Ouch! A reasonable answer!

Often we fail to appreciate the opportunity that suffering offers us as a sanctifying process in our journey heavenward. Paul so joyfully reminds us that:

Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us (Romans 5:3-5).

 But why rejoice? Because, he also said:

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death (Philippians 3:10).

This in a nutshell is the purpose of suffering; that is, to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29). That means Christ-likeness in the good times as well as the bad and everything in-between. Christ did not come just to show us the way but to be the way for no man shall see God without holiness (Hebrews 12:14) which is without a doubt Christ-likeness. Job recognized the value of his suffering when he said:

“When he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (23:10)

Someone has said that the chief cause for atheism is that there seems to be no plausible answer to:” Why does a good God allow bad things to happen to good people?” I am not suggesting that I have all the answers; however, part of the answer, I believe, lays in the response Aron Moss gave to someone who once complained:

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is this world so unfair? Please don't tell me "We can't understand God's ways." I am sick of hearing that. I want an explanation.

His response was simple:

Are you sure you want an explanation? Do you really want to know why the innocent suffer? I think not. You are far better off with the question than with an answer. You are bothered by the fact that people suffer undeservedly. As you should be. Any person with an ounce of moral sensitivity is outraged by the injustices of our world. Abraham, the first Jew, asked God, "Should the Judge of the whole world not act fairly?" Moses asked, "Why have You treated this people badly?" And today we still ask, "Why God, why?"

But what if we found the answer? What if someone came along and gave us a satisfying explanation? What if the mystery were finally solved? What if we asked why, and actually got an answer?

If this ultimate question were answered, then we would be able to make peace with the suffering of innocents. And that is unthinkable. Worse than innocent people suffering is others watching their suffering unmoved. And that's exactly what would happen if we were to understand why innocents suffer. We would no longer be bothered by their cry, we would no longer feel their pain, because we would understand why it is happening.

Aron Moss continues:

Imagine you are in a hospital and you hear a woman screaming with pain. Outside her room, her family is standing around chatting, all smiling and happy. You scream at them, "What's wrong with you? Can't you hear how much pain she is in?" They answer, "This is the delivery ward. She is having a baby. Of course we are happy."

When you have an explanation, pain doesn't seem so bad anymore. We can tolerate suffering when we know why it is happening.

And so, if we could make sense of innocent people suffering, if we could rationalize tragedy, then we could live with it. We would be able to hear the cry of sweet children in pain and not be horrified. We would tolerate seeing broken hearts and shattered lives, for we would be able to neatly explain them away. Our question would be answered, and we could move on.

But as long as the pain of innocents remains a burning question, we are bothered by its existence. And as long as we can't explain pain, we must alleviate it. If innocent people suffering does not fit into our worldview, we must eradicate it. Rather than justifying their pain, we need to get rid of it.So keep asking the question, why bad things happen to good people. But stop looking for answers. Start formulating a response. Take your righteous anger and turn it into a force for doing good. Redirect your frustration with injustice and unfairness and channel it into a drive to fight injustice and unfairness. Let your outrage propel you into action. When you see innocent people suffering, help them. Combat the pain in the world with goodness. Alleviate suffering wherever you can.

We don't want answers, we don't want explanations, and we don't want closure. We want an end to suffering. And we dare not leave it up to God to alleviate suffering. He is waiting for us to do it. 

That's what we are here for.

  That is precisely what all of us must do. That is, give a cup of cold water to those who thirst. Feed and care for the widow an orphan. Do good even to “Love our enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and our reward will be great, and we will be sons of the Most High … Luke 6:35.”

We may not be able to fully understand or elevate evil, but we can, however, to share each others burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).

Take care . . .

Navigating the denominational zone

First of all, a background of Scripture:

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (John 16:13 (KJV)

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. (Acts 15:28 (NIV)

If I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.  (1 Timothy 3:15 (NIV)

Now, allow me to intertwine these verses into a logical whole.

We Pentecostals, Charismatics and other Evangelical Protestants come in a variety of theological hues. Some pretty, some not so pretty. For some 1500 years, give or take a little, two branches of Christendom—that is, Eastern Orthodoxy or the Roman Catholic Church, dominated the Christian religious scene. These Christians gave us the great creeds as well as the Scriptures as we know them. 

In brief, to summarize, the first ecumenical council convened in Nicea in the mid and late 4^th century and gave us the great (what else?) Nicaean creed (AD 325)—actually, this is officially known as the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed since the second session convened in Constantinople (AD 381) to put the finishing touches on the original draft.

Interestingly (although, I must say sadly) the  "Nicene Creed" is the only authoritative ecumenical statement of the Christian faith accepted by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and the major Protestant denominations. Primarily the subject matter dealt with the nature and purposes of Christ and the Church He founded. At about that time the canon of Scripture was loosely configured and in circulation. Surprisingly—to some at least—the final verse, and therefore, the complete canon had to wait until the Council of Trent (AD 1545 and 1563) at which time the verses dealing with Jesus and the woman taken in adultery (John 8:1–11) was finally accepted as part of the New Testament thereby fixing the New Testament canon in its present form. From that time forward for all practical purposes both Protestants and Catholics have used the same Bible with the exception of the Apocrypha which is used almost exclusively by the Roman Catholics and Orthodox communities, but also including a few High Anglicans.

Granted, anytime history is condensed or summarized some of the finer details are left wanting; none-the-less, for purposes of understanding the origins of what we Evangelical consider the sole and final source of the Christian faith, this summary will do.

This brings us to the central question: that is, since the church of the living God, is the pillar and foundation of the truth.  (1 Timothy 3:15 (NIV) which church are we talking about? Certainly, not one that has splintered into thousands of shards—yes, you read me right, shards. What else are we to call schismatic who feel comfortable in starting their own brand of Christianity, or morphing a very good one into apostasy? If truth is one (and it is) then where is that true and original Church which Christ founded of which He promised that the gates of Death (Hades) would not overwhelm? 

Now, either, Christ was right or He was not. If the Church apostatized early, as some contend, in the 2^nd century; then why accept a canon of Scripture or creeds developed by this apostatized church? Instead of—

 "[Marking] those who cause division, and offences contrary to the doctrine which were learned, and avoid them... (Romans 16:17-18)”

I am afraid that we have for the most part embraced many of them. These are, however, the facts; an open secret, you might say.

As for example, Luther because of his exclusive affinity for the role of faith in salvation never developed a recognizable doctrine of sanctification. Thus, the praxis of faith was never fully appreciated. A shard, you might say. Of course, a natural corollary to that was advanced by Calvin who when overboard and attributed all acts of charity to a sovereign work of irresistible grace, as if the roles personal choice and obedience were a matter of providence; including that first act of faith which is considered by most evangelicals that I know as necessary for our salvation.

This initial act of faith, however, leaves unanswered the matter of salvation for the very young and by implication the severely mentally retarded. Please excuse me if at this point I insert that my God is bigger than that. Would it not be much better if we insisted that it is a willful act of disobedience—that is, going against the Godly sense of morality that excludes us from the Kingdom of God? Could it be that as the whole world died in Adam, so it is that all were made alive in Christ? I think so. This, I believe covers the age of innocence as well as that of ignorance. It does not, however, cover the willful disobedience of those who refuse to repent or live in the light that Scripture says shines in the heart of every man.[i]

---

[i] Romans 2:1-16; cf. John 1:9

Works Vis-à-vis Faith

 

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." — John 15:5

*****

To to insist that our salvation is complete once we make a public confession that we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior is simply not biblical— that is to say, for instance, that faith counts but obedience does not is wrong. 

Wouldn't it be much better to say that God expects obedience as well as faith to complete the process? Faith does not stand alone. Born again experience or not, if you live like the Devil in the end you will be treated like one when it is all said and done. No, we must choose daily to live a Godly life; once that is done, however, God is there to help us along on the journey (Philippians 2:13)— not with just free floating grace, however, or cheap grace; but with a practical grace of choice (God forces himself on no one).

I say this because we by osmosis (it seems) have absorbed a foreign free grace theology that once we openly confess Jesus as Lord we are home free; however, I would point out that Jesus' response to such foolishness if we don't "walk the talk" was and still is:

 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46 NIV)

For if He was, as they confessed Him to be, their Lord, their daily life would have modeled it. Clearly then, they had only given lip service, assuming as it were that just to acknowledge Him as Lord is enough. May we never be guilty of the same. Talk is cheap; and so is that so-called grace that prompts it.

So, in the New Year just ahead of us, let us remember that doing as well as saying go hand in hand:

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age, as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.…" (Titus 2:12)

Friends, I must emphasize—if I am to be true to His word, that obedience to Christ is a serious matter that must be practiced daily, moment by moment if we are to be assured of a successful outcome. This however is not an impossible task for:

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence....Therefore, brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you practice these things you will never stumble, and you will receive a lavish reception into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1: 3; 11)

With the comfort and confidence in Christ when you obey for what lies ahead for you in 2017 be blessed—better yet, be a blessing to others! Through it all may I wish you and yours a Happy New Year!

JimR_/-

Bearing our cross . . .

Just think about it!

"One Man's Opinion"
A weekly Christian commentary by Jim Roane

If I see aright, the cross of popular evangelicalism is not the cross of the New Testament. It is, rather, a new bright ornament upon the bosom of a self-assured and carnal Christianity. The old cross slew men, the new cross entertains them. The old cross condemned; the new cross amuses. The old cross destroyed confidence in the flesh; the new cross encourages it.
— A. W. Tozer

Dear Friends,

We should not be amazed that the old faults of the past continue to reassert themselves. Men and women it seems are willing, sometimes eager, I might say, to acknowledge the goodness of Christ without bowing to His holiness. Willing, as it were, to give Jesus lip-service but not submission. The truth of the matter is that the Bible is dead-set against making Jesus anything less than God incarnate worthy of worship and obedience. Platitudes and showcase Christianity are a bane to the Church, causing countless to lose faith, become disheartened and slip into the shadows. The church for many is simply just one big revolving door. The heavenly manna is gone, so they leave empty and hungry.

Why is that?

The simple facts is that that babies are not conditioned for a marathon, so when the journey becomes long and tedious they fall by the wayside. Milk Christianity will never make the grade (c.f. 1 Cor. 3:1-2), so that should come as no surprise when they do fail. Nor should it surprise anyone when I say that there is nothing wrong with milk, if as Peter reprimands us we rid ourselves of all wickedness, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander in order to mature into a  spiritually heathy adult (c.f. 1 Peter 2).

Now, I know it is easy to blame the pastor for not preaching the word and giving the people enough meat to live on; however, the truth is that many don’t want the word, they prefer a magic wand that someone can wave over them and fix all that ails them, spiritually, financially, physically and otherwise. Because of this many pastors, admittedly, have fallen into that trap. It’s a whole lot easier to preach a Gospel of grace than it is to remind the congregate that there is no such thing as cheap grace. Grace comes with a price. First of all it cost The Father His Son which in turn cost His Son His life as a ransomed for many, as Scripture reminds us (Mark 10:45, et. al.) Then lastly, although not lease by any stretch of the imagination, it cost us the work of becoming holy as God is holy. That cost comes in many forms, chiefly among them is our inordinate ambitions, secret sins, fleshly desires—yes, and even giving more than lip service to tithing and special gifts to help grow the church or help the needy. The number is far too large to enumerate; however, does not diminish our responsibility to count the cost. In this regards, now listen to the words of Christ:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26-33).

Counting the cost for those of us who have past the prime of life also means that we should take an occasional inventory just to make sure that we are not laboring in vain (Psalm 127:1; Luke 14:28). Paul, we can all agree was indeed a holy man; however, he was never one to sit on his laurels. He, himself, admitted that even the best of athletes, including himself, must discipline themselves daily and stay in shape to even stay in the contest to eventually win the prize (1 Corinthians 9:27).

For Paul it was not enough to enter the contest but rather to finishing it is all that counts. Otherwise, it is like a boxer beating the thin air expecting to get the championship belt by simply going through the motions, or a marathon runner running around aimlessly imagining that’s enough to win the race. It just doesn’t work that way. Simply because, to quote Yogi Berra:

"If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else."

 Be blessed, better yet bless others,

JimR_/-

Election Year Hallabaloo . . .

Always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. (2 Tim. 3:7)

I don’t know about you, perhaps it is just me, but I find it increasingly difficult to distinguish between the current political campaigns and the Ringling Brother’s Circus. Surely, we should not be asked to take the process seriously. And, in my opinion, herein comes the rub. These are serious times. No room for politically correct shenanigans or name calling here, as far as I am concerned.

The whole scene reminds me of the words of Christ, when he said in Matthew 11:16-19):

“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: “ ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’”

Could it be that sensible people are simply turned off by the whole scene and see it as just another game that Americans play every 4 years, or whenever there is another election? I think so. There certainly seems to be a majority that fit the category.

Further, in this same parable, Jesus reminds them that even when unadulterated truth faces them---in this case, John the Baptist—they sluff it off by discrediting the messenger, with these words:

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’

Then He ends the parable with this cryptic statement: “wisdom is only proved right by her deeds.” For years, I wrestled with what that meant, now I understand that all Jesus was saying is that “the proof is in the pudding.” In other words, where had all their shenanigans lead them? Most assuredly nowhere. Nothing wise about that. That’s for sure.

Now, may I ask in all sincerity, “Where will all this election hullaballoo lead us?”

Unfortunately, without God, I must say, we will only have more of the same in the foreseeable, and beyond according to the Bible I read.

At this point, I ask myself if I am a pessimist by nature or are these the facts. Well, to answer that: neither; I’m a realist. Be that as it may, however, this is no excuse for me or for any of us to stand idly by.  For we must work, until we can no longer work. (John 9:4).  

As ever, be blessed—better yet, bless others!

JimR/

Dallas and beyond . . .

By now most of the world has heard about Micah Johnson, a 25-year-old Army veteran who shot and killed 5 Dallas policemen and wounded several others. While reflecting on the incident and watching the press emote over the event, I turned to Scripture for an answer. But not just any answer … I wanted the answer. Of course, I knew and have always taught that Christ is the answer; however, I questioned whether he alone was sufficient. Well, of course, the truth is yes and no. He is the answer in so far as we allow him to be; but herein lies the crux of the matter: in all honesty we seldom do. We would rather fix the problem ourselves.

Our solution is generally a call for more highly trained police, and/or more economic and social equality and less inflammatory rhetoric or something along those lines. Seldom do we see ourselves as the culprit.

Now, keep in mind I am a white man and I know what white people say by-in-large in private.

Far too often the illegal alien Latino is labeled as just another wetback, and budding criminal if not one already.  The same brush is used to paint the welfare mom, or an unemployed black man as just another example of a drag on our society. Ignoring the truth that not all welfare moms are out to scam the system, or that all unemployed are blacks lazy. Sadly, when we choose such labels, the love meter slowly begins to tilt towards either indifference or a seething prejudice which in turns leads to bitterness or in some cases violence.

The truth of the matter is that on some level we have all been guilty of generically labeling some a misfits and drags on society simply because they do not fit into our perfect picture of how things should be. Make no doubt about it, there are criminals and lazy bums, as well as the garden variety of misfits, but to treat them differently than God treats them is grossly sinful.

Micah Johnson and Dallas Police Chief David Brown are a case in point. Ironically both men are black. Obviously, both have seen the world though different lenses. Johnson’s view was filtered through hatred; whereas, Chief Brown chose to filter his through love and service. Now keep these two in focus and let us man up and admit that far too often we have been guilty of throwing all blacks into the same basket along with ‘wetbacks’ the gays and lesbians or the transgender, or the bourka dressed  Muslim next door, and perhaps for good measure those annoying Jehovah Witnesses that just rang our door bell, or what have you. This is true, whether we admit it or not.

We as Christians must never allow ourselves to be tainted with the rhetoric of hate or embrace an attitude of disgust simply because we cannot see past the color of one’s skin or their country of origin or, for that matter, their religion. Ours’s is not to judge but to love. Only God is capable of both. We are restrained from judgement: that is His job. For even "… God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:17)."

A lassie fare attitude will not work either. We must become involved. If an open forum is not a comfortable style for us, then privately in our work-a-day activities or in our private moments with those around us. Keep in mind, however, that we are not God’s moral squad commissioned to fix this broken world. Our job is not to fix, but to offer a viable solution. Any less of a stance will eventually lead to irreconcilable differences, division, prejudice and hate. The bottom line is that none of us can cram love down anyone’s throat. So, that is not even an option.

On the other hand, though, we must embrace one another as brothers and sisters in love, or die as fools. This I say because America is not invincible, particularly so when and if we continue to allow ourselves to be divided one against the other in an atmosphere of hate and distrust. Black, white, the brown and all hues in-between are God’s children, as well as the 'haves' and the 'have-nots. '

As ever, be blessed and — 

 “Let those (among us) without sin cast the first stone … (John 8:7.”

JimR_/-

Dallas and beyond . . .

By now most of the world has heard about Micah Johnson, a 25-year-old Army veteran who shot and killed 5 Dallas policemen and wounded several others. While reflecting on the incident and watching the press emote over the event, I turned to Scripture for an answer. But not just any answer … I wanted the answer. Of course, I knew and have always taught that Christ is the answer; however, I questioned whether he alone was sufficient. Well, of course, the truth is yes and no. He is the answer in so far as we allow him to be; but herein lies the crux of the matter: in all honesty we seldom do. We would rather fix the problem ourselves.

Our solution is generally a call for more highly trained police, and/or more economic and social equality and less inflammatory rhetoric or something along those lines. Seldom do we see ourselves as the culprit.

Now, keep in mind I am a white man and I know what white people say by-in-large in private.

Far too often the illegal alien Latino is labeled as just another wetback, and budding criminal if not one already.  The same brush is used to paint the welfare mom, or an unemployed black man as just another example of a drag on our society. Ignoring the truth that not all welfare moms are out to scam the system, or that all unemployed are blacks lazy. Sadly, when we choose such labels, the love meter slowly begins to tilt towards either indifference or a seething prejudice which in turns leads to bitterness or in some cases violence.

The truth of the matter is that on some level we have all been guilty of generically labeling some a misfits and drags on society simply because they do not fit into our perfect picture of how things should be. Make no doubt about it, there are criminals and lazy bums, as well as the garden variety of misfits, but to treat them differently than God treats them is grossly sinful.

Micah Johnson and Dallas Police Chief David Brown are a case in point. Ironically both men are black. Obviously, both have seen the world though different lenses. Johnson’s view was filtered through hatred; whereas, Chief Brown chose to filter his through love and service. Now keep these two in focus and let us man up and admit that far too often we have been guilty of throwing all blacks into the same basket along with ‘wetbacks’ the gays and lesbians or the transgender, or the bourka dressed  Muslim next door, and perhaps for good measure those annoying Jehovah Witnesses that just rang our door bell, or what have you. This is true, whether we admit it or not.

We as Christians must never allow ourselves to be tainted with the rhetoric of hate or embrace an attitude of disgust simply because we cannot see past the color of one’s skin or their country of origin or, for that matter, their religion. Ours’s is not to judge but to love. Only God is capable of both. We are restrained from judgement: that is His job. For even "… God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:17)."

A lassie fare attitude will not work either. We must become involved. If an open forum is not a comfortable style for us, then privately in our work-a-day activities or in our private moments with those around us. Keep in mind, however, that we are not God’s moral squad commissioned to fix this broken world. Our job is not to fix, but to offer a viable solution. Any less of a stance will eventually lead to irreconcilable differences, division, prejudice and hate. The bottom line is that none of us can cram love down anyone’s throat. So, that is not even an option.

On the other hand, though, we must embrace one another as brothers and sisters in love, or die as fools. This I say because America is not invincible, particularly so when and if we continue to allow ourselves to be divided one against the other in an atmosphere of hate and distrust. Black, white, the brown and all hues in-between are God’s children, as well as the 'haves' and the 'have-nots. '

As ever, be blessed and — 

 “Let those (among us) without sin cast the first stone … (John 8:7.”

JimR/

"The Hell," you say?

Evangelical theologians are notoriously politically correct within the system. Question an archaic doctrine that at the very least needs clarification is ministerial suicide for some. Take, for example, the doctrine of Hell. Question that in light of “only God has immortality (1 Timothy 6:16)” and see how far you get in average Evangelical circles. Need I go any further?

Some of the greatest minds in theology have expressed contradictory views vis-à-vis Evangelical “orthodoxy” such as: Hans Urs von Balthazar, C. S. Lewis, John R. W. Stott, William Barclay, Clark Pinnock—needless to say, also, that the Church Fathers both early and late did not agree on this, nor did the Reformers; they did, however, discuss the issue. May I quote just one of the greatest theologians of all time, who wrote: “In Hell there is no true eternity but rather time (St. Thomas Aquinas)?” Most assuredly St. Thomas Aquinas must have had the same thought in mind as did Isaiah who wrote much earlier: “Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end (Isaiah 60:20)?”

In Scripture, Hell (or the fires of geennan/γέενναν) is confined to a cycle of days and nights; whereas, Heaven has no night, only day, for “He is the light thereof (Revelation 21:23).” Not so with Hell which is confined to a determine cycle of day and night until it is thrown into the Lake of Fire; after which, it can be argued only the “smoke of their torment (from the fires of geennan) (Revelation 14:11)” can be seen as a proof of the effectiveness of this consuming fire.

Now, consider with me for a moment what the implications of these verses of Scripture are—keeping in mind, of course, that sola scriptura does not take place in a vacuum. Reason has its proper place in theology as well, as does moral justice and fairness. Well, for one there is a judgment day and that there is punishment is a given, as Immanuel Kant pointed out so many years ago. However, we Protestants have thrown the baby out with the bath water and restricted that punishment to punitive punishment only. Remedial punishment a more sensible recourse is completely off limits.

Do I buy into the whole “liberal” approach, lock stock and barrel? Certainly not. However, perhaps it would serve us well to take into consideration that it took at least three-and-one-quarter centuries for the doctrine of the Trinity to essentially take its final form. Some would argue, however, that the controversy would only be settled in the west under the tutelage of the Cappadocian Fathers (roughly 330-395 A.D.) when it really blossomed into its final form.

Now in this instance we are only talking about the Trinity, but we could also open up discussion as to why it took until the Reformation to come up with the so-called 5 solas: Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone"); Sola fide ("by faith alone"); Sola gratia ("by grace alone"); Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone"); and Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone"). The point being, that on such an important and controversial subject as Hell, we have shut the door without having defined its parameters. It is one thing to say that, ‘Yes, there is a Hell and bad people go there,” but quite another to identify all of these bad people as those who do not agree with our little small brand of Christianity. Perhaps, we are right, but there are millions of Hindus, Buddhists, and yes, even Muslims that deserve to be told why. That we have not effectively answered yet.

JimR__/

Personally, I don’t recall any other time that American politics has disturbed me anymore than these days. Defamation of character seems to be the order of the day. Call your opponent a big fat slob, or a liar, or any other childish name you wish and your ratings go up.


No, I am not just talking about the Donald, either. There are exceptions, but their rating are in the single digits. Listen carefully and you will find as many Democrats squealing as you do Republicans using the same ad hominem attacks. Yes, I know Jesus called Creaser an old fox, but can you think of a better description? Nonetheless, when perfectly decent men and women are vilified it is to me a different proposition altogether.

That aside, however, the news media goads and baits politicians for the sole purpose of ratings or advertising revenue which only accentuates the frenzy. It’s all about the money. Further, it seems that a politician’s moral character is secondary for some of our larger churches and universities. Everybody wants to be on the winner’s side, it seems. Compromise, particularly when money is involved, seems to be the name of the game.

What a crazy topsy-turvy world!

Our degenerate political correctness has conveniently hidden the awfulness of the morning after pill under the euphemism of “emergency postcoital contraception” and the killing of the innocents as “prochoice”—it’s a woman’s right, you know. What rubbish. Moreover, for the P. C. crowd Islamic jihadist must not be referred to as Muslim extremists, or in any constructive way be linked to the source of its putrid origins. Again, what rubbish.

Yet, even now we are faced with another jihadist attack from terrorists born, raised in and protected by the ostensibly peace loving Muslims in the Molenbeek section of Brussels. After all, grandma’s home or the neighbor next door has proven to be a safer haven than the streets of Europe, so why not stick close to home and enjoy a fine home cooked meal and the camaraderie of old pals? By the way, when is the last time you have heard of peace loving Muslims turning one jihadist in? I can’ think of one. Perhaps, it’s high time for us to distinguish between complacency and peace loving. I’m just saying.

Once more, what a crazy topsy-turvy world!

As you know, currently I am in Beijing which surprisingly has a thriving and open Christian community as well as a large ethnic Muslim population throughout the rest of the country. Speaking of Chinese Muslims, I’m no expert but I can’t imagine China’s leadership losing any sleep over Guantanamo if the shoe were on the other foot. Surely there must be a lesson in all of this. Could it be that murder and mayhem parading under the banner of Islam requires swift and severe punishment?

Granted the Scriptures declares: 

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (ESV)

But what justice, however, is there for an unrepentant heart? Release the jihadist from Guantanamo and what do you get? Just another jihadist on the loose, as far as I can see. So, perhaps, just perhaps, it is best to stick with Scripture on this one:

“For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy (James 2:13).”

Sound harsh? I hope not. But we must be realistic, and we must be practical.

On the practical side and on another matter, I would suggest that vetting extremism is an ongoing task; and if you or your religious persuasion is detrimental to the state, potentially or otherwise, you lose your right to practice your particular brand of fanaticism. Naturally there must be a balance in all of this, but I am not sure we in the west have come up with a solution. Now, don’t misread me on this, the real test is in determining who the real extremist are. Cherry picking for individual jihadist in the process at this point is for all practical purposes impossible. Therefore, in my opinion, vetting individuals is secondary to vetting the sectarian system in which these fanatics thrive. Until we are able to successfully do that, we are in for a heap of trouble.

Need I say more?

As a voter most Christians are increasingly caught in a Catch-22 between the lesser of 2 evils. On the one hand the choice is an abortion advocate and proven incompetent, and on the other someone who quite well may just as well take us to the brink of Armageddon and beyond. Truth is there is no moral majority to fall back on either—that is, if there ever was one.

There is, however, one comforting fact, that I find in Acts 17:26 which reads:

“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.”

To me, this undeniably declares that God is in ultimate control and He sets the course of history and will keep it on track until the very end. We have the privilege and opportunity to play the roles as we see fit, but He has written the play. And, in the end, God wins.

Well, I’ve gone out on a limb on this one, but it is not the first time. And, quite frankly, on this one, I had just as soon be proven wrong.

Yours in the Bonds of Calvary,

JimR_/-

"Status quo? ... that's Latin for the mess we's in."

Not only do the political elite refuse to label Islamic terrorism for what it is, during the middle of one of the largest terror attacks ever the President dances the tango and goes to a baseball game with a dictator. Again, what a topsy-turvy world!

I remember once an old black man being asked what the word "status quo" meant; without hesitation he reply, "Oh, that's an easy one. That's Latin for the mess we's in." His grammar may have been off but there is a world of wisdom in that definition. We's in a mess, that's for sure.

As a friends just posted, "Okay .... it's not funny anymore. Where's the real presidential candidates?" Have ever seen anything so silly in all your life? Any candidate with any lick of sense whatsoever is buried in the polls. Knocked out not by common sense but with remarks such as "low energy' or 'who would vote for a face like that?' or by calling someone a lair without one shred of evidence whatsoever. Better yet letting a known adulterer smear another candidates by innuendo alone. The name of the game seems to be “If it works, use it!” Trouble is how can we trust anyone with such moral ineptitude? Believe me there’s enough blame to go around on both sides of the aisle.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I blame the mess we’s in on Christians who refuse to join in on the process and get out and vote, and quit kowtowing to political correctness. The whole system is corrupt from most of the Supreme Court right through Congress and most certainty throughout the Administration. When are we going to begin to judge these people by the fruit they bear? It’s one thing to get up on Easter morning and put on an “I love Jesus” face, and quite another to live the life day in and day out. People make mistakes that’s for sure, and I can’t fault them for that. But most Christians I know seek forgiveness, not just from God but from one another. I may have missed it, but I have failed to hear one candidate apologize either to God or man for the antics that are going on in this Ringling Brother’s Circus that we call a political campaign.

Believe it or not, one of my hobbies is to collect clowns. I have the in all shapes and forms. All the way from some priceless Emmett Kelly’s to some that I happen to run across in second hand stores and garage sales. One of my favorites is a windup carrousel of clowns dancing to the tune of “Bring on the Clowns.” I’m tempted to bring it out each evening when I watch the evening news coverage on this present political season. But again that’s not necessary because they seem to come out on their own and dance their own goofy dance. As a New York Yankee would say, “Enough, already!”

Oh to God that we had a few John the Baptists, or Isaiahs. Perhaps just even one reluctant Jonah might do. Where are they? Most Christians I see are hiding behind their political correctness, or timidity or complacency, or whatever. They are certainly not making any waves. That’s for sure. Now, I not advocating taking on each candidate one by one and pointing out their flaws. That’s not necessary. It’s the system that I’m after. The cultural relativism. The “I don’t care as long as it doesn’t affect my pocket book" mentality, that what I’m talking about. Perhaps the rich fool is an appropriate parable here (Luke 12:13-21).

Now, it’s obvious that the America public at large is fed up with the status quo. Problem is most don’t have the answer. They keep looking in the wrong places. So until America and Western civilization has a deep moral rebirth in my opinion we are doomed. I challenge you, visit China if you disagree; or even an up and coming India. Economically we are going to be slam-dunked in the not too distant future if we’re not careful. Forget Mexico and Japan and the likes. These giants will dwarf them all.

I’m personally not a dooms day guy. I am by nature optimistic. However, I do have to call it like it is, as far as I can see it.

Again, I hope I’m wrong on this one, but my gut feeling is that I am not.

I am yours, however for a brighter future, 

JimR_/