"  If that is the question, then what is the answer?    Well, we can count out peace because peace is a state of being free of tyrrany and oppression not a means of defeating it.  I think that is a fair definition for the sake of this argument.  So peace is the goal or the desired end result of the answer, not the answer itself.  So with peace being out of the equation, what is left?  Compromise and war. Let me ask a rhetorical question.  Has there ever been a tyrranical and  oppressive regime defeated by compromising with them?  I went through, in my mind, the major, oppressive regimes of the last two thousand years and there seems to be a common theme to their demise... and it's not negotiation and compromise.  It's war.  Maybe there is one out there somewhere but it would certainly be an exception not the rule.    Can you negotiate with evil and ever win?  No.  Every compromise  that good makes with evil results in evil winning.  The only method  that has ever proven to be effective throughout history in defeating evil has been forcebly removing power from those who  govern with an evil hand.      Turns out, if I have the question right, then war IS the answer.  But  we must be dedicated to victory and a proper execution of that  war.  I can hear a bunch of voices rising in unison, demanding to know  how a Christian can think war is the answer.  My first suggestion is to  really read your Bible, in context.  God seemed to think that war was  the answer to many questions throughout the history of Israel.  He  did try negotiation with Egypt but only to prove it wouldn't work and to show blameless the supernatural war He then inflicted  upon them for not surrendering.  And even in the New Testament,  there were many members of government and the military that became  followers of Christ and never did a request of them be made to stop attending to their jobs.  A military person in the Roman Empire was  not a peace keeper.  He was a warrior.  You would think if war were  such a huge offense against God, something would have been mentioned.  You see, God understands evil and  understands what is required to defeat it.  War.  It will be that  way until the final blow in the final battle of the final war and the  warrior serving that blow will be Jesus, Himself.      So talk all you want but when the time comes to pick up that gun  and defend good and freedom, I hope each of you will be willing to do it.   I will be.     If you want peace, win the war.  It really is that simple. 

The Criminalization of Christianity

NOTE: I will be heading North to the Canadian Border for the next four days and will be without internet access (surprise, surprise) but Tuesday I will be back so feel free to discuss away while I am away. I was sent several writings today about the hatred and criminalizing of Christianity and with something that happened to a personal aquaintance of mine yesterday, it seemed worthy of note.  First, an aquaintance of mine whose son is in my son's class (or was until yesterday) was in the middle of a custody battle when out of the blue, the authorities came and took her son from her home with only a small bag of clothing.  The case was decided without her in attendance based on the fact that when the Psychiatrists for the Father asked the boy what he did when he was scared or sad, etc. he responded that he prayed.  They used this and the fact that he attends a Christian school and attends church regularly to show that his mother was a Christian "fanatic" and it was a danger for him to stay in her home.  He was taken from her home entirely based on the fact that she was a Christian! So then I see these three articles: www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54260 www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54265 www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54257 The last one dovetails on the evolution discussion but it also highlights the complete disregard for the truth and the utter deception leveled onto society by these so called scientists.  And their absolute hatred for Christianity.  Children are being taken away from parents, people are being fired, and others placed in jail right now simply because they are Christians.  This is no longer a premonition the same as I sounded nearly two decades ago to those few people who would listen to a young long hair.  It is here and it is now and all Christians need to evaluate if they are willing to go to jail for the truth.  Remember, Jesus said that if we are not willing to stand up for Him, He won't be standing up for us, and that is a sentence to Hell not just county jail. Please read these articles and let me know your thoughts!! Tell a friend.

List vs List

Several writings that I came across this morning in regards to  Evolution/Creation Sunday 2007 I found interesting.  They show the battle that is raging out there about this topic and how much more involved it is than most people would think. First, this one ( http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54176 )  about this list ( http://www.dissentfromdarwin.org ) that just brought to my mind about how strange it is that as Pastors from many denominations are placing their names on a list denying the Bible and supporting Evolution, there are Scientists from around the world placing their names on a list raising doubts about the validity of that same evolution.  Why is it that the church always seems to be 50 to 100 years behind?  Not that I would have supported the Church supporting evolution 100 years ago any more than today but it just seems that in every area of society, music, media, societal issues of any kind, the church waits until something is out of vogue with the rest of society (somehow then making it ok for the church to be involved in it) until it decides that maybe they should look into this thing.  I just don't get it.  I dread the day when society finally champions sexual abstinance and the church takes up the virtues of promiscuity...oh, wait...its already happening. The church really needs to get a clue.  And this evolution debate would be a great place to start.  Finally, Scientists are bowing to science instead of giving it lip service and bowing instead to their religion (evolution is a religion) and what does the church do?   Well, we start bowing to the religion of evolution of course.  For those of us who can see this, let's raise a voice to start supporting science as we should have done all along.  Science supports the Bible and Christianity and now that Scientists are finally admitting it, let's not fail God and the people of the world who have been so devastated by the effects of the evolution religion by dropping the ball and embracing another religion. Second was this ( http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/science/12geologist.html?ei=5065&en=4f4a020a32419ff4&ex=1171861200&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print ) which details something that I had not even considered before.  The sickening fact that our Universities are actively discriminating and censuring Christians for being Christians!  These people openly say that being a Christian automatically disqualifies a person from getting a degree in any scientific field.  This is outrageous and if there is any better reason to attend a Christian University if there is one that effectively deals with the field you are entering, I don't know what is.  I firmly believe that within my lifetime Christianity will be illegal in this country but still, we must do whatever we can to keep that day from arriving for as long as we can.  If you are a Christian who is all concerned about being accepted by this world and this society and your deepest desire is to be friends with the world, I have some depressing news for you.  They hate you.  And they will always hate you, until that time when you devoid yourself of enough Christianity to where you no longer can be considered one, even if you still call yourself one.  Jesus PROMISED that the world would hate us (Mt 10:16-22; 24:9; Mark 13:13; John 15:18-21) and we, in America, have been relaxing and wallowing in this false idea that we can make the world love us.  Are we calling Jesus a liar? We need to wake up and start living in a manner worthy of Christ and to hell with selling out Christ for the sake of the love of the world!  Are we so dim as to think that a world ruled by the the Prince of the Air, Satan himself, is ever going to accept and love us? Who are we kidding?  The day Satan loves you is the day the world will...and not a moment sooner.  Only a fool will hold his breath for that day to come.  Love your Brethren and love your enemies, be in the world but not of it.  And do not trample the Blood of Chirst under foot for without valuing the Sacrifice of Christ for you with all your heart, you will be unable to value others, even unto your enemies.

Happy Evolution Sunday!

Well,  in just a few hours it will be Evolution Sunday, celebrating  the birth of Darwin.  Only a little over 500 churches are taking part in this event so its not too big a deal yet.  But I still felt compelled to dub tomorrow Creation Sunday at our Youth Group.  Maybe it will catch on.  Who knows?    I have already posted on this subject before but in reading a little more about it, I stumbled upon an argument that I had not thought of and it was rather interesting.  Here is a quote from David Kupelian: "(By the way, if you call yourself a Christian and believe you evolved from a lower life form to a higher form, as evolution preaches – I mean, teaches – you are denying the very heart of your faith. Jesus Christ, whom you claim to follow, taught that man fell from a higher estate into sin, and is therefore in need of salvation. If we have evolved from a lower life form, improving constantly over the eons to our present advanced state, there is no possible need for salvation through the substitutionary death of the Son of God. There's absolutely no wiggle-room here, friends. You're busted.)" This idea just shows how far you have to twist Scripture in order to  accept a theory that more and more scientists are rejecting.  As I have said time and time again, once you start rejecting one part of Scripture, the rest eventually falls by the wayside.   The false idea through all of this is that we must choose between Science and Religion and the only way for the two to coincide within a person is for Religion to take a bow.  This is a lie of Satan himself.  If a person seriously looks at the scientific facts, they go right along with Christianity and not with evolution.  Evolution isn't scientific, it isn't logical, or reasonable, nor is it even statistically possible, or moral.  What dealings should we as Christians have with such tripe?  Only to expose it to the light of Truth.   For all of you who accept evolution and who call yourselves Christians, I challenge you to evaluate what part of of your relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe, you are willing to give up.  Because you will have to give up something, and I pray that it isn't your very soul. Happy Creation Sunday!  Enjoy!