Christianese

Just as the big corporations have their own special language or buzz words, such as “ideate” for meet and discuss and “action item” for get ‘er done...so also in the modern theological arena a special language has emerged amongst some of the “spiritual elite”. I have heard or read most of the following terms, primarily, in super-duper multi-campus evangelical organizations or websites. Therefore, for the edification of the small, financially struggling, faithful congregations that are dedicated to the pure teaching and preaching of the gospel and to the correct adminstration of the sacraments, here is a sampling of buzz words used by your big brothers in the faith:

Term & Translation
Testimony (An iteration of what God has done/is doing in your life)
Fellowship (A gathering of Christian friends, usually involves food)
Moral failure (Just plain old sin)
Unpacking the scripture (An explanation via empowerment or annointing of a particular scripture)
Are you tracking with me (Do you understanding what I am saying)
Love on them (Do something nice for someone)
Empowerment (The Holy Spirit’s influence at work in your life)
Find your divine destiny/design (Unpacking your God given gifts and calling in the Church)
Annointing (God’s special Holy Spirit power...used frequently in charismatic assemblies)
Gifting (What you are empowered to be really good/passionate about)
Catalyze spiritual growth (Develop Church programs for laity to understand your divine design/destiny)
Passion area (Areas of gifting or annointing that one loves to do)
Transformational power (Supernatural abilities for serving others, e.g., unpacking scripture)
All-In or Not in At All (I have no clue)
Relational Growth (Growing in the faith through small groups)
Transformative Opportunity (A big, big theological deal)
Sacred Rhythms (The “working outward” part of faith)
Missional (Just too many definitions for this word to even be relevant;...google it if you must know)
Worldview (How you view history and current events and where and how and why it will one day culminate)
Update...How could I have left out "Intentional" (Used in Christian circles to indicate, of all things, intent.  Also used to admonish one towards decisivness or getting with the program...quickly.)

Here I Stand, I Can Do No Other

Here is Martin Luther’s Prayer the night before standing trial as a heretic and facing certain death unless he recanted of his teaching:

O God, Almighty God everlasting! how dreadful is the world! behold how its mouth opens to swallow me up, and how small is my faith in Thee! . . . Oh! the weakness of the flesh, and the power of Satan! If I am to depend upon any strength of this world – all is over . . . The knell is struck . . . Sentence is gone forth . . . O God! O God! O thou, my God! help me against the wisdom of this world. Do this, I beseech thee; thou shouldst do this . . . by thy own mighty power . . . The work is not mine, but Thine. I have no business here . . . I have nothing to contend for with these great men of the world! I would gladly pass my days in happiness and peace. But the cause is Thine . . . And it is righteous and everlasting! O Lord! help me! O faithful and unchangeable God! I lean not upon man. It were vain! Whatever is of man is tottering, whatever proceeds from him must fail. My God! my God! dost thou not hear? My God! art thou no longer living? Nay, thou canst not die. Thou dost but hide Thyself. Thou hast chosen me for this work. I know it! . . . Therefore, O God, accomplish thine own will! Forsake me not, for the sake of thy well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, my defence, my buckler, and my stronghold.

Lord – where art thou? . . . My God, where art thou? . . . Come! I pray thee, I am ready . . . Behold me prepared to lay down my life for thy truth . . . suffering like a lamb. For the cause is holy. It is thine own! . . . I will not let thee go! no, nor yet for all eternity! And though the world should be thronged with devils – and this body, which is the work of thine hands, should be cast forth, trodden under foot, cut in pieces, . . . consumed to ashes, my soul is thine. Yes, I have thine own word to assure me of it. My soul belongs to thee, and will abide with thee forever! Amen! O God send help! . . . Amen!

Watch this great teaching video about Luther's stand for truth from R.C. Sproul of Ligonier Ministries: Progress to Worms

The Election: A Word (or two) from The Lord

Republicans, Libertarians, Independents, Democrats?
I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me. (Jeremiah 27:5)

Red States or Blue States?
For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another. (Psalm 75:6-7)

The Electoral College?
And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings... (Daniel 2:21)

...the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men. (Daniel 4:17)

Polling Places?
...the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. (Daniel 4:25 and 32)

Political Ads?
He loosens the bonds of kings, and binds their waist with a belt. (Job 12:18)

The Debates?
All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?" (Daniel 4:35)

Political Plans?
[God] works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11).

America Decides?
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. (Proverbs 16:33)

Four More Years?
Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. Scarcely shall they be planted, scarcely shall they be sown, scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, when He will also blow on them, and they will wither, and the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my just claim is passed over by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:13-31)

Plans for Progressive Change?
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void [literally, fruitless], but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:8-11)

The Election that REALLY Counts:
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:10,11

The Fourth Estate's Failure

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Bitter, Not Better

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Feelin' Your Pain

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The Good Samaritan

We just completed several weeks of study at our church in the 10th chapter of Luke culminating in the story of The Good Samaritan.  Jerry, Elaine, Castanza and Kramer were not in attendance.

Attracting Old People to Church

The question no one is pondering:

With the emphasis lately on youth bands, inane repetitive singing, casual dress and positive thinking talks, the Church has been overrun with youth. For a more fair and balanced congregation the top priority for the local church should be to address this question: “What can we do to attract old folks?” Here are my top ten suggestions:

1. Hire Tommy Dorsey, Lawrence Welk, or Glenn Miller type big bands with only ONE unnoticeable, seated rhythm guitarist as worship leaders. (Pentecostals: provide area for ballroom type “dancing in the spirit”)

2. Acceptable Dress style: Men---sandals with dark knee socks; Bermuda shorts pulled up under chest with suspenders optional. Ladies---Hair dyed blue and old sweat pants.

3. In place of standard seating....rocking and/or reclining pews, w/electronic control should be provided.

4. Schedule social dinners with plenty of oatmeal w/raisins, tapioca pudding, hot and spicy deep-fried prunes and fruit flavored jello.

5. Keep service under 45 minutes, as restroom breaks occur more frequently.

6. Keep sermons simple. There’s not much time left for newly found wisdom, and the old adage is true, “you can’t teach an old dog new wisdom” .

7. Above all else use “grandkids” as sermon illustrations. Old folks will awake immediately.

8. All sermons should include parishioner’s main interests: eating, sleeping, bowel movements and complaining about young people (grandkids excepted).

9. Open up special senior parking spaces near the front door for those over 65 with a 10% discount on tithes.

10. Utilize old folks as front door greeters as they are used to saying “Welcome to Walmart” anyway.

Newspaper Bias

Quiz: Can you find the left leaning liberal newspaper from the headlines below? (Clues: find the words “reject”, “sieze control”, and “agenda”)

Election Results
...followed by the listing of the election results.
(The Emporia Gazette)

State Election Results
....followed by the listing of the State election results.
(Salina Journal)

Voters reject middle ground in Kansas Senate races
Conservative Republicans scored big wins across Kansas on Tuesday as they set themselves up to seize control of the state Senate and clear a path for Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s agenda.
(Kansas City Star)

(You may also guess which candidates were endorsed by the liberal newspaper and why this conservative "rejected" their choices so that I could "seize control" of my own preferences and "reject" this particular newspaper's "agenda".)

The Slippery Slope...a Solution

"........ is Mr. Sandusky really that bad? Measured by today's norms and today's blogs, he's a certifiable scumbag. That's today, but what about tomorrow? Given another day and another time, Sandusky could find himself the poster child for moral self-expression. Our dominant cultural ethical paradigm turns such plausibility into likelihood." (read more HERE, "Is Sandusky Really Such a Bad Guy After All?")

Westminster Catechism--Q143

Q143: Which is the ninth commandment?

A143: The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor

Q144: What are the duties required in the ninth commandment?

A144: The duties required in the ninth commandment are, the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man..unless it’s an e-mail that agrees with your political ideology, whether true or not, it’s OK to forward on to ten people.

Photoshop

"....We are all like pictures that must not be looked at too near.  They that come near us find more faults and badness in us than others at a distance know." (Puritan, Richard Baxter, 1615-1691)

STILL...Not Yours...

Missouri Appellate Court ruled this morning in favor of Colonial Presbyterian. (see links for details)

WD74374: Overview/Summary
The Colonial Presbyterian Church vs. Heartland Presbytery
Author: Karen King Mitchell, Judge Vote: Affirmed. Howard, P.J. and Pfeiffer, JJ., concur

See previous blog HERE

The Origin of Life

Evolutionary View:
Some unknown process operating in an unknown liquid mixture beneath an unknown type of atmosphere somehow generated unknown primitive life forms from unknown chemicals, and that’s how life (man) began. H.M. Morris, Science and the Bible

Christian View:
..God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. Genesis 1:27

Which view requires the greatest faith?

Great Quotes

Quotes:

(On the existence of God)
Take the human body alone---that all the functions of the individual would just happen by chance is a statistical monstrosity. (Geo Gallup)

(On the innate sense of God)
God Himself has implanted this “natural instinct” within man to prevent him from pretending ignorance of His existence. (John Calvin) Rom 1:19-20

The Test of Time

Miracle: “An event or effect in the physical world deviating from the known laws of nature or transcending our knowledge of these laws; an extra-ordinary, anomalous, or abnormal event brought about by super-human agency.” (early Websters) “The biblical concept of a miracle is that of some extraordinary work of God transcending the ordinary powers of nature and wrought in connection with revelation.” (paraphrase Herbert Lockyer..All the Miracles of the Bible)

What is the most prominent and the very first recorded miracle found in Holy Scripture? It is recorded in the first seven Hebrew words or the first ten English words... at Genesis 1:1--- “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Creation ex-nihilo (out of nothing) is the first and most wondrous miracle of all physical miracles, the incarnation excepted. I have become more and more convinced, as billions and billions of nano-seconds have transpired in my life, (3.6 trillion nano-seconds per hour), that God created the heaven and the earth in six literal 24 hour days...simply to confound the wisdom of the world (hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?) ...so that mankind would be forced to “in all thy ways acknowledge Him”. “The creation is the heathen man’s Bible, the farmer’s instruction book, and the sailor’s telescope, through which he receives a representation of the infinite excellencies which are in God. The creation is a large volume, in which God’s works are bound up (in earth, sky and sea)...” (Thomas Watson, 1620-1686)

What does current science say about creation in 6 literal days? The current consensus is (as Carl Sagan would have said...and did many times over) billions and billions and billions of years. What does the current state of the liberal/mainline Church say? ...billions and billions and billions of years! I have a friend who continually reminds me that the Church in the 16th and 17th century was opposed to Galileo’s Copernican understanding that the solar system was not geocentric but heliocentic. It’s true...the Church at that time was on the side of “current science”. Current science at that time was Aristotelian or geocentric..meaning that the earth was at the center of the solar system not the sun (heliocentric). By the way, Aristotle (384- 322 BC) didn’t get geocentricism from the Bible any more than we should understand geocentricsm from the local weatherman that says “sunrise at 5:58am”. What do we see in the 21st century? The Church (liberal/mainline) is once again in full agreement with science about creation occuring over billions and billions of years. It’s de ja vu all over again. Where is Galileo when we need him?

The Holy Scripture in Genesis Chapter 1 says this: “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Scripture says this six times...once for each day of creation. In Exodus Chapter 20 God tells us..” For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Outlined in Exodus chapter 20 are the ten commandments of which the phrase above has particular reference to the 4th commandment: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. How are we to understand these words...”and the evening and the morning were the first day”? This is not a scientific paper. It is a common sense paper. We believe the Bible is God’s Word to mankind..” being God's own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches; (Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy”).

How does science explain Jesus’ walking on the water? “...Jesus went unto them walking on the sea. Matt 14:25. How does science explain the virgin birth? “...for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. Matt 1:20. How does science explain the resurrection of Christ? “...He is not here: for he is risen. Matt 28:6. I could go on and on. Science has no explanations for these miraculous and true events. Now, I don’t expect unbelievers to understand the innerrancy and infallibility of scripture..but Christian brothers...you do believe these miraculous events revealed to you in God’s miraculous book concerning His miraculous incarnation, don’t you? The position of the Christian skeptic seems to be: “We shall strain out as much of the gnat of the supernatural as we can, and swallow as much of the camel of (science) and evolution as we can”. (Dr F. Johnson, Fallacies of a Higher Criticism) Science is a wonderful discipline and by God’s gracious providence has given us some marvelous things and expanded our understandings of many areas of reality but it knows nothing of the supernatural and the miraculous. To science god and mother-nature are one. To science naturalism, uniformitarianism and atheism is the holy trinity.

Science, the world, and most liberal Christians will scoff at you if you say you believe that the evening and the morning was a 24 hour literal day in the Genesis account. “....there shall come in the last days scoffers.... saying.... all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (uniformitarianism) So far, the liberal churches will not put you on trial as they did Galileo for your understanding. There is only one eye witness to the events of the creation week... and we all know Who that is. He has given us His Word and the Word understood in context without any preconceived notions or presuppositions or extraneous baggage simply says to us six times over, “the evening and the morning were the (first etc) day”. This can only be interpreted as six days consisting of one evening and one morning. If you’re depending on the latest knowledge of science for an understanding of God’s Word...you can be guaranteed that that understanding will change tomorrow. Just ask Galileo!

Electioneering

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See Al Mohler's excellent article HERE

Male and Female Created He Them

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Where your treasure is.....

Check out this link for the minutes of the February 2012 Heartland Presbytery meeting. Now you may understand why this particular presbytery is known nationally as the Heartless Presbytery. It is at least encouraging to know that of the 161 presbyters voting 20% (32) voted to cease the wasteful spending of parishioners tithes and offerings on seemingly vindictive lawsuits against former PC(USA) brothers and sisters. Actually, if the presbytery had specific needs for additional properties for worship services both of the congregations, in my opinion, would probably be glad to help provide for this need, even though no longer a part of the PC(USA). That need, of course, is not the case. Couldn’t these funds be better spent on programs to assist the homeless, or provide food for the hungry or to help care for needs of the elderly in the presbytery? According to the presbytery’s own records they have spent $231,726.00 in legal fees between 2007 and 2011.

You may think my use of the word “vindictive” above is rather harsh. To put it all in context take a look at this article about Heartland’s activities back in 2007. Why would I imagine that the heavenly host’s announcement, “on earth peace, good will toward men,” may have some sort of an effect on the Heartland Presbytery? In my opinion the member churches of the Heartland Presbytery should be ashamed of their leadership.

Imprecation

Imprecation: to invoke or call down (evil, or curses), as upon a person.
In certain cases..I just need to keep previous cartoons handy...'cause you just know they can be used again and again.  This is one of those cases.  (See earlier cartoon HERE)

See story HERE.

The Sum of the Gospel

from Jeremiah Burroughs

The gospel of Christ is the good tidings that God has revealed concerning Christ. As all mankind was lost in Adam and became the children of wrath, put under the sentence of death, God, though He left His fallen angels and has reserved them in the chains of eternal darkness, yet He has thought upon the children of men and has provided a way of atonement to reconcile them to Himself again.

The second Person in the Trinity takes man’s nature upon Himself, and becomes the Head of a second covenant, standing charged with sin. He answers for it by suffering what the law and divine justice required, and by making satisfaction for keeping the law perfectly. This satisfaction and righteousness He tenders up to the Father as a sweet savor of rest for the souls that are given to Him.

And now this mediation of Christ is, by the appointment of the Father, preached to the children of men, of whatever nation or rank, freely offering this atonement unto sinners for atonement, requiring them to believe in Him and, upon believing, promising not only a discharge of all their former sins, but that they shall not enter into condemnation, that none of their sins or unworthiness shall ever hinder the peace of God with them, but that they shall through Him be received into the number of those who shall have the image of God again to be renewed unto them, and that they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

That these souls and bodies shall be raised to that height of glory that such creatures are capable of, that they shall live forever enjoying the presence of God and Christ, in the fullness of all good, is the gospel of Christ. This is the sum of the gospel that is preached unto sinners.

The Conservative Presbyterian

This cartoon was originally drawn in July ’09 in light of the news about the Episcopal Church which allowed the blessing of same sex unions. I have now updated the cartoon to reflect changes in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Sad to say, but it is still an applicable cartoon in 2012. By the way...the Church drawn in the cartoon is The John Calvin United Presbyterian Church of Kansas City, KS pastored by my dad from 1950 to 1960. The church building has since been razed and the congregation has been absorbed by other PCUSA fellowships.

The Land of the Free.....bie

Yes...even "tooth level surveillance" will be available, perhaps mandated, under Obamacare.  See quote below from article linked.

"Before Obama’s Act of Supremacy did the English language ever have need for such a phrase? "Tooth-level surveillance": from the Declaration of Independence to dentured servitude in a mere quarter-millennium." See HERE.

The following quote has been attributed to about 4 to 6 different people from Alexis de Tocqueville to Ronald Reagan to Arnold Toynbee to Alexander Tytler. When “googled”...over a million hits come up. It’s probably been quoted more during the present government administration than ever before. You can add one more...for my blog.

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse (benefits) from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.”

The Greatest Intellectual Swindle

Darwin perpetrated the greatest intellectual swindle in the history of ideas. Nature has no power to choose. All natural selection does is narrow the variability of incidental change by weeding out the less fit. What’s more, it acts on the spur of the moment, based solely on what the environment at the present time deems fit and thus without any prevision of future possibilities. And yet this blind process, when coupled with another blind process, namely, incidental change, is supposed to produce designs that exceed the capacities of any designers in our experience. No wonder Daniel Dennett, in Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, credits Darwin with "the single best idea anyone ever had." Getting design without a designer is a good trick indeed. (Wm Dembski, The Design Revolution, pg 263)

Kansas Court says “Not Yours”

According to the The Layman Online the Heartland Presbytery has spent $231,726 in legal fees since 2007 per Presbytery reports. Check it out..HERE.

The Art of Building Life

...the art of shipbuilding is not in the wood that constitutes the ship. The art of composing sonnets is not in the letters of the alphabet. Likewise, the art of making statues is not in the stone out of which statues are made. Each of these cases requires a designer. So too, the theory of intelligent design contends that the art of building life is not in the physical stuff that constitutes life but requires a designer. (Wm Dembski, The Design Revolution, pg 133)

For the Record

Quote: Wm Dembski, “The Design Revolution”, pgs 20, & 25

Regarding Intelligent Design: “...the public is informed that intelligent design is religion masquerading as science or Creationism in a Cheap Tuxedo (the title of a newspaper headline). The nature and, in particular, the moral characteristics of that intelligence constitute a separate inquiry. Intelligent design has theological implications, but it is not a theological enterprise. Theology does not own intelligent design. Intelligent design is not an evangelical Christian thing, or a generically Christian thing, or even a generically theistic thing. ...As a consequence, intelligent design does not stand or fall with whether one can furnish a satisfying theodicy.”

I Got the Blues...Again

Two years ago my children gave a guitar to me for my birthday. Fifty years ago I played at the guitar and haven’t played since then. I never mastered the instrument then and certainly haven’t this time around...but the video does prove the old adage that "you can teach an old dog...old tricks". Maybe that isn’t exactly the way it goes...so perhaps what we need is a new...old adage. At any rate, this video is the fruit of my recent labors on an old yet classic song made famous by one of my early musical heros..Bill Doggett and Honky Tonk Part 1.  I do love the "Blues".  Remember this post from 2009?...Click Blues