Month: October 2014

Review of the Lockman Foundation, Large Print, Ultrathin, Reference Bible, in Black Calfskin Leather.
Bible Reviews

Review of the Lockman Foundation, Large Print, Ultrathin, Reference Bible, in Black Calfskin Leather.

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

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I’m kind of biased because I love the NASB translation and Lockman Foundation… but, I know there is always a, “but” after the review starts the way this one did.  The, “but” in this case is the hit and miss nature of  some of the Chinese manufacture processes.  This would have been a great Bible if fit and finish quality of the work were better.  This is $100.00 Bible and should reflect that in the finished quality.  Their was a section in the back where the overly thick card paper edge was glued improperly so that the white paper edge was visible and exposed.

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also on the front of the Bible the card paper was splitting on the bottom corner.  I don’t know if it was not glued well, bent during shipping from China, or the card paper that was used was just to thick and rigid for this application. three bibles 147

The Head and foot areas of the Bible could do with more precise attention to quality.

The notches could be smaller.

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The ribbon markers could be a thicker, higher grade of ribbon. three bibles 169 Lockman needs to move away from using the higher clay content shiny paper for the presentation pages and maps and move to a flat paper.  The glossy ones are too prone to falling out.  The presentation page should have been a couple of pages in so that you could actually write on it.  It is glued to the card paper that attaches to the binding and cover.

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I think if Lockman Foundation left the manufacture of their Bibles that cost less than $50.00 in China it would be alright, but with their middle and top end products they really need to bring it back home.  They sent me a copy of the hardcover Charles Stanley text Bible that is made here in America and it was excellent.  I loved the paper and the binding. If this Bible got the same treatment it would be worth the $100.00 price tag, but as it is I would have to pass.  They did send this Bible to me for free to be reviewed on my blog. With all the cons, I don’t want you to get the idea that this Bible does nothing right.  It has a sewn binding, and a calfskin cover.  It includes two ribbon markers and it is pretty thin considering that it is a real reference Bible.  You get all the benefits of a full reference Bible with a pretty thin profile. The Side Column Reference Bible I did a review on previously had more attention paid to fit and finish.  It was better so I overlooked some of the smaller cons like the opaqueness, excessively notched near the head and foot, and ribbon quality.  The opaqueness isn’t near as bad as other Bibles I’ve seen.  I just mention it because it isn’t as good as some in the same price range.  It seems like a more flexible card paper was used to connect the cover and text block on the side column reference which I love. This one con seems to cause others or make them more noticeable.  It is difficult to design the perfect Bible because, well it is subjective.  We like what we like though, so you can either make a ton of variations and try to please a lot of people, or you can make a few, really well made Bibles and hopefully sell a bunch of them to a smaller crowd. The bottom line is that you still get a great translation, in a sewn binding that is very flexible and lays flat, with genuine calfskin cover.  If you order one and it is good it will be very good.  If not, it has a lifetime warranty.  Just mail it back for a replacement.  I’m sure Lockman Foundation will stand behind their product.  I would just suggest they make these here in America or lower the price. Features, Ultrathin, large print 10 point font, making it easy on the eyes, double column verse format with center column references, Black letter edition, 8 pages of full color maps, Concordance, 2 Ribbon markers, gilt page edges, Presentation page, Family record pages, Gilded edges, Smyth Sewn, Printed on high-opacity paper to limit bleed-through, Lifetime guarantee, Black Calfskin leather.

Review of the Holman HCSB Electric Blue Large Print Compact Colormax Bible.
Bible Reviews

Review of the Holman HCSB Electric Blue Large Print Compact Colormax Bible.

Bob Snyder2 Comments

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This is kind of an odd little Bible. It is odd because of the cover color, material, and size of it.  The cover is smooth and shiny.  It reminds me of candy apple blue car paint.  The cover is smooth and shiny like the corfam oxford dress shoes the Marines wear.  You know the ones that never need polishing.

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It is flexible, but the binding is stiff.  I think that’s because it’s a tight binding.  The cover is lined with some blue paper.

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On the spine of the Bible the word, “Colormax” is printed in silver colored letters, and then the logos on the top and bottom.

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The pages are gilded with silver colored foil.

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The size of the Bible puts it in between a true compact and a small reference Bible.  It is thicker than most of the compact Bibles.  This is good in the sense that the font can be larger, but it doesn’t lend itself to going into a pocket or a bag as easy.  I would say it would be good in a lunch box, or backpack.  I think that was kind of the idea with this one.  The cover is obviously aimed at younger people.

This is a red letter edition of the HCSB text with 7 point font.

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The printing is clear and legible and the pages are opaque enough to limit ghosting.  The read text is bold, but not distracting.  It is dual column paragraph format.  There are limited references at the bottom of the page this makes more of the page real estate available to font size.  This makes it easier to read.

This Bible was made in South Korea.

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It seems the quality is better than many of the Chinese made Bibles.  There is one ribbon marker that matches the color scheme in silver.

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This Bible was shipped in a white plastic bag.  The retail packaging is a multicolored card-paper sleeve.

The topical concordance and “where to turn” index were very limited, but helpful, especially for younger or less mature Christians. You should already expect that when buying a compact.  The fact that it has any extra features is a bonus value in my mind.  It also includes, presentation page, eight maps, a, “how to use the Bible” page, plan of salvation, table of weights and measures, Titles of Jesus, and HCSB introduction and bullet notes.

After using this Bible for a while it loosened up a bit. The cover still doesn’t close right after bending it up a bunch.

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You kind of have to wait for it or put something on it.  The good news is that it appears to be a sewn binding.  So regardless of if you like the cover or not the Bible should hold up pretty well.  I kind of got a kick out of bringing this little Bible to Church last Sunday and showing it around to some of the fellas.  For the price, under twenty dollars, this is a nifty little Bible.  I think it would make a great Bible for the young person in your life.  Inexpensive enough to not be worried about the rigors of youth, and decent build quality to hold up to some abuse.

Dimensions: 5.67 X 4.00 X 1.13 (inches)

ISBN: 1433614448

ISBN-13: 9781433614446

 

I was given this Bible for free to review on my blog and am not required to give a positive review.

marriage · Theology

All arguments in favor of gay marriage are invalid.

Bob Snyder1 Comment

Regardless of the revisionism that is going on with the liberal, “ahem… theologians” a gay marriage is not an acceptable marriage according to God Himself and His word.  In this few verses spoken by God Himself, incarnated as the Word made flesh, He said in Matthew 19:3-6 in the New Testament, “…3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” 4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, 5 and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’? 6 “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”…” Oh and if you’re curious that is God/Jesus quoting Himself when God spoke in Genesis.

In Genesis 1:27-28 God says that He created male and female for the purpose of reproduction and that for His glory as more humans equates to more image bearers. Genesis 1:27-28, “…27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” …”

In Genesis 2:24 we have the definition of marriage ordained and officiated by God, “…24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh…”

So any union devised by the darkened heart of sinful humans that isn’t the God ordained and defined union of one man to one woman for life is by Biblical definition not a marriage. You can call it what you want, but it isn’t marriage.  Since Biblical marriage is a religious union the government has no business in it other than protecting our 1st amendment rights.  We should never be forced to condone homosexual marriage or facilitate one, be it in business or our personal lives.  It is an obvious abuse to do so.

Any sexual relations outside of a Biblical marriage are sinful. Homosexual desires are sinful.  Heterosexual lusts are sinful outside of a heterosexual marriage.  Desiring your spouse in a heterosexual marriage is not sinful.  Desiring someone outside of your heterosexual marriage is sinful.  These are very simple concepts people.  God is very clear in His word people.

So since you can’t be married unless it is a heterosexual marriage, and all sex and lust outside of that marriage are sinful, you can see that homosexual lusts and unions are sinful and not to be condoned or in any otherwise facilitated by the Church.

The only people that have problems with this are the ones who want to condone, endorse, and otherwise approve of perversion. “Hey! I don’t like being called a pervert or thinking of myself as a pervert!  I know!  I’ll twist God’s word around or completely disregard it and live in disbelief of Him.  That way I can justify my perversion instead of repenting and being forgiven.”  Wow! What a mess.

Listen folks every Christian is no better than the vilest offender. The Bible says we all deserve to be killed by God, sent to Hell, and to have God’s wrath poured out on us for all eternity because we are sinners.  Romans 3:23, “…23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, …”Even just a lie makes you worthy of hell.  Revelation 21:8, “…8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”…”  Proverbs 12:22, “…22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal faithfully are His delight…”  God sees a lustful thought as adultery.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:28, “…but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart…”

We don’t hate liars and we don’t hate homosexuals. There are Christians who were once liars, and homosexuals, but they have repented of their sins and put their faith in Jesus to save them.  1 Corinthians 6:9-11, “…9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. …”

Why would anyone being saved by grace hate a person who hasn’t been? Maybe you haven’t experienced hate from a Christian; maybe they have just told you the truth in love?  Proverbs 27:6, “…6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy…”  We don’t want you to die and go to hell for being an unrepentant sinner.  We just want you to experience saving grace through saving faith and repentance given by God.

Forgiveness of sins is available to you. Jesus, being fully God and man, lived a perfect sinless life, one that you could not live.  He earned all righteousness by obeying the law of God.  He went to the cross and there was crucified, enduring the horrendous torture.  Upon the cross the wrath of God that has been stored up for you upon the Day of Judgment was poured out on Jesus.  He paid your penalty.  Justice has been satisfied for you so that you don’t have to go to Hell and suffer, Jesus suffered for you.  Only He could take the suffering of infinite punishment and survive until it was complete as He is God.  The man Jesus then died, was buried, and resurrected of His own power, thus conquering death and sin.  All we must do in response is to admit that we are sinners who deserve Hell, turn from our sins and begin to fight them, turn towards Jesus, and believe that His work of atonement on the cross paid our sin debt, and set us free to live for Him.  Repent, and believe!  It is that simple to be born again and made into a new person.

Review of the Holman, New King James Version, (NKJV) Large Print, Personal Size, Reference Bible, in Brown Genuine Cowhide, Indexed, Red Letter Edition.
Bible Reviews

Review of the Holman, New King James Version, (NKJV) Large Print, Personal Size, Reference Bible, in Brown Genuine Cowhide, Indexed, Red Letter Edition.

Bob Snyder9 Comments

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Not too many Bibles from large publishers like Holman surprise me. This one is the exception.  I am accustomed to receiving Bibles from big publishers that are for lack of a better term, “disposable.”  Many of them seem to make Bibles that you can use for a couple of years and then have to throw it away when it begins to fall apart.  This Bible truly surprised me.  It came in the mail packed in a white plastic bag-elope.  I was immediately expecting some substandard, mass produced, mail abused, Bible.  I opened the bag and didn’t notice any damage to the box…  bonus!  I was glad that the corners weren’t mashed.  I opened the box (keep the box for storage) and was presented with black construction paper.

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I seriously hoped that wasn’t the cover.  Upon closer inspection I determined that the black construction paper was there to protect the supple and soft genuine cowhide cover.  It smelled like a new leather jacket and the texture was very pleasant.

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One of the most important parts of a Bible is the binding.  Naturally I checked that next.  I was pleased to see that it had a sewn binding.  This makes a Bible last longer and lay flat when you want to read it.

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Have you ever had to struggle against an intrusive and rude cover made of bonded leather, always trying to close on you?  Have you ever had a fake leather cover get stained, scuffed, or torn?  Well I have, and that is why I love genuine leather and goatskin covers with sewn bindings so much.  This Bible’s chocolate brown colored leather cover is lined with a vinyl sheet matching the cover’s color.  The lining is glued down.  This is pretty typical.  I was hoping to see it lined with a higher quality material sewn to the cover, but for the price of this Bible and the features it has I can’t complain.

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This Bible can be purchased for about $48.00 on a couple of different web sites. Christianbook.com has it here and Amazon.com here.  I was a bit surprised to see that this Bible was made in China.

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I was surprised because they seemed to have put it together pretty well.  There is a slight problem with the binding at the bottom, but that could be one of the drawbacks of having it banged around during shipping from China to the States.  It didn’t look like a manufacturing problem as much as shipping damage.  The pages are gilded and indexed.

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The indexes caught my eye as they are rectangular with rounded shoulders.  The usual ones are crescent shaped.  The New Testament ones were red and the Old Testament ones were black.  The spine is gilded with the, NKJV in a circle at the top, and, “Holy Bible” in the middle, with Holman’s logo at the bottom.  The spine has decorative hubs.

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When you open this Bible up you first have the normal presentation and records pages as well as the publishers information.  Then there is some info on the NKJV translation and a page with the plan of salvation.  I was expecting cheaper paper that was more translucent, smaller font, and more ghosting. (text from the page behind showing through)  I was very pleasantly surprised again.  The paper was pretty opaque for a less expensive Bible.  Well, even for some more expensive Bibles it was pretty opaque.

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The font looks to be twelve point and is clear and legible.  The Bible is a double column, paragraph format with some foot notes and references at the bottom of the page.  This was a smart move.  Doing it this way enabled them to print some large font while keeping the size down.  This was going to become my daily reader until my dear wife picked it up.  I think to quote her she said, “Oooh this is so soft and nice…  Can I have it?”  What can you do? This Bible has one ribbon marker matching the color of the cover.

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It opens nicely and is very easy to read.  I love the accuracy of the NKJV.  This Bible has some colored maps at the end.  I highly recommend this Bible for those looking for a daily reader without a bunch of distractions.  It is comfortable to hold and easy on the eyes with the opaque paper and large font.  All of this with the low price makes it an excellent value and asset.

Dimensions: 8.13 X 5.38 X 1.13 (inches)
ISBN: 1433613190
ISBN-13: 9781433613197

I received this Bible free of charge for the purpose of writing a review and am not obligated to write a positive review.

Review of the 1560 Edition Geneva Bible in Genuine Black Leather from Hendrickson Bibles.
Bible Reviews

Review of the 1560 Edition Geneva Bible in Genuine Black Leather from Hendrickson Bibles.

Bob Snyder5 Comments

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I requested this Bible from Hendrickson for review on my blog not knowing if they would send one or not. I had never done any reviews for them as of yet. I am happy to say that they sent me one without any begging or reminding. The Bible arrived packed in a cardboard box with an airbag cushion.

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Upon opening the box I found that it was in a two piece retail box.

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Inside it the Bible was wrapped in shrink wrap.

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The genuine leather cover was pretty stiff. After picking this Bible up I could understand why that was so.

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This is a monster of a Bible. It is large to say the least. The inside cover is paper lined with vinyl glued to the cover.

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The Bible has one ribbon marker of mediocre quality.

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The Bible was printed in China.

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The page edges are gold gilt as well as the spine. The spine has the words, “The Geneva Bible 1560 Edition Hendrickson Bibles” on it.

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This Bible has a sewn binding which is quite flexible for a Bible this size. The sewn binding allows it to lay flat brand new, out of the box.

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The paper is good and opaque. It has to be for the small size of the original print.

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Of course the most important feature of this Bible and most likely the reason you are considering buying it is that it is a facsimile Bible of the 1560 Geneva Bible translated by the Reformers Calvin, and Knox and cherished by the Puritans. It is the Bible that predates the King James and was brought to America by the Puritans on their quest for religious freedom and to glorify God. The makers of this facsimile scanned existing copies of the 1560 Geneva Bible and cleaned it up as best they could before printing it on good paper and binding it together.

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The old print can be difficult to read as it is small and not up to modern standards. The notes and references are great! I love being able to peak back into history and see what they thought was important to note during the Reformation. You should get this and read what they said about Rome 🙂 ahem… That is why they were hiding in Geneva. It also includes the Apocrypha.

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The book introductions are full of history. The chapter numbers are Roman numerals. The letters are early modern English. “v” for “u” and “f” for “s” and the like. It can be a bit difficult to use as an everyday Bible, but as a study in history and for comparison to modern translations it is a great tool. Especially good for when someone repeats the liberal mantra of, “The Bible is so messed up from being translated a gazillion times…” Just whip out your handy Geneva and show ’em who’s boss! Enjoy the pics at the bottom of the page and if yov haue any qvestiones be ye not afraid to comment on the article.

“…Facsimile of the University of Wisconsin Press edition of the 1560 Geneva Bible
Features clear, legible type throughout (marginal commentary is in smaller type)
Complete, original marginal commentary, maps and woodcut illustrations
Authoritative introduction to the Geneva Bible by Lloyd E. Berry

Genuine Leather
Vendor: Hendrickson Publishers
Publication Date: 2007
Dimensions: 9.75 X 7.75 X 2.5 (inches)
ISBN: 1598562134
ISBN-13: 9781598562132
…“Christianbook.com

I received this free of charge for the purpose of writing a review. I am not obligated to write a positive product review.

 

Don’t worry, you won’t have to perform gay marriages they said…
marriage

Don’t worry, you won’t have to perform gay marriages they said…

Bob Snyder8 Comments

faimily

This is God’s ordained arrangement, one man, and one woman, together to make a family with children who are created in the image of God to be image bearers of God for His glory.  Not this abomination which is a perversion of God’s will and blasphemous.

lesbowedding

It should literally make you gag and want to upchuck.  It is not, “cute” or, “adorbs.”  It is not brave of them or courageous.  It is sad, sick, and should make us pity them.  They need the gospel.  They need to be saved from their sins and reconciled to God.

Meanwhile here in… Idaho!  One of the most conservative states in the Union…  Uh oh! Gay marriage or jail for you Pastor!!!

This is what the Left has planned for us.  Deep in their hearts they hate God and everyone who is for Him.  They are soft on their tyranny now, but wait, soon they will have us rounded up, executed, and buried in mass unmarked graves.

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You say that kind of thing can’t happen…  Read your history.  Every immoral revolution has executed the people or dogs they claim were holding them back from evolving.  Instead of Jews it will be Christians who are to blame.

Just because it isn’t a “Church” and the couple make money off of performing a wedding, they are being compelled by the laws of Sodom and Gomorrah to do the will of the Whore of Babylon and the Beast. Next they’ll be telling us we have to prepare recipes for human baby stew for the satan worshipers if you own a restaurant.  Does anyone remember when the sight or thought of two men kissing was revolting?  How about two women doing the same?  It was revolting until the media started forcing on us.  Then two women became sexy instead of revolting.  People told me, “Don’t be such a prude!  It is hot.”  I remember telling everyone then that this is what would be happening.  Nobody cared or believed me.  Well, it is still revolting and disgusting.  God calls it and abomination.  It should cause our stomachs to turn, just like blasphemy should.  Those that give hearty approval to such things will also be cheering in the streets as we are drug away to death camps.

http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/9364

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/city-threatens-to-arrest-ministers-who-refuse-to-perform-same-sex-weddings.html

obama-gestapo

Hey and while we’re at it let’s make those evil Christians Pastors turn over their sermons to be scrutinized by the Gestapo for hate speech violations…  Welcome to the Peoples Democratic Republic of Soviet Secular Atheist Communist Anti-Christ Baby Killing Baal worshiping…  Revelation 6:10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”  So the answer to all of this is, repent and put your faith in Christ!  We are all wretched sinners and without the atoning work of Christ on the cross to accomplish that which all of our corrupt works could not, the  payment for sin’s debt.  Jesus paid it all, because He is our good God and we are totally dependent on Him.

Uncategorized

“The other side insisted this would never happen – that pastors would not have to perform same-sex marriages,” Tedesco told me. “The reality is – it’s already happening.”

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

“The other side insisted this would never happen – that pastors would not have to perform same-sex marriages,” Tedesco told me. “The reality is – it’s already happening.”

via City Threatens to Arrest Ministers Who Refuse to Perform Same-Sex Weddings | Todd Starnes.

Uncategorized

WCF 24.3

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Daily Westminster

Westminster Confession of Faith

Chapter 24: Of Marriage and Divorce

3: It is lawful for all sorts of people to marry, who are able with judgment to give their consent.[478] Yet it is the duty of Christians to marry only in the Lord.[479] And therefore such as profess the true reformed religion should not marry with infidels, papists, or other idolaters: neither should such as are godly be unequally yoked, by marrying with such as are notoriously wicked in their life, or maintain damnable heresies.[480]

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Uncategorized

Where Were You On That Day?

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Redbird's Roost

When they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. [Then Jesus said, “Father forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”] And they divided His clothes and cast lots.
The people stood watching, and even the leaders kept scoffing: “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked Him. They came offering Him sour wine and said, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!”
An inscription was above Him “This Is The King Of The Jews”
Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at Him: “Aren’t You the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are…

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