Photo by Frederick Meekins
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Thursday, January 11, 2018
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Hit & Run Commentary #103
If it is a rule that NFL players must stand during the National Anthem and a rule that players can't engage in showboating gyrations following a touchdown, on what grounds now is it legitimate to penalize a player that engages in celebratory dance?
A homily posted at SermonAudio is titled “Signs Of I Spiritual Immaturity”. A foremost one ought to be that this pastor in question went on for 92 minutes on this one topic.
Having returned from a tour of assorted Reformation sites in Europe, home school activist Kevin Swanson in a SermonAudio podcast now thinks it is his place to hand down decrees as to how you are obligated to spend your vacation. If that sort of itinerary emphasizing ecclesiastical tourism now makes him spiritually superior to other believers, how does that differ appreciably than medieval Catholic pilgrimages?
It was posted at SermonAudio by one minister having returned from a tour of religiously significant sites in Europe that many Christians leave Jesus out of their vacations. So unless you are being explicitly religious at all times as you relax, your weekend at the beach or afternoon at the local amusement park is now the equivalent of Thai sex tourism.
It was astutely pointed out in a sermon that the Christian must be careful in desiring to the point of envy the blessings God has given someone else but not intended for you. It should also be pointed out for the need of other Christians not to look down on those or to hinder the opportunities of others to whom God has not extended certain blessings that organized religion often instead views as life milestones that indicate that those having not experienced them for whatever reason are morally or spiritually deficient.
Frankly, Americans ought to be less offended about a President calling on professional athletes to stand during the National Anthem than these Presidents demanding we give back to the COMMUNITY with uncompensated voluntarism as if what we do for pay is of no public benefit.
In support of the professional athletes disrespecting the national anthem and the flag, the pastoral staff of Berean Baptist Church in a SermonAudio podcast remarked how America is still racially divided and how 11 AM Sunday is still allegedly the most “segregated” hour of the week. So which of the all White pastoral staff is going to resign so that a minority can hired to start the racial healing that these ministers are demanding of the remainder of us?
It is being suggested that Americans should be required to pass a mental fitness evaluation up to and including a record free of depression before being allowed to own a firearm. What would then prevent such a requirement from being placed upon other constitutional liberties before a citizen would be permitted to exercise such rights?
Why do we need to ban silencers if they were not used in the Las Vegas attack? A silencer is not part of the gun that kills a person. Most really know no more about silencers than they do lightsabers. They are nothing more than something fascinatingly spooky that has been seen in a movie.
Moron pundit Joe Scarborough claims that the only reason civilians stockpile weapons is in order to kill American soldiers or the government. But isn't that the primary reason why law enforcement and military also stockpile weapons in order to coerce compliance from civilian populations?
It was said on Saturday Night Live in reference to guns, no one needs 47 of anything. Does that include the number of sex partners had by the average homosexual or even straight deviant of whom an inordinate number of entertainers rank?
Rush Limbaugh is concerned that President Trump is becoming increasingly dictatorial. In particular, the broadcasting legend is referring to Trump's ongoing remarks regarding the intentional disrespect of the flag and national anthem on the part of a number of professional athletes. But wouldn't Limbaugh's keenly analytical mind be better directed towards the hints on the part of Trump threatening the revocation of broadcast licenses over news coverage critical of administration policy?
For leaving a game amidst NFL players refusing to respect the National Anthem, Vice President Mike Pence has been accused of political grandstanding. So how is what he did any more reprehensible than the actions of the recalcitrant athletes? Why must their rights of conscience by celebrated but not those of the Vice President?
A pastor remarked that, if you don't like an opinion articulated by a pastor, you should not leave the church because the pastor is merely exercising his First Amendment rights. But what about the First Amendment rights of the mere pewfiller to find a church the matches closest with their particular understanding of doctrine and its application in the life of the believer?
Diversitymongers have condemned a group of Poles that gathered along the border of that Eastern European nation in an act of prayer. Critics opposing this event claimed that this mass invocation of deity could be construed as a deliberate refusal to accept Islamic migration into the country. So apparently Poles aren't allowed to preserve their heritage but little is apparently said when Islamic regimes execute converts in order to preserve theirs.
A church that actually tossed its support in favor of the anti-American NFL protesters remarked that there is actually nothing the NFL could do that would prevent most American men from watching football. To watch or not to watch in light of these developments is an individual decision and not exactly one where church leaders ought to be making “Thus sayeth the Lord” style proclamations.
Interesting how Michael Savage buttered up to Laura Ingraham on his 10/11/17 broadcast. I remember him at one time deriding her as “that woman that always wears a cross” as if he didn't even know her name.
Producers of the upcoming flop Star Trek: Discovery revealed that the new version of the Klingons are based upon Trump voters in that the characters are advocates of genetic purity. As if the moronic Federation and Starfleet policy that all philosophies are equal is workable and wouldn't lead to civilization's collapse. If anything, Trump would be more like a Ferengi. It is a shame that those now granted control over this venerable science fiction series understand neither current events or the backgrounds of these characters.
President Bush said White supremacy and bigotry are blasphemy against American values. And Black Lives Matter, La Raza, Islamic jihadism, and Jewish supremacism are not?
Soon one will need an ID or even a passport (if one's home state is not in compliance with the Real ID Act) to travel between domestic airports within the United States (but apparently not to vote). Mark these words. Just as it is now against the law to withdraw an amount from the bank less than the amount that now triggers the scrutiny of revenuers if for the purposes to evade these reporting requirements, citizens will be subjected to criminal penalties if it is learned they selected a mode of transportation other than flight in order to avoid this form of intrusive surveillance.
If these actresses were so appalled to find out what Hollywood producers were really like (something known since the middle decades of the past century), why didn't they return to lives of relative obscurity such as Walmart cashiers? Some of what has been exposed is akin to going on American Idol and being shocked when Simon Cowell proceeds to berate you for a shoddy performance.
Even if not himself guilty of any direct incident, in regards to sexual harassment and the verbal mistreatment of WOMEEEENNN, isn't Howard Stern the equivalent of Tokyo Rose or Jane Fonda in Hanoi?
Donald Trump has Tweeted: "Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened." That means secret society elites will have the final say as to whether or not this information is released. And if it is, what proof will we have that it is complete or not doctored?
Regarding those wanting to ban Civil War reenactments. If that form of free speech and right to assemble can be infringed upon, why not also ban Antifa and Black Lives Matter while we are at it? There is nothing in the First Amendment about those wanting to assemble on public land being required to meet a specific ideological threshold.
By Frederick Meekins
Tuesday, January 09, 2018
Monday, January 08, 2018
You Wouldn't Want To Live At The Time Of Christ's Birth
A line of narrative in a Christmas cantata described the time in which Christ was born as “simpler”.
One could legitimately say that era in question was certainly less technologically advanced.
However, a case could be made that life then was actually much more complex and complicated to navigate.
Most today might want to get away from the ubiquitousness of their gadgets for a time.
However, would anyone from today really want to remain in such a setting?
It's doubtful most of us would survive for very long, but that is nothing to be ashamed of as we were not meant to be in that time.
The infrastructure of Bethlehem, and probably even the most advanced cities of that day such as Rome or Athens, was so lacking at the time that Mary had to give birth in a barn.
Statistically, just think how many other women had children that night traveling to fulfill the requirements of the census with less of a guarantee that the child was going to survive until adulthood.
Most of the discerning distrust the government now.
But despite the shortcomings of these agencies, have any of us faced the military or law enforcement deliberately killing all of the babies of a particular town just for spite?
IRS requirements to file taxes are burdensome and frustrating enough; however, at least we are not required to return to our respective hometowns in order to do so.
The celebrations of Christmas beautifully announce to the world that the Savior entered into it so that we might be redeemed from the consequences of our sin.
However, we also need a reminder that the world into which the Messiah willingly entered ultimately to die at the time was neither all that joyful or beautiful.
By Frederick Meekins
Sunday, January 07, 2018
Saturday, January 06, 2018
Friday, January 05, 2018
Monday, December 25, 2017
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Saturday, December 23, 2017
Friday, December 22, 2017
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Thought Police More Concerned About Comments Regarding Lingerie Brawl Than Lingerie Brawl Itself
A brawl erupted among lingerie aficionados in front of a Victoria’s Secret at a mall in Florida.
A concurrent investigation has been launched over allegedly racist remarks posted by a sheriff’s deputy’s wife on social media.
Shouldn’t that expenditure of police resources outrage feminists?
After all, it does not view her as her own person but rather as little more than livestock that her husband failed to control.
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Monday, December 18, 2017
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Friday, December 15, 2017
Thursday, December 14, 2017
If Nothing Is Immoral Can One Condemn Those Thinking There Are Things That Are?
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Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Will Roddenberry Foundation Agitate For The Commencement Of The Eugenics’ Wars
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Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Roy Moore Still Less Lecherous Than Gutfeld
Fox News pundit Greg Gutfeld has publically stated that he hopes Roy Moore loses.
Thus far, the has been little definitive proof offered that Moore actually violated any laws.
The allegations are that he violated the rules of decorum as imposed by an increasingly shrill and uptight cabal of WOMENNNNN that just this time last year getting ready to don their cranial haberdash depicting female anatomy.
If this is the case, shouldn’t Gutfeld himself be cautious before his own near constant litany of wisecracks making lighthearted jest about abduction, sexual slavery, and serial killing get him banned from the polite company of the broadcast airwaves as well?
Monday, December 11, 2017
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Saturday, December 09, 2017
Headline Potpourri #102
The pastoral staff of Berean Baptist Church in reflecting on the Charlottesville disturbances elaborated that statues built in honor of men are not Biblical. So if these edifices are going to be construed in light of the prohibition against graven images, will they going to ask SermonAudio to remove their profile portraits posted on the site?
It was said on the podcast of Berean Baptist Church that areas with populations feeling thusly should be allowed to vote on the removal of Confederate statues. Firstly, will this church as enthusiastically defend jurisdictions voting to retain their Confederate statues? Secondly, is their proof that this opposition is a grassroots movement indigenous to the South or is this the next iteration of the carpetbagger phenomena? If Yankees don't want Southerners imposing outdated morality on the rest of America, perhaps the Yankees should keep their views north of the Mason/Dixon Line.
In consideration of whether Jesus would be politically right or left, homeschool activist Kevin Swanson said he was uncomfortable with either the Democratic or Republican Parties. That is largely because politics is concerned about being disputatious about unimportant things. So how is that different than what some people feel about hardline denominationalists and the theological peculiarities or ecclesiastical idiosyncrasies of such?
In a sermon, a pastor got all jacked out of shape that Trump joked about police not having to be gentle as suspects are taken into custody. Such remarks are certainly out of line. But the approach called for is still probably more gentle than the treatment received by the Branch Davidians and Randy Weaver at the hands of the Clinton regime.
During a sermon on predestination, a pastor accused one youth in the audience of distracting another from hearing about the most important thing in the world. But if that youngster was not meant to be one of the called, does it really matter if the student hears a message that he is incapable of responding in the affirmative to? Furthermore, how do we not know that the distractor was not fulfilling a divinely appointed role to keep the distracted from not hearing a message that he was never intended to hear in the first place?
In a lecture on mature manhood posted at SermonAudio, Pastor Sean Harris lamented the increasing trend where young women are stuck to chronologically advanced males that are still mentally boys. As if many of these contemporary wenches that those under admonishment end up with are prize pigs themselves?
In a Sermon Audio upload, Pastor Sean Harris condemned the phenomena where wives end up essentially being replacement mothers for their listless deadbeat husbands. Will there be an accompanying sermon where trashy, spendaholic woman will be criticized for viewing their husbands as little more than replacement daddies in terms picking up the credit card tab?
In a SermonaAudio tirade, Pastor Sean Harris warned girls that men want to sleep with them. But unless it is rape, did not the girls want to sleep with the males as well? The young women were further counseled that often men will fake being Christian in order to marry them in order to do so. And that is worse how from women pulling a similar scam in terms of getting what they want particularly in terms of finances?
In a sermon, Pastor Sean Harris urged young women not to pay attention to young men that did not live up to a set of criteria that he proceeded to elaborate. All well and good. But will young men be admonished to similarly pay no mind to young women that do not exhibit a similar degree of modesty and enthusiasm for living frugally and doing housework?
Regarding a sermon by Berean Baptist Church Pastor Sean Harris that did nothing but condemn young men with nary a criticism directed towards the failings young women. If these “godly” women marry the appealing ungodly young man rather than the less attractive godly one, if the lives of such girls end up miserable, isn't that no one's fault but their own?
Interesting how in a sermon in condemnation of the contemporary adult male Pastor Sean Harris insinuated that men are obligated to work themselves to the bone for some wench but seemed to suggest that it was out of line for men to expect gratitude to be bestowed for this provision in terms of housework completed and bedroom compliance. That is, after all, why a man puts up with the hassle of getting married in the first place.
Regarding these descendants making a name for themselves bashing their ancestor Robert E. Lee. Apparently they don't despise the notoriety deriving from such enough to renounce their proverbial fifteen minutes of fame and any lucrative speaking engagements or book deals likely to result from such.
Joel Osteen's alleged delay in opening Lakewood Church to the victims of Hurricane Harvey will not be remembered as his finest hour. However, the reluctance can be understandable. Osteen might have been concerned that the facility would likely be torn to pieces like the Superdome was during Hurricane Katrina. And, as in the case of the horrors claimed to have taken place in that arena during that particular national calamity, would Lakewood Church be held liable for any rapes or sexual assaults committed on the property by those extended refuge?
In a sermon condemning the contemporary young adult male while deliberately glossing over the shortcomings of the contemporary young adult female, Pastor Sean Harris droned on about new mothers returning to work because of fathers not sufficiently providing. But is it that the father is not making an effort or is it that he's not providing the standard that she prefers? For example, is she having to settle for Aldi's and Savealot when she thinks she is deserving of Whole Foods and is being forced to shop at the local thrift store rather than Noordstrom's or Sacks Fifth Avenue?
In a SermonAudio homily that highlighted the shortcomings of the contemporary young adult male while totally ignoring the as shocking shortcomings of the contemporary young adult female, Pastor Sean Harris remarked that “real men” do not live with their parents. If he wants to maintain the fiction that his congregation holds to Sola Scriptura, can he provide a verse reference proving this assertion? Fascinating how the Hebrew Patriarchs are invoked by many of the hardline fundamentalists when denigrating modern dating where the individual makes their own selection of a mate rather than settling for the one provided by parents but the fact that the likes of Issac resided with his parents well into his forties is conveniently glossed over without mention.
In his analysis of the demise of Christian bookstores, homseschool activist Kevin Swanson characterized the death of Thomas Kincaid as a result of an overdose as a picture of American Christianity. If that is the case, couldn't it just as legitimately be said that the picture of the Reformed homeschool movement was the fall of Doug Phillips from Vision Forum Ministries as a result of an affair with the hired help or the dismissal of Swanson's former sidekick Dave Buehner for similar carnal improprieties?
Reflecting upon the demise of Christian bookstores, homeschool activist Kevin Swanson veered into criticism of painter Thomas Kincaid. In the analysis, Swanson insisted that the late artist's work lacked gravitas. But then again, are we Christians obligated to hang depressing works in our living rooms or over the mantle?
In his condemnation of Christian bookstores, homeschool activist Kevin Swanson compared a book on raising boys written by a Christian psychologist and one written by a pastor. He noted critically how the one written by the psychologist was primarily practical in nature and only had a smattering of Bible verses. The book written by the pastor, on the other hand, was highly praised for containing numerous Scriptures. But isn't each written by a professional that by training is an expert in a distinct yet not necessarily conflicting field? The concern should have instead been if the pastor hadn't utilized so many verses and was attempting to pass himself off as a psychologist? At no time was it clarified whether or not the psychologist was peddling advice that in anyway contradicted Biblical teaching. The psychologist might have simply been providing ways by which Biblical teaching could be put into practice. Many of these professional religionists bind the Christian in a sort of proverbial catch 22. They insist that all knowledge is God's knowledge and that there needs to be the influence of believers in these various fields of study but they then turn around in a tizzy when these issues are approached in a manner different than how they would be handled from the Sunday pulpit.
In exegesis of Esther's proclamation that if she perished, she perished, a pastor remarked that he could not understand why Americans are reluctant to die. Probably because it was God that placed a survival instinct into all living creatures. And apart from hardline Islamists that have to work at undermine this through intensive brainwashing and spiritual manipulation, are there really that many people that are either young or healthy eager to die? If one is going to make as part of one's pulpit persona how much one admires Jewish culture, shouldn't one know that one of their catch phrases is “To life!”?
Congress has passed a resolution demanding the President condemn White supremacism. Will this quickly be followed will successive decrees calling for similar condemnation of Black Lives Matter, enthusiasts of the knock out game, Hispanosupremacist organizations such La Raza and Mecha, and the fanatical babykillers of Planned Parenthood?
So why is CNN propagandist Don Lemon being praised for getting on the bandwagon that fat bottomed girls make the world go round and that he likes big butts and he cannot lie but a husband that confessed similar sentiments on social media regarding his wife was castigated as if he was some kind of domestic abuser?
At the Pentagon 9/11 Commemoration, Secretary of Defense James Mattis declared, “Mr. President, your military does not scare.” So is that sense of courage why a number of elite military functionaries about tripped all over themselves to condemn the Charlottesville disturbances (a domestic political incident the military had no business addressing in the first place) in a manner that totally ignored the role Antifa rabblerousers played in exacerbating the incident?
Secularists are in an uproar over Trump judicial nominee Amy Burrett for seeming to suggest that, as a Catholic, there are instances where fidelity to religious teaching might take precedence over an oath sworn to uphold the Constitution. Such a statement does cause the discerning to stop for a moment of reflection. But upon further consideration, how is her sentiment appreciably worse than most of the fiats issued by numerous administrations irrespective of party finding no basis whatsoever in the Constitution? A perfect example is no doubt the DACA decree of the Obama regime that the very same progressives raising this concern about a jurist's legal ideology are in an uproar over Trump attempting to find a more appropriate statutory foundation for.
President Trump assures that there will be a wall but just not right now. That translates from political gibberish that, if one is ever built, it likely won't be during the Trump regime.
If NFL players should be allowed to sit down during the National Anthem without repercussion in violation of the rules, why should the property owner along Interstate 95 in Virginia be required to comply the with a zoning ordinance pulled out of the backside of municipal officials infringing upon his free speech to fly an enormous Confederate flag?
By Frederick Meekins
Friday, December 08, 2017
Thursday, December 07, 2017
Wednesday, December 06, 2017
If A Gal Wanted It At The Time, Can It Be Considered Rape Nearly 40 Years Later?
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Tuesday, December 05, 2017
Cult Leader Charged With Toddler’s Murder
Cult Leader Charged With Toddler’s Murder https://t.co/958hQEbUhh
— Faith in Christ (@spiritandflesh1) December 4, 2017
Will Artificial Intelligence Demand Worship As Deity?
Will Artificial Intelligence Demand Worship As Deity? https://t.co/8IM5n4AZzR
— Faith in Christ (@spiritandflesh1) December 4, 2017
Christian Divorce Rate Not Equal To The World’s After All
Christian Divorce Rate Not Equal To The World’s After All https://t.co/z2PvCw8Tk0
— Faith in Christ (@spiritandflesh1) December 4, 2017
Monday, December 04, 2017
Must Brits Be Denied Toilet Paper To Placate Islamist Interlopers?
Must Brits Be Denied Toilet Paper To Placate Islamist Interlopers? https://t.co/KfO5VZUZph
— Faith in Christ (@spiritandflesh1) December 4, 2017
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Newsmax’s 100 Most Influential Evangelicals
Newsmax’s 100 Most Influential Evangelicals https://t.co/mImJXdN7lI
— Faith in Christ (@spiritandflesh1) December 4, 2017
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Evangelicals Advocating Youthful Marriage Cannot Feign Outrage At Judge Moore’s Alleged Proclivities
Evangelicals Advocating Youthful Marriage Cannot Feign Outrage At Judge Moore’s Alleged Proclivities https://t.co/QmNzBoOew2
— epistolizer (@epistolizer) December 4, 2017
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Luciferian Elites Insist Cavorting Nude Before The Hired Help No Big Deal
Luciferian Elites Insist Cavorting Nude Before The Hired Help No Big Deal https://t.co/E1iQx1VPxQ
— Faith in Christ (@spiritandflesh1) December 4, 2017
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Moron Likely To Lose Tattooed Eyeball
Moron Likely To Lose Tattooed Eyeball https://t.co/hKTj16yh7W
— epistolizer (@epistolizer) December 4, 2017
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Liberal Elites Attempt To Expunge The Religious Worldview Of P.D. James From Literary History
Liberal Elites Attempt To Expunge The Religious Worldview Of P.D. James From Literary History https://t.co/KeskKJlNB8
— Faith in Christ (@spiritandflesh1) December 4, 2017
Could Humans Survive Faster Than Light Travel?
Could Humans Survive Faster Than Light Travel? https://t.co/WRB5B8SnPE
— Faith in Christ (@spiritandflesh1) December 4, 2017
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Friday, December 01, 2017
Can A Man Be Punished Over A Grope That The Woman Apparently Enjoyed At The Time
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Thursday, November 30, 2017
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Monday, November 27, 2017
Corporatists Profit From Christmas While Subtly Mocking It
Over the past couple of decades, the cultured despisers of religion have attempted to undermine celebrations primarily Christian in nature through outright bans of the symbols commemorating a particularly beloved time of year.
However, such efforts have proven largely unsuccessful.
Americans have resisted with such vehemence that the nation elected a President that raised the issue of referring to December 25th explicitly as Christmas nearly to the level of a plank in his campaign platform.
As masters of psychological warfare, secularists now seem to be pursuing a strategy where, if one cannot outright ban Christmas, one can at least insert messages disrespecting the holiday into the advertising pervasive throughout ubiquitous media.
In one advertisement, instead of a baby Jesus figurine resting in the manger, a British bakery replaced the Christ child with a partially masticated sausage role.
Given that sausage is often composed of swine parts that cannot be consumed as other cuts of meat, would this business if its executives desired continued existence portrayed Muhammad in a similarly flippant manner?
And speaking of Muslims, adherents of that particular faith are utilized in another marketing endeavor on the part of a business wanting to brand itself as slapping Christians across the face.
In a commercial produced by a British supermarket chain, those depicted are asked what it is that they like to eat for Christmas.
One of the families asked is not simply Muslim but there is no denying such as they are depicted in the head garb distinctive to hardline interpretations of that faith.
One might legitimately respond that the beauty of Christmas is that anyone is free to celebrate the joy of that particular season.
After all, Christmas is big business in Japan with the majority of the population there being Shinto and/or Buddhist.
However, the obliteration of Western civilization has not been a particular goal of the Japanese since the end of World War II.
It has been admitted that a number of Muslims do not so much wear these outfits out of a sense of piety or modesty but rather as a way to explicitly articulate their animosity towards Christendom and to do their part to see that that particular way of life is replaced with a global caliphate.
As in the case of the sausage role advertisement, could a similar commercial be produced where the roles are reversed where a Saudi Arabian grocery asked Christians residing there how they enjoy Ramadan with the Christians responding with a nice succulent pork chop or a crispy piece of bacon?
Corporate media is so deliberate in nature that nothing within the messages it propagates is an accident or mere coincidence.
As such, if an aspect of such can be construed as disrespectful of either Christmas or Christianity, it is pretty safe to assume such was the intention of the mind composing such a sentiment.
By Frederick Meekins
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Friday, November 24, 2017
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Trump Admits Larcenous Dribblers Should Have Been Left To Rot In Maoist Prison
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Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
The Cultural Impact Of Worldview & Apologetics, Part 5
Sadly though, this is the age of extremes. On the one hand, there are Christians that no doubt find Disney classics such as “Snow White”, “Sleeping Beauty”, and “Pinocchio” too racy for their tastes. And on the other, there are those professing to be Christians that cannot adopt quickly enough the popular fads and affectations of any particular moment. One prominent example of overeager accommodation to the spirit of the time is the Emergent Church movement.
If one is to chastise the Evangelical and Fundamentalist wings of Christianity for overly embracing social conservatism as epitomized by the Republican Party, to remain consistent one would also be required to enunciate an admonishment against the Emergent Church’s headlong rush into what could probably be described as countercultural liberalism. Realizing the sway postmodernism has over Western society and the power of its methodology to expose potentially hidden hypocrisies and inconsistencies, advocates of the Emerging Church believe that the wiser course may be to surf the postmodern wave on a Christian board than to firmly plant one's feet and fight against the tide.
Emergent Church leaders such as Brian McLaren hope that the postmodernist impulse to examine and in most cases set aside the cultural assumptions often below the surface we are not aware of will assist believers to get back to the earliest expressions of the Christian faith that existed before it was institutionalized as a socio-cultural edifice. McLaren views the impact of modernity upon the Church as having been especially deleterious.
Fundamentalists not that familiar with the direction in which McLaren takes his analysis might initially think they have found an ally in McLaren. However, in many respects, McLaren is harder on those one might categorize as conservative Evangelicals than he is on the shortcomings of the contemporary world.
According to McLaren, modernity in the West has fostered the desire to conqueror and control all of the structures of reality from the physical to the epistemological through the process of scientific analysis and classification. The result has been to mechanize all of existence (including human beings) to the point where the souls encountered by the Christian and the resulting relationships are not seen as ends in themselves worthy of care and nurture but rather as strategic stepping stones simply along the path to accumulating conversion statistics (230).
Concerns raised by McLaren regarding authenticity are quite valid. Even for those that have been Christians for years and even decades, it is easy in a megachurch setting to feel like little more than a statistic used to justify the next phase of the building expansion while in a small church it is easy to come away with the sense that one is not welcome unless one is in complete enthusiastic agreement on nonessentials if one is an average pewsitter. However, there are a number of dangers that result from the Emergent Church's posture against dogmatism.
According to McLaren, the modern age was marked by a quest for certainty and absolute knowledge (230). In the Church, this has manifested itself in the tendency to insist upon an exclusivity of belief that points out the deficiencies of competing faiths and emphasizes the superiority of Biblical revelation. Of this approach to matters of theology and religion, R.Scott Smith writes, “In that process...faith tends to be treated as a rigid belief system that must be accepted instead of a unique, joyful way of living, loving, and serving (230).”
Ideally in a world accepting of and at peace with the Gospel, that would be how Christ would be introduced to those hungering to have their sins forgiven and life more abundantly. And though the Christian must always strive to show as much respect and kindness to the unbeliever as possible, neither can it be ignored that the world has been so warped by sin that Satan is always on the prowl seeking those whom he may devour. There are those out there that are wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing seeking to infiltrate the church for the sole purposes of destroying it.
There are things that are just plain wrong. Both clergy and possibly even more so the laity must be on guard against them.
If the Christian does not possess an existential certainty that makes the leap of faith from the ledge of high factual probability, though one does not attend to secure salvation one can think of a number of more enjoyable ways to spend Sunday morning. A number of these would include remaining in ones nocturnal raiment rather than slipping into the most uncomfortable garments likely hanging in one's closet. More importantly, if one is to be of the mindset that it is improper to point out where other faiths and creeds do not measure up to Christianity, how are the young to protect themselves when these competitors attempt to lure them away? For especially when (as in the case of Islam) these outlooks have no qualms about insisting upon the superiority of their own practices and dogmas.
To the Christian fatigued by some of extremist Fundamentalism's rules which in some circles extend to no facial hair on men despite there being no Biblical mandate for such a grooming preference, the care free times of the Emergent Church with its disdain for systematized doctrine may sound like a relief. However, once the prospective adherent delves deeper into the movement, disillusioned Fundamentalists may discover they have merely exchanged one form of excessive control for another.
R. Scott Smith writes in his analysis of the Emergent Church that Brian McLaren believes, "modernity has emphasized inordinately the autonomous individual ... Likewise the church has perpetuated this individualism to the detriment of the body of Christ (230).” This assumption is itself in need of careful examination.
If by this McLaren means that under the banner of modernity that many an individual has abused the freedoms of the contemporary world to ignore those behavioral restrictions given to us that a percentage find stifling or inconvenient, he could very well be correct. Yet in a Time Magazine profile naming him one of the nation‘s most prominent Evangelicals, McLaren did not seem all that concerned about the growing support for gay marriage and homosexual intimacy. To McLaren, lamenting the advance of individuality means something else entirely.
For example, in an interview broadcast in June 2010 on Issues Etc. with Todd Wilken, McLaren kept emphasizing that Jesus did not so much come into the world to live the sinless life that we could not, die in our place as the penalty for our sins, and rise from the dead so that we might enjoy eternal life with Him in Heaven. To McLaren, the traditional Christian emphasis of Christ’s work of reconciling the individual to God in preparation for eternity is secondary to establishing God’s Kingdom here on earth.
To McLaren, the transforming power of Christ is not so much about the changing of the human heart one individual at a time on a level imperceptible to merely human eyes. McLaren believes that such shifts in consciousness or perception (to borrow New Age and postmodernist phraseology) need to be societal or planetary. However, such a revolution would not so much turn the world into one giant campus extension of Bob Jones University or Pensacola Christian College campus with well intentioned busybodies armed with rulers measuring to see if young men's haircuts are short enough, young ladies' hemlines long enough, and a respectable distance kept between the two sexes as they perambulate down the street.
Things would, more likely, come to resemble a form of religious socialism where the morality of an economic decision would not be determined by how well it benefited the individual or by how closely it adhered to the explicit dictates of Scripture but instead by the criteria of how it benefited the overall group, predetermined oppressed classes such as ethnic minorities, and whether or not the decision adhered to the consensus of the community. McLarenite Emergent Church types have often condemned how those on the Evangelical Right have long served as the dupes of the Republican Party; however, those enunciating such criticisms have turned right around and snuggled up with Christian leftists such as Jim Wallis and Tony Campolo who have little problem with homosexual domestic partnerships or professed Communists such as the Sandinistas of Nicaragua.
In every direction the Christian turns, he finds adherents of every conceivable worldview gaining ground throughout Western civilization and around the world. Constantly bombarded by these competing perspectives, after a while the mentally fatigued believer can grow so weary that it is easy to throw up one's hands wondering what is the point in even trying anymore. Often it is concluded that the best strategy would be to cordon ourselves off in a Christian subculture in the attempt to preserve sound doctrine and their family's spiritual purity.
Though that might be a noble sounding justification, it is often not the case. Often on the grounds of aspiring to a simple "just give me Jesus" kind of faith, many believers shut down their minds all together to the point of where they do not only fail to familiarize themselves with the knowledge of their adversaries but also fall into appalling ignorance of Christian things as well.
William Lane Craig points out in the essay "In Intellectual Neutral" that, on tests of generalized knowledge (think of the Jaywalking segments from the Tonight Show), Christian young people faired little better than their unbelieving counterparts. Of these findings, Craig concludes, "If Christian students are this ignorant of the general facts of history and geography then the chances are that they...are equally or even more ignorant of the facts of our own Christian heritage and doctrine...If we do not preserve the truth of our Christian heritage and doctrine, who will learn it for us (5)?"
Thus, when the Christian disengages from what are snidely referred to these days as the "Culture Wars" as if our way of life was somehow not worthy of preserving or fighting for, he does not succeed so much in keeping himself from deeds he considers impure such as heated disagreement and argument. Rather the result of such surrender is ultimately the erosion of our civilization if Christians do not rise to the challenge in a variety of venues ranging from government, academia, and even the new social media such as blogs and podcasts. If such happens, those trapped by the blinders of secularism may never otherwise be exposed to these ideas and concepts.
As a neglected discipline in many Christian circles, it becomes an easy temptation for those enthusiastic to promote a more intellectually rigorous and vital expression of the faith to downplay more existentialist manifestations of it. However, if anything, one thing that can be adapted from the Emergent Church movement is the need to be consistent and authentic in regards to how our lives should reflect closely the things that we say.
In Ecclesiastes 1:9, scripture assures that there is nothing new under the sun. Sean McDowell in the essay “Apologetics For An Emerging Generation” insists that, despite the complexities with which the issues dress themselves when confronting the inhabitants of the contemporary world, the young continue to ask the same but profoundly deep questions that they always have (260).
Therefore, it remains essential for the Christian to remain grounded in the foundations of the faith as well as familiar with the assorted challenges always arising to undermine the faith once delivered unto the saints.
By Frederick Meekins
Monday, November 20, 2017
Friday, November 17, 2017
Afrosupremacists Demand Black Terrorist Groups Be Allowed To Operate Unimpeded
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Thursday, November 16, 2017
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White Christians Condemned For Failing To Embrace Unconditional Racial Surrender
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Tuesday, November 14, 2017
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Vatican Polemicist Hurls Excrement At Protestants Disguised As Alleged Apology
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Saturday, November 11, 2017
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