What's wrong with this ?

-I am sure that everyone is up to speed with the events this week in Orlando FL. It is a very sad fact  that someone murdered a lovely little girl who as far as pictures and testimony of others showed she was loved by her mother and family. Her mother,  was found not guilty of her murder. This does not mean she is innocent of her daughter's death. While it is disturbing and sad someone did murder or accidentally killed this lovely little girl who was deprived of life by this action we do not know if the defendant did it.

 The actions of the Lynch Mob and the media were also disturbing. People are sitting in the judgment seat where only those appointed to officiate are allowed and you have a media that is ginning up the hysteria making accusations that had not yet been proven. In the courtroom, it was just as bad as the judge was advocating for the prosecution who had no evidence to convict. What is wrong with this picture and where have the critical thinking skills and moral objectivity of people gone?


In regards to the defendant,if she is in fact gulity of this horrible crime or concealing the accident,it is my hope she repents and finds her peace in Christ. It is not good or wise to go to the grave a unrepentant murderer or party to one and face the judgment of God unrepentant.

People should be ashamed of themselves for sitting in the judgment seat and making statements to the media .One person stated to the media , " We should just kill her" and this was before the verdict was announced. Even worse people waited for tickets to the verdict anticipating the suspense and hoping for a guilty verdict for a case that had no evidence. Why? So someone could be held accountable for a crime they may not have committed; because a conviction would appease them. The crime she was guilty of they had proof of and that is lying to the police. The people rode on unbalanced emotion rather than reason and balanced emotion and the jury is being vilified for making a reasonable but painful decision. This was not the verdict the people and the media wanted as they decided she was a murderer becuse someone needed to be held accountable. It didn't matter if they were guilty or not

 What justice is it that the people wanted? They perhaps wanted in their hearts to kill someone who may have been innocent. If she was innocent and eventually executed that would be murder and the people who shouted for it would be as gulity as the one who  pulled the switch. We then have the media who already convicted the defendant without full access to what the jury knew. But as far as they were concerned she was guilty although there was nothing to tie her to it. This is a false witness. Someone needs to pay and will one day whether it is now or later but that is not for us to decide, this is God's decision. God gives this authority to the state to pronounce justice (Romans 13) and in our system a jury found her not guilty.

 The loss of precious life is sad and it is as bad when people want to sit in the judgment seat and kill someone they do not have a right to; because someone has to be accountable and I am running on emotion. Society was willing to convict a possibly innocent person to death to satisfy their emotions because of lack of evidence and media lies. I am not against the death penalty but it is the state who has the authority to use it and not me. The lynch mob on the outside was far from demonstrating Christian ethic,social grace, or civility. I am surprised they did not throw a noose over a tree branch and wait to hang the defendant.

 Well since we are running on emotion did this mob take time to care for the millions of innocents slaughtered by abotionists annually? Well most people think this is a Constitutional right even though they are responsible for the creation of a life. Why does a woman who has an abortion not get convicted of murder when we have the evidence? The crowd does not get angry about this. But now we have a mother who lost her child get tried for murder and possibly get convicted and sentenced to death for a murder that had no evidence to tie her to it. The defense attorney put it best no one won here! He is right and the millions of aborted babies lost and continue to lose.

Rise of the Government and Decline of Morality

  I do not like to comment on politics on this blog but it seems as if politics wants to infringe on our religious rights via government. It is my opinion that if government can't do the will of the people it serves then it is not government but tyranny. Tyranny usually looks to make itself absolute as it cannot coexist with liberty. In this case, personal liberties are not being infringed rather it is the majorities liberties opposing the government's legislated tyranny.

 The government's interference in people's lives has been on an upswing for quite a while. We now despite our objections are forced to accept "homosexual marriage" as a civil right with campaigns trying to perpetuate a point of view on the public that has been voted down twice and would likely be voted down again( Prop 8) in California. On a side note, the worst part of this is that the appeals court said that the Judge's opinion was not influenced by the fact he is homosexual. I can go on about California as the city of "Frisco" has decided that circumcision of boys is barbaric and therefore should not be allowed even though Jews and Non Jews have practiced it for years. In the opinion, of the supporters of this legislation they say that parents should not force the decision on the child. What is the city doing and what has happened to letting parents be parents? Franlkly, I am glad my mother had me baptized as an infant and I had no decision in that matter, it was for my own good. It was also for my own good when my mother told me not to touch hot pans when I was a child. Doesn't Frisco have better things to do with taxpayer time and money than to put forth silly legislation?The hillarious thing about this is that circumcision can play a role in combatting STDS and AIDS which are a problem of the homosexual  and hetero sexual communities and they are supporting the ban on circumcision for the most part.

What happened in California also happened in New York. Government made a decision for the people that they clearly voted against. Although, representatives are hired to represent the electing public the interests of the majority were sacrificed  to serve an immoral minority who  twisted the terms of equality for their own device. This has resulted in a national explosion to legalize "homosexual marriage". Last night I saw a commercial advertising giveadamn.org that addresses rights for all members of immoral sexuality. As usual the debate accelerates, since homosexual marriage has become legal in New York we have to shove it down your throat along with rights for every other sexually variant and immoral lifestyle. What is not realized is that no one is saying that you can't practice your desired lifestyle but you should not force it on others; which is what has happened. What will happen if the state decides to infringe on the religious conscience and rights of others if the state forces such rank laws and proclammations upon the churches who oppose this? Will their rights be honored or will their rights continue to be trampled on as the government continues to trample on the rights of Christians and the rights of the San Francisco the Jewish community. The verdict for those of us who do not appreciate government interference doesn't look good as the right of free practice is clearly violated by those who oppose God in every sense.
 
Hopefully, the argument to save Prop 8 will not stop here and that the ruling of the appeals court will be struck down and society will not have to continue to be the victim of the "immoral minority majority".I am not holding my breath though. It is getting a little nerve wracking to vote for something and then have it struck down when it does not meet one groups preferences for the world they desire to live in so the world that I want to live in has to take a backseat to the desires of a few. We can always redo the law and maybe avoid government interference by sound legal reasoning and avoid the governement altogether but this is probably wishful thinking. The kicker is no one is saying that someone else cannot practice a lifestyle that others don't agree with and that we all have equal protection under the law( the Constitution).

For those who disagree with us we need only to look to past examples in history to know that all societies that have engaged in such behavior have had to contend with a historical and divine judgment(i.e. Rome, Sodom and Gamorrah). I don't believe we should trust in the government to solve our problems and I certainly do not think it is the government's responsibility to invalidate what it truly means to have equal protection under the law. As far as the sinful behaviors go there are consequences for these behaviors being endorsed.

Now What?

I assume that I am not the only Hockey Fan in the blogosphere but now I am back to watching TV less which is probably a good thing as it is not that edifying most of the time. Oh yeah I keep up with the news and such but there are not really that many exciting things on at a good time slot; I am an early to bed early to rise guy the job demands it.

 However what really upset me was that the Bruins won and Tampa Bay did not get a chance at a second cup. I did not have a dog in the fight so I am not really upset about this one even though I am not a Bruin fan.

Congrats Bruins we will be coming for you next year, Go Devils!

An apologetic on Hell.

 There seems to be a lot of talk lately about the existence of Hell. There are some who still choose to affirm it as truth and some are truthful about it and dwell on it and then others who choose to say it does not exist or that it is empty. So what is the proper way to treat the subject. Do we ignore it and say that it doesn't matter because " Love Wins" or do we continue to affirm and drag down the sinner who has not yet come to faith, by insisting on their damnation as a certainty when we are not sure of what their fate will be (they may come to faith and there is no gospel in double predestination).

  In answer to the first question , Love Won That Is Why Jesus Died!(John 3:16) However, in love Jesus warns his people and those outside of grace that there is a Hell( John 3:17-18). As stated in the Scripture below, Hell is a real place and to quote the Lutheran Theologian Quenstedt who quotes Chrysostom "Let us not speak where it is, but how we may escape it." Christ words warn us below.

Luke 16:23-24
²³ And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
²⁴ “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

Matthew 7:13
¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

 So here is the question: Is Jesus still love even though he clearly declares Hell as an actual place? Well my answer to this is that this is the prime reason why Jesus came was to save us from this certain fate outside of Him. Without him we are dead in our sins which are our just wages and Hell our reward(curse). If God had another plan then our works may be enough to save us . The performance and reliance on any works is prideful and entering through the wide gate is exactly what the false teachers propose. That is not what Christ proposes because he is paradoxically the "Narrow Gate". Most would feel that a narrow door is the harder way but if you know the "narrow way" is the only way then it is not the hardest way because you know how to get there.

The Old Testament is used by Jesus demonstrating his complete consistency in the use of God's Word as these truths about Hell are clearly used by him.

Isaiah 66:24

²⁴ “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.” ( referenced in Luke 16:23-24, Mark 9:44)

Daniel 12:22

²And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. ( referenced to in the Last Judgment Matthew 25:31,43)

Jesus is clearly affirming the same teaching in the Gospels that is in the Old Testament. So it can be said that Christ is being perfectly consistent in these declarations. Jesus firmly speaks of Hell and warns us because he loves us and does not want us to send ourselves there by refusing to believe he is the only way. This navel gazing being done by doubting what Christ says or choosing your own religion because you can be a good person and locking arms with religious leaders who are Marxists is only serving to do one thing and that is shipwreck those who are non discerning in faith.

 I wonder if someone thought of asking Bell this question. Since everything in the Bible is up for grabs and discussion; Is there a heaven? It seems people like him want to pick and choose which portions of the Bible they like and cross out other ones they don't like. Perhaps, Christ does not exist as we don't need salvation from hell? I am using a skeptics argument here. Such errorists as Bell create this type of questioning by and usher people to apostasy.

 So in the end analysis it is obvious Hell is a real place. It is also obvious that Christ's sacrifice is why "Love Wins in Christ" but in because a belief in Him is what keeps us from going there; and if it is a belief in Christ that keeps me from going there then Universalism is what will take me there. Universalism is the broad road and wide gate that shall lead the church to destruction as there is no God to believe in but any idol that you choose. It is really no different than affirming a moral atheism.

 I plan on writing more about this subject in the near future and how I am learning to talk about it with others.

Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God. That is according to Miroslav Wolf.

   The information for this post was taken from the Christian News who gleaned their information from (Christianity Today?) I use the parentheses and  a? because I sometimes wonder Christiananity Today  stands. This is my first post regarding this interview with false teacher Miroslav Wolf. I plan on continuing posts on this article until I cover the points Dr. Wolf made in this interview.

 I often comment on things that should seem obvious to all; but is what I say obvious to all? I think it should be obvious to all but may not be because there is so much of a mess that has been made trying to denigrate True Christianity. I am sure that many of us would like to believe that our Jewish neighbor, Muslim associate at work and Mormon and Buddhist friends are all going to be saved when it is all said and done.This is of course,  not the case and would make the true Christian faith irrelevant as all would be saved because of there works . This mindset also calls Jesus a liar and questions the veracity of the Scriptures themselves and in the end results in socially moral atheism, if there is such a thing (because it doen't matter what you believe you can even be your own God as long as you are a good person and everything is ok!) even Satan is saved because in this scheme of things he does not exist or is forgiven. This is precisely why the Reformation started in the first place which the Emergent Movement is trying to unravel. This would seem to be what Miroslav Wolf , a theological professor at Yale Divinity School and formerly Fuller Seminary Professor ( no surprise here either) would suggest and being that it itches the ears it just feels so good! Just because it feels good does not mean we do it .

Wolf believes that it is important that Christians and Muslims realize that they worship the same God because 1: They make up two of the world's largest religions and comprise more than half of the people in the world
2: Christians and Muslims are at each other's throats literally if not figuratively and we need to find ways to live peaceably together.

These are his quotes by the way!

Well  hug a tree and free to be you and me!

 Tell that to the Coptics and Catholics in the Middle East who have asked for nothing more than to live in equality and peace. Not only does Dr. Wolf get it wrong theologically but geopolitically( Geopolitics takes the backseat here). In my area, there are a lot of Copts who have told me what is happening in Egypt and it is not good and that as a minority and Christians they have always wanted peace and this pursuit of peace is not the doctrine and practice

Here comes the Cortisone  the itch is about to disappear.

Christ did not come to this world to bring peace but to save it from sin. Christ says in Matthew 10:34-35 Think not that Iam come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace but a sword . For I am come to set a man against his father a daughter against her mother , and the daughter in law against her mother in law.(KJV) So much for peace ! So Christ does not promise peace and if we do not believe that He is the only way to Heaven we are accusing Him of being a liar. If we say he is lying then His Word has no place in our lives and we have no salvation.

Haven't we heard this before?

                                           

     

 ²⁰But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
 ²¹And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
 ²²When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him

Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (King James Version)

  He lied once before and he lies again and he should not be believed October 21, 2011 either. Unfortunately, there are some who will and will see the same thing come October 21, 2011. We do not stone people for this now and many have gone astray  and do not believe in God anymore . These people who don't believe in God look at people like Camping as a reason for laughter and slander against Christianity, an article to prove that their unbelief is really true ( and it isn't) and as a way to further marginalize the church from society by putting Christianity in one box. My favorite one box quote from the media is when they label false teachers and perverters of the faith as "Evangelical Christians"(Osteen and the TBN Group). My answer to their ignorance is where is the Good News( Evangelical Message) in what Camping teaches? Is his teaching in the Bible?

 The answer to that question is there is no Good News in Camping's message it is a product of the devil to further do destruction to the Church. The answer to question two: his teachings are not in the Bible and are twisting the false teaching of Calvinism and the patently false "Rapture" teaching. Camping's false teaching has done harm and will probably reverberate for a little while. However, let us take heart and be of good cheer that the Church has remained for over 2000 years and will until our Lord Jesus comes to redeem His own on Judgment Day. By the way, the great thing is that there will be no "Rapture" because we will all be going to Heaven ( all who believe in Christ) 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

As for those of us who still believe in the Reformation and the true teachings that sprung from it we must seperate ourselves from those who teach falsely and affirm the saving truths of the Reformation now more than ever.

Christianity Today?

 I want to give a shout out to Pastor Mark Henderson over at Glosses From an Old Manse for this Quote from C.S. Lewis.
 
"In the 1950s, C. S. Lewis was asked by Decision magazine whether he was concerned about the “de-Christianizing” of the West, especially Europe. Lewis replied, “I’m not really qualified to speak to the question of the culture, but there is definitely a de-Christianizing of the church.” It’s one thing for Christian churches to lose their cultural influence. Fusing Christ with a particular civilization is already a gross distortion of the faith. Nevertheless, “Christendom” is over, regardless of whether you think it was a good or bad idea in the first place. Benign prayers to an unknown god in public schools, apart from the Mediator, is already a capitulation to secularism. Who cares whether crosses no longer dominate national memorials where Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, and atheists are buried? The question is whether the cross is proclaimed in our churches."

 Being a Christian and an American I like other Christians around the world have seen the phenomenon of the Dechristianizing of Christianity. Many churches have sacrificed the Means of Grace ( Word and Sacrament) for holiness that cannot be obtained on one's own or downright apostasy ( emerging church movement and theological liberalism. It does not stop there however as Rev. Falwell and the Religious Right have done their damage also.

 Lewis' comment puts a great big light on what is happening in the realm of popular Christianity as it it losing the connection of the head with Christ and both sides right and left are practicing Gospel Reductionism. Both sides have different gods with the theological liberals you have a Jesus that isn't the Savior of the World and emphasis on Social Gospel and Good Works not because Christ lives in you but out of compulsion. Meanwhile, the right like the left has a big penchant Gospel Reducitionism by practicing a theology of overtaking the culture for God to  have a righteous nation in America. Spare me please! I believe the book of Isaiah puts it best there is none righteous not even one.

 Both of the so called Christian Philosphies on the left and right are guilty of turning from the Cross of Christ though both would say that they are following Christ's Comission. But are they?

On the left you have those who even doubt the Words of Christ and that heaven is not a real place and that Jesus did not ressurect on Easter Sunday ( Karl Barth also beleived this) and that as the emergents and other liberals would say that Christ did not die to atone for sin but to demonstrate the injustice of the world. So in the view of the left there is no sin and works based righteousness shows you Christ's will for the world to fight injustice and not to declare salvation through Christ . Even though Christ tells us that he was going to die for the sins of the world and raise again on the third day. Like the Christian Right the Christian Left also dismiss the efficacy of the Word and Sacraments. The left goes one further they dismiss the Resurrection and promote, pluralism, syncretism, Universalism and occult practices(  all of this is idolatry). For many in the Christian Left there rapture is in the world now. There goal for a rapture is to eliminate war, poverty, social justice, and discrimination. This involves endorsing many things and concepts in opposition to God's Word ( i.e. gay marriage and clergy and womens ordination). Heresy and the endorsements of such speak for themselves and since heresy is obviously wrong there is only one thing left for heretics to do and that is repent of heresy. With God's help some may. The problem is it is so deep in the church. Other heresy and falsehoods demonstrated in televangelism are obvious and though not necessarily liberal are some mismash in between both sides that require a whole different discussion.

 Then there are those in America known as the "Christian Right". The so called " Evangelical Super Christians" who would be head and shoulders above me and ever other Christians who love the truths of God's Word and not their pietism. Many of them seek to do the things on a social level the Christian Left seek to do. I have no doubt these folk are my fellow Christians and have done a lot of good in the name of our Lord Jesus. But they have done  damage as well everywhere from trying to force the government to make Christianity a state religion ( look at Europe this was not a good move) , force Christianity on unbelievers rather than declare the good news as a believer( Bibles mandatory in pagan educational establishments). As Christians we are supposed to give witness to others for the hope that is in us when asked by the unbeliever( 1 Peter 3:15). To bring others to Christ we should discuss and confess Christ to others, but forced evangelism takes a toll on Christian and pagan alike. As said before, the Word and Sacrament are taken seriously but not in the context they should be. The Word and Sacrament in the Christian Right have been replaced by how you are living the Christian Faith and the Sacraments are regarded as something that you do and not for you. To be honest I do not think any of us are doing this if we we are living as theologians like Wesley would have us believe we should  then we could go ahead and disregard Romans 7 especially verses 13-25 and overlook the Word's of  Christ in Matthew 25:26-28. With such disregard for the things which God gives in His Word it is no wonder Wesley had doubts about his faith because like the left who disregards their savior his trust on Christ was shaky when he felt he was not "holy" enough. Guess what the good news is none of us are that is why Christ's blood makes us holy, chief of sinners though we be. It seems though that also many of our fellow Christians who live in the world of the Christian Right look also for a rapture that  is not going to happen. A rapture is a lack of trust in what Christ has accomplished on the Cross. It almost smacks of Christ was not sufficient enough to atone for anyone's sin so a second chance is being given so those who did not believe before can become acceptable to God. Why would you want a rapture when your Lord wants to take you with Him to Heaven because he atoned for your sins already?

  You have heard it said that there is no difference between the politics of left and right. There is no difference in left and right Christianity either. For example, many so called "Evangelicals" voted for Obama who believes in Abortion ( I have a friend who did this) and these "Evangelicals" are some of which have become "Emergence Christianity" that is Biblically empty Christianity( Not Christianity!). So much of American Christianity has become an exercise of escapism. From the rapture to Not of thisWorld stickers to the Social Gospel  and the Denial of Scriptural Truth (i.e the rapture, Rick Warren's false teachings and Rob Bell's hreetical teachings). The desire to have God's Word speak to their directions is reducing the meaning of God's Word. That meaning is Christ for sinners!

Holy Week a Week of Suffering and Joy

It has been a little while since I have written anything. Believe me it was never an intention of mine to not post, but new obligations have taken some hold recently. These are now nothing that cannot be taken care of and Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow for getting me out of the issues!

 People often like to blog periodically during Holy Week.  Today, I chose to blog about what happened during this repentant and joyous time. Interestingly enough, in this time of repentance I often behaved the opposite of how I should. I was unkind, impatient, and self serving even during times when I should be behaving I don't. In all of this, I see the Lord who did all of these things and through his passion I see all of the things that I have done this evil I have and do now nailed to the Cross. So why do I look at the Cross when I keep doing the evil  I am doing? The answer is simple because I need to be reminded of his gracious love which He gave me as I am such a wretch ;doing nothing deserving of His grace; yet I continue to do evil even though I wish to do good. I am sad because of the death that an innocent man died for me.His death was done to save me and all guilty. The good news is we are justified by his blood and not our own works. If we were to be justified by works then Christ would not have had to die for our sins.

 This death was one that brought life as He lives so shall all who call on Christ's name. The tomb is empty and all other false messiahs are rotting and will rise as I will but not to life with Christ but life apart from
Him; a life of no joy with God. But for those who do not know him today there is an opportunity . As one looks at Easter they can see what life is ,the death that sin brings, but the life of Christ and the empty tomb.

Salvation unto us has come from God's free grace and favor.( Paul Speratus)