tl;dr Tired of emphasis on end times, tired of trying to sort wheat from chaff re end times, and I think I'm overreacting.
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I concede that my view of the end times and current events is probably different than many of my fellow church members. And honestly, I may be the only one in this church who feels as I do.
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. (Baptist Statement of Faith 2000)
This I believe. Have plenty of Scripture to back this up, and I'm rather convinced that at least with this much I am in full agreement with most of the body of Christ.
Like I say, we agree on the last page, not too sure whether we agree on the last chapter. The myriad of signs and symbols in Daniel and Revelation, from the 70 weeks, to the whore of Babylon, to the mark of the beast, to whether there is a separate rapture, to whether the book of Revelation prophesies a one world gov't, to the timing and nature of the Tribulation... These are things that I believe Christians can disagree on without saying that they've denied the faith.
But as I hear the prevailing talking heads discussing current events, prophecies which they believe are yet to be fulfilled, and how it fits into the end times... There are times I disagree.
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In regards to the emphasis and the interpretation of end times and current events... I don't understand exactly why I get so bent out of shape about it.
Maybe it's pride. I think I'm right, I think they're wrong, and if they're right, that means I was wrong, I'm not the smartest, and I need to rethink my eschatology.
But I'm also worried about (in my estimation) continued cases of Christian prophet wanna be's making bold statements that don't come to pass and bringing unnecessary reproach on the church and the name of Christ. I knew you've heard of apocalyptic cults and their overreaction to the preacher's interpretation.
But if they're right...then it proves that I have neither the state of mind nor the openness of spirit to properly interpret Scripture, prophecy, and current events.
It's not a fear of their version of "Left Behind". It's a fear that I've got no clue.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Thoughts about Americans and guns
This one isn't the neatest, but I just have a lot of thoughts about this subject. I can't do the research that I would like to do to isolate the variable solve the equation to solve the world's problems with my mad mathematics skills. But I'm just tired of Facebook messaging relatives in the same state as a mass shooting. (Over a hundred miles away, need to brush up on my geography)
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I am bothered by not only the phenomenon of mass shootings, but the fact that in regards to violence, mass shootings are a minority of the crime, a minority of the victims, and yet these idiots who have obtained there 15 minutes of fame by shedding much blood in a short time, have skewed the conversation about violence in our country.
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In general, the NRA voters treat the multitude of privately owned guns as a vaccine against tyranny and crime. But although we are willing to entertain conspiracy theory and bad statistics about physical vaccines (MMR HPV etc), the NRA voters consider the gun sacrosanct, and arm to be pushing against Perhaps my friend is right, In Guns We Trust.
If guns are the vaccine against tyranny, I feel it be appropriate to question whether the vaccine is doing any good, the way you hear innumerable complaints about government over reach. And I think it is fair to ask whether the near universal availability of guns in our country is fueling an increase in crime or a decrease in crime. Start with the statistics of more guns than people in this country, include the decrease in the crime rate in the last 20 years, and go draft Nate Silver and his stat heads.
Our nation is an outlier when you compare the per capita income and the homicide rate. Countries that are as rich as us have lower homicide rates...
Is it the poor parts of our country, is it the disintegration of families and morals, is it the...
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Or, the other question, to what extent does the near universal access to firearms increase the success rate of suicide?
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I am bothered by not only the phenomenon of mass shootings, but the fact that in regards to violence, mass shootings are a minority of the crime, a minority of the victims, and yet these idiots who have obtained there 15 minutes of fame by shedding much blood in a short time, have skewed the conversation about violence in our country.
-------------------------
In general, the NRA voters treat the multitude of privately owned guns as a vaccine against tyranny and crime. But although we are willing to entertain conspiracy theory and bad statistics about physical vaccines (MMR HPV etc), the NRA voters consider the gun sacrosanct, and arm to be pushing against Perhaps my friend is right, In Guns We Trust.
If guns are the vaccine against tyranny, I feel it be appropriate to question whether the vaccine is doing any good, the way you hear innumerable complaints about government over reach. And I think it is fair to ask whether the near universal availability of guns in our country is fueling an increase in crime or a decrease in crime. Start with the statistics of more guns than people in this country, include the decrease in the crime rate in the last 20 years, and go draft Nate Silver and his stat heads.
Our nation is an outlier when you compare the per capita income and the homicide rate. Countries that are as rich as us have lower homicide rates...
Is it the poor parts of our country, is it the disintegration of families and morals, is it the...
-------------------------
Or, the other question, to what extent does the near universal access to firearms increase the success rate of suicide?
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Pedestal / letter to a role model
Damn you.
I thought you had it all together. I envied you. I wanted to be you. Even though we weren't in the same generation, I wanted to be like you when I grew up. You had it all, respect, family, the toys, the position in the church, you were a rockstar.
And you let it go. You traded it in. And everyone knows why. Some people saw it coming. I didn't. I couldn't even imagine you doing anything like that. Not only because I thought that you were a better man than me, but because of the children.
I had you on a pedestal. Even after the other disappointments.
You let me down. That's not important. You had responsibilities and turned your back on them. People counted on you, some more than others.
What have we learned today? That even the mighty fall, even the mighty are tempted, and if better men than me succumb, then I must be vigilant.
No man is an island, and your absence leaves some positions empty. Some can be filled. Some can't.
In the name of God repent! Come back. Humble yourself, humble yourself, listen to your elders.
This is what I would say to composite of people, certain people who I can picture in my mind, who I respected from a distance, who really disappointed me, and in their actions caused great harm to their family.
I wasn't close enough to be their Nathan.
...
Just for a moment I was back at school
And felt that old familiar pain...
I thought you had it all together. I envied you. I wanted to be you. Even though we weren't in the same generation, I wanted to be like you when I grew up. You had it all, respect, family, the toys, the position in the church, you were a rockstar.
And you let it go. You traded it in. And everyone knows why. Some people saw it coming. I didn't. I couldn't even imagine you doing anything like that. Not only because I thought that you were a better man than me, but because of the children.
I had you on a pedestal. Even after the other disappointments.
You let me down. That's not important. You had responsibilities and turned your back on them. People counted on you, some more than others.
What have we learned today? That even the mighty fall, even the mighty are tempted, and if better men than me succumb, then I must be vigilant.
No man is an island, and your absence leaves some positions empty. Some can be filled. Some can't.
In the name of God repent! Come back. Humble yourself, humble yourself, listen to your elders.
This is what I would say to composite of people, certain people who I can picture in my mind, who I respected from a distance, who really disappointed me, and in their actions caused great harm to their family.
I wasn't close enough to be their Nathan.
...
Just for a moment I was back at school
And felt that old familiar pain...
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Political musings, a year out
Maybe I should've waited until a month before the Kansas caucus on March 5 '16...
But I went to isidewith.com , and put in my stances and relative weights and found out which candidate I'm closest to.
WHAT??? Are you kidding me?
In my estimation, I think the religious right is losing the p.r. battle badly... more and more, I'm hearing things which can be summed up as "how can you be a Christian and a republican", including questions about Trump, immigration, racial issues, healthcare, economics, war, etc.
In many areas, to question anything is so frowned upon, that you either become lockstep with the majority opinion, or you get bunched with the fringe.
And it's worth wondering how so many Christians can come up with so many different reasons why they vote as they do.
And, how do we as persons and how do we as the deciders of who governs us, how do we do our part to make "Thy Will Be Done, on earth as it is in heaven" ?
In regards to which entity will lead to more human flourishing...I don't trust the market, I don't trust the government. And that seems to make me a stranger to both sides of the political spectrum.
But I went to isidewith.com , and put in my stances and relative weights and found out which candidate I'm closest to.
WHAT??? Are you kidding me?
In my estimation, I think the religious right is losing the p.r. battle badly... more and more, I'm hearing things which can be summed up as "how can you be a Christian and a republican", including questions about Trump, immigration, racial issues, healthcare, economics, war, etc.
In many areas, to question anything is so frowned upon, that you either become lockstep with the majority opinion, or you get bunched with the fringe.
And it's worth wondering how so many Christians can come up with so many different reasons why they vote as they do.
And, how do we as persons and how do we as the deciders of who governs us, how do we do our part to make "Thy Will Be Done, on earth as it is in heaven" ?
In regards to which entity will lead to more human flourishing...I don't trust the market, I don't trust the government. And that seems to make me a stranger to both sides of the political spectrum.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Ecclesia
Yeah, I missed a week (for the first time in four months.) I was busy.
I've known that the church is a large body, with a global presence and brothers and sisters who aren't all evangelical Bapti-costals. But it was important to me to rehear it, to hear it over and over that Jesus sees his church as a community, that we collectively are the saints, and that God has a plan for His church.
And it was good to hear the Word while sitting next to other eager listeners, including my wife. I needed that.
One church. One spirit. And the church is supposed to be the city on the hill.
I've known that the church is a large body, with a global presence and brothers and sisters who aren't all evangelical Bapti-costals. But it was important to me to rehear it, to hear it over and over that Jesus sees his church as a community, that we collectively are the saints, and that God has a plan for His church.
And it was good to hear the Word while sitting next to other eager listeners, including my wife. I needed that.
One church. One spirit. And the church is supposed to be the city on the hill.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Christian Nation: now what?
Last week I posted a blog about America as a Christian nation. I wrote about how in varying degrees Americans are not living up to the 10 Commandments, and by extension a life worthy of the name of Christ. Having put that on a blog and setting the timer for the post (like all my blogs do on Saturday 8:37 a.m.), I realized I had more to say.
My disclaimer. I am not a prophet I am not the son of a prophet. I claim no special insight into the Almighty and His ways. All I can say, if I want to say what I think God would say to the people of this country, is to go back to John the Baptist, Peter, and Jesus. They said the same thing, and I have to consider that their words, their sermons are as applicable to this nation in this generation, as to 1st century Judea. They said the same thing.
Repent. Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand, the kingdom of God is here. Jesus is come. Jesus is here and this changes everything. We are now in the church age, the Spirit of God is here, and that is reason enough to no longer live like some of us have been living. The prophet of God does not have to threaten a judgment or a punishment on this earth, for the awesome and scary truth is that we have been already warned that we all give an account for what we have done.
We are called to put aside the sin and the weight which slows us down as we run the race, the writer of Hebrews says.
I have nothing new to say, all I can say is the same thing that we were told by our Master, our Saviour, the same things we were told by the Apostles...
God be merciful to me a sinner.
My disclaimer. I am not a prophet I am not the son of a prophet. I claim no special insight into the Almighty and His ways. All I can say, if I want to say what I think God would say to the people of this country, is to go back to John the Baptist, Peter, and Jesus. They said the same thing, and I have to consider that their words, their sermons are as applicable to this nation in this generation, as to 1st century Judea. They said the same thing.
Repent. Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand, the kingdom of God is here. Jesus is come. Jesus is here and this changes everything. We are now in the church age, the Spirit of God is here, and that is reason enough to no longer live like some of us have been living. The prophet of God does not have to threaten a judgment or a punishment on this earth, for the awesome and scary truth is that we have been already warned that we all give an account for what we have done.
We are called to put aside the sin and the weight which slows us down as we run the race, the writer of Hebrews says.
I have nothing new to say, all I can say is the same thing that we were told by our Master, our Saviour, the same things we were told by the Apostles...
God be merciful to me a sinner.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Is this a Christian nation?
When a prophet makes a call to repentance, generally, there are sins that the prophet is calling the hearer to forsake. And, as often happens in early May, there was often a call for my country to repent.
From what sins?
“You shall have no other gods before me."
Well, 70% of our nation self-identifies as Christian, so we're good on that, right?
Depends on whether we interpret that as which deity we call God or on who or what we Americans place our reliance.
“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the
LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
As a nation, we claim to trust in God, but we don't. We trust in our guns, our economy, our rights, our traditions. And our churches and politicians are full of contradictory policies and prophecies, because that's what God said. But if it's God speaking, wouldn't it be with one voice, telling the body one thing? Somebody has their own ego and dreams and philosophy mixed up with the Word of God...and somebody is misleading the flock.
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy."
Between commerce, entertainment, and sports, we've reached the point where Sunday is different - slightly - but not set apart. Various surveys tell us that only 35-40% of Americans attend church on any given Sunday...meaning that even half of us are ignoring the admonition to not forsake the assembling of the brethren. And this fall - like every fall, we'll spend two hours in church, and ten hours watching St. Drew, Brother Rodgers, and Brady's bunch.
“Honor your father and your mother"
Every generation claims that their children are the worst behaved brats to ever see daylight. I don't know on this one.
But just as Jesus told the woman at the well, "you spoke well that you have no husband", today's prophet would say "you have no father..." ...
“You shall not murder."
There is blood on our hands.
The blood of the unborn slaughtered in the name of convenience.
The blood of the refugees and collateral damage from our war on terror, slaughtered in the name of security.
The blood of the blacks from the slave ships to the plantations, from the victims of the Klan to Trayvon.
The blood of our murdered brothers in this country, gunned down at a far more lethal rate than the other rich nations (whether due to the violence of the culture, or the availability of guns, or the prevalence of drugs, or...)
The blood of the native Americans, slaughtered and repatriated in the name of Manifest Destiny.
And the list goes on...
"You shall not commit adultery."
In less than a century, we have redefined marriage from "until death do us part" to "as long as we avoid 'irreconcilable differences', immersed our culture in lust and porn so deep that Corinth would blush, and experimented with the sexual ethic of consenting adults ... with a harvest of confusion, fatherlessness, divorce, and disaster. And Ashley Madison.
“You shall not steal."
Some of my friends would yell, "income inequality and corporations." Others would say "fiat money, inflation, and taxation".
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."
The trolling. The bullying. The exclusion. The alienation. The gossip. And when it fits our team's worldview...We almost don't care if it's true or not, we post first, fact check later...if ever.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Our nation has built itself on an economy of out-doing the Jones es. Bigger tv's, bigger cars, bigger houses, newer phones...
Maybe we need to stop calling ourselves a Christian nation.
From what sins?
“You shall have no other gods before me."
Well, 70% of our nation self-identifies as Christian, so we're good on that, right?
Depends on whether we interpret that as which deity we call God or on who or what we Americans place our reliance.
“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the
LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
As a nation, we claim to trust in God, but we don't. We trust in our guns, our economy, our rights, our traditions. And our churches and politicians are full of contradictory policies and prophecies, because that's what God said. But if it's God speaking, wouldn't it be with one voice, telling the body one thing? Somebody has their own ego and dreams and philosophy mixed up with the Word of God...and somebody is misleading the flock.
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy."
Between commerce, entertainment, and sports, we've reached the point where Sunday is different - slightly - but not set apart. Various surveys tell us that only 35-40% of Americans attend church on any given Sunday...meaning that even half of us are ignoring the admonition to not forsake the assembling of the brethren. And this fall - like every fall, we'll spend two hours in church, and ten hours watching St. Drew, Brother Rodgers, and Brady's bunch.
“Honor your father and your mother"
Every generation claims that their children are the worst behaved brats to ever see daylight. I don't know on this one.
But just as Jesus told the woman at the well, "you spoke well that you have no husband", today's prophet would say "you have no father..." ...
“You shall not murder."
There is blood on our hands.
The blood of the unborn slaughtered in the name of convenience.
The blood of the refugees and collateral damage from our war on terror, slaughtered in the name of security.
The blood of the blacks from the slave ships to the plantations, from the victims of the Klan to Trayvon.
The blood of our murdered brothers in this country, gunned down at a far more lethal rate than the other rich nations (whether due to the violence of the culture, or the availability of guns, or the prevalence of drugs, or...)
The blood of the native Americans, slaughtered and repatriated in the name of Manifest Destiny.
And the list goes on...
"You shall not commit adultery."
In less than a century, we have redefined marriage from "until death do us part" to "as long as we avoid 'irreconcilable differences', immersed our culture in lust and porn so deep that Corinth would blush, and experimented with the sexual ethic of consenting adults ... with a harvest of confusion, fatherlessness, divorce, and disaster. And Ashley Madison.
“You shall not steal."
Some of my friends would yell, "income inequality and corporations." Others would say "fiat money, inflation, and taxation".
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."
The trolling. The bullying. The exclusion. The alienation. The gossip. And when it fits our team's worldview...We almost don't care if it's true or not, we post first, fact check later...if ever.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Our nation has built itself on an economy of out-doing the Jones es. Bigger tv's, bigger cars, bigger houses, newer phones...
Maybe we need to stop calling ourselves a Christian nation.
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